justice – The Jesus Chick

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Church Unity, Uncategorized

Service With a Smile

Written by talk2shari Published June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 Discussion Leave a Comment

I’m sure I quite often sound like a broken record with regard to BlazeTV, although I don’t think I talk about it continuously, but it is a source of information that I use more often than not. But yesterday morning, or maybe the day before, I was ready to turn it off too… but only for a minute. 😀

Steve Deace is one of the Christian News Hosts and I generally love this guy. But he was in quite the Debbie Downer mood. He gave no hope. President Trump wasn’t going to get re-elected, the Democratic view point was going to consume the world and if Jesus didn’t come back soon, Hell in a Hand-basket was going to be the United States. The only thing left to do was poke my eyes out and I’d have been set. It was that depressing. I listened a little while and then finally just had to turn it off. He was tearing my spirit completely down.

Now… for the record, if it’s truth I want to hear it, good, bad or indifferent. And while Steve Deace had a foundation in truth, and he for certain believed his commentary, it was just too negative. So I watched a little of the Blaze TV show “Relatable” with Allie Beth Stuckie. If you don’t know who she is, you should look her up on YouTube. I’m not sure of her denomination, but she is 100% Bible based. Her sweet spirit will almost make you a diabetic, but don’t think that she’s a push over as a journalist. She is such a defender of the truth! But she’s sweet. She will make you smile all the while slicing someone to bits with the word of God. Oh how I love her! And she’s such an encourager.

I’ve always tried to be such a person of character. I want to leave people better than I found them. But I haven’t always. Because, like Steve Deace, I’ve allowed the world to drag me into a pit of despair on more than one occasion. But God has a way of sending the right message for the right time, which is exactly what He did during Wednesday night Bible Study last night with Pastor Steven’s message of good news with a good attitude.

I have friends, and I do love them, but when they share the news, they share the good news with a bad attitude. For me, that tactic of the gospel is like speaking in tongues. You may be being “spiritual.” But ain’t nobody understands it. And with as many people spewing hate as there are in the world today, people need to see the love of God in action, in truth but not with an iron fist pounding the pulpit. I want the people that I love, who don’t know Christ, to hear the gospel truth, know that there is a judgement day coming, but never think that I’m the one judging them.

The Battle is About to Take Place

So back to last night’s message: In the book of Numbers, chapter 32 is the story of the children of Israel’s starting point into the land of Canaan. But before they go, two tribes (Gad and Reuben) decided to stay on this side of the Jordan for the cattle land. Moses took this as an affront to God for having brought them through the wilderness. Moses feared that their action would cause the others to doubt the victory. After a “come to Jesus moment,” The two tribes told Moses that they would go and fight, and help win the land, and then they’d return to the other side of Jordan, to the land of Gilead. And so it was. And the rest (as they say) is history.

Just as the children of Israel were about the fight for Canaan, this is the time that Christians are going to have to fight for America. I pray not in the literal sense of a civil war. And just as Israel marched around Jericho and the Lord won that battle for them, I am one of faith who believes that God can take care of this battle that we face too. But not without unity. If all tribes were not present in the day of Jericho, we might read a different tale.

We all have to Fight

So, let’s talk denomination for a minute by way of Jesus. If your denomination believes that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no other means to Heaven except through the belief that His blood paid it all, then we’re kin. We may not be of the same tribe, but we’re members of the family of God. And we’re all going to have to march into battle together. Once we’re done, you can go back to your yard, and I’ll play in mine, but during this mess our country is in, we need to stick together. Stop arguing and accusing the brethren. Just love each other, and love others into the fold.

We have to Fight with the Truth

I have never been a fighter. I hate confrontation in the worst kind of way. But with the battle America is in right now, I have to stand up and be counted as a defender of the truth. It’s why I like BlazeTV. You can watch the shows on YouTube free of charge, I encourage it. But I encourage you more to focus on standing God’s ground where you are and stay armed with the gospel ready to fight this leftist group that wants to take over America starting with our police force.

Romans 13:1-3 KJV

[1] Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. [2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

The only people who should ever have a problem with law enforcement are those who do evil.

Are their evil police. Yes. And evil doctors, secretaries, congressmen, moms and dads, every body under the sun as the potential for evil. But I don’t hear anyone saying we need to fire everyone that holds those positions, except police. We have to know whose behind that. Satan doesn’t want justice for anyone, nor does his minions. And guess who’s yelling the loudest and garnering the greatest attention. Not the good.

We have to Fight Loudly

When the children of Israel took down Jericho they didn’t do it with their might, they did it with their march and their mouths… Hello? That’s a good word! I haven’t had an opportunity to speak lately, so the only platform I have is this one. And I’m pretty sure that I’m not on Google’s list to be successful. I’m happy with my numbers, because I know that those are the people that God wants me to encourage. But I’d be happier still if those numbers would increase because I feel like I have something that needs said. And I feel as though you do too, and it’s my job to encourage you to cross over. Stop waiting on this side of the river for someone else to fight our battle. Join in. Be vocal. Not nasty, but loud, and with a smile.

