Spiritual Coffee

“Accept my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is better than precious stones, and nothing desirable can compare with it.”
Proverbs 8:10-11 HCSB

It is hard for me to believe that another summer is quickly coming to a close and that another College School year has begun. I have taken some very special time and spent the day thinking about and praying for many of the College Students from my church who started back to school. I was thinking about all of the pressures the world throws at today’s College Student. I realize that being a college student and a believer can be difficult on campuses today. College Ministry has changed so drastically over the years and in many instances college students who claim to be Christians are struggling in their relationship with Jesus. The world diligently tries to dictate what college believers should believe and with every year that passes we seem to be further away from the truths that our Lord and Savior taught and lived. At some point along the way believers stopped believing that we (with God’s help) can truly make a difference in the world and on our campuses. We are truly living in a material world, a world where cell phones and computers take precedence over the time spent getting alone and seeking God! I asked College Students this past Sunday morning what material possession they most worried about losing and why, and the vast majority worried about losing their cell phone or computer because they would feel disconnected from their peers. I must confess and let all of you know that I love technology and will also admit there has been times in my life when the electronic devices that I own and are designed to help me be organized have many times become a distraction. They sometimes keep me from spending time with my Lord. Sometimes we are way to concerned with material things of the world and not concerned with learning the things of Lord or spending time with Him. Scripture teaches us to “Accept my instruction”. Can I tell you that God’s instruction is far better than things the world places great value on? We are to prefer life disciplines and God knowledge over the things of the world. When you are in a right relationship with God, things of the world do not compare. So get alone with God before firing up facebook or turning your cell phone on. Those text messages will wait! Choose wisdom…choose God. I love you all!

Bro. J <><

“All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness.” Ephesians 4:31 HCSB

Myrtle A. Harris (my grandmother) was old school. She liked accomplish her daily work like her parents did back in the day. Most of the work she accomplished was by necessity, but at the time I did not realize this. I just thought she was very cool lady. She could hit any object with an apple core…she could kill, clean and cook a chicken, and routinely “put up” apple and strawberry preserves. She laughed easily, listened carefully and pondered cautiously. Even though she was a refined southern lady, sometimes she would do the most amazing things, like make biscuits and chocolate gravy on special mornings. She could whistle like any songbird and she loved and encouraged others to read books, and loved giving detailed accounts of what she was currently reading. I can remember many mornings sitting in her little kitchen and watching her as she made coffee by boiling water on top of the stove. What was cool about this routine is that she would do this without the aid of a coffee pot. I would watch her as the water began to boil and she would start pouring the coffee grounds in to the bubbling pot. She would let the water boil several minutes and then remove the pot from the burner. She then would collect the broken egg shells she had been saving for this specific reason and put them into the cooling coffee water as it steeped on the stove top. I asked her about her routine one time and she told me that the egg shells cut the bitterness from the coffee grounds. I can’t remember how well this process worked and if it did indeed cut the bitterness but I can tell you that every time I took a sip of grand mama’s dark black boiled java I would wind up spitting coffee grounds and eggshells for the rest of the morning. I was thinking about her morning ritual recently and began to think about how bitter some Christians always seem to be! God has truly blessed me so I can’t help but wonder, how they can remain bitter and upset for so long! They waste their lives by never letting go of past wrongs that someone may have committed against them. Life is way to short to hang on to bitterness. God has been so good to those of us who know Him! Bitterness has no place in the kingdom of the living God! In the great commandment Jesus instructs His followers to Love God, and to also Love people! If you are busy praying for and lifting up those you have difficulties with you will not be able to remain bitter! If you make God the top priority in your life your bitterness will quickly dissipate and you will experience joy. I have learned in life not to be upset or bitter of things that I cannot control. Pray today for those you are having troubles and problems with! The Word of God may be like using spiritual eggshells to cut the bitterness and resolve the anger! You will feel so much better when you do! And above all, lift up Jesus! Pray for those you are at odds with and forgive! I love you all!

Are you a revolutionary? If there were ever a time when believers should ponder their life and relationship with God it is now. Mediocrity and indifference appears to be the attitude de jour as countless people are searching for the peace that surpasses all understanding and they struggle and stumble through life trying to figure it all out on their own! As believers, we must be radical and revolutionary in our approach at reaching out to a lost world. Can I tell you that there is no time like right now to start reaching. I have been thinking a lot lately about being a radical and in my thinking I began to think about essential characteristics that radical people possess and wanted to share some thoughts with you about these characteristics in this blogpost!

