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The Hope of Restoration

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 by 2 Comments

Good Morning Everyone!

I read in Micah this morning… and a few verses JUMPED off the page… check this out you guys.

Micah 2:12-13 

“Someday, O Israel, I will GATHER you;
      I will gather the REMNANT who are left.
   I will bring you TOGETHER AGAIN like sheep in a pen,
      like a flock in its pasture.
   Yes, your land will again
      be filled with NOISY CROWDS!
 Your LEADER WILL BREAK OUT
      and LEAD YOU OUT of exile,
   out through the gates of the enemy cities,
      back TO YOUR OWN LAND.
   Your king will lead you;
      THE LORD HIMSELF will guide you.”

Even though this prophecy contains it’s purest message to the Jewish people as a promise that God will bring them back into their stolen territories… there is a BIG message within this message to all of us TODAY!  

Someday… I will gather the remnant people who are left! God is saying… I will GATHER the ones who were able to weather the adversity and remain upright! The trees who’s roots RAN DEEPER during those times of raging winds and rainless clouds… those who have demonstrated their FAITHFULNESS in oppressive times… that they CANNOT and WILL NOT be shaken! Those who welcome challenges as opportunities to halt and prove their identity!

If you have been scattered in times of adversity… you have been ravished on the outside, but on the INSIDE you’re STILL STANDING SOLID IN YOUR FAITH! If you can just HOLD ON WHEN in times like these… and keep it together when so many others are falling apart and falling away… if you can DEMONSTRATE that YOU are a SURVIVOR…

God promises to GATHER you again… and BRING YOU TOGETHER with other SURVIVORS… not for the purpose of living in the miserable memories of yesteryear! He promises to BRING YOU TOGETHER like SHEEP IN A PEN… like a FLOCK IN ITS BEAUTIFUL PASTURE! 

He says that YOUR LAND… those places and things that God has given to you throughout the years… things that seem to have been STOLEN and not recoverable… YOUR LAND will AGAIN be FILLED with NOISY CROWDS… a sign of VICTORY, MULTIPLICATION… and GREAT CELEBRATION!

God promises to GIVE YOU A LEADER who will BREAK OUT… and LEAD YOU FROM EXILE… out through the gates of your enemies and into YOUR OWN LAND again! So pray for your leaders like never before… believe for leaders who will RISE UP AND BREAK OUT… to LEAD their FLOCKS from exile! 

At the end of this prophecy, Micah says… YOUR KING WILL LEAD YOU… THE LORD HIMSELF WILL BE YOUR GUIDE! This is a promise of Gods PRESENCE DWELLING in the hearts of all his people, LEADING us into the GREENEST PASTURES EVER! 

Psalm 23 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I realize how PREACHY this blog may sound today… I’m pretty excited about it as you can tell… hoping these words add tremendous value to your amazing lives! Please tell your friends, leave your comments, and pray for us as we PRAY SO MUCH FOR YOU! Have a super duper day everyone…

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Restoring Lost Fortunes :)

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 by 7 Comments

Good Morning Everyone! 

Psalms 126:4 “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”

As I read that verse, I though about all you guys out there hoping for RESTORATION these days. Undoubtedly, the financial situation of these past two years has taken its toll on most Americans. And as funds tighten, attitudes flair… causing far too many problems in the home.

Relationships are under fire… husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees… even close friends. 

People have lost their jobs, their houses, their families, and in many cases… their sanity, their hope, their faith, and their love. 

While I believe that some of this pain is good… and after the tribulation is over, most of us will be far better for it… there is a point at which most of the lessons have been learned and we must start standing for restoration.

Psalms 126:4 ”Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”

This is an amazing prayer, don’t you think? Most people go through a long time of complaining about their misfortunes before actually going to GOD with FAITH that HE can RESTORE their fortunes!

Why do we wait so long before asking for Gods help? Because we don’t really believe that he LOVES us all that much and therefore we are not sure if HE WANTS TO HELP US. Other people have a way of making us feel like we can never be good enough to merit Gods help… and that is just NOT TRUE my friends.

The beginning of faith is found in Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Everyone pretty much believes that God IS… and that God IS ABLE to do some pretty amazing things if he feels like it. But do we BELIEVE that GOD wants to do those amazing things for us? This is the million dollar question!

In order to get our fortunes restored… we have to start BELIEVING that God is a REWARDING GOD… that God is a GOOD AND LOVING FATHER… that God is GOOD AND LOVING TO US… and that God is able and WILLING TO RESTORE OUR FORTUNES!

Psalms 126:4 “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”

The writer of this psalm believed and prayed for restoration… “As streams RENEW the DESERT!” Do you have the faith to ASK FOR THIS KIND OF BLESSING! What are you waiting for??? Refuse to keep on moping around with the rest of the mopers in this desert! PRAY FOR RESTORATION! Pray for STREAMS IN THIS DESERT… PRAY FOR GOD TO RESTORE ALL YOUR FORTUNES… and watch how fast EVERYTHING STARTS TO CHANGE FOR YOU!

Love you guys and praying for your restoration… hoping that todays blog STARTS SOMETHING in you… a new attitude of FAITH that turns your dry ground into a lush green pasture! Have a most triumphant day…

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Saying Goodbye To Lilly The Pig :(

Thursday, February 5th, 2009 by 6 Comments

cryingGood Thursday Friends!

