LivingStones Ministries

' without '

2011-07-27T09:47:00.001-04:00

“Come, without cost” how often will we ever get an invitation like that... few if ever, so often there are strings attached, or an agenda set, or stipulations or expectations of something more, or in exchange for reciprocation... and in our Scripture readings today... we find an invitation to come... to share in the greatness and goodness of our God, without exception or expectation, that through Christ, we now have the Holy Spirit to guide is in all truth, so that none would ever be lost for ever, and finally finding there is always enough, that none be without... The first reading today shares with us an invitation, to come participate without cost... take what you need, for there is nothing we can do that will satisfy or come close to repaying for it... ever... and still so many will tell you over and over again, you must do this, or you must do that to be in relationship with God... can you not hear the Scriptures for yourselves, why would you allow anyone to place any cost for your Salvation on you – not our place, not theirs either... here we find one of several everlasting covenants, a covenant of peace. “Incline your ear, and come to ME... listen that you may live”, what an invitation to a loving relationship with God... so who are we willing to listen to? Let no one deceive you... God has entrusted us - you and I - with the very living Word of God, and the Holy Spirit gives each of us understanding in God's time, not ours, are we faithfully seeking out God or others, are we accepting the characteristics of our God's gracious and merciful nature, or are we stopping others from seeking truth, wisdom, understanding that only God can give us... our focus must be on God and Trust in the Truth that God desires to help and is able to do so... So are we speaking the Truth in Christ or are we leading others astray by our words, or deeds. Our conscience either confirms or convicts us, by the power of the Holy Spirit that has been given each of us through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross for each and everyone of us... The Holy Spirit convicts us or it does not – if it does not then allow no one else to either... here is the catch... whatever their complaint - it very well could apply to them... if they (others) see in you something they believe needs correction, most likely it is something in them that needs the work and not you... however, God does indeed send others to help us on our own journey's so always be open and receptive to what others say, but do not let them convict you of something that simply just doesn't apply... the Holy Spirit, will either confirm or convict us, and help guide us in all righteousness... and finally we see that Christ escapes danger, and in doing so, finds opportunity for Ministry, Compassion motivates His Ministry, what motivates us - ourselves or Christ... in 14:15 the place is deserted, a wilderness, a place of liberation in which God feeds the people – in feeding the hungry. Jesus models a task for disciples, then and now... “feed my people” however without Christ many continue to hunger, search and seek for something, anything that will satisfy their hunger, let us never be found without Christ - through Christ, there will always be enough, we will always be supplied with all that is needed to do the work set before us, “Jesus said, they need not go away; you given them something to eat” and so all ate and were filled... just as we gather together each week for our Spiritual nourishment... there are those who do not... share the overflow of what God has enlightened your life with – with others, without, expectations or exceptions... Without Christ, we do nothing from nothing... so come, see and hear for yourself. 'you give them something' let us always be found radiating the Love of Christ in us, so much so that others see and feel the Love of Christ embracing them, drawing them closer and closer to a relationship of Love with and for God and each other... without expectations, or exceptions and just as freely as it has been given us... without cost...
AMEN...
Rev. Terry J. McGuire

' who – ever '

2011-06-25T08:36:00.000-04:00

whoever welcomes you – welcomes ME...

