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peaceofGod -> Reflections (2/21/2006 12:58:33 PM)

As a start, this blog is intended to be reflections on various Christian living topics, many of which I have used or am planning to use in sermons.

[However, after making several posts (the remainder of this post and several following posts), I'm changing direction. It looks as though a more interesting course would be of personal experiences as a member of a Denomination which totally reformed. What happened to our Denomination was so rare that a DVD titled Called To Be Free was made to make the general story available. Anyway, after the next several posts, the personal experiences will begin.]

A current sermon preparation is centered around this passage with the title being Alive In Christ.

Colossians 2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

:10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.

:11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;

:12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

:13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses...

What makes you feel fully alive? Adrenalin rush? Hiking in the wilderness when fully alert to the surrounding sounds for the sake of survival? Laughter? Fun? Camping requiring you to pay full attention to the necessities of life i.e. cooking, comfort, shelter? Intimate contact with the Creator? Something to think about.

The person with a mission eats, drinks and breaths that mission and is energized by that mission.

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

We receive sustenance from the Creator of the universe as we seek the will of the Father as Jesus did.

John 5:30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

We keep on keeping on because the mission propels us forward.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Such is the essence of the sermon I'm preparing. I pray that our Father breathes life into it.

In the case that you see something here that sparks thoughts or ideas, please feel free to share them with me by PM.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/21/2006 1:49:23 PM)

It’s probably appropriate for me to make mention of my Church affiliation and give a little bit of a background.
I belong to the Burleson (Texas) Christian Fellowship which is affiliated with the Worldwide Church of God (www.wcg.org). I worked for that Church full time (In the Mail Receiving Department) from my graduation from Ambassador College in 1966 until 1995 when the Church went through such a major transformation that most of the employees had to be laid off. Information about the denomination is on the web page. As you can see on the web page, we are now mainstream Christians. Such was not always the case as our history on that same web page shows.

Currently, I’m retired and am a deacon in our local congregation in Burleson, Texas where the Pastor schedules me to give the sermon about 4 times during each three month period.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/21/2006 2:26:28 PM)

PEACE
John 14:27

Notes and Reflections on the subject.

Peace is more than absence of war or absence of struggle or absence of strife. Real peace is deeper than these aspects. We’re talking about peace of mind, the kind of peace that comes from God’s Love. But how in the world can we have peace of mind when we are besieged with problems and worries?

Nowadays researchers say that a calm mind is important to good health. Medical research strongly indicates that a calm, peaceful mind helps the immune system to ward off diseases and sicknesses. More and more people are becoming involved in Yoga and in Meditation exercises to achieve a calm mind. Are these exercises the ultimate fulfillment to our need for peace of mind? There are now some doctors who actually offer the option of prayer for their patients.

Of course, our motivation and purpose for our Christian walk should based on our love for God and on seeking a close relationship with Him as well as seeking His mind (Jesus Christ) to be living inside of us, with Jesus preaching the Gospel through us by the way we live. After all, our actions speak a lot louder and have more impact than our words.

How can we achieve peace of mind? Where does it come from?

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Although God gives peace, it is up to us to exercise it and express it in our lives.

REST IN THE LORD

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Calm Reliance on God
Exodus 14:
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
:34 Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way.

Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.

Lamentations 3:24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Philippians 4: (New King James Version)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/21/2006 4:10:57 PM)

Continuing with the theme of Peace, I confess that I often find it hard to really rest in the Lord. It just seems to be so very hard to stand still, be quiet (especially quiet inside) and see the salvation of the Lord.

Why? Lack of faith? Always trying to think if there's something else I could do to help the situation? It would seem that a calm peace would settle over any person who has a very close relationship with Jesus Christ, is walking with Him and totally trusts Him. But I guess we have our moments with Him and a lot of moments that are not with Him.

Something to think about.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/21/2006 4:30:47 PM)

Peace (continued)


Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
--Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

Proverbs 16:
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Jesus Christ, the Source of life, is the Source of peace. God is Love. The expression of Love creates peace.

