I normally do not get into politics when I write my blogs, but this week after hearing all of the accusations going around against both of the Presidential candidates I thought I would write something.  First of all I have already voted so that I can quit listening to all the new stuff coming out.  If you want to know who I voted for – that will have to be over a cup of coffee.
          My biggest question to myself is:   “Can Jesus use someone who is so Deplorable and broken?”  Both Candidates have a past that has come to the fore front to haunt them and it has made this campaign ugly.   But to answer my question I only have to look to the Bible to find the answer…

1.  Peter when he denied Jesus 3 times was broken the moment he did it.  Look what happened after this – Christ built his rock on Peter.
2. David committed murder and was an adulterer – with a repentant heart look what he wrote in Psalms.
3. Jonah tried to run away from God and ended up in a Fish – after he spent a little bit of quite time he became the Man that God could work through.
4. Paul –   Broken in so many ways and had a past of murdering Christians – what happened after an encounter with Christ – he became the most powerful asset for our Christian Faith.

 
     So back to my main Question to myself.   “Can Jesus use someone who is so Deplorable and broken?” and the answer is Yes He can.   I have been broken as have so many people around me – This is when Christ does His best work through us.   He has taken those bad situations we have encountered and molded us so that He can work through us in some very powerful ways. 
     One of the main responses I have to accomplish is to have a repentant heart – when that happens I hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit working inside of me.   This can happen to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton also.   If they are repentant – they can become the Leader that Christ would have them be and they will be led by the Holy Spirit…  We must be praying that this will happen. 
 

Through all of this I must remember that God is in control and He knows who is going to take this Country forward.  He will use them for His purpose to accomplish His will.

I just need to Trust in HIM>>>

Bobbyg

As the GMM Team prepares for the upcoming 2016 Conference things seem to get more serious than what they should.   This morning after reading a few items on Facebook and my emails it reminded me that we have to stop and laugh at times.   Our GMM president recently posted something on his Facebook and he commented that it was “Good Silliness”.    
This is something that I kept in my achieves – enjoy reading and have a brighter day….

 The Fifteen Funniest Church Bulletin Bloopers!

1. The Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7:00.  Please use the back door.
2. Berth Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight.  Come her Bertha Belch all he way from Africa.
3. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 p.m.  Please use large double door at the side entrance.
4. Usher will eat latecomers.
5. Don’t let worry kill you off – let the church help.
6. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir.  They need all the help they can get.
7. The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
8. Pastor is on vacation.  Massages can be given to the church secretary.
9. Potluck supper:  Prayer and medication to follow.
10. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
11. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall.  Music will follow.
12. Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale.  It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Bring your husbands.    (This was my favorite)
13. The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
14. Announcement in a church bulletin for National Prayer & Fasting Conference.  “The cost for attending the Fasting & Prayer conference includes meals.”
15. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 am.  All ladies are invited to lunch in the fellowship hall after B. S. is done. 

So today – remember to laugh and while you are at it

– please pass it on to those you encounter and get them to laugh also.

Bobbyg

      I have been asking that question for my Dad on my Prayer walks for a while now – My Dad has Alzheimer and the disease is taking over more rapidly lately.  This is a terrible disease and the quality of life for my dad is not very good at the present time.   I have been blessed in the aspect that my Dad still knows me when I visit, but if you asked him what he had for lunch 10 minutes after he has eaten – He will tell you he has not had lunch.
     I have felt guilty at times when my Prayer is “Father can you take my dad home Now – TODAY – Please make the next call I get is to tell me has went home”.   I tell God that my father has had a great life and it is time.   I know that God can do this but I also know that He has purpose and reasoning as to why my Dad is still here.  There are days that I really have to question it, but I know that I have to trust in the Lord and he will work all things to bring out His Glory. 
          I will probably keep asking the same question when I do my Prayer Walks in the future “When is it time to go Home?”   For my Dad I hope it is soon. 
 
          Someone shared a testimony from Wynonna on Facebook and she sang the song “I can only imagine” and it really brought me home to the fact that my dad has to be singing this song also.     Please enjoy listening to either:
Wynonna    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlv62wB4VNs    or the original from
Mercy Me:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lrrq_opng
 
          You know someday we will get to go Home and it will be this wonderful place with no pain or disease and a new body.   We will be praising our Lord and I cannot even imagine how glorious it will be.  But for today I know that God is using my Dad to help others get to go Home with him. 
 

