FROG

FROG = Fully Rely On God.  I am still reading The Red Sea Rules. In it I ran across FROG.  I recently blogged that I felt I was in a time of trial. I blogged about others that are going through some difficulties also.  I had a mishap in my life that cost me over $500 to fix that I wasn't prepared for. I had only one key to my van and I forgot I had my keys in my hand and dropped them as I was burning some paper trash. When I realized I couldn't find my keys, it was to late. So I couldn't drive my van. We were dependent on one vehicle for over a week. I really missed my van. I had to prove ownership and have a photo ID just to order new keys. A pair of keys cost $352 alone. Then once the keys were in it cost me $120 to have the van towed to the dealer. it was another $95  to get the keys programed to the van.  I wasn't a happy camper but it was my fault, my carelessness that caused this incident. A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted. That was a statement made by Warren Wiersbe, Christians throughout time have been tested. Much of the time it is a strength building exercise of God to prepare us for what is ahead. Young David of the Bible and his slingshot had been tested by  a lion and a bear before he met Goliath. Joseph had many trials and tribulations before he became 2nd in command over all Egypt. God had prepared these men for what was ahead. Think of Abraham and Sarah, as they reached their age of 90 and still no son as God had promised. They caused themselves much trouble as they tried to help God keep his promise. But God keeps his promises, contrary to nature at times.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4  
God does allow trials and tests in our life. He uses them to mature and grow us in our faith. Do not think that if you become a Christian, you live will be smooth without any hiccups. Go loves you too much and will grow and strengthen you if you will trust him.  I have always been very independent, a product of the way I was raised. But God does not want me to be independent, God wants me to trust him, to fully rely on God. Sometimes it is a hard thing to learn. God rewards faith. God answers prayers of faith when we learn to trust and rely on him. Some one once said God never wastes a trial, he is always working on us to strengthen and mature us. The scripture above tells us to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds.  God is working on us, he has not abandoned us when things go wrong. As Lynda Randle sings The God On The Mountain Is Still God In The Valley. God bless, LVZ. 

I don't Understand

I don't understand everything that happens. I don't understand why a dear brother who is one of the most consistent people I know in witnessing for his Lord and Savior is sick. Has hiccups because of the cancer treatment he is getting. Can hardly talk because of the hiccups, has lost 30 pounds.  I don't understand why another brother who is speaking for truth and God daily on a radio program for AFR is in pain daily as a result of his cancer treatment. I do believe God is still sovereign, and I do not doubt he is in control and can still heal and fix these things. I just don't understand why he has not healed completely. I know the story of Job and all that Job went through as God was showing who Job was and what he was made of. Job remained faithful and never accused God. He did not understand. I don't understand why God gave us this President and every move, every word he says is criticized. He is fought every move he makes. I don't understand why for years this country has allowed Presidents like Bill Clinton who were corrupt from the start and in office and now they want to prosecute others for crimes dating back 40 years.  I don't understand a lot of things but believe God is doing something. The children of Israel saw God deliver them from bondage and part the Red Sea and destroy the Egyptians that were chasing them, only to murmur and complain day after day until God left them die off in the wilderness for 40 years until the older generation died off. Then he led them into the promised land. I don't understand why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the same sins we see so prevalent in our country today and it seems God is silent. I don't understand everything that is happening in my life today but I do believe God is in control. I do know trials and tribulations are not wasted by God, he is correcting character, he is fixing our hearts and lives in the things he is doing. God is still on his throne and oversees the affairs of men.  I don't understand every last detail, but God is at work in the lives of his people. I still look to the hill from where my help comes from. God who created all is my help. God is still sovereign. I don't understand everything, but believe God is in control and in his time, we shall see God get the victory and the glory. Until victory comes I plod on believing God is sovereign, I do not have to understand, I just stand believing in him who can forgive sins and heal nations. God bless. LVZ.

Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” John 13:7

Prayers God Has Answered

I was reading Exodus 14 again about the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea. God did a great miracle that day. In Joshua God again parted waters of the Jordan but he did it differently. Just water on one side and no water down stream. The Levites carried the Arc of the Covenant into the Jordan and then the water stopped flowing and just stopped so Israel could cross. Our God is not a cookie cutter God. So as I am reading this stuff I start thinking about prayers God has answered for me. When I was about 5 years old, not much I remember from back then, I was with my Dad in the country outside of Bismark, N.D.  He was unloading dirt off the back of a pickup truck. When he was done the truck would not start. I was scared, I was only five and I saw that Dad was really angry. I walked a few feet away and prayed, God let this truck start. The truck started. The reason I think this was an answered prayer is because I still remember the incident. In 2001 I was in a troubled marriage. I was seeking a divorce because I believed the woman I married was not faithful to me. We were separated at this time and both of us were living in Tacoma. I was driving up Yakima Street going south from South 40th. Just before 56th street as I was praying I turned left and then right  to Park Street. My wife at that time was staying at a house on Yakima just north of 56th street. I thought I didn't want to drive in front of the house she was living at. I believe God was directing me. I was praying about my divorce. I didn't know what to do. I know God hates divorce, my wife did not want a divorce and was fighting it. More or less just not cooperating. God am I being to hasty with this divorce I asked as I was talking to God. I still think she is cheating on me but I cannot see what you see. I don't know her heart. As I am praying I am about the forth car back from the stop sign at 56th and Park. I see her walking across the street in front of me towards the Safeway gas station on my right. I watch as she walks to a van getting gas. I recognize the van, it belongs to a friend of hers that I believed she was cheating on me with. She gets in the van. In my mind I hear, now don't go over there and make a fool of yourself, I showed you this so you would know. I drove on with peace in my heart about proceeding with the divorce. In 2005 I had promised Mom I would take her to a Family Reunion in North Dakota. I was trusting my car and was concerned if it was able to make the trip. I prayed about it. That evening at work I was looking at classifieds during a break and saw a 96 Oldsmobile with less than 30K for $4000. I called and was the first caller and purchased the car the next day. It was a good car.  These are just a few of the prayers I think of as I am writing.  I remember thinking one time when something happened and I thought didn't I pray about that a while back? I don't remember the incident, I just remember thinking those words. I think God has answered many prayers that perhaps I forgot by the time he answered. I remember when I moved here to Tupelo, praying about where to go to church. I just didn't seem to be finding the right place. We are a mixed race couple and everything seems to be so Black and White when it comes to church. I was discouraged because I wanted some thing similar to CFAN in Tacoma. One Sunday morning, I visited Hope Church and felt in my spirit this was it. I didn't look any further. It has been going on six years now and I feel it was an answer to prayer.  I see the congregation becoming more mixed as the months pass. I believe there are 50 to 60 Black people on any given Sunday. One of the Elders was a black man that rotated off last year and another black man began his term as an Elder.  I believe it was another answer to my prayers. That first Sunday they sang some of the same songs as CFAN. It was a casual dressed congregation. Somewhere I fit in.  I look back and felt it felt right from the start and I have not been disappointed. I feel God has confirmed this was his answer several times in the past few years. I now feel it is better than CFAN. There are a lot of good churches, I was just looking for what I felt I needed. There have been many prayers answered through the years and I thank God. I am probably not going to post as much any more for a while. I feel I need to reflect on what I write. I feel sometimes I come off very legalistic and I want to be more balanced toward grace. I am just reflecting on what I write and want to do a better job.  God is still working on me, I feel I am going through some sort of a trial right now and not sure what God is trying to do in me.  I know I need God more than anything in this world.  I am thankful for what he has already done in my life. I feel much of the time I am too political. God can work in any government. It is God that changes hearts and lives. Politics is not going to save our world or our country. God will if he so chooses. I want to be less political and more loving and full of God's grace. God is the answer for our hearts and lives and our country today.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2

God bless, LVZ.

Praying

Early in my first year at Hope, Prayer was emphasized. The church did a survey and asked how many of the members prayed for their church daily. Hope is a praying church. We need the prayers of our members for the leaders of our church, was the request that was made.  As I have watched over the years, I understand why I love Hope Church. They don't feel they are the only church in town. In Prayer time on Sunday's they pray for another congregation around Tupelo. It might be Harrisburg, or The Orchard, or Temple of Compassion & Deliverance.  We pray when we send mission teams overseas.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  James 5:16  
We have seen God answer prayers. Hope want to be effective in the community. One thing I have noticed as Hope has grown in the last several years, the diversity. Tupelo is an black (37%)  and white (57%)  community.  Verona where I live is 70% black. But I see more and more Black people attending Hope church. Heaven is not going to have a white section or a black section, I sometimes think we will not even notice any more the different races. God only created one race, the human race. I think that is a sign of a healthy Church when we look like the community we are in. CFAN in  Tacoma was that way also. They had Black, White, Russian, Native American, Asian, just about everything ethnic group you saw in the community, you saw in the church.  that is the way Heaven will be. Anyway Hope is a praying church. We want to impact Tupelo and surrounding communities in a positive way. I remember a concern I had several years back when there was a troubling time in the community. White and Black churches could not get together to pray about the need. It was  a racial issue. God doesn't always answer in the way we expect. But each Sunday I notice more and more Black families attending Hope. I believe it is upwards of 50 Black people attending Hope in recent weeks. Even a couple of mixed race couples. That was a concern of mine early on, because every church is the south seemed to be either black or white. So I think this is healthy especially in our racially charged day in which we live.  I believe the arresting of two Black men in a Starbucks coffee shop in Philly was a setup, to make the police look bad. We see it every day some racial issue. God only created one race, and we need to just keep praying for our town, our state and our country. These are troubling times and they seem to be getting worse. God still is on his throne and is still answering our prayers.  God bless, LVZ. 

