Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Cat

“I always thought my cat had a staring problem. She always seemed fixated on my face. Until one day, when I realized that she was always looking behind me.” (Anonymous)[i]

How do you know if the ‘strange events you are experiencing in your home are real paranormal events, or something that can be logically explained?

When can one excuse unexplainable events, Some of the most common paranormal events that may identify a haunted location are unexplained noises, moving furniture, electrical disturbances, shadows, animal behavior, smells, being watched, cold and hot spots, being touched, seeing, and hearing. If you are a Christian, MercyMe, has an important message for you in their song, “Ghost.”

There's a ghost
There's a ghost inside of me
Not like those draped in ol' bedsheets
Saying "trick or treat"
Different
Oh this ghost is different
Not one that leaves me scared to death
But one that puts my fear to rest

Holiness keep haunting me

You're my hope, You're my peace
Ironic in a way
I'm no longer afraid
And the ghost is to blame

There's a ghost
There's a ghost inside of me
Not something from some campfire story
Where I'm terrified to sleep
Opposite
This ghost is quite the opposite
He came just like a welcomed friend
I was comforted

I'm not afraid
I'm not afraid!
No longer afraid

Holy Ghost
Lead me through the darkness
Lead me through the unknown

How exactly does the Holy Ghost exist inside us? Tim Keller is quoted in his devotional, Encounters with Jesus, on the role of the Holy Ghost:

“Many people say that the Holy Ghost gives us power, and that’s true, but how does he do that? Does he merely zap us with higher energy levels? No, by calling him the other Advocate [or Helper], Jesus has given us the great clue to understanding how the empowering of the Holy Ghost works. The first Advocate [Jesus] is speaking to God for you, but the second Advocate [the Holy Spirit] is speaking to you for you.”

Here are a few ways that the Holy Ghost seeks to enrich our lives:

1. He brings glory to Jesus:“He will honor me; He will take from me and deliver it to you.” (John 16:14, MSG)

2. He convicts us of sin: “But I will send you the Comforter—the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.” (John 16:8, TLB)[ii]

3. He guides us to truth: “However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative but will say only what he hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future.” (John 16:13, CJB)

4. He is a personal witness to testify about Christ to us: “The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.” (John 15:26, CEB)

5. He reminds us of all that Jesus has taught us: “The Father is sending a great Helper, the Holy Spirit, in My name to teach you everything and to remind you of all I have said to you.” (John 14:26, VOICE)

“The Holy Spirit is our [Global Positioning System]. It will tell you where you are, and where you are going.” (Elder Russell M. Ballard)[iii]

MercyMe

[i] This quote is in honor of my good friend, Betty Willer.

[ii] In the Bible, the title “Holy Ghost” was used 90 times in the New Testament of the King James Version (KJV) while “Holy Spirit” appears 4 times. The context of the New Testament usage was from a prophetic point of view. The Bible translators were consistent in retaining the contextual distinction between the many forms of “spirit,” such as “Spirit of the Lord” and “Spirit of God.”

[iii] Sources used:

· “5 Ways the Holy Ghost Helps Us” by Chris Poblete

· “Difference between Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit” by Difference Between.net

· “How to Spot Real Paranormal Activity in a House” by Helen Murphy Howell

This work is dedicated to my wife who played this song for me. I knew it had to be a post.

Insignificant

“A choir that volunteers or volunteers who formed a choir; it matters little which way you think of the Harmony Project.” (Jim Fisher, Assistant Editor, “Concert Preview: The Harmony Project”)

My hometown, Columbus, OH, has a population of 2,044,100 people. This capitol city is best known for its unbridled passion for college football with the Ohio State Buckeyes. A modern Columbus has emerged as a technologically sophisticated city
Columbus is teeming with art, music, theater, museums and culture, and an range of businesses, it's also home to a bustling and energetic workforce. With a prosperous economy that draws a young and energetic atmosphere.

It is home to the world's largest private research and development foundation, the Battelle Memorial Institute. The city is home to several institutions of higher learning which include Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College, Columbus College of Art and Design and Franklin University. Annual festivities in Columbus include the Ohio State Fair, one of the largest state fairs in the country.

