Qoutes From The Heart July 2012

I wonder what a girl in the womb would say about reproductive rights?

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"Their tears of trial
were turned into
tales of triumph."

THEY ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!

That's what many climbers had to say about some courageous young people who hiked up a mountain on Saturday. There were 8 of us on our Wilderness Adventure Trek in the Adirondack Mountains. We teach leadership skills by putting them into practice while climbing mountains over 4,000'. Part of our crew had already made it to the top of Giant Mt. There were 3 of us

struggling to follow them. We arrived at the top almost 3 hours later. These young people accomplished a goal that many said couldn't be done. After we descended the mountain, both young people excitedly called home with news of their accomplishment.

Their tears of trial were turned into tales of triumph.

What motivated them to finish? We use words of inspiration from the Bible. The Truth always provides a path of perseverance.

 

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 There is a danger that seeps into a ministry after many years.
The foundation of a ministry is built on God.
The growth of a ministry depends on God.
The fruit of a ministry is sustained by God.
The tendency of man is to rely on man for provision and direction.

God, I am asking You now to unionize ministries in collaboration and community. Cause us to become united in You as we become a body of o

neness in purpose.
We exist to live the Good News as You make us contagious through Your Holy Spirit. May our actions of compassion be examples of the way of Jesus. Amen.

{Revelation 22:20-21
"He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."}

 

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 MONEY
I was thinking about money this morning.
If we had more, we could help more people.
Then I read the money:
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

 

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MOSQUITO SCHOOL

Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho!
It's off to Cub Scout Camp we go!
I wonder.....
Could we teach mosquitoes to eat poison ivy
instead of biting people?

 

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 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. Proverbs 31:9

 

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God can do anything, you know—
far more than you could ever imagine
or guess or request in your wildest dreams!
He does it not by pushing us around
but by working within us,
his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Ephesians 3:20-21
The Message

 

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The Dream Church went to Cub Scout Camp.

Under a dining canopy in the woods next to a lake,
a group of Scouts who were complaining about each other
heard the story of the Cross.

Jesus was tortured and mocked and His response was:
"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Did the Scouts immediately grasp the message

and humble begin serving each other?

Hardly,
change in a child's life requires a long term commitment.

Youth With A Purpose Inc. is dedicated to perseverance
in teaching children the Way, the Truth and the Life.

 

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 FINANCIAL STALACTITES

Early this morning about 2am,
I asked God about financial matters.

Youth With A Purpose Inc. is like any other ministry with financial concerns. It always seems like the needs are growing as the money keeps shrinking. Last week, I believe that God clearly revealed to me that He wants me to only go to Him with our financial needs. That does not mean that I will go sit in t

he woods and not come out until a sack of money falls out of a tree! Yes, we could start a business or run a fund raiser but that is not my primary responsibility. My job as the Spiritual Director is to focus on a prayerful relationship with God, and duplicate that relationship within His ministry. YWAP is an organization that teaches how to build relationships and I have to model that belief by my actions.

THE VISION

At 2am, when I asked about finances, God showed me a vision. I saw a cave with stalactites on the walls. They were dripping on a continuous basis but there was one in the middle that was flowing. It was different in the sense that the wall looked like a ceiling would look like as the stalactites would hang from the ceiling. (Maybe I was just laying on my side.) It was dark like a normal cave and the colors were green, orange and clayish looking.

I am seeking God's revelation of the meaning of that vision.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do I.

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Meanwhile,

the moment we get tired in the waiting,
God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.

If we don't know how
or what to pray,
it doesn't matter.

He does our praying in and for us,

making prayer out of
our wordless sighs,
our aching groans.

He knows us far better
than we know ourselves,
knows our pregnant condition,
and keeps us present before God.

That's why we can be so sure
that every detail in our lives of love for God
is worked into something good.

Romans 8:28
The Message

Don't give up, the Son is about to come up!

 

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What does a 10 yr. old say after a few days at Cub Scout Camp?
"I wish I had another camp to go to!"
The YWAP Director prays for more people who love to share compassion with young people and keep them away from the dangers of idleness in a violent city.

 

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Jesus was not in a "Feel Good Ministry."
Some folks think that, "to be used by God"
means they will feel peaceful and happy dappy.
Nope, some days you will feel downright crappy.
Jesus got chased out of town for healing and teaching about love.
If you are not being chased,
maybe you're sitting in a pile of "feel good."
Maybe it's time to struggle out of your cocoon,
embrace the pressure that makes diamonds or
invite some pearl making irritants into your life.

 

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I was thinking,

maybe we could get one of the gang leaders
from Buffalo to run for President.

People would donate millions to his campaign
and we could use it to create jobs for young people.

Would that be against any election laws?

 

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Youth With A Purpose Inc. exists so that we may
give comfort to the widows and the fatherless.
We are provisional vessels of God's grace.

 

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  START OVER
"It is finished," is a new beginning.

 

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I gave a widow a hug yesterday. It was a long hug. Im not sure who needed the hug. Maybe it was both of us. She knew I shared her pain. God has a plan and a purpose for every hug under heaven.

 

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The message at half time was about Gideon
and how God cut down the size of his army.
Everybody is special and loved equally in God's eyes.

YWAP continued the defense of their Block Club Basketball Championship with a hard fought, close victory at home last night. The coaches did a pretty good job at substituting their players. Urban Christian Ministries is making Buffalo a safer city because of their programs. The half time message was about God having a plan and a purpose for your life.

 

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Compassion is an endangered species.

 

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Sometimes people will give you free stuff.
Sometimes people help you get free of stuff.
Sometimes people help you get freedom.
If you want it, today is a day of freedom.
If you want it, today you can shout: "I AM FREE!"

 

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 What would happen if a city
focused on compassion?
Do we need more Police or more Teachers?

 

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The Way, the Truth and the Life - a camp discussion.

Great closing ceremony at Camp. Our young people received Leadership Awards as part of the Kodiak Program.

We are back in Buffalo for one day to wash sleeping bags and pack our mountain gear for a trip to the Adirondacks tomorrow.

Sometimes we just want to take a breather,
but we might swallow a mosquito!

One thing for sure, WE NEVER GET BORED!

Teaching leadership and relationship building skills to young people is a history shaping endeavor.