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

I have issues…

Written by talk2shari Published February 17, 2014February 17, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I love and hurt deeply. People are important to me… I like stuff… but mostly stuff that connects me to people. But connecting to people opens up your life for scrutiny, and it’s not always healthy. People will look at you and judge a snapshot of time which has taken a movie reel to produce. While my family and I were “connecting” at my Mother’s dinner table yesterday after church, the subject of mental health came up. No comments from the peanut gallery… remember… this is a snapshot – not a movie. J But it was a pretty heavy subject with regards to the lack of access and seriousness of the issue. Those in need of mental health professionals are often lumped in to the criminal side of correction and a downward spiraling multi-generational effect occurs.

So why do I feel I’m qualified to discuss the issue… because I have an issue with it, and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express a while back, and I guess that wisdom sticks with you for a while.

For 15 or so years I worked for the courts, prior to that for about 6 months I had a temporary hitch as file clerk for the Department of Health and Humans Resources. What I discovered was I could have brought the filing systems with me to the court, because many were the same names, generations of families; second and third generation offenders who were just living out what they had been taught by parents and grandparents. So what does that have to do with mental health? The court was looking at the snapshot instead of the movie. I know… they don’t have time. But that excuse doesn’t fix it and it ended up being why I left the courts, because we weren’t fixing anything. It was like a raw steak… which nauseates me… slap a BandAid on that baby and put it back out in the field, it’s not done. The jail time and fines didn’t finish the crime spree, it just left an open wound waiting to be infected again by something bad. There was no healing.

There were two stories that came to my mind this morning as I thought on the issue of mental health. One was the demon possessed man in the book of Mark and the other was the woman with the issue of blood.

Mark 5:15-20 ~ And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Matthew 9:20-22 – And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

I know your argument, one was mental, one was physical. Yes… but they both had the same cure, and prior to their healing they were both outcasts in society. People didn’t get either one of their issues. And we haven’t progressed too far today. What the people didn’t understand they shunned.

Please understand that I’m not saying all criminals have mental health issues and need to be loved and nurtured to redemption… some people are just mean, and they need locked up. But I’ve seen too many people who if someone had looked at their movie instead of their snapshot they’d have seen an entirely different story. Praise God that Jesus knows the entire story line! And should we as Christians not spend a little time on the movie instead of the snapshot approach at what our people need.

I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, and sometimes my sleeve is also filled with other hearts as well. Today my heart is broken for a family that needs their movie viewed…

If today you should come across someone who’s life isn’t pretty… please take a little time to get the story behind the snapshot.

Posted in Uncategorized

Where is God in the Tragedy?

Written by talk2shari Published October 31, 2013November 23, 2013 Discussion Leave a Comment

Making sense of nonsense

There’s no shortage of it. Turn on the evening news and from start to finish it’s full of heartache and sorrow with an occasional “feel good” story thrown in in a vain attempt at balancing it out. Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, he too tried to figure it out and I was again blown away by the profoundness of his faith as I read his words this morning in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3

Ecclesiastes 3:14

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

This morning a dear family in the faith is on my heart. The most unthinkable of tragedies has struck their family and for them there is no sense in it. There is total innocence on one side and utter degradation of man on the other, so how do we find God in the middle of this mess… we remember that we are made for eternity.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

As they say, “This too shall pass, right?” Though the words roll easily off the tongue, the season of “passing” is not the greatest of times, it alone sometimes feels like an eternity. I’ve had those moments in time when I wondered “How can ‘this’ possibly ever get better? ‘This’ doesn’t feel like a seasonal thing, it’s life altering. And when I read the second half of that verse… that there is “purpose;” it can make even less sense to me. How could God have a purpose in that? I don’t think the tragedies of life are the purpose. God is good (Mark 10:18). God’s not “in” the tragedy, He’s at the end of the tragedy. He’s the One that’s waiting for this to all be over; this mayhem that Satan set into motion in the Garden of Eden. He’s at the end waiting for us to get home, to the land He created where there is no night, no sorrow or sadness. Life is a season.

Ecclesiastes 3:13

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

From now until the day that God welcomes us home is our time of reasonable service. Romans 12:1 That reasonable service includes serving God through the times that make no sense to help everyone get to the land of perfect sense. We can’t make sense out of evil, but we can serve and trust in God who is nothing but good.

Ecclesiastes 3:15-17

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

There have been so very many “why’s “in my life, until I get to a verse like this and then I realize that there is no righteousness in me. I’m going to stand before a righteous God knowing that I am there solely because Christ’s blood allowed it. In earth’s perspective I can view the wickedness of the day and think that I’m not as vile as they, but in the reality of God there is no degree of sin. It all separates us from Him and life on earth is nothing without the Salvation of Christ. It’s a fleeting fraction of time that’s gone before we can get turned around. And where is God? Waiting.

There is so much to do to get our friends and family prepared for eternity. Let’s get busy!