So my question is:   “When is it time to go Home?” 

 Bobbyg

      This is an area that I really struggle with – I do not like how our country has taken the word and input it into how we should live.  I do believe that there is a place for tolerance, but it should not take away our rights to express what we believe in. 
          I googled the meaning of tolerance and this is the first definition that came up:        

Noun:  tolerance – 1. The ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.

“The tolerance of corruption”   –   (synonyms: acceptance, toleration; open-mindedness, broad-mindedness, forbearance, liberality, liberalism; patience, charity, indulgence, understanding “an attitude of tolerance toward other people”)

      OK – I like most of this, except it does not explain that we can also express our disagreement with someone else’s behavior or opinion.  The definition is right on the aspect that it will require an ability and willingness on my part to be Tolerant.
 
Then I read an article yesterday and a portion of it dealt with Tolerance – I only copied the portions that dealt with this topic.

Letter to the Editor by (Calvin Oliverius).

Here are just a few parts of his Article…  You can read the rest on the Wyoming Tribune/Eagle Web Site.
         ** God knows and clearly communicates that his love does not tolerate sin. In fact, His intolerance is very loving, just like Mother Theresa’s intolerance of poverty or Martin Luther King’s intolerance of racism.
          The religion of tolerance not only puts you in a predicament, but what about the police officer who is caught in the crossfire? Several have already been killed. How do they tolerate lawlessness and yet maintain law and order? How do we deal with the rebellion and offense that is at the root of the present cultural definition of tolerance?
     **Often our offense at people who don’t agree with us is also removed if we let the Holy Spirit direct us. There is hope for America, but it is found in individually and collectively walking toward God and his righteousness, rather than away from him.
          Calvin has done a great job in explaining how my actions as a Christian should be.  It is through the working of the Holy Spirit within me that will enable me to be Tolerant and Loving at the same time.  I should always be walking towards Jesus and then be under His guidance with the people I disagree with.   This WORKS and I am getting better on how I deal with the people I disagree with, but as for the people who know me:  they know it has taken me a while to get there and Jesus has to do allot of molding of me before I get to where I need to be.  
 

So how are you dealing with Tolerance?

Are you seeking the Wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit?

Are you Walking towards Jesus?

 

Bobbyg

     I had one of those weekends when everything started right but then changed in a drastic way.   We enjoyed our Grand Kids in Colorado Springs- did I forget to say that we enjoyed my Son and Daughter in-law also (When you become a Papa you will understand).  I went to Church at “Pulpit Rock” in Colorado Springs and the sermon was on Grace – the part of Grace that I give when someone disappoints me.  God gives us Grace and in return the Grace given to us I need to pass onto those who I know.   
          The Scripture was in Galatians 6: and the verses that stuck out to me were 1 & 2:  Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
 
          Well getting back to the topic of this Blog “When God Changes my Prayer Life!” and how it changed.  My prayer walks have been good and I thought how I was praying was the right way.   God please help change the hearts of these specific people. Then I was awakened by the fact that I need to be Praying for God to work in my Heart first so that I can be Gentle to the people who are disappointing me.  I need to give them Grace and help them carry their burdens instead of telling them how I believe they should be going.   My eyes were opened to Two extremely important people in my life and how they are really struggling.  
          So on my way to my Prayer walk this morning I was listening to the radio and I was being told that I need to focus on Jesus first and he will lead me to what I need to accomplish with these two very special people.  I get caught up in Life at times and lose my priorities and it takes a tragedy sometimes to get me back to where I should be.   So my prayers this morning were:  Jesus work in me so that I can do your work in the correct way with “GRACE”.    When I pray this way, then I can be the person who Christ wants me to be in helping the ones who are disappointing me.  “Love Always Wins”        Now I can go forward this week in a whole new light on the situations and I will be working in Grace.
 

So are you praying for others to change instead of yourself?

Are you praying for yourself to be reconnected with Christ?

Are you dealing with those around you in Grace?

Bobbyg            PS:  My Prayer life did change this morning.  
 

     In the last month I am being prompted with the action of being Obedient to what Jesus is telling me to do.  I have been taking several Prayer walks and asking God what am I supposed to do?  The answer is always the same “seek me first and then all shall be added” – I am to be Obedient to his calling. 
     