People in Columbus know how to make a difference with their lives in a meaningful way. The Harmony Project seeks to connect people across social divides through the arts, education, and volunteer community service.

The idea for Harmony Project didn’t happen overnight. Founder David Brown had been carrying it around for a while, but didn’t know if it was even possible to bring people together and provide them with the opportunity to sing, serve, and share. But his resolve was strong, and his experiences leading up to its launch helped shape the program. What started as a single concert has blossomed into a suite of programs grounded in music and service.

“The idea of Harmony Project is based in music, because that is my background. Because of my skill set, I’m going to turn you into something you didn’t think you could be,” David said. “Harmony can be used to introduce people not only to each other, but to their city.”

Harmony Project was founded in October 2009. It began by inviting people who loved to sing (even if they did not think their voice was good enough) to use their voice to be part of something greater than themselves. A combination of people who had not sung since high school, those who had never sung publicly outside of the car or shower, and professionally-trained vocalists join together to create the sound of the community when we all started singing together. More than 200 people showed up for the initial meeting. At the end of 2015, between the choir and other initiatives throughout the community, Harmony Project was more than 700 voices strong.

There are no auditions for Harmony Project. It is not about the quality of your voice, but how you use it. There are no notes to read. The focus is on the lyrics of the song. We are storytellers. There is no financial obligation to our volunteers. Every Harmony Project arts and education program is offered complimentary. Our concerts, community investors, foundations, public partners, and corporate contributors provide support for our mission. This allows every person who wishes to participate to do so regardless of their resources.

Thousands of people have participated in a Harmony Project program or performance, or by giving back in service to the collective neighborhood through community garden restoration, neighborhood cleanups, tree planting, public art mural installations, playground builds, and serving meals are just some of the ways our volunteers give back.

Together, we gather people from across lines of power and position, and engage them as equal in harmony. We carry voices at the Ohio Reformatory for Women across the planet to comfort, to soothe, and to bring laughter to children in South Africa’s Sunflower House hospice care. For more information on Harmony Project, please contact by phone 614-564-9300, or by e-mail connect@harmonyproject.com.

“Harmony builds connection. Singing on stage feels like a two-way street. I share the emotion and lessons of my life from that season, and the audience shares the emotion of their lives in the moment. We’re there for each other in a most profound way, empathically sharing and listening to each other through the music.” (Kate O'Hara, Original and Current Member of Harmony Project)[i]

[i] Sources used:

· “A Symphony of Voices” by the Columbus Foundation

· “Columbus, OH” by Forbes

· “What’s it Like to Live in Columbus, OH?” by Kristen Auletto

Inspired by the NBC4 piece, "Harmony Project Grows" on 2/24/18

· www.harmonyproject.com

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

His Will

“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.” (Billy Graham)

America’s Preacher, William “Billy” Graham Jr., went to be with his Creator at his home in Montreat, NC, (at the age of ninety-nine) in the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 21, 2018. His death was unpreventable as a result of multiple illnesses like prostate cancer, pneumonia, fluid on the brain, and Parkinson’s disease.

The Rev. Billy Graham rose to prominence in the 1940s as a charismatic orator with a heart for sharing his faith in Jesus Christ through 400 crusades with nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and 6 continents. If God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things, can you believe He will accomplish His purposes through your life, too? Below are just a few of the interesting facts about this humble giant of faith:

· 1949 - Holds crusades in tents in downtown Los Angeles. Originally scheduled for three weeks, the crusades are so popular they run for seven weeks.

· 1950s - Founds World Wide Pictures, a motion picture division of The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

· 1983 - Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

· 1996 - Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

· 1999 - First non-musician to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

· 2000 - Wins the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award, for monumental and lasting contributions to the cause of freedom.

· As a five-year-old boy, Billy’s parents brought him to hear the famous evangelist, Billy Sunday. Sunday had once played center field for the Chicago Whitestockings baseball team. Although Billy loved baseball, all he remembers about that day was how long Billy Sunday preached, how extremely hot it was, and how much he wiggled throughout the whole sermon.

