A Lil Church Humor – via http://praisecharlotte.com

Via: Elev8.com

20.  Why do some saints find a corner and face the wall to get their shout on for about ten minutes?

19.  What are the requirements to become a “church nurse”?  Is there “church nurse” school? Other than holding white sheets and forming a circle around people who are filled with the Holy Spirit, what are the duties of the “church nurse?”

18.  Does anyone else secretly want to see that over zealous choir director who bounces around, well…fall just one good time so he or she will cut it out and just direct the choir without all the acrobatics?

17.  What is an auxiliary board?

16.  Does anyone else other than me feel some sort of way when people “save” seats in church for their friends who are already like an hour late?  It is not cool to sit your purse, bible and concordance on the next three seats when there are a bunch of people looking for a place to park their bottoms!

15.  Where are all the people who bum rush out of church before the benediction really going?  Are they trying to make sure they get a seat at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles?

14.  Does anyone else have a church with the one token white person in the choir who over exaggerates to stay on rhythm?

13.  Why doesn’t the vending machine in the hallway ever work?  I’m hungry after church…shucks.

12.  Why does everyone turn and look (with some irritation) at the woman who is trying to quiet the baby up?  It really isn’t nice to mean mug a woman with a baby…I’m just sayin’.

11.  Does anyone else get nervous that the person the pastor lays hands on won’t fall out and the people standing behind them won’t have anything to do because they can’t catch him, since he didn’t like you know…pass out?

10.  Have you ever passed out from having hands laid on you?  I haven’t.  Just wondering what it’s like.

9.  Is there a reason the best reader can’t read the announcements instead of sister so and so who well…can’t pronounce words properly?

8.  Has anyone ever tried to sell you Mary Kay products during video announcements?  It happened to me.

7.  Has anyone else’s church bulletin abbreviated Bible Study as B.S.?  Something’s not quite right about that.

6.  Where do the band members go after praise and worship?  Like how come I never see them sitting in the pews?  Are they on intermission or something?

5.  How come the same kid of certain members get to lead the children’s choir?

4.  Should celebrities who show up late really be escorted to a seat right up front?

3.  Are mega churches kinda played out?

2.  How do you respond to people who tell you “The Lord told me to tell you…?”

1.  Is anyone else disappointed when you invite someone to church with you only to find out the pastor is out of town and the woman who reads the church announcements is going to get her shot in the pulpit?  You know it’s gonna be a long day at church and your friend probably ain’t ever coming to visit again.

Ben Recommends – Fellow Bloggers you Should Know

For those that love to read...things that will edify you, let me share some of fellow "bloggers" I have had the pleasure of meeting:

http://www.nonsuperwomanchronicles.com/ - Nope....we're not superheros!

www.QuelynnInc.com - A woman of God who will speak into your life.

www.BrittneyMonyse.blogspot.com - Brittney IS a miracle! Got an impossibility? You've got to read this one.

http://sistavblog.blogspot.com/ - An old classmate with a gift for writing.

http://gdavisplays.com/forums/ - Soon to be world known playwright, and personal friend.

http://www.thisgirlsjourney.wordpress.com/ - The story of my friend Karin's recovery from a life changing brain injury.

And of course http://bencolemanjr.blogspot.com...from my heart to yours.

While I’m Waiting

I have sent this out before, but I know at least a couple of you need to hear this for sure! It's from the Fireproof movie. It helped me through some tough "waits", and I feel it in my spirit today. Sometimes, we want the "waits" to hurry up and be over....but God teaches us in the "waits".  I keep hearing David say, "it was good that I was afflicted....it was good that I was afflicted...it was good that I was afflicted..."

Please let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3b2jw1rjBc

Wet Pants

From an email – Author Unknown

Come with me to a third grade classroom...... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened.  It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives...

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water.. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk.

The sympathy is wonderful . But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out.  You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?'

Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too..'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good...

Remember........Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car..

Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.

My instructions were to pick people that I wanted God to bless, and I picked you... Please pass this to people you want to be blessed.

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another.

The Prayer:

Father,

I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power, Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.

Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace.. Where there is need, I ask you to fulfill their needs.

Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.. Amen.

God, if You don’t come….

 

Latter Rain – Men of Standard with Kirk Franklin

Restore the joy, remove the pain, dry tear-stained eyes, send latter rain
If You don’t come, all hope is lost, to them that trust, trust in the cross
Thy power’s strong, please hear our song, send latter rain
The omen we seek is not in vain, our spirit grows weak, increase our faith
Our body’s weak, and we will fail, if You don’t send, the latter rain
Rain on me, there’ll be a shower of blessings
Rain on me, there’ll be a shower of blessings
Our body’s weak, and we will fail, if You don’t send, the latter rain

What to Do Between the PROMISE and the PROVISION

 

 

Promise

Gen 35:5 “Joseph had a dream…”.  Let me start by saying that dreams are not just imaginary thoughts we have while sleeping…not just wishful thinking of things we would love to do some day….the are a guide God uses to direct our paths to where He destines us to be. I have always been a dreamer, which is why I love the Joseph story. I dream of doing great things, and God has given me dreams in my sleep that have happened in my reality.  It’s a special mode of communication He uses with people that have ears/eyes to receive them.

I need to say that, God did not intend for us to wonder blindly until we stumble onto our dream…missing the wonderful journey He has for us.  I believe that a dream is not just a destination, but includes that journey.  Along the way, God has people and places He wants us to see, things He wants us to get done. Ok….now to the between….

Pit/Prison

“"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. +Come now, let's kill him... Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." Gen 37:19. Yep! You will have HATERS! Now.  We could argue over whether Joseph was wrong to share his dream with people who could not understand it (dreams are a foreign language for non-dreamers).  I could do a whole blog on that.  Or, we could argue that even Joseph telling his story, leading to his peril (wow, there’s another ‘p’ lol),

There is also another kind of pit….a spiritual pit.  I imagine the hole they put Joseph in to be pretty small, but deep…..no way out, not even to see out…I have been there.  Depression is a pit. It’s a feeling of hopelessness, a feeling that I can’t get back out of this, that I must have heard wrong when God gave me the dream.

Elijah found himself in a spiritual pit. “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4. Rev Herbert Miller preached a sermon that shaked my foundation “I Can’t Take it No More”, coming from this scripture.  In the midst of the great triumphs God allowed him to have, he still thought he was not getting it done. I know now that those thoughts are the enemy.  The enemy that comes to try to keep me from getting to the last ”P”.

Where are you God? I thought you said… Why is it taking so long? I know you made a promise, but how can I even survive all this to get to the provision? You told me what I would gain, but I keep losing stuff. Just by Joseph speaking his dream, he started a “series of unfortunate events” that no one would choose to go through.

Do you trust God?

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
      They will soar high on wings like eagles.
   They will run and not grow weary.
      They will walk and not faint."

My wonderful Aunt Pastor Essie McCullough (New Direction Movement Cathedral – Winston-Salem) always gives me the perfect gifts.  A couple years ago she gave me a sailboat that sits on my desk to this day, with Is 40:31on it.  I looked the above scripture up in the New Living translation and saw that they chose to replace “wait” with “trust”.  The difference I see is that you can wait on something without any confidence of whether it will actually come….but when you TRUST, you have already written the check because you know the money is already in the bank.

The enemy would desire us to lose hope.  It is natural to happen after waiting a long time for something.  One thing I have to remind myself of, is that God’s time is not our time. God has a divine purpose and timing. When we learn to fully trust Him, we lose track of the time.

Provision

I was so happy to hear my friend Candice Marie Benbow testify the official “birth” of Birthright Publishing…the baby God planted in her and allowed her to birth.  I heard her speak it, before it had come to pass…and now have seen God make provision for her. She has also shared all the “p”’s she had to go through in order to give birth. How fitting that the name of her company suggests that there are things that belong to us, regardless of what we go through…because of who our Daddy is! Glory to God!

Bishop Freddie Marshall (Great Church of Deliverance – Winston-Salem, NC http://www.greaterchurchofdeliverance.com/) just spoke a word to his congregation that brought into clarity where I am right now.  He said “I am here on PURPOSE”. He went on to explain that some of us survived, because we had purpose on us.  It was no accident…we HAD to survive to fulfill our purpose.  There was a situation in my life that had me to a point of wanting to give up.  It was the purpose I knew I had in my life that told me I could not….not just for Ben Coleman Jr., but for all those He assigned to my charge.

There’s a dream inside of YOU. God spoke it into your spirit…through a prophet, a dream, or just a whisper…but He spoke it! Like Tonex sang, God has not forgot.  He knows what He said.  He is now asking…”Do you trust me?” “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19. No! If He spoke it, you best get ready to see it happen!

What dream has the enemy tried to kill in you.  As a confession of faith, as God leads, leave a comment of what God spoke in your life….so you can see and others can see it now.  And then, remember this post…come back to it, when your testimony is “I made it to provision”!

To Rest in God...You Gotta Work!

I just shared this with a friend, but I know so many people that are waiting on things from God....PAST the point where it hurts.

-----------------------------------------
I'm going to share something with you, that God told me while I was waiting (am waiting) for Him to fix things in my life. I may be waaaaaay off base, so if I am please forgive me.

