word of the day :-)

elocution \el-uh-KYOO-shuhn\, noun:
the art of speaking or reading clearly in public, including gestures, pronunciation, and tones

My Story

Sticks and Stones

© Michael W. Thornton

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words Of course, we all know the silly little expression that we cried on the playground to stop the bully, from attacking us with words. However, is it true? Will words never hurt us? Of course not! Words can literally cut through us and make us feel like we are nobody! They slice through us like a razor thin blade held up by the great adversary of our life. I should know how painful words feel. You see, when I was a baby, I had Spinal Meningitis, and spent several months in Arkansas Childrens Hospital recovering from its effects on my young life. Therefore, you can assume correctly that I did not have a great start to my childhood. However, the problems did not go away after I started school. Some of my classmates figured out that I was different then they were, so they started calling me the dreaded R word!

Retard! Oh how that terrible that word made me feel. I knew that I was a little different but retarded. No, I was not retarded! I had a slight speech impediment (and still do, but I can live with it), and maybe I did not learn as quickly as they did, but I do not consider myself retarded. In fact, I do not consider any person who is slower than average retarded; they just think and act in a different way than normal people.

Retard! I cannot remember the first time someone used that word when talking to me, but I do remember the hurt that I felt every time I heard it. To be truthful here, it really felt like a ton of bricks no worse, more like manure being dumped on me. It was as if they were saying, Youre not worthy to even be on the same playground with us! Get away you little idiot! Gee, how small that word made me feel.

Mom, why do they pick on me? That question, I asked numerous times when I was growing up. In fact, I still question why they picked on me. Did it really matter? Did they achieve their objective of making me feel like a worthless soul? No, of course not! If anything they did achieve was to give me a sense of knowing that I was different from some kids, but that was what made me unique!

Retard! Every time I type that word here, brings out the pain that I felt back then. Oh, how this stung me deep down inside. In fact, the more I reflect on it, the angrier I get. In reality, I wish that I could go back in time and tell those little punks off! Better yet, I want to demonstrate to them how awful it really felt by calling them some names of my own. However, would that really make a difference?

For some people, Retard may not be the word that haunts them like a Pit Bull who has not had a meal in many days! Their word might be loser, moron, nobody, or worse yet it may be the saying, You make me sick! It really does not matter what bullies say to put people down, all words will hurt when they are said in a harmful way. Besides being harmful, words may also be positive in a persons life. I remember a number of people telling me that I can do anything I set my heart to do, and not to let anyone tell me that I could not do it. You are not what others tell you who you are; you are who you make yourself to be. It was my option to decide, Was I going to let the two or three morons tell me that I was not a worthy person, or was I going to let my life be determined by who I chose to become? Words truly do make a difference in a persons life.

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can be as beautiful as a single red rose in a vase. I always look for the good in all people and say nice things about them. Words can either lift people up or bring them down why not say something positive about everyone you encounter today. Even your worse enemy needs to hear a positive word today, so why not be nice to them the next time you meet. It just might make a big difference in their life.

Word of the Day

Word of the Day for Monday, December 1, 2008
valediction \val-uh-DIK-shuhn\, noun:
the action of bidding farewell; a farewell

Adios!

Shop in Underwear

By: Michael W. Thornton

Oh, the joy of ringing bells,

The crying noise of a baby tells,

That Christmas time is finally here

Old Saint Nick is drawing near.

 

If you don't like to go shopping,

And all that mall hopping,

There is hope for you yet,

On the internet.

 

For the World Wide Web is a guiding light,

It is always there for you even at midnight.

So if you do not like shopping anywhere,

Why not go shopping in your underwear!

