I gave Lucy the same gift for her birthday that I gave her for Christmas, our anniversary and Valentine's Day...a day of unlimited hot running water! We checked into a motel and as she washed and re-washed her hair all I could hear was "AAAH!"
One of the disadvantages of a motel room for me is that I have the tendency to turn on the TV. In a matter of minutes, I was overwhelmed with "News" which consisted of child abuse and murder, celebrity vomiting due to drug abuse, marital infidelities, the most unreal "reality" shows and educated experts as guests on talk shows to tell us how to manage our anger, raise our children and eliminate our debt. Problems are highlighted and opinions are freely offered. Yet out of all the answers to our societal woes, no one mentions God....
Any psychologist will tell you that a child who doesn't know who their father is will have difficulty in their life. There is a sense of loss; a lack of identity and belonging. Half of our nation doesn't even talk about our Father God. We have a national holiday called Thanksgiving and yet...we can't teach our children in school "Who" we're thankful to!
Please forgive me, I didn't mean to rant but I did need to get that off my mind and out of my spirit. I do, however, wish to make a recommendation. Let's you and I begin to publicly acknowledge God in our daily conversation.
Try saying "God bless you" in place of "thank you" and "good-bye." When someone calls you lucky, tell them "I am blessed by God and highly favored" or "the Lord is good to me." When someone tells you that that the economy is bad, jobs are down, prices are high etc...just tell them "It may look that way but God is good all the time; all the time God is good."
Seeds! We need to plant God seeds if we want the knowledge of God in America to grow. The following, my friends, is NOT an opinon...it is truth!
God is the only Answer to our questions; the only Solution to our problems.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Call for Hope
Have you ever been driving and taken a wrong turn when you have no map and no GPS? You feel frustrated at best and helpless at worst. Often the first reaction is self condemnation...."I'm so stupid" or"I should have known better." As the saying goes...we've all "been there and done that!" Sometimes that happens to people in their automobiles and sometimes that happens to people in their life.
We had an article run in a local newspaper and out of it came an encounter with people who had lost sight of The Cross...God's Positioning Satellite. Their life went off the road and into a ditch. Some skidded off into a life of drugs, others let sex put the brakes on happiness, there were those who crashed into a wall excessive drinking and then there were the ones who had prescriptions for their pain and before they knew it, the meds had them! ....all were addicted and their life was spinning out of control. They had lost the map that led to hope....
Behind the trees, hidden from the highway was an oasis that stopped time and space and let "the lost" take a breath and refocus on the only thing that could get them back on course... The Cross. It was the brain child of Pastor Andy at Abundant Life Church in Waynesboro, MS. New Life Deliverance Treatment Center has no web site...not even an email. "How do people find you?" I asked Miss Paula. "God sends them," she smiled.
God sent us there when a car stopped with four women in it and they asked me to come and speak to the ladies. I readily agreed, caught up to Lucy and followed their SUV up the road for about fifteen miles before we turned into the woods. We hadn't gone far when we stopped in front of two double wide mobile homes. As we followed Miss Paula in, we found ourselves encircled by about two dozen women of all ages setting tables and getting ready for lunch. We enjoyed a meal together, spoke with them as a group and then spent some time with a few of the ladies individually. These were good people....people just like you and I...who made some bad choices and were now suffering the consequences. Some had been in prison, some still had loved ones incarcerated. There were mothers who had lost their children to the welfare system and women who had been in horrible spousal relationships.
Lucy was overcome with a sorrow in her spirit. I was encouraged to see people have a desire to change; to finally say "NO MORE!" to living in a pit of darkness. They asked us to go to a revival with them that evening and, of course, we said "yes." As we left them that afternoon and jumped into the RV, we just looked at each other. We loved being there with them. We wish we could continue to serve Christ in this capacity forever!
That night we went to church and each lady was dressed very nicely; their hair was done, their makeup applied and their clothes were neatly pressed. If you had seen them that night, you would have never guessed their life story...their heartache and heartbreak. Scriptures tell us not to show favoritism but sometimes.....
If you know of someone who is addicted to anything...call Jim Riley (601) 735-6447 for men or Paula Riley (601) 410-8662.
We had an article run in a local newspaper and out of it came an encounter with people who had lost sight of The Cross...God's Positioning Satellite. Their life went off the road and into a ditch. Some skidded off into a life of drugs, others let sex put the brakes on happiness, there were those who crashed into a wall excessive drinking and then there were the ones who had prescriptions for their pain and before they knew it, the meds had them! ....all were addicted and their life was spinning out of control. They had lost the map that led to hope....
