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DREAMING 39
Sometime ago, a certain man was brought. Right from when he was 21, he started seeing the number 39 in the dream. He did not understand what was happening until somebody gave him a tape from Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries which he listened to and prayed the prayers therein. It was then an angel appear to him and explained to him that he will die at 39. Then he started praying, and that evil design was removed.
SHALOM
The term shalom is used throughout the Bible and means nothing missing, nothing broken.
BLESSINGS FROM HURRICANE IKE
Tuesday I went out, by myself at first, but later in the day Cindy went with me, to check on many of you. No, I didn’t make it everywhere, but I did make it out I think to most of the communities where we have members. As I visited with folks, and even more folks since then, I heard time after time, people saying exactly what I had been saying on my way home on Monday, "we are so blessed." They were echoing the same thoughts that I had said to myself and to Cindy the day before.
I can’t argue with that at all. I understand those sentiments but since that time, since I have watched more television coverage, since I have heard more stories of people who have lost everything, I have been plagued by a thought again and again. "Why in such a tragic, devastating event am I and those around me so blessed and at the same time so many others so devastated by these events. They, it would seem, are anything but blessed."
In particular, when I consider the people of the Bolivar Peninsula and over into the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, Ike isn’t the first storm to hit them in recent years, or for that matter, even this year. For some, it has been their fourth hit in the last three years. Think about that for a minute. There was Rita three years ago. There was Humberto last year. This year there was Eduard just a few weeks ago and now Ike. I don’t think those folks feel very blessed. Some of them might even shout out at the top of their lungs, "I don’t need any more blessing!"
We have seen pictures from places like Crystal Beach and Gilchrist. What you may not know, the United Methodist Church in Sabine Pass had three feet of water in their sanctuary. Imagine if that were us here. The parsonage was almost complete after a total rebuild from Hurricane Rita. Now it must be rebuilt again. The congregation at Bridge City is in the process of relocating since Rita. They had poured the slab for the new building. Water got underneath the slab and moved it. Now it has to be jack-hammered out and poured again.
The Methodist Church in Seabrook had three feet of water in the Sanctuary. Insurance has already declared the sanctuary at Cedar Bayou a total loss. And, the storm tore the steeple from the roof of the sanctuary at Crosby. That might not have been so bad, but it wasn’t just laid down beside the church, Ike picked it up and slammed it back into the roof, leaving major roof damage as well as damage from leaks that came as a result. Closer to home, the Baptist Church out in Jones Creek had major damage after a tree fell on the building, collapsing a wall of the senior adult Sunday School room.
I understand that we are blessed. But, the thing that has kept going through my mind is, in the midst of such tragedy, and yet these others, who are suffering so much seem anything but blessed?
Please understand friends, I am not trying to say that God isn’t blessing me. I am not saying that I am not thankful for these blessings. That is far from the case. I am both blessed and thankful. I know that I am blessed, but why didn’t God bless these other folks as well...or did He?
MISSING THE BABY FOR THE CRIB
One night a wife found her husband standing over their infant's crib. As she watched him looking down at their very first baby, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: ...disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism.
Touched by this unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, with eyes glistening she slipped her arm around her husband. "A penny for your thoughts," she said.
"It's amazing!" he replied. "I just can't see how anybody can make a crib like that for only $46.50."
Many times people look upon God's handiwork and only see the outside manifestations, never the miracle that lays within. It works that way with many things, whether it be the mi...
R.C. CHAPMAN ON PSALM 68:19
Robert Chapman is not too well known among Christians. He did not author any monumental books. His friends said he would never make a good preacher. Chapman was not a world-wide evangelist. He lead no great mission to foreign lands; instead he laboured for 70 years in a small town in a remote corner of England.
Yet he became a living legend, a man who God used to great effect. As a young man, Winston Churchill was taken to visit him. Charles Spurgeon called him: "the saintliest man I ever knew." John Nelson Darby said of Robert Chapman: "He lives what I teach." On another occasion Darby said: "We talk of the heavenliest, but Robert Chapman lives in them."
Chapman was very much one of the 'Chief Men Among the Brethren,'
An early leader in our type of Churches.
One morning R. C. Chapman was asked how he was feeling. "I'm burdened this morning!" was his reply. But his happy countenance contradicted his words.
So the questioner exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really burdened, Mr. Chapman?"
"Yes, but it's a wonderful burden - it's an overabundance of blessings for which I cannot find enough time or words to express my gratitude!"
Seeing the puzzled look on the face of his friend, Chapman added with a smile, "I am referring to Psalm 68:19, which fully describes my condition. In that verse the Father in heaven reminds us that He 'daily loads us with benefits.'"
BETTER DEALS
Back in 1931, Irving Thalberg of MGM decided he wanted to buy the film rights to Tarzan, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. So Thalberg sent Sam Marx to negotiate with Burroughs, telling Marx not to spend more than $100,000, an extraordinarily large sum in those days.
