TOP TEN REASONS WHY...

Why do I love the newly released CD “Love & Hope Worship Project”?

10) It was recorded and mixed right here in Cleveland.
9) The musicians are local yet none from the same church or even the same denomination/tribe.
8)The rich lyrics challenge and inspire me.
7) All proceeds go for a greater cause of compassion www.loveandhopechildrenshome.com
6) The musicianship is just incredible … second to none!
5) It includes the artistic contribution of local church planters. Bethany Liston Solyntjes and Chris Solyntjes.
4) I get to hear the voice and guitar of Rockside Church's worship leader when we started 10 years ago ... Bryan Karas
3) I get to hear the voice, guitar, mixing, directing of Rockside Church's worship leader presently, Britton Roberts. Two outstanding musicians and men of God.
2) The spiritual richness leaps into my soul to inspire me to love God more as I listen.
1) It's a model for the church of Cleveland of a project of collaboration, compassion, worship and excellence that we all can continue to enjoy. Thank you Rufus Hayes Jones IV, Mike Aquilino, Kevin Sanderson, Ryan Wilkins, Jill Rasmussen, Noelle Shearer.
Why do YOU love it?

RESCUES

As I flipped among the 3 local Cleveland news channels last night following the local story of 3 kidnapped ladies being freed after 10 years, I kept hearing phrases like …

“prayers have finally been answered”
“These stories rarely turn out well. This is a miracle.”
“We just thank God!”
“I thank God, it’s a blessing.”
“Yes, law enforcement officers do cry”
“We’re saying thank you, God.”

These comments came from citizens on the street, news journalists and law enforcement alike. Facebook site is called “Miracle in Cleveland” and twitter hash tag called #MiracleinCle

Charles Ramsey, the hero who responded to Amanda Berry’s scream for help, said “God was smilin’ on somebody, ya know what I mean?”

I can remember joining one of our church members from that neighborhood at a candlelite prayer vigil in Amanda Berry’s front yard 10 years ago and was deeply moved by the faith, hope and sincerity of so many from the community.

Thoughts today?
1) I’m encouraged to keep praying for heaven to open over Cleveland!
2) God is looking for partners like Charles Ramsey willing to help rescue others.
3) There’s a lot of faith in Christ among the general population (non-clergy) of Cleveland.
4) For whom are you holding out HOPE?

Isaiah 61:1 says of Christ
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."

FANTASY CHRISTMAS OR THE REAL DEAL

Mayonnaise and handmade quilts, mashed potatoes, Christmas trees and butter. Those were a few of the answers texted in yesterday morning at Rockside Church when I asked “what is something you appreciate the real version over its imitation?” Just like the difference between getting out on the field and fantasy football, there is REAL CHRISTMAS and then there’s FANTASY CHRISTMAS. Christ came to have a personal relationship with all who make room for Him. He came to be our Savior and Lord, to bring joy and peace to the invitee. Then he wants us to spread that GOOD NEWS on to others. There’s a lot of FANTASY CHRISTMAS going on in our culture today. This year, may we develop a greater appetite for the REAL CHRISTMAS. Emmanuel – God is with us!

THE TRAGIC SHOOTING IN NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT

Taking prayer out of public schools is getting a lot of attention in light of this recent tragedy. I remember reciting The Lord’s Prayer each morning in the fifth grade with Mrs. Mullens at Center Street Elementary School. That freedom is gone. BUT…
Mommas can still pray over their kids before they get on the bus each morning.
Pastors, priests and rabbis can still gather with colleagues and pray for their city.
Daddy’s can still pray with their kids over dinner or when tucking them in at night.
Churches can spend some of service times praying.
Children who love Jesus can pray for their classmates and pray to themselves any time throughout the school day if taught to do so.
Teachers and Administrators can humbly call on God for the daily task before them.
Churches and denominations can still host prayer meetings.
We can still support our local Youth for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Moms in Touch, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Youth Alive, Chi Alpha, etc.
We can Google and participate with on-line prayer opportunities.

Why not exercise your FREEDOM TO PRAY this week! Our children are counting on it!

UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

(blog is a reprint from my article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on 8.19.12)

All the TV commercials touting presidential candidates have me talking to myself. Do I really need almost three more months of commercials to decide how to vote? Probably not. The two viable candidates are clearly opposite on major issues. Most voters could decide today.

So what's my role as an individual citizen?
Well God's assignment to you, per the Bible, is to pray for the leaders of your land.

Yeah, yeah, I know, but for most of us Christians, that's just a religious cliche, isn't it? We would rather discuss the candidates, vote (or not), then spend the next four years criticizing the winner on Facebook, at the office, at family gatherings, you name it!

Oh, quit it.

I'm just sayin'. . . . So what does God ask of me again? I got a bit distracted there.

Pray for your leaders. "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority. . . ." (I Timothy 2:1-2 ) I don't think it's a cliche nor just a suggestion. Verse 3 says "This is good and pleases God our Savior." Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. . . ." We have a president instead of a king, but you get the idea.

I thought this column was going to be about presidential candidates. Why are we talking about my responsibility to pray?