Behind the trees, hidden from the highway was an oasis that stopped time and space and let "the lost" take a breath and refocus on the only thing that could get them back on course... The Cross. It was the brain child of Pastor Andy at Abundant Life Church in Waynesboro, MS. New Life Deliverance Treatment Center has no web site...not even an email. "How do people find you?" I asked Miss Paula. "God sends them," she smiled.
God sent us there when a car stopped with four women in it and they asked me to come and speak to the ladies. I readily agreed, caught up to Lucy and followed their SUV up the road for about fifteen miles before we turned into the woods. We hadn't gone far when we stopped in front of two double wide mobile homes. As we followed Miss Paula in, we found ourselves encircled by about two dozen women of all ages setting tables and getting ready for lunch. We enjoyed a meal together, spoke with them as a group and then spent some time with a few of the ladies individually. These were good people....people just like you and I...who made some bad choices and were now suffering the consequences. Some had been in prison, some still had loved ones incarcerated. There were mothers who had lost their children to the welfare system and women who had been in horrible spousal relationships.
Lucy was overcome with a sorrow in her spirit. I was encouraged to see people have a desire to change; to finally say "NO MORE!" to living in a pit of darkness. They asked us to go to a revival with them that evening and, of course, we said "yes." As we left them that afternoon and jumped into the RV, we just looked at each other. We loved being there with them. We wish we could continue to serve Christ in this capacity forever!
That night we went to church and each lady was dressed very nicely; their hair was done, their makeup applied and their clothes were neatly pressed. If you had seen them that night, you would have never guessed their life story...their heartache and heartbreak. Scriptures tell us not to show favoritism but sometimes.....
If you know of someone who is addicted to anything...call Jim Riley (601) 735-6447 for men or Paula Riley (601) 410-8662.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Connected
He had two earrings, drove a pickup and met me in the parking lot of his church. Steve had an infectious smile and an engaging personality. "I just had to stop and see what you were up to." I filled him in on the walk for Christ and gave him a Zacchaeus DVD. A few minutes later, we parted and that I thought would be the last I saw of Steve.
A hour or two passed and a reporter stopped for an interview. Lucy had pulled up across the street and so we moved to the other side of the road so she could interview both of us. Just as we got to RV, Steve pulled up with his wife Deborah who he got up out of bed to come meet us and a he brought us a beautifully carved walking stick made of hickory. As it turned out, when the article appeared in the morning paper, Zacchaeus, Steve and his stick made the front page under the headline "Walking for Christ!" Deborah made the paper too, but she blinked so the photograph shows her with her eyes closed. Lucy and I laughed at all the grief she was going to get from her "friends."
A few days later, we were in a campground in Quitman, MS and a gentleman, named Kyle, who had seen the article approached us. He was a co-worker of Steve's....what are the odds? He invited us to have dinner with his family and we had a wonderful night of good food and laughter.
Isn't it interesting to see how we are all inter-connected. Everyone affects everything...at least a little. So the decision we have to make is to do our best to appreciate each others contribution and enjoy God's tapestry called life.
A hour or two passed and a reporter stopped for an interview. Lucy had pulled up across the street and so we moved to the other side of the road so she could interview both of us. Just as we got to RV, Steve pulled up with his wife Deborah who he got up out of bed to come meet us and a he brought us a beautifully carved walking stick made of hickory. As it turned out, when the article appeared in the morning paper, Zacchaeus, Steve and his stick made the front page under the headline "Walking for Christ!" Deborah made the paper too, but she blinked so the photograph shows her with her eyes closed. Lucy and I laughed at all the grief she was going to get from her "friends."
A few days later, we were in a campground in Quitman, MS and a gentleman, named Kyle, who had seen the article approached us. He was a co-worker of Steve's....what are the odds? He invited us to have dinner with his family and we had a wonderful night of good food and laughter.
Isn't it interesting to see how we are all inter-connected. Everyone affects everything...at least a little. So the decision we have to make is to do our best to appreciate each others contribution and enjoy God's tapestry called life.
Friday, March 19, 2010
At the Intersection of Gifts and Talent
It only took a few minutes to get to really like Charlotte Mississippi
About 9:00am the next morning, two men stopped their pick-up and were all excited to show me the article in the newspaper. “You’re right on the front page. Look! Is there any thing you need…food?...water? I’ll get it for you.” Scott made me smile. He seemed to be bubbling over with smiles and enthusiasm. As I spoke with Jeff and Scott, I learned that Scott was in the NA (narcotics anonymous) program, his Higher Power is Jesus Christ and Scott has been clean for six months. Prior to that, he was living in abandoned buildings and eating out of garbage cans. He had almost ruined his life. He came so close to becoming a grim statistic. It made me shudder.
