Tag: Jesus

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America Healing Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith

America: A Covenant with Death

With recent events in our nation, we are a people in fear…

The Oklahoma tornadoes. We are afraid of forces of nature we cannot control.

The Boston Marathon terror attack. We are afraid of an enemy we cannot see.

Government scandals at the highest levels. We are afraid of a corrupt government that we can no longer trust.

Quite honestly, we’re not just afraid of the shadows… we’re afraid of our own shadows.

I believe that fear was Job’s fatal flaw. Job stated that “… the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” I think that Satan knew that fear was Job’s “Achilles heel”, and was drawn to that flaw like a moth to a flame. But Satan’s attack on Job was not just about picking on a righteous man… his attack on Job was a part of a greater strategy:

 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. ~ Job 1:11

Satan’s strategy was to use Job’s fear as a catalyst for him to turn his back on God. Everything that Job went through was simply for the benefit of Satan seeing Job shake his fist at God, and curse Him to His face.

So what fear has you paralyzed?

Fear of life?

Fear of death?

Fear of the enemy?

Fear of man?

Fear of insignificance?

Fear of the future?

FlagI could go on and on for days. But the fact of the matter is that, because of our fear, we have allowed the enemy to build a stronghold in America. While the voices of ungodliness and fear are running amok, the real voices of truth and hope have been cowed into a corner of anti-Christian, anti-American, and un-Constitutional silence.

We have called evil “good”, and good “evil”.

We have embraced our enemies while alienating our friends.

We have slaughtered the innocent in the name of “choice”, while rabidly fighting for nonsensical liberal causes in the name of being “conscientious”.

We (as the church) have sacrificed morality, decency, and holiness on the altar of moral relativism, self-improvement, and dead works.

In trying to avoid controversy and conflict, we have given the reins of power to the ungodly and corrupt. By “going along to get along”, we have remained silent in the midst of a chorus of voices that mock our sacred beliefs. By compromising with evil at every turn, America has made a covenant with Death.

Now, are you ready for some good news? When Satan attacked Job, he failed at his primary goal. In everything that he went through, Job reiterated one sentiment: “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

On Sunday, May 26, 2013, I will be returning to the pulpit of Abba’s House with a powerful word… for our church, our community, and our nation. I am going to let you know that there is, in fact, hope for America! You do not want to miss this important message.

For service times, or to watch LIVE online, please visit http://www.abbashouse.com

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Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Prioritizing Your Passion

Through the Looking GlassFormer Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir was known for her wit and her wisdom. She once said…

“Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!”

Though at times accused of governing from her emotions, she replied…

“It’s no accident many accuse me of conducting public affairs with my heart instead of my head. Well, what if I do? Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.”

That is advice we as Christians would do well to remember. We can laugh and claim that “the joy of the Lord is our strength”. We can dance as David danced, and throw ourselves into unrestrained worship at the drop of a hat. However, if we can’t weep for the hurting in this world – if we cannot burn with hearts of conviction for the least, the last, and the lost –  how can we claim to be passionate for any of the things of God?

In Romans, we are encouraged to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep”.  If we as the Church cannot show compassion to a world that Jesus died to save, we should probably re-examine whether the title “church” belongs on our door.

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Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith The Mysteries of God Through The Looking Glass

When Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

Through the Looking Glass

The Tsavo Man-Eaters ("The Ghost" and "The Darkness") on display at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
The Tsavo Man-Eaters (“The Ghost” and “The Darkness”) on display at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL

The movie The Ghost and the Darkness is based on the true story of two man-eating lions (named “The Ghost” and “The Darkness”) who attack a railroad crew in Africa. In reality, it was estimated that these beasts killed over 100 people before they were finally hunted down and killed by Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson in 1898. The by-line of the movie states that…

“Only the most incredible parts of the story are true”.


Mark Twain once said that “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities… truth isn’t”.

As Christians, we must hold on to the truth of God’s Word. While society may tell us that the truth is subjective, and is constantly changing, we have a golden standard by which we live. If what we are being told – by society, the media, or even some churches – does not line up with the Word of God, quite simply, it’s not truth. God will never contradict Himself. He is the same… yesterday, today, and forever.

The “User’s Manual” for life is the Holy Word of God… the Bible. The answers are there — all we have to do is take the time to look.

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Uncategorized

The Aerodynamics of Faith

Through the Looking Glass        Well, a much belated spring finally showed up here in the Tennessee Valley. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the pollen is out in force, and as a result, so are the bees.

This reminds me of an observation by Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. She said…

“Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly… but the bumblebee doesn’t know it, so it goes on flying anyway”.

That sounds just like a lot of us. Many times in life, we face overwhelming odds. Regardless, we refuse to give up when things seem hopeless, and we believe when the issue in question seems to be a lost cause. We hang onto faith when those around us can’t decide if we are too stubborn or too stupid to give up.

So why the tenacity???

Because we have hope.

As Christians, we stand on the words of Paul when he said…

“I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me“.

Got an obstacle that seems unmovable?

Find your strength in the promise of a God who makes the impossible possible

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Healing Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith The Mysteries of God The Secret Place

No Fear

After following the news in the wake of this week’s terror attack at the Boston Marathon, it is obvious and understandable that emotions in our nation are running the gamut.

We are saddened by the physical and emotional pain that our friends and fellow Americans are facing as a result of those killed and injured. Our prayers for healing and comfort go out to the victims and their families during this time.

We are angry that someone had the audacity to commit this heinous crime on a day (Patriot’s Day) that was about everything that is right with our nation (courage, honor, freedom), on our own soil – our home.

We are confused as to why and how this could have happened. Who committed this act? Why did they do it? As our fine law enforcement officials investigate, we believe that answers will be forthcoming.

We are afraid. Many people in our nation are now living in fear on a variety of levels:

People are in fear that it could happen again.

Witnesses may face fear from the memories of that horrific day.

Victims are fearful of moving forward into a future of uncertainty.

Terror, by it’s very definition, is about eliciting a fear response. Terror means “extreme fear”. Terrorism is not simply about killing and wounding innocent men, women, and children; it is about inciting fear in those who remain, and causing people to live in fear.

The problem we face is that fear (terror) is a vicious cycle. Fear is a magnet to demons. The more we discuss and voice our fear with our lips, the more demons are attracted to the atmosphere of fear. Fear is more than emotion… fear is a spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that…

“God has not not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind“.

In the Bible, Job was considered a righteous man. However, Job had a fatal flaw. In Job 3:25, Job confesses:

“For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.”

Job feared the loss of his children and his treasures, and Satan was drawn to that fear. And while we may think that fear is an unavoidable part of life, living in fear is an existence that we do not have to settle for. 1 John 4:18 tells us that “perfect love casts out fear“, and in Proverbs 29:25, we have this promise:

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

Abraham Lincoln is arguably the greatest president our country has ever seen. However, history bears out that he lost every single election he ran until he ran for president. What if he had allowed fear from past experiences to convince him to quit? How different would our country look today.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” For the believer in Jesus Christ, the opposite of fear is more than courage… it is faith and hope.

For those of you that watch my television program, Ron Phillips from Abba’s House, you are familiar with my co-host, Angie McGregor. What many of you may not realize is that Angie is a gifted songwriter and singer. Several years ago, in the immediate shadow of 9/11, Angie released a song that resonates today. Having faced down some fear in her own life, she penned the song simply titled, I Will Not Fear. After the events of 9/11, this song took on a whole new meaning for all of us that heard it.

— from the CD Could We Dance? ©Copyright 2002 FacePlace Music

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Healing Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith

Enough

FlagAmerica is at war… a war without national boundaries. I wrote several years ago (and was severely criticized) that America has a bloody enemy.

Does anyone honestly doubt that now?

While I could go on and on about attacks on our nation and it’s citizens, at home and around the world, here are a few of note…

In October, 1983, the attack on the Marine barracks in Beruit, Lebanon claimed 299 lives.

In October, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked while sitting at anchor at the Port of Aden in Yemen. Seventeen American sailors were killed.

On September 11, 2001, we watched helplessly as our fellow citizens were murdered in the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon, attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives (almost all civilian). For most of us, the images of our fellow citizens jumping from the upper floors of the World Trade Center are indelibly etched into our minds.

Four Americans (including Ambassador Chris Stevens) were murdered in Benghazi in 2012 when the U.S. Consulate was attacked.

Since 2001, thousands of our brave servicemen and women have died on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And now… Boston.

While we do not yet know who is responsible for yesterday’s attack, we do know who the father of terror is. It is high-time for the terrorists of the world to be held accountable. It is time to end political correctness. It is time to serve notice on these brokers of violence and fear, as well as countries that send or harbor them, and let them know that we have had enough.

