A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 28

Proverbs 26: 28     A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Proverbs 26: 28.  Sometimes your “haters” are those who tell you that you can’t do what you actually can, the ones who attack your gifts and calling.

And sometimes, your “haters” are the ones who tell you that you can do what you actually can’t, the ones who flatter you into jumping out into an area that isn’t your calling, your gift, or your business.

Often the flattering hater can discern the spiritual negative.  He/she may not see what God is calling you into, but they can tell where God has posted “Keep out.”  The flattering hater understands that if he/she can get you to walk outside of God’s will then they can bring you to ridicule, cause you to waste time and energy, discourage you from exercising your real gift/ actual calling, and place you in the path of God’s wrath rather than His grace.

In 2 Chronicles 18, a spirit of flattery boosted up the ego of bad king Ahab so he’d go into a battle that God never intended him to win.  Ahab died and almost got his friend, a good king named Jehosophat, killed.

In 1 Kings 13, God sent a prophet to deliver a Word.  God told the prophet very specifically to go straight there and come straight back without eating or drinking.  On his way home, another prophet (actual called man of God) convinced the walking prophet that God had told him to tell him to do the opposite of what God told him to do. 

So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water( 1 Kings 13: 19). While they were having dinner, the deceiver prophesied the death of the prophet who’d been turned aside.  
On his way home, the 1^st prophet was attacked by a lion.  And just to show that this wasn’t an accident, God directed the lion to pull the dude off his donkey, kill him, and then stand next to the body and the donkey without eating either one---- so people could pass by and see what had happened.

It is crucial that you not let discouraging voices prevent you from pursuing the dream that God has given you.  It is equally crucial not to let sweet voices deceive into following the wrong dream.

Part of discerning the difference is remembering that an experience isn’t necessarily a calling.

In Numbers 11: 25, the Holy Spirit fell upon 70 lay elders chosen by Moses.  Every one of those men prophesied ---- once.  They never did so again.   It was a life changing experience, but their callings were not to the prophetic ministry.  Their callings were to lay leadership and care for the community of Israel.

What I’m saying is: Just because you hit one good note one Sunday doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re supposed to get every solo.  Just because your baby made all-stars at YMCA pee-wee camp doesn’t mean you tell him to quit studying because he’s going to the NBA.

Learn what your gifts are, and learn what your gifts are not.   Walk in your calling and not in the calling other people have picked out for you.  Listen to wise people, but obey God rather than man/ woman.

Don’t get yourself flattered into destruction.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

The Power of OUR Anointing

There is more to what God wants you to do for Him than just what you do for Him. There’s more to the fulfillment of God’s promises to you than just you.

This message, delivered for the dual celebration of Pentecost and Family &Friends Day is aboutTHE POWER OF OUR ANOINTING.

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com   
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves  

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made  out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 27

Proverbs 26: 27     Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.

David focused on being a good soldier.  Saul focused on how much better than him David was at being a soldier.  Saul went nuts, lost God’s favor, got involved in witchcraft, and killed himself after losing his son in a battle he never should have fought.   David became king and the ancestor of Jesus Christ.  David kept progressing while Saul fell into his own trap.

David pursued success in terms of how he made himself better at what he did.   Saul thought success could only come by sabotaging the other man’s performance.

Sabotage requires  effort, energy, and commitment.  That’s energy, effort, & commitment that could have made you better at what you do--- but don’t because they’re all concentrated on the other dude.   That’s energy, effort, & commitment that might have improved your chances of success but don’t because they’re aimed only at hindering the other sister’s chances. 

If you choose sabotage then you will never be better than you are. 

See, you can’t possibly control every moment of your rival’s day.  You might mess up their project at work, but you can’t stop them from leaving the office and learning about the job at home.  You might tell lies that make them look bad at lunch but you can’t stop them from living with such dignity the rest of the time that no one cares what you say.   Despite all of your scheming efforts, your enemy might still be progressing forward while you go nowhere.

Basically sabotage subtracts your energy and sends it somewhere else, somewhere that doesn’t benefit you and isn’t guaranteed to harm the one you’re trying to sabotage. 

