Prayer

Prayer is a great gift. Through prayer we are lifted up above our problems, distractions, and wounds. Life has a way of wounding the soul and spirit. Having the ability to touch God in prayer gives us hope, comfort, and a sense of our place in the universe. Psalm 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Take a moment today to indulge yourself with the gift of prayer. You will be blessed and in so doing bless others.





Christianity and Faith

Spiritual Insights From A Layman's Point of View

So You Tapped Into Power Yesterday?

God moved into The Church of Humble in a deep and powerful move that took our people to a new level in prayer. Our people are united in seeking spiritual renewal first within ourselves and then within others who are in need.

To everyone who experienced this outpouring I would remind you that your Adversary is watching and is not pleased. Today if you have not already faced unexplained tensions or problems, be prepared; they are coming. This is not something to fear. Remember that God is on your side and is standing with you every moment of every day. Recognize the source of your problems and immediately cast them upon the Lord! Find a private place and talk to God and bind the strongman that is trying to steal your joy. In the Name of Jesus cast these spirits into outer darkness. God has given you the power to do this!

Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Trust God. Take authority over the spirits. Do not let your Adversary push you around this week.

Blessings!

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Lent...A Season of Reflection

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday which is the first day of the forty day fast called LENT. Because I am a member of a church that does not observe Lent I decided to do a bit of research on the topic. What I found surprised me. According to the church fathers the traditin of observing a period of reflection, and mourning the death of Jesus Christ began in the first century in Jerusalem. This period of reflection and mourning took many forms and was celebrated on different days. Eventually the fast days were observed in the spring, hence the term Lent.


In the early days of the Apostolic period there was a great deal of controversy about how many fast days should be observed, and when these fast days should take place. Some people thought that only one full day was sufficient. Some called for two or more days, and in time the fast became a forty day fast. However, the terms of the fast have changed many times throughout the ages until today the approved fast is very different from the original manner of fasting. Today most Catholics choose something very important to them and resolve not to do, eat, drink, or take part in whatever they have chosen to sacrifice. LENT is not only a Catholic religious observance. Many protestant denominations such as Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Eastern Orthodox Christians observe Lent.

I freely admit that I have not done an in-depth study of the reasons behind observing Lent but one thing is very clear to me. The purpose of the observance is extremely important to every born again believer. If it is not, it should be. This holy season is a time to reflect and meditate upon the great sacrifice and suffering of our Lord and Savior when he died on the cross for our sins. The Season of LENT is an extended period when people mourn and reflect on the sacrifice of the Savior. As the season draws to an end and Holy Week approaches on Palm Sunday a feeling of exultation enters the heart as the meditation moves to the approaching miracle of the RESURRECTION!

Maundy Thursday, the last Thursday before Easter is the day to commemorate the day when The Lord's Supper was placed into practice by Jesus Christ. The term Maundy Thursday is one that has developed through lingual shifts in the English language. The word commemorate is used as a commandment. The name Maundy is derived from mandatum (Latin, "commandment"). From ancient times until the present it is usual to receive communion on Maundy Thursday and many churches previously instituted foot washing on this day. It seems appropriate to mark the day by taking the Lord's supper and celebrating with foot washing although foot washing is not commonly practiced in many churches today.

GOOD FRIDAY is the traditional day designated for observing the death of Jesus Christ. Many churches have a solemn service where the message is about the death of Jesus Christ. Again the purpose of this type of observance is to build to a glorious understanding of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. I believe that with preparation and proper teaching this could become a wonderful, meaningful observance that could bring our people to a sense of the great love that God had for us and what the death of Jesus Christ really means in our Salvation!

EASTER Sunday! Glorious celebration of the resurrection. Singing Up From the Grave He Arose....with a mighty triumph o'er His foes... The very thought makes me want to shout with a voice of triumph! He arose from the dead! He overcame the grave. This is the keystone and core of everything we believe. We should commemorate it! We should shout it from the roof tops! He arose. He lives and is alive forever more!

Easter is a wonderful time in the lives of our families and our children. We love the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, and the food...dinner on the ground like we used to do. But let us not forget the reason we celebrate. Perhaps we should take more time to get to Easter by way of the cross of Jesus Christ. All of us...the people of the name of Jesus should be ahead of the crowd in making this a most serious time of our lives to be taught to our children and grandchildren.

Blessings!

(Maundy Thursday). (2007). In BELIEVE Religious Information
Source web-site. Retrieved, (insert today's date) from
A Christ Walk Church Public Service:
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txw/maundy.htm

Leclercq, H. (1911). Maundy Thursday. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 26, 2009 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10068a.htm

Are You a Seeker?

Are you a seeker of truth? Do you want to experience it now, or get your self realization from seeking truth? What truth are you seeking? Many people view truth as an abstract concept that even apart from the human experience has nothing to do with the divine. In worldly terms truth may be relative to the perceived reality of an individual.

As Christians our point of reference always goes back to Jesus Christ, " Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. " John 14:6

There is a great revelation for those who seek this truth. Prayer is the way to greater understanding. There is a relationship with God for those willing to seek after it. This is not a shallow relationship, and the means to achieving this relationship is not easy. Prayer and fasting brings the body into subjection, humbles the spirit, and opens the mind to great possibilities for the believer and seeker.