I think it was Dr. Mack that preached once several years ago about waiting. He said that a waiter does not sit there. He is serving and waiting.....he's busy. At times where I have felt hopeless....real hopeless..."waiting" for things to change, God has spoken to me so clearly...just be busy doing My work....and I will take care of the rest. A couple things happen....His Will is being done, and I began to take my mind off the things that I was waiting for. Matthew 11:28, Jesus said to take His yoke upon us, and that He would give us strength in the same verse. What does this mean? A yoke is carrying a heavy burden, and that's supposed to give us rest? If we become busy doing His biz, He will take care of ours.

God in Jesus name, I pray strength into my brother. I speak against the spirit of dispair...against impatience....against doubt. God I thank you for the gifts that you have placed in (person's name), and for their soon to happen manifestation. Help him to release his concept of time...how long it is taking....and for him (and me) to begin to operate in your time...which cannot be calculated. I thank you for the "hopeless" situations in our lives, that are pulling us closer to you...right where you want us. We praise you in advance for the might testimonies we will share.


It is so.

Your Alabaster Box

Your Alabaster Box

The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There's no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster
(CeCe Winans Alabaster Box)

I heard someone do a wonderful rendition of this song at “My First Love” the stage play. It’s amazing how I can hear a song a million times, and then hear something that I had not heard before. To really understand this song, you have to know a little about the lady with the box of oil. As Jesus was about to go to what Dr. Sir Walter Mack Jr. calls “that awful surgery called Calvary”, a seemingly odd event happens. A woman comes and pours oil on His feet, and then wipes it with her hair. Strange, to say the least.

What is your Alabaster box?

Most of the people watching probably did not understand what was going on…but Jesus did. One of the disciples was brave enough to speak up and say “That’s just dumb. We could have sold that oil to feed the poor.” Jesus response should teach us the danger of using “logic” for illogical things. Jesus knew that her actions were about “purpose”. Jesus knew that she was divinely appointed for that moment…preparing Him for the cross.

At a very low point in my life, someone shared with me Psalms 126. The psalmist tries to paint a picture of someone sowing seeds, yet crying as they go. There is an awesome revelation in that….what we go through is for a reason. It is our experience (even the bad stuff) that noursishes the seeds God has given to us to sow.

Again, I ask, What is your Alabaster box? What have you made great sacrifice for? What have you cried for, given up, taken punishment for? In my tough times, God has spoken very clearly to me that I had to go through what was happening. The bible says that Jesus was “acquainted with grief”….He had felt what you are feeling. It is because He experienced this life, that He is able to understand our pain.

God, I pray for hurting people….those that are paying the price…their Alabaster box. God so many, do not understand why their road is so hard….but we know that You do. God we want to give up…we think at times that the price is too high…but You know that we must carry our Alabaster box.

God I pray now that you will strengthen us. Help us to know that we are right on track for the destination you have for us. So we trust You God. As we begin to pour the oil from our Alabaster box…our sacrifice…we trust you. Even as people around us say “it’s don’t take all that”…we trust you.

God I praise you in advance for those that will make the sacrifice.

It is so.

What’s In a Name?

What’s In a Name?

We tend to call people names based on what they do. If someone is sneaking as a child, some people call them “Slick”. If someone is big, we might call them “Tiny” (go figure). If someone drinks, we call them the alchoholic…overweight…heavyset.

Benjamin Floyd Coleman Jr. / Benjamin Floyd Coleman II – When I was getting ready to graduate high school, they gave us forms to submit how we wanted our names to appear on our diplomas. Me (and my wise self) decided to “spice up” my name. Instead of using ‘ Jr.’, it seemed more appealing to use ‘II’. I remembered all the royalty that were none as the ‘II’, and thought I would do the same. What I did not think about, was how my parents would feel about it. Needless to say, they were surprised to see it. So….what’s the big deal? What I did not consider was the effort my parents had put into naming me. I did not fully appreciate it until I was about to have my first son. It was then that I realized that a name is very important. The bible says that we can have what we say, so when we say a name, we are speaking over a child’s ENTIRE life. Wow. Here are a few examples.

Jabez – Most of us have heard the prayer of Jabez…”enlarge my territories…” Many do not know that Jabez mother birthed him in turmoil. His name means born in pain. We do not know the whole story, but it implies that his mother went through a lot to birth him.

Abram/Abraham – One meaning of Abram is “to run”, which fits Abram’s early life. This is a guy that lied and said his wife was his sister…talk about running from the truth! But, as God’s plan for his life began to unfold, God changed his name to Abraham…father of many nations.

Hadassah /Esther – I just heard a great preacher say that Esther had to have a new name to match, not her past, but where God was taking her. Hadassah was her Hebrew name, but to be queen of Persia she had to be Esther. I could spend a lot of time there…I will say that he also said that “a moment of favor is worth more than a lifetime of labor”.

Saul/Paul – Please take a second to read my blog on Paul (http://bencolemanjr.blogspot.com/2009/02/was-paul-ocd.html) . The main thing I want to bring out here is that Paul real was not as much transformed, as much as his energy was redirected. As Saul, he was obsessed with killing Christians….as Paul, he was obsessed with birthing Christians.

Jesus called me friend – In John 15, Jesus is giving final words to his disciples. He makes a very profound statement…that they are no longer His servants, but His friends. He says that a servant is on a “need to know” basis, but a friend knows what a friend is doing.

So what’s in a name? Destiny. I’m not telling you to run downtown and fill out a name change form. I am saying that God has a name for you, that speaks to where He is about to take you. It doesn’t matter what people call you…their name for you is probably based on your past. My God has a name for you that speaks to your future. That’s the one I’m going by!

Why Me?

I have talked to so many people that are in some uncomfortable situations, to say the least. People that are losing homes...losing vehicles...jobs...their wife...a husband....dead loved ones...the list is REAL long these days. You don't have to go far to find someone who is going thru something.

There is something that I have found in common, for many of the people I have talked to. WE all wanna know "why me?" Yeah, the bible tells us that the steps of a good man are ordered, we know about Job and his suffering, King David and the psalm he lived...and of course Christ. But Why me? Why did God decide this is what Ben Coleman Jr. has to go through. Here are a few (but not all) of the answers:

1. Cause God said so. I could really stop there for the most mature christians, because we know God is sovereign...He can do whatever He wants to. But, we are not all there yet...lol. Someone just reminded me of God's message through Moses to the Pharoah....I am that I am. Nuff said!

2. Because you can handle it. So many are falling under huge amounts of pressure. I don't have to list the stuff again..you know what your pressure is. It's something different for each of us, but we all have something. So why do I have to go through this....because I can. Let me explain, Hezekiah Walker said once...summarizing Job...if you got it, you can handle it. Many would not have gotten this far under your load. Many would have been crushed. But you are still here. A friend of mine keeps telling me...Ben, I don't know how you handle it....simple...God.

3. God is teaching you. David realized it was a good thing for him to go thru so much. That was how David learned about God, and God's way of doing things. Not a life of rosey bliss, but of diving steps....some good and some bad...to perfect him, and get him to a point of ministry. That's why God picked you, because you will go back and minister to others. Someone share Ps126 with me and it changed my outlook. God allows me to cry tears, to nourish this seed He has given me to plant. As I walk the crop rows of life, I am dropping seeds and shedding tears. Glory to God!!!!

4. People are watching you. Again, I have to refer to David. I tell people that I'm glad David wrote down all the good AND the bad he went through. I can read it, and get strength from his struggle. My God!!!!!!! What a blessing it has been in my struggle to meet people like you that have said, Ben I know how you feel. I'm going through something myself. I tell people to take good notes...endure hardness as a good soldier. Somebody that thinks they CANT will look at you and say yes I can!

We somehow think that when bad stuff happens...especially when it is one bad thing after another...that there is a problem....we have messed up. No!!!!!!! It's part of God's plan....not for everyone...God will confirm your situation. David said it was good that I was afflicted. Paul said I have some ups and I have some downs...but I learned to be content either way.

Be encouraged, my co-warrior. God has you in this place for a reason.

Lisa Stansfield had millions singing “Been around the world and I, I, I, I can't find my baby”. The hook hooked you indeed. So many people are looking for happiness….If I can just find that women….If I can only find the right man….If I could get that car….that job…..the house….one more drug…one more drinka baby….so and so would get saved…..then I’ll be alright.

Michael Jackson’s life and death is a testimony to trying to find happiness. Hear is a young boy, that basically never grew up. He achieved superstar status, before puberty…going on to make more money than most people could imagine. Yet, at the point of his death….he owned very little, owed more. A man who could make ladies faint, was not happy. The guy who built an amusement park in his backyard, was not amused. He literally traveled to every corner of the world….not finding what he was looking for. “If you aim at nothing….you will hit it….”

Many people question is “unusual behavior”, but looking and listening at his music, I see a little boy with an amazing imagination, that sometimes when too far. Videos like “Remember the Time”, “Thriller”, whatever that earth song was….that stuff was amazing! Michael had vision well beyond the average person. He was truly a gifted man….but unhappy.

The answer is really simple…so simple I think we overlook it. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy can only be find in the presence of God. You can look for it in a person, in an activity, but you will never find it there. My pastor pointed out once that “happiness” contains “happ” as in “happens”….it is a temporary state based on temporary things. Jesus said it best "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full"(John 15:11).

So quit looking for something you already have.

The Voices Inside

?..6:45?how much longer can I sleep and still get to work on time?...my head hurts?I am healed?need to get up?6:46?I?ll just lay here a few minutes longer?.**** needs to be paid today?.**** has to be paid by Wednesday or ****?the car needs tires and an alignment?the kids did great in the program?.Nathan says ?Daddy, they won?t get up??****?.****?I don?t feel good?.This is gonna be a good week?remember what the lady on Twitter said about speaking positive?.it?s great to have friends?wonder if ****is still mad at me?life and death are in the power of the tongue?.I had a dream last night..7:35?.gotta leave by 7:40 to get to work on time??Bye, ya?ll have a nice day? ?Nathan, why are your shoes laying in two different places in the den floor. You keep saying you can?t find them? Am I getting angry? I have to control that. I can?t control it. Yes you can. At least now you know it when it comes up?.did I lock the door?I?ll leave the radio off this time?do I go on the highway or thru town?why is this person driving so slow?7:49?yeah if I am here at this time, I will get to work on time?7:55?get my wallet out for the access to the gate?there?s **** car?.should I send them something inspirational?....Motorcycles are here?.be glad when I get one?email?.reading?that is exactly what is in my spirit?.did she write that? Facebook notification ***tagged you in a note?.she always speaks from God?.reading?My God, My God?.she did it again?.comment?.pause?.comment?pause?.IS this God or what!...Text message?play rehearsal?phone call?this silly phone is not showing who it is?.call history **** is calling?...calling back?.?No I did not??.Oh, God?.why can I not handle this better?...I can handle this?.I need to cancel ***?no I need to wait?just in case?.no you need to cancel?..let me do it right quick before I change my mind?.speak life?.?I need to cancel my appt??..there I did it?.I speak life?.I speak life?.10:06 am

12:20am?..I still feel so ****?.God I need you to help me?.You have to do this yourself?.You need God to help you?.I?m sleepy?.**** has to be paid?what am I gonna do if ****? Get to the heart of the matter?God, now I understand what you mean?Thank you for these issues flowing from my heart?issues?.heart?.heart of the matter.


This is just a small glimpse of what goes on inside me.

Lost and Found

There was a little girl walking in her neighborhood one day. There were some woods that she loved to go walking through. Her parents always told her "make sure you stay on the path", and she always did. One day, she got bored with the path and saw a clearing. She had past it so many times before, never being tempted to stray from the path...but today was different. She told herself...it will be ok....I can find my way back.

So, off she went....she walked...and walked....and walked. After a while, it started to get dark. She realized that she need to get back to the path. "I just need to go that way", she said. As she looked around, she realized she did not know which way to go. She was hours from the path, and could not remember how she got there...and how to get back.

You write the ending...

"It's too Hot" - The Way of a Prophet Series

“It’s Too Hot”
Way of the Prophet Series

Psalm 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times

Proverbs 27:21
As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise

Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Ya’ll stick with me…I promise this will make since at the end. Gotta get it out the way God gave it to me.

I can still remember when we started paying for water in a bottle, or when ya’ll did. I kept saying, for a long time, how crazy is it to pay for water that I can get for free. What made it worse, was the fact that I never really liked the taste of water. I am the kind of person that if it has flavor….like a soda…I can drink it. But if it is not supposed to have flavor, and I can taste the impurities in the water….ain’t gonna drink it.

Tap water comes from the city. They pull it out of the closest river, and add things to it, and TRY to take out some of the bad stuff. It gets the water where it is “safe” but most everybody can still taste some bad stuff in it, but we grin and bear it. It won’t hurt you…keeps you hydrated…good for the most part.

Fast forward….I finally tried bottled water. I tried “mineral” water, like Deer Park. It was actually pretty good. Better than tap water, but I could still taste some impurities. “Mineral” water is taken from mountain streams. The water is “purified” because it runs over rocks and gets captured before it sits in say a lake where it would collect the bad stuff.

Thank God for the smart person that started LeBleu! They said, let’s boil the water. They actually get it hot enough that it becomes steam…kinda like going into the spirit…then the bad stuff just falls out. Needless to say…I love distilled water.
Pottery starts off being dirt and water….my God….I am just thinking that we are dirt and water. God told Jeremiah to get up and go down to the potter’s house…I believe so that Jeremiah could understand the WAY OF A PROPHET. As the potter formed his creation, he say something wrong. Fortunately, the clay was not hard yet….why?....because a potter keeps adding water to the work….keeping it soft enough to be molded.

The company I work for makes aluminum foil. To understand the use of a furnace when working with metals, you need some more information. First, in order to separate the bad from metals (like the silver refered to in Word) you have to get it hot enough to work with. The furnaces at work are over 1400 degrees F. Once you get it hot, you can add a certain gas to it, and all the bad floats up to the surface.
Before you can move forward in what God has for you to do, He is purging you of things that will hinder your walk. He had to send Moses out into the desert…the Israelites into the wilderness…poor Joseph had to go in a pit and in jail…you into your “issue”. How do you know about any of this Ben? Because God has placed me in the fire. But, it’s too hot, God!

Pray this prayer with me…Creator/Potter, I thank you for creating me. I understand that I am fearfully and wonderfully made…that you took a lot of time and effort to make me who I am. Now, through my “fire” and this confirmation from Ben, it all makes since. Now instead of complaining for my “issues”, I will sing like Hezekiah Walker….I’m grateful for this stuff flowing from my heart. It hurts, I do not understand it all, but I trust you when you tell me it is for my good. God, forgive me for not listening until you allowed this to happen. Now, God, this is a new day. I forget those things I have hung on to, that you have purged. I let go. I let go. I press forward…not in my own strength, but in the strength YOU placed within me. It is not about me, but about the work…the souls…you have assigned to my charge. Satan shoulda killed me when I was in the pit….but he messed up and let me up!

It is so.

Working on me...

“Lord, Why Me” – The Way of a Prophet

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes”- Ps 119:71

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:3

“But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers”I Kings 19:4

“Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me.” Jeremiah 20:17
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” Matthew 26:39

Definition of a Prophet (www.answers.com)

A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of a god is expressed.

A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.
A predictor; a soothsayer.

The chief spokesperson of a movement or cause.
Prophets (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The second of the three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures, comprising the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve. Used with the.
Prophet One of the prophets mentioned in the Bible, especially one believed to be the author of one of these books. Used with the.

To be cont’d…..

God is all I need....who needs a man/woman

From Fred Hammonds status
"Posses this question, if Adam in his perfect unfallin state was the 1rst and closest human to GOD ever, When GOD saw Adam alone why didn't HE just tell Adam I the LORD am all you need? Why did HE give him a Woman? Why do we as Christians say when it comes to seeking marital relationships, all we need is GOD, when GOD said and did something different? Hit the wall.."

My response...

People say that, when they do not fully understand God's will. It sounds good to say, "God is all I need" and "Jesus is my husband"....but that is not God's perfect will....God designed us to be interdependent....man and wife. It is no mistake that we compliment each other. I tell people often that there is significance in the fact that God used the rib to make women....part of the protection for man's heart. It was God's intent for woman to have a direction connection to man's heart, and vice versa. The trouble is, so many women (and I focus on women, only because they are typically the ones saying these phrases), have been hurt by men.....and men hurt by women. In their eyes, that means they don't need a mate, or will never fully trust their mate. This is not God's will.

Look at the first sin...First, Eve made the mistake because she listened to the voice of a sly serpent over God's. I mean these people were not just in God's presence, like I'm in a high time in service "God's Presence". I am talking as close as any man/women has been, yet a snakes voice was louder. Alone comes Adam, and he listen's not to the servant, not to God, but to the woman God gave him.....and here is my point. God intended for woman to be able to speak to man. I believe God knew how stubborn we can be, goal oriented we can be, busy we can be, so he gave a soft voice that we would hear....in times we were not even listening to God. The problem is not in Adam listening to Eve....the problem is that Eve was out of place, and Adam at the same time.

The rest is history.

A Boy Singing to his little sister..... (unknown author)

A Boy Singing to his little sister.....

You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine'

(Be prepared to get watery eyes!)

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the
way, she did what she could to help her
3-year-old son, Michael, prepare
for a new sibling.


They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day,
night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy.

He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the
Panther Creek United Methodist Church

in Morristown , Tennessee

In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every
three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and
Karen found herself in hours of labor.

Would a C-section be required?
Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's
little sister was born.
But she was in very serious condition.

With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to
the neonatal intensive care unit at
St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville ,
Tennessee . The days inched by.
The little girl got worse.
The pediatrician had to tell the parents
there is very little hope.
Be prepared for the worst.

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot.
They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but
now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.
Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister..
I want to sing to her, he kept saying.

Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the
week was over.

Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never
allowed in Intensive Care.
Karen decided to take Michael
whether they liked it or not..

