As I was watching the Michael Jackson memorial service yesterday I was touched by the man that many called friend. I always thought he had a child like quality about him. The shyness he showed in interviews was always a contradiction to the person that showed up on stage with such presence and power. Many testified to a side of him that most never knew. A man that despite his struggles always pressed forward in life and so often thought and put others before himself. Only the the Lord knows each of our hearts.
As I continued to watch the program and person after person testified to MJ's belief in God as well as thier own I believe that the Lord exalted and gave honor to him. That celebrating in a persons victories is so much more important than gossiping about his possible weaknesses. The gift of his voice and talant all came from God. He knew it and now the billion people who watched on July 7th know it.
On July 7th, 2009 the Lords name and peoples belief in the Name Jesus Christ was broadcast to app. 1 billion people live across the earth.............
I personally believe that the Lord used Micheal Jackson in a mighty way!
Worship
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Release in Forgiveness
The ramifications of unforgivness can run so deep and so many directions. It can not only cause illness in us from spiritual to physical but when we hold unforgivness against others it can also hinder what the Lord is doing in thier lives as well as ours.
The Lord has forgiven you all. He has released you from the curse of the cross to be resurrected on the other side.
Release others as He has released you.
You will be amazed at the love, peace and joy forgiveness releases.
Father loves each and everyone of us beyond measure.
Gold can not be effected by any natural earthly element. Man was created in God's image not the earthly natural image. Find Heaven's Gold in each and every person in your world each day. (yes, especially those that challenge you) Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God's Gold to you!
Psalm 139:1-4
John 15:8 "when you bear much fruit Father is honored and glorified"
What is much fruit? Gal 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Holy Spirit(the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control (self restraint). against such things there is no law"
By excersising the fruit that is already in us through Christ Jesus we bear much fruit!
By making a decision and forgiving ourselves and others (putting down our flesh) we glorify and honor Father and bear much fruit!!!
It is not what we do it is who we are in Christ that bears much fruit!
The Lord has forgiven you all. He has released you from the curse of the cross to be resurrected on the other side.
Release others as He has released you.
You will be amazed at the love, peace and joy forgiveness releases.
Father loves each and everyone of us beyond measure.
Gold can not be effected by any natural earthly element. Man was created in God's image not the earthly natural image. Find Heaven's Gold in each and every person in your world each day. (yes, especially those that challenge you) Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God's Gold to you!
Psalm 139:1-4
John 15:8 "when you bear much fruit Father is honored and glorified"
What is much fruit? Gal 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Holy Spirit(the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control (self restraint). against such things there is no law"
By excersising the fruit that is already in us through Christ Jesus we bear much fruit!
By making a decision and forgiving ourselves and others (putting down our flesh) we glorify and honor Father and bear much fruit!!!
It is not what we do it is who we are in Christ that bears much fruit!
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Lord is Good
Psalm 145:9 "The Lord is good to everyone, He shows compassion to all His creation"
The Lord loves you and has great compassion for you. No matter where you are at He is always there with open arms!
The Lord loves you and has great compassion for you. No matter where you are at He is always there with open arms!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
guilt?
God does not want you to live in a state of guilt for more than the moment it takes to repent (turn away from). Life is to short to live under a burden of useless guilt. The motivation to share the gospel and to live every moment of the Christian life is found in the past, present and future grace of God!
Acts 13:43
Gal 2:21
Acts 13:43
Gal 2:21
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Nothing is to dificult
Jeremiah 32:17
"O Soverign Lord! You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is to hard for You!"
God not only created the world but through His power sustains it. This wonderful all powerful God knows every detail about your life and there is no problem that He can not fix, no prayer He can not answer. Allow your thoughts and actions to reflect the fact that you serve a God who can not be stopped!!
"O Soverign Lord! You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is to hard for You!"
God not only created the world but through His power sustains it. This wonderful all powerful God knows every detail about your life and there is no problem that He can not fix, no prayer He can not answer. Allow your thoughts and actions to reflect the fact that you serve a God who can not be stopped!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
The following is a devotional posting from Mikki Lawrence. It is a really good read concerning helping hurting people.
Feel the Love
For several months now, I have been pondering the power of empathy. It seems there is quite a bit of varying opinions on what the difference is between sympathy and empathy. So for the purpose of being sure we are on the same page for this topic today, I want to begin by sharing what I believe and understand is the definition of sympathy and empathy, at least for me.
Sympathy and empathy both have the Greek word “path” in them so they both relate to feeling. Sympathy speaks of how we can imagine the feelings of others. We sympathize when a person loses someone they love to death or divorce. We sympathize when someone has cancer. We can imagine, whether or not we have experienced it, how painful a situation might be. “Sym” is the prefix which means “with”; we feel with someone else. We can sympathize without saying a word, perhaps with a hug or caring look. When we sympathize with someone else, we agree that they should feel bad.
Empathy, on the other hand, is when we feel “into” their pain. In the current usage of the word empathy, as opposed to the historical meaning – for you etymologist types, empathy is superior to sympathy and is “other-focused”. Empathy is deeper than sympathy and not only involves the understanding of a person’s feelings but does something to lessen the pain. When we empathize with someone else, we don’t just agree that they should feel badly in their current situation, we enter into their feelings and understand their feelings or thoughts. We can feel their pain, whether or not we have experienced the same pain.
