SCRIP-BITS

Romans 12:12.   Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

 Romans 12:12.       Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

Oh Friends, I’m here today to testify! To testify that our Lord God Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is indeed an exceedingly great God! Not only in terms of His might and power, but also in the beautiful, LOVING manner in which He raises His children. Oh my people, the Lord’s trying to tell or teach me something, but obviously I’m not listening or learning. The long and short of the story is this: You all know I was in Vegas over the weekend, having a good time, being truly blessed. Friends, when I stop and think about the way complete strangers have been treating me, I can only conclude that it’s been the hand of God, and say: ‘Thank you Lord!’ I’ve said that countless times since my vacation began. And now, as I write this Bit from a comfortable home office, somewhere in sunny California, with a nice view of trees, houses and mountains, I have to give even more thanks. Yes Friends, I am in California, don’t ask me where, not too far from L.A though. Anyway, I left Vegas yesterday around lunch time in a rented car…I even got an upgrade for the same price as the smaller car – the Lord’s hand of blessing again – so I was able to travel in the comfort I’m accustomed to. (smile) The Duchess, Cousin Sharon and I headed down through the Mojave Desert, cruising in comfort with the tunes playing and good camaraderie happening. We arrived at our host’s, the couple whose wedding we attended in Vegas, at around 5.30. It’s a nice, comfortable place with a pool that the host invited me to sample, but no, my mind was set on salt water. The family came over and the atmosphere was enriched. But Mr. Hot Stuff was intent on going to the beach. I so badly wanted to see, taste and feel the salty air and the saltiness of the ocean, tomorrow would be no good. I hadn’t waited for four years for a dip in the sea, then come so close, and yet wait another day. So my host gave me some directions and away I went, by myself. I didn’t have any real problems finding Zuma Beach, but asked for directions a couple times just to be sure I was going the right way. I got there about half an hour after setting out, exhaled a long sigh of thanks as I gazed out at the wide expanse of almost empty beach and the mighty Pacific Ocean extending as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately the water seemed a bit rough, but like a stout trooper I headed across the beach to the water’s edge, passing a man and a woman, the only two people close by, using metal detectors, searching for whatever in the sand. Uncharitably, I wondered what they expected to find. To tell the truth, I was disappointed when I saw the waves angrily frothing up the shore, and when I put my feet in the water…Brrr! was it ever cold! In fact, the whole beach area was much cooler than the interior. A young couple passed by and I asked if people actually swam in that cold water. They said yes, and often it was cooler than that, so I should just go for it. Well there was never any doubt that I would check it out, having come from so far and waited so long for it. So I got up my gumption and waded into the frothing shore breakers up to my waist. Now I don’t remember if I sat down voluntarily or if the waves threw me down, but I was suddenly enveloped by the roiling water. I tried to stand up, felt one knee pain and buckle under me, so I simply sank back down into the water. After a few more waves washed over me, I finally managed to stand up, chuckling at my sorry self. But that chuckle was short lived, for the Lord in His contrariness immediately drew my attention to my left hand and my missing wedding ring. And the hurtful part is that I considered leaving my watches and rings at home, but only left the watch, reasoning that the rings would not fall off. Obviously I was wrong. Oh Friends, that sudden realization that my wedding ring of almost forty years was gone, most likely forever, was painful and I cried out to the Lord, more in sadness and disappointment than anger. I knew there was a reason for it, though I couldn’t fathom it. I also knew the Duchess would be angry because I’d lost the first one about two months after our marriage and she’d dutifully replaced it with this one. My argument was to be; well this one lasted almost forty years. (smile) Another thing, remember those two people I saw with metal detectors on the beach and my uncharitable thought? Well I had to laugh, because now when I needed them, I looked around and they were nowhere to be found. Hn! The Lord at work again! I eventually went back into the cold, frothing water, spent about fifteen minutes splashing and being thrown around by the waves, couldn’t swim though because there was never a calm enough moment to do so. By the time I left Zuma, it was growing dark, and my soul was sad, bemoaning the loss of the ring, not the monetary value – though with the soaring price of gold it was probably worth much more then when we bought it – but for the sentimental and emotional value. But if I thought that was the end of my problems…Chuh! The fun had just begun. I navigated my way back through the canyons to the highway and got off at the right exit, then got lost. Hn, Hn! I drove around for about fifteen minutes trying to find my bearings, causing all sorts of traffic problems. Thought I had the number for my hosts, but couldn’t find it. Then while driving through a plaza, my host called me on my cell phone, but I couldn’t tell him where I was, so I went into a pizza joint in the plaza to see if they could help, but in the middle of our conversation my phone died. One of the drivers finally gave me directions, with which I found an area I recognized and headed home. But then I realized that I knew the main turn off but not the secondary one. I knew I had to go up a hill, but couldn’t find anything like that. Eventually, while driving around lost and aimless, I saw this older white woman out walking, so I stopped and asked for her help. This time it’s dark, I’m in a pair of tight short pants, barefooted, hair unkempt, possibly looking real weird and scary, but surprisingly, with no hesitation, she asked for my address so she could go and look it up on the map. Just then I also found my host’s phone number tucked away in my pants pocket, so I went into the house and suggested we call instead. She agreed and dialled the number for me. The directions proved that I wasn’t far from home, but instead of making a right turn, I should have made a left. So I thanked the lady and her husband, who’d been poring over a map, guardian angels sent to guide me safely, then continued on my way. But though I followed the directions, I still couldn’t find the place. My bladder was bursting and I was beginning to get irritable, so I just decided to drive back to a nearby plaza, find a phone somehow and ask someone to come and get me. But as usual Friends, when the Lord’s in control of your life, good things happen when needed. Just as I drove into the plaza and parked, my host pulled up beside me. The problem stemmed from poor communication; he told me to take the first left, when it should have been the second left. But as they say, all’s well that ends well. The family was happy to see me back safely, and the Duchess was so overjoyed by my safe return that she claimed the loss of the ring was an anti-climax. Thank you Lord! Ah my people, I was so hot to trot, had to go to the beach immediately, that I never considered the Lord might have wanted me to stay home and enjoy the family fellowship instead. There’s a lesson in waiting patiently on him, and I paid a price for not doing so. A price, though not disastrous, but steep enough to bring me to my senses. But also Friends, please note that at every step of my misadventure, the Lord provided someone or something to guide me safely. And that’s the beauty of our God: though we walk contrary to His Word, and He decides to instil some discipline, it’s never too much to bear, and there are always guardian angels hovering around us for protection. So why are we so afraid to embrace Him and wholeheartedly surrender our lives to His divine guidance eh? Much LOVE!…wait patiently on the Lord…and in His time…He will give you the desires of your heart…  P.S. It’s very late and long, but life and some computer problems tripped me up. And better late than never. (smile) Much LOVE!

