Sex and Alternate Lifestyles in NY City: God's mercy in and through Christ Jesus

I read my Bible to see what men  ought to do, and read the newspapers to see what men are doing - John Newton

This week the news on television ( read CNN) was dominated by Anthony Weiner and his sexting exploits. All because he is, or was, a leading candidate in the New York Mayoral Race. This after having lost his seat in Congress for the same perverse behavior. Interestingly, the  sample of those who were polled and asked the question, ' Would you still vote for him',  was split  down the middle between those who said that it would  not matter and those who would change their minds. Amazing! So the news out tonight that his campaign manager has called it quits after his number dropped by 9% may suggest the end of the road, for now, for this  ' horny middle aged man', as described by one of his  sextees.
Even more interestingly from my point of view, hot debated by Bishop Tutu in a statement released recently, is the fact that the candidate who leads the pack is Christine Quill, a lesbian who is 'married' and who is quoted in an article carried in the  the New York News  today that " Weiner is not qualified to lead the greatest city in the world. And cites " scandal after scandal ' which would lead to distrust and distraction from the real issues. In this context then, Bishop's Tutu's declaration that " he would rather go to hell than worship a homophobic God", as he took part in the first UN global campaign to promote gay rights, as reported in the MailOnline, and which news came to my notice on Twitter, is not to be taken lightly. As this is a deeply respected Christian man who has been ' in the trenches' in the struggle to free his beloved South Africa from the racist ideology of Apartheid.

Finally, can it be coincidental that former Governor  Elliot Spitzer,  who was forced to resign in 2008  for his involvement with high priced prostitutes, and now running for Controller of New York City, is also reported as having labelled Weiner as a " bad husband"?

The question arose in my mind this week, as I pondered all of this,  if what is happening in New York is symptomatic of a larger problem in the USA, is how did America arrive at this  state of complete moral confusion and  moral ambiguity? How did the folks, the pilgrims and others, who arrived there on the Mayflower in 1620 fleeing religious persecution in Europe come to this point? How did the wonderful legacy left by the George Washington, the 'Father of America', who famously declared in his farewell address which I read this week in Eric Metaxas' 7 Men' that :

" Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.......reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. Metaxas then observes that " As national morality is at the heart of self-government, this is an especially important statement.
So is Bishop Tutu  and those who hold that  the Gay and Lesbian life is acceptable by the God that they serve, correct,  and the rest of the Christians who hold a different view, entirely wrong? Or is it the other way around? Who knows for certain !  Again it cannot be coincidental that I have just began to read Saint Augustine's City of God.  A  huge body of work,  written in the 5th Century AD, and which helped  in no small way to influence  and shape much of how the Western world understands God and the role of Christians in any society. I will see what he has to say on this matter.

This week then, in the midst of all this deep reflection on the fact that  some thing has gone terribly" wrong in the state of Denmark", as Shakespeare observed, the following two reflections were shared as I continued my walk with the Lord God of Israel and the God of all the earth. And then just last night  a Word came in the dead of night.

The first reflection is linked with my concerns about the New Mayoral race and the wider implications for the American society, and beyond, by the focus on Christian being the ' Light of the world". And that there is no point in cursing the darkness, as people who live in that realm ( from which God has rescued us.....the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of the Son he loves...according to Colossians 1:13 NIV), the 'darkness',  are in bondage to sin and death and  out of their hearts " come all kinds of evil", again according to Holy Scriptures. And as I reflect on the Word, one can begin to understand the campaign against  what is called ' hate speech'. Which includes, in today's ' homophobic' context, any reference to the consequences of  the sin of homosexuality. As people in the darkness do not wish to hear the Truth as revealed by Holy Scriptures.
The second reflection, written just yesterday, again has links to the New York affair, in that it places a focus on the role that Christians are called to  play in any society while placing  higher a value on their relationship with  Christ.

Finally the Word which came to me last night, as only the Word of God can do, speaks  ' with authority', about the root cause of all the problems discussed this week, and thus the reason why we all need Jesus. Whether we are Anthony Weiner, Christine Quinn, Eliot Spitzer, Bishop Tutu, Politicians in Jamaica or in the USA, journalists in Jamaica or in the USA, or wherever.

" For God has bound  over all men to disobedience so that he ma have mercy on them all.
Oh, how the depth of the riches of  the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unreachable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?
For from him and through him and to him
are all things
To him be glory forever! Amen

Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So that you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 11: 32-36, & 12: 1-2 NIV.

So at the end it is not a matter of whether Bishop Tutu is correct about gay rights, or whether or  not Weiner's campaign will prevail in the end, or whether politicians in Jamaica will  rise to the occasion and form a coalition government or not. Or whether George Washington was correct about the importance of religion in national life!  In the end it's all about  God's will. God's holy and perfect will is going to prevail regardless of what mankind does or says or  how we act. Our role is to get in tune with that will and be  obedient. And it all begins when we realize how sinful and disobedient we are and have been, and thus why Christ died, so that through him,  God could ' have mercy ' on us all.
So we pray for mercy for sexting middle aged men, for men who liase with prostitutes, for gay and lesbian folks, for leaders in church and in state and all of us who ' have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".

THE FIRST MESSAGE

This is how it began:
Last night a reading of Oswald Chambers'  ( My Utmost for His Highest) meditation on
" Blessed are the poor in spirit". July 21
This morning, led to read the Matthew 5 passage in my Classic Devotional Bible.
Greeted by a quote from William Barclay on that page:

"The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing and that God means everything."

Then a meditation by  Dietrich Bonhoeffer " The Property of Light",  appears on the next page, in which he asserts, inter alia,  that,  ' followers of Christ are the light of the world otherwise it is a sign that they have not been called....otherwise it would not be discipleship'.

  Interesting!  But there is more. John 8:12 is referenced, so I go there and find the most amazing conversation between ( John 8:12-59) Jesus and some Pharisees, during which He labels them as " children of the devil", and not children of Abraham, because of their unbelief that He, Jesus, had been sent by His Father in heaven. And which conversation climaxes with the famous, " Before  Abraham was born, I am". Which to the Jewish mind, and even to the contemporary mind, that appreciates these things, a staggeringly profound statement about Him being God Himself - the same 'I Am' who spoke to Moses, and offered this name in response to the question, " who shall I say sent me".