· Billy Graham also dedicated the old Charlotte Coliseum (Hornets) in 1988. He stood under the scoreboard and offered a prayer of dedication. The next day the scoreboard crashed to the floor.

· Billy Graham did not consider himself a strict interpreter of the Bible, and he preached as a conservative, (not fundamental) Christianity.

· Billy Graham has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989. The chairman of the selection committee said, “I can’t think of anybody in the world who has used radio, television and motion pictures in a more positive way.”

· Billy Graham held his first citywide crusade in 1947 in Grand Rapids, MI.

· Billy Graham was consistently listed on Gallup's poll of the "10 Most Admired Men in the World” between 1950 and 1990.

· Billy Graham was the son of a dairy farmer in Charlotte, NC. He (and his three siblings) grew up dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player, but said this of himself "The talent for baseball obviously was not there."

· Billy Graham helped George W. Bush stop drinking. The first time the pair met. Bush was younger and drunk after having several beers and glasses of wine.

· Billy Graham’s mother was a devout Christian. For the early part of his upbringing it was apparent to Billy that his mother, not his father, was the one most concerned with training the children in religious matters.

· December 4, 1938 - Graham is baptized in Silver Lake, Florida.

· For two hours, Billy would milk twenty cows, shovel away the manure, and fed the cows’ fresh hay. This happened seven days a week, morning and evening, it was Billy’s job to milk the cows, which meant waking at 2:30 each morning.

· He was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001 as an honorary Knight Commander (KBE) of the Order of the British Empire for "60 years of international contribution to civic and religious life

· He was kicked out of a youth group at a Charlotte Presbyterian Church because he was "too worldly."

· Billy and Ruth’s children: Nelson Edman, William Franklin, Ruth Bell, Anne Morrow, and Virginia

· His father made him drink beer until he got sick and it had such an impact on him that he abstained from alcohol for the rest of his life

· In 1934 at the age of 15, Billy Graham made a personal commitment to Christ at a tent revival meeting featuring traveling evangelist Mordecai Ham.

· In 2002, Billy Graham apologized after the release of secretly recorded tapes from 1972 in which he and President Richard Nixon agreed that liberal Jews dominate the U.S. news media. Graham was heard saying the Jewish “stranglehold has got to be broken or the country’s going down the drain.”

· May 31, 2007 - The Billy Graham Library and Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, is dedicated. Former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter attend.

· Shortly after President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office in 1963, he invited Billy Graham to the White House. The pair didn't have bathing suits and reportedly went skinny dipping in the pool.

· Since 1950, Billy Graham met with every US president from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama.

· At a 1952 Jackson, MS, revival Billy Graham removed the ropes that separated black and white sections of the audience. He said, "Christianity is not a white man's religion, and don't let anybody ever tell you that it's white or black. Christ belongs to all people. He belongs to the whole world."

· To eliminate the suspicion of infidelity, Graham vowed never to meet, travel or eat alone with any woman other than his wife, Ruth (death, 6/14?07).

· When Billy’s parents invited him to attend a revival meeting, he agreed to go because he had heard there would be a clash between protesters and the evangelist. At the revival there were no protestors, only thousands of people streaming into the tabernacle to hear the evangelist’s message. Night after night, Billy snuck into the back of the tent to listen to the powerful and convicting sermons. Something stirred in him that made him sorry for his sin. After many nights of meetings, Billy finally walked forward to turn from his sin to follow Jesus

· When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was jailed during a civil rights protest in 1963, Billy Graham paid King's bail.

· Witnessing the transformation in his father after a near death experience was a pivotal point in Billy’s own pursuit of spiritual matters. Soon after his grandmother died, Billy’s father’s face and jaw were crushed and disfigured from an accident on the farm. The family did not expect him to live. Billy’s dad did recover. His face would forever be deformed by the accident, but Billy couldn’t help but notice that his dad’s spiritual condition was transformed as well.

