"Ebarassment"

Something happened today that I didn't see coming.
Unfortunately God witnessed the whole thing.
I went to church. I enjoyed the message.
I received Communion.
I went to the library.
Then it happened.
There was a group of "street preachers" right near the entrance of Rite Aid where I planned to buy a few items.
These preachers weren't passive. They were "screamers." In other words these men who happen to be large men( who could go toe to toe with any fit defensive lineman in the NFL) . Intimidation not only in stature but how they share The Gospel.
I happened to be wearing a t-shirt proclaiming that Jesus is our best hope in life.
In my head I began to feel that people would associate me with the screaming preachers. So much that I considered going to a different store which is more crowded and in my opinion a somewhat inferior store.
I left the crowded store to shop at Rite Aid despite the proximity of the screaming preachers.
All went well. But when I left the store I felt that every eye were upon me.
I didn't want to be lumped together with the screaming preachers. 'I'm not like them. I'm not one of those Christians.'
Shame.
It got worse.
While on the bus I noticed a man I knew years ago that was a bit outspoken as a Christian. He is fond of me.
He also brings quite a bit of attention to himself. He'll hear a bit of conversation and if it goes against what The Evangelical Church teaches he'll surely speak up. He can quote scripture chapter and verse.
Again. Shame.
Am I ashamed of The Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Surely not I was wearing a Christian t-shirt.
But what about "being seen" with Christians that are loud and proud.
I ask God to bring people to me to witness to but maybe this was the wake up call I needed to show that I'm not quite as ready as I claim.
I will not give up or beat myself up for this weakness.
God knows my heart. He knows my weakness.
But in Christ my weakness is His strength. And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
The same can be true for you as well.
Do you know of Jesus but don't really know him?
Do you go to church but aren't sure of whom it is that the church celebrates?
Or maybe like me you know Jesus but would die of embarrassment if a stranger would to start up a conversation began to talk of Heaven and how to avoid Hell?
Open up to God.
You know you have done wrong even if you're unsure of God and who God really is.
Ask forgiveness for your wrong doing. Be humble. Go to a quiet place and cry out to God. He hears us all. He turns NO ONE AWAY.
You may not understand God's ways but I assure you that no one on this planet past, present, or future has all the answers.
With forgiveness you don't need to go to a confessional and ask a priest for absolution.
You can go right to God.
Allow God into your life, into your heart and allow God to cleanse and heal you. To make a new creation.
Allow God to guide you. After you bring Jesus into your life He sends The Holy Spirit as your guide.
A great place in The Bible to start is The Gospel of John and The Book of Romans.
Get to know God via The Holy Spirit. Ask for bravery to share what God is telling you.
This is a prayer I pray every day.
Working with God I will get there.
Someday people will know :
I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
For God's Glory, Not mine.  
   

"There's An App For That"

Love 'em or hate 'em computers are everywhere.
Computers used to take up an entire room.
Then came the P.C.
Now we can take our computers everywhere.
We put them in our cars to help us with directions.
We can arm our home security with the touch of a button.
We can even unlock are cars from miles away.
News travels faster than ever before.
Sure there are many advantages of living in the electronic age.
One advantage is how we reach out to the world about God. Without God none of this would be possible.
So why not use the information super highway to spread His word.
Setting up this blog didn't take long at all.
I connect with Facebook friends and they get to see what God is doing in my life.
We can share our testimony. It's much simpler than you think.
You don't need to have eloquent speech.
Moses tried to use his lack of speaking skills to get out of rescuing The Hebrew Slaves from Egypt. So God provided Aaron to be the spokesperson.
It's much easier to reach out to people all over the world. I suppose you can be a missionary right in the comfort of your own home.
It's not being lazy, it's being creative.
Before computers were everywhere God was everywhere.
Before computers gave directions. The Word of God and The Spirit of God gave us direction.
Before push button security there was security brought to us by relying on God and God alone.
High speed internet is nothing compared to how fast God works in our lives.
We may find answers easier on search engines than we may find answers to why our prayers aren't answered the way we'd like them to be.
But when you walk with God our hindsight is better than 20/20. Far better than IMAX 3-D.
When you have God's vision for your life you'll have more than just word of mouth or the internet at your hands.
You'll have His entire Kingdom.

"Branches" (Messages From The Pulpit)