All of the above, really led to my reading of the first few verses of chap 9, and this:

" As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world". John 9:4-5 NIV

I wondered about this statement: " Night is coming when no one can work", and was led to read again, the soaring claims of John 1......In the beginning was the Word.......In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man sent by God.....He himself was not the light, he came only as a witness to the light...

The following thoughts struck me.

1. John the Baptist, who Jesus described in the most wonderful terms in the kingdom of God, was not the light, but we who follow Christ, according to Bonhoeffer, and Holy Scriptures are the light the world and not just witnesses to the light. That  is simply staggering, in terms of the responsibility that we as disciples of Christ have. Even in comparison to John the Baptist

2. Night is coming....when no one can work, in this context, then portrays a world left in darkness by the death, Crucifixion, and Ascension of Christ, except, except for,  " the light of the world', that He has left behind. That is, we the disciples , in whom His Holy Spirit lives, are the only ' light' left in the world.

3. It therefore means that, despite the glamour and glitz of life, including the excitement over the new heir to the British Throne, everything outside of the presence of us, the disciples of Christ, is darkness. Wow!  Again what an awesome responsibility!

4. Finally, there is no point really then in, 'cursing the darkness', the killing of those three women by the sick mind in Cleveland, the violent deaths that we in Jamaica have suffered at the hands of evil men for years, as that's precisely what those who live in the darkness do.

I was led to quote Teddy Prendergrass' song " wake up everybody", in a recent blog. We the people of God really need to wake up to the fact, that for the salvation of the world's troubles, the racial issues, the prevention of war and poverty, the fight against gross immorality as portrayed  and fueled by Hollywood, it all comes down to how we  allow God to work in and through us to reconcile the world to Himself.  The stuff I have been writing and reading in Kelly's book then takes on a greater urgency, in respect of us being called to draw closer to God each day. And to be aware of The Eternal Presence with us, at each moment. For He alone is the initiator of all good things according to His good and perfect will for mankind.
So Blessed are the poor in spirit indeed.



LWJ
Sent from my iPad

THE SECOND MESSAGE

Dear Bishop,
On Thursday of this week,  I was involved in a discussion on Beyond the Headlines on RJR FM94, hosted by Dionne Jackson-Miller. The topic! The recent call for a coalition government by Profesor Brian Meeks head of Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (, ) at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Kingston Jamaica.

Why was I involved? I had made a speech to the Lay Magistrates way back in October 2012, and posted parts of it in my weekly blog/mail out, and which inter alia called for the establishment of a coalition government in my country. The context ? The crisis as I saw it, was manifest  in the  extreme violence in the society driven in large part by the gangs of young men led by Dons, and  who have been socialized to kill without any conscience; an unbearable burden of national debt occasioned by years of anemic economic growth; unbelievable and unacceptable display of immoral behavior  in the society in general, and in our young people in particular, fueled in large measure by the worse aspects  of the dance hall culture and the influence of cable television.

Based on that assessment, I believe I was led by my relationship with the God who I serve to call for a different kind of political arrangement, an urgent need to rescue our young men, the use of social media to introduce a conversation which would appeal to young to seek a higher moral ground, and for the appreciation and spread of the "correct faith" by the church which would lead to a revival of the church and a renewal of our society.

I made my contribution, and so did Professor Meeks. At the end of the program I was only able to introduce the fact that I also called for a revival of the role of the church, and for other elements in the society. And I felt that I ought to have said more about that part of it and did not.

I gave it no more thought, until this morning two passages of Scripture came into my mind as
" songs in the night", and try as I would I could not fall back to sleep, so I decided that it was the will of God for me to write to you early this morning. We are talking about 5:00 am in the morning, so it was a struggle.

The first Word, was shared with me by my spiritual mentor, the late Suffragan Bishop Herman Spence, years ago, and he in turn received from  the now retired Bishop of Jamaica Neville Desouza. And only the Lord could have led me to think about it  early this morning in my sleep. The 'discussion' centered on the need to be involved in public affairs without losing one's focus on the fact that only  God alone can rescue a society. And that His priority is for us to focus of the Redemption ushered in by the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

And then this came:
" Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which to which I have carried you in exile.Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."  Jeremiah 29:7 NIV

The second Word came as I continued to ponder on the ' discussion' as stated above.  There were two parts to it.
One: " For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."  And I was  also struck by the verse that follows....For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God". 1 Cor. 1:17& 18 NIV

Two: " When I came to, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. "  Again I was also intrigued by what followed......" I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith may not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 1 Cor.2:1-2 & 3-4 NIV

What do I make of all of this!  First of all it is my first 'letter' for the week, which is unusual. Secondly, I am on holidays with family (especially grand-children), far from Jamaica, made this call months ago and which did not receive much traction,  and  I am not a ' political commentator', and  therefore wondered, aloud,  to the pleasant young lady from RJR FM 94 if she had contacted the right  Dr. Jones....as there is a political scientist by that name.  But she was very patient and quite sure with whom she was speaking. Thirdly the book which I am currently reading, Thomas Kelly's " A testament of Devotion" opens the chapter on ' The Simplification of  Life ' with these words ( written in 1941)

" The problem we face today needs very little time for its statement. Our lives in a modern city grow too complex and overcrowded. Even the necessary obligations which we must meet grow overnight, like Jack's beanstalk, and before we know it we are bowed down with burdens, crushed under committees, strained, breathless, and hurried, panting through a never ending series of appointments. We are too busy to be good wives to our husbands, good homemakers, good companions of our children ( and grandchildren - my words), good friends to our friends and with no time at all to be friends to the friendless.
But if we withdraw from public engagements and interests, in order to spend quiet hours with the family, the guilty calls of citizenship whisper disquieting claims in our ears. Our children's schools should receive our interest, the civic problems of our community need our attention, the wider issues of the nation and of the world are heavy upon us.........The times for the deeps of the silences of the heart seem so few. And with guilty regret we must postpone till next week that deeper life of unshaken composure in the holy Presence, where we sincerely know our true home is, for this week is much too full"

There is more. Much more. But the excerpt above serves to make the point sufficiently. Life is complex only because we do not make it simple. And making it simple means  as Kelly eloquently and profoundly suggests later on in the chapter that,  " Our real problem, in failing to center down, is not  the lack of time; it is, I fear, in too many of us, lack of joyful , enthusiastic delight in Him, lack of deep, deep-drawing love directed towards Him as every hour of day or night. I think is is clear that I am talking about a revolutionary way of living. Religion isn't something to be added to our other duties, and thus make our lives yet more complex. the life with God is the center of life, and all else is remodeled and integrated by it. it gives the singleness of eye. The most important thing is not to be perpetually passing out cups of cold water to a thirsty world. We can get do fearfully busy trying to carry out second great commandment, " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself', that we are under-developed in our devoted love to God. But we  must love God as well as neighbor. These things ye ought to have done and not to have left the other only partially done.
There is a way of life so hid with Christ in God that in the midst of the day's business one is inwardly lifting up brief prayers, short ejaculations of praise, subdued whispers of adoration and ender love to the Beyond that is within. No one need know about it......."

