The GREENE STREET LETTERS

"Smile!" For The Family Portrait

2012-03-09T04:16:00.000-06:00

Matthew 1:3-4
And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram. And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naassom: and Naasson begat Salmon....

Boring......
If you have ever read through a complete list of the "begats" in the Bible, consider yourself to be unique.
A list of names that we can't even pronounce.
I mean......C'mon! Who names their kid Phares? I know....different time, different culture. But still.
These lists must be there for a reason.
Even though we don't read much about these people, they must be there for a reason.
Well, they are there for a reason.

Some of these "begat" lists' are there to show us the line and genealogy that Jesus came through.
Even though these people may not have done anything great or noteworthy (every body isn't a David, or Moses) they were a part of the lineage that produced Joseph (Jesus' step dad) and Mary (Jesus' mom).
I imagine if you talked to these folks today and asked them, "Did you have any idea that the Son of God would come through your blood line?" They would answer, "No!". For the most part these men and women simply lived their lives in a struggle to survive. Raising a family was all a part of life. I think the most important thing in life, is to be faithful in everything that we face. Whether it is holding a public office or simply raising a family. Be faithful. That is what I see in thought behind the begat's. Faithful.

It is no different in the history of the 12 steps.
It began with a lineage that has brought us to here today.
Everyone credits Bill W. and Dr. Bob as the two men who kind of fleshed out what a group men named the Oxford Group were already doing. No matter the semantics, most people in A.A. used Bill W. and Dr. Bob as the root of the tree of A.A. Through the years, men and women around the world have taken their place in family of A.A. Men and women whose names we will never know but, none the less, have contributed to the growth and family history of the 12 steps.

Sometimes our view of recovery is kind of narrow. Of course it begins with "us" as our problem is the biggest problem we face. Over time our focus turns outward (Step #12) and we begin to take the message to others. We become a part of something larger than ourselves. An incredible family of brothers and sisters who have stepped from the dark shadows of addiction, into the brilliant light and life of sobriety. It was our Higher Power, Jesus, who made all of this possible.

One of the high points of my day is when I'm out somewhere and I hear my name called. "Bro. Mike! Bro. Mike!" A man will come running up and begin to share how their life has been turned around. How the steps have worked for him. Let me rephrase that.....how the steps have worked as Jesus changed him.
I'm all up in me some Jesus.
We stand there (usually in Wal Mart) talking and sharing, encouraging one another. You think back on how you first met this individual, all the pain they were carrying around. All the bitterness and anger that burned inside of them, and now looking into their eyes, you see peace. A life changed. For me, personally, that is pay day.

Rarely have we seen anyone fail who has thoroughly followed our path.

What is a path? A way or direction that has been walked by many others. It has been travelled on so many times that the earth is worn down and it is very evident the direction they headed in . So as we add our names to the 12 Step genealogy, let us do so with pride and in the knowledge that others will follow the path we have followed. I am grateful for every life changed. For every man and woman out there whose hearts beat for Jesus. Whose very lives reflect the goodness of God.

Because of Christ's Redemption.....
I am a new creation of infinite worth....
I am deeply loved....
I am fully pleasing....
I am completely forgiven....
I am totally accepted.....
I am absolutely complete in Christ.....

When my performance reflects my new identity in Christ....
That reflection is dynamically unique...
There has never been another person like me in the history of mankind...
Nor will there ever be....
God has made me an original....
one of a kind, special person.....

And so are you......

God on you....

God! --Don't Leave Home Without Him....

2012-03-08T04:52:00.002-06:00

Job 38:5-7

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

The verses above are from a conversation that God had with Job during Job's really dark times. God is pretty much laying out his credentials for who He is. Found in these credentials is the idea that God truly does operate above and beyond anything our little finite minds could ever muster up.

You know, I think part of the enemies plan in our world today is to make every thought we have about God disappear. To vanish and leave the collective minds of men and women every where. The devil works hard to discount what God does and discredit who He is and His plans for mankind. IF the devil can push any thought of God to the back burner of men's minds, then our thoughts would not cause us to look to God for help, but to ourselves. We become little "g" gods. We take on the attributes of Genesis 3:4---- "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it (the fruit that changed every thing) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

I've said it before and I cannot say it enough. If I buy into that bunch of devilish malarky, then I don't need God if I am like God.

When God is pushed out of the collective mind of humanity, then we truly are doomed.

I don't want this to sound like the devil is all powerful and full of mojo. Ain't no mojo like God's mojo. He invented mojo and can dish it out like nobodys business.

II Corinthians 4:3-4 reads: But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe , less the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

The devil does not mind us believing in God.

As long as that belief remains an abstract thought in our brains.

The danger comes when God becomes a reality to our hearts and then becomes tangible and physcial through the actions that follow the heart change. That is a fancy way of saying....we start living like we really are followers of Jesus. We start actually doing what the Bible points us toward in our daily lives. That's why the devil doesn't even mind us going to church, singing in the choir or on the praise team. He doesn't mind us putting a couple of dollars in the offering plate. He just doesn't want us living out the Kingdom principals, because when we do, it affects those around us as we share what God has done for us.

As far as recovery and rehab, twelve steps and big books....
The devil doesn't even mind us working the Twelve steps as long as we keep God out of it.

Keep the terminology vauge and somewhat mystical, that way you can define it any way your little ol' human mind wants to. You see when God gets all down in my recovery.....when the reality of God becomes a part of my daily journey then my Higher Power has a real name..........that would be Jesus Christ. Jesus has a way of messing up the devil's plans an purposes. The most amazing thing (you could call it a miracle) is watching this Jesus lay hold of the life of a person who is so far gone in sin and destruction, that every one (and I mean every one) has given up on them. Nothing this world has to offer has worked to better this person. Not medicine, not jail, not rehabs, not interventins....nothing has worked. But you watch the Spirit of God come and touch an individual and you see a person brought back from darkness and death. Now...that life, full of the God's Holy Spirit, lays hold of the discipline of the Twelve Steps and begins to walk it out.

A good friend of mine has always told me...."Mikey.....You can't follow the twelve steps and not bump your head on the cross."

No matter where you go today....

No matter what might come your way today....
Don't leave home without God in your life......

God on you.....

Love? Groovey Man....

2012-03-07T04:45:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who has contacted me here at the blog and on Facebook about the recent postings. It is an encouragement to know that something that was written or shared here struck a chord with you. Rest assured that if I post something here, it is because it hit home with me also.

I am blessed beyond measure to be counted among those who make up the "recovery" community. I've always said that people in recovery have a leg up on every one else. At least they know they have a problem and are trying to do something about it. I can remember when I was just covered with "sin," going to church and sitting there listening to the messages. I would look around at everyone else and they all seemed so happy and at peace. I would think to myself, "Am I the only one who doesn't get it?" I found out later that there were a lot of folks with similar feelings.
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Your heavenly Father loves you.
I know you've heard this before but you know what?
He really does love you.
No really.
I could quote the "John 3:16" mantra to reinforce this belief. You know..."God so loved the world....gave his only Son....none should perish...those who believe....have ever lasting life." You've heard it, I've heard it...
But just because we've heard it doesn't mean that we've really "heard" it.
I need to hear it with my heart and not my ears.
I need my spirit to leap inside me in this truth about God's love.
I don't need this thought to be another wrinkle in my brain of stored information.
I need it to be life giving....
Day changing......
Battle equipping.....
Truth.

That my Father in heaven loves me.
Found in that thought is wonderful reality that it really isn't about me.
Oh it is....but it isn't.
I mean that God's love is not given because I have done something spectacular.
Or that I have some kind of wonderful talents or gifts that would benefit humanity.
No, God's love is given because I am God's creation.
I am an image bearer of the most high God. He cannot stand to see that image covered and tainted by sin and destruction.
God never intended me to be a sinner. "Thank you very much Mr. Adam and Mrs. Eve!"
God's love is the fuel that fires the Kingdom.
In other words....God's very nature is love. Everything he does, he does because he is love.
Now before we go all syrupy and mushy...let understand that his love is different from our kind of love found here on this fallen world. His love is a perfect love that is balanced by his "justice" side.
It was God's love that propelled God to send Jesus as a propitiation for our sins. Propitiation is a ten cent word that means, "God satisfied his own wrath and judgment against sin." Jesus became the payment for you and for me.

I know that one of my primary concerns here on this blog is those who are still out there trapped in addiction. That is why God has given me a great love to share and help those who are addicted.
The greatest weapon we can bring to bear against the evil of addiction is our love. Love that is God-given and God-directed.
I John 4:7 reads: Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God, and every one that loves is born of God and knows God.
Did you catch that? If we love, truly love it is because we have been "Born" of God. In other words, we love with a divine love because we have some of God's spiritual DNA inside of us. We carry around the Holy Spirit of God, the 2nd part of the trinity. That is why we can love. That is why the world thinks we are bonkers, because we love like God loves.

Jesus said that the world would know his disciples by their love. Not by their T-shirts, or cross necklaces.
You see love cannot be hidden.
love has to be demonstrated, shown, revealed, uncovered and let loose.
I John 4:9-10 reads: In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. This is real love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

So.....
Today....
Right now....
Let his love flow over you, more than that.....receive it. Let his love break down every barrier that the enemy has tried to erect in your life.
Let the power of his love tear down every label and name that has been spoken over you that has defined you over the years.
That is some kind of love.....

God on you....
mb

Cool Dud's Of Power

2012-03-06T05:20:00.001-06:00

Our prayers and thoughts go out to John Sharpton and his family this morning, in the death of his mother.
She'd been sick for some time and passed away yesterday mornning.John and his father had spent the pass few years taking care of her, and I know she will be missed.
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Acts 1:8 - And you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. .....And you shall be my witnesses........

There are so many things that someone in addiction cannot do.
Why?
Because they are powerless.
Those who know nothing about addiction do not understand this concept, or rather shall I say "this reality."
To them it is a simple matter of will power.
"Why don't you just quit?"
"Why don't you just make up your mind?"
It's not as simple as that.
If it were a matter of will power, then the addict would have stopped long ago, but with each failure to quit comes the toxic twins....guilt and shame.

Step # 1 is me coming to a painful, yet life changing conclusion. I have no power to manage my life. The track record of my behavior lays before me like some kind of surreal wreck on the interstate. It is an admission to the state of my life and affairs. I am powerless.

Step #2 is the search for a Power not only outside of myself, but one that is greater. One that is real power, power to change. Power to renew and restore. Power to propel me through the guilt and shame. Power that can aid me in this quest for real life. I recognize that Power to be God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost (Or spirit). He alone possesses the words of life that can take me out of this pit of despair, gloom and destruction.

Step # 3 is the step of commitment. Oh no! Not the dreaded "C" word!
We make a decision......
Sounds so simple, yet this small, mental thought that takes place is the very event that begins the process of change and recovery. A decision..... we've made decisions before. Truth be known, not all of them were good. We decided to use. We decided to get high. We decided to get drunk. We decided to drive under the influence and, in all of these decisions...........how has it been working out? Not to good I would suspect.
But here in Step # 3, this decision comes from deep inside the heart. A desire to stop! A desire to move away from the destruction of addiction. We don't know what lies beyond the decision and sometimes that is scary, but we know we can't keep living like this.

Through the confession of our hearts, that we are painfully sorry for all the wrong we have done, that we recognize Jesus as the source of this new life we want so bad, we turn ourselves, will and life, over to his care. Now, the Power comes. As you read in Acts 1:8, we will be clothed in power. Like an overcoat or a new set of dud's, God covers us with His power. If you don't believe a change will take place, then get your Bible out and read in the books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John about the men who followed Jesus. They were a bunch of foul ups and mess ups. Always saying the wrong thing. Always doubting Jesus. Then flip over and read the book of Acts. This is after these followers of Jesus had been "Clothed with Power of the Holy Ghost." They were not the same men. They were bold and confident. They spoke with authority and they became leaders. Same men...different behaviors. Why? The Power of the Holy Spirit was poured into them. You see, all this "power" talk isn't just that........talk. It is a reality of Jesus.

You want power?
You want it today?
Work Step # 3....
You might be surprised as to what happens....

God on you.....
rn

God's Governmental Style

2012-03-05T04:16:00.001-06:00

3:38 a.m......I'm up. Boy am I up. This is pretty much standard fare for me these days. Getting up between 3 and 4 a.m. Coffee is ready to perk, but I will hold off until around 5:15 giving Vicki a chance to sleep in and get a fresh cup of coffee when she gets up.

Wayne Wimpee came by last night to drop off some home made chicken soup for Vicki's mother. She has been under the weather with that "crud" that has been making its rounds. A little chicken soup is good for the soul, or at least that is what the book says.We always enjoy Wayne's visit and last night was no exception. Coffee and conversation about what we perceive to be God's hand in our midst. Where we have come from, where we think God is leading us at Rapha and prayers for one another was the order of the visit.
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I want to share a thought with you that struck me this weekend during our Bible study. It comes from Quick Study Bible.
The reading is from Deuteronomy -Chapters 21-23.
All of man's societies and governments are built or founded on the premise that we must take care of ourselves because no one else will. Therefore, today's political systems must assume the role of provider / protector of its citizens. The democratic principle seems to purport that the people are gods themselves (See Genesis 3 where the serpent tells the woman, "If you eat this, your eyes will be open and you'll be like God. The thought here is that if I am like God, then I don't need God.) and are called upon to provide their own way to protect themselves. The biblical model for God's community is alien to our modern way of living. God's community is called to serve Him with excellence as we move our lives according to His assigned purpose. Then, God will guide each of us to work with, and strengthen each other. God's plan for people living together was complementary, not competitive.

Even as I read this, I saw how divisive our society here in the United States has become. We are no longer strong because of our unity, but live under a false sense of unity with the notion that it is based on our diversity. Now don't confuse "unity" with "uniformity". I don't believe that we all have to think alike or dress alike. But at the central core of this idea of unity is the over riding thought that God truly does desire us to look to Him for our provision. Living a day dream with this thought of every one loving each other? Could be, but it has to start somewhere. Why not here? Why not today? Why not with me.

Truth be known, sometimes there is more love and concern found in an A.A. meeting than in some churches. I don't think God would want us to act this way of being unloving toward one another or even condone it. I remember Vicki and I had started attending a church which had just been formed and everyone was excited about what God was doing. One Wednesday night the topic turned to what kind of church did we want to be. The over riding consensus was that every onewanted a church that would love and care for those that no one else wanted. Little did we know that God was going to take us up on that. The very next Sunday as the service was beginning, three men on motorcycles drove up. Now these were not the rich-guys-on-a-Sunday-ride kind of guys. There were hardcore riders with "tats" and biker jackets and long hair and grease under the finger nails kind of guys. They asked if they could join us for the service. Vicki and I got them some coffee and introduced ourselves as we made our way to the sanctuary. If anyone ever looked out of place, it was these three dudes. Once in the room, no one would speak to them. In fact, every one kind of avoided them like the plague. Well, so much for a church wanting to reach out. Vicki and I apologized and thanked them for being with us. The three men mounted up and drove off. I felt like we missed an opportunity to be the community of God, looking to the needs of others more than ourselves.

You know, It could be that God sent three angels to visit that church that day. We left the church shortly there after as God moved us on. That church is no longer in existence by the way. They shut the doors some years ago. Wonder why?

Somehow I think the words of Galatians 5: 13-16 are on God's heart today.
For you are called to live in freedom----not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command..Love your neighbor as yourself. But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Sounds a little to me like a spiritual Step # 12 -- Having had a spiritual awakening ( A salvation experience) as a result of these steps, we tried to carry the message to others (Alcoholics and drug addicts....or, as some might say...to sinners) and to practice (or live) these principals in all our affairs.
In other words...the message becomes life to us as we give it away.
Think on these things today....

God on you.....
mb

What A Sunday!

2012-03-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

Good morning.
11:11 a.m here at the Bynum household and we've just finished with worship/prayer/sharing and Bible Study.
Feels like I've already put in a day's work, but truth is I haven't.
In fact it's been a pretty laid back morning so far. We slept in this morning, getting up at 6:30 which is way late for us. During the week, I'm usually up between 4 and 4:30 a.m. so it was kind of nice to slide into the day.
I've already gone for my walk this morning per doctor's orders. Nice long power walk of 40 minutes.
Had some really good tunes on my mp3 player so as to put a little steam in my stride. In other words, it was a fast, hard paced walk. Doctor wants me to increase the time walking a little bit each week. Sunday morning is a really good time for me to walk for a longer time. Sun was out this morning, a brisk breeze met me head on as I struck out down Case Avenue.

Got back home and Vicki had prepared a good breakfast for us to enjoy. She worries (well, maybe "worry" isn't the right word) about me when I go for my walk. I take my phone just in case anything happens during the walk. But you know....through this entire process of recovering from the heart attack, I haven't been fearful one bit. There has been great peace and I recognize it as coming from God's hand.

Last night's service at Rapha was again "a keeper."
Seth Barber spoke about commitment and our need to quit playing and delaying in taking the steps necessary in recovery and in this relationship God is calling us to. Seth uses a lot of examples from his own personal journey and it seems to register with the men who attend. It's not enough to think about recovery. It's not enough to talk about recovery. It's not enough to want recovery without the commitment. At some point we have to give ourselves to God and His direction in our lives to lead us. We read in Hosea 14:9 - Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those who are discerning listen carefully. the paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall along the way. On the path, under God guiding me, I can do this (recovery). But when I remove myself and fall back into doing things my way, I should not expect anything different than misery and destruction. The scripture says that I will "Stumble and Fall along the way." I call that self-inflicted suffering. Even when it happens we want to blame those around us rather than the harsh reality that we are suffering because we rejected God.

Do you really think that it was God's will for you to suffer in addiction?
Do you really think that God moved you and lead you into addiction?
No!
We chose it!
We embraced it as we rejected the real life God wanted to fill us with.
Because of our stinking choices, did God reject us?
Never.
The door is still there and open for us to pass through into this new life.
That door has a name.
Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9-10 - For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
Addiction may be a powerful force.
God is greater.
Craving may come to you to draw you back into the darkness....
But God's authority and power to keep you from this harm is greater.
That voice may be whispering in your ear and in your heart even now, "Don't listen to all this God junk! It doesn't work...it isn't real.....you don't even know the guy who writes this blog....he's only playing with your emotions."
That voice goes on to tell us, "Rely on the only thing that has been there for you in all the pain and suffering....your drugs and alcohol....they truly are your best friends."
But God is a presence that sticks closer than a brother with a love that burns brighter and hotter than a million suns.
Don't listen to that old familiar voice. Shut it out and listen for the voice of love from the one true God.

May you find Him today......
God on you......
mb

"Come A Little Closer....It' Won't Hurt"

2012-03-03T05:21:00.001-06:00

Genesis 13:10
Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) Lot chose that land for himself---The Jordan Valley to the east of them.

Genesis 13:12-13
......Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, among the cities of the plain. The people of the area were unusually wicked and sinned greatly against the LORD.

Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the entrance (or the gates) of the city of Sodom, and Lot was sitting there as they arrived......

Sin is so subtle.
That desire permeates the heart of men and women. Oh we won't rise up and call it by its true name. We seek to downplay the destructiveness of sin. So we call it "desire" or a "human need."
For Lot, the downfall began with a simple view that caught his eye. He and his uncle, Abraham, were trying to settle a dispute between them. They both had become so prosperous that the land they currently were living on could not support both families. Water was at a premium and it seemed that every day brought more incidents of tempers flaring and even physical altercations between the men who tended their flocks.
Abraham had called for the meeting and told Lot that they needed to part company. He gave Lot first choice of where he wanted to live. Lot, looking around surveying the horizon, saw the Jordan valley. Green with life and plenty of water, Lots heart was stirred by the huge walls and beauty of the city that lay in the distance. The city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, stirred by the beauty of the whole scene, chose the city.

In Genesis 13, we see that Lot was no longer standing at a great distance, admiring the view, but now had moved his family to a place where they had pitched their tents near Sodom. Now, could they not only see the city, they could hear the sounds of it. Much laughter as people passed in and out of the gates to the town. At night there was music that filled the air. Parties and gatherings that lasted well into the night as people at and drank themselves into a state of sleep. These sounds only made the heart of Lot more lonely as he sat outside the walls of the city. Sitting at a distance only drew his heart more and more to be a part. He wanted to be inside. He wanted to be a part, to belong.

In Genesis 19, we see the visitation of two angels, sent by God to warn Lot of the impending judgment that God was sending. The cities were to be destroyed. We find Lot sitting in the gates of the city. While in our culture this may seem to be a innocent thing, in Lot's day it spoke volumes. You see, the government of a city always conducted its business at the main gate of the city. The elders and leaders of the town would gather there to levy tariffs on those who entered to sell their wares or buy supplies. So to see Lot sitting at the gate means that he is now a part of the ruling class of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot has become one of them. He has identified himself and his family as one of its citizens and while this many seem innocent. It wasn't. By this time, Lot knew what was going on in the city. He knew of the sexual darkness that permeated every aspect of society there. It was an "anything goes---if-it-feels-good-do-it" society. It flaunted its sin in the face of God and now after opportunities to repent, God was going to destroy the city. Lot's name had been cast among the citizens.

Addiction is like the story of Lot.
At first we stand at a distance looking at the lifestyle of using. It beckons us and promises to fulfill all those empty places we have inside ourselves. It soothes us with smooth sounding words that promise to relive the pain, to make us feel brand new again. It promises to be our best friend, our lover and confidant. We are drawn closer. Did you in Genesis 13, the description of what Lot saw? It looked like the Garden of Eden and..........it looked like the most beautiful city in Egypt. Egypt! A place of slavery and bondage. That is why we have to be carefull about the deceptive beauty of sin...It will lure us in and then lock us down.

Next thing we know, we have "pitched our tents" near addiction. We're still not sold on moving in and becoming a part, but we are caught by the smells and promises that addiction offers to us. "You won't be hooked! You're not like those other people!" The sound of those who already call addiction home fill our ears and hearts. On the outside, everything looks perfect. It's the answer to an age old need we've carried around. We make the decision to move in and be a part of addiction city.

We become citizen No.#1 and, as such, we throw ourselves completely into fitting in. We learn the language, we learn the customs, we meet new friends. We have crossed over.

Just like Sodom and Gomorrah, addiction comes with a judgment also. A promise of destruction if we don't turn back. A promise of death (physical and spiritual) if we don't stop. But there we are sitting at the gates of addiction, a part of the government, checking everyone out and only allowing others who are like us to get close to us.

As you read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in scripture, it sounds hard and lacking in love. But God, who is LOVE, sent his angels there to rescue Lot and his family from the coming destruction. God's love for you and me is at the heart of RECOVERY. His desire is to take us out of addiction city and save us, spirit/body/soul, for the death that is headed our way if we don't change.

If you are in active addiction, know that you don't have to live that way. I don't care what others have told you or even what you own mind is telling you right now as you read this. You don't have to live this way.
Today can be the last day you use any more.
For God so loved the world (that is me and you) that he gave (or sent on a mission) His only Son (Jesus Christ) that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That is a promise you can take to the bank.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by here and read the posting for today.
I hope you come back again....
Know that God loves you ...
and so do I.

God on you.....
mb

Taking The Airways For The Kingdom

2012-03-02T05:12:00.001-06:00

Taken From Quick Study Bible Guide: 3/1/12

Hebrews 4:1-2
Therfore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel ws preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

When the father of AM radio, Canadian-born Reginald Fessenden, broadcast his history-making signal from Brant Rock, MA, December 24, 1906, it was the first time anyone had heard the sound of a human voice and music on their wireless telegraphs. He began his night of honor with a violin solo of Oh Holy Night then read from Luke 2. The Christmas story was appropriate for the lonely operators aboard ships in the North Atlantic on this cold evening. The auspicious occasion may never have made history except there were telegraph operators listening at their posts. So shocked were they at this out-of-their-world broadcast audible among their usual dot and dashes of Morse Code, they thought it to be a divine message. Many made new commitments to God by getting on their knees at that moment.

Every successful communication needs not only a transmitter, but also a receiver. The Bible is the same. it's true that the word of God never returns void (Isaiah 55); however, the thoughts of God cannot be demodulated with the mind of fallen man. Hebrews 1 reminds us we need faith mixed with the WORD to help us to know God. As you read God's word, if you listen carefully you will hear the THOUGHTS of God about man, God, sin and our Savior. Put on your spiritual headphones and listen more carefully to what God is saying..............
And why He says it.
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To me, I view this thing called "the Internet" the same way those operators must have felt when they heard a human voice coming over their wireless receivers. The idea of me being able to sit here in my kitchen at home, at the dining room table and type out this mornings posting, knowing that with the push of a key on my computer, my thoughts will be sent out for the world to read.
That is why I take what I write very seriously. No...my thoughts aren't the Word of God, but I do pray over each days posting asking God to give me his thoughts. Why? Do I have an ego that needs to be fed? No. I have a heart that wants to let God use me. Each posting here at Greene Street Letters is done so with the hope that it opens our spiritual eyes and heart to the reality of who God is. I don't know that I can ever rest in my understanding of God. It isn't about a pursuit of knowledge as much as it is a desire to see myself the way God sees me. Is that selfish? I don't think so if you're trying to be the person God created you to be.

