THE LONER

 

Malachi 3:1 -  "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me."

Mark 1:4 - And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

On the surface, I'd probably say that John led a solitary life. He shows up in the desert burning with a message given to him by God, and scripture says that he preached that message. Actually the word used is for desert is"Wilderness". Every time I think about this passage, I picture ol' John out there in the middle of nowhere, preaching to no one. His voice rises above the wind and the night sounds of the animals that come out in search of water and food.

What must it have been like to be "THE" voice that was chosen by God to proclaim the coming of Jesus? Most versions of scripture say that John was a voice "crying" in the wilderness. Picture this---Some caravan goes by while John is crying out, and they hear his message. Later as the caravan enters the city, during a conversation with the locals, the travelers bring up the fact that there is a man outside of town, in the middle of nowhere talking to no one. Pretty soon the story spreads concerning John, and folks began to make the trek out to see what was going on. There in that wilderness, they find themselves confronted with truth. There in that lonely, desolate place, human hearts were brought face to face with the truth of God. Pretty soon, there was a steady stream of humanity coming to where John was, to be baptized by him. A baptism of preparation.....a physical symbol of repentance, and a desire to follow God.

Flash forward to now: Those who have turned will and life over the care of God are now called to take their message to others. We have now been called to be a voice crying out in the wilderness of addiction and sin. A message of hope. A message of a new life. A message that defines the very concept of "God does for me what I cannot do for myself." And hanging over this entire picture, flies the banner of Salvation. Sin debt cancelled. Relationship with the living God restored. Brought into His family through adoption by the blood of Christ. With all of this, how could you not tell your story? How could you not be a "Voice" in our world today. Not a religious voice. Not a denominational voice. Not a church voice. But merely the voice of one who has been called and saved by God.

As it reads in the book of Jude, verse 23 - "Save others by snatching them from the fire." No doubt about it, when you choose to follow Christ, it can be a lonely time. Friends will reject you for the choice you made. Old using buddies will mock you and maybe even disappear from your life, as they want nothing to do with you. But in this journey you find a new family that will help and encourage you to not give up, but continue to take the message to others. Some may view you as being a loner, but trust me.....with God, you are never alone.

God on you...

mbb

MORE THAN A DIRT ROAD

 

Take a good look at this road. Dry and dusty during the summer months, but come winter and into the spring, when the rains came, it turned into a slippery conglomerate of mud and ruts.

This is pretty much what it looked like the first time I drove down it. Didn't know what was waiting for me at the end of this road. Didn't know what I'd find. God knew though. He knew that I would find myself, my purpose in Him. You see, this is the road you turn onto off of Hwy 77 that took you to Rapha. For those who may not be familiar with Rapha, it is a Christ centered drug and alcohol rehab, where I spent the better part of 16 + years as staff chaplain.

How many men turned off onto this road, not knowing that a life change was there waiting on them if they wanted it? That the person who went down this road, had the potential to become a different person....a new creation. How many can I point to that found the change that only God can bring to a life of darkness and destruction? Old dead men drove down that road, and when it was time to leave, new creations went forth back into the world.

I'm reminded of two verses that have stuck with me over the years.

Psalm 77:19 - Your road led through the sea. Your pathway through mighty waters....A pathway no one knew was there! Sometimes the path we find ourselves on may not be the one we would have chosen, but God knows best. Like I said earlier, how many turned off to travel down this road not realizing that the answer to the prayers and cries that had gone up for them, and from them, was waiting. If you've been in recovery for anytime, then you understand the phrase "Higher Power"....well, in our case, the Higher Power has a name, and that name is Jesus.

Hosea 14:9 - Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.

Here is the hard part. Not everyone who drove down that road did change. Some merely came, marked time, and left in the same condition they came in with. That is the hardest part of me. Some went back out and died. Others went to prison. Still others continued to wander in the darkness of addiction never intending to change. 

