I'M JUST CRAZY TO BELIEVE IT!!

 

John 17:16
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

John 15:18-19
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

The world?
The system and influence that permeates the way society does business.
It is run by the Kingdom of darkness. We are no longer a part such. We are like the slaves Moses brought out of Egypt. God took them into the wilderness to teach them a new way of living. 

So why should we surprised when we are attacked for who we believe in?
Why should it take us back when we are slandered and treated badly because of the choice we have made to follow Jesus.

There is a price to pay when one makes this decision to turn will and life over to His care.
Sometimes even family doesn't understand why we made this decision. They will look at us like we are some kind of freak show oddity.
"Oh, you went got religion!" Heaven help me should I ever "Get" religion. NO! I got Jesus and He got me. Simple as that. I'm not referring, when I say He got me and I got Him, to a casual, go-to-church, do  nothing else form of believer. I'm talking about that person who has been turned inside out for Jesus. Their entire world has been rocked and re-rocked and they have Jesus on the brain. They think about Him all the time. They can't wait to go and hang out with others who have also been rocked by Him.

Such people usually have the moniker of "Holy Joe" or "Holy Roller" attached to their behavior. Attached by those who are clueless to who this Jesus is. How are suppose to respond to such behavior? We love 'em! We bless 'em! We pray for them! We don't let is stop us. We keep on keepin' on with Jesus.
May you find that kind of fire this morning.
May you have a burning desire to simply be with Him this day.

God on you....
mb

A MOMENT IN TIME BETWEEN OLD FRIENDS

 

Tuesday.....two's day....month seems to be flying by. the year? Let's just say "light speed". Had a really good meeting with my good friend Jim Bentley yesterday morning. We try to meet every Monday for a catch up time to see how the weekend went for the two of us. Jim is the senior pastor of Gadsden Vineyard Church, and the one who ordained me more years ago than I care to remember. Jim has been someone who has encouraged me all the years I've know him. 

Early on in our friendship, since we both loved Simon and Garfunkel, we kind of adopted the song "OLD FRIENDS" as one that would describe us in our older years. You have to remember that when we met it was 1968, so we had no way of knowing where life would lead us. The words to that song has now come to pass. Two grandfather's sharing memories of our life and time together. Seeing God's hand lead us. We didn't always follow though, sometimes we got off in the ditch and He had to come haul us out. As I've said many times in my teaching....He is a God who is faithful all the time, and we are a people who aren't. Yet he continues to work in us and through us.

Yet, as I sat there with him yesterday, here we were.......old friends. We've both seen a lot in this journey that God has taken us on. Probably more than we should have, but He entrusted a part of the kingdom to us, and with that comes spiritual warfare. You know, the enemy hates old friends, especially when the Holy Spirit is the one that binds them together. There have been times when we both wanted to quit. Wanted not to be responsible for what God has given us. But we knew deep inside that such thoughts came from our flesh and were not from God.

Jim is at the point in his life where he is looking to the future of Gadsden Vineyard. Making sure that it will continue to not only exist, but thrive in ministering to those that come searching for "life' answers to questions that are truly beyond our pay grade. The one thing I love about Jim is that he has learned to pray, wait, and watch for God's answer to his prayers. A lesson that I still haven't mastered, but am trying to.

Me? God has transitioned me to a kind of new role in this journey in recovery. I've turned into the "grand father" to those I meet and talk to. It's all about phone calls and lunches where I get to listen and hopefully give some direction to those who are struggling. Of course, God let's me continue to churn out these posts here on the blog. I'm grateful for that. And I do seem to have a bit more time in which to study the Word and write in my journals. 

Years ago when we were hosting "House of Blue" I began to see a group of young people show up every Saturday night. They were an eclectic bunch to say the least. They would come, sit on the front rows and worship like it was nobody's business. I was puzzled by why they chose our meeting. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful that they came. I knew it couldn't the style of worship we played, because it was nothing close to what these kids were listening to. After a month of them coming to Saturday night, I commented to Jim about being at a loss for why these folks would choose our meeting. Some were traveling from Birmingham and farther to be with us. I'll never forget what Jim said. "You are a father to them. They see you as someone that they can be safe with and trust that you will share truth with them." That kind of dumbfounded me because I never set out to be that to anyone.So I guess at this point in my life, I have moved from father to grandfather. I can live with that.

