29 July 2007
A New Journey
What's good! I'm going to keep this short. I've wanted to expand my gift to other areas. I want to expand my gift so I can reach different audiences (for ministry first, sales second). I truly believe that stepping out on faith was a blessing that allowed me to get my foot in the door with my first book. I won't stop writing books, the second one is already in the pre-production stages. Now I'm going to expand to another area such as recording (mainly poetry, maybe rap). I plan to get that started real soon. I just wanted to encourage you to either start working your gift now, or to take your gift to the next level. Remember, you will be held accountable for your gift and you will have to answer to God on Judgment Day. Grace and Peace.
20 July 2007
Interesting Thought
Lend a Helping Hand
This has been on my mind for a long time and I just wanted to quickly share it with you. Let's look at Galatians 6:1.
Galatians 6:1 says, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." When I'm watching TV or hear things from the streets, sometimes I hear about Christians getting caught up in sin. Everyone sins at times, no one is perfect, even though the goal is to strive for perfection. When a Christian sins, however, people bring the hammer down. God said that we, who are spiritual (not the pagans), are supposed to restore him/her. In other words, we need to be TALK to them. The best way to do that, from what I've seen, is to paint the picture. We need to explain why what they did was wrong thoroughly (with scripture), the affects it will have on the ministry of Christ, REPENT (an absolute must) and motivate them to do better. The most famous responses I hear from other people when Christians fall is "I knew he/she was fake" or "All Christians are hypocrites." Instead of joining the peanut gallery and smashing down on the person, help them to UNDERSTAND.
Now be careful of who you are dealing with. The second half of the verse says watch yourself or you may be tempted. That could possibly mean that if you're not strong in the faith, you could give in to temptation and commit the same sin of the person who fell. I'm not entirely sure (that's why it's highly important that you communicate with your Pastor, Youth Leader, or Minister).
We (Christians) are the body of Christ. We are like family, brothers and sisters in the faith. A body, team, or organization is only as strong as its weakest link. If one part of the body is injured, the rest of the body will have to work even harder to pull their own weight and the weight of the body part that's injured. If one Christian falls, the body of Christ will be affected negatively and the growth of ministry will be stunted. If you fell, you would want someone to administer medication to you, so why won't you do the same when a certain part of the body becomes injured....
This has been on my mind for a long time and I just wanted to quickly share it with you. Let's look at Galatians 6:1.
Galatians 6:1 says, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." When I'm watching TV or hear things from the streets, sometimes I hear about Christians getting caught up in sin. Everyone sins at times, no one is perfect, even though the goal is to strive for perfection. When a Christian sins, however, people bring the hammer down. God said that we, who are spiritual (not the pagans), are supposed to restore him/her. In other words, we need to be TALK to them. The best way to do that, from what I've seen, is to paint the picture. We need to explain why what they did was wrong thoroughly (with scripture), the affects it will have on the ministry of Christ, REPENT (an absolute must) and motivate them to do better. The most famous responses I hear from other people when Christians fall is "I knew he/she was fake" or "All Christians are hypocrites." Instead of joining the peanut gallery and smashing down on the person, help them to UNDERSTAND.
Now be careful of who you are dealing with. The second half of the verse says watch yourself or you may be tempted. That could possibly mean that if you're not strong in the faith, you could give in to temptation and commit the same sin of the person who fell. I'm not entirely sure (that's why it's highly important that you communicate with your Pastor, Youth Leader, or Minister).
We (Christians) are the body of Christ. We are like family, brothers and sisters in the faith. A body, team, or organization is only as strong as its weakest link. If one part of the body is injured, the rest of the body will have to work even harder to pull their own weight and the weight of the body part that's injured. If one Christian falls, the body of Christ will be affected negatively and the growth of ministry will be stunted. If you fell, you would want someone to administer medication to you, so why won't you do the same when a certain part of the body becomes injured....
17 July 2007
Don't Worry, Be Happy
I decided it's time to for change of pace for a minute and drop some encouragement. I'm going to talk about worrying and why you shouldn't do that. Let's look at Matthew 6:25-34 (The text is in red, so Jesus is talking - for those who didn't know).
Right off the bat, verse 25 says "Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." He goes into the next verse saying is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Jesus even makes a comparison that clearly shows that we shouldn't worry. He compares us to the birds of the air in verse 26. He says that the birds don't sow, reap or store away anything and yet God still feeds them. Now comes the punchline: are we not more valuable than the birds?
NO ONE CAN ADD AN HOUR TO HIS/HER LIFE. Jesus made this firm statement which is even backed by modern medicine. With that being said, one can conclude that our bodies weren't made to handle worry. It's ok to be concerned about some things (but that's a different ball game).
In verse 32, Jesus solidifies His reason as to why we shouldn't worry, as He says that the Pagans run after all these things. The next thing Jesus said can be seen as a testimony of God's love for us. "Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them." God knows what we need, He created us. A creator will always know His creation. Christ finally gets to the heart of the matter, "but seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you." That means if you want the clothes on your back and food on your table, seek Him first and He will provide a way. He always does.
Jesus comes to a close when says not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own. A true statement, trust me. Another reason why you shouldn't worry about tomorrow or next week is because tomorrow isn't promised. Jesus is coming soon and know one knows when He shall return. I know what some of you are going through (rent due real soon, cell phone, tuition, other bills), but don't worry. Trust in God and all your needs will be met. So as the song says, "Don't worry, be happy. Don't worry, be happy now." God Bless.
Right off the bat, verse 25 says "Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." He goes into the next verse saying is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Jesus even makes a comparison that clearly shows that we shouldn't worry. He compares us to the birds of the air in verse 26. He says that the birds don't sow, reap or store away anything and yet God still feeds them. Now comes the punchline: are we not more valuable than the birds?
NO ONE CAN ADD AN HOUR TO HIS/HER LIFE. Jesus made this firm statement which is even backed by modern medicine. With that being said, one can conclude that our bodies weren't made to handle worry. It's ok to be concerned about some things (but that's a different ball game).
In verse 32, Jesus solidifies His reason as to why we shouldn't worry, as He says that the Pagans run after all these things. The next thing Jesus said can be seen as a testimony of God's love for us. "Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them." God knows what we need, He created us. A creator will always know His creation. Christ finally gets to the heart of the matter, "but seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you." That means if you want the clothes on your back and food on your table, seek Him first and He will provide a way. He always does.
Jesus comes to a close when says not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own. A true statement, trust me. Another reason why you shouldn't worry about tomorrow or next week is because tomorrow isn't promised. Jesus is coming soon and know one knows when He shall return. I know what some of you are going through (rent due real soon, cell phone, tuition, other bills), but don't worry. Trust in God and all your needs will be met. So as the song says, "Don't worry, be happy. Don't worry, be happy now." God Bless.
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