Such is why there are those who found freedom in Christ continue reaching out to those still trapped. Still searching and looking for those who may have given up on life. This is why we will never stop sharing the message that only Christ is the real answer to your addition. As I've heard it said more than once........"People don't have alcohol and drug problems....these are merely symptoms of something deeper. And that something is a broken relationship with Jesus Christ."

Don't know why I chose to do this post, other than the simple fact that I found the photo and it stirred up all manner of memories in me. I am grateful today that I turned onto that old road. Grateful that God led me to a place called RAPHA.

God on you....

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"HE" AND NO ONE ELSE

 

I love the simplicity of the scripture. Oh, I know there are parts that I don't fully understand, but the meat of what I read has one simple thought.....FOLLOW. Truly how hard is it to follow? Well, at times, it is very hard. The answer to the the problem is me. I get in the way. I mess it up. Jesus is leading me, when all of a sudden I want to take a side trip which usually does not end well.

Psalm 23 is one of my favorite chapters in the bible. David opens the Psalm with a statement as to the spiritual position he occupies in his relationship with God. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." If David refers to God as not just a shepherd, but his shepherd, then he views himself as being a sheep. One who follows the shepherd. It's the next series of verses that show movement to a life committed to following Christ. We see God and His efforts to keep us under His care so that we won't wander off to our own destruction.

Let's begin with verse 2:

"He makes me"

"He leads me"

"He restores me"

"He guides me"

Verse 4 --- when life takes me into dark places, I will fear no evil. Why? Because He is with me. The very thought that my Great Shepherd has weapons to protect me with brings a comfort to my mind and my heart.

"You prepare a table"...a place to feast. God even does this in the presence of my enemies, who stand at a distance watching all this take place, but doing nothing because of the presence of my Shepherd.

"You anoint my head with oil"....you protect my mind and my heart with the "oil" of your Holy Spirit. And because of this, my obedience to the shepherd brings His blessings to me.

That is my Shepherd. That is my Savior, and that is my King! Chew on this and let God reveal His truth to your heart this day.

God on you...

mbb

TRADING JESUS

 

Matthew 26:14-15
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, "How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?" And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.

 What we have here  in these verses is a business transaction that is taking place.. A value has been ascribed to a human life (although such a life as this had never walked the earth before). Looking up what thirty pieces of silver would have been worth back in Jesus' day, I found out that it was roughly the equivalent of $380.00.   The Son of God was only worth $380.00!!

Never in their wildest dreams could the priests ever have imagined that one of Jesus' own disciples would have been their inroad into arresting and killing Jesus. A betrayer from the midst of his very own followers. But here he was. Judas. They did not go to him, he came to the them. Right off the bat, he asked the very question that shows the state of his heart  and life. "How much will you pay me?" But then, they have to come up with a sum that is proper. Too little and Judas walks away. Too much and they feel that they were being taken advantage of. 

Doing some research, I came across a very interesting fact. Thirty pieces of silver was the prices usually paid to dismiss a shepherd from his job. Is that crazy or what? The Son of God....the Good Shepherd......The One who came to save that which was lost, was in an essence, being dismissed from His job. Even with this tidbit of info, I still find it inconceivable to be able to put a price on the head of Jesus.The most nefarious business transaction ever to take place.......or was it?

We (humanity) barter Jesus away ever day.
We trade the eternal promises and presence of God away every day for the baubles and trinkets that the world has to offer.  We trade the eternal promises of God away for a temporary fix and relief in our life.
"Accept this Jesus as a Savior? Not while I can party and live it up."
We trade Jesus for a bottle of whiskey.
We barter Jesus for prescription pain med's.
We give the eternal truth and presence of Jesus away for a sexual encounter.
Giving no thought as to what we have done, or what price we will pay at the end of our life.

What have you traded Jesus for?

