THE UNTOUCHABLES.

There was a warm breeze accompanied by the sound of birds and the slapping of waves against the shore.  Just then a head rises up looking over tall grass because there was another sound, now of wooden oars, being laid inside a boat as men stepped into the water to drag their boat inland.  Looking down on the visitors coming ashore, the man on the hill sniffed the air, rage and fear filled his mind, pain pierced his head like a two-edged sword. His body shook with tremors of an earthquake, and he released a growl from miles down in his spirit. This man had a reputation of demonic destruction of himself and others, most likely their livestock as well.  Due to his above normal strength and hellish rage, they could not arrest or secure him.  He was considered a public enemy, an untouchable and undesirable maniac...  He knew the man getting out of the boat.

His inward demons were spiritual, created and knew the name and identity of this person.  His fleshly body inhabited by frightened evil spirits ran down the hill, surprisingly stopped, worshiped and cried with a loud voice!

"What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the most High God?!"  " I beg you not to torment me"
Jesus said: "Come out of him. What is your name"
"Legion, for we are many, please do not send us away. Send us into the pigs"
And He sent them. After entering the swine, the herd went mad and ran down the opposite hill and drowned in the sea.

The towns people having heard of the pigs, came to see this Jesus and were most likely afraid, looking with disgust as they saw the crazy, maniac not desiring to get near enough to touch him.  They saw the man who had been demon-possessed, not squatting or in a crouching ready to attack position but sitting, clothed and in his right mind.  His life had been touched, healed and delivered.  One would wonder... if his mother or family had long been praying for him. When others had given up hope, Jesus sails into shore, touching his life, giving him heart and life transformation.

This man, once untouchable, received the heart of an evangelist, compelled by the love of Christ to touch the lives of others. He desired to come aboard the boat of Jesus and tell the world!  Jesus did not allow it but said:  "Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."

Do you see all that happens here?  The maniac filled with demons; 1. Worshiped Jesus.  2.  Jesus delivered and changed him. 3.  The man wanted to follow Jesus.  4. Jesus commissioned him to go into the city, maybe back into the wilderness and tell others what Jesus had undeniably, done for him.

Has He done that for you? Is that the testimony you need to be sharing? Do you know someone, you or others have lost hope over?  Do not stop praying for them. Maybe you are that one; the undesirable, untouchable others have given up hope on.  Allow Jesus to meet you where you are and touch you. You can have that same heart and life transformation and peace with God followed by the peace of God.

Christmas in July? Resurrection Day in January?

  Many people love Christmas.  Even non-believers in Christ, know Christmas has a great "feeling".  It's a time of family and sharing gifts with friends, as well as being kind to strangers.  They may not ever enter church any other time but will enjoy attending this one occasion for the warm fuzzy, the music or Christmas play. 

Even though it's not the actual date... We use December 25th to remember the birthday of Jesus Christ.  It's when He, GOD the SON, leaves the Glory of Heaven and enters a manger. 

Many children have been born before and since but an Angel said:  "I bring good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of  David a Savior has been born to you; He is CHRIST the LORD!"  Man, that's why I will celebrate Christmas every day of the year.

  Many don't know what it's all about, but if they are offered it; they'll take Good Friday off.  It's when we remember why this Holy Jesus was born in the first place... Jesus came at the right time, for it is when the religious leaders and government would kill Him for His claims. 

When they did.... Christ died for the world (that God loved) that whoever believes in Him would never perish but have eternal life.  

Many had died on a cross before and after but because of who He was; made this a Holy cross, a terrible cross, a saving cross!  Man, I will remember that everyday of the year.

They used to say; " Everybody goes to church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus". Today? not so much.  Yet some will go and listen to the cantata or experience the big Resurrection presentation.  

Original pagan Holiday or not, we use this day to celebrate the Resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ.  Sacrifice accepted! great victory over sin, the grave and death.  Paul wrote: "For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures..." 

Paul wrote: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."   and now He sits on the right hand of God.  Man, I will praise and worship as well as celebrate that everyday of the year.

  Bible says:  "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
  Paul wrote: "therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." and he said: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Man, I will worship Christ and celebrate Christmas, Good Friday and Resurrection, everyday of the year!

How about you?

Here I Stand

I gave God my soul,
I then take my role.

Fight the good fight,
walking by faith, not sight.

On His truth I stand and sit,
standing fast no thought to quit.

Blast the past.
the vision cast.

He's my shield,
to Him I yield.

He's not the latest rave,
He shed His blood for all, to save!

