Christians in United States Day 381

WE ARE ONE NATION UNDER GOD--- UNITED WE STAND----- DIVIDED WE FALL-----OUR GOD IS GREATER OUR GOD IS STRONGER OUR GOD IS HIGHER OUR GOD IS HEALER AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US THAN WHO CAN EVER STOP US AND IF OUR GOD IS WITH US WHAT CAN STAND AGAINST?   PRAISE AND GLORY TO OUR LORD, GOD...........AMEN

To satisfy my own curiosity I Googled:  Number of Christians in the United States and found the following facts.  The total numbers of members reported within the largest 25 communions is 145,838,339 in the year 2011.   That`s a lot of people!

1. The Catholic Church, 68,503,456 members, up .57 percent.
2. Southern Baptist Convention,16,160,088 members, down .42 percent.
3. The United Methodist Church, 7,774,931 members, down 1.01 percent.
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6,058,907 members, up 1.42 percent.
5. The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members, no membership updates reported.
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc, 5,000,000 members, no membership updates reported.
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,542,868 members, down 1.96 percent.
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., 3,500,000 members, no membership updates reported.
9. Assemblies of God, 2,914,669 members, up .52 percent.
10. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2,770,730 members, down 2.61 percent.
11. African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2,500,000 members, no membership updates reported.
12. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, 2,500,000 members, no membership updates reported.
13. The Lutheran Church-- Missouri Synod (LCMS), 2,312,111 members, down 1.08 percent.
14. The Episcopal Church, 2,006,343 members, down 2.48 percent.
15. Churches of Christ, 1,639,495 members, no membership updates reported.
16. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1,500,000 members, no membership updates reported.
17. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., 1,500,000 members, no membership updates reported.
18. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 1,400,000 members, members, no membership updates reported.
19. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., 1,310,505 members, down 1.55 percent.
20. Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1,162,686 members, up 4.37 percent.
21. United Church of Christ, 1,080,199 members, down 2.83 percent.
22. Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), 1,076,254 members, up .38 percent.                                     23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ , 1,071,616 members, no membership updates reported.
24. Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 1,043,606 members, up 4.31 percent.
25. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. 1,010,000 members, down 59.60 percent (due in part to a new methodology of counting members).

 I have one simple question, if nearly 146 million people yearly in the United States claim to worship the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY-----why have we allowed our leaders to remove Him from our society?  Oh sure, it`s taken a generation or two but we have become a Godless-society and are we ever suffering the consequences of our wickedness!

Matthew 718-23  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  "Not everyone who says to me, "LORD, LORD," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, "LORD, LORD,"did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?"  Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you, Away from me, you evildoers!"

So what prompted this blog topic today?  I read the newspaper, the headlines are appalling; robberies, shootings, bullying, spying, businesses closing, jobs scarce, email scams, sexual violence increasing and curbing violence #1 issue, candidates agree......really!

Can you say......God-less society?  Matthew 7:3-5  Why do you look at the speck of saw-dust in your brother`s eyes and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother`s eye.

2 Timothy 3:1-5  GODLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS  But mark this:  There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lover of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lover of GOD----having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Having nothing to do with them.

If 146 millions Christians would truly cry out in prayer to our mighty God, no telling what HE might do!  HE`S GOD........Galatians 3:1-3  FAITH OR OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW  You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?  Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.  I would like to learn just one thing from you:  Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

As Christian desire to truly lived and shared the The GREATEST COMMANDMENT  Matthew 22:37-39  Jesus replied;  "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it;  "Love your, neighbor as yourself." 

Matthew 5:14-15  "You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your FATHER in heaven.

My Friend, Phyllis Day 380

1 Samuel 20:42  Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, "The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever."  Then David left and Jonathan went back to the town.

That pretty much sums up my friendship with my dear friend, Phyllis.  In June I helped she and her husband Bobby move to North Carolina to be closer to family; Bobby`s failing health was Phyllis` main concern.  The move allowed Phyllis and I to spend several days together, as we unpacked and tried to make this new house feel like, home sweet home!  Lots of works, but a blessing to spend the time together; I flew home to Maryland leaving Phyllis to begin a new chapter in her life, in North Carolina.

Bobby struggled to make the necessary adjustments, but he was as happy as a clam, with his gigantic shed in the back yard.  He had his own mini-hide-away and was surrounded by all of his "stuff."  However, with his declining health and dementia, he could only visit his "stuff."  But I`m sure that this gave him great peace and joy.

