Brother Lue Shouts!

Psalm 66 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
 ² Sing the glory of his name;
   make his praise glorious. ³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power
   that your enemies cringe before you. ⁴ All the earth bows down to you;
   they sing praise to you,
   they sing the praises of your name.”^[a]

^{I learned something new tonight. Have you ever heard of "Shouting"? I'm not talking about yelling something at the top of your lungs. I'm talking about "Shouting in Church". I stumbled on this, I'm guessing by the Holy Spirit. I was thinking about this verse and shouting for the Lord. I searched "Shouting" on Youtube and witnessed this phenomena:}

I think I've lived a sheltered life!

Have you ever seen anything like it. I think my church is pretty open to displays of the spirit. But, I can't imagine how people would react to this.  Why? God loves it when we get excited for him. He loves it when we shout for joy. What else are you supposed to do when you just can't contain the Love of God and the Spirit inside you.

Most Churches I've been to are so "reserved". Don't get me wrong. I love my church and the worship is real and meaningful nearly every single week. I have been to several Christian Motorcyclist Associtaion events that are just like this. THere are people who just can't contain themselves. They display this Joy in wild and exciting ways.   I'm not making fun of this display of worship. In some way, I'm kind of jealous of it.

Sometimes we christians live our lives just like we worship. We live reserved, we live "close to the vest". We don't want to do anything outside our comfort zone. We don't live like we have just discovered the greatest thing in the universe. We act like it has not affect on us at all. It's sad.


Lord, Fill me with your Spirit! Help me to express the Joy that is from you. Help me to just SHOUT! I love you Lord. I want to share what you have done for me! You are amazing, wonderful, beautiful and completely awesome! Amen!

Take my Life!

Psalm 65 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹ Praise awaits^[b] you, our God, in Zion;
   to you our vows will be fulfilled. ² You who answer prayer,
   to you all people will come. ³ When we were overwhelmed by sins,
   you forgave^[c] our transgressions. ⁴ Blessed are those you choose
   and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
   of your holy temple.
 ⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
   God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
   and of the farthest seas, .....


I can testify to the power of prayer. I am 50 years old and have seen God intervene and answer my prayers through sickness, financial distress, jobs, protection and safety, and blessings beyond anything I could imagine. I keep a prayer list and go back through the prayers and can see, specifically, the answer to those prayers. I have facts. Take my own 100% real life as an example of what can happen when God takes over.  The more I communicate with the Father, the more I have become aware of his gracious answers. I am not a Saint, I am a sinner, just like you. I have done nothing to deserve God answering my prayers. Yet, he answers them. I have proof and my 50 years of living to verify what I am saying is true. I wasn't there when Jesus was crucified. I was not there when God inspired the writing of the Bible. Yet, my very own life and the reading of this BOOK, bring me to only one conclusion. God is God, Jesus is God's son, and the Holy Spirit leads my life in a wonderful way.

God forgave and forgives my transgressions. Even when I have been overwhelmed by the consequences of my sins, God still forgives and answers my prayer with "awesome and righteous deeds". God is my Savior. My Hope is in him to the ends of the Earth.

Do not live your life apart from God. Come to him and know that he is waiting for you to come and be with him. Don't believe me! Try it yourself and see what happens. You have nothing to lose by committing your life to him. If you don't you will lose your life. It's your choice. Eventually, we'll all have to come to him!

The Complaint Department -- Take a number!

Psalm 64 (New International Version, ©2011)    

 ¹ Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; 
   protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
 ² Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
   from the plots of evildoers.
³ They sharpen their tongues like swords
   and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
⁴ They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
   they shoot suddenly, without fear.

Do you ever feel like you are the "Complaint Department"? I am in a job that gets a few complaints now and then. I get complaints from Parents not happy with Coaches, Players not happy with playing time, Coaches not happy with Players, Coaches not happy with Parents, and Coaches not happy with other Coaches. I think you get the point! It can be draining at times. Sometimes I think people just need to vent. I'm ok with that. If I can provide that opportunity and it makes them feel better, I guess it's worth it. Every once in a while I have someone stop by my office and thank me, or tell me I'm doing a good job. Not that I need this to survive, but it is pretty nice and makes me feel like it's worth it.

Do you think God feels like the complaint department? If it's dependent upon me, I can imagine he does. At the very least I usually have a long list of things I want God to change. I don't hesitate to give him advice. I also have been critical, at times, of his PLAN. I don't think I'm the only one who does this.

How often do I just spend time praising him?  How often do I just thank him for the blessings and his wonderful plan. How often do I just listen?  I am ashamed to say, I rarely do this. So, tonight, when I spend my time with God, I will praise him, thank him, and worship him. I won't quote a laundry list of wants or complaints, or advice. I will just spend time with him. He deserves all my praise!

I can't sleep.............Praise God!

Psalm 63 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁶ On my bed I remember you;
   I think of you through the watches of the night. ⁷ Because you are my help,
   I sing in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ I cling to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

Do you ever have a hard time getting to sleep? On occasion, I wake up at 3 or 4am. I always have difficulty getting back to sleep. Sometimes I start thinking about all the tasks I have the next day. Many times, this happens when I have a big tournament to host, or several different events going on at the same time. IIt really can be furstrating be awake at 4am in the morning, wanting to go back to sleep. But, instead I am going through the day like it was already happening. 

 A few years ago, when this happened, I decided to just spend this special "awake time" praying. At first it was not easy. I lost concentration and would always drift back to thinking about the day ahead. But, the more I do it, the easier it becomes. Now when I wake up in the middle of the night, I naturally just use it to spend time with God.

I wonder if this is what David was going through? Obviously, being King, he had worries and stresses that kept him awake at night. But, "he thought of God through the watches of the night."  It can be a great time of quiet. It can be a great time of bonding with the King of the Universe. It can be a great time for God to speak to my heart. 

I can't say I look forward to waking up in the middle of the night. But, I don't dread it anymore. I'm not as frustrated. Maybe it's Gods way of getting my attention. Maybe he just longs to be with me and knows this is a time when he will get my undivided attention. So, "Praise God..........I can't sleep!"

Power!

Psalm 62 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁹ Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
   the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
   together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion
   or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
   do not set your heart on them.
 ¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
   two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
 ¹² and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
   according to what they have done.”


I'm not complaining. I have no power over anything. I haven't really thought about Power until reading this verse. "Power belongs to you, God..." Their are powerful people in our community, and much more powerful people in our nation. Obviously, the president is powerful. Bill Gates is powerful.  I saw on the news that Donald Trump is considering running for President. Why? He already has more wealth and fame than he could ever dream of. I think it's POWER. He just wants the power of the position. I'm not sure that's a good reason to be president. Here is a phrase we are all familiar with:

Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

I don't necessarily agree with the last sentence. But, Power does have a way of corrupting people. Look at the issues our own Presidents have had over the years. When you are looking for Power, you are never really satisfied. People that are power hungry have to control everything. They have this insatiable appetite to control everything within their reach. That need drives them to do things that eventually lead to unethical decisions. Then there is a feeling of Power over the consequences as well. In my value system, God always catches up to these type of people. God has the ultimate power. God controls everything. People in pursuit of power are only fooling themselves. They never really get to control things. God does! Just when they think they have it all, God snatches it away. They don't get to take this "earthly power" with them.

Once you turn your life to God and you realize he controls everything, there is no need to pursue Power. The only Power we need is in the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen!