This Little Island God Made


Good morning, Bloggers! Time to wake up and smell the java of God! Ahhhh! A sweet, sweet smell of Eternity! That's the kind of coffee we brew at home...

Michelle and I will be taking our "long, long overdue" trip overseas to this little island of God called, "Aruba"! He designed it! He painted all the colors of that little island! So we're anxious to see His marvelous artwork!

Many thanks to those who volunteered to help my parents out by taking our childreno out. My mom cannot take all the pressures of raising and rearing our children since my dad has Parkinsons. Again, thanks! And please do pray that we will have a great and safe trip.

Do you know what this means? It means that I won't be able to blog (several commanded me to leave a computer alone, even in Aruba) from today through May 8th. So I will be anxious to share with you our trip and what God has done during our stay in Aruba. We, even, have plans to visit San Nicolaas church of Christ where I learned that there are three deaf members with no interpreters!! Michelle and I will be worshipping with them and we'll see what God has planned for this Sunday. We're very excited about this!

Thanks, Bloggers, for your eyes and hearts! We love you!!

Blessed Be His Name,

Mark and Michelle <><

To Like Or Not To Like

There are alot of things I don't like. And there are, also, alot of things I like. I don't like putting on my Nike's without socks. You just never know what creeps from within the sole. I don't like seafood. Because they give a deathly stare at me before I ever put a fork to it. I don't like to see alot of blood. They give my head a big swirl. I don't like gossips. Because they always do more harm than good. I don't like it when people interrupt a good and divine conversation. You just never know what God has in store for them. I don't like to go to crowded places. You'll likely not end up where you want to be. I don't like people being critical to others when they have a "big log" in their eyes. It's like the audience telling Dr. Phil what's best in life. I don't like it when people say, "I need more time for self than for God." They're surely missing out the best of the best in relationships!

There are alot more that I don't like. But I don't need to tell you anymore. Now you know some of hundreds of thousands of examples that I don't like. And I don't need to tell you anymore. You can jot down alot of your likes and dislikes. Often, you'll see more being listed on the dislikes side! It is something that you and I have to deal with. We are unique human beings. God designed us for this very purpose.

There are alot of things that I like, too. People hugging people. Being loving. Being joyful. Christians high in the Spirit of God! People making a huge chunk of time with God, I mean, "huge"!

When it comes to a relationship with God, though, you and I, both, have differences in life (our likes and dislikes), doesn't mean that we have to turn around to "please a person" to fulfill their "likes" and diminish their "dislikes". There will be a time when we will not like what the "truth" is. God has set, before us, a boundary to stay within, regardless if you like it or not. There will always be a time when people enter the boundary, observe all that is being done within the boundary of God and express their "likes and dislikes". They may try and force a change to please their craving nature. Apostle Paul encountered this similar problem that is happening to us all today:

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

Paul was trying to bring the people into "obedience" to the Lord's command and to stay within the boundary of God. There were problems within the church in Galatia, namely, the Judaizers. It is a name for those who were formerly Jews that became a Christian. The judaizing teachers came into the church with a goal: to change the church into doing what the Judaizers like. The judaizing teachers, by whom these churches were corrupted: they mixed works with faith, and the law with the gospel, only to please the Jews, whom they were willing to compromise and keep in with, that they might escape persecution.

But Paul was a man of another spirit for whom the Judaizers do not like: Paul was not so solicitous to please them, nor to alleviate their rage against him, as to change the doctrine of Christ either to gain their favor or to avoid their fury. And he gives this very good reason for it, that, if he yet pleased men, he would not be the servant of Christ.

While we have our "likes and dislikes", we need to continue to keep things to ourselves and do the will of our Father in Heaven. We're here, not to please ourselves, but to please the One and Only, God! It is encouraged that every church in the world stay within God's boundary and while we do so, here are a couple of verses we ought to possess within our hearts:

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DIFFERING ASSUMPTIONS, yet: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus." Romans 15:5

WE NEED TO FIGHT FAIR (Fight the fight of faith!) So "Remind the people... to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all." Titus 3:1-2

MAKE SURE WE'RE IN THE LINE OF RESPECT by showing "..proper respect to everyone." 1 Peter 2:17

MAINTAIN HOLY MOTIVES when you listen to Jesus' words: "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." John 15:10

WHEN THE TOP FLIES OFF we ought to "Be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Cor. 13:11

A Friend That Stays

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

What kind of a Friend is Jesus to you?
Who is Jesus that you call Him your Friend?
Why is He Your Friend?