 

 

Whatever Lord…

Whatever Lord… yeah that is hard to say and mean it, but I do. Yes, I have been facing a lot of pain lately and heartache, but I am giving it all over to God. He can handle things much better than I can. And the good news is that the battle is not mine, It is God's and he will win the battle. If I tried fighting it still, I'd lose in the end, but by giving it over to God, I have already won. Yes, it still hurts, even Jesus hurt after he gave over his future to the Father, but he knew the battle was already won and so do I. God, I give all to you and know there is peace in your

A prayer…

God, I know being offended is a choice that we make. Yes, someone may do or say something bad to or about us, and that is an offense, but if we react wrongly to that offense, we are offended, and therefore wrong. I know that sounds weird, but it is true, if we choose not to be offended, we live in the grace of God and you will take care of things when we are wronged. But if we choose to be offended by the wrongdoings of others, we take actions that cause more trouble in the long term. Our best bet is to choose to let things go, and allow you to avenge our wrongdoers. Yes it may be hard to do because our natural tendency is to get even with those that harm us.

Lord, I have to say that even though it is hard to do, I forgive the person that hurt me, even though they could not tell me themselves… I also release my right to anger towards them. God, help me to live in your light, more and more. Amen

Dislike…

God I feel like such a loser. Why do I feel like this? Because the one that I thought would never hurt me, because she knew the hurt I had been through… caused me the worse pain ever. The pain of being lied to. Gee, it hurts and it has caused me to dislike – even maybe hate her for what she did. It is so heartbreaking to be betrayed and I do not like her. I know I should not have these thoughts towards her, but I do… in fact, I feel so mad, I want to do stupid things… maybe even evil things to make her pay for wronging me. Yes, I know we should love one another, but right now I cannot love her because she is so wrong for doing what she did to me. I trusted her so much, I guess that is not right to trust others with all of our hearts.

I also know I should love her as a Christian, but right now it is honestly hard to do because I have so much dislike for what she did and apparently said about things. Like for one, why does she think she does not owe me the truth? After all, I was with her during some of the hardest times in life. It is almost like she is a totally different person than I thought I knew? What is wrong here?

God, as I deal with this pain, help keep me sane… I know what she did was wrong, but I do not need to lose my mind due to her wrongs…

 

 

 

    

Who is the better person?

Apparently, not the one whom I thought would not hurt me. She can't – or Won't – give me an explanation as to why she did what she did… seems like she feels she owes me nothing. I feel so used by her, and have no feelings for her anymore – except for the thought that I do not think she knows how to live a true life.

Lies….

What is it with me? Why did someone who I thought I knew would choose to deliberately lie to me about our relationship? Why would they not tell me that they wanted other things? Why not just straight talk with me – instead of what they did? Especially since this person knew that I was not going to take this lightly from someone else. Why not be true to me? I feel so used, so much like they may never have truly loved me… this sucks to feel this way! All I want to know is why they decided it would be better to let me live under the impression of a lie, than to tell me the truth themselves? Yes it still hurts to know that someone I thought I trusted to be a true person, would turn around and lie to me after all the stuff that I dealt with before. But I would have much rather known it before from them, then to be told by someone else to not contact that person again. Geesh, why be so afraid to tell me the truth that you use another person to deliver the news to me. Had you not realized that I could probably have handled the truth from you a whole lot better than to know that you had let me live under a false impression for so long?

I feel now that there may be no one I can trust again to be truthful to me…

Election 2008

Well the people have spoken in America and we have a new President. A first! It is the first time America has elected a person who is of not of white skin, and who is like Bill Clinton, Young and Energetic. Some people may not be happy about Obama being the new president, but I for one can see a person who is not afraid of change. He also has peace and courage in the way he delivers his speeches, and he seems to reach out to all people. Yes, he may not be the typical leader that we have had before, but that might be good. We have been facing crises lately that require someone with new ideas, someone that might be able to do things the right way, rather than the way we have "ALWAYS" done it. Change is good!

