Perspectives

Before we begin this morning, I ask that we say a special prayer for a beloved friend of mine, Dick Williams. I had a chance to visit with he and his family this week, however his health has taken a negative turn.

Scriptures

Jonah 2:1-10, Psalm 121:1-8

Today’s message has only two scriptures, as they are used to address our needs in times of trouble, hardship, turmoil or when we have absolutely made a mess of things. They are “Jonah’s

Suppose you were on the ship with Jonah when the boat was tossed by the wind and waves. Imagine finding him sound

Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up

 (Psalm 139:7-8)

Often because our transgressions are so immense, God uses the extreme to get our attention and save us, out of the agony of our brokenness and being brought to our knees so that we are always reminiscent of such so that we are by no means able to proclaim, unto ourselves, any measure of God’s faithful promise of grace and mercy.

My pastor has a saying that he shares quite often, “gone too far, stayed too long, can’t get back.”

Jonah, like us, has done the same.

Today’s Podcast is titled.

I Messed Up

Jonah 2:1-10

Listen to Jonah’s prayer andremember to do likewise as we seek God’s help, and presence.

1 [a]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.

Welcome to 2024! And thank you for joining me for the first

Another year (2023) has ended, another list of inconsequential resolutions. A chronological file of all the things we are going to do this new year, in an all out attempt to better our lives and renew the relationships we have with others. While there is

We would rather swallow it for another year in hopes of another opportunity (a perfect opportunity). Time is not limitless, and while we often seek occasions of opportune timing, it is rarely

We can fiddle-faddle with other issues in life, but time is of the essence when it comes to the necessity of our salvation. There should be an urgency of sorts, a need, and a desire to get things right and put them in order. We have marvelous ideas, and can create anything imaginable in our mind, but where our heart is indicates where we are in relation with God and others.

There is a song by Tim McGraw, that was released in June 2004, titled Live Like You’re Dying, as it refers to a gentleman in his forties (40’s) that only has days to live.

He said a moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days Looking at the x-rays
I asked him

And he said
"I went skydiving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying"
And he said
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying"

He said
"I was finally the husband
That most of the time I wasn't
And I became a friend a friend would like to have
Well I, I finally read the Good Book, and I
Took a good, long, hard look
At what I'd do if I could do it all again
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying

Consider if today was all you had. What would you do differently?

Today’s Podcast is titled.

Redeeming the Time

Ephesians

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

I missed you all these last few weeks, as I was under the

Have you ever heard a song sung so beautifully that it gives you goose bumps (or as I had a friend from the south refer to as “chicken bumps”), or a melody so sweet, so deep that it brings you to tears. The utterance of every single syllable and word has meaning, depth and purpose. Such are the lyrics to the song, O’ Holy Night, as they mirror the unassuming, non-pretentious birth of a King, the Savior of the world, the night that Christ was born.

The song, O’ Holy Night, was penned as a poem, during the French Revolution in 1843, and later adapted to become the song we presently know and cherish today. So accepted was its

Matthew Chapter 1, and Luke Chapters 1 and 2 give us great insight concerning the birth of Christ, and what happened

Today’s Podcast is titled.

O’ Night Devine

Luke 2:11-12

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a

We ask a special prayer for the McIntosh family, as we lost

Growing up we heard a lot about chivalry, the age of King Author and the Knights of the Round Table (however I don’t know why the table was round). We watched its depiction in Hollywood

I can recall an old cartoon, Penelope Pitstop, in which the antagonist was named, the Hooded Claw (look him up), and he would seek to kidnap her. Once he succeeded in doing so, one of

What I've realized as a Christian is, our lives can serve as testimonies, our words can soothe and provide comfort, our presence can offer shelter, but what took me a some time to grasp was that in spite of my best efforts, and no matter how frustrating it might be, I do not have the capacity to save anyone. That is reserved for God only. I can offer, ask, urge, plead and beg, but it was not I that bore the cost of redemption, … Jesus did through his death and resurrection. It is a task far too great, an immeasurable cost, to be exact, for humanity to forbear. It is

The Mississippi Mass Choir echoed

I need Thee, O I need Thee,
Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee!

It is not a collective cry, but an individual

Today’s Podcast is titled.

To the Rescue

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace

The principal tenants of our faith rest directly in our understanding of Salvation. It is not reserved for some but offered as a gift to all. Suppose I was to ask, to whom does salvation

The road to redemption, and the gift of Salvation did not solely begin with the birth of Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, but rather straightway, immediately after Adam's sin. Ever since, even

Scripture reminds us that, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and expressly states that, our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), as it is His desired to have a church without spot or wrinkle, that though our sins be

Each day God endlessly extends the offer of Salvation, as we make conscious choices, one in which we are filled with unending lust, and yield to the desires of the flesh, as it is contrary to

Today’s Podcast is titled.

Certain Salvation

Philippians 2:12-13

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not

This past week has been full as I found myself moving from one event to another. As Tuesday arrived, I was exhausted, and finally had a chance to exhale. All our lives are full, I suppose … but we

I had the distinction of officiating a delightful home-going service this week, in which the young lady was 81 years old. 10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)

However, her loss was sudden and unexpected, as the following day, merely hours and minutes away, she was preparing to visit her beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren. The arrangements were made far in advance, and she was not deterred, as absolutely nothing brought her more joy than to hear them call her by her cherished titles, "grandma" and "gg". Yet with her boarding time being ever so close, heaven called her home. She traveled the world over, Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Alaska, and on and on, with her home displaying the treasured mementos she accumulated along the way as a reminder of each of her unbelievable experiences. But this final journey, for some reason, unknown to us all, God did not permit her to make. Just as no one knows the day or hour of Christ's return, neither do we know when heaven is going to call us home. For some it is sudden and swift, and for others they experience life at great length. Hence, as unpredictable as it is, we should not hurry chaotically past the warnings along the way, where unlike the randomness of stock trends, sometimes “up”, sometimes “down”, hoping to at least break even, our Heavenly path should always trend upward, moving from glory to glory, and from faith to faith as we seek to have a closer walk with God each day. As the lyrics to the song, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, plainly reveals.  

