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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Hip-Hop, Idolatry & The Church Pt. 23 ~ The G. Craig Lewis Gospel

I haven't mentioned Elder Lewis in quite some time and they say that even a broke clock is right twice a day-LOL!!! Not saying that he is a "broke clock" but ANYWAY, in this interview our dear friend G. Craig Lewis tackles the questions asked by Gospel Truth Magazine regarding the "Gospel music industry" and the problems that he knows that exist as gospel artists have sold themselves into silence against the culture. On THIS issue, I believe brother is certainly on point and I appreciate his work in that area of ministry.



Now he was 100% CORRECT speaking about not allowing homosexuals to serve in ministry, but around 21:57 he says that homosexuals shouldn't even be allowed in the church...I think he should go back to the drawing-board on that one...As he says he asks others, "Where's that at in the bible?" This is where the "broke clock" comes in. I don't believe you'll find that one or anything that says, block the door of the church for any sinner, that hadn't already been condemned and judged by God. Howbeit, (and I render this in hope that I am correct about his intention) I BELIEVE he was referring to the acceptance and perpetuation of homosexual behavior as being the problem...although that's not what he stated. He stated, they shouldn't be in the church period. So I don't know...All I know is Jesus said this: 

Lk. 19:10 ~ For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

The CHURCH is the only hope for all sinners. If we have POWER, they should be able to come and be delivered and set free. That's the church and what it's about, whether we're comfortable or uncomfortable with what we have to do to not allow their sin to be embraced by others. We can put boundaries around any ungodly activity in church, including the ungodly activity of homosexuality but let ALL sinners come to Jesus and HIS church! Even if they have to sit until they are set free.... 

Anyway, except for that little misstep, I think there are some good questions that can be raised by his commentary.

Blessed!

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Saturday, August 16, 2014

Constitutional Protection Of Ferguson Protesters SHOT DOWN!

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon allowed whom he described as "a very few" and "hand full of looters" to trump the Constitutional rights of the thousands gathered together in peaceful protests and assembly in Ferguson, MO. in response to the Michael Brown murder. 


In what was one of the most contentious press conferences that I've ever witnessed, the Governor gave away the Constitutionally protected rights of peaceful citizens to some opportunist crooks under the guise of community "safety". Some, including the Governor, have been duped into believing that this should have been done to settle the crowd down and to place parameters on protest. Only that is a violation of the law for peaceable protest...I and many others say...ARREST those responsible for the crimes, BUT begin with the crime committed by the officer who killed a young man with his hands raised! 

At this time however, there is still no statement from the police as to any potential charges that could be leveled against the officer. "It is still under investigation" is the phrase to wart off any possible demand for acquisition of the individual suspected to have killed Michael Brown. On the other hand, what there has been are pictures and statements that implicate Michael Brown and call his character into question saying that he was a "man on the run" looking to start trouble with the police over cigarillos that he reportedly stole from the store prior to his death. This is said to have placed him in an "offensive" mindset, whereby he would have attacked the police...like a modern day, Al Capone, John Dillinger or Pretty Boy Floyd....We are to believe that Michael Brown was willing to establish a lifelong criminal record over some cigarillos....OK...SURE!!!!


As the family continues their quest for justice, we find that we are following the same path as the highly publicized case of Trayvon Martin's family in their quest for justice. Once again, we wait for anyone to even admit that something was wrong when a person gets shot multiple times from a distance with their hands up in a surrender position. Further, what we have also found out is that Michael was blocked from getting any type of medical care. Yes, there was a RN on site that begged police to allow her to tend to the victim...she was prohibited from doing anything and yet Michael's body lay in the street over 45 minutes.

Then YOU think that citizens, fed up with it all should just, "go home" and "calm down"? R U Serious?   

Citizens of Ferguson WE STAND with you! 

HANDS UP! DON'T SHOOT!

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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Dunamis Word Podcasts Back On Line

Read This New Article: 
Rights, & The Foundation Of Marriage Within Civil Society.

All current podcasts are back up, including all broadcasts discussing sexual abuse.

Click HERE for most recent broadcasts 

Sorry for the inconvenience. We are working to bring you a better and more comprehensive service along with expanded Youtube visibility. 

Thanks for the encouragements.

Blessed!

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Monday, August 11, 2014

Is It Open Season On Black Men?