Peace and joy, isn`t that really all that we need?  I can imagine that Bobby may have enjoyed the tranquility and peace of mind as he was surrounded by  his familiar "stuff."   Perhaps, his shed was a safe haven and a place where he and Jesus could spend private time together.  Luke 24:36  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Phyllis and I had not spoken on the phone since her move, but we had chatted on facebook many times;  I knew that she was okay, and she knew that I was okay!  Sunday night, as I prepared to visit the healing service at Kent Island, I received a phone call from my friend.  I heard the pain and distress in her voice as she requested prayers for her beloved husband, Bobby.  Linda, they say that he`s not going to make it through the night, they have called all the family in.

I struggled to hold back tears, I relied on the Holy Spirit  for strength and the rights words to satisfy Phyllis` request.  I thank God, that my friend Gabby was standing beside me; her presence made this difficult task do able!  I prayed, Phyllis and I shared tears of love and support that distance could not separate!  My heart was breaking for her, knowing that she was loosing her "best friend."

A short four hours later, Bobby was called home to rest in eternal peace with Jesus!  John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Father God, I thank you for the love and friendship that Phyllis and I share, thank you for Bobby and the depth of his love for my dear friend, Phyllis!  AMEN.......

rest in peace Pappy!

Three Bedroom Condo Day 379

Psalm 34:3-4  Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together,  I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

What happens when you invite six women to share a three bedroom condo, at the beach on a cold blustery winter weekend; only God was privy to the outcome in advance.  Our only agenda was no agenda, trusting that God would take the lead and that the Holy Spirit would direct our step and actions.. 

Sandy, Chris, Debbie, Alison and myself attend Jacob`s Well, a contemporary Methodist service.   Val, Chris` sister still attends the traditional Catholic church of her youth and Macy my, Lutheran pal, that God introduced to me on the Walk to Emmaus, all abandoned the requirements of our busy lives and agreed to share a weekend together.  

Originally, I worried that too many women that worshipped together might overpower God`s agenda, with to much of "our church stuff," silly me!  Psalms 139:23-24  Search me, O God, and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

No matter the season, there is just something about a visit to the ocean that soothes the soul.  The two hour drive begins the decompression process, the sight of the majestic Atlantic Ocean, invites us to a place of peace and tranquility.  Let the weekend begin, Father God!

Isaiah 48:17-18  This is what the  LORD says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;  "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.  If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

The weekend began as we anointed one another with Myrrh, anointing oil from Sandy`s pilgrimage to Jerusalem, we laid hands on one another, prayed and invited the presence of the Holy Spirit.  In a morning chat we invited each lady to share "whatever" she wanted.  Soon to every ones astonishment, the whatever that we shared were truly beyond belief.  "Were did that come from, that is not something I believed I would be taking about."  Obviously, the Holy spirit was directing our discussion.  2 Samuel 23:2  The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.

With love and tender compassion we listened and wholeheartedly  ministered to one another.  Tears flowed allowing  healing, to begin or continue in unexpected areas of our existence. Thank God Marcy remembered a full  box of Kleenex, maybe she just knows what happens when you hang out with, Linda!

Matthew 26:75  Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken; "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three time."  And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Is it when you truly bring the light of Jesus to the darkness inside of us that we begin a process of in depth healing?  You have to feel it to heal it!  Are tears God`s way of flushing the lies and strongholds of deceit that hold us in bondage.  I believe so!

God met each of us exactly where we were, with exactly what we needed, imagine that!  As hostess of this weekend, I believe that God used this experience to strengthen my confidence as he prepares me to walk forward into His healing ministry.. ..Not to mention the buckets of tears, how much junk is still in my trunk?

I`m sure that each of us took something different from our time together; what a delightful way to spend time with sisters-in-Christ, for the glory of God.  Sunday morning came to a close as Sandy sang a beautiful song, inviting us to remain and soak in His presence, she has a lovely voice.  What a gift!  Finally, we joined hands and sang, The LORD`S PRAYER, the sound of our voices singing in love and unity, brought Holy Spirit goosebumps all over my body.

