Steps To Happiness

Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

Life Is...

Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a gift - accept it.
Life is an adventure - dare it.
Life is a sorrow - overcome it.
Life is a tragedy - face it.
Life is a duty - perform it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a mystery - unfold it.
Life is a song - sing it.
Life is an opportunity - take it.
Life is a journey - complete it.
Life is a promise - fulfill it.
Life is a beauty - praise it.
Life is a struggle - fight it.
Life is a goal - achieve it.
Life is a puzzle - solve it.
Life is eternal - believe it.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through the Word of God we learn that were formed from "the dust of the ground", which implies that there is nothing fancy about the chemical elements making up our bodies. The body is a lifeless shell until God brings it alive with His "breath of life." When God removes His life-giving breath, our bodies once again return to dust. Therefore our life and worth come from God’s Spirit. Many boast of their achievements and abilities as though they were the originator of their own strengths. Others feel worthless because their abilities do not stand out. In reality, our worth comes not from our achievements but from the God of the universe, who chooses to give us the mysterious and miraculous gift of life. Beloved of God, I beseech you, value life, as He does.

Helen Adams Keller once said that she had four things to learn in life:
To think clearly without hurry or confusion;
To love everybody sincerely;
To act in everything with the highest motives;
To trust in God unhesitatingly.

Lessons Learned From September 11

There are certain events that are forever burned into our memory, events that everyone remembers where they were when they first heard the news. The attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, the Challenger Disaster... and of course September 11, 2001.

Today there will be extensive media coverage as America and the world remembers, even if just for a day, the horrible events that took place on this date six years ago.

But the stark reality is that for most of us, life has returned to normal.

In the aftermath of 911 we were all united. Democrats and Republicans put aside their differences and stood on the Capitol steps and sang "God Bless America." Our churches were filled with people who hadn't gone to church in years. We all realized how fragile life can be. Policemen and Firemen were recognized as heroes. We were truly thankful for our freedom. We loved our country, warts and all.

Then things went back to "normal". The Left and the Right started fighting again. Church attendance returned to pre-911 levels. We started taking all those things and all those people for granted again.

I hate normal. I don't want to be normal. To be normal is to be mediocre. To be normal is to be average. The events of September 11, 2001 reminded us all how short, how fragile life can be. My time here is limited. I only get one shot at this life, so I want to make the most of every day, take advantage of every opportunity, cherish every moment spent with those I love, touch as many people as I possibly can. I don't want to be normal!

A "normal" husband takes his wife for granted. A "normal" father is distant from his kids. A "normal" neighbor doesn't know or care about those who live around him. A "normal citizen" doesn't bother to get involved or to vote. Worst of all, a "normal" Christian is lukewarm, rarely prays, seldom reads the Word and hardly ever spends time alone with God. I don't want to be normal!

I don't want to be a "normal" husband; I want to give my wife the love and honor she deserves. I don't want to be a "normal" father; I want to leave a legacy of love, laughter and faith for my children. I don't want to be a "normal" neighbor; I want to reach out and show the love of Jesus to my those who live around me. I don't want to be a "normal" citizen; I want to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem with my country.

Most of all, I don't want to be a "normal" Christian. I want to be a passionate, wholehearted follower of Jesus whose heart burns to know and do His will and to demonstrate His love in both word and deed.

This is my prayer for me, for my church, for my nation, and especially for the Body of Christ on this day: Lord, deliver us from normal! Help us rise above normal to be extraordinary people who make an impact on our world.

Thank you Rev. Alan Riley for such touching words on a day we should never forget.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, It breaks my heart to say this, but because we’re all entitled to say what we believe, I truly believe that their deaths served to sensationalize to the nation and world of how we (mankind) have become so evil.

Many asked then and still do,

"Why did God allow 2,750 innocent people to be killed?”

“Where were our advisers, our politicians, our soldiers?”

And ultimately they ask,

“Where was God?”