Jesus Is A Friend That Stays When The World Walks Out!

"You are my friends if you do what I command." John 15:14 (NIV)

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy to God." James 4:4 (NIV)

What are some of Satan's favorite ingredients that are "friendship with the world"? Jealousy, envy, quarrel, hatred, divorce (it's becoming much more common, in the world today, compared to 20 years ago!!), adultery (not only physical but mental and spiritual!!), lust, greed, favoritism, ridicule, lies, deceit, pride, gossip (popular among both deaf and hearing; with an intent to harm) and hundreds of other nasty ingredients!! These are what God hates!!!

"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." Prov 6:16-19 (NIV)

Jesus is a Friend that stays with those who love Him while the world walks out of those who love Jesus!

Meet Mr. Gullibility

IMPORTANT!!!!! READ THIS!!!!!!!

I know this guy whose neighbor, a young man, had a few stiff drinks at a party, and the next morning he awoke in a hotel bathtub full of ice and he was sore all over. When he got out of the tub he saw a note on the mirror saying that HIS KIDNEYS HAD BEEN STOLEN by Bill Gates, and he could only get them back by dialing 9-0-# and forwarding 5000 emails to a dying girl at Disney World.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!!

My uncle’s friend heard this story from his neighbor who got it from a guy who used to work for the American Cancer Society in a major city. Well the poor guy immediately tried to call 911 from a pay phone to report his missing kidneys, but upon reaching into the coin-return slot, he got jabbed with an HIV-infected needle around which was wrapped a note that said, “JOIN THE CREW”.

He was so distraught at this point that he went into the nearest theater and bought a ticket. It was then that he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder blade. The people behind him got up laughing and tossed a wadded-up paper ball at him as they ran out. When he uncrumpled the paper, it said “WIN A HOLIDAY”.

THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!

I have a friend who works next door to the police department of a major city and he heard it from his elderly aunt. The poor man, having no kidneys and infected with a dread disease, stumbled into a nearby Neiman-Marcus cafe and ordered a plate of cookies. He asked for the recipe and was told that it would cost “two fifty.” When he received his bill, there was a charge for 250 dollars! Furious, he fired up his laptop and tried to send an email to his lawyer. Unfortunately, he first downloaded a message titled “IT TAKES GUTS TO SAY JESUS” and it wiped out everything on his hard drive.

So anyway the poor guy tried to drive himself to the hospital, but on the way he noticed another car driving along without its lights on. To be helpful, he flashed his lights at him and was promptly shot as part of a gang initiation in a major city. He died before he was able to make it into the hospital.

THIS IS NOT A CHAIN LETTER!!!

Please forward this urgent message to every one you can, and spread the news that the Make-A-Wish foundation will donate a pair of Nike sneakers to everyone at Disney World, but only if you send it to 1000 people. Don’t be a thoughtless jerk — it only takes a minute of your time to spread this message, and it could be true!

I wonder what it is that makes us so gullible when it comes to e-mail messages. Chances are you have been the recipient of some of the hoaxes mentioned above. I wonder what it is that makes us so gullible when it comes to e-mail messages. Intelligent people in every other aspect of life will often fall victim to mindlessly believing anything and everything that comes through their e-mail account. And then, they will pass it along to all their friends without taking five minutes to verify its validity (incidentally, the best site I have found to check these things out is http://www.snopes2.com)

Gullibility, regarding Internet messages, isn’t nearly as serious, though, as gullibility in religious matters.

Many people are guilty of doing the same thing in regard to religious teaching.

They will believe whatever a friend or a preacher says (after all, he spent years in a bible school or seminary or colleges studying the Bible) without bothering to take the time to check and verify the truthfulness of what is being taught for themselves.