What is He worth to you?
God on you....
mbb

LIFE IS LIKE--------

Seems as though the days come like assorted chocolates.
Some are tasty and wonderful to enjoy....
Others leave an after taste that is not pleasant. You make a mental note to not eat that kind anymore.
Life is like that isn't it?
Enjoy the days when everything seems to go right and you truly do believe that God is in the heavens and all the earth should rejoice. Drink up the good days. Soak up every memory of what that day was like. You see, by doing this you are storing up the makings of gratitude.
We seldom have gratitude when everything is going right.
We tend to take good days for granted sometimes as if they were a divine right for those who belong to God.
What I have found is that we store the gratitude and then pull it out for use when we have a day where the wheels come off. When the sunshine disappears and the clouds come rolling in. When our spiritual umbrella springs a leak and we are soaked by the downpour of problems and emotions that come with them.
Remember! Think back and be grateful for what God has done for you in the past. Yes, right now is a pretty bad time but I find hope in the gratitude that I can place myself in.

Lack of gratitude propels us into one of mankind's most popular activities. Having a pity party for yourself. Feeling sorry for yourself. This is a hard place to be in because we want to garner the sympathy of others or at least invite some people to join us in our misery. You know what "THEY" say..."Misery loves company."

Psalm 89:1-2 reads:
I will sing of the Lord's great love forever. With my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands forever.
Lift your vision higher. Look beyond the situations and circumstances that surround you today. I'm not saying ignore them. I 'm saying don't allow them to dictate your emotion or response. Look beyond to God who is your savior.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.....

God on you today..........
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WHAT MARK DO I HAVE?

 

In reading Watchman Nee today, I came across this statement. I would like to say it caught my eye but instead, it caught my heart.
"It is often observed that Calvary precedes Pentecost." The nature of one dying to self only through surrender is the beginning of the Holy Spirit coming to anoint for the work of the Kingdom. Those not willing to surrender will never have the Holy Spirit. He goes on to say, "Where the mark of the cross is lacking, there the oil of the Spirit is absent."
This means that we can appear to be doing the work of Christ. We can be a force in our church that others look to, but without the mark or work of the cross in our lives as evidenced by our salvation, we are living a lie. Anything we accomplish, even for the name of Christ, is a false work that is flesh-built without direction or guidance of His Holy Spirit. I call this "doing" without direction but using the name of Christ to validate what we have accomplished.

Later we read that many people seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit that they may receive glory for themselves. That others would look at their lives and marvel and maybe even covet what they seem to have.

"We must discern clearly why we seek the power of the Holy Spirit. If our motive is neither of God nor one with God, we will certainly will not be able to obtain the power. "

I wish not to cast doubt on anyone but I have seen for sometime people who I would say were "professional conference Attendees". They seek out the latest and greatest to experience what is going on. The main focus is themselves as to what they can receive for God. Not a bad motive except when it is held up in the light of accountability. What did they do with what they received? Did they take it back to their home town and give it away by helping and teaching others? Or did they simply stick it on a shelf like some trophy to show others that they had simply been touched by God?

Everyone appears to want the Holy Spirit....
No one appears to want to make disciples....
Everyone appears to want the power.....
No one appears to want the suffering that comes with the power.....

Until next time, may we all grow up together reaching a maturity in our faith.

mb

IT IS SUCH AN UGLY WORD----IF YOU'RE NOT READY

 

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit......
Not a word that is often used when referring to someone who is struggling with addiction.
Commitment is not something that is often found in that persons life.
Why?
Because failure has been a constant friend and companion as they have journeyed together on the road to destruction.
Lack of commitment is a common denominator among most alcoholics and addicts.
It has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with the mental and spiritual beating they take for their lifestyle choices.
The devil attacks daily using shame and guilt to keep them under submission.
Guilt is aimed at what a person has done. All the lies they have told. All the relationships they have destroyed.
Shame is directed toward who they have become, the person they are. No mother sets out to raise a child who grows up to be a liar, thief, manipulator, or sexually immoral. Yet these are a part of the character makeup of most who travel down the addiction highway.

