TRUSTING GOD IN THE SILENCE

You Believe. 

Strongly. 

Your Faith - Unshaken. 

Your Walk - An Abundance Of Blessings. 

Your Life - Fulfilled. 

And Then ...

"It Happens!" 

Suddenly, and with little or no warning, life shifts dramatically - the proverbial rug has been pulled out from beneath you. What do you do? After the initial shock? Your life - changed. What next?

Have you met people who fit both the before and after described above? People of deep committed faith - and then - "stuff happens!" I believe we have all met such folk, and perhaps, we have walked in those very shoes ourselves a time or two - maybe more.

What happens to faith when the going gets really rough? Some lose their grip entirely, and walk away from a faith in God that seemingly did not sustain them in their time of need. Perhaps on their way out the door, they may proclaim: "I can't believe in a God Who would let this happen to me!" Or some similar words.

Yet, as a fact in every life, there are seasons of great pain and struggle.

While some lose their grip and walk away, others - and to these I take off my hat, and bow - hang on to their faith in God with every fiber of their being trusting and believing in His faithfulness when there is absolutely No Evidence to support a better day coming. They refuse to give up on Him and in Him. Being completely human, they have their moments of doubts, questions and fears, but they do not cave in to those feelings. By faith and faith alone, they rise up defeating discouragement and hopelessness time and time again through the strength He provides.

These saints do certain things. To name a few:

1. They Pray

2. They Ask For Prayer

3. They Have Supportive Friends and/or Family

4. They Seek Wise Counsel From Godly Men And Women

5. They Never, Ever, Give Up On God

For all saints who are presently suffering from times such as these, take heart, be encouraged by the words of this Psalm, and consider acting on some of the suggestions above. May our Beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, whisper words to sustain you, hold you, uplift you, and encourage you as you wait upon Him for answers. Amen.

Born to You This Day ... CHRIST, THE LORD

They arose early that last day on their long trek to Bethlehem. Had they slept well exhausted from their previous day's travel? Or was their sleep fitful? Weary and tired, anxious to arrive, Mary large with birth upon her, Joseph's face etched with concern - what were they feeling? Did they speak much, or remain silent as they left for those last miles that would bring them to the comfort of an inn?

We can only imagine. Scripture gives no details. That last day had to be rough on Mary. Ankles swollen, belly straining, hard to take deep breaths. Just plain uncomfortable. Lower back pain almost beyond endurance. 

"...Oh, please, let us not tarry. I need to get to the inn. My time is at hand..."

----

"What? No room at the inn? No place in all of Bethlehem to receive us? My wife is about to give birth! Please, help us!"

The kindly innkeeper does what he can and in the cleanliness of fresh straw, Mary delivers to the world our Infant Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

"Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will. For unto you this day in Bethlehem is born a Savior who is Christ The Lord."

Did Mary cry out in writhing pain as so often is the way with woman giving birth? After their long  journey to Bethlehem, already way beyond tired, how much energy did she have to meet the demands of delivery? 

Yet, once her Son lay nestled in her arms, her travail was secondary to her joy. Women understand that! Mary's far deeper anguish would come on another day some 30-plus years on another road; a day when her heart would be pierced as her Son would do that very thing for which He had been born.

...

But for this night ...

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, 

It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining. 

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. 

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, 

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! 

O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 

O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 

O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 

Thank You, Savior Jesus, for coming to us. Thank You Infant Son of God. Thank you, Mary and Joseph for what you did to bring us Christ The Lord. 

May we fall on our knees in adoration of Jesus, the Christ, born to save us from our sin.

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.

'TOO BUSY!"

"Lord, this looks like a really good thing - this School of Theology 101, but LORD, You already know I am way too busy. There's not a slot left on my calendar. I just can't do this!"

"Yes, You Can!" 

"How? I'm just too booked! My first Tuesday nights of the month are all gone! I can't attend. I live close by - within easy distance, but my time is already committed."

"You can still do this!"

"How?"

There is a way! Not just for those who live far, far away. There can be other reasons why you believe you can not enroll in SOT - like other obligations within the live class time frame.

You Can Still Do This! Here's How:

Just as those who do live far, far away - DISTANCE LEARNING! While you may not live at a distance, the same application is true for you. You enroll, receive your materials, and through these materials, you have assignments, CDs, study of Scripture, and outside reading material. You simply engage the coursework independently rather than in a live class.

You and I will still connect via emails and email attachments, phone calls, and depending on where you do actually live, occasional face-to-face meetings. I am here for YOU!

