By Pastor Marvin Moss
This week’s topic: Your Testimony

The time has come for the church, church folk, the children of God, Christians to realize that it’s not the title, it’s the testimony. It’s the story that we tell with the way we live our lives. It’s the story that we tell by the way we execute the word of God. It’s in the execution that one recognizes another as a child of God or a child of the devil.

It’s what people see you do that makes all of the difference in the world. When you’re trying to get a job, it’s good to have the degree relative to the position you’re applying for, but you still have to undergo a battery of tests. Then there are interviews, more tests, and more interviews. That degree, diploma, and certificate are good but you still have to prove that what you’re saying is true.

They may call you Doctor, but are you board certified?
They may call you Attorney, but have you passed the bar?
They may call you Reverend, but is there anything about your life that would testify to the fact that you’re anything other than a Reverend?

It’s not the title, it’s the testimony.

How are you living? What kind of report would your family give about you? Is there a good report on you outside of the church as well as in the church?
It’s not the title, it’s the testimony.

Peter. Bold, big mouthed, boisterous Peter, has just allowed himself to be used by God to perform a miracle. You know the story, Peter and john were heading to the temple one afternoon to take part in the afternoon prayer. As they approached the temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the temple gate so he could beg from the people going into the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.

Peter looked at the man intently and said, “Look at us! I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I do have, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Up until this point, Peter and John were just like everybody else. They were two people who could meet the beggar’s need or what the beggar thought his need was. All too often, we think that it’s us meeting the needs of those whom God has trusted us with. This is where the ego comes into play; where we begin to wear our feelings on our sleeves. This is where we want to take credit for everything that only God can do.

God uses us as instruments to fulfill His purpose. We are called and the call has more to do with God’s divine purpose. It’s not about you! We’ve all been called to be leaders. We’re to lead the lost to the lamb. We’re to lead the left out to the One who can let them in.

God calls us to lead not by title but by testimony. How can you tell somebody else about the goodness of God if you’ve never experienced it for yourself? You might be able to tell them what you’ve seen happen to somebody else. You might be to tell them what somebody else has told you. But oh, there’s nothing like a firsthand account. Isaiah said in the year king Uzziah died, “I saw the lord.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, walked through the fiery furnace with an angel of the Lord. Somebody has been walking with Him all week. Somebody called on Him the midnight hour. And when they called on the name of Jesus, He answered them.

He turned their midnight into morning.
He turned their sorrow into a shout,
He turned their problem into praise.
He turned their worry into worship.
He gave them a testimony.

It’s not your title, but it’s your testimony.

Scripture Of The Day: “ ...And why look at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power and godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of all our ancestors who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this…” – Acts 3:12-13v (NLT)

The memorial celebration for the legendary, Bishop Walter Hawkins at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California, was held this morning. His maghony-brown casket sat at stage left and was covered with a beautiful flower arrangement. Not clear why the casket wasn’t front and center, but I have my own speculations. Perhaps it was Bishop Hawkins humility, always feeling the need to let others shine. Whatver the reason, Bishop Hawkins will forever be remembered as a man who loved everybody and believed that God accepts us all — that regardless of adversity, you have to love.

More photos and video highlights after the click:

Edwin Hawkins and his three sisters, Carol, Feddie, Lynette,

and brother, Daniel, all speak to the crowd.

Donnie McClurkin and BeBe Winans sing “STAND”.

Bishop Kenneth Moales prophecies for Jamie Hawkins. The

moment that caught everyone by surprise, I was move beyond

imagination. However, I did notice earlier when Jamie spoke,

it was something different about him. I said to myself, Jamie

sound like a preacher.

A “praise break” during the service, it’s sure to make you dance.

Also, Obama’s resolution to Bishop Hawkins and other highlights.

SOURCE: http://gospelconnoisseur.com/

Friday July 16th Experience Inspiration for the faith based community! Join Praise 1300 for our monthly social event Thank God It’s Praise Friday!! Located at Ivy’s Catering Greenmont Plaza 800 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio. 6pm-10pm Adults only. Free for everyone. Enjoy food, fellowship and fun! Hosted by Ed Powell. To RSVP call 216-579-1111 ext 432

Music and Ministry: Remembering Walter Hawkins

Listen to Music and Ministry: Remembering Walter Hawkins his legacy and ministry.

I feel like in the past five years or so, there’s been a resurgence in children having technological devices. We’ve become a more tech savvy society, so it’s only natural that children would want the latest cell phones, Wii games, iPods, etc. to pass the time. It’s a completely different world than it was even a decade ago, since now gadgets that we couldn’t even dream of (like music all in one device – that came after the eras of CDs, cassette tapes, and records) are now marketable to the general public.

Scanning a street in any given city, you see people walking around listening to their iPods or talking on their cell phones, but a large number of these are even children as young as 6 or 7 years old. You could be sitting in a restaurant and there’s a child playing a video game at the table or playing with his mom’s cell phone. It’s unreal how much children know about the new technological devices on the market, since past generations didn’t have internet so accessible (or even have it at all) or phones that they could take anywhere they want. It’s all new to recent decades and we don’t even know the effects on children of being so exposed to technology.

