Happy Birthday Robert E. Lee

Wanted to repost this article I orginaly did on 1/19/08 reminding everyone of a special day Jan. 19th

Happy Robert E. Lee's Birthday (Jan. 19th 1807),
Just wanted to remember one of the greatest leaders in US history on his birthday. My family tree is full of confederate soldiers, quite a few who made that long march from Appomattox back home. I would like to share the story of a news article that I've seen. It mentions a distant relative of mine. Second Cousin Four Times Removed Henry Harris Sasnett. The article tells how Henry acting as a scout for the south entered a confederate camp and was took prisoner. The solders thought he was a spy. After some time they called the Sr. Officer of the camp and he questioned him about the charge. After determining that he was innocent and a southern scout, the officer asked him to join him for a meal. Then they went their separate ways until the end of the war. Later in Jacksonville, Fla. the two meet again and Henry gave the officer a pair of new boots.
The officer later wrote Henry a thank you note for the boots. I saw a copy of this along with the news article. The note was sign Robert E. Lee.

This speaks of the character of the man. In the book "Christ In The Camp" by J. Williams Jones, Jones did a chapter on the General and wrote how he was an advid writer. He wrote everyone he could think of with thank you notes. This is amazing knowing the time he did not have to waste.
I saw a History channel doc one day (DVD I got for Christmas) and how the general was not beat but gave up to save lives. I seems his army was out of food and every train shipment that came to them was full of weapons but no food. He was commanded to retreat into the mountains and wage "Guerrilla War". This was something the Union was afraid would happen. This would prolong the war for years to come and cost many-many lives. He choose to surrender and help bring the war to and end. I believe He listened to the commander-in-chief of heaven and obeyed. Another story on the doc was that after the war. In the Va. church were many leaders attended. The blacks still sat in the back, but one day as the Pastor called people forward to receive communion, an elderly black man came forward and stood at the alter. After a couple of minutes awkwardness a gray haired gentleman came forward and stood beside the black man and took communion. The gentleman was Robert E. Lee. Then others came. General Lee spent the rest of his life trying to heal the division of North and South.

To our beloved General, Happy Birthday. You lost all you had, but gained a place in history and hearts.

Mind Your Own Business: 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

King James Version
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

The Message
Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurls. we want you livinging in a way that will comand respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.

The Amplified Bible
11 To make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you;
12 So that you may bear yourselves becomingly, be correct and honorable and command the respect of the outside world, being (self-supporting,) depend­ent on nobody and having need of nothing.

On sharing of these verses we should know that Paul was trying to teach non-jews how to live a christian life. Mostly Greeks who before had a lose lifestyle. Like the early colonist of Jamestown (USA), some wanted to just enjoy their new freedoms and soak it all in. The story of Jamestown sayes that Capt. Smith told all of them that if they did not work they did not eat. This really came from the Bible. He's not talking about people who want to work and can not find a job, but those who see work as beneth them. I have been in management and have had those we've hired, work really well until they were eligible for unemployement benifits and then started being late every day and worked really bad. Forcing me to fire them.
These verses encourage us to work and mind our own business. All for the purpose of having a good witness to those who do not share our beliefs. The work Christ does in us should produce the perfect worker.
Some may ask, how does this become a witness for the Lord. When you do your best and your boss gives you a compliment, you will be able to reply,"It's because of Christ in me that I can do what I do". That will bring glory to God.

Wanted: Heavy Metal Christians

"You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways. So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold (which, through it comes to an end, is tested by fire), may come to light in praise and glory and honor, at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7 BBE

Are you going through things that are really stressing you out. Take comfort. There is a reason for all of it. The Lord uses trials in our lives to strenghten us. Just like you can't purify gold or any other metal without fire or heat, we will be useless without trials to make us pure.
The fires in our lives also reveal what kind of metal our faith is made of. Fire or trials bring out the worst leaving the best.
God is looking for those purified by fire and walking holy before Him.
God in it's purest form is still tanted. That's why it is yellowish. It is never pure. You can only get it to .999 percent. (Before the fall of man gold was transparent like glass. Like it is mentioned in Heaven. "Streets of gold transparent like glass".) Our faith however is worth more to the Lord than all the gold making the streets of Heaven. So He will purify for Himself and it will bring you great joy.

Rejoice in your troubles and will yourself to see the big picture. The outcome of your testing. Heavy Metal worth more than gold. Your Faith.

For the record: "Where in ye greatly rejoice, through now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, through it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7 KJV

Temp#43: Shut-My-mouth

I've been dealing with the reason as to why I have been moved from job to job in the last ten years. I somehow felt that there was more that the Lord was trying to teach me or mold me.
Then one day I came across this verse in my reading.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault in the mist of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the Word of life......"
Phillipians 2:14-16

I took a hard look at myself and saw that I did not smoke (anything) with the guys. Talk about getting laid the night before. Try to talk using as many vulgur words in one sentance as possible. Steal as much from the warehouse as I could get away with. I saw a fault in me that I felt had caused me grief in every job I've had. I can't seem to quit complaining about work and management. I've been in management I didn't think anyone talked or complained about me, but I complained about co-workers and spoke ill of them many times. In this way I was no different than the others. I was not the light that the Lord wanted me to me. Being a light means that we are different than the others. Like night is from day. And more than just different, a light that shows the way out of darkness.

We may not be able to reach perfection,but we can become blameless and innocent like this verse says. That means that we may do wrong without knowing it and become blameless but we should not become guilty by doing thinks we know is wrong. And the reason for this is not to earn our way to heaven or even the presence and favor of the Lord, but to become the witness that the Lord wants us to be of His goodness.

So my next thing I need to work on is to do the logical thing. As we say in the south, "Shut my mouth."