Rick and I are so humbled to have been selected by the board of ThreeSixty Ministries to become the houseparent's for the inaugural class. The house that God provided for us in 2004 will become the home of four young men entering college at Jefferson State in August of 2009. Thank you Father for allowing us to be part of Your plan as we share Christ with the Nations.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
360
Rick and I are so humbled to have been selected by the board of ThreeSixty Ministries to become the houseparent's for the inaugural class. The house that God provided for us in 2004 will become the home of four young men entering college at Jefferson State in August of 2009. Thank you Father for allowing us to be part of Your plan as we share Christ with the Nations.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Manga Man
Oh mom and Papal. we miss alot.Lsat time when you left, we stay with Jimmy he move our stuffs back to school yesterday. we were in the same room 106. Concerning phone we didn't have any.There is no Internet connection in the Dorm and we didn't use Magic Jek because it needs Internet. I talk to Sarah yesterday, about it and i said if the phone is expencive then let the pay the phone Billy with our weekly allonce then we will stay that is good to us.She said they will talk with Tripp upto now there is no email from them.Our first class is good. I'm sending this message from Leb. Thank you mom NB I was so sad yesterday morning, i recieved message from Juba about my Manga man Niece my sister's dought 3years old girl who was aboundened by her father she got lost or disappeared from the our home, she was following my brother's wife going to jangel to bring charcoal. She got lost from 4:00PM upto 10:00Am. She was found uncoscences but when i call my brothe yesterday, they told me that she was filling more better but i don't know about her today, because we don't have a phone. The rain ranied on her throughout the night.I will tell you more. I thank God for the great miracle he did in my family. Manga man.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
To Please God
From James MacDonald
You ought to live . . . to please God . . . For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3
As a pastor, I often hear questions about God's will. "What does God want me to do?" is the most common, but there are others: "Where does God want me to live?" "Who does God want me to marry?" "What job does God want me to take?"
This may come as a surprise to you, but the Bible doesn't spend any time on that stuff. God's focus isn't so much on the externals; He wants to change the inner you.
God's will is 98 percent about who you are. Need evidence? Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3: "You ought to live . . . to please God. . . . For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification."
The word "sanctification" comes from a root word that means "to make holy." Sanctification is the process by which God takes sinful people and makes them holy. Holy is a great word; it means "set apart" or "distinct." It means "different from the sinful world around us." It means being like God.
Next time you are struggling to know what God could be doing, just say to yourself, "He's changing me," and you'll be right. Next time disappointments or heartaches come, try to recognize that God Himself is holding the hammer and chisel.
But why? Here's the hard truth that sets people free: God does not exist to fulfill our purposes; we exist to fulfill His purposes. You and I are here because God wants to demonstrate His power and splendor through our lives, and if you realize that you are not doing that very well, then you truly understand why He wants to change you. He wants to get you to the place where no matter what happens to you or what you go through, you trust Him and follow Him and are committed wholly to His goodness. And so He's coming after you, and He's trying to change you. Let Him do His work in you, and watch Him display His awesomeness through you.
Who You Are
You ought to live . . . to please God . . . For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3
As a pastor, I often hear questions about God's will. "What does God want me to do?" is the most common, but there are others: "Where does God want me to live?" "Who does God want me to marry?" "What job does God want me to take?"
This may come as a surprise to you, but the Bible doesn't spend any time on that stuff. God's focus isn't so much on the externals; He wants to change the inner you.
God's will is 98 percent about who you are. Need evidence? Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3: "You ought to live . . . to please God. . . . For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification."
The word "sanctification" comes from a root word that means "to make holy." Sanctification is the process by which God takes sinful people and makes them holy. Holy is a great word; it means "set apart" or "distinct." It means "different from the sinful world around us." It means being like God.
Next time you are struggling to know what God could be doing, just say to yourself, "He's changing me," and you'll be right. Next time disappointments or heartaches come, try to recognize that God Himself is holding the hammer and chisel.
But why? Here's the hard truth that sets people free: God does not exist to fulfill our purposes; we exist to fulfill His purposes. You and I are here because God wants to demonstrate His power and splendor through our lives, and if you realize that you are not doing that very well, then you truly understand why He wants to change you. He wants to get you to the place where no matter what happens to you or what you go through, you trust Him and follow Him and are committed wholly to His goodness. And so He's coming after you, and He's trying to change you. Let Him do His work in you, and watch Him display His awesomeness through you.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
One Nation Under GOD
OUR NATION IS/HAS BEEN ON THE SLIPPERY SLOPE HEADED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE FOR A LONG TIME..IF YOU LOOK AROUND YOU WILL FIND CORRUPTION, GREED, MORAL DECAY AND A STEADY MOVE AWAY FROM THE THINGS THAT MADE USA GREAT. THE PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED ARE NO LONGER OUR BACKBONE.
