Sign of the Times

Seasons greetings and happy holidays! Those of you who know me realize that I am no apocalypse now preacher. You also know that I don't claim to be anywhere relatively close to an eschatology expert. Actually, most of what I've been exposed to in the name of eschatology has been cleverly disguised drivel and wishful thinking.
That being said, the signs of the times have caught my attention as of late. Surely I don't need to cite for instances; but I will. Have you noticed the weather for instance? Earlier this week right here in Vinita the temperature went from 75 to 20 over the course of a day. Not exactly a normal situation, but yet more and more frequent. Didn't Jesus say that we are well able to discern the weather, but not the signs of the times?
Well the weather has certainly claimed my attention and I believe it is time to wake up as He could be back to collect His own shortly. I realize that I am in the company of every Christian philosopher that has ever walked Earth since Jesus first promised in this assertion...but really. Before you go with the, "Jesus is not coming back till His church is glorious, brother" argument, I'd like you to observe a globe and not merely a map of the USA. We (America) are the only place on the planet where the church is growing in reverse. Wasn't it Jesus who claimed that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to inherit the Kingdom of God? Stop it. You are rich. Again pull out your globe and look at the world. (Jesus isn't an American)
I say all of this to ask you to think about what I'm saying. At the risk of being redundant I'm saying, We must work while it is day...We must wake up to the fact that Jesus will be back and if He came back today, what would your, or my story look like? What words would we hear from Him with respect to our hearts condition and activity? Join me please in prayer that we as a people of faith would wake up, rise up, fall to our knees in repentance, get up and go about our Father's business till His return. Selah.
Again happy holidays. Keep the faith and wear the crown!

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God.
P. Jas.

Everyone Follow's Someone

Everyone won't follow me. No matter how compelling, intriguing, or otherwise engaging that I am. Everyone won't follow. This is also true of sheep. In a shepherds flock only a few sheep actually follow the shepherd. The rest follow another sheep; usually the sheep that are following the shepherd.
It's important that as we follow Jesus that we do just that... follow Him. That should be obvious. I understand that there will be times that we cannot see Him clearly enough to follow. In these cases and in these times we should follow someone else who is following Jesus that can see Him clearly from where they stand.
Needless to say if we can do this we like the rest of the flock will live in a place of relative safety and peace. Selah.
Keep the faith and wear the crown.

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God.
P. Jas.

Merry Christmas

I don't even know where to start. We have made it through the Thanksgiving holiday. We have survived yet another "black Friday"...and black it was. At least it was very, very, dark.
I was stunned to learn that in the midst of giving thanks, the words thank you Lord still echoing in the walls of our craniums, that a man lost his life on account of a thankless, thoughtless, and delusional mob. That's right, a healthy hard working 34 year old man was trampled to death at a Walmart! What in the world could you want at a Walmart bad enough to participate in trampling to death another human being?
Wow, I mean isn't Walmart a bargain store to begin with? Were they giving away the water you can drink of and thirst no more? Were they giving away the bread of life? Were they giving away common sense? No, they were giving away nothing! They were feeding the fever of greed and selfishness and capitalism. They were feeding the fever of a culture that is so focused on I that they couldn't see a man beneath thier feet as they rushed to "save" a buck.
I want to apologize to the family of the man whose life was lost on behalf of humanity. I want to tell them that this is not who we are, but I have no excuse why we acted as we did. I want them to know that God was not pleased with this display. I want them to know that this is not what the original "Christian" architects of the "holiday" we know as Christmas had in mind in remembering the birth of Christ.
Please join me in praying for this family...surely, they will struggle to have a Merry Christmas.
Wear the crown.

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God.
P. Jas.

The Day After

OK, honestly it is still very surreal to me that the USA has elected Barack Obama the 44th president of the union. Honestly, I did not think I would see it. I didn't believe that I'd see a man of color be elected to the highest office in the land and for that matter the most influential leadership position in the free world. It's surreal.
I cannot help but to be overjoyed at the realization of the dreams of so many Americans who died having not received what they were promised. As an African American man, I am taken aback by this historic day in our nations history.
I'm actually at a loss for words and can only say, God bless America. Keep the faith and wear the crown.

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God
P. Jas.

Thanks

November is here again. We have stepped over into the giving of thanks zone. Now through the end of the year we find people less focused on self than at any other time. We will celebrate Thanksgiving. Whatever that looks like to you and yours the focus is that you are thankful because of what someone else has done. We have many things to be thankful for if we would open our eyes. Even the most terrible story you could possibly have, lends itself to this statement..."It could be worse". If nothing else, thank God it's not worse!
I will endeavor to give heart felt thanks everyday for the rest of the year. I will give thanks the most when I least want to. I encourage you to do the same. The Bible encourages us to posses a heart that is filled with thanksgiving and praise. There are benefits to the same. Search them out, you'll be pleasantly surprised. For the next 58 or so days, go out of your way to be thank-filled. Keep the faith and wear the crown.

