I saw this last night on CBS news....
"Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching."
That right there tells me that 57% of Evangelical church attenders are in trouble! That is part of the problem of this whole religion thing. SO many people only hear what they want to hear. They believe the parts that dont push against their comfortable lifestyles that are full of holes that they just dont see right now. Satan will lead you to a church and let you listen to what is said, then he'll try to pervert it and make you think "that part isnt so important, and that part doesnt apply to me". Look at Adam and Eve, Satan led them astray by twisting the words..."Is that really what He said.....Is that what God meant to say?" "He just doesnt want you to be as good as Him".
Folks with all my Heart and Soul, Here is the Truth. We are not as Good as God. We can not make it on our own. We continually fall short of the glory of God. We can not make it to Heaven without Jesus Christ! We can only be with Jesus if we believe He is the Way, He is the Truth, His Blood was shed to wash away my Sin.
If you have doubts where you will spend eternity, you better seek God NOW! If you have doubts you're probably not going where you're hoping!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
For the Love of Christ!
Well campers, we're back from our yearly trip into the Appalachian Mountains to work on homes. This year we went to Tennessee to a little town that had a population of 600 (maybe less depending on the age of the signs). The jobs moved out of this town and the surrounding towns, so there is very high employment. The poverty rate there is hugh. Ya see Tennessee is probably one of the worst places for poverty, because it is practically hidden from view. You dont see the poverty on the main roads like you do most other places. Somehow the impoverished are off the beaten path, but yet the path is actually very beaten just because of the numbers of people in bad situations. Most folks would never know it because you cant see it from the bigger roads.
We spent the week with folks from church working on various homes in east tennessee, and built relationships that helped people in more ways than just keeping them dryer, warmer, and safer. We made friends up there in the hills of tennessee. It's amazing watching the youth and adults from three churches go out and love on people. This year we had 2 NC churches and a Church from Texas on the trip. The organization is known as ASP or Appalachian Service Project. This organization uses college aged young adults to run centers all through the Appalachian Mountians. I love ASP! They tend to be very good stewards of the resources that God gives them.
This year the man my team served was in his lower 60s and had pushed God away years ago. But you see that was all in God's plan. Our group was the least talented in construction, but hey....that's why we considered ourselves the Evangelist Team! The man we worked for needed to hear the message God had given us. He kept saying he wished he could pay us. Through the week he did keep us well equiped with gum. It doesnt seem like much but that was what he could give and he saw it make us happy when he gave it to us. He would go from person to person distributing the gum (he went to the girls first but then again can you blame him). To see God work in just simple ways was so miraculous. The ASP staff has a picinic every week for the folks we help and our man didnt go the first week. Well, he went this past week! You see God put some special folks in the element He had trained them for last week. There were two teams side by side working (the 2 sites were literally side by side), and I think everyone invited our guy to the picinic. The last time he said I wish I could pay, I told him he could pay me by going with us to the picinic. On our last day we took our new friend out to eat at a local joint, and the lady there knew who we were, and who we were working for. As Volunteers we try to be as discrete as possible even to the point of giving code names to the locations where we work. But this lady made a comment about how our friend enjoyed drinking more than anything. That really wasnt new news to me, but like I said, God had this team where He did for a good reason. Before we left the burger joint I told the lady how I had asked my friend about this place and that he only had great things to say about the food and the people that owned it. This lady then looked down toward the floor (kinda in conviction), and then looked up in a small smile and said,"I've known him all my life".
If you go through my little story and pick through it, you'll see little moments where God spoke. If you werent looking for it you'd miss it. I have come to look for times when God speaks to me regardless of the size of the voice He uses. Thank you Lord! I encourage everyone to check out ASP (Appalachian Service Project) it is a mission that is worth doing. If you cant go this year find something that you can do this year, and plan now for next year. Sometimes the small things like giving out sticks of gum just mean so much!
God Be with You!
~Lee
We spent the week with folks from church working on various homes in east tennessee, and built relationships that helped people in more ways than just keeping them dryer, warmer, and safer. We made friends up there in the hills of tennessee. It's amazing watching the youth and adults from three churches go out and love on people. This year we had 2 NC churches and a Church from Texas on the trip. The organization is known as ASP or Appalachian Service Project. This organization uses college aged young adults to run centers all through the Appalachian Mountians. I love ASP! They tend to be very good stewards of the resources that God gives them.
