Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Also not from me,,,,
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
this has been stuck in my head for over a week now…
i think its time to get it out. and by that i don’t mean get rid of the thought, but get it out into the open and pass it on to others who might be challenged and encouraged as i have been. every tuesday morning for the last couple of years i have been meeting with some guys at a coffee shop in redmond. 6am every tuesday, going through the Word, praying for each other, encouraging each other, holding each other accountable. this is actually just a small part of the men’s ministry at my church. there are several of these groups meeting at different times through the week. we all go through the same material, so all the men that attend at different times during the week are all on the same page. right now we have been going through the book of ephesians. last week we went through eph.6:10-20. you’re probably familiar somewhat with that passage. it speaks of spiritual warfare and the christian’s armor. let me draw your attention to v.15, though.
this is the one that hasn’t gotten out of my head. it reads, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” let me say again, the context is spiritual warfare and the christian’s armor. how does putting on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace relate to spiritual warfare? and what does that verse mean? i read something interesting today, so i’ll pass it on to you. it’s from h.a. ironside’s commentary on galatians and ephesians. regarding eph.6:15 he writes,
“then, some of us need a new pair of shoes. ‘and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.’ what does that mean? it means walking in accordance with the gospel. you tell men that you have been saved by the grace of God, that you have peace with God. very well, let your life show it, let your walk be in accordance with that. there is also the suggestion of feet swift to carry the gospel of peace. the latest spanish translation of this is, ‘having your feet shod with a joyful readiness to propagate the gospel of peace.’ but we are not to go about propagating the gospel of peace by word of mouth unless we are living in the power of it and walking in it ourselves. otherwise we just bring dishonor upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
pretty basic, i know. but powerful, isn’t it? if we will pay attention to the way that we walk. is it in accordance with the gospel? the places our feet take us, our cars drive us, are they lining up with the gospel? is the gospel being lived out by you?
the word gospel means ‘good news.’ does your life reflect good news? or do you carry yourself in drudgery day by day. if someone looked at your countenance, would they see someone who has just received good news? imagine you are the recipient of a great inheritance. in fact, the inheritance is so great that you could share it with everyone you ever came in contact with and it would never be diminished one iota. wouldn’t you be excited to pass it on and share it with others. wouldn’t your feet find themselves busy with taking you places to tell others? that’s the inheritance we’ve received. that’s the good news!
honestly, this is encouraging to me, but also i find myself convicted by this. too often i find myself concerned with me, and not others. may these words not just change my thinking, but my actions as well.
FROM HERE.
this has been stuck in my head for over a week now…
i think its time to get it out. and by that i don’t mean get rid of the thought, but get it out into the open and pass it on to others who might be challenged and encouraged as i have been. every tuesday morning for the last couple of years i have been meeting with some guys at a coffee shop in redmond. 6am every tuesday, going through the Word, praying for each other, encouraging each other, holding each other accountable. this is actually just a small part of the men’s ministry at my church. there are several of these groups meeting at different times through the week. we all go through the same material, so all the men that attend at different times during the week are all on the same page. right now we have been going through the book of ephesians. last week we went through eph.6:10-20. you’re probably familiar somewhat with that passage. it speaks of spiritual warfare and the christian’s armor. let me draw your attention to v.15, though.
this is the one that hasn’t gotten out of my head. it reads, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” let me say again, the context is spiritual warfare and the christian’s armor. how does putting on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace relate to spiritual warfare? and what does that verse mean? i read something interesting today, so i’ll pass it on to you. it’s from h.a. ironside’s commentary on galatians and ephesians. regarding eph.6:15 he writes,
“then, some of us need a new pair of shoes. ‘and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.’ what does that mean? it means walking in accordance with the gospel. you tell men that you have been saved by the grace of God, that you have peace with God. very well, let your life show it, let your walk be in accordance with that. there is also the suggestion of feet swift to carry the gospel of peace. the latest spanish translation of this is, ‘having your feet shod with a joyful readiness to propagate the gospel of peace.’ but we are not to go about propagating the gospel of peace by word of mouth unless we are living in the power of it and walking in it ourselves. otherwise we just bring dishonor upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
pretty basic, i know. but powerful, isn’t it? if we will pay attention to the way that we walk. is it in accordance with the gospel? the places our feet take us, our cars drive us, are they lining up with the gospel? is the gospel being lived out by you?
the word gospel means ‘good news.’ does your life reflect good news? or do you carry yourself in drudgery day by day. if someone looked at your countenance, would they see someone who has just received good news? imagine you are the recipient of a great inheritance. in fact, the inheritance is so great that you could share it with everyone you ever came in contact with and it would never be diminished one iota. wouldn’t you be excited to pass it on and share it with others. wouldn’t your feet find themselves busy with taking you places to tell others? that’s the inheritance we’ve received. that’s the good news!
honestly, this is encouraging to me, but also i find myself convicted by this. too often i find myself concerned with me, and not others. may these words not just change my thinking, but my actions as well.
FROM HERE.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
“Part of me wishes we had good psychiatrists or psychologists to come up with some solutions, because I know I haven’t a clue.”
A caveat here (based on my own experience only, of course).
This is tricky too.
IMO, especially if one plans to work with a therapist of color, one has to vet one’s therapist just about as carefully as one vets one’s mate prospects, when it comes to topics like this.