So often The Bible speaks of trees, branches, fruit, and roots.
After the world was flooded and The Ark finally landed on dry land we know the story about Noah sending a dove out with an olive branch. These days we come to link doves and olive branches as a sign of peace.
Doves are also carry great weight as symbols in The Bible.
Doves were often offered as a sacrifice of purity.
A dove came down from the heavens during The Baptism of Jesus. A voice from Heaven said about Jesus,
"This is my Son in whom I am well pleased."
Imagery of doves comes again at The Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came into the Upper Room in the
form of a dove.
Before Jesus ascended into Heaven promised to send a new comforter. That comforter was The Holy Spirit. Jesus is said to be the Prince of Peace. So as the third person of The Holy Trinity, The Holy Spirit is poured out upon us. To bring us comfort and peace.
Isaiah 53: 5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed."
This verse from Isaiah 53 is a prophetic vision of what Jesus would accomplish as he somehow endured His
Passion. The ultimate sacrifice for purity. The ultimate sacrifice for peace.
As Christians our roots should be based on The Word of God which feeds us more than any morsel of food that comes from the earth and prepared by human hands.
When we drink of the living water that pours from The Heart of Jesus. From His wounded side where blood and water spilled from our Savior, Jesus Christ.
A water that feeds the seed of faith that The Holy Spirit alone can plant in our hearts. Even with the faith as small as a mustard seed we can do great things through Him that strengthens us.
If Jesus is our true vine then us being the branches of Jesus and if we run from the sin that so easily ensnares us we will produce a great harvest.
A harvest soon to be collected. A harvest of souls who seek forgiveness and eternal rest with Jesus whom brings a peace that passes all human understanding.
A harvest which has it's roots in Jesus. In a world where if you take a little time to look around you'll see signs of our creators handy work.
The wonders of the sea. The beauty that is spread throughout the world. Everything from the plants and trees to all the animals we see. Many of these animals are symbols of God's being.
The Lion, The Lamb, and The Dove. Body, Soul, and Mind. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"Allergy Season" Messages From The Pulpit

We have all seen Dandelions and many people confuse them with flowers. In fact they are weeds.

In general weeds choke out what else might have grown there including healthy grass.
Weeds appear in spring. Let me compare weeds to sin.
As with the Dandelions many weeds are pleasing to the eye. Other flowers are also attached to thorns.
Including roses.
And like these plants sin also catches our eyes. We get closer unaware to the dangers of sin. Sin can be very alluring. They draw us with the false beauty and empty promises or even benefits. Some plants actually produce deadly poison.
All sin when fully grown gives birth to death.
As with plants that produce pollen that can cause our eyes to become sticky, itchy, and fill our eyes
with tears. This can cause us trouble with our vision. Trying to wipe our eyes we become distracted.
Sin is our greatest distraction. We rub our eyes and hope to overcome the effects of sin. Nonetheless
we keep coming back to what we know to be bad for us and breathe deep the sweet smell of the sin that so easily ensnares us.
The Devil also comes to us in the disguise of a beautiful angel. In fact Satan was once the chief of all the angels, the most beautiful angel in Heaven. He was known as the Angel of Light. He is know the
the Angel of Darkness. He was tempted by power and vanity. He thought that he could rise above God.
He sought to set his throne at the pinnacle of the mount of Heaven.
Satan was cast out along with one third of the angels. Now he roams the earth seeking whom he may
devour.
The great thing is The Angels of The Lord outnumber all the wicked spirits 2 to 1. And if we run to
The Lord, He will give His angels charge over us.
Just as angels lead people to the crib of Jesus.
Jesus who wandered the the wilderness searching His lost sheep.
He who full of the knowledge that he was to die a brutal death to save all of mankind for sins that He
never committed. He went to a garden to ask The Father the strength needed to carry out His mission,
the mission of forgiveness and salvation.
Jesus was arrested, betrayed by his close friend Judas. His disciples abandoned Him as we nailed to
a execution devise constructed of wood, the tree of Calvary.
That very cross is the cure of all our temptations and the sin they produce. The cross leads us all to
eternal life spent in the glorious presence of our creator. A presence first felt in The Garden of Eden.
Eden which was earthy paradise we lost. But the paradise we share with God far surpasses anything
created here in out temporary home among the thorns. Our place in heaven secured by the savior who
was crowned with thorns.

"Are You Insane?" Messages From The Pulpit

Many people have asked many questions about Jesus.
Including "Who do you say that Jesus is?"
St. Peter answered "You are The Christ, The Messiah, The Son of God."
I recently  read a novel based on the life of Jesus.
It was a great novel. It got me to ask myself, "Would I have followed Jesus with all the claims that he made?"
One thing stood out to me. Jesus spoke of "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" at that point I scratched my head and can honestly say, I'm not so sure.
I have doubts once in a while and I can't see him. (I admit my doubts have nearly disappeared)
But what if I had been there walking with him?
In the heat of persecution would I have denied knowing him when things got rough?
Would I walk away in shame as I watched him die upon the cross?
Would I join in mocking him? Would I have said, "Physician heal thyself. Come down from that cross and show the world that you are indeed The Son of God."
Would I deny Christ?
At this point of my life I would deny Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Even unto torture or death.
Jesus said, "If you deny me before men I will deny you before The Father."
I hope that when my judgment comes God will say, "Well done good and faithful servant."
The Bible says, "The message of The Cross is foolishness to those who are dying."
Dying from the ravages of sin. A blindness of the reality of the sting of death that comes from an unwillingness to admit that we have done wrong and need to repent. We may say, "God loves everyone surely He won't bring me to eternal punishment." But what's the big deal?
Not admitting that you have sinned is like saying that you can do no wrong.
It's between you and God. No one else needs to know what wrong you have done. God knows and is not willing that any one should parish. Once God forgives ANY sin it is erased from his memory.
Another question is would you betray Jesus as Judas did?
You might say surely not. Are you sure?
People sell out every day.
Maybe you hang with friends that openly mock Christians. You not only deny Christ but you join in.
You point out the flaws of The Christian/ Catholic Church.
You claim contradictions found in The Bible.
You mock "Jesus Freaks."
Need I say more.
Will you choose popularity or truth?
No Christians aren't perfect. But The one who started it all is.
You would be insane for not following The Spirit of the one true and living God.

