Strong Coffee

We've heard many definitions of prayer. Some are good and helpful. Others attempt to give a "feel good" idea about prayer but miss the mark. We've all heard some of these expressions... Prayer changes things. Prayer is not about changing God, it's about changing you. Prayer is spiritual breathing, (I'm still raising an eyebrow on this one). We host prayer walks, conferences, prayer retreats, and even seminars on mechanics and posture. Prayer has been investigated, digested, examined, probed and reexamined again. At times we take a simple matter and parse it and break it apart too much. I would like to step aside from all the important scholarly work on the subject of prayer and share 3 very simple insights; principles I've learned from my pastor, other prayer warriors, and personal experience. 1. Prayer is...asking and receiving. When I counsel others who are new in faith they often present some issue or reoccurring problem hangi...

The Ancient of Days This expression is applied to Jehovah three times in Daniel's vision (Daniel 7:9, 13, 22) in the sense of being eternal. In contrast with all earthly kings, God's days are past reckoning. Easton Bible Dictionary Daniel 7: 7 "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. It's easy to get caught up in the tangled web of this world with all it's worries, conflicts, and disappointments. Unchecked, it can leave us disheartened and hopeless. That's why it's so important to be reminded of the awesomeness of God. Daniel saw in his vision ALL the kingdoms of earth unfold before his very eyes. All the kings, with all their little armies and all their little plans appe...

I'm grateful this week for Steve. He's one of our worship leaders a SBC. Steve has a wonderful talent for playing the keyboard and leading praise music. I've always envied those that can do both and with relative ease. I'm grateful for his willingness to serve and his faithfulness to led us in great worship. His joy in the Lord is contagious. When Steve sings before our congregation, he fills our sanctuary with the radiance of Gods presence. I'm particularly thankful for his leadership because we the people of God need leadership when we worship. We all come Into God sanctuary with the cares of the world ever present on our hearts and sometimes on our countenance. Worship leaders like Dapper Steve recognize the important roll of leading Gods people to "green pastures, and still waters". With healthy worship, God clears the way for unhindered communication with Him. Let's thank our worship leaders for helping us make that po...

9/11/2011

Two of my very special friends and fellow Chaplains at the VA will be guest blogging in the coming month. Chaplain Mary Beth McSwain is a Worship leader at a local Presbyterian Church of America. She is a prolific writer and a dynamic chaplain here at the VA. Chaplain John Hayes is a  Methodist minister that loves the Lord. As a former school teacher, he has a winsome approach to ministry. He is a a very effective chaplain and a dear friend. Look for their posts on Strong Coffee coming soon. JMT

Design By: Stephen Thomas

From BMDF's Executive Director: Dear Members and Friends of BMDF, I know that you are praying for the Japanese people in the midst of this terrible disaster. Please keep this going! We received the following updates from Baptist Global Response (BGR) over the weekend. We have not received reports from BWAid or CBF yet; but, you can check their websites for their current responses at: http://www.thefellowship.info/ http://www.bwanet.org/bwa.php?m=news&p=news_item&id=473   " Just wanted to update you on what is happening in Japan and BGR's/Southern Baptists' response in Japan… The Southern Baptist State Disaster Relief Network is on alert and three states are on standby: Alabama, California, and South Carolina. BGR (and IMB)  have "pre-approved" the release of $100,000 for assistance. This will grow as donations arrive. The ...

A s I entered the room there was a deafening silence. For a hospital this was out of the norm. At any other time there are nurses shuffling in and out, IV's chirping, TV's blaring, custodians rattling carts. Here, there was an eerie quietness that made me stop and wonder what was missing. He was lying in his bed. His sheets were pulled over his head. Only his fingers were visible, holding the corners . The linens outlined his body like a cadaver. I called his name. "Mr. A" He lowered the sheet to his chin.   "Why do you have the sheet over your head?" I asked. "The light is bothering my eyes" The room was dark. Only a faint light strained through drawn blinds. His eyes were moist. "Im Chaplain Thomas here at the VA. I came by to see how you are doing". "Not too good. I have a tumor on my brain. They're going to operate tomorrow and try to relieve this pressure in my head". Tears began to flow down his ch...

A little taste of whats going on at the VA hospital