If he didn't see his sister right then,
he may never see her alive..
She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU.
He looked like a walking laundry basket.


The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, 'Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed.'
The mother rose up strong in Karen,
and the usually mild-mannered lady
glared steel-eyed right into
the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.
'He is not leaving until he sings to his sister' she stated.

Then Karen towed Michael to his
sister's bedside.

He gazed at the tiny infant losing
the battle to live.

After a moment, he began to sing.
In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy when skies are gray.'
Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down
and become steady.

'Keep on singing, Michael,' encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.

'You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away...'
As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr
'Keep on singing, sweetheart.'

'The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms'
Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.

'Keep on singing, Michael.'
Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed.

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine away.'

The next day...the very next day the little girl was well enough to go home

Woman's Day Magazine called it
The Miracle of a Brother's Song.

The medical staff just called it a miracle.

Karen called it a miracle of God's love..

NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE
YOU LOVE.

LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.

Life is good.

Have a Wonderful Day!

Kirk Franklin - Hide Me Lyrics

Hide Me lyrics
[Verse 1:]
I know You see us
I know you hear us
And You fill us when we pray
You understand us, See deep inside us
Translate tears and take them away
I'm a be honest, There are times
Your ways and method's, I don't understand
It seems so far, Tell me who You are
I know your touch, but can't see Your plan.
I'm lost in this thing called life,
Left to me now feels right
It's Your turn now, I wanna be where you are

[Refr:]
Hide me
Let me live behind You
Cause I need
Shelter from the rain
Remind me
The only way my faith can grow
Is when You let Your winds blow
You're making me stronger now, so rain,
Don't go away
Don't go away

[Verse 2:]
I'd admit
It'd be nice
To have some light shine down on me
Especially,
When, Lord I shall be, You don't always let me see
It ain't easy,
But I'm trying hard to get out of Your way
To believe
That what You say
That my change begins today.
The road includes some pain,

And to grow you need some rain
And when it falls, I wanna be where You are

[Refr.]

[Bridge:]
Cause there's some much I see
Needs to grow inside of me
In the fire I realize
Before I live, I have to die
Please believe me when I say
I can't waste another day
It's so easy to complain
But complain don't make a change
Not the victim anymore
All the things God has in store
If I ain't ready don't let the rain
Go away
Don't go away

[Refr.:]
Hide me
Cause I need
Remind me
The only way my faith can grow
Is when You let Your winds blow
You're making me stronger now

You're making me stronger now [x7]
You made me stronger now [x4]

[x2:]
He made me stronger now
She made me stronger now
They made me stronger now [x2]

You made me stronger now [x8]

A Woman's Worth

Comments welcome:


Ben Coleman Jr Listening to Alicia Keys....Guys, you need to listen to "A Woman's Worth"....we'll learn together.Thu 7:39pm · via TweetDeck · Comment · LikeUnlike · Show Feedback (16)Hide Feedback (16)

You, Beulah Davis, Michael L. Hewlett, Terah Tate Williams and 5 others like this. Beulah Davis, Michael L. Hewlett, Terah Tate Williams and 5 others like this.

Fred Stewart at 8:47am April 18
in huys defense she says a REAL woman knows a real man when she see's one...hmmmmmmmm

Ben Coleman Jr at 8:51am April 18
Fist bump to the engineer guy. Just told someone the other day we do not know each other's worth, sometimes because we get caught up in our own worth.

Fred Stewart at 8:58am April 18
im i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t lol i hear more women say that than a little bit if u get to independent u'll spend ur life a-l-o-n-e Ben Coleman Jr at 9:02am April 18
Thanks, for s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g that out for us, Fred. That will be a blog for me one day soon...the affect of the absence of males in relationships on the over-independace of ladies. This single thing is really jacking up some good ladies, and in some case keeping them single longer than they should be. Ok. You talked me into it....of I go to blog.

Fred Stewart at 9:16am April 18
lets be honest its hard to be a good christian when ur single... u have "desires" and "wants" so if ur a good christian what are u doing to satisfy a and b.... i hear people sayin abstinence but 2 be real if u have already tasted "blood" ur gonna wanna do it again.... and like i say i hear people say that but in my unsaved days i could talk a "... Read Moresaved" woman into goin... bible talkin couldn't beat her speakin in tongue choir member and then afterward blame it on the devil???? hmmmm.... well and guys the same way..... what do u do???? its cute to be single but is it the will of God and if it is his will for u to be single where are kids commin from???? and if u accepted christ after the kids why the late night phone calls???? this can get real deep being a musician in the church all of my life ive seen alot of inependent christian women fall... why???? because it wasnt meant for u to be i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t

Ben Coleman Jr at 9:33am April 18
You are feeding my blog....I will address the indepedence first. The bible never speaks of our independence. When Christ sent the disciples out on the missionary trip, he sent them two by two. Noah's animals...twos. Adam and Eve. Moses and Joshua. Indepedence...especially among church, and black ladies...is a trap from Satan. He says, you ... Read Morehave had bad experiences with men, so take the "easy" road...do it by yourself. Not only are they excluding men, they are exerting indepence from God....that's double trouble.

Why do we fall into temptation? A couple reasons...I am currently mixing sound for a play called "Temptations" (http://gdavisplays.com - shameless plug). Garrett has written a great play on why we cheat. One reason is we are not honest. The church spends so much energy avoiding the topic of sex, we fall into it. Its like saying...I know there are wholes out there, but I am gonna close my eyes and pray that I do not fall in them. Physical desire.... Ben Coleman Jr at 9:35am April 18
....is a very real thing. We do not respect it, so it takes advantage of us. If we would begin to see the obvious, and then allow God to help us manage it...we'll quit falling so quick.

Ants - Are you Drawing Any?

Talk about transparent....folks...the ants are back in the house. Now, for the spiritual folks...stick with me....I'm goin somewhere. It is funny to me now, but the last time was not so funny. We started seeing ants in the kitchen. What we found out was my 3 boys had dropped food in corners we did not know we had.

What you are you saying, Ben. Where is God in this. I am glad you asked. In my quest to get rid of these aggrevating critters, I learn about their behaviours....and National Geographic special, right in my home. Ants are one of the most consistent critters. I want to hit on some significant things I learned about them.

They are consistent.....You could pretty much draw a line where the ants travel. Even though they can't see it, they follow the same path. To get to the source, you have to follow the path they have taken. This is a critical thing, we often miss in ministering to others.

They are resilient (I hope that spelling is right). I tried all kinds of bug killers on those critters, and they just kept coming back. This is the amazing thing about people. Sometimes, even the worst of things does not stop us from going after what we THINK is good for us. (maybe that will be another blog)

They seek after one thing....food. When my 5 year old announced to me that there were ants in the den, this time, I said something to him. That means there is food somewhere. Only someone with small children can understand this part. Kids are not clean....lol...But my point is the line that ants follow goes from point A to point B. A, being their origin...B, being the food source. Like I said....draw a line. Ants do not just wonder around through their lives. They are always in search of food...as are God's children. Now, I need to clarify something here. Who are God's children? Sinners, and saints (who are just sinners saved by Grace). We are all looking for something to eat, and are drawn to eat. Are you drawing them?

No, I am not saying God's children are aggrevating little critters...lol...I am saying that to draw them, we must know them....know their habits. How do we learn them? I think this is one way, that we sometimes miss God speaking...his Creation. The same laws that apply for these ants, are duplicated in us....just at differing levels. The distinct difference is we have choice.

If you have accepted Christ, you have 3 choices to make today. One, choose to get to know his people, before you begin to judge them. Two, choose to be more than you are right now...choose to press toward the mark, and not be content with where you are. Three, choose to live in such a way that your light....your food source draws God's people. People ought to be so overwhelmed with the Christ they see in you, that they will let nothing keep them away. Coming off Easter, christians love to pick on the people that only come once a year. I want to give you something to ponder.....what do we do to draw them?

If you have not accepted Christ, you have one choice to make today. Choose to move towards the greatest food source. Choose to drink from a fountain of living waters, that will never run dry. Choose to make Jesus your source.

Love Vs Sex

A teenage girl about 17 had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year.

She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away.

As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it.

However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God's protection.

Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.

Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.

The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him.

She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.

She asked if they would ask the man one question.

Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her."

Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you're never alone. Did you know that 98% of teenagers will not stand up for God?

Repost this as Love vs. Sex if you truly believe in God.


PS: God is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what.....and if you stand up 4 him he will stand up for you.

I bet 93% of the people that read this wont repost it.


I read this and reposted it.
Well I bet you read this note because of the title..didn't you?

by Jennifer Pickett

Let Patience Have Its Perfect Work

LA Mass Choir
"That's When He Blessed Me"

VERSE 1
My life was torn beyond repair
I felt so alone, seemed no one cared
You came along, gave me a song
To ease the pain and erase the straing

BRIDGE
You could have left me standing there
With no one, no one to care
But You promised me You'd be there on time
And You did just what You said

VERSE 2
Against all odds, I made the choice
To give You my life, now I rejoice
You answered my prayers not a moment to soon
Your word I embraced, my sins you erased

BRIDGE

CHORUS
That's when You bless me
That's when You bless me
(Lord, You brought me through, now I'm brand new)

Yes
That's when You bless me
That's when You bless me
(Lord, You promised me You would hear my plea)
And You did just what You said.