I am weak but Thou art strong

Jesus keep me from all wrong

I'll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea

Daily walking close to Thee

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be

Today’s Podcast is titled.

When Heaven Calls

Today’s scripture comes from

Psalm 90:12

12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Have you ever wondered to yourself if you got this thing called, “Christianity,” right? We know its definition. We’ve heard others publicly declare to be. We can assume, I suppose, that it means to be Christ like. However, doing so would oversimplify the true depth of its meaning. Today, it is popular to say such, as it gains us access and privilege by doing so. Conversely, in times past, the period just after the crucifixion of Christ, those that proclaimed such were either persecuted or put to death. When we say such, with conviction, we must take a moment to look inward and take inventory of our lives, not as a means of perfection, always thinking the right thing, always doing what is right, deathly afraid of doing anything wrong as a matter of consequence. So fearful, in fact, that it creates a paralysis of the spirit and renders us unable to move in any positive direction or yield in such a way that God can without restraint use us according to His will.

Therefore, our self-assured proclamation requires a bit more than verbal acknowledgement (or lip service), but we should in fact be the very likeness of Christ. Where do we go to find these elaborate ideologies? To what depths must we go to obtain such?

1Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

(1 Corinthians 11:1)

Today’s Podcast is titled.

His Workmanship

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in

Have you ever found yourself in a place in which the longer you stayed, the more perplexing it became. Where oftentimes what you learned in the beginning no longer applies or makes sense, because we’ve taken on, or added pointless

My senior year would prove to be my worst academically for several reasons, but there was too much going on, my father was in the military, I moved my senior year, the family split up, graduation requirements changed geographically

There was enough confusion then, there is even more so today as the lines of understanding often become blurred. Many often inquire about the difference between this religion and that? What’s the difference between this church and

Today’s Podcast is titled.

Wrapped Up … the Cat in the Yarn

This week marks the 22nd Anniversary of the catastrophic events that took place on September 11th, 2001, in which we witnessed firsthand the horror and devastation that took place that day. There are few such events throughout history where we can say we were there. Those that happen with little or no warning. Thousands of lives lost in an instant, the suddenness of humanity’s hopelessness on full display. Faces covered in the palms of their hands, hearts pounding and melting within, exhausted first-responders. Meanwhile, others, trapped in the unfolding tragedy were left without any options at all. We do, however, years later, continue to hear of the heroic efforts of those who, without regard for themselves, helped others to narrowly escape danger, even at the expense of their own lives. The hope of humanity still emerges in tragedy.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13).

We must be reminded that the times and the moments we have are not promised, but rather a treasured gift from God. Therefore, why do we live life as if God has an obligation to us, and continue to aimlessly take Him for granted, as if we will awaken tomorrow, as if the measure of our health will continue flourish, or as if those in our lives will be present for an eternity. It is disturbing that we, intentionally or not, thrust upon God human qualities and characteristics, as if He abides, functions and lives as we do, causing us to render Him our equal. I assure you, with the greatest confidence, He is not. We should not assume that God will always usher us away from danger, to be called out amid trouble. That is not always the case, as the righteous can lose their lives among the sinful as well but are still preserved for eternity. We can be assured that God is able to keep us. That while desolation and destruction abound, He extends the fullness of peace therein. We cannot, however, have that confidence unless we have witnessed personally the goodness of God's grace and mercy.

I Love You, Lord

Lyrics

For waking me up this morning, For letting me see a brand new dawning, Though I made plans for this day, Death could have come during the night and took me away. I love You, Lord, I love You, With all my heart, with all my soul.

Today’s Podcast is titled.

It Could Have Been … Me

The focus verse today is.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they

I am pleased and consider it a privilege to be with you once more. It feels like an eternity, since my last podcast, but my time away was needed to set aside time to consider what God would have me to share, and to lovingly hold fast the faith that He has patiently poured into each of you. My hope is that in continuing to ministering to you, I am found worthy of your time and thoughtfulness.  

As Perspectives returns, I believe it is only fitting to share with you, once more, an episode from October 10th, of 2020, titled; A Conversation, in which I had the pleasure of sharing with God’s faithful and loving servant, the late Dr. Robert L. Fairley, of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, in San Bernardino,

I admired his integrity and humility, and irrespective of the enormity of his countless accomplishments, like Jesus, he in no way put on appearances, and he was never beyond the reach of our humanity. He would always remind me, and cautioned as he laughed, we did not come to stay".

I have heard others speak of him saying very simply, they don’t make them like that anymore. I was honored to have him speak at my retirement, spend time with him golfing, and receive more than a few of his cherished books from the expanse of his personal library, in which this gentle soul of a man, refined and accomplished thought enough me to impart a wealth of godly insight. He also, licensed and ordained me into the ministry, and exhibited in word and deed how to preach the Gospel, and entreat God’s people. Not only was he a good shepherd, but he loved everyone unconditionally.

Without further delay, please join me in listening, as it is my pleasure to introduce to you once again, my pastor, friend, and mentor, Dr. Robert L. Fairley.