Does God Enjoy Hearing Us Sing?

Roosevelt Miller was a Church of God treasure! He taught music and voice at Lee for many years. I had the privilege of taking personal voice lessons from him as a young teenager. During Teresa’s time at Lee, she played the piano for him in chapel and when Ladies of Lee was on tour. One day he said, “in all my years of teaching music, I have only known of one person that was so tone deaf, they could not sing.” He went on to say, “anybody can sing if they just give it a little effort.” I’ve heard a lot of people say that they cannot sing. They can, they are just too concerned about who might hear them. But God hears you every time, all the time. So, let me ask you a question, does God like to hear you sing?

Stripped Naked

And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” Mark 14:51-52

There are so many lessons to learn and understand from the Easter narrative, I can’t possibly begin to describe in this brief column. But one nugget to the story is what we learn from Mark chapter 14 at the Garden of Gethsemane. It is here that we discover Mark’s account of a “young man” who fled from Gethsemane naked.

Who was this young man, why was he covered in “a linen cloth”, and most importantly, why was he naked? The key lies in the “linen cloth” he had lightly draped about his body. The Greek word tells us that this kind of cloth is that of a burial shroud used for covering a dead body in the grave.

Are Your Horses In The Barn?

Exodus 9:18 - 21

On occasion, I like to watch the show “Mountain Men”. It is about men who live off the land and build a life based on the work of their own hands. A couple of these men are ranchers. They live in a part of the nation where there are wide open ranges and grazing land for livestock. Often, you will find them out on the range watching their livestock because danger lurks. Wolves, Coyotes, Cougars, Bears, etc. are just waiting to pounce on them for a daily meal.

Pig Pen Perspectives

Luke 15:11 - 24

The parable of the prodigal son is one of the great passages in scripture. Through the years, I have read, taught, preached, and pondered this parable and its application for us today. I have preached from the sons’ perspective, the father’s perspective, and the elder brother’s perspective. If I can borrow a few minutes of your time, allow me to ponder from the pig pen. Perhaps, the insight will do us all some good.

No More Sweet Talk

After Paul was finished preaching to the intellectual leaders in Athens, he left the city feeling disappointed and sad. He preached in the great amphitheater on Mars Hill to a packed audience of intellectual pagans who yearned to hear his strange message about resurrection from the dead (see Acts 17:22).

Rejected for Christ Sake

Excerpt From: Dennis F. Kinlaw. “This Day with the Master.”

“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

“I was in Macao, a tiny colony off the China coast. I was there for a pastors’ conference and was staying in the home of an American missionary couple. Toward the end of my stay, my host asked if I was interested in seeing the missionary Robert Morrison’s grave…”

Random Lessons from a Weary Leader

Numbers 11:11

“So, Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me:’”

For a short period of time, I enjoyed playing a game called Angry Birds.  It is a game that took off and became a national phenomenon. It became so popular, that a movie, along with a popular TV commercial was made out of it. 

The Aliens Have Landed!

Have you ever been to Roswell, New Mexico? Ask someone about it and they will most likely speak of aliens, Area 51, and UFO encounters. In Roswell, the local McDonald’s looks like a flying saucer, and the light posts have alien heads. It’s a unique place for certain.

Should you ever land there during the month of July, you might think the aliens have finally landed. Galacticon is an annual convention that celebrates all things alien. A steampunk ball, costume contests, cosplay, art booths, workshops, and the Roswell Sci-Fi Film Fest are just a few things to enjoy.

What IF?

A few days ago, Bishop Doug Small met with us via Zoom to discuss the prayer movement in America and around the world. During his time with us, we were challenged and reminded again of the priority of prayer. As he was speaking, I was reminded of this quote from humorist Steve Wright, “I'm having amnesia and Deja vu at the same time... I think I’ve forgotten this before.”

JOB POSTING: Ordnance Handling Experts Needed!

By definition, “Ordnance Handling Experts (OHE), move munitions and other explosive materials for storage or transportation, typically via rail car or airplane. Positions for these workers can be found in construction companies, airlines and airplane manufacturers, rock and gravel quarries, the oil and gas industry, the military”, ... and Pentecostal Churches (emphasis added).

According to a simple Google search, dynamite was invented in 1866 and patented in 1876 by Alfred Nobel of Geesthacht, Germany. …

Facial Recognition

“Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually”. (1 Chronicles 16:11)

My face unlocks my iPhone and iPad. It can be used in law enforcement, give me access to airports, and if needed, even in border patrol security. Some say that my face can break a mirror and stop a clock as well.

😳 My face, along with many others, is one of 650,000 photos that are stored in law enforcement databases. Anytime you tag an individual on Facebook, it is stored in their database.

Crackpots

According to the dictionary, a crackpot is “an eccentric or foolish person; one whose head is full of abnormal ideas”. We are living in very trying times. Just today, I read about all the new gender options. I wonder if God has been notified of these new gender identities ... male, female, transgender, gender-neutral, non-binary, a-gender, pan-gender, genderqueer, two-spirit, third gender, all, none, and any combination of these? I read in Genesis 1:27 - “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” What I do not read in Genesis is that God also created “...

Labels

Malachi 2:7 - “The lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts”.