When I was young many people would seek for the Holy Ghost. At the end of the sermon the seekers would come to the altars (in those days we had real altar benches where people actually prayed and travailed before the Lord in tears with moaning and groaning). You don't see many seekers these days...

I don't believe we have to go back to brush arbor days for people to be saved, but the same fire, determination, and sorrow for sin must be the catalyst to inspire people to seek the Lord. I am not speaking of a dreadful fire and brimstone pounding of fear into people that brings them to the Lord in fear for their very life. We know hell is there for the lost, but Jesus offers so much more than a bare minimum experience to experience hell fire. If that is what you think salvation is about then you have barely scratched the surface in your seeking for God.

It is still possible to have a fire in your soul to learn more about God. You can still have as much of God as you want to have. Many are satisfied to know that God is love and that he loves everybody. I am happy that God loves everybody, but I do not see why I have to limit myself to the shallow waters of knowledge when God is deep, powerful, and willing to share himself with every one who seeks Him.

I am a seeker of truth. I want to get it now! My self realization comes from the experience and knowledge God gives me every day as I walk with him.

Blessings!

Perception is Reality

When I was young I heard my elders say, "You know, that just does not look right." In business we say, "That does not pass the smell test." Both of these statements mean the same thing. Something is not right about the situation. Many times we listen to the words of those around us and somehow manage to get the message confused. We do not hear what the person is trying to say, but hear what we think they said.

Sadly enough, this happens more often than not. The truth about reality is that it changes from person to person depending on the personal experiences and lifestyle events of each individual in the mix. Keeping the story straight can be a problem if two people whose point of reference is so different that they talk but do not understand each other.

As Christians, it is our responsibility to look beyond appearances to find the real person beneath the layers of defensiveness and pain that passes for self-assurance. It is easy to believe the worst about a person because of the way they look. We forget that appearances are deceiving and everything about a person may not be revealed the first time we meet.

We as Christians have a wonderful opportunity to change ourselves first, and then show the love of God to the world around us. We have an obligation to allow the reflection of the Grace of God to show through us to the world and everyone with whom we come in contact. It will be difficult sometimes because of the perception that some people have about Christians and who Christians really are.

Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

The Great Commission that Jesus gave to his followers in Mark did not mean that we should take a sledge hammer or a sword to everyone who refused to believe in Him. That is not the way of Jesus Christ. Jesus offered a better way.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Try to show forth the love of God in your life and allow the perception you want people to have of who you are become a reality. The more you try to live like Jesus Christ, the more people will see Jesus in you. It is not necessary to proclaim to the world that you are a Christian. If you are a Christian they will know it soon enough.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

This morning President Obama signed the first bill of his administration. Lilly Ledbetter worked at her job for twenty years and then found out that the men with whom she worked in the same position had earned more money than she had earned during those years. Her financial losses were more than $200,000.00 dollars not including pension and retirement funds. Ms. Ledbetter took her law suit to the Supreme Court who decided against her. Determined to seek equal pay for others in spite of losing her own rights, Ms. Ledbetter sought to have the equal pay provision signed into law. This morning President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.

Congratulations are due to Ms. Ledbetter on this happy occasion. It is difficult to believe in this twenty-first century that there are those who continue to believe that hard working women should be paid less than a man doing the same job. Women are dedicated employees who earn their money exactly the same as a man. It is shocking that we must have this conversation that should have been put behind us long ago.

It is understandable that businesses may feel that this opens them up to law suits and losses, but they can avoid such losses by operating within the law and treating everyone equally in the matter of pay.

As a Christian I congratulate President Obama and my prayers are with him as he charts his course during the difficult days ahead.

Our New President

This week our country inaugerated the 44th president of the United States of America. This is an historic occasion. Supporters of this president are still celebrating the beginning of a new era…a new world. As the first African-American president in this country, President Obama will have a special place in the history books that no other can claim. We congratulate the new president and his supporters who worked long and hard to make his presidency happen.

Those of us who were not supporters of President Obama are trying to find our place in this new administration. As concerned Christian voters who have been labeled ‘the religious right’, we are looking for signs that President Obama will offer hope to all Americans; not just those who support his positions. And it is the left leaning, progressive stance that this president champions that causes consternation among christian voters.

As a white, southern, Christian, I want to state for the record that I am not against this president because his skin is black. I am completely aware of this moment in history and although I do not share the black experience, close association with my black friends and co-workers has made me aware of the day to day small indignities endured by black Americans. I am constantly appalled by the manner in which some of the best people in the world are treated.

No, my concerns are strictly about his core values and beliefs. The media made light of the long term relationship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright and dismissed concerns as trivial and vicious right wing attacks. I sincerely hope that my fears that President Obama shares the views of his former pastor about black theology and black/white issues will prove to be false. I find it hard to believe that a man who sat on the pews of this church for twenty years never heard the message his pastor was presenting to the people.

In spite of my concerns and differences in philosophy, I pray that God will bless President Obama and give him wisdom to lead this great nation. We are a great people with many differences, but we are still one nation. God Bless America!