Do the math.  Sabotage makes you a lesser person.

Now, do the physics. 

When you pour energy into something, you build up potential energy----like pumping pressurized gas into a tank.   As you pour more and more energy into sabotage, the danger become greater while you become weaker (and more vulnerable to the very dangerous situation you’ve created).  

That’s why hateful people keep checking on their own trap.  They keep asking if you clicked on the corrupted file, how you did with the sabotaged presentation, if you talked to the spouse or girlfriend they’d lied to about you, if you want a drink of the water they’d poisoned.    Their spiritual weakness actually pulls them closer to their own trap.

When the trap springs, the saboteur is just as/ more likely to get hurt as the person they tried to harm. 

The more you use sabotage, the weaker you become, and the more likely/ the more deeply your traps will trap you.

Now, if you add the promises of God (Isaiah 54: 17 for example) to the equations then you have a situation in which a trap is set & energized, but the target is protected by God.  Well, when the energy of the trap is released it all rebounds back onto the one who set it all up in the first place.

Forget about trying to make them worse.  Focus on making you better. 

Sabotage isn’t going to work out the way you think. 

Read this article: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/husband-wife-die-after-falling-into-pit-on-ishikawa-beach

Husband, wife die after falling into pit on Ishikawa beach

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 24-26 (Loving with Your Eyes Open)

Proverbs 26: 24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself;

25 When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart;

26 Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.

Proverbs 6: ¹⁶ These six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination toHim:

¹⁷ A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, ¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

Proverbs 26: 24-26. For our haters, we are to pray for redemption & reconciliation. In Matthew 18: 15-17, Jesus made it clear that victory in a confrontation with someone who’d wronged you is achieved when when you have “gained your brother.” That means that the wrong has been corrected and the relationship has been restored. Consider the example of Jesus converting Saul the persecutor to Paul the apostle (Acts 9).

Unfortunately, not all enemies will become your friend. People can and (some of them) will simply choose to continue hating your guts and pursuing your destruction. Think about King Saul trying to kill David (1 Samuel 18, 19, 24).

So, how do you know if your enemy has become a friend you can now trust or if the enemy has become a fake friend who’s just waiting for a better throwing angle so he/she can pin you to the wall with a spear?

You have to love with your eyes open. You have to see without looking.

If you look for evidence that the conversion wasn’t genuine you’ll find evidence even if none really exists. Many a great relationship has been screwed up become somebody was lookingfor something to go wrong.

“Loving with your eyes open” means you see what’s actually there--- good and bad--- even when what you see isn’t what you’d expected or wanted. “Loving with your eyes open” means acknowledging behavior patterns in your relationship, especially patterns that you would have noticed in someone else’s relationship.

Real repentance happens. Genuine redemption happens. It is the beautiful truth of God’s grace that people really can (and sometimes do) change.

But, if the change isn’t real and if you love with your eyes open, you’ll see 7 abominations as listed in Proverbs 6: 16-19:

1) A proud look. You’lll see arrogance instead of repentance. The “Really? How dare you question me? Don’t you know how lucky you are to have me around?” response.

2) A lying tongue. “That wasn’t me” when you were looking at them, or an appeal to technicalities: “Did you see me take your car or are you assuming that since your car was gone, and after I walked in with your keys you saw it was back in the yard?”

3) Hands that shed innocent blood. If they mistreat other people simply because they can, then it’s likely that they’ll treat you as badly as they feel they can get away with.

Yeah, quit lying to yourself that the way they did so-and-so has nothing to do with you.

4) A heart that devises wicked plans. When they come to your aid it’s with a deceptive, drama-creating, destroy-everybody-and-burn-their-village plan.

5) Feet that are swift to run to evil. They don’t have time for/ are too tired for/ don’t see the need for: church, school, studying, talking, (a job), or whatever are the positive things in your life; but they’re down to ride on some fool or kick up some drama no matter what time of day or night.