"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth..." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NIV)

"If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth...." 1 Timothy 6:3-5 (NIV)

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)

When it comes to the salvation of our souls, we dare not trust anyone merely on the basis of their word (not even me). We cannot say, "I like what that preacher just shared with us." We ought to say, "Is that what God likes to hear or see?" God’s Word must be used as our sole standard of judging truth and error.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23

Who has the "mind of the Lord" or who has the "gullibility of the world?"

Spiritual "Dry-spell"

Do you often find yourselves in a spiritual "dry" spell. I have. No rhyme or reason to it, just something that happens to us all. Some of us call it "depression," others of us just are tired and uninspired.

It may seems like you're crawling alone through the desert under a hot sun, nothing to drink or eat, not even knowing at times what it is we need. We struggled to find satisfaction. We just know that we need SOMEthing.

When we're at an all-time low, instead of praying to God to soothe our soul, we dwell on the thought of "How are we to mend ourselves?", or we are too discouraged to pray, and often run to the world for remedy (which is no remedy at all!) but TAKE HEART! The "desert experience" is actually a POSITIVE thing! Believe me, it's definitely worth the trip!

God is watching me closely, even while you may be in the desert, feeling spiritually dead:

Deuteronomy 32:10 — "He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye."

When I am in that "desert place" and nearly defenseless, God is protecting me, ready to do battle with anyone or anything that may do me harm. Joshua 8:14 — It came about when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose up early and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people at the appointed place before the desert plain. But he did not know that {there was} an ambush against him behind the city.

The Devil is always PRIMED AND READY when I hit these times in my life:

I need to be extra vigilant and keep God close at hand, using the tools He has given me, such as the Bible, close friends, worship, and prayer. This is the point where we fail as soldiers of Christ when we're not vigilant during the weak/weakest times of life. Luke 4:1-2 — Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. Though, the devil placed his aim on Jesus but Jesus knew who he was and will NOT give in.

During our "DESERT STORMS", we can praise God.

Often, we crouch in the closet of darkness, hide in our home, flee to worldly desires and mull over what is happening to us.
Instead of smiling to these storms, we frown.
Instead of shouting with joy, we shout with anger.
Instead of sharing with our friends what God has done to you as you fight through your trials (giving God the glory), we tell our friends what the problems are doing to us and have been overcome!

Only God can make your "walk in this life" a smooth one by allowing God a way to pass through our desert. We do this by:

Resting in Him!
Knowing that God is in control and believe He does!
Knowing He has our best interests at heart!

We can also "make smooth path" by correcting any wrongs that we may have done, through confession or by forgiveness. Isaiah 40:3 — A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

When you sing, "This is the day, this is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it (be glad, regardless of the circumstances!) then all will be made new, alive and fresh every morning with God! In other words, tremendous spiritual growth can happen in the midst of our dry desert. Do I hear an, "Amen!" Many Christians don't realize this important message Jesus had already taught, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 See, Jesus said, "..In this world you will have trouble." It is no surprise to Him. He knows you and I will suffer. He knows you and I will have pain when we lose our love ones, when we suffer ourselves, when we're burdened. I have found this to be especially true for me, really!. But in Isaiah 43:19 — "Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. You don't know the blessings is just right next door. God is waiting for the right time to give it to you. You and I will have to seek Him in prayer.

There will be periods of EXTREME JOY and SPIRITUAL RICHES only if we rest ourselves in the knowledge of God and that "this too shall pass!" God is with us. Isaiah 51:3 — "The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing."

So there you have it. We can praise God in our "desert storms"! "Amen!?" I hope you mean it. I want you to be aware that we are not alone, we are protected, we are to be vigilant, forever, vigliant, we prepare (even for the worst), we are be reborn, and we REJOICE!

And when others wonder about the sparkle in our eyes and the spring in our step, we are more than happy to give God the glory! Again, much more than happy to give God the glory through the example of your perseverance, your perseverance, your perseverance through your trials!

