PTales of my Family 13:   Big Brother Dave: theunfetteredpreacher 

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David, was either 8 or 9 years older then I, depending on how my mother felt about answering.

I think I mentioned,  until I  was in my forties, she told me she was born in NY State.  Then one day, when passing my Aunt Loretta’s house, she told me she was born in the house next door.  

In Gardner MA…   You figure it out.  

She thought being born in NY, was a better story.   (Martha, my sister confirmed Gardner, how she knew???)

In any case, I loved Mom, but….

Now David, is one of my first memories.   I was just a little guy, we still lived in the house on Main St.  (In front of the garage).

(Originally there was a house and barn, the barn had a secret passage, into a speak-easy from prohibition.  All before my time and recollection).

Well, I was young, and stupid,  (stupid, longer then young).   We had a miniature collie we called Rags.  

During thunderstorms he would run into Gardner and hide at a gas station there.   We had to pick him up often. 

At some point he was hit by a car, and lost a leg.   David, put him in the bathtub,  told me he could do Magic, and make that leg appear and disappear. 

He could too….   So dumb….  Amazing…  lol

But he wasn’t always mean.  He taught me how to ride a bike,  got me on at the house on Cote Ave, and let me go down hill.  (I did learn, not quite that fast though).

He brought home a go cart, a chainsaw engine, no real brakes, and set me loose on that.

I looked up to him, he had a full beard at 18,  it took me till I was 30 to cover my face…  he loved cars and things mechanical.   

He loved working in the garage.  I think back, and miss him now.   We never had much in common…

Music was my love.  He liked Neil Diamond and car songs…  not a perfect match.   I wish I had cared enough to get to know him.

He taught me gun safety, but the targets were always too far away to hit, never mind hit a bulls eye.

I have fond memories.   If anyone has stories of my family, it would be nice to hear them.

Thanks

Rest in Peace, Big Brother…  you are loved.

To Touch Him 5:  From sinner to Saint:  theunfetteredpreacher 

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The change:
From despicable slime, to Saint, who finally became the Leader of the Lords people.  

 Jacob, becomes Israel.   How did this happen? 

   –  After receiving his brothers blessing, and an extra blessing.  

   –  After realizing his brother wanted him dead. 

   –  After realizing he had gone too far.  Cost too much.

He was being cast out, separated from those he knew,  from his family.  

This began to receive a change of heart.  

Life was no longer fun and games.  He had won, took his brothers place, his inheritance, even his pride.  

Now he was losing his way of life, the respect of his friends,  the life he was accustomed to.  

He was being sent away.   Losing his family. 

The Word tells us:

“Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;”

Jacob was alone, cast out, going to a place he knew not, to a people he had only heard of.

It grew dark, Jacob using a stone for a pillow made his bed.  He, in a dream, met the Father, and Son, and saw the Angels of the Son.

“He dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”  (Genesis 28)

Once again, he hears the blessings on his life, the blessings first given to Abraham. 

   >  The land will be his, and his decendents. 

   >  His seed will be multiplied, and will bless all the world.

   >  God will be with him, will keep him, wherever he goes, God will bring him back to the land of promice, God will not leave him, until the Word of the Lord is accomplished.  (Jesus, will never leave us or forsake us).

Like all of us, he was probably a little sceptical.   After all, he knew who he was;  I believe he was growing ashamed,  and was in repentance,  as he was forced to leave all he knew. 

“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

And he called the name of that place Bethel:” (The House of God).

His attitude,  his actions, his direction and decisions, all changed, in computer terms, he was rebooted, his system was refreshed.

“Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:

And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” (Genesis 28)


When we meet and accept  Almighty God, as our Lord, God, Savior and Supplier.   We change, inside and out.  


 A changed life, a Vow, if God is with me, if God will keep me, If God will supply all my needs, so I may go home in peace, THEN SHALL THE LORD BE MY GOD, AND OF ALL I RECEIVED I WILL GIVE HIM A TENTH.

 This new relationship,  this Vow, changed the man Jacob, he was a new man, as he met his Uncle and bride to be.

To Touch Him 4:  From despicable slime to Saint: theunfetteredpreacher 

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Jacob’s tale, from despicable slime to strong Leader.

The Lord had proclaimed, while the twins were still in the Womb.  “Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated. ”

His Mom, Rebecca, had received this message, and she loved Jacob also.  

While Issac, (Dad), loved Esau. 

