Recently, as a result of coursework, sermons and personal interactions, a great deal of my focus is on survival. My attention has been turn to the matters of testing and trial. After an unsettling conversation with a friend in which the only comfort I could provide her was to just be on the call, I followed up with my Co-Editor over at the ICU, Joshua “the Uppity Negro” Lazard and said this:
“Anyone that says that faith can waver but it mustn’t fail has not truly been tried by fire. There are times when faith must falter/fail in order to be rebuilt/restructured.” (K. Halford, Personal Text Message July 2014).
I realize that my words seem a little shaky but there is a destination to which I’m traveling if you stay with me. Throughout my life, especially within the last 15 years I have been not merely at the brink of losing faith but I have virtually lost it all on more that one occasion. I’ll confess, I have considered suicide on more than one occasion. Why? Because the circumstances of my discord, sorrow, disappointment, and unhappiness conflicted in drastic significance to my theological understanding and caused me to question the very foundations of my faith. Have you ever been in a place where your life has become so unrecognizable and your circumstances so seemingly unbearable that you no longer recognize yourself, your God, or anyone or anything else for that matter? Have you ever been in a place where all of that caused you to be wholly unrecognizable to others? I consider this because, quite frankly, biblically there is pretty much only one character with a story that could speak to the totality of this predicament in any holistic way his name is Job. While some say Job’s faith didn’t fail. Allow me this indulgence. Imagine faith as a building. A disaster (perhaps an earthquake) comes and does all but level the building. In fact, the quake decimated the foundations, the structural walls and even the façade of the building in such a way that the building is unrecognizable. Now imagine that the building is too valuable to completely destroy, rather it must be rebuilt and restructured and perhaps even reoriented in such a way that it can withstand a similar disaster in the future.
I am a student of language, paying attention to what is said as much as what is left unsaid but perhaps described. I simply must say that watching Job lament and curse the day he was born drives me into the place of remembrance. When you’re in that place of failing faith while you may not “charge God foolishly” you will make declarations like ” I wish I had never been born” or “I seem to only bring misery on the people I love I should just end it all”. If you’re not careful and if you’re not allowed the space to be able to honestly feel these feelings without judgment or condemnation your recovery time is going to take a while. The people who know me best know that one of my critiques of the family of faith aka the church is that we don’t make space for people to be honest. Perhaps peril, tribulation and sword are second only to the matters of initial belief to begin with. It is unsafe to admit that life has put you in a position that is so emotionally and spiritually complex that you question faith. That’s a difficult thing to admit. It is even more difficult when those who would attempt to be your confidantes and provide comfort insist that your feelings are hogwash.
So in my moment of having revelation about myself I have come to the place of wanting to share with you a tidbit that I’ve learned; sometimes faith crumbles in order to be rebuilt. Prior to Job’s experience the primary belief and therefore spiritual absolute was that bad things only happen when you have done wrong (retribution theology). It was not until Job’s experience taught him otherwise and therefore changed the parameters (rebuilt/restructured/reoriented) his faith that it became an established and immutable fact that sometimes bad things happen even when you’ve done everything right. In essence Job’s faith before his trial had to fail for it to be rebuilt strong enough to face whatever the future held. You see faith is beyond a mere belief in a transcendent God, it is also the practical application of what that belief means (to any faith system not just Christianity). Sometimes those practical applications change when knowledge and understanding of that God or of the meaning of the belief changes but before that change can happen what was gets disheveled and destroyed.
Be encouraged that you can grow and mature and regain a stronger faith from this!


Will was blessed on May 5, 2013. It was the most perfect day. Chad gave Will an amazing blessing, and after church we had a Cinco De Mayo lunch with some of our favorite people in the world. Thanks to all the friends and family who came to celebrate baby Will. We love him and feel so blessed to have him in our family. I wish I had pictures of the lunch and all our family and friends, but I was too busy eating, talking, and laughing. Here are some pictures of Will on his big day. Special thanks to my Oma (my dad's mom) for making Will's beautiful blessing blanket!


The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]
VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2009 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, the Holy Father received in audience Asha-Rose Migiro, vice secretary general of the United Nations. AP/.../... VIS 20090909 (30)
VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2009 (VIS) - Among his greetings at the end of today's general audience, the Pope addressed some remarks to the ecclesiastical counsellors, managers and representatives of the Italian agricultural organisation "Coldiretti", who are in Rome to celebrate their national congress from 9 to 11 September.
The Holy Father encouraged them "to continue in your commitment to social and spiritual service to the world of agriculture". Referring then to the theme of the congress - "Ethics and the economy today" - he expressed the hope that it "may be a stimulus for you to reaffirm ethical principles in the economy, so as to reanimate hope through solidarity". AG/ETHICS ECONOMY/... VIS 20090909 (120)
VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated the catechesis of his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, to St. Peter Damian (1007-1072), "a monk, lover of solitude and, overall, an intrepid man of the Church who played a leading role in the reforms undertaken by the Popes of his time".
Peter Damian, who lost both his parents while still very young and was raised by his siblings, received a superlative education in jurisprudence and Greek and Latin culture. As a young man he dedicated himself to teaching and authored a number of literary works, but he soon felt the call to become a monk and entered the monastery of Fonte Avellana.
The monastery "was dedicated to the Holy Cross, and of all the Christian mysteries the Cross would be the one that most fascinated Peter Damian", explained Pope Benedict, expressing the hope that the saint's example "may encourage us too always to look to the Cross as God's supreme act of love towards man".
As an aid to monastic life Peter Damian "wrote a Rule in which he placed great emphasis upon the 'rigour of the hermitage'. ... For him hermitic life is the apex of Christian life. It is 'the highest state of life' because the monk, free from the ties of the world and of his own self, receives 'the pledge of the Holy Spirit and his soul felicitously unites with the heavenly Bridegroom'. Today too, even if we are not monks, it is important to know how to create silence within ourselves in order to listen to the voice of God. ... Learning the Word of God in prayer and meditation is the path of life".
For this saint, who was also an accomplished theologian, "communion with Christ creates a unity of love among Christians. ... Peter Damian developed a profound theology of the Church as communion. ... Thus, service to the individual becomes an 'expression of universality'.
"Yet nonetheless", the Holy Father added, "this ideal image of the 'holy Church' as illustrated by Peter Damian did not, as he knew, correspond to the reality of his own time. And he was not afraid to denounce the state of corruption that existed in the monasteries and among the clergy, the result, above all, of the practice of the civil authorities conferring investiture to ecclesiastical office".
In order to combat this situation, in 1057 he left the monastery to accept appointment as a cardinal. "Thus he came to collaborate fully with Popes in the difficult task of reforming the Church", in which context "he courageously undertook many journeys and missions". Ten years later he returned to monastic life, but continued to serve the papacy. He died in 1072 on his return from a mission to re-establish peace with the archbishop of Ravenna.
Peter Damian, the Holy Father concluded, "was a monk par excellence, practising forms of austerity which today we might even find excessive. Yet in this way he made monastic life an eloquent witness of God's primacy and a call to everyone to progress towards sanctity, free from any kind of worldly compromise. He expended himself with great coherence and severity for the reform of the Church of his time, and dedicated all his spiritual and physical energy to Christ and to the Church". AG/PETER DAMIAN/... VIS 20090909 (570)


Rev. Julius A. Beasley
Pastor Julius A. Beasley is a dedicated servant of God, deeply devoted to his calling from heaven to love, lead and feed God’s people at East Trigg Baptist Church. He maintains the conviction that the highest calling and greatest privilege on earth is to serve our wonderful and amazing God.
Pastor Beasley was born and raised in Laurens, South Carolina to Willie and Betty Beasley. After graduating from Laurens District 55 High School, he went on to further his education by receiving a BS in Sociology from the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina. After college, God ordered his steps which led him to Memphis, TN where he joined the athletic, evangelistic outreach ministry called Spirit Express. This ministry utilized former college basketball players and the platform of basketball to play exhibition games at universities, colleges, military bases and prisons to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Beasley humbly received and accepted his calling into ministry as a preacher in 1991. He would go on to be ordained in 1993 under the leadership of Pastor Ralph White, Bloomfield Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee where he served as an associate minister and in the youth ministry for several years.
After receiving additional education and training from Memphis Theological Seminary (Memphis, Tennessee), he gratefully received the assignment from God to become the Pastor of East Trigg Ave. Baptist Church in 2004.
Pastor Beasley is married to Caroline Mason-Beasley and they are the parents of 5 children. First Lady Beasley is a high-ranking member of the Memphis Police Department and is also known for her appearances on the popular A&E crime show "The First 48."
Both Pastor Beasley and Lady Beasley along with the entire East Trigg Baptist Church family will always remain prayerful, compassionate and committed to serving God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength while spreading the word of God throughout the entire Memphis community and throughout the world.
To God be all the glory!!!!!!!


