Thursday, April 29, 2010

When God Says "Yes, but you'll have to Wait."

Talking to a brother today reminded me of this story by Evangelist Luis Palau.

Immediate answers to prayer. You want them. I want them. But God simply does not always work that way. And to get His best, we must be patient. In some cases, we must wait until 11:59 for His answer to come.


Phil Callaway didn't know what to say when his young children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered horrible seizures.


Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed, but Ramona's weight eventually slipped to ninety pounds. Medical specialists tried everything, but by the fall of 1996, the seizures were occurring daily, sometimes hourly.


Phil rarely left Ramona's side. He wondered if she would even make it to her thirtieth birthday. One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil paced their dark backyard, then fell to his knees. "God!" he cried out. "I can't take it anymore. Please do something!"


As he stood, a doctor's name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diagnosed a rare chemical deficiency.


Within a week, Ramona was a different person. The seizures ended. Her eyes lit up with the sparkle that had first attracted Phil to her. The miracle was so incredible Phil says, "God gave me back my wife."


"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you"

(Matthew 7:7).


Remember to keep Asking...keep Seeking...and keep Knocking! (A.S.K.)
Don't Give Up (on God) by Yolanda Adams


Dedicated to my sister Yvette Register who inspires people every week on her Radio/TV Show "Dream Out Loud"!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Where Are the Black Baseball Players Today?

TODAY I ASK THE QUESTION - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GAME I LOVED?

The best athletes used to play this game!

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Fans look down from their seats onto the baseball field, see dark-colored skin and might assume they are African-American players.

But increasingly, the players instead hail from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or Venezuela.

"People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they're African American," Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter says. "They're not us. They're impostors.

"Even people I know come up and say, 'Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?' I say, 'Come on, he's Dominican. He's not black.' "

Baseball's African-American population is 8%, compared with 28% for foreign players on last year's opening-day rosters.

"As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us," Hunter says. "It's like they had to get some kind of dark faces, so they go to the Dominican or Venezuela because you can get them cheaper. It's like, 'Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?'

"I'm telling you, it's sad."

RBI program


MLB officials certainly recognize the trend. Their RBI program (Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities) is nationwide. They have baseball academies in Compton, Calif., and Houston, with sites approved for Miami and New Orleans.

Yet while their intentions have been honorable, it's become apparent to USA TODAY's committee that other actions could be more effective.

Chicago Cubs special assistant Gary Hughes, who signed Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway for the New York Yankees and high school basketball All-American Delino DeShields for the Montreal Expos, says it's heartbreaking watching America's athletes shun baseball. It's rare, Hughes says, when he sees more than one African American playing in a college game.

"A lot of people don't understand," Hunter says, "that the percentage of white players in the game is down, too."

The committee suggests altering how the baseball academies operate and scaling back in foreign markets to increase investment at home.

"We have absolutely eradicated a huge part of our game by not investing in a system that attracts an American populace," Boras says.

MLB, or perhaps minor league franchises, he says, should help finance NCAA programs and provide more scholarships. There are only 11 scholarships for Division I baseball teams.

"The colleges have corrupted baseball," says Boras, whose son plays at Southern California, "because they have taken away the scholarships. They've taken away America's pastime from the grass-root level of homes."

Says Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, "Killed it."

Baseball's amateur draft also creates a problem, Boras says, for the unwillingness to pay the same draft bonuses received by NFL and NBA players.

Scouting system faulted


There also might be flaws in the scouting system. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher LaTroy Hawkins, who grew up in Gary, Ind., and Hunter, from Pine Bluff, Ark., say few scouts bothered to watch them in high school. Too much crime, they say, too much poverty.

"It's not just the white scouts," Hunter says. "Most black scouts aren't going there either. I thought most guys would want to go into those areas to find the next Jackie Robinson or Hank Aaron."

Says J Harrison, the Reds special assistant and former amateur scout: "I wish this game would take more chances on black athletes. We need to go watch a football game like we have in the past and take a chance on a guy."

Out-of-reach academies

The urban academies were designed to help attract inner-city athletes, but the major problem is transportation.

It's common for high schools to arrange transportation for their kids to attend practices and games, but how do kids get to the academies if no one is home to drive them?

"I've seen it operate in (Compton)," Boras says. "It does not work. These inner-city kids are out because they can't afford to travel there."

Says Hunter: "I looked at all of the (charity) work I've been doing, and 60% to 70% of the African-American homes are single-parent homes. And they're all mothers. It's hard for a mother to take their kids to practice every day, pay the $1,200 a month to travel and $1,200 for a tournament team."

One solution, the committee suggests, is to bring equipment, better fields and qualified instructors — such as retired major leaguers — to the neighborhoods rather than construct complexes in locations difficult to reach.