Strive and Pursue

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
How do we navigate between these two scriptures? If we say we do not sin, we lie. Yet scripture tells us to strive for holiness and says we cannot see God without it. I accept that both are true. Some of that answer lies in the word strive. Or pursue peace. We are a work in action. We ask to be forgiven and keep on striving, pursuing. We keep following. 
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. James 3:2  If any one does not stumble in what he says is  a perfect man. This is preceded by for we all stumble. We get up and keep striving, we keep pursuing the prize before us. Sometimes I think we get prideful when we look and think I have not committed adultery, but forget the words of gossip that just passed our lips. Perhaps it is because we label sins, one is worse than another. Isn't adultery worse than gossip? is it worse in God's eyes? 
If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20
All these scriptures and many more point to the fact that we need a savior. We cannot clean ourselves, yet Hebrews says without Holiness no one shall see the Lord. The only way to peace with God is through Jesus Christ and the cross. We are all guilty. Often we hear people tell their stories and they were delivered from a bad lifestyle. Sometimes we hear of those that grew up in church and never lived a bad lifestyle. Scripture says there is not one that has not sinned. We come to Jesus and the cross and ask to be forgiven for all our sins. Past, present and future. This does not give us a license to sin, this does not mean we can live anyway we want after conversion. Strive for peace and holiness. Psalm 119 talks about learning God's plan, his precepts, his commands. It is not good enough to just not commit adultery, we must strive to avoid gossip. Many times we feel we are OK to tell what we call white lies. I have been on this road for 30 plus years and will read scripture and see areas in my heart and life I need to fix as the word convicts me of sin. I believe there is non of us that is to far from God if we will accept him as Savior and Lord. I have often looked at those that struggle with addiction, and how difficult it must be. But I believe God is able to clean and fix even the worst sinner. What about a murderer, are they too far from God? I think not. I believe there is grace to cover our sins whatever they be. Don't be satisfied with where we are in this walk but continue to pursue God and his love. Sometimes I look at the things I write and I wonder if love comes through. Is there enough of God's love in my heart that it comes through in the words I write. From the abundance of what is in our heart, the mouth speaks. I have not lived a perfect life, I need God in everything I do, every hat I wear, I need God. Jesus is the only way to peace with God. We cannot live a life pleasing to God without Jesus as Lord and Savior. We are never good enough or too far from Gods grace to not need Jesus. Jesus died for all our sins, Big, little, insignificant or the worst we cam imagine. Jesus died for all our sins.  God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of God and their need for him. God fix me is my prayer.   God bless, LVZ. 

My Take On This Starbucks Fiasco

I do not know if all the facts are in and just listening to Dennis Prager a few minutes ago.  I agree with a lot of what Dennis Prager said if not all.  But he caused me to think about some things, especially when using a bathroom when I am on the road. I frequent MacDonald's a lot so I don't feel guilty using their bathroom, but often on the road, I will still try to buy a drink or something if I need to use their restroom.  Dennis mentioned an old Jewish law about not asking the price of something in a store if you know you are not going to buy it. I must admit in my 60 plus years I have owned some 60 plus vehicles and even today if something catches my eye, I like to look at it.  I have no intention of buying, I just like to look. Its just me. But according to that law I should not ask the price if I have no intention of buying.  How this relates to Starbucks is they had every right as a store to not allow any one no matter what color or race to not use their bathroom if they were not a paying customer. The reason this is so important, have you ever been to a MacDonald's or other gas station / convenience store to use the bathroom and someone is actually taking a bath in the sink? Not literally taking a bath but cleaning up in place of a bath. It is not right, it is not the intended use of those bathrooms and it is unsanitary for paying customers. Sometimes they literally make a big mess. In areas where there are a lot of homeless people they end up locking the bathrooms and buzzing you in to avoid those type of problems. I saw just a day or two ago when a manager of a local Hardee's sent a homeless man on his way that was just standing near the bathrooms.  I had bought two sandwiches, one for me and one for Barbara who had not shown up yet. I felt he was watching me with those two sandwiches, it was a buy one get one free. I don't know if the manager saw that or not. I was just about to give it to him when the manager sent him packing. I agree with Dennis P. that is was not wrong for Starbucks to have this particular bathroom policy. I felt that this was a setup with the two black men in an effort to make the police look bad. If the Starbucks employee was in on this setup, then yes firing was the right thing to do. If not the Store should have backed them for following existing policy.  Even one of the police officers mentioned he had been refused the use of the bathroom another time when he had not bought anything.  I feel special consideration should be given to police officers who spend so much time in their cars and are public servants, they should be allowed to use services just about anywhere. Starbucks should have backed their employee unless they were involved in some sort of setup to make the police look bad by taking the two black men out of the store by force. They did not go on their own. Blacks should not be given special rights just because they are black. If this is store policy, it should be administered the same for everyone. This was not a mistreatment of two black men. It was police officers doing what we pay them for when a store called and asked to have two men removed from their store as the store in this case had a right to do. I believe this was planned to make the police look bad and nothing more.  We are not racist if we hold the same policies for everyone. Starbucks want to be politically correct over Store policy and that is where they went wrong.  This is my take on this Starbucks fiasco. God bless, LVZ.

