It's interesting to look through the Scripture and note how God came to various people in the way they needed Him to come.To Abraham the pilgrim, God came as a traveler. Remember those three visitors who came to his tent before the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah? One of them was the Lord himself.To Joshua the general, Jesus came as the Commander of the Lord's army, telling him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.Jacob, in turn, was a wrestler. Figuratively speaking, he was always wrestling with people: he wrestled with his father Isaac ,he wrestled with his brother Esau,he wrestled with his father-in-law Laban.So the Lord came to Jacob as a wrestler. Psalm 18:26 says of God, "With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd".Therefore, the Lord shrewdly came to Jacob. Genesis 32:24 tells us, "Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day".Jacob had been left alone with God. He was always conniving, always scheming, always plotting, and always had an idea. So the Lord stripped everything away and said, "OK, I want you alone with Me."Someo said, "To be left alone with God is the only true way of arriving at a just knowledge of ourselves and our ways."The conniving, plotting, scheming Jacob was all alone with God, and they began to wrestle.What God wanted from Jacob was his surrender. But that wasn't going to happen until Jacob came to the end of his strength. So on it went throughout the night.Then a life-changing moment transpired for the scheming Jacob. Instead of fighting with God, He was clinging to Him. The Lord said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks" (Genesis 32:26).Jacob responded, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"( 26). It was a valid response on Jacob's part in asking for this blessing, because in surrender to God's plan, he would find what he always wanted.There is a wrong kind of wrestling with God in which we try to run from His work for our lives and refuse to go in the direction He wants us to go. But there is a right kind of wrestling with God when we are trying to get His blessing.Jacob won, in one sense, because he called out to God and asked for His will.Then God asked Jacob an unusual question: "What is your name?" (verse 27). Did God ask this of Jacob because He didn't know his name? Hardly.For Jacob to state his name was an admission—an admission he did not necessarily want to make. The name Jacob means, "heel-catcher, supplanter, grabber."In essence, the Lord was saying, "Jacob, do you want to keep living up to your present name and deceiving others, or will you admit what you are and let Me change you?" This is a question only Jacob could answer.Jacob finally gave in. He surrendered. He had gone from cunning to clinging, from resisting to resting. He had been brought to the end of his resources. And God gave him a new name: Israel.The name Israel is not an easy word to translate. Scholars differ as to its meaning. Some translate it as, "One who God commands," or "Let God rule." Others translate it, "One who fights victoriously with God," or "A prince with God," or "God's fighter."Whatever the meaning, it is clear that a complete surrender to God and His will took place for Jacob. His loss was his victory. He won by losing, because now he was able to go in new strength as he walked in God's power, will, and timing.This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, "Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25).We might look at that statement and think it doesn't make any sense. But it makes perfect sense. To lose your life simply means that you come to the understanding at some point in your life that God's plan is better than the plan you have for yourself.I want to ask you today, are you ready to walk in God's ways? Be Blessed, Pray, CHANGE!!

May 30, 1927 was the day that brought much joy into the lives of a  very young couple, Earl and Addie Mae Paulk, my grandparents. It was the day that Othniel Hobab was born. It was later that they went to the courthouse and had his name officially changed to Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr., he was my Uncle. When I was a little girl I looked up to him as I heard of his sports accomplishements, and then about the first sermon he preached for my dad at the South Cleveland COG. He went on to become pastor of a great church and the national radio speaker for his organization. Now I cannot compare my relationship with him to that of my Uncle Harding who passed away recently, because Uncle Harding was always on the other end of the phone with special encouragement or a small joke, most of which were corny and I didn't get. Uncle Earl was more austere and we, as children, were more likely to tread lightly around him, not that he ever really corrected us, but there was the respect that he might. It was the same with my "little daddy" Paulk. He wasn't one you could call and joke around with or have small talk, he answered the phone "Yes" and when he got done there was never a good bye, you simply heard the phone hang up with a bang! BUT if you ever called him with a question about any scripture in the whole Bible, he was ready to expound at length with a depth of understanding that you had to stand on your tip toes to get! There is nothing spiritual or wonderful in this article, only respect for the good that was done by my Uncle, whatever you may think of him, he accomplished a lot and only God has the right to be the judge of us all. I am sure we have all done things we are not proud of, we just weren't public figures so the media didn't care to tell all about it on the 6 and 10 o'clock news. So in memory of his birthday, and for all of us, I would like to put the words to this song:

I'd like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees and snow-white turtle doves

I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to hold it in my arms and keep it company
I'd like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills "Ah, peace throughout the land"

(That's the song I hear)
I'd like to teach the world to sing (that the world sings today)
In perfect harmony

I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony

Id like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees and snow-white turtle doves

OK, so now you can call ME corny, but I think it has a good message! The Lord's Prayer, and the scriptures in yesterday's blog, tell us that if we don't forgive those who have trespassed against us, then the Father in heaven will not forgive US of our trespasses, don't know about you but I could use a little of that forgiving grace, amen? Amen!

