Just Jotting in a Journal

 For ever, O LORD,

thy word is settled in heaven.

- Psalm 119:89

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

-Psalm 119:9-11(NIV)

Look at the Word of God.  Look into and seek the things that God wants to share with you.  Oddly enough, the Word tends to strike us right where we are in our lives.  Whether we are up or down, happy or sad, it touches us and it speaks to us through the Spirit of God.

Start keeping track of your daily inspirations from God and His Word.  Jot down in a journal or notebook how God speaks to you daily.  Keep track of it.  Refer to it on your down days or just during your down time. 

Write openly and freely about what the Lord says to you with the Word.  Keep your journal as your own private sanctuary for you coming before the presence of God with the burdens of your heart and soul.  Let loose and see what God does with your thoughts, expressions and feelings.

Do Like Jesus

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

- Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)

If we are to become like Jesus, we will have to start to do like Jesus.

That sounds simple enough.  It sounds almost like a formula. Doing like Jesus = being like Jesus.

Really?

We can get wrapped up in a whole lot of theological theory or biblical-sounding babble that sounds good but does us no earthly (or, even eternal) good.  In the end, talk remains just as cheap in Christendom as it did in any secular sense.  At some point, we have to do more of Christianity than simply study about it and show up for church, Sunday school or prayer meeting.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

-Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

We need to do Jesus by doing like Jesus. That's not as simple as it sounds.  Look at what Jesus went through, too.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. - Hebrews 12:3 (ESV)

And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. - Mark 6:5 (NLT)

27 Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?” - Mark 11:27-28 (NLT)

No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. - John 5:44 (NLT)

2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? - Matthew 11:2-3 (KJV)

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

- John 6:66 (NIV)

For even his own brothers did not believe in him. - John 7:5 (NIV)

Jesus went through a lot.  He went through a lot with many of the people who should have had His back.  He withstood unbelief and doubt, even an outright walk-out by some of His own disciples.  Even John the Baptist, in his last days in prison, sent two of his own disciples to find out if Jesus was really the Messiah or not.  Jesus had to deal with all of that.

The question is whether we can do like Jesus and endure the abandonment of family and friends. 

Can we withstand those who will walk out or walk away and never walk with us again? Can we endure the doubters and their disbelief?
Can we stand firm when we have to stand alone?

No, the Lord never forsakes us.  He is with us, but we have to understand that the Lord's work can become lonely work in human terms.  We have to accept the fact that some folks just won't stick with us or stick by us as we continue on a journey with Jesus.

If you aim to do like Jesus, just expect to be done like Jesus, too.  Let us not forget that it was Jesus who humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  It was Jesus who took on the penalty of sin upon the cross for the sake of mankind's salvation.   If that's how people treated the Anointed One who healed the sick and performed miracle upon miracle, how do you think they'll do you?

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself. . .

Revived and Renewed

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
- 2 Peter 1:5-11 (NIV)



I had to take a much-needed break.  I needed the time off.  I was going in all sorts of directions at a perilous pace.  At some point, I had to realize that I needed to regroup in order to continue effectively and ensure that my work contributed to the kingdom of God.  I was drifting into doing more than being.

Have you ever been there? I mean the lonely space where you are knowing what's the truth, speaking the truth and doing the truth, but not necessarily having the truth as your mainstay.  It is a place where what you have been upholding has to become what holds you up after everything is said and done.

I was there.  God captured my attention.  He had me arrive at a simple resolution. 

... be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure... 1 Peter 1:10 (NIV)

Make a turnaround at this turning point.

Did God provide me with this audible announcement? No, I should dare not say so.  He helped me come to the realization that the statement summarizes all that He has placed before me and on my heart.  Even as I preached this past week on Peter's confession of the Lord as the Christ, the son of the living God, and shared a simple Bible lesson on thankfulness, I reckoned with the fact that God called me to do more than simply preach and teach among those who already believe.

I will continue to blog.  Starting Monday, November 29th, I will continue with the series From Eden to Egypt.  I return to the blogosphere renewed and revived.  The Lord has recharged me, energizing me to forge ahead in faith with even greater fire burning within me.

