2/28/11 - Happy Birthday

Today is my Mother's birthday.
She would have been 94.
She has been with Jesus and the Saints for the past 30 years, rejoicing and worshipping.
On this side of eternity time chases everyone.
It lays hold of us and ages us.
Our bodies change.
Our steps get a little slower.
Our memories seem to not work as well as they use to.
Time causes us to become cynical and maybe a bit jaded.
But where my Mother is, time has no effect.
Time does not exist.
Time is but a forgotten concept.

That which I claim to believe......
Jesus...
God the Father and the Holy Ghost.....
My Mother knows to be the truth.
She has seen them.
She has stood in the presence of Almighty God.
The people I have read about in Scripture, my Mother has heard first hand accounts of their stories.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek......
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple..
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle, in the secret place of His tent He will hide me. He will life me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me.
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.  I will sing, yes I will sing praises to the Lord.................Psalm 27:4-6

Today, I want to keep my heart and vision here on earth.
To do whatever the Lord wants me to.
To go where ever he leads.
To say whatever it is I am suppose to say......
but.....
I want to keep one eye on the heavens watching for His return.
I don't care about when....I'm not into pre-trib rapture or mid-trib. I just know that at some point Jesus is coming for his church.
Notice I said "HIS" church. It isn't our church or the building down the street.
Jesus' church consists of those people who have really surrendered themselves to him and are living daily according to Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
His church is not made up of those who "play" at being a Christian.
He isn't coming back for those who are so steeped in the habit and belief's of this world that they consider Jesus to be nothing more than a get-out-of-hell-card to be used when things really go south.

Does your heart beat for Jesus?
Do you truly, truly love Him?
Oh that we all would throw down the filthiness of this world and embrace the holiness of God.
That we would be so consumed with the Spirit of God that we would infect every one around us with the truth.
Do I sound a bit zealous or even fanatical? Good! As King David told his wife when she complained about him, the king, dancing and making a fool of himself as the Ark of God was brought back to Jerusalem..."You think that was something.....let me show you exactly how undignified I can be."

Be filled today....of God's Spirit.
God on you.....
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"Relapse" by Father Joseph C. Martin

Father Martin is a voice of reason and peace to those who are living this new life of recovery and sobriety. Thank you Father Martin for all the years of service you gave.

God on you....
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WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? - Ravenhill

John 17:3---- And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Every question that I possess as to life, the meaning of it and the purpose is found in Jesus.
Simple.
Profound.
True.
Call me simple. I am. I have no need to find the unexplained secrets of this world. I have only a need to know the one who died on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem.
People claim that I am a simpleton and not very educated. That is true.
But I know "Whom" I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him against the day of His return. I know that.
I wish I were more polished.
I wish I could speak correctly and with great persuasion.
I am who God created and I am at peace with that.
Do I seek to please men?
Or do I seek to please God?
I choose the latter.

God on you.....
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And The Winner Is----

Saturday....
Saturday at Rapha....
Looks like it is going to be a beautiful day, weather wise and that means a lot of outdoor activity.
Guy's at the camp will be outside taking in the rays.
If you were to be here this afternoon, it wouldn't look much different from any park in any city in the U.S.
Laughter...
Running...
Fishing....
People talking and sharing thoughts.
Swings rocking to and fro in a gentle motion as others look on all the activity.
Yet each man here has a story.
That story usually involves a lot of pain and destruction and guilt.
Not to mention tons of shame and depression.

One thing that is usually in short supply when a man first gets here to Rapha is hope.
Oh the family has hope. Hope that this time is different than the other times he went to rehab.
Hope is a precious commodity when a person first arrives.
As his time progresses here, he begins to see that he doesn't have a drug and/or alcohol problem. He has a living problem. He has a broken relationship with Jesus Christ. This broken relationship is caused by the sin nature that exists in every human being. A nature that was born in a garden centuries before when a couple made a decision that would affect every human being born.

This "living" problem causes us to make some really bad choices.
These choices we make are part of the rebellious nature that comes with sin. "Don't tell me what to do! It's my life and I'll live it the way I want to." The want too usually includes rejection of God and anything to do with God. The more we exercise this sin nature, the more it screams out to us to "give it what it wants".
What does it want?
Maybe drugs...
Maybe alcohol...
Sex? Yes.
Money and greed, power and position? Sure.
To create a false image of ourselves so others will think that we are more than we truly are? You bet. In other words, we become the center of our own little universe and we can't understand why others can't see this.
Our needs supersede anyone else's.
It is a vicious downward spiral that ends in destruction.
But God........(aren't those the most incredible words you've ever heard?)
But God.....so loved this world and everyone who lives here, that he gave his one and only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Gave him to be a sacrifice. Gave him to pay a price for sin that I could never pay, so that I might have life. Real life. Eternal life.

