Month: October 2025

Jesus said, “Peace to you: Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” John 20:21

On June 20, 1980 Universal Studios released the movie which would become an instant classic, The Blues Brothers. The movie tells the story of Jake and Elwood Blues and their mission from God.

Jake Blues, a vocalist and petty thief, is paroled from prison after serving a three year sentence for armed robbery. He is picked up by his brother Elwood, and they decide to make their first stop a visit to the Catholic orphanage where they were raised.

Sister Mary Stigmata who resides at the orphanage, greets the two with disturbing news. Unless the orphanage can raise the $5000.00 it owes in property taxes, the establishment will be closed. The Blues Brothers begin a trek to see what they can do to help.

At the suggestion of their friend, Curtis, the boys attend a sermon by the Reverend Cleopus James at the Triple Rock Baptist Church where Jake has an epiphany: they can reform their band, (The Blues Brothers, which disbanded when Jake went to prison), and raise money to save the orphanage. The movie tells the story of their journey to make the deadline, and their mission from God.

Although, there are many things along the way that threaten to derail their mission, the boys end up paying the property taxes for the orphanage! They complete their mission from God even though a return to prison was the price they paid.

Although the mission from God in this movie is ficticious and unrealistic, God assigns realistic missions of many different natures to us as Christians. A mission from God is rather like an assisgnment in which, we, as Christians are allowed to participate in demonstrating God’s love, promises, and hope. There are people all around us who are living out this mission from God in their everyday life.

We served five churches in our tenure in the ministry. In each one, the church had a Mission from God whether it be something like every day Bible studies or small groups, or something such as supporting missionaries and housing the homeless. Everyone worked together to make a difference. Every mission from God is important!

In the past week, I’ve seen a mission from God in action not only in our church and small groups, but also in a much larger community of friends and even strangers. Ten days ago, we got the news that the grand daughter of two of our dear friends had been admitted to ICU in Tampa, Florida with encephalitis and meningitis which resulted in brain surgery. Laine is five years old, and a precious little girl!

As word spread of her situation, we all had the conversation that began with, “What can we do to help?” It became apparent that although we couldn’t be there physically to help our friends, we had a job to do. We’ve often heard it said, “We feel so helpless. There’s nothing we can do to help,” but God says, “I have a mission for you.” It became apparent, that our mission was and is to lay all our petitions before Him, and in childlike simplicity pour out our hearts in prayer while trusting in Him to do the rest.

This mission for us at this point is to pray until the mission has been accomplished or until we have complete assurance in our hearts that it will be. Through our prayers, we are declaring that nothing is impossible with God.

Laine has proven that she is a fighter, and those of us who are on this mission from God are committed to fight this battle with her. The Tampa community, churches, and friends have banded together to pray and support the family believing that prayer breaks all barriers, dissolves all chains.

The many folks here and in so many places are committed to expect the unexpected things of God which are above all that we might ask or think. The Bible reminds us that when two or more people agree on anything to pray about on earth, God will grant it, and that Jesus is present when two or three are gathered in His name. Matthew 18:19-20

The God of hope gives us hope in the form of a promise and a track record of faithfulness that remains unbroken. We are believing that God will continue to provide the miracles needed to heal her completely. Please join us in praying for precious Laine and her family.

For God has not given us the spirit of fear or timidity, but rather of power, love, and self control. 2 Timothy 1:7

The month of October is flying by, and I never cease to be amazed at all the yard decorations celebrating Halloween. Grown men are climbing poles in order to place skeletons which wll be visible to passers by, ghosts are lurking around, witches are hanging out, pumpkins are prevalent, and huge spider webs seem to be everywhere!

High on my list of “fears” are spiders! I think it has more to do with walking into their webs than the actual spider, but it doesn’t matter because those huge webs are everywhere! While seeing them is my biggest fear, the fear of those I am with is seeing me, seeing a spider!

Fear is the unpleasant feeling one gets when we think we are in danger or that something bad might happen. It is an emotion that serves as a warning to protect one from a real or imagined threat by triggering a “fight or flight” response.

Evidently,spiders do that for me especially since the orb weaver spiders are reaching maturity at this time of year, building huge webs, and searching for mates. It is said that they are harmless, not aggressive, and they will only bite when they feel threatened which is why my fear drives me to stay away!!