Any other thoughts on this sujbect?



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/21/2006 8:02:16 PM)

Change of Direction


Okay, here’s where the direction of this blog changes to an account of my personal experiences as a member of a Denomination, The Worldwide Church of God, which was transformed. A group outside of our fellowship was so enthusiastic about our transformation that it produced a 74 minute DVD about it, titled Called To Be Free. It is a Production of Living Hope Ministries.

A fellow Forum member made the same observation that a number of other Christian leaders have made, that this transformation is a testimony, not just of a person but of a whole Denomination. Here, I hope to share some of the personal delights and joys as well as some of the heartaches and anguish that was involved in this transformation as the transformation wrecked my life and built a new one.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/22/2006 3:22:25 PM)

Works Based vs. Grace Based

Here’s a little background about our transformation. If you manage to wade through this section and honestly compare it to our current beliefs, you just might agree that our Father’s Amazing Grace really is more amazing than we can imagine.

The fact that we are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ through grace is elementary. Right? Sure it is.

In the past before our transformation, we believed that we were saved by grace and rewarded by works.

But we also believed that God will not allow anyone in His family whom He did not rule. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? But we carried it further. We put so much emphasis on works and on obedience that we wound up thinking that we had to earn our salvation by way of obedience and by way of works.

The result was legalism. I was living a deception.

To be continued



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/22/2006 3:33:18 PM)

Our Legalism


[By the way, please feel free to PM any suggestions, questions or comments]

The result of legalism was the belief that we had to qualify to be in our Father’s family. Of course, if we really had to qualify, none of us would make it. As we Christians know, it is only by our Father’s mercy who forgives us through Jesus Christ that any of us can be saved.

Now, after our transformation, legalism in its many forms is so easily recognizable to us that it’s like seeing emergency warning lights flashing, and hearing sirens blaring. However, I am now amazed at how easy it is to discard one form of legalism and jump right into another form of it.

After this transformation, I find myself being quite sensitive to various forms of legalism. Believe me, there are many forms of it. Where there are judgmental Christians there is legalism. Where there are self-righteous Christians, there is legalism. Where there is enduring guilt, there is legalism.

Anyway, I had been employed full time by our Denomination for over 25 years when the changes started taking place in a big way in 1995. When the members realized that tithing (giving 1/10 of one’s income) to the Church was not required for salvation, the income took a nose dive and we had massive layoffs.

I was laid off. My job with the Church was my life and I was laid off. As you might imagine, it was as if the rug was pulled out from under me.

Besides, to admit to being deceived is quite humbling.


To be continued



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/23/2006 10:49:56 AM)

It Is No Secret What God Can Do

This probably is a good place to mention that this story has a happy ending. I don’t know, but I might wind up describing some of the personal anguish of those trying years because I’ve had my share of pity parties.

Believe me there were some very deep valleys when I felt every bit of what many lonely, single people feel.

Although, I prayed for marriage, it seemed that God’s answer was, “No”.

But ……….. It is no secret what God can do.

With the advantage of hindsight, I now can see that there was no room in my life for a happy marriage at that time and that our loving Father, protected me from making some bad decisions. The “romantic” heartbreaks (plural) that I experienced were a blessing because in each case they occurred before I my life had any room for marriage.

My life was my job with the Church. I guess it was true that I was married to my job.

But even during a time when I briefly thought about suicide, a deep inner belief instilled during childhood made me realize that God is always on His throne, that He knows what He is doing and that He is good.

Yet, life did not look good for me at all.

But ……….. It is no secret what God can do.

To be continued



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/23/2006 4:59:01 PM)

It is no secret what God can do.

After the transformation of the Worldwide Church of God, we were embraced by a number of major mainstream Christian leaders. Before the transformation of the Worldwide Church of God while the denomination was still growing by leaps and bounds some of those same mainstream Christian leaders had been praying for us. I’ve heard who some of those leaders were. They included officials in the East Texas Baptist University in Marshal, TX, some officials in the Fuller Theological Seminary in California and others.

