MICHAEL JACKSON

"...I’ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:19-21

Several huge hits have been taken by iconic Hollywood people this week and as I paused to reflect on the goings on, my heart began to feel very sad. Michael Jackson passed away yesterday and I'm amazed at the outpouring and the number of people's lives that were actually affected by this man.

I can't say that I'm a fan of Michael, I never really got into his music or that kind of music. I was an old fashion Rock and Roll kind of guy with smatterings of Country sprinkled in. His music and mine never mixed. I also didn't like the news reports about his aberrant behaviors especially with young children and the financial payouts to settle the issues at hand. I also was turned off by his physical changes and isolationist attitudes. BUT NOW...My heart has had a change of attitude over recent years.

Somehow God has given me a special compassion and love for freakish people and those who don't fit in with the norm. What about those with spikey doos, piercings and tattoos everywhere? What about the ugly, the fat, the pimply faced teenager, the rejected and the like? Who will care for them? This means if you think I have compassion for, or care for you, that YOU are ugly!!! (Just joking!)

My first reflection and concern for Michael Jackson is..."Is he in heaven?" Did he invite the Lordship of Jesus into his heart before he breathed his last? I know that the mercy of God allowed people to minister His Word by His Spirit into his life. Did he make the choice? Jesus plainly states that "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Hopefully someone stepped up to the plate and had the courage to minister the Gospel (Good News) to him. Hopefully someone cared enough not to be concerned with what they could gain from a relationship with Michael, BUT what they could deposit into HIS life! “I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ." Acts 3:6 Hopefully he responded and invited Jesus into his life, even with his last breath.

Secondly I wondered what the world's fascination was with him. Did his music make them feel good or different? Did it fill the void in their lives even for a moment? Were they able to forget their own miserable lives and focus on the influence, triumphs and tragedies that amassed themselves on his life? Were their hurts and pains soothed over as they lost their thoughts in his lyrics? Whatever his influence, it was only temporary! Now he too has passed away, as did the feelings from his musical talent as one song after another faded into the past! Only Jesus can give the world what it desires. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your hearts desires... Psalm 37:4

Finally, I feel sad for the hurting people that remain in this world; people from all walks of life, rich or poor, famous or unknown. Jesus said that He came " to seek and save those like him, who are lost." Luke 19:10 There are people out there right now, even in your own circle of influence, who are lost and hurting. If they are lost; they are hurting! Maybe they're lost in desperation, fruitless relationships, terminal illness, or financial ruin. Maybe they're lost in the midst of loneliness, emptiness, meaninglessness, isolation, depression or fear.

You can count on this fact..If they're lost, they're hurting and they need Jesus. These same fans who flocked to Michael Jackson will continue to pursue the endless seach for truth and meaning in a lost world until they come face to face with Jesus. " I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." TM


There is a Bumper sticker that says... " He who dies with the most toys...WINS! "

There is another that trumps that remark with truth..."He who dies with the most toys...STILL DIES!"

Life is not about toys...toys don't bring satisfaction; neither does fame or fortune! Look at the throngs of people attempting to be fulfilled by sharing vicariously in Michael Jackson's life. Even the Rolling Stones got it right... "I can't get no Satisfaction."

The Michael Jacksons, the Rolling Stones, the Smiths and the Joneses are waiting on us! Let's not let another freaky person (anyone who doesn't know Jesus) die without being given the opportunity. It's time for you to become concerned with Kingdom concerns. Luke 19:13 "Occupy(Do Kingdom Business) till I come." "...Seek first the kingdom of God..." Matthew 6:33

Get compassionate! "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. ' Mt 14:14
These are Eternal Affairs that we're involved in! This is not a GAME! Don't count on me to pray for and minister to your unsaved loved ones or freaky friends!

You do something! There isn't anything that you can't do as long as you're connected with Jesus! Phillipians 4:13

WHAT!!!!! NO MEAT???? OR WHERE'S THE BEEF?

“Whatever is born of the Spirit is Spirit and whatever is born of the flesh is flesh!” John 3:6

Divine strategy… I weighed too much. My knees were paying the price from years of playing football and now they simply were overloaded and just hurt. My legs went numb after driving for an hour or so and when I got out of the car, they didn't work for a few minutes. When I stood for a while they just hurt…Overload. I couldn't run any more and I couldn't even walk much distance…everything hurts.