You don’t know what lies they may have been exposed to — or what their expectations are WRT they think BW deserve — and whether those thoughts are conscious or unconscious (and that last set is a whole different thing when it comes to ferreting out, lol) — unless you ask some very, very careful questions.
GoldenAh: You’ve made a very very good point! Dang, ’cause there are too many people out there thinking BW deserve not a damn thing. :D
I’ve read a few articles / blogs from shrinks / psychos / Drs who are black women. Their perspective is NOT “How does this help a black woman?” it’s about continuing to circle the drain with “black community” and “How will this affect ‘da brothas’?” crap. To be frank, black women need to be selfish in a healthy, woman-focused, self-affirming, emotionally and financially rewarding kind of way. Saying, “No”, is the first step.
Yeah, some of these “black at all costs” shrinks / psychos / Drs might not be helpful after all. It does make sense to check everybody’s thinking towards us. That’s a necessity.
FROM HERE.
A caveat here (based on my own experience only, of course).
This is tricky too.
IMO, especially if one plans to work with a therapist of color, one has to vet one’s therapist just about as carefully as one vets one’s mate prospects, when it comes to topics like this.
You don’t know what lies they may have been exposed to — or what their expectations are WRT they think BW deserve — and whether those thoughts are conscious or unconscious (and that last set is a whole different thing when it comes to ferreting out, lol) — unless you ask some very, very careful questions.
GoldenAh: You’ve made a very very good point! Dang, ’cause there are too many people out there thinking BW deserve not a damn thing. :D
I’ve read a few articles / blogs from shrinks / psychos / Drs who are black women. Their perspective is NOT “How does this help a black woman?” it’s about continuing to circle the drain with “black community” and “How will this affect ‘da brothas’?” crap. To be frank, black women need to be selfish in a healthy, woman-focused, self-affirming, emotionally and financially rewarding kind of way. Saying, “No”, is the first step.
Yeah, some of these “black at all costs” shrinks / psychos / Drs might not be helpful after all. It does make sense to check everybody’s thinking towards us. That’s a necessity.
FROM HERE.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Awwwwww crap...
Processed foods that may not be as healthy as fresh foods include:
* canned foods with lots of sodium
* white breads and pastas made with refined white flour, which are not as healthy as those made with whole grains
* packaged high-calorie snack foods, like chips and cheese snacks
* high-fat convenience foods, like cans of ravioli
* frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners
* packaged cakes and cookies
* boxed meal mixes
* sugary breakfast cereals
* processed meats
FROM HERE
* canned foods with lots of sodium
* white breads and pastas made with refined white flour, which are not as healthy as those made with whole grains
* packaged high-calorie snack foods, like chips and cheese snacks
* high-fat convenience foods, like cans of ravioli
* frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners
* packaged cakes and cookies
* boxed meal mixes
* sugary breakfast cereals
* processed meats
FROM HERE
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Not from me....
IF the Word of God cannot reach a sinner and IF the Holy Ghost cannot reach them, then nothing will. And resorting to imitating the world won’t help. The world needs to be imitating US. Christians set the standard, not satan.
************************
We are so content to hide behind, “Judge not lest ye judged” or “Touch not mine anointed” that we don’t hold people accountable for the things they do. Our excuse is always, “Well, we shouldn’t judge.” Baloney! Jesus was not talking about sitting idly by and letting sin run rampant and never calling people to account for what they do. He was cautioning us not to be holier-than-thou and critical for no reason and not to judge from a position of moral superiority without examining ourselves too.
The Bible speaks of judging with mercy and judging with righteous judgment and admonishing the unruly. Yes, God makes the final judgment; however, we are allowed to make discernments and appraisals and decisions about the things we see. We just shouldn’t do it and ignore our own sins or do it in a spiteful, vengeful way.
Part of the problem with this world today is that we are so eager to tolerate every and anything. We (and in this “we”, I include many of us Christians) refuse to stand up to the wrongdoing and the bad behavior we see. That’s why some of our pastors (and parishioners) are running amok and some of our churches could double for nightclubs. Many of us are afraid to speak the truth because we get hit with “Judge not lest ye be judged” by those folks who take the bits and pieces of the Bible they like and make them fit their needs and those who fail to read this Scripture and many others in their full context.
FROM HERE
************************
We are so content to hide behind, “Judge not lest ye judged” or “Touch not mine anointed” that we don’t hold people accountable for the things they do. Our excuse is always, “Well, we shouldn’t judge.” Baloney! Jesus was not talking about sitting idly by and letting sin run rampant and never calling people to account for what they do. He was cautioning us not to be holier-than-thou and critical for no reason and not to judge from a position of moral superiority without examining ourselves too.
The Bible speaks of judging with mercy and judging with righteous judgment and admonishing the unruly. Yes, God makes the final judgment; however, we are allowed to make discernments and appraisals and decisions about the things we see. We just shouldn’t do it and ignore our own sins or do it in a spiteful, vengeful way.
Part of the problem with this world today is that we are so eager to tolerate every and anything. We (and in this “we”, I include many of us Christians) refuse to stand up to the wrongdoing and the bad behavior we see. That’s why some of our pastors (and parishioners) are running amok and some of our churches could double for nightclubs. Many of us are afraid to speak the truth because we get hit with “Judge not lest ye be judged” by those folks who take the bits and pieces of the Bible they like and make them fit their needs and those who fail to read this Scripture and many others in their full context.
FROM HERE
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