 

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 God uses the character defects of others
to reveal our own character defects.

 

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ADIRONDACK HO!!!

Twas the night before a mountain trek,
and all through the house,

the YWAP Director was packing
faster than a cat chasing a mouse.

All the sleeping bags were rolled and
the first aid kit was assembled with care.

In hopes that nobody would need

any emergency care.

It's going to be a beautiful day
in the Mountain Hood,
Because we know that God
works all things together for good!

 

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 One of the greatest blessings
of having a relationship with God
is the ability to recognize your mistakes.

I used to think that the closer to God I get,
the fewer mistakes I would make.
I'm finding that to be mistaken thinking.

The closer I get to God,
I realize how many mistakes I actually make.

The blessing of my relationship with God is:

"The closer I get to God, the quicker I realize
when I have offended someone.
My reaction time is quickened
which accelerates my apology
to someone I have hurt."

The following is from Isaiah 38:5
[‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father:
“I have heard your prayer,
I have seen your tears;]

Ask God to make you hungrier for more of Him and He will.

 

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"I have heard your prayer,

I have seen your tears;"

Isaiah 38:5

 

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DDD - Devil's Deficit Disorder

A condition characterized
by multiple earthly foci
that causes loss of
focus on God.

 

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We are safely down off the mountains. We prayed the storm away. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Jesus loves you and so do we.

 

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Just a thank you dot calm.

Thank you to the gentleman and his wife who gave us a $50 McDonald's Gift Card for our Adirondack Trip. We would also like to thank the husband and wife who sent us $60 this week. We will use this money to stay in touch with a young man who is in prison and needs our support. Each 30 minutes of talk time costs $25 to talk to a prisoner.

 

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Physical poverty is the classroom that teaches spiritual poverty.

 

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 Thank you God for the
joy of a new morning.
Grant that I may share
in the suffering of another.

 

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A good Teacher
gives you something to chew on
and formulate your own opinion.
The mental chewing
allows your spirit
to disseminate what is
spiritually digestible.

 

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 Millions and millions of dollars are spent going after kids in gangs.

If the federal government spent as much money
on creating youth programs
we would not have a need to lock kids up.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

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You visit the earth and water it; You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water. Psalm 65:9

 

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Complacency
is like a stagnant pond
that breeds mosquitoes.
Inactivity will bite you
and suck the hope
right out of your soul.

Go do something nice for somebody.

 

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 GO DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEBODY.

 

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I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the hug of a widow whose husband was murdered
while fixing their granddaughter's pink bike.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the face of a 17 yr. old girl wearing an
orange jumpsuit sitting in jail.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the final heartbeat of a 14 yr. old boy

murdered while riding a bicycle.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the foggy look of an alcoholic wondering
where his next drink will come from.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the reach of a man searching
the dumpster for food.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the eyes of a heroin addict at 3am
asking for milk to calm her stomach.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the ground of a freshly dug grave
as we stood on a freshly covered grave.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the voice of a 10 yr. old girl asking:
"Why is my Daddy's arm cold?"
as she touches her father's arm in the casket.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the eye of a homeless man
(he had one glass eye)
filled with emotion because
we remembered his birthday.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the broken hearts
of fractured families.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the desperation of homeless teenagers
searching for a safe place to lay their heads.

I'VE SEEN GOD:
In the joy that comes from
sharing burdens and struggles.

Jesus loves you and so do I.

 

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 Hell

Last week at halftime of a Block Club Basketball Game, the young people assembled at half court heard about hell. We spoke about the "Wayward Harlot" in Prov 7.

There are people teaching that God forgives so it doesn't matter what you do. Yes, God does forgive those who seek repentance. I don't think you can stay out of hell if you die after purposely sinning.

Here's the last verse from Proverbs 7 in the Message:
"She runs a halfway house to hell,
fits you out with a shroud and a coffin."

 

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 A reward the size of a mustard seed is a moved mountain.

 

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 "POSITIVE words only,
are spoken,
negative words make people
feel broken."
P. Bahp Dizzle

"10 That’s why I’m writing this letter while I’m not with you. When I am with you I don’t want to be harsh by using the authority that the Lord gave me. The Lord gave us this authority to help you, not to hurt you."
2 Corinthians 13:10
GOD’S WORD

 

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It's time for "Prayer Drive-by's."

If you are driving, biking or running around Buffalo, say a prayer. Pray that Buffalo begins to act with one accord and embraces peace and unity.

You might think I'm a fruitcake but that's okay. I've been doing Prayer Drive-by's on the Lower West Side and they work. Our Youth Center is located on 7th Street. The Buffalo News once referred to 7th St as "World War III" because of all the shootings in our area. We are no longer referred to as WWIII. Lot's of people prayed. Praying changes things.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

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Something does not feel right about the city tonight, please pray. Jesus loves you and so do I.

 

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Quotes From The Heart June 2012

What would happen if you treated everyone you meet today
as if they might die at midnight?
You do not know who will die today.
Make the most of every second you have
with everyone you meet.

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 "Proactivity and prevention
are cousins that help promulgate positivity
that lead to a life of productivity.
Let's work together to save a life
before we have to mourn a life lost."

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"The best testimony is how we live."

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I once was dumb but now my tongue sings. I once was lame but now I leap like a deer. I once was deaf but now my ears are unstopped. I once was blind but now my eyes are opened. I once was full but now my hunger is insatiable. His grace is unfathomable.

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"If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong."

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 An investment in young young people is a vote for self sustainability.

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We are not meant to labor alone. Be on the lookout for someone to help you. Maybe a small hand will appear on the horizon that will open up the windows of heaven and your drought will be over.

"And sure enough, the seventh time he said,
"Oh yes, a cloud! But very small,
no bigger than someone's hand,
rising out of the sea."
1 Kings 18:44

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A Phone Call from Jail

" Freedom promulgates creativity,
our focus determines our fate."

Sometimes it's hard sitting in freedom,
trying to write and enjoy a cup of coffee.
The phone call from a jail
begins with a recording requesting your credit card number to put at least $25 on an account to talk for 15 minutes to a prisoner.
He is frantic and every minute behind bars in maximum security becomes maddening. If he loses his temper, they put him in the box. If somebody doesn't put

money on his account or write letters or answer his phone calls, his emotional state becomes agitated.

