Unapologetically Apostolic

Alan Jackson had a #1 hit with the song asking "Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day" twenty-four years ago.  The day that we, as a nation, sat glued to our televison screens and radios as the travesty of 9/11 unfolded before our very eyes. Our nation, our freedoms and all that we stood for had come under attack in a way that most of us living had never witnessed. Sure there had been war, but not since the Civil War had it touched American soil. In the wake of that tragedy, political parties crossed the aisles in solidarity as Americans not a Republican, Democrat or Independent. Families sat to watch as the President spoke of the travesty and the heartbreaking loss of life that had occurred at the hands of these terrorists with the promise that those responsible would be held accountable.  The nation cheered as the call to arms was sounded and took solace in knowing that this great nation would rebuild and come back stronger than ever. Twenty-three...

I Peter 5:6-11reads "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." The past few weeks have been tremendously hard. I have found myself in my head a lot, fighting off depression and thoughts of failure and defeat. I have cried out to God and told Him i am weary, that I don't know how much more I can handle. By His grace and mercy, He has awakened me each day and given me strength to go about my day. But I st...

In Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus speaks to his disciples a parable. He says, " 45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."  But what makes a pearl be of great price? In the world today, you can pull up any number of YouTube videos to see pearl farms and the way in which they operate.  A clam or oyster is removed from the bed where they have it cultivated and pried open gently with a blade so as to not injure or kill the mollusk.  They gently pull back the membrane of the upper shell to remove the pearl that has grown inside and then replace the "seed" inside the membrane to begin the process over again.  The process is so refined that the farmers can produce multiple pearls, often having several beds going at a time to increase the production.  Due to the sheer volume of these farms and the consistent product whic...

Hey there Job, got anymore of that sackcloth your wearing and could you move over a bit to let me sit in those ashes with you? Oh, I know you're going through a rough time. You've  lost your kids, your livestock, your wife is nagging at you to just curse God and die. I get it. I understand.  I'm about to be 48 years old and every child I have been blessed to carry has been taken from me before I could ever hold them in my arms. I feel as if I'm  about to lose it all because of my husband. While he hasn't said the words to curse God and die, I'm almost sure he would if he thought enough to. While you have your wife to nag and bemoan you, I have a husband that is indifferent but needy. You are a righteous man, Job. Well spoken of and respected among your peers. I would like to consider myself in that same category.  You have worked hard for what you had and in a moments notice it was all gone. I feel that deeply. I have worked hard since I was a teenager, trying t...

In the world we live in, churches and other religious organizations love to have events they can utilize to draw in the crowds.  Huge productions or special services for Christmas and Easter, special nights of worship with certain well known singers coming in to draw a crowd and the like. The most recent was in honor of Pentecost Sunday, the day that the Holy Ghost was first made manifest among those gathered in the upper room. It is a day that occurs roughly 40-50 days after Easter. This is where Jesus had spoken to the disciples and those who were gathered together to watch His ascension where He spoke the words of Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." That day, He made the declaration to tarry together for t...

"Are you standing at a crossroad wondering which road you should take? And you′re dreading the decision and a possible mistake But the will of God won't lead you where the grace of God can′t keep you You will never be out of His care. Remember that the lord's already there Wherever you are, wherever you're going God is right there beside you seeing and knowing Wherever you go, He already knows what lies ahead and what′s behind You′ll always find He's never too far from wherever you are You are waiting to hear thunder and see lightening in the sky Oh, but God can work His wonders through a still small voice inside Just keep listening and learning and continue on your journey Following the one who is the way Oh, He′s the only road you need to take" I have known the words to this song since I was a teenager, so that is a long time.  I did forget them though.  For weeks I had sat and cried out to God, begging for a way, for an answer that I felt would never come. ...

Have you ever reached a place where you are just tired? You're physically, emotionally and spiritually just tired and you can't put into words as to the reason why? Well, that's where I am right now. All day I work at my job, which is not physically assertive in any means, but I work hard at it to be the best that I can. Then I log off for the day to come home to begin job #2 of caring for my husband.  Yes, he could do it for himself but refuses to do a lot. Fear has gripped him so tightly that he is afraid to do anything unless I am right by his side. This usually means that I do for him instead of he for himself. This usually results in him spending the day sleeping while I'm working then he wants to stay awake all night chatting the night away. Limited sleep and caffeine are my rallying cry daily.   My desire when getting into the new home was to have a dedicated area where I could study and pray. The area is set up but sadly has not been used. Each time I head towar...