Beloved of God, sometimes God allows evil to develop to teach us not to let evil systems flourish. Serving God is not a ticket to wealth, success, or health. God does not promise to protect good people from evil in this world, but he does promise that ultimately all evil will be abolished. Those who have remained faithful through their trials will experience great rewards in the age to come.

Where living in an age so evil and full of themselves that not only the skeptics, agnostics, altheas and other naysayer’s are questioning the church but even those who professed to know and have a relationship with God take on a spirit of unbelief and dare ask, “Where was your God?”

Many people believe that Christianity should offer a problem-free life. Consequently, as life gets tough, they draw back disappointed. Instead, they should determine to prevail with God through life’s storm. Problems and difficulties are painful but inevitable; you might as well see them as opportunities for growth. You can’t prevail with God unless you have troubles to prevail over.

Over the years many more questions have been and continue to be asked...

such as:

Did God direct the heart, mind, and thoughts of the terrorists?

Did God cause or let the terrorists do these horrible deeds to get us to find salvation or get closer to Him?

Could it be that God let these events happen so that we can find peace in Him?

Did these events happen to show us we need to glorify Him?

Did these events happen to stop us from being tempted?

Shouldn't God get the credit for making this terrible attack happen? Didn't God that cause this event?

Here's the answer to them all:

Did God direct the heart, mind, and thoughts of the terrorists?

Sorry, Christ died to motivate us to be holy, devout, and to surrender our lives to Him. God does not need to kill us, our children, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives to get our attention. Evil terrorists did this terrible deed. To suggest that God was involved in this matter is to suggest that God used evil terrorists. This is ludicrous. Using this kind of logic then evil acts are really borne of God. Using this kind of logic we could then say that sinful acts are really godly. Sorry. None of this logic holds up.

Did God cause or let the terrorists do these horrible deeds to get us to find salvation or get closer to Him?

No. God does not kill people to make other people get closer to Him. What kind of God would hurt one person to make another person come closer to Him. God is not an abuser. In the world of abuse and abusers then a supreme being may be thought of as an abuser, but God is not an abusive being.

Could it be that God let these events happen so that we can find peace in Him?

There is no peace in the hearts of Americans today. There is no peace in the hearts of the remaining friends and family members of the survivors. The result of this heinous act was inspired by Satan, not by God, will be war on top of war. It is Satan that wants war on top of war, not God.

Did these events happen to show us we need to glorify Him?

We have indeed forgotten to glorify God, but it was not God that inspired the hatred in the hearts of the attackers. It was us, our sin, our darkness, our evil, our dastardly darkened hearts that poisoned the world in which these attackers grew and matured. If anyone is responsible is it humanity as a whole and the nation of the United States in particular who did not pray enough or come close enough to God. The farther away from God we get, the farther away God gets from us. The farther away from God we get the darker things get, the more evil comes to us and our world.

Did these events happen to stop us from being tempted?

It was Satan who tempted Jesus and it is Satan who tempts us. Satan exists in your life. Satan exists inside of your heart. Get used to it. Come to grips with it. We do not create our own temptation. The power of God becomes real only if we tell the truth and deal with the truth, both about God and about Satan.

Shouldn't God get the credit for making this terrible attack happen?

God gets the credit from persons who do not know Him but may think they know Him. God does not do evil things.

Didn't God that cause this event?

Sorry. God did not do this evil act. Terrorist with hatred in their hearts, with hearts full of darkness and sin were responsible.

In the minds and hearts of many people throughout the world this day, there are many uncertainties. There are many doubts about God, about the will of God, about the true nature of God.

Of God, there are many certainties. Of God, we can be certain He is a being of love, a being who loves each of us in immeasurable ways. God is a being who sent His Son to save us because God loves us. God does not hurt us or kill us. In the heart of every true believer, the word "maybe" does not exist when it comes to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

There are few marvels of the universe that even begin to compare with the human body. The wizardry of man, the gimmicks, the gadgets, the glitter of it all fades away when contrasted to the functions of the body. The framework itself is, with over 200 bones, more durable than steel and every joint tightly enclosed, moving in a constant bath of oil at the same time, producing its own oil.