I have know people who have not been able to maintain their sanity during their prison experience. They are released from prison after serving their sentence and then are unable to function on the outside. Sometimes they commit a crime and sometimes they just lose their minds and do something that ends up in death.

Our penal system is rapidly expanding opportunities for incarceration. The more young people we put behind bars, the less creativity we have for our future. There will always be consequences for our actions and yet, the scales of justice seem to be tilted toward oppression rather than opportunity.

Freedom promulgates creativity,
our focus determines our fate.

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"I don't have the answers but I do have compassion.
I pray for builders to catch the vision
of a more compassionate city
filled with folks who teach our young people
how to be compassionate unto others
as we are compassionate unto them.
Amen."

HOMELESS TEENAGERS

There are many young people in our city that live from couch to couch. We expect them to do well in school while living in an unstable environment (we evaluate their Teachers too!) There are many reasons that good kids end up: homeless, death, divorce, and domestic violence are just a few.

Teenage pregnancy contributes to the high school dropout rate. Families expand and home

lessness is exacerbated. We make more laws, put up more street corner cameras, hire more Police, shift young prisoners out to bigger jails to alleviate overcrowding in the Holding Center.

Why aren't we creating more opportunity? Why aren't we expanding Mentoring Programs? Why aren't we sponsoring Homes of Compassion staffed with compassionate mentors?

I don't have the answers but I do have compassion. I pray for builders to catch the vision of a more compassionate city that teaches our young people how to be compassionate unto others as we are compassionate unto them. Amen.

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A Guiding Heart Counselor takes wounded young hearts and
infuses them with a touch of love and confidence.
Your words can drop emotional nuggets that heal and guide wounded hearts.

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Planting OPPORTUNITREES

Twas 4 days before the mountain trek,
And all through city,
All the young people were searching,
Trying to find reasons to be cheery.

They saw street corner vigils,
For friends who had died.
Those folks will never be able
To go climb a mountain side.

Instant oatmeal or tuna
Just might save a young life,
It doesn't take much to help a child
Climb the mountains of life.

We are asking for help,
To go plant some trees.
In the hearts of some young people,
We call them Opportunitrees.

The little things you give,
Tuna, gas cards, pennies or oatmeal.
Some very small actions,
Can make hope become real.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

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 "But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind."
Isaiah 40:31
The Message

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Thank you to all of you who have supported Youth With A Purpose Inc. You are making a difference ion the lives of thousands of children.
God has called us to reach millions which means our faith must rise to the same level. We are in a faith rising mode and that is a joyful struggle.
I will spend more time praying and teaching young people about God. That's my focus and I want to sharpen my focus to be better prepared to help these young people climb the mountains of life into eternity.

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 ARRESTED?

Your arrest warrant has been cancelled.
You no longer have probation or parole.
Your cell door is opened.
Your executioner no longer awaits you.
Your shame and guilt have been washed away.
Your dirt has become the soil where love is planted.
JUST BELIEVE!

God knew you weren't perfect because He created you. He knew the devil would have an arrest warrant for your soul. His warrant is a document of eternal death. He uses shame and guilt to make you feel inferior and unworthy of unconditional love. That's a lie.

God is the judge who wiped your slate clean if you will only believe. Jesus did your jail time. Jesus paid your fine. Jesus was executed for your crimes. Step away from your gang. Put down your gun. Leave the drugs behind before you get left behind.

Get real, ask God for a personal relationship and He will give you one. The Jesus Dude is a rock star of grace and mercy who laid down his life to cancel your death warrant.

{John 3:16
The Message (MSG)
16-18"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.}

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Quotes From The Heart May 2012

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEBODY IN JAIL?

*Skip the blame game, it will only cause depression.
*Ask God what he wants you to learn.
*Think about somebody who is in a worse place than you are.
*Be a listening heart for the person in the cell next to you.
*God sometimes creates a "Forced Shabbat." He wants you to take a rest and focus on Him. He can use an illness or a jail to slow you down and help you

focus on what's important in life.
*Look for something good in everybody that you meet, even miserable prison guards.
*Go to school, if you have a pending court case, the judge will look more favorably upon someone who is making an effort to improve their life.
*Focus on His Word: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
*This too shall pass.
*There are better days ahead.
I know that nobody in a jail cell is reading this. If you are visiting someone who is locked up, share a positive word and plant a seed of hope.
If you are living a life that may lead you to jail, please change now and ask for help if you need to. Some people lose their sanity in jail and they are never the same again.
Drugs, alcohol, anger are a few of the common baits that lure people into incarceration.
No matter who you are, somebody loves you. Jesus loves you and so do I. Even if you don't believe in Jesus, just believe that my words are an affirmation of love from my heart to yours.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody. (It might keep them and you out of jail.)

 

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 The beginning of grace in your life generally starts in a dark place. Your miseries are so deep, you feel like a root at the bottom of a mountain. Wisdom is knowledge gained through the appearance of Light in the dark place.

WISDOM
The following passage was taken from a book called the Message:

Job 28

Where Does Wisdom Come From?

1-11"We all know how silver seams the rocks, we've seen the stu

ff from which gold is refined,
We're aware of how iron is dug out of the ground
and copper is smelted from rock.
Miners penetrate the earth's darkness,
searching the roots of the mountains for ore,
digging away in the suffocating darkness.
Far from civilization, far from the traffic,
they cut a shaft,
and are lowered into it by ropes.
Earth's surface is a field for grain,
but its depths are a forge
Firing sapphires from stones
and chiseling gold from rocks.
Vultures are blind to its riches,
hawks never lay eyes on it.
Wild animals are oblivious to it,
lions don't know it's there.
Miners hammer away at the rock,
they uproot the mountains.
They tunnel through the rock
and find all kinds of beautiful gems.
They discover the origins of rivers,
and bring earth's secrets to light.

12-19 "But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom?
Where does Insight hide?
Mortals don't have a clue,
haven't the slightest idea where to look.
Earth's depths say, 'It's not here';
ocean deeps echo, 'Never heard of it.'
It can't be bought with the finest gold;
no amount of silver can get it.
Even famous Ophir gold can't buy it,
not even diamonds and sapphires.
Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable;
extravagant jewelry can't touch it.
Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets—why bother?
None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!
Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will,
they can't hold a candle to Wisdom.