"Extreme Makeover" (Messages From The Pulpit)

Tobit 13:10

(Apocryphal Book of The Bible)

"Give thanks to the Lord with righteousness, and bless the King of the ages, so that your tabernacle may be rebuilt in you with joy."

Someways to restore a structure is to start from scratch. Especially when the structure has been burned down or severely damaged in a raging storm. Their may be a shell but repairs need to be done.

Often we need to reinvent ourselves. Sometimes all new designs for our lives are needed. All new, stronger materials are needed. But if we try to do the work ourselves our lives will crumble just as fast as what we started with. 

We should look to the master craftsman. The one who created the best materials from his own imagination. 

Psalm 127: 1

"Unless the Lord build the house they labor in vain who build. Unless the Lord guard the city, in vain

does the guard keep watch."

  Isaiah 28:16

" Therefore, thus says the Lord God: See, I am laying a stone [ in Zion], a stone that has been tested,

A precious cornerstone as a sure foundation; whoever puts faith in it will not waver."

In Matthew 21:42 Jesus refers to himself as " the stone that builders rejected that became the cornerstone."

So if we have destroyed our lives, for example drug abuse can do untold damage to our bodies, minds, and spirits. We may not know who to turn to to get the help and healing we need. One plea will always be heard. When we cry out to God. He is faithful and just to begin the work He begun in us.

Jesus was rejected. Jesus was destroyed. He was resurrected and his body transformed and glorified.

He promises that all who believe in him will one day be made brand new.

Cry out to the Lord and he will hear you. He alone wipes away the stains of sin created by our past.

Maybe you are someone who has gone through the floods and fires of life and know someone who's life is in utter ruin. You can call upon your new found strength to help bind up the fractures caused by life when you partner who got you through your darkest days. 

From Tobit we see that our tabernacle can be rebuilt with joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. God is our rock, our high tower and our fortress. God is the ultimate security force. When we focus on the Lord we can see what's coming. Together you can prepare for what the enemy of our souls is sooner or later going to throw our way. 

Ephesians 6: 13-17 Tells us about the weapons of our warfare which we are to use against the kingdom of evil. A spiritual battle, not one fought in flesh and blood. Here is a list of the pieces of armor given to us by God.

Helmet of Salvation

Breastplate of Righteousness

Belt of Truth

Our feet shod with the Preparation of The Gospel of Peace

The Shield of Faith

The Sword of the Spirit. (the word of the Lord)

Trust in God. Allow renewal. Remember when we are weak He is strong.

"Picking Up and Dusting Off" (Messages From The Pulpit)

Mark 1: 30-31

"Simon's mother-in law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him ( Jesus) about her. He

approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever broke and she waited on them."

This is an interesting passage. Here we have a woman who had been sick. Then Jesus comes along and

she is healed. He helps her up and she goes to work. 

  Sometimes we need a "pick me up."

We may be sick, depressed, addicted, angry, or a number of different issues may be hanging around

unwanted.

When we get in such states we often sit in our misery and at best muddle through life half dead.

We may get used to being depressed and the thought of moving forward may frighten us so much that

the safety of being "in a rut" isn't as bad as trying and failing.

We get so caught up with the idea of failure we unwillingly brush aside the idea that we may indeed

discover our greatest success.

We need to seek help. No one, not even Jesus could go it alone. 

Mark 1: 35

"Rising very early before dawn, he (Jesus) left and went off to a deserted place where he prayed."

This is just one of many times we see that Jesus going off alone to pray. 

Without God nothing , not even things we may take for granted including every breath would be possible.

    In times of need we must call upon our creator who loves us beyond human measure. He who healed the sick, walked on water, calmed storms with a simple command, multiplied food enough to feed 5,000 people, drove out demons, died and rose from the dead, defeating the devil forever. He was God in human form. He gave himself up to death, even death on a cross, numbered among sinners to be a ransom for sins he never committed. 

Yes even Jesus needed to pray. As a child he had to know the law and the prophets and he confounded the wisdom of men. 

We too need to pray. St. Paul said we are to pray without ceasing. That may seem impossible but it

gets easier with practice. Admitting weakness also gets easier in time.

So call upon Jesus. Don't be too prideful to ask for help. Pride goes before a fall. 

And like Simon's mother-in-law in weakness Jesus will come, lift us up, and then it's up to us to get back to work. Whether our weakness is physical, emotional, and/or spiritual Jesus has the cure. 

His touch heals us. And then the healing mission God has given each and every one of us can continue or in some cases, begin.