Because I am human, I have good days and I have bad days. I have days where I am filled with great faith, and I have days where doubt creeps in like a dark cloud. Through it all, I hold fast to the fact that no matter what I am feeling.....
No matter what my day may be like....
No matter what I may be struggling with....
God is still in control.
God's plan is still being carried out in the hearts of those who are committed to Him, and the Kingdom of God is going forward.

In case I haven't told you....
I love you all and I am very appreciative of your taking the time to stop here at the Greene Street Letters.
Please share GSL with your friends and family if you think it might be an encouragement.

until tomorrow...
God on you....
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Ark Building 101

2012-03-01T04:57:00.000-06:00

Step # 3
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him

Genesis 6:22
So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

Genesis 7:5
So Noah did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.

"It's hot!," thought the old man.
"I don't know if I can do this."
Day after day.
Hour after hour.....
Board upon board, peg upon peg, it seemed as though it would never end.
"How long have I been at this?" he thought to himself.
"Is it worth it? Is it really worth all this work?"
He stopped to drink some water his wife had brought him.
His sons joined him in the break and even though no words were shared between the men, he could see it in the eyes of his sons. Doubt and confusion.
Wiping the sweat from his eyes with the sleeve of his garment, the old man slowly lowered himself to the ground, finding some comfort in the shade of the huge ark they were constructing.
"I know that what we're doing seems foolish at this moment. I know that our neighbors and even relatives think I have lost my mind, but I tell you that I am simply following the directions that were given to me by God."
He wasn't sure that his words brought any comfort to his sons, but he knew that he'd spoken the truth.
If they wanted to live......
Then the steps must be taken to build an ark.
Destruction was coming.
That was a given.
Safety depended on Noah working the steps to build the ark.
Here on this day, it all seemed foolish and for nothing.
There were no clouds in the sky. It was hot and the sun was beating down like never before.
But still the words of God rang in Noah's ears...."Build the ark! Build the ark! Take the steps necessary to save yourselves."
Day chased day as the work continued.
Some days were easy and there was joy in the task.
Some days their attention was drawn to other places and the work seemed to drain the very life out of them.
But they followed the steps that God had laid down.
Days gave way to weeks, which counted up to years.
The steps continued.
Then it happened.
A single drop of rain fell and landed on Noah.
He stopped and turn his face toward the sky.
Preparations had been completed on the ark.
It was loaded and ready.
His family had already boarded and he was making his way up the ramp when the drop had fallen.
Rain!
Noah knew that the work had been worth it.
Through the steps, Noah had saved himself and his family.

Just as Noah had turned his life and will over to the care of God, God in returned provided protection and guidance from the coming destruction.
Our journey through the Twelve Steps provided the same protection from the storm of relapse and using.
We build an ark of safety as we make our way down through the steps, under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, we are moving on in our relationship with our higher power, Jesus Christ.
There will be days that you'll want to discard the step work.
There will be days of doubt and maybe even fear.
But realize that destruction can overtake you if give in and walk away from those steps.
It is worth it.
Don't wait till the "rain" is beating down to realize you've waited too long.
God is there!
Turn to him.
It isn't about you doing this in your own strenght or willpower. You can't.
It's simply about receiving a gift from God.
His loving instruction and guidance on how to safely navigate the oceans of this world and not crash on the hidden rocks and traps that are out there.

God on you....
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Tidbits Of Info For The Discerning Mind

2012-02-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Lot's of pain out there in the world.
Lot's of unanswered questions being asked by those who are hurting.
You know, sometimes the only thing you can say to those who are hurting is, "I understand and so does God."
Pain and suffering are a part of this fallen world.
It's part of the package deal we got when Adam and Eve traded eternity for the temporary.
But even in the midst of all the confusion and chaos and pain, if you listen closely, you'll hear the voice of God.
A voice that never wavers.
A message that never changes.
A voice that cannot be silenced by anyone or anything.
The voice speaks with authority and with confidence.
We read the message in Matthew 11:28-30 as Jesus speaks.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

The voice extends an invitation.
The voice penetrates every barrier, every obstacle and every idea this world seeks to create in the minds of people. It is not stoped or rendered powerless by doubt and fear, but like a laser guided bomb, homes in to destroy these barriers.
The voice is a voice of reason and a voice of hope.
Who hears this voice?
Those who have expended themselves in sin.
Those who are being crushed beneath the weight of guilt, shame and self-inflicted wounds through our rebellion against God.
An invitation with a promise. A very simple promise that speaks volumes to someone who can't find a way out of the insanity of sin/addiction/life. The inviation is for those who are literally walking around dead. It is a life giving, death resurrecting voice that is greater and more powerful than anything our enemy could place in its way.
It is the eternal voice of Jesus Christ.

Christ defines who the call is for.
Christ defines the simplicity of the promise.
"I will give you rest."
Rest? Does he mean sleep? No.
Does he mean a big Lazy boy recliner in which to kick back in? No.
The rest that Jesus offers if only found when we give up and accept him as Lord and Savior.
A rest from having to do everything in our own wisdom and strength and ability.
We've already proven that we are powerless over life's situations.
We've already created a pretty good track record of messing up.
Now, here from the God of all that's holy and good, is extended an invitation to come and rest.
In the resting, Jesus teaches us a new way of living and a new direction for our life.

It boils down to this.
You can live life on the terms and conditions of this fallen world,
or....
You can life life on the terms and economy of heaven.
How like God to give us a choice.
If you read Matthew 11:28-30, you'll go on to see that Jesus made another promise.
"Take my yoke upon you." Jesus was explaining in language the people could understand that if they chose to follow him, then he would direct them and guide them. They no longer had to "wing it," so to speak.
Their days would be days of purpose and meaning.
That promise is still in effect today, thousands of years later.
God's desire is to see you come to him and receive his rest.
Receive his direction and guidance.
Receive his love and mercy.
I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty good deal.
Oh yeah, if you act quickly, then God will throw in eternal life with him as an added bonus.
Wowzers!

God on you......
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It Is War Part II

2012-02-28T04:49:00.000-06:00

Continuing on with the thought from yesterday's posting concerning spiritual warfare.
In Ephesians 6:17 we are commanded to take up (lay hold of and possess) the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

In our society today, we discount the power of the Word.
We don't know how to wield it therefore we consider it to be a book of nice platitudes but of little value when it comes to actual day to day life. We find value in the wisdom of man and the technology that comes with it more than we do God's word. We value psychology and science more than we do the wisdom of heaven. If we only really knew and understood exactly what we have been given in God's word.
Truth be known, the Word of God is the weapon of choice by the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God is power.
It is the Salvation unto all men (See Romans 1:16)
If the Word of God is powerless and has no real value, then why does the devil take it and twist the meaning of it?

Ephesians 6:17 commands us to master this word.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 that hearing His words alone profits us nothing,but when we take the words of Christ and put them into practice in our every day life, then things change.
We are using the tools of heaven to build "a house" that is situated on an unshakable foundation that is not affected by the outside forces of this world.
Concerning God's Word, we read in Hebrews 4:12;
For the word of God is living and active -- If that word is living, then it is the giver of life to a heart that is merely existing. Whats more, the word of God is active. That means it does not sit idly by waiting. The word is always in movement when we hear it, even though we might not perceive it to be doing anything in our lives. Just as we read in Genesis 1, the Spirit of God brooded or hovered over the face of the deep, the word of God is moving in us, on us and around us as God's Spirit is working to bring change to us.

And sharper than any two-edged sword --- The word of God cuts both ways. For those who seek to take the word to cut others with, be careful----you'll wind up cutting yourself. When wielded wrongly, the word of God will always cut the one trying to use it for personal gain or purpose. This sword never dulls and never needs sharpening. Keep your $14.95 set of Ginsu Knives....give me the sword of the Spirit.

And piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit -- In other words, the sword of the Spirit is a weapon. But it is also a scalpel to be used on ourselves. It is the chief weapon to be used in our lives against secrets. In recovery, we have a saying that a person is "Only as sick as their secrets." By that, we mean that it is the hidden things in our lives that fuel and fire the addiction. I need the Word of God to uncover and divide those secrets that my soulish nature wants to hang on to.

Of both joints and marrow - Joints are the connecting points where bone meets bone. There is a natural lubricant our body produces that keeps these joints from causing pain....The word of God is that "Oil" or lubricant that brings peace and the ability to move through life day to day. The anointing of God enables me to move in ways that I never could in my natural strength and wsdom.Marrow is the substance found inside our bones which produces red blood cells. The word of God goes deep inside me as the blood of Christ is brought to bear against all sin and "disease" that seeks to destroy me.

And able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart -- Here we see the incredible power of the word of God when wielded by God's Holy Spirit. It has be ability to look beyond behavior and see the intent and motive behind our actions. The word of God brings conviction when needed if our intent and thoughts are not godly. It is a corrective force or compass that points us back to the right direction and course. Is He a good God or what? You got to love Him because of His never ending, never tiring love that is always at work to guide us in the right path.

Colossians 3:16-17
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word of deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

God on you...
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It Is War!

2012-02-27T03:17:00.000-06:00

Spent the better part of the afternoon yesterday on the phone talking with people who were struggling.
Not with addiction, as most would think, but with attacks by the enemy.
The enemy we know as the devil. Yes, there is a devil and his desire is to devour you. Not in the sense of physical teeth tearing and consuming your flesh, but by bringing your life down through situations and circumstances. He comes at you whispering and accusing you. He brings doubt and fear and seeks to have you turn away from God, looking to your own ability to get you out of situations.He is called the accuser of the brethren in Scripture. These that I talked to and prayed with, were under severe oppression by forces of darkness.

One in particular who called was being visited by two demonic spirits who gave their names. They were bombarding this poor man's mind with all manner of anguish and accusation. He was trying to hold firm to the word of God,but had allowed these demonic spirits into his life through sin. In other words, when we sin, we open ourselves up to being oppressed by demonic spirits. To put it another way, through sin, we give these spirits legal right into our lives. It takes a greater authority to break their power and bring freedom and healing to the one who is suffering. That greater authority? The Lord Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 6:10 we read: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Be strong! Not in our own ability. Not in our own wisdom or strength, but in the Lord. Be strong in the truth about our relationship we have through the shed blood of Jesus. That it is a relationship that can never be broken by the powers of hell. So we rest in the knowledge of our position in Christ, and in His ability to battle any forces of darkness that comes to us.

Verse 11 reads: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (or plans) of the devil. God provides us protection in the form a armor. But there is a command that comes for this protection to be applied to our lives. We have to put it on. That means that I prepare myself mentally, spiritually and physically each day to walk in the instruction of the Lord. The armor consist of the following:
1.) Truth
2.) righteousness
3.) gospel of peace
4.) faith
5.) salvation
6.) Word of God (the Bible)

Truth holds everything in place. Without truth, we have nothing. Without truth, we are battling on the enemies terms and turf. When Jesus went into the wilderness after his baptism and encountered the devil, it wasn't a demonstration of power between these two. It was a battle of truth. The devil quoting half truths from Scripture trying to get Jesus to choose wrongly, and Jesus who was quoting the whole truth of the Word of God. Truth reveals my old sin nature when it seeks to thwart the things of God in my life. Truth keeps me pointed and walking in the right direction.I think it is pretty net that the list of the armor of God begins and ends with truth. It bookends all the other peaces of the armor. If you remember, in John 8:32, Jesus says, "And you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free. The truth that Jesus is indeed the power, the authority and the only person who can deliver us from this world of darkness and spiritual death.
In John 14: 6, Jesus goes on to say, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. This is a pretty bold statement. No one...anywhere, anytime, any place can come to God the Father, except through Jesus. You know what? There aren't too many ways you can slice that statement. Boil it down to the basic message and what Jesus said is either the truth or its a lie. Call me crazy, but I tend to fall on the side that Jesus is speaking the truth.

So if you are struggling today, turn to the Word of God.
Pray out loud and call on the name of Jesus to come and rescue you.
You might be surprised as to what happens.

God on you.....
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Boring....Tedious.....Step by Step

2012-02-26T09:36:00.001-06:00

Numbers 3:36-37
Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the Tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment and the service concerning them, and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.

Sometimes this new life of recovery is simply us doing the every day things.
But doing them correctly and with the proper attitude.
What attitude?
Why an attitude of gratitude of course.
Just like the men and families that God appointed to carry the tabernacle (the tent and Ark of the Covenant) during their wilderness wanderings, it wasn't all glamour and 10 Commandment moments. A lot of the time it was simply doing the right thing, over and over and over. Set the tabernacle up.........make sure everything is in place according to God's design.....do the daily, monthly and yearly sacrifices according to instructions....take the whole she-bang down, pack it up and move to the next location. It would be really easy to slide over into a place of apathy or even resentment. Thinking to yourself, "Hey...look at the family Jones! They don't have to carry any of this tabernacle stuff! Why don't they have to? Why am I stuck with carrying the tent pegs while others get to carry the Ark? Why don't I get to carry the Ark? I'm as good as they are.

We need to guard ourselves and be grateful and content with what God has given us and the place he has given us to occupy. It is there in the place of his calling that we will receive his blessing and favor if we are faithful. It's more than simply doing what God has called us to do, it also involves the motive and attitude we carry as we do the job.

The apostle Paul writes: Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
What was Paul's secret?
That God can be trusted.
Knowing that there is purpose behind where ever we have been lead to be.
If God called us to carry the tent pegs of the tabernacle, why then we should be the happiest, most content tent-peg-carrying people that ever existed.
No matter what is going on in your life today, fall on the fact and comfort that God can be trusted and that your circumstance has not caught him off guard.

This relationship we now live with Jesus Christ is built on faith, his grace to us and trust.
Did you see how Paul's situations were always changing? Prosperity...or want....full stomach or going hungry...abundance or suffering...no matter what, Paul's faith in God did not waver. This is the kind of life I desire to have. How about you?

God on you......
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Every Body Is Working For The Weekend

2012-02-25T05:33:00.001-06:00

Shades of the 80's/90's.
Sorry about the title of the posting today. As I was trying to decide what to post, that song just kind of came out of nowhere into my head. Maybe I'm having a "Big-hair-band" Flashback.

Still parked in the book of Numbers this week. The one thing that I have come to appreciate is how God equips us for a change in lifestyle. The Hebrews had lived in Egypt for 430 years. During that time, they had become slaves and existed under the heavy hand of oppression by the Egyptian government. God came and used a man named Moses to deliver the Hebrews out of this bondage. Fast forward to today. Millions of people are living in bondage and slavery to addiction. It takes the infusion and intervention of a higher power (In our case, we believe Jesus Christ to be that higher power) into the hearts and lives of those wishing to break free from the heavy hand of the kingdom of Satan.

Once they were free, God led the Hebrews out of Egypt on a journey to a new land....a promised land, where they would begin a new life. Isn't that truly what recovery from addiction is? The beginning of a new life. Just like the Hebrews, coming out of addiction poses some problems. We've never lived clean and sober before and, as such, we keep trying to apply the old principals of our former lives into this new way of living. It didn't work.

In the book of Numbers, we have a record of a nation being born. A nation of people being set right under the instruction of God. God had taken a people our of slavery and bondage who did not know how to live as free people. He set up laws and regulations, not to punish but insure the safety and well being of each person. He did this because the people simply had never lived under freedom. Freedom is not license to do what you want to. It is like recovery, freedom is to do what you ought to do. These laws and regulations would benefit everyone, not a select few. At the very heart of this new nation was one simple fact. The blessing of God would flow to them through their obedience to God's instructions.

Some view the Twelve Steps as an intrusion on their freedom.
Usually people with such a view as this are those who "have to get clean and sober," not those who have a desire to be clean. To those who seem to struggle with rebellion against this new life, there is still a tug and draw (some say even a love) for the old life. Of course we know that those who still have a longing for the old life style do so with a romanticized view. Like I wrote in a previous posting, God had to take Israel out of Egypt. Once accomplishing this, then God had to take Egypt out of Israel.

What I have found to be true in my own life is that God is wanting to weave HIS WORD deep into our lives, our families and our communities. This is the instruction and guidance needed to follow our higher power, Jesus, daily. These instructions are there to give us life and safety.

Hebrews 4:7-13
So as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert where your fathers tested and tried me. And for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation. And I said, "Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways. So I declared an oath in my anger, they shall never enter my rest."
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Think of all the tools given to us by our higher power, Jesus Christ, when we surrender, repent, confess and accept Him as Lord and Savior over our lives.
1.) He puts His Holy Spirit inside us to guide us and instruct us.
2.) He gave us a simple, practical daily discipline to help keep chaos out of our lives. The 12 Steps become the daily schedule I follow.
3.) He provided His own thoughts, desires and plans in His word, the Bible.
4.) Through this new birth (II Cor. 5:17) He has provided a ready made family in which we can live and function as we grow and mature.
5.) This entire new life of sobriety is filled with promises from God.
6.) He has given us abundant life now, and eternal life when we cross over from death to the really, really new life with Him in eternity. I can't explain it, but I am sure ready to live it.

Have a great weekend.
God on you.....
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Eureka! Gadzooks! Wowzers!

2012-02-24T13:38:00.001-06:00

Just posted the message from last Saturday night's service (2/18/12).
Taken from Luke Chapter 5 about the paralytic whose friends brought him to Jesus for healing.
Jesus pulls the old switch-er-roo and forgives the man of his sins.
Feel free to download for later listening!
We give away simply because it was given to us.
God on you....
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Payday

2012-02-24T05:31:00.003-06:00

I've been at this recovery stuff for over 14 years. If you could translate that amount of time into the number of men who have come through the program, it would turn out to be a good number of men. Some have done well. Some have struggled (and continue to do so). Some simply gave up and made no effort to change. Among those who gave up, many have died. Death is the part of recovery that I hate the most. As a wise man once told me, "We are called to be obedient and plant the seeds God has given us." He went on to tell me..."We have good seed." In other words, the things that God has given to us to share, works and brings change to those whose hearts receive this Word/Seed.
We don't always get to see the end result of God's work in the lives of the men who come through Rapha. Guy's move on. Some we just never see again. But we rest in the knowledge that God's seed will produce fruit. That is why we pray over (and continue to pray) for each person who comes through Rapha.

God has a wonderful sense of timing and I was the recipient of such timing yesterday.
A former client came by to visit and catch up on the going's on at Rapha as well as share from his own life.
What a story. His story is one of the good seed that took root and has now produced fruit.
Bobby was a client at Rapha back in 2005 and over the years, God has taken Bobby on a most incredible journey. Bobby is now a full-time minister and evangelist who oversees an all male facility that helps men move back into main stream society. Bobby also is involved with prison ministry and makes several trips each year to prisons to share the message of hope and Christ to the inmates. Bobby's message is from the heart because he has experienced the first hand love of Christ in his own life. It is from this perspective that Bobby can relate to others who are struggling. It is also Bobby's perspective on life and Jesus that makes his message so powerful. Bobby has walked out his own recovery under the direction of God's Holy Spirit, so Bobby knows that it is real and not just another story.

As I sat and listened to Bobby share stories about all that has been going on in his life, I had this incredible sense of being grateful to God. You see, it really isn't about me and my time at Rapha. It isn't about the time I spent with Bobby during his program. It is about the faithfulness of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit as Bobby gave himself to God. Any time a former client comes back and they are doing well, that is payday for me. That is God's gift to me that says, "See...I'm still working in the lives of men who have come through Rapha. Keep teaching. Keep loving. Keep sharing the good news that Christ is the answer to every addiction problem that a person could face." That is why we are called to make disciples. Don't let the term "disciple" throw you off. I know it sounds all religious-see but it only means a follower. I want to introduce people to Jesus and see them fall in love with Him and follow Him. How's that for good stuff?

Over the years, God has given me a passion to teach those who have been entrusted to the program at Rapha. But in the course of teaching, I am to look for those who want to become disciples to God's word. The words of II Timothy 2:2 is a verse that I hold dear as the staff pastor at Rapha. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Not every one will have a call to teach others. Not every one who comes through Rapha burn with the desire to share what Jesus has done for them. But those who do, I want to help teach and train and equip them so they can take the message to others. This is the heart of the Kingdom of God, sharing the message of Christ's redemption.

Because of Christ's redemption, I am a new creation of infinite worth.
I am deeply loved.
I am completely forgiven.
I am fully pleasing.
I am totally accepted by God
I am absolutely complete in Christ.

When my performance reflects my new identity in Christ, that reflection is dynamically unique.
There has never been another person like me in the history of mankind, nor will there ever be.
god has made me an original
one of a kind
Special person
And so are you

God on you...
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Pawdy Moore and The Word Of God

2012-02-23T05:01:00.000-06:00

Growing up in the country our sole source of life's necessities came from a small general store located at the center of our community.
Small, Cinder block building, the store was run by one Mr. Howard Moore otherwise known as "Pawdy".
Pawdy carried everything from shoe strings to Rabbit food Pellets in big checker board colored bags from the Ralston-Purina Company. There was Hog feed and dog feed and chicken feed and I'm sure if someone asked, Pawdy could probably come up with elephant feed. He was the purveyor of the needs of our small community.

As you entered the store through a Merita Bread Screen door, there, situated in the center of the room was a huge potbellied stove. This became the gathering point during the cold days of winter. Old men (at least they were old to me since I was 9) would sit and whittle, sharing stories and matching pennies in an effort to pass the time. We kids were always getting in the way if you asked any of the old timers. Our favorite past time was to have spittin' contests on the stove top. Two kids (usually of the male persuasion) would gather on either side of the stove and when you both had accumulated enough spit, you'd launch it on to the stove top. The two globules of saliva would hit the stove with an incredible sizzling sound and commence to run around the top like two scalded rabbits. Did I mention that most of us in the community were poor so this particular activity was known as "high" entertainment. Usually after a few minutes of spit flinging on the stove, Pawdy would commence to run us kids off saying, "Either buy something or leave," knowing full well we didn't have any money.

Pawdy gave most everyone in the community a running tab or credit with which to purchase groceries with. You could get whatever you needed as long as by Friday at closing you'd paid up your bill. I sure there were times when Pawdy would extend credit, but this was not something we kids were privy to. Pawdy was a good man....a gentle man who tried to be gruff but never quiet managed to pull it off. Pawdy was the lifeline for the community and every one was very appreciative.

You may be asking yourself, "Why is he writing about general store and spit contest?" Well, just like Pawdy and his general store that provided what we needed, So does the Bible.
You want to hear the voice of God?
Then open your Bible and your heart and listen as the words become more than organized thoughts in a line. Let them come to life as you take them into your spirit.
Listen for God's voice asking you, "What is you need today, my child?"
God's general store has every thing needed to walk through this dark, old world.
Psalm 119: Selected verses-
Verse 1 & 2 - Blessed are people of integrity, who follow the law of the LORD.
Blessed are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts.

Verse 57 - 59 - LORD, you are mine! I promise to obey your words! With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful to me just as your promised. I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your statutes.

Whatever it is I need, I find in the Word of God. The daily situations and circumstances that come to me where I feel as though God was behind them, I turn to the word to hear the confirming voice that declares to my spirit, "It was me!" There is great peace and comfort knowing that the more I study God's word, the clearer his voice becomes.

It really isn't in vogue to study and digest the word of God these days.
Those who do are accused of being dead and not open to the move of the Holy Spirit. I disagree. I do understand how it could be seen in this light. The main focus today is on experiencing God. Boy...I do not have a problem with that. I love it more than anyone when the presence of God manifests in meeting and things begin to happen. People are saved and people are healed. I love it when a corporate worship service just goes off the scale as people get free. But for me, nothing compares with that wonderful moment when the Holy Spirit inside me, suddenly makes a verse connect. I might have been looking for an answer from God and there suddenly on the page I see it. The words come to life and then become life inside of me as I realize that God himself has directed me and given me an answer to a problem. How cool is that?

I am a huge advocate of Bible study.
Use your Bible.
Wear your Bible out.
Mark in it....highlight thoughts and verses.
Read it...
Get the word all down inside your spirit.
You will never regret it....
Like Pawdy Moore's Store, The Word of God has everything you need for living in this old world.