I'm excited about the new endeavor  the ReCovery Church is taking on. God is leading us to begin serving a meal to anyone who needs one but maybe can't afford it. As I've shared before, we will begin serving breakfast the 2nd and 4th Saturday mornings starting in April, from 8:30 a.m. till 9:30 a.m.  We have no agenda in doing this ministry other than to let those who need a meal know that God loves them, and so do we.

Old friends....

So here on Tuesday, March 9th of 2021, I bless my friend. If I had anything I'd like to say to him, it would be..."Hey! Let's keep doing this and see what is over that hill."

God on you...

mbb

LIFE IS REAL----JESUS IS "REALER"

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vine....
Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food...
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls...
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. 
The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on high hills.

I love this verse from Habakkuk. There is a reality in the message that I think is not being shared with people. A message that resonates with truth and with the promises of God.

I think that for whatever reason, some recovery meetings have been sending out the wrong message. They have, maybe unknowingly and unintentionally, packaged a message that says, "Come to Jesus and your life will be wonderful!"

Come to Jesus and all your relationship that have been destroyed by your using will be healed and put back together.
Come to Jesus and all your problems will go away.
Come to Jesus!
We package and present Him as though He were a modern day version of snake oil being shopped in a road side carnival. A panacea that is part spot remover and miracle tonic.
This has got to stop.

What is it that Jesus brings to us when we do give will and life over to His care?
Hope!
But it is a hope that looks beyond our next heart beat, beyond our next step. It is a hope that looks beyond even life here and now. It looks to the person of Jesus that He is more than willing and able to take us through whatever happens on this side of heaven.

Will there be trials? You bet'cha!
Will there be troubles? Bet on it!
Will there be temptations and maybe even some failure? Bank on it.
But!!!!
If I give myself to Jesus...
If He becomes the voice that I truly listen for, and then follow, I can go through anything.
That is a promise...
And that is reality.

When I invited Jesus into my life and my plans....I can face anything. And hasn't that been our biggest problem? Not wanting to face anything. We automatically bail on every hard thing, running to our D.O.C. for comfort.
Jesus will whisper to us, "Stand still and watch! I will be here with you. I won't leave you or turn my back on you."

I love the 23rd Psalm...the Shepherds psalm written by King David.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
David wrote that even in the darkest of times when there seems to be no way out...God was there to help him walk through whatever David was facing. More than that, God provided a level of comfort as this situation was faced and dealt with. That is a real comfort to me this morning.

I have no clue as to what this day holds for me.
It may be my last one.
I don't know.
But I do know this.
Jesus is worthy to be trusted. He is worthy for me to lay hold of His hand and say, "Let's go see what today holds."
And that is exactly what I will do.

God on you...
mb

THE GAP IS MORE THAN A STORE

 

Numbers 16:48
And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.

We have a message to get out....
One that will give life....real life here and now.
A life that will extend far beyond the last breath.
I know...
I know...
it sounds all science fiction, doesn't it?
Talking about life that extends after death, but I just happen to believe that it is true.
How can I say that? Have I experienced it yet? Have I crossed over and then made the trip back to this side? No, I haven't. But I know that if my pitiful life can be changed by this force we call "God"....If my life can be turned around and then directed by Him...I don't really believe that He would take me to the end of my days and then say,"Just kidding...there is no "life after". You can say that I have faith....or I believe....or I'm crazy. I will bank everything on the simple fact that God is who He claims to be and will do what He claims to do.

So many I run in contact with do not believe either in God or any form of life after death.
"When you die, you die."
"Don't be a chump and buy this whole "heaven" thing!"
I had one man ask me, "What are you going to do when you die, you discover that everything you have believed is a joke. No heaven...no hell..nothing...that when you die, you simply die. It's over and there's nothing else." My reply to him was very simple. "What you are saying is 'won't I feel like a chump for believing in God?' Well, no I won't. If when I die, there is nothing else, I will die knowing that I have had an incredible life. I have seen things that most people will never see. I have experienced God on a level that was far beyond anything I could conjure up. I have been surrounded by some of the most incredible people ever. And I have felt that love of a woman that has been with me for 48 years. I have watched my sons grow to be godly men and marry godly women. I have two incredible grand children who are growing up in the ways of God. So if I die and there is nothing else, then I do so a happy man." I then turned to the man and asked him a question. "What are you going to do, when you die and discover that everything I've told you about is true?" The choices you make on this side of eternity determine where you spend your eternity. This isn't some sort of crap shoot or dice game where you win. It is life and death on a spiritual level. Since we sin against an eternal God, then the consequences of our sin is eternal. 

