Grac*e-mail for 11/08/10 got grace?

Grac*e-mail for 11/08/10 got grace?

I have a favor to ask of all my subscribers, please forward this mailing to five folks you believe it will bless… thanks!

John()_:-) Every time you see this angel, remember that God loves you!

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Eph 1:13-14

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

NKJV

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Got this link from Don Collins…. It is a beautiful video!

www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html

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Grac*e-mail now has a page on Facebook… so send your friends an invitation to enjoy!

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Got this funny from my Dad…

I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures and communicated with Facebook and Twitter.

I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.
The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife as everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. Seems I have to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating". You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.

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This link has some good info for partents…

Here is a listing of the slang words for different drugs. Click on the slang name and it then describes the drug. It is important that parents be aware of these slang terms, they may hear children (and/or adults) use the slang term.

http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/BySlang/

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Got this link from Dan Griffiths… He subscribes to the e-mails from this site –

http://www.griefshare.org/dailyemails/

Here is a sample –

Understanding Your Grief

Grief is not an enemy or a sign of weakness. It is a sign of being human. Grief is the cost of loving someone.

Since grief comes to everyone, why do some people seem to work through it better than others?

“Some people think that going through the losses or crises of life are the exceptional times,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright.

“I see it differently. I see the times of calm as the exceptions. Life really is going through one loss after another, one crisis after another.

“Instead of avoiding talking about these times, let’s do our homework. When you know what to expect, you’re not thrown by them as much, and you’re going to be better able to recover.”

Join us each day for the next year as we walk with you on your journey through grief, strengthened and enabled through the Lord Jesus Christ.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Lord God, teach me to embrace my grief and not fight it, so that I may experience the true healing that comes from You. Amen.

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Got these from “Pun of the Day”. You can subscribe at
http://www.punoftheday.com/

Stir-fry cooks come from all woks of life.

With only one piece of wood, I tried to convince the fire to light by use of a monologue.

The man who worked at the watch factory was very funny. He stood about all day making faces.

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Check out the end of this e-mail for my latest sermon – “What Color Is God?”

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If you received this from a friend and would like to join…

To subscribe to this group, send email to
grace-mail+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Or you can visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/grace-mail?hl=en?hl=en

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Got this from the “Pearls” mailing list. To receive, just sent Larry Burrows a request at larryb1939@sbcglobal.net

Christ, the Son of God, the complete embodiment of God's Word, came among us. He looked on humanity's losing battle with sin and pitched His divine tent in the middle of the camp so that He could dwell among us. --Beth Moore

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Here are a couple of church funnies I got from Pastor Jo Ellen Hetherington…

Holy Communion

Being a new pastor to an aging congregation, I told them I would be serving them prune juice in Holy Communion. When asked why I would dare entertain such a thought, I said, "If the Holy Spirit won't move you... the prune juice will!"


Hot Air Hand Dryers

My pastor friend put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church. After two weeks, he had them taken out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine, but when he went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."

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Send good stories and clean funnies to: johnlynnbright@gmail.com

NOTE - All material contained in this mailing is shared as received and is believed, by me, to be anonymous... unless credit is given. Please contact me at the address above if you know the author of any material so that I may give credit where credit is due. Thanks!

Grace & peace –
John A. Bright
Pastor, Walmsley Boulevard UMC in Richmond, Virginia
johnlynnbright@gmail.com
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..."

"What Color Is God?"
A sermon by Pastor John Bright
11/7/10
Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter opened his mouth and said:"In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality." NKJV

Back in 2004, the city of Monza in Northern Italy passed laws to protect small pets. One of those laws banned the use of goldfish bowls. Their reason - the curve of the glass distorts the goldfish's view of reality.
Makes you wonder… did the goldfish tell them? Did it complain?
Our view of the world is shaped by who we are.
I remember the shock I felt the first time I saw a Christmas card with a Native American nativity - there was a Native American Joseph, a Native American Mary and a little Native American baby Jesus. I have seen the same kind of cards for Blacks and Asians.
Why do you look surprised? Did you really think they look like they do on our Anglo Christmas cards? If you want a real dose of reality, consider this… Jesus probably looked like the men on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List!
That's hard to hear, but remember our reality of God is not based on us looking out at Him. Rather, our view of God comes from how He looks at us.
That is how I determined to answer the question, "What color is God?"
When God looks at us, what does He see?
- Sons (and daughters) of God (Romans 8:14, Galatians 3:26)
- A temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)
- In 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 we are called Ambassadors for Christ and the Righteousness of God
Let me tell you what He does not see - God does not see trash!
(Say - "I'm not trash.")
Then it was clear to me… God is green! He is the Great Recycler!
I have had many conversations with folks this week since I put the sermon title on the sign by the road. Some folks thought I was actually going to talk about skin color. Some folks told me God is clear or crystal. Hey, God is a spirit - no color to deal with. But if what I see in the Bible is still true, God's actions make Him green.
I remember a time before the "Green Movement" of today. I remember when we first learned about the three Rs - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
When we apply these to God, we see:
1. God helps you REDUCE the junk in your trunk.
2. God REUSES people… sometimes over and over again.
3. God RECYCLES people - He can use anyone!