Baseball spends $8 million to $12 million a team, Boras says, scouting and developing players in Latin America countries. Yet that same amount might be better spent in the USA, the committee says, developing American kids.

Boras notes there has been a paucity of South Korean impact players — four have had careers longer than five years — relative to the money spent scouting there.

"The bottom line is that your money is better spent here," Boras says. "If you add up the money spent in the Asian markets in the last decade and took that and set up a true inner-cities system — using former players and an administrative body sponsored by baseball — we would reach more people.

"We will lose this game if the best athletes are not playing baseball."

Monday, April 26, 2010

Why We Need Good Leaders

A BOSS... creates fear!
A LEADER.... creates trust! (1 Thess. 2:10-11)

A BOSS... serves himself!
A LEADER.... serves others! (1 Cor. 9:19)

A BOSS... aims to make himself successful!
A LEADER.... aims to make others successful! (1 Tim. 4:6)

A BOSS... says, "I"!
A LEADER.... says, "we"! (1 Cor. 3:5-9)

A BOSS... fixes blame!
A LEADER.... fixes mistakes! (Philemon 18-19)

A BOSS... knows how!
A LEADER.... shows how! (Exodus 18:17)

A BOSS... makes work a grind!
A LEADER.... makes work worthwhile! (Nehemiah)

A BOSS... drives!
A LEADER.... leads! (John 10:11-15)

A BOSS... wields authority!
A LEADER.... empowers people! (2 Tim. 2:2)

A BOSS... relies on the power of authority!
A LEADER.... relies on the power of servant-hood! (Matt. 20:25-28)

On your job...Do you report to a Boss or a Leader?

In your church...Is your Pastor a Spiritual Boss or a Spiritual Leader?

In your home...Are you a Family Boss or a Family Leader?


IS GOD CALLING YOU TO BE A LEADER?
WILL YOU ACCEPT HIS CALL?

First make sure you are following the greatest leader of all Jesus Christ!

Meditate on this song by William McDowell

Saturday, April 17, 2010

God’s Way

Each Sunday Morning I listen to Dr. Charles Stanley before going to church. Fifty years from now his messages will still be as fresh as the morning newspaper. Take a moment and soak in the wisdom of a great man of God.


By Charles F. Stanley

Are you living according to God’s plan? Or does it sometimes feel as if you‘re working against Him and yourself? Oftentimes, we desire to follow the Lord’s ways, but we insist on doing it by our own means. Experience, talent, motivation, willingness, training, clear directives–we might have it all. But even if we do, those things aren’t enough. We need the Holy Spirit. Why? Because God desires us to do His work, His way. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zech. 4:6).

God wants to alter the heart of man—to bring renewal from the inside out. And that cannot be done apart from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Wrong Way


Sadly, there are many wrong approaches to the Christian life—approaches that neglect the Spirit and yet often pass for the right way:

* The Flesh Approach


“But wait,” you may say, “I know some folks who operate in the flesh but are very successful.” By whose standards? I have been around long enough to see dozens of accomplished men and women rise and fall. Their success is a “flash in the pan.” Or as the psalmist says, “They are like chaff which the wind drives away” (Ps. 1:4).

From singers to businessmen to pastors–those who walk or labor in the flesh will have lives characterized by their deeds. No one violates the principles of God and lives to rejoice about it. Work done in the flesh goes no deeper than the emotions. It may look impressive on the surface but lacks the power to produce lasting change in this world or in the heart of the person laboring. Only the Spirit-filled life has the balance necessary to be successful on all fronts.

* The “Praying About It” Approach

Doing life God’s way does not mean simply praying about it. I’ve heard a lot of prayers that were nothing more than an attempt to secure to the Lord’s help in accomplishing an endeavor of the flesh. That is one reason He gets so much attention at the beginning of a project and so little credit at the end. When we work in the flesh, we forget to express our appreciation; prayer becomes a formality, or worse—a tool for getting what we desire.

* The Desperation Approach

Following God also means not working ourselves to death and then throwing our hands up in defeat. Saying, “I give up! Please take over, because I can’t do it anymore” is a sign of desperation. And usually it’s a frantic cry to be saved from a mess we have created (or complicated) by attempting His work our way.

* The “Let Go and Let God” Approach

I’m not really sure what people mean when they say this, but it makes me uncomfortable. God chooses to do His work through men and women, and He has gifted each of us for specific tasks. To “let go and let God” implies that we have no part at all. However, the Scriptures clearly illustrate that man has a very important role in fulfilling the Lord’s will on earth.

His Way

To approach life God’s way is to follow the path of sacrifice and surrender. The only way to ensure that you fulfill the responsibilities He has given you is to approach them from the standpoint of complete dependency. God alone is capable of meeting all your needs.