This year the man my team served was in his lower 60s and had pushed God away years ago. But you see that was all in God's plan. Our group was the least talented in construction, but hey....that's why we considered ourselves the Evangelist Team! The man we worked for needed to hear the message God had given us. He kept saying he wished he could pay us. Through the week he did keep us well equiped with gum. It doesnt seem like much but that was what he could give and he saw it make us happy when he gave it to us. He would go from person to person distributing the gum (he went to the girls first but then again can you blame him). To see God work in just simple ways was so miraculous. The ASP staff has a picinic every week for the folks we help and our man didnt go the first week. Well, he went this past week! You see God put some special folks in the element He had trained them for last week. There were two teams side by side working (the 2 sites were literally side by side), and I think everyone invited our guy to the picinic. The last time he said I wish I could pay, I told him he could pay me by going with us to the picinic. On our last day we took our new friend out to eat at a local joint, and the lady there knew who we were, and who we were working for. As Volunteers we try to be as discrete as possible even to the point of giving code names to the locations where we work. But this lady made a comment about how our friend enjoyed drinking more than anything. That really wasnt new news to me, but like I said, God had this team where He did for a good reason. Before we left the burger joint I told the lady how I had asked my friend about this place and that he only had great things to say about the food and the people that owned it. This lady then looked down toward the floor (kinda in conviction), and then looked up in a small smile and said,"I've known him all my life".
If you go through my little story and pick through it, you'll see little moments where God spoke. If you werent looking for it you'd miss it. I have come to look for times when God speaks to me regardless of the size of the voice He uses. Thank you Lord! I encourage everyone to check out ASP (Appalachian Service Project) it is a mission that is worth doing. If you cant go this year find something that you can do this year, and plan now for next year. Sometimes the small things like giving out sticks of gum just mean so much!
God Be with You!
~Lee
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Four Scouts Down
As most of you know Four midwestern Boy Scouts lost their lives this week in a terrible storm. As usual as soon as the storm had passed the other Scouts sprand into action...... I wouldnt expect any less. I'm one of those, although I didnt earn the award, that still see's the Eagle Scout rank as a very prestigious award. I have several friends that have made that rank and I'd trust them with my wallet! My deepest thoughts and prayers go out to the peers and family of the fallen scouts.
This latest casualty reminds me of a flood a few years ago that swept away a foot bridge as some scouts were crossing. They too parrished. All this brings me to one question. If you were to die today, where would you go? Did you answer "Heaven I Hope"? Or maybe "I'm not real sure". "I've been pretty good, and there are several people worse than I am". Unfortunately if you answered Heaven I hope....Then you're probably not going there. If you were going, you'd know.
If you really have given your life to Jesus, then there is no doubt what happens when you die. So many people leave here everyday and dont make the cut. Heaven is so easy to achieve that many people just cant believe in a salvation that is just so simple. All we have to do is turn our hearts to Jesus. Truely ask Jesus to be in your heart and that you accept the forgiveness of your sins that He granted while He was hung on the cross. I am open to discuss this with anyone. I have made the Choice to follow Jesus Christ. I still fall short, but I really strive to be the best Christian I can be. I am a work in progress! Although there are 3 major religions based from the Blood of Abraham, only one is in line with the continual grace provided by God in the Old Testament. Israel prophesied about Him, & Muslims try to overshadow Him and both say He isnt who He said He was. But it is amazing how the Christian Church began as a sect of Judaism, and the Esa (Jesus) movement is huge in Muslim countries.......considering to claim Christianity would be instant death, they follow Esa. If anyone has doubts about what will happen to them when they die, post a comment. Leave an email address and let me know if you want to keep your comment discrete. God Bless You and all those you may contact!
Peace,
Lee
This latest casualty reminds me of a flood a few years ago that swept away a foot bridge as some scouts were crossing. They too parrished. All this brings me to one question. If you were to die today, where would you go? Did you answer "Heaven I Hope"? Or maybe "I'm not real sure". "I've been pretty good, and there are several people worse than I am". Unfortunately if you answered Heaven I hope....Then you're probably not going there. If you were going, you'd know.
