Coast Guard Offloads $16 Million In Cocaine, Marijuana « CBS Miami

         Coast Guard Offloads $16 Million In Cocaine, Marijuana « CBS Miami

 

Drugs are still a major issue in Miami & South Florida. The Port Of Miami is still the major cocaine distribution center in the U.S. Drugs come in the US at the Port Of Miami, and are shipped nationwide from there.

Preachers of L.A.

Preachers of L.A. false-representing Jesus?

 

Preachers of L.A. just debuted a short time ago. It chronicles several Los Angeles area preachers with notable ministries. A few of them I'm familiar with such as Bishop Noel Jones, Dietrick Haddon, etc. Scandal is getting flak for its negative portrayal of black women as being mistresses, and now churchgoers have beef with Preachers of L.A. Is it me or are some churchpeople worse than the world? I don't see an issue with preachers living lavish lifestyles. God doesn't want his children broke & busted, he wants his children to have the best in life. Otherwise, he wouldn't bless his children like he does. Many of the most influential preachers started from nothing and have blossomed into influential ministers of the Gospel. Some churchgoers need to quit, because jealousy is not a good look. It seems like Christians have the biggest issue with other Christians being blessed. If you're not the one getting blessed, maybe you need to check your obedience & faithfulness because faithfulness & obedience always yield staggering blessing. Besides, those ministers on Preachers of L.A. probably are entrepreneurs on the side, so that's why they live like they do. If we're going by ministry support, most of those preachers would be middle-class/upper-middle class at best. Tithing is down in many churches nationwide because people can't afford to tithe like they want. If you can't tithe, you have to be very careful where your money goes. I'm happy for any mega-preacher who's living good, because that means his ministry is able to continue touching lives. It takes money to spread the gospel of Jesus. A lot of the frustration people have is around the question of what's most important, and what should be focused on. No doubt, these clergy have meaningful ministries that help people. For me, that's more important than trying to show their humanity, which none would argue they are human and have issues like the rest of us, or showing how well they live and how much stuff they have. People know how to get stuff and if they don't there are plenty of places to go find out. What people rarely know how to do without God is to live whole, healthy lives that are about more than helping themselves. People don't have a problem with someone out in the world being blessed, but the minute God's people start shining, major shade is thrown their way.

Stranded

Genesis 39:21-The Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.

 

Traveling from Memphis to St.Louis by bus typically takes about 6 hours, unless the bus driver leaves you stranded at a gas station. This happened to 45 passengers aboard a bus who waited 8 hours overnight for a replacement driver after the original driver abandoned them. They must have felt frustrated by the delay, anxious about the outcome, and impatient for rescue. Joseph probably shared those feelings when he landed in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Abandoned & forgotten by any human who might help him, he was stranded. Still, the "Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor" Eventually, the prison warden promoted Joseph to oversee fellow inmates, and whatever Joseph did, the Lord made it prosper. But despite God's presence and blessing, Joseph remained incarcerated for years. You may be stranded in a hospital room, jail cell, a country far from home, or your own inner prison. No matter where you are, or how long you've been there, God's mercy and kindness can reach you. Because he is God almighty and present everywhere (Jeremiah 23:23-24), He can protect, promote, and provide for you when it seems no one can help.

All In One

1 Corinthians 12:11, 12

God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel

clear understanding

simple trust

healing the sick

miraculous acts

proclamation

distinguishing between spirits

tongues

interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one, by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

 

In 1990, a brand new "all-in-one" soap was released on the market called Lever 2000. The slogan simply said, "For all your 2000 body parts." As humans, God created our bodies with a great degree of complexity. Eyes, ears, fingers, liver, spleen, ribs, nose, uvula, tonsils, larynx, elbows, fingers and toes; one body, but many parts. And every part is important to the body's health. What would it be like to live without a finger, kidney, brain, or heart? Could you do it? Yes, depending on the body part. Assuming it wasn't a vital organ, your body would adapt, but would you want to live this way? No, you'd be incomplete. Often in the church, we fail to acknowledge what our culture considers the "less important" parts of the body. We celebrate teaching, for instance, and many look down upon the hospitality that creates a warm and loving environment for visitors. We highlight the missionary without praising the faithful giving that allows him to be sent. The Bible reminds us that each part is uniquely assigned by the Holy Spirit and equally significant to the health of the body.

What Does It Mean To Be Blessed?

Being blessed is having enough to meet your needs, and help someone else in need
Being blessed is remembering where you come from, and not trying to go back
Being blessed is staying humble, and not feeling a need to floss your wealth
Being blessed is setting your family up for a nice life after you're dead & gone
Being blessed is thanking God everyday you came from nothing
Being blessed is helping someone else get their blessing
When you're blessed, you're not envious of someone else's breakthrough
When you're blessed, you're content
Being blessed is a beautiful thing, you have less worries about the necessities
Being blessed is remembering who bestowed those blessings upon you
Being blessed results from obedience (I'm a continual work in progress with this)
When you're blessed, it shows in your overall demeanor
When you're blessed, everyone wants to be your friend
When those blessings dry up, so do your so-called "friends"
Being blessed makes life so much more worthwhile
Being blessed means different things to different people
When you're blessed, you better keep your circle small
You never know who's with you for your shine
All blessings come from God
When you're blessed, you get all kinds of special treatment
Many people may not understand your glow
God didn't give them your vision
Don't expect everyone to understand your breakthrough
If you want to be blessed
You have to go get your blessing


More In The Showcase, Less In The Warehouse

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

"According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

 

When Paul arrived in Corinth, he found it to be like a modern day Las Vegas or "sin city." He was determined that the only thing that could penetrate the spiritual darkness of the city was the gospel message in its purest form--Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That singular message became the focus of his preaching. Each generation must learn to contextualize its evangelistic methods to its time and culture. The message, however, is timeless and must not change. The world can outbuild, out-advertise, outspend, and at times out-think us. What we have as Christians that is unique is our message of Good News. That message of Jesus death and resurrection is the foundation of the church. Jesus is the foundation of the church and of an individual's life as well. Foundation work is hidden work. No one looks at the architecture of a beautiful building and becomes enamored with the foundation. If we are not careful, we will invest our whole life in the outward and visible. We can become consumed with maintaining our reputation, but neglect our character, which is hidden and foundational. A guest speaker at my church said "Some folks have more in the showcase than in the warehouse". The private, foundational aspect of life is not visible and cannot easily be measured, but it is where real worship takes place and is the wellspring of both joy & contentment.

 



Hold On

When God places a promise in your heart, you have to come to the place where you believe it’s going to happen so strongly that nothing can talk you out of it. It may seem impossible. All the circumstances may tell you that it’s not going to happen, but deep down you have to have this confidence, this knowing, that God is still on the throne. He is bigger than any obstacle. He already has a way, and at the exact time, what He promised will come to pass. You have this unshakeable confidence. You know that God is fighting your battles, arranging things in your favor, making a way even when you don’t see a way.
Instead of being discouraged, you get up in the morning thanking God that the answer is on the way. Instead of talking about how big the problem is, you go through the day talking about how big your God is. Your mind is set in one direction: victory, favor, healing, restoration. It may be taking a long time, but God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. You’ve seen Him do it in the past, and you know He will do it again in the future. You are fully persuaded because when you know your God, you have unshakeable confidence!