Community investment

                                                            
It is encouraging to see construction of restaurants and stores beginning to start in our areas.  Jobs will be created as a result.  Beautification of the area is happening again.  We see the wisdom in the usage of large unused parking areas to build businesses etc.  I have noticed masses of people out an about!

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Let the church be encouraged as well,  to take advantage of open doors for sharing the Gospel to the millions of unreached and the discipleship training our own church's Biblical illiterate.  Improvement of our communities involve much more than buildings and restaurants for the belly.  If we truly desire community development in our neighborhood and families, we must declare and share the good news of Christ.

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This is not a world religion that includes efforts to merely turning over a new leaf or just trying harder, but a new generation with a new birth, heart and mind.  It is not infrastructural, but crossing over from trusting self, to trusting Christ, to spend eternity with God.  Followed by a transformed life.

Now that is community development.

True Life!

What was cold and seemingly lifeless, becomes a beautiful garden of colorful flowers of many sizes and shapes.

We can look back at our past spiritual position and experiences in our day-to-day life and see what was once, seemingly lifeless and without purpose.  

Through prayer and the power of God you had a season of change and new hope and an abundant life!  Like a flower garden it must be maintained daily.  Life killing weeds need to be removed, while water and fertilizer for growth and life, are to be added daily.

You may be reading this and living a troubled life, seemingly without hope.  Sadness even depression, the worries of this world are overwhelming.  We are all there for a time. That's natural, but we are not to park there. 

You can live on topside; you have hope for even eternity. That is supernatural.  Sin entered the world, but God desires you to believe and receive what He has for you. His new life!  We do not work for salvation, but it takes (as in our earthly relationships) a minute-by-minute effort to maintain and enjoy that relationship of love.

*Read the letter to the Philippians
*Prayer that includes worship, asking, interceding, thankfulness.
*A Bible believing counselor
*A good book (with Christian values)

We accept and trust, not in ourselves, but in what Christ did on the cross, not only in what He did, but who He is.  The Bible says to draw near to Him and He'll draw near to you. Asking forgiveness, know you have that forgiveness of sin and power of God, to live the life He desires.  You can have great joy and peace, (though there will be storms), living right where God has placed you. Then we are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those that rejoice. 

 Let's be the flower, God and others can be blessed by.

John 10: 7-18.  Matthew 6: 25-34

Gracious!

The small letter to Philemon from the Apostle Paul contains quite a bit of action.  The action is not fist fights and explosions.  The action is of a spiritual direction. The Apostle Paul knew very well the grace of God, at salvation and in his day to day ministry and trials.

Onesimus has maybe stolen from Philemon and runs away.  (He was Philemon's slave).  Philemon had been led to Christ in Ephesus by Paul and transformed returned to Collosee and started a church.
Onesimus had ripped off Philemon and runs to where he can blend in.  Rome.

How many of you know you can run but you cannot hide.  God providently leads him to the Apostle Paul, who is in jail.  Onesimus might have been incarcerated there himself. Maybe from stealing. Paul for merely preaching the Gospel of Christ.

Paul shares the gospel to Onesimus and he is saved and transformed into useful from useless! He becomes strongly involved in Paul's ministry. "What's your story Onesimus?"  He shares his story of how he had stolen from Philemon...  "Philemon?"


"Philemon accepted the gospel when I shared it with him as you did."  Paul sent him back to Philemon with an explanation of how Onesimus  heard by grace and trusted by faith the work of Jesus on the cross.

Read the letter and using your imagination, see also the illustration:

Philemon is God
Onesimus is sinner
Paul is Jesus speaking on our behalf and saying to put the sinners sin to His account.

We know that Jesus paid the price and all to Him we owe.

Oh the Amazing Grace of God!

How did I get here?

You ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, you will get a list of careers, some you never heard of.  We might be surprised in fifteen years when that young boy or girl has created that business, service or ministry we didn't have the imagination to achieve.

The young girl wasn't born a Doctor, or have all the needed.skills and knowledge at three years old.  There would be daycare, she would attend elementary school.  The parents had to drop her off at High school. She might be top of the class, yet not be ready to do surgery in the local operating room.

Policemen, lawyer, doctor, Pastor, soldier, CEO, fireman, truck driver, NBA/NFL star. all require steps of growth and training.

"Yeah, we know that!" 

 Then why do some students have to be class clown or sleep in class. (that only works for comedians).

No matter the age of a person, you will become tomorrow, what you are making of yourself today! Some men and women even during prosperous times, sat in unemployment offices with their head in their hands. Why?!
That is what they trained themselves to do while in school, as they sat their looking at the clock with their head in their hands.

Teenager to senior citizen if you wish to accomplish some dream or career, begin now to develop yourself.  Those in school, have a great time!  Also study and  receive an education, not just a letter grade.  