Esau, the first born,  came out of the womb, with Jacob’s hand firmly attached to his foot.  He became a hunter, a hairy man, a man of action.  

While Jacob was a plain man who dwelled in tents.

Esau was not necessarily a man of thought or planing, too busy doing, to worry about what might be happening right before him.   

He came home hungry one day, and sold his birthright to Jacob, for a bowl of porage. 

Later, when Isaac was preparing to die, Rebecca instructed and helped Jacob to steal his brothers  blessing. (Read Genesis 25-27)

The blessing of the first born…  A big deal:  (Genesis 27)

Isaac ended up giving Jacob, the blessing meant for Esau.  Blessing him, he said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:  
“Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”

   >  The blessing of plenty,  to never be in need.

   >  All his brethren, other nations, everyone would serve him.

   >  The Lord would curse those who curse and bless those who bless him.

I would love to have that blessing in my life.  (By the way, We do, if we serve the Lord).

Esau’s only received this second rate blessing from Isaac: 

“Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.”

   <  He would live off the fat of the land

   <  He would be a Warrior,  and live by the sword

  <  He would eventually brake the yoke of his brother off his neck.   

(This yoke was his, Unforgivness, hate, and resentment of his brother, for the wrongs done to him).

Rebecca arranged yet more for Jacob.   A way to escape, and another blessing as he goes.

“Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother’s brother.

And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.”

That he would be:

   >  Blessed by God, to be fruitful and multiplied.

   >  That he would receive the Blessings promised to Abraham, to him and his seed.

Again, Blessings that should have been Esau’s.  He went to his Uncle’s was cheated, and treated wrong.

He didn’t complain, or cry… or cheat his Uncle,  something had changed him, while on his way.

Watch this spot.   Thanks

To Touch Him 3:  Not always  our choice:  theunfetteredpreacher 

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Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord chose what people He would call His own.  Who He would save, or set free, who he would bless or curse.

How He would reward the Faithful,  the Righteous and how and when to punish the wicked.

The Lord chose Noah, saving him and his family.  Why, because Noah walked with God, this made “Noah a just man and perfect in his Generation.”

We find almost the same praise for Job, who, “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”

The Lord’s choice.  He chose who, what, when, where and how, He would intervene in the afairs of the earth, and His people. 

All, the Lords choice, with few exceptions, the Lords plan and way.  

Then Jesus came to die for us.  

We see a change a coming.   He chose many He would touch, heal.  Where He roamed, who He made whole.

The difference that becomes apparent is, Faith enters the stage.   People ask, plead, and pray and it is their Faith makes them whole.

Yet, Jesus is still choosing whom He touches, but times have changed.

We should come boldly to the throne room, to find Grace and Mercy in our time of need.   We need to become the woman with the issue of blood.

We must learn how to press through the throng of people and prayers that surround our Lord, we must learn to touch Him ourselves. 

“All who touched Him, were made whole.“

We should no longer wait by the pool for the Angels, to move the water.  No longer should we cry out… “Jesus touch me.  Jesus hear me.  Jesus meet my need.”

NO LONGER… QUIT ASKING HIM TO TOUCH YOU AND LEARN TO TOUCH HIM.

This is a Spiritual Truth.  

If we just learn to Touch Him,  His Word, His Promises, His Will….  become life and truth to whosoever will,  learn to practice the presence of God.

The first step is to learn the lesson of the Lords prayer.  

The first step in getting the attention of God, is true Praise, Adoration, Worship.

Start your prayers with acknowledgement of His Majesty, That His Word is Life, That He IS the great I AM.

He alone is worthy of all Glory, Honor and Praise.  He alone is Worthy, He was slain from the foundation, He gave His life for ME.

WORTHY, WORTHY, WORTHY IS THE LAMB OF GOD, THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS, HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FILLED WITH HIS GLORY.   WORTHY IS THE LAMB.

I Worship You, I Love You, I Need You.  You alone are my help, You alone are my supply,  You alone are Worthy of my love and trust.

As we learn to express our Love, and Trust in the Lord…  we will begin to experience the peace that passes understanding, the joy unspeakable and full of Glory.

We will not have to recite our worries and cares.  He knows them and answers before we ask.

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” (Psalm 50:15)

Isaiah 65:24
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

Please Saints take this first step to touching the Lord.  

LEARN TO VERBALLY, TRUTHFULLY, AND FORCEFULLY ADORE AND WORSHIP HIM.

TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM AND WHY… EXALT HIM.

Let’s forget about ourselves and concentrate on Him, and Worship Him.

Amen

We will soon learn to touch Him and receive the desires of our hearts.

To Touch Him 2:  Ye Shall Know the Truth:   theunfetteredpreacher 

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John 8:32  (KJV)

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Romans 12:2
“be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

At the time of the Exodus,  there were multiplied millions who knew God, and were in the GOOD WILL  of God.  As there are today.

They recognize and accept that God is Awesome, is all powerful, is all Holy, and is their Lord and Savior. 

Then there were and are, those, who have grown into the ACCEPTABLE WILL OF GOD.

This is more, a closer more obedient walk, we tithe,  give, help and care for the poor and afflicted.   

We share the Love and Grace of Christ.

The Gospel is in our hearts, we study to shew ourselves approved,  and Christ is recognized by those who come in contact with us.  

How about those who have found the PERFECT WILL OF GOD. 

This is the place, Jesus calls us to.  The place beside Him,  in His Yoke, walking with Him, obedient to Him, touching those He would touch.

Healing, setting free, making whole, comforting, blessing,  knowing that FAITH IS ALWAYS AN  ACTION. 

If we aren’t acting on our Faith, do we really believe?    Where are we on this scale? 

DO WE LIVE IN THE GOOD, ACCEPTABLE, OR IN THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD?

The Perfect Will of God, is a place available to whosoever will.  The breast of Jesus is big enough for us all to lean on.  (As John did).

Do you desire God to supply all your needs?  Do we want to believe He can do above and beyond all that we ask, think or even imagine? 

There is a place, where every word of God is true. 

Where we can see the Power of God, the Hand of God, the Wisdom, Grace, Love, Peace and Joy unspeakable,  and full of Glory.

If you would like to live in the Promise of God, it is a place available to all.   We can pray, plead and wait on the Lord.   

Or we can learn to touch the Lord.   “All who touched Him were made whole .”  (set free, made whole.)

Should we not learn how to touch Him?  Should we not long to know Him, Love Him, Walk with Him.

Lord, draw us to you, that we might know you, and find YOUR PERFECT WILL FOR OUR LIVES.  Amen




To touch Him 1:  Mark  6: theunfetteredpreacher 

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To touch Him, to touch the heart of God.  (That is my desire).  That is the place of Power, the place of answered prayer.  

That is when we begin;  To see, to know, to consider and to understand, that the Lord is alive,” that it is He, that is God, that it is  He, who is the Creator and Ruler of all. (Isaiah 41:20)  

That God, the Lord, our Lord, is not dead.  

The Gospel,  is not  just meaningless childrens stories, or fables, not empty promises, repeated over and over, just stories, not to be taken seriously. 

Whether it’s a great fish, (able to swallow a man), a talking donkey, or a talking snake, (who would lead us astray).  (All true…).

Samsons,  superhuman strength, or the impossible translation, of Phillip, from here to there.   

It all, happened, just as the book says. 

The Power and Promise of Salvation, of Healing, of our not suffering want, of our not being in need,  of our God, supplying all our needs, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  

The promise that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask, think or even imagine. 

All this is true, and all real.  All is possible.  All is available.    To any and all who learn to Touch Him.  

That lack of knowledge, (of how to touch Him),  is the reason His Church is Powerless and dieing. 

As Jesus walked among man, He would choose, who He would touch, heal and make whole.  

The lame man at the pool of Bethesda, or the man blind from birth, out of all those in need, he chose these two, the 7,000 he taught, healed, told the disciples to feed, because they had been with Him three days, with nothing to eat. ALL HIS CHOICE.

Why, did he just choose a few to make whole, when it seems there were multitudes? 

We have no clue, other than to teach those with Him, about sin and God’s love and grace.  He chose who He would touch.

In the time of Moses, the people said, “You talk to the Lord, and tell us what He wants.”  

In the New Testament we are told “to come boldly to the throne of Grace, to find Mercy and Grace in your time of need.”

It is a different time now, The Lord wants us to come to Him ourselves.   Jesus is now the intermediary, between God and man.

As we read the Word, we find in Mark: as people learned of Him,  (Jesus), their behavior changed.

The woman with the issue of blood, pressed through the crowd, touched the hem of His garment and was instantly healed.