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15)

Surrendering For The Full Service Of The Savior

I flew into Dulles, last night, from Cleveland on FLYI and it is good to be home! (By the way, I highly recommend you to fly Independence Air for a number of reasons: cheap, fast service, and always on-time (so far)!!)

The gospel meeting in Ohio went very well. I preached on Romans 8 about LIFE and the congregation and visitors really enjoyed it. It was good being with both the deaf and hearing at 38th Street church of Christ. The food was great! The hospitality was excellent! And their love was evident! I thank God for the people at 38th Street!!

I just learned that, in their area (Canton, OH.), there are no full-time deaf ministers. There is one with another church (denomination) but he is hard-of-hearing who can talk on the phone and all. And there are thousands of deaf in the Cleveland, Akron, Canton area! I had a conversation with Ron Mollohan and he shared with me that Arkon has the highest infant fatality rate in the nation!!! He explained that children from infant to 6 years old are being shakened, beatened, or abandoned. The city has been scrambling to eliminate them. Akron is a city where Firestone tire company do their business. It's a factory city. Ron expressed his heaviness in heart that there are many out there (deaf and hearing) without Jesus. And evangelism is very poor! Churches in the area are not baptizing people! People are not surrendering their lives to the Lord!

It is my prayer that the Lord will open the door leading evangelistic families (deaf and hearing) into the city where they can train men, women and children the importance of Showing Jesus to their neighbors and those in the community! I must admit that there has been a sharp decline in families surrendering their lives for the full service of our Savior! It is never an easy decision. This is a challenging task! It is the Lord that calls men and women into His service. Do you hear His calling in Your heart? Be sure you keep the eyes of your heart open to His providence! And pray that those who have a calling will, indeed, surrender to the full service of the Savior!

X3

This is a rare blog, but it has to be blogged for all those struggling with this nasty sin!

Pornography has become a billion-dollar industry today! Devastating, huh!? Relationships and marriages are being destroyed because of these nasty porn: flicks, magazines and you-name-it! For all those struggling with porn, I highly recommend that you get help. Porn, horribly, eats you alive! It's a monster brewing in your life!

Check out this site, the X3! The two young ministers, Mike Foster and Craig Gross, are two brave men who aren't afraid to get their point across. They are encouraging Christians (men and women) to live a life of purity, integrity and an outrageous Christian walk. They have been shown on NBC Today, Los Angeles Times, Outdoors Magazine, even Playboy, Penthouse magazines (this, I am a bit surprised!) and more....

Check this site out at: www.xxxchurch.com

Let's fight against PORN and bring purity, integrity and outrageous walk with Jesus in your lives!

Souled Out!

Good morning, bloggers!

First of all, I want to thank each of you for visiting my blogs. I am not just some "clever dude" with a message for all of you. I believe it's an outpouring of God's Spirit and love in me that yearns for those in the dark, dark world. I cannot explain my love for those without Jesus. Deep in my heart, I ache for them! I do all I can with God's power and love to help the hurting, the fragile, the broken, and the confused. Oftentimes, Satan won them over and declared the victory. Yes, it is discouraging at times and I do accept the defeat which is very small. But those in Christ have the victory, the grandest of them all! Then I continue to pray for those whom Satan had won over to return to God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind! This I know one thing: With God, Nothing Is Impossible!

Please take a moment of prayer for those you know that you have tried to reach out to. Thank you!

Today is the first day of the Nationals (D.C.'s first baseball team in more than 3 decades, last team was the Senators) baseball game! I just learned on channel 4 news (my favorite channel) that the RFK stadium, the home of the Nationals, are "sold out". They will be fully packed! Interstate and highways will be swarming with cars and buses. Hot dogs cooking. Sodas fizzing. Pretzels steaming. Peanuts roasting. Seventh inning stretch. "One, two, three, you're out! Of the ole ballgame!" song will be sung. That's the atmosphere of this "sold out" ball game tonight at RFK. Those without a ticket will not be able to experience the good, ole ballgame!