so are we preaching peace or divisions, inclusion or exclusion, and of who... the Truth in the Living Word is difficult at best to discern – however the Holy Spirit will help us in finding the true meaning and then show us what it is and how we are to share it with others - in what and how we say – what we say about the Living Word often without ever saying a word...
God has chosen us... “humans” to be in covenant with... to be in relational fellowship with... for all generations... not just yesterday's or not even just today's... but all – ours, theirs – past, present and future generations... God loves us so much as to give us Christ as an example to live by... and a new Covenant... of Grace, over Law... knowing that we can and never would satisfy the letter of the law... and so only in our humiliation can we recognize our Salvation by God... our invitation to “come” participate in the new covenant of Grace... Grace and Sin are to one another as “either” is to “or” - Sin is described as (things in which you are ashamed) the Holy Spirit convicts you of it... not I – and certainly not others... the Spirit will not allow you to understand anything that isn't Truth!!! nothing anyone else says or does can convince you of anything that God hasn't wanted you to hear, see or learn... no one can ever tell you that – something means this or that and you believe it unless the Spirit gives you understanding and that it is Truth the Spirit will never miss-guide you, people can, but the Spirit won't let you accept anything that isn't truth!... I can't convince you something is true anymore than anyone else can... and no amount of proof can ever convince some that just are unwilling to hear the Truth... Sin is anything we allow to separate us from God... the tenision between the two realities remain unresolved, humans by nature – sin, believers by (their new) nature – do not... believers are human but believers also represent a new type of humanity. Paul sets the law and Christ as opposite means: what the law could not do, Christ has done... and still today we see and hear of others who continue to set distinctions or exceptions to full equality for all... injustices against others different from our selves... the homeless, the hungry, the you fill in the blank.... who are you - leaving out... excluding from Worship, Fellowship or Relationships... who is next to you, here, - at the restaurant, - at the dinner table, in your neighborhood... where ever you are, where ever you go... who is the ever we should be reaching out to, we are told that whoever is willing to follow the example Christ has given us, none of them will lose their reward... We are all - to be a Holy Temple, acceptable to God, but who are we acceptable to – God or Man?... and are we living our lives so reflective of the example that has been given us, often without ever saying a word, who-ever – welcomes you welcomes Me; are we truly Welcoming others by the lives we live, even when we think others are not looking? What did they see? Are we Welcoming... are we giving, are we..... showing others that if God can love one such as us, then God truly loves even them; we must also be careful not to neglect the physical needs of others while providing the Spiritual or vise versa... Let us be present, be real, be open to all that God has awaiting us - with welcoming and loving hearts for we all matter to God; If who-ever includes us all, - then shouldn’t we also then matter to each other... Scripture tells us we are to be found out-giving to one another: Are We? May we always give and receive Love, without distinctions, exceptions or fail... amen Rev. Terry J. McGuire

' so I send you '

2011-06-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

forgiven & transformed, 'so I send you' – how amazing is that – that God through His mercy and grace has forgiven and transformed each and every single one of us... and then sends us out to reach those who think that God could never love them... Just think... if God can love one such as I... and use one such as I... then what all is possible with a life like yours... in Acts 2:13 we see that as always there is a divided response to the gospel: some people are open and believe, while others close themselves off to the message – still today... others refuse to take God at His word – a new covenant... has been given, we are no longer under the old one, and still so many try to make others live under the rules and regulations set out in the Scriptures, in their own denominational guiding documents... we have been set free... free from all that... why in the world would you let anyone change that for you... when the Holy Spirit rests upon you... you know the Truth... from within... I can't convince you of it, nor can anyone else... however others can make you to feel like your doing something wrong... not fitting in with the crowd, but is it the crowd, we really want to be fitting into... the Spirit gives each of us the ability to reach out to those who will understand and in kind, the Spirit opens the ears and the heart of understanding so that they get what we are saying – in how we speak in our own languages – slang or even contextually... sometimes we can go off on flights of fancy with the Scriptures, more often than not though, we are given the heart of the message, which is spoken in every language... So who understands you... “what does this mean” the Spirit of the Truth either resonates with you or it does not – if not, then why not? We are told “in the last day's God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, so if this be true, then it must be our own hardheartedness, our own deaf ears, and unloving hearts for God or each other, and here's the kicker, you can't do one without the other, so it's all in, or its all out... you can't do only what you like, all to often we find ourselves comfortable in our lives, and really don't want any type of disruption – well guess what if your comfortable, then something is wrong... you are not looking around you... you are not truly loving those around you... you are not reaching out to others as Christ did... it wasn't always comfortable for Him to do so... and we see and hear that it truly is the Spirit that enables our Faith... “no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit” to each of us is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good... each of us are gifted for service, not to ourselves but, for all of us... and certainly not a just for a selected few, but all of us... the various gifts serve the common good, even our Faith is a gift - and so all believers have it... so let none of us boast of anything... for just as we have been blessed with unique gifts of the Spirit... let us also share these gifts with one another... are you sharing what God has given you as your Spiritual Gifts and talents - or are you keeping them to yourself... when we are living in harmony with God and each other, then true peace that only comes from almighty God is ours everlasting... “Peace be with you” Christ said to His disciples and then breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. If the Holy Spirit has come within us – then we too have this same Peace beyond any human understanding... and only the Spirit in them can see the Spirit in you... and 'so send I you' becomes a reality for us – we begin to share our lives openly, lovingly, without distinctions, exceptions or fail... just as we are – we have been sent... “how beautiful the feet of those who are sent” I can't send you nor can any other human entity... we will most certainly go astray if we have not been set by the One and only One who can send us... and then you and I can and will share the journey with one another, in the Everlasting Peace & Unfailing Love of Christ... AMEN... Rev. Terry J. McGuire