          One of the verses that I looked up on this topic is:

2 John 1:6 – And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

    When you look at the world around us – this is something that is needed and will be required as we go forward.   I am afraid that our country is going to get what they are asking for when it comes to who is going to lead us forward.  This may not be someone that I want but as in the days past when the people wanted a King – God granted them their desire.   So one of the most powerful ways of obedience for Christians is for us to walk in Love as we see what is going to transpire around us.
 
I enjoy listening to John Bevere’s talks and he has one on obeying God:

Don’t wait to obey until God provides while God is waiting to provide until you obey. When you’ve heard God’s voice and you know He’s calling you to do something, step out in faith. The next step will be there.  https://www.facebook.com/32273893010/videos/10154310930998011/?pnref=story

John talks about there will be times that God Speaks to you and you will not have the resources to do it.   Then he gives examples of when Jesus told people to go forward, he supplied the resources to accomplish the task.

   We are going to be prompted to do the same….  God will be telling us to do some very hard things this year….   I have a list of several items that I am being told to be Obedient in and it is a struggle, but I know that I must be Obey. 
       
Here is another portion of an article I read about Radical Obedience:

**The Secret of Radical Obedience:

Hearing God in the secret place is one of the greatest keys to living the Christian life. However, it must be linked with its corollary: radical obedience. We hear, and then we do. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22, NKJV).

By “radical obedience,” I mean immediate obedience that fulfills the commandment to its fullest measure. Radical obedience does not seek to comply to the minimal standards but pursues extravagant, lavish fulfillment. If Jesus says, “Sell all,” then we sell all! Immediately.

    This last section got me:   “Radical Obedience” – that is where I need to be.  This is not something that will come easy for me and I will probably fail several times.  I know as I persevere and go forward that he will be with me and Obedience will come…..
 

So what is Jesus calling you to do?

Are you going forward in Obedience?

As you persevering?

 

Bobbyg

 

 

 

A couple weeks ago, I (Bob W.) read an article contrasting Johnny Barnes, Bermuda’s famously loving & joyful Christian greeter; with India’s Datta Phuge, “the gold man of Pune” with his $250,000 shirt made of pure gold.
The obituary/article in this very secular magazine tells the stories behind both men, who both happen to have died last month. It’s worth a read. It has been one of those occasional stories that comes to mind again and again, long after reading it.
For this blog, I’ll focus on the conclusion, where the author writes:
“The moral of the tale seems almost too easy to draw: the selfish flaunter of happiness (murder victim Datta Phuge), weighed down by gold, came to an awful end, while the selfless one, wearing his prodigious love so lightly (Johnny Barnes), was praised and lamented.
Both men, though, left behind a deficit of magic. After Mr Phuge died, no one could find the wonderful gold shirt. It was not in the house, nor at Ranka Jewellers; rumour had it that a creditor from Mumbai had taken it away. As for Mr Barnes, people searched up and down, far and wide, for the true secret of his happiness; for that, too, had disappeared with him.”
But has the true secret of Mr. Barnes contagious joy REALLY disappeared with him?
In the article, the source of Mr. Barnes’ joy is obvious to anyone with discernment to see it:

• “the genuine joy in the life God had blessed him with…“
• “often prayed with his visitors beside the road…“
• “death… in the firm conviction he was heading home…“

Faith. Gratitude to God. Loving his neighbors as himself.
I doubt many of us are called of God to spend our days telling passing rush-hour motorists how sweet life is and how much we love them, as Mr. Barnes was.  But the questions for me, and anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ, are:

• Is MY faith in Christ like “a spring of water welling up to eternal life”? (John 4:7-14)
• Do I want to make a habit of looking for God’s blessings, in the routine, the good, and the bad times… and to give Him thanks?
• Am I willing to tell others the true secret of happiness?

Bob W.

I had this question going through my head most of last night “What If?” and I was coming up with allot of What If’s….   This is a great question when you are looking at situations that you encounter and need to know what to do…
          I googled the Question “What if?” and here is some insight on one of the hits:

The Power of “What If” Questions

Almost all of us have experienced those sleepless nights running through scenario after scenario, wondering “what if.”

These “what ifs” don’t pay off. They remove your strength, undermine your influence, and make you bow to the negative. When given enough power, they can break you.