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God.
P. Jas.

The Sinners Prayer / Prayer of Salvation

Hey everyone. I want to talk about something very important today. This topic has been on my heart for some time now and I cannot take it anymore. There is no Biblical precedent for what we see happen week after week and in many cases day by day in churches and among church folks. I'm talking about leading someone in the "Sinners Prayer". Thanks be to God for folks who wanted to make Jesus available and as easy as possible to receive. There just is no Biblical basis for the supposition that a person can "repeat" a prayer and have a saving faith in Christ.
The only thing that will bring you to that is a belief in Him as the Bible says. Before you get too carried away you should know that God does not buy into your confession of belief without actions that "prove" your belief.(See the book of James).
I won't reinvent the wheel here as I've come across an article on this very topic that says what I'd like to say very well. Here's the link. "What Is The Prayer of Salvation?"
"What is the sinners prayer?"
Don't be deceived. Go with God and walk in the dust of Jesus.
Keep the faith and wear the crown.

Peace is the presence of the Goodness of God
P. Jas.

I Had It, I Lost It, I Want It Back

Yes, I've lost it. I had had it and now it is gone. Lost it along the way while I thought that I was using it. One day I woke up and realized it was missing. It is missing because I took it for granted. Surely by now you must be wondering what it is. Truth is I don't know. I only know that I had it and now it is gone. I'd like to describe it for you, but that is difficult to do. I can however tell you what it does for me.
It is what some have that others want. It is that intangible something that leaders posses in order to make things happen through others. It is also what makes me "go".
I've been so busy with life and love and ministry, that I've misplaced it and now I want it back. I want it back because I cannot do what I need to do, what I've been called to do effectively without it. Without it, I'm just me. Perhaps you know me and likely you don't, I'd rather be the version of me with it than without it.
I'd like to point out that I'm not talking about God, but I am talking about something that He gave me. I'm talking about it now because I've been revived and refreshed this past week. I have Bro. Craig Groeschel to thank for pointing out to me that it was missing. So thanks Craig. I appreciate it. Good looking out.
Now that I know I need to get it back I can begin to look for it. Only thing is, it is rarely where you lost it. I know because sadly I've been around this mountain before. Good news is that I have assurances from the one who supplies all of my needs that He will help me find it. Getting it back will require a humility and pause that I am not accustomed to operating in as of late. I'm certain that I will get it back, but I need your prayers to stay strong and to walk this thing out. The result will be a better me in every way. The result for you will be a better you and a knowing that if you have it, you should treasure it and hang on to it at all costs.
The process of getting it back has begun and I'm closer to it than I was. I believe that it is now trying to come back to me as I move toward it. Before long I'll have it again and I won't let it go.
Keep the faith and wear the crown.
Peace is the presence of the goodness of God
P. Jas.

Greater Works

What were the greater works of Jesus? This is a question that begs asking. Do you know? Have you thought about it?
I submit to you today that the greater works of Jesus were not the works of healing, miracles and so forth that we tend to focus upon. Think about it. He healed everything from blindness to leprosy to oppression. He raised the dead. Last time I checked all of those that were healed and/or restored later died. Even Lazurus is today in the grave.
I believe the answer can be found quite indirectly in the resurrection. The resurrection and all that led to it were the chief act of His love toward us.
My mind is often on love these days. My Pop-Pop, the Rev. Dr. James L. Dandridge, went to be with the Lord last week. Pop-Pop was amongst other things a mentor and Pastor to me and countless others. Pop-Pop had one word for me and all that he ever addressed. That word is love. He taught the church I came to Christ through the message of love for over 25 years. He knew there was a more excellent way. I know that he knew this, because he not only constantly spoke of it, but demonstrated it freely to all he encountered.
Get off your "whatsaname" and love. Take your eyes off of you for a spell and see those around you in need of the greater works of our Lord, even the greater works of those who follow him. You do that and you won't ever have to worry bout being in God's will.
The fact of the matter is that God is love. Keep this in mind and write it on the fronts of your eyes. God is love and expects of us that we love. Not a noun but a verb. Love is the fuel of your faith. Love today and live today. Keep the faith, wear the crown, and remember that love never fails.

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God.
P. Jas.

Waiting To Exhale

Hey check this out. I have a great metaphor for Christian living today. It's called breath. You know that song, "Breathe". The words are, this is the air I breathe and I'm desperate for you...etc. That song. Check it out. Inhale. Inhale again, and again, and again, and again. Fact is if you were to continuously inhale without exhaling you'd black out eventually. I think that many of us have "blacked out" in a very real sense because we do nothing but take from God. No wonder we can't be a witness, because in the economy of God's Kingdom we have to take what we have and give it away in order to gain anything. Are you waiting to exhale? Please breathe out or you too will be stale and blacked out in the kingdom and we don't need anymore of that.
Keep the faith and wear the crown.

Peace is the presence of the goodness of God.
P. Jas.