have we learned nothing

2011-02-16T07:43:00.000-05:00

I think we can take a lesson from some of the uprisings around the world, people are tired of repression, what ever the form, and honestly I don’t blame them, not wanting us to try to dictate to them what they should be doing when we still have so much work to do here on our own soil, our own communities and our own families… until we have secured full and equal rights for everyone – we are born with them, and others keep taking them away by law or regulation… does this not sound like repression to you… I contiue to Pray that we will get it right in our life time… that the dream is still alive, we can all get along, we all can live side by side with one another, we all can truly Love One Another, and truly Love even our-selves…

Stages of Faith & Age

2010-04-10T09:11:00.001-04:00

in a recent thread i was following a friend shared a link on Spiritual Stages… “Stages of Faith” and of course some liked the information – others thought it strange… but we do go through stages, weather we like it or not… adolescence, puberty and adulthood, we also go through Spiritual Stages, of beginning a new relationship with Christ and learning and growing in our faith and then teaching and preaching to others… this came to mind… in commenting about the stages we do go through from adolescence to adulthood; adulthood is the most difficult – we can become so hard hearted, disappointed, cold uncaring because of our journey to adulthood, we forget to look at everything with the eyes and heart of a child… I wrote this in my journal: when we have finally reached maturity – spiritually and physically – I pray that we always remain with the heart and eyes of a child… always looking and learning with fresh, new, expectant hearts of joy – not with hearts and eyes of stone. disappointment – un willing – un caring, very sad, we long to be mature, and forget to be a child…

going alone

2010-02-03T07:21:00.001-05:00

often we can find ourselves feeling like we are going it alone… walking through this world all by ourselves, even with others in tow, our journey’s can seem very lonely… the good news – we are never truly alone… “for I Am with you always”… how comforting especially when we find ourselves feeling otherwise. there are however times that we must journey alone, to seek out new adventures in our lives, search our innermost selves, reflect on the journey we take. sometimes we are alone because we have chosen to be alone – other times because we have run everyone else off, and sometimes just because we fail to listen to that Still Small Voice… and it’s the only way to quite us… Ultimately we are never truly alone… even if to the outside world it may appear that way… we are all meant to journey with each other – in fellowship with one another – sharing ourselves – even in some of the most painful moments of our lives… all to often we only want to share the good stuff, however we are called to cry with each other as well… the next time you feel as though you are going it alone… stop and still yourself, now are you really alone? May your journey never leave you feeling like you are going it alone… Terry McGuire

just before dawn

2010-02-02T08:21:00.001-05:00

on my morning walk this morning – it started to rain, so I turned and headed back to the house, just then it stopped, so I turned and continued to finish my walk, a different route than the everyday path I have been taking each and every morning for the past 2 weeks… another something I will have to share sometime later not today…. I love my morning walks, time to Pray – reflect on the thoughts and inspirations of the Spirit… This morning I noticed that the road while smooth enough to walk on has many cracks in it, making for some very unusual space and shapes in them. Got me thinking, funny how a cracked blacktop in the middle of darkness with casts of street lights can make one see a road so different… but none the less for today it did… here is what I saw – some of the shapes were small, some very large, some shaped very oddly and some as square as if cut by hand, hummm – anyway, within these shapes I began to see that sometimes our life takes us on different paths – and sometimes these situations last only a second the small shape that only the foot can step into, and others that last longer taking more steps to clear, some shapes make us go to the left or right to avoid a fall and others to keep us on track for finishing the walk, as the street turned to go on with my walk – I noticed that life also takes turns for us to take, sometimes we want a smooth uneventful walk, but sometimes it is the most difficult ones that help us to be able to help others… sometimes we are in a situation or circumstance that last only moments and other times we find them lasting years… I Pray what ever the walk, let us always walk mindful of each other & share the journey.

