Last night I had  the most refreshing dream. I was in church and listening to different people give testimonies and I found myself up on the Pulpit singing This little Light of Mine song. I woke up this morning feeling so blessed and I just want to wish you all a beautiful blessed day as well!

Love, Light, and Joy

YOU said you would

never

leave me I

believed you

I believe…..

something for all my classy followers it will make sense when your done reading.

Its been so long since i wrote anything i hope all my faithful readers will come back! Gods been teaching me so much  about life but particularly as to how much he means to me. I meet this young lady who will remain nameless and as much as I want to be in a relationship with her i know Gods saying not yet or maybe never. its extremely hard because she satisfy every desire i look for in a partner…and then some! God however is saying you Will put me before all things and nothing can come of this if you are to remain in me… He wants to make sure I know that I worship Him over the passionate lustful desires of the flesh….All that to say never did I ever think i would grow to this maturity level (that is to pass up a chance to pursue a Beautiful Godly Woman). I seen so much harm come out of wrong relationships and to know that i can listen to God and he will guide me when im looking down at my feet when im feeling defeated is just amazing. When i was down in the pit wondering why Lord? why me? why cant i be normal? I said to him Lord this path least traveled seems rather lonesome. He reminded me of some of his great scriptures to easy my pains and get me on the right mindset. first i was reminded of my election (romans 8:28) I was given to jesus by the father for a task! and part of that is that i get to live a holy life 2 Peter 1:3-4. I can ,because of what jesus did on the cross,  live a life that set apart for God and not live in the filth of sin!! not only that but he gives me a reason to live! so with all this before me i should have nothing to worry about bc God already gives me more than i deserve daily. Now what does all this have to do with mrs Jones well bc of what jesus did on the cross we can trust in him that if we were meant to be than we will be and if not we dont want to be because we both just want Gods will and its crazy Awesome that we have the power to wait and see what God has planned for both of our lives.

on the brighter side of things im out of school so expect more blogs soon!

Last week as I began reading Revelation I didn’t make it far before I hit a snag.  Actually, I only made it three verses, until I landed on this:

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near!

This of course, got me to thinking, “How does one obey the book of Revelation?”  The journey that ensued and consumed the last week of my devotional time with the Lord came out something like this…

To “obey” Revelation means essentially to worship Jesus.  Revelation is “prophecy” (1:3; 22:7)–the spirit of which is “testimony about Jesus” (19:10).  Testimony about Jesus defines those who are for Him (1:2, 9; 6:9; 11:7; 12:11, 17; 15:5; 17:6; 19:10; 22:16–testimony about/for Jesus seems to be the primary designator of Christians in Revelation; 10:7; 11:10; 22:6–of prophets testifying about Jesus; 11:18; 16:6; 18:20, 24 of prophets testifying about Jesus in parallel with “saints”) and defines those who are false prophets (2:20; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) because their testimony leads people to worship someone other than Jesus (19:20).

Twice John tries to worship the angel who speaks with him.  Twice the angels forbid him and urge him to worship God.  The first time (19:10) this urging appears to elaborate what it means to “hold to the testimony about Jesus”.  Alternately, the second exhortation to worship (22:9) appears to elaborate what it means to “obey the words of this book” (which is itself a testimony about and revelation of Jesus, 1:1).

Repeatedly (7x in the opening 3 chapters) we hear the refrained exhortation: “The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).  Rather than being an aside to those reading the Spirit’s words to the churches in chapters 2-3 (i.e. an aside to us), I believe it makes more sense that the Spirit’s “word” should be that which comes after chapters 2 and 3.  One reason for this is in the repeated blessing on the one who obeys the words of the prophecy (1:3; 22:7).  Essentially John says, “Blessed are you if you obey [1:3]…Now that you’ve heard, you’ll be blessed by obeying [22:7].”  Notice: the blessing at hearing is NOT repeated in chapter 22.  Instead, John curses anyone who, having haerd, chooses to add to or take away from the prophecy.