Professional Photographer Cul-de-sac Farmsteader
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Priceless moments captured beautifully!
Absolutely precious idea! What a love story. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, this is beautiful. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos with us your friends. God Bless All Of You.
This is such a beautiful display of God’ love and purpose for mankind and families. You and your wife are a testimony of the God’s love! May God continue to bless you and your family. Thank you for being a testimony of His love!
These are the most beautiful, touching photos I have ever seen! Excellent work with a camera!!
Congratulations……she is a gorgeous baby!
Absolutely breathtaking photos!! There are no words that I don’t think could ever describe the beauty in a moment like this. But Ashley did capture some in these photos.Thanks to Chad Tucker and his wife for allowing us all another glimpse into their fairytale! Congratulations and enjoy your little princess!
thank you so much for sharing your most precious moments…Lord knows I felt every emotion of the gift he gave you by what you just shared in these photos. Being the mother of four…God’s blessings just became stronger in my heart of what a wonderful gift which was given to me with my children and past forward with blessing me with six grand children …cherish every moment because time does pass so fast. My prayers will go up for you both to grow in parenthood as your child blossoms into adulthood.
THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CAPTURE OF CHILDBIRTH I HAVE EVER SEEN AND MEREDETH LOOKED SO CALM AND BEAUTIFUL THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING, AND YOU CHAD, SHARING THOSE TEARS WAS SO TOUCHING………….SHE IS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL WITH BEAUTIFUL AND VERY LOVING PARENTS…………….BLESS YOU ALL
Chad and Meredith you are such a beautiful couple and now you have a gift from God with this beautiful little girl. Thank you for sharing these precious moments with us.They were captured well. May God continue to bless your family.
She is so precious and beautiful. Congratulations
And God bless you and Meredith. Thanks for
sharing the photos with us.
These photos warmed my heart and brought tears of Joy! Thank you for sharing such beautiful moments of such a Blessings! To see such a Love! I don’t think I can think of words to describe this beautiful, awesome event! Many blessings with health and happiness for Mom and Dad and this precious Angel! Carson is beautiful and so adorable!
These pictures are absolutely breath taking. What a great way to share the birth of Carson. Congratulations to you both. Thanks for sharing with us!!!
Beautiful blessing from God! Only with God’s grace will you raise her to be a woman of God!! All my very best prayers and wishes to you three! So very happy for you! !
Wow what awesome pictures! Perfectly captured Ashley! I love how alert this new little one looks on her first few hours of life! Amazing.
Beautiful… thanks so much for sharing…..She is precious. God bless you all.
Thank you for sharing these Special Moments. They are absolutely breathtaking. Couldn’t help but shed a tear of happiness for you all. God has truly blessed you all.
Thank you for sharing this with the public. It brought back all the special moments when I gave birth 31 years ago. Beautiful pictures. Beautiful family. The picture of the baby smiling is priceless.
BEAUTIFUL BABY.I AM SO PROUD TO BE HER GREAT GREAT UNCLE.
Before you were conceived I wanted you Before you were born I loved you Before you were here an hour I would give my life for you This is the miracle of life.
– Maureen Hawkins
Congratulations to you both!
Precious…thank you for sharing. What a beautiful baby, what a beautiful family. God has truly blessed you.
Wow what beautiful pictures what a beautiful and touching story they tell , Carson is beautiful also your family is absolutely perfect . Meredith I could not be more happier for you and those pictures of Chad crying brought tears to my eyes ; YOUR’S and CHAD’S LOVE STORY HAS BEEN Magical and I can’t think of a more deserving person .
How completely precious and priceless. Congratulations to you both on such a beautiful little girl.
Love shows hru all these photos and I feel the love Meridith and you have for each other. Continue living for Jesus and you will be blessed always.
SO AWESOME ! ONE WORD -BEAUTIFUL !!
thank you for sharing this precious moment with us,may God bless your family always,the pictures are priceless
This is God’s gift to you and these are the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen. You can see the love in your family. It’s just beautiful.
This is God’s gift to you and these are the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen. You can see the love in your family. I am so happy for you.
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your amazing little miracle with us
From a sister in the industry…AMAZING work..you told the story and oh so well!!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing these very intimate pictures with us. We are going through some rough spots with our teenage son right now and these pictures just take me right back to that precious moment when he was born. Reminding me of all of the hopes and dreams we have for him, thank you for taking me back there. The love and adoration that you have in your eyes for each other is inspiring to me….please never let this world take that from you. God put that love there and if you keep him in the center of your life he will grow that love more than you could imagine!! God bless you and your BEAUTIFUL family!!
What beautiful precious pictures…. I cried while looking at them…. All of my children are grown now married with children of their own but what these pics gave me was a moment back in time to the birth of my children..Thank you both for sharing your moments with us… God bless and may you have all of the best….
Thank you for sharing your miracle,the most precious pictures I’ve ever seen!Congratulations to a beautiful Blessed family 🙂
I’m in tears. These pictures just showed up on my facebook and I have to believe God put them there. I haven’t spoken to my daughter in over 4 years, mostly over minor things that we allowed to fester into deep resentment. After seeing these beautiful pictures it reminded me of the love you feel for your children from the day they are born, a love I deeply missed. I just called my daughter to say I’m sorry and I’m seeing her tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your birth story and reminding us all that love is still alive and remind me that it can still repair the hurting.
Thank you for sharing… Beautiful moments captured!Blessings of health,peace,joy and the abundance of God always to your new baby and your
what wonderful memories to treasure,may God bless your family always
How very awesome…..it’s just to beautiful to put into words!!!!!
This is just breathtaking. We lost our newborn son several years ago and the hurt from the loss has kept us from trying again. But after seeing this beautiful birth story blog I am reminded that life is too short and too good not to move forward and try again. Our little Jack would want that. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this.
These are precious. Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!
What a beautiful love story! Thank you for sharing this special time with Facebook friends! Congratulations on your beautiful daughter!
There are no words to express the love in the faces of Chad and Meredith Tucker as they welcome there Beautiful baby girl into this world.
Congratulations to the two of you.Your baby girl is as precious and as beautiful as her Mommy and the look on Chad’s face is that of a Proud Daddy look.
What a great job the Photographer did. “AMAZING PHOTO’S “
This is such a precious way of capturing ones child’s birth with such a sweet little family, I really adore these brought tears to my eyes you see so much love & happiness, priceless moments 🙂
Simply beautiful sweet memories to be cherished for years to come. This idea of birth story photos is new to me but I love the concept. It truly shows the most precious miracle God provided us. Thank you to the Tucker Family for sharing their bundle of joy with us.
These are such lovely photos. Way to capture this precious time for this family!
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©2011 A Photo By Ashley


It’s Christmas Eve already? It’s hard to believe that 2016 is coming to a close! Because it is the day before Christmas, I thought that I would make a list of some of my favorite Christmas Carols.
CHRISTMAS FUN FACT: A lot of countries in the world actually celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve.
- “Psallite” (Poetical translation: “Now We Sing”)
- This one is always a delight to sing with the choir. We always sing the Latin words first and then the English poetical translation immediately afterwards. It is one of the more complicated songs that we sing but I love it all the same.
- “For Unto Us A Child is Born”
- This is another favorite of mine to sing with the choir. I love singing all of Handel’s “Messiah”, but this one is my favorite to sing around Christmas. I think that it’s one of the most beautiful pieces that we ever sing at any time of the year. It never seems like Christmas to me without “For Unto Us A Child is Born”.
- “God’s Love Eternal”
- This was a childhood favorite of mine because I sang it with the children’s choir year after year. I look forward to hearing the children sing this one in the children’s service today. They always sing it so very nicely and it’s one of my favorite songs that they sing.
- “Away in a Manger”
- This one also holds strong sentimental value. The children sing this every year acapella and it’s one of the highlights of my Christmas yearly. I have great memories of singing this one as well and to this day, it’s one of my favorites.
- “Silent Night, Holy Night”
- The children are singing this one this year and I’m so excited for the children’s service later tonight. They’re singing all of the mos beautiful songs and it’s going to get me ready for Handel’s “Messiah” afterwards. I love listening to them sing this one. On Christmas Day, the whole congregation will be singing it as well and I’m excited for that as well.
- “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
- We are singing this one tonight as a congregation. The plainsong chant is so beautiful and it always makes my Christmas. I remember when my uncle used to play this song on the organ and it was one of the most magnificent things I’d ever heard in my entire life.
- “Où s’en vont ces gais bergers” (Translation: “Where Go These Happy Shepherds?”)
- I haven’t heard anyone sing this French carol in years now. It’s always the first song I look for in the Children’s Christmas Eve service program. Having got the program at choir practice last week, I was saddened not to find it in there. Hopefully next year, I suppose!
- “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Sometimes also referred to as “O Come Let Us Adore Him”)
- This one is the song that we (the choir) sing for the processional for the children each year. The sopranos sing the first verse, the tenors join in on the second and then bass and alto on the third. Then, we have the whole congregation (and the children) sing the last verse with us and it’s one of the songs that really gets me into the Christmas spirit. In my opinion, it’s one of the most beautiful moments of the service.
- “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
- We are also going to be singing this one tonight as a congregation for the children’s service. It’s always been one of my favorite carols and I can’t wait to sing it.
- “Joy to the World”
- Tomorrow morning, this will be the one that we will be singing in our family circle and later at the church service. “Joy to the World” really gives me the sense that it’s Christmas when we sing it yearly.
- “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”
- We haven’t sung this song in years, but I do hear it on the radio from time to time unlike “Où s’en vont ces gais bergers”. It was the last song that my uncle played on the organ for Christmas day before his death and to this day, it remains one of my favorites. It always warms my heart to sing it.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas! What are some of your favorite carols?


Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Our goal with Next Steps is to help determine what God is gifting you with at this time to enable you to function in ministry, both in the church and in the community.
Next Steps meets once, every first Sunday of the month from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the home of Darren and Tanya Brown.
Childcare is not provided.
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This four part blog post series documents my second trip to Catalunya in August and September of 2016. This is the trip I started to really discover what the region is all about, or rather how it ebbs and flows. Read Part I on rediscovering the city of Barcelona and Part II on some Gaudí masterpieces.
About an hour outside downtown Barcelona is a beautiful mountain range in the countryside of Catalunya. The scenery is absolutely stunning and you could ponder these peaks forever, but of course these mountains are not alone and have not always been alone either. The mountain of Montserrat has been of religious significance since pre-Christian times, when the Romans built a temple to honour Venus.
Nestled in the mountains is Santa Maria de Montserrat, a Benedictine abbey. After visiting a monastery in Barcelona, I was excited to visit an even more grand one, and even more excited at the prospect of it being in an unusual location. On top of a mountain no less.
The monastery was founded in the 10th century and still functions to this day with over 150 monks. It is still Catalunya’s most important religious retreat and it has a long history as you can probably imagine.
At the beginning of the 19th century the Abbey burned down twice, as well as sacked by Napoleon’s troops. As is the consequence of wartime pillaging, many of the treasures of Montserrat are lost to history.
In 1880, Montserrat celebrated 1000 years of existence and on 11 September 1881, to coincide with the Catalan national day, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed the Virgin of Montserrat patron of Catalunya.
The monastery is extremely well known for housing Mare de Déu de Montserrat (the Virgin of Montserrat), one of Catalunya’s patron saint (the other being Sant Jordi). The famed image once bore the inscription “Negra Sum Sed Formosa” (Latin: I am Black, but Beautiful). Catalans call her La Moreneta (“the little dark-skinned one” or “the little dark one”).
Like many religious artefacts, La Moreneta has many myths and legends around her. Some believe she was carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the church. Another legend has to do with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth. So many stories! Many travellers make the pilgrimage up the mountain to visit the Virgin of Montserrat. They pray in front of the statue asking for certain wishes or miracles. And I don’t mean in the past, I mean very much today and tomorrow.
It was pretty amazing to see so much history, art, and architecture on top of this beautiful mountain range. So, you should experience it yourself! Take a train from Barcelona. After the train you can decide whether to take the Aeri cable car, a 5-minute ride (disembark at the “Aeri” stop) or the Cremallera (rack railway), a 15-minute ride (take the “Monistrol” stop, which is after the Aeri stop). Enjoy!
Up next is a road trip around Catalunya, visiting some pretty cute medieval towns. Click here to read more!


Prayers Before Travel
Lord Jesus Christ my God, be my Companion, guide, and protector during my journey. Keep me from all danger, misfortune, and temptation. By Your divine power grant me a peaceful and successful journey and safe arrival. In You I place my hope and trust and You I praise, honour, and glorify, together with Your Father and Holy Spirit now and forever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus, You travelled with the two disciples after the resurrection and set their hearts on fire with Your grace. Travel also with me and gladden my heart with Your presence. I know, Lord, that I am a pilgrim on this earth, seeking the citizenship which is in heaven. During my journey surround me with Your holy angels and keep me safe from seen and unseen dangers. Grant that I may carry out my plans and fulfil my expectations according to Your will. Help me to see the beauty of creation and to comprehend the wonder of Your truth in all things. For You are the way, the truth, and the life, and to You I give thanks, praise and glory forever. Amen


“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” (Psalm 19:1-6 ESV)
The heavens sing of the glory of God, declaring his wonders to all who will listen. They cannot keep silent, they must respond to the majesty of their Creator. Day and night, since before the beginning of time, they have proclaimed the beauty of the Lord.
They can’t be silenced! They won’t be silenced! Their heart is full of divine purpose, for they have heard the words of the Almighty!
“Shine brightly and majestically, light of the day! Arise to the place of prominence each day; drive the darkness and shadows far away.”
“Flowers, water, wind and clouds;
Nature, like a servant bows,
And with the angels far above,
Declares to all, this God of love.”
What if our heart became so full of His divine purpose for our life? What if we heard the words of the Almighty?
Have you heard his invitation to be recreated in his image, after his likeness?
Listen to the voice of his Spirit: he’s telling us that we have more to sing about, more to declare, and a much greater story to tell than nature! We have the beautiful story of redemption!
Oh, yes! So let it ring! Join in with the heavens and sing, sing, sing!


The Bible informs us that one of the keys to a successful marriage is ‘understanding’ (1 Peter 3:7).
However, ‘understanding’ is not only important for marriage, it is essential for all relationships. Misunderstanding each other causes many conflicts.
Such misunderstandings are often due to the fact that we have different personality types.
One of the unique features of Paul’s list of seven spiritual gifts (in Romans 12:6-8) is that, in addition to being gifts,
THE SEVEN PERSONALITY TYPES IN CHURCH each of the gifts corresponds to a personality type, and all of us can identify with at least one of them. The personality types are: Prophet
THE SEVEN PERSONALITY TYPES IN CHURCH (ie. Truth-Teller), Server, Teacher, Exhorter, Giver, Administrator and Mercy.
The key to relating to each of these personality types is to understand them. We will encounter them both in the Church and the world,
so we would do well to know a bit about them so that we can respond to each in a Christlike manner.
The Truth-Teller is brutally honest and speaks frankly without fear of the consequences.
They can’t stand hypocrisy and are very vocal. This combination can sometimes make them tricky to be around,
as they may well say something that will upset you! They simply tell it as they perceive it.
The Server loves to help others in practical ways, and can consequently be judged as not being very spiritual.
However, that is not the case; they are just in tune with the need to attend to the physical matters.
For more information: หวยลาวสามัคคี


SIEGE EVENTS OF JERUSALEM 1099
The dawn of the 11th century is ravished with the siege events of Jerusalem that marks history as the first crusade. This holy Battle of Jerusalem in the first Crusade in 1071 – 1099 was very poor from the beginning.
The Christendom suffered consequences when church destruction decree was given by the caliph of Egypt known as Al- Hakim. The following events of the Battle of Jerusalem in the first Crusade in 1071 – 1099 unfolded over the years.
Year of 1095
In November, Urban II – the pope, gave a public speech calling on Christians from west while at the Council of Clermont. They were to give help to their brethren Christian who were from the eastern side. During this period, the Moslem Turks had but the Christians under siege attack.
In addition, urban II ensured that Jerusalem achieved their liberation after Moslem’s a 400 years dominion. Moreover, several letters were also done for the purpose of urban II to show case that crusade launch was crucial.
Year of 1096
August 15, the crusade date was officially set to begin by urban II.
Year of 1097
In this year Crusader, a strong army of 43,000 matched and captured Nicaea. It was their duty to return the empire to the control of Byzantine.
Year of 1098
This is the period in history when holy lands were created in Latin after Baldwin of Boulogne managed to occupy Edessa. Therefore, the climax of the first crusade is when Antioch fall becoming the kingdom of Frank.


Thursday, September 5, 2013
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books by Walter Multnomah. This was one of my choices for review.
Redeeming Love is actually based on a story in the Bible, specifically, the Book of Hosea. Hosea was a man who, when instructed by God, married a prostitute. Hosea followed God's Will instead of acting in response to his own feelings.
So, on to this book. The man in the book is named Michael Hosea and the prostitute turned wife is Sarah. The story follows the same premise as the story in the Bible: Michael is told by God to marry Sarah (known as Angel, at first). Sarah doesn't trust Michael's love at first and leaves him, going right back to her old ways.
Doing God's bidding, Michael goes after her and tries to live a steady, Christian life as a living testament to God to teach Angel that there is a new life waiting for her.
Through patience, hard work and love, Michael wins Angel over. They acquire new friends and build their home and life together. Angel still hasn't forged her own relationship with God, though. She leaves Michael again, but this time for what she thinks are unselfish reasons (I won't spoil it by telling you the reason she feels she is doing right by him).
This time, however, Michael doesn't go after her. He feels that she needs to return on her own. Will she return? You have to read to find out.
I went back and forth in this book from liking it, to thinking it was dragging, to liking it again. I understand Sarah/Angel didn't think she was worthy of love, but a lot of this book was repetitive. It could have been a lot shorter, but it really does teach a lot of lessons. Probably for me, the most important being we are all undeserving of God's love...it is only through grace and mercy that we receive it and should be eternally grateful for that.
Read the first chapter here: First Chapter


You Don’t Need To Read Another Business Book, Until…
Back in my ministry days, I read a little from/about Juan Carlos Ortiz. The story goes that one Sunday, he delivered an impassioned sermon on: “Brothers and Sisters, Love one another.” Filled with Scripture, stories, pleas, arguments, he urged his folks to actually love one another more deeply. The following Sunday, he stood up to preach his sermon, and here it was, in its entirety:
“Brothers and Sisters, love one another.”
Then he sat down. After an awkward silence, with the congregation a little confused, a member of his church called out, “Brother Ortiz, we are waiting to hear your sermon.” Preacher Ortiz rose to the pulpit, and said:
“When you actually love one another, as I preached last week, then I will preach my next sermon.”
Whether the story is true or not, I certainly get the point. It is certainly a true to the real world story.
We read a book filled with good ideas. We think of ways to change/better our work. We “decide” to do things differently. We “learn” what was in the book we read.
But maybe we need to not read any other books; we need to not read the “next book;” until we actually do what this last book we read encouraged/”taught” us to do.
Years ago, for a workshop on some subject or another, I adapted some thoughts from Peter Senge, and included these paragraphs in the handout material:
“The only job security is found in your own ability to keep learning!” (Peter Drucker)
“Through learning, we re-create ourselves.” (Peter Senge)
Learning leads to life style changes which lead to skills:
Learning is far more than taking in information. “Learning is expanding the ability to produce the results we truly want in life.” (Peter Senge)
The ultimate learning disability:
“People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, and their growth areas.” (Peter Senge)
When have you learned?
You have learned when you can do,
and then you actually do,
the skills that are needed to take your next step.
So – yes, I do encourage you to read that next business book. This blog can help you find just the right title for your next areas of concern/growth/challenge. But maybe the wisest course of action is this one:
1) Read a book.
2) Do/implement what it says; what you learned – until it is habit.
3) Then, read the next book – and repeat the process.