6) False witness that speaks lies. If they lie about other people, if all the people who’d been honest and dependable in your life while this person was your enemy become liars and haters who don’t care anything about you once this person becomes “your friend”---- that’s a red flag trimmed in neon with the words GET! OOOUUUUT!

7) One who sows discord among brethren. Once you let this new person into your circle, your other friends start fighting among themselves and drama appears where it had never been before.

These are 7 signs that your new “friend”---- ain’t.

Seek repentance. Pray for reconciliation. Give people a chance to change.

But, don’t be stupid.

Love with your eyes open.

Or you’ll suffer in darkness.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 23

Proverbs 26: 23     Fervent lips with a wicked heart are like earthenware covered with silver dross.

Proverbs 26: 23.  Game.  Spin.  The fine art of using beautiful words to express and advance the ugliest of intentions.  Some of the practitioners are so, so very good at it; but if examine a little more carefully....

Consider the male playa who says, “I’m looking for a strong, independent sista who knows who she is.  I’m not trying to be your daddy or your keeper.  I don’t want to define you or make your happiness dependent on me.  I want to be there for you to do you.  I’m looking for a woman who can appreciate me for the good man I am but at the same time is so secure in herself that she’s not worried about what some other woman says about her man.”

So beautiful.

But scratch past the shiny veneer of compliment and empowerment. Weigh the arguments to see what it’s really made of.   What the playa actually said was, “I want a woman who has money and won’t expect me to pay any bills.  I don’t want to make any commitments or be held to any responsibility  I want you to go to your job and take care of me, my wants, and my needs.  And when (not if) I cheat on you I want you to believe whatever lie I tell you.” 

Or think about the politician who tells you, “We want to make sure that job creators have access to resources that aren’t being utilized so that they can put those resources to work creating jobs and wealth.  We want to remove barriers to growth in the labor market and encourage everyone to take responsibility for their own success rather than depending on government to tell them what to do.”

That sounds so grand and empowering.

But scratch past the veneer.  Weigh the arguments carefully.  What the spin-master actually said was, “If you don’t make a lot of money we’re going to take your land and give it to somebody who’s already rich.  If you’re lucky they’ll let you come back and work at making more money for them.  We’re going to rewrite the law so that the rich guys can treat their employees anyway they want.  At the same time we’re giving tax breaks to the rich company we’re going to keep collecting your taxes while cutting any program that might help you rise above your current socioeconomic status.”

It’s so easy to fall for.  It’s like when you get caught up in the rhythm of a song and find yourself singing it until you stop and reaaaalllly listen to the lyrics and you go, “Crap!  Is that what they’re saying?!”

The flow and eloquence of an argument is important, but you need to be able to look beyond how it sounds and discern clearly what it means.

Remember that a clay bowl plated in silver may be just as pretty and just as thick as a dish made entirely of the precious metal.  But, the real silver dish will be heavier, weightier.  The surface color will run deep and show even when scratched.

If you can’t tell up front whether an idea or person is genuine then watch how he/she performs under pressure.  When it’s time to “hold you down”/ to be strong for you, does his/her integrity prove solid----- or light?

When a deeper commitment to the professed principle is needed,do they show themselves genuine and consistent even when scratched/ attacked/ questioned/ confronted?  Or, does a little damage change who they appear to be?

If you’re happy with silver-plated fakeness then fine.  But, if you need/ want something/ someone who’s real all the way through, then return/ repent of the fake stuff; and examine the next dish much more carefully before you commit to it.

(Matthew 23: 23-28)

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 22

Proverbs 26: 22     The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body.

Proverbs 26: 22.  Some people like gossip. They just do.  Hearing what “I heard that she did…” and what “He said that she told him…”--- it just brings pleasure to some folks.  I don’t personally understand the thrill of gossip, but then I also don’t get how people enjoy eating raw cauliflower or drinking until they throw up and pass out.

For some folks, even good Christian folks, gossip is just a pleasure, a guilty pleasure--- like chocolate when you’re supposed to be on a diet or like cigarettes.   