God on you....
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2012-02-22T06:59:00.000-06:00

My morning walks have become somewhat enjoyable as I continue to gain my strength back since my heart attack. This morning I was up at 4:15, dressed and out the door for the walk. Armed with my mp3 player and a couple of downloads of QUICK STUDY BIBLE STUDY, I hit the road.

I have started back with the Bible study at Rapha on Tuesday nights. We had a good group last night, probably around 20-25 men as we opened the book of Revelation. Now before you get all excited, know that we covered chapter 1 and did so to get them acquainted with what the book is about. The first question I asked was, "When you think of Revelation, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?"
The Rapture. The Anti-Christ. The great tribulation. End times. And the list went on and on. I finally told them that on one hand, they were right, but that they had missed the entire focus of the book. The book of Revelation was about the revealing of Jesus Christ. We get a close up and intimate look at Jesus who is ministering in heaven today. It isn't about the carpenter son of Joseph and Mary, working, living and ministering here on earth. It is about the risen, glorified Son of God who operates from the position of High Priest of heaven.

In chapter one, John refers to Jesus as:
The Loyal (or faithful) witness. The thought behind the name is to come to an understanding that every word spoken by Jesus is true and Amen. The final word. To put it in "Southern" terms...Jesus doesn't flap his gums to just to hear the noise.
Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. He wasn't the first to be resurrected to life, but he was the first who willingly gave his life for the sin of the world to be cancelled. He died and was resurrected, but here comes the kicker. Jesus ascended to heaven and took his rightful place at the right hand of God the father. The Father gave Jesus the title of LORD. He truly is King of king and Lord of Lords. How do I know this? Because John goes on to refer to Jesus as the "ruler of all earthly kings."

John (the revelator) continues in Chapter one with this incredible passage:
"Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us...
who blood-washed our sins from our lives...
Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father, forever---and yes, he's on the way!
Riding the clouds, he'll be seen by every eye.
Those who mocked and killed him will see him....
People from all nations and all times will tear their clothes in lament.
Oh yes."

You know, if you really stop to think about it, we are living and headed toward the fulfillment of the book of Revelation right now. I know that some believe that the events of Revelation have already happened (Preterist) and the book itself is open to great debate. I tend to view it with the notion that sometimes our intellectual prowess gets in the way of understanding. When it comes to Scripture, we tend to complicate the obvious and trivialize the momentous. In other words, sometimes Scripture is simply how it reads.

I'm not into time tables or predictions concerning the Kingdom of God or the return of Jesus. I comfort myself with the words of Scripture, knowing them to be true and will be fulfilled either in my lifetime or in the life to come. My focus is to simply love God and trust Him that He is in control of today. If He is in control of the events that will happen today, then I can trust my life and my sobriety to Him. That puts me at peace as I simply walk out this 24 hours that have been given to me.

I don't know if you know this, but I have read the end of the book, and guess what? WE WIN!
Revelation 12
Salvation and power are established!
The Kingdom of our God, authority of his Messiah!
The accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out, who accused them day and night before God.
They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb and the bold words of their testimony.
They weren't in love with themselves and were willing to die for Christ,
so rejoice, O Heavens and all who live there.

Be encouraged in that whatever you are struggling with today, Jesus is there to help you, empower you, guide you and protect you.
He is a good God!

God on you...today!
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Two's-Day

2012-02-21T05:32:00.000-06:00

Living here in the deep South of the United States, we find ourselves in the middle of what I refer to as the "transition" season. It's not quiet spring and it's not quiet winter. We still have cold spells followed by warm days. You start out wearing a coat or a jacket, but by the afternoon you've shed it for just your shirt sleeves. Day's are getting longer and pretty soon we'll be moving to Daylight Savings Time. I do believe that DST was created by some heinous group of people who did it to torment us common folk. DST isn't natural! It's still daylight at 8:30 p.m. and my internal clock gets all messed up during this period.
What does this have to do with God or recovery? Nothing. I just felt like writing about this. Consider it a bonus at no extra charge.
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Matthew 7:24-29 (Message Bible)
"these words that I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit----but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapse like a house of cards."
When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living every thing he was saying---quiet a contrast to their religious leaders!

Life....
Real life is found in the Word of God.
There are no throw away words found in Scripture.
There is no casual conversation written anywhere in the Bible.
Each word is important and conveys the heart of love that God has for us, his creation.
I remember growing up my parents talking to me about certain things. Being the rebellious teenager, I sat there, but I didn't really listen to them. What I heard was like Charlie Brown's teacher in the cartoon PEANUTS. "Wah..wah..wah...wah...wah...wah." My parents were trying to share their wisdom with me so that I could make good choices in the situations that I faced daily. Did I listen? Nope! And there were several times that I paid a price for my 'deafness'.
Jesus said for us to "hear" his words, and more than just taking in the information.....put them into practice.
There is such a conflict in the world today between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan that we must have Godly council in order to survive. It's not enough to simply live by your wits and own wisdom.
I need the instruction of God.
I choose to follow what Scripture reveals to me.

In verse 13-14 of Matthew 7 we read: "Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easy going formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life...to God! It is vigorous and requires total attention. In other words, when Jesus said we were to "Follow Him" he meant that the path and instruction is found in his Word. How can I follow if I don't study?

If you new to this, then start with one of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
Don't be in a hurry as you read.
Always pray before you start your reading and ask God to give you wisdom and insight into what you read.
You'll be surprised as God unlocks His word for your understanding.

God on you today....
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Go....Share,,,,Give away....Live

2012-02-20T05:31:00.000-06:00

The very heart of recovery is found in the simple act of taking the message to others who are still living in their addiction.
Step # 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening, we take the message to others.
We continue our own recovery by practicing the principals of Step #12 daily in our own life.
By helping and sharing with others, we strengthen our own self.
Now in no way am I saying that Step # 12 is the GREAT COMMISSION that Jesus gave the disciples, and every one else who followed through salvation. What I am saying is that the idea behind the Great Commission is at the heart of recovery.

Jesus was preparing to return to heaven.
He had been resurrected for 40 days, and during that time he had taught his disciples many things.
Now it was time for him to leave.
On hill outside the city of Jerusalem, they gathered.
Jesus gave them this final instruction.
Matthew 28:18-20 - Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you. God out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the three fold name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Jesus tells them, "You've got a job to do."
You have to got to share with everyone you meet, what I have done for you.
Not because it's a good idea, or there was a need to get this movement called Christianity off the ground, but because it was real and it was life.
The teaching and the giving of one's self to Christ through the act of surrender, belief, confession and repentance, brought a new level of life to the individual.
My focus or call is to share the good news about Jesus to every one I meet who is in addiction.
I have written this many times in this blog and I know it to be true.
IF you follow the 12 Steps, you will bump your head on the cross and run into Jesus.
Jesus is my "Higher Power."
Jesus is the Power greater than myself who can restore me to sanity.
Jesus is the answer to the unanswerable question of "Why can't I stop using?"
Church isn't the answer.
Religion isn't the answer.
Being spiritual isn't the answer.
Jesus is the answer.
You may be thinking to yourself, "Michael, how do you know this? How can you be so sure?"
I know because of
1.) How my life use to be before Jesus
and
2.) I know how my life is today.
I still have problems and I struggle with things at times.
There are times, I even want to quit and give up.
But there is a presence in me, and a voice that lovingly whispers to me, "Don't give up. I'll never leave you nor forsake you.I will be with you even unto the end of the age."

That is why I am passionate about this Jesus.
He is passionate about me...
My life....
My future....
I will follow Him all the days of my life and I will shout the good news that Christ died to free us not only from addiction, but from every sin that would entangle us and cause us to stumble and fall.
That, my friend....is good news.

God on you....
Please come back to the Greene Street Letters again.
I hope that you find encouragement from the things I share.
God on you....
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2012-02-19T09:17:00.000-06:00

I have posted the message from 2/11 in the podcast section.
Seth Barber teaches on "Getting in the boat!" from Genesis 6.
Don't miss it.
Listen to the message or you can download it to listen to it later.
Share it.
Give it away...
Enjoy it.
That's what the Greene Street Letters is all about.
Until tomorrow...
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Extra Special Secret Tri-Quantum Posting

2012-02-19T09:13:00.000-06:00

Wow! A Sunday posting. I usually don't do a Sunday posting because we haven't had Internet at our home.
Now that we do,I felt the urge (or was that just effects of my 2nd cup of coffee) to post this morning.
Last nights service at Rapha was off the chain. (What would it look like if it was "on the chain"?)
Wayne Wimpee, our percussionist, lead us in the song "HOW GREAT THOU ART" and it was incredible. God's presence was so thick in the room as we sang and worshipped. I am extremely grateful for times such as these.

I find myself thinking on the verses in Scripture where it is made evident that God is a God of love. (Yes, Virginia, God does have a side that involves judgment). To think on the Father-heart of God as He has been long-suffering with each of us, wooing us through conviction and the Holy Spirit, to bring us to a place of repentance and surrender. A place of brokenness where we see ourselves as God truly sees us. It is in that place that we experience the full love of Christ. We find ourselves being the recipient of divine love and the will of the Father to bring us into salvation.

I want to share something with you from the Message Bible.
Romans 3:21-24
But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. God setting things right, that we read about, has become Jesus setting things right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in Him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God will for us, God did it for us. out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift, He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be.And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Now if that bit of good news doesn't set your wood on fire.........then your woods wet.
I don't know what you are struggling with today......but God does.
I know that each of us has problems and situations that seem to overwhelm us to the point that we can't breath. God knows our situations. It is for this reason that we I choose to look to Him and not the world to provide answers, comfort and direction on what to do.
I will be praying for you today.
Praying that you would experience the presence of God in way that you might never have before.
Praying that you would find comfort and peace in knowing that God is in control of today.
If you don't get anything else from this posting, know this------
I love you
and God loves you.

God on you.....
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Saturday...Smatterday...Gotta Wear A Hat-er-Day

2012-02-18T07:44:00.000-06:00

It has been a good week at Rapha. The guys have been checked in during class and we have completed the entire 12 Step Teachings. Now, come Monday, we'll roll back over into Step #1 and commence the whole shebang all over again.

Spent most of the day yesterday with men who were working on their fifth step ( Admit to God, another human being and oursleves the exact nature of our wrongs). This particular step is always the hardest to get through simply because you are telling another person all the deep, dark, sticky stuff you have done in your past. Main purpose of the step is to be free from those secrets that we have kept that have power over us and seem to be at the root of the addiction. Another part of the step is to begin to realize the character defects we possess that also aid in keeping the addiction active.

I am so looking forward to the service tonight at Rapha. The whole worship team will be together after 3 weeks of different stuff going on in our lives. I feel as though God has given me a good word for tonight. The message will come from Luke Chapter 5 and deal with the vision of Jesus as opposed to our own way of seeing things. Please be in prayer for us tonight that we can get out of the way and allow God to do what he does so well....save...heal....restore....and give life.
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Numbers 14:1-2
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and aginst Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, "Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or would God we had died in this wilderness! And why has the LORD brought us into this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?

The people who came out of Egypt.....
Came out of a lifestyle of slavery, abject misery and poverty....
Came from a place with no hope and no future...
Are now railing aginst Moses and Aaron accusing them (and God) of manipulation.
"You brought us out here to die and our wives and children will become easy pickings for whoever!"
Sounds to me like the flesh is up and running wild.
Instead of remembering what God had done for them, they were playing that age old game of "Should-a, would-a and could-a". In other words they were projecting their fears toward Moses and Aaaron.
When fear rises up, it replaces faith.
When fear rises up, it replaces common sense.
When fear rises up, it becomes the preminent voice that we tend to listen to.
It's hard to hear God's voice when fear is screaming in my mind.
Now, lets get real honest here.
Fear is a part of begin human.
God knows this.
Why else would every time an Angel shows up or Jesus shows up in Scripture, the first thing that is said is, "FEAR NOT!?" It isn't the fact that we are fearful, it is because we are not to allow that fear to take control of our emotions and our minds. We turn our fear toward our faith that God is bigger than anything that we might face in our daily lives.

For someone in addiction, fear of the unknown is a huge battle that must be fought.
Not knowing what is out there today, or what problems might come our way is something that every person in recovery faces.
But we learn, through the steps and through Scripture, that God is worthy to be trusted.
His promises are "yes and amen" and he is always with us no matter where life takes us.

Psalm 23:4 reads, "I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
It is the presence of God, the work of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit that enables me to face life today.
Because of Christ's redemption....
He will grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.....
Courage to change the things I can.....
And wisdom to know the difference.....
Just for today....

God on you......
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2012-02-17T12:45:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 55:6 - 10
Seek God while he's here to be found.....
Pray to him while he's close at hand.....
Let the wicked abandon their way of life....
And the the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful.....
Come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
God says, "I don't think the way you think.
The you work isn't the way I work." God's Decree.
For as the sky soars high above the earth,]so the way I work surpasses the way you work.
And the way I think is beyond the way you think.

God on you....
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Ezra - He Would Not Compromise

2012-02-17T07:40:00.001-06:00

One thing that truly will signal the death that is coming down the track is compromise when it comes to recovery.
As you work the steps, you come face to the face with the reality of "I Can't"......"God Can"....."I Will Let Him."
There is no room for compromise with our old lifestyle.
Trying to embrace the old with the new produces conflict within.
We try to balance the two lifestyles in our mind. Excusing the danger of one with the over protection of the other.

The Old Testament writer, Ezra, knew of the danger of compromise. He wrote about it in the book that bears his name.
Ezra 9:10-11 we find Ezra praying to God over the condition of the people who joined him to rebuild the Temple. "And now, our God, after all this what can we say for ourselves? For we have thrown you commands to the wind, the commands you gave us through your servants the prophets. They told us, ' The land you're taking over is a polluted land, polluted with the obscene vulgarities of the people who live there. They've filled it with the moral rot from one end to the other. Whatever you do, don't give your daughters in marriage to their sons nor marry your sons to their daughters."

The very thing Ezra was concerned with had happened.
The sons and daughters of Israel had inter-married with the people of the land. They had rejected the commands of God to embrace the gods of the people that occupied the country surrounding the Temple at Jerusalem.
As we move into the new "LIFE" of recovery, we will be tempted to sacrifice parts of our recovery to embrace the old lifestyle and behavior or addiction. It may begin with the playing of some songs that we use to listen to when we were using. How innocent! It's only music, it really doesn't affect me. Really? Do you not know that we associate memories with music. Powerful memories that stir our flesh and create longing's inside. Why play with such things. Why compromise the incredible gift of sobriety that God has given you this morning.

Find the joy no compromise this morning.
Let the grace of God wash over you through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
You know, when Jesus cried out from the cross, 'IT IS FINISHED!" He meant that in so many different ways, we can't count them all.
The power of sin was broken from man kind.
The penalty of sin was eliminated from man kind.
The presence of sin was dealt with for all man kind.
This new life free from sin was given as a gift to all who would receive.

Romans 5:1-2
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us---set us right with him, make us fit for him---we have it all together with God because of our Lord Jesus. And that's not all; We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand----out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Drive your tent pegs down deep and open the door to your tent and enjoy the spacious bounty of life that has been poured out on you this day. Do not let compromise with the devil/ world system, rob you of the promises that God has for you today.
No matter what anyone says.....
That's good stuff.

God on you.....
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Ta Da!

2012-02-16T07:36:00.000-06:00

Just a little experiment this morning. I am sitting at home typing this on a lap top at my kitchen table. We moved into the 21st Century today with the introduction of wireless Internet to the Bynum Household.
All forms of communication are now filling the ether (there...that word will date you, won't it?). This means that we are surrounded by waves and protons, neutrons and fig new-tons.
Smart phones.....
I pads....
Kindles and Nooks....
More gadgets and gidgets than the mind can comprehend.
Are we better off to be so gadgetized? I don't know.
We don't truly seem any smarter even though our phones say we are.
It really hasn't done anything for our moral compass has it?
Are we a kinder, more gentle nation? No.
Seems to be that we are more self-centered and lack compassion for the plight of those around us.

If there ever was anyone who walked this earth that had a heart for humanity, it was Jesus.
Matthew 9:36 speaks of the heart of Jesus for people: And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus knew that the religious leaders of the day did not have the best interest of the people at heart. The leaders primary concern was their image in the eyes of the people. They only cared that they were able to hang onto their position and lifestyle that accompanied such a place.

The people were without direction and guidance. Jesus knew that the Kingdom of God was their only hope. The rule and reign of God through Him (Jesus) could bring purpose and direction for the people. When people have no sense of purpose or direction, they are easy prey for those who do not have their best interest at heart.

In Verse 37 and 38 of the Matthew 9 passage, we read: Then he said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into His harvest." I like this. Notice who is laying claim to the lives of those who are despondent. Jesus!! It is the harvest of the LORD. There is a call to go out, not stay inside some building, but infiltrate the marketplace, the school, the hospital, the workplace with the good news that Jesus is Lord. There is hope and a future when your life is in the hands of Jesus. Sounds like fairy tale stuff, but it isn't. It's the hard, cold, smack-you-in-the-face truth.

It is amazing to me to see the lives of men and women take such a turn for the better when they finally surrender themselves to the "care of God as they understood Him." It is so easy to see the destruction and misery caused by addiction. We shake our heads and whisper about what a terrible waste has come to the life of someone who is trapped by addiction. But when we start talking about the healing "POWER" of God, well we tend to stand back and point a finger and say, "Be careful....you're going too far! You'll turn into some kind of religious fanatic. Excuse me? Weren't we fanatics for drugs and alcohol? I think so. As least with being a fanatic for Jesus we have hope and a future. Drugs/alcohol or Jesus? Hmmmm. I think I'll take Jesus every way too Sunday.

Thank you for letting me ramble here at my kitchen table this morning, but I must start getting ready for to go to Rapha.
I pray that you have a wonderful day, and hey..........
let's get together again in the morning. What do you say?
God on you....

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Don't Sweat The Petty Things---Don't Pet The Sweaty Things--

2012-02-15T07:53:00.001-06:00

Paul writing to Timothy ----"Tim! The greatest thing you are going to wrestle with as you get this new church off the ground is time. Time will tug at you for attention. It will try and dictate what you do and when you do it. Don't let time be your master. You become the master of your time. Don't be caught up in the "little things" that need to be addressed in your daily affairs. If your adversary, the devil, can't stop you, then he will "busy" you to death. He will throw multiple situations at you that demand your time and keep you from doing what God has called you to do. Stay on guard and simply follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do."

O.k.
I wrote a modern update to what we find in II Timothy 2:4.
What Paul really wrote to Timothy is as follows:
"And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize."

It seems as though sometimes following Jesus is something that takes 2nd place to life itself. We say we love Him and want to do His will, but we have jobs to go to and families to raise and bills to pay. Somewhere along the way, we try and squeeze some "Jesus" into our hours. Society seems to be the ruler of our time. We are subtly pressured to have "the good life". We spend money for material possessions to fill our homes with. We seek pleasure and rest in order to give our lives meaning. Yet in all of this, Jesus seems to occupy only a small portion of our passion and drive. I'm not sure, but I believe that God desires us to put Him first. Not because God has some huge ego that needs to be stroked, or that He feels threatened by anything that would take His place in the hearts of His creation. How so not true are those statements.

God's love is responsible for the sheer fact that I draw my next breath. His love is shown to me to draw me into the knowledge of how deep a relationship He wants to have with me. Is God so weak that He has to manipulate things around us in order to draw us to Him? No! God doesn't have to manipulate anything. It is the love of God that fills and directs His plans and purposes for us.
Romans 5:8 reads: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God is not a passive God who sits idly by wishing and hoping that we somehow turn our hearts to Him. God's desire for us to focus our minds, our hearts, our strength and our complete being upon Him, so that through our obedience to His word so He Can Bless Us!!!

Don't let the devil draw your attention away from God.
Don't let your heart be lead astray from devotion to God and His word.
Don't let the things and the time of this world replace your time for God.

"Every time I think of you----And I think of you often! -----I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you----it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives. Just think----You don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of His Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that." I Corinthians 1:4-9

God on you.....
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Goodbye Old Friend......For Now

2012-02-14T07:39:00.001-06:00

Portions of Matthew 11:28-29
"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. And you will find rest for your souls."

Painter by trade.
Gentle man by nature.
Soft spoken but when he did speak, you listened.
Such was Ewing Saxon.
In my eyes, he left this world before he should have. In other words, he was way too young to have died.
In times like this, my thoughts turn to "why?"
Why Ewing?
Why now?
Each time I find myself deep in these thoughts, I can feel God's voice deep inside telling me....."Trust me! I know you don't understand, but you will."

I Corinthians 13:12 does bring comfort to me during times like this.
"Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God know me now."
In other words, as long as I dwell on this side of heaven and eternity, I will be left with questions that have no answers. Not because answers don't exist but because it isn't time for me to know or understand them. I'm not sure but I do believe somethings are best understood by experiencing them. Such as the transition from life to death and life again. Eternal life. Jesus life. Heavenly life. How can a finite mind grasp what it is like? How can a finite mind put into words what the eternal is like?
I will leave this to God.

Tonight we go to the funeral home to pay our respects to Ewing's family.
Ewing won't be there.
He no longer hurts or is in pain.
He has broken the chains of this existence and now stands unfettered and free in the presence of Jesus.
I am jealous.

God on you....
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Choose The Light!

2012-02-13T15:40:00.002-06:00

II Samuel 22:29
For You are my lamp, O LORD. The LORD shall enlighten my darkness.

Funny how when I try to run my own life or make decisions without consulting God, I don't realize how little spiritual light I actually possess. It is only when my decisions have gone South and I am surrounded by destruction that I cry out, "Oh God! I am in darkness." My flesh keeps me from actually believing that I am walking in dark places. After all, I'm in charge! I would never lead myself purposely into dark, dangerous places with my decisions. Guess what? That is what happens.

Psalm 18:28
For you will light my lamp. The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Only God possesses the ability to be both "lamp" and "light".
Only God can illuminate my mind, my heart and my spirit and allow me to "see" Him and follow Him.
It's all part of the Step #3 in the 12 Steps.
"We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."
God shows me the right direction and decisions that I should take. It is up to me to recognize the value in following God. That by doing so, I am placing myself in the best possible place to receive God's blessings. Although there are times we might feel out of control (with respect to our addictions) we can choose to set our heart toward God.

Deuteronomy 30:20
Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey Him and commit yourself to Him, for He is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I have spent my past in chasing the sin appetite within me. I gave it everything it desired, holding back nothing. I lied. I stole money. I cheated people. Whatever it took to feed the appetite, I did. I was in total spiritual darkness cut off from God.

Then God said, "Let there be light."
I began to see myself in ways I never had before. Through His Holy Spirit, I came to understand that I was not only under the influence of drugs and alcohol, I was under the influence of sin. In bondage by the power of sin. Headed toward death due to the penalty of sin. Living a life directed by the presence of sin. Now the real-deal-God-of-the-Universe was talking to me, through my heart, telling me that He alone possessed the power to free me from every vestige of sin in my life. All I had to do was be saved. How cool was that?

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Why not let God light your candle today?
God on you.....
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Finding Real Life

2012-02-13T07:49:00.001-06:00

I John 1:5-7
If we claim that we experience, or have a shared life with Christ and yet continue to stumble around in the darkness, we obviously are deceived and are lying through our teeth. We're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.

I John 3: 5-6
Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in Him, and sin is not a part of His program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got Him all backward.

I John 3:8
The Son of God entered, or came on the scene, stepping into our time and space to abolish and destroy the ways and works of the devil.

Galatians 6:14
For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the cross of Jesus. Because of the cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate.

Paul, in Galatians, says that through the cross, the world was crucified to him and he to the world. Through the introduction of Jesus into his life, Paul saw the beauty of the cross. The world and it's lure of entrapment lost all its luster and shine for Paul.

The same can be true for us today.
It is possible to be so taken with Jesus that sin, the world, the flesh and the devil all lose their power of temptation for us. The gospel of the grace of God which is found in the cross, is the liberating power for all who come to believe. This power is more than sufficient to save any sinner, justify all the ungodly, sanctify all justified sinners and glorify every sanctified saint.
As the writer of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" so aptly put it:
And when I think of God, His Son not sparing.....
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in....
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing...
He bled and died to take away my sin.

I Corinthians 15:3
The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me. That the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it.

In the above scripture, Paul declares that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is of first importance. Come draw near the cross and let God change you.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To thy precious, bleeding side.

God on you......
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It's All About The Cross Of Christ

2012-02-11T09:15:00.000-06:00

I Corinthians 2:2 - For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

God leads each person who is called to teach into specific areas of Scripture. Some, like Chuck Smith, have been lead to teach only the Scripture itself. He teaches through the Bible completely, expounding only the Word of God. Others, such as Perry Stone, Hal Lindsey, teach prophetically and bring illumination to portions of the Scripture that are hard to understand. Some, like Billy Graham, are used by God to lead countless millions to Christ for salvation. In my case, I have been lead to the cross of Christ and it is there I must stay.