There is the defeat of addiciton.
The needle was destroyed by the cross.
The power of the pipe was decimated at the cross.
The lie of the pill was uncovered and washed away at the cross.
The lies, the pain and the hopelessness was revealed and defeated at the cross.
And there in the aftermath, God places his Holy Spirit within the hearts of those who surrender and give themselves, spirit-body-soul- to Him. To be made a part of His family.
This is Hope.
That there is a better way.
That there is a POWER greater than myself that can restore me to sanity.
At cross we come to believe that God is, in fact, who he claims to be and can do what he claims he can do.
This is called being born again.
Being saved.
Being filled with his Holy Spirit.
It is from this place that life begins to sprout and a person begins a new way of living.
Today can be that day for you.....
I pray that you are filled with the hope of God today.
That no matter what you are facing...
No matter what the voices that scream in your mind are saying, you will hear the voice of God and the life he is wanting to give you.

God bless you on this day....
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Stop Now, What's That Sound? Everyone Look What's Going Down

Jesus talking with the Pharisees and Sadducees.
You know these men who followed Jesus around wanted to trip him up so they could charge him with an offense and discredit the ministry.
They ask Jesus to show them a sign "from heaven".
Jesus asks them in Matthew 16:3 -
"Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?"

Jesus was basically saying, "Hey guys....look around and put it together with what you have been reading in Scripture." Jesus' very presence was the fulfillment of Scripture itself which was found throughout all the Old Testament. Yet they did not see it. There in black and white and there, standing in front of them, in the flesh and they did not see it or connect it.

I don't want to miss what God is doing.
In me....
In the things that God has called me to.....
and here in this age.
Is there a danger in all of this? Yes. We become "sign" hunters and we quit doing the things that Jesus called us to do. You know....those mundane things like feeding the poor, visiting the sick and afflicted, going to the jails and prisons. I kind of have the notion that I am to keep one eye watching for Jesus' return and the other eye on my daily life to make sure that I don't miss what God is doing. That I don't miss an opportunity to tell my story to someone. Someone out there today needs to hear your story. You may be thinking, "But Mike....we are to share the gospel..you know Bible verses....church stuff." Really? Did Jesus really say that? What I read is that in Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." We shall be "HIS" witnesses! Great..what does that mean? It means that, just like a witness in a court room, we tell only what we personally know. We don't get to embellish or even talk about what has happened to someone else. Get it? I tell my story of what God had done through me and to me. Sure I speak of Scripture to reveal the truth of God, and the focus of my words is not me.....but Jesus. It's just Jesus. It's just Jesus. That is my cry. I don't know much but I do know that everything pales when my focus is just Jesus.

If I can wrap my head around and give my heart to this idea that life is found in "Just Jesus", I might really find some peace. I don't need a Jesus PLUS relationship. Jesus plus something else...profits nothing. It's just Jesus! Me falling in love with Him through personal interaction. Me having a hunger that is satisfied in the reading and studying of the Word. My life is filled with Jesus. You know what? If your life is filled with Jesus, you don't have room for anything else.

You know how I recognized that something had truly happened to me with Jesus? I mean when the mental concept of Jesus became a heart knowledge and thought? I had been saved and was trying to navigate having  a daily walk with Jesus, I found myself in a local bookstore looking for something to read. There on the shelf was a new book by one of my most favorite authors. I reached for it and began to open it when the strangest thought came to my mind. "Put it back." Trying to discount the thought, I opened the book and began to read the inside cover. "Put it back." Somehow, I thought this might be God. I wasn't sure but I really  wanted to read this new book. "Put it back." Now I knew that I was being communicated with by God. I immediately went into a list of reasons why I needed to read the book. (isn't that what we do when we really don't want to obey? We try to reason with instead of simply obeying). "Put it back." The thought played over and over and faster and faster until I place the book back on the shelf.

I turned into a little whiny brat at the point.
"It's not fair."
"What harm can there be in me reading this book?"
The more reasons I came up with as to why I should just pick up that book and read it anyway, God came back with the best one....."Because I said so."  You see, the sign of the times for that day was God telling me to trust him, especially when I don't understand the "why" of it. The greatest discernment you can possess is a willing heart to hear God above the roar and din of your own fleshly appetite. Discerning the will of God especially in what we perceive to be the little things.
Thank you for letting me share this morning.

I want to let you know that I may have to start posting here on the Greene Street Letters a little later in the day. Please keep coming back and reading and, if you will, share your comments. Tell others about the Greene Street Letters.