My wireless internet was down this morning at home… so I tried to blog from my Iphone and it wouldn’t let me enter data… so as a LAST RESORT I drove to my office in the SHIVERING COLD to send this message! Thank God for my three sources of access to the world wide community.

Sad news… Lilly the piggy may be going to live in Roanoke VA. Yup, it’s looking like this may go down today… our lives are just way too high paced for Lillian and it’s best for us all that she is adopted out before she really knows who her parents are.

We are going to be very sad and we will all need your prayers today! Especially Heaven and me. If we were a normal routine kind of family, Lilly would grow old with us. I must admit how attached to this chubby chick I have become over these past few months… (chuck whimpers, wiping the tears from his eyes)

Oh well… she was a good little piggy and I am praying for God to put her in a good home where she will live long and happy!

Here is the scripture I am leaning on today… Psalms 70:21-22

20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
21 You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.

22 Then I will praise you with music on the harp,
because you are faithful to your promises, O my God.
I will sing praises to you with a lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.

Even though I wrote out these verses as a humorous addition to my exaggerated depiction of pain… they are really UPLIFTING aren’t they! I mean for me, the past six years have been a cruel and relentless series of hardship. After succeeding PERFECTLY in everything I had ever set out to accomplish, I entered a 6 year period of absolute mutilation. I must have stumbled onto the FRONT LINE of a historical battle ground… and for six straight years, the war has been unbearable quite a bit of the time!

Hardship is a very real thing… all of us face it on many levels. Even saying good bye to a piggy can be a very painful thing for some of us. Life is filled with hardship. And it’s how we react to these hardships that separates the boys from the men! Sadly, I have buckled under many of my own hardships throughout the years. And with GREAT EXPERIENCE I have learned the above verses from Psalm 70 to be absolutely TRUE!

Take a look at the faith in the psalmists declaration!

  • You WILL RESTORE me to life again!
  • You will LIFT ME UP from the depths of the earth!
  • You will restore me TO EVEN GREATER HONOR!
  • You will COMFORT ME!
  • THEN… (premeditating his victory dance) I WILL PRAISE YOU!
  • BECAUSE… you are FAITHFUL TO YOUR PROMISES! (declaring the certainty of deliverance)

Let’s do the same in our times of hardship! With a voice of faith, announce these same things over your life right now! Raise your voice and let the devil know you mean it! “God, I KNOW without a doubt, that YOU WILL RESTORE ME TO LIFE AGAIN… I KNOW that YOU WILL LIFT ME UP from the depths of the earth… I KNOW that you will RESTORE ME TO EVEN GREATER HONOR… and YOU WILL COMFORT ME!”

Now that will make for a HAPPY THURSDAY… have fun, chat with you throughout the day!

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It’s Storytime Everyone!

Thursday, January 29th, 2009 by 7 Comments

supermanHappy Thursday Everyone!

If you’ve been reading the comments to my recent blogs, you will know about a teenager named Hettie. Every once in a while someone comes along and BLOWS ME AWAY with their story. Hettie has that kind of story!

It all began with a tiny little Hettie… and I knew this Hettie when she was a tiny little girl… she grew up in a beautiful home… was taught to love Jesus and people… was told over and over how special she was and how God had something very special for her life… Hettie was perfectly on her way to a perfectly beautiful life.

And then came hardship… and after a few years of significant family trouble… Hettie was left in the wake of a ferocious divorce… forced to leave her beautiful house… left without a beautiful home. Over the next few year, Hettie descended into the depths of living hell… doing things she vowed to never do… going places she vowed to never go… becoming a person she had vowed to NEVER be. Hettie lost her way… and mostly all the onlookers lost their hope that Hettie would ever rise again.

And then came happiness… and just about the time when all hope was GONE… like a super hero swooping down out of nowhere, God flew down to Hettie’s rescue! The story of Hettie’s BEFORE and AFTER is so far fetched… people will wonder if she’s making it up! Yet, this is her story… an inspiration to me and so many others!

And next comes hope and future… and as god told his prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU… plans to prosper you and not harm you… plans to give you a HOPE, a FUTURE, and an EXPECTED END!” I am on the EDGE OF MY SEAT about what is next for Hettie… praying for her day and night… knowing that there is something special about this young lady… hopeful that God, who has begun this MIRACLE RESTORATION is going to finish what he has begun! Hettie has a gigantic gift of influence… and Hettie is a pristine communicator.

And today comes STORYTIME… and Hettie is telling her story at Riverheads High School, in front of her peers… the story must be told… it’s burning in Hettie like a fire… this morning at 8:45am Hettie will make her case for Christ… she will describe her amazing before and after… and I WILL BE THERE TO HEAR IT LIVE!

The Apostle Paul told his story to King Agrippa in AD60… told about how badly he was persecuting the church and killing Christians… told about how Jesus SWOOPED DOWN and KNOCKED HIM OFF HIS HORSE… Paul told Agrippa what Jesus said to him…

“The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet-I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you. 17-18“‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’ 19-20“What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot. I started preaching this life-change-this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life-right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.”

Have a very fun day you guys… think about your own personal story… how long has it been since you told your beautiful story? In a world overrunning with bad news… we should tell our story a hundred times a month! Oh the people out there, just waiting for storytime… longing for someone to sit down beside them and tell how it started… on to where it all fell apart… on to the mighty rescue… and on to HOPE AND A BEAUTIFUL FUTURE! Dear bloggers, please tell your story to someone today…

Chat with you guys and gals throughout the day… love you guys!

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