The people that God places around me are men who have very little, if any, religious training of any sort. I'm not complaining because they are far easier to teach than someone who grew up in church and has enough so-called "knowledge" about God. My question to the church goer who just happens to like crystal meth and crack is, "What happened to your Jesus? If your Jesus is so hot, how did you end up here in rehab?" You see the problem isn't with Jesus. It is with their understanding of who Christ is and exactly what salvation means. What better place to begin with than at the cross. Why the cross?

Paul refers to the cross of Jesus Christ as the power of God and holds it up as a standard against what he refers to as the wisdom of men. What do we see when we look at the cross? First, God's hatred for sin. Man kind has a way of wanting to minimize sin, excuse it or simply blame someone else, but everyone of these excuses comes to a grinding halt when we are brought to the cross of Christ. The cross stands for uncovering of my heart so that I can see the truth of myself in the light of God's grace and mercy. Then I can come and receive forgiveness of my sins and find freedom from my sin.

Truth be known, you could say that the cross of Christ is like a magnet. It has a drawing influence for those who believe and are saved. At the same time, it has a repelling influence for those whose hearts remain hard and dead, rejecting the gift of eternal life. The cross either draws you in or drives you away.

I Corinthians 1:18 - The Message that points to Christ on the cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense (Mess Bible)

At the cross, the sinner is forgiven and accepted.
At the cross, they are cleansed and relieved of the burden of sin.
At the cross, they are pardoned and transformed.
And at the cross, we not only find justification and acceptance with God, but is is also where we find the power to overcome sin.

John 12:32-33 - "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
We who were sunk and lost in sin have been found and raised by the power of the cross.

Why not let the love of Christ lead you into the life you secretly have been hoping, searching and praying for.
He is real....
His love is amazing.....
God on you
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The Word Never Wears Out

2012-02-10T07:34:00.001-06:00

Now this is my kind of Bible. Used....Nothing more beautiful than a Bible that is worn out. We have my wife's grand fathers Bible. Pages all marked up. Pages that have come loose from the binding. Pages that have been turned down. He used his Bible. More than that, my wife's grand father lived his Bible every day of his life. What a testimony to the power of Scripture and to the faithfulness of God who honors His promises.I have an NAS Study Bible I bought when I started as associate pastor of Gadsden Vineyard Church. It has so many marks and notes in it that sometimes it is actually hard to read the text. It is my favorite Bible. Highlighted and noted with insights and surprises that God has revealed to me over these past 15 years. Bible's are meant to be used.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Study the word. Don't just read it.
Study the word. Don't just have a morning devotion.
I know...
I know...
I am beginning to sound like a pharisee!
Do this to prove you love Jesus!
No! Let the love of Christ in your heart move you to study the word.
It isn't about being a pastor or leader of any sort, size, shape or fashion.
It is about being a follower of Jesus.
I study because God speaks through His word.
I study not for information but for illumination.
I study because it comforts me and brings peace to my spirit.
The older I get, the more in love with His word I become.

Psalm 119:11
Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.
Having the understanding of God's word in my heart and not just my head, aids me to overcome sin.I like the term "treasured"...it shows that God's word has value to it. Something that is more valuable than anything the world has to offer.
The Word of God.....
Delight yourself in it......
God on you.....
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2012-02-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

Sorry about not posting over the past two days.
I came down with a ragin' case of the crud.
Thanks to my wife for taking care of me and getting me back on my feet.
Good to be back among the living.

Some verses that encouraged me today.
Psalm 27:13 - I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
I try not to focus on how far down the tubes our nation has gone.
Lack of morals.........
Greed..............
Lust.............
Lying...........
Every form of wickedness seems to be sprouting and showing its ugly face.
If I read Scripture right, then this type behavior has been foretold. What we are seeing is merely the birth pains of the end of the age.
I like what John Wimber use to say when asked if he thought we were living in the last days. John would reply, "I don't know. What I do know is that we are "laster" than we've ever been."
Reliance of God is needed now more than ever. For each individual as well as our nation.

That is why it is important for me to always start with myself by letting God show me my heart.
Today, Lord! Show me any thing that would seek to usurp your power in my life. Show me attitudes and thoughts that are contrary to your plan and will for my life. I don't want any emotional weeds or thorns growing up in my spirit today.

Isaiah 31:1 speaks of the foolishness of a nation that doesn't trust God. I guess we could bring that thought down and apply to each of our personal lives.
"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses. Who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong. But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
Who are you trusting today?
God...
or man kinds ability to solve their own problems? I can't even rely on my own personal strength to solve my problems or have answers that seem right but end in death.
Maybe we need to really believe what our currency says.............."In God We Trust."

"On Christ the solid rock I stand..........All other ground is sinking sand...........all other ground is sinking sand."

God on you.....
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New Message In Podcast Section

2012-02-06T10:49:00.000-06:00

I have added Sam Colegrove's message from January 14 to the podcast section of this blog. Sam shares about the work of the Holy Spirit in his life and how his life has been changed.
Enjoy....
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Strange Fire....Don't Play Around With It!

2012-02-06T07:49:00.000-06:00

Leviticus 10
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over it. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him a different or strange fire than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord.

Not a particular happy story.
Not a feel good story, but one we need to see and read about none the less.
One of the most dangerous and subtle attitudes that a human heart can possess is the thought of, "I want to do this my way." A thought that disregards the ways of God and simply leans upon the idea that God will accept me no matter what I do.
He didn't accept Cain in the book of Genesis because Cain wanted to approach God in his own way.
God didn't accept Uzzah in the book of Kings. Uzzah was just trying to keep the ark of God from falling off the cart. Uzzah touched the ark and was killed immediately. Never mind that King David had decided how he wanted the ark brought to Jerusalem. Never mind that David's way was contrary to how God had commanded the ark to be brought in.

From Quick Study Bible
Tragedy always strikes careless arrogant attitudes when they confront the divine mind. Modern man has been pushed far from respect and honor for leadership, a result of God's WORD being removed from our modern societies. Without fear of God comes a severs source of deep destruction.
Leviticus 10 tells us that God set the example by killing both of them for their profane fire which took them beyond the WORD of God. This was not wise!
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Psalm 119:11 - I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
What is your heart full of? Is it full of your own thoughts of what you want to do and how you want to do it. Is is filled with thoughts of what you want to do for God, even though God hasn't called you to do these things? Let your heart be filled with His WORD, and then simply do not stray outside of what God is telling you to do.

Psalm 119:133 - Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.
Scripture says we are to "live by faith and not by sight." Faith that is given by and returned to God as we daily move under the leading of His Holy Spirit living inside each follower of Jesus. I like what the verse says......Guide me so that I will not be overcome by evil. You want to be free from the stings and wounds of the devil and his minions............then follow Jesus.

God on you.....
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Feeling Little Sick Today

2012-02-04T09:32:00.002-06:00

I spoke at Celebrate Recovery in Centre, Alabama last night.
I have been going there and speaking for the last 8 years. Doesn't seem like it has been that long.
The very first time I went, they were meeting upstairs in a small room. It was so small (Everyone, "How small was it?") the front row was almost touching the stage. It was a time of small beginnings and of much hope for those who were caught by their hurts, habits and hangups. I was just beginning to go out and speak to different Celebrate Recovery's and I quickly saw that God had granted me great grace to be a part of the Centre Group.

Over these past 8 years, there have been some deep friendships develop and flourish. They are special folks up there who meet every Friday night. They love Jesus and they love the ones who consider themselves to be unlovable. To me the words of Psalm 107:20 are very present and powerful in the Celebrate Recovery in Centre. He sent forth His word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction. Please, if you would, pray for Donnie and Shelly George as they lead this Celebrate Recovery. Pray that God would continue to provide the means and support for them to continue.
thanks....
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I'm feeling a bit under the weather today. We call it the "Rapha Crud" and it is making the rounds through the camp. Pray for me, if you will.... Guess I need some of the Psalm 107:20 medicine. Let Your word come, Lord! Heal me.

Big Ol' Honkin' Dude....

2012-02-03T07:26:00.001-06:00

Today's Reading: I Samuel 17:20-47
There he stood.....
Taller than anyone could imagine.
Armor shining in the sun.
A picture of death and destruction.
His name? Goliath.
Even today, centuries after he was killed, his name carries a certain weight and imagery that stirs our imaginations.
Goliath.....
The army of Israel saw themselves as being weak and terrified when Goliath stepped forward to issue the challenge to fight. One one one....man against man...winner take all. Goliath would take on all challengers.

If addiction had a name, it would be Goliath.
IT stands, in the minds of those addicted, like a giant that cannot be defeated.
"What? You think you're going to break free from me through your own will power and determination?" That voice rings in the ears of an addict. It beats them down and challenges them with every decision they face. It beats so loud and so long that a person truly begins to believe that there is no way to defeat Goliath/addiction. It taunts us and challenges us to do something, anything. We cower in fear and return to the drugs and alcohol in order to silence the voice and stop the pain.

So how was Goliath defeated?
He was killed by a young shepherd boy named David.
But that isn't the entire story.
Goliath was killed by a young shepherd boy named David who was filled with the Spirit of God (See I Samuel 16:13). In other words, it took Power greater than David himself to defeat the giant. Here we see the very heart of recovery. Step #2 - came to believe in a power greater than ourselves that could restore us to sanity. What is insanity? Going out to meet Goliath everyday hoping something would change, only to run away in fear and doubt. It takes the Power of God to break the addiction of Goliath in my life.

Because the Spirit of God filled David, David was confident that God would deliver him from the destruction that Goliath posed. No matter how improbable it seemed, David was going to rely on God's ability to defeat the power and strength of Goliath. Transfer that same thought over into recovery. God's power is given to those who are saved by the work of Jesus on the cross. Salvation provides the Power necessary to live life here on this planet free from the destruction of addiction.
I know it sounds like some kind of fairy tale...
It isn't.
It is life.
It is truth.
It is the way you've been looking for.
Trust this God today.
Talk to Him and tell Him your struggles and how you want to be free to have a real life.
He will show you the way.
I promise that.
God on you......
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You'll Look Good

2012-02-02T08:38:00.000-06:00

I have posted a new message given on January 7 by Debbie Handy. Debbie is one of our worship leaders and has an incredible heart for God. Debbie has overcome many trials and tribulations and through it all her love for God has not wavered or failed her. She shares about gratitude and how it is tantamount to facing this upcoming year of 2012.

I will be posting the messages from:
Jan. 14 - Sam Colegrove
and
Jan 28 - Michael Bynum
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Exodus 40 speaks of Moses preparing Aaron and his sons to take their place as priests over the tabernacle.
Verse 12-15 reads: "Finally, bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Dress Aaron in the sacred vestments. Anoint them. Anoint them, just as you anointed their father, to serve me as priests. Their anointing will bring them into a perpetual priesthood, down through the generations."

After being cleansed, Aaron and his sons, now priests, put on the garments that would identify them to all the people. When the people looked and saw the vestments and robes and turbans, they knew, without a doubt, that they were in the presence of God's called ministers.

I don't have priestly garments, nor do you.
But we have been cleansed and anointed and covered with the Holy Spirit of God. As such, our lives should reflect this calling that we have been brought into.

I Peter 2:9-10 reads: But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you----from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Sometimes it is hard for me to wrap my head around the thought of being called into a chosen people.
More than being called, to be given a rightful place from which to occupy for the Kingdom of God.
Me? The mess up of mess ups. God picked me! How can I not love Him? How can I not want to do what is on his heart?
Think on these things...
God has called you.....

God on you......
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Keepin' On In The WIlderness

2012-02-01T07:55:00.000-06:00

Still in Leviticus.
What is see in the book (beyond the "do's" and "don'ts) is the realization that I, as a believer or follower of Jesus, need to walk in manner worthy of the call He has extended to me. O.k....now that sounds like some kind of mumbo-jumbo doesn't it. Let me try to boil that point down to a place where it makes sense (at least to my spirit ). My life should reflect, or people should be able to see, that there is a consistency in my behavior and thought. That my words and my actions reflect God at work in me. The one thing I have come to understand is that since God is holy, those called to follow Him must also manifest holiness. It goes beyond something or some belief that reflects a state of morality. In other words, it isn't simply about being good. The holiness I am speaking of isn't a keeping of rules and regulations.......it is merely acknowledging the work of Christ in my life and that I am covered by his holiness.

The only way I can truly move in this state or fashion is to allow God's Holy Spirit to work in me. He becomes the moral guide. He defines my civil duty, not the government. He establishes my life within a community of like minded people. Some would call this the church. In other words, I am connected to a group of people who are also lead by the Spirit of God. I know it all sounds kind of elitism like we are the chosen, better than the rest of you. Well, God is so opposite in the ways He carries out the Kingdom plans. In order to be chosen, you have to take the seat and place of a servant. I am called to serve the men here at Rapha. I am not over them or better than them. I am a servant and as such, I can only do what the Father instructs me to do. I can attest that when I get a spiritual "big-head", I only mess up and break or destroy things and people around me.

If nothing else, Leviticus teaches me that God expects more than lip service from me. He expects that my new life in Christ should reflect a new quality of living. Quality in the fact that I am now doing business with heaven and not the dictates of this world. Doing business or living by God's direction does not mean I go and buy me a brown robe and some sandals, find my a mountain top and go grow organic vegetables, all the while chanting and singing. Nothing wrong with robes and sandals. I love mountain tops. Organic vegetables......good stuff...a mite expensive but still good. Chanting and singing....not my cup of tea but I don't think anyone was kicked out of the family for doing this. What is wrong is the pull away from society and reject the very ones God is wanting to reach.

The book of Leviticus is an outline...........a reminder of how man is to approach God. The entire book is filled with redemption illustrations: The five offerings----the high priest----the seven feasts---
We read later in the book of Hebrews and see the illustrations of Leviticus brought to fulfillment through the new high priest, Jesus Christ. God has laid out in His word the way to holiness and life eternal. That way if not open for debate, not from me or you. We either receive and walk in the way, or we reject and suffer the consequence for that choice.

I trust that God would reveal himself to you today.....
God on you.....
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Who Am I? Who Are We?

2012-01-31T15:52:00.001-06:00

I know that several of you stop by here from time to time to read and peruse the pages of this blog. Because of an ever changing range of folks dropping by, I occasionally have the urge to update and fill you in on exactly who I am and what it is I do.
My name is Michael Bynum and I serve as Chaplain/ Staff Pastor for Rapha Ministries, a Christ Centered Drug and Alcohol Rehab. That is why a lot of the topics I blog about are concerned with recovery and sobriety and a new life through Christ.

You may be asking, "Is that my picture above?" Nope. That is my spiritual father and mentor, John Wimber. John was the one who gave the Vineyard association "Game." Another way of putting it, would be that John was used by God to bring the Vineyard to the forefront of the 80's and 90's. I was very lucky in that Gadsden Vineyard Church, where I served as Associate Pastor of eight years, had an incredible library of teachings and conferences on tape. During my eight years there, that library became my seminary as I studied from it daily. It helped to shape and cement who I am in Christ and what my beliefs are about the Kingdom of God.

Here at Rapha, I have the wonderful privilege to hold a Saturday night service for those in the program as well as any former clients that want to return. The worship is not always perfect or musically sound (wrong notes / wrong words / but a righteous heart), but it is heart felt and very passionate. Because the ones who attend are always in transition, we try to maintain the simplicity of the Gospel.
1.) I'm a sinner
2.) Jesus is the only way
3.) Cross and Tomb offer me freedom from my sin
4.) Confess/ Repent/ Believe.
Jesus is Lord and Savior.

I have been here at Rapha going on into my 14th year. I never envisioned myself being here this long. The very first time I came here back in the late 90's, I swore I'd never be back. God had other plans and since his plans are better than mine..........I accepted his offer to come back. One thing lead to another and I found myself teaching classes. I served the first 6 years as a volunteer and the rest as part of the staff.

My passion is to pass on what God has shown me to those who truly want it.
II Timothy 2:2 kinds of sums up what I am called to do. "You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others." In other words, I want to make disciples. Men who can leave this program and return to their lives, full of the Spirit of God, able to hear God and give away what has been entrusted to them. Anytime one of these men return or call me to let me know what incredible things God is doing in their lives, that is payday for me.

I have been blessed beyond measure over these years to see God do some incredible things in the lives of men that the world has given up on and cast aside. I celebrate each victory and I weep with each one that doesn't make it. I came to the realization long ago that God has called me to be obedient and that through this, He would make the difference in the lives of the men. So I teach. I instruct. I pray over and weep over. I encourage and I correct. All the while, pointing to Jesus as not just the answer, but the only answer to every problem I suffer with on this side of eternity.

What a wonderful, merciful God!
God on you.....
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Leviticus...Hang on to you hats!!!

2012-01-31T07:56:00.001-06:00

Leviticus 1:1-2
The LORD called to Moses from the Tabernacle and said to him...."Give the following instructions to the Israelites...."

I do love me some Leviticus.
"What?"
"Are you crazy....Leviticus is the dullest of the dull."
I use to think that until I began to see what was going on, and how it applied to my every-day-walking-around-eating-sleeping-life.
God has delivered and removed Israel from the land of Egypt.
The land of Egypt where they lived 430 years.
I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I do believe if a group of people live in the same spot....the same country for an extended period of time, they would tend to take on the customs and habits of the society.
Bingo! That is exactly what happened to Israel. They (As the Bangles so aptly put it) walked like an Egyptian.

God delivered them with power and took them away from the influence of the Egyptian culture.
But as the old saying goes...you can take the boy out of Egypt but you can't take Egypt out of the boy. Well, in this case, you can.
You see God instituted rules for living.
Rules of righteous and right living because he knew it was going to take time for the people to adapt to a new way of seeing life.
That is why Leviticus and Number as well as the book of Deuteronomy is so exciting to me. Here we have the standards for life in this new community of people.

So how does this all apply to me?
First off...I have not been called to live by the dietary or religious rules found in these books. It is helpful, however, for me to understand the extent that God does want to invade my life and change for his kingdom and his plans. I am not free to run willy-nilly through my day with an occasional passing thought on God and his purposes. He is center and at the front of every thing I say and do. I want to please him. I want to grow in him. I want to learn to "hear" him better and then follow the dictates of his will. I can't do this if I am steeped in the culture of today. I have to live in this culture, but I don't have to be a part of it. I don't have to sell myself to it and embrace its beliefs.

The Life Recovery Bible states the purpose of the book of Leviticus:
To show that God desires to have personal fellowship with those who turn to him. Only through the channels of worship and personal obedience to God can we fully experience the cleansing and freedom he offers to those who believe.

The book of Leviticus shows us a God who is beyond our imagination. A God who is holy, pure, clean, sinless and perfect. As you read the book you'll come across countless rules and regulations given to the Israelites. These only confirm to us the truth of God's nature and character. The people needed to humbly obey God if they wanted to live in close fellowship with him. But despite his holiness, God reached (and still does so) out to a broken and sinful people. He provides a way---(though the path is difficult) for all to recover from their past failures.

The laws and sacrifices we read about in Leviticus point to or can be viewed as a type and shadow of God's later provision of the perfect sacrifice...........Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we no longer need animal sacrifices to atone for our sins. Instead, it is through believing in God's loving forgiveness and in Christ's power over sin and death that we are saved.

Is that cool or what?
God on you....
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Separation

2012-01-30T07:41:00.001-06:00

Leviticus 20:23
Do not live by the customs of the people whom I will expel before you. It is because they do these terrible things that I detest them so much.

I really don't want to fall into a category of someone who continually is harping on what we "AREN'T" doing. You know, someone who has a list of rule and regulations and takes it upon themselves to be the "moral" police to every one else. That really isn't my call. So if I write something in a posting here at the Greene Street Letters, it is first and foremost directed to myself. Not that I'm trying to punish myself or walk around like some suffering servant with scars, no! I'm simply giving my personal take on the things that God is dealing with me in my daily life.

It is a fine line between living in a culture and society and taking on the customs and belief's of that society. We seem to be able to embrace and slide into the custom and culture a lot easier than we are to see if it indeed is pleasing to God. I am quick to excuse things in my behavior only to be quickened by God's Holy Spirit into seeing that what I am embracing is not pleasing to God. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we loose our moral compass and become the judge and jury of what we think we should believe and take unto ourselves as our way of life.

It really is like Judges 21:25 when it reads, "In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Without the word of God and His Holy Spirit to guide us, we become a people ruled by appetite. Right becomes whatever we want at the moment. That is the scary part of the human will and mind. We can justify just about what every we want to in order to get our way. People in addiction do some terrible things simply because they have reasoned within themselves that this behavior is justifiable in order to achieve an end. We will steal, lie, cheat and hurt those around us because our needs take precedent over anyone else.

I want to live my life the way the prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 50:4-5 -- The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to all these weary ones. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened. I do not rebel or turn away.

Let me ask you something.
How has your way of living and doing business with the world worked?
Do you live in peace?
Or do you have a storm of emotional and spiritual turmoil inside yourself?
Today is the best day to start a new life with Jesus.
God on you....
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Death--where is your sting?

2012-01-28T09:32:00.001-06:00

I find myself getting up earlier and earlier each day. This morning I got up at 4:27 a.m.
Spent time in prayer and Bible study and, after my wife woke up, went for my morning walk.
It was 38 degrees but I kind of like getting out when it cold like that. I like the wind in my face (that is if I have on my big, honkin', winter coat and gloves). I like the quietness of our neighborhood as I make my way down Case Avenue. My thoughts were directed toward all the pain and hurt that has invaded my world. Those around me that I know and love are struggling with health issues. I realize that we are all getting older. I never could even envision myself being 60 years old, but here I am. As I walked I prayed for those I knew were in the hospital or at home in hospice. I know that I know that death is the transition from this side of heaven to the other side in the presence of Jesus. I know that what I claim to be believe today will, upon my death, become truth that I know. Everything I profess to believe and be true by the word of God, I will see, touch, taste, hear and smell once I cross over in death.

Don't take me for morbid. I'm not.
Don't think I've a death wish to go ahead and be with Jesus. I don't.
But it is a part of living.
I guess what I truly want is to see death the way God sees it.
I believe in Psalms 116:15- Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Death has value to God.
Especially when it involves someone who has given their life to Him. To take them from this side and bring them into His presence to receive their reward is something that God holds dear. He calls it precious. I don't know if I could say death was precious at this time. I know that there were instances where death was very merciful, in that it was the ultimate healing to a loved one that was suffering.
The state of the person as far as their relationship with God makes death a precious thing. For those who have lived their lives under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit find that death is merely the next step in this journey. I am excited that there is more even after this life. How cool is that?

I Corinthians 15:22 - 26
Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other Adam, will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

God on you....
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Let The Journey Begin

2012-01-27T15:22:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night will be the first time I have taught since my heart attack back in December. I am grateful to Debbie, Sam and Seth for teaching and bringing a feast of the Word to us. I have been kind of chasing a thought that God gave me during the month of December. I am going to teach a message from each book of Scripture beginning this Saturday night. We will start in Genesis and hopefully take it all the way through Revelation. Along the way, I pray that God would help me to see truth about myself. Truth about Himself (God) and truth about the Kingdom here now in this age. I know that we do not see the completeness of the Kingdom of God yet, in other words, we have a Kingdom here but not yet. What is the Kingdom of God? It is where ever His rule and reign is being carried out in the hearts and lives of the people. We pray in Matthew 6:10: Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are asking God to bring forth the power, the practices and the plans of heaven as He is directing them, and let them take root and grow right here in our time and space.

Hopefully during this journey, we will see the incredible power of God to eliminate the death and damage that sin has caused. In seeing this, may we all become more trusting in God and allow Him to work in our own lives.

I truly am working on getting the messages back on each week and hopefully I will have the one from this coming Saturday night ready by next Tuesday. I am excited about what God is doing here at Rapha.
2012 is going to be a year of the Word. More than that, 2012 is going to be the year of the illumination of God's word in our hearts. Make plans to join us as we begin this journey, this Saturday night here at Rapha --- 7 p.m. If you can't make it, then look for the message in the podcast section of the Greene Street Letters.

Psalm 107:20
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered thim from their destruction.

God on you....
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Number # 1300

2012-01-27T08:06:00.000-06:00

Today is my 1300 posting here at the Greene Street Letters. Wouldn't it be great to really believe that each of the 1300 entries would be jewels of wisdom. That some day in the future, a beleaguered, down trodden individual happened across this blog and from the entries was able to unlock the secrets and mysteries of the Kingdom of God? Truth is....it ain't going to happen. Over the past 1299 entries, some have been funny. There have been postings which maybe did strike something deep inside and awakened someone to God's truth. Remember...God's truth has always been there. It's me that is thick and dull and not very perceptive.