"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:4



Ok. I'm gonna be real transparent (getting naked for Christ....hint hint....read my blogs on the subject) on this one. I do not like to wait on things. If I am riding down highway 52 in the morning, and one lane is moving slower than the other, I will change lanes. If I pull up to the fancy new McDonalds on MLK and one line is backed, Ben is in the other one. If my kids are taking too long to get out the car, Ben is saying "Come one" (I bet I have said that 2543 times since being a father). If my computer get's slow, I'm tryin to figure out why. If someone is taking to long to change, I'm helping them out. If what God has promised me is not here, I'm goin to look for it.

What's the problem here? His ways are not our ways, His thoughts not our thoughts. Right this moment I am dealing with a vehicle situation that I thought was resolved....only to find out I have to wait a while longer. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW UPSET THAT MADE ME...Ben Coleman Jr.....the guy who can't wait for a slow printer to print. What is God saying in this...Ben, you gotta wait. So today, when I was delayed, I got made...then I said "God I trust you....you know what's best"

I am reminded of the tragic events of the Twin Towers in NYC. So much attention was paid to all the people who lost their lives. My heart goes out to each of the families that experience loss. But, even in the midst of tragedy, God was speaking. After the event, stories began to surface about people that were not killed.....because they were late getting to work. Wow. imagine the frustration of the person who was having car trouble and was afraid they were gonna lose their job that day for being lat. What God is showing me is that the steps of a good man are ordered by Him. I spend so much time trying to speed things up, that I forget that there could be a reason I am "late".

Since I have become social, I have talked to so many people. There is a common theme....waiting. People are waiting for a spouse, job, car, healing...so many things. A common mistake I have made, and have seen others make, is to take the matters in their own hands. You know what usually happens when you do that. So I am doing like Kirk Franklin's Fight of My Life Track......I am letting go and letting God. "I give up." Ever said that? Well good, because that means it is now in God's hands. And that is when he'll bless you.

Israels"You Are Not Forgotten Lyrics"

People walking by
Very seldom they say hi
They don?t know how wonderful you are
If they only knew
all the things you?ve been through
if only they could see your heart

I hear you crying for help
Please don?t blame yourself
You are not forgotten (2x)

When it?s time to go to sleep
And try your best to keep yourself
falling apart
Hmm?There?s no need to fear
because I?m already here
And I?m the One who sees your heart
Yes I am
I hear you crying for help
Please don?t blame yourself
You are not forgotten (2x)

You are not just a face in the crowd
You are not forgotten, child
Let me whisper it loud, ?I LOVE YOU.?
?Oh, I love you.?

You can hold your head up high
cause I?ll make everything alright
I?m committed to you smiling again
And eventually you?ll see people?s similarities
Everyone just needs a friend, yeah

And when they?re crying for help
You?ll be able to tell them
Please tell them for me
You are not forgotten (9x)

You are precious to me
I?m the One, I?m the One
Who sees your heart
You are not forgotten
(Repeat)

Just remember?you are not forgotten.
You are not forgotten.

The"F" Word

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." - Mark 8:38 KJV

It's the word you were taught was inappropriate. A word, that is okay around people you are close to, but not strangers, and don't you dare say it in a meeting, or at a business lunch. F........aith. Sounds silly, but how much do you discuss God? How many times have you thought to say grace when out to lunch with co-workers, but you did not. This is not just at work. When was the last time you were talking to a soror who had just been diagnosed with a illness, and you said "Let's Pray!".

This was me. I always thought it was not "politically correct" to be open about my faith. Yeah, my church members knew, and my family knew, but you had to be in my tight circle to know my faith. It just felt wrong to say Jesus around people that I was not familiar with.

Then one day, God spoke to me as plain as day. Why should I be uncomfortable discussing something so valuable to me, when people around me freely use the other "f word". It sometimes amazes me the things that people will openly say, but then will not say God, Jesus, the devil, Holy Spirit...

Not anymore. Now, there's a good chance I'll ask the clerk at Food Lion what church he goes to. It makes both wordly sense, and Godly sense, that we cannot grow the ministry unless we share it with people outside the "God Circle". The amazing thing was, as I began to open up about my faith, others get comfortable expressing theirs.

So the next time your coworker (or you...lol) uses the other "F" word, maybe you'll think about Mark 8:38.

Get Naked for Christ Series - Lost and Found

"You loved me when my heart was in the lost and Found" - Deitrick Haddon

Back in the fall, when it first started getting cold, my 3 boys needed new jackets. I have 3 fast growing boys, so I guess this should not have been a surprised. My wife and I went to the store and pick out some jackets. We found a real nice jacket for my youngest...it had lights on it that lit up when the jacket moved....perfect for a five year old.

One day at church, in my haste (which is normal), we left the church and forgot Nathan's jacket. Anyone with kids can relate to this. No big deal, right? We'll just get it when we go back. Went back, and the jacket could not be found. We looked in the "Lost and Found" spot at the church, looked in the secondary spot. Then we did the logical thing, retraced steps. "Nate, where did you lay it down." Ok, that's enough detail....I'll get mad all over again. I felt like the typical parent...I just spent all that money on a nice coat, and my five year old has lost. We searched, asked, never found it.

Fast forward 6 months later....We were late getting to church. Normally, this would drive me crazy. After all, I do sound at my church. It's kinda my job to get there early. But today was different. I was not allowing my anger tendencies to swell, cause I knew that was not like Christ. I had to keep my spirit right for worship. It was raining so I pulled around under the canopy and dropped my family off, even though I needed to be going in myself. It was more important to me at that moment that my wife got in on time (she sings on the praise team) and her and the kids did not have to get rained on.

I have a reserved space at church. Normally, that's where I park. Again, today was different. Instead I park on the opposite end of the church, just trying to have a shorter walk to the sound room. Went on in, service was just starting, still not frustrated like I normally would be coming in late. We had a wonderful service! The spirit moved in a very special way. One highlight of the service was our mime troop...."Where you are is where I wanna be" by James Fortune. I love that song!! It took me THERE! Went on through a great sermon, and then another anointed service.

As I was leaving, I was going out the opposite end from normal, since I parked in a different spot...me and my son Tres'. On the way, we passed Miss Black....the wonderful usher who loves to bake and gives out her deserts. As I went through her inventory, Tres says, "There's Nathan's jacket." "What!" Sure enough, there hung my son's jacket. Miss Black said in the most calm voice, "It's been hanging there all the time." Come to find out, the usher room had their own "Lost and Found".

Those words still echo in my spirit. I thought to myself, we looked every where, and it was right there.

Are you feeling lost? Are you looking around, trying to figure out how you got here? I've done that. Are you trying to figure out how to get out. Tye Tribbett did I song I love called Prodigal Son. He a rock style voice, he sings "I got to get outta here, I wanna be with You. God is saying to you like 1he said to Adam in the Garden after he sinned, "Where are you?"

Steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. I have learned through some hard experience, that everything happens for a reason....the goood, the bad, and the ugly. We want to think that God's plan is a neat, orderly transition that get's us there in style. NO! But, it does get your there. If my Sunday, had not gone so "bad", it would not have ended so "good". If I had not gone through what I just went through, I would not be standing on the edge of God's next step in my life.

A friend of mine had a Facebook status of "Give me serenity." I pray that all the time. But, I am learning to thank God for my "issues". They come to make me strong. I keep hearing Paul say, "It was good that I was afflicted." Stop trying to figure out why you have it so bad, and thank God for the bad. (preachin' to myself)

"Look, my lights still work!" That's what Nathan said in the car as we left church. Be blessed today, knowing God's got the master plan. Hallelujah!

Jesus Asks for Help

I am going to start this installment, but probably will not get done. I think it falls into my "Get Naked For Christ Series". We'll deal with the vulnerability of being naked this time.

Someone sent me (you know those emails that float around, that we often ignore) some amazing pics of statues that had been done depicting Christ's journey to Calvary. One in particular jumped out at me. It showed Christ, on his knees, seemingly overcome by the weight of the cross.

"And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross." - Matthew 27:32

"And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross."Mark 15:21

"And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus." Luke 36:26

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha"-John 9:17

These scriptures give account of the walk Jesus had to make to Calvary. I listed all four to make a point, I found from www.wikianswers.com. Four people saw this same event, but only three mentioned the man that help him carry the cross. I say that to say, you have to be careful hinging on just one word, even in the bible. The Word teaches us to study to show thyself approved. A new friend chastised me and others for "taking someone's word for it". We have become way to dependent on the words of others, instead of The Word. I will leave that along.

Anyway, Jesus fell under the load of His destiny. He knew he had to get that cross to the hill. I mean, otherswise we would all still be lost. Yet on his way, it became too much. I have to plug Mel Gibson here for his rendering of the journey to the cross. No offense to whoever did the "pretty" versions before, but people needed to see the reality. It was horrific!