First, revolutionaries Dream Big! In Jeremiah 29:11 scripture teaches “For I know the plans I have for you” (this is the Lord’s declaration) “ plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This declaration the Lord had for the exiles in Babylon is just as relevant for believers in the church today! The bible teaches us to “take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your hearts desires”. Some of the first questions for a would be revolutionary is…are you delighting yourself in the Lord? What are you dreaming about? What is it, that you want to accomplish for God? I like to dream. I really believe that the sky is the limit! To often I meet people who put limits on their own life which I believe limits God in the way He uses them. Some wise person once said “can’t never could”. I believe that God began a work in me that is going to take me places that I never dreamed possible. I want to be part of a movement because I know that God has tailor made plans for me. He also has plans for you! (Big Plans) Are you setting goals? Do you have goals? Have you written those goals down? God has expectations of us. We are not to sit idly by waiting for direction. Revolutionaries seek God and look for opportunities to glorify Him. If you are setting goals for your life, and you already know how to achieve those goals…I am here to tell you that your goals are to small. We are to set goals that can only be accomplished with God’s help! Dream big!

Second, we need to Work Hard! Please don’t miss understand me, it is by grace you are saved through faith. We are not working our way into heaven, Christ Jesus accomplished the way for believers when He died on Calvary’s Cross. Realizing this, we also need to understand that everything we do needs to be done as unto the Lord. God wants and deserves our very best. He truly wants us to “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe every thing that I (Jesus) have commanded you.” We must understand that discipleship is a process. Salvation is the beginning of the process. When dreaming big and working hard, we have a responsibility to those people we lead to the Lord. So many times when asked the question about witnessing or evangelism we often say that our biggest fear is persecution or rejection. We need to pray and let God know about our fears. Take the step of faith required in being a great commission Christian. God will be with you every step of the way. Develop a solid work ethic and never be ashamed of the gospel because it truly is God’s power that drives it (the gospel).

Third, we need to “Get it done”! “Don’t put off till tomorrow, what can be done today.” So many times we fail to tell someone about what God is currently doing in our own lives. The key word is currently! What is God doing in your life today? Has He done something in your life in the past 24 hours? Has He done something in your life in the past week, or month or even year? If your testimony consist only of your salvation experience you are not growing spiritually. God wants to be an active part of your day. Do you know people that do not have a relationship with Jesus? Of course you do. What is keeping you from sharing your faith with those people today. I want to tell you, there is no time like the present. Many people tell me “I invite them to church” and don’t get me wrong this is a great thing. We should invite people to church! But what I want you to understand is church is not going to save them. Instead of inviting them to church, invite them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When they surrender their lives to Christ, they will want to come to our assemblies. Get it done, think about the person that you have been praying about witnessing to, and call or take them out today and share about what Jesus has done in your life.

Fourth, believers need to Play fair. The bible teaches us to “Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” When people look at believers they should see Jesus. We are to be mirror reflections of Him. Think about it, Jesus is fair. He expects us to be fair in the way that we deal with people. Don’t let others unfairness bring you down. Do what is right, don’t conform to the patterns of this world. Be transformed. Your reputation matters. What you do and say, and what others see in the way that you live your life says a lot about your relationship with Christ. Play fair!

Fifth, Have fun! Being a Christian is loads of fun. Its ok to have fun! The Bible teaches us that Jesus came came so we could not only have life, but an abundant life. An abundant life to me sounds fun. He has allowed me to experience some amazing things across the years. My life as a believer is loads of fun. I find true joy in serving Him and His church. Somehow and somewhere along the way in the history of the world someone has made the Christian walk boring and hum drum. My life is anything but boring and hum drum. If you are a believer and your life is boring and hum drum, you are greatly missing out on what God intended for you! My relationship with Christ is challenging, it changes the way I think and approach life. I truly realize that my life here on this earth is short compared to what I will be doing in eternity. If people are going to see the Love of Christ in my life here on earth, I should be enjoying my relationship with Jesus. I have found that when there is sin in my life, I am not experiencing the joy because of the sin that brings separation between me and my Savior. You may be reading this blog and be thinking that I feel ten million miles away from God…can I tell you…it is only one step back. His word tells us that He will never leave, or forsake us. Have fun following Him!