Yes, there will be some people out there that say because he is "black" or worse yet – the "N" word, that he will not lead America the way it should be lead. To those people I say, SHUT UP! Let us not be divided, but UNITED. It is time that we forget about what people look like on the outside, and start looking at them as a person equal to one another. I do not think it matters as to outside appearances, as much as what the words a person says, or does. Skin tone, ability or disability, nationality, and many other factors are wrong ways to use when judging a person's character. Words that are said tell the truth of a person. It is time that we live based on the words people say, and not on their looks. Judge not on what a person does, but you can tell a lot of a person by their words and character.

So America has spoken and come January 20, 2009 12 Noon EST, we will have President Barack Obama leading us for the next four years. It will be a time when we will be tested and tried to see what he is made of, unfortunately, it will also be a time when some people in our country will act stupid and say things and maybe do things like they did back in the 1950's and 1960's. People it is time to get over it let us live as our name implies, the United States of America. Let us be of one accord, and let us allow our leader to lead us. Also, let us do as we ALWAYS do for any other president and PRAY for him. Now is not the time to be ignorant. Respect one another, and love our brothers.

Ok, now what…

I have so many questions swirling in my mind right, none of which can be easily answered without knowing the truth. Yet, life does move on and so should I. Yes, I did learn a lot from this situation, and yes, I am happy that I am able to get over things with a biblical perspective of the things that have happened, but I just have the questions of why they could not have been more truthful and honest to me? Did they feel that I could not handle the truth? I know in the past I had problems dealing with truth, but have since learned that whatever happens in my life that is hurtful, I can give it over to God and let him deal with the pain. It is much easier to allow him to work it out and turn our pains and sorrows into gladness, than it is to hold onto them and have them eat out our flesh and cause us to sin against God. So what I am trying to say is that I had much rather deal with the pains of truth, than to have lies try to eat at me. Still I know how to handle the lies, yet truth sets us free from the voices of the father of lies.

So now I move on – refreshed in God, knowing that he is in charge, knowing that if I ever get to the truth of the matter, I will be ok, and if I never get the truth, that is ok too. No matter what, I trust in the one who is TRUTH and he will keep me from traps of Satan when I keep my eyes on him!

Α and Ω

Jesus is in control!

Will the truth please be told?

Sometime's truth is hard to find – or receive from someone that we care about. Even if the truth can be hurtful, or is perceived to be hurtful, sometimes all we want to know is the truth from friends or family. Yet do they always tell us the truth, even when we can handle it? Sadly, no, we are often lied to, or just never told the truth – even though we deserve it. I always would love to hear the truth – rather than a lie – or nothing at all. Maybe this is a little personal thought… but I can handle the truth now and would love to be told the truth, even if it does hurt.

Sometime's all we desire is freedom from things that we do not know where we stand at… that is all I want is to know the truth…

One thing I know for certain is that I need not fret over things – just allow the one that knows truth to handle things because – he knows what we need to know.

Seeking Truth…

Have you said hello today?

Seems like a silly question doesn't it? I mean we say hello to people all the time, yet how often do we put emphasis behind that hello? Most of the time we just mean it as a customary greeting… but I challenge you to put interest in that hello you say to a stranger on the bus, on the street, or in that coffee shop you so love to visit every single morning J Make it personal and ask them how everything is for them, make it genuine and not forced. Give the stranger a smile, Maybe it is just what they need to see from someone.

A smile may just make all the difference in the world for someone that needs to feel loved.

Have a great day

Late bus…

Some mornings just start out bad and get worse from there, you know that feeling. First, you wake up later than you wanted to, then it takes you the customary 10 – 15 minutes to literally wake up – even though you got up., and then the worse thing – especially if you ride city transportation… you get to the bus stop and realize that you missed the bus that you really wanted to catch, so you have to wait 30 minutes until the next one comes (hopefully on time). Then you get downtown, but your bus that gets you to your work has already left… so now you've got another 30 minute wait until that bus makes it downtown. What a bad day that is…