Jesus told her, that her faith had made her whole. (Mark 5).

In Mark 6, we find Him going to His home town, they were amazed at His mighty works.  While He said, He could do no mighty works, just heal a few sick.

Because of their unbelief.  Later:

Mark 6:53-56  (KJV)

“And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,

And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.”

“As many as touched him were made whole.”

The people from His home town were Amazed, and He could only heal a few sick folks, because of their unbelief. 

He chooses, who He heels.  His choice, His decision His will.   

 

Unless those in need learn to touch Him.

“As many as touched him where made whole.” 

 Saints we need learn to touch Him.   

Are we in need?  Do we truly  believe? 

Look for next post… let us learn how to touch Him, instead of waiting for Him.  If we can learn to touch Him, He meets our needs

We Fish By faith: shared from:  http://billhitchcock.blogspot.com/  

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http://billhitchcock.blogspot.com/

An interesting look at Faith:

We Fish By faith

It all boils down to this. You fish on faith and nothing else. You can have the right gear, fresh bait, ideal weather conditions, a great boat and electronics and decades of experience, but none of these things will guarantee you fish in the box. But you still go out and fish anyway because you fish on faith.

The evangelist said, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Your faith is the ground floor in which you stand and build towards your intended goal. What you have faith in and the degree of that faith will determine how you think and act. And here is the catch (pardon the pun). How you act will actually guide you in the direction of what you have faith for.

You head out in the morning, many of you while it is still dark. You push off, power up and look over the bow. Some may see a flash of green and a flash of red from the channel markers as you head towards the ICW. Others have nothing more than twinkling stars and a faint difference in the shades of black that separate the sky from water in the still dark morning.

It is dark, very dark. But you head out in faith with the promise of a catch.

It is easy to see why so many fishermen believe in God for they understand through experience what faith is. They know the spiritual significance of, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18) and believe and have faith in God and the day!
We hope for what will be as if it already is. That is faith and true conviction.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Romans 8:24-25).
A fisherman’s life is built on the substance of faith, the foundation of what currently is not. It is hope in the day and faith in the good Lord to provide. Fishermen are just like Abraham, “Who against hope believed in hope” of the promise to come. Against all odds and often common sense, we hope in the day.

Your catch is the promise to come that you have faith and hope in. It is the motivation within you that gets you up and out the door each morning. A warm bed can’t hold you and bad weather can’t stop you for your faith in the day won’t allow you to do anything but to work towards the promise to come. And although you will face many a trial and tribulation and stare defeat in the face, you will come home with a catch. Why? Because your faith and hope will not deny you.

Jesus Christ is the promise to come. It is He in who we have an unshakable faith in. It is the Holy Spirit within us that has quickened our spirit and motivated us to continue on in this life. And we have hope and faith in the His promise, “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (1 John 2:25).

This promise of life comes loaded with its share of trials and tribulations too! But Jesus told us it would. He said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation”. But we have peace because although we will face problems we will not be defeated!

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We head out each day in hope and faith of the promise of a catch. We live our life in the hope and faith of the promise of Jesus Christ to come. We are fisherman. We fish by faith and we walk through life by faith and not by sight.

King Saul and Samson – men of God? Nope: An old post revisited: theunfetteredpreacher

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King Saul and Samson – men of God? Nope

July 26, 2014 bill
When we think of these two men, who were used mightily by the Lord. It is natural to think of them as Godly men. After all one was the first King of Israel, who led them to many victories and the other was one of Israels most famous Judges, who did many mighty exploits.

They were not Mighty Men of God but men God used mightily. Let me explain:

Samsons parents were approached by an angel of the Lord, told though barren, they would have a child. A Nazarene, don’t ever cut his hair, he should eat only special food and drink.

They were obedient, the child grew, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he did mighty exploits. He delivered Israel from many enemies.

Then we have King Saul, made the first King of Israel because of his hight and looks.

Anointed of the Lord who made him a new man, while God gave him a new heart. He led Israel to many victories.

You might ask, why are these not great men of God then?

Neither of these men had a real personal relationship with the Lord and did not realize when the Spirit of the Lord left them.

Their concerns were being dissed and revenge.

When we study the life of David, we find a man after Gods heart. Who when confronted with his sin, cried out: “Take not your Holy Spirit away from me.”

A truly Godly man knows and fears grieving the Spirit. He is quick to repent and longs for the fellowship of the Lord.