One day in prayer I heard these words. “If, you don’t lose weight, your knees are going to blow up and so is your heart. I have promised you ninety years, but if you do not obey and follow my directives, you will die prematurely!” My response was “Are you talking to me?”

I had heard a word from the Lord and now I had to decide whether to obey or not. I struggled with this command for several weeks, because I had lost thousands of pounds over the years and gained all of them back. I didn’t want to face the fact, but I knew this time it was a matter of life and death. Ordinarily I’d strike out and follow the latest fad in the weight loss world; this time was different. I heard the following words and explanation. “Whatever is born of the Spirit is Spirit and whatever is born of the flesh is flesh!” John 3:6

He began to explain to me that whatever strategies are conceived and undertaken in my own ability must be empowered by my own abilities. Been there; done that, and failed. He further instructed me that whatever is conceived (born) and undertaken by the Spirit of God is empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. I then heard these words in my spirit. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ALL your ways....even weight loss, or investments, or child rearing, or marriage communications, etc.

Finally it broke through my thick skull. GO BEFORE THE LORD AND ASK HIM WHAT IS HIS STRATEGY! I NEEDED A DIVINE STRATEGY. I took my pen and paper and went to Him and allowed Him to give me direction (Direct my path).

1) First, I admitted I was powerless to lose weight and that I even struggled with the willpower part. His first directive was leave the willpower issues to Him. Invite Him in to take over. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phillipians 2:13

2) Secondly, He told me that as I recognized and verbalized my desperate need for Him, that He would empower me! “And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory (boast) in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2Co 12:9

3) Thirdly, He told me to profess the following… “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Php 4:13

4) Everything was fine up to this point; but here came the shocker! “I want you to give up meat (Beef, fish, poultry, pork…all animal products) and dairy products.” Whoa Baby! What... NO MEAT? I LOVE MEAT & CHEESE!

At this point, He caused a few scientific facts to pass my way.

A) In countries where there is little or no meat consumption, arteriosclerosis and diabetes are basically non existent.

B) For every pound of weight you lose, four pounds of pressure is removed off your knee joints.

C) And many other juicy tidbits.( Good book to read: Health Power: health by Choice, Not Chance. By Dr. Hans Diehl (Christian)

5) In addition, this is what I was told to do. No more dairy products except skim milk (No fat, No cholesterol) and egg substitutes both ONLY for cooking! No animal products! (Beef, poultry, pork, or fish) Eat the following: vegetables, fruits, whole grain breads (with high fiber content and low fat) potatoes, etc.

6) Expose your sin (Not weakness to others!) The dreaded “A” word… ACCOUNTABILITY. I chose the Wild Bunch, a young adult class I join with every Tuesday evening for Bible Study. Every Tuesday they ask me how I did? If I lost, what was I doing right? If I gained why? Simple, yet tough basic support.

I DID NOT STRUGGLE, OR FIGHT, OR STUMBLE, OR FALL! THIS PLAN ORIGINATED FROM GOD AND WAS EMPOWERED BY GOD! I did not miss meat or dairy products. He had taken away the desire (Changed my heart) and replaced it with a desire for obedience to Him! Today, if I'm out at a restaurant, just to avoid bothering others with where to go because of my special needs, I'll eat a very small piece of fish or chicken, and then I'm right back on it...God's Strategy!

I discovered that when a strategy is born of God…He also empowers the strategy! God never has lost a battle of any kind! “Now thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ.” 2Corinthians 2:14

The final results are in!

Fifty two pounds in 51 weeks. (it’s staying off and coming down steadily)

Cholesterol from 200 to 126.

Blood sugars (three month average) from 178 to 126!

Knees are back and feeling great. On Mother’s Day Debbie and I took a six mile hike on the Kent Island Trail. I ride my bike for miles (15-25) at a time.

I can drive long distance and my legs feel wonderful.

I feel great and I’m looking REAL good! (At least to me!)

What is God asking you to do right now? Get His Divine Strategy. Take your pen and paper and head into your prayer time, determined to come out with an answer; His answer! He will give you the willpower and ability. Don’t live defeated anymore!

I dare you to move in Him!

Rest in Him!

I WONDER IF........ THAT WAS GOD?

Isa 1:19 "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land"

God works in the strangest ways. Everything He does has a purpose, and sometimes we lose sight of that fact. One of the things I’ve learned is this simple truth. Everything has a Divine Purpose. God is the Director and Orchestrator of our lives and life goes much easier when we follow His dictates.