Giving

Giving is difficult for me when it is someone who comes up asking for dollars or gas or whatever. In the past when trying to help I saw much go to the drug dealer. The reason I am talking about this is I was at the door of the church. We had just locked the doors. A man, woman and three kids come to the door and I let them in. I don't recognize everyone at church and I did not realize they were looking for a handout. Some people target churches on church night. This couple said they needed gas to get to Vicksburg.  I walked away for a minute, not sure how to handle this. I pulled a ten out of my wallet and walked back and gave them the ten. Can someone else help, they ask, we really need to get to Vicksburg.  Our Secretary was not there and for benevolence she will contact the right people.  I have had many people come up asking for gas saying their spouse is in the hospital in Corinth and they just need enough gas to get there. After hearing that story for the third time, I told the person it was a scam and I would not give him anything.  These family caught me off guard and I didn't know what to do. How do you know if it is a scam and someone just wanting their next fix? I sorta feel the request tonight was legit, but not sure. For one thing, they had children with them. But on the other hand some people teach their children to scam.  Anyway the ten did not satisfy the man and he wanted more. I feel I need to handle these requests with what I can do personally and not pass it on to someone else, but tonight I passed it on. Pastor gave his credit card if they wanted gas. They did and they followed me down to the truck stop and I filled their tank.  I struggled with this, because I have been scammed so many times. I will never know if this was legit or not. But it caught me off guard and I hate that I put it on another person. I thought about this and what if I was on a road trip and really needed help, I think I too would try to go to a church.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17 
This verse says that if we are generous to the poor , we lend to God and God will repay.  I do think God wants us to be givers, but not to be foolish and give to scammers. How do I know if they were indeed poor and needed this help. I don't. I do want to have a giving spirit but I do not like being scammed. I have decided next time in a similar situation I will only do what I can do, if the office is not open and there is no secretary to contact. I remember hearing a sermon on giving and developing a spirit of giving. I happened to be at a Promise Keepers even down at the King Dome in Seattle and I wanted to develop that habit of giving. I thought I will give to any who ask and I did not get to my car before I was broke, I had so many requests from homeless / beggars on the streets of Seattle. I don't know if I really know the answer and can always tell if I am being scammed by someone who is just panhandling or if it is really a need.  I do want to have a generous spirit like my father in heaven. Sometimes we see people in need along the road and then I do think we need to help them as the Good Samaritan did in the gospels.  I remember one time at Bob's Barbeque on Hill Top in Tacoma. I stopped to get a sandwich and as I was walking in a street person met me at the door and asked for some money. I said I will buy you something to eat if your hungry but I will not give you any dollars. OK, she said and we walked in and ordered our food. Just as I laid the money on the counter the clerk had to go in the back for a minute and as we stood there for a minute, she lounged at the money I had just put on the counter and ran for the door. I stopped her at the door and got my money back when the owner offered to call the police.  I was walking near Freight House Square in Tacoma and a Street person asked for money, I pulled out a five dollar bill and she ripped my jacked when I wouldn't give more. It is really hard to know if it is a legitimate need or someone just feeding an addiction.  I do know I want to have a generous spirit and give to those truly in need. I do not want  to feed someone's addiction. I believe the poor would represent some one with a legitimate need and not just someone panhandling. I am not sure I always get it right.  God bless, LVZ. 