Sixth, Make a difference in someones life. The greatest joy that I have experienced in my first 50 years on this planet is being able to impact someones life for eternity. I love mentoring people. God has truly blessed me by allowing me to spend time with young people who are searching for God’s will for their lives. I want to encourage those of you who are reading this post to find someone and invest into their life. I have had many great men who have plugged into my life over the years. Men who love Christ and loved me enough to spend the time leading, directing and preparing me for what God has called me to do! My prayer is, that I would be able to give back to my Lord some of the great things that have been given to me. Make a difference…start today, you will be blessed beyond your wildest imagination.

Are you a revolutionary, do you possess these six characteristics? I hope and pray so, and I pray that you will use them starting right now, to impact everyone that you come into contact with. I love you all! <><

Does the Gospel truly impact your life…

I want to start my blog today with a question. This question is one that I believe every Christian should consider…Does the Gospel truly, impact your life? How? Now, after thinking about your answer, I want to ask you another question. Did your answer to the question about the gospel seem programmed? So many times, people who are exposed to the gospel and have experienced a life change can easily formulate a programmed response and feel good about their answer. But if the gospel actually did impact your life, you would be different! You would be dependent, clinging to a Holy God understanding that it is only He that can save! We would have an overwhelming burden for lost people. We would realize that without the gospel these people are doomed. Does the Gospel actually impact your life? Scripture teaches “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first the Jew, and also to the Greek.” As I write this blog I stand before you ready to be used in a mighty way by a Holy God who has called me according to His purposes! I realize that we have been given great tools to reach a lost world! Why are we not seeing people saved? We have the gospel…it still changes lives St. Francis of Assisi said “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” We have to allow the gospel to become us. Lost people need to see it, to feel it, to know that our lives are different because of what a Holy God has done! Does the Gospel impact your life? Does the Gospel impact your actions? The bible also teaches us “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your selves” There has to be a time in the life of a believer, when they actually start doing the gospel! We can be academic and study and search the scriptures for answers. We can spend time on our face in prayer and meditation and never engage the great commission. We (believers) have to get into the game! We are to be doers of the word. Believers are to be people who take the good news of the glorious gospel and put it into practice. Think about it…the gospel should affect everything we do! The gospel should affect the way we treat people, the way we act, the way we live. Is the gospel doing this in your life? People need to see Jesus in and through the lives we live!

Does the Gospel impact your actions…Does the Gospel impact your family and friends? Scripture teaches us “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel!” It also says “A friend Loves at all times”. We are to let our light shine before men. People need to be able to see Jesus in you! God puts us into places where lost people can see and evaluate our lives. Have you ever considered what lost people are searching for? I have been purposely asking all the people that meet this question and what I find amazing is they are searching for peace, joy, love! What is the gospel…think about it. It is simply a conversational proclamation. We have to get people talking and thinking about Jesus. The bible teaches us “For, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The gospel is truly good news. It is great news, it is simply telling others about what Jesus has done in your life! Does the Gospel impact your life? Will you make a difference? Or will you be ashamed? Are you willing…to do what ever it takes to reach your community for the gospel? My prayer this morning that it is! I love you all!<><

I want to be in the LIGHT (Matthew 5:14-16)

I love to think and talk about light! Light truly is the absence of darkness and as believers, we are to let our light shine so that the world can see Jesus in us. Jesus tells us that we (believers) are the light of the world. I want you to think right now about ways that you are currently being a light in a dark world. My goal in this blog is that you will to better understand the unique giftedness you possess and help you to totally plug into ministry so that your light will shine brightly. I have found that a little bit of light goes along way. When I am flying at night, I can look down from about five miles up and see the lone head lights from a car as it travels down a dark road. As a light in the world, I understand the need to pierce the darkness. If the light of Jesus is shining in you, there will be no way to hide it. If a person is truly a believer, there is no way they would want to hide their light. They want their light to shine so that others can see Christ. The gospel (good news) compels us to let the light of Christ Jesus shine through our actions. Your good works for the cause of Christ reflect on Him. The Apostle James ask the question (James 2:14) “What good is it if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? When your light is brightly shining, your faith compels you work. A great definition of works is things done by a believer that benefits someone else and brings glory to God. I truly want to be in the light! Are you walking in the light today? I love you all <><