UPDATE 11/26/2014: Much has been made of forensics saying that Michael Brown was not shot in the back. Forensic specialists conclude eye witnesses that say that Officer Darren Wilson shot at Michael Brown while he was running away, were simply wrong. They further conclude that because there were no shots in the back that Darren Wilson is credible and simply told the truth.


But we remember the testimony of Piaget Crenshaw who says that she saw and heard Darren Wilson shooting at Michael Brown.while Michael Brown was running away. Now, why would they conclude that she was wrong? There is only one reason...They ASSUME that Darren Wilson was an accurate shooter. If that is the case, then why are none of the shots that hit the target center mass of Mike Brown's body? It is quite easy to understand why there were no shots in the back. Darren Wilson was not a good shooter.

***THIS WAS TOP STORY ON NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS 8/11/2014***

18 Yr. Old Michael Brown
18 year old, UNARMED, Black youth Michael Brown, was killed by the Police in Ferguson, MO Saturday afternoon Aug. 9th, 2014. According to the police, Michael was a participant in an "altercation" with police when "someone" fired a shot at the police. The policeman, after being pushed into his car, responded by coming up and shooting multiple shots. Reportedly, Michael was hit by most of these multiple shots and killed.

Eyewitnesses however have somewhat of a different version of events which has stirred considerable controversy. One eyewitness, who happens to be the other young man whom the police stopped with Michael, Dorian Johnson, reported that the police initially stopped both the youths without provocation and proceeded to try to place Michael in the squad car forcibly. Michael resisted. The police evidently shot though no shots were fired at him/them. Johnson went on to say this:
“He shot again and once my friend felt that shot he turned around and put his hands in the air and started to get down, and the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several more shots.”...“We wasn’t causing no harm to nobody [sic],”...“We had no weapons on us at all.”


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Friday, August 8, 2014

Festival Of Praise Tour

A wonderful interview with 2 of Gospel music's greatest. THANK YOU Donnie for your honesty and we are praying for you that God will continue to give you strength. Yes, relationships are under attack, but God is a healer and thank both of you for considering that God wants to heal this generation. We need it!

Blessed!

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Islam, Submission With No Peace Pt. 9...ISIS

ISIS Executing Iraqi Soldiers
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) a force of nearly 7,000 to 8,000 Sunni militants, has quickly placed itself in the lead of the many woes facing the Middle East. Many of us have heard the threat of ISIS repeated over and over on the news and seen how this group (also called a mobile army) has kicked both Christians and other Muslims out of their homes. 

ISIS, with 800 men, captured the second most populous city in Iraq, Mosul, which was defended by 30,000 soldiers. This group has successfully waged war in both Syria and Iraq and is quickly gaining strength in the whole region in effort to establish a completely new state with a completely new Muslim ethic. 


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Thursday, August 7, 2014

The Hunt With John Walsh


I will certainly be watching and tuning this in on Sunday evening. 8/10/2014 on CNN.

May the Lord bless John Walsh and his work as he has taken the pain of a lifetime and turned that into a blessing for countless thousands. 


Blessed!

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Engaging The Culture...What Is Your Purpose?

Is American culture an unbelieving culture? Have we given this culture or generation good reasons to believe? Simply saying, "you need Jesus" is ineffective because most people have no clue what that means. What does it mean to "engage the culture" and not loose one's spiritual identity in the process?
 
These are the questions that we must ask as we engage this modern generation and modern culture. They have been fed so much information, much of which is centered on the supremacy of man and mankind. Given a steady diet of the world and what the world thinks, can be corrosive and damaging to the center of ones being, because life does not revolve only around material and materialism, it is a spiritual journey and what ones spirit aspires to could have an eternal weight of measure. 


In our Facebook forum, "In Defense Of The Faith~1 Pet. 3:15" I shared a recent incident in which I overheard a young lady discussing the bible, God and her opposition to the theistic beliefs and the Christian narrative in particularly. 

She was a nice young lady and her conversation struck me in particularly because she had no idea who I was and I certainly didn't ruin it for her. Before we parted, I explained to her my interest in what she was saying and asked her to join the conversation on facebook as I dealt with her concerns and the things that she brought up. 