Labels play a very influential role in our lives. A good label can elevate your status. Teresa was given a purse for Christmas a few years ago. A family member purchased it in an “unclaimed baggage” store for $50.00. Teresa noticed a label in it that said it was a NANCY GONZALEZ purse. She found it on the internet. It is a Crocodile Leather and Banana Leaf Straw Tote Bag that sells for $2,950.00. It is so expensive, Teresa is afraid to carry it.

Bent out of Shape

Every individual who was ever born was born to bear the image of God. When God said, “Let us make man in our own image”, He was speaking of people then, now and every human being in between.  So, you and I, along with John Wesley, Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, Adolf Hitler, and Ted Bundy were created for the purpose of bearing the image of God.  What happened to some of the people on this list?  Answer: They got bent out of shape.

The Holy Spirit as Counselor and Comforter

We all know what it’s like to suffer and struggle in life. If you are reading this article, you can identify with the struggles that come physically, mentally, financially and emotionally. When we struggle in any of these areas, we want someone to be able to understand our plight and what we are going through. This is what we love about John 14:26, for here we gain tremendous insight concerning the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives; “ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

My Redeemer Lives!

Job 19:23 – 25

“Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:”

The Invisible Scar

December 29th, 1966 was a very cold and frosty morning in Birchwood, Tennessee. We had just celebrated Christmas a few days before and my brother and I wanted to go hunting with Dad. We loved our Beagles, Frank, Jack and Jill. They were absolutely some of the finest hunting dogs you could ever hope for. Against mom’s advice (it was really cold), Dad woke us up anyway to take me and Randy rabbit hunting. Who would have known that the events that transpired that day would forever change our lives?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

In the year 2000, a movie came out loosely based on Homer’s Greek poem, The Odyssey. The setting was during the Great Depression, a very deep and dark time in the history of our nation. There are various themes throughout the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, including, but not limited to, racism, forgiveness, injustice, freedom and the depravity of man. If you’ve seen it, this article will make a little more sense to you.

Leadership Principles That Guide My Life

Through the years, I have had the opportunity to be both blessed and blistered by leadership decisions that I have made.  Trial and error teaches us many lessons and history has 20/20 vision.  Although the list below is not exhaustive, here are a few principles that I live by and allow to guide me in my leadership journey.

Representing the King

“Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Mark 16:15

In Mark 16:15, Jesus instructed believers, “…Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” But what did Jesus mean when He said that we were supposed to “preach”?

Sugarcoating

Did you know that there is no real nutritious value in sugar? If there were, I can assure you that my wife’s husband would be in and stay in the best shape of his life.

In the culinary world, sugarcoating is a process where sweetener is applied to certain products in order to make them more desirable for consumption.

Partnership

The church of Philippi was among Paul’s most faithful supporters. That is why he told them in Philippians 1:4 and 5, “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Black Lives Matter

I want to take this opportunity to express my deep hurt and disappointment for the racial injustice we have seen in our nation. We have seen the murder of a black man, Mr. George Floyd, at the hands of police officers. It is my hope and prayer that justice will be served in this case as in other recent cases like it. It is also my prayer that we will as a church, value the importance of justice, equality and inclusion.

House of Cards

The phrase "house of cards" is an expression that dates back to 1645. Its meaning is understood to be referring to a structure or argument built on a shaky foundation or one that will collapse if a necessary but possibly overlooked or unappreciated element is removed (emphasis added). As I contemplate the present state of our United States, I can’t help but be reminded of this phrase. I am not a “doom and gloom” person.

Drawing Maps

Alexander the Great changed the course of history. As one of the world's greatest military generals, he created a vast empire that stretched from Macedonia to Egypt and from Greece to part of India. His conquests included Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia and Bactria, and he extended the boundaries of his own empire as far as Taxila, India (Pakistan).

The Sigmoid Curve

20/20 visionaries are always looking and leading toward new horizons. The necessity of being a forward thinker is critical to those invested in continued church health.

Recently, I heard reference to something called the sigmoid curve. Further curiosity led me to discover that the sigmoid curve teaches the importance of anticipation.

Faith With Works

Meet Justin!  This past Christmas, Justin became the proud owner of a 2009 Pontiac G6. Justin lives right where he was raised … Baltimore, Maryland, the murder hot bed of America.

Meet Billy and Sarah Humphrey.  Billy and Sarah Pastor Pathway Church of God and run City of Refuge, Baltimore.  Billy pastors right where he was raised, Baltimore, Maryland, the murder hot bed of America.

20/20 for 2020

Chances are you know what a Snellen Chart is. You may not recognize it by name, but if you have ever had your eyes examined by an Optometrist, you have encountered a Snellen Chart. The Snellen chart is the chart that displays letters progressively smaller in size from top to bottom. According to Snellen, the test subject should see the same line of letters at 20 feet that a person with normal vision sees at 20 feet.

Law Abiding Citizens

Have you ever taken a moment to observe all the laws that we must obey as we operate a motorized vehicle? We have speeding laws, school zone laws, child restraint laws, pedestrian laws, DUI laws, driving while texting laws, passing laws, parking laws, signage laws and road markings laws just to name a few.

A Sucker Punch

A “sucker punch” is a punch that you don’t see coming. When you get casual in the ring, you make yourself vulnerable to a knockout blow. Knockouts come when the fighter doesn’t expect it. Sucker punches catch you completely off guard. If a fighter could see a sucker punch, he would brace for it. It may hurt, but it wouldn’t knock him out. When you let your guard down, you are a prime candidate for a sucker punch.