One thing about Life: There is a constant making of choices for all of us. We must determine our priorities.

Is very intentionally growing in your knowledge and love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, a priority for you? If such is true, you will find a time, make a time, commit to a time to engage in this particular method of meeting your priority and your desire. 

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Enroll today -

New Wine Ministries

School of Theology 101

Contact me! Respond to my blog!

"Guard My Lips, O Lord"

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)

I have some questions. What was your mouth like when you were living in the ways of the world? What kind of words were uttered out of your mouth? More specifically, was your language output four letter words meant only for the gutter?

While never attractive language, there is an understanding that our transformation had not yet begun. We were brand new, and necessary changing takes place over time.

What was it like for you when you first become convicted by Holy Spirit that the words of your mouth were offensive to Him? That you needed to cease and desist; that you needed to clean up your language? With God's help and with sensitized spirits, we made a decision to clean up our act in many ways. Each time we would utter something foul, we felt immediate conviction, and we further felt we were wounding the Spirit of God within us by our language.

By His grace, over time, our words became blessed and no longer did we utter gutter talk.

Yet, I ask: have you run into seasoned Christians who continue to use unwholesome expletives as though it were unimportant? It's no big deal to speak in this way? It doesn't matter?

Don't misunderstand! We may all on rare occasion still slip, as we do in many other areas. I am speaking of using "colorful language" as a way of speech in expressing oneself and finding no self-fault in doing so.

The Word of God is clear: "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth ..."

For ALL of us who number among God's saints, whether brand new or seasoned in the faith,

"Guard our lips, O Lord."

May this be the prayer we utter for ourselves from our lips:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Amen.

FAR, FAR AWAY!

I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO COME BUT … I live far, far away!

You’ve read my blog. You know The School of Theology is for you! The certainty is in your bones. You feel it in your soul.

“This is what I need! This is what I want! But, I live far, far away! I can’t possibly be there on opening night - Tuesday, February 4, 2014 in DeLand, Florida. Right now, I am ankle deep in snow; more is coming, and February doesn’t get better. I just can’t be there!”

Well, yeah, you can! Through Distance Learning! 

One of the beauties of this class is you can learn from a distance. The entire program can be mailed to you, as it has a program complete with syllabus, outlines of each lesson, book list, and CDs, authored and taught by Rev. Wayne Neller, which cover every single class. 

Have Bible? Paper and Pen? You will need to purchase a few outside books – not many. And you will experience what the live class experiences. As headmaster of SOT 101, you and I will communicate through emails and email attachments. We may also connect by telephone from time-to-time. I am available to you.

Whether we are near or far, we are on a mutual journey – one to more and more embrace our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. A journey that helps you develop intimacy of relationship with Jesus, separates truth from fallacy, and puts you on a path of answering your own self-questions about your own life, and beyond - in ministry.

Don’t let distance keep you away! Not Valid! You CAN be a Distance Learner. Consider it; pray about it – Respond to it!

New Wine Ministries

School of Theology 101

Register Today!

Respond to this blog

I WANT TO HANG WITH YOU!

It begins early one morning. You awake with peaceful excitement as you contemplate the day ahead. A day filled with anticipation. You bask in the joy of the time you will spend and share.

Life has been busy for both of you. You haven’t seen him for a while. As you prepare to leave the house, there is no worry, no fear – only the warm glow of trust formed over time. A relationship has been formed with building blocks of mutual sharing, genuine listening marked by care, no masks, and the certainty of being “real” with one another. You can hardly wait!

And the day begins with your best friend!

When was the last time you hung out with the best Friend you will ever have - Jesus?

You embrace in the moment of your meeting. You both tingle with the excitement of this special day. Time spent with a trusted, honored Friend, in Whom there is no fear, Who genuinely listens, and with Whom there is mutual sharing. You got rid of your mask a long time ago when you opened your heart to Him, and the relationship has deepened since that moment. You pour out your life in its joys and sorrows, in its fears and concerns, in its anticipations and hopes. You ask your beloved Friend His opinion. You really want to know. You hang onto His every word. 

And He shares of Himself with you, not only in response to you, but with the substance of what is on His heart. You listen with every part of your being. He opens His heart wide. He really lets you in, and you want to understand His every word with a care that is without limits. You spend a day where time ceases to be.

***

Oh, yes, life is busy, and so often, we don’t have these kinds of days. We have to make them happen or else they won’t happen.

When was the last time you just hung-out with Jesus, sharing this kind of day? If not a day, an hour? A half-hour of quality time? 15 minutes?