Marx contacted Burroughs and asked how much he wanted for the film rights. "$100,000," said Burroughs.
When Marx offered him $25,000, Burroughs walked out of the meeting. However, Marx and Burroughs continued to negotiate throughout the summer. Burroughs eventually settled for $40,000.
After signing the contract, Burroughs admitted that he had wanted MGM and Thalberg to make the picture so badly, they could have had it for nothing if they had insisted. "Mr. Burroughs," replied Marx, "if you had held out, you would have gotten $100,000!"
— Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations —
BLESSING PEOPLE
Reggie McNeal tells the story of one man who decided to bless the baristas at the Starbucks he frequents. When he asked them the question, “How can I ask God to bless you?” they were somewhat taken aback. Slowly but surely, they warmed up to him and the employees started to come over and talk to him and open up their lives to him. He had such a positive response that his small group realized they frequented every Starbucks within a 13-block radius and so they decided to bless the baristas together.
Then one day when this gentleman was in a Starbucks he didn’t normally frequent, he asked the question to the baristas as he was handed his coffee, whereupon she pulled back the coffee and asked, "Are you one of those blessing people?"
Yes! We are a blessing people who seek to bless others in both word and action, planting seeds of the kingdom that we might attain a harvest for the kingdom of God
BURIED TREASURE FOR ISAAC
One night, a poor Jewish man named Isaac from Krakel, Poland, in a vivid dream, saw a buried treasure hidden under a particular bridge in the distant city of Prague. For the next two weeks, he dreamed of the particular city, the same bridge, and the buried treasure. The man was determined to walk all the way to Prague to see for himself.
Upon reaching the city for his first time, he recognized it from his dream, found the bridge and went underneath to look for the treasure. And suddenly he was grabbed at the back of his neck by a soldier who dragged him away to prison for interrogation.
The soldier set him on a chair and said, "All right, you Jew, what were you doing prowling around underneath the bridge?" Not knowing what else to say, Isaac blurted out the truth. "I had a dream that there was buried treasure underneath the bridge, and I was looking for it."
Immediately the soldier burst into mocking laughter, and said, "You stupid Jew, don’t you know you can’t believe what you see in your dreams. Why, for the last two weeks I myself have had a dream every night that far away in the city of Krakel, in the house of some Jew by the name of Isaac son of Yaakob, is a treasure buried under the stove in his kitchen. But wouldn’t it be the most idiotic thing in the world if I would go all the way to Krakel to look for some Jew that doesn’t exist, ...
GREATER TREASURE
In the first week of July, 2011 reports of a discovery in poverty-filled South India crossed the news wire.
The vaults of the Padmanabhaswamy temple were opened after 130 years. Temple records mention the treasure, and its existence was known to locals. However, no one knew its true size.
The preliminary inventory of the temple treasure may have had King Solomon, the Knights Templar and Indiana Jones rolling their eyes in wonder: over a ton of gold, sacks of diamonds and precious stones; gold necklaces over three meters long and weighing over 2.5 kilograms, gold crowns, thousands of pieces of antique jewelry, idols, and artifacts studded with diamonds and emeralds.
Initial estimates placed the value of the treasure at $22 billion USD, which makes this little known temple the richest place of religion in the world. It easily displaces the Vatican, estimated to own about $15 billion in wealth, its nearest competitor.
Antique collectors' valuation of the find, to be confirmed by the Supreme Court, could be over $100 billion.
This staggering treasure had been basically forgotten.
While children in the region starved to death, this staggering mountain of riches sat gathering dust.
Let me tell you that we have a greater treasure than all the temples in India. Greater than all the treasure in every synagogue, temple, cathedral. Greater than all that sits in any vault on any continent.
If we will remember our God, His riches will be opened to us. If we are:
Hungry, He will feed us.
Naked, He will clothe us.
Without hope, He will rescue us.
Empty, Fill.
Lost, Find.
Troubled, Peace of mind.
We often don't realize how good we have it here in America.
The film, End of Spear, tells the true story of five missionaries--including Jim Elliot and Nathan Saint--who were speared to death by the murderous Waodani tribesman living in the jungles of Ecuador. Amazingly, the wives and children of the men who were murdered stayed put and were eventually able to reach out to Waodani people with the message of Jesus. In time, Steven Saint grew up and befriended Mincayani, the man who killed his father.
Decades later, Steven brought Mincayani to the United States for a visit. He was absolutely amazed by what life is like here. My favorite moment is where Mincayani tries to explain McDonalds to his wife back home. He tells her there’s the houses have windows in them, that you can drive up to. "You tell the woman of the house what you want and she just makes it for you, puts in a bag and hands it out the window. And you don’t have to give her anything in return!"
Steven jumps in at that point to correct Mincayani. "That’s not exactly true, I have to give her this," he says waving his credit card!
Mincayani shakes his finger and say, "No, no, she gives it right back!"
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