Mike Carson is a gifted Saxophonist. Mike Carson is a great teacher of the appreciation of music. Mike Carson is also one of my most faithful deacons. Mike Carson blessed my life like never before a couple weeks ago. I shared with Mike a recently particularly painful experience in my ministry. I shared with Mike how sometimes it makes no sense for some people who claim to be saved to be so pathetically silly.
Mike then said Pastor, I had an experience not long ago where I saw an older woman who was struggling with the burden of some bags. Mike said I offered to help her by taking her to her home and helping her get her bags safely in her door. She consented and he said he took her home, carried her bags to her door and bid her a good night. Mike said as he walked back to his car there was some debris in her yard and he ended up stepping into something that did not smell good at all. Mike said he looked down to see that he had stepped into a soiled diaper. The Baby bowel movement in the diaper oozed all over his shoes and mike said he was ticked off. As he attempted to clean his shoes on the curb Mike said he kept saying to himself, All I was trying to do was help somebody in need now look what has happened.
As he pulled away from the address he kept thinking about stepping in some mess while trying to do ministry to someone in need and with all the other issues in his life he just did not need something like this to further depress him. Mike said while he drove he kept seething as he smelled the residue of mess on his shoe when God spoke into his spirit.
Mike said the voice of the Lord said to him "Mike, when ministering to the needs of my people every now and then you will step into some Mess, but be encouraged Mike because I can turn mess into a miracle."
After Mike said that to his Pastor he just walked away and said that's for you too Pastor.
Beloved I remember the words of Jesus in John 16:33 "In me you may have peace; In this world you will have trouble, but be of Good courage for I have over come the world."
Mike's experience blessed his Pastor that night and Jesus words illustrate that insight and serve as a blessing to you. We will face messy situations and messy people while we strive to do our best to be a blessing. But Jesus said don't get mad, don't get frustrated and don't turn back. In Jesus you May have peace if you believe that he is the real Transformer. He transformed Death into Life; A negative into a positive and a Messy situation into a Miracle.
Be Blessed, Be Faithful and Be Encouraged!
Pastor JJ
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Do you really want to be free?
Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free...So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed"
Do you want to be free? If you answered yes then can I also ask you Free from what and what does freedom actually look like to you? Have you ever really thought about it? In fact may I also ask you, do you want to be free or do you want everybody free?
As of the writing of this blog our world is in s state of upheaval. In Britain the western world was subjected to the wedding of the Royals. The Prince belongs to a family, the Windsor family whom I hear own at least 1/6Th of the earth's surface which would make them the largest landowners on earth. Does that make you feel more free that one family with no visible means of support yet who owns so much wealth? What is freedom and do you want to be free or do you want everybody free?
While there are wars, poverty, blight and extreme oppression all over the world our country is reeling from the resurgence of conspicuous racism and race baiting in politics. America has been in arrested development from corporate greed and governmental complicity. all while the average citizen is confined to concerns of their own individual circumstances. Do you want to be free or do you want everybody free? How does freedom look, smell, feel taste to you? Can you imagine being free from the societal, situational and individual external constraints that add to your daily burdens? Let me ask you, is being free in this life reasonable to consider? Have become so accustomed to adversity that you revel in the drama of others because it gives you a vicarious feeling of victory in your situation?
With maturity have we experienced the death of innocence of the deception about innocence? I remember growing up as an adolescent forming friendships, falling in love and having an uplifted out look on what the future held for me and the world. I remember friendships falling out and forming again, love being lost and falling in love again, being disappointed but with the next sunrise having hope again. Here is the challenge can we still have the hope, exuberance and expectation of innocence but also be practical, patient and persevering through the problems and problem people we know will put us to the test? Is this balance possible?
I submit that we can have balance, beloved. I submit that you can experience the liberation of love despite being let down at times lovers. I believe we can still wrap ourselves in he rapture of relationships despite the ramifications of being in a relationship. With all that is revolving in the external to give us low expectations there is an internal reality that can rule one's perception of the external to empower one's imagination about the each moment.
The Truth of the matter is that freedom is being free of the need to be free. Jesus said "you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Knowing that there is a hopeful truth is freeing. Knowing that there is a truth that transform the trials of everyday life into testimonies of triumph is freeing. Knowing that what you see around you does not have to have the last word is freeing.