in & out…

2010-01-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

reflecting on the people past/present/future - good/bad that we allow into & out of our lives and how they shape who we are/have/will become…

so this really got me thinking – about all the wonderful people, and some not so much, that I have allowed in and out of my life, some have been called home - away from us all to soon for us, and others simply fade out of our lives and on with their own journey’s… some are good and some are bad - but all in all regardless of how we view their marks on us, they really do make us who we are and who we will become, past/present/future - each person leaves an indelible mark on us and us them, whether we like it or not… good and bad… sometimes we know the differences that we make in others lives, along the way. more times than not we don’t, all to often it is at funerals that we come to hear the impact we had on people, communities and the relationships we build along the way… the other thing that got me thinking is that we really do allow others in and out of our lives, just as we allow them into our inner circles, our inner most thoughts, our truest self at the very core, good and bad, we also allow them to go, to leave, to move on and sometimes we let them go completely out of our minds, the thoughts to painful, to keep them fresh in our minds, let alone our hearts, and so we say farewell, good riddens to some, and I will sorely miss you to still others… some we love others we hate, and the reality of it is that if we find we have hateful feelings for another, we really do love them, otherwise why would we give such energy to acting as though we didn’t, if they didn’t matter at all then why say that we hate them, you have to know them to hate them, now I admit that some people make it very difficult to love them most of the time, others make it so easy, we connect with them, almost immediately, and others it seems we have to struggle to make it work, and yet somehow we do, we come to realize that even the worst of us – reminds us of the worst in us… all to often it is the very things in ourselves that we want to change that we hate about someone else… sometimes the truth is to painful, for us to have them around us constantly reminding us we really do need to change that, but we simply just aren't ready or willing to… some times our friendships last a life time and others, only briefly, be thankful for each and every one of them, love each and every one of them – we never know the full scope of all the journey we take, but someday we will, and my Prayer for each of us is that we all will be greeted with “well done” – so the next time we are thinking of either letting someone in or out of our lives – let us give pause to what we are doing…. and remember “where others may see waste God see’s a blessing, always bring out the best in others”… Terry J. McGuire

“understanding but who's”

2010-01-20T11:50:00.001-05:00

in our Scripture readings this week – we find a summons of the people to obey the law, to see and acknowledge God's glory in creation and the law and that we are all one body, with many members and even Christ's Ministry had acceptance and rejection, then and now...

I think for me one of the truest words ever spoken is this we save no one... we can be vessels for God, but it is still He who saves us... often when we say Amen, and done twice, Amen, Amen, we are in accord with what is said or believe it in our core, gifted by the Spirit to understand... and so it is that God has richly blessed us with people we can understand, by reading the Scriptures we can read and begin to see all the wonderful graces and mercy God continues to give us as a people, even after all these years of denial or even down right disobedience. And in our journeys along the way we begin to share all the wonderful blessings that God has given to us, and we begin to be used by God to enrich the life of someone else who potentially had no hope, never heard that God has created you so uniquely that God loves you just as you are and has plans for you too... we are to be attentive to the Spirit within us that God will never fail us, we may fail in our attempts, but even so God can turn them into a blessing too.... the commandment of the Lord is clear – Love as I have Loved You... and in the Psalms we find we do have undetected blind spots, personal errors and hidden faults, it is about our omission not commission of the faults, that we could possibly do anything with out God... really... and of course my favorite verse 14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. O Lord, my strength and my redeemer” again in Corinthians we find we are of one Spirit, the body doesn't consist of only one member, but many, affirming the unity and the diversity of each and everyone of the members, and in doing so – we see it is God who has arranged the members in the body, each one of them as HE chose... and still we have the hardest time with this one... we can not imagine that we should have the same care for one another, that if one suffers, we all suffer, if one rejoices we all rejoice... and again we find we are cautioned about judging others... and yet we do it... it seems like we just can't help ourselves, I think for me that one of the greatest acknowledgements that the Progressive Christian Alliance has is that it is God who appoints us and calls us... we simply affirm that call... so many different Churches, Denominations, and Fellowships will certainly disagree... but we hold fast to the truths we are given, and the simplicity of that Call, to Love one another... I agree some make it very hard to love them... but we are to find the way around even the toughest exterior and find the heart of Christ in even them... it truly can be done... if Christ can do so must we... all to often, just like Christ in His ministry – some will agree, some will not... all we can do is to fulfill our mission, be the open vessels that God has placed exactly where we are... each of us have been blessed with so many wonderful gifts that even we haven't tapped into yet... allow the Spirit to work in and through us, reaching the captives, by circumstance, or lies they have been told before, or simply just never heard that God does indeed love them and wants a relationship with them too... and like Christ... we too can fulfill our Callings, our Missions, our Ministry's all within reach, what an awesome Ministry we each have been blessed with and when empowered by the Holy Spirit, watch out – the evidence of God shines forth in our lives – our words – our actions, even in our insufficient attempts the Holy Spirit can turn it into something incredible – usable – understandable to others, May the power of the Holy Spirit always be our guide, our voice, our witness to others in Christs most Holy Name... Amen, and Amen...