At that time, we were considered by many to be a cult. We certainly had the trademarks of a cult.

For sure, it is no secret what God can do. Does He listen to our prayers or what?

Such Christian leaders as Jack Hayford of the LIVING WAY radio broadcast and partner in several Christian organizations had been praying for us for years. I understand that he had walked around the perimeter of our headquarters, then in Pasadena, CA. praying for God to change us. Now, he is a good friend of our denomination and a partner in some of our endeavors.

What do you think? Is it true that God specializes in the impossible?

It is no secret what God can do.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/23/2006 5:30:32 PM)

This may be a good place to insert some general before/after information.

We went from a membership of over 100,000 to about 64,000. Currently, we have about 860 congregations in about 90 nations. Many of those congregations are quite small. Our denomination's web is www.wcg.org.

In the Fort Worth, Texas area, which is where I am, we have three small congregations with a total membership of maybe 100 … probably a little less … compared to somewhere around 300 or more (I think) before the changes. This is our local website: http://churches.wcg.org/fortworth/.

The congregation where I attend is in Burleson, Texas and has a weekly attendance of around 30 or so.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/24/2006 1:10:46 PM)

Romans 8:28

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.


Okay, lets' get back to 1995 just before the bottom dropped out of the finances of the Church.

Several months before I had any clue that there would be massive layoffs that would include me, a coworker told me that he had lost his roommate and asked me to share his two bedroom, two bath security apartment with him and share the rent. It was a very nice apartment, much better than where I lived alone at the time and the rent (because we would share the rent) would be much better. So, I put many of my belongings in storage, cut ties with where I had lived for 13 years and made the move.

Little did I know that this move prepared me for a bigger move to a different part of the country when the layoff hit. When it came time for me to leave Pasadena, CA. most of my belongings had already been sold, given away or conveniently in storage and ready to be loaded into a U-Haul.

Well, a few months later, (still prior to the layoffs) my Brother-In-Law called me to offer me a job. I thanked him but assured him that I liked my current job with the Church. However, he said that there was going to be a massive layoff to the point that nothing would be the same. Since I had not been laid off at that time, I told him that I did not want to quite my job, but if I were to be laid off, then I would take him up on the offer if it is still open. He said that he would hold the job offer open for me.

Sure enough, the layoffs came and I lost my job, but had a new job waiting in Texas with my Brother-In-Law in his small business.

Still, there is no way to describe the trauma of being laid off without retirement after close to 30 years of employment. Cut loose. That’s how it felt. I was no longer employed in the service of the Church. I felt like a civilian, no longer in the Service. Cut off from being in the service of our Father. Deep down, I knew better, but I occasionally had this sneaky feeling that He was finished with me.

Suicide came to mind and I thought of my .44 Dragoon revolver.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/25/2006 10:00:33 AM)

Romans 8:28
We know that all things work together
for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.

As soon as I thought of my .44 caliber Dragoon revolver, I smiled with thankfulness that it and all of my handguns had been stolen about six months prior to the layoff. All thoughts of suicide disappeared. God takes care of us, doesn’t He?

Because I had neglected my health for years by way of sleep deprivation, bad diet, and no exercise, my teeth and gums had deteriorated horribly. My gums were so bad that blood on the pillow each morning was the usual occurrence and some teeth were loose. So my dentist had been working on a major project to fix the situation. With news of the big layoff, he went into high gear to complete the work which included pulling some teeth and making dentures after the layoff.

The timing was perfect because of several reasons. There was no rush to get to my new job in Texas, the dental project required multiple sessions with some healing time between sessions, my Dental Insurance was still valid for a while and I had separation income from the layoff.

During those two or three months between the layoff and before the move to Texas, I had time at the new apartment to sort of decompress and acclimate toward my future life.