The problem is that gossip, however much you enjoy it is inherently tainted.  When you consume those rumors, accusations, and innuendo, you ingest a kind of spiritual poison. 

 Sometimes the effect of this contamination is obvious.   People break out in bouts of anger.  They have seizures of conflict.  The joints that bind relationships together weaken and fracture.  Every year, the side effects of contamination from ingesting gossip account for a significant number of injuries and emergency room visits.

Sometimes though the effects of contamination from gossip are less immediate though just as harmful.  Over time, regular exposure to second-hand mess causes brain damage, so that your mind becomes less able to discern truth.  It damages the heart, causing diminished compassion, less love, and an overall feeling of bitterness toward people.  Your vision suffers, rendering you unable to shift you focus away from petty things and toward the real, important qualities in people and callings of God.

Gossip is a common substance in society but its danger have often been overlooked and under-reported.  Don’t let the smooth taste fool ya’.  Consuming rumors is harmful to you and to the body (of Christ).

Get help.  Just say “No.”

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: "Firestarters" - Proverbs 26: 21

Proverbs 26: 21     As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

Proverbs 26:21. Warmer weather means more barbecuing, so you should really be able to visualize this parable.

Imagine a man outside with a grill lined with charcoal that has burned down to that stage of white ash.  There’s no fire, and the coals are warm but not really hot. 
What happens when the cook adds a few pieces of fresh, quick-light charcoal briquettes?   Or, say he drops in a few dry hickory chips?
Soon, he’ll have fresh heat and brand new fire.

Some people are like fresh kindling; they’re firestarters.  They have a knack for transforming any old, almost resolved problem into a fresh crisis.  Just as there are people with a gift for peace-making, there are also people with a gift for problem-creating.

(What?  You didn’t know that Satan gave gifts to his servant?  James 1:17 says that every “good and perfect” gift comes from our heavenly Father.   Evil and corrupt gifts have another source.)

Patterns indicate character.  Review the times you thought things between you and So-and-so were getting better but then new drama broke out.    Is there a recurring connection between when things stopped improving and when you (or So-and-so) started listening to a certain person?  If so, you’ve found your firestarter.

Now, it may not be somebody else.  The problem might be that So-and-so is the firestarter (or that you are).  Firestarters feel uncomfortable when things get too quiet.  Firestarters subconsciously want to argue.  They feel validated by struggle so they create it in their own lives and in the lives of others.

If the firestarter lives in your house---- pray, pray, pray.  Hope the firestarter is you.  You can fix you. (Well, God can fix you, but you can volunteer yourself for the process.) 

If the firestarter in your life lives outside of your house---- keep them outside of your house and outside of your relationships.  Unless you want to burn both down.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 20 (The 3rd Kid)

Proverbs 26: 20     Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.

Proverbs 26:20. Every time.  Ev-er-y time as a school administrator I deal with a fight or major argument between 2 kids I end up dealing with a 3^rd kid. 

The 3^rd kid didn’t throw a punch/ didn’t participate in the argument.  He/she might not have even been present for the conflict.  “All” the 3^rd kid did was tell Kid A what he/she heard that Kid B said he/she thought about Kid A--- and vice versa.
The 3^rd kid rarely comes out and tells anybody to go confront anybody else.  The 3^rd kid just passes along hearsay, opinions, and a bit of editorial.

Removing the 3^rd kid from the equation doesn’t change the fact that Kid A thinks Kid B is stank, nor does it alter Kid B’s opinion that Kid A’s boy/girlfriend could do better.

But, remove the 3^rd kid and the other 2 manage to breathe the same air without trying to murder one another.  In other words---- There is peace.

(Peace does not require friendship.)

This phenomenon is just as true for adults. 

Check your sources.

Are you continually getting into conflicts because people keep talking behind your back?   Think:  How do you know what they supposedly said if they’ve only said it behind your back?   Who’s behind your back, running up in your face with information?

Remove the 3^rd kid from your space for a few months and see if there isn’t a decrease in the  level of drama in your life.

Check your calendar.

Do your spouse & you always get into an argument the day after you and a certain friend hang out?