11I, yes I, am ADONAI; besides me there is no deliverer [Moshia’].
Moshia’, not to be confused with mashiach or messiah, means to deliver. A common translation in scripture is ‘Savior’.
Deliverer. One who “makes wide” or “makes sufficient.” One who gives freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s way. Often understood in a “this-worldly” manner of political deliverance, the word is also used to ultimately portray Adonai’s deliverance and salvation of the Israel of God. Derived from the Hebrew verb Yasha’. Note that the Name for Jesus – Yeshua – is derived from this same root.
(Hebrew for Christians, Savior, http://www.hebrew4christians.com)
7Show how wonderful is your grace, savior [Moshia’] of those who seek at your right hand refuge from their foes.
As we have found with other Hebrew words and names, the letters carry their own meanings which when viewed in context with the overall intent of the word, add depth and understanding.
[…] Mem has two forms: an open form and a closed form. The open form (pesucha) is said to represent the revealed truth of God (as demonstrated by Moses) […]
(Hebrew for Christians, Mem, http://www.hebrew4christians.com)
Recall that Christ sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to teach us all truth and open our understanding of the scriptures. The Holy Spirit reveals the concealed and is the agent of the Father and Yeshua Jesus, who is our comforter and revealer […]
(Judeo Christian Israel Alliance, Lamed and Mem, http://www.graftedforlife.org/blogs/index.php/2010/06/27/lamed-and-mem?blog=10)
God as deliverer and savior reveals truth and provides understanding.
…this letter represents a peg or hook, which are used for securing something. The meaning of this letter is to add or secure.
(The Ancient Hebrew, http://www.ancient-hebrew.org)
God as deliverer and savior secures us.
Sheen is symbolic of Divine power, provision and protection.
This three prong symbol tells of man’s apostate attempts by idolatry to corrupt, drag down or destroy God’s image, as we see in Israelite history and in today’s world as apostate times are happening- a falling away from our God-given moral values.
Sheen, as El Shaddai, stands for the Name of God; yet even the loftiest of all can be dragged down if men corrupt God’s image.
(Judeo Christian Israel Alliance, Sheen-Sin & Tav, http://www.graftedforlife.org)
God as deliverer and savior rescues us from our own idolatrous and corrupt notions of God.
From previous names, we understand Yod to indicate: ordinate, perfection.
The word Ayin means “eye,” “to see,” and by extension, to understand and obey (see Jer. 5:21, Isa. 6:10, Matt. 13:15, etc.). Ayin further represents the primeval light, that is, the spiritual light of God mentioned in Gen. 1:3 (in distinction to celestial lights mentioned in Gen. 1:14-18).
(Hebrew for Christians, Ayin, http://www.hebrew4christians.com)
The ayin represents sight and insight (a perception of complex thoughts and concepts derived from integration of knowledge, understanding, wisdom). As eye it means, perception, or spiritual insight. The utmost insight is to know that all God’s Commandments are reduced to love.
(Judeo Christian Israel Alliance, Ayin, http://www.graftedforlife.org)
God alone is Adonai [Lord], besides Him there is no deliverer. He reveal his truth to us. He secures us in his love. He rescues us from our depravity. He gives us the ability to see, understand, and know Him and His will and way. Ordinate perfection.
He covers us in His love. He asks us in turn to: Love God. Love People.
Will you allow God to be your Adonai? Will you turn to Him as your only true Moshia’?


Before the creation was started there was nothing but peace. When the creation started the peace also commenced disturbing. The mountains and valleys, sea and land, good and bad all ups and downs came into existence.
From time to time the wise strived to restore the disturbed peace. The religions, the peace restoring societies, and so many organizations are at work to bring back peace. But the very same organizations and religions have become cause to disturb peace more and more in course of time.
When you want a peak the valley is a must. If you want ups, downs are inevitable. The so-called nature is like that. We cannot avoid only downs keeping ups. It is possible only after total dissolution, where there will be no ups and downs and everything has vanished.
As long as the created nature exists total and absolute peace is impossible. But whenever the need arises Nature will maintain and equalize the balance. How and when it happens is beyond our comprehension. Here the so-called God comes into the picture. We call it divine dynamics, which we do not know. It may be in the shape of natural calamities, deadly diseases, or by coming down as incarnation and setting it at right. It is a natural phenomenon.
But the responsibility lies on human beings to establish peace in society. It is necessary to live comfortably in society and allow others to live in the same way. This much is necessary and becomes the duty of each and every person. This is in a way helpful to God because His workload will be lessened i.e., he need not descend frequently for balancing the peace.
Leave it the question of God and think by ourselves, how peace is being disturbed and making the earth uncomfortable for human life. Not only for human life but for each and every living being. Among the whole creatures, humans have become more dangerous to nature. They are becoming more responsible for spoiling nature in all possible ways for self-profits. Adulteration, damaging forests, killing wildlife, making deadly arms like atom bombs, developing religious mania, encouraging terrorism in the name of the race, sect, language, and country, spoiling rivers, air, seas and even sky. To tell the truth, nothing is safe from humans. Scientists are already cautioning us to stop doing harm to nature, otherwise, we are inviting destruction of the earth soon, disturbing the peace drastically.
But in spite of the warning after warning by the Scientists and elders, there is no change in the human attitude. So at least now we have to think over the disturbing peace of nature and be helpful by living in tune with nature and by developing mercy over the co-living beings, leaving aside self-interest, and hatred towards others and let not become subject to nature’s severe action.
To know how to live in tune with nature read the article ‘Ahimsa’ and other spiritual articles posted in this website.
Posted by B.E.Sampath Kumar, and P.Subbarayudu, abhyasis Sriramchandraji Seva Trust, Kadapa.
Copyright © 2010-2020 ViprasCraft. All rights reserved.


Printed Mini Church Folder Bulk Pricing
Personalize this 6" x 8-¾" church welcome folder with your church name.
Designed in a casual golden color palette, this folder combines an old-world font with modern geometrics that will appeal to any church visitor.
Ordering personalized church welcome folders is easy. Just add your church's name to the front cover, and contact information to the back cover. The inside left pocket reads, "a place to belong, a place to believe."
How to order Spanish welcome folders
We've designed a Spanish version of this modern church welcome folder. It reads "Bienvenido Adoremos juntos" on the front cover. Add your church name on the front cover and contact information on the back. The inside pocket reads: "Un lugar para pertenecer. Un lugar para creer."
What goes in a church visitor folder?
- Welcome letter from paster, youth minister, and church president
- Church and denomination info pamphlets
- Visitor cards to fill out and return
- List of ministries, clubs, and groups within the church
- Current church newsletter
- Photos of special services, trips, and events
How to Personalize this Welcome Folder
1. Enter your quantity
Order minimum of 150 folders. Need bulk welcome folders for your church? Take advantage of our quantity discount prices.
2. Set up your imprint
Enter your church name for the front cover and contact info for the back cover.
3. Church Welcome Folder Design Tip
Want your logo on the cover? No problem. Just upload it with your order, and we'll print it in full color.


On its ranch in Lancaster, South Carolina, Simple Faith Ranch (SFR) raises alpacas, sheep, goats, rabbits, dogs, cats and a variety of other farm animals. Each of these animals demonstrates the wonder of God our Creator! SFR staff train the animals to use them for educational and Bible truth activities and presentations. We welcome families, school groups, corporate events, as well as for therapy with special needs children and adults.
SFR continually presents the Gospel message that the only way to receive eternal life is to have simple faith and belief as Jesus has instructed in John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Please contact our Ranch Manager at the following email address: firstname.lastname@example.org 443-421-1809


This week is the last of the transfer...and I'm being transferred to NEGROS!! Again! I'm opening a new zone in Valencia. Can't explain how excited i am. It is literally my favorite place on planet earth...so far.a
Last Sunday, Reymund was confirmed in sacrament meeting and when he came down from the stand, he shook everyone's hand on the way back to his seat, just beaming. The best. He is so happy to be a member of the church and he kept whispering "Thank you! thank you!"
A couple weeks ago, our zone began to plan a fireside with the stake, to teach the members how to use the online resources to "Hasten the work." We held it on Sunday evening and the attendance was way more than we expected-- it was a huge success!! (We even had a special guest- the first missionary that was ever assigned in the Philippines spoke. It was cool to see him look out into the crowd and see the blessings of his first service). One of the things I love about the Church is how it keeps up-to-date with the technology. We showed videos and explained how to give referrals. Afterwards people came up to us thanking us and saying how they're so excited to share links and invite people to listen to the missionaries. Here are some examples of the videos or other features online:
http://mormon.org/values - Explains what we value as members of the Church
http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon - Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon
http://mormon.org/chat - Chat online with a full-time missionary and ask questions
Well another year gone. It just doesn't stop does it? Out with the old and in with the new. Let us take this time to reflect and account for the time that Heavenly Father has given us. I want to use this year to do good and become more Christ-like. I think it is our duty as literal children of God to become better every day; it's our incredible human and divinely inherited ability to improve and progress. And thanks to the perfect Atonement of our Savior, we can develop a new outlook on life and become new. (Romans 12:2)
God bless us every one! Happy snappy new year


You have made me more than a conqueror.(Rom 8:37).
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Like a failure….yet
You have made me an overcomer (1 Jn 5:4).
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith
You did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
You are my peace (John 14:27).
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Finals week is bringing me down, but I hope that during this time, God will stay with me and comfort me.