Famous people throughout history have dealt with fears and phobias. Napoleon suffered from an irrational fear of cats (ailurophobia), Queen Elizabeth feared flowers especially roses (anthophobia), Howard Hughes was practically incapacitated by his fear of germs (mysophobia), and Harry Houdini dealt with his fear of claustrophobia of all things!!

There are several things that might cause fear. Specific objects (like spiders, heights, snakes, flying, etc), future events, imagined events, real environmental dangers, and fear of the unknown.

The trouble is many of us deal with some kind of fear, but we don’t consider it a major problem. I can avoid spiders,but it’s not as easy to deal with the everyday fears that are facing us in our neighborhoods, our country, our world, and many times our own personal lives.

The spiritual root of fear usually comes from our separation from God and the lack of faith we put in him to deal with it. There are many kinds of fear, but three of them come to mind today. First, the fear of failure is the most common of all because it keeps us from fulfilling our visions, hopes, and dreams. We need to realize that, not only, are our mistakes survivable, they are teaching tools which sharpen us and make us a better person.

Next, there is the fear of never being good enough. It is hard not to compare ourselves to others, but it’s not about being as good as others; it’s about being ourselves. We are all born with God given gifts to use for a purpose, and that purpose may be unlike anything we have ever known!

Finally, there is the fear of not being accepted. This may be one of the greatest sources of loneliness in our world today. There are so many among us who go home to an empty house, eat dinner alone, watch television, and then go to bed still alone. Even in a crowd, one can feel alone. The key to being accepted is to reach out to others and allow them to enter into your private world.

Sometimes we focus too much on our fears and too little on God’s power to help us deal with them. If we acknowledge them, it’s like flipping on a switch in a dark room, suddenly, we can see the mess and start decluttering.

Fear often stems from believeing lies such as, “I’m not good enough or this situation is hopeless” when Jesus says, “Do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” God wants us to stay connected to Him and to others.

In the midst of fear, the right thing to do is simply to trust God, and while we trust, He can work!

Come before His presence with singing. Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into His presence. Applaud God. Psalm 100:2

In 1978, one of my favorite musical artists, Anne Murray, recorded the single You Needed Me. The writer, Randy Goodrum, wrote the song for his wife, and from the first stanza, the song tells a sweet story. It expresses gratitude for someone who provides support and clears up confusion during difficult times. While the song isn’t exclusively religious, it’s themes of kindness and support can certainly be interpreted that way.

The lyrics center on the writer’s view of unconditional and undeserved love. In his mind, Randy Goodrum wondered how his wife could love him as if he was perfect, when he was not.

The other day as I was on my mission to get doctor appointments, check ups, tests, and other items checked off my list before the end of the year, I was reminded of how much I love that song and its meaning.

On several occasions, when I have been in Wellstar’s Medical building on Roswell Road, I have been comforted to hear calming music coming from a couple who play in the lobby at times. The woman plays the flute, and the man accompanies her on his guitar. The sound they make together is so comforting and beautiful that many times, I will stop to listen and even sing along.

On this day, they were playing Anne Murray’s beautiful song, You Needed Me. I stopped when they finished to chat and thank them for adding the gift of their talents. I am not sure of their story, but they are so dedicated to play here and also in hospice and nursing homes in the area.

Every science agrees that music has a healing power. Research shows that it improves surgical outcomes, it reduces the side effects of cancer therapy, relieve pain, and provides a healing balm for Alzheimers and stroke victims. This comfort is so needed by so many.

My mind turned to all the people in our lives who show us by thoughts, words, and action what a gift it is to be needed. Every Christian wants to be needed in this world of today because each have special gifts and graces which can be used to ease the pain and suffering we see all around us.

When God calls us, He equips us with all we need to be help ourselves and others feel needed. The Bible says, “Ask people what you want them to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” Matthew 7:12

There comes a time in some of our lives when we feel that we have reached the point where either we aren’t needed or we don’t need anyone. It’s like saying we don’t think we are of any use anymore. God always needs us to be open to His needs for our lives.

Many times being needed can be difficult such as in the role of a caregiver. In many cases, they deal with constant needs of those who they love, and it has hard to find a balance between physical and emotional exhaustion.