Giving More or Giving Up

But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.

- Jeremiah 20:9 (NASB)

Few seek to quietly endure the pain and agony that comes with being chosen by God for a special task.  Moses sought for the Lord to give it to someone else.  Elijah was at the brink of breaking down.  Peter had gone so far as to deny knowing the very Christ who he had confessed as the son of the living God.  Jonah had done it in both a physical and spiritual sense, running away from God.  Yet, when we look at Jeremiah, we see the weeping prophet ready to call it quits on God.

Jeremiah felt that he had been given a raw deal.  He felt he had been swindled or tricked.  He was not feeling it, especially after all of the ridicule and his calling becoming like a "reproach" for him.  He was done.  He had it.  He was ready to quit.

However, in the same breath of his resignation, Jeremiah found resolve.  In the midst of his departure, he discovered a new devotion to the Divine.  Right when he was ready to give in, he emerged with a way and a means by which to give more.  He could give more because of all that had been taken away from him and all that God was still willing to see him through.  Jeremiah found a way to give even more than what he cried out about losing.  He decided that he had enough within him for him to give more and more.

When you are ready to quit, dig deep. Take a moment and search the very depths of your soul for a little bit more to give.  Scrape the bottom of your well and see if you do not come up with something more to offer.  Don't just get back in the race.  Get back in the running.
Give another sermon.  Teach another Sunday school class.  Stay on as ministry leader.  Train someone else to serve in your capacity. Give more. Don't give up. Just give a little more.

Eyes Have Not Seen

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

I found inspiration for a short piece of poetry when I spent some personal reflection time in the Pauline epistles, especially 1 and 2 Corinthians.  The words of Paul are directly quoting the Scriptures, specifically Isaiah's prophecy.  I was inspired, so I wrote freely and I share it here now with all others.

Eyes Have Not Seen


There is something that eyes have not seen.

The truth is that many don't have eyes to see my change.

They do not recognize it.

They do not realize it.

Their eyes are not open to seeing my change.

I'm still who I used to be to them.

I can only be who I used to be in their eyes.

Even though their eyes have not seen,

I know what they see.

I just don't know why.

I feel that God wants more out of me.

I believe He just doesn't want me saved.

He wants me to say it and show it.

He wants me to say that I've changed

And He wants me to show that I have changed.

If they can't see it, at least some will hear it.

Some may not see it, but God will work on them.

Their eyes just have not seen yet.

Praise God Together

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;


all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
- Psalm 103:1-5 (NIV)

There are some things about God that are just so good that we should never forget them.  Some of these things come to our remembrance and we just have to bless the Lord and praise the Lord because they are so good.  They are so good because they come from Him who is so good- the Lord Himself.

He forgives.  He heals.  He redeems.  He crowns.  He satisfies.  He does countless things to bestow blessings upon us.  He does so much that we should readily praise His name.
David tells us "forget not all his benefits" (v. 2).  He calls us to give praise and bless the Lord, joining him in adoration and acknowledgement of the Lord and His goodness (vv.1-2, 20-22).  He offers an open invitation for others to join in the praise.  He says for us to give praise to the Lord by blessing His holy name with the "inmost being" (v. 1).  In other words, give Him all that praise that is due to His name with all that you have within you.
 
You don't owe it to the worship leader.  You don't owe it to the pastor.  You don't owe it to anyone except God.  You owe it to Him because He's good to you.  You owe it to Him because you have witnessed how good He has been to both you and others.  We owe Him all of our praise, every ounce that we can muster.  Praise God.

Radical and Radiant

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 - Matthew 5:14, 16 (NKJV)

Believers are the light of the world.  Jesus said so.  In one of the most well-known of sermons of the Savior and messages of the Master, He simply says: "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).  In the Sermon on the Mount, just after the Beatitudes, Jesus shares that we, as believers and followers of Christ, are the light of the world. 

He speaks of the believer as light in a world full of utter darkness.  The red letters of the Bible indicate that it was Jesus speaking, and the tone of His delivery indicates that He shared His words with both hope and expectancy.  In other words, Jesus shared His expectation of the believer and openly shared that the believer should let his or her light shine before men so that their works may be seen and that those who observed the believer's works would give glory to God (Matthew 5:16).  That sounds like He had hope, believing that the observer of good works would honor and glorify God.  It appears that He had expectations of the believer to be met by letting his or her light shine before the world by doing good works.