They gave me the newspaper as a souvenir and after they left I took it over to show Lucyah. The article was terrific and Christ got the front page headline (good job, Miss Charlotte!) but what stuck in my mind was Scott. The article seemed to encourage him; to fire him up for God and in turn, he fired me up! Lucy and I called Miss Charlotte, thanked her for the article and told her about its impact on Scott.
On a country road in
Perhaps Scott was encouraged enough to stay off drugs for one more day. We can only hope...but his reaction to my gift and Miss Charlotte's talent encouraged us. I can't wait to walk tomorrow; Charlotte is eager to write again. Give what you have to God and watch how He uses your gift and talent to touch another life.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Mississippi Spanish
A red pickup truck pulled over on the other side of the road and the driver yelled something to me. I couldn't hear her because of the traffic and the wind, plus I sometimes have trouble understanding Mississippi-ese even if the person speaking is across the table from me in a quiet room. For instance, if they're "fixin" something, it doesn't mean they are repairing it; it means to prepare or get ready as in "I'm fixin' to go to the store."
Well, the pickup drove off and I didn't know if she was saying hello or cussing me out. A few minutes later, the pickup pulled up on my side of the road. The woman coasted to a stop, rolled down the window and said something to me in Spanish. "Where is Lucy when I need her," I thought. I guess the driver could tell by the blank expression on my face that I didn't have the gift of "Spanish Tongues." She nodded to her grandson, who was about eleven, and he turned to me and said. "She wants you to bless her."
Well, quicker than you could say "altar boy" my mind raced back to my Catholic upbringing. Realizing that she would recognize and appreciate a blessing in Latin, I raised my right hand, slowly made the sign of the cross and said, "In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti." Her eyes moisten and I just had a moment to give her grandson a Zacchaeus DVD before she sped off.
God was at work again. He touches people through the barriers of time, space and language. He used a little Italian guy walking in Mississippi to bless a red pickup driving Spanish woman in Latin. The translation was flawless for God simply said "I love you."
Well, the pickup drove off and I didn't know if she was saying hello or cussing me out. A few minutes later, the pickup pulled up on my side of the road. The woman coasted to a stop, rolled down the window and said something to me in Spanish. "Where is Lucy when I need her," I thought. I guess the driver could tell by the blank expression on my face that I didn't have the gift of "Spanish Tongues." She nodded to her grandson, who was about eleven, and he turned to me and said. "She wants you to bless her."
Well, quicker than you could say "altar boy" my mind raced back to my Catholic upbringing. Realizing that she would recognize and appreciate a blessing in Latin, I raised my right hand, slowly made the sign of the cross and said, "In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti." Her eyes moisten and I just had a moment to give her grandson a Zacchaeus DVD before she sped off.
God was at work again. He touches people through the barriers of time, space and language. He used a little Italian guy walking in Mississippi to bless a red pickup driving Spanish woman in Latin. The translation was flawless for God simply said "I love you."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Every Person Has An Impact
He was driving to his barber shop when he saw me bless him and as he passed he muttered, "What, in God's name was that?"
That's when the Holy Spirit stepped in and nudged him a bit. "Why don't you go see? Maybe he needs help." Kenneth's car slowed as he wrestled with the idea a bit. "I need to get to work. Maybe he's some kind of weirdo." he thought. "Go and see" came the whisper and so he reluctantly turned around.
After she finished she took her keyboard and sat in the back of the church. The pastor went on to preach and then closed his service by asking everyone to bow their heads, close their eyes and pray. He never asked for a love offering for the lady. Kenneth, who was sitting in the back of the church opposite the woman, decided that when the preacher was finished he was going to go and give the woman whatever he had in his pocket. He said the van needed some attending to. Come to find out later that several of the other men had the same thought and had already taken money out of their pocket in anticipation of blessing the woman.
When the minister said "Amen" many people turned to see the woman but she was gone! No one had seen her leave or heard her van start up. No one else in town had seen her nor did she ever return. No one knows who she was or where she is today but one thing they do know is that she was a blessing.
You may not have made as a mysterious entrance or exit into someone's life....or perhaps you have and don't know it!....but one thing is for sure...your life has an impact on others! You matter!
As Kenneth was leaving, he mentioned to me that he has several crosses in his barber shop. I wondered how many people have been influenced, blessed or persuaded by just seeing those crosses and the public acknowledgment of God in his business. Often Kenneth, you and I have no idea of how God uses us every day.