Well, you know maybe the bad day for you is not really a bad day at all. Maybe, just maybe the bad day is a divine appointment that you have been given by God to share His love with someone on the bus. It could just be that it was meant for you to miss those few busses so that you could be in the right place, at the right time. In addition, maybe the road construction that stops the bus along the way is a way to get you to calm down and relax so that you will be able to share without being upset. Some days we just need to realize that God is in control and that He places us where He desires us to be – when he desires us to be there. Oh yeah, one more thing to realize, sometimes the flagman at the construction site allows way too many cars through at a time, but maybe that is another way to just realize to relax and take it easy. Some days do start out bad, yet if we handle those trials correctly, we can overcome the more difficult ones too.

 

Why?

An open letter to the creep who attacked and Killed Anne Presley:

Sir, Why? What did it get you to attack such a wonderful person? What thrills did it give you to repeated beat her with whatever object (or objects) that you used? Also, what were you motives originally? Were you going to rape her and when she might have started to fight with you, Is that when you decided to punish her? Well, Now instead of just facing attack charges, you will now face Murder charges and I know that you will face the wrath of fellow prisoners when you are put in prison. Moreover, even if it takes a while to catch you, you will face justice for what you did to Anne. Whether that is justice by the Court System, or if by some weird reason you are able to get away with this, you will face the justice of God. So I ask you to turn yourself in to the authorities and admit your guilt. Life is too short to live with the guilt of murder, admit the wrong now and it will be better than living with the wrong and dying without God.

Yes, now this open letter is to tell you that there is forgiveness available to you, not from the court system, but from God. Confess your sins to Him, Admit that you are nothing without Him in your life, Go to the authorities and turn yourself in and leave your old life behind. I know it sounds crazy, but if you go on living with the fact of this murder in your life without accepting the fact that it was wrong and accept the punishment that the court gives you, your punishment from God will be much was than what man can give you. Without God, we are forever separated in eternity from others and we will live in isolation in a place called hell. It is called hell because you will forever be in pain, punishment, and loneliness. There are no parites in hell like some people may think… it is all hurt – all the time!

So, here's the deal, I plea one more time, first admit to God your wrongs. Second, turn yourself in and admit your guilt to the police and courts, and to the family in the court. And lastly, accept the punishment that the court gives you.

Thank you

Saved by Grace!

Acts 15:5 – 11 (NIV) Key scripture 8 – 11

"Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."  The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

1. God knows the heart of all men and women.
   
   1. He accepts everyone no matter what they look like.
      
   2. He gives the Holy Spirit to every believer.
      
   3. He gives all who trust in him a clean slate.
      
2. If God knows the heart of every man, we should not force someone to prove their faith by doing things that may be hard to do.
   
   1. We show our lack of faith by making others prove theirs.
      
3. We are saved by God's grace when we put our faith in Jesus.
   
   1. We do not have to prove that our salvation to anyone because when we accept Jesus, It will show in our lives.
      

      
       

 

 

Home is not where I wanted to be

Before I begin, I must acknowledge that this is a sort of complaining post… yeah I know, I should not complain or gripe, yet things happened today that I did not like. Ok with that said, I was going to go to my church this morning with a lady that lives in the neighborhood, have rode many times with them and have not had any problems before with her not showing up or calling to inform me that she is not going… until today. I was all ready to go, standing outside at time for her to come, but she never did, not sure why because no one called to tell me if something was wrong. It really left me on a lurch, and not in a good mood in ways. Yes, I did attend a church, my old one. It was ok, just not my church now and I was looking forward to being there today, as it was Worship service today and tonight was going to be Baptisms of some of the homeless guys that we minister to in Little Rock.

I do not like the fact that I have to rely on others to go to church, or that I have to ride the church bus sometimes… especially when the church bus pulls off and leaves me at church, even though service was not over, and I was not informed of the possibility of leaving before service was done. However, I digress there… sigh, I just wished I could have a way of reliable transportation, even a nice motor scooter, or motorcycle would be ok with me. I just am tired of always relying on others to get me places.

