settingatthepoolofgrace

“No man is an Island, no man walks alone; each man is my brother, each land is my home”. Tell me how does these words resonate in your spirit? What do they mean to you deep in the recesses of your heart? Do they bring forth unity, truth, transparency, understanding, and compassion for all? As our world grows darker each day with hate, greed, indifference, and separation; the thought of being on an Island alone away from the madness is very tempting.

For most of us we just want to live quite lives, raise our children, work to have the best life we can and love our God. However, there is a question that we all must answer; “how can we love God whom we have not seen and hate our brother who we see”? If you by any small reach of your imagination believe you are Gods creation by His own hands, the breath from His own mouth gave you life, and His love for you is unchanging; then you must know man was His master creation.

He spoke everything else into existence, by the words of His mouth they became. Man was ordained to live in harmony and peace with all that surrounded him, be fruitful and populate the earth, but; that plan was interrupted by disobedience. As it was then, so it is now; man has once again strayed far from His creators design. The destruction that awaits is inevitable if the light of love is extinguished. The darkness of hate and greed grow stronger each day, separation from truth widely accepted, and evil in every form rapidly engulfing the hearts of men.

Island living doesn’t sound so bad, but; the current atmosphere can be changed. Those who know what is true must stand against the lie, call it out; let truths light shatter the confusion caused by the lie that is spoken. Request Our Father to give sight to the blind, clarity to the closed minded, and speak peace to the fearful. To change the hearts of the proud, the self-righteous, and those in places of power. Open the eyes of those who say they are Christ followers, but; are not.

No man needs to walk alone, no man has to fight alone; we have been given a companion who is willing to share our journey, lead us into all truth, and shine light into our dark spaces. We just have to accept His companionship, allow Him to lead the way, and walk where He leads. We were created by Love, redeemed by Love’s blood and Love waits to welcome us back into the safety of it’s arms. We can choose to accept Love or walk in darkness, know that darkness will be destroyed, light will abound.

The proud will be humbled, the hungry fed, the lost found, the homeless sheltered, the mourning comforted and the Fathers heart will rejoice that His prodigal children have come home. Love will again reign in the hearts of men, hate will be dispelled; replaced with truth. Forgiveness will rule the day, it’s light will erase all semblance of evil. The enemy of the ages will be defeated, never again to rule. The secret of life revealed, my blood runs through your veins; your blood runs through mine.

What affects one also affects the other none of us is exempt, we are all part of the only race; the human race. Gods breath gives us all life, Isolation is not an option.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

It was a really harsh winter, the morning air crisp, each breathe taken could be seen floating in the air. There were very few footprints in the snow, as she saw the top of the little schoolhouse; she wondered how many would be in attendance, who else had been brave enough to come to school? Entering the little class room to her surprise there were three other students sitting at their desk, all expecting to learn some great truth; none of them realizing they had learned the lesson of persistence.

Deciding something was important enough to over come any adversity to accomplish their goal. Everyday he could be seen on the same bench, in the same park, and feeding the same birds. Visitors to the park could set their watches by him. A smile, soft good morning or friendly wave of the hand greeted those who would glance in his direction; he was dependable. They could count on seeing him as they entered the park gate.

Christmas was a special time in the William’s household, though money was always scarce; all 3 children would receive something under the tree. Charlie was the eldest of the 3, now a young man; he knew the struggles of his parents to do their best for them. This Christmas would be different, he had worked all summer cutting grass; the money he earned would buy nice gifts for his parents and his siblings. He couldn’t wait for Christmas morning, their surprise when they looked under the tree and the smiles on their faces as they opened the gifts, it will all be worth his sacrifice.

Life is a school that we are enrolled in the moment we are born, the lessons taught will enrich our journey or make it turbulent depending on how we perceive the lesson, assimilate it, and respond; we alone choose how we will be affected by the lessons we learn. Some lessons are grasped immediately, but; some require time and consistency. They are communicated to us through nature, relationships, experiences both good and bad. Each day brings new opportunity to understand more and more about the world in which we live and ourselves.

The source from which knowledge is gained is very important, not all knowledge is good or beneficial. We must glean diligently for the knowledge that perfects the character, that leads us to exemplify our best selves, and respect all that came from the mouth and hands of the Creator; we are all his children. Unfortunately, many of our family members have forgotten who their Father is; greed, hate and power has captured their attention.

They still call themselves His children, yet; they fail to exhibit his character. They mistreat their family members failing to love or forgive while feeling entitled to the same love and forgiveness they are not willing to give. ” By their fruit you will know them”, we make our mouths say things we don’t really men; our actions however betray us. When we become immersed in things of this world we forget who we are meant to be, we justify things we know are wrong. We say things like “the lesser of two evils” because we might agree with one or the others belief.