Hey, you're asking the questions.

Well, here's something that keeps me from praying. Can the prayers of a no-name, individual citizen like me really make a difference in a powerful place like Washington, D.C.?

Well, can you think of any examples in the Bible where God's purposes were accomplished through praying citizens when the ruling king didn't even believe in God?

Wait a minute, I thought I was asking the questions!

Sorry, you're right. Well, let me tell you then. There was King Cyrus, not a God-lover, yet God stirred his heart and accomplished his purposes through Cyrus (Ezra 1:1). Then there was King Nebuchadnezzar through whom God worked as a result of a teenager named Daniel, a God-loving man of prayer.

That's encouraging. Now do I pray because I'm a pastor or is this something every Christian should do?

Prayer isn't a special assignment to just a few people. Sure, we've made up some titles for a few who pray, like "prayer warrior" and "intercessor," which has caused the rest of us to mistakenly think we're off the hook. But just like your physical body needs to breathe, every God-follower who's spiritually alive needs to pray.

So I'm going to pray for my leaders instead of criticize them. How should I pray?

That's the question the disciples asked Jesus (Luke 11:1). "Lord, teach us to pray. . . ." Jesus gave them a great model to follow. The highlights are: forgive us, help us forgive, we honor you as God, bring the ways of Heaven down here to earth, lead us, free us up from evil, let God's will happen, give us what we need daily, your authority is above all else.

I think you're paraphrasing that. Where can I look up that prayer?

Google "The Lord's Prayer" or dust off your Bible (kidding) and look up Matthew 6:9-13 or Luke 11:2-4.

I better get busy praying then. Did you know there's a national election coming up?

The Rev. Donna Barrett is the pastor of Rockside Church in Independence. She borrowed her "talking to myself" format from The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto, a sports and faith columnist.

MARRIAGE RESOURCES ... from the pastor who's not married

I laugh now at the 18 year old version of myself who bought a life insurance policy. My reason at the time was "I want to start now preparing myself to be the best me I can be for my future husband". Okay, go ahead and laugh out loud with me. :-)

Whether married or single (as am I), possibly the single greatest influence we can have in showing the love of God to others is the way in which we reflect God's perspective on marriage. If you're not married, pray for those who are, encourage them, and live to honor God as a single adult. If you are married, consider that people will spend more time this summer learning how to work their smart phone or arranging their facebook page than they will spend learning how to care well for their marriage. A great book to increase your Biblical understanding of marriage is by Tim Keller entitled The Meaning of Marriage.

Here's a list of carefully selected and reviewed Marital Resources to help you grow in this most important area of your life. The Bible says that it is by our love others will know we are Christ's disciples. What if marriages were so healthy, it attracted the attention of onlookers toward the God we serve! Marriage became the covenant (not contract) the Bible uses as a prototype to show us how Jesus is in covenant with us (his church). May an onlooking world see us live Biblically and love well, resulting in them sensing the love that God has for them.

(cut and paste this link for the resources or click on the link above)
www.rocksidechurch.com/documents/MaritalResources.pdf

ONLY TWO YEARS OLDER

You’re only two years older than me, but you’ve always seemed so much wiser. “How does she know these things?” I would ask myself when you imparted deep truths like how to read a map; how to pull into traffic on the freeway on-ramp; how to use your elbow as a shock absorber so your beverage doesn’t spill while driving; and the news that mascara can be applied without a mirror because your eyelashes are always the same distance from your touched cheek.

“How can she be so brave? I thought, when you took a trunk and hopped a ride with another student to Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri as a freshman, having never seen the campus but convinced it was God telling you to transfer from Ohio State University at Christmas break. Or this past year when you went to Sudan with medical colleagues on a missions trip.

Just two years apart, glad I wasn’t leading but willing to be your side kick, we’ve been through some interesting scenarios when I’ve asked myself “How can she be so strong under this pressure?” When we packed up your house, infant in arm, and drove the moving truck ourselves to where you now live; when mother nature turned your house into a swimming pool; and most recently, when I sat with you beside the hospital bed of your burned son, the third child in the hospital within a month, listening to you describe the incident, the life flight helicopter ride, and what goes through your mind in times of crisis ... continuing to shake my head in amazement at your incredible strength.

We were just two years apart, you were 17 and I was 15, sitting in the back left section among teenagers … giggling, passing notes and whispering throughout the Sunday morning service. Somehow my attention shifted when the invitation was given. “Will you go forward with me?” I whispered to you and we were headed down the aisle passed the blonde wood pews to kneel at the altar at 1900 Canfield Road in Youngstown. You stayed by my side while Pastor Alford lead me and several others in a prayer to ask Jesus Christ to be Lord of the rest of our lives. Looking back, the life you were living as a Christian teenager no doubt heavily influenced that decision for me … a decision that would forever change the rest of my life and my eternity. I ask myself, “How can I ever thank her?”

Today, on your birthday, as you work a 12 hour shift at the hospital, I hope at some point you’ll stop and think about how your life has blessed so many people, especially me, your younger sister, both of us decading-skipping through life, but still … two years apart. I love you, sis! Happy Birthday!