I can't give you a theological or scientific explanation as to what happens when a person finally decides to commit to God in this process of recovery. I know that it begins with God's Holy Spirit bringing that individual to a place where the real truth is known in their hearts. They are either going to change or they are going to die.  Behind the idea of death is also the understanding that a choice made on this side of eternity affects their existence on the other side of eternity, so there are a lot of factors at work here.

That is why I love the verse from Psalms.
Commit....make that decision under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Make that commitment to not just quit using and drinking...but a commitment to God.
A commitment to turn will and life over to His care. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but it sure has to be better than your today.
Once that commitment has been made and you start this recovery journey, you will find that the desires of your heart begins to change.
You no longer will desire those things that use to cloud your mind and bring you into one bad choice after another. You will find that you will begin to desire what God desires for you.

This idea of commitment carries us into a new community of people.
Some refer to this community as "Church".
I find life in such a place. I learn how to love others and be loved by others.
I find a place where my hunger for God's word can be fed. Where I can be equipped to carry out Step#12-- taking the message to others. 

In my commitment to God, I learn to leave everything with Him. In turn, God is trusting me, or rather entrusting me with more than just sobriety. More than just having a new life that is free from addiction. He has placed me in a geographical location to establish His kingdom rule. That is, I will go out everyday and be ready to share with others. Tell our story! Simply share with others what God has done to you and through you. Isn't that what Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8? "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be MY witnesses. I think it is. You see this Higher Power that we find in Step # 1, 2 and 3 does more for us than enable us to be clean and sober. We are infused with His perfect love. I don't have to tell my story. I want to tell my story. I wait for God's direction when I meet others and simply follow His lead when the moment is appropriate. All part of this commitment to new life and new relationship with Jesus.
How cool is that?

God on you....
mb

Harvest

Harvest Time.....Everyday

I don't know how many of you who read this blog know anything about farming, but as the summer months slide into Autumn, my thoughts go back to my growing up years.
We spent a great deal of time and energy planting, weeding, watering, fertilizing and waiting.
Waiting till it was time to harvest the fruit of our efforts.

I remember asking Mr. Arvie Battles if I could help pick his cotton. He sized me up and said, "O.k. boy but it's hard work." He wasn't joking either. Starting on one row, dragging that big sack as you moved from cotton plant to cotton plant picking out the boles of cotton. Stickers on the plant cutting into your fingers and tops of your hands, all bent over so that you had to stop ever so often and straighten up for fear that you might permanently resemble Quasimodo, the bell ringer. But at the end of the day when you drug that big sack up to be weighed, Mr. Battles would count out your money and you went away with a feeling of satisfaction. You had earned it.

In Matthew 10:36-38 Jesus speaks of another kind of harvest.
He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great but the workers are so few. SO pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest. Ask him to send out more workers for his fields."

The thing that struck me about this passage is the fact that Jesus said that the fields are ready to be harvested. The disciples did not do the work of planting the seed, or the Word of God. They did not water (that is the Holy Spirit who waters or interacts with the seed-Word planted in the hearts of those who hear that causes it to bring forth life) the fields. Jesus said that they were responsible for harvesting what God has prepared. They were to go forth into these crowds of people and make sure that they understood what God was doing around them and in them. In other words, Jesus was saying, "Hey guys....all you have to do is cooperate with God."

I believe that the world-fields are ready today. They are ripe for harvest and the only thing needed is workers to go out. Key words ----GO OUT! You won't find the harvest inside the 4 walls of the institutional church. Oh, every now and then a ripe plant may find it's way inside the church and be harvested, but the real deal is outside in the fields. God has called us to go.
If we don't then the harvest is lost until next year. The produce will rot on the plant and fall to the ground if we don't go out and harvest it and prepare it....in other words make disciples. How many more harvest seasons are we going to waste? How many times do the plants have to drop the fruit and die and wait till next year to be harvested?