As for timing, I believe the book’s own timetable seems to make the most sense.

• “The time is near (1:3; 22:10)
• “…must happen very soon” (1:1; 22:6)
• “little longer” (6:10)
• “There will be no more delay!” (10:6)

UPDATE: I’ve been wondering lately if maybe our living in the last days has more to do with the NT idea that in Jesus’s resurrection the final restoration has already begun and than it has to do with the number of years before Jesus’ return.  More on this later perhaps?  We’ll see.  Back to Revelation…

Lastly, the imminent expectation of Revelation’s occurring is also bolstered by John apparent placement of himself in that group which would experience the persecution of Revelation “very soon” in 1:8 (“I John…who shares with you in persecution”).  If the book is something imminently to happen (which does not preclude its being future yet still, so don’t get too nervous if this messes with your chart) then I think the repeated exhortations to endurance are not idle (2:10, 24; 3:11; 13:10).

In light of all these thoughts, here is my proposed outline for the book:

I.  Introduction to the revelation and testimony to Jesus Christ (Ch. 1)

II.  Exhortations to the Churches called to live in response to the revelation/testimony about to be given (Ch 2-3)

III.  ”What must happen soon” (22:6) so that the world might repent and turn from their blasphemies (9:20-21; 11:13; 16:9, 11, 21) to worship God (19:10; 22:9) with all who are His (4:1-11; 5:8-14; 7:1-12; 11:13, 15-19; 14:1-3; 15:1-4; 16:5-7; 19:1-8) (Ch 4-22:5)

IV.  Closing exhortation to obedience: worship and come to Jesus in the brief time before He comes (22:6-21)

I’ve been slow in my approach to Revelation in past years, so this is among the first of my forays into understanding this infamously difficult book.

Thoughts?  Questions?  Shared questions?

I am officially not in the holiday mood. Don’t get me wrong, any holiday devoted to chocolate can’t be all bad, but I just can’t stand the syrupy, touchy-feelyness that settles around the modern Christmas celebration like fake snow. So in honor of those of you, like me, who go all Grinch-y this time of year, I have prepared the following holiday playlist.

First, a little safety message from Johnny Cash. Stick to whiskey, boys, and let that cocaine be.

Next, Jerry Garcia talks about the importance of hobbies in this American version of an Irish song. The Irish version is entitled in “Whiskey in the Jar”. The American version is known as “Gilgarry Mountain” or “Gilgarra Mountain”.

“Some take delight in fishing and the bowling/Others take delight in carriage a-rolling/I take delight in the juice of the barley/Courting pretty women in the morning so early.”

At this point, you should be ready for “Whiskey River” to take your mind. And who better than Willie Nelson to do that?

By now, it’s time to get down on your knees and pray.

Of course, you should definitely take this bad boy down to the river so he can “Testify.”

I keep flashing on the outlaw character Russell played in “3:10 to Yuma” when I hear this song.

But the river can be a serious metaphor, too, as Billy Joel tells us.

This is the official music video for “River of Dreams” and I think it is quite simply one of the most beautiful music videos I’ve ever seen.

“That Old Man River, he must know something, but he don’t say nothing, he just keeps traveling on.”

This song is so strongly associated with Paul Robeson’s performance in “Steamboat” that it’s a surprise to hear a woman sing it. I think Judy Garland does a great job.

Finally, a song for the New Year that isn’t “Auld Lang Syne”. Russell Crowe started off as a singer/musician before he became an actor and he has a surprisingly good voice.  I like the sentiment he and his band, The Ordinary Fear of God, express here in “One Good Year”. The New Year is traditionally a time to evaluate how we’ve done in the past one and usually we find we’ve fallen short.

“I’ve been chasing grace, but grace ain’t so easily found.” True dat. Incidentally, that’s Alan Doyle from the Newfoundland folk/rock band, “Great Big Sea”, sharing the vocals in the vid.