Be blessed, pray, Happy Birthday Uncle Earl!

One thing, for sure, that would get my bottom spanked (yes you read it right) would be for me to repeat something I was not suppossed to repeat. Talk about a church member? That was almost the death penalty, but more than any of that, my mother will always say, is to keep peace in the family. If the infraction was between me or one of my siblings,when I received my fanny warming, I would generally get to hear this scripture: Proverbs 6:16-19 Here are six things God hates,and one more that he loathes with a passion: eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track,  a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family. The last line in the King James version reads,"He that sows discord among his brothers."  I think it is clear from this passage that we should guard our lips from speaking unwisely. Proverbs 17:9 He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Another old saying is that you don't have something good to say, don't say anything at all.Sometimes I think when someone repeats bad or hurtful things that have been said about you,they are taking the opportunity to say things they wish to say and are hiding behind the "someone else" thing.Telling someone to keep their mouth shut against saying harsh words or repeating gossip seems to be the impossible task. My grandfather, Aram, told me that I should stop and think 10 times about something before I said it, to which I replied, "If I did that, I would never say ANYthing!" At that he just gave me a sly little smile that accomplished shutting me up. I had a history of saying inappropriate things, like when I was 4 years old I informed a group of preacher's wives at the South Carolina Campmeeting, that my parents were not really married! Of course they thought it was funny, not so much for me when one of them informed my parents! Maybe I felt the need for a little "center of attention" type of thing! That may be cure on a four year old, but as you get older it isn't funny. One wrong word out of your mouth can smash someone's world and I would not want to be responsible for that: Ecclesiastes 10:12-13 The words of a wise prson are gracious. The talk of a fool self destucts-He starts out talking nonsense and ends up spouting insanity and evil.

Be blessed, pray and remember "a word to the wise is sufficient" promote peace and love by saying kind words! OK Harolene, now go practice what you preach!
  

As I was sitting on the front row at church, as usual, listening to my dad expound the scriptures, he used a scripture that I used this week in a blog about being "Chosen". John 15:16-17 (The Message)"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you."But remember the root command: Love one another. As I looked at the scripture on his printed sheet, I noticed verse 17, which I had not included in my blog. I felt a little ashamed of myself. That is like giving someone a safe with treasure locked inside and not giving them the combination or a key to the lock. Matthew chapter 6, Jesus gives the disciples a formula for a prayer, we call it the Lord's Prayer. Verse 8 says For your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him. At the end of the prayer, verses 14,15, He gives a condition for answered prayer For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:But if you forgive not men their trepasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Then in Mark we are given the power to perform the miracle of moving a mountain, Yes we are! 11:22-24  Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. OK there is your promise, now here comes the condition: And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins." I am not going to sit here and sound pious and tell you that you MUST forgive and how easy it is to do it, because if I did I would be a hypocrit and you would know it for sure. Fact is this: There are some people that (you are going to have to love me with the love of the Lord and accept me after you read this) have treated me so rudely and are so bad and so deceitful and seem to get by with it...(are you still with me?) that I actually catch myself resenting the fact that I know God loves them as much as He loves me! Do you still like me a little? Sometimes just knowing that God knows has to be enough and there is nothing we can do about it on this earth without commiting a sin ourselves! Look at it this way, if you hear two people having a knock down and drag out fight and they are equally involved, chances are that you will not intervene, at least I wouldn't, BUT if you saw one person towering over the other or hitting them with the other not hitting in return , or saying nasty things and they not retaliate, chances are that you WILL step in (I have done it) and take up for the (oh here it comes again) under-dog! Maybe God as our Heaenly Father is the same, He will only step in if we keep our mouth out of it! Hey, don't get mad at me, I stepped on my OWN toes!

Be blessed, pray, have a forgiving heart so that your prayers will be answered! AMEN!

Lamentations 3:19-27 I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope,quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. Sometimes you just feel like running away from all your problems and cares, but reading a scripture like this one just raises my spirits like a flag run up a flag pole! Jesus talkes about (recorded in Luke 15)  a young man that thinks that getting his inheritance early and making a run for it will be the best thing to beat the boredom of his present life on the farm! His fun dwindled with his funds and he came on home, greeted heartily by his father,who immediately ordered the grain fed heifer to be roasted and a feast put out! Clean clothes were brought to him and the family signet ring placed back on his hand! So no matter what we do, how far away we wander, Jesus is showing us that God is always waiting for us with open arms. When you feel like you just can't handle your problems by yourself any longer remember  1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care on Him because He cares for you. Instead of running away, run into the safety of His arms, So let the storms rage high the dark clouds rise, they don't worry me, for I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God, He walks with me and naught of earth can harm me, for I'm sheltered safe with-in the arms of God!

Be blessed, pray, run into the sheltering arms of God for whatever you need!