During those months, I spent quite a bit of time with my little laptop. I had met someone on the internet who, I thought, might enjoy having an email pen pal. This person was recovering from a serious auto accident. The doctor did not expect her to survive her injuries. When it became apparent that she would survive, her doctor did not expect her to ever walk again. Wrong again. She is walking, but still, even today, has major health concerns.

Well, I thought that I might help keep her company and maybe give her encouragement by emails. In reality, she helped me through this difficult time and gave me encouragement. I’m convinced that God used us to help each other.

Eleven years later, we still are internet pen pals, exchanging emails daily. As a matter of fact, I received a message from her last night and answered it this morning. We have helped each other through some difficult times.

I told her about this Blog and she said she read what has been posted so far. Also, she printed it so that she could read it again more slowly.

Well, at last the teeth were fixed and it was time to move to Texas and start the new job.

We know that all things work together
for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.


(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/27/2006 10:53:03 AM)

God is on His throne. God is good. God knows what He’s doing.

Time came for the move. I rented a U-Haul trailer, hooked it to my Blazer and started loading it alone -- all my friends were at work.

While loading the trailer, making trips from the apartment to the trailer with arms full of belongings – back and forth, back and forth, some of the words to a song kept creeping into my mind. I think the name of the song was “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover”. It seems that the only words of the song that came to mind were, “Slip out the back, Jack. No need to be coy, Roy.” No big, prolonged goodbyes. No dramatic farewell speeches, just ….. Slip out the back Jack. No need to be coy, Roy. I merely quietly and alone loaded the U-haul that was hooked to my Blazer. All of the goodbyes had been said.

While carrying objects from the apartment to the rented trailer one persistent sentimental, self-pitying thought after another tried to make its way into my mind, but I replaced it with “slip out the back Jack. No need to be coy, Roy.” I had come to Pasadena in 1962 to go to college and now was leaving it all behind 33 years later …. “Slip out the back, Jack … No need to be coy, Roy.”

Also, I replaced the sad thoughts with silent prayers and reminders that God is on His throne. God is good. God knows what He’s doing.

I was leaving one life behind to go into another and to face an unknown future, an adventure ... alone ... “Slip out the back, Jack ... No need to be coy, Roy.”

But I was not really alone. God was there.


God is on His throne. God is good. God knows what He’s doing.


(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/27/2006 8:11:12 PM)

[By the way, please feel free to PM any suggestions, questions or comments about any part of this Blog.]


The drive to Texas went well and allowed a lot of time for thinking and praying.

Arrival in Texas was like a homecoming. It was nice for the family to be together again. Mother, Dad, my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephews all lived in the same community. After my arrival, I was there as well. The situation was somewhat of a family reunion.

At that time, my family and I were all in the Worldwide Church of God but little did I know that the changes which started taking place before I left Pasadena were merely beginning. Only months after starting the new job at my brother-in-law’s small business, the changes in the Church escalated big time. So did controversy.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (2/28/2006 8:51:45 AM)

My brother-in-law was sending FAX message after message to members and ministers of the Church. He was also receiving FAX message after message from across the country about the changes. Later I discovered that he was in the middle of the formation of a split in our Church. He did not agree with the changes at all and was doing whatever he could to gather support for our local minister who also did not agree with the changes.

My family (my sister, father, mother, niece and nephews) left our Church to join a newly formed Church formed by the leaders of this faction and named it The United Church of God (UCG). All around the world members were leaving the Worldwide Church of God to join UCG and other factions. My family expected me to be with them, when they joined the newly formed UCG along with our Pastor, but I agreed with the changes and stayed with WCG (the Worldwide Church of God).

Whew!

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/1/2006 9:12:53 AM)

Well, when the dust started to settle, we had a new Pastor in the area. We, the members who remained, were something like walking wounded after a civil war. Families and friendships had been split. We had suffered loss. Our Treasurer walked out, so I was asked to be Treasurer. Also, I was asked to lead Praise Services in our small congregation of Azle, Texas.

