KISS THE GROUND

COMING SOON!

THE BOOK .... "KISS THE GROUND"

My commitment ... "to reach as many people from a diverse population as possible with a message of hope - "that when you think or feel you have lost your way or yourself, you can find out who you are, what your purpose is on this earth, as the earth and universe brings you full circle".

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

BE SAFE, HAVE FUN AND LOVE SOMEONE

HIDDEN BUT SEEN - PART ONE

THIS WILL BE A SHORT BLOG BECAUSE I WANT TO

WRITE MORE ON IT BUT I WANT TO PEEK YOUR INTEREST

AT THE SAME TIME. WE ALL AT SOME POINT HAVE DONE OR SAID

THINGS THAT WE FEEL VERY SHAMEFUL AND GUILTY OF.

ESPECAILLY AS CHRISTIANS, THE WEIGHT OF THE SIN SEEMS TO BURDEN US MORE THAN THE SINNER. BECAUSE AFTER ALL AT WE TOLD THAT

WE SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAT WE SHOULD NOT DO THOSE THINGS.

HOWEVER, CHRISTIANS ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM SINNING.

IN FACT I WILL BE LOOKING AT ADAM AND EVE A LITTLE CLOSER. THESE WHERE TWO INDIVIDUALS CREATED BY GOD HIMSELF

IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. WHY DID THE SIN. WE CAN HIDE BUT WE ARE STILL SEEN. STAY TUNE. LOVE YOU ALL A LOT.

ARMORBEARER - THE MINISTRY OF ASSISTING

I was talking to a miister friend of mine who was recently installed as a co-pastor. Like most ministers do when the talk with each other, we shared our hearts about ministry. The discuss led to my friend expressing a desire for his new congreation to become "discipled and disciplined" and that he thought it was God sent that I would mention doing a course on "armorbearing". What is "armorbearing"? and is it a ministry? It is the ministry of assisting.

The term armorbearer was originally translated from the Hebrew word, nasa, meaning to figuratively or literally lift up, support or simply help.3 On occasion, Bible translators have translated the word, "help", from the Hebrew word, nasa. In light of these defining terms, we can see an armorbearer is one that helps or supports the arms of an assigned leader during the times of battle. A modern day armorbearer is one called by God to serve and help his assigned leader in life, ministry, and especially in the fight of faith.4 In essence, an armorbearer is called to attend to, minister to, care for, help, be of use, assist, benefit, promote, support, make easy for, nourish, and encourage their leader. Furthermore, God calls others to walk in the spirit of armorbearing. They may not be assigned specifically to one leader, but they possess the mindset and attitude of an armorbearer. The attitude of an armorbearer is one of servanthood. The mindset of an armorbearer, as well as those operating in the spirit of one, is to do what it takes to serve and support their leadership.5 Operating in the spirit of armorbearing can also be described as operating in the principles or pervading qualities of an armorbearer. The qualities that top the list are servanthood, commitment, attentiveness, support, help, loyalty, and faithfulness. Armorbearing in the attitude of service is not just the performing of humble tasks, but is an effort to serve Christ in the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, "The servant of all is the greatest of all."

Among my favorite examples, are the great men in Old Testament scripture, many who were faithful armorbearers before their public ministry. King David, King David's mighty men, Elisha and Joshua exemplified the armorbearing spirit in excellence. Even Elisha's assistant, Gehazi, offers us an example of what we do not want to do as an armorbearer.6 One need not think our Father God only called armorbearers or helpers to assist in the ancient battles. Look at New Testament Joseph of Cyprus, nicknamed "Barnabas," or "Son of Encouragement." The most popular view is that Joseph of Cyprus gained these names because he constantly encouraged those to whom he and Paul ministered. Recently, I have considered another thought as to why he was called "Son of Encouragement." Perhaps it was because he persevered by Paul's side through shipwrecks, stoning and much rejection.

Do not overlook Stephen and Phillip among the seven appointed to wait tables for the early church apostles' feeding program. The leaders assigned them to help while their apostles gave greater focus to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Throughout the Bible and today, God is still calling helpers and armorbearers to lift up the arms of our Church leadership. Operating in the spirit of armorbearing is fulfilling a ministry of help, watchfulness, and intercession on behalf of our leadership. I believe God has issued a fresh call to serve and support our leaders in this way. Only He knows the spiritual effort and sheer hard work it will take to accomplish the vision of His Church. The Apostle Paul encouraged us to excel in the gifts that build up the Church. As we in the ministry of helps excel in the gift of service and supporting our leaders, we will come into the unity of faith like never before. When we each take our place and share the load our men and women in leadership will suffer less weariness and burnout, giving opportunity for a greater refreshing from the Lord.

