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May 29, 2015

The Lord bless you, Youtube family!

I just wanted to give you a quickie update. I was in the middle of a message last night, and falling asleep...(chuckle). So, the Lord sent me to bed. And I didn't get a message up last night.

And this will happen, typically - I don't want to bore newcomers, but just so you guys know...this will happen typically when I have to go to the doctor, go shopping for groceries, clean up the refrigerator, clean the house - things like that. ALL of which I did yesterday...

So, I was pretty much road-kill by the end of the day, but I went ahead with the message anyway. So, forgive me if I don't get a message up - there's a really good reason for it.

I'm going to go back to that message in a little while, but in the meantime, I found something very interesting. I guess we're still under attack from a couple of different folks that really think that we're "out there". Hey, we ARE "out there" - we're out there with the Lord!

Anyway, I have some books that I use sometimes for a rhema - an anointed word of God. Something that just kind of gives me an idea of what's on the Lord's heart and mind before I actually, really sense it. This was very cute - this is what I opened to in a book called Jesus, Inc. - in other words, Jesus, Incorporated. The author comes from a business perspective as a very devout Christian. The Visionary Path by Laurie Beth Jones, author of Jesus, CEO. She's very, very encouraging. And, for people who tend to be depressive personalities, I highly recommend her. She'll just boot you right off your posterior if you're sitting there having a pity party! And she has some great ideas.

So, I asked the Lord what was on His mind, prayerfully, and I opened to: "He did not fear threatening letters." Hmmm...isn't that interesting? In light of all the "lovely" comments some of our "friends" have been leaving. I call them friends, because we love them in Jesus. This is a little worldly, guys, so forgive me - it's a little off track of our spirituality, our normal spirituality. But, it's practical and it addresses what's been going on with our channel.

Quoting Laurie Beth Jones,

"I work hard to maintain my credit rating, " she said. "So, when I received a notice that my mortgage payment was 30 days late - I promptly got on the phone. In the midst of refinancing my Texas and New Mexico property, it seemed some confusion had occurred regarding the two deeds. My automatic draft had been canceled, so I could personally deliver a check. Then, the documents didn't show up in time, so I was notified not to make any payment. Subsequently, I received a red-lined letter stating I was in danger of losing the property."

I'd say THAT was a threatening letter! Due to the missing payment.

"I was given a list of Credit Counselors to call" -

Oh gee! Well, there's an insult to somebody's pride who works hard on a credit rating!

"This upset me..."

Yeah...I'll bet it did!

"...so I called the woman who was coordinating the refinance and told her that I had received threatening correspondence regarding my property, and my credit standing.

"Debbie - who sounded on the phone as if she were about 20 years old, paused for a moment, and then said in her most dramatic voice,'Ooooo....a THREATENING letter!!'

"I was so taken aback by her humorous perspective that I burst out laughing. This serous letter, which at the time was blocking the entire horizon of my future, was seen by this Generation X-er for what it truly was: a hiccup. A gnat on the timeline of life.

"It made me think of how spiritual people who strike out, to grow, and have a business, whatever"

...like I said, her focus is a little different than ours.

"It made me think of how spiriturners regularly face threatening letters of some sort. Either written out in tangible form, or spelled out word for word at night, while we lie sleeping...or trying to sleep.

"Nehemiah received a threatening letter as he was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. 'We hear you are actually leading a rebellion against the King! He's heard it, too, and he wants you to come down from there.' To which Nehemiah replied, 'I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down.'

"David's brothers tried to keep him from fighting Goliath. Joseph's brothers tried to keep him from rising to power over them. Jesus received several warnings about ceasing and desisting from His work. Sound familiar??

"In fact, if you haven't received a threatening letter in your mind or otherwise, warning you of imminent danger to your life and very soul if you continue on this path... you probably are sitting in a rocking chair, eyes permanently fixed to the Comfort Zone!"

Taking a brief moment here... Well, I AM 69, I am a grandmother and I do have a rocking chair...although I never sit in it. But, that's as far as the resemblance is gonna go as long as the Lord's grace is upholding me and He has something for me to say or do.

Laurie Beth continues: "I have a friend who decided to launch a conference, inviting business leaders from all around the world to convene and discuss the spiritual aspects of their work."

She is very Christian.

"Initially, her pastor was supportive, and he even offered to speak at the event. That is...until it looked as though it was going to be REALLY successful. Suddenly, this pastor realized that her event was going to outshine all the ones he had put on. So, the night before the conference was to begin, he wrote her a letter and hand-delivered it. As she unfolded it, and read it before him, she couldn't believe the words on the page! 'Dear sister, after much prayer and fasting, I and the church board have decided that this event is NOT from God, but from the devil himself. Therefore, you are to call all guests and participants immediately, and turn over the mailing list to our church, so we may pray over the souls who are about to be duped by satan, working through you.'"

Wow! When I read this, guys, I thought 'that's exactly what people are threatening us with! I can't believe that!' You know, that we're working for satan. This just blows my mind! Curses and the whole nine yards, from Christians! Well...they think they're Christians, and I guess they are... But, I'd have to say they're a little misguided by some kind of spiritual force. Or, maybe just their own flesh. I don't know... I am praying for them.

In any case, I have to move on. It's just like what Nehemiah said - I can't stop! I'm doing what the Lord's asked me to do. I can't stop.

So, continuing on with the story:

"The lady who was holding the conference, Barbara, looked at him and said, 'I'm doing a great work, Pastor Brown. And I cannot, and will not end it now.' With that, she invited him to leave."

That's my stance. I can not and I WILL not end it.

Laurie Beth continues, "Oooooo...a threatening letter!"

"Now, SHE knew it was going to succeed - and it did, beyond her wildest imaginings. The conference that she and her mother ended up bankrolling after the church pulled has now become an annual event, attended by business leaders and supported by foundations from around the world. A threatening letter did not stop her great work. The young Nazarene was warned frequently about the dangerous consequences of His mission.

"Jesus did not fear 'threatening letters'."

So, I just wanted to leave that with you. Interestingly enough, the message the Lord began last night was about Enemies. And it promises to be a really, really instructive message, because He is going to reveal to us some aspects of the enemy, some dynamics that we've never considered before. I really look forward to hearing the rest of what He has to say - and I am so sorry that I fell asleep last night!

But, forgive me and understand, when there's not a fresh message up in the morning, there's a really good reason for it. And, I think I may make it somewhat of a practice in the future to at least share an update with you until I can get the message up.

So, the Lord bless you all! Thank you for listening to our channel. Especially, I bless you, one of our of our happy friends that doesn't like us - God bless you, and the Lord heal your heart. Hopefully we can have peace between us. In Jesus' Name, amen.