Our Daddy needed constant care near the end of his life. He didn’t really know what he wanted or needed, but I believe he somehow knew that Mama would be there to take care of his every need.

The expression unconditional love comes to mind when I think of being needed and needing others. This selfless love accepts the person as they are without conditions, ultimatums, or expectation of reciprocation.

The following lyrics from You Needed Me say it all.

I cried a tear, You wiped it dry. I was confused, You cleared my mind. I sold my soul, You bought it back for me, And held me up, And gave me dignity. Somehow you needed me.

You gave me strength to stand alone again, To face the world out on my own again. You put me high upon a pedestal, So high that I can almost see eternity, You needed me, you needed me.

And I can’t believe it’s you I can’t believe its true. I needed you, and you were there. And I’ll never leave, why should I leave I’d be a fool, ’cause I finally found someone who really cares.

You held my hand, When it was cold. When I was lost, You took me home. You gave me hope, when I was at the end, And turned my lies back into truth again, You even called me friend. You needed me. You needed me.

A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren; ill gotten wealth ends up with good people. A good person leaves an inheritance. Proverbs 13:22 from The Message

“A legacy is something we leave behind to the next generation. It can be possessions that we place in the hands of others. It can be principles that we lived that carry on beyond our lives. It also can be people we have influenced whose lives are better as a result of knowing us.” Dr. John Maxwell

Each of us leaves a legacy. As we think about the legacy we might want to leave, keep two things in mind. Today is all we are promised, and no matter who we are, we will leave some sort of legacy. A spiritual legacy can be defined as the non material wisdom, values, faith, and traditions that one passes down to subsequent generations.

On this day nine years ago, we lost our Mama suddenly, and it is a day we will never forget. She left us exactly as she had hoped she would. One minute she was going about her day, getting her hair done, and the next she was hugging Jesus. It was an unbelieveably sad day for us, but the best of days for her.

Her legacy to her girls, in laws, grandchildren, and great grandchildren is one that exemplifies all those qualities one would most hope to be able to pass on to loved ones and friends, but her greatest legacy is love.

The gift of love is most often something we do rather than just something we feel, and she did something to show that love every day. She expressed it in so many different ways; from the cards she sent to others, to the meals she prepared for folks, to the solos she sang to inspire, to the telephone calls to each of us to encourage us, to the hugs and smiles she passed generously to others every day.

So how are we supposed to honor her legacy and express our love? How should anyone honor a legacy of love? One author gave some examples, “A son drives for five hours to be with his mother on her birthday. A friend mentions a book he is interested in; his friend remembers and finds a copy to give to him for no visible reason. A middle aged couple in a restaurant see a young husband and wife with little money and secretly pay their check.

A father knows how much his daughter likes having a clean car, so he sneaks out to wash it for her as a surprise. People in a small group email each other throughout the week as a way of expressing their love and care.” All are ways to show love. and build a lasting legacy.

Jesus was the example of the legacy of love. In His 33 years on this earth, He exemplied love in all He did, and He prepared His disciples to continue His legacy of love when He was gone. They were to spread the legacy of love for God the Father through His son Jesus Christ. Love was the container in which he delivered his legacy.

According to legend, a desert wanderer discovered a spring of cool, crystal clear water, and he filled a leather container with the precious liquid to take to the king. After a long journey, he presented it to the king, who drank it with it with great pleasure and lavishly thanked the wanderer, who went away with a happy heart.

The king’s son tasted the water and spit it out because it had picked up the smell of the leather canteen and become foul. The boy asked the king why he pretended to like such awful tasting water?

The king replied, “Son that man gave me a gift from his heart. It wasn’t the water I enjoyed, but rather the sweet taste of his generosity. When someone gives you something with genuine love, the thing given is simply the container. The real gift is the thought inside.” What a legacy!

The real legacy is the gift of unconditional love. Mother Teresa used to say,, “If you can’t do great things, do little things with great love. And, if you can’t do them with great love, do them with a little love. And if you can’t do them with a little love, do them anyway.”

The lasting legacy is the unconditional thought inside us as we express love through thoughts, words, and deeds. God blessed us with such a Mama, and we will cherish her legacy forever.