Bishop, there is enough in here for all who will read to  seriously contemplate within the context of the prayer which undergirds this  Internet ministry which the Lord Himself has organized.
" Lord renew thy  church beginning with me;
Lord renew the church that the church may renew the nation".

I therefore believe that,  in a special way, God's power is at work in this experience.

No doubt, then, that  this note will feature on Sunday night when the wider ' membership' will receive it in a different but related  context about which I am already being led to reflect. But for now I am copying this note to  others with whom I have been in contact this week, on another and related matter,  for the Lord to touch their hearts, as He has touched mine,  as only He can.  With power. And for His purpose.
Peace
LWJ
Sent from my iPad

AMEN.

O for a MLK Jnr. O for a knowledge of the perfect will and purpose of God

O for a Martin Luther King! That was my deep longing as I listened to the various commentaries and pronouncements on the Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman case this week whilst spending time with family here in Miami. There is so much pain, hurt and anger, and to a certain extent, confusion in the African-American community. And to be fair, a certain amount of revulsion within elements of  White America, as evidenced in their presence at the rallies and in the marches.
President Obama spoke, and delivered himself well, as we have come to expect and appreciate. He " pressed the right buttons", and avoided the trap of appearing to lecture a entire block of the American population on the rampant institutional racism which  the trial brought out, by deftly positioning himself as a possible " suspicious looking character" in the minds of some individuals. And by personalizing his speech in that manner, he came across as an honest broker, trying to mend fences, rather than an " angry black man". But he was, well,  so "predictably in control". And so I longed for the fellow with the rich deep baritone voice, who would have, in my view, brought the Word of God to bear on this highly charged situation, fearlessly, but yet compassionately. Calling for justice, but yet reaching out to the perpetrator of injustice.
Yes, the war in Syria continued, and the saga of  Snowden, ' the revealer of secrets' still managed to grab the headlines. Whilst back home in Kingston Jamaica, the recent doping scandal involving five Jamaicans attracted Prime Ministerial attention, with the PM delivering a major policy speech on the issue which has caused so much pain, hurt, anger, and embarrassment to a sporting mad nation. But the big news continued  to be 'no guilty' verdict by returned by the court which tried Zimmerman.

So as I longer for the wisdom and spiritual direction of a Martin Luther King, the Lord led me to read, and reflect and send three messages . The first one, not in chronological order, was triggered by  my continued reading of a wonderful life changing book by  Thomas Kelly, and about which I wrote last Sunday. Together with the 'performance' of Juror B37  on CNN. And shres a perspective on suffering within the Christain context, and how that suffering by a community and  even individually can assist believers into helping with the pain and suffering of humanity in general. And so I believe that out of this 'evil' - the stand your ground law, and the profiling of African-Americans - will come some good for both black and white communities in America. It cannot have been coincidence, therefore,  that just tonight,  I was led to visit a friend who is a breast cancer survivor, and who is featured in the June edition of the World famous  Essence Magazine.  Chosen no doubt on account  her bravery in being willing to  tell her story, so that others can be helped. And the fact that she is a beautiful woman helped in case also. So we spoke about the quote from Thomas Kelly and the 'privilege' of suffering.

MESSAGE ONE - SENT TO  A FEW LEADERS IN MY COUNTRY.



" The heart is stretched through suffering, and enlarged. But O the agony of this enlarging of the heart, that one may be prepared to to enter into the anguish of others!

It comes in the Chapter entitled ' Holly Obedience', which according to Kelly is one of the strands of the inner drama in the souls of men through which The Shepherd seeks His sheep.
And so the quote continues with this...." Yet the way of holy obedience leads out from the heart of God and extends through the Valley of the Shadow.

The point here, is that in a real sense personal suffering for Christ, is 'redemptive', in that it fits us, as no other experience can, to enter into the suffering of others.
Perhaps if Juror B 37 had experienced suffering for Christ, and I am making a judgement  call here, but being led I believe by the Spirit, she would have been better able to enter into the suffering of the African American community. And, at the very least, had more empathy for Trayvon Martin, than  she demonstrated during Anderson Cooper's CNN interview.

But this is not about Juror B 37, but rather about the followers of He who died on the Cross of Calvary. So we, who through our suffering for Christ, are now better able to enter the anguish of others, can pray for George Zimmerman and his family too, to the extent that their souls are in anguish about the entire affair. Without a doubt, we travail before God for the tragedy that Trayvon's parents and friends, and by extension the entire African- American community has experienced.  Including President Obama. But the compassion of He who died on the cross for the entire world, must always, through us, reach out equally  to all who are in anguish, lest we become as parochial and as  self-centered as the Children of Israel unfortunately did. And hence the persecution of Paul and other Apostles in the early days of Christianity, and the rejection of Christ Himself.

I pray God that we may have an enlarged heart for the anguish of all mankind. In Syria, in Tivoli, for the children in the care of the state, for conscientious politicians earnestly trying to make a difference, for the children and their families in that terrible disaster in India, for Sherone and Asafa and others in the " center of the storm", for the many families and communities whose lives have been irrevocably affected by  crime and violence and road crashes, and for .... But most of all for all those who will die, unprepared and without Christ, and for all of whom our Lord was in anguish in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, even to the point where " his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground". But such a heart comes only with the  acceptance of suffering for Christ as a 'natural' part of the Christian journey. Dare we then " fly" from suffering for Him, and for the redemption of this country we love so much. And to whom then shall we turn!.
Peace
LWJ


Sent from my iPad


The second message, in essence deals with the issue which has occupied the minds of thinking men and women over the ages, " what is the will of God"?
And in this context, what is God's will in all of this turmoil happening across the world - in Florida, in Syria, in Moscow, and in Kingston Jamaica via Italy and Canada? And how does one discern God's will and purpose!