First R - REDUCE - God helps you REDUCE the junk in your trunk.
What is the "junk in your trunk"?
Bad memories /secrets from the past
Anger towards others (especially the kind you can't let out - your boss, your in-laws)
Guilt/shame
This is in no way a complete list. The junk in YOUR trunk is what you think of when you are all alone… when you wake up in the middle of the night… when your "happy pill" wears off. For some it is skeletons in the closet. For others it is a sense of impending doom that you just can't shake… always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
No matter what it is, the junk in your trunk is a heavy load.
Jesus had something to say about our heavy loads… Matt 11:28-30
" Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." NKJV
When I think of how God wants to help reduce the junk in our trunks, makes me think of that e-mail that goes around this time of year:
A woman was asked by a co-worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"
The co-worker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

When it comes to junk in the trunk, God doesn't just do it once, He has to keep on doing it because we keep putting more junk in. My opinion - that junk is 10% what folks do to us and 90% our thoughts, feelings and attitudes. What we need to put in there is God's Word!
Here are a couple of good ones:
Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. NKJV
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NKJV
Never doubt that God want to help you reduce the junk in your trunk!

The second R - REUSE - God reuses people (even the ones with junk in the trunk!).
I love the story of King David. Things are going great for him until he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Look at 2 Samuel 11:1 - It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. NKJV
What follows is a story of adultery, betrayal and murder coming from someone described as " a man after God's own heart." This is a man who wrote in the Psalms of his love for God's law… his love for prayer and worship.
After he is confronted by the prophet, Nathan , we read his words of repentance in verse 12:13 - So David said to Nathan,"I have sinned against the LORD." NKJV
Now King David is restored and used again by God!
Some of you may be asking, "What does a story of an ancient king have to do with me?
Did any of you watch the 2010 World Series last week? One of the stories that came out was the story of Josh Hamilton. At 19 years old he was a top pick in the 1999 Amateur Draft. That first year he batted .347. The next year he was playing Single A ball and batted .302. The year 2001 began a downward spiral for Josh Hamilton. There was a car wreck, drugs, alcohol, rehab, injuries on the field, more drugs and more alcohol. Finally, in 2004 he failed several MLB drug tests and was released.
It was then that Josh Hamilton spent two years out of baseball - he got serious about rehab and about his relationship with his Savior - Jesus Christ.
In 2007 he went to the Cincinnati Reds and batted .292 and had 19 homers. The next year he was traded to the Texas Rangers. When they won the playoffs, the whole team used ginger ale, instead of champagne to celebrate in the locker room to help Josh Hamilton stay clean and sober. This season he was one of the best players in MLB and he speaks at churches all around Texas. That is a picture of grace!

By the way, it's not just our past that makes us think God can't/won't reuse us… some folks think they are "too old."
Ever hear of two old folks in the book of Genesis named Abram and Sarai. God reused them, changed their name to Abraham and Sarah. God reused them to bring a man named David to the throne and a Messiah to Bethlehem… and to Golgotha.

The third R - RECYCLE - God RECYCLES people - He can use anyone!
Do you know what you call someone who rides a bike twice? A re-cycler.
God is the Great Recycler and He can use anyone - I'll prove it. Turn to Matthew 1:1. The beginning of the New Testament lays out the lineage of Jesus Christ. Verse one mentions David and Abraham. Who else is on that list?
Verse 3 - Tamar, an adultress
Verse 5 - Ruth, a non-Jew, and Rahab, a prostitute
Not just the women… what about the men?
Verses 7 and 10 mention Abijah and Manassah - these were not great rulers, to say the least!
God recycled these folks into the lineage He would use to bring Christ into this world.
God can use anyone and anything to get folks! What about Balaam's donkey? God will even us a donkey to get a prophet on the right path.

In Acts 10:34, we find Peter at the home of a Gentile. Since there was no great reaction by you to that statement, I realize you don't understand how Jews looked at Gentiles.
Jews looked at Gentile the way I was raised to look at Blacks. Jews looked at Gentile the way many of us look at Latinos today. Not just as different… less… inferior… like trash!
What did Peter say in Acts 10:34 - "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality."
God has no favorites.
God does not look at anyone and see trash!
God's love and mercy is so great… His desire that all should be saved so complete, He can't look at us and see trash.
He is not done with you!
Even if you have junk in your trunk, He is not done with you!
Even if you think you have been too bad or got too old, He is not done with you!
Even if you have never chosen to accept God's gift of grace and be born again… you are not a throw away!
God is the green, He is the Great Recycler!
Amen.