Those who maintained relationships that reached across doctrinal lines had to walk on egg shells to keep those relationships. That is, they (we) had to avoid doctrinal discussions to keep the relationships in tact. But, for the most part, such relationships did not seem to last long except when they involved families. Such was and remains the case with my family. We get along fine, but avoid doctrinal issues.

At this time, I was still single.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/1/2006 3:19:04 PM)

Be still and see the salvtion of the Lord


For decades this matter of being single was not my choice. I wanted marriage and prayed for marriage. There were several times when I thought that God was starting a romance with someone but each time turned into a heartbreaking end. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I was misreading what God was doing and that I was getting in the way.

I came to the conclusion that God’s answers to my prayers regarding marriage were, “No”. If the answer was actually, "Yes, but not now", I figured the best thing for me to do was forget it until God moved .... Be still and see the salvtion of the Lord.

Lo! And Behold! Life became much easier. What a relief – no more banging my head against a brick wall. Oh, it felt so good to stop fretting and to start living.

But something totally unexpected and different happened at a Church festival in Hot Springs, AR. I met someone without looking for someone.

Do you remember my mentioning that I had met an email pal back in 1995? Well, this is what I wrote to her after I got back home in Fort Worth, TX from that Church festival.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/2/2006 9:51:26 AM)

The following is what I wrote to my email friend after returming from the Church Festival in Hot Springs, AR.

First Observations of Wilma

10/10/98
Hot Springs Festival Site
After Church services, a lady (divorcee), a single fellow and I went to a veggie, gourmet coffee cafe. We sat and talked for hours in the cafe. That lady, Wilma, has the appearance of being frail and withdrawn -- thin, a little stoop shouldered with strands of gray hair but her face looks young with a smile in her eyes, a nice smile and a mind that is not at all withdrawn but is bright, witty and very likable. Services were over at 12:15PM and we left the cafe at about 5:00PM. Hmmmmm, I wonder what her last name is ......



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/3/2006 8:54:11 AM)

God Is Good and Knows What He’s Doing
Back in Fort Worth, a few of us decided to get together before Church each week to sing praise songs. Wilma was in this group. Sometimes, after singing praise songs for a while we all would go out for lunch before Church.

After a few weeks, Wilma invited some of us to her place for board games such as Bible Trivia on Saturday night. We all had such a good time that she started having us over almost every Saturday night. She and I hit it off quite well. Eventually, we had our first date during which we talked all day long.

In March of 2000, we got married. We have two grown children from her previous marriage and now we have two grandchildren.

God Is Good and Knows What He’s Doing



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/3/2006 4:53:16 PM)

It is no secret what God can do.


Is it a good thing to wait for our loving Father to work things out in His time in His way?

Wilma believes that God blessed her by bringing me to her while I believe that God blessed me by bringing her to me. Our loving Father, I believe, prepared us for each other and gave us this blessed marriage. Having a marriage designed by our Father was worth putting the matter into His hands and waiting for Him to do His thing.

He gave Wilma and me to each other in Holy Matrimony when I was 56 years old. I’ve heard and read that every marriage has its rough spots. They have not come yet for us but I pray that our spiritual Father who brought us together handles those rough spots for us because I know that I would mess them up big time.

Since our marriage, our daughter (my step-daughter) graduated from East Texas Baptist University and married a fellow graduate. They now have a boy (2 years old) and a girl (1 month old).

At the wedding, after the ceremony, the groom baptized his new brother-in-law (our son, my step-son). What a momentous day that was!

Now, it looks as though our son will be marrying soon.

This crusty old batchelor (me) who had given up on romance and marriage, married at the age of 56 into a ready-made family and is now a grandpa twice over. Can you believe it?

You tell me. Is God good or what? Is it a good thing to wait for our loving Father to work things out in His time in His way?

It is no secret what God can do.