THE SECOND MESSAGE - SENT TO MEMBER OF MY WIDER CHURCH COMMUNITY

GOSPEL: Luke 10: 38 - 42 (all)

Luke 10:38 (NRSV) Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. 40. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." 41. But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42. there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

I have had  the joy of sharing in two  of my grandchildren's birthdays in my short stay here so far. And of course taking pictures! What greater privilege could one ask for in life? And yet the gospel reading for today, contextualized in a family setting, and therefore validating the importance of family,  invites us to an even higher calling,  about which  we must forever be vigilant that we do not get 'distracted'.

I believe the following extracts from Kelly's  'A Testament of Devotion', when understood in this context, offer us a clear perspective on the kind of unipolar, one dimensional vision we ought to have of life,  and what is  its sole purpose.  In fact 'hidden' in the book of Acts is a wonderful nugget that answers life's basic questions and sets the stage for this reflection. As the whole purpose of life is for us to " seek to know God". And then to be obedient to His good and perfect will.

The background is that St Paul, was  explaining to the 'men of Athens', who spent their time doing nothing but listening to the latest ideas', about the 'unknown God',   who they worshiped, and which phrase was inscribed on one of their altars.  And so inter alia he said to them:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us ( and here we can recall both the Deuteronomy passage and the one in Romans which address this issue: " Who will ascend into heaven...that is to bring Christ down"....Romans 10:6...and so the passage in Acts is in fact  referencing Jesus as the One who is near to us). For in him we live and move and find our being. ' As some of your own poets have said, ' We are his offspring'.
Acts 1724-28 NIV

KELLY'...THE FIRST EXTRACT IS ABOUT  BOTH CONTEMPT FOR ,  AND LOVE  FOR THE WORLD

Guidance  of  life by the Light within is not exhausted as is too frequently supposed, in special leadings toward particular tasks. It begins first of all in a mass revision of our total reaction to the world.. Worshipping in the light we become new creatures, making wholly new and astonishing responses to the entire outer setting of life. These responses are not reasoned out. They are,  in large measure, spontaneous reactions of felt incompatibility between the ' the worlds judgments of value and the Supreme Value we adore deep in the Center. There is a total Instruction as well as specific instructions frm the Light within. The dynamic illumination from the deeper level is shed upon the judgments of the surface level, and lo, the ' former things are passed away, behold they are become new'.

Paradoxically, this total Instruction proceeds in two opposite directions at once. We are torn loose rom earthly attachments and ambitions -  contemptus mundi. And we are quickened to a divine but painful concern for the world - amor mundi.  he plucks the world out of our hearts, looseing the chains of attachment. And he hurls the world back into our hearts, where we and He together carry it in infinitely tender love.
The second half of the paradox is more readily accepted than the first. For we fear at means world-withdrawal, and world-flight. We fear a life of wallowing in ecstasies of spiritual sensuality while the cries of a needy world go unheeded. And some  pages of history seem to fortify our fears.

But there is a sound and valid contempus mundi which the Inner Light works within the utterly dedicated soul. Positions of prominence, eminences of social recognition which we once were meant to attain - how puny and  they become! Our old ambitions and heroic dreams - what years we have wasted in feeding our own insatiable self-pride, when only His will truly matters!

KELLY - THE SECOND EXTRACT IS THE ALL IMPORTANT ONE WHICH PLACES LIFE IN ITS TRUE PERSPECTIVE.  AND WHY THE STORY OF MARY AND MARTHA  IN THE GOSPEL FOR THIS WEEK IS SUCH A UNIVERSALLY INSTRUCTIVE ONE , AS THERE IS  A FOCUS ON CHRIST AND  ALL  THE REST IS  'DISTRACTION' NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT IS MAY BE

This extract appears at the start of the second part of the book and is entitled Holy Obedience.

" Out in front of us is the drama of men and of nations, seething, struggling, laboring, dying. Upon this tragic drama in these days our eyes are all set in anxious watchfulness and in prayer. But  within the silences of of the souls of men an eternal drama is ever being enacted, in these days as well as in others. And on the outcome of this inner drama rests, ultimately, the outer pageant of history. It is the drama of the Hound of Heaven baying relentlessly upon the track of man. It is the drama of the lost sheep wandering in the wilderness, restless and lonely, feebly searching, while over the hill comes the wiser Shepherd. For His is a shepherd's heart, and He is restless until He holds His sheep in His arms. It is the drama of the Eternal Father drawing the prodigal home to Himself, where there is bread enough and to spare. it is the drama of the Double Search, as Rufus Jones calls it. And  always its chief actor is - the Eternal God of Love.

It is to one strand in this inner drama, one scene, where the Shepherd has found HIs sheep that I would like to direct you. It is the life of absolute and complete and holy obedience to the voice of the Shepherd. But ever throughout the account the accent will be laid upon God. God  the  initiator,the aggressor, God the seeker, God the stirrer into life. God the ground of our obedience. God the giver of power to become the children of God."

COMMENT: The constant challenge we face in this Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman racially charged/hot button issues//financially and socially unequal/morally challenged/lacking in inspiring leadership/technologically led/television-twitter-facebook/post modern/post ideologically driven/religiously intolerant/Arab spring/lingering pockets of gross poverty and starvation/emerging economies / bringing up  children and attending to family and friends/world, is how do we respond as Christians according to God's holy and perfect will?
How do we direct our lives according to the Word in  Romans 12:1-3 NIV
" Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will".

Unless we are willing to pose and to answer existential questions of this sort, for both self and neighbor, then I fear that we have lost our way as followers of the Christ whose only focus was " the will of His Father". And such a religion may be exciting in terms of the ministry  in which it engages, relevant in respect of the response to the ' needs of the world ', contemporary in respect of the 'what the young people want'. But unless we are assured of Romans 3...the good pleasing and perfect will of God...then it will  all come to naught. It will be of little moment  in the grand scheme of things. But a single life,  absolutely and perfectly committed to,  and in sync with the will of God, what power, what significant change, what difference in the lives,   of   men and women, " restless and lonely , feeble and searching',  can such a life make.