But, he was Jesus. He was setting an example he knew we would have to follow. Why did he not endure hardness like a good soldier? Why did he not just press toward the mark of the high calling? Why was in not strong in the power of His might? Because he was human. I believe that Jesus main purpose for actually living on the earth, was to show us how to. So why do we as "christians" feel like we must present a superhero image? Why do we have to make everybody think we are able carry everything? Pride.

As I am becoming naked, I am realizing there is a vulnerability. We think that people should only see us abound, but not abased (Paul). What happens is we have people right next to us going through, and they feel like they can't make. But, we have not set the atmosphere for them to say, Help.

He was Jesus! He coulda carried it by himself, but he fell. It was then that something amazing happened. Our saviour asked for help. I felt a bit down yesterday. Rather than posting my usual upbeat status on Facebook, I asked for help. I asked how many Christians ever had trouble trusting God? There was an outpour of support, and bible-based encouragement. It blessed me, and I believe it blessed someone else reading it.

If we could only let go of our superhero persona, and ask for help, God will bless us, and others will see that true strength is not just within. It is wrapped in our God, and our fellow laborers.

What To Do Between the Dream and it's manifestation

Coming soon...

Under Construction

Ben is under construction to serve you (but mostly Him) better. Please pardon the inconvenience

Why can't I forgive?

Yes. It is an interesting thing. It is one of the commandments that we all know what should follow, we can quote the scriptures, we can tell someone else to do it, we can say we do it, say we did it....and yet not do it. Maybe it's just a thorn in the flesh that God is not delivering us from for a reason. Maybe us holding unforgiveness brings some greater good, like helping others to be able to move on and not be waiting for someone to say I'm sorry.

I will say I saw a clip of Passion of the Christ Where they had just erected the cross and the thief started mocking Christ. The "good thief" asked for forgiveness. Huge moment - in the midst of Christ brokeness, he was able to forgive the breakers. Not after he had healed, but while all of his wombs were open.

Was Paul OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder most commonly characterized by intrusive, repetitive thoughts resulting in compulsive behaviors and mental acts that the person feels driven to perform, according to rules that must be applied rigidly, aimed at preventing some imagined dreaded event; however, these behaviors or mental acts are not connected to the imagined dreaded event.

According to the current epidemiological data, OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder and OCD is considered nearly as common as asthma and diabetes mellitus.[1] In the United States, 1 in 50 adults have OCD.[2] In severe cases, it affects a person's ability to function in everyday activities. The disorder often has a serious impact on the sufferer's (and his/her family's) quality of life. Also, the psychological self-awareness of the irrationality of the disorder can be painful. For people with severe OCD, it may take several hours a day to carry out the compulsive acts.

Experts[who?] believe OCD may be related to levels of a normal chemical in the brain called serotonin. When the proper flow of serotonin is blocked, the brain's "alarm system" overreacts. Danger messages are mistakenly triggered. Instead of the brain filtering out these unnecessary thoughts, the brain dwells on them—and the person repeatedly experiences unrealistic fears and doubts.

The phrase "obsessive-compulsive" has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone.[3] Although these signs are often present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) or some other condition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorder


This will have a couple purposes. The first is to raise awareness of mental health issues. I now get aggrevated when I hear jokes about people with mental issues. Preachers poke fun at people taking Prozac, and kids that are ADHD. Where does this dark comedy come from? It is mostly because people to not fully understand this illnesses, and

So what does this have to with Paul? Man, I am glad ya'll ask so many questions. Here goes.

Saul was a well educated Jew. He was a student of Old Testament law, and new it in and out. He was trained by "the church". At some point he saw something that bothered him....people worshipping a man named Jesus. You and I know the Christ is our saviour, but Paul had issue. Why? Because, this went against everything that he had been taught. And I mean Saul was not just a C student. I know this because of his references to old testament scriptures in his many new testament letters. I think of Saul as the geek in the class. You remember the one that only studied, and had no life! That was Saul. If it was not in the old testament, he was not interested.

So he knew the law, and then he mixed in what seemed to be a toxic attribute.....obsessiveness. If Saul did not meet the definition of OCD, I challenge some Psychologist to explain why not. He was so passionate about a "perceived threat" that he was willing to kill for it. Now killing seems extreme, but you have to put it in perspective. In that time, it was the ultimate of wrongs to proclaim anyone to be as Holy as God. The jews did not first accept Christ as their saviour, so they killed Him. Paul was just living out a combination of how well he knew "the word" and his obsessive tendencies.

But he had not met Christ. So Paul is off to today, what he did so well, kill some Christians. He was not just going to knock off a couple, Wikipedia says he was going to anialate them. It was on his way that he met Christ. What is very interesting to me is that it was not a powerful sermon, followed by a couple lines of "come to Jesus" and the a pastor's out-stretched hands that they met. It was actually a pretty violent event. Enough so, that Paul fell down, and was blinded by Jesus. Wow.

Have you ever had an encounter in your life like that. We usually associate this with salvation, but I want to spin it a little. I believe that some of us have these moments smack dab in the middle of doing what we think God wants us to do. For those of us that are obsessive, it takes a little bit more than "He will save you, right now, right now."

Another point I want to raise is the "new Paul" Jesus changed his name to symbolize the change in side. So, was Paul delivered from OCD? I love to read/hear the scripture where Paul talked about praying thrice (three times for the unchurched...lol) for God to take something bad from him. Was it OCD that Paul was trying to get rid of? We don't know, so the blogger will use poetic license. Maybe it was, or at least was one of Paul's overwhelming issues. We all have at least one. We all have the one thing we know we should not do, but still do. Just ask David. So, Paul kept asking God, and God kept saying no. I will not take it from you. My grace is all you need to handle it.

So here is the juicy part. Maybe Paul's OCD was not a bad thing. I mean when he met Christ, what did he do. He obsessed. Same issue, new direction. He did not stop dancing, just changed partners.

I believe that God is calling to people that have fought themselves over "faults". Those of us who have been labeled, misunderstood, insecure, over something that God gave you. David told us in Psalm that we are beautifully, and wonderfully made. By the way, David was a murderer, judgemental, and he slept (though there was no much snoring) with another man's wife....yet a man after God's own heart.

Pray today that God will reveal your thorn in the flesh is. Ask God if you need to stop praying for him to take it away, and just start praying for His grace to use it for His glory. That's what Paul did.

Salad #53 - Where's the Change?

Ok, to answer the question in your mind, no I am not on a diet. But, I know a couple people who are. It is amazing how the first of a new year causes us to want to change. Not sure if it is the drunkin party for some, a sudden realization of mortality....regrets about the mistakes of the past year...a unexplainable feeling of expectancy for the new year.

So, its Day 53...where are you? I have been eating sympathy salads on some days with a buddy of mine who's on a diet. He has eaten a salad almost everydya. I'm not really trying hard to lose weight, but I feel guilty sitting with him eating a salad, and me eating a double quarter with chees, no onions, no pickles, supersize fries, and a large Coke with easy ice. Why, cause change is hard enough as it is. My friend does not need me reminding him of the mistakes of his past.

Change is hard! Why, cause by nature, it is easier to keep going the way we are going. If I am driving down a highway, it takes almost no effort to keep going. Changing paths requires a turn signal, brakes, checking traffic, making sure you have the right exit. It's a work out. It reminds me of a church outing. We were going to Buncomb Baptist Church. Ya'll this church was waaaayyyy in the sticks. I had some real nice directions that I was following real well. 52 South to exit ###. Make a right. Make a left at Knootz road when you see Tarheel Q. Hmmm. I see the restaurant, but no Knootz road. I drive....and drive....Ok. now I am not so sure now. I did see a Koontz Road at the restaurant.

Decision time. Do I keep going or do I turn around? Better make a phone call....I call the number and their was a typo on the directions. It was Koontz. Now I am 15-20 minutes out of the way, and I am already running late.

Ben, why in the world did you tell me all that. I tell you that because such is our road to the change God desires for us. At the beginning of this year, change was in the air. We had just elected the first black president. Our econony was hitting rock bottom, bouncing a few times off the bottom. The words of an old Thomas Whitfield tune come to mind....

"We need a word from the Lord,
A word from the Lord,
Just one word from the Lord,
Can remove all the doubts.
And cause the sun to shine,
and give us peace of mind,
Speak lord.....speeeeek"

Vicki Winans redid the tune and added this

"Your latter will be greater than your past"

Yes change is still coming. For some it may not have manifested. My buddy has not lost as much as he would like, but he has made progress. In your case, there was no typo on the directions God gave. You heard him right. You are on the right path. This time you are in a better place. God had to take you through the worst of times, in order to bring you into the best of times.

A preacher preached this morning about the prayer of Jabez. If you have not read it...google it NOW! God desires to birth you into your latter. Your destination is just ahead. It will not take another New Year's broken promise. This is your year.

Receive this word. It is so.

Let' Get Naked for Christ - Part 3 - Back to Eden

When I left the last blog on this subject, I was thinking about the end result for God's Christ plan....to get us back to Eden. It is interesting to note that archeologists are looking for the garden, hoping to prove/disprove it existed. Some suspect it is somewhere in Africa. What do I think? For the purpose of this discussion, let's just say Eden was where God was.