Our Father requires we take no part in what is evil, support evil doers or keep company with them. His love dictates if we love Him we learn the lessons of humility, forgiveness, compassion, dependability, persistence, sacrifice, faith, truthfulness, and charity. That we walk in the knowledge of love, for our Father is love; he that loves not is not of the Father. Who is your teacher? It is time to recognize who we are learning from//

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

“It wasn’t me” was always the answer when mother would ask, knowing I had done something I shouldn’t have done. How many times have you found yourself denying something you were guilty of? We assume the truth will not be made known or we look for someone else to blame for our actions. Seldom do we consider the consequences before hand, but; after we have committed to the action we contemplate the repercussions.

Whatever we think is hidden will eventually come to the light, nothing remains hidden forever; nor do the consequences disappear. To deny a course of action you have taken is equivalent to a lie, the father of lies then compounds the situation with guilt; your heart feels the weight of that guilt causing anxiety over the truth being known. Peter denied his Lord 3 times, something he thought he would never do.

How many times have we denied Him? I know you are wondering in what ways that might have been done. Do you profess Jesus the Christ as your Lord and redeemer? Do you study His word? Do you think His character is reflected in you? If the answer is yes, have you fed the hungry, clothe the naked, sheltered the homeless, comforted the prisoner or the lonely; this is what he did.

Who have you forgiven as he has forgiven you? He spent His time among those others rejected as unworthy, if we have not done these things; we too have denied our Lord. We honor Him with our words but our actions say otherwise. Peter has left us a message of hope, he was sorry for the denial of his Lord and repented of his actions; forgiveness granted. We must recognize our lack of action.

Remove the false face we hide behind and seek the Lord with a surrender heart, ask for forgiveness; forgiveness will be granted and we can through the Holy spirit walk in the true character of Our Lord, Jesus the Christ.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

They were among the elite of their time, they were respected among men, and most were endowed with riches. When they spoke the people listened, it was hard for them to understand why this new man in town carried so much weight with the people; He was a common man after all, but the people loved Him. Everywhere He went large crowds would gather to hear Him speak, His words like fresh dew falling on their ears.

What was He telling them to cause their hearts to beat with joy, sing a new song, and desire to follow Him? After all He was just a simple man; there was nothing special about His appearance, He had no riches or dwelling place. What did they see in Him was the question on the minds of the Leaders. They needed to know, “who is this man?” As He was eating in the house of one with a low reputation they had to ask the question.

Why does your master eat with sinners? It was just a meal, but; it changed many hearts. How many of us today think about sharing a meal? Mealtime is when we come together with family and friends to enjoy each other as we partake of the blessing bestowed upon us by our Heavenly Father, talk about the days events and sometimes plan for the next day. How often do we think about feeding that homeless man we pass on our way to work?

The elderly lady who lives alone two doors down our street or invite the single mother with all those kids we talk about to share our bounty at Thanksgiving, so often we say ” it must be hard to feed all those mouths”. Many of us have an abundance, yet; we fail to share even a little with the less fortunate. Many of us think what we have is to small to share, then there are those whos hearts are so full they share wither what they have is abundant or meager.

The simplest thing can often make the greatest impression, touch the heart or save a life. We all experience problems that come with life, they may differ, but; they effect us in the same ways. Anxiety, confusion, doubt, loneliness and fear. What would it cost to make a sandwich for that homeless man? Invite the elderly neighbor to our home or go visit her or help the struggling single mom feed her children?

It’s just a meal, but ; it could change a heart, heal a hurt, and give hope to those without or who have lost hope. Though life challenges us, we must learn to share each others burdens, after all we are brothers and sisters having the same Father; The Eternal One who loves us all unconditionally.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

I’m borrowing a phrase I heard recently, ” every saint has a past and every sinner has a future”. For many of us the struggle is very real, no matter how hard we try we just can’t seem to get it right; the journey is filled with obstacles, is tedious, and sometimes mind boggling, we fall many times in our life journey.

We find it so do hard to do what is right, but; so easy to do what is deemed wrong. We work hard each day and the pay check still doesn’t pay the bills or maintain our family needs. Trouble seems to be our middle name, one we wish we had the control to change. You may say I do have the control, yet; you are forgetting there are external forces at play which contribute to our struggles.

Over these outside entities we have no control, however; they affect our journey. It is written “through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established, by knowledge the rooms are filled with precious and pleasant riches,” but; there is a process to the journey. It will take fortitude, faith and sometimes physical strength as we continue to walk.

There will be times we will surely fall, we must get back up; only if we fail to get up will we be defeated. It is written ” a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity”. Yes the struggle is real but where there is struggle there is life. If there is no struggle we are complacent with the sin in our lives, the struggle indicates we are fighting to cast off the old man of sin and embrace the new man created by Jesus the Christ.