We might be an adult.  Read, read, read and get those Cd's maybe those old cassettes, take a leadership course and teach and motivate yourself.  You and I might be surprised at the dreams and accomplishments!  Others will be surprised at your business, service or ministry they didn't have the faith and imagination to achieve.

"Lord, You are the Potter.  I am the clay." -Amen

Thinking Back/Looking Forward

 It seems like yesterday I was babysitting and watching children's videos with him. He will go down on record as the first one to call us "PopPop and Gma." There will be memories of many conversations with this "Ol' soul" of a toddler and elementary age young boy.

He has always been creative and imaginative. He's forever been a young child and an older youth of impeccable manners and concern.

They say you will be what you are making of yourself. He is today a young adult of impeccable manners and concern.

Though his parents did a fantastic work in him, he is faithful to the village that led him along the way. 

To us who are now very senior, he will be forever young. He is involved in our past, present, and future thoughts.

He has met his counterpart someone similar to himself, both are a loving unit of impeccable manners and concern for others!

Today they will be married, a union that will always cause me to be thinking back and looking forward with great joy!

                                      -PopPop

Cats and Dogs

The saying goes it is raining "cats and dogs" meaning it is raining hard and might make travel or standing on the porch difficult. Tradition says that cats and dogs are always fighting. Old cartoons verify this.

It is also known that the Church sometimes fight like cats and dogs.  It apparently has been discovered; some church goers relate to God like cats and dogs relate to their human masters.

Not too long ago I read that, some Christians are like dogs and some are like cats. "Dog Christians" love their masters and wait eagerly for them to return from being away. These doglike worshippers say, "You feed me, you must be God".  The "Cat Christians" are finnicky and act like they can take it or leave it and say, "You feed me, I must be God."

If this comparison were true, I wonder which one am I. Which one are you?

Issues and Circumstances

Watching TV in the late 1950's and 60's one phrase I heard on cowboy shows was "Let's cut 'em off at the pass!"  The good guys would take a different trail.  It was more difficult but more direct and stopping the bad guys before they could arrive at the stagecoach they had planned to rob.

Parents (most, well some) know that discipline at an early age curbs some behavior problems in later years.  The child is too immature to see that it is for their own good, as well as for future relationships. The development of children and in changing adult behavior will be a "cutting the issues off at the pass."  Deleting many of the issues and circumstances of an untrained lifestyle.

In our own lives we hope to be growing and maturing.  On the other hand, we have or know someone that stopped investing in themselves much less others.  The result often is to flow through life later bouncing off one circumstance floating aimlessly

The Bible calls it being tossed to and fro.  A Christians lifestyle can be ordered and submitted to the loving teachings/doctrines of God's Word.  Many a Christian either untrained or distracted from quiet time of prayer and reading God's word soon find themselves throwing toddler like tantrums or falling for an incorrect teaching or secular worldview. The term "selfie" comes to mind.

So let us draw near to God and He will draw near to us. The Bible also directs us to have our minds set on the things above because our citizenship is in His kingdom!  Then we will shine in a dark world, giving God glory!

"As you therefore have received Christ the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6,7.

"Chasten your son while there is still hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction." Proverbs 19:18.

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."  Philippians 2:3,4.

"He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses instruction goes astray." Proverbs10: 17.

Seasons Change

   

We see the consistency and authority of God when we see the changing of seasons since time began. Like "clock work" seasons in order, come and go. 

  You and I are guilty of taking changing seasons for granted. Not only seasons but the location of the planets and stars as well. God most likely sits back in amazement that many are not amazed.

  Maybe the reason is, we think the solar system and its' weather revolves around us.  Why, even God died for ME, He even answers MY prayers. We complain when He doesn't answer quick enough.

  Let's not forget it wasn't long after creation, humans given a choice, chose self, and how is that working out for us. They say we're even ruining the events of seasons with climate change.

  I know that in spite of us, God is in control! Anyone with any discernment can see that.  We have many questions but reading His Word, we have many answers. 

 Read throughout the Psalms and you'll find those questions and the answers. The book of Genesis tells the how and why this world is as it is.

  Your personal life goes through seasons. We experience the Fall, Winter, Spring and summer of life.  Emotions that are high and low, Seasons of joy and those of sadness.

  Look to the Seasons once again to see the love and control of God.  See the God that deserves our worship. This is all simple but yes, it's not easy. 

  I  pray that God would open the eyes of your heart, that you might see His love and wisdom. That He might incline forward to the season you might find yourself and divinely meet you there and comfort you.

Check out; 

Genesis 1-11

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Psalm 37: 1-7