One Moment, One Step, One Day at a Time

Sometimes I want to see what is ahead. But I can't. I remember the first few months in Mississippi when I was looking for a church home. I prayed about it probably every day but months wore on and I was discouraged, when it seemed I just wasn't finding the answer. I wanted a church like I left at CFAN in Tacoma. I realize now the next step was just to keep visiting different churches until I found my home church. One step at a time. there were some I visited more than once, but they just didn't seem quite right. In saying all this, there is not just one church body, but many that open in the name of Jesus. They are good places, they have a different finger print from each other. They have a different mission or purpose from God. Yet it is the same mission to make disciples, to spread the good news. I was trying to follow God's voice and he didn't just come out and say in an audible voice, go to Hope. To start with I didn't know it was there.  One day driving I saw it, and I thought next Sunday I will visit there. My search ended that next Sunday. I knew in my heart that that is where I was to be. I was home. At first I felt this is close to CFAN, sorta what I have been looking for. The same style of worship, even some of the same songs.  I found my home one Sunday at a time, one Church at a time. A lot of life is like that, just one step at a time. A song comes  to mind, One day at a time, Sweet Jesus.
One day at a time, Sweet Jesus,
that's all I'm asking of you
Give me the strength
To do every day what I have to do
Yesterday's gone, Sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Help me today, show me the way
One day at a time
I'm only human,
I am just a woman (or in my case just a man)
Help me believe in what I could be
And all that I am
Oh show me the stairway
That I have to climb
Lord for my sake
Teach me to take
One day at a time
One day at a time, Sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking of you
Just give me the strength
To do everyday, what I have to do
Yesterday's gone, Sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Help me today, show me the way
One day at a time
Oh, do you remember
When you walked among men
Well Jesus you know
If your looking below,
It's worse now than then
Oh, there's pushing and shoving
And it's crowding my mind
So Lord for my sake,
Teach me to take
One day at a time
One day at a time, Sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking of you
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday's gone, Sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Help me today, show me the way
One day at a time
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time
One day at a time

I'm not sure who wrote it , but I like the way Lynda Randle sings it.
We don't know if tomorrow is ours, we must just do today, one moment, one step, one day at a time.
Red Sea Rule #6;  When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 
Life is like that, moment by moment day by day, one step at a time.
Years have gone by and God has reconfirmed that decision when I felt at home at Hope Church. I didn't know what was ahead. I couldn't see a year or two down the road. I just trusted God and he has kept me. What is the next logical step in the things I am facing today. God is with me. Looking back, even in the most difficult times of life, God was with me. The turning point was that Sunday evening in January 1984 when I rededicated and accepted Jesus into my heart.   I'll not say it has been easy every day. Some times living a Christian life is the hardest thing you will ever do. Resisting temptations are not easy. But down the road, after many one day at a time days, you'll look back and realize that was the turning point in my life. When Jesus because the Lord of my life. God bless, LVZ.

Respecting Authority

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.  Romans 13:1-7  Here I go again on Romans 13. It seems to be a real problem today. Yesterday I read an article about police were called to a Starbucks in Philly I think. The story goes like this. The two black men go into the Starbucks but do not order anything, supposedly they are waiting for a third person to join them. At least one of them asks to use the bathroom. Starbucks has a policy it is to be used only by customers.  The men had not ordered anything and were asked to leave by Starbucks employees. The two men refused to leave. Starbucks calls the cops and they come to the aid of Starbucks and ask the men to leave.  The men still refuse, and per Starbucks asking the police to help they put the men in hand cuffs and take them out. All on video with a man asking what have they done. When you look at it, it really looks like a set up to make the police look bad. The police are doing their job, they were called by Starbucks.  If anything needs to change it is Starbucks policy. Nobody is mad at Starbucks. They are mad at the police and of course the video goes viral accusing the police of arresting the men for being black. My view of the video looks to me like a setup.  We are to honor authority and I believe if this was truly a setup to make the police, an authority under God, God is not pleased.  The men could have bought coffee, but they refused. they refused to leave the store. I do not know but I suspect even one of the employees of Starbucks was party to the frame up. Do they really pay that much attention to everyone in the store to note that they did not buy anything? This disrespect of authority, the police is wrong. We pay taxes, Starbucks pays taxes to be able to call the police when they have an unruly customer.  I believe the  officers went in not knowing this was a setup to make them look bad. They did their job. This was wrong, and everyone that had a part in this setup needs to be held accountable.  I think of my own actions. I am quick to call the police, if it is acting in behalf of neighborhood watch or if I see what is a crime being committed. I see some one weaving down the road, possibly drunk, I will call the police. How many of us know someone who has been injured by a drunk driver or even killed.  We need the police and it is a God ordained authority meant for our good. This fight against the police is not going to do our communities any good. It will have the affect of us getting worse officers instead of better as people do not wants to do a thankless job. We are wrong to fight the police and to attempt to make them look bad. We need to respect authority for our own good. We have seen a change in police tactics in our community with good result. In their safety checks, or road blocks that they do down here in the south, they do not arrest the people anymore unless their is already a warrant out for them. It cost the city too much. But they have learned to impound vehicles when the person driving has no license or insurance. It costs the individual. If they cannot find someone to come and get their car it is impounded while they walk away. It will cost them to get the car out of impound and not cost the city to pay for the car of a person in jail. They put the car in jail instead. Believe it or not even with the laws requiring insurance there are still many people without it and so many people drive without a license. I appreciate our law enforcement.  They are doing a good job locally and are trying hard to be better policemen and women. Our city is being smarter by enforcing the law in a way that hurts the lawbreaker and not the city. These authorities are ordained of God and for our collective good and need to be respected for the good job they do.  God bless, LVZ.

