Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Announcements
Address:
West Hempstead High School
400 Nassau Blvd
West Hempstead, NY 11552
Nassau County
Job Post
Testing will be given November 20, 21, 22 and 23
To apply go to: www.nps.gov/uspp or www.usajobs.opm.gov For additional information please call US Park Police at 202-619-7056 press 0
Daily Devotional 10/27/09
Without Faith
Milan Ford
And it ended around 4:15am.
I was sharing with my wife the other night how for the past few weeks, something rather unusual has been going on inside me. While I could not adequately describe to her what it was, I told her that it felt like it was a combination of extreme restlessness and interestingly enough, a sense of peace.
And then, after hours of emotional rambling, I said these words to my wife:
"I feel like I have gone as far as I can possibly go...WITHOUT FAITH."
I sincerely believe that where many of us are in life today is not actually a testament of our faith in God, but rather a testament of our individual skills and talents. And there (for many of us) lies the problem.
As believers, we tend to exercise our faith only in areas that we have seen God move before.
But when it comes to the unknown, our faith remains still.
Which as Hebrews 11:6 indicates, is not faith at all.
"But without faith it is impossible to Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Sometimes I wonder if we find more security in knowing who we are or have been in times past, than we do in believing who God is. As we enter this final stretch of the year, many of us have come to the end of some rather long roads in our lives that now require faith to move forward.
As we examine our hearts and lives today, many of us must come to the realization that the skills and talents we so heavily relied on in the past can no longer move us forward.
Neither can the resumes (and perhaps associations) we worked so hard to build.
What lies before many of us now is a faith in what seems to be impossible.
A faith that fosters a sense of restlessness, yet at the same time, a sense of peace.
May you and I lean hard into that peace today.
 |  | Milan Ford has been a leader (and survivor) of ministry within the local church for most of his life. A lover of Red Vines Licorice and all things pointing North, Milan is scheduled to release his first book, 83 Things I Wish The Black Church Would Stop Doing, later this fall (2009). You can find Milan rambling and writing at at ThePewView.com. |
Monday, October 26, 2009
Daily Devotional 10/26/09
Pastor Paula White
When something bad happens to us, we are often quick to ask, "Why me, God?" Or, when something good happens to someone else, we may ask, "Why not me, God?"
In God's Word, we are instructed to ask questions of ourselves about ourselves when things aren't going as we'd planned or desired. Haggai 1:5 - 6, tells us to "consider your ways" to find the root of many problems:
Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
In other words - if you feel like you're trying and trying, but still not succeeding, it might be time to "consider your ways!"
It's time to consider what you're thinking...what you're saying...and what you're doing. Although asking tough questions of ourselves can be painful, it is also often the key to breaking the mindsets, belief systems, and behaviors that keep us from truly achieving our goals in life.
It's true that you might get uncomfortable looking at yourself with such deep, introspective consideration. You might not like all that you see when you stare long and hard into the depths of your own soul. But you must be willing to identify, and then confront, those things inside of you that continue to keep you from victory. Remember: you can't conquer what you don't confront!
A man once told me it took him two years to venture into his basement after he'd moved into a new home. When he finally descended the staircase, he didn't like what he saw! "I found evidence of critters that had made their way through a broken window screen; there was rust on the water heater that was troublesome; there was debris everywhere, and the critters had made their way into boxes of old clothing and paperwork I'd put there when I first moved in. It was a mess!"
It took the man four weekends and two trips to the city dump to get the basement in good order; but after he'd accomplished the job, he said, "I felt like I'd moved a mountain. Nobody else was aware of the work I'd done, but I certainly slept better at night knowing that I had a reliable water heater, and a clean organized basement I could actually use."
Cleaning out, sorting, or repairing the damage in your inner self is very much like the work that man had to do to clean out his wreck of a basement. It's hard work - and nobody else may see or appreciate what you're doing. But it's incredibly beneficial, and may be the key to restoring order to things in your life that are out of order.
So take the first step and "consider your ways" - to break through to victory, God's way!
 | | A life coach, author, and highly sought after motivational speaker, Pastor Paula White is the host of her own television program -- Paula Today, which reaches an audience of 2.3 billion people worldwide, spearheading a number of global humanitarian efforts. Her mission in life is to Transform Lives, Heal Hearts and Win Souls. For more information about Paula, log onto www.paulawhite.org. *Pastor Paula White is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist. |
About the Frontliners
WE’RE MEN ON A MISSION to encourage, equip and empower men to overcome everyday obstacles of life by putting their faith in practice following the example of Christ, serving the greater good of the EBC community of faith and beyond. We serve as our brother’s keepers on “the frontline where the fighting is the fiercest” providing relevant, practical tools, answering the call to become men of God – husbands, friends, co-workers, employers and partners – we have been saved-to-serve with patience and understanding, regardless of our socio-economic, education, cultural, age or circumstantial differences. We are Frontliners.
WITH A FAITHFUL VISION to service as a Christian brotherhood of accountable, responsible men practicing faithful stewardship, demonstrating God-appointed leadership and living transformed sacrificial lives in Christ. Using our unique, God-given talents and gifts, we’re reaching out to the poor in wealth, health or spirit, following in the footsteps of Christ, picking up those who fall and stumble, including ourselves, with humble hearts – standing and manning up in life through Christ. We are Frontliners.
Front · lin · er (frǔnt līńər) n. 1. Man who faces adversity with a strengthening resolve to overcome through the power of God. 2. A son, brother, husband, father, or protector. 3. Saved to serve member of the Christian community of faith. 4. God-positioned steward bearing household responsibility. 5. The standard bearer and legacy liver for the Kingdom of God. 6. One that leads by following the example of Christ in all seasons. 7. Meets 2nd and 4th Thursday at EBC.
Kingdom Dictionary, EBC edition
Emmanuel Baptist
279 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238-1116
(718) 622-1107
Posts
