Where Life Is Good

A Glorious and Dynamic Message from God through Nature

Leah Rackley — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:14:14 +0000

Psalm 19:1 KJV, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handy work.”

Psalm 19:1 NIV, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hand.”

This has been an unusual winter for this part of Alabama. It has been colder than usual, longer than usual; more snow than usual, more bleak than usual, and therefore more harsh and challenging than usual. Aside from the challenge of weather. I have also had another challenge to cope with. In just a few days it will be the one year anniversary of my soul mate and lifelong sweetheart’s departure for heaven. Looking that in the face is somewhat saddening. Not for her, but for me. In addition, I have had some unusual physical challenges to overcome.

As I left home early one morning recently, I was thinking about some of the challenges I had faced and was facing, and especially noticed how bleak, dreary and wintery everything looked. When suddenly there it was right in front of me. Right in the middle of all the dead grass of winter that looked so bleak and drab, I saw it! Overnight, a large blanket of lavender flowers had suddenly appeared in the midst of the dead drab grass of winter. They were ever so tiny but due to their enormous number, and close proximity to one another, they looked like a carpet of beauty right in the midst of all the ugly.

The drive way leaving my home faces due east, and as I continued down the drive, another glorious sight greeted me. There on the horizon was the greeting glow of the morning sun just beginning to mark the break of day. The sky looked as if it were on fire, and the sight was almost breath taking. Only the Almighty God of the Universe could paint such a scene. As I continued on down the driveway, another sign greeted me. It was a flock of geese flying in formation above the tree line and circling the small lake behind my parent’s home. As they flew they were making a very loud announcement of some kind with all their honking. Then, as I was turning onto the pavement of the country road that passes my home, I saw a “red – red robin come bob – bob – bobbin along“ if you remember the song.

And then like a flash of lightning it hit me and my heart burst forth into song. My spirit of heaviness became a spirit of praise, my ashes suddenly turned to beauty, and my mourning heart turned into a dancing heart. God was announcing to me loud and clear in three dynamic ways, a very graphic message. The little flowers in the middle of the dead winter grass were saying – regardless of how things may have looked yesterday, there’s new life and beauty to behold. The sunrise was another declaration that although it has been dark and night has been longer than usual, a new day is dawning. The loud honking of the geese and the beautiful red robin were announcing that winter is departing and spring is just around the corner.

The message was one of hope, beauty and certainty. God can bring forth the most beautiful things right out of the middle of all the ugly. God can turn a cold, dreary, dark night into a glorious day of light and warmth. It was a message that the coming of spring always declares and sometimes goes unnoticed. A message of new life and resurrection. In an instant that message came pouring across my heart and mind. I immediately thought of resurrections morning, when the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we which remain, will be caught up to meet them in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. I thought of how wonderful the reunion with my sweetheart, parents and other loved ones would be. A once bleak, sad day became one of glory, beauty and praise.

Like it often happens when the Lord sends us a message through some means, reflection and meditation on that message can bring forth other messages of profound wisdom and encouragement. So it was for that message for me. Just like in nature, life has its winters of challenge, difficulty and discomfort. Just like in the daily cycles of life, night can be cold, dark and dreary. But regardless of that, God is still on the throne and still very much in charge of things. Just as sure as there is a dark night there is a glorious day ahead. Just as sure as there is a cold, dreary, bleak and long winter, there is a glorious spring of new life and beauty ahead.

You may be facing unusual challenges today. You may feel like your night and winter is going to last forever, but be of good cheer. God is still in charge, and your glorious day and beautiful spring is just around the corner. Don’t grow weary in well doing, for you will reap if you faint not. Remember that it’s through faith and patience that we inherit the numerous promises of God. Also remember that God can do abundantly above anything we can ask or think. With all that in mind, I will close this writing with a quote from the three Hebrew children as they looked the firey furnace in the face. “Our God is able and He will deliver us.”

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry Bishop

What I Believe

Jerry Bishop — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:49:55 +0000

I was recently asked a question, by someone whom I sensed, genuinely wanted to know – What do you believe? I started to give a quick answer and decided not to because I did not know the person very well and I really believed that their question was from an honest and seeking heart and deserved a thoughtful answer.