Ephesians 5:20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh Friends, it’s another beautiful, hot, sunny day in Vegas, with temps of over 100 expected again. But that doesn’t seem to faze the crowds at all. They might say it’s hot, but nonetheless continue on their merry way rejoicing. It’s now shortly after 8 a.m on Sunday morning as I sit writing this in my room overlooking the city, gazing out the big plate glass window at the marvellously sculpted, semi-circular mountain range in the distance, towering over the very flat land that lies before it. I believe the mountain range is the Colorado Rockies. Unexpectedly though, thegreat contrast between the two land masses brings to mind the  great differences between our God and us: We are like the flat land, and He is the towering mountains; strong, infallible, immovable, just, true and faithful. Then a feeling of warmth, of thanks and praise rises in my soul. And my people there are lots of things we need to give our great God thanks and praise for; the first big occasion this morning being that Hurricane Irene did not cause as much damage or loss of life as expected on the U.S. east coast. And all God’s people raised a mighty, but humble and grateful cheer to heaven! Yes Friends, it could certainly have been worse, and thankfully Irene has lost a lot of her power and has been downgraded to a tropical storm. Let’s hope she doesn’t do much, if any damage to beautiful Eastern Canada, where she appears to be headed now. But she still did enough damage and inconvenienced so many millions of people in the Eastern U.S. that it will take some time for things to return to some semblance of normalcy. And that’s exactly why Bruh Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, re the ways of a believer, stresses the words of our Bit. ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Oh Friends, whatever happens, it’s essential that at all times, under all circumstances, we’re in a thankful mode concerning our God. Yes, thanks for life, health, wealth and all the other good things we enjoy,should always be on our lips. And in the rough times, we should thank Him for His faithful promise to bring us through those valleys of the shadow of death into the bright sunshine of life, like with Irene, for remember: ‘We know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28) Now listen to Bruh David’s take on constant thankfulness: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3) Yes my people, that’s the way we believers ought to consider and glorify our wonderful, merciful and forgiving God! But sadly, too many of us don’t consider Him at all, or just remember Him when we have problems we can’t solve in our own strength. That’s definitely not the way for a true believer to behave. Unfortunately though, the modern world with all its strains and stresses, it’s torrid pace of life, finds us concentrating too much on ourselves and the world, on making a living, and not enough on God. We need to slow down Friends, spend some more time smelling and admiring the roses, enjoying the things of God, being in constant companionship with Him. That’s the only way we’ll live long and prosperous lives. Lusting after the terminal things of the world, trying to emulate the rich and the powerful, only puts us under abnormal stress, stress we certainly don’t need. So Friends, with Hurricane Irene fresh in our minds, and all the problems she’s caused, less though than she could have, let’s get serious and turn seriously to our God nuh; the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD! He created us, He provides for us, He dearly LOVES us, but He will also judge and punish us for our sinful, ungodly behaviour. What will it take for us to wake up and realize the disastrous road we’re walking? Will we be obstinate and rebellious until the promised fire and brimstone rains down on us? Won’t we recognize that Irene was a major warning signal from God that our society is too idolatrous, wicked and evil and continue our ungodly ways? Who would ever have thought that one day the great metropolis of New York, the city that never sleeps, would be evacuated because of a little thing like a hurricane? None of us really, but it happened. And Friends, all the disasters that are happening close to home now are wake up calls from the Lord. He’s getting tired of our evil, ungodly shenanigans, and if we don’t put a stop to them, He will. It’s not my word, but the Lord’s, and they can be found in the Good Book, that fabulous tome of wisdom and guide to the good and prosperous life! Please my brethren, let’s learn from the mistakes and painful examples of other societies who forsook and forgot God in their times of prosperity, then were forsaken and destroyed by Him. Please, let’s not allow that to happen to our society, let’s return to Him with truly repentant hearts, and receive His mercy, grace, forgiveness and LOVE! Much LOVE!…if you don’t hear…you will surely feel…