20-22 "So where does Wisdom come from?
And where does Insight live?
It can't be found by looking, no matter
how deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.
If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,
they say, 'We've only heard rumors of it.'

23-28 "God alone knows the way to Wisdom,
he knows the exact place to find it.
He knows where everything is on earth,
he sees everything under heaven.
After he commanded the winds to blow
and measured out the waters,
Arranged for the rain
and set off explosions of thunder and lightning,
He focused on Wisdom,
made sure it was all set and tested and ready.
Then he addressed the human race: 'Here it is!
Fear-of-the-Lord—that's Wisdom,
and Insight means shunning evil.'"

 

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 Sometimes I wonder
if Christians are pulling the Bread
from each others mouths
while not leaving crumbs for children.

 

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Is there a hOle in your heart
or a zerO in your bank account?
YOu are in a gOOd place.
GOd lOves yOu.
He gives yOu hOpe.
He will prOvide.
He will never leave yOu Or fOrsake yOu.
He will give yOu prOvisOn fOr yOur visiOn.

John 6:20
20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

 

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 AA
Abandonment & Abundance
The Authority of Abandonment creates Abundance.

If you have been abandoned,
accept it as the seed of abundance,
and cast all of your cares upon the one
who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Jesus came with authority from his Father.
He abandoned his life so that we would have

abundant life with the Father.

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
John 10:10-11

 

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 Imagine being in jail and Jesus is visiting you.

He says he has placed the key to your cell within your heart.
The only way to access the key is by removing the layers that have built up on your heart.

All of the layers on your heart are rooted in fear. The thickest layer is blame. There are many other layers like rejection, abandonment, pride, arrogance, haughtiness and judgmentalism. He han

ds you a golden ruler that will act as a fulcrum to pry the layers off of your heart. Jesus then tells you to always remember that you can remove all layers from your heart through Christ who strengthens you. He urges you to cast all your layers upon him.

When removing the layer of blame, he tells you to focus on the layers of blame that people used to nail him to a cross. He looks you in the eye and says: "When I was dying under the layers of sin, and people were mocking me as I was being tortured, I asked my Dad to forgive the people because they didn't know what they were doing."

Go in peace, forgive, and blame no more.

 

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 There are days that I feel so overwhelmed
that I really don't know what to pray for.
Sometimes I just feel like groaning.
Then I realize my pregnant condition.
God's mercies are new each day.
Each day is a birthing day.
God is groaning right there beside me.

Romans 8:26-28
The Message

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting,
God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.
If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter.
He does our praying in and for us,
making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.
He knows us far better than we know ourselves,
knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure
that every detail in our lives
of love for God is
worked into something good."

 

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Youth With A Purpose Inc. is healing children, one young person at a time.

Yesterday was a day of healing.
A group of young people sat at a dinner table and laughed.
We laughed until we almost fell out of our seats.
The dinner table was far away from painful memories
and at least for a few brief moments,
these young people could feel at peace.

 

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 FRUITCAKE STORY
I did something dumb yesterday. My actions were rooted in honor but they were still dumb. I dropped off a young lady at a store. While she was in the store, a group of young men came down the sidewalk and ogled her through the window. They even went so far as walking into the store to check her out from behind.

This girl is like a daughter to me. I am very protective as a father

should be. Impulsively I got out of my van and by the time I made it to the sidewalk, the group of young men were at least 20 yards away. I yelled at them: "Are you guys respecting the lady?" They turned, yelled some negative comments and kept walking. I stood in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at them like I was some kind of a tough guy. They kept yelling until they disappeared around the corner.

At first I felt like I had done what I was supposed to do. Slowly, the realization that I had done something dumb crept in. A man should be protective and do what needs to be done to ensure that respect is shown towards his family. These were young guys who live in a culture of disrespect and treat women as furniture. I would have been better served to go and form a relationship with them and speak about respect instead of acting like a haughty, pride filled, arrogant know-it-all.

In a City where people shoot each other over a "screw-face," my actions were dumb and dangerous. Somehow I felt like I had stepped out of the will of God. I still don't have a handle on that but I know there was a better way of handling things. Right now I'm thinking about the Zacchaeus story with Jesus. Zack was a tax collector and a cheat. Jesus saw him in a tree and didn't do what i did, he didn't call out his disrespect for people even though he knew about it. Jesus asked him to go get something to eat and formed a relationship with him. (Luke 19:1-10)

If I go off on my own impulses, I could get killed and it would be my fault for cutting short a life that could have served God longer on this side of heaven. If I'm going to live my life as a fruitcake, I'd rather form relationships that bear the fruit of showing love for your neighbor.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

 

*******************************************************************************

 

"Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends."

Proverbs 17:9
New Living Translation

We all have faults.
Faults can separate friends forever.
Get over it.
I'm not perfect and neither are you.
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

 

*******************************************************************************

 

 

Quotes From The Heart April 2012

What you do in obscurity can impact eternity.
God feels your heart when you are
cleaning the toilet bowl
for your family.

**********

 Sunsets and sunrises
are burning sky bushes
for the spiritually receptive.
Follow the Son.

**********

 A sunrise is a reminder
that yesterday's chaff
was burned up
in the sunset.

**********

 LIFTING GOD WEIGHTS WILL REQUIRE A GOD DESIRE

If I desire my body to be stronger, I lift weights.
If I desire to know God more, I lift God weights.
To see God in everything requires spiritual weightlifting.
When I stand in the woods and watch a tree peel,
I see God because I desire to see God.
I begin to peel the layers off my heart
as I watch the wind peel the tree.
Fear has many layers; shame, guilt, blame, and rejection.
The layers on my heart are barriers that
need to be lifted from His Presence within me.

*********

WHY?
Why do we say we will pray for somebody and not pray at the moment we say it? People on FB post a comment that says:I will pray for you." When will they pray? When it's convenient or when they are done checking their friend activity or checking their email? I urge you to pray at the moment you say you will pray.

It's nothing to be embarrassed over. Prayer is simply a conversation with someone who loves you and will never leave you or forsake you. Pray when you say you will pray,
JUST DO IT!