Is there somebody who “helps you out” by showing you how you aren’t really happy and your husband/wife isn’t really as good to you as you thought they were?

Remove the 3^rd kid from your space for a few months.  Then compare the level of peace and harmony in your home without them to what is was with them around.

Check yourself.

Are all your friends from 2 years ago now enemies with one another? Can you write down a long list of formerly married friends whom you advised on their relationships?   When Person A shares their personal opinion about Person B do you immediately want to tell/text Person B what you heard?

Remove yourself from other folks’ business and relationships.  Take a few months to mind your own business, and then take a few more to leave other folks business alone.

See if they don’t find greater peace.  Maybe you will, too.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

 

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577

Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Rd.,

Montgomery, AL 36116

WHY YA'LL SO SCARED ALL THE TIME? (Inspired by my spiritual sister)

Sir Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

If have been more blessed than the man who explained gravity for   I have walked in the company of giants.  I have studied with great men and great women.  I have sat in classrooms where genius was writing in a seat next to mine.  I went to Alabama State University.

Last night I heard a member of my own ASU freshmen class of 1989 preach.  Rev. Dr. Wendy Coleman delivered a Word with song so spiritually deep that it brought silence to a BLACK CHURCH!  All we could do for a moment was just weep wave our hands.  Wendy taught us and challenged us.  She walked us through (literally WALKED down the aisle with a bowl of fruit) God’s message of Peace & Fruitfulness.  And like all master teachers, she provoked deeper thought and study, extending the lesson beyond her words. 

Which is how I found myself waking to re-examine Mark 4: 40.

[After calming a storm on the sea, Jesus] said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”   

Why are you so fearful?

In the Book of Matthew, the word “fearful” is not the same as the word “afraid.”  Afraid is translated from the word phobeo, which refers to an act, moment, or emotion.  Fearful is the translation of the word deilos, which refers more to a personality trait or a persistent state of being.

In Mark 4: 40, Jesus’ 1^st question to His disciples could well be translated,  “Why ya’ll so scared all the doggone time?”

The greatest obstacle to walking in powerful, mountain-moving faith is not the onset of crises.  The chief enemy of greatness is not the momentary rise of difficult obstacles, the sudden appearance of ruthless opposition, nor the unforeseen occurrence of heart-breaking disappointment.  No, the chief enemy of greatness is BEING SCARED ALL THE DOGGONE TIME.

We’re afraid that the words aren’t quite right.  We’re afraid that we’re not quite pretty enough yet.  We’re afraid they won’t like us.  We’re afraid she’ll/ he’ll say something mean about it.  And when there’s nothing else to be afraid of, we’re afraid that it’s too easy.

Why you so scared all the doggone time?

Fear has 2 antidotes.  One is FAITH (Mark 4:40; Hebrews 11: 27; Revelations 2: 10).  

Hebrews 11:27 By faith [Noah] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 

Revelations 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 

The other antidote to fear is LOVE. (2 Timothy 1: 7)

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 

Why do you fail to live in the greatness you know is in you? 

You scared.

Why don’t you walk in the promises God has made to you? 

You scared.

You’re always afraid.

But, it’s O.K., now.

Now you have the cure for your fear.

LOVE.  Love God.  Love people.  Love even yourself.  Love as you once feared, not just as a moment of emotion, but as a way of life.

HAVE FAITH--- not just as an emotional I-believe-I-can-fly moment in church, but have faith and live faith/ faithfully to God’s Word.  Daily and continuously hold to God’s Commands and Promises as TRUTH and as FACT.

See the greatness around you.  Draw inspiration and strength from the struggles and the achievements of the geniuses and giants who walk the Earth today.

Love.  Believe.  

Don’t be scurred.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577

Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 18 (Terrorism)

Proverbs 26: 18     Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, 19     is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, “I was only joking!”

Proverbs 26:18. The Bible doesn’t really take a firm stand on practical jokes.  That’s something you and your friends have to figure out between you.   However, the Word does make clear that certain stuff isn’t funny.