Jesus is always there; always present – no special appointment necessary, just your desire to hang with Him. Give Him a call. He will answer. Mark your calendar. Plan to show up – no cancellations!

Try it! Spend time with the best Friend you will ever have. You will not be disappointed.

~Amen~

WHAT'S IN A DECISION?

One important decision can change a life! Even dramatically! Perhaps when making that one decision, one has no idea of the impact until much later. Such was my experience. 

You see, I had been a Christian almost all of my life. And yet, I was floundering in prayer, in study of the Scriptures, and of utmost importance, in my relationship with my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. I had no idea how to start the process of a deeper and more meaningful walk with my Lord. Even with my desire to grow, I knew I would never be disciplined enough to carry through. I desperately needed more. I wanted more. More than Sunday worship. More than a weekly Bible study. More! I needed H E L P ! ! !

And HELP came! I had recently become a member of a new church family. My pastor, Wayne Neller, introduced a course of study, authored by himself, for people who were just like me! People who wanted and desired more! It was an answer to the prayer of this starving soul. I made the decision to enroll - and it was a decision that radically changed my life in more ways than I could have ever known possible.

Is it possible that YOU are a Christian who feels as I felt? YOU want more. YOU desire more. YOUR heart cries out for more of your Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. You want to know more of Him, walk more closely with Him, fall more in love with Him, have real conversation with Him, be equipped to answer some of the tough questions in life others may have from a biblical perspective - without beating someone over the head with a Bible. YOU, my friend, may just want ... More!

Then this is for YOU! 

I invite you to join this class. Please contact me by responding to this blog. We will connect, and I will share the details.

THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY 101. 

Tuesday, February 4, 2013, @ 7:00 P.M.

It could change YOUR life!

ALL FOR THE GLORY OF JESUS

IT IS THE HOPE that from the moment of our salvation, the remainder of our lives are lived out for the glory of Jesus. But, how do we glorify Jesus with our lives if we barely know Him?

To know Him and to love Him more is a goal we pursue with a passion born only through Him. He beckons us; He draws us to Himself. He wants more of us. He desires our love, our commitment, and our faithfulness.

He also gets it that we are sinners and we screw up. Fully acquainted with our joys and our sorrows, our victories and our failures. And only He holds the key to all of our solutions - He IS the Key.

About 11 years ago, or a little more, I embarked on a course of study designed to help me know and love my Savior more. It had become a burning passion within me. I wanted a closeness and an intimacy with Him, and I didn't know how to get there on my own. Jesus provided the way.

Now, years later, I have just accepted the appointment as Headmaster of New Wine Ministries School of Theology. It is this same course of study under which I began my journey as a student, and later became a graduate.

My passion today is to invite others to do the same. Is YOUR Passion for Jesus growing? Is YOUR thirst and hunger for Jesus increasing? Your desire for Jesus is growing! Are you struggling for a way to grow in this passion?

If you are anything like me, you may need help as I did.  The School of Theology offers you a way to know and love Jesus more. Let us be a help to YOU!

New Wine Ministries School of Theology

Missing Out On Heaven

Have you ever known a really good person, almost perfect, honorable in every discernible way? Oh, I get it: the Bible says there are none who are good - only God (Luke 18:19). In the purest sense of "good" only God is purely good. Yet, we have all known people who seem so very, very good. The manner in which they conduct their lives shouts of their goodness.

One of the saddest things in the world to me is when such a really "good" person fails - by choice - to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives. And they miss out on the reward of Heaven for all eternity! All of their goodness will not keep them from hell. For even the very best of good people among us is not perfect, and only perfection will enter the Gates of Heaven and escape the flames of hell.

That is why we need Jesus; our eternity depends on Jesus. Make no mistake, we will all live eternally beyond this present life. Yet where we spend eternity is of utmost importance. Will it be Heaven or hell?

If only perfection will enter Heaven, how can we do so if we are not perfect - even the very best of us? There is a rock-solid answer to this question. God, the Father, sent us His Son, Jesus - PERFECTION PERSONIFIED to gift us with His Perfection!

Confessing our sin to Jesus and asking Him to forgive our every sin is where we begin. We thank Him for His death on the Cross. In our confession, we become covered by the Blood of His Perfection, and in the Father's Eyes, we are washed clean of sin. It is a Divine Trade-Off with Sinful Mankind. We have traded our sin for His perfection. In an instant, the portals of Heaven swing open to us for all eternity. The Father sees only the Pure, Unsullied Goodness of His Son, Jesus, when He looks upon us.