The question I’m posing is, how soon is too soon to get a child a cell phone or an iPod?

One of the main ideas to consider about technology and children is: are they getting enough exposure to life outside of the one present inside a television, computer, cell phone, etc.? Back in the day (even ten years ago), children were outside climbing trees, playing sports like baseball in the park, or playing tag outside much more than today’s kids. The onset of technology into children’s lives has made playing Wii sports more desirable than playing soccer outside or going on the computer instead of going to the pool. While obviously children still find their ways into the great outdoors, there are more distractions for them now that video games, iPods, and cell phones have found themselves into the hands of today’s youth. Parents have begun buying into the “easy ways” to entertain children and televisions have become new-found babysitters. Is this necessarily the way the world should be – where technology obscures the great outdoors – especially in such nice weather during the summer? As well, what should the ground rules be for children and new gadgets?

Some ground rules I recommend:

1. Cell phones don’t need to be given to children until they truly need to ask for rides to and from places. This is typically around middle school age when after-school activities tend to take up extra time after school and the child is not necessarily home at a specific time every night. I’ve seen children as young as 8 or 9 years old carrying around cell phones and find it odd that their parents would pay for something they most likely just play games on. Who does an 8 year old need to call that they can’t do on the house phone? Another point to make is: if your child has a cell phone, they should learn cell phone etiquette and know not to text at the dinner table, for example. Adults might already have these bad habits, but children pick up stuff quickly and early on: why not nip it in the bud if they have bad habits? The general rule of thumb is that children shouldn’t be ignoring someone right in front of them because they’re distracted by technology.

How To Miss Your Phone, But Not Out On Life

5 Ways To Keep Your Kid Safe Online

2. Video games are acceptable for school age children, although the game ratings should be checked and the games shouldn’t substitute for outdoor playing. Virtual games are never as good as the real thing, right? Children should be learning social skills on the playground or kicking a ball outside with their siblings, although they don’t ALWAYS have to be outdoors to have fun. Video games can be really fun and educational (age appropriateness matters!), but they shouldn’t be the only form of entertainment for children. Also, hand-held video games shouldn’t be played at the dinner table or when they should be talking to others. Social skills are formed when children are put in situations when they have to speak to others, making it counterproductive to be playing a video game at the time. Plus, it’s incredibly rude to ignore people because you’re looking down at your video game, so children should be reprimanded for doing so.

3. Although iPods are pretty expensive typically, there are some smaller models (like the iPod shuffle or nano) that you can get your child if they really want to listen to music. It’s unreal seeing some children with more expensive iPods (like the iPod classic) when they’re only 9 years old, but children that age still like music. You just have to think, will my child be rough with this gadget and break it? Can they handle something this expensive? It depends on the child, but it is rather outrageous to spend a mint for the latest iPod for a child still in elementary school. Plus, children should learn the etiquette of when it’s appropriate to listen to their iPod, since bad habits can develop early on in life (I wish some people had learned from childhood that it’s rude to listen to music when someone’s talking to you!).

As for any technological device, you have to consider how old the child is and how much they will benefit from it. Just buying random gadgets for 9 year olds seems a bit extreme, but some children are more mature than others and can handle expensive devices earlier. It depends on the child, the family, and how much time they’ve been exposed to playgrounds, playing with other children, and spent in the real world, not just the technological one. For example, children shouldn’t just be set in front of the television from a young age and expect to have strong social skills all the way around. They need a balance of playing outside with others and being tech savvy that previous generations didn’t have. The world may have changed in terms of what’s available for children to do, but kids still need the same form of social bonding. Children have a unique curiosity that makes it hard for them to resist the newest gadgets – Apple products, for example, are shiny, silvery, and have incredibly clever stores. However, we can’t forget about what’s all around us in nature or we wouldn’t be human.

By Tanya James
This week’s topic: Faith In God

If you have been keeping up with current events, you know that the story told by the media is very bleak. Unemployment numbers are at an all time high, crime is on the rise, marital relationships are deteriorating, the financial institutions and auto companies are failing, and life threatening diseases are killing millions of people…

One could find themselves depressed, panicky, stressed and overwhelmed if they allowed these reports to rule their lives. And what’s unfortunate is that the church sometimes seems to be just as scared right now as the world. Which brings me to the question of where or in whom does your faith lay?

If your faith is built on worldly institutions – than yes, you should be running to the hills fearing for your life. But if you have built your faith in God than your head should still be hung high as you confidently go through each day knowing God is in control.

Now I am not foolish enough to think that we won’t sometimes get discouraged and that worry may not creep up and rear its ugly head – but when those times come – we must seek God maybe like we have never done before to get through those times. God knows that our faith will sometimes be shaken up…He just wants you to take that first baby step…

“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Have you seen the size of a mustard seed? It’s super tiny! So don’t throw in the towel because you can’t seem to muster up an overwhelming amount of faith…walk in the little bit you may have…and as you continue to seek God’s face and direction – your faith will continue to grow.

It’s just like a flower, you have to water it and nurture it in order to cultivate it. And there is no better time than the present to start (or continue) that process. Do it and watch God honor your commitment.

Scripture Of The Day: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” - 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)