**********

The message this morning will be:
"If the Son sets you free you are free indeed."
"Tarry ye in Jerusalem until until you are
endued with power from on high."
"Walking, leaping and praising God!"

***********

Here's a Shout Out to all the folks just getting home from clubbin' -
I am partying with Jesus this morning.
I am doing some undignified dancing.
I am with other folks as one Body.
I am drinking from a new wineskin.
I am smoking some Holy Ghost power!
Yowzers!!! No hangovers, I'm getting buzzed on God!

**********

 WORD
If you took a lamp unto your feet,
Do you see homeless on a city street?
Do you see the flesh that among us dwells?
Little children playing among bombshells.
Are you reaching for the hem of His garment,
As your arm stretches over the naked vagrant?

Go do something nice for somebody.

**********

 TRUE POVERTY -
A familyless child

**********

"Positive words only are spoken,
Negative words make people feel broken."
Can you share some positive words with a young person today?

**********

"You can see where they
shot my Daddy's ear off."

I walked into the funeral home with my Bible in my hand. The children looked at me with eyes that said: "He probably has some answers." The little girl reached in and touched her father's arm. She looked up at me and said: "Why is my Daddy's arm cold?" Her younger brother urged me to come around the back of the casket. "You can see where they shot my Daddy's ear off."
Sometimes I don't have any answers.
I think the reason we exist
is to help children lead lives
that speak about love
instead of questioning hate.

 

**********

"We also prayed for him and his sister
whose boyfriend committed suicide yesterday.
I guess we were right where we needed to be."

There are some nights when it is not fun to be a Youth Director. We had to call the Police tonight because some young men refused to leave. They had a beef over stolen headphones and they didn't like our solution. When a group of about 8-10 left, they made a mess by dumping chairs and books. Some of them said they were going to spread the word to not come to the Youth Center anymore. They said the Youth Center couldn't stay open without them. We were still crowded after they left. I guess their friends listen as well as they do!
On the bright side we had a visitor who shared a new opportunity for our young people to experience nature. We also prayed for him and his sister whose boyfriend committed suicide yesterday. I guess we were right where we needed to be.

 

**********

 

 "You can help reap
a harvest of self sufficient,
community minded young people
by sowing into their lives." 

 

**********

 

 

 A church needs to
be filling needs and not
creating needs just to
feel needed.
This is a personal reminder that the best way to serve somebody is to help them stand on their own. Sometimes we give handouts to make ourselves feel good. This is actually harmful and is detrimental to self sufficiency. Go do something nice for somebody.

 **********

I know I've been in the Presence
when I come away broken.

**********

Maybe the love I'm giving
is out of the love that I'm desiring
instead of the love that is needed.

**********

Deep in the soil of weakness
a seed of strength is taking root.
Passivity is patience becoming passion.
Take a moment and give yourself credit
for overcoming some weaknesses.

**********

 Jesus - The Dust Remover

When he stooped down to wash people's feet, Jesus used water to remove dust. Another time he used water (his spit) to combine with dust to plaster a blind man's eyes and then he was told to go remove the mud and wash in the Pool of Siloam (sent.) The guy who once was blind could now see. In the beginning God separated the waters from the dry land. When we are born, we are separated from our mother's water (it breaks.) There seems to be a pattern of separation from earthly dust in preparation for being sent spiritually. God's creation is a classroom that leads to a spiritual graduation.
The following is from John 3:5-6 in The Message: 5-6Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit."

**********

 Love is a verb -
GO TAKE SOME ACTION!

**********

 "Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evil doings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.
Isaiah 1:17
The Message

**********


His wounds
healed people.
Do yours?

**********

 The Bread of Life -
Prepared on a Cross,
Cooked behind a Stone,
Became a Risen Meal of
Eternal Nourishment.

**********

 "She reached out and touched the hem of His garment."

Will you allow Him to reach out and touch the hem of your heart?

***********

It would be cool if the oppressed, fatherless and widows had signs that said:

"Hey you, get out of your pew!

**********

 I want a Son rise in me.

**********

 forgive

**********

 Once upon a minute there was a tree called a Blame Tree. It's lofty branches were pointed at all the other trees of the forest. "It's your fault my seedlings don't grow," she shouted!

Some of the other trees pointed back and shouted their own words of needling and blame. Some trees were cut down and still getting blamed even though they were no longer around.

One tree eventually made some sense:

"I was a tree at the very first fall, the fall of you mankind because you wanted it all. I held the fruit you picked that cause you guilt and shame, you wear it now like a mantle, it's become a part of your name. Unable to take it off, you react in fear, pointing fingers of blame.

I was a tree cut down and floated through town on 39 rivers of blood. A Man was made to carry me and all of you upon my sturdy wood. They froze him to my limbs with cold hard steel. I held him like a leaf until he fell from my branches, his last words I remember: 'Please give them second chances."

I hope there is a forest fire in Buffalo that causes the blame trees to be burnt up like chaff so that the seedlings of children are allowed to grow.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.


**********


VIOLENCE & ANGER
Today's Youth With A Purpose Inc. Relationship Mentoring program in the Buffalo Schools tackled anger management. We examined the roots of fear and woundedness that cause people to hurt other people. Hurting people hurt people. What triggers your anger or depressed moods? Can you take a deep breath, walk away, refocus your thoughts to diffuse anger? Can you develop empathy and understand someone's pain and offer compassion instead of returning anger? YES YOU CAN! 

**********

Most folks are as compatible as
they make up their minds to be.

**********


REINFORCESTEEMENT
It's a new word that means:
"The action of reinforcing your self esteem."
Someday your body will return to dust. In the meantime you are fertile soil designed to nurture growth. You are a good and valuable person who will persevere and build emotional muscle as you grow into a more compassionate heart farmer.

**********

 Leave your past
as a root in the darkness
that allows you to stretch
into the light of a new dawn

**********

 "It's not just eye contact that happens here
it's more like heart contact.
This is where the healing begins."

**********

 Let your tears of sadness
sprinkle upon seeds of gladness.
Go do something nice for somebody.

**********

BLUE SKY

I can't see the end of it,

So I'll just run under it.

**********

 CHANGE is.....
When a wound received becomes a healing applied.