For make no mistake about it, all  abuse of drugs, all search for the ultimate pleasure in life, all seeking for power,  all desire for peace and harmony in life, all the striving of mankind  ultimately has at its  root, a search and a seeking for God. And sadly, like the me of Athens, too many, far too people in this world  worship an " unknown God". Which is what  alcohol, cocaine, heroine, sex, fast cars, power over other men, financial success, music........comes to mean for them
We like, Paul then, with the fixity of purpose that Mary had, keeping our eyes, though grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus the Christ, tell people who this God is, and His purpose for them.
This is the essence of what Kelly is advocating. Drawing near to the ' baying hound of heaven', listening to the Inner Light and the Divine whisper, so that we can better live and share the Good News about God's Love and mercy. To Trayvon Martin's parents; to George Zimmerman; to relatives of that young Glee actor who died recently; to inner city youths in Kingston Jamaica, to inner city youths in Chicago USA, to secular minded youths in Europe; to young Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan; to Bhuddists and to all of God's people who He created with His loving hands.


Sent from my iPad

Finally the third  message underscores the importance of always seeking a deeper relationship with God, always looking to grow spiritually and not  remain static, as there are consequences. And  spiritual decline, may very well be the hallmark of today's generation, on account of an unwillingness, and unpreparedness  to suffer or to be denied any material  need or pleasure in this materialistic world. And that kind of Christianity will never  help to rescue America from its pain, not Jamaica from it shame ( and pain, of being such a violent society....no,  adverse results to drug testings are aberrations and not our reality...so that is not our shame, but an embarrassment no doubt) nor Syria from anarchy.

THE THIRD MESSAGE -SENT TO SOME OF MY MANY 'SONS AND DAUGHTERS'
Brother Lawrence

We must, nevertheless, always work at it, because not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back. But those who have the gale of the HOLY SPIRIT go forward even in sleep. If the vessel of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the LORD, who reposes in it, and He will quickly calm the sea.

The except above is from Brother Lawrence's book, " The Practice of the Presence of God", which I just downloaded on my iBooks on my iPad. It is one of the books strongly recommended by Thomas R. Kelly as " one of those who lived in the Center". He also cites Augustine's "Confessions", and  " The Imitation of Christ".

I would recommend that you download this book on your iBooks or Kindle. It will do your soul a whole world o good. Especially in this materialistic world.  As, indeed, not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back. A very profoundly true observation. As Christians, we can never be content with a static life. In fact just yesterday, whilst walking, the thought struck me, as I was praying for the persons whose homes I was passing, that " God would enter their heart", that our God is worthy of asking extra-ordinary things, and not just be asked ordinary prayers. Remember the centurion with the sick soldier, when Jesus was told, " just say the word and he will be healed", as the centurion believed that our Lord did not have to come under his roof,to heal. Remaining static and comfortable in our faith will not allow us to proceed on those kinds of high adventures for suffering humanity.

Actually what provokes all of this is the imagery of Jesus in " our boat" resting, while the storms of life gather, and who, only, if we ask, can 'calm the seas'. What a joy!

LWJ
Sent from my iPad

I pray God, that He will raise up other men and women , like Martin Luther king jnr, in this age who can with assurance and knowledge of His will,  thunder forth " Thus saith the Lord". Otherwise we will be left with calculated responses, on the one hand, and angry and explosive reactions on the other hand. And there will be no healing, and no Balm in Gilead.
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Trust in God alone

 I read my Bible to know what men ought to do; and read my newspapers to see what men are doing - John Newton.

 

 

I arrived in Miami yesterday and woke up this morning to the news that the jury impanelled  in the much publicized George  Zimmerman case, which featured the shooting death of  the  17 year old African American  Trayvon Martin case,  had returned a Not Guilty decision.  News which triggered a call for nationwide protest, an appeal  for calm from President Obama, and questions about how other black kids going about their lawful business will be treated under the now infamous " Stand your ground" law by racist individuals who 'profile' black folks as troublemakers. And so as the parents of Trayvon and others viewed the decision as a miscarriage of justice, they still reiterated their trust in the God who would provide justice in due course.

 

Hardly had I began to digest this unexpected news, when news broke on twitter about a failed drug test by the only athlete expected to challenge Usain Bolt in Moscow this summer, Tyson Gay. And also that five Jamaicans had also returned an adverse findings during the trials last month during which the team for the IAAF World Championship  to be held this summer in Moscow was picked. Wow!  All of this prompted  one Jamaican on Facebook  to post a note  that " she was gone as she cannot take it anymore", and another worried about getting a "heart attack".  And  as we wondered about the names, a couple of hours news broke  on twitter that Sherone Simpson and Asafa Powell were two of the big names whose 'A' samples  revealed that they had taken a banned substance.  We have been told that both MVP track Club  members had been exposed to a stimulant which is a  banned substance but no mention has been made of what Tyson Gay is accused of taking.

 

 And so as we  did with VCB, let us await the " more and better particulars" before passing any judgment. But must note that all of this is badly affecting the sport that has made  Jamaica  a household name Internationally  in the world of athletics, and will no doubt affect the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming Games in Moscow in general, and the 100 M final for men in particular. Also,  that,  if it is, as Tyson Gay asserts,  that  " someone who he trusted', failed him badly, and which scenario may be true for  the other athletes, the key question  in all of this may very well be , in whom ultimately should we place our trust?

 

Finally Sherone Simpson and Bruce James, the President of MVP Track Club are both members of my church. I know them well. Bruce is a trusted friend. They are not cheats and would never do anything intentionally or sanction anything which would add an unfair advantage in a sport. I trust them as I placed on record my trust in VCB. There must be a good, even though maybe  tragic,  explanation for this sad, very sad situation. As has been proven in the case of VCB. But given the high profile nature of their names and that of Tyson Gay whose circumstances are also unclear, this was not a good day for athletics and for Jamaica.