Genesis tells a sweet story about man's initial relationship with God. There were no distractions, no sin. All Adam had to do was name stuff! He and Eve were in the best place they could be....communion with God. Talk about intimacy!

I will not try to dive into the whole fall of man story, but I want to highlight a couple things that speak about transparency. The first is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Until then, all Adam and his boo knew were each other, God and his wonderful creations. They were naive in the best way.

Again, not trying to go real deep just yet, but the fruit on this tree gave them awareness. It is way to interesting to me that after they ate the fruit, the first thing they realized was that they were naked. Was this a bad thing? God's Word tells me that God looked at his creation and said it was good. David, with is jacked up life (yes I said that, and I will explain in another post. Gotta keep you coming back...lol), said that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

So why would they cover up? A deeper question is why would God not want us to have this kind of awareness? They covered up because of their perception of themselves.

Gotta go....more to come.

Emotional Math - For Those Not As Happy About the Love Holiday

Ok. This is gonna be a tough one to write, and maybe tough to read, but we will get through it together.

I am a math student, a technical mind. My wife will tell you that, in a minute. If life were as simple as plugging numbers into a formula, I would be aceing the course, but it is not quite that simple. Life is emotional math -- we add, and we take away. We add by sharing kind words, praying, reading, fellowshiping...But, as life always has another side, we take away. We take away by not sharing kind words (or worse sharing unkind words), not praying...you get the point. Simple math, right? If the good just outweighed the bad, things would be fine. Unfortunately, it is too often the other way around.

In our hast, insufficient effort, and sometimes just being unaware, we are subtracting from those around us. And yeah, I hear you saying, people are doing that to me too. Be patient with them. They are human. So what do we do?

When we get low, we want to be able to pull strength from those close to us. Unfortunately, since they are human, they cannot always supply. Often, they are dealing with something bigger than themselves already. When King David had come back from a big battle, he found his home destroyed. The enemy had come in, taken his stuff, his wives, kids, killed people. I am sure David wanted to say, "God, I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. How could you let this happen." But, the bible says that he encouraged himself in the Lord. In other words, he had to dig deep and draw on strength that he had within. He want on to pursue the enemy and get his stuff back. We also tend to overlook the ministrering angels God has placed around us. I believe God puts people close to us, to minister to some of our needs.

Someone sent me a song by Hope's Call named "You Are Loved"

You are loved beyond your failures,
You are loved beyond your past.
The scars of your forgiveness,
Are engraved upon the Lord.
You are loved.

These are just some of the words. I have been listening to it over and over and over. Having trouble forgiving yourself? Have trouble "getting" forgiveness from someone you hurt? Know today that you are loved (by Him and me) and that you are already forgiven.

As I am taking time to "add" to you today, take some time to "add" to every person you cross today...the McDonald's drive thru person (the lady in the drive through "added" to me this morning), the person at the gas pump with you..most of all the people right next to you. I am stepping out on a limb, but I bet they are feeling "in the negative." If we all do that, we will change at least our small world..."each one reach one".

You are loved.

Let's Get Naked - For Christ

Ok. I have to start this one by saying that this may offend some (especially the title) but I feel led to share it, so here goes...

Genesis 8 In the cool of the evening, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking around in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees in the garden. 9 The LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden. I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." 11 God asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?"

Before sin, we were naked. (more on this in a later post)


There is a very disturbing trend in the body of Christ. We have somehow become a people that wants to hide everything...well, not everything. There are two main things we are trying to hide.

Mistakes/Sin - Somewhere down the line, we decided that is was better to hide our sins. Many of us have done wrong, and rather than telling anyone we cover it up. I am reminded of a time when I was in about the 3rd grade. I was supposed to be writing a daily journal for school, and my Mom was supposed to sign so that she knew I was doing it. Me, and my procrastinating self did not do the daily journal. When it was time to turn it in, I paniced. I wrote a bunch of stuff (wish I had it now) and then forged my Mom's signature. Oops, I messed up so I erased it and tried again. Oops again, one more time....Long story short it took several attempts to get it right. There was a couple problems. A, I was doing it in ink, which for some did not erase real well. B, you remember how notebook paper does the more you erase in one spot? I am laughing at my dumb self as I type this. It looked crazy!!!! Then, like an idiot....I turned it in. The rest of the story I will not share. Like Steve Harvey, he ain't through wit me yet.

Blessings - How crazy is it for God to bless us and us not even be able to tell other saved folk around us. How many times did God bless you with a huge some of money, and you kept it quiet so your friends would not come a callin? How many times did God bless you with a luxury car, and you did not tell too many people right away for fear that they would think you were rich. Ever saw a handsome dude, and did not tell him for fear that he would think you were comin' on to him? Guys, have you seen a beautiful lady and did not tell her cause you were afraid of what could happen.

Have you ever wanted to share with co-workers your faith, but did not because it is politically incorrect. They cuss around you, tell dirty jokes, but you cannot say Jesus around them. Here is the worst....how many times have you seen someone in the same sin you were in, and did not reach out to them....cause you didn't want anybody to know.

What's the problem? Glad you asked! You never know who might need to know what you are trying to cover up. I have found in my struggles that there are many people around me that are fighting the same battles. Problem is, we keep our mouths shut.

Why do we do this? Shame, humility (why we might not share blessings),doctrine (I call it 'name it claim it'...we are taught to only see the good stuff and not the bad)

IMPORTANT NOTE - I am not telling you to go out and put your life on blast (tell your business, for the older folk). As in every other move in your life, what you see MUST be led by the Spirit. What I am suggesting to you is that I believe God has been trying to get us to share things, and we have stayed silent. The bible says that we overcome by our testimonies. Our lives are testimonies of God's goodness, and delivering power. The gospel Hip Hop artist said that our lives are open books, how does yours read. The ironic thing is that we have tried so hard to make ourselves look good, that the world sees us as phoneys....or to use their word hypocrites.

So what should I do? I've gotta ask God to forgive me for being quite, when I should have spoken....for committing one of the biggest sins....disobedience. From this day on, I will listen when he tells me to speak, and when he tells me to shut my mouth.

Christ came to put us on course to return to intimicy with God....to be continued

Dreams

Dreams are free, so free your dreams. ~Astrid Alauda

Seasons - It's Your Time

Seasons, by Donald Lawrence

I feel the seasons everywhere
And I feel blessings in the air
Those seasons you have sown
You're gonna come into your own.
Seasons, walk into your season.

I feel seasons everywhere
I feel blessings in the air
Those seasons you have sown
You're gonna come into your own.
Seasons, walk into your season
Walk into your season.

I believe we're in a time
when God's gonna bless the saints.
Those who have stayed, those who have prayed
He's going to fulfill the promise He made.
For I heard the Spirit say, its your time.
The wait is over,Walk into your season.
I feel seasons everywhere.
I feel blessings in the air.

Those seasons you have sown
You're gonna come into your own,
Seasons, walk into your season
Walk into your season

I know that you invested a lot
The return has been slow
You throw up your hands and say I give up
I just can't take it anymore.
But, I hear the Spirit say
That it's your time, the wait is over
Walk into your season

You survive the worst of times
God was always on your side
Stake you claim, write your name
Walk into this wealthy place.
The wait is over; its your time

The words of this song say a lot. This is one of those songs that everyone wanted to apply to their situation when it came out....me included. We all want, when things are bad, to be able to "name it and claim it". We want to be able to speak to the storm, and it cease. But, we are still here. We gone through all the prosperity messages, listened to all the songs, been to the conferences, paid tithes, but we are still here.

Is God not listening, am I still doing something wrong? Am I not praying enough? Am I praying too much about the same issue? Is it just gonna be like this always? Did I misunderstand God? Did God say something and I was not listening? Questions, questions, questions.

This is a word for someone today. I must start by saying that this does not apply to everyone. One thing I have learned is that God sends out His word, but it is not for everyone that hears it at that particular time. To those He is speaking to, I just want to let you know that God often works in seasons. Just like he showed us in His creation, some things have to happen at certain times. So you have been in your winter....some of us for a long time. I say to you that God is about to bring some into spring. Will Smith said, "spring will come after winter, like it always does." It is amazing how we know its gonna get cold, but still complain. Today is a prime example. We have had so much cold weather, I was praising God for being able to roll down the windows, and pop the top. Why, because I had gone through winter, and now can more appreciate the spring.

"Today is a new day. Forgot about the problems of yesterday" (Lisa McClendon). I believe God is bringing us into a new place in him, the seasons are changing. We have experienced terrible times in America, but they just set the stage for an unlikely man to be president. Though I do not believe he can do much on his own, I do believe that God put him in position to exemplify the change the God, not man, is bringing to the country. Deeper still, I believe that those of us who have waited, been faithful over a few, are about to rule over many.

Is that you? Well, walk into your season, then!!!!

Clarity in Chaos

(By Ruth Jones)
In times like these you need a Savior
In times like these you need an anchor;
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
Chorus
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

God, I intercede on behalf of your people trying to keep their jobs. I first of all say thank you for the blessing you have been to us. We have watched so many around us lose jobs, homes, vehicles, and you have had mercy on us. We sit not prideful, because we know it was only because of your mercy we have not been consumed. Though we would like for things to have been better, we thank you that they have not been worse.