I remember our first year of posting here on this blog. We had just moved our Sunday morning service to Saturday night and I wanted to connect with the guys who had finished and left the program here at Rapha. I wanted them to be able to keep up with what was going on here at Rapha, as well as giving them a kind of daily devotional that would keep them pointed in the right direction in their recovery. Something that would encourage them and keep them focused.

From time to time, I seem to loose my focus and take the blog off into areas that may not seem recovery related. God, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, always leads me back. For that I am grateful. I know that the words you read here are very simple and, in fact, you've probably heard them before.
"One day at a time."
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change."
"It works if you work it."
"It about spiritual progress, not spiritual perfection."
"Rarely have we seen anyone fail who follows this simple path."
It isn't the words or even the thought behind the words.
It's about the heart who reads the words.
Is the heart ready to receive truth?
If so, then the words will become a match that ignites the dry, hard wilderness places where we have held on to our addictive secrets in order to control our life.
We allow God to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

There is no doubt in my mind (or heart) that Jesus is the answer to the problem of addiction.
Addiction affects the body.
Addiction affects the mind.
And addiction affects the spirit.
Salvation introduces and awakens my spirit to the voice and life that God wants to give me.
Salvation brings healing to my body.
Salvation clears, cleans and restores my mind.
Jesus brings wholeness and completeness to hearts who are ready to change their ways and their lives.
This is more than a theory.
I have seen the healing hand...
The saving hand.....
The restoring hand of God work in the lives of those who had given up.
That is why I will never stop sharing about this God.
That is why I will never give up on anyone who is trapped by addiction.
My God is able to save and heal.

Isaiah 59:1
Listen! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call.

Have a great day!
God on you....
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God Is My Provision

2012-01-26T08:04:00.000-06:00

Exodus 16:4
God said to Moses, "I'm going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day's rations. I'm going to test them to see if they'll live according to my teaching or not."

(From today's QUICK STUDY)
What would it be like with no money, no economy, no foreign trade pacts, no stores or restaurants, no banks? Israel found out. This new nation was taken into the wilderness to learn how to build a community God's way. It was not capitalistic or socialistic or communist, not even a monarchy. This was a Heavenly economy, with bread falling from heaven and water coming from rocks! God can, and always has been able to sustain His people any time, any place, any way He desires. He (God) is the same yesterday, today and forever.....(Pastor Rod Hembree)

Why do we doubt God's ability to sustain us today, here in our world? Why is it we don't trust God?
When the economy went south back in 2008, people suffered. There was great fear and panic about what the future held. Had God changed because of this down turn in our economy? I don't think so. I think we need to become more trusting in our relationship with God. If the truth be known, we don't really want God to provide for us, we want Him to save and sustain our current standard of living. Let me keep my toys and baubles and beads and I will follow you. I don't think it works that way. Now don't get me wrong, I truly believe that God doesn't mind us having things. The problem comes in when things have us and possess us to the point that losing them becomes more important than me knowing God.

The greatest place to be is where there is a total relying on God to meet our needs and to guide us. Was taking care of Israel's daily need #1 on God's list? Probably not. Getting them to the promised land was the most important factor in this journey, but how like God to cover all the needs and things that Israel had to have in order to survive. Now if God did this for Israel as a nation, how much more, under the new covenant of Christ, will God take care of you?

I look to God in every aspect of my life. He is not my provider.....He is my provision. He is all sufficient to my life. He is the sustainer and giver of life that has, through my salvation, transported me from a life of spiritual darkness and death, into a life of spiritual light and eternal life with Christ.
It doesn't get any better than this!
Look to God today to be your provision.
He will not disappoint you or let you down.
God on you today!

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Bobby Sparks

2012-01-25T07:50:00.001-06:00

I kind of like this picture of me. I'm really not very photogenic. My face is kind of hard on camera's. But this particular picture has always intrigued me in that one side is dark and deep with shadow, while the other is bathed in light. Kind of symbolizes life doesn't it? The ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of God and the forces of the devil. I am very thankful that God has placed me in a family that shares a common salvation. I am grateful for the friends that God has surrounded me with and that I can, in return, be a friend.

I got a call from a good friend yesterday. Hadn't talk to him in some while and we did a lot of catching up. That is the wonderful thing about having a good friend. It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last talked, you can pick right up with out missing a beat as though you had just seen each other yesterday. It is like that with Bobby Sparks.

Bobby is someone I admire.

Brutally honest about himself, his current walk with God and with what God is showing him, Bobby speaks truthfully and from the hip. He doesn't pull any punches and for that I am grateful. I need people like Bobby Sparks in my life. I need someone who will tell me the things I don't really want to hear. As Proverbs 18:24 reads: Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. Bobby is that type of man. He always seems to know when to call or when to come and see you. To be a voice of encouragement and a shoulder to lean on. At the same time, Bobby has wisdom that tells him he is blessed beyond measure to be surrounded by such friends who will be there for him.

Bobby also writes a blog The Spiritual Journey Of A Blue Collar Christian. If you looking to add another resource to your daily readings, then I highly recommend Bobby's blog. God has connected Bobby with some of the "big boys" of the Kingdom. Men like R.T. Kendall and Dudley Hall and many others who I would classify as defenders of the faith. From Bobby's blog you will be able to read and listen to some incredible teachings.

Bobby's life is pretty much summed up in the words that the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2:

I identified myself completely with Him (Jesus). Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not mine, but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Thanks for stopping by Greene Street Letters.

God on you.....

Turkey's or Eagles?

2012-01-24T12:57:00.001-06:00

(Borrowed from the SACRED SANDWICH)

"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline (or a sound mind)......II Timothy 1:6-7

We grow cold, hard and indifferent when we "quit" on God.

Quitting comes in many shapes, forms and fashions.

Quitting can appear when we simply grow complacent or apathetic about our relationship with Christ.

We quit walking out the disciplines He has called us to.

We quit reading our Bibles.

We quit praying.

We quit going to church or Bible study or what ever you may call the community of believers you hang out with.

We quit giving of our time, talent and MONEY for the Kingdom work.

In others words......we quit. But there is one thing we don't quit.
We don't quit expecting God to haul our bacon out of the fire when we get in trouble.

We don't quit expecting God to bless us...after all "He is God and we are only human and He understands that so He will keep on piling on the blessings even though we have quit on Him.
Sorry Charlie!

It doesn't work that way....

Does it?

Hebrews 2:1 reads:

"So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it."

Drifting away from truth means that we are moving closer to lies and falsehoods.

Drifting away from the truth means we are leaving a place of safety and headed

for a place of danger.

Another translation of scripture reads, "How can we neglect so great a salvation?"

How can we simply cast it aside like some old coat in order to go about our own business?

I don't think we can.

Sometimes we (and here I mean me) need to be reminded of our need to stay in

close proximity of Jesus.

I know the Holy Spirit resides in me.

Close proximity involves keeping my thoughts on Jesus

and my own personal will at arms length away from me.

I do so to embrace His will.

Don't be one of the frozen chosen!

God on you....

Continuation in Isaiah 35

2012-01-24T07:23:00.000-06:00

Looking around at this old world, one can't help but see and feel the spiritual darkness and fear that is rising up in our societies and in the people. A people who do not know God and have turned their attention and their appetites toward a quick fix. As the big book says, "we look for the easier, softer way."

Isaiah 35 deals with God's redemptive power to restore and make new. God's ability and power to resurrect life out of what we perceive to be dead. We see death, God sees opportunity and life. In this chapter from Isaiah, we see God speaking prophetically using the image of a desert that has received rain and because of this water, life begins to appear. Water has always been a symbol of the Holy Spirit in scripture, so God is saying that it is His Spirit that brings life to our wilderness places. The places of fear in our heart are filled with His peace. The places of doubt and mistrust in our hearts are filled with the assurance that He is who He claims to be and will do what He has promised.

Isaiah 35:6-7 reads: The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. March grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.
God will take those dry, dead places in our hearts and fill them with life. Life that seeks the eternal things of God for nourishment and the temporary things of this world.
Eternal life.....
Eternal peace......
Eternal mercy.....
Eternal grace......
Eternal relationship with the one, true living God.....

V10 of this chapter is the culmination that God will bring about. Me? I'm so looking forward to this day it isn't even funny. V10 reads: Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.
Did you catch that? I will be overcome............I will be overtaken.....I will be overwhelmed by joy and gladness. His joy....His gladness. They will seek me and cover me and fill me like a divine flood. I'm telling you if that doesn't set you on fire, then your wood's wet.

You know, today I am going to lay down my fears.
Today, I am going to turn my heart and attention to God.
Whatever the world has for me today, I will not fear but rest in the assurance that God is in control.
Let it be Lord.
God on you.....

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It Was A Good Night

2012-01-23T07:36:00.001-06:00

I spoke last night at North Glencoe's Celebrate Recovery. God was beyond gracious as people streamed to the front after the message to receive prayer. There were prayers for salvation. Prayers for healing. Prayers for deliverance from demonic oppression. Prayers for God to simply come and touch them and bring hope to dry place in their hearts. There were prayers asking for forgiveness. There were confessions to God about sin. It was a night where I got to stand and watch God's hand move over the people. I confess to you that I never tire of seeing God move like this. It isn't about the numbers, it is about the heart. That God would come and touch and bring healing to those who had come seeking.

Isaiah 35 talks about God's redemptive hand being laid on places of dryness and in the hard, wilderness places of our hearts.
Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God.
With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those who are afraid, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you."

In these verses, we see that God is proclaiming a message of hope to all who are discouraged, frightened, or injured. God has promised to save us and strengthen our weaknesses. That is His promise! Following God means that we can ask Him to help us recover in this lifetime and share eternal life with Him in the next. God says that through His power, His love and His authority, He will reach down into those dry, hard, wilderness places in our heart and cause real life to come forth. Life that is sustained through His Holy Spirit at work in us. How can you argue with that?
That is a promise you can bank on.
Why not receive from this promise today?
God on you.....
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Give Me An Undivided Heart

2012-01-21T08:12:00.000-06:00

II Kings 17
They honored and worshipped God, but they also kept up their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from. And they're still doing it......
But they didn't pay any attention. They kept doing what they'd always done. As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front of worshipping God, they were at the same time involved with their local idols. And they're still doing it. Like father, like son.

The one thing that my mind goes to from time to time is to check my motives for what I do when it comes to worshipping God. First off I have to define what worship is. To me (and from what I read in Scripture) worship is a lifestyle. A life devoted in service and praise to the one true God. Everything I do is worship unto Him. In my job, I want to do the very best so that I honor God. So that when people see me, when they see the work I do, they will be pointed to God as the source of my strength and my ability. Worship!

SO what we have in these verses from II Kings is a people who have divided hearts. I have always said that a lot of people have what I refer to as "two belief systems." They have one that they talk about and then another that they live. The belief system that they live affects every area of their life, all the way from their thoughts to their actions and behaviors. This belief system reveals the heart. The belief system that they speak about or share with others is more of a front to give the appearance that they are religious or, as the catch word of our day says..., "Spiritual." The two belief systems are always in conflict and when a choice has to be made concerning something that has come up in their life, a person always chooses toward the belief system they live rather than the one they talk about. In this case, the flesh always wins, because they are living and being lead by their sin nature rather than the Spirit of God.

V32 of II Kings 17 reads: They honored and worshiped God, but not exclusively. They also appointed all sorts of priests, regardless of qualification, to conduct a variety of rites at the local fertility shrines. They honored and worshiped God, but they also kept their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from. In other words...their worship to the One, True God was a sham. It was for show and had no substance. Behind the scenes, people were still living the old lifestyle, carrying out the customs of the country they were living in. Not a good idea.

Search yourself today and see if you have two belief systems. Does your life reflect a heart devoted unto God, or do you simply play at religion, trying to use God like some cosmic piggy bank to make your life better?
Think on these things....
God on you.....
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Sunday Night

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000-06:00

Seth Barber will be speaking tomorrow night here at Rapha. As always, Seth will bring a message that is straight and to the point about recovery and this new found relationship we are called to in Christ.
Sunday Night, I'll be speaking at Celebrate Recovery North Glencoe. I always look forward to being there and sharing from what God has given to me.

I, hopefully, will be speaking about the Power of God to change. I have been lead to study several different passages and one in particular keeps coming up. Romans 6:19 (Message Bible) You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing....not caring about others, not caring about God....the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

If we are truly honest with ourselves, we are brought to a place where we way the destruction of our old life style against the promise of a new life in Christ. We are made painfully aware of keeping on in the same old way of living that continually brings problems x problems and pain on top of more pain. Without the presence of God in our life, we sink into a pit of toxic shame and guilt that drives us to use more and more in an effort to escape the pain. Enough of this and we fall prey to the lie of lies. "I don't need any ones help. I can't quit if I want to."

Romans 8:5-8 hits on this mindset: Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them.....living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.

The reason I write in this blog daily is that I want God's truth to be here in these postings. That someone may stop by and read what I share, and in that brief moment, truth will penetrate a heart that is surrounded by darkness. I want those who have run dry of hope to find their way here and be encouraged. I want them to understand that they do not have to continue on in a life style that ultimately ends in physical and spiritual death. I want them to understand that there is a future for them here on this side of eternity.

God on you.....
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Leave Me Alone----I'm Lost-------In God!

2012-01-19T08:04:00.000-06:00

Oh, to be lost in God.
Not lost from the standpoint of our salvation, but from the thought of being totally consumed with God.
As the song states, "that the things of earth would grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."
That Jesus is and always will be all sufficient for me and my life. No matter what the circumstance...no matter what the situation, I would find all my answers in Jesus. Pie in the sky? I think not.

I like what Paul writes in Romans 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Just as there are depths in the ocean that man has never reached and remain unexplored, there are depths to understanding God that mankind will never reach on this side of heaven. So what are we to do? Simply recognize that fact and be satisfied with simply waiting until we do cross over? I don't think so. I want to spend my time in God's Word. I want to hear the voice of God as I read the words of Scripture. I want to let God's word soak down inside my spirit and become a very part of me, changing me and moving me toward spiritual maturity. In a few words.............I want to grow up before I grow older.

In a day and age when the things of this earth compete for the allegiance I owe only to the giver of all good things (thanks Rich Mullins for that line), I want to seek out God and not be corrupted by society. The world always portrays itself as beautiful and more fun than anything God could offer. I see so many beer and alcohol commercials that are always about parties or gatherings such as cookouts....every one is laughing and having a great time. If you look close, you'll see that there usually aren't any "ugly" folks around. Every one is thin, hair is immaculate, teeth a brilliant white. Some how I think there is a ranch somewhere in Montana where they keep these folks. When commercials are being made, a call is placed to the ranch for a number of them to appear in the shoot. The ranch folks bus 'em out to the shoot where they take care of business. When the shoot is over, it's back to the ranch. What I'm trying to say is that the worlds sells a bill of goods (and they are really not that good) to us in order to get us to buy into the what they are selling. What are you trying to say Mike? I'm saying that we need to be aware that there is a battle for your attention as well as your money and heart. The world does its best to win your heart to its ways. What is the message of this world? Your life is incomplete. Your life will never be complete unless you buy what we are selling. I don't want my life to solely be focused on the temporary things of this world. I want to chase the eternal God and follow His heart.

I Corinthians 1:31 - That, just as it is written, "Let Him Who Boasts, Boast In The Lord."
This is a worthy way to live.

God on you.....
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I Gain Control By Giving Up Control.......Step # 1 / #2 / #3

2012-01-18T08:15:00.000-06:00

Taken from the following Book. Gives us insight and one more way of looking at the nature of man, the nature of addiction, and the glorious nature of a God who can save!

Twelve Steps to Spiritual Wholeness
A Christian Pathway
Philip St. Romain
Powerlessness and Sin
Step One presents a paradox, saying that the way to regain control of out life is to give up trying to control it - to throw in the towel and admit defeat. This doesn't make sense at first, but later it will be seen as the beginning of wisdom.

Step One has relevance beyond the addiction and recovery movement, for the power of sin creates havoc in all our lives.

These days, sin is an unpopular word connoting unhealthy guilt and shame. But the authors of the New Testament recognized sin as a power able to move us toward non-loving selfish behavior. This power worked through culture (the world), our internalized conditioning (the flesh), and preternatural spirits (the Devil). For most of us, the concrete experience of sin is our own selfishness and reluctance to relate. Who among us can deny this experience?

Another insight to be found in Scripture says that we cannot reverse our selfish tendencies by our own will. In his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul speaks of how he wants to do good but cannot find the power to do so. A point he makes again and again is that liberation from sin does not come from keeping the law. In fact, law keepers frequently become self-righteous about their goodness and judgmental of others. Such was the case with the religious authorities who condemned Jesus to death in the name of the law.

A sinner, then, might be described as one whose life is ruled by selfishness. Using the addiction model, we would say that a sinner is one who is compulsively selfish - in other words, resistant to loving relationships. This selfish direction of the will demonstrates itself in specific acts of behavior, which we call personal sins. Most personal sins are not planned or calculated but happen compulsively when we feel threatened in some manner. However, these sins bring consequences to us and to others.

All addiction (the evidence and behavior that goes with one who is addicted) finds its answer at the cross. Like every other destructive behavior or thought that can come from the mind of man, it is rooted in the heart of sin. Until the power of sin is broken in a life, selfishness will rule. In fact, selfishness will drive that individual to the grave. At the cross we find the salvation needed..........we find the heart of God who is forgiving.....and we find the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in the heart of each new believer and follower of Jesus.
Surrender.........
Confess.............
Repent.............
Receive Forgiveness.........
Be a new creation..............

God on you......
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Step By Step

2012-01-17T07:43:00.000-06:00

Step # 3We make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 7:25
Hence also, He (Jesus) is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

As you move through the Twelve Steps, you begin to see the simplicity and beauty that starts to emerge. We have lived our lives (in addiction) in self-deception. We have attempted to control our moods and emotions through our usage only to find that we sink deeper and deeper into depression and guilt.

We have attempted to control everything, and in the process our lives have become more and more chaotic and painful--------or as Step #1 says, "Unmanageable."

Step #1 teaches us to be compeletly and brutally honest with ourselves. We admit that we are powerless. We are not in control, especially when it comes to our chemical substances.

Step # 2 teaches us to believe in a God that is more than words on a page or notes in a song. That in fact God DOES exist and DOES desire to have an intimate relationship with us. We come to believe that He truly cares for us and, if we will trust Him, will bring order to our lives.

Step #3 teaches us that the only sane decision it to surrender our will and life to this God. We are to stop trying to control our lives and our circumstances or, as it is put so aptly, let God be God. We can let Him begin to give us wisdom and strength to help us deal with our circumstances.

Romans 6:16 reads: Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

I like the way the Message Bible puts the Roman 16 passage:
Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

That, my friend, is good news if you are trapped in a lifestyle of addiction.
This isn't a pie-in-sky-hope-it-works offer.
It is a straight-from-God-heart- promise that He will work into your life if you lay down your wants and desires and turn to Him for help.
I have said this before on this blog but I feel the need to repeat it.
"Jesus did for me what I could not do for myself."
Why not let this be day that you take that first step?
I love you and am praying for you......

God on you.....
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To JOICE again!

2012-01-16T07:30:00.000-06:00

I Thessalonians 5:16 -- "Always be joyful."Or "rejoice in the Lord.....Always!!! And again I say rejoice.
The word "rejoice" is defined in Strong's Concordance as being "Calmly Happy."
A sense of well being that radiates from within no matter what the situation or circumstance may be.

I see far too many people in religious circles trying to whip up happiness and rejoicing. The thought seems to be that if I act like I'm happy or if I say the right religious sounding words and phrases then somehow I will attain that level of self-perceived happiness or joy. I have been guilty of playing that game. I have found myself among a group of people that all seem to have found spiritual nirvana so to speak. I didn't. I looked around and asked God, "What is wrong with me? Am I so broken that I have excluded myself from this experience?" At the same time, I never assume that I am right or that I have all the answers to any particular situation or experience. I am always searching my heart for the motive or reason I find myself in such places. I never want to use my own experiences as the rule of thumb for others as to how they should conduct themselves. At the same time, I do not want to give credence to something that seems to not be from God.

Paul writes that when we find our satisfaction in Christ, everything else pales in comparison. Nothing this world has to offer can ever replace the inner workings and emotion that is brought on by the Holy Spirit. I am called to look to Christ as the sole source of everything I need. He is my all sufficiency in this life and the next. He is the provider of every good thing. He is my strength and hiding place. In these thoughts I will take comfort and rejoice. When I truly realize that I am dead to the world and the world is dead to me, then I will not look to the world for answers or provision. I want to see the hand of God in everything around me. I want to be aware of His voice daily and follow only His direction.
I want Him.
I want Jesus.
If that doesn't cause rejoicing to rise up in your spirit............I just don't know what to say.
Look beyond the traps and snares the world has set against you today and see the hand of God clearing a path for you to walk.
Be encouraged.
Rejoice.
And again I say.....
Rejoice.

God on you....
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A Pain Unlike Any Other

2012-01-14T09:42:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 31: 15 - 17This is what the LORD says," A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping. Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because her children are no more."

Hard verses to read this morning.
The loss of a child or a spouse creates a pain that goes beyond any other kind of pain.
It isn't like being cut or having a bone broken. The pain of death coming into our families is a pain that goes to very core of our being. It is a pain that creates grieving and tears and mourning. I do not know the answers to questions that a death creates in our minds and hearts. I do not want to give glib or cliched' answers. I guess the only thing that can be said to a believer who is experiencing the loss is that Christ is sufficient. Christ will support you and bring mercy and peace to you to take you through the grieving process. For it is in the middle of such times that we do experience the reality of Christ. His peace is real. His comfort near. His presence always there.
Take heart during such times, for God does care.
I have no clue as to why I wrote this, other than I felt that someone needed to read it today.
If that someone is you, know that I am praying for you.
Know that God is still in control and that He loves you.

God on you.....
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Cultural Conflict

2012-01-13T07:54:00.001-06:00

John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

II Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (or of sound judgement).

Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

When we come to Christ (being saved) it is the beginning of a change in our culture and custom. In other words there is a shift in the way we interact with the world. On one hand, it is possible to go off in one direction and completely cut ourselves off from the culture of the day. We see this when people seek to pull away and create a self-contained community to live in. The reject the society at large in an effort to live under a new way of life.

As people of recovery, we too must make changes in the way we interact with the world and the people around us. We no longer have the luxury or freedom to tie ourselves again to the drug culture. We find ourselves, upon starting this new life, to want to try and marry the two together (our new life and what we perceive to be the "best" of our old life"). It does not work. Realizing that we can no longer have a place in a lifestyle of darkness, such as addiction, we seek to allow God to change our hearts and desires. This is what is meant in the New Testament by "working out your salvation with fear and trembling...........we are learning a new culture and new customs.

As a new believer, when culture and custom run contrary to God's word, God's word must come first. Even the greatest men and women of God are often caught up in this struggle. The word of God must have rule and reign in our lives as we walk out this new relationship day by day.

We see the destruction that can come when we seek to mix our culture with our beliefs in the story of King Saul. Saul was appointed King over Israel by God because the people rejected God's rule and demanded that they be given a king like all the countries around them. (Here in is a good story of "be careful what you ask for...you just might get it). Saul started out well, but over time, he rejected God's direction and sought out counsel from the culture (or to put it bluntly.....he consulted a medium/ witch)
In I Chronicles we read: Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the LORD's command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance.

We have been called to live a life of holiness.
Holiness not found in the keeping of rules and regulations, but found in loving a God who is beyond our comprehension. I have found in my own life that if I concentrate of loving this God daily.....then the keeping of rules and regulations come about like second nature. I don't have to work at it because I want to be pleasing to Him.
Think on these things today....
God on you.....

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Steps, Rules and Directions....Oh My!

2012-01-12T08:14:00.000-06:00

Leviticus 1:1......The Lord called to Moses from the Tabernacle and said to him, "Give the following instructions to the Israelites......."

Israel had been delivered out of a life style of bondage and slavery. They were now a free people, but as is the case to day, with this freedom came responsibility. God had taken them out of Egypt but now He had to take Egypt out of them.

He began to give to Moses a series of laws and regulations that covered every day life among the Israelites. How to live and how to interact among each other as well as with God came out of these laws and commandments. The book of Leviticus shows us, or gives us a glimpse of a God who is awesome and holy. He is pure, clean, sinless and perfect. The numerous regulations found in the book of Leviticus given to the Israelites confirm this truth. The people needed to humbly obey God if they wanted to live in close fellowship with Him. The wonderful truth that we see in the Scripture, despite His holiness, God reaches out to broken, sinful people. He provided a way, even though a difficult one, for the Israelites to recover from their past failures.