“Someone asked me recently if I didn’t think God was unfair allowing me to have Parkinson’s and other medical problems when I have tried to serve Him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all. Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to Him in trust and confidence.” (Billy Graham) [i]

Baby Billy Graham

Billy Graham as an adult

[i] Sources used:

· “10 Things You Didn't Know about Billy Graham” by Rhonda Stopper

· “Billy Graham Fast Facts” by CNN Library

· “Billy Graham Fun Facts: 10 Things You Might Not Know About Evangelical Leader” by Dave Fidlin

· “Death by Natural Causes Explained” by Kathy Quan

· “Factbox: Facts about Evangelist Billy Graham” by Reuters Staff

· “Fun Facts about Billy Graham” by My Hope

· “Fun Facts You Probably Don't Know about Rev. Billy Graham” by WorldNow

· “Voice of a Generation” by Josie Griffiths e

· G“10 Things You Didn’t Know about Billy Graham” by Crosswalk.com

· n“16 Lesser-Known Facts about Billy Graham, Including that Time He Went Skinny Dipping with Lyndon B. Johnson” by Jolie Lee

· y

Thirty-Five Million

“Somebody recently figured out that we have 35 million laws to enforce the Ten Commandments.” (Earl Wilson)

The Ten Commandments (Decalogue) are the orders God gave to the people of Israel through Moses after leading them out of Egypt. They are recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 (and Deuteronomy 5:6-21). The Ten Commandments are a summary of the hundreds of laws found in the Old Testament that are the basis for moral, spiritual, and ethical conduct for everyone.

Today's society embraces cultural relativism, which is an idea that rejects absolute truth. God gave us the absolute truth in the inspired Word of God. Through the Ten Commandments, God offered basic rules of behavior for living upright and spiritual lives.

These guidelines outline the absolutes of decency that God intended for us. The Ten Commandments apply to two areas of our life: the first five pertain to our relationship with the Heavenly Father. The last five deal with our relationships with other people. Below is a great memory device (for adult and child alike) to remembering the real messages of The Ten Commandments:

1. Hold up 1 finger: This means that God comes first. So the first commandment is “Do not worship anything other than the one true God. “

2. Hold up 2 fingers: There are two gods is too many gods. So the second commandment is “Don’t let anything take the place of God in your life. An idol can be anything (or anyone) that has your time, attention, affections, and your worship.”

3. Hold up 3 fingers: It looks like a “W,” which means watch your words. So the third commandment is “Because of God's importance, His name is always to be spoken of reverently and with respect. “

4. Hold up 4 fingers: It looks like the thumb is resting. So the fourth commandment is “Set aside a regular day each week for rest and worship of the Lord.”

5. Hold up 5 fingers: It looks like I’m making a promise. So the fifth commandment is “Give honor to your father and mother by treating them with respect and obedience.”

6. Hold up 6 fingers: The finger looks like it is shooting the hand. So the sixth commandment is, “Do not deliberately kill a fellow human being. Don't hate people or hurt them with words and actions..”

7. Hold 7 fingers: The fingers look like people getting married. So the seventh commandment is “God forbids sex outside of the bounds of marriage. Respect your body and other people's bodies.”

8. Hold up 8 fingers: It looks like bars to a jail cell. So the eighth commandment is “Do not take anything that doesn't belong to you (unless you have been given permission to do so).”

9. Hold up 9 fingers: It looks like the thumb is telling lies about the fingers on the other hand. So the ninth commandment is “Do not tell a lie about someone. Always tell the truth.

10. Hold up 10 fingers: Wiggle those fingers because it looks like you want what isn’t yours. So the tenth commandment is “Do not desire anything (or anyone) that does not belong to you.”

“We must not see the Ten Commandments as limitations to liberty. No, they are not this, but we must see them as indications for liberty. They are not limitations, but indications for liberty. They teach us to avoid the slavery to which the many idols reduce us that we build ourselves. We have experienced this so many times in history, and we are experiencing it also today…” (Pope Francis)[i]

[i] Sources used:

· “Fun Way to Memorize the Ten Commandments” by Michelle

· “What Are the Ten Commandments?” by Mary Fairchild

Encourage Me