 

So in the midst of this chaos in the sport of Track and Field,  and troubled scene in Miami and across the entire USA, what did the Lord say this week as I read His Word and the Inspired word of others - what one of my Bishops Harry  Daniel calls " Beyond the Sacred Page.The last message this week was sent to my church, and to a friend and priest whose church is in the are where Trayvon  Martin lived. I was not aware that the verdict was imminent and so the response from him  very instructive how the Lord works  in amazing ways. Also of note in the message is a Word about in whom we should trust when our situation is hopeless and the lessons we can learn. We pray that out of all of this " suffering"  the African Americans in the USA, the Hispanics, the White Anglo-Saxons and minorities may come to a realization that, all trials, all chaos, all troubles, ultimately teach us that we ought not to rely on ourselves but on God alone who" raises the dead". And it is the same prayer we pray for Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson, Tyson Gay, Veronica Campbell Brown and other athletes who now face career threatening charges.We appeal therefore to all to " come, all you who are thirsty"...." seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near"....and  in and through Christ Jesus, He will have mercy on all.

 

A MESSAGE SENT OUT ON SATURDAY OF  THIS PAST  WEEK

 

" Against all hope, Abraham believed, and so became the father of many nations.......This is why " it was credited to him as righteousness." The words " it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead....."  Romans 4: 18-24.  But faith, " against all hope", is not desperation.  I was led to recall St Paul's words, "...... perplexed, but not in despair" ( 2 Cor 4: 8). And his words also in chap 1:9.....Indeed we were under pressure far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired  even of life. Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead"

 

Is there a contradiction here? No! As even in apparently desperate times, and perhaps especially in what seems hopeless, God acts. So that we may know ( Him) that we can rely only on Him and not on ourselves.I pray God that we might achieve this kind of faith, so that the promised righteousness may flow though us who believe, " like streams of living waters",  and nourish the souls of those around us. Even as we learn to pray in the Spirit with an assurance that God can  "raise the dead" and bring new life into seemingly hopeless situations in our personal lives, family life, church life and nation - so that through us, and the spreading of the gospel, God may have mercy on this nation, in desperate need of Salvation.W

What started all of this? A meditation on  Isaiah 55:

 

" Come, all you are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

 come buy and eat!.......

Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his ways

and the evil man his his thoughts.

Let him turn to the Lord,

and he will have mercy on him

,and to our God and he will freely pardon.....

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,

declared the Lord.

As the heavens are higher that the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways....

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return to it without  watering  the  earth.........

so is my word that goes out from my mouth.

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

May this word achieve the purpose for which it was sent.

Peace.

LWJ

Sent from my iPad

 

The next message,  sent day before yesterday,  to a leaders in politics, the media and other institutions including the church,  is clearly a message for all time. But even more so for a time like this as we ponder  "who really is the strong man" , in the courts system in the USA, in athletics, in  politics, and in life in general. Whose power changes not with the passage of time. Who became weak that we might be released from the 'power of the strong man', whether he be the devil himself keeping people in bondage through deceit and lies and ignorance parading as 'wisdom', or pride, or greed.

 

THE MESSAGE SENT OUT ON FRIDAY OF THIS WEEK

 

Of late,  in the current debate on the "hot button issues" in Jamaica, and perhaps in North America and Europe, many have questioned, at best,  the relevance of the church in this  ' modern'  world. And at worse, have accused it of being on the side of the oppressor. And some have even gone so far as to predict its imminent demise. Oswald Chambers, whose devotional series, " My Utmost for His highest", is perhaps second only to the Holy Bible in its popularity among Christians, has a different , and in my view,  correct understanding of the Christian faith.We should take heed from history, as there have been many  'strong men' in  the media, in politics, in crime, both here and abroad, and where are they now in the grand scheme of things?

 

THE STRENGTH OF WEAKNESS

Oswald Chambers

Verse: Nehemiah 6:9 

 He ( Christ)  was crucified  through weakness" ( 2 Corinthians 13:4). Jesus Christ represents God limiting his own power for one purpose: he died for the weak, for the ungodly, for sinners, and for no one else. " I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance". ( Luke 5:32).The " strong man" idea is the one that appeals to men, the strong man physically, morally, strong in every way; the kingdoms of men are to be founded on strong men and the weakest are to go to the wall. History proves, however, that it is the strongest that go to the wall, not the weakest.In all trade and commerce there is oppression, and we try to justify ( Chambers lived long before market forces became a doctrine) it by saying the weakest must go to the wall. But is that so? Where are the mighty civilizations of other days? Where are the prehistoric animals?  It is they that have gone to the wall. The great blunder in all kingdoms among men is that we will demand strong men, consequently, each kingdom in its turn goes to the wall because no chain is stronger than its weakest link.

 

Peace

LWJ

 

 Finally the message sent to a few dear friends who journey with me through the troubles of life speaks directly to the spirit of evil which pervades the society. A spirit of fear which would prevent us from living the gospel message and spreading the good news to all " beaten up by robbers and lying in the gutter on the road" and who are in need of a " good Samaritan" while others pass them by. The story in the Gospel reading in my church for this Sunday.And so justice seems to have been " beaten up " in the Trayvon Martin case; Asafa and Sherone and others are in danger of being  "thrown under the bus" by those who may be quick to condemn. The church is being persecuted for standing up for The Truth, Jesus the Christ who died for the sins of all mankind. Let us not succumb to the wiles of the spirit of  Sanballat and Tobiah  who terrorized Nehemiah when he attempted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the exile of the Jews  to Babylon because of disobedience to God. In the same way let pray without ceasing for those in trouble and storm the gates of heaven without fear, rather than fret about  our own personal circumstances. And trust in the God who the Psalmist declares is " a very present help in times of trouble".

 

THE THIRD MESSAGE

 

The part of the wall that we are called to build in God's kingdom will be completed.And so we call upon the Lord, " Remember Tobiah and Sanballat....and those with lying lips deceitful tongues" who would frighten us and intimidate us and cause us to fear.And so we pray  " Now, (Lord)  strengthen our hands", that we may complete the work that you have given us to do in the face of all kinds of troubles. Amen

LWJ

Sent from my iPad

Amen!