Father God, I thank you for the off-season time share that Rick bought on EBay.   Thank you for my desire and willingness to walk in and share your glory with others.  I thank you, for the in depth healing that I have experienced.  I pray for the continued healing for each lady that spent the weekend in Ocean City.  Father God, what a blessing to spend so much quality time alone with you on Monday.....had no clue all those tears still needed to come out.....will they ever end?  Thank you, for Rick, for his patience and love as I strive to walk this walk of faith and obedience.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  AMEN......That`s not the Holy Spirit shining in the photo, group self photo taken by posing in front of gigantic wall mirror.  Good job Sandy!

FIRST Day 378

Isaiah 50:7  For the LORD God will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.

As I have previously mentioned, I have always known about God, but it wasn`t until one of the most difficult times and struggles in my life that I truly surrendered "my will" to Him.  Father God, I just can`t do this anymore, please remove the burdened from my shoulders.  From that moment, my life has continually changed for the better.

Zephaniah 3:17  The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Indeed, my soul has been quieted by his love and feelings of his rejoicing.  Once I opened his love letter in my heart, a passion of desire for the LORD took root!  Jeremiah 31:33.......after that time, "declares the LORD,"  I will put my law in their minds and write it on their minds and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God and they will be my people.

Yes, there were responsibilities on my part, I made a quality decision to serve Him and be obedient to Him.  I began to walk as His representative with everyone that I met.  Giving your all to God means living as a disciple and picking up your cross daily to follow Him.  As my dear friend Tom Davis says, "you may be the only Bible that someone reads."  Gigantic responsibility, perhaps my addictive personality has finally started to become an asset!

I began the process of putting GOD FIRST!  Ephesians 4:14-16  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  

FIRST---foremost, leading, chief, principal, main, prime, ranking highest, preeminent, supreme and paramount-----is GOD first in your life?  Is He in your top ten?

F-faith--Job 19:25-227  I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.  I myself will see him with my own eyes---I, and not another.  How my heart yearns within me.

I-identity--Deuteronomy 26:18-19  And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.  He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD you God, as he promised.

R-restoration--Micah 7:18-19   Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; you will tread ours sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. 

S-strength--Habakkuk 3:19  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

T-trust--1 Peter 5:5-7  Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble:"  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God`s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

First, I know how much God loves me, I know that I am a precious child of God, He continues to restore, refresh and renew my soul, all things are possible because He gives me strength and I will trust that He will direct my steps for his Glory!

PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE, ALL ELSE WILL FALL INTO PLACE-----RIGHT SUE?   THE BEST ADVISE YOU CAN GIVE .........AMEN

Peel Me Father God Day 377

Ezekiel 36:25-26  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.  I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Ten year ago after I read Rick Warren`s "The Purpose Driven Life," I began to ponder the question, why am I here and what purpose does God have for the rest of my life.  I began to pray that God would direct my steps, that he would put people in my path that I needed to meet.  I prayed that He would allow me to become more like His son, Jesus.  At the time, I thought that might be a little too bold, but I have since learned that is the true destinations for all; to become holy and righteous(right with God).

Granted, God started slow and easy, but recently I feel like Emerald, bam---- he`s kicked it up a notch.  It is as if there is a gigantic onion of sin, embedded in the depths of my soul.  After God brings a new root of sin to my attention, he prepares me for an onion-o-lectomy, ready or not!  Rip, there goes a removal of yet another layer of sin!  1 Peter 5:6-7  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God`s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

So, how did that onion set of sin get there in the first place, it actually began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Genesis 2:15-17  The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."  Genesis 2:22-25  Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Next the deceitful serpent(Satan) has a little chat with Eve----Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD had made,  He, said to the woman, "Did God really, say "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?"  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."  "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made covering for themselves.

  From that moment, by an act of disobedience, it allowed Satan and sin to enter the world. Whether knowly or unknowlingly, I too have been deceived by that dreadful snake. 1 Peter 5:8-9  Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

Some of the most powerful principalities and powers of the devil show up in the behavior of Adam and Eve after they sinned.  We see lying, shame, condemnation, doubt, false accusation, and unbelief.  For the first time, lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life evident.  These are the same root problem that Christian still fight today.(Biblical Foundations of Freedom, Art Mathias)

Hope that explains the onion analogy; back to the massive onion in my gut, and the sin in me. The tiny onion set was fertilized and grew to full and beyond maturity with every sin that I committed..  Think about an onion, that pungent circular veggie(I guess it`s a vegetable, not sure) if we admire it from afar, and don`t remove the outer skin, it`s vilatile gases remain intact.  However, I invited God to restore me to holiness and rightousness and that onion began to sink to high heavens; talk about onion-breath!  One painful transparent layer at a time, the onion has got to go!