If you really have given your life to Jesus, then there is no doubt what happens when you die. So many people leave here everyday and dont make the cut. Heaven is so easy to achieve that many people just cant believe in a salvation that is just so simple. All we have to do is turn our hearts to Jesus. Truely ask Jesus to be in your heart and that you accept the forgiveness of your sins that He granted while He was hung on the cross. I am open to discuss this with anyone. I have made the Choice to follow Jesus Christ. I still fall short, but I really strive to be the best Christian I can be. I am a work in progress! Although there are 3 major religions based from the Blood of Abraham, only one is in line with the continual grace provided by God in the Old Testament. Israel prophesied about Him, & Muslims try to overshadow Him and both say He isnt who He said He was. But it is amazing how the Christian Church began as a sect of Judaism, and the Esa (Jesus) movement is huge in Muslim countries.......considering to claim Christianity would be instant death, they follow Esa. If anyone has doubts about what will happen to them when they die, post a comment. Leave an email address and let me know if you want to keep your comment discrete. God Bless You and all those you may contact!
Peace,
Lee
Thursday, June 5, 2008
My friend Russell
Some of you have seen my myspace blog and have commented on them. I love to hear your feedback! I wanted to start one here so I could put links to it everywhere.
Yeah that 's me to the left there...looking kinda scraggley....
Today I wanted to tell everyone about my friend Russell. He is the coolest dude around. He has all the ladies just melting in his hands, in fact they cant keep their hands off him! I met Russell back in the winter and I have thought about him ever since....He's just that kind of guy. I'm sure you know the ones, they just capture your heart the first time you meet?! I often worry about Russell, I wonder if he is okay. I havent seen my friend Russell since March. It was like clock work, we'd meet up on Tuesday nights and fellowship on occassion. Some weeks he'd be there and others he couldnt make it. And on those nights I worried about him. Russell has unlimited possiblities, except for those things society limits him to. He has the whole world ahead of him, literally, and he has quite a different view than most of us. You see Russell is a Young Black Man........ Well let me change that.... Let me tell just a little more into this situation.....
Russell is a child! I met Russell last year when my church started participating in Room At The Inn. Russell was 6 months old and He and his mother are homeless. We saw Russell on a number of Tuesday nights while my church opened up it's youth house to give the homeless a place to eat, shower, do laundry, and bed down for the night. We would head to Charlotte and pick up 10 or so neighbors and bring them 20 mile out of the city so they could have atleast one night where they felt safe and loved. Russell was in our last group we housed and his mom would pass him around to all the folks visiting the house.....you know so she could have just a few moments of Mommy time. That Boy stole the hearts of everyone he came in contact with! He is just that cool of a kid.
You see this is a big problem!!! Like Russell, there are children living on the streets that have no choice! They have no say and are given a very unfair chance in this world! But I guess that's just one more good reason not to hold on to this world!!! " For it too shall come to pass". We had a young mother bring her 6 day old child to stay with us one night, and I promise you! I thought the child was dead!!!! He finally cried later that night when he was hungry, what a relief! But this child was so small, so young....and was born in a hospital and then kicked out onto the streets. Brothers and Sisters we've got to make a change. Where are those striving for a life of Holy Living? I'm not there, but I want more so everyday to get closer to a Holy Life. I want to pull away from so many things this world offers that we are convinced that we need, and all the time it's just getting us one step closer to Hell! We need a Wii or we need an ipod, or we need to eat at that upscale restuarant......NO!!!! We need to feed our people!!!! We need to lead people to Christ and to teach the about Christ! We need to stand up against $4 a gallon gas! We need to Vote out The Republicans! And dont replace them with Democrats!!! We need to find folks that are willing to be held accountable if the crap on the people that voted them in! Party Politics is a SCAM and deep down we all know it! "But I'm voting for the lesser of the two evils" That's Crap too!!! Vote against all evil! Vote for people that care about people! Vote for Truth!!! All this runs together it all stims from greed. Why are we too greedy to give the man at the off ramp a gift card to Chic-fil-a? Why do we judge him on whether he "deserves" it or not? Why dont we simply "feed my sheep"? Why dont we Love one another? Why do we continually push away God?
Peace my People!
Lee
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