No more monetary aid for countries that foster ill-will and hatred toward America.

No more weapons for countries and administrations that are known purveyors of intolerance, injustice, and violence toward the United States, Israel, or any of our allies.

No more rewarding countries with aid who persecute their own people simply because they follow Jesus.

And no more oil dependence. Let’s end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil and open the unlimited resources of America. We need to build the pipelines and refineries right here at home, and cut off the finances of tyrannical and jihadist regimes.

It is time to know who our friends are and who our enemies are. It is time to silence these tyrants hiding behind their abused populace, empty rhetoric, and misguided religion.

For now, let us pray for our fellow Americans in Boston.

And let us join together with one voice and declare…Enough is Enough

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Living It Out In Real Time Miracles Out of Nowhere The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Going Down With the Ship

Through the Looking Glass        On April 14, 1912 at 11:40p.m., the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. In less than three hours, it slipped beneath the surface and sank at 2:20a.m. on April 15… 101 years ago today.

What was it that sent this mighty ship to its watery grave in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean? Was it a massive, gaping hole caused by the collision?

No.

Some experts have speculated that, had the Titanic hit the iceberg head-on, it would have survived. What sunk this magnificent vessel was a series of small holes and cracks punched along the hull by the iceberg. It was the the culmination of all of the seemingly insignificant cracks that led to a breakdown of the fail-safes and safeties, and took the great ship to its watery grave, over two miles down on the ocean floor.

TitanicWhat a picture of the Christian life.

For most of us, it is not the “major events” in our lives that put distance between us and our Savior. It is the little things – the gradual slipping away – that results in that loss of fellowship. It is our unwillingness to surrender completely to the will and authority of Christ that begins the breakdown in our own fail-safes.

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis hits the nail on the head:

“Christ says ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it… I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’”

Are you feeling like you are sinking? What are the little things that you need to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus? Find those, and you’ll find the lifeboat you need to carry on.

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Friendship Healing Living It Out In Real Time Miracles Out of Nowhere The Bible The Life of Faith The Mysteries of God The Secret Place

Whys, Lies, & The Mysteries of God

Why?

It is the single word ground into the bloody soil of every battlefield in the world.

It is buried in the rubble of every civilization, state, and neighborhood that has been devastated by a natural disaster.

It lies in the ashes of the burned-up dreams of a family that just lost everything.

It can be heard in quiet, night-time sobbing of a little girl whose mother just succumbed to cancer.

It resonates in the screams of a father as he buries his son.

It is the shortest, most-asked, and

least-answered question in the English language.

Why?

You’ve heard it asked thousands of times, and while there are sometimes physical reasons that events happen in our lives, reasons – even good reasons – don’t answer why.

Or, to be more specific…

Why did God allow this to happen?

Whether you are just wondering, have gone through something that you have come to terms with, or are in the heat of that emotional torture right now, I don’t presume to have an easy answer for you, or have anything to say that is going to make the pain magically disappear. In reality, I believe we have a very skewed, 21st Century perspective of life, pain, and suffering (and I’m as guilty as the next person). We don’t want to believe that “bad things happen to good people”. We cannot conceive a loving God who allows tragedies and atrocities to occur. We stand on the words of Thomas Jefferson and claim “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, while forgetting the words of Jesus that promised, “…In this world, you will have trouble…”.

Quite honestly, it is a mystery… pure and not-so-simple.

Mystery… one word that encapsulates the very nature of God.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. ~ Isaiah 55:8

The Bible is filled with references pertaining to the mysteries of God. The word mystery, by its very definition, means something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. There is not the time, knowledge, or vocabulary to begin to explain either the mysteries of God or the mystery that is God. However, there is truth that, while it may not give us answers, can give us hope.

All of us are going to see difficult times. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the subsequent curse that altered the course of human history from a state of perfection to what we find today, we will all face problems, suffer hardship, and experience death. It all goes back to the verse I mentioned earlier…

… In this world you will have trouble…

But the hope lies in the rest of the verse:

But take heart! I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

While suffering in every conceivable way is part of the deal our ancestors signed in the Garden of Eden, Jesus assures us that He has it all in hand because He has overcome the world.