This Season of Christ's Birth, if YOU have not met Jesus as both Savior and Lord of your life, why not receive a Christmas present from Him? It is the best and most important Christmas present you will ever receive. It is the Gift of Eternal Life lived for all eternity in the Kingdom of God. So much better than being attached to an iron ball that drags you into hell for all eternity. Please do consider this ever so carefully. YOUR eternity depends on it!

Amen ~

God Supplies Even More Than We Need

In our Fellowship Family, our Senior Pastor, Wayne Neller, has given us 12 short, impacting, and powerful words:

 

Start Where You Are ...

Use What You Have ...

Do What You Can.

As I ponder these insightful words today, I am reminded of the story of The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish. 

On this Day of Miracle, Jesus multiplied five barley loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of 5,000. All ate their fill, and afterwards, 12 baskets of leftovers were gathered.

The disciples brought their lack to Jesus, and Jesus filled their need in abundance.

When we face unbelievable challenges in life, we give Jesus what we have - our need and our lack. Surely, we have started where we were, used what we had, and done what we could.

We find in our lack:

1. God provides for every need by showing us our inadequacies

2. God provides for every need when we place our inadequacies in His hands

3. God provides for every need in overflowing abundance

As we reach the limit of our own resources, we make a choice to trust Him instead of despairing over our lack and our inadequacies.

"Lord, what are You going to do?"

~Amen~

"You Are A Chosen People, A Royal Priesthood, A Holy Nation..."

"But you are A chosen people, A royal priesthood, A holy nation, A people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light." 

(1 Peter 2:9)

God does indeed have a purpose for us who are His very own. And this verse speaks of that purpose ... so that we may declare His praises! That we may tell of what He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are not to keep His light hidden.

Matthew 5:14-16 tells us in the very words of Jesus, Himself:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Jesus is the Light of the world. He lived and died and rose again to give us His Light; to rescue us from the darkness of our sin, and to make us His own. Now, with His Light within us, we are to be light to a dead and dying world. We allow His light to shine through us that others will see Him, and give Him the glory. Jesus has done a wonderful thing for us, and He wants us to share His salvation.

Have you let your light shine today?

"LORD, I HURT!"

Last night, I came across some old notes. I love to hang on to things learned...for review and to refresh. This note was on the Five Stages of Grief. For a moment, it took my breath away as I read over each stage, and I recognized myself in each of these stages over a very recent happening. Today, I am still hung up between Stage 4 and 5, still feeling somewhat depressed and not quite fully into acceptance.

The Five Stages of Grief are:

1. Denial and Isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Grief and grieving are part of the human condition. Working with people in grief, it is good for me to remember and be acquainted with these Five Stages of Grief. It is another thing entirely to find myself there. It is a place none of us like to find ourselves, and I place myself on that list of "I don't want to be here!"

I would add another to the Stages of Grief. I would add Forgiveness. Whether it be grief from the death of a loved one, or a damaged relationship, or ... and the list goes on. It is personalized by each grieving person. Healing can not - will not - take place without forgiveness.

As Christians, we have a mandate to forgive others as we ourselves have been forgiven. Further, if we hope to be forgiven ourselves by Jesus Christ, we must forgive in order to be forgiven. I certainly want my Savior to forgive my every sin and transgression. 

When I am hurting and grieving, along with my tears made up of water and feelings, right at the top of my list is forgiveness. An act of the will. An obedience. My emotions and feelings will catch up to the action a bit down the road.

How about you? How do you respond to grief! How will you respond? Something to think about!

YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT

As Christians, with growth, we come to understand that each of us receive at least one spiritual gift for use among the Body of Christ. Sometimes, it takes quite some time before we have discovered just how Holy Spirit has gifted us. We hear about these gifts and we wonder where we fit. We pray for wisdom in discerning our gift. We pray for a gift when we cannot see it in ourselves. Some of us do Bible studies designed to help us discover our gift. Often, it is the witness of others of what they see in us which helps us to "see" what is already there.

Holy Spirit chooses for His own purposes the gift He gives you. Have you discovered how He has gifted you? Do you know what He has asked you to do within the Body of Christ? How are you to use your spiritual gift?

Our spiritual gifts are so important. Consider how Holy Spirit designed and chose you for the gift He has planted within you. Why - if not vital for Christ's work on earth? 

Saints, we have an obligation regarding our gifting:

1. Recognize it.

2. Study it.

3. Practice it.

4. Use it.

Amen ~