Welcome back, brothers and sisters.

There are a great many people in this world who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  While this is troubling and heartbreaking, we know from scripture that the majority of people will not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Instead, the majority of people will endure permanent separation from the Lord, as they will spend eternity in the lake of fire being tormented ceaselessly.  In serving the Lord, our mission is to lead as many people to Jesus Christ as possible so that they are saved from such an eternity.   Today I want to focus on discussing just one group within this multitude of people that have not yet come to know Jesus Christ and have not accepted Him as their Lord and Savior.

The group we will discuss today consists of people that refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, because they do not believe they are worthy to receive God’s love and forgiveness.  People within this group hold to a belief that the sins they have committed are either so numerous, or so terrible, that there is no way God could love them and forgive them.  They know they don’t deserve forgiveness of their sins, and they know they don’t deserve to enter heaven when the Lord calls His chosen home.  Let me tell you two things about this group of people.  First, they couldn’t be more right.  Secondly, they couldn’t be more wrong.  Confusing?  I’ll explain.

As we’ve already established this group of people does not believe that they deserve God’s love.  People in this group do not believe that they deserve to be forgiven, and they do not believe that they deserve to be saved so that they can spend eternity with the Lord.  Beloved, that they are completely correct in thinking those things.  I hope you believe the exact same things.  Do you know why I say that?  Brothers and sisters, absolutely none of us deserve God’s love, forgiveness, and to be in the presence of the Lord for all of eternity!!!  This is what makes God’s grace so very amazing:-) 

Beloved, it is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ that we are cleansed of our sins and that we receive the “gift” of salvation.  Brothers and sisters, we wouldn’t call salvation a “gift” if we paid for it ourselves, right?  If we paid for it ourselves, it would be like any other purchase we make.  Salvation is the one thing that we couldn’t buy ourselves, regardless of any amount of material wealth in this world.  That’s exactly why Jesus Christ assumed the form of a man in this world.  If we could have purchased salvation on our own, then Jesus would have never needed to suffer the cross so that we could be reconciled to God the Father!!!  The apostle Paul wrote of our indequacy to save ourselves while also pointing out how we are able to be saved as follows: 

“And you [hath He quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:1-9 (KJV)

You see, beloved, truly amazing grace is so much more than a catchy little tune that we sing in church.  God’s amazing grace poured out to us through Jesus Christ is able to separate us from our past sins and makes us into a brand new creation in Christ Jesus.

The truth is that the price of your sins is death and only death.  In the Old Testament you’ll notice how lambs without blemished were sacrificed unto God as sin offerings.  These offerings served to show that the people repented of their sins and that they were offering the life of these valued animals so that the blood shed by these lambs could satisfy the death required by their sins.  There came a point, however, where the sins of the people became so offensive that no number of spotless lambs being sacrificed could come close to paying the sin debt that man had incurred.  When that happened, God didn’t just write us off.  Instead, He sent His own spotless Lamb to be sacrificed to pay the enormous sin debt incurred by man.  This Lamb was one of a kind and incredibly special as this Lamb was, and always will be, of God.  This Lamb also had, and still has, a name.  Perhaps you have heard of this Lamb of God?  His name is Jesus Christ.  Here’s how Jesus explained it in His own words:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:16-18 (KJV)

Again, brothers and sisters, a person is completely correct in believing that we are not worthy of God’s love, forgiveness, and to receive salvation.  As Jesus himself pointed out, God sent Him (Jesus) into the word so that we could be saved through Him.  Coming to the world to live in worldly poverty, be persecuted viciously and warrantlessly, and suffering the cross was not Jesus’ idea of a great and entertaining way to spend 30+ worldly years.  However, Jesus embraced this assignment as the opportunity to perform the will of the Father and save us from ourselves and our sins.  So, don’t beat yourself up about not being worthy any longer.  I conceded the point.  You’re not worthy.  I’m not worthy.  The apostles weren’t worthy.  No Christian walking the earth is worthy.  You see, beloved, one must be perfect in order to be worthy.  That means perfect in every single way.  Only One has ever been that completely perfect, and only One will ever be that completely perfect.  That One is none other than Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  Only when we let Jesus into our hearts and accept Him as our Lord and Savior are the stains of our sin washed away.

