We Have Forgotten that the Way is Narrow. (Paul Washer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_hGBFVzYZ4

Tamara Laroux Shot Herself, & Went to Hell, Then to Heaven and BACK!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGQDkCi-OIY

A made up Heart Vs Mind

A made up Heart vs. a made up Mind?
By: Nathlee Grant

The Book Ruth (Chapter1: 6 -18)

Orpah vs. Ruth

It had never occurred to me before now, I guess it’s because I have never looked elsewhere when reading the book of Ruth except that Ruth married Boaz and gave Naomi a grandson that made her happy again.  Now as I stare at the beginning of the book. Orpah and Ruth jump out right at me. The scripture said they both were leaving Moab with Naomi to go to Israel.

 Vs 6-7 “ She (Naomi) decided to return to Israel with her daughters-in-law, for she had heard that the Lord had blessed his people by giving them good crops again.” I am of the impression that the daughter in laws had no issue  going with Ruth, as a matter of fact I believe their loyalty to her was a driving force, but only Ruth went, why?.

Vs 8-10  “But after they had begun their homeward journey, she changed her mind and said to her two daughters-in-law, “Why don’t you return to your parents’ homes instead of coming with me? And may the Lord reward you for your faithfulness to your husbands and to me. And may he bless you with another happy marriage.” Then she kissed them, and they all broke down and cried. “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”

Naomi and her family must have lived an impressive and a good life, one of such to have these women clinging to stay with her and wanting to remain a part of her people. Again the question is, What happen to Orpah?

Vs 11-14   But Naomi replied, “It is better for you to return to your own people. Do I have younger sons who could grow up to be your husbands?  No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to have a husband. And even if that were possible, and I became pregnant tonight, and bore sons  would you wait for them to grow up? No, of course not, my daughters; oh, how I grieve for you that the Lord has punished me in a way that injures you.”And again they cried together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, and returned to her childhood home; but Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi.

I believe Orpah loved Naomi, and truly wanted to be with her, but when she assessed the situations she changed her mind. Could we be in the same situation as Orpah, we thought this is the thing for us and as soon as someone or something give another spin we return to our childhood home/ our old habit / to what we are familiar with. A made up Heart will take you thus far on the journey and no further, but look where a made up Mind can take you.

Vs. 15-18 “See,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; you should do the same.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t make me leave you, for I want to go wherever you go and to live wherever you live; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God; I want to die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to separate us.”  And when Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind and could not be persuaded otherwise, she stopped urging her.

With a made up mind you not easily persuaded. A song writer said “I’ve got my mind made up and I won’t turn back” while another states “No power of Hell no scheme of man will ever pluck me from His (Christ) hands. How made up is YOUR mind? Only a made up mind will take you to completion.

As I  look even closer at Naomi, I believe Ruth saw something special or different about Naomi that . Something huge enough to have Ruth stuck with her, wanting her people and her God to be hers.   I want to think that Naomi represented herself, her people and her God well. This realization forces me to look into my life and think on these questions.

1.      How am I representing:

·        Myself

            ·        My Family
            ·        My Community
            ·        My Ministry 
            ·        The Church (The Body of Christ) ?

2.   How am I representing the places and peoples God allow me to be with and among?

Let us pray:

Father we thank you for your words, we thank you oh God, for the wisdom, knowledge and understanding you have bestowed on us. As we look now to you, to know and follow your way, we ask gracious God that you will help to have a one-minded mind. A mind that will stand strong holding on to YOU and never chaffed in the wind (situations and circumstances) and blown away. Help us to look to Christ always, that we will forever walk on WATER. Father for everything you have expected of us, you have given the resources, therefore God we ask that you will show us how to unlock these resources and use them wisely in ways that will bring Glory to your name and us. help us to know who we are and to whom we belong. Help us oh God to value and appreciate all you have given us in name of Jesus Amen!