God has a ballgame of His own. The name of the team? The Faithfuls! The name of the stadium? Heaven. And it will, also, be "sold out". The "narrow way" highway will be, a few, with faithfuls. Candles shining. Banquet cooking. Harps strumming. Angelic choir tuning. The "sea" glimmering. Thunder rumbling. Lightning flashing. And the Lord reigning. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, is, and is to come." (Rev. 4:8b) song will be sung. That's the atmosphere of this grandest, "sold out", ballgame in Heaven! And those without Christ will not be able to experience the good, ole ballgame in Heaven!

"Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of first is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:12b-15 (NIV)

I hope you're "Souled Out" to God! Then you're able to sing with all those in Heaven stadium, "One, Two, Three, you're in! Of the ole ballgame!"

"What Are You Talking About?"

What a beautiful and crisp morning we're having today! Praise God! With a chance of rain today, the sun just poke out with its rays and shone on my whole body as I sit in my bedroom preparing for the Ohio gospel meeting this weekend. The warmth of the sun rays reminds me of God's rays of love. Thank You, God, for the rays of love that shines on our fragile, frail and yet precious soul! Lord, have mercy on us!

I am working on four lessons based on the book of Romans 8. Remember, Romans is one of my favorite book in the Bible. There's so much in there that brings complete answers to life's questions. Everytime I read the passages (though it seems I have done so over a thousand times), there's never a dull moment! As I prepare my lesson, I wrestled with the thought of this question, "How will the people respond to the message I give for God?" "What if they become bored when I go blah, blah, blah.?" It is as if, in the tv program, Different Strokes, Arnold Jackson asking his brother, Willis, "What are you talking about, Willis?" with a stare!

I like what Mike Cope shared in his blog regarding him struggling with preaching and the congregants struggling with hearing (seeing):

"Plus, you know that YOU are not ready. Not nearly as far along spiritually as you thought you'd be by now. Too caught up with grief and compromised by knowing your words go beyond your life. The Word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword, and you can feel the wounds from its blade.

And you're quite certain the listeners aren't ready. They're tired. They've heard it before. Their lives are challenging. They may want more than you can deliver.

But the moment comes. The text is read. You pray that God will pour through you the gift of preaching.

And then something happens that goes beyond preparation, beyond communication skills, beyond clever twists of phrases.

It's preaching. Despite your failures, despite your clumsiness, despite your personal inconsistencies, the Word of God has its say. A great mystery, far beyond what I can comprehend."

Jesus shared with the people the parable about a sower in Matthew 13. Not all the people will be able to take in the seed (Word) and be pierced because their hearts may be hard, rocky (cannot develop roots) or filled with weeds (problems and worries of life). Some will take in the seed (Word) deep into their heart and will never allow anything to take it away. The pressures of life will do just about anything to take the seed out of the heart of each soul. When we're not taking in the powerful Word of God, we may end up saying, "What are you talking about?" like when the Disciples didn't fully understand the teachings of Jesus, "But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said." Luke 18:34 (NAS)

"Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory... ...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. " Ephesians 3:13, 17-19 (NAS)

Everytime I finish a sermon, my prayer is a prayer of apologizing knowing that in my own feeble way, I could not nearly express the love that He has for us. I feel like I want to tear out the flesh of my skin, break my ribs and have you look at my heart. But that's physical. The love I have for God and for all those in the world is spiritual. I trust in the Word of God, when I preach and teach, to do what I can't. Only the Lord knows what lies in the heart of every living soul!

A New Creation!

Regenerated, Recreated, Redeemed!

Awesome! It was an awesome day last Sunday. It wasn't just the lesson. It wasn't just the people. It wasn't just a beautiful day. It was the end of the old and the beginning of the new!

Ben Martin buried his old life in the Lord in baptism on April 10th, 2005, and raised in Christ! He is now clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) So I say this, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4 (NAS) Welcome, brother Martin, to the Fairfax family. We praise God for you!

"In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:11-12 (NIV)

Par 3, 16th Hole

I just got home from the Singing Holy Hands praise team practice. We're getting ready for the May 21st and 22nd "Defining Moments II" production. This time, we're singing two beautiful songs: "My Eyes Are Dry" and "My God Reigns". Though, we're accustomed to the "My Eyes.." song, the "My God Reigns" song is the most challenging one which requires alot of rotations. This time, we're having a full group of 8 singers (4 men, 4 women), and I am praising God!

