The Prayer of a "Old Man."

When you reach the age of 65 you really appreciate each day that the Lord allows you to continue to walk this earth. I start each day with the words, "Oh Lord Praise Your mighty name. Lord forgive me for my sins of omission as well as those of commission. Thank you for saving a wretch like me and adopting me into the body of believers. Lord guide and direct me through this day. I ask your blessing and protection for my neighborhood, my family,my church, my Pastor, my friends,the troops in war, and the government of the USA. Father help me control my natural instincts which include my pride and my ego. Fill me with wisdom, long suffering,empathy, compassion, and forgiveness. Lord allow others to see You in my attitudes and behaviors. Lord I try to be a light, a living Epistle, and a spiritual representative of your kingdom. Amen!

The Daily Challenge of Being a Mature Christian

The concept of maturity has less to do with chronological age than with wisdom and the ability to make well thought out decisions in life. Likewise the time one has been in church, or a Christan does not always make that person a mature Christan. A mature Christian is one who takes the information and directions of the scriptures and actually applies them to the everyday challenges of their lives.

The greatest challenge I find as a Christian is to deny my natural impulses and inclinations in any specific situation. In Colossians 3:5 we are told to put to death, therefore, whats ever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity,lust, evil desire and greed, which is idolatry. The Apostle Paul shares with us in Romans 7:15-24 how difficult it was for him to deal with his fleshly desires or a daily bases. The more we read and internalize God's Word we will gradually be able to resist some of the urges of our flesh. Of course we all know the pleasure urges are the most difficult to suppress. Christians have real problems with adultery and fornication which becomes the "Elephant in The Living Room", at many churches. Paul had the same problem at the Church at Corinth. The scriptures in 1 Corinthians tell of a man in the church who was having sex with his step mother. He must have been a big tither, or a VIP, because the church said nothing and did nothing. Paul, because of this situation, said something that is startling to most Christians. He says in 1 Corinthians 5:10 that you don't have to dissociate yourselves from unbelievers, because you need to evangelize them. However, you should distance yourself from those who profess to be Christians and openly indulge in behaviors forbidden by the scriptures. I didn't say this Paul said it!

I have found that over the years, the more I study, those fleshly desires have diminished and some have disappeared. None of us are perfect, we are all a work in progress. But a measurable sign of spiritual growth is the time it takes me to recovery from a lapse into the flesh. The time it takes me, after my sin, to confess and repent is a sign of maturity. For many of us there is lots of confession and little repentance.

Jesus does not want us to have to suffer the natural consequences of immorality and impurity. In our community the number of children born out of marriage, and broken families have lead to generations of poverty, abuse, HIV/AIDS and incarceration. We become our own worst enemy and a slave to our desires. All the federal aid, welfare, special programs will not fix these problems, only a change of heart and spirit will!

The Practical Applications of the Scriptures

For many years I was a practicing psychotherapist who had many Christians as patients/clients. I would always start my sessions off with this question: What's going on? How long has this been going on? What have you done to deal with this situation? I would then ask them if they were spiritual, and what role had their spirituality played in dealing with their presenting problem. I was surprised to learn that they were unaware of the practicality of God's word, and the counsel that He offers all through the scriptures.

Many Christians are not aware of how they compartmentalize their faith. What I mean by compartmentalization is that they do not allow their faith/spirituality to enter into all aspects of their lives. They are Christians on Sunday, but they do not allow their spirituality to surface at work, social functions, and around certain family and friends. It is like they live a double life. We all have a public self, what we show the public, and a private self , that secret part of our lives.

The scriptures are powerful; they are sociology, psychology, history, anthropology, mathematics and biology. I am most interested in the psychological and sociological aspects of the scriptures for they give prescriptions on how to handle anger, depression, worry, guilt, shame, relationships, money, dealing with conflict, and much more.

In my new capacity as a Christian Life Coach, I use the scripture as an theological approach to dealing with issues of daily life. Our lives are like a play that has several chapters that corresponds with the psychosocial developmental stages of our lives. If we are blesses we may be able to reach the final chapter when we are in our 60's-80's years of age. How well we handle the early chapters of life, the better the later chapters will be. If I make good decisions in the prime of my life, there is a good chance that later life will be peaceful and comfortable. There is peace and comfort in the Scriptures if you know where to find it. It does not help to have cognitive spirituality that just stays in your head and is never put to use. God Bless

Where Have My Dreams Gone?

Remember when you were a young child and you thought about your future and what you wanted to achieve in life. Some of you could envision yourselves as teacher, nurses, doctors, lawyers, husbands, wives and successful members of the community. Somewhere along the way you got sidetracked and did not reach your goal. You are living life frozen in time and looking through a rear view mirror. You find yourself unmotivated, going from one dead end job to another and just surviving. If you are not careful you will get down on yourself and fill your inner being with "stinking thinking." The mind is very important and powerful tool that can build you up or tear you down. Romans 12:2 tells us that we should not conform to this world: but be ye transform by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The scriptures motivates us and gives us the resources needed to rekindle those dreams, and aspirations of our youth. Reading/studying scriptures introduces our minds, souls, and psyche to entirely different way of looking at ourselves, and how we relate to the world. It is beyond me to understand how people say that they are Christians and remained bogged down, unmotivated, and unable to see beyond the here and now.

It was my introduction to the principal of faith that motivated me to apply for graduate school. By all secular, and academic standards I did not fit the profile of a successful graduate student. The way I understood faith was that if I could perceive it I could achieve it. Here lies the problem for many people, they unable to perceive themselves in any other space than their current condition.

I entered graduate school with a low GPA and low GRE score, but graduate with a 3.5 GPA, and passed my licensing examination on the first attempt. I relied on the principals of faith laid out in the scriptures. These principals systematically replaced my old thinking of self-doubt and feeling on inferiority. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Come on get off your backside and allow the Lord to work in your life.

Overcome Fear With Faith

It is times such as these that we need to depend upon our faith and the covenant that we have with the Lord. It seems that our country controls it people by the use of fear tactics. We see it work in politics with things like, "death panels", said to be in the president health reform. The fear that homosexuals will destroy the American family, while not considering the 50% divorce rate among the Christan population. Many of the conservatives who voice that they are the moral standards, that they are the true Christians have been found to be adulterous, fornicators, and homosexuals themselves. These individuals are not only an offense to the family, but to Christianity.

Then there are those who who are worried about loosing their jobs, their homes, and the life styles that they are accustomed too. There are many of us who have no insurance and need medical care. With all these problems facing us, it is not surprising that we can become overwhelmed by our circumstances and become disconnected from our power source, which is our Faith in the Lord.



Romans 8:15 Paul reminds us " that we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the Spirit of adoption... In times like these we need to have faith in what Jesus has personally promised us in the scriptures. We cannot be distracted by what we read, hear, see, or feel, but focus on what say it the Lord. When you find yourself loosing focus and drifting off into fear, sadness, or depression immediately begin a conversation with the Lord. Be honest with the Lord and tell Him what you are thinking, feeling, and concerned about. Romans 8:26 says," Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered."