notes from lisa...

 We live in a world filled with extremism, in many forms. It isn't really a new factor, but as we draw closer to the end of the day, I tend to think we have more of them and they have strengthened. Many of them, perhaps even most of them are offensive--and insensitive, to someone that doesn't share the ideology. For instance, politically we now have the radically right Tea Party and their extreme, and I think even dangerous ideas, if enacted (for many). We have extreme groups such as the Taliban and the more radical Boko Haram who practices a harsher form of Sharia Law--I can't imagine Sharia harsher??!!! We see "Pro-Life Christians" who are so against abortion--the "murder" of unborn babies that they are willing to block abortion clinics, bomb abortion clinics and murder doctors who provide the legal service to desperate women. We also have "Christians" who feel justified protesting at the funeral services of non-heterosexual service men and

FORGIVENESS is not  an easy process--that was never a promise; however, we still must forgive AND ask for forgiveness. What makes forgiveness hard for both offenders and the offended is the same thing--PRIDE. Pride gets in the way of the process, and drags out what could heal and restore very simply if our ego's didn't get in the way.  The offender doesn't want anyone to know that he is guilty of the offense--in fact, he doesn't mind if God knows, but God forbid men find him out! The offended is wallowing in pride as well, whenever he holds on to his anger and resentment because of what was done to HIM. Yes, it's all pride. I don't need to go to them; I can confess it to God; and why should I let them off the hook after they offended me so deeply?  What's  so wrong with this thinking??? 1 AND [Jesus] said to His disciples, Temptations (snares, traps set to entice to sin) are sure to come, but woe to him by or through whom they come!     2

     I was just sitting here thinking about some very wise words from my mother. Whenever we got excited about a particular preacher or a certain ministry, she would admonish us, not to focus on the person, and make a point to remind us that "they are men ". She wanted us to understand the danger of glorifying the vessel, rather than the God of the vessel--it's tempting because we can see the vessel, with our natural eye. At the time, I don't think I realized how important and prophetic her words would be.      Before she died, we had begun to see scandals with church leaders--Jim Jones was in the distant past by February, 1993. We had gone through a couple more major ones, and of course many smaller (some completely unnoticed) ones. However , I don't think any of us could have predicted what we see, today--it is a pretty regular part of our national news. My mom would always say, "take your eyes off the man, because the success of his ministry isn'

This past weekend, was one of the best and most productive weekends I've had in a long time. It was also a challenge. You see, I'm so enamored, amazed and grateful for God's grace--and I want everyone else to be, also; so, whenever I see hints of legalism, something gets stirred up in me. That occurred, too, this weekend. Legalism doesn't only stink in God's nostrils, it stinks in mine, too. I see the damage it does, and I see also that it is in essence a rejection of the work of the cross. Today, for my devotional time, I was drawn to the 4th chapter of Romans. You know how you can read a verse or verses all of your life, but never get the full meaning--and then, a light bulb gets turned on? And, really that's not to say, that there won't be further illumination, but today was pretty explosive. I love this chapter--it's the story of the shaping of grace, through the father of faith, Abraham. When we read in Genesis (if we start there, having never r

Have you ever been in a place in your life where no matter what you do, everything seems to go wrong? You try, you press, you push--all uphill, but you remain at the bottom of the heap with no seeming progress in sight. I know all about it--too well (at least, by my standards). When you find yourself (or see someone in this position) it can be a natural reaction to assume that sin must be the cause. Sometimes, it is . Sometimes, it isn't . I had just such a moment when I woke up today--having had disappointment heaped upon disappointment in rapid succession, of late. My efforts to turn things around have not gone well, at all. Today, I asked that question--it is right to self examine. I asked God, "What have I done to cause this--why can't I get out of this rut; what am I doing wrong? " Before, I could put the question mark at the end of the question, I got the response: "Don't ask that question!" And, immediately, the passage came to mind where Jes

There is so much going on in our world, today. It's easy to get distracted and caught up in the business of "living" and all of its entrapments. Humans in the 21st century are constantly bombarded by things that seduce our five (natural) senses. There are enticements everywhere. This leads to people who are driven to gain more, people who want out, and people who simply fall between the cracks. Most people, fall into two or even all three categories at some point in their lives. In any of these conditions, we can become disillusioned. Many, who we tend to think of as "having it made" are unhappy, and without peace. Many of us--even in the Church, struggle to find constancy in the peace of God--and find ourselves unsettled, and unable to pinpoint why. It is hard to address a problem when you can't find the reason. Sometimes, we examine our lives, and we have done all of the things we set out to do, acquired the things that we wanted, and still have the fe

Lately, I've noticed a trend. I have seen many of us referring to Jesus as "Yahweh", G-d, El, or His Jehovistic names from the Old Testament, which speak to certain qualities or attributes. I think as students of His Word--and we ALL should be, we need to know these names and titles. They are important, and we should not reject them. However, we should not replace the Name of JESUS with them, either. The Old Testament Names and Titles given to Israel, were given because the Messiah had not yet come. They didn't have the privilege of knowing His Name, as we do . They didn't have the option of calling on Jesus!!! in the midst of trials or danger. They didn't have His Name for salvation, and so they offered sacrifices and focused on outward circumcision, rather than circumcision of the heart. When the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus, ("For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: an

Sometimes, I wonder why we serve God. I mean, is it for spiritual things or natural, temporal ones??? Are we guilty of following God for the tangible blessings, or is it really because our soul longs for more of Him? I just have to ask, because too often, I hear the scriptures that relate to the blessings of God's children in an earthly sense, rather than a spiritual one. The verses that promise great spiritual blessings are reduced to simple get rich quick schemes when we are done with them (and so are many of our church offerings--they sound more like auctions, than a time to give in God's House). God is not focused on giving us every thing that our hearts desire --that promise was never made, without a disclaimer. God is concerned with providing all of our natural needs --food, water and clothing. We don't have to worry about our daily bread, He provides it. Clearly, if God wanted every child of His to have every earthly thing that they desired, then every child of