I could have said – I believe the Bible. But that doesn’t really help someone, and especially who maybe is really trying to get answers to one of life’s most serious questions, but doesn’t know the Bible. I also could have given them this long “statement of faith” which although good, might never be read, due to it’s length.

I have found that most people looking for answers about God do not want some glib short answer, nor do they want to have your version of “The Bible for Dummies”. It seems to me that what would help them most, is a short (less than one page) yet meaningful summary of what makes up the core of a person’s belief system.

Desiring to give this person who I believed to be a serious seeker about God, a meaningful answer, I devoted some serious, thoughtful time, to that answer and gave them what I feel to be a good place to start with learning about and knowing God. I chose not to add length by including supporting scriptures or scripture references. For again the long winded statements are seldom ever read by some people. So here’s the answer, what say you?

What I Believe.

I believe that the written Word of God is the basis for Christian life and practice. I believe that no Scripture is of any private interpretation, because it was not given by the will of man, but by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

I believe in both Testaments of the Bible because all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. So that the family of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto good works.

I believe there is one true God and that He reveals and manifests Himself to mankind as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I believe that God is a God of love, and that He so loved mankind, that He sent His Son Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for man’s sin, by which every person is given the opportunity to be redeemed back into the family of God.

I believe in His (Jesus) perfect birth, sacrificial death, miraculous resurrection, His ascension back to the right hand of the Father, and His second coming. I also believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God and that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

I believe that the opportunity for a person to be redeemed, born again, saved or brought back into the family of God, occurs by grace through faith.

I believe that redemption and salvation occurs for every person when they confess with their mouth the Lordship of Jesus, and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. Because with the heart a person believes unto righteousness, and with their mouth confession is made unto salvation. In addition I sincerely believe in the security of the believer, and that once a person truly becomes a child of God, they spend the rest of eternity in relationship with God, and that nothing or no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. I believe as a member of the family of God, or Christians (as we were first called in Antioch), that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and out neighbor as our self.

I believe we should speak the truth in love, and walk in the love (the God kind of love) and by doing so we fulfill the law of God.

I believe when Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, that He sent another comforter just as He promised, and that comforter is the Holy Spirit. I believe that as Christians we should strive to walk in, or walk directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

I believe that due to the Holy Spirits presence in, interaction with true believers, that God is still a miracle working God, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that the Holy Spirit still manifests Himself today, in order to save, rescue, help, heal and bless people, in a similar fashion to that which occured during the first century church.

I believe a new heaven and a new earth will be brought into existence during the final interaction of God with mankind. I believe this includes the rapture of the church, the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the millennial reign of Christ and the final casting of the devil and his angels in the the hell that’s been created for them.

How non-Christians see the church

Debra Bishop — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:05:38 +0000

I just read the statistics of how non-Christians see the church. I must say it pretty much freaked me out. It breaks my heart that many of the things said are sad but true. Unfortunately, my feelings don’t matter, a statistic is not an emotional argument. Here is what people think of Christians. How can this be?

Anti-homosexual – 91%
Judgemental – 87%
Hypocritical – 85%
Old-fashioned – 78%
Too involved in politics – 75%

And these negative perceptions aren’t simply perceptions. So where does this leave the church? Why isn’t this generation running to Jesus Christ? It is because of us. It is not because of Jesus or the Bible it is because of us, the models. I have heard a many a time, how servers in restaurants hate to work Sundays. The reason being that Christians are infamous for not tipping and secondly because they are rude and demanding. If this is you, do Jesus a favor and don’t go out to lunch on Sundays. If you have to, please, please don’t say you’re a Christian or invite them to church while leaving behind only a tract or church card (unless at least a 20% tip accompanies it).

Don’t break the law with a scripture on your license plate, Christian statement on your bumper sticker or a cross dangling from your rear view mirror.

Don’t be rude or catty in the check outline no matter how SLOW the cashier is.

Or maybe instead of a list of things not to do, just walk the walk

Just sayin’