Nigeria: the president talks about his time in prison
President Olusegun Obasanjo talked about his three-year imprisonment in Yola Prison.
Obasanjo said the book of Psalm 54 formed the bulk of his daily devotion, stressing that the verses acquainted him with the saving powers of God in any situation.
According to the President, he had thought that his arrest, detention and sentence were mistakes until he found out that his "tormentors" were carrying out premeditated act.
"But a further study of the books of Joshua, Isaiah, Psalm and Acts of the Apostles, showed that vengeance belongs to God", he said.
Obasanjo remarked that such conviction made him to pray for his tormentors who "I have already forgiven." (source)


The title for chapter 10 is The Idols of Sickness. Within this chapter are the following sub-titles: At Home in God, The Decision to Forget, The God of Sickness, The End of Sickness, and The Denial of God.
This chapter has an interesting perspective on understanding sickness. I had never thought about it this way until I read this book. Those of you who are currently sick or have a major disease may have a difficult time accepting some of the teachings in this chapter. It takes time for our mind to process and accept new information from the higher spiritual realm as we are conditioned to only understand sickness from a physical body orientation.
Sickness is defined as an attack on yourself and as a denial of the presence of God living within you. When a person fails to fully comprehend how much God loves them and how valuable and perfect they are in his eyes, they may instead see themselves as being a sinner, flawed and even evil. They may complain to themselves and to others about the things they do not like about themselves. It could be a physical attribute on their body or something they did, thought or felt that they judged as being wrong. Growing up, if people spoke negative things over them, they interpreted this as truth about who they were, even though it was all lies. By the time most people reach adulthood, they struggle to identify with how great and amazing God created them to be and generally do not like who they have become. When this happens, their ego mind gets the message that they are not worth anything so it begins to attack them through sickness and disease to defend and prove this belief about them. God cannot create sickness because it goes against his nature of love. However, you, through listening to the lies of the ego can make yourself sick. “When you attack, you are denying yourself. You are specifically teaching yourself that you are not what you are. When you think you are attacking yourself, it is a sure sign that you hate what you think you are. If God created you perfect, you are perfect. If you believe you can be sick, you have placed other gods before him. But if you refuse to worship him (sickness) in whatever form he may appear to you, and wherever you think you see him, he will disappear into the nothingness out of which he was made.”
This chapter teaches a different viewpoint on how you are to be healed of sickness. Since we were all created by the same God, we are all connected to each other through our minds. When one person is sick, it energetically affects everyone. However, it works in reverse, when one person is healthy, it energetically affects everyone and will bring healing to those that are sick. When someone is sick, rather than affirm and support their sickness, ACIM teaches that you are to come along side of them and remind them of who they really are, remind them of the God that loves them, remind them of how interconnected you all are and share with them the health, joy, love that you have. “Do not side with sickness in the presence of a Son of God even if he believes in it, for your acceptance of God in him acknowledges the Love of God he has forgotten. Your recognition of him as part of God reminds him of the truth about himself, which he is denying. Remind him of his wholeness and remember your creator with him. The power of one mind can shine into another because all the lamps of God were lit by the same spark. It is everywhere and it is eternal. Perceiving the spark will heal, but knowing the light will create. Put all your faith in it, and God himself will answer you.”
“The love of God is in everything He created. If you will accept yourself as God created you, you will be incapable of suffering. Yet to do this you must acknowledge Him as your Creator. Your Father created you wholly without sin, wholly without pain and wholly without suffering of any kind. If you deny Him you bring sin, pain and suffering into your own mind because of the power he gave it (your mind).”


Meet the New Fourth Day Coordinator
Hello Emmaus and Chrysalis Communities!
I am so excited to be a part of the leadership team that is here to support and encourage you all in your Fourth Day and Next Steps. My own journey began in 1996 when I attended my Chrysalis Flight in Crossroads of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Over the past 15 years I’ve had so many of the experiences that each of you have had: I’ve served on weekends, both inside and outside of the conference room. I’ve attended monthly gatherings, sendoffs, candlelights and closings. I’ve served on the board and team selection committees. I’ve been a part of weekends that included too many local ideas, and weekends that were nearly identical to the model. These are the experiences that have shaped my fourth day.
Over the past four years my passion for the Emmaus and Chrysalis movements has grown. I just completed a three-year term on the International Advisory Committee and I’ve been working in the Northeast as an Assistant Regional Leader for Chrysalis. In both of these roles I have been able to share my heart for Emmaus and Chrysalis with Communities around the Country and around the World. On your weekend, do you remember when you were introduced to your new community for the first time? Someone said these words, “Can there be anything greater than the body of Christ loving us on behalf of Christ?” I get that same feeling each time I am at a Leadership Development Event, or IAC meeting. As I look out across a room full of Pilgrims and Butterflies from different communities, from different states and from different countries, I see the Body of Christ working together to share the love of Jesus Christ.
It is a privilege to be on this journey with each of you. In the coming months and years you will see me working in many ways to promote your personal and your community’s Fourth Day/Next Step journey. I will be working on ways to use technology to bridge the gaps between communities whether they are in neighboring states or halfway around the world. I look forward to developing tools to help build and strengthen your community’s network of Reunion Groups and Gatherings. But more than all of that, I can’t wait to get to know you, to hear your Fourth Day story and learn from each other as we walk along this road.
De Colores and Fly With Christ,


Our Vision Statement sets out our passion to see ‘Lives transformed through knowing Jesus’ and it this Vision that motivates our desire to make changes to our building and that inspires us to give financially towards the project.
We have already been greatly blessed by the generosity of members of the congregation - an astonishing £80,000 was raised during our recent Gift Day.
We are currently applying for a number of grants from charities and organisations that specialise in supporting the care of buildings and the growth of the Christian faith to help us raise the £800,000 we will need. But we are also relying on the generosity of people like you to help us reach our goal. Supporting this project will enable our vision to fulfilled in worship, discipleship and outreach to the community so that we can see lives being transformed by the love of Jesus.
There are several ways you can support us:
Heavenly Father, may we respond gladly and with open hearts to Jesus who said: Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10.8)


We pray that our life is full of blessings. It is important that we are kind and loving. Life is not easy. We need blessings from God to survive. Life is all about love and Jesus and God mean everything!
Jesus is the light of my life. His heart is so filled with love. I need his support in my life. Easter is the season where Jesus’ dying on the cross saved my heart and soul. I am very grateful for His sacrifice, as we all should be!
Life is full of much happiness but we also experience many problems. We must walk deep in Faith with Jesus in our heart and by our side. Yes! We must stay deep in our Faith and allow Jesus Christ to light up our life!
Showing pure Love is very important. Being kind and caring means everything to me. We need to be truly interested in other people. Life is not easy! We need to Love each other and support each other. When problems arise … God gives us pure Love!
Thanksgiving time and the Christmas season are special times. People are very happy loving Jesus at Christmas which helps us give love to other people. Life Is Now Full of Joy!
Thanksgiving and Christmas are very dear in my heart. The Thanksgiving turkey is wonderful. The pies taste, oh so, delicious. Our hearts are so full of Love! We love our friends and our family. But we have COVID-19 this year. Yet, still we must have cheer and Love not Fear! So Happy Holidays to All,Continue reading “Happy Holidays This Year!”
It is wonderful when we hear from old friends. Positive memories of old make life, oh so, meaningful. Time goes by but old memories can last forever. Life gives us many friends and many adventures! Cherish your friends and cherish life’s positive memories!
Sebastian is such a very special person! He has such a loving heart. And he truly loves the Lord! Sebastian loves animals and birds. He truly cares about people. He is a wonderful artist. Please, Pray for Sebastian today!
Faith helps us live a positive life. Faith in Jesus is the meaning of my life. Yes! Life can be very difficult to live without Deep Faith. Having a heart filled with love keeps our Faith strong!
Bud is now fighting cancer. Bud is a wonderful brother. He loves his wife and family. He loves sports and he loves people. We are praying so hard for our dear Bud to recover!
Being a person with honesty and moral values means everything in life. If you do not have integrity, you can hurt others. So, God wants us to live a descent life. Yes! Life can be very hard, but Jesus can help everyday in every way!
Please pray for my brother, Bud! He is a wonderful person. He cannot eat very well and has no appetite and is losing weight. Bud loves his wife, Donna, and his two sons, Jeremy and Justin. He needs all of our prayers to get by! An old photo…
Peace and Love makes life better. Calming Ourselves helps to keep Peace and Love. Life is not always easy and people can hurt each other Without Love. That is why we should always strive for Peace and Calm. Yes! … Peace and Calm …… and Love!
Pure Living is decency … I love to live in a decent way … Pure Living is honesty … I love to be decent in an honest way … Pure living is helping others … I love to be honest and helpful to others in a decent way … Yes! Pure living is loving peopleContinue reading “Pure Living Is Loving People In My Life!”
When we live life, we are basically alone much of the time. Life gets very sad. But, if we worship Jesus, He will help us get through everyday. Yes! Jesus will surely light our way!
Living life is not easy. There are many fun times but sad times also come our way. We must try to stay healthy and help each other Each Day!
It is so good to keep ourselves truthful and pure of heart. But life tempts us to tell lies. We must love ourselves and each other. Doing our best in life and being honest gives us much hope and love. Honesty and truthfulness in Christ we should be!
I am grateful for God’s Love. He walks with us each and every day. He is with us in times of trouble and in happy times. We never have to walk alone.
Love Is … Oh, So Important Love Is … What Keeps Us Alive Love Thrives … Love Never, Ever Dies Love Gives Us Faith To Survive Love is … The Best Thing Life Has To Offer Anywhere … Anytime!
We must have Hope. And Loyalty is also very important. While life can be difficult, if we stay Hopeful then Jesus is with us every day. He will walk with us and give us Hope to live the Right Way our whole life By the Way!