I would like to talk about the 16th hole. You may be wondering, "What, in the world, does the 16th hole have to do with God or the Bible???" My answer, "Everything!" I was watching the Masters yesterday. For those who may be wondering, "Then, what in the world is the "Masters"!" (smiling) It's a golf tournament where many high profile, professional golfers go. There's a long history in the Masters tournament where many great golfers play to win: Faldo, Nicklas, Mickelson and Woods. I watched DiMarco and Woods duel against one another through each holes. It was very exciting. Woods led throughout most of the day after he was behind DiMarco who was in the lead since Thursday.

When both came to the 16th hole, DiMarco had a good run. Woods, not as good as DiMarco, hit to the left of the hole. Then DiMarco proceeded to do a chip shot and narrowly missed the hole to make a birdie (means one under par). On the 16th hole, DiMarco made a par (even) on that course. Woods' ball is well a distance away and the green was pretty sloped. He took his time to examine the green, removed any debris, knelt down fixing his eyes on what he should do, talked with his caddie (who carries his clubs), and knelt down again. He stood in front of the ball, took his time, and ready for a memorable shot in the history of golf. When he hit the shot that swept down a ridge and funneled its way slowly down the slope. The ball came to the rim of the hole and stopped. Woods and his caddie grimmaced with "Ahh and oh no!" The camera glued to the ball as it stopped barely at the rim for just about two seconds then all of a sudden it dropped into the hole! Woods, the caddie and the crowd jumped into an uproar! I could read Woods' lips, "It worked!!" And I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this fabulous shot, one of the most memorable shots that I will never forget! I was actually jumping up and waving my hands and doing the fist-pump! It was awesome!

They were showing the 16th hole shot over and over. I kept watching it over and over and thought of God. This is how God works in our lives. Just as Woods shot the ball in an opposite direction of the hole, up the slope, it may seem that our life is going in the opposite direction, too. Going up the slope is hard work. It's, sometimes, grueling and frustrating. Other times, we're wondering what God has in store for us. But as the ball, gently, rolled down the slope, it may seem that God is, slowly, working in our lives (gradually changing us and preparing us for an excitement). But when the ball rested at the edge of the hole, even for a couple of seconds, it seems that God wants us to pause for a moment (as in prayer) and remember the slope and decline, that victory is a drop away. Then the ball dropped! Victory is given! The angels and God's people shout in an uproar, "Praise the Lord!!!" You're welcome to do the "Tiger-Woods-Fist-Pump"!

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (NAS)

That's how God works in our lives! There will be time when you'll experience the par 3, 16th Hole excitement! Just watch God provide for: His, the power and yours, the victory!

Beauty of Jesus!

Yesterday, we had a very warm day! That, I like! All the people are now coming out of the "hibernation mode" across the country after a whirlwind of weather (mudslides in California; Tsunami in Asia; snow, snow, snow in the mid-Atlantic). Now, mother nature is starting to cooperate with us. It's a blessing to have just about anything, weather-wise!

I did some pruning, raking, pulling and watering in our front yard. It didn't look so bad before I started the work until I see how many bags full of debris I had packed in! It didn't seem like I would have more than one bags, but I did. Though, I have some "side effects" after doing all the pruning, raking, pulling and watering, it sure feels good seeing our front lawn looking like an award-winning landscape!

Jesus taught His disciple the art of "spirit-scaping." The definition of "landscaping" is: the art of depicting (as if by picture) such scenery; making such scenery.

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2 (NAS)

We must praise Jesus for what He continues to do with our lives? He is constantly changing the way we talk, the way we behave, the way we respond, the way we think and the way we feel. He molded us into His likeness. But it all depends on the person of God. The Scripture, above, tells it all! Jesus identified the "branch" as a soul living on earth. There are two life that a "branch" will live: bearing fruit or not. When a soul (Christian or world) does not walk and talk like Jesus, that soul is not bearing fruit. They may be living a very bitter life, critical or prideful or living a "license to sin", idolaters, greedy, drunkards and others that God identifies in the heart of a soul..