Need a little help - Pendergrass: Standing on Holy Ground - Moses

I read my Bible to see what men ought to do; and read my newspapers to see what men are doing - John Newton The news this week which grabbed my attention, and about which we all ought to be concerned, despite the good things for which we give thanks, continues to be scary. An airplane flying all the way from Seoul in South Korea to San Francisco in the USA, at a time when most folks would think that they are about to land safely, disaster takes place. Thank God the original comment that " upwards of 60 persons were unaccounted for' proved to be less ominous than we figured. In my country this week, as blood continues to flow on the streets, a young businesswoman was shot dead in her car just outside her home in "broad daylight". And I met folks this week who are scared for their lives, and their families on account of the the pervasive wickedness abroad in their communities. One woman said she wept uncontrollable for a long time after being in close proximity to a shooting which left one dead and another seriously injured. In the midst of this a debate is raging in my country after the Minister of National Security introduced what is essentially an " Anti-gang bit of legislation". Questions are being posed about the effect it may have on people's rights, especially the popular dance hall culture which in some cases in known for it's " gun and murder lyrics", as pointed out in an excellent article  written by Ian Boyne in the In Focus section of the Daily Gleaner today. And the debate over who has ultimate responsibility for determining whether a pregnancy should continue or not, in the context of the Minister of Youth's publicly stated policy to review the current legislation, is fully joined. Finally a former past president of the local teachers association, whose outrageously insulting comments about the current Minister of Education, with whom he had a disagreement, and which provoked a virtual firestorm in the society, was  this week elected to another term as president elect of that highly prestigious institution, much to the surprise and dismay of all well thinking Jamaicans. But he clearly had support among the 61% of those who cast their lot with him. What then did the Lord say this week in all of this? This morning as I was returning home from church, listening to RJR 94 FM, I heard an "oldie', the lyrics of which struck a chord in my consciousness, in addition to the simply wonderful music. It was the Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes rendition of ' Wake up Everybody" , featuring Teddy Pendergrass. The message could not have been more pointed. Wake up everybody No more sleepin' in bed No more backward thinkin' Time for thinkin' ahead The world has changed So very much From what it used to be There is so much hatred War and poverty, whoa, oh Wake up, all the teachers Time to teach a new way Maybe then they'll listen To what'cha have to say 'Cause they're the ones who's coming up And the world is in their hands When you teach the children Teach 'em the very best you can The world won't get no better If we just let it be, na, na, na The world won't get no better We gotta change it, yeah Just you and me Wake up, everybody Wake up, everybody Need a little help, y'all Yes I do, need a little help Need a little help, y'all ay Wake up everybody Wake up everybody Wake up everybody

As  God knows we need, not just a little, but a whole lot of help to deal with the current situation in the world and in my country. As indeed the world has changed so  much from what is used to be, and it won't get any better, so people need to " wake up".

Perhaps I had this, need for people to wake up,  in mind when someone close to me, Winnie Anderson-Brown,  who was a candidate from the just concluded JTA elections was interviewed on Nationwide News  FM on Thursday, and she acquitted herself well and prompted me to write the following note to her:

Heard you tonight. Could feel the passion, and loved the facility with which you used the language. Impressive! Don't give up. You may be called upon again. Doors may open.
Pray for our country. We are a better people than what this canine story represents. Lord forgive them for they know not what they do. Many years ago, I listened to Prof. Miller warning us that " the barbarians  were  at the door". Well,  perhaps they have  now taken a seat in the living room and we are offering them coffee and tea.
Much love and God's peace.
Dr. J
Sent from my iPa

Professor Errol Miller is a highly respected Educator and Academic, and one who has his pulse on the Jamaican society having been the recipient of numerous awards. Many years ago, perhaps over twenty, I heard him give a speech which warned about the barbarians  " knocking on the door". This in respect of the marked deterioration of the morals of the Jamaican society at that time. Well, the proverbial chickens have " come home to roost", as at all level and in previously ' sacrosanct hallowed halls' the world has changed. And we need a "little help y'all". I really cannot believe, as I read in Ian Boyne's column today that anyone would dare to think much less release songs which become popular with lyrics like:

ova di wall, ova di wall

Put yuh AK ( AK 47 my interpretation) ova di wall

Blood a go run like Dunn's River Fall....

if dem mek wi pop out we gun pon dem

All five magazine we would dun pon dem

  

Need a little help y'all indeed. And these are Dance Hall DJ's who  ' respectable' people pay good money to go and see and hear. And very reputable companies no doubt help to sponsor these shows.  And the words of the prophet Hosea echoes in the community where that young woman lost her life this week:

" Hear the word of he Lord, you Israelites,

because the Lord has a charge to bring 

 against you who live in the land:

There is no faithfulness, no love,

no acknowledgement of God in the land:

There is only cursing, lying and murder, 

stealing and adultery,

they break all bounds,

and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Because of this the land mourns.....Hosea 4:1-3 NIV

The fact of the matter is that all sin is connected. Murder on the streets, murder in the womb, pride, arrogance and and unrepentant heart, idolatry...the upholding of wrong doing and worse " bigging' it up in song or print, immorality, indecency, lying and stealing. And the reason why the " barbarians" are now in the Jamaican living rooms has to do with the lack of understanding of the interconnection between  Sin. So to frame the policy of allowing women to request an abortion for an unwanted pregnancy,  in the context of a woman's  right and  to reduce  maternal mortality is to ignore the fact that such a national policy will 'open the gates to the barbarians', as Sin is always a reproach. And when once officially accepted and permitted and sanctioned has implications for how people regard the sanctity of human life. And for how people regard other human beings and themselves.

And so Jamaica mourns and we wonder why, why in the name of God would someone be so wicked to snuff out the life of that young enterepreneur! Why, why in the name of God would someone kill a child and cut off her head!

This week, the Spirit of God moved me to send two messages to my church. Both of which I believe constitutes part of the divine answer to the thought expressed by Teddy Pendergrass in the  song " wake up everybody....need a little help y'all. As the reality is that both Christians and non-believers need to wake up to the fact the whole world is changing and we all need to pull together. The difference however is the Christian has both a mandate to reconcile the world to God and to each other, and the power of the Holy Spirit of God who forms within us the mind of Christ - and therefore the will of God, if we obey. All of this happens when the Sheep are properly fed.

