Hot Praise Break - Tye Tribbett, Beverly Crawford, Ricky Dillard, Kevin ...

Lance

One more thing, Lance Armstrong: In a perfect world, Lance Armstrong's should have taken an article out in USA today, purchased air time on all of the major networks, sat down alone, unscripted and apologized to every single person he has sued and bullied about juicing. Instead, well, you already know, he helped a friend by giving her the largest viewership her network has ever seen and finally affirmed what most saw and knew all along. I wondered, how could he just ruin people who he knew loved him, cherished his work? How? Is that what it is like to not have a soul? Perhaps he will write a Memoir or blog it out somewhere. For me it seems just too deep to reveal. Like Columbine and Newtown no matter what we do to remedy our conscious we are left muffling tears surrounded by the word 'why'. Other words/cliches come as a solvent: Forgive, move on, this 2 shall pass. Providing some comfort as we ponder the horror of witnessing this humiliation of others for personal gain. 4 all of us, a few consoling phrases: "Weeping may endure....but joy...comes... Press toward the mark...." Sometimes there just aren't easy answers. The only power is in the anecdote of the Living Word. #lancearmstrong

Somebody Else does not live here

Ever wish you were somebody else?  Yes, I sure have.  Carroll Burnett or Cher when they had variety shows.  Their lives looked so free and seemed filled with people who loved them.  Then reporters revealed that the cast on Caroll Burnetts's show were drunk most of the tapings or in competitiom to crack the other.  Shortly there after, Sonny and Cher were divorced. So there went my dream of being somebody else.  My world seemed to get better. 

I hope that this happens as you read this.  Oh, your life isn't so bad.  Sure you have ups and downs over and outs. But you are okay.  So am I  because somebody else does not live here.
I do.

Somebody Else does not live here

Ever wish you were somebody else?  Yes, I sure have.  Carroll Burnett or Cher when they had variety shows.  Their lives looked so free and seemed filled with people who loved them.  Then reporters revealed that the cast on Caroll Burnetts's show were drunk most of the tapings or in competitiom to crack the other.  Shortly there after, Sonny and Cher were divorced. So there went my dream of being somebody else.  My world seemed to get better. 

I hope that this happens as you read this.  Oh, your life isn't so bad.  Sure you have ups and downs over and outs. But you are okay.  So am I  because somebody else does not live here.
I do.

Only child

Political views and such

I haver a friend who seems to be the kindest, most loving guy ever.  That is until President Barack Obama is mentioned. His demeanor takes on that of some sort of superhero aiming to rid anyone of the thought that our President is good in any way.  To me, my friend's views come off just  horrible.  He acts like a woman scorned. His page is filled with hate and he uses scripture to back up his everyword.  Knowing him for more than 10 years, practically being apart of his family and learning this about him makes me feel bamboozled. I don't know what to do.  If I approach him, he will vehemently defend his legal right of freedom of speech.  However, I just wonder, what about as a Christian?  Do we have the right to say whatever we want to about a leader when the scripture instructs us to pray for those who have rule over us? Admittedly,  there have been Presidents who I havn't agreed with on most of what they stood for, however, I did not take an open forum and condemn that President and his family.  Well, my friend is doing just that.  He comes off as as harsh.  His words seem contrary to what and who he believes. Not to long ago, he even wrote  these words when referring to our President:  "The devil is in the details".  I read that and wondered what about the scripture that reads "love conquers a multitude of sins".  The mere fact that most of the time when Jesus was speaking about all types of sins to avoid  or when Paul was addressing the same issues both of them were talking to CHURCH PEOPLE.  God know the people who hates him and He says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock...."  I havn't read yet where He yells and spits and tells us we are all going to Hell if we don't do what He says and we better do it right now OR ELSE.  He call is for us to love.  Love above all.  Love so much we forget about ourselves and concentrate on Him. 

(I don't know.  And I shouldn't care.  But it bothers me.  It bothers the hell out of me.  At some point, we have to invoke what we believe.  Our God is a God of love.  So in the worst of times we are to find a way to Praise HIM and not condemn our fellow and potential joint-heir.) 

Last time I looked he had a picture of the President taking off his shoes to enter a Muslim Mosque.  He critized that action.  I'm thinking that if we live in America where we have the right to choose and such.  What is wrong with respecting another person's religion? I'd like to ask him?  I'd even venture to say, "hey you know that our Bible even instructs that if our brother does not eat meat to honor that, right?  So what was so wrong with President Obama taking off his shoes in respect. Was he to say, I am the President AND a Christian, AND I am NOT taking off my shoes! Seems easier to just respect their mosque.  Visit and go.  Afterall, this is an election year.   Anyway repecting is a form of  love.  And "Love does not provoke.  Love endures. all things".  Somewhere along the way my friend seems to have lost his way of soul-winning and is choosing to be a member of the popular/ be like me-minded thinkers of our world.   You know what I mean, the people who carry the tone of ...if you are not like me... you are 'one of them' and we hate them just because...sort of like someone said to me about Hitler.  He had dark hair and eyes but convinced a nation of people to kill everyone who looked like him and perserve that which he called the pure nation (you remember, blond hair, blue eyes). 

As a Christian, I am reminded to imitate Christ, to walk as dear children.  Children love laughter, they don't like being bullied into believing anything or doing anything.  They greet you with arms open and hope in their faces.  They want to tell you about their day and they want you to listen and spend time with them. Not too much because they want to play.  They enjoy being together, even if is not in the same room.  But my friend denounces President Obama.  He types misleading, bully colored prayers. I barely recognized him anymore. The saddest part is that his posting are so strong against a man who shares his skin color...a man who is a father like he is...a married who fell in love and married the woman of his dreams just like my friend did they have so many similarities except my friend fills pages of disparaging remarks about a man with whom he shares so many commonalities.  

Manipulation and Greed (a Christian perspective)

M and G are terms well known in the Businees world.  There are television programs that bear one of their names.  But no one talks about how it lurks around in the church.  Some people call or label it as having the experience of 'church hurt'.  Here is how it normally works:  A new person comes into the church or it is someone who has been around a while and has decided to not 'bury' there gifts.  They cast aside what 'everyone-might-think and they venture out.  Perhaps to become President of and auxilary or just anything that breaks their old norm of coming to church and going home.  Well, now that action can cause  a re-action and some of the 'members' get uneasy.  Comments begin to flow 'you see how sister or brother so-and-so are acting different...the Pastor calls on them more than me...and I'm the one who has done ..... another comment might even say to you is : 'leadership treats me different since you came around...they don't talk to me as much...'  This seems to start a new 'click'.  And before the moon can go down in blood (as the song goes), that person has said things and repeated things and the listerners are now back where they wanted them. 
That  member who was trying to use their gifts, doing more to help around the church finds it better to allow things go back to the way they were.  They discontinue everything just to keep everyone happy.  That is the power of M and G.  It will not snap or break evenly.  It seeks to tear and rip painfully and unevenly. (Well, that is how I've experienced it) It causes people to feel that 'church hurt' feeling.  The M and G worker feels fulfilled and satisfied once everything returns to their (so-called) normal.  Why? Because they've learned how to  use Manipulation and Greed to get relationships for themselves.  And,  a false esteem.  They're wounding others along the way and not ever recognizing what they have done.  

Manipulation and Greed.