You see, beloved, Jesus Christ is the spotless Lamb of God that was sacrificed once for all of our sins.  There is no amount of animal sacrifice, or any other kind of sacrifice, that is sufficient to pay for our sins.  Fortunately for us, no other sacrifice of life and blood is needed, because the sacrifice that Jesus made of himself for us is all-sufficient to pay our sin debts.  To sacrifice animals to God as sin offerings after Jesus suffered the cross would be an offense to God.  Why?  Because doing so would be to imply that one rejects the sufficiency of Jesus Christ to pay for the sins of all.  Don’t forget, brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is God in the form of man.  The power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus unleashed over sickness, sin, evil, and death is none other than the very Spirit of God the Father.   

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, our sin debts are paid.  The death required for our sin was submitted through Jesus Christ dying for us.  When Jesus rose from the grave on the 3rd day, He conquered death once and for all.  By giving our lives to Jesus and having our souls filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to share in Jesus’ victory over death.  This is the only path to eternal salvation and life everlasting spent in the presence of the Lord.  No matter what any religion, church, or spiritual leader tells you, there is no other path to gain admittance to spending eternity in the presence of the Lord.  Don’t take my word for it.  Take Jesus’ word for it.  Here’s what Jesus said to the apostle Thomas:

“Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’” – John 14:6 (KJV)

Well, I think we’ve established that none of us are worthy of God’s love, forgiveness, and to spend eternity in His presence.  Now let’s address the belief that our sins are too great and/or numerous for us to receive God’s love, forgiveness, and to spend eternity in His presence.  To put it frankly, this belief is absolutely wrong.  Why do I say that?  Well, if a person believes that their own past sins are too great, either in severity or number, for them to be forgiven they are in essence trying to diminish/limit the power of God and the sufficiency of Christ Jesus to save them from their sins.  This would be a mistake.

You see, beloved, you are dealing with two things here.  On the one hand is your own sins.  On the other hand is the Lord God Almighty.  Let me say again……on the other hand is the Lord God “Almighty”.  Which do you think is more powerful?  Let me give you a hint.  I put quotes around “Almighty” for a reason.  Brothers and sisters, He is the Lord God Almighty.  He is greater than your sins!!!  Think about it.  When you say God can’t forgive you for something, you’re trying to put limitations on God that you have put on yourself.  The real issue is that you haven’t forgiven yourself for those past sin.  God is more than capable of forgiving your sins and cleansing you.  You want to know a secret that’s not really a secret?  He already has paid for your sins by sending His only begotten Son to suffer the cross so that you could be save.  You see, beloved, God is love, but God is also just.  Being just means that He requires that your sins be paid for.  If you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you accept the gift of forgiveness and salvation that Jesus bought for you by giving His own life and blood on the cross.  And that’s not all!!!  Serving as the cherry on top is the truth that once you are forgiven and saved, you gain an inheritance that no one can take from you.  That inheritance involves spending eternity in everlasting life in the presence of the Lord!!!  Does that sound great?  It should, because it is great and so much more:-)  Furthermore, no matter how great you try to imagine that an eternity in the presence of the Lord will be, it will be even better than your loftiest expectations.  Consider the following written by the apostle Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God:

“But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’” – 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