When we fall, as I’m sure we will; we must not become discouraged. We have an advocate with the Father who pleads for us, is willing to forgive us when we repent of our sins and will restore us. We must remember “every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart”. Although the struggle is real we can trust our Father to have compassion and unfailing love for us.

The struggle indicates we are fighting against the influence of the arch enemy who controls this world. Jesus was sent by the Father that we could be fully prepared in our battle against such a mighty enemy. Only in Jesus will we overcome our struggles and be reunited to the Father and the Son. He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, honor, and righteousness.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

It takes a special type of person to reflect the complexities of life making them entertaining. To have the ability to make you laugh, when you want to cry; forgetting your whole world is crumbling around you. That’s the quality, the magic the entertainer possesses. Most of our lives are a continuous cycle of working, paying bills, taking care of our families and just trying to make it through the day.

This routine becomes monotonous,we search for ways to escape our mondaine lives. A night on the town, a movie or play, or just some much needed quiet time away from the children. The question becomes “what should we do to entertain ourselves”? What is brought to remembrance is “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”, what we feed on will eventually take root in our lives; guarding our thoughts, eyes, and ears is very important.

When the desire to escape our lives arises we must be mindful of the avenues we choose to walk, we have been forewarned; “as a man thinketh in his heart,so he is”, “if a man walk in darkness he stumbles, and “what you feed will grow while what you starve will die”. On a daily bases these things seldom enter our thought patterns, we are so busy trying to survive the day. We must retrain ourselves to be intentional, to allow light to penetrate every facet of our lives; where there is light no darkness can dwell.

We have an enemy, an entertainer of sort; who will use anything to distract, deter, detain, and ultimately destroy our lives. His dwelling place is darkness, his desire is our company there, and once we make the choice to visit; he does all he can to make us feel comfortable. The table is spread with all the delicacies he offers; sexual depravity, alcoholic beverages, drugs of all types, hate, greed, fame and gluttony. He knows for some enough is never enough, they always want more.

We see him on the television, internet, in books, music and even in our conversations with each other; he is there lurking trying to remain undetected. We can see the importance of protecting the mind, eyes and ears from the entertainer. When the urge to escape looms over you like a warm blanket, fortify yourself by asking the Light bearer to Create in you a clean heart and renew in you the right Spirit.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

Syfy, a genre of books and movies that deal with the impossible made possible; the what if factor. How many of you would like or consider going back in time? Where would you go? What life event would you want to witness? I know this is all circumstantial, but; humor me. I’m sure some would like to witness the birth of Christ, the Crucifixion, or the Resurrection.

All of these are amazing events in history. There would be some who might want to just go back a few days or months, make right a situation they wish they could change; no more guilt or regret for words spoken in anger. Many of us wish we could do that, but; once said there is no taking it back. We often forget words have the power to hurt or to heal.

This is a experiment in what if’s, would you be a time traveler was the question? After careful thought my answer is yes. There are so many spectacular events in this world to be up front and center to view. The birth of nature, the very first star to grace the heavens, the first sunrise or moon rising, the first blade of grass or flower.

My greatest pleasure would be to see the special child , given by the greatest love to a world gone astray. Time travel is a fantasy, but; the gift of God’s love for man was a real event. The fall of Lucifer from the glory of heaven was a real event with eternal consequence’s. Satan is the proverbial time traveler, from century to century he has created havoc in the world.

In our world he continues to fan the fires of hate, greed, injustice and division. Throughout history satan has left his stain on every generation. We are not living in a imaginary story, our antagonist is a deadly foe; he is real and very present. As in times past his goal is to destroy all he can, he knows the hidden darkness of our hearts, weaknesses, and fears. How do we combat his attacks?

Who is the hero in our story? Where can we find help? Fear not, help took flight on a star and walked upon the same soil on which we tread. As in times past He too speaks hope to the souls of men, invades the dark with the light of truth, and brings freedom to the captive. Generation to generation His story of love spread from heart to heart erasing the hate, greed, and division in the hearts it touches.

The time traveler loses his power where love lives. The story is far from over, it’s ending has been written in the stars; until then we must continually walk in the light of truth, His word is truth. Soon the end will come, the time traveler will travel no more; the victory will belong to all who believes in Loves sacrifice.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

If you are a sportsman or know someone who is, this saying is one you may have heard before, sometimes it is said as “in the blind”. However, they both amount to the same thing, disguising yourself from your prey. When hunting for ducks the hunter hides in the bushes and uses a duck call to attract the ducks hoping for a good shot as they fly past him. In some cases it is very important to be as still and quiet as possible when hunting wild game, such as deer; the slightest movement can be detected and your shot for victory is lost.