God on you...
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Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

Jesus gives me hope.
The world (Society/people/governments/way of doing business ) seeks to take it away.
Jesus gives me a today hope and a tomorrow hope.
Tomorrow's hope is found in his return for me.
I view it as if I die before His return.....I win. I go to be with Him.
If I live long enough to see His return for His church......I win....I go to be with Him.
Jesus' Hope helps me to see above the depression and death and falseness that this world declares to be real life.
Jesus' Hope helps me to hear the one true voice that can help me navigate daily this life.

I know that I know that I know.....Deep inside knowing......as Scripture reads...the truth in the innermost parts...that this Jesus is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. I think maybe that is faith on my part.  Why now? Why this focusing on hope and faith and Jesus?
Have you looked around?
Have you checked out what's going on world wide?
It's a mess. Oh, it's always been a mess, but now...today...it seems that the mess is getting out of control. Sin is ramping up and what you and I perceive to be common sense is in short supply when it comes to the governments of this planet.
In the midst of all the chaos.....
In the midst of what some perceive to be the absence of Jesus.....
He is still in control.
To me, it's kind of like having a fish on a line and allowing him to run with it for a short distance before you reel him back in. God is allowing these things to happen. Why? I know this might not make sense to some...but it's all part of His plan.

Matthew 21:25-28
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among the nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves. Men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

It doesn't matter what country you may live in.....
It doesn't matter what form of government you may live under.....
It doesn't matter what the men who lead your government may say......
There is a voice that is higher than all voices....One who speaks truth.....
There is a King who is king over all who claim to be king.
There is a Lord who is lord over all who claim to be lord.
His name is Jesus.
and his heart if for me and for you to become a part of his family.
To become sons and daughters of the Most high God.

If you read on in Matthew 21 you'll read this:
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
Be on guard that your hearts may not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap, for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

I want these words today to be words of encouragement.
I want these words today to draw you to search out this Jesus for yourself.
I want you to know that you are loved and cared for by one who is able to save you ...spirit, body and soul...
Who is it?
Jesus.....

Know today that I love you (even though we have never met)
Know today that I am praying for you.
Pray for me if you will.
Hopefully at some point, we will meet in heaven and can share our stories with each other.

God on you....
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Boy Did He Blow It!

What an incredible book! The stories...the people...the events. All there for us to read. And you know what the funny part is? God did not leave out all the juicy stuff.  Now before you think I'm turning the Bible into an ancient version of the National Enquirer, I'm not. You know if I had written a book about myself, I would not put all my dirty laundry out there for everyone to see and read about. I would have built myself up and made myself look like the real hero that I'm not. But here in this book, God shows us the frailty of humans. That at the best we can do, the best we can think....at the top of our A-game, we are sinners in need of a Savior.

I taught last night at the Bible study from II Samuel 11.The chapter begins like this:
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army...............But David remained in Jerusalem.
Sounds innocent doesn't it? Maybe David was sick. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he was bored. The problem is that David wasn't where he was suppose to be. You know what? That gets us in more trouble than anything else............not being where we are suppose to be. Oh, it doesn't have to be a physical location.. Our thoughts can be where they aren't suppose to be, entertaining ideas and temptations. Our hearts can be where they are not suppose to be, having affections for things and others that wish to take the place of our devotion to God alone.

Thing is, with King David, his not being where he was suppose to be created a series of events that spiraled out of control and would affect his life and his family for the rest of his days. Let's take a look.
1.) David didn't go out with his army.
2.) David was bored so he took a late evening walk on the roof of his palace.
3.) Had David been where he was suppose to be, he would not have seen Bathsheba taking her evening bath.
4.) David has her brought to the palace. Here we see the culmination of David's giving into to the thoughts and temptations that he allowed to form in his mind and heart. He has now brought sin into his very place of dwelling.
5.) David has sex with her.
6.) She becomes pregnant.
7.) David conspires to manipulate Bathsheba's husband (who is in the army) with a pass to go home and be with his wife. David figures that once home, Uriah (the husband) will have relations with his wife and David will be off the hook. "It isn't my baby.....He was just home on leave so it has to be his".
8.) David runs into a man of principals. Uriah refuses to go home. Plan A fails.
9.) David turns to plan B.
10.) Have Uriah killed in battle.
11.) Mission accomplished. Uriah killed.

Do you see how an entire series of events were set in motion just because David wasn't where he was suppose to be? Man! I've got to guard myself and not allow myself to be lax for one moment. Not allow my thoughts to dwell where they shouldn't. Not allow my heart to loose focus on God.
Think on these things....and oh yeah....
Be where you're suppose to.

God on you.....
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