Too many wounded people react to pain by giving pain to others. Let your wound become a weight that you lift
to make the muscle of your heart stronger.

1 Samuel 25 The Message
30-31 "When God completes all the goodness he has promised my master and sets you up as prince over Israel, my master will not have this dead weight in his heart, the guilt of an avenging murder. And when God has worked things for good for my master, remember me."

**********

 When will the Fringe Folks become Fray Folks?

Buffalo has been a city of Fringe Sitters for too long.
It's time for Fray Jumpers, It's time Buffalo.

We are on the edge.
The edge of a dream.
Living on the edge requires a team.
A team of players who play the plan.
Will you sit on the fringe and meet and plan?
Will you jump into the fray and play the plan?

Youth With A Purpose Inc.

Help needed: Prayers, Planners, Players

**********

 THE HOODIE IS AN EXCUSE

The hoodie issue has become an excuse for adults to hide behind because they have not taught the next generation about compassion.

The adults need to act like the students at the Charter School -
TAKE ACTION!

Instead of focusing on our own faults, it's easier to focus on people villianized by the media. We feel power in numbers as we chant for justice and vengeance while we ignore our own ignorance. Lack of compassion creates stereotypes that give us a false sense of security to hide behind. Pointing fingers of blame create stereo types. I wonder who wore the first hoodie?

Hitler used propaganda against the Jews to create a Holocaust. He blamed Jews for everything so he could rally support for his heinous atrocities. In America we are finding many things to blame for our own lack of compassion. Hoodies, Black people, Hispanic people, White people, sagging pants people, hood people, rich people, poor people, government people, Pastor people, homeless people, etc.

Stop the blame game and take a good look at yourself.
Do you treat EVERYONE with compassion?

It's not whether you wear a hood.
It's not whether you live in the Hood.
IN ALL PEOPLE - LOOK FOR SOMETHING GOOD!

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.


**********

Quotes From The Heart March 2012

I ran in the Bengal 5K this morning. The shirt I wore has a Cross on the back and the front says: "A blood donor saved my life." When I received my Racing Bib, I went to my van and looked up a Bible verse with the same numbers (2344) and this is what I found:
Luke 23:44 The Message
"By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, "Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last."
Tomorrow I begin a fast that leads up to Good Friday. I think it's cool how some things line up in life. I could not have written a script for these events. I get the point - Jesus died for me.

**********

A new song by P. Bahp Dizzle

Girl goes lookin' for a boy.
To him she's just a decoy.
He just wants another toy.

Lady's lookin for a guy who'll stay,
She's hope'n forever and a day.
Guy's lookin for a roll in the hay,
Girl ain't nothin but a toy to play.

Now the lady's got a new Son.
Still claimin to be a virgin.
She's found forever in the risen One.
This woman will never again be forsaken.

**********

GREATER THINGS
Jesus walked on water.
We are meant to walk under water.
When we are immersed in His Holy Spirit
we are baptized and receive power that will lead
others through the murky waters into the newness of Christ.


**********

The murky swamp of a person's past
appears as a pristine lake of purity
when viewed through the eyes of a
mind renewed in Christ.

**********

SELFISH:
a bait used by young men to hook vulnerable young ladies.

SEX & DRUGS & DISRESPECT
We need more adult like, mature ladies to teach the younger ladies how to respect themselves. Young girls are falling prey to guys who are just looking for a piece of meat. They end up used and abused and sometimes pregnant.
We need more adult like, mature men to teach the younger men how to respect themselves. Young men are acting like wolves looking for their next meal. They end up dead, killing someone, fatherlessing a child or in jail.
We have a culture that accepts and even expects disrespect. Last night in front of our Youth Center, I stood on the street corner yelling at both guys and girls. I yelled at guys for their disrespectful behavior. I yelled at girls for accepting that behavior. We all have a responsibility.

***********

FATHERLESSNESS:
an act of or relating to the creation of the "least of these."

FATHERLESSED
When a young man gets a girl pregnant
and she delivers a baby, he is the father.
We would say that he "fathered" the child.
That is the way it is supposed to be.
Sadly, today young men walk away
from the lady and their child.
We could say that he "fatherlessed" a child.
If you have fatherlessed a child,
it's time you show courage and act like a Dad.

***********

I FEEL ANGRY TODAY.
We live in a finger pointing world that loves to demonize people and lock them up for their crimes. Evil starts with evil and left untreated will continue to beget evil. The only treatment is forgiveness and love. I am not saying that we go easy on criminals. I am saying that we need to start teaching children about love, mercy, grace and forgiveness.
There was a Dude who was a victim of a heinous crime and in the midst of torture said to his dad; "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Some people really don't know what they are doing because the pain of evil that was inflicted upon them causes them to inflict pain on others as they are spiritually and emotionally blinded to healing. Let's study and teach solution oriented programs about abuse to children and their parents.
WE CAN STOP ABUSE AGAINST CHILDREN!

**********

 LOVE accepts me:
As I am.
Forgives what I was.
Believes in what I can be.

**********

 "How well God must like you—
you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.

Instead you thrill to God's Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom."
Psalm 1 The Message

**********

 Deeply rooted wounds in the heart
are the result of unhealed wounds
inflicted by other wounded people.
An unhealed wound of the flesh
creates an illness in the spirit called sin.
Deeply rooted wounds can become
insatiable desires of the flesh that
will destroy your soul.
God wants to take the mud
off of the eyes of your heart
and heal your spiritual wound.
Will you continue the wounding
or spread healing beginning with yourself?

**********

 Thank you God for bringing people into my life
that help bring more of You into me.

**********

 "If we begin to teach our children about compassion and trust,
the future will be made up of active participants who believe
that they have the ability to make positive changes in society."

**********

 Seldom does God reveal the test until you have given your final answer. The test is multiple choice with only 2 answers: God Himself or yourself.

**********

 Some folks think abortion is okay if it will spare the baby a painful life.
What if Mary chose to abort Jesus
to spare him the agony of a torturous death?
Has anyone ever told you how much God loves you
and that He has a plan for your life?

**********

 The pursuit of love of neighbor should mirror Gods pursuit of man - RELENTLESS!

**********

 Pray for people with flashbacks.

