November 18, 2018 1 John 4:18

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18 NKJV)

When we see someone who is angry we at times want to withdraw in fear. They may hurt us or belittle us and so we are guided by our fear to run and leave an opportunity to share the love of Jesus. Fear rules us and limits our lives and ministry.

If we allow fear to rule our lives we can become angry with ourselves and maybe even with others and then God! We can easily go from fear of displeasing God and His wrath to anger at God for failing to help us and for the discouragement we feel.

Our fear and anger can attack our faith and soon we can lose our relationship with God who is the only One who can help us. And then fear can cast out our love for God or have a broken love that can cause fear of God making it hard to love God or we may even come to hate God.

To love is harder than anything else for a human being, yet love is more powerful than anything else. Bombs destroy, teaching distorts (even the best) but love builds, renews and heals. In 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 Paul describes the gifts God gives so the Church can grow, reach out and minister in the world but 1 Corinthians 13 is the heart of the Church and of a Christian. Only through love is the Gospel really good news!

     It has been a long time since I updated my condition. Sometimes I feel I am just sharing my complaints but I hope to show you the glory of God in the midst of my suffering. It is so hard to understand why I am going through this. Some believe bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people. There are two problems with this reasoning.

     First Jesus reminds us only God is good! We are all tainted and covered with our sinfulness and we truly only deserve sickness and hell!

     Secondly if you look through the history of Christianity you will see many people God uses were either martyred or were disabled in some way. God works through our weakness. If we allow it!

     I continue to get weaker and so weary my mind is at times so clouded it is hard to read or even pray. Not only does the Holy Spirit speak for me but teaches me to just pray God will work things out according to His will. At times God’s will seems harsh to me but I trust God’s will and purpose.

     Please pray for my family who struggle having to help me dealing with my decline. I never know from day to day what I can do which is not only frustrating to me but also to them. I can look back and see how so often I failed them as I ministered. I pray God will bring them healing for my failures.

     Pray not only for those who are ill but also pray for their caregivers for they struggle and hurt just as much if not more.

     Each day God blesses me in so many ways! There are so many ways God uses me and when I think about others it relieves the pain some. All glory and honor to God who uses me in my weakness and sin I still struggle with. I, who deserve nothing, praise God who cares for His children and calls for the lost to come home!

November 11, 2018 Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)

“"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 NKJV)

We may not come to God at times out of fear of condemnation (see John 3:17) or out of pride thinking we can find our own way by our own wisdom.

But God condescends to call us to reason together. The Hebrew word Niphal is used for reason or to reason together and is in what is called the imperfect tense which adds color and movement by suggesting the "process" preliminary to its completion.

Some see faith in God as throwing our intellect away and just “trusting” in God. But God reminds us though we are called to trust in God so our sins will be covered through the sacrifice of Jesus we are also called to reason with God. We are called to constantly reason with God so our faith can grow as our relationship grows as we reason together with God.

Those who condemn Christianity and Christians are just as dependent on faith because they have to trust their research and reasoning is correct. They must trust in their reasoning even as others in their community disagree with them or as they learn. Faith is an essential part of the psychology of every healthy person.

Without faith we can become paranoid and either defensive or withdrawn afraid we will be contradicted or proven wrong. We can even come to have contradictory beliefs trying to patch together an inoffensive belief system everyone will accept.

Faith in God is not only reasonable but allows growth if we continue to reason with God. Reasoning with God can be just seeking guidance or even arguing with God. If you fear reasoning with God know God calls us to bring our doubts and fears which are already known. Faith is continuing to trust God is reasonable and has a deeper knowledge of creation even when we struggle or the world laughs at God’s truth.

Will you reason with God and discover God doesn’t just have the truth but is the TRUTH? Will you Put aside your fear or arrogance and reason with God and discover Jesus as not only truth but the Truth? Will you bring to God your truth and reason honestly and then decide what is true and what you will have faith in?

Destruction and doom           to life and truth
Violence is the seed of          grace is the seed
Division is the seed of          love is the seed of
Anger is the seed of              faith is the seed of
Fear is the seed of                 hope is the seed of
11/5/2018

God bless

God bless those in fright

God bless those who cry

Bless those about to die

Bless those about to kill

Bless those innocence lost

Bless those who take it

Bless those without hope

Bless those of dead soul

Bless the cruel and dying

Bless those locked away

Especially without a key

Bless those undeserving

Bless those undesirable

Bless the killer being killed

Bless the faithful ones

Bless those being unfaithful

Hold on        to God

Hold on        to Truth

Hold on        to Hope

Hold on        to Grace

Hold on        to Love

Hold on        to God

`                                  March 16, 2008

Recently I read an NPR article my son Jonathan sent me titled

Another 'Civil War'? Pessimism About Political Violence Deepens In A Divided Nation

We have talked about this for years as we have seen the fear and anger used to make opponents look mean or even downright evil.  With sadness we have watched, politics, media, sports and even "christian" denominations.  The very serious topics of discussion become secondary to the anger and demonization.  I found this prayer from a replica of a Confederate Soldiers Pocket Prayer Guide.  I hope you will join with me in praying this everyday!

A PRAYER FOR OUR ENEMIES.

        O GOD, we beseech You, forgive and pardon our enemies, and give us that measure of Your grace, that for their hatred we may love them; for their cursing we may bless them; for their injury we may do them good; and for their persecution we may pray for them. They have laid a net for our steps, and they have dug a pit before us; Lord, we desire not that they themselves should fall into these, but we pray You would keep us out of them, and deliver, establish, bless and prosper us for Your mercy's sake in Jesus Christ our Savior, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, we desire to consecrate ourselves and our country, now and forever, imploring You to be our GOD, and to make us Your people. Amen.

From the Confederate Soldier’s pocket prayer guide (Updated)