If you spread gossip/ lies, it’s not a joke; it’s a sin.  If you make Dude A think that Dude B is going to attack him, steal his lady, or sabotage his career just cause you think it’ll be funny when Dude A & Dude B get into it; that junk ain’t funny.  That’s sin.  

In fact, God says that’s CRAZY SIN. 

God’s Word describes you as a crazy person firing weapons of mass destruction into the crowd just to see how much damage you can do.    

Basically, if you start mess just for the entertainment value, you are a TERRORIST in God’s eyes.  

How far do you think a King will go to defend His nation against terrorism?   What about a King with unlimited power and absolute knowledge?

Examine your life for gossip and deception because you don’t wanna be on GOD’S terrorism watchlist.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 17

Proverbs 26: 17     He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

Proverbs 26:17.  My boss was out a couple of days because he got bitten by a dog--- his own dog.

He blames himself.

The dog had been rescued from a shelter.  She  came into his home with a fear of machines that make loud noises---- machines like the leaf-blower he turned on in the yard without having first put the dog in her pen.

He cranked up the leaf-blower and the dog attacked it.  When he snatched the leaf blower away and raised it up out of her reach the agitated pit bull perceived his posture as a threat and bit him.

Blame the dog or blame the owner --- he still got bitten.

When two parties in conflict invite or accept your help in resolving their disagreement you can perform an important Christian service.  “Blessed are the peacemakers….” (Matthew 5:9)

But---

If you insert yourself into an argument that doesn’t involve you, and you don’t get permission from BOTH parties to stand between them, then you are waving a leaf-blower between 2 angry pit bulls.  It’s quite likely that someone’s going to hurt you ---- hurt your feelings, attack your character, and /or cause you literal, physical harm.

Blame yourself or blame them for not recognizing that you were only trying to help.  You still get bitten.

There may be times when the urgency of the situation or the imminent possibility of harm compels you to get involved. 

You gotta do what you gotta do.

Just understand up front that the principle of Proverbs 26:17 still applies.  Even when you really just wanna help, you’re still grabbing the dog by the ears.

Know the risk.  Pray.  Choose wisely.

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 16

Proverbs 26: 16     The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Proverbs 26: 16.  As an educator and a pastor I’ve sat down with family’s dealing with suicide, divorce, foreclosure, and homelessness.  I’ve had parent conference in which I had to keep the kid from jumping on his mama or pull the dad off his kid.  I’ve been in the middle of ever kind of dysfunction & family tragedy you can imagine.

Of all those, the saddest sit-down I ever had was with a mother and her daughter whom I was “sending off” to a disciplinary program.   The mother didn’t contest anything in her daughter’s thick, thiiiick discipline folder, which surprised me because this lady’d cussed me out on several previous occasions.  The child didn’t complain that she was innocent or being singled out, which also surprised me because she usually lied to me at least twice a day.  Frankly, the whole conference was proceeding with remarkable cordiality.  

As we were closing, I asked the mother to verify her contact information.

 "Home address?"

Same.

"Cell number?"

She gave it to me.

"Work number?"

Pause.
Mother looked at daughter.  Daughter looked at mother.  Both burst out laughing.

Mom:  Work?  Man, I don’t work.   You work so I don’t have to.

Not, “My husband works so I don’t have to.”

Not, “My parents worked so I didn’t have to.”
Not, “I have a disability so I shouldn’t have to work.”
 But, “You work so I don’t have to.”

 She thought it was clever.  I thought it was the saddest thing I’d ever heard, because I recognized the look on her daughter’s face.  It was the look of a student who’d just heard something from her teacher---- something she would remember and apply for the rest of her life.

 This mom turned her child into a human being who sees all other human beings not as people but as targets for exploitation. 

 In comic books villains are created when someone makes a deliberate decision to do evil things because it is evil.  In real life the formula for creating bad people is simpler---- and scarier.  

People become monsters when they simply decide, “I am going to have everything I want, and I’m not going to work for any of it.”

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577

Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Rd.,

Montgomery, AL 36116