When you do God’s work God’s way, you will:

* Be convinced that if He doesn’t come through, your project is bound to fail.

* View the Lord as your only source for everything you need.

* Look for evidences of His supernatural intervention.

* Not be stressed out.

* Spend more time thanking and praising God than requesting things from Him.



It’s time to examine your life. Are you doing God’s work His way or your way? Are you operating in His strength or your own? Remember that nothing lasting can be accomplished in your own strength. Instead, trust in God’s provision of the Holy Spirit—the Helper living within you (John 14:16-17).


He Said He Would by Jonathan Butler

Saturday, April 10, 2010

PEACE!

Looking for peace? Take a few moments and meditate on these scriptures from the Word of God! If you trust Him, I guarantee you will experience the "peace of God" and enjoy the "peace of God"!

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8

"The LORD will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace."
Psalm 29:11

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."
Isaiah 9:6-7

"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You."
Isaiah 26:3

"LORD, You will establish peace for us, since You have also performed for us all our works."
Isaiah 26:12

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
John 14:27

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:1

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."
Romans 16:20

"But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall."
Ephesians 2:13-14

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

. . . The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
Philippians 4:6-7, 9

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

Speak to My Heart by Marvin Sapp (classic)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

One Shining Moment by Jennifer Holiday

People have no idea how hard these kids work for this "one shining moment"! Every day some young man wakes up to go to work at his "job" in some lonely gym. Sure they get their education paid for and that is an incredible fringe benefit. But make no mistake, that full scholarship involves more than playing a game. It's a full-time job! Very few make it this far, and even fewer go to the next level.

So I can understand the jubilation of winning a national championship. You worked so hard. You gave your all. You worked as a team. You reached the ultimate goal in your "profession".

However, I love it even more when the few recognize that it was the Lord that gave them the gifts they have, and they play their best so He would shine. They Get It!

When you give your all for the Lord, no matter what you do, you are a winner! Colossians 3:23-24! If that is you, then you can rejoice with these young men, because you also are among the rare few who have achieved "Your Shining Moment"!

Enjoy this song!

One Minute After You Die - The Answer/Our Hope

One minute after you slip behind the parted curtain, you will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable.

by Erwin Lutzer

“Every human being,” says C.S. Lewis, “is in the process of becoming a noble being; noble beyond imagination. Or else, alas, a vile being beyond redemption.” He exhorts us to remember that “the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. ... There are no ordinary people. ... It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

Those who find themselves in heaven will be surrounded with friends whom they have known on earth. Friendships, once rudely interrupted by death, will continue where they left off. Every description of heaven they have ever heard will pale in the light of reality. All this, forever.

Others—indeed many others—will be shrouded in darkness, a region of deprivation and unending regret. There, with their memories and feelings fully intact, images of their life on earth will return to haunt them. They will think back to their friends, family and relatives; they will brood over opportunities they squandered and intuitively know that their future is both hopeless and unending. For them, death will be far worse than they imagined.

And so while relatives and friends plan your funeral—deciding on a casket, a burial plot and who the pallbearers shall be—you will be more alive than you have ever been. You will either see God on His throne surrounded by angels and redeemed humanity, or you will feel an indescribable weight of guilt and abandonment. There is no destination midway between these two extremes; just gladness or gloom.

Nor will it be possible to transfer from one region to another. No matter how endless the ages, no matter how heartfelt the cries, no matter how intense the suffering, your travel plans are limited to your present abode. Those who find themselves in the lower gloomy regions shall never enter the gates that lead to endless light and ecstasy. They will discover that the beautiful words spoken in their eulogy bear no resemblance to the reality that now confronts them. If only their friends could see them now!

Don’t imagine for a moment that you will get to heaven without the right credentials. You will not be there because your wife has a right to enter; you will not be there because you have a child who is already there. No, this is an individual matter. No one can enter into heaven without God’s specific approval. Our problem, of course, is that God will not accept us as we are. We cannot come to heaven’s gates hoping for leniency. We cannot come pleading for special favors once we have slipped through the parted curtain. “Visas” are not available on the other side of the border.

So what are God’s requirements? How perfect do you have to be to enter into heaven? Quite simply: as perfect as God. In fact, if you are not as perfect as He is, don’t even think that you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven! Christianity, whether Catholic or Protestant, has always taught that we must be as perfect as God to enter through those pearly gates.

The question, of course, is, How can we as sinners be as perfect as God? The answer: God is able to make us righteous; His righteousness can be credited to our account so that we can enter into heaven immediately at death without so much as an intermediate stop.

When Christ died on the cross, He made a sacrifice for sinners, which God accepted. Though Christ was perfect, God made Him legally guilty of all of our sins. In turn, we receive His righteousness. “He made Him who knew no sin [Christ] to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

What grace!