Ask God to show you the fields.
You may be surprised.
It may be as close as next door or as far away as India.
NO matter where, go and be obedient to the call God has extended to every believer.

God on you........
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OUR PORTION----YOUR PORTION

 

Back in 1998, shortly before I began full time ministry, Vicki and I had to make a decision.
During one of our prayer times, God spoke to both of us. Oh, it wasn't an audible voice, just the Holy Spirit whispering deep in our spirits. Vicki knew and I knew that we had been offered a choice by God to make before we began this next part of our journey with Him.

He told us to decide.
We could either have a portion of His blessings to carry out the work he was laying in front of us......
or.....
We could have Him as our portion.
To me, it kind of sounded like a trick question. You know what I mean? Like in Exodus Chapter Four where God asks Moses.."What is that in your hand?" Now Moses knows it is a staff. He knows that God knows it is a staff. Moses just isn't quiet sure that "staff" is the word that God wants to hear. Get it? We tend to over analyze things.
Bottom line was that we chose God as our portion.

I would like to say that after making that choice, things were wonderful and every decision we made was bathed in the glory of knowing we had chosen right. Truth of the matter, every time we had to make decisions about a need we had, we were always doing so with the thought..."What if we didn't hear God right?"
I sure hope I grow out of this mindset. God has been faithful since the day we made that choice and for that I am grateful. He truly does want us to look to him for our needs. That isn't an excuse to be lazy or to plant yourself in the Lazy Boy with the remote and order up some "God stuff". What it does mean is that we look to God in every situation to be God. Simple as that! Psalm 119:57 reads...You are my portion,O Lord!

The rest of this particular portion from Psalm 119 reads as follows:
I sought your favor with my whole heart. Be merciful unto me according to your word.
I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
I made haste and did not delay to keep your commandments.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto you because of your righteous judgments...
The earth is full of your mercy. Teach me your ways.

Here in is the way of life that is found in Jesus.
It is more than Sunday mornings and Sunday  nights at church.
It is a yearning, a longing....almost a pulling toward.....to be with Jesus at every moment. He fills you up completely and your heart longs to hear him, see him..just be near him.
As I heard it put once......Having a relationship with Jesus is 366 days a year....25 hours a day....8 days a week. Not because you have too...............because you want to.
It is simply following the Spirit of God daily.
Immersing yourself in God's word.....
Praying as you walk through your day....
And letting God be your portion in this life, in this day.
Have I arrived and gotten it all right?
No!
But I am pressing on with Jesus.

God on you........
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THE BAXTER

Pictured above....left to right...

Baxter, Heather and Josh.

Got a text message from Josh late last night that they had

taken Baxter to the Vet and things did not look good.

Another text this morning that the vet had contacted them,

and that they needed to come over to say their good byes.

Look long and hard at the face. I'm telling you, Baxter was

love on four legs. To be truthful, I'm not sure who owned who

in this equation.

I know that Heather and Josh took the title to owner and

care giver upon themselves.

Baxter? I think maybe he viewed those two as his own

personal possession. "Look at my human's! Ain't they cute."

Whenever Baxter went out for his morning constitutional, there trailing

behind him was one of his two "Humans".

Baxter seem to let the other pets in the neighborhood know who

was boss in this equation.

Some may say, "Well, he was simply a dog. Don't go making more

out of him than he was."

You don't get it. Baxter gave to Josh and Heather more than they

could ever return to him.

There was a joy in that house as the three of them shared time together.

I fully understand the pain that accompanies the loss of a pet you

dearly love.

Ours was a dog named Chance.

Prissy little thing that was going to have her way no matter what.

I was there when she passed.

I cried.

Pretty sure there will be tears when it comes to Baxter.
But isn't that the way it should be?
I think maybe yes.

 

NEW MESSAGE IN THE AUDIO SECTION

 

Posted the message from Saturday night....."Launch out into the deep water". It's another "pork and bean" message on where we think God may be leading us in the coming year.

