Felicia Sanders is MY Hero

Felicia Sanders was the mother of Tywanza Sanders. Both Felicia and her son were in the Bible study with Dylann Roof when he began to shoot the people there with a gun he had brought to the meeting. Tywanza was killed in front of his mother. Felicia survived. At the bail hearing for the shooter, Felicia said the following words:

“We welcomed you Wednesday night in our Bible study with welcome arms. You have killed some of the most beautiful people that I know. Every fiber in my body hurts and I’ll, I’ll never be the same. Tywanza Sanders was my son. But Tywanza Sanders was my hero. Tywanza was my hero. … May God have mercy on you.”

Nadine Collier, daughter of victim Ethel Lance, said:

“I forgive you. You took something very precious away from me. I will never get to talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you, and have mercy on your soul. … You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. If God forgives you, I forgive you.”

Wanda Simmons, granddaughter of Daniel Simmons, said:

“Although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof, everyone’s plea for your soul, is proof that they lived in love and their legacies will live in love. So hate won’t win. And I just want to thank the court for making sure that hate doesn’t win.”

Ubuntu

That's just Him

While traveling on the road of life
which is often congested with strife
If you make Jehovah Jireh
your driver
the number of accidents you incur will not be high

Those who do not read the Bible need to take heed
Because He is the God that provides your need
and if you become a rider
with Jehovah Jireh
your abundance will be great indeed

Because Emmanuel gives us grace
therefore the potholes on life's surface
maybe bad, but they serve a purpose

He's our Dad and when He hits our bod
with what we believe to be a punishment rod
But actually is an instrument of His unconditional love

Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend

Though the door to Him is narrow and satan is always trying to hit us with his deadly arrows
amd to survive the devil's attacks we must borrow
God's grace filled arrows

Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend
But why? ...because that's just Him.

-Nu Creation

On the Inside

my favorite Bible verse of all
is what Israel's last judge said 2 King Saul
"What is this bleating of sheep I hear?"
which suddenly ensued Saul w/ fear
he knew he did not listen 2 God's Word
instead, the complaining of his men is what he heard
he even went as far as 2 try 2 fool God's prophet
w/ a false emphatic sacrifice, which he knew was not proper
N order 2 B God's anointed King of Israel
it is Yahweh, not men, he should have feared
because mortals
can falter
but 2 attributes of God R, omniscience & 2 B omnipotent
which means not only R His commands powerful, but always legit.

some believe I talk a good talk
but walk a bad walk
some believe that this extremely flawed Christian has no spiritual growth
but those who knew Nu B4 coming out of the water knows
she is definitely not the person she used 2 B
because "I said something, she did not like & she didn't slap the 7734 out of me"
& yes I got N2 a fight w/ God @ Wegmans UC
because He made me purchase $25.00 worth of food just 4 me
& yes U do not like some of the things I say
but the majority of the time when I offend, it's out of ignorance not hate
I know I'm not a perfecter
& if I think I am I need 2 take U 2 my leader
because 2 err is human not divine
& I know I'm definitely a member of mankind

& yes, it is true, I need 2 read my Bible more
& yes, it is true, I need 2 pray more
& yes, it is true, I need 2 seek God more
& yes, it is true, I need 2 luv more

But when I fall down, I dust myself off & get back up
Because I've totally torn the Bible up
& I've come 2 the same conclusion, Jehovah always fills my cup
Usually, I put others B4 myself
I'm usually willing 2 volunteer &/or help
U may think my attitude & speech
Is a little bit 2 street

I feel
I do not have time 2 unpeel
& think of a nice way 2 reveal
that God's luv is a true thrill
Because it's a war & Satan's out 2 destroy & kill

The young ones think a funeral is like a high, a rush
Lucifer has even romanticized death, w/ your likeness immortalized w/ an airbrush
If only they would open their eyes & use that organ N their head
& realize there's no honor or respect N dying just 2 B dead
I might not show it, but it tears me up
That the ones on the street think sin is the only way 2 fill their cup
I have a good heart & my Lord knows it
Even when I'm N the middle of a conniption fit
So I say this w/ truth & not w/ pride
I am fearfully & wonderfully made, but on the inside

- Nu Creation

From Nazareth

All who knew me back N the day
When I use 2 bang N such evil ways
Now they ask, "Nu who ya hanging w/?"
The leader of my posse is the bro from Nazareth

Yo, U don't want 2 mess w/ this bro
He'll make every knee bow 2 the floor
This homeboy don't take no crap
His M.O. is 2 hit 'cha w/ a spiritual slap

If U think His rep is bad
Ever heard, the rep of His Dad?
The best banger history ever had
The crew He had was hard & tight
He commanded millions of Israelites

Rahab's peeps called Him a mighty God
That explains why the walls crumbled down
The Jericho battle He easily won
The Dad is good & so is the Son

Honestly, I must confess
His Dad will put U thru a holy test
This homeboy is ow so bad
Son of the best banger history ever had
U can C why His Pop's #1
The Dad is good & so is the Son

Now, let's back-up 2 this Rahab girl
She became and ancestor of the Savior of the World
She gave up her evil ways
Because of the Bible she'll B remembered always

Remember when Paul was Saul
& how he was Stephen's pitfall
But the NT, he wrote almost all
It doesn't matter who U used 2 B
Thats my point, this part of the story
It doesn't matter who U was
Believers R related 2 King Jesus
Because w/ Jesus. the battle is won
God made Him the chosen one

So the next time someone ask, "who ya hanging w/?"
Respond w/ the bro from Nazareth

- Nu Creation

Like A Seed and Like Yeast

"Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end."