1 Timothy 1:19.    Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

Luke 7:50.     And he (Jesus) said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee go in peace.

Surprise Friends, it’s Friday! The day we’ve all been anxiously waiting for to begin our weekend. And Surprise, Surprise the ole fella’s the one shouting the loudest ‘T.G.I.F! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Why? Because I’m writing this missive to you at 3 a.m. from the fifty-fifth floor of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas! Yes Friends, the ole fella’s in Sin City U.S.A! Wow! I’m writing while looking out at the bright lights of the famous Las Vegas Strip. I haven’t seen much of the action as yet because I only got here a few hours ago and Trump’s a couple blocks away in quieter surroundings. I left T.O. at 9.p.m Thursday and got here four hours later at 10 something. The miracle of modern travel! And who says the Lord doesn’t move in mysterious ways eh! Tell dem deh lie, for He certainly does! I’m not sure if it was Paladin the old TV movies, who used to say, ‘Have gun will travel, but I’m certainly saying now: ‘Have Bible, have laptop, have passport will travel! (smile). I didn’t have the last two before, so I couldn’t go anywhere far and write the Bit, neither could I leave the country without a passport. But then the Lord in His wonderful kindness surprised me with a laptop from my children for Christmas. Then I heard about my wife’s cousin getting married in Vegas, and after having two passport forms sitting in front of me on my desk for over two years, I suddenly got the Spirit, filled out one and took some new passport photos, and voila! A couple weeks later I had all the necessary requirements for travel! Friends, that just goes to show when we wait as patiently as we can on the Lord He will eventually give us our heart’s desires, and in many cases better than that. Now I don’t know what He has planned for me in Vegas, but I know it’s not gambling,(smile) because I don’t have the desire or the funds, but I’m definitely here with an open mind, and deep down I feel that this will be a holiday to treasure in my memory chest. But enough about me, let’s get down to the Lord’s business and chant our Friday Chant! ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And that my people can only be accomplished if we have true and strong faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, fully acknowledging that He is who He says He is, and can do what He says He can do. Faith is the most critical component of Christianity, as Jesus so vividly points out in all His doings, per example our Bit: ‘And he (Jesus) said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.’ Now here are two more examples of Jesus testifying that strong faith is of the ultimate importance in Christian maturity. The first is when He healed ten lepers while passing through a village on His way to Jerusalem. They cried out to Him from a distance: ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed.'(Luke 17:11-14) But the sad part of this story is that only one of them, when he realized that he’d been healed, ‘turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And he fell down on his face at his (Jesus’) feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.’ (Luke 17:15-19) Yes Friends, only one out of the ten was grateful enough for their healing to turn back and thank the Master, and that a stranger, a Samaritan – with strong faith.Hn! But don’t turn up your noses in disgust and superiority, for many of us do the same thing: the Lord blesses us and we don’t have the good manners to say even a simple ‘Thank you Lord.’ Our final example of Jesus using faith as His basis for healing comes from the time He was approaching Jericho and a blind beggar sitting by the roadside heard the commotion and asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ‘And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.’ Those around him told him to shut up: ‘but he cried the more, thou son Of David, have mercy on me.’ Jesus then commanded that they bring the blind man to Him, then asked him: ‘What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.’ (Luke 18:35-43) Ah Friends, what a pleasure it is to see people giving our great, generous and merciful God thanks and praise for His many blessings! Unfortunately, we don’t do it as often as we should in these godless, sinful times. Please, let’s rectify that situation nuh. The problem though is that too many of us nowadays have only the talk it faith, not the real feel it faith, so we don’t ask or believe as strongly and with enough purpose as we should. So obviously strong, true faith is sadly lacking in far too many believers today, and only as we rectify that problem, will God’s kingdom be furthered as it should. From Vegas with Much LOVE!…faith…in Jesus…is the power that moves mountains…that turns them into molehills…

Luke 7:50.   And he (Jesus) said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.