The Battle Is Not Ours

And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 2015
I remember many years ago at Sisco when a guest speaker prophesied over me. The battle is not yours it is God's.  I read these words and that time came back to my memory. Those were difficult and discouraging times. I didn't see what was ahead at that time. But looking back I see some of the most difficult years of my life. In 2 Chronicles where this verse is taken from the King of Judah was worried. There was an army coming against Judah and as in this verse describes it as a horde. To put it simply the people of Judah were out numbered. The enemy coming toward them was more powerful, a bigger army than Judah had. God told them not to worry, the battle was his. And so it is in life many times, we are overwhelmed by things we face. If we are Christians, God is on our side and we do not need to worry. We see this in Exodus 14 as the Children of Israel are camped by the Red Sea and an angry Pharaoh is headed towards them. God parted the Red Sea and they escaped from before Pharaoh. The Red Sea closed up over Pharaoh and his army and they were destroyed in the sea. This is what God is telling us. He has our back, we are not to worry. We face many difficulties in life of many varieties. I know some Christians that are facing cancer.  As one brother said, he wins either way. He is an older man and has had a reasonable length of life. If God don't heal him, he still wins. A pastor friend of mine, in fact he was the pastor at Sisco at the time mentioned at the start of this blog. He has since gone home to be with Jesus. I spoke with him probably six months ago, unless God heals him he did not know how many days he had left. He still won, he is with God.  As Joseph said in his story in Genesis, his brothers meant to harm him but God had plans for him and meant it for good to save many people including their family. Genesis 50:20. Looking back in my own life I had no idea when those words were spoken of the trials ahead. I didn't see what was ahead of me. Some of the trouble I faced was of my own making. Imperfect trust, I thought finding a mate was up to me and I went through four divorces in about 10 years.   Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  This is God speaking to Jeremiah, before he was born God had a plan for him. And for us. He saw our ending before our beginning started. God has a purpose for each of us. The battles we go through many times strengthen us. They shape us. God is the potter, we are the clay. God is not surprised by the battles, the trials we go through and he does not waste a difficulty but shapes us as he sees fit through it all. I look back and yes, there were some difficult years, but God was with me and brought me through. Many events in life were meant to destroy us, but God has the last word. If we are his child, the battle is God's. He promises to keep us and be with us always. I am thankful for the life I have had. God has been faithful and good to me. God has the last word, many things are meant to destroy us as in Josephs life, God has the last word and God performed his will and made good things happen in Josephs life and his brothers did bow down to him as his dream had said many years ago. The battles in life are God's, for his purposes and we just need to remain faithful. God has a plan for us, and he has the last word. It is not over until God says its over. God uses the trials of life to shape us, and makes us better, then when it is all over, we enter an eternity with God.  We win in so many ways. First God uses the trials to shape us as he desires and then takes us home to be with him. The good years have been many. God bless, LVZ. 