Finally, beloved, perhaps you struggle with thoughts/questions about how God could possibly love you after all the sins you have committed and given all your flaws.  I would offer you two things to consider.  First, God has shown you His love time and again, with the biggest example of His love being the fact that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross so that you (yes, you) could be saved.  He would not have done that if He didn’t love you, right?  I mean, His only begotten Son (Jesus) is absolutely perfect in every possible way, yet He willingly this Son that He loves completely to die for you so that you could come home to be with Him one day.  Secondly, I would offer you that while God has many names (I Am, Jehovah, Yahweh, etc), there is one name that He has that should make perfectly clear to you why He loves you regardless of your less than perfect past.  You know what that name is?  That name is Father.  Beloved, God is our heavenly Father.  We are His children.  We disappoint Him at times, break His heart at times, make Him angry at times.  Sometimes we make Him smile, while at other times we make Him laugh.  We also make Him cry at times.  Sometimes these are tears of joy, and sometimes these are tears of sadness.  Beloved, God loves us all of the time.  Even when He chastises/disciplines us, He does so because He loves us.  God’s love is perfect and powerful and passes all of our comprehension.  At the end of the day, however, He is our Father.  My children do not always do things that put a smile on my face.  However, no matter what, my love for them is not the least bit diminished.  Even much more so, beloved, God’s love for each and every one of us is not diminished by our past transgressions.  He loves as only the ultimate Father could.  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Lord for your abundant mercy, amazing grace, and your perfect love!!! 

I hope that today’s message helps you to draw closer to the Lord.  If you are reading this, and you have put off accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior due to feelings of unworthiness, I pray that this will help you to overcome those feelings and proceed into the waiting arms of the Lord that has given everything just to make sure that you can be reconciled unto Him and spend eternity in the place that He has prepared for all who love Him.  Please join me in prayer as we close today’s message.

Thank You, Lord, for working Your will through our lives.  Though we are flawed, You never cease to make sure we have what we need to fulfill Your perfect will.  Through you, all things are possible.  Thank You for loving us as we are, for changing us from what we were, and for leading us to what You have always intended for us to be.  Thank You for giving hope to the hopeless.  Thank You for giving love to the rejected/dejected.  Thank You for giving comfort and peace to those who are troubled and worried.  Thank You for saving us from our sins, from ourselves, from death, and from evil.  Thank You for everything, Lord.  Truly blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.  All thanks, praise, glory, honor and worship unto You and Your blessed name!!!  In Your precious and matchless name we humbly, thankfully, and faithfully pray.  Amen.

Thank you for joining us for today’s message.  I hope you will be able to join us again for tomorrow’s next message.  Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Late one Friday afternoon in November 2006 a Bush Radio listener brought a battered and terrified Jonas Majila to our studios in Salt River.

The listener brought Majila to the station because he knew of the work Bush Radio does in communities and hoped that we would be able to get Majila’s story heard in Cape Town.

Bush Radio’s Adrian Louw and Brenda Leonard took Majila into the production studio and asked for permission to record what had happened to him, as well as take photographs of his injuries. They spent almost two hours going over his version of the events that had transpired.

The story as it appears on the Bush Radio News blog

Former trainee news editor Nadia Samie was then tasked with following up the matter with the police spokespeople as well as the local refugee forum. This eventually led to a Bush Radio News exclusive article.

A few months later the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) requested a copy of the photographs taken of Majila to show the extent of his injuries. Adrian Louw was also requested to submit a signed affidavit confirming that he had taken the photographs and that the content had not be altered in any way.

Towards the latter part of 2007, Adrian Louw received his first summons to testify. After several postponements and delays in the trial, Louw finally testified on the 16th October 2009.

The two police officers where found guilty of assault and sentenced yesterday. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

Call me a skeptic, but there seem to be inherent problems with the way we process information in our courts. I pose the following independent scenarios for your consideration.

We rush to judgement in order to assign reasons to what happens. If we can assign blame promptly, then we can create the illusion that we and our loved ones are safe once the source of the blame has been identified and removed. If you doubt this, watch the respect that is automatically given to a police witness’ testimony in District Court.

When a witness testifies, he can be cross-examined to show that he has a bias or an interest in the subject of his testimony. Incredibly, police witnesses are given the benefit of the doubt by disregarding their inherent interest in cases where they made the arrest. Do they not benefit just as a salesman benefits when he makes his quota of sales?