God brings out the Word through His servant. At first, the Word (Holy Spirit) will convict the soul (the world) of his/her sins and prayerfully, he/she will come to the Lord (hear, believe, repent, confess and baptize). After the soul has given his/her life to the Lord in baptism, they are added to the "number" (Acts 2:41-42), thus added to the Vine who is Jesus. Now, the Spirit, through God's holy Word, will do some "spirit-scaping". It is God that prunes making the soul a more fruitful servant. God has a desire for every soul to live for Jesus. So He, through the teachings and preachings of His Word, changes (pruning) the soul that will eventually become a much beautiful and fruitful person of God.

There's no beauty in a critical, bitter, prideful or a "license to sin" person. God, after trying to change such person with His Word, leaves no room for this person on the Vine. It is a poison that not only affects a person but affects the whole body of Christ, the church. So He cuts it away because he/she will not change and bear fruit!

And there's a beauty of Jesus, those who reflect their lives, the beauty of the Lord, the wonders of His Word!

Let's pray: Oh God, thank You for this life we have. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, for He died to free us from the bondage of sin. There's nothing else on earth that is like Him. And there's nothing more I want. I pray, Father, that You will do what You will in every soul that comes to You. I pray those who have come to You (Christians) will continue to be a changing person because of Your Word. We know it's Your desire to grow a strong and healthy church. We know it's Your desire that every soul walk and talk like Jesus. It is really sad that we have hundreds of thousands of Christians who are not walking according to Your Word. We know that you call them, "lukewarm" and that Your Son, Jesus, will spit them out of His mouth. Thank You for those who continues to serve You, are forever changing their attitudes and hearts, are connected to the Vine (Jesus). Pray that You will do what You will to make those whose hearts are fruitful, more fruitful! In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Relationship With....

Life is about relationships. God has shown His desire to see His children in the world work together by cooperating, loving, serving, respecting, admonishing, rebuking, correcting, and training in accordance to the Word of God. So how are your relationship among these people?:

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHILDREN

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

Not only this applies to fathers but mothers as well. We are to show our children the love of God.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

RELATIONSHIP WITH AN OLDER MAN

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. 1 Timothy 5:1 (NIV)

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUNGER MEN

Treat younger men as brothers, 1 Timothy 5:1 (NIV)

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 1 John 3:15 (NIV)

This is the same for the sisters. Anyone who hates his/her sister is a murderer as well. Everyone must get along with one another and love!

RELATIONSHIP WITH OLDER WOMEN

older women as mothers, 1 Timothy 5:2 (NIV)

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUNGER WOMEN

and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. 1 Timothy 5:2 (NIV)

RELATIONSHIP WITH ENEMIES

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:44 (NLT)

If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Luke 6:29 (NIV)

Jesus said, "..love your enemies!" with an exclamation point! Jesus stressed this because this is a common problem among us all today! In the Barna survey, about 60 to 70 percent of Christians have a hard time forgiving other people. I am not sure of the number but it is somewhere around that percentage or even higher. It's alarming! Jesus emphasized that He desires genuine and loving relationship with just as anyone as possible, including our enemies! Even, Jesus asked God to forgive them for what they had done to Him (crucify).

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34 (NIV)
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 (NIV)

RELATIONSHIP WITH LEADERS

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 (NIV)

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. John 13:15 (NIV)

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Of all relationships, the most important relationship you need is with God. When you begin a sincere relationship with God, I mean, "sincere", then your relationship with others will be very deep! This is a command, not an option. This is life, not a habit.

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)

In order to love God and your neighbors (children, older men, older women, younger men, younger women, enemies and leaders) requires deep humility before our great Lord God. Here are a couple of things we are to do to build strong relationships:

SET A GODLY EXAMPLE:
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

How are you talking with others? How are you living your life before others? How are you loving the love of God? How is your faith? How is your purity (mainly in your heart)?