Jeremiah puts it this way. God says through His Prophet “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11 MSG

This is not because he wants to yank us around like a puppet on a string in order to watch us dance to His beat. It’s because He wishes to empower us to live and experience the future we can only dream of, if we choose to experience life on our own abilities and terms! His plan is to take the “Care” of life off of our shoulders and to place it firmly on His shoulders. His are broader that ours! “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.” 1 Peter 5:7

God is sooooooo good to us….sometimes we just don’t recognize His intentions or His interventions when they show up on the scene. “The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 NLT

He truly cares about every aspect of our lives and it gives Him great joy to provide us with opportunities to unleash His goodness upon our lives. Listen very carefully here! The foundational Scripture for this post as listed above is “IF you be WILLING and OBEDIENT, (THEN) you shall eat the good of the land.”

Last Tuesday, I was trying my best (Not necessarily His best) to engage new customers for our business. With the economy, everyone seems to be struggling somewhat, however God has a different plan for His people, and like every other facet of our lives He delights in directing these affairs, as well. I was on an appointment mid morning, and after that I stopped by the local mall across the street to have a battery replaced in my watch. For the last three days it was 11:20 AM.

While the watch was being repaired, I peered across the mall in to an African American beauty salon. The salon was beautifully accessorized and the atmosphere suggested a warm, relaxed and professional place of business. There was only one problem. During a busy part of the day, the place was completely empty, with only one employee standing near the front door. The Spirit of the Lord began to urge me to go and pray for this business and it’s success, and I didn’t want to hear what He had to say. I’m not sure of all the thoughts that were going through my head as I resisted His directive, but I felt that this was a great inconvenience and probably wasn't even Him speaking.

At the same time, the gentleman repairing my watch rescued me from the internal conflict and told me my watch was finished. I paid him for the repair and walked out of the shop, turning away from the Salon, and slowly exited the mall, all the while resisting the call to go and pray for that business. I walked across the parking lot and got to my car, but the Voice of the Lord was so heavy in my heart, I knew that it was urgent and the fate of that business rested in someone responding to God’s plan to release the prophetic voice into that place of business.

Long story short, is that I asked the lady if this establishment was “Christian owned?” She said that it was so, and I told her the Spirit of the Lord had told me to pray and release His blessing on the business. She was incredibly blessed, to say the least. After I prayed, I went on my way, having played a part in His Purposes for that business. I never even considered what was also happening behind the scenes. God was on the move and He had broken through.

When I got to the office, I wrote a four page proposal for the business call I had been on that morning. I sent it to the proper authority for a review process that usually takes between ten days to three weeks before a resolution can be reached and then we would establish a start date IF the deal was agreed upon. THIRTY minutes after I sent the Proposal, the person called me back, with no discussion on pricing and said that he would call me by Friday and we could start as early as this Monday. I did not connect that miracle to what had happened earlier in the day!

As I lay in bed that night, the Lord spoke to me the Scripture from Isaiah 1:19.“If you be willing and obedient…” THEN “you shall eat…” I realized what the Lord had done. When He used me to bring His blessings to another believer, he was also seeing to it that I would reap what I had sewn. God had broken through for me. I drifted off to a very deep and peaceful sleep. I thought this was all very wonderful, and thanked Him for His blessing. I also asked Him to forgive me for being stubborn and to help me realize that every move He makes does HAVE A DIVINE PURPOSE.

I never considered that there could be more to follow. I won’t go into all the detail, BUT...

Wednesday… resulted in two more appointments where, when I walked in the door, these prospects seemed like they had been waiting for me all their lives and they are dumping huge amounts of business to our Company.

Thursday…a proposal that we had done in January for a converting an empty space into a professional office was faxed in to the office and awarded to us, accepting our price, as quoted.

Friday…I had another appointment where the people gave me the same reception I had experienced on Wednesday and again heaped all sorts of business in our direction. I had to slow down the process because of all the business these people had given us.

I walked out the door rejoicing in the Lord and I heard Him say “If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” He continued and reminded me of His Word; “Now it will come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all… which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 28: 1-2 The next 12 verses contain all the heritage and blessings of the obedient child of God!

Now what would have happened if I hadn’t responded to His call to pray for that business? You can see what happened when I did!

Friends, some are still questioning, “I wonder if that was God?”

The difference between you and I...

I know it was…NO DOUBT HERE!

What is God asking you to do today?

Trust in Him today!

PS: We start Tuesday at the first place listed above. He called as promised!