God's Man

I have been a complete fraud this November.  I have been telling anyone who would ask that I was having a miserable time getting my novel done.  I hope that those of you who have been praying for me and trying to motivate me to get back to it will find it in your hearts to forgive me because today this is what appeared after uploading my novel for validation.  There was also this text to greet.  Y ou did it, writer. Pitted against a merciless deadline and battling hordes of distractions—including the most tempting fall TV season that's been unleashed upon novelists in decades—you kept at it. Now you've arrived at a place that very few NaNoWriMo participants ever see: The winner's circle. Overhead, the November sky is bursting with fireworks celebrating your victory, and the entire NaNoWriMo staff joins me in applauding your creative achievement. You did something amazing this month, novelist. We couldn't be pr...

Psalm 78:1-4   O my people, hear my teaching;          listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables,          I will utter hidden things, things from of old- what we have heard and known,          what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children;          we will tell the next generation          the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,          his power, and the wonders he has done.  

Proverbs 18:22 - He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.

Who Are We See this is what we are called to be. We are to be the light that points people to God. We are the seasoning that reminds people to look outside of themselves for the answers. Take a look at Matthew 5:13-16 : "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? … "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Questi...

Because There Are Needs All Around Us So now that we know what we should be giving and why we should give, the question remains “ who do we give to? ” I once told the story of Al Hafed from the speech Acres of Diamonds. In the story Al Hafed wanted to posses s diamonds so much that he travelled to far off places and ultimately died penniless, never fulfilling his quest. The next person that owned the property that Al Hafed lost discovered one of the biggest diamond find right in the back yard. The Bible shares the same thing in Matthew 10:5-8 Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. Family You should begin living a generous life w...

Because God Set the Example Time, talent and treasure… Yeah Carlton I know. You talk about it every week. Why is it so important? Growing up I wanted to be like my Dad. I still do in some respects. I was his shadow. I followed him around and wanted to be wherever he was. I tried to follow the examples that he showed me through his actions. My dad the comedian… My dad the friend… My dad, Mr. Fix-it… God is my Heavenly Father and I do the same thing with him. I am following the example that He set. Everybody knows this one, John 3:16 . "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God Gave God has been giving to us. In Genesis 1 we talked about verse 27 but if we examine the rest of that passage down through verse 28 we see how God gives. God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our...

Because Everything We Have Is His Why would anyone in their right mind give right now? Because everything is God’s anyway. We are just the managers of it. 1 st Corinthians 10:26 says this "The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it." The creator is the ultimate owner and has final authority so what do we do with the things he has entrusted to us? Treasure Whenever I talk about giving one of the first things that I hear from people is I can’t give right now because things are just too tight . My first response is to ask why is it so tight? I would never put anyone on blast but I will tell you that in my own life I have been very irresponsible with money. But I got better. Let me share this scripture with you that my FPU folks will remember. Psalms 6:1-5 Dear friend, if you've gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, If you've impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourse...

In times of Economic and Emotional Uncertainty and Transition We are living in an amazing time right now. I know it sounds strange to hear someone characterize what we are going through as amazing but that is how I see it. We are living in historic times. Years from now we will be telling our children and grandchildren stories about this time. What will your stories look like? We want to live lives sold out to God I hope that the stories that my children and I will tell will be tales filled with examples where God power exploded . I want to tell them about how God stopped me in my tracks when I was footsteps away from disaster. I want to recall how when I didn’t listen and fell that God was there to pick me up . But most of all I want to tell them that I saw a nation that had grown lukewarm began to blaze again. In order to do that we have some things we need to overcome. Fear makes us cling to what we can control One of the things that is slowing us down right now is uncerta...

Today was the first service at  Ebenezer Faith and Grace Tabernacle.  The pastor is Judy Austin who is the mother of one of my wife's best friends.  We wanted to be there for the inaugural service. Educate ->   Grow the people's knowledge and understanding of God's Word. Elevate -> Elevate the people's Faith. Empower -> Empower the people to answer God's call.  The church's founding scripture is 1st Samuels 7:12 Stone of Help = Ebenezer The rest of this are my notes from today's message. Esther 4:4-9 Chosen for such a time as this. We are chosen because we are valuable to God. God created the circumstances that allowed His people to be chosen.  He does the same for us. Psalm 27 Whom do you fear and why? 1. Esther learned to count the costs. - what people and things need to be cut/change d for what God is preparing to do. - what are our priorities.    There are some things we cannot have. 2. How Do you determine your priorities?...

He Is Your Life - Colossians 3 (MSG) 1-2 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ —that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death : sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It...

Notes from today's sermon... Don't forget to be a friend Happiness comes with interdependence. John 15:15-?? - You are his friend and have access. You needs friends who will walk with you. Matthew 4:19 -  Come follow me... Proverbs - iron sharpens iron. Generational lessons.  Adam was alive for 9 generations. It is safer to travel with friends. It is smarter to travel with friends. You will travel further walking with friends. Friendship os the answer to loneliness. Psalms 68:9 - God sets the lonely in families. Exchange 4:10 pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. You need friends who will work with me. Eph 2:10 -  God Friendships are God's answer to fatigue Gal 6:10 - work to the benefit of all. I need friends who will fight for me. Who has your back spiritually? Proverbs 17:17 Ecc 4:12 Friendship os God's answer to Defeat... Ecc 4:10 I need friends who will cry with me... 1 Peter 3:8 - One Big Family... Friendships are God'...

I thought of you when I came across this verse. Matthew 20:1-16 "God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. "Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went. "He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing? "They said, 'Because no one hired us.' "He told them to go to work in his vineyard. "When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.' "Those hired at five o'clock came...

I thought of you when I came across this verse. Ephesians1.4 Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.

Went on my daughter's  field trip to the Baltimore Zoo.   This is the result.