In the Spirit of Armorbearing Most leaders are encouraged by people around them growing in the virtues of Christ. Your leadership should experience that too!

FASTING, BUT FOR WHAT?

If you do not already know of the power and importance of fasting, here are some very important facts:
Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast.
Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.
Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."
Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you!
Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.
Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others.
Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfill the requirements of II Chronicles 7:14:
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled as I did. You will discover more time to pray and seek God's face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience special blessings from God.

LOVE & HAPPINESS

The years have come and gone by so quickly. You think that in the moment of your pain and sadness that "this is it for me. No more!" You have cried your heart out until you get headaches and your chest feels to heavy to breath. You shake your fist in the air, looking to blame someone, anyone but yourself. You are simply too tired of trying and crying. Love hurts, one person said. Another person replies, "yes, but it should not hurt this much".

We are told that in order for relationships to work there must be trust, honest and communication. We give the significant other unwaviering loyality, we almost idolized them. They represent everything good we want in a person and we know they are not perfect but it is not perfection that is driving us to go foward ... swept off our feet with a tidal-wave of emotions. Then we find a "leveling off period". We start to notice things that before did not bother us or we brushed those things aside. Now, they become a growing source of concern and fustration. He is always late. She never seems to stop talking. He does not want to go out and romance you like he first did. She starts feeling like she is not sexy and desireable to him as before.

Unchecked, the love birds drift slowly and slowly apart ... retreating to what is "common ground", going back to how things were before, this love train ran into you. One reaches out but the lack of consistency and the poor demonstration of affection does not reinforce that she still loves me, that he wants me and only me. The fire starts to flicker even more fervently now and no one seems to care to breath. The dying process starts. But wait. She kneels in prayer, he cries out to God. They both want the same thing but strangely have forgotten how to communicate. Life demands their attention and what was so breath-taking months and even years ago has given was to a drag, a push ... it was effortless before.

He goes gets roses and gets reservation and a resturant overlooking the ocean. She buys a new sexy dress and gets a make over. He leaves her a note ... "I am sorry". She smiles. Later that evening he says to her, "let's start over". She says, "OK''.

You ask a 1000 people and you probably will get a 1000 different answers to what love and happiness is all about. For me it comes down to this, "are both of you willing to co-exist and make it a priority to always communicate and do the things that makes the other person feel loved and happy? Love and happiness comes from a sense of well-being and fulifilment. So, in the the immortal words of Al Green, "Love and happiness, You be good to me I'll be good to you, we'll be together, we'll see each otherwalk away with victory". Read 1 Corinthians 13.

EXCERPT FROM "KISS THE GROUND"

... How many times had I gotten on board a plane? A lot less than I had ventured and dared to go on one of those carnival roller-coaster rides! Not once did I hear anyone say let us check out the history of the plane that Marcus has to fly on. I did not even hear my often times skeptical favorite aunt inquire, “did any of you do a background check on the pilot and his crew, you know that the movies be showing you how planes get hijacked and often times it is the crew or one of the crew members that had something to do with it”. I chuckled inside; hold my hand to my mouth as I shucked my head from side to side in humorous truthful belief.

We all do it I nodded in affirmation to myself. We trust people, place and things up front until we are given a reason to doubt and become skeptical or paranoid. I was so engulfed with the idea of going to the States, and so too was everyone else; no one gave concern about something negative or bad happening. The idea of the opportunity itself seemed to out weight any and all possibility of something going wrong. I guess that is how we should be as adults. I mean little kids seem to have that gift. They are free in their play and demonstrate a willingness to be in the moment.

It is not that I believe that you have to abandon being accountable and responsible and practicing proper and health restraints. What I am saying is that sometimes, we focus so much on what might go wrong that we never step foot on the plane or we never get into the car. We never get to our destiny.

Crane was like that. He ran a small neighborhood shop back home in Trinidad. He was about in his early fifties. A good looking man for his age, healthy and rich by TNT standards. Yet, he never got married, he had known children and his philosophy to life was, “why risk it?” I fought many times before leaving to come to Trinidad to understand why a person with that type of philosophy to life was financially stable and yet so barren. Crane would debate the other local elders that anyone trying to make a better life for themselves outside of home was insane. He would say things like, “if you go f-up, f-up here”. “Why go somewhere, where you don’t know and come back to what you forgot?” On the surface it made a lot of sense. But after I would have my own experiences and I would come to the conclusion that Crane was a man void of adventure. Not that anything is wrong with “staying put”. I saw it as a man that could have done much more in life with his life.

TAKE YOUR FEET OFF THE GROUND, LEARN TO FLY

PERHAPS THEN YOU WILL FIND OPPORTUNITIES

THAT YOU DID NOT KNOW EXISTED!