When an arresting officer testifies that a driver arrested for a DUI performed poorly on field sobriety tests, or that a driver admitted he had so many drinks before driving, or that he drove within minutes of drinking — why should the officer be believed in the absence of some form of externally verifiable corroboration?

Generally, a motorist who is stopped by an officer has a right to refuse to take any field sobriety tests. An officer is not required to tell the driver that he has this right of refusal. Yet, we consider the driver’s participation in such tests voluntary and freely made. this practice simply fosters distrust between citizens and the police.

I just want to start off my day by saying Thank you, Thank you for allowing me to open my eyes yet one more day and breathe the life that you have blessed me with. Thank you for your renewed grace and mercy that you shower me with daily. Thank you for your hedge of protection and your blood covering keeping me safe thus far. If I had ten thousand tongues O’ Lord I could not Thank you enough. Today I ask for many Blessings to fall fresh on myself, family and friends. Touch the ones who don’t know you O’ Lord and lead them to know you the way that I do. I ask for continued peace, wisdom and knowledge in all that I do. I love you Lord, I adore you and I ask that you help me make the very best of this new day. In Jesus name I give you all the Honor, Glory, and Praise………. Amen!

Written By Ms. Dawn

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together! Psalms 34: 1-3

Our Saviour’s Baptist Church is definitely on the move doing great things. Minister Annesah Shabazz is calling all Youth Of Our Saviour’s to join her in Praising The Lord in song. Minister Annesah has been led by God to start a Youth Choir for all ages. The first meeting  will be held November 15th 2009 right after morning service. God’s Blessings on the start of a wonderful ministry.

Sister’s Circle is off  to fantabulous  start. We The Sisters of Our Saviour’s welcome you to come Pray, Fellowship, and Discuss the word of God with us. We truly have a high time  together. Click on Sister’s Circle tab for further details.

May God Continue To Pour Out Blessings,

Ms. Dawn

Praise the Lord, all you nations,

glorify God, all you peoples!

Praise the Lord, faraway space,

glorify God,

Praise the Lord, world of today,

come with your blessings;

Praise the Lord!

Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. John 14:21

If You truly love God you will be obedient in all that he commands of you to do!

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
- Thomas Jefferson

Will You Accept Or Deny Christ? The choice is Yours and  I hope you choose to accept!

“But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven”. Matthew 10:33

Written By, Ms. Dawn

THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:
An ordinary bat, is a remarkable nimble creature in the air, but it cannot take off from a level place.  If it is placed on the floor or on flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies,
unless it is taken out.  It never sees the means of escape at the top, but
persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We
struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing
that all we have to do is look up!  That’s the answer or the escape route
and the solution to any problem is to always look up to God.

Sorrow looks back. Worry looks around. But Faith looks up!

Submitted By, Pastor Isaiah A. Brown Sr.

Life is so random some time…sorry I took a little break  I decide I wasn’t going to post bc I felt I had to BUT bc I wanted to and actually had something worth say hope you enjoy.(call it  writers bloggers block if you will lol)

lately Gods been working on me to make me more humble yet sometimes I wonder if its just me. I went to a different church sunday and the pastor asked us to come up and bless God just say something to God in love. I really felt him say go say while we were the enemies of God he loved us. I instantly thought this is just me wanting to speak bc of my huge ego, after a while right before the pastor closed up the mic and moved to something else, someone said it. while we were the enemies of God he loved us first and i know thats not anything new but it was something God had put on my heart and he was showing me if you dont do it My Will still will be done.

This same thing came up later my friend Jottie wrote a blog about how met two strangers that were running for there lives and he just said i know how that is and went on with his life till he realized what he had seen and how unresponsive he was. well later on the way home drew and I saw a young couple fighting on the side of the road the wife drove off and the husband was walking home. so I told drew to pull over and pick this guy up, so we did and he shared some stuff with us and we shared scripture and just try to love on him and told him we would be praying for Gods hand in this situation.its just amazing how much a stranger will share that they would never share with their own family or friends.