Onion-o-lectomy, that my defination of God`s procedure for inner healing.  Wish I could see inside to see just how much of that smelly sinful onion remains!   Guess I `ll just need to be patient and trust God with the scalpel.  1 Peter 5:10-11  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever, Amen.

For years, 23 years I owned and operated a Market Sub and Steak, people always told me that I smelled like onions! Oh no, was it the sin in me omitting that onion gas; or did it have something to do with the 50 pounds of onions a week, that we handed chopped, to put on subs and cheese steaks!

Isaiah 3:24  Instead of fragrance there will be a stench..............got onion breath you need to get rid of?

 1 Peter 5:14  Greet one another with a kiss of love.  Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

I Have A Choice Day 376

Romans 8:38-39  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD.

This scripture brought needed comfort, as many friends and family gathered on an exceptionally warm January morning to honor the life of Glen Collins.  Glen`s cremated remains sat in an 8" by 10" vessel  front and center for all to witness.  Glen was the last of his immediate family to be buried in the family plot in Bethel Cemetery, Chesapeake City, Maryland.  In Glen`s 56 years on this earth, he buried his mother, his father and only brother, all who`s untimely deaths were claimed by  the dreaded C word, cancer.

No, cancer didn`t bring Glen to an early grave; hopelessness and pain in his heart and soul were the victors.  Just days before Christmas, in the privacy of his bedroom, Glen shot himself.   My sister, Joyce reminded me, that the holidays were always tough for him; the burden was more than he was prepared to withstand.  Glen became a member of the one in a million family; the number of people worldwide that take their lives yearly.   He also joined the 32,000 per year in the United States that commit suicide; 80 people a day.  Not to mention the 1500 unsuccessful daily attempts.  

Glen was a great guy that would always lend a hand where he was needed and friend to many; he was also a lost soul in a cruel world of  bondage, stronghold of lies and addictions.   Many concluded that he just never got over the childhood death of his best friend, his mom.   He just kind of wondered from place to place, person to person, never truly finding happiness or feeling worthy of living.   Perhaps there where coping skills that he never learned because of his mom`s early death, who knows??

By holding onto unmet expectations of  life rooted in pain, trauma, anger, bitterness. rejection and resentment had Glen unknowingly partnered with lies of deceit from the great deceiver, Satan.  Had he grieved the loss and separation caused by death of loved one, or had he denied his spiritual growth and healing. Stuffing the pain deep inside of his tormented torso, creating a ticking time bomb.    Was Glen held in bondage by strongholds and lies that clouded his thinking?  Apparently, he had come to believe that no one cared if he lived or died!  That just wasn`t true! Everybody loved Glen, everybody but Glen!

Glen really never traveled from home, as a child he and his family lived on the north side of a small town separated by the C and D canal.  Today, as a gigantic eagle posted guard atop a naked January tree, Glen Collin`s was laid to rest in Bethel Cemetery on the south side with his beloved family.

Psalm 103:2-5  Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits----who forgives all you sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle`s.

Father God, I pray for Glen`s remaining family and friends, as they struggle to understand why he just didn`t reach out to one of them!  Father God, is that how you feel about us, why don`t they let me help them!  Father, I pray that you will use Glen`s death to bring truth and validity to your saving grace, love and mercy to all; the north side, the south side of Chesapeake City and around the world.  Father God, I pray for all the families of suicide victims.  I pray that if you or someone you love is tormented by suicidal thoughts, please get help.....God unconditionally loves each and everyone of His precious children.  His love will gently restore you to perfection, JUST ASK FOR HIS HELP!

Father God, I pray that you will continue to direct my steps, open my eyes and ears to those who are hurting and in need of your healing mercy and grace.  Father, send me, I will go!  I know the pain of loss, the stronghold of lies and bondage of addiction.  I pray that your are preparing me for your ministry of healing----physically, heart and soul.   Yearly, one million people in this world commit suicide, my heart aches, they need you, Father God!

Romans 8:31-32  What, then, shall we say in response to this?  If God is for us , who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all----how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things.

I pray that Glen has found peace in an eternal home. Amen