Rev. Terry J. McGuire

Freedom

2009-07-04T07:52:00.000-04:00

On this Independence Day - we celebrate our Nations Freedoms and remember all who fought for those freedoms - we also remember all who aren't totally free - here and abroad. But also on this Independence Day let us remember our Inter-Dependence on God and the proper use of freedom "faith working through love" and expend our energies on Loving God and Loving Others - sharing the wonderful abundance of His love and Grace... freedom doesn't give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God... and let us give thanks to our God who through Christ, we too are Free - Truly Free - Thank You my Lord... Terry

Unity – in Mind, Body and Spirit

2009-06-06T09:41:00.001-04:00

from our Scripture Readings this Trinity Sunday; we find in Isaiah 6:1-8 “A vision of God in the Temple” the Psalm 29, “the voice of God in a great storm”, Romans 8:12-17 “we find Life in the Spirit”, and in John 3:1-17 “we learn that flesh and Spirit belong together in the new, as Jesus envisions it” and so in “Mind Body and Spirit” we do come to unity as God had intended us from the beginning. now through Christ's redeeming sacrifice for us – we can be once again in harmony with God and with each other… here I see “Vision, Voice, Vocation, Victory” we are told our sins are blotted out and yet we continue to hold onto them as though they were our only thread to Christ – so if our sins are blotted out why do we continue to hold onto them and dwell upon them… we really need to learn to listen to the voice of forgiveness the voice of guidance the voice of victory… we are a loved and forgiven people – now we must live as such… and through the Psalms and else where throughout the Bible we are reminded that He is with us… always… the Lord shall give strength and the blessing of peace to his people. It is us who must listen, accept the gracious gifts – in Romans 8:12-17 tells us for all who are led by the Spirit are Children of God. the Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are Gods very own… no one can give it to you – and the greater blessing – is no one can take it from you… and in John 3:1-17 we lean that no one can see the Kingdom of God without first being born from above, born of the Spirit, “the wind blows where it chooses” so God blesses each of us with the Spirit and ours is to witness of Gods mercy and grace and gift of the Spirit for you for me for all who call upon His great name… to witness is an important vocation, because through witness the world comes to know the presence of God in Jesus through us… the presence of Jesus as the incarnate word, confronts the world with the decision to believe or not, and making that decision is the moment of self – judgment. the Gospels eschatology is defined by decision and self judgment. God’s judgment arises out of God’s love for the World. God sent Jesus to save the world… and the world will judge itself in its response to Jesus… for me the Kingdom of God is when we – you and I – are living in harmony with God and each other… are we living up to the fullest potential in Christ. are we living in harmony of Mind Body and Spirit… can others tell – do they see it? Victory is ours in Christ – claim your inheritance… be a voice for someone else – your witness helps others to see victory for themselves is possible… Amen. Rev.Terry J. McGuire

Different Voices – One Message

2009-05-30T10:35:00.001-04:00

How is it – that we hear, each of us? Because the Holy Spirit has rested upon you too – giving you the ability to understand the Word as God intends for you too. Because God wants an intimate relationship with each and everyone of us and to do so we must understand His Calling, His Word… For Christians around the world – Pentecost celebrates the climax of the Good News – that this day all the benefits of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – rush into our lives and into the Church – through the gift of the Holy Spirit - “what does this mean” that Christ’s promise of a Comforter has come and rested upon you and rested upon me and rested upon the Church Universal. “that God declares it is He who will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh – when and to whom He chooses and so we are reminded in our smallness there is nothing we can do to make the Spirit manifest itself in us or through us, it is only by and through the power of God… and “everyone – everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall and will be saved” the gift of the Spirit will be with us too… the Spirit will help us in our weaknesses – we just have to come to terms with our own limitations and allow the Spirit to intercede on our behalf. God knows our hearts – have we surrendered everything, have we given way for the Spirit to fill us with all the wonderful Blessings that await each and everyone of us. “when the Advocate comes, the Spirit of Truth” you too are to testify – what has God done for you… the Spirit will lead and guide you into all truth; then you my friends – must go and share your journey’s with others – share God’s unfailing love for you and encouraging one another alone this journey together until at last Christ's face we shall see… and in closing dig deep with in – where and how may God be calling you to witness to God’s justice? Know that if God calls you into action God will also provide all that is necessary for you…

O’Lord do not abandon us now, rather, make your presence real, manifested in joy, grace and love… Amen…