Posted By: Maureen Witmer, Director of Outreach, TakeThemAMeal.com on Feb 10, 2015
~ Adina Bailey, TakeThemAMeal.com
As I mentioned many times, we have been overwhelmed (in the best possible way!) by all the support we’ve received during this season of life. We can never write down all that has been done for us, nor we can even come close to repaying all the many people who have supported us so well. We are forever changed by the care and love we’ve received.
I wanted to be sure to do a blog post about the creative and practical ways we’ve been helped for two reasons. First, I want to remember! I never want to forget all the ways people have stepped up and genuinely helped us get through this hard and scary time. I want to recount to Katie and Ben all the ways the body of Christ and our community of friends came alongside us to carry us through a time that could have been lonely and even more difficult. I want to make sure John Wyatt knows that his story inspired the EXTREME kindness and generosity of so many and, even before he was born, his story and life showed us the love of Christ in ways we couldn’t have known otherwise.
Second, I hope this list will be inspiring for you and for me when we hear of others going through hard times. I want to be the kind of woman that moves toward another person in need, even when it’s hard or I don’t know what to say or do. That’s what so many of you have done and it’s so beautiful. JUST BEING THERE has blessed us so much. I hope when I hear of someone going through a trial, these ideas will come to mind, whether I’m super close to them or not.
1. Make prayer cards.
My dear friend, creator of TakeThemAMeal, who has done SO MUCH for us, asked me to write down our long term prayer requests. She then worked with another sweet friend from church who is a fabulous graphic designer to create prayer cards to give and send to family and friends near and far. They turned out beautifully. I loved addressing them, thinking of all the people from Maine to California who are keeping these tangible cards in their Bibles or on their refrigerators, praying for our family. What a gift.
2. Connect with someone who has gone through a similar situation and put together a care package.
This week, the sweet friend from church that I’ve mentioned a few times who sadly lost her dear little girl with a congenital heart defect 4 years ago, came over with more gifts than I can possibly list here. She made a list of things we could use based on her experience and some friends, mostly the ladies from our church, sprang into action. There were bags full of gift cards for dinners out in Charlottesville, many, many supplies for the baby, activities for the kids and lots of other thoughtful things that she wished she had or found useful when she was in the hospital with her little one. We are much better prepared because of this coordinated effort.
3. Offer to help with practical needs at home.
In the past week, we’ve had 3 women from church come to 1. play with the kids while I rested after a bad night at the ER 2. Help fold the laundry and figure out what I need to pack for the kids for the hospital and 3. help with some projects I needed to finish, as well as fix some of the little nagging things around the house that I have wanted done for a long time. I have enjoyed today so much more knowing that my laundry was done and we could leave at the drop of a hat if we needed to. It’s so helpful to have another set of hands and someone to talk to while taking care of little things around the house.
4. Set up a “special delivery” calendar.
My dear Kristin set up a Google doc where people could sign up to send us something every day for the month of April. It was supposed to be a secret but I’ve learned some details. A few weeks ago I started getting suspicious. I said to Andrew, “We are getting something in the mail every single day!” Turns out, it wasn’t a coincidence! It has been so encouraging to receive cards and special packages dropped off at our house each day. It’s been a nice distraction and something for the kids and I to look forward to. Thanks to all who participated!
5. Offer to create an online giving page.
My lovely friend from our small group (my oh my I have a lot of amazing women in my life! Thank you Lord!) offered to set up a page where people could donate money to help with our upcoming medical costs. It was humbling for us to think about accepting money from friends and family at first. But we have been so so blessed by this effort. Our costs are covered for the foreseeable future and that frees us up to think solely about the care he needs and not be worried about how we’re going to afford all that’s ahead. She used YouCaring, which has no fees.
6. Just be there.
Your presence and prayers are what have mattered most to us. A simple text to say that you’re thinking of us or an email to say you’re praying for our family has lifted our spirits. There’s no need to put great pressure on these interactions. What has meant the most is simply hearing that you’re with us in what we’re going through.


The Treasury of the Government of the Isle of Man have launched (11th January) a new crown coin which features St. Patrick, an important figure in IOM history and eventual conversion from local beliefs to Christianity. The Isle of Man does not have a patron saint, but if they were to adopt one, St Patrick would be a strong contender, even if they had to share him with Ireland, as he is credited with bringing Christianity to those shores initially.
In Christian Tradition in Mann, ‘Most people in this part of the world think of Christianity as coming from the East, but here in Man it came to us from the West, borne by the Irish Saints and was first established upon a small rocky islet off the west coast of our land’. According to IOM legend, St Patrick first set foot at Peel islet where he built a church and which has ever since been called St Patrick’s Isle. The remains of this earliest church can still be seen among the ruins of Peel Castle. It is said that St Patrick was returning from Liverpool to Ireland in A.D. 444 with a band of 30 followers and landed in the isle of Eubonia (Isle of Man) ‘Where he found people, as least the rulers, given to magic. But being overcome or convinced by his preaching and miracles, they were converted or else expelled from the Island’. (ref: Sacheverell’s survey of the Isle of Man, 1702) St Patrick apparently stayed there for three years, continuing to convert the locals. He is said to have blessed the Isle of Man ‘from end to end’, freeing it from toads, snakes and ‘venomous beasts, visible devils and a multitude of magicians’.
The coin, struck by the Pobjoy Mint, UK depicts St Patrick on the reverse, with staff in his right hand, mitre and robes casting out serpents during his time on the Isle of Man. The coin’s denomination of “1 CROWN” is positioned just over St. Patrick’s left shoulder with a tangle of snakes just below his depiction. The obverse includes a fine effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, who is also Lord of Man – by Ian Rank- Broadley FRBS.
The coin is available in both Cupro Nickel and Proof Sterling Silver (mintage of 10,000 pieces) with weights of 28 grams and diameters of 38.6 mm. for both examples. This coin is also available in Gold and in a choice of sizes, please contact Pobjoy Mint directly for details. For more information on this and other coins produced by the Pobjoy Mint, please visit their website at: http://www.pobjoy.com/ukworld/section.php/1054/0