Feel free to download and listen later, or jump on it right now and let the slow southern drawl fall on your ear drums. 

MONDAY MORNING FOGGINESS OF BRAIN

 

Mark 8:27
Jesus and His disciples left Galilee and went up to the village near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, He asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

We want a clean Jesus....
We want a Jesus whose hair is always in place, even when the wind is blowing.
We want a Jesus whose clothes are always neat and clean, without wrinkle or tear.
Whose feet are never dusty....
Whose eyes have never shed tears....
Whose hands are well kept, manicured....not hard and calloused.
We want the perfect Jesus....
We want the church Jesus like in the paintings....
The Jesus who looks European....white....frail and thin.....

Not me...
I want the real deal Jesus....
I want the Jesus who started out as a carpenter's son, and now lives as the risen, glorified Lord.
I want the Jesus who stood up to the religious system and overturned tables in the Temple.
That Jesus will overturn my life if I ever becomes blinded by religion.
I want the Jesus who will go off and make a whip of cords, returning with the declaration that the temple was His Father's house, and what was suppose to be a house of prayer had long since been turned into a den of thieves. 
A Den?
Yes...a den. A place to hide out in. A place where truth would not be received and the need to make money out weighed the need to be God's own people.
That's the Jesus I want. one who was zealous for His Father's House.

It's funny how religion and religious people are offended by truth...
I mean the dirty kind of truth...
The kind that exists in back alley's and in dark places.
Truth that proclaims God's love for those that no one else would ever love.
Oh, we talk about loving the whore and the pimp...
We speak of the addict and drunk...
We speak of the love of God for those who are covered in tattoo's....
those who do not look like we do...
Those who smell because they do not have the means to bathe every day...
Somehow I think maybe God has a special love for those who have fallen through the crack of society's  care.
If we got really honest, we'd whisper that we only want to love those that look like us, dress like us and sound like us.
Aren't you glad that God's love is for THE WORLD, and not just specific socioeconomic groups?
I am....
I don't know if I'd make the cut or not if God loved in any other way than the one He does.

What I have written is not intended to be an indictment against the church...
Just against the human heart that hides in the church.
It is a wonderful thing when the church comes together and gives of their finances to take care of people.
But what about during the week when you see other's in need?
What does God expect of me when I see someone in need?
Am I suppose to help them right then and there?
Or do I make a mental note and bring up when I return to church next Sunday....
Well let me ask you something.
Have you ever prayed because you were hurting or had a need that you did not know how it would be taken care of?
Did you ask God to take care of it next Sunday?
Or did you want relief today?
I want relief as soon a possible. I want an answer to my prayer as soon as possible.
Well, what if we are that answer to someone else who has been crying out to God?
They want an answer, just like we do, today....because they are hurting.

Maybe we should be TODAY people.
People who are always listening for God's direction on who to serve and help.
I like that...
We should be a TODAY people.
Something to chew on....

God on you...
Michael b.

WHICH PATH ARE YOU OWN TODAY?

 

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life.......and have it to the full.

How simple is this verse from John? There are only two paths in this life we are moving through. One is driven and influenced by one who lives to steal, kill and destroy whatever is possessed by the ones that have chosen to follow him. The other is watched and cared for by One who gave Himself that we might have life. Not just any life, but eternal life. A full life. Now full doesn't always translate into material things. If you search scripture, you'll find in Matthew 6 that we have been promised that if we seek His path and His character to live by, then all the things we need to live will be given to us. Oh yeah.....by the way. Path # 1 belongs to the devil. Path #2 is one that has been prepared for us by Jesus. Jesus? Yes, Jesus. The real-deal-promise-a-real-promise Jesus of the Bible. He is the HIGHEST POWER.