Very simple:
1.) All have sinned. More than this, we fall short of reaching God. No manner of intellect or talent will make up the distance between our fall and the eternal God. Without someone whose power and presence is greater than our own, we are hopelessly lost.

2.) The wages of our choices is death. Every wrong choice we make that is colored by our sin/appetite, drives us a little deeper into spiritual darkness. Wages are something you earn..you worked for them. You've got them coming to you. The death that I speak of isn't a physical death. We are all headed in that direction. Ever since you came out of your mother's womb and the doctor spanked your be-hind, the clock has been ticking. The death I'm talking about is a 2nd death. A spiritual death and separation from God and everything good. A separation that can never be broached. If you read Scripture, it doesn't sound like a place I would want to be in. 

The funny part in all of this...We got ourselves into this mess, but it is the love of a God who is bigger than I can imagine that saves us. God reaches out to us. God bridges that gap between our sin and His forgiveness. He institutes the invitation for us to be saved and brought under His covering.

You may be wondering what the verse above has to do with anything in the blog today.
I look at recovery in this way. There is a divide between those who are living because they received healing and salvation from God....and those who are dying in the darkness of addiction, who refuse to receive this incredible gift from God Himself. Right there in the middle of that divide stands a cross. Oh, the cross has no power. It was merely a piece of wood used as an instrument of death. But the one who laid His back on that piece of wood and gave His blood and His life...that is a whole other story. This whole sin thing demands that a payment be made by the one who committed the sin. Jesus took my place. Jesus took your place and gave Himself in order to buy our salvation. Now He offers you this gift of life with Him. Life, here and now...and life after we die. It does sound a little like the Twilight Zone,doesn't it? But it's not. It's real. It's here. And it's now. What are you going to do with it? Receive? Or reject?

God on you....
mb

SMILE FOR THE FAMILY PORTRAIT

 

Matthew 1:3-4

And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram. And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naassom: and Naasson begat Salmon....

Boring......
If you have ever read through a complete list of the "begat's" in the Bible, consider yourself to be unique.
A list of names that we can't even pronounce.
I mean......C'mon! Who names their kid Phares? I know....different time, different culture. But still.
These lists must be there for a reason.
Even though we don't read much about these people, they must be there for a reason.
Well, they are there for a reason.

Some of these "begat" lists' are there to show us the line and genealogy that Jesus came through.
Even though these people may not have done anything great or noteworthy (every body isn't a David, or Moses) they were a part of the lineage that produced Joseph (Jesus' step dad) and Mary (Jesus' mom).
I imagine if you talked to these folks today and asked them, "Did you have any idea that the Son of God would come through your blood line?" They would answer, "No!". For the most part these men and women simply lived their lives in a struggle to survive. Raising a family was all a part of life. I think the most important thing in life, is to be faithful in everything that we face. Whether it is holding a public office or simply raising a family. Be faithful. That is what I see in thought behind the begat's. Faithful.

It is no different in the history of the 12 steps.
It began with a lineage that has brought us to here today.
Everyone credits Bill W. and Dr. Bob as the two men who kind of fleshed out what a group men named the Oxford Group were already doing. No matter the semantics, most people in A.A. used Bill W. and Dr. Bob as the root of the tree of A.A. Through the years, men and women around the world have taken their place in family of A.A. Men and women whose names we will never know but, none the less, have contributed to the growth and family history of the 12 steps.

Sometimes our view of recovery is kind of narrow. Of course it begins with "us" as our problem is the biggest problem we face. Over time our focus turns outward (Step #12) and we begin to take the message to others. We become a part of something larger than ourselves. An incredible family of brothers and sisters who have stepped from the dark shadows of addiction, into the brilliant light and life of sobriety. It was our Higher Power, Jesus, who made all of this possible.

One of the high points of my day is when I'm out somewhere and I hear my name called. "Bro. Mike! Bro. Mike!"  A man will come running up and begin to share how their life has been turned around. How the steps have worked for him. Let me rephrase that.....how the steps have worked as Jesus changed him.
I'm all up in me some Jesus.
We stand there (usually in Wal Mart) talking and sharing, encouraging one another. You think back on how you first met this individual, all the pain they were carrying around. All the bitterness and anger that burned inside of them, and now looking into their eyes, you see peace. A life changed. For me, personally, that is pay day.