Mid-Week Musings : The Revolution of Love
This is how we know God loves us. This is how we know the love of God, the way we perceive it, the way we understand it. He laid down his life for us. He died for us; he did something. He did not sit up in glory and sing, 'My earthlings, I love you, I know you are mine.' The did not do that. That is what we do. We sit in our meetings and sing, 'My Jesus, I love you,' and yet often we are not in speaking terms with the man in the seat beside us. Anyone who can sing that without going out from that meeting to show love in his life has passed through a religious pantomime that is an insult to Almighty God.
The Pitfall of Being Entrepreneurial
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark.... - 1 Chronicles 13:9-10
There are good things we can do, but only God-things we should do. Those activities not born out of the Spirit will result in wood, hay, and stubble. What seems good in our eyes may be an abomination in God's eyes. For instance, if you decide to build an orphanage but God has never directed you to do so, then God will not see that work as good; it was born out of your own strength, even though it was a "good work."
The most difficult challenge a Christian workplace believer will ever have is to know what things to be involved in and what things not to be involved in. Many workplace believers have a great ability to see opportunity. What appears to be a "slam dunk" may come back to haunt us if God never ordains us to enter that arena.
There are many good things we can be involved with. However, there are God-things we are supposed to be involved with. Uzzah was a good man in David's sight. It was a time of celebration, and David and the people were transporting the ark of God. However, the ark hit a bump, and Uzzah reached for the ark to hold it steady. He touched the ark, and he immediately died. David became very upset with God about this situation; he questioned whether he could serve God.
God's ways are not our ways. The most important quality God desires to develop in us is our dependence on Him and Him alone. When we begin to make decisions based on reason and analysis instead of the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, we get into trouble with God. David later learned the importance of this principle in his own life. This encounter was one of the stepping-stones in his pilgrimage. David was an extraordinary entrepreneur. He ran the nation very successfully, but he, like each of us, had to learn the difference between "good things" and "God-things."
Are you involved in anything in which God has not directed you to be involved? Do you seek God about every decision, every action before you take it? This is where God wants you and me to be. Ask Him to show you how to walk with Him in this way.
~ Os Hillman ~
Do you obey or do you justify?
Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than the fat of rams.1Samuel 15:22
Saul was given very specific instructions by God to attach the Amalekites and destroy everything that belongs to them - putting to death men, women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys (v3). However, Saul spared king Aga's life and kept the best plunder (v9). He justified how he can honour God with the plunder (v15 & 21). As a result, God's favour departed from him.
At times, we "justify" our actions under the pretense of bringing glory to God. Pursuing a relationship with a non-believer under the pretense of adding another soul into God's kingdom. Making money, at the expense of one's integrity (as mild as putting in 100-hr work week to as blatant as corruption), under the pretense of giving it away for God's purposes. If I could imagine God's face, it would be a sly smirk, one eyebrow raised with a sarcastic "Oh really?". More often that not, we fall away - the pilgrimage is diluted and we keep the money. It is the motive, it is the issue of the heart. God doesn't need anything from us - He is no one's debtor. He wants our love, and at the heart of our love for Him is obedience (1John 2:4).
The Call To Obedience
Sometimes in the zeal of professing our faith about the many wonderful things about our relationship with God, it strikes non-believers as ludicrous at best and arrogant at worst. To claim to know God’s will surely sounds presumptuous; to claim to know God just a bit preposterous. And the claim that we are children of God is a double-whammy. What makes Christians so favoured and their claims true and not mere boasting?
On one hand, we are children of God hence we possess immense privileges by virtue of that relationship. On the other hand, we must be constantly reminded that we have definite responsibilities as God’s children. Here is an unequivocal stance to smugness and arrogance that implies superiority over non-Christians: it is in our conduct that we make our claims to be God’s children believable. The outward manifestation of our walk exhibits an inward spiritual integrity.
God in a box?
In this age of unprecedented wealth, consumerism mars our culture. In many developed societies, life is so good that “give us our daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer is just a pious uttering. We get to pick and choose what we want, and discard what we don’t. We are spoilt for choices. The sentiment is so strong that there is a new breed of Christians - McChristians. We open the bible, pick and choose the principles that fancy us and ignore the ones that don’t; and then carry on living life our way. Many Christians want to share Christ’s glory, but not his sufferings.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German martyr during the Nazi Occupation, penned this: “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate”. Cheap grace is living as though God ignores or condones our sins. But forgiveness means that sin is real, and must be dealt with. We cannot ignore it, because God does not ignore it. The denial of sin is not grace: it is a lie. Cheap grace means living without the demand of obedience upon us.
The Call to Obedience
If I were to summarize the Christian lifestyle into just one word, it would be obedience. The Bible is full of examples expounding obedient and disobedient characters. The underpinning principle is simple: God blesses the obedient, while the disobedient runs into problems.
Obedience is the conscientious efforts to live out God’s commands and principles, regardless of whether surrounding circumstances are favourable or not. It is a consistency of our discipleship that matters, and not individual acts taken in isolation.
Obedience is not a checklist of rules. Such hollow, legalistic approach saps the essence out of the life of faith and the pilgrimage loses its character. You know the difference between the cheerful obedience of an affectionate daughter or a dutiful son, and the forced obedience of a wretched drudge. One is spontaneous, hearty, affectionate, free, and is accepted as such; the other is extorted by fear, or given with an eye to the wages. We obey, not that it is a test to gain access to God, but rather it is the manifestation of our access to God.
No two-ways around it
There is not such thing as “I love God, but” in the Christian pilgrimage. And there is also no such thing as good intentions. Someone once commented that the road to hell is full of good intentions. Eugene Peterson once remarked that we don’t become whole persons by merely wanting to become whole, by consulting the right prophets, by reading the right books. Intentions must mature into commitments if we are to become persons with definition, character and substance.
Scriptures is blunt to state that if a person claims to know Christ but does not do as Jesus commands, he is a liar (1John 2:4). There are good reasons why God does not tolerate disobedience. Firstly, the psychology behind a disobedient act undermines faith. We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Secondly, as God commands to be holy because He is holy (Leviticus 19:2), disobedience implies a sub-standard spiritual stance. Thirdly, it taints our declaration of love for God - only those who truly love Him will do as He says (John 14:23-24).
The call to obedience may seem like a lofty, unattainable perfection. However, as children of God, we can be sure that His grace is enough for us. If we love Him, we obey him - that is our part of the deal (1 John 5:2). God’s part of the deal is that when we obey Him, we are empowered to overcome (v3-5).
Of Conviction, Confession and Conduct
With thy lips thou hath confessed
Where art thy conduct?
That reflects conviction of thy heart?
What good is thy heart's conviction?
If thou hath not confessed forth
Nor hath thou bring into conduct
What is worth of thy conduct?
Bereft of thy heart's conviction
Hollow confession of deceitful lips
O Lord heareth my cry!
Engrave Thy conviction within
Confessing Thee with my lips
My conduct are Thy ways~Mel-Vern Toh~
Moving With The Cloud
Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.
~ Numbers 9:21b ~
Imagine living with the uncertainty of this situation. One day you work at getting your "house" in order, only to have to pick up the stakes and move. Your ability to plan is totally gone. But even greater is the temptation to move when the cloud did not move because you felt it was time to move. For the Israelites, perhaps the grass was no longer green. Perhaps the water was not easily accessible. Perhaps the bugs were a problem. Whatever the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud did not move.
It is still the same today. We are not to move unless the Holy Spirit instructs us to do so. We are not to make that business deal on the basis of whether or not it makes sense, but on the leading of the Holy Spirit's "cloud" in our life. It is a difficult process to move only when we are directed, and to remain if we are not. The pressure is always upon us to move, to plan, to act. But if we act, we may move into a place where the presence of God may not be. Hence, the rub. The Christian workplace believer must learn to move when God says move; it is a sign of complete surrender and dependence on God's Spirit to direct our steps.
Ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said stand still? He will show you.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Mid-Week Musings : What Are You Prepared to Die For?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer died for what he believed. Character for him was what was formed in his childhood days at his father and mother's table when they studied the Bible, sang hymns, and affirmed the creed. Deposited into his soul at the deepest levels was a belief that people should be free, that oppression should be fought, and that God was man's highest authority.
That was why it wasn't hard to understand Bonhoeffer's choice when in the late 1930s, he chose to leave a professorship at Union Seminary in New York and return to his German fatherland and almost certain persecution. His friends begged him not to go, as the friends of the Apostle Paul once prevailed upon him not to go to Jerusalem. But he insisted that Hitler-dominated Germany was where he belonged. At one point he wrestled with the genuineness of his character in a marvelous poem :
Who am I? They often tell me
I could step from my cell's confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I would bear the day's misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I know of myself,
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands are compressing my throat,
yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighbourliness,
trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation,
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Whom am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a comtemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
feeling in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer died on the gallows at Flossenburg prison. There he commended his soul to God and died bravely. There was a character in his behaviour and attitude all the way to the end. A man of Godly valour.
Most of us do not know what we're prepared to die for. We've not lived in a time or a circumstance where death was required. The closest some of us have come to such a gutsy decision might be to lay a job on the line when a matter of ethics or legality is at stake.