This means that Christ was regarded as a sinner when He bore our sin; we are regarded as saints when we receive His righteousness. Though very imperfect, we are regarded as “the righteousness of God.” God has exceedingly high standards, but thanks be, He meets them for us!

Perhaps you think that you have sinned too much to receive such a gift. Well, I want you to know that God is able to save great sinners—criminals, in fact. The amount of our sin is not a barrier; it is our unbelief that cuts us off from God’s mercy and pardon.

When we receive Christ’s righteousness, another miracle happens to us at the same time. God gives us a new nature; He changes us from the inside out. Christ said to Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Obviously, we cannot cause ourselves to be born again. That is something that God must do for us.

What must we do to receive the gift of righteousness and a new nature within? The answer is to admit our helplessness, to acknowledge that we are dependent on God’s mercy and ask Him to forgive our sin. Then we must transfer all of our trust to Christ as our sin-bearer; we must believe in Him as the One who did all that we will ever need to stand in God’s holy presence. To believe in Christ means that as best we know, we trust Him for all that we need in this life and in the life to come.

How sure can we be that we will spend eternity with God? We can be so sure that death need not terrify us. Yes, there is mystery; yes, we all are apprehensive of taking leave of this body to wake up in the world to come. But when we have trusted Christ, we know that He walks with us through the parted curtain.

What is Christ’s attitude toward our homecoming? Repeatedly in the New Testament, Christ is spoken of as sitting “at the right hand of God.” But there is one reference to His leaving His seat and standing; He is welcoming His servants home. As Stephen was being stoned, we read that “being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).

Thus the seated Son of God stood to welcome one of His own into the heavenly realm. A believer’s death may be unnoticed on earth, but it is front-page news in heaven. The Son of God takes note. He will be there to welcome us!

Jesus Paid it All by Kirk Franklin

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Young Man Let's God Use Him

Meet Jaylin Fleming, the best 10-year-old hoops player in America

Jaylin Fleming is a fifth-grader from Chicago. Like most boys his age, he enjoys playing basketball. There's one slight difference between Fleming and the others, though: They aren't considered the best 10-year-old basketball players in America.

The dribbling skills and jump shots demonstrate Fleming's ability, but the clip where he instructs his center on where to set a screen is most telling of how far along his game really is (it comes at about the 1:15 mark). Being successful in basketball is more than just shooting well, it's having an innate feel for the game, a basketball IQ. That can't be taught. It's an instinct, one that Fleming seems to posses.

However, being good as a 10-year-old has almost nothing to do with being good as an 18-year-old. This is why the process of trying to identify young athletic talent is always risky. It's not the same as being a piano prodigy; the piano stays the same, basketball changes. Competition gets bigger and better and can narrow the ability gap. Plus, there's a chance that young basketball prodigies don't grow as tall as expected, or see their speed slow down in relation to everyone else or stop improving, or burn out.

His favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

That's for the future, though. For now, Fleming is a well-adjusted 10-year-old who happens to have a wicked crossover dribble. If he keeps along this path, who knows, maybe we'll be writing about him on our college basketball blog, The Dagger, in 2018.

Must see Video of Jaylin Fleming!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Remember these Eight When You Wait

I’ve learned, as we “stand on the rock” waiting for Jesus to emerge victorious in our life’s drama, that there are 8 things we must do to experience the wonder of His grace and the peace that passes all understanding.

1. REJOICE… in the attributes of Jesus!
He’s so holy
He’s so glorious
He’s all-powerful
He’s all knowing
He’s everywhere at all times
He’s marvelous and magnificent
He’s gracious and good
He’s loving and longsuffering
He’s tender and tender hearted
He’s the light of the world and the light of my life
He’s fully man and fully God
He’s Jesus!

2. REQUEST
… the mercy of Jesus!
Thank God He doesn’t give us what we truly deserve

3. RELAX
… in the sovereignty of Jesus!
He has all things under control.

4. REST…
in the comforting hands of Jesus!
There is truly no safer place you can be.

5. REPENT… of the sins that drove Him to the cross!
While you wait, change the direction in which you are walking and follow Him.

6. RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE…
His name is Jesus Christ, your Savior!
Don’t neglect the one who changed your life.

7. RECAP… the highlights you’ve had with Jesus!
Write it down so you will never forget all of the great things He has done for you.

8. REMEMBER… He’s immutable and will never change! “He will never leave or forsake you.” His promises will endure forever.

What God is ultimately trying to do as you go through your time of waiting, is to refocus your mind from the horizontal perspective, to the vertical reality. Jesus wants you to focus on Him by adjusting your thinking and vision towards godly thoughts and actions.

Paul reminded us of this when he told the Philippian believers these words. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
Philippians 4:8-9(NIV)


Rejoice in the Lord by Israel and New Breed