Of course, I know I have no one to blame for this situation except myself. I screwed up in not staying at jobs, saving enough money, watching my credit usage… Oh, how did I mess up…? Bad decisions haunt you when you really need the help that I do… God, I confess I messed up and need your help.

Trusting His providence…

Matthew 6:19 – 21

• Earthly treasures can be lost, but God's treasures are never lost and can't be stolen.
  
• By placing our treasures in the right place, we show our trust in God, rather than the world's financial markets.
  
• If we treasure the world's treasures, we prove that our heart does not belong to God.
  

Matthew 6:24 – 34

• When we allow the fear of not having enough money to rule over us, we can't be used by God to reach people.
  
• Worry causes us to be focused on worldly issues, rather than the issues of the Kingdom of God.
  
• By worrying about food, clothing, money… we neglect the importance of life and how precious it truly is.
  
• By focusing on problems, we forget that God will provide for those who trust in Him.
  
  • Let go!
    
    • He will provide for us.
      
      • Matthew 10:29 –31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
        

The Race

What is the race? Is it some sort of contest where there is only one true winner and all the contestants behind him are runner's up? Or is it a contest where each runner runs the race just to finish it?

Well, that is the truth of the real race that we run. We each have a goal to finish what we start in life. Some of us have goals to be Doctors, others Policemen, and some CEO's of a major corporation. And those are all good goals to have in life, but there is a different race that we are also running, the race to share the love of Jesus and win souls for Christ.

The race is not an easy one to run because there are many distractions, detours, road blocks, and other events that will try to keep us from finishing our race, but if you understand how to deal with them correctly, you can reach your goal and finish strong.

To deal with a road block in your race, you must first realize that it might be there to keep you from going the wrong way. God sometimes places things in our way to keep us from harm, or from going in the wrong way. He knows what is best for our lives. Yet some roadblocks are not from God, they may be placed in our path by demonic forces to keep you from the path that God truly wants you on. These are sometimes life events, diseases, choices to make, or choices to make that look good to the eye yet are not right to make.

To determine whether the road block is good or bad, ask some questions about it…

First, ask yourself whether if the reasons for the roadblock are sound. Could the outcome of bypassing the roadblock lead to disastrous circumstances? Do you see that there is good if you take the detour? What if you cannot see either way- How can you truly know if it is from God or not? Pray for peace and that God will reveal to your spirit the right path for you to take. By doing this, if the road block is not from God, it will fall apart and you will be able to move in the right direction that God wants you to go. And if God did place it in the way, rest assured that He knows what is best and will guide you in the way that He wants you to go.

 

Just a pic of fun times at Aldersgate

Disability ministry

A vision of disability ministry...

Every soul matters to God and because every soul matters, every church should love and accept everyone just as they are – whether rich or poor, black or white, able bodied or disabled; God's love is agape, so the church should have the same unconditional love for everyone that they encounter.
Since the church is called to share the Agape love of God with every soul, it should have open access to all, whether tall or short, seated or standing; the church should not be unaccommodating to the needs of people that God loves.
To accommodate people with special needs, the church may have to remove physical barriers that could prevent them from attending services, but more importantly the church will have to remove some mental barriers that say people who have disabilities have little or nothing to contribute to the church.
To remove mental barriers, the church needs to understand the truths behind those "uninvited guests" of the banquet we call church services. First, people with disabilities are loved by God for who they are and not for what they bring to the banquet table. Second, while the world looks on the outside appearances of people, God looks on the inside and sees the heart of people. So if God does not disqualify a person with a disability from his service, neither should the church. If He could use Moses who had speaking problems, or Paul with a "Thorn in his side," He can still use those that may not be perfect today.
People with disabilities whether physical, mental, or emotional have much to contribute to the church and it is time to open our doors, buildings, and hearts to all that God loves. We must start living the truth that Every Soul Truly Matters to God.