To sympathize is to give your handkerchief to someone who is crying. To empathize is to cry with them.
In Brazil there is a saying that if you’re stuck in a hole, a sympathetic person will get into the hole with you, and the empathic person will give you a rope so you can get out of the hole.
To empathize is to acknowledge another’s pain AND to help them through it.
This is an important topic for me for two reasons. One is I experienced both sympathy and empathy during this last year. Empathy is definitely superior. Two, because I had a dream where I was teaching the difference between the two, complete with points and illustrations. Wish I’d gotten up and written that down!
The purpose of my writing today is to encourage us all to go beyond sympathy in our relationship with people who are hurting and to begin to express empathy.. Now I do understand that we cannot personally be empathetic with large numbers of people all at the same time so this is not supposed to be a guilt trip. But there are some people who cross out lives’ paths that we need to avail ourselves to in the power of empathy.
When is the last time you personally expressed empathy to another? The last time you gave of your heart, your words, your time in order to give another a “rope” to help them get out of the hole?
I thought of Jesus this morning as I thought of the power of empathy. In the travels of a Jewish person of his day, they would go all the way around Samaria instead of taking the short route through Samaria because they considered the Samaritans half-breeds and unworthy of their association with them. Yet Jesus told his disciples that he “needed” to go through Samaria . He needed to give a “rope” to a woman there.
Jairus came to Jesus begging for the life of his daughter. In the middle of this exchange, a woman touched Jesus believing that she would be well if she could just touch his clothes. She was healed and then Jesus stopped and ministered to her some more. Shortly some people came and told Jairus not to trouble Jesus any more because his daughter was, in fact, dead already. But Jesus went to Jairus home and raised his daughter from the dead and then told the people to feed her.. He gave Jairus a “rope”.
When multitudes of people followed Jesus into a “deserted” place to hear his teaching, Jesus was moved with empathy for them and taught them and then fed them by multiplying the bread and fish. He gave them a “rope”.
When Peter, stepping out onto the sea to walk to Jesus, began to be afraid and sink, Jesus reached out and caught him. He gave Peter a “rope”.
When Lazarus died, Jesus cried bitterly with Lazarus’ sister Mary and then he raised Lazarus from the dead, giving Mary and Martha a “rope”.
Sometimes Jesus offered a rope to people and they did not take it. Even though he knew ahead of time that they would refuse his offer, he offered anyway.
And on the cross, Jesus not only sympathized with us because of our sin, he empathized with us and gave us all a “rope” even though it cost him a season of separation from God, physical trauma and pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain as he literally took our sin into his physical, emotional, mental body.
As I thought back about the last year, I thought of those who sympathized with me. I remember one fellow minister who told me that he felt sorry for me. It really angered me. Something was wrong with his response. Because of his relationship with me, he should have offered empathy, but he did not. He sympathized about my pain, but he did not empathize with me.
I remember returning home from a two-week intensive counseling experience. I was distraught as I thought about stepping back into a stormy situation. I walked into my house to find that some friends had cleaned my house, redecorated some rooms, and added special touches here and there. On my kitchen table was a huge, huge homemade card that said in big letters, “Feel the love” and inside were personal notes. I was overwhelmed with tears and comfort and empathy. They gave me a “rope”.
And there were many others who offered a "rope" to me during this season. Some friends brought me chocolates and flowers.
One beautiful rope was offered by my daughter who told me I did not have to be strong for her. I cried, and she held me.
I believe more than ever that we in the Body of Christ must do more than sympathize with those who are hurting, whether it be those who don’t know Christ at all or those who do know Him. We must empathize.
For after all, if we are part of His body and He feels the pain of others, should we not also feel that pain? Sometimes we say that we are His hands extended. We love the sound of those words. But perhaps we should look at our hands for rope-burn.
Feel the Love
For several months now, I have been pondering the power of empathy. It seems there is quite a bit of varying opinions on what the difference is between sympathy and empathy. So for the purpose of being sure we are on the same page for this topic today, I want to begin by sharing what I believe and understand is the definition of sympathy and empathy, at least for me.
Sympathy and empathy both have the Greek word “path” in them so they both relate to feeling. Sympathy speaks of how we can imagine the feelings of others. We sympathize when a person loses someone they love to death or divorce. We sympathize when someone has cancer. We can imagine, whether or not we have experienced it, how painful a situation might be. “Sym” is the prefix which means “with”; we feel with someone else. We can sympathize without saying a word, perhaps with a hug or caring look. When we sympathize with someone else, we agree that they should feel bad.
Empathy, on the other hand, is when we feel “into” their pain. In the current usage of the word empathy, as opposed to the historical meaning – for you etymologist types, empathy is superior to sympathy and is “other-focused”. Empathy is deeper than sympathy and not only involves the understanding of a person’s feelings but does something to lessen the pain. When we empathize with someone else, we don’t just agree that they should feel badly in their current situation, we enter into their feelings and understand their feelings or thoughts. We can feel their pain, whether or not we have experienced the same pain.