 But there’s another kind of “what if” question: the “what if” of possibility. Instead of weighing us down, these questions free us and empower us.

          As you can see this is a big question that can lead to a negative or positive result and it has allot of Power.  I would like to tell you that mine ended up on a positive note – but I do not want ask myself that question ever again in the middle of the night. 
 
    So some of the What If’s that were going through my head last night were:

1.  The Big one:  What if Jesus were to come today?  Am I ready? My answer was I think I am, but I want to make sure my Sons and Grandkids know about Jesus…
2. Pastor Shaun presented this question on Sunday which started My What If:   What if your dog walked in Chewing up a ten dollar bill?  Are you going to discipline the dog or give it grace?  I am not going to answer that one.
3. Then my mind went crazy:  LOL – What if I do not get to sleep?  What if I have to spend more time with people that need me? (Time is a valued commodity for me).  What if the Hail Ruined the Garden? (It is a big Garden that I help my son with).  And it kept going….

    I know in life we are going to have many of the “What If” questions and we should be ready to make them a positive outcome.  I finally ended up with this thought:  “through obedience and taking my “What If” to Christ then all will be well”.   So enjoy your experience of “What If” but try not to loose too much sleep?
 

So what is your “What if”?

Are they empowering you with a Positive outcome?

Is Christ at the Center of all your answers?

 

Bobbyg

 

            It is Cheyenne Frontier Days this week and I was doing some pondering while I was catching the Thunderbirds perform.  It made me think of all the Gifts that people have.
         The Thunderbirds have some unique and special gifts, whether it be the pilots or the people behind the scenes that put the computer programs together.   To be able to fly at 1,000 miles per hour in a group is just something great and special, but it takes several gifted people to make it work.  
          Then I thought about the gifts the Cowboys have at the Rodeo:  1. The Bull rider on a 3,000 pound bull trying to stay on for 8 seconds.  A couple of days ago only one Cowboy was able to stay on for 8 seconds – he has a gift.  2.  Steer ropers, this is a team effort.  It takes 2 cowboys in unison to rope a steer and get it the ground – this requires 2 special gifts working together. 
          One last example of Gifts during frontier days would be putting together a Pancake Breakfast for 10,000 people and you are only in line for 15 minutes  WOW.  This requires a special gift to bring together several different groups to become one great event.
 
          So now my question comes back to how am I using my Spiritual Gifts?

1.  Am I connected to a group of Christians as a Body of Christ, doing His work?    (Church – Non Profit Organization).
2. Am I alone utilizing my Gifts to those who are right in front of me?
3. Am I connected with one other Christian so that we can put our gifts together?
4. Am I utilizing my Gift to bring others together for one cause?

I am answering each of these questions in Private – but how do you see yourself measuring up to each of these…  
 Here a scripture on Spiritual Gifts:

1 Corinthians 12New International Version (NIV)

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

          As you can see it takes all types of different gifts to make up one Body or One Church.  The Church is made up of different people uniting all their Gifts for a Special Person “Jesus”.    Your gift may not be listed above – but you have been given gifts by the Holy Spirit that are unique to you.  You just need to recognize how God has made you special and engage. 
 

What Gifts do you have – are you a Thunderbird or a Cowboy or an Event Coordinator?

Are your gifts coming together with other people to make one Body?

Are you connecting your Gifts with one other Person?

Are your Gifts be utilized for the person in front of you?

Use your Gifts – do not let them be stagnate!

 

Bobbyg

Post from Bob W.
Hello, GMM blog readers.
Jillette Penn is half of the comedi​an​ magicians duo Penn and Teller ​; he is a brilliant man and an avowed atheist.
​ Here’s a frank and moving video worth watching ​ because of his perspective about “proselytizing”.  ​ ​In it, he tells of receiving the gift of a Bible and  his thoughts on Christian​ evangelism.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=6md638smQd8
 
​He doesn’t respect people who don’t proselytize!​
 
​So, when the opportunities come to share my faith, the questions are:

• am sincerely complimentary, polite, kind, and good to skeptics? 
• will I look a non-believer right in the eyes; or am I “defensive” about my faith?
• since I truly believe there’s a heaven and a hell, do I care enough about this other human being, made in the image of God, to take the risk of being “socially awkward”?
• how much do I have to hate someone, to believe everlasting life is possible, and yet not tell them the Gospel?

 
​Bob W.