God's heart has not changed.
He seeks to deliver from addiction those whose lives have been lived in darkness and separation from God. He wants to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. God has, for us today, provided the means for our salvation and recovery thorough the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. It is through God loving forgiveness and Christs' power over our sin that we are saved through our repentance and confession that Jesus is indeed Lord and Savior.
Can't beat that with a stick......
Think on these things today and find gratitude for what God has done in your life.

God on you....
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Recovery Principal 283

2012-01-11T07:22:00.000-06:00

O.k....let me be honest.
There isn't a recovery principal #283. I just wrote that to get your attention.
Now that I have your attention, let me share a verse with you.

I Corinthians 15:33
"Don't be fooled by those who say such things (let's feast and get drunk, for tomorrow we die) for bad company corrupts good character."
You are who you hang out with.
You take on the habits and behaviors of those you run with.
Your beliefs fall in line with the beliefs of those you associate with.
Get it?
Bad character breeds bad character.
Here I am trying to work a program and I am continually associating myself with those who are still in active addiction. Not a good influence would you say? No, I don't think so.
That is why we need to surround ourselves with people who are clean and sober and are pursuing this new life with Christ.

Proverbs 27:17 reads: As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
In other words, we influence and are influenced by those people we associate with and consider to be our circle of friends. If I want to pursue a life of purity and growing relationship with Christ, then I surround myself with men and women who have the same heart. I surround myself with those whose hearts are like minded. By doing this, I encourage them to keep on in this ongoing relationship and in return, I receive encouragement from them. I have a community of people who can help me when I am discouraged or struggling. The old adage of safety in numbers is very much at play here.

II Peter 5:8 reads : Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.
Just like Lions, the devil seeks to identify and cut away from others, those who are weak and struggling. If my circle of friends is made up of people who are in active addiction, then there isn't any protection for me. I am easy prey to be devoured and lead back to the my old life style. But when I am a part of group whose passion is Christ and whose goal is clean and sober living through the power of the Holy Spirit, I am in a safe place.

So who are you hanging out with today?
Food for thought.
God on you...
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A Man Of God

2012-01-10T07:38:00.001-06:00

God places special people in lives that are used to point us to Him. For Vicki and me, it was Reverend George Creel. Vicki and I had been away from God for a number of years. We had drifted from each other and the roles that husbands, fathers, wives and mothers are to occupy and what was worse, we knew of our rotten state in life.

Vicki's mother had been attending Central United Methodist and had kept insisting that we visit with her. She spoke about George and what an incredible Bible teacher he was. For me, all her words were falling on deaf ears. I knew we needed to turn back to God, I just didn't want to. To my mother-in-laws credit, she never stopped inviting us. I guess she figured she could wear us down. Finally I relented and told her that we would visit.

Come Sunday morning, I tried timing everything so we would arrive after the service started and would not have to endure the obligatory Sunday-morning-church-greeting (You..."everyone stand up, turn around and shake hands with someone.") So we managed to sit in the balcony. Funny part was that it was just Vicki and I and the sound guy. No one else. I guess the sound guy thought we were terrorist or something along that line. Now that I look back, I think my mindset was "O.k....I'm here at church, God. But I'm going to sit as far away from this pastor as I can and still be inside the building." How sad was I.

I was not prepared for what came next. Brother George stood and began to speak and read from the Bible and for the next 30 - 45 minutes, I was totally consumed by what he said. He made the Scripture come alive for me. I had never heard such teaching in my life. After it was over, I looked at my wife and said, "We have got to come back just to see if maybe this was a quirk or blip in the way this guy teaches." I thought maybe we had just caught him on a really good day when he was on his "A" game. We went back that night and once again the same thing. BIBLE ALIVE!!!!!

We talked all week about Central Methodist and George, making plans to return the next Sunday. This time would be different. We would come down from Mount Olympus a.k.a the balcony, and sit among the folk. This time we took note pads and pencil along with our Bibles. We were hooked.

I can truthfully say that for 14 years, George Creel opened the Scripture for me in ways that no other man had. George's encouragement and support is what created a fire in me to study God's word. Vicki and I are blessed to be able to call George and Jackie our friends. George introduced us to the work of the Holy Spirit, as well as unlocking our minds to prophetic words and teachings. A gentle man, George had a side that would come out when confronted by the devil and the evil of this world. George is truly a defender of the faith. He lived a life of holiness before his congregration, but also the life of a broken vessel always ready to be used by God.

George is currently in the hospital suffering with a number of ailments and problems. If you would, say a prayer for this man and his family that God would bring healing to his body. A special man and a good friend. Thank you, Lord, for putting George in my life and for the way you speak through him.

God on you.....

Peace of God

2012-01-09T07:56:00.000-06:00

Debbie Handy spoke Saturday night at our meeting and shared from the place God currently has her. She spoke of Peace.........God's peace and that it comes as a result or is strengthened by 3 things in our life.
1.) Contentment - being at peace in the situation of the day.
2.) Trust - Believing God for who He is.
3.) Gratitude --- A heart of thankfulness that looks beyond situations and circumstances and finds the goodly and the godly in life.

I am reminded of Psalm 32 and the celebration of life it portrays to those who believe and live for Christ
V.1 - Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Do you ever think about this? Does is ever wash over you exactly what Christ has done for us and in us? That our willful rebellious nature against God has been forgiven when we repent and give ourselves to Christ. More than that, our sin has been removed and put out of sight. I guess it truly is the old adage "Out of sight....out of mind." Joy! Unspeakable joy for the goodness of God. Man if that don't crunk your tractor then nothing will!

V.2 - Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
The devil has the power to try and remind us of our sin, but God has the authority and power to remove it from our lives. Notice that is declares the joy of living in complete honesty. I have nothing to hide, therefore the devil has nothing on me. Zero sin is the way to go. To live life free from the burden and weight of secret sin and dishonesty will take a toll on a person, as well as open the door for more demonic influence in their life.

V.3 - When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable and I groaned all day long
V.4 - Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Unconfessed sin has a way of physically, mentally and spiritually affecting a person. Living in a downward spiral of emotion and mental attacks will sap a persons physical strength, causing them to live in a defeated manner. It robs you of hope which puts you in a dark place that could bring on depression. It takes the hand of God to reach through all this to restore and resurrect you to new life.

Don't hold on to sin.
Turn it loose today and begin to live in the freedom God created you to live in.
Your situations may not all change....
Your circumstances may not turn for the better....
But you...
You will mount up on wings as eagles and find strength in Lord this morning.
If it were not true, I would not have written this posting today.

God on you.......
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New Message

2012-01-07T10:01:00.001-06:00

Just Posted a message by Seth Barber in the pod cast section of the blog. Check it out as Seth takes a long hard look at Jeremiah 29:11.
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Anatomy Of A Fall

2012-01-07T07:55:00.002-06:00

Falling into sin and moving away from God most times is not a sudden departure. It is more of a slow, progressive behavior that comes through a series of bad choices. These choices usually are a result of listening to that old "sin" nature we possess. I am going to choose what benefits me the most ( That is code for "I want what I want and I want it now."

In Genesis 13:10 we begin to see the downfall for a man named Lot. He and his uncle were at a stalemate over the land they both were occupying. His uncle, Abram, made the first offer by letting Lot pick where he wanted to live. Where ever it was Lot picked, Abram had said that he would go in the opposite direction and live there. Verse 10 reads: "And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well-watered every where." In other words, this was prime territory and it was all for the taking.

Verse 12 reads: Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. Lot didn't move there at first. He just got real close and pitched his tent so he could see what was going on. Isn't it like that when we first start drifting away from working our program of sobriety? We are following Jesus in our daily lives. We are reading our Bible and spending time in prayer. But something inside keeps drawing us back (our thoughts and attention) to the old way of life (Sodom). We don't rush out and go back to the that old lifestyle, but we do pitch our tents in the thoughts of our mind. We began to fixate on how good it was to be high...that rush...that feeling. No thought about the destruction that always followed the high...No! We won't think about that. In our thoughts we convince ourselves that we aren't really hurting anyone by simply having thoughts about the old way of life. Trouble is, it doesn't stop there, it continues down a slippery slope that leads to destruction.

If you fast forward to Genesis 19, you read about the further descent Lot makes into the culture and society that is Sodom. Verse 1 reads: Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom...... If you aren't familiar with Biblical terminology or custom you will miss something in this verse. "Sitting in the gate" is reference to the city government of Sodom. Custom of the day dictated that the city elders and rulers would convene at the gate of the city to settle disputes and make rulings for the populace of the town. Here we see that Lot has become ingrained in the culture of the society and has, in fact, become a Sodomite, or native of the town. He isn't outside the gate sitting in his tent watching, he has now moved into the city and has become one of its denizens. Isn't that the way of sin? We find ourselves sucked into the destruction and turmoil, a willing participant of wrongness and rebellion against God.

Just like the Steps tell us..."It will take a Power greater than ourselves to restore us, or bring us out of this spiritual darkness and madness." Praise God! Jesus is that Power.
So today....be careful that you don't let your thoughts turn to your old life, old friends and old places. Keep your focus on Jesus and walk out this day.
He is there to protect you...
He is there to love you....
He is there to aid you in this wonderful new life you have embraced....
God on you....

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Hard Lessons

2012-01-06T07:35:00.001-06:00

Genesis 16:9
Then the angel of the LORD said, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority."

This is a hard word to hear this morning.
God spoke it to me during my Bible study and it has kind of lodged in my spirit.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that for whatever reason, we deem as being unfair or that we are being punished for something we said or did. Hard times. Times where there doesn't seem to be an easy answer to what we are facing.
Our first inclination is to run away. Get out! Leave and not look back. We don't know what the future may hold but it has to be better than what we are currently experiencing.
Maybe we even use God as an excuse to leave the situation. "God wouldn't want me to stay in this place because I won't be able to grow or learn anything." How wrong can we be!

In the Genesis passage, we read about Hagar, an Egyptian handmaid, under the authority of Abram and Sarai. Hagar was brought into a very messed up plot by Abram and Sarai to help bring about a promise God had made to them. God had promised a son to the couple and when it didn't happen in the time frame they thought it should, they plotted to bring Hagar in to help God. Sarai sent her husband, Abram, to have sex with Hagar in hopes that she would become pregnant and give them a sons. I know, by today's standards, it seems like a really bad plot to a daytime soap opera. Everything went down hill (as it usually does when we try to help God out) and Hagar found herself being abused by Sarai. Verse 6 says that Sarai treated her (Hagar) harshly, so she ran away. Isn't that like us? I mean you really won't hear many preachers or teachers talk about staying a situation for the glory of God, yet that is what we have here. God never intended Hagra to leave but to remain so He could work out the mess that Abram and Sarai had created. Hagar runs away, but God tracks here down. God tells her to go back and submit to Sarai's authority and that if she does, God would bless Hagar with more descendants than she could count.

Bottom line, when we remain obedient to God, even in bad times and bad situations, that brings the blessings of God to us. According to what God did for Hagar, it might even bring the blessings and extend them to our descendants. How cool would that be? So the next time you find yourself in a terrible situations, stop and ask God.."Do I stay or do you want me to leave?" Don't always assume that just because you are going through a bad time or a hard time that God is punishing you or has forgotten you. He may be trying to grow you and strengthen you for the next hard thing that may be headed your way.
Food for thought...
God on you.....

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Bread For Thought

2012-01-05T08:02:00.000-06:00

Matthew 6:11
Give us our food for today (NLT)
Some versions of this verse read "Give us this day, our daily bread."
Growing up, I use to think this verse was a pretty stingy thing to say about God and to God.
I mean...come on....bread? You got to have something a little more substantive than bread.
I don't care if it's WONDER BREAD or the best that MERITA BAKERY produces.
A person has to have some peanut butter or jelly or even a slice of bologna to go with that bread.

I see now that it was not just about a daily ration of food given by God to His children.
It was the fundamental building block.
Bread!
You have to start somewhere in a food group. Why not Bread? The possibilities of what you can do with a loaf of bread will boggle the mind. Sandwiches. Toast. Bread pudding. You can put anything between two pieces of bread and have a mobile feast at your disposal.

To me, bread (in this particular verse) is a symbol of the foundation of our relationship with God.
Bread represents Jesus Christ.
He is the bread of life.
He was born in Bethlehem (the house of bread).
He was laid in a manger (a food trough)
So to approach God and ask for daily bread is to ask for the provision of heaven to be made evident in our lives.
He must want us to act in this manner when we pray because He included it in the model prayer we read in Matthew 6.

When Jesus was in the wilderness in Matthew 4, and the devil tempted Him with food, Christ returned fire by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 -- "People need more than bread for their life. They must feed on every word of God." or as we like to say....."Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God." That is why I need to digest the Bread of the Word of God. It provides spiritual nourishment and strength to my spirit. Psalm 119:130 reads: The unfolding of Your words give light so that even the simple can understand them.
Bread.
Bread of God.
Bread-Word of God.
Take some for yourself today.
Taste the Lord and see that He is good.....

God on you....
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January.....Step # 1

2012-01-04T07:39:00.000-06:00

January always comes in with the best of intentions from people.
Fitness Centers all over the country see an increase in membership when January rolls around because people are making resolutions to get in shape for the coming year.
February sees the biggest decline in the number of people actually going to a fitness center/gym as the "newness" wears off of their good intentions.

January always brings me back around to Step # 1 of the Twelve Steps.
We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies----that our life had become unmanageable.
No one really likes to admit this, much less come face to face with the evidence of a life unmanageable.
January gives us an opportunity to look at someone in Scripture who seemed to have every thing going on except for one area of his life. A man named Naaman.
On the surface, Naaman was a man's man. He had the career. He had the reputation. He had the image. But something in Naaman's life came out that brought him to his knees.

Naaman was the Commander of the army for the King of Aram.
God had given Naaman great victories over the enemies of Aram. Most considered Naaman a mighty warrior......but...(there's that word..."but" that seems to undo all the good) he suffered from Leprosy.

From the Life Recovery Bible. we read --- It can be very humiliating to admit that we are powerless, especially if we are used to being in control. We may be powerful in some areas of our life, but out of control in terms of our addictive/ compulsive behaviors. If we refuse to admit our powerlessness, we may lose everything. That one unmanageable part of our life may infect and destroy everything else. Our "diseases" are as life threatening as the leprosy of Naaman's day. They slowly separate us from our family and lead toward the destruction of everything important to us. There is no instant cure or easy cure. We recognize God as the only source of deliverance and healing from our addiction, so we give ourselves over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Naaman had specific ideas of how he should be cured from his leprosy. When things didn't turn out like he thought they should, he became angry. It didn't cure his leprosy any faster or with a better way, only delayed the process. That is why, as addicts, we have searched for the easier softer way for our recovery rather than submit to God.

I pray that this year will be your year to break free of the bondage of addiction.
God on you.....
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Run To The Rock

2012-01-03T05:28:00.000-06:00

From QUICK STUDY DAILY DEVOTION:
Obedience to God's WORD provides the protection we need.

Obedience is not a "willy-nilly" happenstance of events that we find ourselves in.
Obedience is focus of our will toward what God's will is showing us to be the proper way to make choices.
I no longer do what I think I should...
I no longer do what I want to do...
I no longer barter with myself as to what is the best thing to do....
I look to God's directive for my life and the life of my family.
Then I do it.
Sounds simple.
Yet sometimes it is very hard to carry out.
Why?
Because I sometimes only want to follow God's will when my own will had gotten me in "the ditch" so to speak. In other words, when I have messed up my choices and the situations are closing in...then I want God to come make it all better....kiss the boo-boo on my knee and tell me everything is going to be okey dokey.

It seems as the\ough being obedient is only fashionable when it truly is something we want to do. True obedience is found when God's choice conflicts with my choice.......and God's choice wins. The more I walk (or go about my daily business) in this manner, the easier it becomes to follow God.

Psalm 91:1-2 reads: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, My God in whom I trust!'"
To dwell or place yourself in God's protection comes about through following God's WORD. Then and only then can I make the statement that God is my refuge and my fortress. It is not a matter of semantics or flowery words.......this becomes truth.

I received a number of phone calls this past week from people who are really struggling with their addiction.
They were dwelling the in the shelter of the Most High but chose to leave. They chose to return to their old ways and old lifestyle. Now the pain is unbearable. The shame and guilt is smothering them. They are at their wits end and have turned once again to God for help. God has reached out to them to redeem them and bring them back into a place where healing can began. I am grateful for God's redemptive hand, but also fearful for those who continue to live in darkness, pushing God's hand away each time He reaches to them. I pray that they don't die before they receive God's salvation.

Father God....
I pray that you would loose Your Holy Spirit this morning and seek out those who are living in spiritual darkness. Bound by sin and addiction. There isn't any thing the enemy (devil) can do that you cannot break and bring freedom to those entrapped by it. I pray that today would be a day of liberation for those living the lie of addiction. That You would bring Your Kingdom Will to earth and accomplish here, what is going on in heaven right now, right this minute.
In Jesus name.....
Amen.....

God on you....
mb

Twenty-Twelve

2012-01-02T07:22:00.000-06:00

2012.....
Sounds like something out of the old sci-fi movies I watched as a boy.
By 2012 we would have flying cars and rocket packs.
Man's achievements would stand glistening in rising sun of a new day...a new era.
There would not be anything that mankind could not achieve.

2012.....
Reality shows us that it is a time of great spiritual darkness.
Economies around the world are at the brink of failure.
Great undercurrents of unrest and mistrust sweep the globe.
People are looking for a savior.....
Not for their lives...but for their lifestyle.
Promises never intended to be kept are given to the people in hopes that peace will reign.

Knowing and seeing this spiritual darkness, what does 2012 hold for me?
What is God saying about 2012?
Having had this time off over this past week, I have spent a good deal of it studying and praying over what God wants to do in me and through me over this coming year.
I have been reading Isaiah 61.

V1. - The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.
This was a reminder that I belong to Him. That He has saved me and chosen me to participate in the Kingdom work here in Attalla. Everyone who has been saved is called to Kingdom work. It doesn't mean that everyone is a pastor or a preacher. It doesn't mean that everyone quits their jobs to pursue what the world refers to as "Full-time Ministry." Truth be known, everyone who claims the name of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is in full time ministry. What we do need to remember is that we have been given the most incredible gift in the world. We has been filled...possessed by the third part of the Holy Trinity....God, the Holy Spirit. Wowzers!!

V1. - To bring good news to the afflicted.
Good news?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This little bit of information is power! It is the power to save.
In order to be saved, you have to be made aware that you are in danger.
In this case, we are born with a major character defect called a "Sin Nature." or a propensity to do very selfish, destructive behaviors that take us outside the will of God. In other words, we kind of thumb our noses at God and say, "Leave me alone and let me live my life!" In my estimation, the Apostle Paul said it best in Romans 7:18-19 - "For I know nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (sin nature), for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not wish."
I told you we were messed up. We are so used to living like this, we think it's normal. Boy have we fallen a long ways from the God tree!

To me, 2012 will be a year of proclamation. Wasn't 2011 a year of proclamation? Sure it was. That is why 2012 must continue on with the message. There are still those out there who haven't heard and do not know that Jesus died to free them from the bondage of sin (which includes addiction). We will continue to share this message here at Greene Street Letters. I hope that you will continue to drop by from time to time and read the postings. I hope that you will share the Greene Street Letters with your family and friends.
God on you......

mb

Sing..Sing...Sing With All You've Got!

2011-12-31T08:09:00.000-06:00

Psalm 100:1
"......Come before Him with joyful singing...."

From Pastor Rod Hembree of the Quick Study Bible Program:
Why is there so much music in the Bible? Why is nearly one-third of the Bible music? Why does God command His people to praise Him in His sanctuary? There is something about the songs of the redeemed. Those who can sing what the angels cannot. Those who were born to die, who appear at the judgment of sin, yet seek the Savior to redeem their lives, have a unique song in all of history and heaven and earth. We have felt the rise to purity from the impure. We have experienced the elevation to eternal purpose from meaningless. For this, we sing! And when we do, all heaven breaks loose!

When I read what Rod Hembree had said, I knew it in my spirit yet to see it in print just floored me. It made me painfully aware of the times I have stood in worship services singing How Great Thou Art, Yet my mind was a thousand miles away. I do not every want to do that again. I do not want to simply mouth words and hope I hit right notes during praise and worship. At the same time, I do not want to act out of emotion or my flesh either. Posturing myself so that others might think me some kind of super-spiritual saint. I think the best place to be is one of humility. Worshiping God in the knowledge and understanding of where you could be if not for His salvation, and where you don't want to be because of the guidance of His Holy Spirit.I think John Wimber used to refer to this place as the "Radical Middle".

I do not know what 2012 holds in store. In the past, I have written flowery words with touches of what I thought to be prophetic insight. I won't go there this year. I am grateful to have seen 2011 all the way through. I am grateful for everything that has transpired in my life over this past year....family...friends.....the Church at Rapha.....God has been good. How can I not worship Him because of His faithfulness, even when I wasn't. As the clock approaches midnight tonight and the calendar turns over to 1/1/12....stop for a moment and give thanks to God! Worship Him...You know He's worth it....right?

God on you....
mb

God's Hand

2011-12-30T05:39:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you know things in your mind and even in your spirit, but it takes an event to make them become real. We quote scripture and do so with great faith but faith is truly tested when you find yourself in a place where all you have is your faith. So it was Monday.

I had been admitted to the hospital and was in my room. I had my Bible and was trying to read but found my mind wandering to dark places it should not have gone. "What if this is my last day? What if I never see my family again?" Questions kept running through my mind, so I began to pray. I acknowledged that God was in control. I was His child. Whatever He had for me was o.k., but I wanted to ask of Him. So I placed my petition before Him as to what I truly wanted to see come from this heart attack. The very minute I finished my prayer, I was flooded with peace. I mean it was as real and tangible as anything I have ever experienced. There wasn't any fear. There wasn't any doubt. There was a "solid" knowing in my Spirit that God was God and He was worthy to be trusted, even with my life. From that moment on, everything that took place was incredible. In fact the entire episode, not that I look back, was covered by God's hand.

When the pain initially set in on Monday, my wife called our doctor........He was already at the hospital. The heart doctor our doctor refers patients to was on his way to the hospital to do rounds. God had set this up! You'll never convince me otherwise. Both doctors there ready to see me..no waiting...it was a God-thing.

I am grateful as I wrote yesterday for the prayers that were offered up on my behalf. I need prayer now to maintain the lifestyle that I am going to have to move toward. I've never been good at dieting or exercise, but now that is no longer an option. I have a wife that I want to grow older with. I have son's and daughters-in-law I love dearly, and I have grand children I want to see grow up and honor the Lord with their lives. In order to do that, I have got to change my diet. Bottom line in all of this, God is good.

Verse for the day:
John 14:1
"Let no your heart be troubled; believe in God, believer also in Me."

God on you....
mb

Sorry About That!

2011-12-29T06:19:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in several days.
Monday I had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. I had a heart cath done (one artery 99.9% blocked) a stint put in and all is well. The prognosis is good for my recovery so I am grateful and give praise to God for His hand of healing. I will share some of the things that God gave me during my time in the hospital, but for now I am going to rest.
Thanks to everyone for the prayers.....
God is still in control...
MB

Church At Philadelphia / What I Can Learn From Them

2011-12-26T07:03:00.000-06:00

Revelation 3:10 - 11
Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Verse 8 - For you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.

What is the message for us today found in the life of this church located in Philadelphia?
1.) The church which recognized its natural weakness, was supplied with supernatural ability through the power of God's Holy Spirit. It is amazing how we find the Twelve Steps hidden through out Scripture. The principals for living a godly life are all the same no matter whether you struggle with addiction or not. Remember the addiction is merely a sign or symptom of a greater problem. A sin problem. You don't have a drug or alcohol problem, you have a living problem. A broken relationship with Christ is at the center of the struggle. But here we see where God recognizes this church in Philadelphia because they have little strength. In other words, they know that as a congregation, they are powerless.

2.) The church has kept God's word. In other words, the Bible was more than just a book, it became the very voice of God in their midst. They recognized the value in simply doing what God instructed them to do. How simple yet how profound is it to simply do what we read in Scripture.

3.) The kept or did not deny the name of God. Names were important back in Biblical times because a name revealed the character of the person. Keeping God's name would imply a belief in the ability of God. How incredible is this! To trust and rely wholly on God's ability to take care and direct those whose hearts are committed to Him and His kingdom. Matthew 6:33 -- Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Holding fast or placing all your trust on the name of God implies a reliance upon God's strength while rejecting your own ability or strength. This is the heart of recovery. "I've tried it my way and my very best thinking has got me in rehab." It's time to put down our way and embrace God's way.