As followers of Christ, we should let our lights shine.  We should radically radiate the true light who is Jesus Christ.  We radically radiate by shedding light in a dark world.  It is a radical concept because we tend to point people towards the church or the pastor for insights into who the true light is and where to discover the light that came into the world.  We radiate as reflections of the Light.  He is the source of our light and we reflect Him as we interact with the world.  Get real.  Get radical.  Radiate with your light.  Let others see that the Light exists within you.

If we radiate, our lights can't help but be seen by others.  Others will see our lights shining brightly and give glory to God for what they have observed.  Jesus said that we shouldn't hide our lights.  Jesus said that we should give light to all who are around us.  We should radiate.  In other words, our radiation should be radical in the sense that we penetrate the darkness as the light of the world.

Let's get radical.
Let's radiate.

Technically Speaking

Technically Speaking
(Also Known As: The Massacre of the Message)

There will come a day before the last days
When prophets will instant message sermon series
And blog their latest Holy Land and missionary adventures
And then post images of JC, formerly known as Jesus Christ,
On MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
Without even considering what it means to the masses.
Preachers will preach from portable pulpits,
Giving mobilized messages of mass confusion
With cordless microphones and big screens overhead
As every bell and whistle explodes with evangelistic effort
Reaching multimedia masses over colossal airwaves
In the blink of an eye with the click of a button.
Missionaries will no longer be stumped by adversaries
Who cast the first stone during online forums on salvation
And the doctrine of total depravity versus God’s elect.
Seminary scholars will wrestle with street theologians
In text message arenas and with YouTube streaming
While electronic scanners are beaming bar codes for benevolence.
The message will find a new medium.
The new medium will carry the message.
Nothing will be lost.
The Good News will be just as good as it’s ever been
And the blood of Jesus will work the same as it did on Calvary.
Only we’ll Photoshop the image of Jesus on the cross
To keep it politically correct and all.
We will touch up His makeup to make Him up
To be a multicultural blend of all the ends of the earth
So that no one will be excluded or offended by his name in His name.
By the time we get done with the Last Supper,
There will be a disciple in wheelchair and one openly gay
Along with an obvious woman of color with a baby on the way.
There might even be a meatless meal of veggie trays.
The message will find a new medium.
The new medium will carry the message.
Nothing will be lost.
The Good News will be just as good as it’s ever been
And we will use the image of Christ
To endorse everything from blue jeans to bottled water.
The message will find a new medium.
The new medium will carry the message.
Nothing will be lost.
Nothing much will be gained.
Nothing will be said
For our methods will have left the message
Virtually dead in an online atmosphere
Among a universe of the spiritually dead.

A Memorial for You

“. . . And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
Joshua 4:7 NKJV

The children of Israel needed these stones. They didn't need them erected as an idol. They needed these stones to serve as a reminder, a memorial of what God had done on their behalf. These stones would not simply serve as a conversation piece. Joshua shared: They will be a sign among you. In the future your children will ask you, 'What do these rocks mean?' These stones would allow the children of Israel to share their testimony with their children and their children's children.

It’s one thing to have testimony, but many of us need to have lives that serve as a voiceless testimony of God’s goodness to us. People need to see God in our lives as much as they hear about Him from us. We need to demonstrate and display the change that God has made in our lives. People will see it. Although they may not recognize it, they will see it as something different that sets us apart from others.

Proverbs warns us not to remove the landmark set in place by our forefathers. In Proverbs 22:28, the Word teaches that the landmark was set in place for a reason that was given to those who came before us. Let us learn about that reason before we set our hearts and minds on removing it. In Proverbs 23:10, greed is addressed by warning people not to remove the 'ancient landmark' or oppress the poor by taking their land. Our obsession with accumulation may make us oblivious to the way we treat others, even our ancestors and their legacy.