Here are a few of her concerns as I remember them:
1- I don't believe in God because I don't know where he came from or who he is. Everybody
has a birth, but God just is. What is that? I mean I understand Jesus, because he had a mother and a father. I understand other people 'cause we know where they came from and who their parents are. I don't know where God came from. Can't no preacher tell me where God came from they just tell me to believe so I can be saved....I said believe in who and what? 
2- (because of 1 above) What gives God the right to just tell me and everybody else what to do? We don't even know where he comes from! 
3- I am here because of my parents. I am not here for anything else but for what I want to be here for. 
4- I am a self directed person. I just do what I think is right. Can't no God that we don't know, tell me how I should do anything. That don't make no sense to me. 
5- If there was only 2 people in the world then where did everybody else come from? You mean to tell me that Adam and eve's kids had sex with one another and had kids? That's just nasty! That don't make any sense to me. 
6- Read the bible. There is a lot of stuff in there that don;t make no sense like all of us coming from 2 people. Like how could Eve come from somebody's rib? Be serious? How does a person come from somebody else's body parts?

While some of my atheist friends who are regular readers will think, "smart girl"...and while I would agree, I would also affirm that her sentiments when examined are only apropos to the culture and severely short-sighted.  

While I dealt with all of her objections on facebook, I will deal with part of her assertions in this post. I will deal with the rest in the comments as various other parts come up. It was particularly interesting as I am writing a new book called "Manifest Purpose" and also reading a Myles Munroe classic "In Pursuit Of Purpose".  Dr. Munroe says in his Introduction:


"There is also a generation in every nation that seems to have lost its sense of purpose. They are out of touch with the values, morals and convictions that build strong families, secure communities, healthy societies and prosperous nations. Thus the moral fabric of most societies is being stretched and tested to its outer limits. In every nation the concern is the same."
At the heart of the issue is purpose. If we are products of blind chance and a cosmic accident, we have every right to self direct, because nothing ultimately means anything. However, if we are created by an intelligent mind, then that mind created each individual for a purpose and every life serves a purpose. 

Engaging This Generation


This is what I said regarding what she stated in #'s 3 and 4 which was really only about purpose:
Objections 3 & 4 ~ "I have my own purpose in life, noone else, especially a God can do that for me" & "I follow the dictates of my own mind" 
I restated the objections because that is what it basically comes down to. Is our life about fulfilling our own purpose? Is following the dictates of the mind the best way for us to live? The young lady offers some good food for thought and something that seems to be a center thread of this modern generation.  
First, I am sure that most people who have this thought have never thought about the nature of purpose, or what relationship life has to purpose. This is why having the proper belief system is vitally important. If we are just cosmic accidents or products of blind material existence, then we can ultimately have no purpose. All things are simply accidents. 
In a God  or Christ paradigm things are different. Under our paradigm purpose deals with intent or the way something was intended to be used or presented. You are who you are by design and you have the ability to do what you do by intent. In other words, you are not an accident and by virtue of that, your life and actions mean something.
One aspect that is often overlooked is that purpose also deals with solving a particular problem or an issue. Every engineer knows that the first stop is to receive a set of problems that need to be addressed. After that assessment has been made, then you begin the design with the intent of solving or addressing the issues. You give and take to accomplish the outlined goals.  
Any other use outside of the intended design may be a self directed type of purpose, but it could also be a misuse of the way things were intended to be and work. In that case, operating outside of the design specification creates a problem for the designed piece.  
So although we can have purposes relative to our experiences, and live in those things as many do all the time, we can never implement our own ultimate purpose. We did not design ourselves and our parents only facilitated the material process of our being, not the spiritual or more overarching premise of who we are.  
If we believe that we are only products of material creation, then we short change ourselves. We underestimate our value, our intent and our design. One may follow the dictates of their own mind, but to do so is much less than how we were designed and intended to be used or directed in life. This is in part why the mind of all things, is so unstable. Only God can tame and or direct both it and the desires of the heart. 
***********************
Conclusion:

Understanding purpose means to understand that God did not make preparation for our lives on the fly. There is an intent and a design for our lives, even if we can't currently understand it. From suffering and pain, to the greatest victory and the highest heights. God has a PLAN for each of us and it is not a surprise plan.

As I said, I addressed the other elements of her conversation and also invited her to view and engage further. Hopefully we will meet again so I can tell her that there are good answers to her concerns. I was encouraged more than ever to continue to tell the truth  and uphold the standard of Jesus because WE may be the only light that the world will ever see and it is more than worth blessing a soul!

Blessed!

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