I guess the lesson for today (for me and hopefully you) is that God empowers those who persevere in the face of adversity. Realize that adversity is a given when you are putting your trust in God to deliver you out of your addiction. Not giving up ....Not giving in....Holding fast to God in the belief that He is truly who He claims to be and will do what He claims He will do is the heart of real life. Having this ongoing spiritual awakening is way to life.
God bless each of you today....
mb

2011-12-25T07:17:00.000-06:00

From our family to you and yours....
Here's wishing you a most blessed Merry Christmas....
Michael...Vicki...Chad...Robin...Tyler...Ashley...Josh and Heather...& last, but certainly not least...Betty!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T10:18:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a sons, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us: and the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

As the hours count down to Christmas, I want to thank all of you who stop by here to read the postings. I pray that you find something that might encourage you or give you strength. Above all, I pray that you find Jesus (not that He is missing) and the change that He can bring to life.

Tonight, I will take a walk. It is a tradition that started many years ago when my sons were little boys. After every one was in bed and the presents were under the tree, I would take a short walk in the neighborhood. Sometimes the weather would only allow me to walk to the end of my driveway but I took the walk just the same. Christmas Eve is the quietest night of the year. Standing there in the street, lit by the trees and lights from the various homes up and down the neighborhood, there is silence. No traffic.........No one stirring.....No noise.........just silence. It is as though God the Father has demanded reverence and quiet on this the prelude to the birth of the Christ child. Even the demons are silenced and for this brief moment, Satan himself cowers because he is reminded of the significance of this night. It is my most favorite time.

I am flooded with memories of Christmas past.
Growing up in Gallant, Alabama, the church was central to the community so Christmas events were important. We always had music and suppers and a reading of the Christmas story, bringing together all of the church family. There in that small country church, I was nurtured and fed the Word of God. I am grateful to men such as Reverend Lewis Wood, Reverend D.E. Hendrix and Reverend Don Gentry for the leadership they provided in our church.

I remember one particular Christmas when my brother received a genuine RCA Stereo Hi-fi record player. That was big stuff for back in the '50's. My dad took the speaker and put it in the window, putting Bobby Darrin's Mack the Knife on the turntable and cranking that bad boy up on about 10. 3 a.m. and all you can hear up and down the valley is "Oh that shark bite..has such teeth dear..and he keeps them outta sight!" There was my day standing in the front yard, directing an unseen orchestra as the music blared out into the Stratosphere. Lights began to come on all over the community. I guess folks didn't know whether Jesus was coming back or we had been invaded by the Russians. I miss my dad. I think of him a lot during the year, but most of all during Christmas time.

My mom loved Christmas.
To her, Christmas was a happening. Something to be organized and kept on schedule so everyone could enjoy it whether they wanted to or not. Presents would be passed out and we would sit there as one person opened up their loot. This went around the room until Mom was the last one. Needless to say it took a great deal of time to accomplish this feat. In fact one of my most memorable spanking came one Christmas after I had finished opening my presents, I took a piece of paper and pen and began writing on it. Mom stopped the festivities and ask me why I wasn't enjoying others opening their presents since everyone had paid attention while I opened mine. I wryly told my Mother that since it took so long to finish off this ritual, I was starting on my Christmas list for next year so I'd get it in on time. "WHACK!!!!!" I don't know why I did such things. I knew what the outcome would be. It was like watching a train wreck and not being able to do anything about it. I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I have written this in a sense of fun. I love my Mom and she did love Christmas. If ever there was a giving person, it was my Mom.

So it's after 10 a.m.
I will take my Mother-in-law to Candle light service tonight at Christ Central United Methodist Church. I will see old friends and there will be many greetings of "Merry Christmas!" We will come home and have supper and probably settle in to watch "It's A Wonderful Life." I am a very full and satisfied man today. God has been more than gracious to me and I humbly acknowledge Him as my provision.
I wish to you a Merry Christmas!
MB

December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T09:18:00.000-06:00

Sitting here in my office at Rapha, I look out into the compound yard and see men preparing to leave for Christmas pass. Clothes piled high (yes, they even take home their dirty clothes for mom to wash), suitcases stacked and ready to be loaded. Parents, wives and others are here to pick up a loved one to take them home for the holidays. There has been and continues to be prayer covering every one this holiday season. Prayer that they will have a Christmas unlike any they've had in a long time. Prayer that every one returns safely. It is Christmas here at Rapha.

This is my 14th Christmas here at Rapha, and I can truly say that I never tire of all the activity that goes on here. Each year has been different with surprises and wonderful glimpses of God at work in the lives of those who come through here. Now until Christmas afternoon, my phone will ring with calls from those who are out there. Some will be doing well and call just to catch me up on what's going on. Some will not be doing so well and they will call to throw out a lifeline in order to just make it through the holiday's. But we will survive and live to be clean and sober another day.

I love all the trappings of Christmas....
Trees...
Presents....
Lights.....
Music....
But it is the human connection between people that I hold most dear.
First and foremost, the connection of my family. I am blessed beyond measure when it comes to my family. I am grateful to God for who my sons are and for my daughters and my grand children.
I am blessed to be married to the most wonderful woman in the world. God truly has made us one in His sight.

Those I work with at Rapha. The best! Each day is a new adventure and I praise God that it isn't a job, but a calling. Strengthen us for 2012 and give us wisdom to take care of those You have placed under our care.

I am humbled by the cross and the Christ who hung there for my sin and for the sin of the world.
As much as I love Christmas and the manger..........it only leads to the cross. Praise God it didn't stop there but continues on to a tomb where a stone has been rolled away.

So thank you, Lord for allowing me one more year.
One more Christmas....
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's
Michael & Vicki

There Must Be More!!!!

2011-12-21T20:42:00.000-06:00

I Corinthians 12:31
..........And I show you a still more excellent way.

Sometimes I like to ruminate on things of the past. It's not that I live there or even lay claim to it being better than my today. But the past does hold a nostalgic feel to it, doesn't it? Old television shows are great, not because they are well done or the actors were better. They are great because there are memories attached to them. I can watch an episode of Combat and have mental pictures of being over at Don Standfields watching it with him. I can see all the guys I grew up with, decked out in various pieces of Army gear, ready to take on the dreaded enemy. Me with my web belt and canteen. Michael Plemons actually wearing a fatigue shirt. Others with helmets or packs and entrenching tools. All these memories still fresh in mind as the day we played army. It is fun to take this backwards side trips with our memory from time to time. It isn't healthy when I let my mind live there and my longing for the past overtakes my need to find the future.

Sometimes it is easy to get so caught up in the past the we loose sight of the future. I like the verse in I Corinthians where Paul is talking about spiritual gifts, saying that we should "earnestly desire the greater gifts," but that he would show a still more excellent way. Those are fancy words for "There is more!" Somehow I have always carried this thought around with me as a believer. There is more than what I know or understand. It wasn't about information or knowledge or anything to do with my mind or brain. It had to do with the Holy Spirit working inside of me so that the things of the Kingdom become clearer to me. That I see the hand of God at work and know that I am growing spiritually. I am not satisfied with today. I want to chase God and see where He leads. I want to follow when He says,"Move!" and I want to sit still when He says, "Rest." I sincerely believe that blessings and clarification concerning God's Kingdom work here, is contingent on me being obedient.

What I speak of isn't a matter of works. It is a matter of heart. It is a matter of love for the Father. It is a matter of forsaking all for the Kingdom. Doesn't fly to well in the face of today's church. Seems as though some folks only want to go to church on Sunday and sit and sing so they can get up to leave and come back next Sunday to sit and sing some more. Along the way they throw some money in the offering plate and feel like they have done their "Christian Duty" for God and country. I cannot believe that this type behavior is all there is to the Kingdom of God here on earth. I believe when we stand and pray earnestly from the heart and ask God for "Kingdom will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven," God will take us up on that. I do not have the luxury or desire to nail down my beliefs and relationship with God over something in the past. I have seen people stand to give a testimony to God and it was couched in some event that took place back in 1953. 1953? Has God not done anything for you since 1953? John Wesley said that if what ever you share about the workings of God in your life is over a week old, you've got yourself a serious problem. John Wesley's view was toward a God that was at work all the time in the lives of His children. This ongoing work should be the fuel and fire that awakens us from religious slumber and sets us on the path of following Him to the more excellent way. As we count down the days left here in 2011, let us be about the business of "laying aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Let's embrace the entrance of 2012 as the year in which we live with all sincerity a life that is pleasing to God.
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's
Michael & Vicki

Steps...by Steps.....by Steps.....

2011-12-21T07:45:00.003-06:00

Step # 6 --
We commit ourselves to God and desire that He remove patterns of sin from our lives.

Step # 7 --
We humbly ask God to renew our minds so that our sinful patterns can be transformed into patterns of righteousness.
In the twelve steps, steps six and seven carry on the "inside work" that has brought us from Step # 1. We begin a life long cooperation with the Holy Spirit of God, as He works to transform us. In Step 6 we read the phrase patterns of sin. As we continue to do things (behaviors) over and over, they become habits. An example would be the habit becoming a ditch. The more we act with the same behavior, the deeper the ditch is dug. Each time the rain comes, it follows the path of the ditch. The rain would be situations and circumstances that we face each day. Not knowing what to do or how to handle what we are facing, we resort to the old ditches we have dug, in other words, we continue in the old patterns of sinful behavior. God's desire if to fill up the old ditches and dig new ones that are a result of this new relationship I have with Him.

Step # 7 says we humbly ask God to renew our minds.....(Isn't this the place where all battles are played out? Our mind?). Romans 12:2 reads that we are no longer to be conformed this world (don't act or behave in the same manner as those who do not know Jesus) but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Let God show us the better way on how to deal with life.
I like how the Message Bible puts it: Don't be so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
I guess you could say the key to today's posting is A solid, biblical belief system is the key to my healthy behavior.

As we near Christmas, I do want you to know how much I appreciate everyone who stops by Greene Street Letters. I pray that we all grow in Christ and that this upcoming year will be one of greater intimacy with Him and with us all growing in faith as we look forward to the return of Christ.
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's
Michael & Vicki

KNOCK!

2011-12-20T08:45:00.001-06:00

It stands there beckoning you like some silent sentry. You don't know what lies beyond, because the door stands in the way. You look for other points of entry. Ones that seem to be easier and softer in which to move from this place to the next. There are none, at least that would seem to offer the same as the door in front of you.

This isn't the first time you passed this way. Many times the events of your life have lead you to this door, and with every returned visit you still refuse to enter through the door. That would be too obvious and even a bit hypocritical on your part. You know others who have passed through this door and they seem to have obtained what you have been searching for, but still that nagging fear of the door won't go away. At least on this side of the door, you know the rules and you know how to play the game. Never mind that you have lost everything. Never mind that you are only fooling yourself. No matter what you think............the door still stands there calling to you.

A battle rages inside you.
One voice declares that victory and every thing good and proper is waiting on the other side of the door.
Another voice derides the first calming it to be a fairytale that will never measure up to your needs. This subtle, whispered voice tries to calm your fears with promises and lies that, even as you listen, stir your soul to give in. But still the door stands there.

Finally without thought or reason, you reach for the doorknob. Turning it slowly, heart bounding with fear, you open the door. Little by little pulling it back until it stands wide open. Now for the hard part. With the "old" voice ringing in your ears, you slowly take the first step through the door. As you do, you are filled with a sense of freedom and peace unlike anything you have ever felt. A voice all too familiar greets your heart with these words......."Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Welcome to recovery.
To those of you who stop by the Greene Street Letters, I want you to know that there is healing and freedom from addiction to be found in the person of Jesus Christ. I would not write this if it were not true. I don't claim to have any magic or even many answers, but I do know this one thing. You may think you have an addiction problem. Truth is...........you have a living problem. You have a broken relationship with Jesus. Why not let this be the best Christmas you ever celebrated by giving him your life today. By allowing this Jesus to "Birth you again" unto new life. More than religious mumbo-jumbo or empty pipe dreams, this new life with Jesus is just that. New life.
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's....
Michael & Vicki

Christmas Revelation

2011-12-20T07:29:00.003-06:00

I have spent a fair amount of time reading in Revelation. I love this book especially during the Christmas season. Why? Because we spend a lot of time playing and trying to make the season look like all that is good and holy and proper. In the, hopeful, not to distant future, God will actually set up His kingdom and it will be built and established on all that is holy, good and proper. I try and visualize what events will look like that I read about in Revelation.

Revelation 19
V.5 - And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
Instructions that we will hear. We won't have to guess whether we are hearing God........whether we are hearing correctly.....is it me or is it God? We will hear a voice calling us to the greatest worship event ever. All other such events on this side of eternity will pale in comparison to the goings-on in heaven. In the verse we are called bond servants. We have been set free but choose to follow God all the way through this life, crossing over to eternity and beyond (if such a place as "beyond eternity" exists).

V.6 - And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns."
A multitude.
How many make up a multitude? 5,000........5 million? More than can be counted? It doesn't matter, except to say that the sound they made was as the sound of many waters. Since the Holy Spirit is sometimes symbolized as water.........could it be that the voices were under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit? Maybe. He goes on to say that the voices also sounded like peals of thunder.....That is a sound found in the heavens. The sound that fills heaven has power behind it. Not the power of a choir and their voices, but the sound of hearts that have been saved, all proclaiming the greatness of God. Stand back....it is going to blow our socks off. I can hardly wait.
Taking part in such an outpouring of praise and worship will be unlike anything we ever experienced here on earth. I have been a part of some pretty powerful worship, but think about standing in the presence of Jesus.............praise rising up within me............the sound that it will make as it leaves my lips...a complete giving of myself in worship unto the LORD......I can hardly wait.

Let your heart be filled with the knowledge of Christ this holiday season.
Remember your first love, Jesus, and return to Him with a renewed sense of dedication and devotion.
Merry Christmas to you and your family from the Bynum's.....
Michael & Vicki

Countdown Has Begun

2011-12-19T07:11:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful weekend.
Saturday nights service was the Candle light meeting as part of our Christmas celebration.
Voices singing and giving glory to God.
Men responding to Jesus' call to salvation.
Two more added to the long line of saints that stretches back into the past.
The room bathed in soft glow of candles as we sang You have redeemed my soul from the pit of emptiness.
More than words, but a heart felt cry of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us.
Much hugging and back slapping all covered with joyous greetings of "Merry Christmas."
Such was our Saturday.

II Peter 1:4
For by these, He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
We have been granted by God what Peter refers to as "His precious and magnificent promises."
Words spoken by God...
Given to mankind....
Words that carry weight and effect when introduced into our lives.
Words that break the power of sin...
The influence of sin...
The penalty of sin....
Words that carry power and power that can deliver the vilest person whose heart is stone cold dead.
Promises that break all hardness and penetrate all darkness to illuminate and give hope.
We need these words now more than ever.
While the world seeks to put on a "happy face" and tie all happiness to the ownership of things, humanity rushes headlong using their fleshly passions like a throttle. Speeding to destruction all the while thinking, "If I can just buy one more present....If I can just have this for myself, life would be so much better." The only thing I desire to lay hold of is the cross of Christ. The completed work of Jesus that has set me free, filled me with God's Holy Spirit and has given me purpose in this life.

I place my hope, my trust, my very life in the hands of Jesus.
I place my hope, my trust, my very life on the promises of God.
I place my hope, my trust, my very life that He will guide me and see me all the way through this life, taking me to next part on the other side of eternity.
Fairy tale?
Nope...
Promises!

Merry Christmas from the Bynum's
Michael & Vicki

A Good Night Was Had By All

2011-12-17T07:55:00.001-06:00

Last night we celebrated the Campbell Christmas, my wife's side of the family. Truth be known, they are more like family sometimes than my own. She is from a large family, 5 brothers and sisters, and me, being from a small family, one brother, it was a bit overwhelming at first. The Bynum family Christmas was orderly and peaceful and very quiet as we unwrapped our gifts one at a time so mother could see what we had received. On the other hand, my wife's family is like something from a Keystone Cops movie. Organized chaos. Everyone talking at once. Someone on their hands and knees picking up presents, calling the name out and then chunking said present with Joe Montana precision across the room to a Campbell receiver who snatched it out of the air like Jerry Rice on the run.
You take 5 brothers and sisters, along with their respective wifes or husbands... and add kids to the mix. Then on top of that genealogical hierarchy put some grand kids and then great grand kids and you got yourselves a hoo-ha! Such is the Campbell Christmas.

We gathered at the Sardis Community Center for the sware'. Why Sardis? It's is kind of a halfway point for everyone to travel to. Ton's of food and laughter. Little kids running every where screaming and playing "Tag..you're it!" It was a time to catch up on the individual clan's year. Vicki's brother, Mike, was recovering from back surgery and doing well. He and Dianne, his wife, had made enough ham and turkey sandwiches to take care of the entire Russian Army during the winter of 09. There was Deb, my sister-in-law, and her vegetable soup. She told me that she had made it a little hotter than she intended. Jalapenos will do it every time. For me, the soup was heaven with cornbread. I do love me some good soup. Thanks Deb!

Larry, another brother and husband of hot soup making Deb, shared stories of a reunion he had recently attended. Larry is a retired Colonel from the Marine Corp and the men he served with during Viet Nam held a reunion in Washington D.C. Larry wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to attend, but finally opted to go. He is extremely glad he did and the stories he shared were humdingers. U-rah!

Presents for the little kids and dirty Santa for the adults brought squeals and screams. Errrr..from the tykes not the grown ups. I had my eye on a popcorn serving set but alas, it was not to be. Dianne, the sandwich making machine, wound up with the prize popcorn set. Me? I got a copy of Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest. Not bad at all.

I sat with my grand niece, Fiona, during the meal and we caught up on what music we were currently listening too. What songs we had heard that really made an impression. Fiona is a very good musician, playing several different instruments but leaning toward Violin as her favorite. Last month, she attended a church conference at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and was asked to play and sing. Fiona shared a video of her song, Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing. I knew she could play the violin but I had no idea of the power of her voice. She was incredible! Her voice has a (I know this may sound strange to some) Celtic quality to it. I think I may have been sitting with someone who will be taken to places through her music that she may not even dream is possible. God's richest blessing on my grand niece.

As the days count down to Christmas, I want to share a verse that means a lot to me.
I John 1:5 - And this is the message we have from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. I like that. "In Him there is no darkness." If I remain in Christ and Christ remain in me....then I will walk in light. In other words, I will be made aware of anything the enemy is tyring to do to me or through me. I will be aware of any attitudes and wrong motives that come up in my decisions. If you look around during this time of year, it's all about the lights. We have festival of lights and Christmas light shows and trees with colored lights every where you look. They represent the power and presence of Christ. The lights remind us of how little power darkness actually has when light is introduced. Light pushes the darkness away and brings comfort. Such is Christ. Darkness flees at not only his presence but at the very mention of His name. Jesus, name above all names.
During this holiday season, I pray that the light and presence of Jesus would cover each of you and your families.
Thank you again for stopping by Greene Street Letters.
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's.
mb

R.I.P.

2011-12-16T05:40:00.003-06:00

We called him "Pops"...He worked in the kitchen and always had a smile on his face. He saw the world through a distinct and unique view that didn't always match up with reality.
He would sit on the bench outside the TV room, soaking up "ray's" as he referred to it.
His face revealed the miles he had traveled in this life.
It had been a hard road if you listened to his stories.
Dreams were lost... Family was just a word that some people used to connect people to their past.
He was a pleasant man.
He left Rapha some weeks ago to return to his old life. It costs him.
Police found him dead this past Tuesday. He'd been shot.

Funny or strange as this may sound, this is the very reason we celebrate Christmas.
Death and sin.
If not for those two, then Jesus would never have had to come to this earth and be born.
If death and sin had never invaded the garden, then wise men and Shepherds would never have been a part of this Christmas pageant. As beautiful as we have tried to make Christmas, we need to remember that the baby that was born in Bethlehem's stable, came to this earth to die for the sin of the world.
Jesus was on a mission at the request of His Father and He saw it through to completion and beyond. It should be a time of rejoicing! Christ, the Messiah.......the ultimate Deliverer...has been born. A Savior for all has stepped into our time and space to break the power and the penalty of sin.
But we must never forget that during this season, people are dying all around us.
"Lord...don't let me become so numb and self centered in my own life that I never see those around me who don't know you. Those to who Christmas is just another day. A day to spend money on presents. Let me proclaim Your story........Your good news........Your gospel to all. A story that still resonates with power in the proclamation that "Unto you this day a Savior has been born who is Christ the LORD!
God on you......
mb

Find The Value In The Things God Has Entrusted Us With

2011-12-14T20:26:00.000-06:00

The amazing story of God, in the form of man, stepping into our time and space.
Living, growing and taking his place in the society of His day.
Beginning to minister and proclaim with a voice that was as old as time itself that "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand......repent and turn from your sins."

Christmas is more than warm fuzzy feelings and soft colored lights.
It is a time of reassurance that God has not forgotten or lost His grip on this planet or the people who occupy it.
It is a time for faith.
It is a time for us to recommit ourselves.
It is a time to realize that.......Yes! We have joy. Yes! We have hope! But we also have a duty to God to be good stewards fo the things He places at our disposal. It is a time to stop playing marbles with diamonds.

God on you.....
mb

Shine!

2011-12-14T07:49:00.000-06:00

One light.....
One candle.....
One flame......
That is all it takes to drive back the darkness.
One heart......
One love........
One Savior.......
That is all it took to drive back the darkness.
The gates of hell............those massive, rusted, bars that have stood ever since the fall, will not prevail.
They cannot prevail. Jesus has defeated the Kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of Satan.
By becoming a sacrifice, Jesus loved his way to victory. He is the light of the world. Not one of many lights............not a light............not some light, but rather THE LIGHT. He is the ultimate source of illumination and salvation for those trapped in spiritual darkness.

Shepherds saw the glory-light of God as it came down all around them. They were terrified until the angel said, "Fear not!"
Moses saw the glory-light of God in a bush that was not consumed. He was terrified and took off his shoes at the instruction that came from the bush.
The magi saw the message-light in the heavens and followed it until it came to rest over a house where they found the baby. There they worshipped under the heavenly light of a star that led them from the East, and nothing would ever be the same.
Evil would continue to invade and capture the souls and will of humanity.....
But....
A Savior had been born.
God in flesh walking among his creation.
Walking every day with purpose that would culminate on a cross.
Joy to all mankind.
Salvation in tidal waves of mercy poured out for all to receive.
Some did...
Some did not....
Still the plan moved on down through the ages...
Without faltering or failing....the plan moved on.
Here today, December 14, 2011, the plan is as powerful as ever.
The call to salvation has not lessened.
This is the heart and nature of Jesus the Christ.
Praise God for this and more!

Merry Christmas from the Bynum's
Michae & Vicki

A Baby Is Born

2011-12-12T20:41:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 1:3
And He (Jesus) is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He (Jesus) had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Sometimes I think the reason that Christmas is so universally accepted is that we celebrate the birth of a baby. Truth be known, babies aren't to threatening to anyone. They are cute and cuddly and warm and make really funny noises. We oooooh and aaaaaahhhhh at them. We talk baby talk to them. I don't think many people today are uneasy about Jesus as a baby. Just don't let him grow up to be man. Don't let him grow up to be a man who takes on an earthly kingdom by bringing in a heavenly kingdom. The man, Jesus, stands in stark contrast to the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in manger in the town of Bethlehem.

Rod Hembree, pastor of Good Friends Church, made this observation concerning Jesus. "Two thousand years after His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ is still the main issue. He is the ultimate swear word by the culture and entertainment community. He is central argument among all religious theologians. He is the premier problem for the agents of evil. He is the classic confusion of the philosophers. He is the number one terror of the nations that terrorize His church. He is the chief pick against political correctness. He is the rub against relativism. Jesus Christ is the dissenting discomfort of the New Age movement. He is the barbed wire barrier for the man of lawlessness and the stumbling stone of man's foundational governments. That is because in all of this, and more, Jesus Christ is LORD!"

The depth of understanding of who Jesus is will never end. In John 17:3, we read that this is the very reason we have been given eternal life...."That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." So daily, through the Word of God, through my interaction of prayer and listening for God, I grow in respect to relationship. I grow in my ability to hear God and discern His good will for me. I grow in my trust that God is truly who He claims to be and will do exactly what He claims He will do.
This time of year, I find myself extremely grateful for life itself. I look to my past and see the destruction and darkness I wallowed in for years....I look to my future and see the face of Jesus, because nothing else matters out there. I look to today and find gratefulness and gratitude for having been given this gift of 24 hours. I pray that I spent it wisely and for the Kingdom of God.