The Only Way

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Hebrews 10:11-18

When Christ died on the cross he died for all our sins.  Past, present, future; there is not longer any other way to atone for sins. A single one time sacrifice for all sins.  If there was any other way, we could all go that way, but Christ did it that one time on the cross for us all.  This is available to everyone that believes. When we accept Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins, he will remember our sins and lawless deeds no more. Scripture tells us our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west. You cannot find them, they are gone forever. Jesus is the only one that can forgive sins. He now sits at the right hand of God. Every sin imaginable, Jesus has conquered, and even death. There is only one way to eternal life with God and that is through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. There had to be a payment for sin. Jesus sacrifice was the only payment good enough to accomplish that.  Before Jesus the Priest would sacrificed animals to atone for sin, but they could not take it away and they kept coming back year after year. For all mankind, that one sacrifice did it all. Jesus on the cross, the son of God, he who had no sin, was the only perfect one that could atone for our sins. Our society today would like for us to believe that there are other ways to God, But the Bible tells us narrow is the way that leads to life,   that way, that narrow way, the only way  is through Jesus and the cross. The Bible is our guide for life. It tells us the way to live. If we believe on Jesus, we too can have eternal life with God. According to the bible, this is the only way.  God bless, LVZ.

Finger Print

I had never heard this before but it makes sense to me.  Each Church is unique and has like a church finger print. When I first moved to Tupelo and was looking for a church, I wanted what was similar to what I left in Tacoma, the last place I attended, CFAN. I felt it had been the best I had ever been up to that time. I remember visiting another church in Tupelo and told an associate that I was looking for a church. He said you need to look for the church where Jesus is at, meaning this place where we were that morning.  I believe Jesus is at many churches that open in his name.  But why is one specific place so important? A church is like a finger print, they all have a purpose but no two are identical.  We gravitate towards one that perhaps God leads us to be an influence in others or even for our own growth. I didn't get the same thing I had in Tacoma, I feel I actually got better. Each church has a personality of its own. I remember the first church I attended when leaving the COGOP. It was a small country church, that varied over its lifetime from about 40 to 80 members. But the impact it had on the kingdom of God was far greater because there had been so many that left that small country church to serve God in ministry of some sort. They had a tremendous impact felt way beyond their little country church family.  Yet it stayed a relatively small church. You might say they had an individual church personality. I also think we as Christians are not cookie cutter duplicates. We are each unique, where God uses our uniqueness for his glory.  A unique finger print as a Christian. I thought about this some time back when at one of my uncles funeral they talked about his gift as an usher / greeter at the door. He had a sense of humor and could tease you and make you feel so welcome. God used his personality to bless that local body of believers, in a sort of unique way. I have a friend here who is probably the best witness for Christ, He goes all the time witnessing to people anywhere, on the street, knocking on their doors. He says he does it because he loves people and how can you not know about God and not want to share it. He is unique, there is only one of him.  He has a very different personality, but his love for people is genuine. In our living for God do we make people better or one of us? Do we try to cookie cutter them into what we are or what our church is? We are each unique, each has some talent different than others. A Christian finger print you might say. We do have one thing in common, we have been forgiven of our sins.  We grow differently. Some of us take years to grow up spiritually and others seem to grow up overnight.  We are all at different growth levels.  As I thought about this I also thought about loyalty, is our loyalty towards God or towards some individual preacher or denomination. I ask this because it I see people that are fiercely loyal towards their particular denomination or particular church. I feel that that loyalty really needs to be towards God himself. I felt that fierce loyalty when I believe God first tried to move me out of the COGOP. I felt like I was going against God because I didn't go to that particular denomination. Misplace loyalty, and it took me about 4 years to see it. I do think we need to be involved in a local body and loyal to it, but our greatest loyalty needs to be to God himself. If God were to move us would we be open to it? I remember the days of old growing up when we traveled 80 miles one way to be in a particular denomination when near us were many good churches opening in the name of Christ. We could have been more involved and had more growth than an occasional trip of 80 miles, packed like sardines for that 80 mile trip one way.   There was a loyalty to that particular denomination when our loyalty to God should have been number one. Would it have impacted my family different?  I think so. I see that same type of loyalty in many Christians today. The ultimate loyalty needs to be to God. What happens if your loyalty is to a Jim Jones over loyalty to God? Do you end up drinking the kool aid? If an organization goes astray, do you follow it or follow God?  I believe today we are being deceived politically. So many want to be politically correct, even over the word of God. I believe God puts us in church families for our growth and to help others to grow in their walk. But that loyalty needs to be in God himself. I feel I have gotten off my subject and I need to quit. God is not a cookie cutter creator, look at the trees in the forest and each one is unique. They may look similar but still unique. I think we are the same, unique but still to look like Christ if we are Christians.   God bless, LVZ.