To sympathize is to give your handkerchief to someone who is crying. To empathize is to cry with them.
In Brazil there is a saying that if you’re stuck in a hole, a sympathetic person will get into the hole with you, and the empathic person will give you a rope so you can get out of the hole.
To empathize is to acknowledge another’s pain AND to help them through it.
This is an important topic for me for two reasons. One is I experienced both sympathy and empathy during this last year. Empathy is definitely superior. Two, because I had a dream where I was teaching the difference between the two, complete with points and illustrations. Wish I’d gotten up and written that down!
The purpose of my writing today is to encourage us all to go beyond sympathy in our relationship with people who are hurting and to begin to express empathy.. Now I do understand that we cannot personally be empathetic with large numbers of people all at the same time so this is not supposed to be a guilt trip. But there are some people who cross out lives’ paths that we need to avail ourselves to in the power of empathy.
When is the last time you personally expressed empathy to another? The last time you gave of your heart, your words, your time in order to give another a “rope” to help them get out of the hole?
I thought of Jesus this morning as I thought of the power of empathy. In the travels of a Jewish person of his day, they would go all the way around Samaria instead of taking the short route through Samaria because they considered the Samaritans half-breeds and unworthy of their association with them. Yet Jesus told his disciples that he “needed” to go through Samaria . He needed to give a “rope” to a woman there.
Jairus came to Jesus begging for the life of his daughter. In the middle of this exchange, a woman touched Jesus believing that she would be well if she could just touch his clothes. She was healed and then Jesus stopped and ministered to her some more. Shortly some people came and told Jairus not to trouble Jesus any more because his daughter was, in fact, dead already. But Jesus went to Jairus home and raised his daughter from the dead and then told the people to feed her.. He gave Jairus a “rope”.
When multitudes of people followed Jesus into a “deserted” place to hear his teaching, Jesus was moved with empathy for them and taught them and then fed them by multiplying the bread and fish. He gave them a “rope”.
When Peter, stepping out onto the sea to walk to Jesus, began to be afraid and sink, Jesus reached out and caught him. He gave Peter a “rope”.
When Lazarus died, Jesus cried bitterly with Lazarus’ sister Mary and then he raised Lazarus from the dead, giving Mary and Martha a “rope”.
Sometimes Jesus offered a rope to people and they did not take it. Even though he knew ahead of time that they would refuse his offer, he offered anyway.
And on the cross, Jesus not only sympathized with us because of our sin, he empathized with us and gave us all a “rope” even though it cost him a season of separation from God, physical trauma and pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain as he literally took our sin into his physical, emotional, mental body.
As I thought back about the last year, I thought of those who sympathized with me. I remember one fellow minister who told me that he felt sorry for me. It really angered me. Something was wrong with his response. Because of his relationship with me, he should have offered empathy, but he did not. He sympathized about my pain, but he did not empathize with me.
I remember returning home from a two-week intensive counseling experience. I was distraught as I thought about stepping back into a stormy situation. I walked into my house to find that some friends had cleaned my house, redecorated some rooms, and added special touches here and there. On my kitchen table was a huge, huge homemade card that said in big letters, “Feel the love” and inside were personal notes. I was overwhelmed with tears and comfort and empathy. They gave me a “rope”.
And there were many others who offered a "rope" to me during this season. Some friends brought me chocolates and flowers.
One beautiful rope was offered by my daughter who told me I did not have to be strong for her. I cried, and she held me.
I believe more than ever that we in the Body of Christ must do more than sympathize with those who are hurting, whether it be those who don’t know Christ at all or those who do know Him. We must empathize.
For after all, if we are part of His body and He feels the pain of others, should we not also feel that pain? Sometimes we say that we are His hands extended. We love the sound of those words. But perhaps we should look at our hands for rope-burn.
The Brick
THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was traveling
down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast
in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting
out from between parked cars and slowed downwhen he thought he saw something. As his car passed,
no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into
the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and
backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had
been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up againsta parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive,
'Would you please help me get him back into his
wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow
the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly
lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair,
then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at
the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him
everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and
may God bless you,' the grateful child told the
stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply
watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother
down the sidewalk toward their home.It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The
damage was very noticeable, but the driver never
bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept
the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't
go through life so fast that someone has to throw a
brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in
our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when
we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick
at us. It's our choice to listen or not.
Thought for the Day:
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning
Face it, friend -
He is crazy about you!
A young and successful executive was traveling
down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast
in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting
out from between parked cars and slowed downwhen he thought he saw something. As his car passed,
no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into
the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and
backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had
been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up againsta parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive,
'Would you please help me get him back into his
wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow
the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly
lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair,
then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at
the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him
everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and
may God bless you,' the grateful child told the
stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply
watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother
down the sidewalk toward their home.It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The
damage was very noticeable, but the driver never
bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept
the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't
go through life so fast that someone has to throw a
brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in
our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when
we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick
at us. It's our choice to listen or not.
Thought for the Day:
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning
Face it, friend -
He is crazy about you!
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