The average person develops 2,500 calories a day, which is enough to heat and boil 25 pots of coffee. Within the brain, there is a thermostat with its own nervous system. If part of the body gets too hot or too cold, signals are sent to the control center and blood vessels of the skin contract or are more enlarged to give off more or less heat. No air-conditioning system man has ever developed even comes close to the one God gave you.

The electrical system of the body is beyond imagination. The brain contains 10 millions nerve cells. Your eyes are connected to your brain by 300,000 separate and private ‘telephone lines.’

The best mechanical hand ever developed is but a clumsy feeble effort compared to the hand God gave man. What mechanical hand paints a picture or plays the organ or performs a delicate surgical operation?

Your eye is the most expensive camera known to man. It comes with built-in adjustment and with an automatic system no other camera has ever known. Each eye contains a hundred million nerve cells, which work together perfectly to allow you to see close up and at a great distance in living color.

Your ears have a keyboard of 1,500 keys. The average piano has 88. The human ear is so sensitive, that in a completely sound-proof room, you can actually hear the blood flowing through your vessels.

The average heart pumps blood through a system of thousands of miles of blood vessels, while resting a sixteenth of every second. That totals up to about six hours a day or about 20 years during the normal lifespan that the heart rests.

The mind of man defies comparison. With ability to reason, to remember, to plan - with intellect and conscience, and emotions - it is where God himself can dwell. Consider God’s masterpiece, the human body.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

No wonder the scripture say, "We are fearfully and wonderfully made."

My dear brothers and sisters, God’s character goes into the creation of every person. When you feel worthless or even begin to hate yourself, remember that God’s Spirit is ready and willing to work within you. We should have as much respect for ourselves as our Maker has for us.

"Put Off & Put On"

The Bible contains multiple commands to Put Off and to Put On certain things in prayer. Thus every Christian should be a Put-On!

In Jesus’ name, in obedience to God’s Word, and at this very moment by faith…I choose to be strong in the Lord by putting on the Whole Armor of God, yes…I realize that my warfare is not really against people, but against demons, So I stand my ground here in prayer against all evil and… I gird myself with the Belt of Truth, living by Bible Facts, not by Fickle Feelings. I shod my feet with the Good News of Peace, ready to share Jesus with others. I place the Shield of Faith over my heart, quenching every Dart of Fear. I place the Helmet of Salvation over my mind, certain of my Rapture & Heaven. I take the Sword of the Spirit, speaking God’s Word aloud over every situation. And I pray for God’s People & God’s Preachers, for their boldness and free speech! (Ephesians 6:10-20)

I put off the Ashes of my past failures and mistakes; Instead I put on the Beauty of my potential and the Beauty of my future! I put off Mourning… casting off all regrets, all disappointments, and grief; Instead I put on the Garment of Praise, shouting & singing aloud to the Lord! I put off the spirit of Heaviness… throwing off depressing thoughts & emotions; Instead I put on the Oil of Joy, as I now smile, laugh and revel in God’s presence! (Isaiah 61:3)

I also put off all anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy talk from my mouth. Yes, I put off the Old Man that used to lie and exaggerate; Instead I put on the New Man that is renewed and created in God’s image. (Colossians 3:8-10) I put off my old Evil Nature & Former way of life that was lustful and deceived; Instead, right now I put on Spiritually Renewed Thoughts & Attitudes. Further, I again put on the New Man that is created righteous, holy and true. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

I now greatly rejoice in the Lord and I allow my soul to be joyful because... He has clothed me with the Garments of Salvation, And He has covered me with the Robe of Rightstanding with God. Glory! (Isaiah 61:10)

Thank you Dr. Dan Cheatham.

Elder Dre