Rarely have we seen anyone fail who has thoroughly followed our path.

What is a path? A way or direction that has been walked by many others. It has been travelled on so many times that the earth is worn down and it is very evident the direction they headed in . So as we add our names to the 12 Step genealogy, let us do so with pride and in the knowledge that others will follow the path we have followed. I am grateful for every life changed. For every man and woman out there whose hearts beat for Jesus. Whose very lives reflect the goodness of God.

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

When my performance reflects my new identity in Christ....
That reflection is dynamically unique...
There has never been another person like me in the history of mankind...
Nor will there ever be....
God has made me an original....
one of a kind, special person.....

And so are you......

God on you....

mb

AIM A LITTLE HIGHER

 

I Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Call me crazy, but I have a different view than some folks.
You get into the recovery journey and you'll hear the word sobriety a lot.
Sobriety this...
Sobriety that...
Life is better sober.
Sobriety becomes the goal...
Life without the alcohol or the drugs.
Sober living...
Well, what if sobriety is simply a byproduct and not the end result?
What if sobriety is what happens when we allow God to work in us as we surrender will and life over to His care?

Would it not make more sense to chase the POWER that is greater than us?
Would it not make more sense to surrender to that power so we can experience life.....real life.....true life. Or as Jesus stated in Scripture...Abundant life. 

I think sometimes we elevate the word "Sobriety" to a place that makes it the magic solution to our problem, when in fact it is the incredible benefit that comes with our new life in Christ.

To me, that is one of the differences between what we do on Saturday night at the ReCovery church than some other meetings. We are all about the Power. We are all about Jesus. We want those who come to the meeting to know, experience and understand exactly who Christ is, and the love He extends to all who come to Him.

Look at it this way.
Do you know anyone who has gotten sober through their own determination?
Sure you do.
I do.
I know men and women who have extended years of sobriety simply because they were able to quit on their own.
Now do you know anyone who has gotten sober through their own determination.....and has a life of peace, grace, mercy and love?
No, I don't.
Such men and women who have willed themselves to sobriety usually are bitter, angry and hardhearted. Not really the life I would want. 
In fact, at my age, I want the rest of my years to be ones filled with peace.
Peace with God....
Peace with others....
And Peace with myself.

I love the verse from I Corinthians 15.
God gives us the victory through Jesus.
That God has a sense of humor and is smart as a whip.
Notice it didn't say victory over what. He left that part open ended so you could insert whatever it is you need victory over.
But the one true constant that is rock solid in that verse, is that whatever victory we need is found in one place, and in one person....Jesus.
Victory over alcohol?
Jesus.
Victory over drugs?
Jesus.
Victory over bitterness and unforgiveness?
Jesus.
Maybe that is why Jesus said that "He was the way, the truth, and the life."
Food for thought here on this Thursday.

TURNING TO GOD

Sometimes I fear we have relegated "Seeking God's face" to Sunday mornings, and an occasional effort on our part when things get hard, or we are backed into a corner. Did you ever stop to think that maybe just hanging out with God might be a good thing? I'm not trying to be disrespectful or flippant when I use the term "hanging out with God."

I'm referring to those moments when we are alone and we simply turn our thoughts to Him. Not really asking anything of Him, but simply listening for Him to speak to us. Allowing ourselves to "experience" God's presence not only with our thoughts and emotions, but especially with our faith. Faith that gives me a firm place in which to stand in my decision making. Faith that brings stability to my life in the face of the storms that come my way.

"Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness!" Seek His rule in our hearts. Look for it in His Scripture. Allow yourself to be transformed by His Holy Spirit, and not conformed by the spirit of this world and this age.

So how do I find the face of God? You will find it as you study, digest, and take in His Word. The gospels show us the heart of God through the life that Jesus lived here on earth. We see God's power right off the bat in the opening words of Genesis Chapter One. What? Did you think those opening words were simply there to kick off the book with? No! Those ten words in Verse 1 of Genesis 1 are the anchor that holds this book together. Ten simple words that give us a display of Power, Thought, And Creativity that goes beyond the scope of our understanding.

Ten simple words that form a statement, not a cry or call for us to believe in God. Those ten words scream at us..."Here is who God is! What are you going to do? Believe in Him or not."

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This is who is calling us to "Seek His Face"....to look to Him as our all sufficiency....not the world. Our reply? Just like the verse says..."Your face, O Lord, I shall seek."

God on you this morning....

mbb