Find Christ this holiday season.
Merry Christmas! From the Bynum's....
Vicki and Michael.

Is Your Cross Big Enough?

2011-12-11T17:49:00.000-06:00

Philemon : 12 - 14
And I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, who I wished to keep with me, that in your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel. But without your consent I did not want to do anything, that your goodness should not be as it were by compulsion, but of your own free will.

Paul is appealing to the master of a runaway slave who was converted by Paul in prison. Paul is asking that Philemon, the man to whom the letter is written, forgive the slave. Paul has brought the gospel to both men...Philemon (the master) and Onesimus, the slave, yet Paul is appealing for forgiveness saying that it is not based on compulsion but by choice. I think this is a sticking point with a lot of people. I don't think the church has done a very good job of teaching on forgiveness. Somehow most of the people I run into all have the same notion that forgiveness comes from feelings.Forgiveness comes from choosing to forgive.

Church is always great and feels wonderful when we are surrounded by people we love. But what happens when our churches are invaded by those who have hurt or harmed us? What happens when we see those people seeking God? Does our flesh flare up and we become silently angry, hiding by a face of religion? Or do we help them? I read this statement from Quick Study Bible lesson for today: Is the Cross big enough for those who have deeply wounded me, or is it just big enough for me? In other words, am I enjoying the benefits of this relationship with Jesus and only wanting specific others to have the same privilege? I dare say many would answer that question out loud, but in case you did, and in case you felt some conviction....then, like me, we both need to get a bigger cross. Or better yet, we need "self" to shrink and disappear so that only Jesus is left. More of you, Lord, and less of me. True forgiveness is never a felling or a mood; it is a choice that must be made over and over.

Mull this over and let God speak to your heart.
Today is the perfect day to forgive.
God on you.....
mb

Friday Night Get-Down

2011-12-10T07:24:00.000-06:00

We had our Christmas Tree Decorating party last night. One of my most favorite gatherings during the Christmas season. My wife made Snicker Doodles and her recipe for KILLER HOT CHOCOLATE.
It is always so funny to watch the men when they first come into the chapel and see the Christmas tree. It isn't decorated so they kind of stand off not knowing what to do.

We had a table set up with all the goodies on it.
Brenda Lee was playing through the sound system Jingle Bells Rock, so as cookies are being eaten and hot chocolate is going down smooth, one by one the men come forward picking up strands of lights and ornaments. Pretty soon the room is abuzz with the sound of laughter and singing. I might add that our singing will never win us a recording contract. What we lacked in talent was made up in gusto and passion.

It has been years for some of these men since they actually decorated a Christmas tree. It has been years since Christmas had meant anything. For most, Christmas was just another day. Another day to work at their addiction trying to figure out where they were going to get enough money to buy what they needed to get high on. But last night, for that brief moment in time, those dark memories disappeared and there was laughter. I had several come up to me after we finished and said, "I didn't know I could have a good time without getting drunk!"

Once the tree was lit (to the sounds of oooohs and ahhhhhs) we sang Silent Night. There in the glow of the lights from the tree, the Spirit of God came into that room. Faces once hard and dark kind of melted into tenderness as we simply sang and stood in the presence of God.

Thank you Father, for your wonderful love for us.
May we truly understand the celebration of Christmas.
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's!

Christmas is.......

2011-12-09T06:55:00.000-06:00

Christmas is.....
Looking into the faces of the people I see at Wal-mart and at the mall.
Some faces are hard and cold. I don't see any joy or peace. I pray for those faces that they might run into this Jesus who has changed my life. I wish not to give false hope in telling anyone about my Jesus. He isn't a handy-dandy fix man who can undo all the damage I've done in my life. He is a Savior that can transform and produce a new way of seeing life.......a new way of doing business with the world.

Some faces radiate with the glow of God's Spirit. They may be about the business of buying presents for family and friends, but you see Jesus in them. Soft smiles and eyes that are filled with love. Even the very timbre of their voice can soften the hardest of hearts they meet.

Christmas is......
Breakfast with my good friends, Jim Bentley. Waffle house with coffee and conversation. Catching up on the week. Looking back at our past, wondering how we got to where we are. Appreciative of God's hand upon our lives and for the memories we share. Some good...some not so good......but none the less a part of our friendship. I have known Jim since the fall of 1968. We have a lot of shared history. He is my best-est friend.

Christmas is.....
Revisiting Luke Chapter 2.
Trying to place myself in Joseph's shoes. What would I have done? Would I have been a man of integrity like Joseph? Or would I have fallen prey to the easy way out? I get angry when movies and television shows try and "Hollywood-ize" the Christmas story. This was a serious thing to be a young girl having a baby outside of marriage. It wasn't a story of warm cozy feelings and soft lights that seem to permeate and cast just the right shadows over the stable. It was a time of a king who was drunk with power and would do anything to hold on to it. Even ordering the killing of small children. In the midst of all the political intrigue and the religious fervor.......there stood Joseph whose primary concern was for his wife and for the baby that was to be born.

Christmas is....
My family.
Josh and Heather will be coming in from Athens, Georgia on Christmas day. Chad, Robin and the grand kids, Tyler and Ashley, will be coming from Southside Christmas afternoon. My wife, Vicki, will spend the morning in our kitchen working the cooking magic she does so well and spread out a meal that would rival the finest chef's found anywhere in the world. We will gather around that table and share more than a meal. We will share our love and laughter. We will share memories. We will be together. To me that is the greatest present a person can receive......family.

I saved this one for last.
Christmas is.....
The story of the birth of Jesus.
It is the defining moment in the history of the world, when God stepped out of heaven and took on the form and flesh of mankind. He invaded our time and space with a purpose. To take the next step in his plan to right the terrible wrong that took place in the garden when mankind fell from grace into a world of sin. To me Christmas is victory! Christmas is a joyous shout of triumph, and with each Christmas, we draw nearer and nearer to the ultimate finality....Christ return. Would ever a song be so true as to be present at that return and sing.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come.
Let earth receive her King!!!!

Merry Christmas from the Bynum's

Thank you for stopping by Greene Street

Michael & Vicki

Tis The Season To Gripe and Grumble

2011-12-08T08:21:00.001-06:00

Nehemiah 9: 15 - 22
You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them. But our ancestors were a proud and stubborn lot, and they refused to obey your commands. They refused to listen and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt! But you are a a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and full of unfailing love and mercy. You did not abandon them, even though they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, "This is your god who brought you of of Egypt!" They sinned and committed terrible blasphemies. But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them bread from heaven or water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They laced nothing in all that time. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!

God is faithful always....
Even when we are not.
It seems that the world (in particular..the US of A) has lost the ability to be thankful. I turn on the TV and I see people protesting against what they don't have. They scream and yell and shake their fist (mainly for the cameras) and rail against the perceived notion of unfairness in this country. I'm not hear to debate one way or the other. I am just confounded by the ungratefulness that people show. It's like nothing is ever good enough. That people don't have enough, so they complain and grip and grumble.
In the verses above from the book of Nehemiah, we read of God's faithfulness balanced against the unfaithfulness of the Israelites. God took care of them for 40 years, yet all they did was complain about they way God was taking care of them. "I hate this manna.....it's manna in the morning, manna in the evening, manna at supper time." Yet this manna, which was bread from heaven, didn't cost them anything other than a little bit of labor to go and harvest what they needed just for that day. \

I do not ever want to forget the things God has done for me and my family. Maybe that is why Christmas is so important to me. It is a time to actually take stock of the year and how God has sustained us since last Christmas. To celebrate the triumphs of family and grieve over defeats or failures. It doesn't matter which it is, we are family so we share together.
Today I am grateful for Rapha.
I am grateful to Steve and Marilyn for answering God's call and letting him work through them to establish this place.
I am grateful to Bill who gave of himself to serve God here at Rapha.
I am grateful to Gene and Mike for taking up the mantle and bringing fresh vision to Rapha.
I am grateful for Barry for bringing to the table a new way of continuing the mission here at Rapha.
I am thankful for Brenden and Jeff as God has added to the Rapha family two men who serve in ways that amaze me.
I am thankful for Wayne and Debbie for following me all these years and for the heart of worship they bring to Rapha every Saturday night.
I am thankful for Rainnie (Spell?) and the quirky view of life that God has placed in him. For placing him as our leader and giving him vision for the future.
I am thankful for my wife and Deb for being called here to Rapha to serve.
It is truly a wonderful thing for me to be co-laborers with my wife in what God is doing here at Rapha.
I am thankful for each man who comes through the program.
I am thankful for you, O'Lord, for giving me a home in which to serve you.

Merry Christmas!
mb

Love And Forgiveness

2011-12-07T08:11:00.000-06:00

Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

I Corinthians 13:4
.....Love keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

For some reason during my Bible time yesterday these two verses met head on in a collision. We are told in Matthew to forgive and receive forgiveness. Receiving for our sins and giving for those who have sinned against us. This forgiveness includes the act of forgiving ourselves for all the destruction and pain we have caused because of our addiction.

I have some who say they can never forgive themselves and what they have done to the families. But at the same time, they make reference to being a loving person. They refer to the love of God that dwells within, but according to I Corinthians.....love keeps no record of wrongs. Do you see the problem here?
We don't and can't forgive...........either ourselves or others, yet we lay claim to the idea that we can love as Jesus loves. If the Holy Spirit of God is in us, then all claims to unforgiveness has to be turned loose of. Unforgiveness and the presence of God will not dwell together. The greatest act and present ever given to fallen man was wrapped up in the death and resurrection of Jesus. IF anyone had a reason to not forgive, I think it would be Jesus. All the humiliation and pain and suffering he endured finding its completion on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem. There, on that cross, Jesus said the most incredible words ever recorded............"Father! Forgive them............they don't know what they are doing." Love and forgiveness coming together to create the ultimate divine ripple that has passed down through the ages, not loosing power........not loosing purpose. The love and forgiveness that is poured out on every generation. Some accept this incredible gift. Some reject it. But it is there! The invitation has not slackened or become irrelevant. That is why we can scream with incredible joy...."UNTO US IS BORN A SAVIOR, CHRIST THE LORD!

Merry Christmas!
Michael and Vicki Bynum

December 24, 1981

2011-12-06T06:15:00.000-06:00

It was Christmas eve, 1981 and we lived on 4th street in Gadsden.
It was after 11 p.m. and both my sons were asleep down the hall with the proverbial dreams of "Sugar plum fairies dancing in their heads." My wife, Vicki, had retired some time back and was fast asleep also. I had finished putting out the presents, locked the doors and was headed to bed myself.

As I entered our living room, I stopped for one last look at the tree. Bynum tradition stated that the Christmas tree would remain lit on Christmas Eve. The lights, the ornaments, the tinsel all draped over our tree. There was one memory that flooded me at that moment. This was the first Christmas since my mother's death in May of that year. My mom loved Christmas because it was truly a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but also to celebrate one of God's gifts to us........family. She loved her family and Christmas was the perfect time to let this show. Mom always went overboard for Christmas with gifts and food and making sure that everyone had a great time. We always kidded here about this because she would huff and puff about how much work it took. Everyone knew that this was a labor of love for her. It was a time when she truly let the love in her heart for her family pour out through the things she did for us. She never expected anything in return.

As the thoughts of Christmas' past flooded my mind, tears welled up and I began to weep. It was an all too real pain of grief and the thought of Mom not being with us. I sat down in the floor and let the tears come even harder. In the middle of this pain, a quiet voice came to me. "Don't cry! She is with me." I knew that God had spoken. Peace. Peace came over me and my thoughts changed to the incredible thought that as much as my Mom loved Christmas, she was going to celebrate it with One who Christmas is all about. Jesus. She would be celebrating her first Christmas in heaven. I took up some paper and a pen and began to write down some words which later would become a song...............You've Gone Home For Christmas.

It's the time of the year

When the world spins in cheer

thoughts turn to family and friends

Of snow covered nights

and bright colored lights

and the things that world adores

but you....

you've gone home for Christmas

to celebrate Emmanuel's new birth

you....
You've gone home for Christmas

left His peace with your family here on earth.

Look beyond the presents

Look beyond the bustle of shopping and buying

Look to the manger and the precious gift it held that night long ago in Bethlehem.

For today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord!

Merry Christmas From the Bynum's

God on you....

Opps...They Got It Wrong!

2011-12-05T06:49:00.000-06:00

Did you ever notice that people sometimes attribute things to Scripture that really aren't found in the Bible?
My favorite is "God helps those who help themselves." A nice platitude but nowhere to be found in the Bible.
Another one that I find interesting, especially this time of year, is "Peace on earth, good will to men." Peace on this planet has long been a dream that has dwelt in the heart of mankind. Some hold tight this thought of all men and women living together in peace, but sinful hearts will never allow this dream to come true.

The phrase "Peace on earth, good will to men" isn't found in Scripture.
If you read what it actually says (Luke 2:14) you'll find that it reads "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. In other words, those whose hearts are given to God, whose lives become reflections of Christ at work in them, are called to receive the peace of God here in the middle of this fallen world. Such a strange interaction that the peace of God would dwell among the chaos and darkness of the Kingdom of Satan.

If you look back to Exodus, you'll see that God did the same thing to the Israelites who dwelt in the land of Goshen. Here we had an entire people in slavery surrounded by the decadence and paganism of Egypt, yet God placed his hand of covering over them and kept them safe. It doesn't matter where you are this morning.
You may be living in a dysfunctional family that would fill the record books with their antics, God will cover you in the middle of the chaos and pain and give to you peace. Not necessarily peace that would change your situation, but peace that would take you through anything you might find yourself facing. Peace that would keep you heart, spirit and body and impart to you strength to face whatever comes your way. That is the Peace my God is able to pour out on those whose hearts are committed to Him.

So while the world tries to offer a pseudo-peace during this Christmas season, let the real-deal God give you the real thing. Don't accept imitations or knock-offs when it comes to peace. Let it permeate every area of your life today. Walk in it! Live in it! And let God receive the glory due Him.
Merry Christmas from the Bynum's!

God on you.....
Michael & Vicki

Behind The Words..

2011-12-03T07:15:00.000-06:00

Luke 2:1
Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

This verse has begun more Christmas stories, plays and pageants that I care to think about.
It is the focal point that leads us to the night of the Christ Child's birth.
But have you ever really stopped and thought about what was really going on?
The Old Testament is filled with prophetic verses that reveal the coming Messiah.
The book of Micah speaks of the town (Bethlehem) and the exact location within the town (Ephratha) where Jesus was to be born. Isaiah 9 tells of the names that Messiah would be known for (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace). Yet for all of these prophecies to be fulfilled, all the people involved had to be in a specific place....a specific town....a specific location. Bethlehem.

Here is where things get a bit sticky.
We know (or at least we give a head nod) that God indeed moves people to fulfill his plans (Somehow we think that kind of behavior from God ended many centuries ago...how foolish are we?). Thousands of miles away from Bethlehem, in Rome, we see Caesar pittering around the palace with nothing to do. Suddenly (and without warning) a thought forms in his mind. A thought that did not come from his own intellect, but one placed there by God Himself. "WE NEED A CENSUS..........WE NEED ONE NOW........EVERY PERSON OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE MUST RETURN TO THE CITY OF THE ANCESTOR'S.

This single thought put into motion everything needed for the Scriptures to be fulfilled. What do you think is happening today in our world that God is moving and directing? Governments? I believe so. Leaders? You know it. Societies? Yep! God has not changed the way he carries out his eternal plan for this planet and His creation. So, with that in mind, it doesn't matter how spiritually dark it may get, God is still in control and I should be about the business of trusting Him that He knows best. I should trust him with my life, my family, and my future. This simple act, in Luke 2, of calling for a census, set in motion the most incredible event in the history of our world. An event that would eventually lead to a hill outside of Jerusalem where this Jesus, would give his life in exchange for freedom from sin for anyone who would repent and receive. And to think that a pagan ruler, who considered himself to be God, would be used by the real-deal God to carry out the plans of the Kingdom of Heaven.That God is something else.

God on you....
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The Innkeeper By John Piper

2011-12-02T05:36:00.004-06:00

In this life, the Kingdom of God moves and affects us in various ways. Life almost seems like a paradox.
When thinking of Jesus, you cannot take one aspect of his time here on earth without unraveling and finding something else.

You cannot have the manger in Bethlehem without a cross outside of Jerusalem.
You cannot have Christmas without Good Friday.
You cannot celebrate the birth of Jesus without remembering that He came to die.
You cannot have the resurrection of Jesus without first going into the tomb.

If you look at these events with human eyes and understanding, you might be dismayed or discouraged.
Life only to die....
Death only to be resurrected....
Why couldn't we just skip the hard part, after all He is God.
Because the Kingdom of God is about taking the very things, the hard things....those dark things that were brought to this world through sin and destroying them.
God lays hold to the things of the devil and by His authority and power, puts an end to them.
That is why we see the Kingdom here but the Kingdom not complete in it's fullness.
God is at work and His plans move ever forward until we will see a complete restoration of His creation.
Maranatha! Lord Jesus....

God on you....
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HELP!!!!!

2011-12-01T08:07:00.000-06:00

I Chronicles 5:20
....They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayers because they trusted in Him.

Battles....
Warfare.....
Spiritual conflict.....
This is the truth for the life of all who are followers of Jesus.
You have an enemy (the devil.....Yes! Virginia, there is a devil) who seeks to destroy you.
To stop you from believing.
To discourage you and create such doubt and fear within that you simply give up.
Two things I truly like about the verse above.

1.) They cried out to God......
       a.) It wasn't a mental exercise. It wasn't something they simply thought about, it was a reality. It was a voice that wells up from within and explodes into the heavens. Very simple....prayers go up...answers come down. You know....what goes up must come down.
       b.) The said "Crying out" took place during the battle. IT is at the point of realization that you, in your own strength, cunning intellect, and ability cannot win, that you cry out to God. Truth be known, the crying out part should take place before the battle actually begins, but sometimes we find ourselves caught up in a spiritual conflict before we even realize that is what is taking place. No matter.....Cry out to God!!!

2.) The Trust factor:
      a.) God answered their prayers because they trusted Him. The literally believed that God was who He claimed to be and would do what He claimed He would do. Trust........cling to..........rely on........believe in......they trusted God and He answered their prayers.

Do my prayers echo my trust in God?
Or are they simply desperate cries to get His attention and hope that He intervenes in my "battle?" I want to trust him more with each passing day and the only way this is going to happen is to trust him with my life. My heart knows that He is trustworthy, but my head tells me different..."What if God doesn't come through this time? What if he leaves you high and dry?"
That is why Proverbs 3:5-6 is so important to me:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight.
This is life changing truth. It takes our focus off of our own ability and intellect and places it solely on Jesus. All part of learning to follow Him and not our own way, desires and talents.

Think on these things....
God on you.....

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Leave The Stinking Fish Behind

2011-11-30T07:44:00.000-06:00

Luke 5:11
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

Story of Peter and an encounter he had with Jesus.
Peter had worked all night and had nothing to show for it, and now Jesus had parked himself in Peter's boat. Peter was on the way home to eat breakfast and go to bed (I kind of infer this in my reading of the Scripture) so the idea of becoming the S.S. Minnow for a three hour tour did not set well with Peter. He pushes out and listens as Jesus teaches the people on the shore. We are not told what the subject was, but I guess that it might have been about the Kingdom of God and the need to repent of sins.

We not told of Peter's response to all of this. Perhaps he was listening intently, or maybe he fell asleep waiting for Jesus to finish. No matter what, at the end of the teaching, Jesus told Peter to take his boat out to the deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Peter retells the story of having worked all night and not catching anything. He then agrees that he will do as Jesus said.

Upon being obedient, Peter's nets become so full of fish that they have to call for others to bring their boats to help with the catch. In other words, Jesus worked a miracle here in front of Peter. In fact as the catch is being taken care of, Peter responds in Luke 5:8 saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Peter was suddenly aware of his spiritual state and knew that he was a sinner. Jesus in turn makes the offer for Peter, James and John to follow Him. But the following meant a departing from one life to that of another.

Verse 11 reads: "They left everything and followed Him."
What falls under everything? Everything.
A very simple call from Christ to every believer.
"Follow Me!"
A choice to do so means a leaving of everything we have known or loved.
Here in Rehab, some want the life of sobriety and relationship with Jesus.....
They just don't want to give up old friends (and I use that term---friend----loosely) or old places.
They want the best of both worlds.
Can't happen.
The old lifestyle and this new life of following Jesus can never co-habitate in the same body.
Like Peter, we have, in our old life, labored all night and have nothing to show for it. In other words, we were like the hamster in a wheel....running, running but never getting anywhere. But with a simple call of "Follow me", Jesus took us to places we never dreamed we would go. He lead us to a new life that we never fully believed we could ever have. We simply let down our nets into the promises of His word and drew up the blessings of God.

Jesus called them (the disciples) away from the only thing they had ever known...fishing.
But if a call is made to leave one thing, then we are taken to another already prepared by Christ for us.
We are not called to sit down and wait for the second coming.
We are called to be salt and light in a world that has no flavor and lives in darkness.

Gotta have me some Jesus.....
Thank you Lord for saving me.
I was a mess.
God on each of you stopping by today....

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It's The Word

2011-11-29T08:18:00.000-06:00

Mark 12:24
Jesus replied, "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God."

Jesus does not mince words.
Jesus is not concerned about offending others, because in the offending, He is uncovering the truth of the heart. Here in Mark we have Jesus talking with the Sadducee's. They were part of the ruling council of the Temple. If you were to compare them to anyone today it would be the liberal side of Congress. They liked to ask Jesus questions,using such occasions to try and trip Him up. They wanted to uncover Jesus as a false prophet in order to protect their way of life and income that came to them.

Jesus goes right to the heart of every problem that comes up with religious debate. The problem is that you can read the Scriptures and still not know the Scriptures. Some today have a very shallow knowledge and understanding of the Bible. I'm not talking about an intellectual knowledge but rather a heart understanding. I cannot dissect Hebrew and Greek. I cannot uncover the deep mysteries of God that are in His word. But I can take the simple truth of the Word and let it percolate in my spirit and follow the mandate of the Kingdom.

I find it surprising that knowing the Word if followed by knowing the Power of God. We tend to get this backwards in some churches today. They discard study of the word in order to run and "Feel" the power of God. I think there is a reason that one follows the other. The Word gives us the foundation and stability to receive the Power. Without the foundation, we are like little children playing with dynamite.

In an age or time where "Experiencing" God has taken precedent over "Knowing" God...I find great comfort in immersing myself in the Word. I find solace and comfort in the words as the Spirit of God makes them come alive to me. I find light and direction as the Spirit of God directs me in what to do and how I am to act so as not to bring shame to His name.

I do love me some Bible!
I pray that you too will develop a hunger for the Word of God.
God on you today!

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2011-11-28T08:41:00.000-06:00

After weeks of not being able to load up the messages from Saturday Night, we are back.
I have loaded one this morning from Oct. 29......HESITATION!
I will be adding the other messages this week. Enjoy and be sure to pass on to friends and family that they are more than welcomed here at the GREENE STREET LETTERS.
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2011-11-28T06:45:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 9:6 - 7
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace. On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forever more.
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Vicki and I went to Rainbow Presbyterian last night to see our grand daughter in their Christmas Play, The Hanging Of The Green.
I've been to a lot of churches in my time. Some good and some bad. Some friendly and some, well...not so much. But last night was the first time I've ever entered a church and felt a strong sense of family. Not that I was a part but that the members, whether vocally or not, considered their church to be a family. There were a number or young parents with their children there. It was a night of celebration of the birth of the Christ Child, and the music offered was as diverse as I have ever seen. Organ music......choirs......praise band....Acapella singing by the congregation. It was a wonderful time to start the holiday's. We saw old friends and spent time catching up on life and what God was doing in our families. I watched my grand daughter play an angel with the heavenly host that proclaimed to the shepherds that the Messiah was born.

I watched my son with his son, sitting in front of us. Arm around him, holding him close....Tyler leaning into his dad. Never was there ever a safer place than in the arms of our fathers. My mind drifted back to a time when Chad would crawl up into my lap and I would hold him. Funny how time has a way of slipping through our fingers. Maybe that is why memories are so important....they allow us to hold on to snippets of times past.

As we enter this Christmas season, let us hold fast to the promises of God.
They are not dependent on society or governments or public opinion.
The promises of God stand unshaken and unalterable by anyone or anything.
They stand as testimony to the goodness and justice of God to a fallen creation.
During this time we celebrate the birth of a baby.....
But this baby would grow to embrace the title of Christ.
This baby was born to die.
This baby would be the sacrifice for the sin of the world.
This baby is Jesus!
My savior and my lord.

Merry Christmas from the Bynum's!
God on you......

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