Unity Of Purpose

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:2-9
I just past the 11 year mark in this marriage. It is not a lot of years for someone my age. I give God thanks anyway, for the 11 years.  We are learning to walk together. It is something I never had before in any marriage. I remember one Pastor that had married me to someone else saying, they never bonded.  We had two different lifestyles and we were not together.  God intended for marriage to be one man and one woman for life.  I failed at this several times. I have learned it is not the unpardonable sin, to be divorced, not God's perfect plan, but how many of us have sinned in some other area of life. As I gave thanks for 11 years of this marriage, I realized I had something I never had before, a unity of purpose. We don't think alike, never have, but we are united in our love for God and wanting to do his will. Many things we do together, not everything, but many.  But God's intent for marriage is one man / one woman for life.  We made a decision the other day and we separately came to the same answer, it may have been a good deal, but it was out of our purpose. I saw that and I was thankful.  There are so many things I have learned through marriage and I see where many times God uses us to balance each other out. God makes us one flesh, we start out as opposites but God many times uses those opposites to balance us. I have strengths and weaknesses, so does she. I see some of those weaknesses at times and I try to protect her.  I believe there are times when she does the same thing. We are real. Not perfect but real. I thought about an incident, actually two incidents from a previous relationship. We had started living together and we were still attending the church where we met. I put my arm around her shoulders as we sat together in church. We were not married at the time. She objected because she didn't want to give the impression we were intimate, which we were.  Some years later at a different church after a few years of marriage, we separated.  We met up at church and sat together and after church went our separate ways for the whole week. Never even had lunch together. Just met up at the parking lot, walked in together, sat together, walked out together and got in our separate vehicles and went our separate ways for another week. This went on for nine months. We were giving an impression of being married, in church, but we really weren't together. She said one Sunday morning as we were sitting there, I think we should join this church.  I talked to the pastor and told him we wanted to join. But I think I need to tell you something first. We are married but we have been living separate for months. The only time we are together all week is on Sunday morning as we sit here during service. After service we go our separate ways till next week.   the Pastor said, I think we need to get you all some help.  We were married but there was no unity. It is probably not necessary to say but that marriage did not last.  We may have put on a front for all to see but it wasn't real. That is not what God intended, he wanted us to become one. Yes we are different. We think different, but God wants us to be one. Not in appearance but in purpose. I think I have that now and I am thankful. Proverbs says, houses and lands are inherited from ones parents, but a prudent woman is from the Lord. I thank God for the woman he gave me and may I ever do my part to become one until death do part. Gods perfect plan - one woman / one man for life. Not what our world is teaching us today, but what God's word says.  God bless, LVZ. 

God wants the Glory

God wants the glory for the things he has done. Sometimes I see this thought in me when I have prayed about something, that I prayed and it happened. That is like calling the police or the fire department and they come in and handle the situation, the need of the hour and I feel like I am a hero because I picked up the phone and called them.  The police and the firemen are the ones that come in and do the work, they are the true hero. Going back to the Red Sea account, God put the Children of Israel in a difficult spot, so he could rescue them.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. Exodus 14:1-4.
The dictionary has this to say about Glory:  high renown or honor by notable achievements. God did all this so he would become known, so we as his people could see his ability to deliver us out of trouble. It is God's desire that he would become known.
But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4
Here we see in the story of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus. Lazarus was bad sick and his sisters sent to Jesus to come and heal Lazarus. Jesus tarried and Lazarus died. This was another instance where God wanted to show his strength so people could know he is able to raise people from the dead. God wants the Glory, he wants to be known as a powerful God. Jesus came to Lazarus after he was already dead, so God could bring him back to life. To show his power, to get the glory from this notable achievement, that we still talk and read about today in God's word. God wants the glory, he wants to be known. God does want us to call upon him in our day of trouble so he can deliver. It is God that is the hero. We just call on his name and God delivers us what ever the situation. God wants the glory. Sometimes I feel like I want the glory because I prayed. Because I picked up the phone line and called. In the book The Red Sea Rules, the author is saying perhaps we need to pray and look at things as to how God can get the glory. God wants his name to be known. It has never felt right to me when we hear of a famous evangelist or preacher who makes a name for themselves. It is like they get the glory. It is not that man or woman that does the healing, or sets people free from their addictions. It is God and he wants the glory. I would say to any man or woman that feels they have the gift of healing to go to the nearest hospital and empty it with their healing power. No, it would not happen, because it is God that heals and has the power to set people free. When we pray we are like the person that called the police or the fire department. We picked up the phone and dialed 911. that is all. When we pray, we dial 911 to God and he delivers, God comes to our rescue. God does the healing, the delivering from the prison we are in. God wants the glory. He is the hero.  I think back to our last election, God did this. God gave us Trump, even today we see Trumps name ridiculed but yet he survives. I believe it is God doing this to show his power to heal and deliver. God wants the glory for the things he has done.    God bless, LVZ.