THEY ARE BETTER THAN YOU:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

When you see someone, you're looking at someone better than you! Always!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)

If you don't love, you don't know God and God does not know you. A person that lives without love in their heart is seen as a person of bitterness.

LET THE SCRIPTURE EQUIP YOU FOR BETTER RELATIONSHIPS:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

We need to use the Scripture to teach, rebuke, correct and train a person to become right with God so that they will, eventually, do great work for Him.

So, how are your relationships?

About Relationships

Good morning and what a great day it is! I have been listening to Zoe's, "A New Anointing". It's a season of new anointing, it's a season for fresh outpouring! This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it! Love the song! Thank you, God!

I want to talk about "relationships" for the next several BLOGS. God has a strong desire for relationship between a brother/brother, sister/sister or brother/sister. This way, the church will flourish to unimaginable proportions! Without relationships, I don't see why we should continue on as a "church". Satan's strong desire is to go into the core (heart) of the church, destroy relationships, which will eventually destory His church (people). Let's see what Jesus says about relationships.

When the crowds (Jews) asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?” he answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” That raised no eyebrows and rocked no boats. The good, ole Jews have quoted this hundreds of thousands of times in their life.

“Excellent man, my Jesus. Excellent answer,” the crowd would have nodded in agreement. That I can do and have done. It shows that we are all a-OK..

But then Jesus added a line. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31)

Yikes! Things changed. There were commotions among the Jews questioning that raises red flags,
"Which neighbor is He talking about? I hope He's not thinking what I am thinking!"
"You don't expect me to get along with 'that guy' over there?"
"Hey, are you telling me to 'love' this person regardless even if he/she annoys me? I don't think so!"
"I don't have time for this, right now, because he/she is actually wasting "my" time!"
Can you hear these among the Jews now? What about among us, even your own thoughts?

Hold on a minute, now! Let me explain this. The “Love God” is what we all do nowadays.. Sounds religious. Well, it's religion. It's comfortable.

Until......

Jesus added the "neighbor" line and slammed the "Love God" line down! Now Jesus had gone and targeted that teaching. He’d made it practical. He’d aimed it at real people. People who has a desire to "LOVE" their neighbor no matter who they are: intelligent, uneducated, poor, rich, talkative, quiet, loving, mean, and anything you can think of. The aim is: to "bring Jesus" into the hearts of "negative" people and encourage the "positive" people to "show Jesus".

When we say that we are all a-OK, the "loving God" becomes vague.. One writer excellently quoted, "We can put on and take off our religion like we do our Sunday clothes. We can set our faith up on the shelf beside our dusty family Bible and still feel holy. But when Jesus targeted that teaching, well, things got practical and personal."

The way Jesus "showed Jesus", expressed the love of God is, not in the church buildings (pews, pulpit), but in relationships with people - in the way you and I get along with him or her and all. I believe we're missing the important point if being with God on Sunday doesn’t make us better at being with people on Monday. Real "religion" shines in right relationships. Right relationships shows Jesus. If you're only going to worship God on Sundays but have no interests in building relationships/restoring relationships, then you're drifting far from God.

Who is neighbor? Grumpy ones. Mean ones. Talkative ones. Lazy ones. Wives who don’t appreciate what wonderful husbands they have. Husbands who think they are too wonderful. Relating to people with “the Show Jesus” is easier said than done.

Isn’t our mission the same as Jesus’ mission? Touching people? Didn’t John say, “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen”? (1 John 4:20) See how far away from God you're falling from when you're not loving your brother or sister?

So we come to an important personal question:

How are your relationships?

Think for just a minute about the people in your world. Some are in your life by choice: your mate, your best friend, perhaps a business associate. Others you inherited by chance: your relatives, your next-door neighbor, maybe your boss.

Could you use a little help in doing right by people? I guess we all could.

The plan?

Simple. You need a coach. Let Coach Jesus coach you into right relationships.. He will help you track down "the love Jesus loved people", and we’ll learn the art of relationship from the Eternal!. Only if we mean "love", we’re going to learn from Jesus how to treat people!

So....... How are your relationships?