Whatever we are going through, HE has already been there. Bad things do happen to good people. If you don’t believe me, just think of Jesus. While being the sinless Son of God, He was falsely accused, suffered at the hands of sinners, and was killed in a horrific way by sinners.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:21

The mystery of this verse lies in the first 4 words: For He made Him… When Jesus went through all of the agony of being our sacrifice on the cross, God didn’t just watch it happen, or even allow it to happen… He MADE it happen. He wrote the law that provided our way of escape as a result of the fall, and then executed the plan even though it would cost Him His only Son. He did that for you.

When you are in your darkest night, there will be no shortage of people making inappropriate (and even stupid) comments. Some people truly want to help, but don’t know what to say, so they say the wrong thing. Some people just want to be judgmental, give you your why in the form of condemnation and criticism, and throw gasoline on your emotional fire. If either of these describe what you have gone through, you are in good company… consider Job. Everything that happened to Job was simply because Satan wanted to prove a point, and God took the challenge – at Job’s expense. When the bottom fell out in Job’s life (along with losing his possessions and health, he tragically lost his ten children), his “friends” showed up, and immediately started telling him everything he may have done wrong. His wife even chimed in, telling him to “curse God and die”. However, after all of the criticism, nay-saying, and unsubstantiated accusations from his friends, Job was vindicated. Not only was Job restored and blessed (even more than previously), but the very people who criticized him had to go through Job in order to be forgiven by God (see Job 42:7-10).

Whatever life sends your way, none of it gets by Him.

The fact of the matter is that God has a pretty profound list of whys as well. Why did God have to allow Jesus to go through all of the frustration, humiliation, sorrow, pain, and death? Why did He decide to offer a faithless, ungrateful, and fallen race a second chance with Him? Why did He decide that we were worth loving when He knew we would fail Him over and over again?

It’s a mystery I don’t understand.

But… I’m sure glad He did.

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Friendship Living It Out In Real Time Miracles Out of Nowhere The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Who Is Writing Your Future?

Through the Looking Glass           As we approach the anniversary of the assassination of one of America’s greatest presidents later this week, I am reminded of this story:

Robert Todd Lincoln
Robert Todd Lincoln

Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, was once standing on a crowded railroad platform when he was pushed up against the side of the train by the pressing crowd. Suddenly, the train began to move, and Robert fell into the space between the platform and the moving train. Facing serious injury or death, he felt someone reach down, grab his collar, and lift him up to safety. As he turned to thank the person who had saved his life, he instantly recognized the face…

It was renowned actor Edwin Booth, the older brother of John Wilkes Booth.

Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln

Following the assassination of President Lincoln at the hands of his brother, Edwin recalled that the memory of saving the son of the slain president was one of the only things that kept him sane in the dark months that followed the night of April 14, 1865.

Is your past is checkered by the notoriety of others, or maybe by your own actions?

If so, I have good news for you…

We serve a God who is bigger than our past, mightier than our memories, and makes all things new!

The past is what it is.

Trust Jesus to write your future.

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Friendship The Life of Faith

Thanks

Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to everyone who is following my blog. It is both inspiring and humbling to know I have so many friends out there, and I hope that what you find here is uplifting to your spirit, and encouraging in your walk with Abba Father.

I do want to remind everyone of a few of things…

First of all, don’t forget the Monthly Grab Bag. Tell your friends to sign up. Just by “following” my blog, you are automatically entered for the monthly giveaway. Just click on “The Monthly Grab Bag” tab at the top of the page to find out what the giveaway is for the month.

Next, please remember that this blog is interactive. That means I want to hear from you! I really want my blog to be a conversation, so I need to hear from you to make that happen. If something you find here inspires you, God uses it in your life, or you just want to leave a comment, feel free to do that. I’m always interested in your thoughts on the topics I write about. Please understand, however, that due to the amount of “spam” that blogs attract, all comments first go to my webmaster for approval. So, if you post a comment, but don’t see it immediately, please be patient. We’ll get to it soon. If, for some reason, you do not want your comment to be made public, please let us know that too. Otherwise, we’ll assume that it is ok for your comment to be a part of the conversation.

Last of all, help us spread the word about “The Heart of Abba”. This blog is meant to be, not just a place “of ” discussion, but a springboard “for” discussion. It could be that something you or a friend see here becomes a launching-pad for a personal conversation – a “door-opener” for you to speak into the life of someone else the Good News of Jesus. That is what it is all about, and we’ll rejoice with you for the courage and encouragement you find here to share your faith.

Thanks again for being a part. I hope everyone has a great weekend – God bless!