"I don't have to be what has happened to me."
"I don't have to do what has been done to me."
"What has been done to me does not define me"

God I know that you created us as good. I know that evil has touched us. Please help us to see the goodness of your mercy and grace that will remove the evil that has touched us. Cause us to be a cleansed and pure people as temples of your Holy Spirit. The evil that has touched us has been left in the grave as you rolled away the gravestone to reveal our new life in You. Amen.

**********

Global Warming: Holy Spirit fire heating up the devils playground.

**********

 The breath of God = The aroma of forgiveness.
The aroma of Christ is the scent of the sent.

**********

Once upon a minute there was a whosoever who called upon the name of the Lord and got saved.

**********

 Remember every road
that God led you on
for those forty years in the wilderness,
pushing you to your limits,
testing you
so that he would know what you were made of,
whether you would keep his commandments or not.
He put you through hard times.
He made you go hungry.
Deuteronomy 8 The Message

**********

 Learn to embrace the settings of life as well as the risings.

**********

 ABANDONMENT = SUNSET
You may have been abandoned in your life.
Maybe it was a parent, a spouse or a friend.
Right now, this moment,
decide to cast off your abandonment complex
that causes you to feel inferior and shun new relationships.
Everyday the sun sets. Do you feel abandoned by the sun.
Everyday the sun rises. You are not abandoned forever.
Learn to embrace the settings of life as well as the risings.
God loves you so much that He gave His only Son to be abandoned to the grave. The abandonment was temporary. He rose again. Go and do likewise. God will help you turn despair into desire.

**********

"Looking for love,
they end up in sexually abusive relationships
and or living promiscuous lives."

Many young people have never been loved by a parent.
Needs are met except the need to feel loved.
Looking for love,
they end up in sexually abusive relationships
and or living promiscuous lives.
We need to teach young people that they are worthy of love. Wounds can be healed, habits can be changed.
YOU ARE LOVED RIGHT NOW!
Fatherlessness is rampant in our city
so let's start with the Mom's.
If you are a Mom,
please study how to show love to your children.
Love is a verb, it is something you do.
You can break the cycle of lovelessness
in your generational cycle.
Let love begin with you.
By giving love, the healing will begin.
God has an unlimited supply of love and He never runs dry.
Go look in the mirror and say:
"I am worthy of love.
Even if I never received love from my mother or father,
I am worthy of love and I will give love."
God loves you so much that He let His Son
lay down His life for you.
Go and do likewise.
Claim the power of God
to defeat any destructive behavior that you are involved in.
Believe in love, act in love, receive love -
YOU ARE WORTHY and YOU ARE LOVED!
JUST BELIEVE!

**********

IT'S TIME BUFFALO.

NEEDED
A 24-7 Youth Center in Buffalo.
We will welcome victims of abuse.
We will welcome gang members of all ages.
We will welcome the homeless.
We will welcome victims of addiction.
We will welcome fatherless children.
We will welcome husbandless mothers.
We will welcome unschooled children.
We will continue to mentor children in the Buffalo Schools.
We will continue to serve meals to children at Holy Cross.
We will continue to teach business creation.
We will continue our Wilderness Adventure Program.
We will continue our 24-7 service to families in emergencies.
We will continue to partner with other service organizations.
We will continue believe in the best for ALL CHILDREN.

********** 

"Now, what is it you want?
Half of my kingdom isn't too much to ask!
Just ask."
Esther 5:6

**********

Here's the 3:50am verse:

46-48"Our enemies shout abuse,
their mouths full of derision, spitting invective.
We've been to hell and back.
We've nowhere to turn, nowhere to go.
Rivers of tears pour from my eyes
at the smashup of my dear people.

49-51"The tears stream from my eyes,
an artesian well of tears,
Until you, God, look down from on high,
look and see my tears.
When I see what's happened to the young women in the city,
the pain breaks my heart.

Lamentations 3:46-51
The Message

**********

 ABC
Accept people for who they are.
Believe in the best for people.
Change yourself to become your best.

**********

 The only thing we are drinking and smoking is God.

"My head is reeling,
my limbs are limp,
I'm staggering like a drunk,
seeing double from too much wine—
And all because of God,
because of his holy words."
Jeremiah 23:9

A few months ago I picked up a young man from his Job Corps Program in Cassadaga. He was coming home for the weekend. I have known him for about half his life. We were driving down the Thruway when he started talking in a very animated way.

He said he never understood what I was talking about when I said that I was hungrier and thirstier for God everyday. He said he never understood how I could say I was high on God. But now he understood because he feels the same way. He was so excited that I thought he was going to fly right out of my van! My young friend had been attending a Bible Study and he has been hanging around some other "High" people and now he feels drunk.

The only thing we are drinking and smoking is God.

**********

 "Congenial conversation—what a pleasure!
The right word at the right time—beautiful!"
Proverbs 15:23
The Message
Look somebody in the eye and say: "IT'S GOOD TO SEE YA!"

**********

 When the one who prays
becomes the one who preys,
You need to pray for the one
who made you their prey.
Have you been hurt?
Pray anyway.
Forgive.

**********

Who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness. Ephesians 4:18. Please be careful if you are pastfeeling, you may end up as an unclean, lewd, greedy person.

**********

This morning in the Buffalo Schools, we talked about compassion, the Holocaust, slavery and eating worms. One person can make a difference. Will it be you?

Are you willing to eat the worm?

The mother worm eats the worm and partially swallows it before she regurgitates back to her youngsters. It may not sound to appetizing but the result is healthy baby birds. The lesson to the student this morning was about compassion. When life feeds you a worm, can you partially swallow it and mix it with the oils of compassion in your heart and give it back as a life changing meal?

 

**********

 

The sun appears to leave the womb of darkness as it dawns on a new day. Compassion must be taught to our children as soon as they leave the womb. — in Buffalo.

 

**********

 

  The sun rises over a city.
Could we raise a banner of compassion over our city?
How do you help to raise compassion in children? — in Buffalo.

 

**********

 

 We worked all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net. They caught a great number of fish. (Luke 5) Dont give up. Wait for the right time and trust God.

 

**********

 

 COMPASSION
A compass
that points your heart
towards empathetic action.