Isaiah 9:7 speaking prophetically about the Messiah, tells us that 'the rule of God is ever increasing in scope, in fact the increase will never end.' Its not just the government that has no end, the increase will never end...

Jesus likens the government of God to a seed and to yeast. (Matthew 13:31-33)

A small seed that is insignificant when planted, that is unseen during germination, and breaks the ground with a tremulous shoot, but soon enough grows into something significant and fruitful.

A small bit of yeast that is kneaded into the dough, but soon begins to take on a life of its own, spreading throughout the whole, causing it to take on entirely new properties, flavors, and smells...

===============

Our first moment of faith is the faintest submission to the rule of God, perhaps only in word.

...but the seed is in the ground!
...the yeast is in the dough!

And now comes God's part!

of the increase of His kingdom, there will be no end!

Perhaps we only acknowledged we believe, but had no intention of obeying, or perhaps we only became willing to obey out of desperation; it matters not to God, He will work with any soil, or any dough. The Holy Spirit continues to haunt us, and soon the faintest acknowledgement of the Lordship of Christ has grown to include more of our lives, fostered by fellowship and word, service and worship, the seed is germinating, sprouting, growing, and producing fruit... fruit that contains seed to be planted in other soils...

=====================

"Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end."

Grace is God's Favor on the Broken

Here is the link to the video and lyrics to Michael Guglielmucci's now infamous song 'Healer.'

The story behind the song is a sad one, yet it is a contemporary parable about human brokenness and God's illimitable grace.

=========================

Michael is the son of a pastor.

He is also a pastor.

He writes songs glorifying God. Wonderful, powerful songs, sung by masses of devoted Christians; blessing the Church and blessing God with his songwriting.

Michael was diagnosed with cancer.

He wrote the song 'Healer' as an anthem testifying to God's power to heal, and His strength in troublesome times. He would perform the song on stage sitting down, with the oxygen tubes hooking him to the supply that his weak body desperately needed...

It was a powerful reminder that God's grace is available in the midst of human brokenness.

=========================





It was, of course, a huge deception; Michael was lying about the cancer.

He had never been diagnosed with cancer, and was in fact perfectly physically healthy. There was, however, something desperately wrong with Michael.

He had been telling people he had cancer to cover the fact that he had been compulsively looking at pornography for 16 years. He was ashamed and afraid; he was defeated.

Upon this revelation, many of us in the wider Christian community were appalled at this hypocrisy. The world of course, was overjoyed at the opportunity to point to yet another disgraced figure on the stage of global Christianity. I have heard many Christians talk about how the song has been ruined for them, now that they have heard the whole story. The situation was, in all respects, a colossal failure...

...or perhaps not.

Perhaps Michael's hypocrisy is a contemporary parable. Perhaps we can learn from the ugliness and the deception. Perhaps by digging into the open wound, painful though it might be, we can root out the cause of the of the injury...

In short, that image of Michael on the stage, lying to everyone about his own holiness, singing of God's goodness while deceiving the worldwide church, a sinner hiding in plain sight, is not a reason to throw away Michael, or the song he wrote, rather it is a powerful reminder that God's grace is available in the midst of human brokenness.

It is for this reason that I continue to be blessed by this powerful song. The story behind it far from detracts from the power of the song, rather it increases its potency as a reminder of God's glory. It speaks to me of God's glorious grace, that I am never so far away, that He cannot reach me...

What to do?

A prostitute came to me in wretched straits, homeless, sick, unable to buy food for her two-year-old daughter. Through her sobs and tears, she told me she had been renting out her daughter–two years old!–to men interested in kinky sex. She made more renting out her daughter for an hour than she could earn on her own in a night. She had to do it, she said, to support her own drug habbit. I could hardly bear hearing her sordid story. For one thing, it made me legally liable–I’m required to report cases of child abuse. I had no idea what to say to this woman.
At last I asked if she had ever thought of going to a church for help. I will never forget the look of pure, naive shock that crossed her face. “Church!” she cried. “Why would I ever go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. They’d just make me feel worse.”

Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey

A story is told about a group of English theologians discussing the Gospel.

They were trying to define what it was about Christianity that was different than all other religions. To begin they talked about resurrection but other religions also deal with this, they brought up the death of God but other religions have within them a god who dies, they were in the midst of trying to determine the attribute that made Christianity unique when C. S. Lewis entered the room. He asked what the discussion was about, they told him. Lewis answered, “That’s easy, it’s grace.”

Philip Yancey