With a lifestyle that respects the past, people will see us as blessed and ask what does it mean and how did we arrive at such a place in this life. We will be able to share about His goodness and His mercy towards us. God wants to work through us to reach others. Let the ancient landmark serve as a reminder to us that our lives our on display before the entire world. Keep it as a memorial.

The World Uses the Word

...The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.- 1 John 3:1 (ESV)

...For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.- Luke 16:8 (NIV)

The world did not know him according to the first verse posted above. In fact, John wrote earlier in his gospel account: He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. Believe it or not, John also said that Jesus came to His own people and they did not even receive Him. Needless to say, Jesus was not received well by the world.

Yet, the world did something different with His Word. While many did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and the Anointed One, the world did take His Word to a totally different place. The world took His Word and did something different with it.

The world tainted His Word. It puts everything else alongside His Word and simply held the Word without reverence or much regard. The world twisted the Word. It bent the Word this way and that way to make it work for them. They use the Word in such a that makes the Word as more of a reference source than a relied-upon source. The world tweaked the Word. It added some here and removed some there, straying away from the truth of the Word.

Don't rely on the world. Rely on the Word. Put your full trust in the Word. As a Christian, the world does not understand you because the world does not understand Him. Stay with the Word.

Here I Stand

I stand upon what I know and understand, especially what I believe.

I learned to love more since Marley was born as I learned to let go of my grandmother.

I lived within means and then below my means in order to keep things afloat.

My wife shared her grief and frustration, and I offered the best that I could offer her with a hug.

I cried in the dark. I prayed out in the open air.

My heart was filled with joy and my gas tank has rarely been full.

MANY would say that this is oxymoronic, but I am still standing.

I am still standing in spite of storms in my life.

I am still standing.

Here I am.

Here I stand.

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A simple solution: When You Desire to Give

Luke 21:1-3 offers a simple solution for when you desire to give and do not have much to give. The widow observed by Jesus gave out of what little she had to live on to begin with, a quite honorable act. She trusted God through her actions, not by mere words.

Trust God with what you have and give out of that. Praying for more to give makes you earnest. Giving out of what you already have makes you wise and faithful.

Another Day, Another Gift

Today is a gift from God. He has allowed us to see today that we might further the expanse of the kingdom of God today by word and deed. Check out http://revbruce.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/quitting-time/ and see what God can do when you are ready to call it quits. I think we need to look on today as an opportunity to do great things in His name, not just another day. It's another gift directly from Him. As the gospel melody tells us, 'He didn't have to let it be.'

Think on It

"As a man thinketh. . ." seems to be the type of quote that leads to a lot of discussion on mental stability versus instability, illness versus wellness, and overall mental health issues. Truly, it does not bring much philosphy to mind. However, it address some philosophical junk that has been piling up for years. Descartes sahred: " I think, therefore, I am" as a means of explaining his very existence. Even the African proverb that says,"Man, know thyself" places knowledge and awareness together as akin or at least bedfellows. For the Christian, however, we must remain in think on the things above. not earthly things. Consider where your mind wanders. Think about how things come to mind for a short time, and then they are gone. Let your mind focus on the things above, not the things on earth.

Ministry Makeovers

Attimes, we just have to evaluate what we are doing in ministry. We have to check out what we are really doing in Jesus' name. We need to look at the essence of what we do as well as the effectiveness of how we do things.
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. [1 Cor. 14:40, NIV]
Just look at how we handle things. Keep the Lord's Word in perspective as we do so. From there, we should learn if we are doing right by Him. He sets the standard. We are to strive to live up to it.
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Here are some resources that may help when evaluating your ministry.
www.outreach.com
www.lifeway.com
www.churchmetrics.com
www.crosswalk.com

Doubting, Not Defeated

I can only imagine how much doubt was going around the camp when Joshua said for the children of Israeal to consecrate themselves and prepare for what God would do the next day. I still feel a little of that same doubt drizzle upon me as I think about it. Think about how it must have sounded when Joshua present the Jericho wall strategy. Silence must have left many feeling like Joshua had lost his grip and was headed down a similar path to poor ol' Moses. Surely, I can imagine, people doubted. Did they doubt and submit to defeat? I truly doubt that much. Some will add more commentary on how Joshua followed in Moses' footsteps and all of that, butI merely say that he faced a new generation that had no ties to Egypt, only to the promises of God. So, in thatcase, why doubt? Why? It's simple. We doubt because we have not seen it come to life yet. It has not manifested before our eyes. Yet, even when we doubt, we must remain undefeated. Let us run our race with endurance, withstanding stride by stride until we reach the end of the journey. Paul shared that we are pressed on every side, but he was also sure to inform us that we had not been defeated.