Got news early this morning that a man I knew from my time at Rapha had been killed in a car wreck. I had not seen him in a number of years, and the last time I did, it wasn't good. He was still struggling with all the darkness that had defined his life. I do not know how he was doing at the time of his death. My prayer and hope is that he managed to move into the right path. That his life was no longer defined by the destruction that we inflict on ourselves and others through our addiction. That Jesus was no longer just words on a page, or a religious thought in the mind, but that He had become Savior and Lord over this man's life.

Too many gone...too soon....

God on you....

michael b

TIME TO COME BACK

 

Proverbs 12:15 - The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

"I've got this...I don't have a problem."

"I've just run into some bad luck."

"Meeting? I don't need a meeting."

"If people would just get off my back and leave me alone."

"I don't drink that much! I only do it on the weekend."

"Hey, I'm not hurting anyone."

I've heard them all. All the reasons that people give when the very way they live is evidence of a deep problem of addiction. The individual protects the addiction like it was a new born baby. Don't messing around, telling them they need meetings, or a big book, and don't even bring up the name  of Jesus. 

That is one of the things that concerns me here in Gadsden. The number of people who have quit going to meetings. Now if you're not familiar with recovery, when I say "going to meetings" I'm not talking about showing up and filling a seat. I'm talking about becoming actively engaged in their recovery. I guess recovery and church have a lot in common. It's easy to fill a pew as it is a chair. Both serve no purpose if the individual is not engaged and pursuing, following hard after the Highest Power who has brought them new life, and a new way of living. By the way, my Highest Power has a name, and that name would be Jesus! 

Then at the heart of recovery (and church) is the reality that we need to give back. Give back to others as we share our story. Give back to others by being there for them, helping and guiding them into this new way of live. We do this because it has just become a part of our nature. It is like breathing, we give back because that's just what we do. We do so without much thought, other than the care and concern for others that we want them to experience the freedom Christ has given to us.

If you are struggling today....

If you are out there and seem to find yourself sliding backwards toward your old life......

If you are one of the ones who have placed your recovery on hold (at least you think you have)....then go to a meeting. A place where you can regain your perspective on life. A place where you can come back to God, turning back to the real path of life to take up the journey again. Just don't put it off another day. Another day will turn in to multiple "another day" and pretty soon, you won't care. You will have reached the point to where a false belief has taken over your mind.

"I am what I am.....I cannot change.....I am hopeless" Don't let this become the rule of your life. Real life...real recovery....is waiting for you to come back.

God on you...

Michael b

DAN'S STORY

 

(I Initially found this post on Jeffrey Cothran's Facebook page. It is a real glimpse into the heart of a man who did not look to the worth of a person based on the outward appearance, but rather, like God, looked at the heart. Every life has value. Every soul is worth loving. Every person deserves to not just hear about Jesus, but meet Him in a real way. Thank you Jeffrey for posting this.

Dan Lovette became an usher at the Baptist church on Easter Sunday, March 26th, 1961. He stood at the door shaking hands, passing out bulletins. He got a lot of funny looks because nobody knew Dan.

Weeks earlier, Pastor Lovette had introduced Dan as his older brother. Dan was a tall man with a soft voice, and rough skin. He wore a brown suit that was too small. He hardly spoke to parishioners.

He sat on the front row during sermons. After service, he smoked cigarettes behind the church. People asked the pastor questions about Dan, but the preacher was quiet when it came to his older brother.

Over the years, folks saw a lot of Dan Lovette. He could be seen pushing a mower, changing the church sign, painting the clapboards, passing out bulletins on Sundays, or cleaning the sanctuary on Monday afternoons.

Dan lived in a back room of the church, behind the choir loft. His earthly belongings amounted to one cot, a hot plate, a coffee pot, a transistor radio, a shaving kit, and one brown suit.

Nobody can forget the Sunday that the pastor announced he would be baptizing Dan after service, this surprised people. Most fundamentalists thought it was quite strange, scandalous even, that the pastor’s own brother had never been baptized.