HOWEVER, WE CAN REVERSE THIS TREND. IN GOD'S WORD HE STATES,"IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.."
I AM CONVINCED THAT WE MUST PRAY FOR OUR NATION AND IT'S LEADERS AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. SO I ASK YOU TO JOIN ME IN THIS PLEA TO OUR LORD.
HOWEVER, WE CAN REVERSE THIS TREND. IN GOD'S WORD HE STATES,"IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.."
I AM CONVINCED THAT WE MUST PRAY FOR OUR NATION AND IT'S LEADERS AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. SO I ASK YOU TO JOIN ME IN THIS PLEA TO OUR LORD.
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape we are in today. Most people have forgotten that we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this. ~ Have a Blessed Day
James Car Wash
James is a homeless man who lives in downtown Birmingham. He is the kindest street person I have ever met with a great personality. James' favorite question is, "how is your pocketbook today". James has been homeless for years and years. He says he has a college education from up north and he ended up in Birmingham with the circus. What? Yes, he worked as an animal trainer/cleaner for Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus. James cleans cars during the warmer months for money. He carries his buckets, soap, tire shine, and rags with him all day, hoping that someone will let him wash their car.
Today, James stopped me and wanted to know if I could get him some tire shine and car wash stuff. Sure, I left downtown and traveled south looking for a Dollar Tree or Dollar General for some cleaning supplies. I exited the 21st street exit, came to a complete stop, nothing coming, turned right on red and the car behind me did the same thing. All of a sudden a policeman is speeding up beside me on a two way street. I slowed but didn't pull over. Of course, your mind is running through a list of things like; tag expired, speeding, light out, red light, etc.
Yes, I got a ticket for turning right on red at an intersection where this was prohibited. I waited months before it was entered into the Birmingham system (i was hoping maybe he torn up the ticket). Six weeks later there is not record of my ticket. I went to court - no ticket recorded. Courts told me to come back in another month. This is crazy. Yep, my ticket was 153.00 and because I didn't pay it within 10 days from the day it was posted, I was fined a penalty of 26.00. I had cash money to pay 153.o0, but not 189.00. I left courthouse and went back the next day after getting additional cash from the bank. Another penalty had been added in the amount of 10.00. 199.00 for turning right on red...... and James did NOT get his car wash supplies. I am pretty upset that I let this upset me enough that I didn't follow through with helping this homeless man.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Before I was a MOM!
Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt..
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body...
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom ..
May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God as He blesses you with a child.
Thank you Lord Jesus for allowing me to be a mom
as you opened my womb with two wonderful blessings from above.
I will always treasure every moment with them knowing
that You, Lord gave them to me
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt..
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body...
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom ..
May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God as He blesses you with a child.
Thank you Lord Jesus for allowing me to be a mom
as you opened my womb with two wonderful blessings from above.
I will always treasure every moment with them knowing
that You, Lord gave them to me
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Willing to Give Away?
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
[This sermon was I read from a Church in Logan, Ohio]
Mike Herman was a Saint Louis Cardinals baseball fan. From the time he was a little boy, he went to ball games hoping that he could catch a souvenir baseball. Grown to adulthood, he’d go to batting practices before games just to have a shot at grabbing a big-league ball.
During one batting practice, Herman got to know a five year old boy named James. James was on the same quest for a souvenir and after a time, Herman found himself telling James “he could have my ball if I caught one.” The promise may have been hollow in light of the fact that Mike Herman had been unsuccessful at retrieving a big league baseball for twenty-eight years! But, five minutes later, Herman explains, “I caught a ball, and yes, I gave it to James.” “I wonder,” Mike Herman asks, “how often God waits to give us something until we are willing to give it away?”
Jesus tells one of His most famous stories. It’s called the Parable of the Sower. A farmer, representing Christ or you and me with Christ working in us, sows or scatters seeds. Farmers planted seeds back in Jesus’ day by simply tossing them everywhere. Even top-notch seeds flung in the wrong places aren't likely to grow.
Some of the seeds flung by Jesus' fictional farmer, He says, fell along a path and birds quickly ate them up.
Other seeds fell onto rocky ground and warmed by the stones, sprouted quickly and died just as quickly for lack of soil depth and the sun being able to fry them, roots and all.
Another bunch of the seeds fell among weeds and thorns. As the thorns grew, they choked the life out of the good seeds.
Finally, one last batch of seeds fell into good soil and Jesus says that they gave yields of thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.