FEED MY SHEEP

From one hymn to another, the Spirit led me and finally ended with Jesus' instruction to Peter, " Feed my sheep".
This morning, the Corinthian passage about reconciliation was the focus, preceded by the famous, " If any man is in Christ...new Creation". And which then led to living by the Spirit in Galatians and in Romans.
Tonight I am deep into Chambers' The Complete Works", and in particular a discussion on ' responsible intelligence'.  Within the context of " Spirit: The domain and Dominion of the Spirit.  And then:

' When we begin the spiritual life we have the Spirit of Christ, but not the  mind of Christ. To have the mind of Christ means much more than having His Spirit, it means to have the responsible understanding of Christ. When we are born again we find every now and again that the Spirit of God within us is struggling to get us to understand as God understands, and we are very stupid in the way we mistake the things the Spirit of God is trying to teach us; but when , in entire sanctification, the Son of God is formed within us ( Gal. 4:19) , we understand with a responsible intelligence even as  Jesus Christ did........Jesus Christ spoke what His Father wished Him to speak, and He spoke nothing else; we must do the same if we have the mind of Christ"


I am coming to realize more and more that, unless we live by the Spirit, that is have the mind of Christ formed in us, we will forever be " looking back to Egypt",  like the Jews did when trouble came as they left slavery. Making decisions which do not ultimately glorify God nor reflect His faithfulness, grace and mercy.  Or like Lot's wife when God " remembered his servant  Abraham", and rescued Lot from disaster.  We may carry out a lot of ' common sense' work, which may last for a while, until the testing comes, but it will never be the 'will of God''. And if it is not His will, what is the point of it?
The key question is how does one continuously "live by the Spirit"?  Not surprisingly, the answer is that we cannot. But God can empower us to do so. And part of the answer that has been revealed to me, is that prayer is a key issue. Not the kind of prayers that focuses on self, or seek something from God, but that which seeks to know God. It's a challenging discipline, especially when one's needs are great. But continual intercession for others,  day and night, "watching  with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane", and not
" falling asleep", so that the Lord God Almighty may 'come down and see'  the extent of the  wickedness here in Jamaica, is part of the journey to " having the mind of Christ".

I would submit that these are the kinds of issues about which  we need to engage one another,  more and  more as we seek God's mercy and ' feed His sheep'. So that.......His will may be done, on earth and in heaven.

May God confirm this message by His grace and enable us to speak and write boldly for Him.
Peace
LWJ

We are standing on holy ground 
And I know that there are angels all around 
Let us praise Jesus now 
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground 

So did my devotions begin this morning. Which then led to John the Revelator's experience with the Risen Lord on the isle of Patmos....and he fell down as dead in His Presence. And so John was instructed to write....you have forgotten your first  love. Which led, via a meditation from Isabella Graham ( 1742 -1814...a Scottish church worker who helped to establish many charities for the disenfranchised in the society: the poor,  orphans, widows, the homeless, and prisoners. Published posthumously, her Devotional Exercises  became a classic of prayer and devotional thought)........to a deeper understanding of Psalm  77 & 78.

In these two Psalms we have a clear picture of the God whom we have forgotten....the first love who we have forgotten....the God who did mighty deeds for His people and yet they asked.....Can God spread a table in the desert?

Surely we are in the desert now in Jamaica, and it would appear as if God is " asleep", and where is no water. No " streams of living waters", to 'quench'  the bloodthirstiness of our people. So we have ' turned back to Egypt' and sought solutions that will lead us back into slavery. Both as a church and as a society, instead of:

I cried out to God for help;

I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord,

at night I stretched out untiring hands

and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God and I groaned;

I mused and my spirit grew faint......

Psalm 77:1-3 NIV

We must begin to believe again, and cry out to God, " give Him no rest"; believe that we stand on holy ground, and that there are ' angels all around'....that they are more that are with us than those with them...the wicked of the earth who delight in shedding blood in the land.

Early this morning, it came to me that....to have the mind of Christ...is the end game of 'working out our salvation with fear and trembling'.  God will not form the mind of us. We have to by prayer..without ceasing..., suffering,  living in the  Word, helping the poor, and by complete obedience, work out this glorious salvation ourselves.   Therefore such a mind cannot be formed in us, if we are given over to a life of watching sports on TV,  seeking entertainment always and amusement of one sort or another, and break occasionally, even if regularly, to worship God on a Sunday morning.

Such a 'working out with fear and trembling' requires submitting to God's 'disciplines'....read Hebrews 12...with the end  result of righteousness and peace in mind. Such an endeavor requires trusting God in all challenging circumstances,  even when ' in our hearts we feel the  sentence of death' as Paul writes in 2 Cor. 1:9.....so that ' we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead'.

 Such a high adventure requires discussing these things with  our children and with each other as we lie down and as we get up.....

It is this God, who raises the dead, to whom we must once again show that He is our first love. For this God is a faithful God, and has shown His faithfulness to His people Israel and to His people  in the church in Jamaica, time and time again.

This is my hope for myself:

Lord renew thy church beginning with me.

Lord renew  the church that the church may renew the nation(s).

And for you too.

Amen.

LWJ

The final message is rooted not in  the secular but highly instructive music of  Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, but in the experience of Moses immortalized in song.  When we trust in God we are indeed standing on Holy Ground. With Him!  So this world which is need of rescuing can only be successfully rescued  by waging war.  And not with weapons of this world which is what the non-believe thinks can happen. But our war is to be a Holy War using weapons which have divine power  to destroy strongholds of  Sin and wickedness which have held our people in bondage for so many years. Being bound by Satan in their thinking, in creating policy, in the culture, in the music, in their living. It is time  for Christians to wake  up and begin to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and not let the agenda of the world control their minds. For of what importance, in the long run, is it, whether you have  a Sansung, iPhone or a Blackberry cell phone...or a cell phone at all ?  Does it really  matter if  " this girl is on fire" or not?  Or whether   we should rejoice with the Brits and Andy Murray or with Nole and his team and ponder what if Serena had just beaten the German  Lisikie! 

Does it really matter if you have a flat screen TV or not, or  have seen the 6th or 7th version of the latest flick?  Does it really matter if you are prosperous or not in the long run?   How will that help  prevent another young girl from dying on our streets? Life is so uncertain as that flight from Seoul showed us. And when we think we are safe and dry, that's the time we are most in danger. It is time to wake up and  work out our salvation with and trembling.  Thank God help is available in and through the  shed Blood of Christ. And God will never allow the wicked to enter the city of Jerusalem.