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...