And being free indeed because there is one who is able to set your mind free of the mess and mundane of life is mystical. The key is that freedom starts from within beloved. It does not mean being free from the responsibilities of life or our obligation to one another but free to be encouraging, inspiring and empowering to others. Freedom is not a fantasy woven by wordsmiths of wonder but Freedom is a reality to be reached from the inside out. There is a relationship that sets one free indeed to dream, to hope, to imagine, to conjure, to expect, to want, to desire and to work toward. This freedom can be touched with the mind, it can be embraced in the heart, it can be sense by smell it can be tasted by the soul. "He who the Son sets free, is free indeed." Be Free beloved; Be free to let go of petty mess and latch on to love. Be free to release the elevation of the negatives of life and wrap your arms around the nurturing in life. Be free to strip down from the shackles of the same ole, same ole, stuck, stiff, and stinking thinking and surround yourself with sagacious, sublime spiritual study of what can be when the Son sets you free to see.
Do you want to be free? If you answered yes then can I also ask you Free from what and what does freedom actually look like to you? Have you ever really thought about it? In fact may I also ask you, do you want to be free or do you want everybody free?
As of the writing of this blog our world is in s state of upheaval. In Britain the western world was subjected to the wedding of the Royals. The Prince belongs to a family, the Windsor family whom I hear own at least 1/6Th of the earth's surface which would make them the largest landowners on earth. Does that make you feel more free that one family with no visible means of support yet who owns so much wealth? What is freedom and do you want to be free or do you want everybody free?
While there are wars, poverty, blight and extreme oppression all over the world our country is reeling from the resurgence of conspicuous racism and race baiting in politics. America has been in arrested development from corporate greed and governmental complicity. all while the average citizen is confined to concerns of their own individual circumstances. Do you want to be free or do you want everybody free? How does freedom look, smell, feel taste to you? Can you imagine being free from the societal, situational and individual external constraints that add to your daily burdens? Let me ask you, is being free in this life reasonable to consider? Have become so accustomed to adversity that you revel in the drama of others because it gives you a vicarious feeling of victory in your situation?
With maturity have we experienced the death of innocence of the deception about innocence? I remember growing up as an adolescent forming friendships, falling in love and having an uplifted out look on what the future held for me and the world. I remember friendships falling out and forming again, love being lost and falling in love again, being disappointed but with the next sunrise having hope again. Here is the challenge can we still have the hope, exuberance and expectation of innocence but also be practical, patient and persevering through the problems and problem people we know will put us to the test? Is this balance possible?
I submit that we can have balance, beloved. I submit that you can experience the liberation of love despite being let down at times lovers. I believe we can still wrap ourselves in he rapture of relationships despite the ramifications of being in a relationship. With all that is revolving in the external to give us low expectations there is an internal reality that can rule one's perception of the external to empower one's imagination about the each moment.
The Truth of the matter is that freedom is being free of the need to be free. Jesus said "you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Knowing that there is a hopeful truth is freeing. Knowing that there is a truth that transform the trials of everyday life into testimonies of triumph is freeing. Knowing that what you see around you does not have to have the last word is freeing.
And being free indeed because there is one who is able to set your mind free of the mess and mundane of life is mystical. The key is that freedom starts from within beloved. It does not mean being free from the responsibilities of life or our obligation to one another but free to be encouraging, inspiring and empowering to others. Freedom is not a fantasy woven by wordsmiths of wonder but Freedom is a reality to be reached from the inside out. There is a relationship that sets one free indeed to dream, to hope, to imagine, to conjure, to expect, to want, to desire and to work toward. This freedom can be touched with the mind, it can be embraced in the heart, it can be sense by smell it can be tasted by the soul. "He who the Son sets free, is free indeed." Be Free beloved; Be free to let go of petty mess and latch on to love. Be free to release the elevation of the negatives of life and wrap your arms around the nurturing in life. Be free to strip down from the shackles of the same ole, same ole, stuck, stiff, and stinking thinking and surround yourself with sagacious, sublime spiritual study of what can be when the Son sets you free to see.
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