If I Had it to do Over Again

I reflected the other day on the eve of another birthday and thought about how much could be or even should be different in my life. There are wrong turns that I wish could have been u-turns. Choices have been made that I often regret. Things have been done and said that I wish that I could take back.
I guess if I had it to over again, I would do things with more faith. I would approach life's many challenges with a renewed spirit, renewed by His Spirit, and tackle things both big and small with more faith. I really mean to say by faith that I would trust the Lord more wholeheartedly, giving Him my all. That's what I would do. I would do things with more faith.
In reality, I realize that God has brought me this way for a reason. Every season. circumstance and challenge has come about for a reason. Every slight change and drastic overhaul has been for a reason. I am supposed to grow. So, as I reflect, I grasp hold of what He has given for me to do, and I approach it with another chance, a new opportunity, to simply have more faith.

The Created & the Creator

"God is the Potter; we are His clay." - Charles Swindoll

Isaiah 64:8; Romans 9:20-21

The Bible makes a clear distinctionbetween that which is created and the Creator Himself. God is the self-existing, creative force that spoke and light shined, life came into being, and He saw that it was good. What is troubling is when that which is created seems to forget that it is under the power of the Creator. God created us with a free will, the ability to choose and make decisions for ourselves, and it is that very free will that brings about challenges with our own thoughts and intensions versus the ways of the Lord. We are to submit to the Lord's will, not our own. We are to pray that our heart's desires and wishes match up with the Lord's will. It is by keeping within His will that we stay close to the Creator. Pray daily that your footsteps are along the path that the Lord has set for you that day.
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Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.- Psalm 119:151 (KJV)

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"The aim of good works is that God may be glorified."- Andrew Murray

Spring Thing (Ecc. 3:1)

To everything there is a season. . .-Ecc. 3:1

You know it's spring when the Good Friday and Lent have passed with little to no incident from the church folks or the family. Do you remember those Easter suits? It always had to be something light like a khaki or funny green with a pastel shirt and some odd-looking, crooked-hanging clip-on tie with weird images or shapes on it. I'll always remember paisley-printed ties. Ugh!!

That was then, though. Now, as I reflect on spring, I recall that God gives us seasons, signs of change all around us. the wisdom of Solomon teaches us that there is a season for everything. However, look at what God does. He can have us mourning a loved one's passing and anticipating the birth of a child. He can have us laughing at a joke a friend just shared on MySpace and alarmed at what we just saw on the cable news. He has a reason for it all. We may not understand it at all. However, as I look at things today, I am reminded that God does things His way for His own reason.

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Check out www.urbanministry.org for information and inspiration about getting things done in your local community and abroad. There certainly is a movement afoot!!

Since We've Started (The Journey of Life Path)

God has been so gracious to allow us time to reflect and look back at what we started and how far we have come thus far. When I consider the fear that held my dreams in 2006, I am thankful for the challenge of faith that came about in 2007 that made Life Path Ministries & Services more than a dream. I was sparked by Isaiah 61:1-2 to take a long, hard look at my christian walk and what I had really been offering God as my service. It was through much study and prayer as well as wise counsel from both friends and elders that has made me sure of what I have offered through Life Path as my best effort.

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.

- Proverbs 16:3

Visit the following sites to learn more about
Life Path Ministries & Services:

www.ministriesinaction.com
www.lulu.com/lifepath/
http://lifepathministries.christianarchives.org
www.myspace.com/lifepathevents/

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
-Frederick Douglass

FYI: Lamentations in the Storm, my latest book of poetry, has been delayed due to some publishing challenges. Please be in prayer that these matters can be resolved by March.