RIGM

Hi To All my bloggers out there! Well it has been awhile since I last wrote a blog. So let me say Happy New Year and all the best to every one for 2009. It is never too late to wish people good tidings. The real reason I am writing this blog is to introduce to all my readers. RIGM. RIGM is the ministry that I have started, it is Resurrection International Global Ministries. It is a multi-faceted ministry with "three watch-words", they are "Revive, Restore & Reveal". The ministry seeks to use a Bible College, Tuitoral program, Seminar, Workshops & Conferences, Biblical Consulting & Networking, Creative Arts and a Foundation, to spread the Gospel message "of the kingdom of God" (emphasis is on Eschatology). Please see below for some of what I am thanking about. Enjoy! Miss all of you.

Resurrection International Global Ministries
Meaning of Logos


Resurrection
Jesus referring to himself declared in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection”. The idea of resurrection is about bring to life again something that was dead. More literally it means “a rising up”. RIGM uses this logo to signify that one of its three facet vision is to “bring to life” people (believers in particular) who have been considered “dead” in their Christian life. This means we will focus on education. God’s people continue to perish because of a lack of knowledge. We also then to think that many in the Christian faith have been misinformed, therefore, the need to be re-educated about how they are in Christ and what their purpose is in this life and the “life to come”. The resurrection logo also denotes the first theme in RIGM vision i.e. Revive. The main biblical verse we will use is found in Hosea 6:2, which states, “After two days He will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight”. This is a powerful statement of faith on the part of God’s people in times of hardship. RIGM will hold to the same belief.
Resurrection also speaks of a power that overcomes death. Resurrection shows victory over not only natural death but also spiritual death. RIGM beliefs that God will us it to be a tool to resurrect individuals, families, communities, and churches that have been spiritually dead because of a lack of the “holistic approach” to the message of the “kingdom of God”. We belief we are called to “bring to life” many who have been “dead” in multiple ways.
"Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you" – Hosea 10:12 (KJV)
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" – 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV). “The thief comes not but to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that you might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” – John 10:10 (KJV)

Tree Of Life
This logo was chosen to represent the second "R" principle of RIGM's vision; that word is "restore". The main scripture we use to emphasis this facet of our vision is Joel 2:25, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you”.

God who disciplines and brings correction to His people is also the One who restores his people to His Divine Purpose! We belief that RIGM will help restore people to God and to what they were created to be in God and also to help them discover their God-given gifts, talents and abilities, which will be used in this life to fulfill the purpose that God intend for His people in this the 21st century.

The idea of a tree speaks of growth, life, newness and hope. When you look at a tree, especially one that bears fruit, you think about the fact that this one tree was produced by a seed, which in turn produced this tree, which produced fruits that contain additional seeds. God in His word in the OT speaks about the law of seed-time and harvest-time. The idea of reproduction and replication. In the book of Genesis, the tree of life relates to immortality (by eating its fruit) Gen: 3:22. It also speaks of a reward to those who overcome and also for healing; which is obtained from the leaves of the tree (Rev. 2:7; 22:2). We will restore life to many in many varying ways!

"Behold I do a new thing; now it will spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” – Isaiah 43:19. “For in him we live, and move and have our being” – Acts 17:28a. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” – Philippians 4:13(KJV)


Holy Spirit Descending
The third logo is self-explanatory to many Christians. This logo was chosen to denote the third facet of RIGM vision. The third “R” stands for Reveal. We belief that it is not sufficient enough to just be “brought back to life” and to in turn have our gifts and talents, or self restored holistically; these things happen because we have been created with a Divine God-given purpose. And we belief that God through His Holy Spirit, reveals to us what we should do to bring His kingdom to come! The Holy Spirit was given to the 12 apostles in the book of Acts to “endue them with power” (Acts 1:8). This power means, the "ability to perform a given task". The Holy Spirit was not only given to give the apostles the ability for ministry (work) but also it “guides and leads in all truth”. The Holy Spirit reveals the mind of God (John 16:13 & Romans 8:27 respectively). Our main verse for this facet of RIGM’s vision is found in Jeremiah 33:6, “Behold I will bring health and healing, I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth”.
Paul gives several teachings on “spiritual gifts” as found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 & Ephesians 4. We belief that the “body of Christ” is better served when all the gifts are operational both in localized and globalized settings. That for them to be most effective understand and knowledge has to be acquired through teaching and practice. The 1st century apostles did no “great works” without the “gifts”. And central to this facet of RIGM is the truth that God reveals His plan and purpose to His people! Our “biblical calling” is to spread the message of “Eschatology” i.e. “the gospel of the kingdom – the return of Jesus Christ”!
“So shall my word be that goeth out forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” – Isaiah 55:11(KJV)

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" – Amos 3:7 (KJV)

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall then end come" – Matthew 24:14 (KJV)

RIGM