My 911

 

     I was running late for work as usual. Seeing as I worked 15 minutes from the Galleria, I could take my time. It was close to 9am and I was about to turn off Good Morning America when they announced a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Just as I was about to turn the tv off to head for work, I saw the 2nd plane coming in the background of the smoking towers and slam into the 2nd tower. As that happened, a synchronized gasp between myself and the hosts of the show was what I remembered. I stood there in disbelief. "What is going on?" I remembered thinking. I finally composed myself enough to go to work. At that time, I was working in an International Building. People from all walks of life. and that Tuesday, we were scheduled to have a fire drill. well, we didn't have the drill that day. Thank God! With all the commotion of the day, everybody just figured that it was postponed. Come the next morning. Another beautiful day. I went to work but I couldn't concentrate. I hadn't heard from friends in New York and I wanted to hear from everybody I knew. I kept calling friends and getting calls asking if they had heard from so and so. Everyone was accounted for but one. All at once, the fire alarm goes off! All you see is lawyers and secretaries running down the stairs in frantic! I saw one lady who kept on typing in her chair like nothing was happening, and me thinking how crazy the woman was. Once we got down to the outside of the building with everybody else, we're all standing around wondering what was going on. I took it upon myself to ask the building people, and that's when he shouted for all to hear that it was a false alarm! They had gotten the date of the fire drill wrong and forgot to turn it off! Needless to say, everyone was on pins and needles at work. Nobody wanted to be there. But we knew we had to keep things going. At night time, it was like living in a Terminator movie with the black hawk helicopters hovering over the city. Nobody could sleep. we watched the news all night. Oh yeah, That one unaccounted friend who nobody had heard from was one of the many who walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to stay at a coworkers apartment because she couldn't get to her home.  We found out a few days after. And today, Sept. 9th, well, today is her birthday.
     This was my 911. What's your story?

The Prosperity Deception

 

     It saddens me to see so many people being caught up in the false teachings of the Prosperity Gospel. This is the preaching that says that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy, and all you have to do is claim it and believe in order to get it.  This is nowhere  found in the Holy Scriptures, but yet, people are being deceived by this notion at alarming rates. (Galatians 1:6-10)  This new age positivity gospel that says you can twist God's hand and demand He give us the desire's of our heart is a false premise.  This thinking deify's man and reduces God. It cheapens the true Gospel of Christ and what He did on the cross for our sins.  Because if God can be manipulated in to giving us things, then there is no need for a Savior and God is not really who He claims to be. (1 John 4:1-6) Is it any wonder that so many people are being turned off by Church and God, when the message preached night and day is a self worshiped gospel?  The focus should not be on you and what you can get, but rather on what He did and how He can work within you to fulfill His will for your life.  (James 4: 1-3)  God never promises  health, wealth and prosperity to all.  For even Jesus didn't have these things! In other words, it's not about you.  Its about Him.  Your best life now is found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, not in  fallen man.  God never promised that the Christian life would be easy, but through Christ, you can have peace in any circumstance, because HE is in control! (Philippians 4:19)

http://www.campuschristians.info/articles/joelosteencritique.html

Good News

My Life of Misery, Agony and Torture (A Personal Testimony)

      (My friend Glenn  recently shared his testimony to his friends about what's  been going on in his life these past few years, and he's allowed me to share it with you) 


I would classify much of the last 10 years of my life as misery, agony and torture. (Torture defined as anguish of body or mind. Agony)

I'm working on writing a personal testimony with more details. But suffice it to say that medicine destroyed my sleep mechanisms. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night feeling like someone has put poision in my brain. Sometimes I have moaned out loud asking God to have mercy. I've gone hundreds of nights feeling like I am being tortured. The white of my eyes have been completely red from the feeling of poision and the stress in my brain it produced. A sleep study showed I get 5% restful sleep. etc.etc.

I have been diagnosed with a heart condition as well and can go through periods in which its difficult to go to the store or even cook my own meals. It can make me feel totally miserable....and then I can't fall asleep. From 2002 to 2008 I layed down on a couch in misery all day and night...everyday and everynight. etc. etc.

Sometimes I eliminate 90% of foods because they intensify my suffering with sleep. etc. etc.

Everyone thinks I look and sound great. But I've thought about dying often...even wanting to die. At times it felt like the pain was just too intense to bear. If I did not believe that Jesus Christ was sovereignly in control of all things happening I would have probably commited suicide long ago. 

I've had my moments of 'despair' ... how about you ? We may experience the death of a loved one, divorce, emotional issues that seem to intense for us to endure, health problems, etc. etc. Unlike a lot of false teaching today God never promised an endless life of 'happiness' for the Christian. 

I may not always feel 'happy'. But I can choose to be content in Jesus Christ. To be content does not necessarily imply 'happiness' or 'satisfaction' - it means that you are at peace with the circumstances. In the Bible Job had his moments of complaint and despair. He lost his wealth and most of his family died. He became extremely ill and suffered greatly. HIs friends and wife gave him no emotional support. Yet when his wife said to him, "Are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? Curse Him and die." Job's response was , "... Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God and never anything unpleasant? So in all this Job said nothing wrong." (Job2:9,10 Living Bible) Job also said, " I came naked from my mother's womb, " he said, "and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were His to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. " In all this , Job did not sin or revile God. " (Job 1:21,22 Living Bible)

While I definetly have not been perfect through all this, my main point to share with you is that my desire is to always trust and hope in the Lord who is always good. :-)

" I remember my afflictiion [SUFFERING]... I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. " (Lamentations 3:19-23 New International verision) Great chapter on suffering. 

Curse God and die? No. How can I do that to someone who has given and done everything for me. Because of His giving His Son Jesus Christ to die for all my sins I wil receive the FREE GIFT of heaven with no more crying , death, sorrow or pain. (see Revelation 21)

No response needed or desired. I will be writing a longer version of this. You can request a copy if you know someone who would be helped by it. I praise Jesus Christ for hope and for Him. :-) God bless :-)

If you could be so kind to pray for him, It would be much appreciated.