God I pray that you touch the leadership of companies. God we touch and agree for wisdom, strength, and compassion for the people employed.

God, I also pray for the strength of the employees. We have been through so much, and admit that we are weary. We need your help. It is hard to say, but like Paul, we know that ‘it was good that we were afflicted.’ The worst of times, has brought out the best in us. For this we thank you.

God I pray not for any certain outcome, but that your divine will be done. I pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength for all those effected – employees and their families. We admit that we cannot handle this, but know that you can.

Give us all peace in the midst of this storm, clarity in the midst of chaos. Help us to know that even our afflictions are part of your plan. Because of that we have peace, knowing that you’ve got this in control. Though we cannot see it right now, we know that better is on the way. As Will Smith said, “spring will come after winter, like it always does.”

So we put this in your hands….it is too heavy for us to bear. Our limits are your starting points.

It is so.

What's in your wallet?

God has given us all gifts and talents. I learned watching the movie "All About Us" that there is a difference between a talent and a gift. A talent is something you do well, a gift is something more. What has God given you to do?

Fear is the enemy of success.

Are you pulling or being pulled?

Someone shared this with me.

We can be divided into two categories....those who pull others up, and those that have to be pulled. Makes me think about lobsters. To be fair, sometimes the roll changes. Anyway, which one are you...most of the time?

Is the church a safehaven?

Some of the questions you ask, I might waiver a bit on the answer. Usually, I can some an argument on both sides. In this case, the answer is easy...NO!

Oh, you want me to explain too? Well you asked for it....I am a pretty young guy, and have only experienced the most recent segment of the history of the church. Based on my knowledge of scripture, when the church started it was very open. People were 'crazy enough' to sell all their stuff and give it to the church to share with others, you can only assume they shared the burdens as well. My first instinct is to say that this exists in the black church, but it really exists in both. The only difference is, the black church used to be more community...at least it sounds like it in negro hymns. But I have observed the same thing in the white church.

So what happened? At some point, I believe people started getting in trouble for telling the truth. To keep from getting abused for being honest, we learned to build elaborate walls to hide our faults, failures, and fears. Yep, the battle tide swung and the enemy began to win.

I must pick on people like LaShawn Chandler, William Murphy III, Tejado Hanchell, whom I have observed on Facebook. All three are preachers that have shared intimate details about their private lives, details that show vulnerability. LaShawn shared that she was feeling weak a couple days ago. William Murphy confessed to wanted to respond undignified to the Delta ticket counter lady. Tejado Hanchell is a pastor who was coming off a fast and was going for a Burger King Angry Whopper. This is stuff people used to would not know.

I will go a step further and say that we have gotten so good at hiding from others, we can no longer see ourselves. Think about that just a minute. I don't have the 12 step program memorized, but I think the first step is admitting you got a problem. The enemy has been so slick, we do not see our own problems.

So, what is the answer. Transparency. I too have been guilty of guarding my flaws like the Hope diamond. I was trained to. God has delivered me from the curse. In sharing my faults, people have been able to speak into my life. Through them, God has been able to grow me into the Levite he called me to be. Transparency will first allow us to see ourselves, and to be delivered. Then, it will begin to bring deliverance in those around us. They will see us as not just bible toting dieties (man I hope I spelled that right) to seeing us as them. That's deep. When people can see themselves in us, they will begin to see Christ in us. And you know what happens after that. The church will be what Christ intended it to be...Safe Haven.

Sleepless in....

How many people are having trouble sleeping? Two things can cause this....either you are worrying about something, or God is trying to speak to you. If you are worrying, cast you cares on Him. If he's trying to speak, do like Samuel and say,"Yes, God. What can I do for you?"

Are you dead yet?

The bible repeatedly tells us that we have to die, in order to live. Yet, we continue to feed our need to live. Ask God today to help you to sacrifice your will for his.

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Being Lonely is Not Always Being Alone

I would like to share this awesome story of Angela Braden, a blind woman with more vision than most...

Most children are afraid of the dark. But I think my fear of darkness was more intense than the average child. So, when I started losing my eyesight at the age of ten, my fear level increased dramatically. I found myself being surrounded by perpetual darkness. I was afraid every moment of the day, simply because of the deep shadow that loomed around me that seemed to never disappear.

Quite naturally, as I matured into a young woman, my fear of physical darkness faded and I learned to not tremble and faint over the darkness that followed me daily. I am not going to pretend like darkness doesn’t heighten my need to be more alert and careful, but I am glad that I am not imprisoned by the fear of darkness like I was for so many years.

Looking back on my childhood fears, I now realize why most people are afraid of the dark. The uncertainty of what lurks in the dark seems to put people on edge. It’s not really the darkness that is frightening. The unknown possibilities that hide in the darkness are what we are afraid of. As we become adults, we may leave our fear of a dark room behind. But our fear of unknown possibilities and uncertainty typically follows one into their adult life.

The night of August 2, 2002, I came face to face with one of the most challenging and daring events of my life, so far, that is. That unforgettable night, I found myself in a very dark and frightening situation.
When I arose that unforgettable Friday morning, I presumed that particular Friday was going to be like the many Fridays that had come and gone. I would get up and go to my job with more peace than I had Monday through Thursday. Simply because Friday was the day that connected me to my two days off from work. But I was in for a rude awakening. That Friday would usher in a heap of changes and challenges that seemed to be insurmountable.

After finally counting down the hours that led to the end of my work week”, I celebrated by meeting a childhood friend for dinner. Since my friend and I seldom have a chance to spend time with each other, I relished every minute. Before I knew it, hours had tiptoed by.

Midnight was approaching. I knew I should be headed home. I called my mother to let her know that my friend was about to bring me home. However, my mother, being the protective, selfless woman she is, preferred to meet us halfway, so that my friend did not have to drive the entire way back to her apartment alone. My mother immediately left our home and headed out to meet my friend and me.

Upon arriving at the meeting spot that we all agreed would be the most convenient and safest to connect, my friend informed me that my mother was already there waiting for me. I greeted her and jumped in the car, ready to get home to my bed.
After being in the car for only five minutes, I detected that something was not right. Our car began to swerve across the busy lanes of the expressway. I initially thought my mother had fallen asleep. I called her name and nudged her. But we swerved again. She was not responding to me. The car violently swerved again and again. I held on to the door of the car with my right hand, bracing myself for a possible crash, while continuing to scream her name. Strangely, she still would not respond to the shouting of her name. Miraculously, the Lord allowed my mother to pull the car off to the side of the lanes. But still, she was not responding to my persistent request to tell me what was wrong.

I grabbed my cell phone and called 911. I told them that I believed that my mother was having a stroke or a heart attack. Sadly, because I could not tell them exactly where we were, they could not dispatch emergency officials to help us. My heart sank and fear wrapped its dirty claws around my neck.

The 911 operator asked me to hold the phone while she and emergency officials tried to locate us. With my cell phone tucked between my shoulder and ear, I jumped out of the car and feverishly waved my hands, but no one would stop. Then I jumped back into the car and tried to encourage my mother to hold on and to cling to life. Then suddenly, my cell phone battery went completely dead. I panicked. My only drop of hope had evaporated when the one person that was trying to help me was suddenly disconnected from me.

I almost fell into a heap of despair, but I knew I had to get help for my mother. I lunged out the car and began waving my hands again, but this time I added screams and tears. However, the roar of the rushing traffic was the only thing I could hear. There were no sounds of sirens coming near. Nor was there the sound of a car pulling over. At this point, I did not know if my darling mother, who I love so dearly was alive or dead. My phone would not work, and I couldn’t run for help. I felt so alone. The fear of my mother dying right there on the side of the freeway assaulted my mind. Likewise, the fear of being left on the side of the freeway with the never stopping traffic all night, without anyone to rescue me, swelled in my heart. My very being was being crushed underneath the increasing weight of fear.

Then suddenly, I was reminded of the many scriptures that I have learned and believed in most of my life. I remembered that God promised in His word that He would never leave or forsake me. I remembered that the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run in and they are safe. I remembered that God would respond to the cries of His children. I begin to scream the name of Jesus as loud as I could. Tears poured from my face like a rushing river. I screamed and screamed, with the assurance that God would respond to the cries of His child.

After only a few minutes of calling on God, someone pulled over and called 911 and gave them a location. Upon arriving at the hospital, I found out that my mother had suffered a massive stroke. But praise God, she is still alive and God is healing her every day.

Looking back on that seemingly dark night, I now realize that God was indeed present when I felt so fearful and alone. For example, God could have allowed my mother to suffer the stroke before she picked me up. If that happened we probably would have not known for hours where she was. Secondly, when my mother started having the stroke while driving, we could have been involved in a terrible accident, severely injuring or killing both me and my mother and maybe someone else. I now realize that God’s hand was still controlling the series of events that night. Although we were in a chaotic situation, God still wrapped His arms around us and protected us from danger.

**God, you've been so kind and gracious. And for that, I celebrate your presence. Thank you for protecting me, time and time again.**