EVERY person has an impact for God and that EVERY includes you and I.
As we talked a bit, he told me a story about a woman who showed up at his church one day. She came in an old beat up van and carried a keyboard. She "looked Pentecostal," he said which I took to mean she had long hair fashioned in a bun of sorts and wore a dress rather than slacks. Kenneth goes to a small country church and he said the lady went up and asked the pastor if she might play a song sometime during worship. The pastor replied, "Of course" and after announcements the pastor introduced the "special music" for the morning.
Well, the lady didn't didn't go up to the platform and face the congregation. Instead she sat in the front row with her keyboard in her lap and faced the altar. Seems like she decided to sing to God instead of entertaining the people. She then began to play and sing that great America standard Amazing Grace. "It was beautiful, Kenneth said, "better than anything we expected from an old grandma dressed in a flowered dress."
After she finished she took her keyboard and sat in the back of the church. The pastor went on to preach and then closed his service by asking everyone to bow their heads, close their eyes and pray. He never asked for a love offering for the lady. Kenneth, who was sitting in the back of the church opposite the woman, decided that when the preacher was finished he was going to go and give the woman whatever he had in his pocket. He said the van needed some attending to. Come to find out later that several of the other men had the same thought and had already taken money out of their pocket in anticipation of blessing the woman.
When the minister said "Amen" many people turned to see the woman but she was gone! No one had seen her leave or heard her van start up. No one else in town had seen her nor did she ever return. No one knows who she was or where she is today but one thing they do know is that she was a blessing.
You may not have made as a mysterious entrance or exit into someone's life....or perhaps you have and don't know it!....but one thing is for sure...your life has an impact on others! You matter!
As Kenneth was leaving, he mentioned to me that he has several crosses in his barber shop. I wondered how many people have been influenced, blessed or persuaded by just seeing those crosses and the public acknowledgment of God in his business. Often Kenneth, you and I have no idea of how God uses us every day.
EVERY person has an impact for God and that EVERY includes you and I.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A Vessel of Grace
He has a sweeping business (Wal-Marts and the like), loves his i-Phone and sings in the choir at Easthaven Baptist Church in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Dee Dee is a friendly guy. We knew him for about a minute and half when he invited us to join him for lunch at a potluck that the choir was putting on. Never ones to pass up food, we were quick to say "Thank you" and grab a chicken leg.
As we gabbed a bit between bites, I learned that his dad was a preacher but once Dee Dee turned 18, he decided he had enough of church and like many of us....well, at least me...he turned to the world and the highly touted "good times." As it turned out, times weren't so good. Alcohol, drugs and poor choices generally bring the spirit of stupid upon us and with it comes heartache, sorrow and regret.
It took a number of years for him to shake that ol' spirit but one day he agreed to go to church with a friend. Conviction set in, forgiveness took hold and it wasn't long before he turned full circle and was baptized. Shortly after that he found himself in the choir!
I asked him what made him join the choir? He told me he asked God that same question for over two years. Finally God answered him..."It's so people can see what I am able to do even with the likes of you...Dee Dee, you are my vessel of grace."
Each week Dee Dee stands nearly in the middle of the choir. He's a big man with long hair and a beard. If you put a guitar in his hands, he'd look like he'd be more at home in a rock band than a Baptist church. I imagine him as a lighthouse calling out to people...shining for the Lord and maybe even humming in his heart..."this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...let it shine...let shine...let it shine." And the vessels come...and they too become full of grace.
As we gabbed a bit between bites, I learned that his dad was a preacher but once Dee Dee turned 18, he decided he had enough of church and like many of us....well, at least me...he turned to the world and the highly touted "good times." As it turned out, times weren't so good. Alcohol, drugs and poor choices generally bring the spirit of stupid upon us and with it comes heartache, sorrow and regret.
It took a number of years for him to shake that ol' spirit but one day he agreed to go to church with a friend. Conviction set in, forgiveness took hold and it wasn't long before he turned full circle and was baptized. Shortly after that he found himself in the choir!
I asked him what made him join the choir? He told me he asked God that same question for over two years. Finally God answered him..."It's so people can see what I am able to do even with the likes of you...Dee Dee, you are my vessel of grace."
Each week Dee Dee stands nearly in the middle of the choir. He's a big man with long hair and a beard. If you put a guitar in his hands, he'd look like he'd be more at home in a rock band than a Baptist church. I imagine him as a lighthouse calling out to people...shining for the Lord and maybe even humming in his heart..."this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...let it shine...let shine...let it shine." And the vessels come...and they too become full of grace.
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