Bloom where you are planted…

Are you blooming where God has you planted? My mother is one of the most amazing people that I have ever had the opportunity to meet. She has an amazing personality and because of this she never meets a stranger. People have always seemed to be drawn to her. She also can carry on a conversation with anyone. It is amazing, it does not matter what their socioeconomic or educational background might be, mom can converse with anyone and make people feel better about them selves. She has the unique ability to not only talk with them, but she can find out where they’re from, how many kids they have, if they plant a garden, and what cemetery their great grand mama was buried in. She continues as she finds out their current medical condition, including the doctors and hospitals they have used. She finds out their music preferences and lets them know what type of music that she likes (Elvis and Gospel). The list goes on because my mom is genuinely interested in people . She is amazing lady that has figured out ways to enjoy life! She figured out along time ago and we would all do well to learn that wherever or whatever her station in life, you have got to look for the good in people! She always seems to be able to find good in any situation! My mom has always bloomed where she was planted! The word of God teaches us about this. The Apostle Paul tells us to “rejoice in the Lord!” He goes on to say that we are to “be anxious for nothing” in other words we are not to worry. My mom has learned and I have learned from her not to worry about things that I cannot control. When the God of peace dwells in your life, you don’t have to worry. Our God is Sovereign! His will is going to be done! Are you blooming where you are planted? Are you making the best out of every situation? Let God use you today; make the decision to bloom right where you are! I love you all…<><

I have decided to follow Jesus…

In my quiet time I sometimes find myself thinking about songs that I have learned over the years. I like thinking about words in songs that point people to Jesus. Being fairly contemporary in my music choices, I will admit that sometimes I find that I like to think about the words from the old gospel songs. They never get old to me because they continually convey the good news about Jesus. I was thinking about the song “I have decided to follow Jesus” in my quiet time this morning. I love this song. When I was thinking about the song I realized that even though I talk about being a follower when I am guilty of running a head. I am guilty at times of singing this song without thinking about what the words say and mean. You see, I decided to follow Jesus along time ago, but many times I realize that I am not following Him the way that I should. Sometimes, I am running way ahead on my own and I must warn you that this is a dangerous place for a follower to be. Believers who run ahead will often miss what God truly intends for them. We should learn to wait on the Lord. It seems that every time I step out on my own without clear guidance from God I have to deal with the uncertainty that comes from treading uncharted territory. If we are truly following Jesus, we have to find out where we are going by spending time with Jesus, continually asking Him to reveal the direction that He wants to lead. We have to ask the Leader, the one that we are following where we are going. We must simply ask Jesus the places that He is going to lead us each day. Jesus said “anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness”. (John 8:12) His word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path (Psalm 119:105). Jesus directed His disciples to “Follow ME”. He wanted them to become fishers of men. His word is unchanging. He wants us (His followers) to be Fishers of Men today. We are His Sheep! John 10:4 says “The sheep follow Him, because they know His voice.” Do you know His Voice? My prayer for you today is that you will simply FOLLOW! I love you all <><

Significance

It was the best of times…it was the worst of times. I remember thinking these thoughts as I approached the tender age of 50. I find that my mind and body sometimes feels like the Charles Dickens quote in the beginning of his book “a tale of two cities.” Recently, I have taken some time and thought about my life! I began to reflect on how God’s hand has constantly directed the events that have taken place over the years that I have lived. I have realized that I am now on the backside of life. Thirty years ago I could not have imagined being 50, and now I am realizing it every time I look into a mirror. Being fifty is not such a bad place to me, I am not yet ready for retirement, nor am I ready to look for a strong cane or a good whittling knife, but I do find my self more and more desiring to hang out with the old guys at down at Hardee’s every morning. Do you ever think about your life? Do you think about what you have accomplished? Did you think that you may be at a different place at this point in your life? I have had all of these thoughts. I loved Bob Buford’s book “Half Time”, Bob, after living a very successful life wanted to turn his “success” into “significance”. He took the time to think about what he would be remembered for. He realized the value of leaving something significant over success that really only benefited few. The Church needs to be significant today. We need to look for ways to make a significant impact on the world. We need to reach out to the lost like never before! Our efforts should be outward, and we should take the mindset of Jesus, when He looked out at the crowd and was moved with compassion. We need to see what Jesus realized when He looked to the fields seeing they were “white unto harvest”. God has placed expectations on each of those who are in a real relationship with Him. If you are a believer and He is Lord of your life you need to tell someone about all of the significant things He has done for you. Call it conversational evangelism, we need to get people talking about the things of God. He has directed the Church to “Go therefore and make disciples…” We need to be all about God’s business! We need to tell more and more people about Him until the whole world hears. We need to pray more spending time on our knees and face. We should be purposeful and significant in our outreach efforts! I want my grand children to be more significant than successful! Success is fleeting; significance is eternal. Are you making a difference for the Kingdom of God today! I pray so and I love you all!! <><