Sometimes “in the weeds” is used to describe a circumstance, short on finances or caught in a compromising situation. Life is filled with possibilities, not all of them lead to a positive outcome; there will be times you find yourself “in the weeds”. Preparation is the key to success in any venture you embark upon. Being prepared for the unexpected circumstances aide in accomplishing your goal. Recognizing the obstacles that hinder you is very important, you need clarity of mind and vision.

In this game of life, you are the prey; everyday the enemy is hiding in the weeds to capture you. He sits quietly in the back ground waiting to entrap you. He calls to you with the things he hopes will lead you into his world of destruction. Where hate is present; he intensifies it, he will infect you with greed and selfishness, and he will cause confusion in your mind. What is wrong will seem to be right and what is right will appear to be wrong. It’s imperative your defense is in tact. The question is how do you fortify your defenses? Where do you find clarity?

The answer is sitting on the bookshelf most likely gathering dust, it’s basic instruction before leaving earth; the Bible. It’s pages are filled with ways to identify the pitfalls of the enemy, examples of those who over came his temptations and their source of strength and clarity; the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Through Him you do’t ever have to worry about who’s “in the weeds”, He has conquered this world; the enemy has lost the war. He came, died, and rose again that you could be a conqueror over the enemy. It’s all in the book, READ THE BIBLE.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

I’d like to tell you a story from my imagination, once upon a time; we all know that’s how stories begin, there was a young girl in search of success. Her dream was to be a famous play-writ,this dream lead her to a place called”Tinsel Town” where she met a up and coming actor. A great friendship developed between the two, she trusted him enough to share her dream; something she had never done before with anyone.

Her little notebook was kept close to her heart, but he had won her heart and she gave freely to him her hopes and dreams written in it’s pages. Time can change ones prospective, making a living took her in a different direction; dream deferred. After many years she saw her old friend again, only this time to her surprise he was her employer; now he was the talk of the town. His name was on everyone’s lips. As she was completing a task given her she began to recognize pieces of herself.

Notations of her life, she had found his secret; she had contributed to his success. He was a collector of dreams, only; they were other peoples dreams. There is another collector of dreams on the prowl, his desires are more sinister; he not only wants your dreams but your soul also. He dangles the carrot of success in your face hoping someone, anyone will reach for it. He dangles money hoping your hands will become addicted to the feel. Last but not least he hopes the Adrenalin rush you get from power over another will take control of you.

Most will not realize they’ve fallen for his trap until the door is closed and locked. The longer they linger in his darkness the stronger it’s grasp becomes, the harder to escape. They become so obsessed by fame, money, and power they have no desire to escape. For others the light given by the Dream Giver will resonate brighter and brighter as they draw closer to it’s fulfillment. Their patience and determination will lead to success without bondage. The love that dwells in the light will touch all it comes in contact with drawing them to the Light Giver.

The spark that became the dream was placed in the heart by it’s creator, a precious gift given by the hand of God. The dream collector will do whatever he can to cancel the dream God placed in the hearts of those who choose to love and trust in Him. Remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, so guard your dreams, keep walking in the light, and always trust your Father knows whats best for you. Dreams deferred can open the door to the collector of dreams.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

Why are you so angry? Is it because you brought into the lie? Or is it because the lie can no longer be denied?  We’ve done it this way for generations, why should we stop now?  These are the words that fall from your lips because authority over others is your power trip.  Don’t talk back or ask why just do what I said, walk that line.  I hold the power, I hold the gun; don’t obey me and you are done. Resting in peace by the setting sun.

This doesn’t apply to all, that’s plain to see; some get the royal treatment even though they have done wrong, just not me. I’m a crime the moment I’m seen, is it because they are White and I’m Black? Stay in the sun long enough it will change that fact.  Is it really all about skin?  Is there something deep within that has caused the blindness that keeps you in the dark?  When all you see is Black or Brown you rage in like a bull, resulting in red flowing in the street; the people crying “no justice, no peace”.

We are all so angry, you for one reason; me for another.  We are all on the road to destruction by hating each other.  A new day is on the horizon where peace can abound when we go back to the Christian principles on which this nation was founded.  The men may have been flawed that put pen to page, but; the words they penned were guided by God’s own hands.  They declared for all to see that God created both you and me.  Equal He made us and equal we should be, you decided you were better.

That was the lie planted by Satan in your mind, he has orchestrated the hate between men far to long, time to send him to hell where he belongs.  Look in the mirror, face the real truth about the face that looks back at you.  Love is colorless, it’s the same for all; as displayed by God as he hung on the cross.  We are all His handy work, only He can restore; turn us from the hate within, so we can fall in love with Him again.  When love is present hate disappears, peace is achieved and all men can be what God created them to be.

No Big I’s no little U’s , just us; walking hand in hand into God’s promised land. Together as one people of God, a rainbow of diversity making the world a better place for all.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.