NOT FOR SALE CAMPAIGN

there is so much that we dont see happening in america that we can do something about. i went to a event about not for sale and how its happening right here in america probably in douglasville we just dont see it. we can do something about it for more information go to

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

i just finished Galatians =))

Galatians 2:21

I do not set aside the grace of God,

for if righteousness could be gained through the law,

Christ died for

nothing!

this verse just reaffirms that we cant choose christ or the law would have been fine and we could all chose to follow it. but we couldn’t this is why jesus had to come and die. its by the grace of God that we are saved! thank God he came and took the cross for me and my sins.

Have you ever lost something of great value, like that woman that Jesus talks about in Luke 15:8 did? If so, you probably spent some moments searching, retracing your steps, and may have even asked others to help you look for your lost valuable. Do you remember the joy you experienced when you found what was lost? Well, that joy pales in comparison to the joy that occurs in heaven when one “lost” sinner repents (Luke 15:10). If there is someone in your life who does not yet know God, pray often that he or she will soon come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour so that you can rejoice along with the angels in heaven when they get saved and repent!

Submitted by Minister Trayce Brown

Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

As you may know, when you get caught committing a crime you must pay the price and go to jail. And with serving jail time comes a penalty , along with what ever penalty you are sentenced with comes the consequence of putting your wrong doing on “permanent record” for others to know about. In doing so this ruins your credibility with things you want to do in life. Luckily our life is not that way with God when we commit to Sin, our permanent record can be made temporary if we go to God confessing the Sin we have committed and ask for true forgiveness. God will write off our debt and forget all about it if we are truly sincere in our asking. His mercies are new each and everyday and we should be thankful to serve a God who gives second chances and continues to love us unconditionally. Remember through God’s word you can be assured that your sins will NOT be on your permanent record as you stand before God on judgement day.

Written By, Ms. Dawn

I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen”. 2 Timothy 2:10…….  What are you going to do?  May God Continue To Pour Out Blessings!!

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Do you live a life of ministry?  Yes, you do.  We all live lives of ministry, beloved.  All that differs are the types of lives of ministry that we lead.

You see, brothers and sisters, you do not need to be called a priest, reverend, rabbi, pastor, ministor, or any other title in order to actively minister to others.  We all minister continually, whether we intend to or not. 

Beloved, ministering is done only in part through the words that we speak and/or write.  A very significant part of ministry that is rarely considered is the ministry that we spread with the manner in which we live our lives.

Some people live a life that ministers unto others a love and trust of money and material wealth.  Oftentimes, they refer to having/pursuing the “good life”.  In this ministry, the “good life” is defined by your level of financial and material wealth.  Those who champion this particular ministry see things as cars, houses, clothes, enhanced technological devices, financial investments, and currency as the main barometers of the success in one’s life.    People living this ministery do so continually, as there are always new and prestigious items being created.  Therefore, these people are constantly pursuing more and more material and financial wealth accumulation so that they can prove their ability to lead the “good life”.

Other people live ministeries of slothfulness and laziness.  These are people whose ministry shows us that they are content to put forth the least amount of effort possible in order to insure their ability to survive.  Some of the people that have adopted government welfare as their lifelong career actively lead this ministery.  The people that I am specifically speaking of are those that either shun the opportunity for employment, or that shun the opportunity to advance with their employer, because they do not want to compromise their welfare benefit status.  There are many people in unions that also actively champion this ministery.  Where unions were initially created to ensure fair treatment for employers, they morphed over the years and turned into an incredibly expensive and crippling element that tries to get as many extra benefits/pay as possible for those that belong to the union, while de-emphasizing the importance of individual performance. 