You can depend on GOD to see you through - Paul Morton

Be Blessed my brother, 
Be blessed my sister, 
be blessed wherever this life leads you, 
let me encourage you, 
let me speak life to you, 
You can depend on God to see you through, 
You can depend on me to pray for you 

-You might be hurting, 
you might be crying, 
you might be worrying and frustrated to, 
let me encourage you let me speak life to you 
you can can depend on God to see you through, 
you can depend on me to pray for you 

-Pray im gonna keep on prayin, 
Pray im gonna keep on prayin for you, 
Pray im gonna keep on prayin, 
Pray im gonna keep on prayin for you 
you can depend on God to see you thru, 
you can depend on me to pray for you 

Bridge: 
I see you in the future. 
and you look better, 
I see you walking in favor and prosperity too, 
let me encourage you, 
let me speak life to you, 
you can depend on God to see you through, 
you can depend on me to pray for you 

-I pray for you, 
you pray for me, 
and watch God change things, 
Repeat 1x 

-I pray for you, 
you pray for me and watch God change things 

Repeat 6x

10 Amazing Christian Testimonies (1)

The boy who came back from HEAVEN

God needs something to work with

God needs Something to work with
By: Nathlee Grant

God is setting up someone for us…… What can we give Him to work with?

In recent times I have been wrapping my mind on the story in the book of Joshua, in particular the wall of Jericho.  My own analysis, in Joshua 2, two spies were sent to the city to spy it out; I am guessing that this was done so that they could come up with some formation and strategy to attack the city.

while they were there Rahab did the most honourable thing, which was in favour to God and them, she hid them.  

In Joshua 6, the big day to take down the city Jericho, I was anticipating while reading, some top a top formation, skills and strategy, instead God told them in simplicity (to the human mind )to march around the city. This is ridiculous after all that spying and near death, this is it. BUT it worked! wow! My thing now is why then, was it important for the spies to into the city at all?

There is no coincident where God is concern, and I can bet they went into the city only to bring RAHAB out, just as Naomi went all the way to Moab to bring RUTH out. But importantly, they both  i.e. Rahab and Ruth needed to give God something to work with, just as the boy with the fish and bread, Mary and Martha rolled the stone away, Mary the mother of Jesus ask the servant to do as Jesus ask fill the pan with water. Hear this part “Enter the house of the harlot and rescue the woman and everyone connected with her”.  Go into the house and rescue the woman from what? My guess again, rescue her from prostitution. Rahab gave a change of heart, which was all God needed to finish his purpose in her life, Philippians states it better… He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Ruth gave a lifestyle, one pleasing to God.

What can we give God to work with?

Understanding ourselves

We are equally important to our CREATOR, whose love for ALL is constant and unconditional.

Where are we looking

Outside /IN or Inside/OUT
By: Nathlee Grant

Outside-In

Going through high school I watched the pretty girls spend all day in the bathroom getting their faces right. They usually spend hours setting their uniforms which could never seemed to suit them, hairs were always in place, shoes spic and spank, these girls were always neatly dressed, not a single pleat was out of place. This and other aspect of my life forced me to think that how I look on the outside determined my functionality and purpose. 

Inside -out

When a programmer writes a computer program; a program is a sequence of instructions, written to perform a specified task with a computer.  He actually place a portion of his thoughts (mind) on some platform which is tested for its functionality, performance and accuracy. Then when he is satisfied he creates an appropriate house/shell for protection, storage.

Aesthetics is usually the last thing on a programmer's mind during coding, testing and even implementation because in reality it cannot perform the functions required, e.g. how a calculator looks cannot not calculate sum of two numbers or any other calculations.  Actual a programmer is most proud when his program executes perfectly, rather than a fancy or beautiful design is.  The word beautiful in the world of a programmer is usually associated with perfect functionalities, “it is beautiful", is exclaimed ONLY when the program does what it is supposed to do. 

Observation

Dig deeper, the program and the house it is stored are inter related and interconnected relying each other for survival. In this context there are wires that run inside the house to create that communication between itself and the program (human body mind/thoughts).

Analysis

I would want to believe that when God created us in His image and likeness; he formed the house, blew into our nostril and when he was done said beautiful, it was merely for the fact that we could carried out all the purposes and functionality that he intended for us do. I believe our earthly bodies are the house our spiritual being a very important role and should not be limited to beauty competition. Is God interested in our appearances or our  functionality?   Outside- In or Inside – Out

 HiNt

Man looks on the outside God looks at your heart

Food for thoughts

Food for thoughts, man put a portion of his mind in a computer which operates in our world but in a different world/realm, did God put a portion of himself in this, our earthly body to allow us to operate in a different realm (world) even though He is with us in this world?

He sends Adam and Eve out of the Garden, The scripture did not say God left the garden nor did he descend from them. My mind is going somewhere…but I would have to leave this for now.

Back to the story of computing, since we put our mind into a computer and it function in that way is it safe to say that we can operate like God to the extent of what he has deposited in us? Is God is expecting us to carry out a particular function he had designed us for? Hmm…could it be that we have not tapped into that aspect of our lives because of the limitation in our upbringing. Paul said don’t think too highly of yourself neither think low of yourself; hmm do we know ourselves, who we are? If I know who I am and aim to maximize just that, would I not think moderately of myself...?