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!" (Luke 11:37-54) I can imagine the moment when Jesus uttered these shocking words. Silence, then gasps as those who heard them tried to regain their composure. I promise,  no one was laughing; a few probably were distancing themselves from the Master waiting for the stones to be hurled, since whatever the Pharisees declared was sin, was indeed sin. The Mosaic Law had become so corrupted by the Pharisees that, by this time it favored no one, except the Pharisees (and the scribes, they had to be taken care of, because they were writing everything down, can't have them at odds!). It had become a hard taskmaster for God's people--I guess they really did feel like they might as well go back to Egypt! The Pharisees turned hand washing before eating into a legal matter. It became a religious ritual,

Often, we talk about the "dead weight" in our lives--the excess baggage, those things that "hinder" our destiny. Sometimes, we determine that the dead weight are the difficult people in our lives. The ones who rub us the wrong way, or question us, keep us praying, and test our patience and attitude--because they always have one (an attitude, that is), or a multitude of other issues. They just seem to drain us, and drag us down, as though we had a ball and chain around our neck. We are ready to conclude that these people are the "weights that easily beset us" along with our failures and sins, when in all actuality, those weights are within us . If we don't see them, the best place to start looking is the heart. I was thinking, what if Jesus thought like we did--what would have become of our destiny??? Jesus had some "dead weight" too, a disciple named Judas Iscariot. Jesus kept Judas close, eating with him, walking with him, probably la

25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.       26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.       27 And he said unto him, `Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.'       28 And he was angry and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.       29 And he answering said to his father, `Lo, these many years have I served thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.       30 But as soon as this thy son was come who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.'       31 And he said unto him, `Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.       32 It was meet that we should make merry and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is

These days, we run into a lot of people who seem to feel "entitled". Without consideration for others, they make decisions, and do what pleases them. That sense is an ugly, arrogant, selfish, pompous one. You probably have come in contact with people who have no regard for others--in fact, they don't even notice that you're standing in line already (as they walk right in front of you). You may have come across the person who steps in front of you while you are having a conversation, without an "excuse me". Maybe right in your own home, you have the television hogger who walks in the house and changes the channel to suit him/herself (usually himself, I have a feeling). I don't know if they still do, but Europeans used to call us the "Ugly Americans" for our brash, take control, know-it-all, demanding ways--we annoyed them; perhaps many of us, still do--and don't care. I remember one day being in the gym where I live--and I live in apartm

    Have you ever been on the spiritual treadmill trying to "get" more faith for the walk--afraid that doubt was going to keep you from your godly purpose, and blessings? It's time to get off, take a cleansing breath and put the guilt aside.      Read this verse: " And when they saw Him, they fell down and worshiped Him; but some doubted. " This is found in Matthew 28:17. It might surprise you to know that, these words were written of the disciples just after realizing that the Lord was risen, and just prior to receiving the "Great Commission". We are told that doubt will keep us from every good thing--and every purposeful thing, in God's Kingdom, but how can that be so?      The problem is we tend to overspiritualize ourselves, while God recognizes our humanity. God acknowledges our doubts, and our fears--and doesn't reject us because of them. He still uses us--as quiet as its kept, all of us , no matter how great we may appear, have the

Generations exist for a purpose. Somehow, we get stuck in previous generations--at least, in the way that things were done in them. It's like pressing the rewind button over and over again--but expecting to hear a different song. That's us! We wonder why things don't get better or change, even when we continue to do the same thing--maybe we give it a new name, but it boils down to the same program. I wonder what might have happened if Elisha received Elijah's mantle and did exactly what Elijah did even though he asked for a double portion? Suppose Gideon decided he would leave the groves of Baal intact to avoid angering his father and his community. Better yet, what if Jesus decided the right hand of God was where He wanted to stay, and didn't think saving the world was worth His time--or His blood. Ridiculous, maybe; but consider our actions and perhaps you might see the folly in them, as well. God has not stopped calling men and women to work for such a time a

    Most of us, think alot of ourselves--too much even.  In fact, we're so focused on self, and giving "self" credit, that we forget that the power is not of us, but only of Him Who inhabits us. We're either seeking credit or demanding credit for things that have nothing to do with our talent, ability or intelligence. Of course, God uses what we have, naturally (that He gave us!) in His Kingdom--but, it just ain't about ME. Our sufficiency or competence and ability comes only from God. We can't do any of the things that we think we do, with His all-sufficient power. It's ALL about Him. If we could just get it. Our faith, or even the lack of it, doesn't amount to anything. If indeed we lack faith, He will provide for us any faith that we need to get the job done. And, furthermore, God has the uncanny knack to see beyond what we are in the present to what we will be, when He comes into the picture. Remember Gideon, in the 6th chapter of the Book of Ju

 Today, the headline story on CNN was about a 53 year old man, in Alameda, California who committed suicide by drowning. Of course, people commit suicide everyday, sadly. What made this suicide a headliner is the fact that police and fire personnel arrived on the scene, and stood by and watched . Not one of the nine or so present attempted to save the apparently depressed man. They simply watched him die. According to reports, he was about 250lbs. and possibly armed; some speculated that it was too risky (possibly) to attempt to save him. The report also stated that it wasn't protocol , under the circumstances. Some wondered how protocol could weigh in so heavily, in such a situation--and questioned what about human compassion for another in trouble. It was appalling to me--and many others, how it could be that among those who were employed to respond to crisis, that no one had the urge to help. They considered only their own safety, and decided not to take the risk. In fact, a