 

**********

 

 "Teach My children about My waves.
The waves of My love are like the vastness of the oceans.
Some waves remain on the surface and
some waves are deep unto deep.
My children have a choice of living
on the surface of minimal blessing or
diving into the depths of unfathomable favor."

 

**********

 

 SURROUNDED BY LOVE
You are a grain of sand in the middle of God's ocean of love.

 

**********

 

 Relationships should be like flowers. Focus on their beauty and aroma so that after they have withered (we all do) you will still have their beauty imprinted on your soul.

 

**********

 

 When I can't sleep, I match Bible verses with the time (it's 4am.)
1 Thessalonians 4
The Message (MSG)

You're God-Taught
1-3 One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.

Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.

4-5Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.

6-7Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside.

8If you disregard this advice, you're not offending your neighbors; you're rejecting God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit.

9-10Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it.

11-12Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.

 

**********

 

 Jesus did not go directly from the
Transfiguration to the
Resurrection, there had to be a
Crucifixion.

The Word that became flesh
is a lamp unto your feet,
don't jump ahead,
be patient.

 

**********

 

 Faith can be a strength or a weakness.
Faith in God can guarantee your eternal destination.
Faith in self may result in a desire to skip part of the journey.
Jesus could not go directly from the Transfiguration to the Resurrection, there had to be a Crucifixion.

All parts of the journey work together for good.
Faith in self can cause you to force your belief on someone who is not ready. Faith in self can cause you to claim a blessing that was meant to tarry awhile. Faith in God will help you wait as the blessing will surely come true at the proper time. Though it tarries, wait for it. Give God your self and let your faith be in Him.

 

**********

 

 In all relationships, you will sometimes be a lion and sometimes be a a lamb. When you are the lion are you willing to lie down with the lamb?

 

**********

 

 God,
I pray for all of the children who will be aborted today.
I pray for the Mom's who are making a life or death decision today.
I pray for the Dad's who are urging Mom's to make the death decision.
I pray that You would allow them to feel the immensity of Your love.
I pray that they would share Your love with the child that they are considering aborting.
I pray for the healing of the victims of sexual abuse.
I pray that you would take the dirt of shame and guilt and apply the mud of healing to the eyes of their hearts.
May it be so. Amen.

 

**********

 

 Rejection: The Winter Heart. Brokenness: The Spring Heart. Intimacy: The Summer Heart. Forgiveness: The Fall Heart.

 

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 Dear God even as we believe that perfect love casts out fear, we are remembering folks still shackled by fear. Another young man has been picked up for murder. The memory of death becomes a fresh wound once again. Help us to spread love and compassion in the face of fear. Amen.

 

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 Its the spring of your addiction, you are about to burst forth into a new beginning. Just believe!

 

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 Stop looking at what you have done.
Focus on what you can do.

 

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 All human beings are basically the same.....Except some choose to look at the growth needs of their own soul instead of focusing on the faults of others.

 

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 Religion is a road map drawn by other people. Relationship with God is a personal GPS.

 

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It's not about religion.
It's about relationship
with a God who created us.

Everyday the sun rises. Everyday the sun sets.

The colors of a sunset and a sunrise reflect the colors of clay
mixed with blood, sweat and tears at the foot of the cross.

The Son was raised up on a cross and then
his life set back into the earth and then he rose again.

A tree loses it's leaves and appears dead
in the winter after the fall.
In the spring it comes back to life.
Born again, new life.

The nature of the universe reflects the spiritual nature of God.
The relationship between man and God is organized.

Organized relationship, I think God wants to do a new thing.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

 

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NARROW FAST
The removal of anything that will help you narrow your
focus on building a deeper and more intimate relationship.
You can NARROW your focus on God,
your wife, your husband or your child.
What will you fast from to create a more
intimate relationship with someone that you love?

 

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When people hurt you,
that doesn't excuse you from holding yourself accountable
and examining the weaknesses that allowed you to be hurt.
Don't let your pain develop into self pity.
Accountability should extend to both the victim and the victimizer.

 

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 Laws are limiting, love is liberating.

 

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Ezekiel 34 is Buffalo and America. Its time to open our mouth. Pr 31:1-9. Take up the cause of the fatherless. Is 1:17.

 

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 FATHERLESSNESS
I believe that the secret to turning Buffalo around can be found in the words of a King's Mother:
Proverbs 31:1-9
"The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

2 What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
5 Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.[a]
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy."

In a City plagued by "FATHERLESSNESS," the King uses the words of his mother to "plead the cause of poor and needy." Any young man without a father could be described as poor and needy. Some young men are fortunate to have positive male role models in their lives teaching them how to be men. Mothers are working their fingers to the bone attempting to be loving, nurturing, and compassionate providers as single parents. Young girls are accepting the disrespect of their bodies by young men because they don't know what love is. They look for the love that they never received from a father and end up with sex from a young man who never had a father teach him how to love a woman.

It's time Buffalo:
OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND PLEAD THE CAUSE OF THE POOR AND NEEDY!

 

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 Two half empty hearts do not create a whole heart.
Two hearts
filled to overflowing with the love of God
create unfathomable love.

 

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"Daddy, how will we get rid of the Poison Ivy in our garden?
If we touch it we will get a rash and blisters?"
Asked the Heart Farmers daughter.

"Well, my darling Beauty" replied her Dad "We will have to pull it out while we wear gloves, or we can dig it out with a shovel. We have to make sure we pull it out by the roots so it doesn't grow back."

"Poison Ivy can be like people who hurt us. Some folks need to be healed but we can't be afraid to help them because we are afraid that they are contagious. If we fill ourselves with the protecting grace of God's love we can reach out and touch wounded hearts without fear of being infected by their woundedness. Sometimes by reaching out to others, God reveals our own wounds that need healing"

"I want to be a healer, Daddy." Said the little girl." Her Dad smiled with his heart and said; "God already heals through you my darling Beauty."
"I love you Daddy!"

 

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 Has sin been done to us
that causes us to be undone in sin?
Have we been hurt
that causes us to hurt somebody else?
Have we been treated like dirt
that causes us to spread dirt in our neighbors heart?

We don't have to keep on sinning
because we've been given a new beginning.
Let the leaves of your old life fall to the ground
and embrace the spring of your life.

 

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