The correlation of the house and the program; a set of instruction of the computer carry out a series of decoding and encoding so that the computer can be able to understand and interpret in its world (language) what it is we are saying  and  intelligently display a result to us in our world (language).. 

POST YOUR THOUGHTS!

Our Jamaica By: Nathlee Grant

Our 50th celebration has ended, but we have celebrated still exist....

Our Treasure

If we know what we have, we will seek after it!

Luke 15 - "Seeking the Lost"

 Theme: Living like Jesus did from Bible Study Wednesday October 10, 2012:

I’ll share a thought I had this morning following last evening’s Bible Study “Seeking the LOST”……To begin searching for anything or anyone diligently it/he/she has to mean something to us, something of value, something worthwhile. So I started digging deep, real deep, and the only thing that came up…honestly was my children. Again I probe, trying desperately to find others apart from my children, ding, dong, ding, dong, still nothing, so I asked intensely, whom else would I drop everything for?..........Mighty!, reality hit, I have reached a stage where it seemed nothing matter, everything seems replaceable; All those disappointments, hurt and all others added up and made my heart as hard as rock …..a kind of protective mechanism. "just move on, a dat u a  bawl fah" have became the popular phases used since the day of birth. These are the very phrases I used  in broken relationships, seeing the person only as "dat"….. of little or no value.

This, now I can say really is not to hurt the person so much, as it is to hide pain, the real feelings proving to others that I am  strong, which therefore, after a while becomes the NORM.......one of my popular phrase; “is who him/she think be” with attitude and a kiss teeth expression then proudly move on. My, my is this, who I really am, but I have seen the traits and have acknowledged them and the truth is.......

There is no relationship that I would try desperately to keep, no one person I'll try time after time to get his/her attention, none I would dedicatedly seek out time after time, insults after insults, disappointments after disappointments “no boba” not before now  …… “Living as Jesus did”. Understanding who Christ was/ is, what he represents and what he has done and is doing, then it pains me to think I am otherwise. The scripture said the He was bruised for our transgressions, insulted, spat at, scorned, mocked, laughed at etc….. WHY not I? I was, in my previous life conditioned to, leave it, rest it, some would say, move on or just can’t bother.  What if Christ had done the same thing, cared less gave up or just plainly couldn’t bother? Thank God he didn’t, instead he humbly went to the cross. “Living like Jesus did” ……….

On my way to work this morning I was pleased and in awe at how beautiful the ground looked now then reflected far back in days, when it was used for hands on training, mechanic esp., filled with old cars, truck and bus you name it, there was not a sign of beauty, smiling I thought, that’s it!, in order to stay with someone, through thick or thin, the focus cannot be on the present condition/s, hallelujah! I get excited when I am getting a download WOW!  it is to see what lies ahead; Have a VISION, the vision of his/her life, by this I started laughing out aloud, ding, ding, ding , this is the download, when we seek God we seek him not only for our self but for the ones he gave us to take to Him . Hear the scripture “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world…….. I protected them and kept them safe……--” John 17:6 &12.  (Living as Christ did: …”All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. John 6:37). Before I can start to think which friend to take to Father, I know now I have to seek Him first haha haha… Living like Christ did.  Luke6: ¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them,….”

If we know what we have we will seek after it!!

What to do:  LIVE AS JESUS DID – protect and keep them safe

How: pray and seek the VISION of GOD

Why: Reveal God to Man

A mother's love By: Nathlee Grant

Our place value determined our WORTH

Value yourself and know your worth....
By: Nathlee Grant

Our WORTH is dependent on the VALUE We place on our self. 

For too long we have sat around  making ourselves worthwhile based on values others place on us. ...

Then we began feeling worthless when they no longer note we exist......

Value yourself only you and you alone know your WORTH....

We can

If the words" I can't"  leave your mouth, 

 and 

"yesterday" doesn't follow  

then FORGET IT.....

Because you CAN!

We CAN

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.  You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” Matthew 21:21-22

For We can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Philippians 4:13

Fathers By: Nathlee Grant

Father:- “A real big man”:

…The first man in a woman’s life, who gives her confirmation, assurance, love and affection, that will one day help her in finding the husband in whom she can identify as her real big man……

…..He is the only MAN from whom that boy can rely on in becoming a real man.  Who can understand himself by observing his father’s hands, imitating the pattern set for him he will become a real big MAN.