Even so, sixty-four church members stood near the creek, watching the tall man wade into shallow water behind his younger brother, the preacher. It was a simple ordeal. Down Dan went; up he came. Applause. Bring on the banana pudding.

But life was not all pudding and baptisms. In 1974, tragedy hit the church. The pastor was in a car accident on his way home from Montgomery, doctors thought he’d had a stroke while driving.

For weeks, Dan sat beside his brother’s hospital bed without sleep or food. He lived in a hospital room.

And on the next Sunday, Dan Lovette took the pulpit with tired eyes. It was a hushed room. It was the first time any members of the church ever heard more than a few sentences from old Dan.

“Most of you know me as Dan Lovette,” he began. “But that ain’t my name. Real name’s Springfield. Daniel Springfield…”

It was so quiet you could hear gumdrop.

Dan went on to tell the story about how in 1961, Pastor Lovette had been walking into a department store when he saw Dan standing outside rattling a tin cup. Dan was homeless, and looking for handouts—or a bottle to cure his shakes.

Pastor Lovette treated Dan to supper. Then the pastor carried Dan home to meet his wife and kids. The preacher helped Dan, sat with him through withdrawals, he took Dan to sobriety meetings, he bought Dan a brown suit for Sundays.

Dan started to feel bad about all his charity, he came close to leaving because of his own shame.

“But the preacher just told me one night, ‘You can’t leave us, Dan. Why, we’re brothers.”

Dan didn’t know what to say. He had never been anyone’s brother before—he’d never been anyone’s anything before. All he’d ever been was hard up. But not anymore. Dan got rid of his old name, his old habits, and his old opinion of himself.

And if I had room to tell you the rest of the story, I would. But there’s no need. You already have the important parts.

What I will tell you is this: if you’re ever driving a lonesome two-lane highway in the middle-of-nowhere, Alabama, and you see a dilapidated, clapboard meeting house, consider pulling over.

Then go to the rear of the nondescript cemetery. A few graves have flowers. Most don’t. But you will find a marker for Pastor Lovette, and one for his wife. And a third headstone for an old man who died sober, with his adopted family surrounding his bedside.

The stone reads: “My Big Brother Dan.”

God on you...

Michael b.

THEY SANG BECAUSE OF THEIR LOVE FOR JESUS

 

Time: Early 70's
Person: Nancy Honeytree
Song: Pioneer

A genre of music that formed before it had a name.
People who had been saved and began a love affair with Jesus, wrote songs and sang of His love, His presence, His kingdom.
This was before the world discovered that it could make a buck in Jesus' name.
She sang because she had to share what was on her heart.
Call me nostalgic or naive...the music seems purer and more heartfelt than a lot of what I hear today.

Countless names and bands that filled small venues all over this nation during the 60's/ 70's/ 80's.
Traveling across this country to play.
Not because they were getting rich. Most of them didn't even make a living. They were the "musical" missionaries sent out to share Jesus with who ever would listen.

Years ago, when Christian Brothers was putting on the Fall's Festival (Or as one such event was named the "NO-JIVE-JESUS-IS-ALIVE" festival) they got in contact with Paul Clark to come and play. Paul's album "HAND TO THE PLOW" was a huge success at that time, so to have him headline would be a tremendous draw. Paul at that time was living in Missouri (If my memory serves me well). Paul agreed to come. What did he want in return? Plane ticket. That's it. "Get me to the event and then back to the airport." How or why you might ask did he do this. Because Paul loved Jesus and this was an opportunity to share that love with others who might not know.

So here's to the musical missionaries of that time...

To Brook and Barry

To Don and Faith

To Nori and JOEL

To Debbie and Craig

To Chris and Joanna

To my fellow cohort in Dreamer, David

And the countless others from our area who went out not in search of riches or fame. But went out simply because they had a love for Jesus and a message that burned in their hearts.

We are richer because of your obedience.

Enjoy this song.....

mb