To show you how impressive that is, in first century Judea where Jesus lived, harvests of four- to tenfold were the norm. Harvests yielding fifteen times the seeds sown were considered really great. So, the seeds that landed in good soil in Jesus’ story gave a giant crop!
Later, Jesus explained His story. The seeds are the messages about Him, the good news that, because He died on the cross and rose for us, we can have our sins forgiven and enter a relationship with Jesus and live with Him forever. That happens when we entrust our lives to Him.
First Peter 3:15, says: "Be prepared always to give an account for the hope that is in you, but do it with gentleness and reverence." In other words, 'Don't beat people over the head with the message of Jesus; but never be afraid to share it! Just as it gives life and hope to you, it can give life and hope to others!'
When we commit ourselves to scattering the Word of God, God will orchestrate amazing coincidences that give us the opportunity. We are share Jesus and recklessly scatter [seeds] the message of Christ. I pray that in God’s good grace, I never blow an opportunity to share the message of Jesus.
Keep scattering the seed of the message about Jesus, whether it seems to make a difference or not. Just as you can’t see the ways in which seeds are taking root beneath the soil, we sometimes can’t see the ways in which the Word about Jesus is taking hold and transforming people’s lives.
Resolve to spread the message of Jesus and then trust God to do good things with the seeds you scatter! Be a blessing to others; bless people with the Word about Christ! Let the seed of God's Word grow strong within you by giving it away.
During one batting practice, Herman got to know a five year old boy named James. James was on the same quest for a souvenir and after a time, Herman found himself telling James “he could have my ball if I caught one.” The promise may have been hollow in light of the fact that Mike Herman had been unsuccessful at retrieving a big league baseball for twenty-eight years! But, five minutes later, Herman explains, “I caught a ball, and yes, I gave it to James.” “I wonder,” Mike Herman asks, “how often God waits to give us something until we are willing to give it away?”
Jesus tells one of His most famous stories. It’s called the Parable of the Sower. A farmer, representing Christ or you and me with Christ working in us, sows or scatters seeds. Farmers planted seeds back in Jesus’ day by simply tossing them everywhere. Even top-notch seeds flung in the wrong places aren't likely to grow.
Some of the seeds flung by Jesus' fictional farmer, He says, fell along a path and birds quickly ate them up.
Other seeds fell onto rocky ground and warmed by the stones, sprouted quickly and died just as quickly for lack of soil depth and the sun being able to fry them, roots and all.
Another bunch of the seeds fell among weeds and thorns. As the thorns grew, they choked the life out of the good seeds.
Finally, one last batch of seeds fell into good soil and Jesus says that they gave yields of thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.
To show you how impressive that is, in first century Judea where Jesus lived, harvests of four- to tenfold were the norm. Harvests yielding fifteen times the seeds sown were considered really great. So, the seeds that landed in good soil in Jesus’ story gave a giant crop!
Later, Jesus explained His story. The seeds are the messages about Him, the good news that, because He died on the cross and rose for us, we can have our sins forgiven and enter a relationship with Jesus and live with Him forever. That happens when we entrust our lives to Him.
First Peter 3:15, says: "Be prepared always to give an account for the hope that is in you, but do it with gentleness and reverence." In other words, 'Don't beat people over the head with the message of Jesus; but never be afraid to share it! Just as it gives life and hope to you, it can give life and hope to others!'
When we commit ourselves to scattering the Word of God, God will orchestrate amazing coincidences that give us the opportunity. We are share Jesus and recklessly scatter [seeds] the message of Christ. I pray that in God’s good grace, I never blow an opportunity to share the message of Jesus.
Keep scattering the seed of the message about Jesus, whether it seems to make a difference or not. Just as you can’t see the ways in which seeds are taking root beneath the soil, we sometimes can’t see the ways in which the Word about Jesus is taking hold and transforming people’s lives.
Resolve to spread the message of Jesus and then trust God to do good things with the seeds you scatter! Be a blessing to others; bless people with the Word about Christ! Let the seed of God's Word grow strong within you by giving it away.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Family Week Minus One
Emails were received today inviting family members to family week in Hattiesburg, MS for the conclusion of my brothers rehab. My mom and dad and sister will attend along with my sister-in-law. I will hold down the fort back home. God be with my family as we approach this week of information.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
He Loves ME!
"He loves me, He loves me not, He loves me, He loves me not." Isn't this just how our life is in God? Pulling off the petals [one by one] and hoping that the last petal we pull will be "He loves me!" We have such a hard time understanding that He does indeed love us! Over the past month, this is what God has been trying to show me over and over again. I guess I just have a hard time getting it.
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