Sometime ago I was listening to Public radio and the radio host was interviewing the author Alan Butler who had written the book “Sheep: The Humble Animal that Built the Modern World.” I thought, “Oh, brother!” But, for some reason I kept listening and am I ever glad I did because what I learned from Alan Butler that day unexpectedly changed my life! Now, I do not recommend buying the book… unless you are really interested in how sheep have affected world history. But, believe it or not, as he talked about one aspect of sheep history that day, my perspective on my life with God took a huge turn and in the process I gained a new sense of hope… and I’m talking about deep hope… the kind of hope we need during the cold, wintery days of life. Now, I know this may sound crazy… but stick with me. Here is what he said: the average size of a sheep brought to the London Sheep Market in 1830 was about 25 pounds… about the size of a small dog. Up until about 1830 sheep were grown almost exclusively for their wool; people hardly ever ate mutton because sheep were needed to make clothing. But, about this time cheap cotton started flowing into England from America, and wool sales plummeted. As a result English sheep farmers needed a new market for their sheep. Well, this happened just as the science of animal husbandry was exploding and to help sheep farmers, scientists began breeding new kinds of sheep to sell as meat. In fact, the creation of new breeds during the next 50 years or so changed sheep so much that by 1880 the average size of a sheep brought to market in London now weighed 80 pounds. Sheep now had big, meaty legs and barrel chests; they were huge when compared to the sheep from just a few decades earlier. One thing that scientists didn’t do though was breed sheep with bigger heads and larger brains; as you may know, intelligence in mammals is brain size to body size. So, over the course of about 50 short years, sheep got bigger by a multiple of 2 ½ times, but they also got dumber. Now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with anything and how knowing this would change my spiritual life. Well, the image that God is our shepherd and we are the sheep of God’s pasture is everywhere in the Bible. This image colors the way we think about all sorts of things related to our faith… And unfortunately, our notion that sheep are stupid has bled into the way we think about God’s people being his sheep. For instance, I have heard frustrated pastors, and by the way, the word pastor is the Latin word for shepherd, I’ve heard pastors, when talking about difficult parishioners say, “Stupid, worthless sheep.” But the truth is this: when the Bible was being written and God was first calling his people his sheep, sheep weren’t 80 lb., dumb animals. They were much smaller, much smarter and here is the most important point, very, very valuable animals. In fact, people in every era of the Bible, from the beginning to the end, in all Ancient Near Eastern cultures used the number of sheep a person owned as a primary way to figure their wealth. Sheep weren’t just like money; they were money… Knowing this makes perfect sense of why Jesus said if someone had 100 sheep and one wandered off, he would leave the other 99 and go look for the lost one… and then celebrate with his neighbors when he found it. For almost all of history, literally, until less than 200 years ago, a shepherd’s main job was to protect small, vulnerable, valuable animals from predators. This is why there is that odd line in the 23 Psalm, “Your rod and staff, they comfort me.” Rods and staffs were the weapons shepherds carried to use on predators, not on their sheep. Well, this new way of seeing sheep… as small, smart, vulnerable and highly valuable animals changed a lot for me. The first thing that changed relates to me being one of your pastors… what I realized was that I must never forget that just because animal husbandry has changed our concept of sheep, God’s attitude toward his sheep hasn’t changed. Bottom line: God still figures his wealth by his sheep… each of you is very, very valuable to Him… he is richer because you belong to him. And as a pastor, a shepherd of God’s sheep, I have been given a great responsibility. Plus, God knows how small and vulnerable we allreallyare; we are vulnerable to all kinds of attack… and a huge part of the pastor’s job should be to look out for you, protect you, wield the rod and staff if necessary to make certain that God’s most precious possessions are safe. And the second thing that changed for me was a huge revelation; when I read, as we will today, a Psalm by David, a man who was a shepherd, I have to keep in mind that when David thought of himself as being one of God’s sheep, simply by virtue of what sheep meant in his world, he knew that it was agiventhat he was very, very valuable to God. I know that we have lost most the reality of this fact due to animal husbandry, but I don’t think it is something we can afford to lose. We’re going look at Psalm 27 today. David will not mention sheep, or shepherds or anything like that in this psalm. But we must never forget that David’s given in life, an assumption that just came with living in his world was this: he belonged to God, he was one of God’s sheep and God was his shepherd, he was as valuable to God as is possible to imagine and God would be looking out for him. Can you imagine how much hope this truth gave David as he faced difficult times? Well, turn to Psalm 27 with me and we’ll see how this given about sheep gave David confidence and hope and my prayer is that you’ll take a whole bunch of this kind of hope home with you today.
Now, I want to start by pointing out that this Psalm was created with literary bookends. It starts with a bold statement of truth and it ends with another bold statement of truth… bold statements of truth that function as what I am going to call ‘reality checks’ for David. Let’s read these two bookends: vs. 1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”You can feel the swagger in that verse, can’t you? Just so you will know, this salvation David is talking about is not an after-this-life salvation like we tend talk about when we say ‘salvation’… David was talking about God being his salvation in the midst of fearful circumstances in this life. And then drop down to verse 14.I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.Again, you can sense David’s great hope in God… God is going to take care of things. He may have to wait a while to see it; he may have to stand strong and take heart in the face of difficult things, but he will see it. And once again, it is important to know that when David says he will “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” he is not, as many people today say, talking about some future place after death. He is talking about this land… here and now. He was confident he would live to see even more of the goodness of the Lord in this life… no matter what he was going through today. But even with all of the confidence we see in these bookend verses, truth is, this Psalm isn’t simply about David’s confidence in God… No, this psalm is really about David’s confidence in God in the face of David’s 2 greatest fears. Let me show you what I mean. Look at verse 2. Check out these phrases: ‘When the wicked advance against me to devour my flesh’… Verse 3 ‘Though an army besiege me… though war break our against me’… and down to verse 5 ‘In the day of trouble’… and verse 6, ‘My enemies who surround me.’ It’s pretty obvious that David’s first fear was attack from his enemies. And honestly, he had good reason to worry about this. He wasn’t talking about some metaphorical wicked advancing on him; he had real enemies that were literally trying to destroy him. If you look at the story of his life, and we don’t know at what point in his life he wrote this psalm, but it really doesn’t matter because it’s difficult to find any point in David’s life when someone wasn’t after him. I’m pretty sure that David lived under the constant fear that if he ever let his guard down or trusted the wrong person someone would be waiting to take him out. So, it makes perfect sense that David was fearful of his enemies. But, if that wasn’t enough to worry about David had a second fear: David feared that God would turn his back on him because of his sin. Look at verse 7. “Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior”.Now, remember, this was David, the man after God’s own heart. Yet, it is clear that he was worried… These phrases: ‘hide your face,’ ‘turn your servant away in anger,’ ‘reject me,’ ‘forsake me,’ are all common, Old Testament, phrases that the prophets used to speak of God’s response to great sin. And the picture we are given of David in the Bible is brutally honest; we know about his many sins and they were great by any definition. It’s easy to see why David might worry that his sin would cause God abandon him. Now, I don’t know about you, but I understand these two fears: attack by others and God abandoning me. First, I’ve had to face the fact that enemies do exist; there are people who are out to get us. And if not people, then there are other things, things that come out of nowhere, things over which we have no control that can destroy us. I get that fear. And second, I get David’s fear that God might turn his back on me because of my sin. I understand that one, too. Now, just to be honest, with regards to David’s first fear, I don’t think that anyone is out to kill me… literally kill me. But, I think it’s interesting that in verse two, when it says, ‘when the wicked advance to devour me’ there is some confusion as to whether the word should be ‘devour’ or ‘slander.’ And I know about slander. And I know about what David says in verse 12, ‘When false witnesses rise up against me, sprouting malicious accusations.’ I know about being accused of things that have never crossed my mind. And I’m sure many of you know what it is like to have these kinds of ‘enemies’ hoping to destroy you by destroying your character. Plus, there are some other fears that I feel fit into this category of things that are out to destroy us: for instance, I know that I’ve mentioned before that a ‘friend’ and business associate secretly stole a great deal of money from us once. I let me guard down and trusted the wrong person and he attacked us and that experience so affected me that I still struggle with a fear that economically everything is always teetering on the edge of collapse. I fear that all systems related to money are out to get me. At my age, I also have a fear that some unexpected health issue is lurking in the wings waiting to destroy me. I also live in the continual fear that something is going to happen to my wife. You want to take me off of my game, mess with Jennifer… I’m telling you these things because I know from my own experience and listening to so many of you that David’s fear of being overtaken with trouble is still a common fear. Sure, they take different forms today than they did then but they are essentially the same. And then there is the fear that God will reject me because of my sin. I’m pretty confident that the reason I fear things like economic collapse and something happening to Jennifer IS because I know what kind of person I can be. I know that I fail God and others plenty… and I can’t escape that inner voice that keeps saying, “Why would a person like you deserve God’s blessing or protection after what you’ve done?” I understand the fear of losing God’s presence due to my own foolishness. I know what it is to pray like David prayed, ‘Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger… Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.’I’m sure that some of you know what it is to pray this prayer as well.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how David, a man who was clearly aware of his deep fears… how was it that he could still be so full of the confidence we see in the bookends of this psalm? I believe it gets back to the sheep stuff: it’s this simple: David knew that the reality of his value to God far outweighed his fears; the truth contained in the bookends of this psalm were a constant ‘reality check;’ every time one of his fears rose up and started to paralyze him he’d remind himself of thebiggertruth. It was true that there was plenty in life that was out to destroy him, but thebiggertruth was that the Lord was his light; God would help him see things clearly and helped him find his way. Yes, it was true that people were out to entrap David and harm him but thebiggertruth was that the Lord was his salvation and God would save him and delivered him out of danger. It was true that people were trying to slander David, lying about him and looking for ways to destroy his character and yet thebiggertruth was that God was his stronghold, a place of refuge where his reputation would be protected. And David knew that all of this was true because in the depths of his soul he was certain about one thing: he was one of God’s sheep; he knew how valuable he was to God; he knew God was his shepherd and that God was wielding a rod and staff. This is why he could sing with such confidence,When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me,theywill stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.And even in the face of David’s sin he knew that God would not reject him or forsake him. God had made a way for David’s sin to be forgiven and David could be confident that he would see God’s blessing ‘in the land of the living.’ He could wait, be strong and take heart because he was confident that even if “my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” And again, he could stand on this truth because it was a given that he was a sheep in God’s flock! I can’t think of anything that can better bring hope into the midst of our deepest fears than knowing that we are this valuable to God. Think about this with me: If you are one of the sheep of God’s pasture then God is your shepherd. It means that you are the way that God calculates his wealth. You are his most valuable possession. And you can be confident that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And this reality should give you hope no matter what you are going through today. I hope you can see why I called the bookends of this psalm a ‘reality check’; they tell us what is actually real; this isn’t wishful thinking. Here, once again, are the facts: if you are one of the sheep of God’s pasture… oh, and let me say here that you become one of his sheep through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and by following Jesus as his disciple… if you are one of his sheep you can say with confidence along with David,“The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”If you are one of God’s sheep then no matter what is happening, you can be confident of this: You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” And knowing that you are a sheep in his pasture should give you hope… hope that you will never be fully overpowered; hope that you will never be abandoned by God; hope that you will see his blessing. I want you to listen to these words of Jesus. Take them in because they are about you. They speak of your value to God. They speak of his love for you. They are words that are meant to give you the hope of God’s presence, his love and his care in the midst of the darkest of days.Then Jesus told them this parable:“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shouldersand goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. Luke 15:4-7