Rev. Terry J. McGuire

Human Rights

2009-03-11T10:22:00.003-04:00

Human Rights
Human Rights can and will only begin when we all start treating each other with the same regard in which we wish to be treated… Human Rights are a GOD given right for every individual, to be treated with dignity, respect and equality that GOD has created each of us to have to be all that we can be. While remembering to appreciate the uniqueness of each of us and celebrate the diversity that GOD has placed in each of us. Human Rights can only begin to take root when we remember that each of us have the responsibility to Love one another as our selves, the rights that belong to the select few are the Holy Rights of ALL… only when we take off our own self inflicted blinders in humiliation, of self degradation, of self hatred towards others different from ourselves can or will we respect the individualities of a Life of one another as another Child of GOD. Remembering that if GOD is for them then who are we to be against them. It isn’t our place to condemn one another and yet we find it so easy to do on a regular basis. Based on many different factors and none; forgetting that it is GOD who has made each and everyone of us, uniquely individual as our finger prints and we are ALL created in GOD’s image. Then what are we doing? When will we start to recover the Human Rights each are each born with? Only when we begin to see the value of every single individual as one of GOD’s very own – no longer a disposable person in our society – a fellow brother – sister – neighbor. What if - it were I – what if - it were You – standing on the outside looking in and longing to be treated with the same Loving Respect and Dignity you were born with. Not until everyone has been restored with the same Human Rights – can we rest – can we stop Praying – can we stop working to stop the hatred – of self and others.

Rev. Terry J. McGuire

"undoing the Damage Done in the name of Religion"

2008-10-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

the main theme of our Scripture readings speaks on Forgiveness, with other Scriptures providing us with insight on – Compassion, and Judging Others… I think that we sometimes forget the Mercy and Grace God has shown us when we become Christians… we seem to have become this new monster… of self-righteousness and piety, that we have all the answers and now have the right to condemn others as we see fit instead of our Great Commission to Share the Good News… ours is to share the Good News with others… Jesus Saves… if Christ didn’t condemn anyone why then have we taken on the role of condemning others as we choose… we aren’t to Judge anyone… what others do is between them and God… He will put His word on our hearts and minds… what applies for me may not apply for you… so why do we continually assert such a burden on others…Christ showed great compassion for those we seem to condemn… those with whom we show the door of our Churches… you don’t belong here… But wait… it isn’t our Church… it belongs to Christ, so what are we doing in the name of Religion, what Damage are we doing to His Children in the name of Religion… are we so certain that we have all the answers, are we so certain He has given us the keys to the Kingdom to act and treat others the way we sometimes do… None of us get it all right… but we are to make sure that No One is to be left out, even Christ showed us how to be Compassionate, Forgiving and yes Loving… how we are to live in harmony with the Father and with one another…and He has shown us how we All can - have a relationship with God again…when we live in fellowship with one another we live out our individual Callings, to bring the Good News to All … the rest is up to Him to lead and guide as He sees fit to do so… not us… ours is not to judge and if we find ourselves doing so…repent…for the day will come when we too will be judged as we judged others… are you that certain that you have all the answers, are you that certain that God will not hold you and I accountable for the Damage we do… are you that certain that God didn’t Call them to serve Him… just as they are… in matters not essential for Salvation, Faith allows believers to act on reason and conscience… instead of judging others we are to be concerned with our final judgment… How is God going to react to what we have done…even when others continue to suppress us and set us out, thankfully God always provides for His Children, He always finds a way for us to be in Relationship with Him… even when others tell us it can’t be done… He is the only one we need concern ourselves with… we are to forgive the Brother or Sister who tells us otherwise or holds you back from the Relationship He has awaiting each of us… and move forward in the Call that only He can provide…through Christ…we can be in that one same relationship with God… however we must show the same mercy, that He so generously shown us to our repressors to our condemners…we are to live the life that He has Called us to…we are to help others who fail to see the Love of God that is available through Christ… that they too can and will have the same unfailing Love that is available for All of Gods Children and sometimes it will be reflected in us… not just a select few… and certainly not the ones we think may be deserving… that is not our call to make… it is God’s… when we begin to realize that we are here to serve one another and to help build up one another instead of tearing each other down or suppressing anyone else, then do we start to live and to love as He has Called us to… and hopefully begin to undo some of the Damage that has been Done in the name of Religion… that God’s Love is available for All…who call upon HIS Great Name… Amen
Rev. Terry J. McGuire