(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/6/2006 10:49:35 AM)

Some of Life's Changes


Several of life's changes occured during these next few years. Here are some of them.

Since our marriage, we have lived in Fort Worth but continued going to Church in Azle, Texas where I was quite involved. I was leading a Bible Study each week, leading Praise & Worship services on a rotation basis and giving sermons on a rotation basis mostly in Azle, Texas.

At this point, I also was the Treasurer for our three Forth Worth area congregations.

My brother-in-law’s small business had financial problems which required laying me off. Soon after my layoff, the business was sold.

I went to Tarrant County College and studied counseling, then began internship as on-the job training under the supervision of a counselor at a county drug/alcohol recovery center.

My father had a heart attack while on the dialysis machine, was hospitalized and had another heart attack while in the hospital. It was there that he died peacefully.

Well, my health gave out requiring me to quite the job at the recovery center. The doctor gave me a stress test to find that my heart is okay but that I have no endurance.

Our health insurance, through Wilma’s job, changed companies which required us to change doctors. Our new doctor, after reviewing my history, told me that I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Retirement became a reality.

Thankfully, we can rely on our spiritual Father who does not change and is there for us always during our life's changes.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/7/2006 9:46:47 AM)

Hebrews 11:6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Knowing that Jesus specializes in the impossible gives us hope, doesn’t it?

Coping with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) became my job – learning about it and learning how to get control of it. My doctor told me to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Not being able to exercise 30 minutes straight without getting too tired, I break it up into segments. Now I’m up to 60 minutes per day, usually 5 or 6 days per week – usually about 5 hours per week.

For me, coping with CFS is like walking a tight wire. That is to say, one false step endangers my health. Improvement has been slow…But it has been there.

Wilma and I changed from attending Church in Azle to attending in Burleson, TX which is closer. I resigned as Church Treasurer of the three Fort Worth Churches, resigned as Praise & Worship Leader in Azle, and resigned all other Church responsibilities except giving sermons on a rotation basis.

Late last year, I again started leading a Discipleship Class, this time in Burleson, TX.

It seems as though Jesus is doing the impossible one baby step at a time. But knowing that the Impossible is His business gives hope, doesn’t it?

Hebrews 11:6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

(to be continued)



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/13/2006 9:59:52 AM)

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Dad had his first stroke when he was in his mid 70s and had several more since then. When he was around 85, he had heart failure. Then he had renal failure when he was 86. While on a dialysis machine in 2001, he had a heart attack, was rushed to the hospital and had another heart attack while on dialysis and died several days later at the age of 88.

Considering that he and Mother were married for 63 years, you might imagine Mother’s grief and the tremendous change in her life after his death. It was shortly after his death that I moved her from Azle, TX to an Active Seniors’ Residence near our house. She is able to do most things for herself now at the age of 90, such as cooking, laundry, light apartment cleaning, etc. I check on her just about every day and take her to the grocery store each week.

She does not believe in the changes of the Worldwide Church of God but belongs to the United Church of God (UCG) which holds to our previous beliefs. When she feels well enough, my niece takes her to Church with her. My niece also belongs to UCG. My sister and brother-in-law moved to Tennessee where they, too, belong to UCG. As you can see, our family is split religiously.

But it’s a different situation with my wife’s family.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.



peaceofGod -> RE: Reflections (3/14/2006 11:54:35 AM)

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When Wilma and I were dating, she told her parents about me and they promptly asked if I agreed with the changes in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). When she said yes, they seemed relieved but a bit skeptical as to whether I really agreed with the changes. However, as time went on, they finally became convinced that I supported the changes in WCG.

The opportunity presented itself for me to meet them when they were visiting their oldest daughter in Spokane WA. You see, they lived in Alaska at that time but their visit to Spokane gave Wilma the opportunity to visit with them and her sister’s family at the same time. It was my opportunity to meet a big part of her family.

As preparations for the trip developed, I secretly planned to ask Wilma’s parents for her hand in marriage.


Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(to be continued)



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