Other people live ministeries of domination.  People that belong to this group actively minister a message that evidences a “survival of the fittest” mentality.  Large congregations of this ministery can be found in prisons, gangs, and in any of a number of other groups and locations.  Additional participants in this group are totalitarian regimes, communist dictatorships, etc that repress peoples through brute force displaying a ministery message that those with the most and most dangerous weapons win.  Abusive spouses, rapists, child abusers, and other wicked groups of people spread similar messages of “might makes right” with the perverted ministries that they live.

Yet another group of people live lives of ministry that promote self.  A common denominator among those that participate in this ministery is that the first/primary consideration in any situation is a focus on enhancing themselves.  This includes people who are not hesitant to kill innocent, unborn babies in order to maintain their “right to choose”.  Also, people who are willing to re-write morality in order to feed their own selfish desires (i.e. homosexuality/gay marriage).  There are also larger organizations that take part in this ministry, such as some churches that have no issue creating man-made doctrine to supercede following God’s doctrine, in order to maintain their hold on power and influence over their congregations and others.  In short, this ministry’s main message is exhibited by people and organizations that satisfy their own desires before giving consideration to serving any others.

At the end of the day, beloved, there are too many different types of ministeries to list on this site.  However, we can create two super categories by boiling it all down to two catch all groups of people.  The first group would be those that don’t live a life of ministery that claims Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  This group include all those listed above as well as a great many other groups that we have neither the time nor the space to list individually on this site.  The bottom line is that all who live their lives in such a manner that does not recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that do not recognize Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God the Father would fit into this group.

The second group would be those that live their lives in a manner that evidences Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  People that belong to this group believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father.  People in this group believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and they also believe that all who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will similarly rise to everlasting life.  This is evidenced when a loved one passes.  While people that live this ministry will mourn and shed a tear for a loved one that has passed on, they are also filled with hope and joy at knowing that they will one day be reunited with their loved one.  People in this group live lives that actively display humility, peace, meekness, love, forgiveness, and faith.  People in this group do not fall apart as economies rise and fall, or as different world events unfold.  People in this group display their faith on a daily basis, in both good times and bad.  Why?  They do so as they attempt to live their lives patterned after the object of their ministry, which is the Lord.  The Lord not only told us how we should live;  He also showed us during His time on earth.  A true Christian lives their life in a manner that constantly seeks to serve the will of the Lord and glorify Him.  Even though people in this group occasionally slip up, they display the assurance of knowing that God knows their hearts, and they quickly get back on track in serving and glorifying Him.

So in closing, beloved, which life of ministry do you lead?  If you claim to be a Christian, is your claim evidenced in the manner in which you live your life?  Always remember that the manner in which you live you life ultimately transmits to others as the main ministry that you live.  Remember that we can always tell the kind of tree we are looking at based on the fruits that it brings forth.

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior today, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just sincerely prayed that prayer, then you are now a spiritually born-again child of the Lord God Almighty.  Welcome to the family!!!  We are blessed to have you join us, and you have made your heavenly Father exceedingly happy:-)  Your life has a much stronger foundation now that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  You will still face many problems in this world, but by the grace of God, you now have the means by which to overcome every single one of those problems:-)  In order to maintain and grow in your relationship with the Lord it is really important for you to get to know Him better.  Set aside a few minutes each day to study the Lord’s word (bible), communicate with Him continually via prayer, and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Your new life in Christ Jesus starts now, and you start with a spiritually clean slate.  Praise God!!!

Thank you all for joining us today.  I hope you will be able to join us again on Friday for our weekly prayer requests.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

God’s word teaches us that spiritual exercise is as purposeful and just as strenuous as physical exercise. But the benefits are awesome because they last forever while the benefits of physical exercise only last as long as our bodies last. 1 Timothy 4:8 reads; For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Remember to exercise your gifts, your prayer, your praise and worship and your fellowship so you can remain spiritually connected and spiritually fit with God.

Written By, Ms. Dawn