I love looking at the relationship status of my friends on facebook. For some, it seems their status changes quite frequently. You can see various status’s depending on the person, for some it will say “Single” for others it will say “Married”, some might even have “in a relationship” but I think my favorite is “in a relationship, and its complicated”. In thinking about these status’s I find my self in a real dilemma. You see, I am in this relationship, and it is complicated…it is truly very complicated…the relationship that I am talking about is my relationship with Jesus…

It is complicated because it changes the way that I deal with…

Others-the bible teaches us that if any man is in Christ…he becomes a new creation…this whole concept is complicated, my relationship with Christ should cause me to treat others differently. I am to love my neighbor, I am to be kind and compassionate, tenderhearted and forgiving. You might be thinking now…how is this complicated. It is complicated because of my own selfish sin nature. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 depicts a major change…I am here to tell you that the majority of the time, change creates complication. Many of your friends that knew you before Christ will not believe there is a change. They are always around to remind you of your former way life and that in it self can create complications. Other complications may surface because they make fun of your new life with Christ. They may have difficulties with your new beliefs, so your relationship with Christ can create complications for others.

My relationship with Jesus…

It is complicated because it changes the way that I deal with…

God-I am to love Him with all of my mind and with all of my soul and with all of my heart…where is the complication here? Is the complication God? Certainly not, the problem (complication) in this situation is me! You see, It is easy for me to get caught up with the things going on in my life. My selfish nature and desire are at war with my relationship with Jesus and this complicates things. It complicates things because in this relationship it truly is not about me, and it truly is all about God. This may sound so trite because many times people who claim to be believers know all of the right things to say. Many say its all about God, but fail to live out their lives like it is about Him. This complicates things because the people who are searching for the peace of God may not see peace in the life of a supposed believer.

My relationship with Jesus…

It is complicated because it changes the way that I deal with…

My self-I am supposed to die to sin and self…and surrender control to a Savior! This is complicated…it requires surrender and submission, this in it self is complicated because of my humanity. I have to be reminded that apart from God, there is nothing good at all about me! I have to be reminded that it is by Grace I am saved through faith, and I had nothing to do with it…it does not have anything to do with how good I now am, but it has everything to do with how good God always is. So you might be thinking ok, ok, I realize that our relationship with God can be complicated. What is a person to do? Let me give me some ways to un-complicate this relationship.

First, you need to commit your self to Him. You truly have to surrender control. Stop caring about what people think…and concentrate on what God thinks. Galatians 1:10 ask the question “Who are you trying to please?”

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Strive to please God first. If you make your relationship with God your top priority, all other relationships will be better.

Second, you need to communicate with God. How do you do that, through prayer and Bible Study. God’s word (the Bible) is capable of answering all of life’s questions. The Bible is God’s written revelation to us. So many are confused because of all that the world says about the Bible. This complicates the relationship. This is where faith, which is truly supernatural comes in. True faith changes the way that you see things. True faith un-complicates our lives. It is foundational, it is bed-rock, when you know that you know about your relationship with Christ, it becomes less complicated and you can walk in peace that comes from truly knowing you are in a relationship with the Savior.

Third, you can un-complicate things by simply caring. You can accomplish this by loving God…and the people He created. It is not always easy but essential in your growth as a believer.

I certainly hope this helps, praying for you all, Loving God…and His people! <><

What is God doing in your life…

…I find my self asking this question more and more to people who are connected with the ministry that God has called me to lead. The response to the question is baffling, because it is quickly apparent that most people do not have an answer for the question. What is God doing in your life? Can you at this very moment share a testimony of His provision, His power…or His plan for you? Or…has the Main thing (Jesus), ceased being the main thing in your relationship with Him? Can I tell you that when God truly indwells the lives of people, those lives change and God is very evident to all people they come into contact with. Scripture teaches us to “…set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hears, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” For the believer, our hope is only found in Christ Jesus…What is He doing in your life today? I love you all<><