Fathers YOU have great Responsibilities on your hands, BUT worry not your father above has the master plan, follow him and you’ll never go wrong

HAPPY Fathers’ day to YOU it belong!

By: Nathlee Grant

NaGrant- 2014

Your Choice.... By: Nathlee Grant

By: Nathlee Grant

Be appreciative and grateful

Accepting and Thankful YET Unappreciative and Ungrateful

By: Nathlee Grant

Harsh but can be true; the topic statement above put me in deep thoughts the first time it arrived on the scene. I was busy doing my work and since I wanted to think I was trying hard to think of a husband, but since this thought came, i wasn't worried at least that what I thought, after all I knew I was at place in my life then where I have accepted all that God had given me and was very much thankful. Hence my first response was, this doesn't make sense, No one is really accepting and unappreciative and thankful and ungrateful, so I tried to put it aside.

But friends after being confronted by the Holy Spirit I re-examine “ME”, and I was guilty as charge. Yes I have accepted and was thankful my life situations; where I am at socially, physically, financially and academically, etc., but was never appreciative and grateful because my eyes were looking busy searching out God’s basket. With thoughts I probably weren’t aware of “im ave all a dat an only gimme this, no sah im mus caan gimme me more”, and I wondered why I was stuck. I couldn’t move because my eyes were on the wrong thing; God’s basket, I could not make use of what was in my hands. I didn’t see them, I saw that God could give me a better Mother, father, community and friends which would have led to a better life. Smile… What is a better life? It is really in using wisdom with what you have (the limited and defected resources) that make life worthwhile, being grateful and appreciating them. Psalms 104: 24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all.

 I am learning now how to be appreciative and grateful, and happy as I thought I was, things just look different now, I mean when I first learnt how to accept and be thankful things did looked different then and I thought great but now the word is AWESOME. Friends it is amazing the way I now see and treat all that I have. All I have now, even you…you are precious, I mean precious like I have never known and seen precious before , in a different way, I really don’t know how to express it, but everything seems best. . I am no longer concern with why God give this instead of that, I am so grateful of his thought than his gift. He didn’t have to but he did, and for me.

Thinking back, I would have accepted and make the best of situations, but now I am learning that appreciating makes situations BEST; which means I don’t have to make best, I have BEST! Don’t think I am grateful and appreciative because I am lazy, I am only because I trust in Him who knows all BEST, whom I believe will supply  all my needs according to the size of my hands. I promised never to concern myself with those that are in God’s basket, but to be grateful and appreciative of all that he gives in my hands. He gives the best for the BEST! Me.

“He made my words of judgement as sharp as a sword” Isaiah 49:2

“He made my words of judgement as sharp as a sword”

Isaiah 49:2
By: Nathlee Grant

With Fathers’ day just a day behind us, I reflected on a phrase from one of female friend “I am not acknowledging these sperm donors”. This took me further in reflecting on a sermon preached some time ago by a beautiful young lady; I believe her name is Gayle, who preached from the passage Isaiah 49.  The first line of verse 2 in particular strike an interest, “He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword” and even though Gayle went into detail then today it stir an interest.

Women, what are our words of judgement? What kind of judgement are we placing on our MEN; leaders, husbands, fathers, sons? 

Remember we are responsible in shaping our sons today to become our Leaders/Husbands/Fathers tomorrow. And should another (mother) messed up with the one we've happened to commit to, even then we can help to change, with our words. We can continue deceiving ourselves and play blame game, but truth be told we are responsible for some of these mess. Today is not too late and we can choose to make a change.

We (ladies) can make the effort to consciously use words that will encourage, motivate, inspire, affirm, accommodate, build, etc.? This effort I am positive will bring us fruits of love, respect, joy, peace, happiness, long life etc.

Our sons; leaders, husbands and fathers are depending on us. We were created to strengthen our MEN! Let God continue to find us faithful through our obedience and trust in Him…..Watch that word!

Isaiah 49

Genesis 22

Our Father who Art in Heaven, we continue to look to you for strength and encouragement as we seek to do your will on earth as in heaven. Father we thank you for the ways in which you have continued to reveal yourself for the good of us, through your love and mercy. Continue to guide us in your path of righteousness as we eagerly anticipate to play our part, in the lives of our sons, husbands, father and leaders whom you have given us. We look to you Abba, for the words we will use daily to give them strength. In Jesus’ name amen!