We all experience trials…that is the time we all need a faith!

Sermon remnants from Aug 15th.

Why do we experience trials and hardship? I thought God saved us to be powerful, as a benefit and byproduct of my redemption. So God, why should we go through “the going through”? Jesus responded that, “In this world you will have tribulation …” I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)

1 Peter 1:7 These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. NLT

What is the meaning of biblical faith? We ask because faith is what we all need. If it is to regain health after a serious diagnosis that we need, a relationship remake, the ability to excel, to compete or to just “stay alive”, we need faith. So how does God say we can get more of what we need??

Especially as faith is defined by Hebrews 11 putting a huge concept into a few words: Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” NRSV

A.W. Tozer’s explanation for Hebrews 11:1 is “Faith is seeing the invisible, but not the nonexistent.” Faith is not believing in something that is not actually there.

Or Jim Wallis says, ” Faith is believing in spite of the evidence and then watching the evidence change.”

Biblical faith believes God when God tells us there is a reality, which we cannot see.
Faith is just to keep your eyes on God who controls circumstances — not to gaze on the impossible circumstances themselves.

Faith is not in our prayers. Faith is not in the thing we want or need. Faith is in God…so keep your eyes and thoughts and hopes in God.

II Corinthians 5:7 says: We live by faith, not by sight. We walk by faith not by sight. That sounds simple enough. But for some reason, it is hard to do. Our misconceptions about Faith are so strong and overpowering.

Faith is NOT a blind leap in the dark. You don’t need to totally ignore logic and reason in order to believe in God. The fact is, believing there is NO God requires an unreasonable kind of faith.

Biblical faith does not believe that God will do what WE say. Biblical Faith knows that God will do what HE says. By faith, we rest on the promises of God — no matter what happens.

I love 1 John 5:14: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” So have confidence approaching God, ask according to God’s will, God hears us and answers us.

Austin City Council Meeting, 2/25/10

Derived from the Closed Captions created during the Channel 6 live cablecasts are not official records of Council Meetings and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records or transcripts, please contact the City Clerk at 974-2210.

Morning everyone. I’m Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell and we will begin today with our invocation by Pastor Jacquelyn Donald-Mims and Imani Community Church. Please rise.

Good morning, let us pray. Eternal God our Lord, we give you honor, praise and thanks for the wonder of this day and for your sustaining love. Oh, God, today we ask that you oversee these proceedings. Anoint once again these representative and leaders, this brilliant council and mayor and their genius. We thank you for their commitment and ask your blessing upon them to love your people, walk among your people, feel their pain and share their joys. Commission them to a noble discontent of things as they are and that they will tear down every barrier that prevents your people from the highest god-given best.

God, even in the midst of the tragedy of last Thursday, a senseless, cowardice crime, we still give you praise for those who are in the bis of saving lives, for the hard job of first responders, offsetting destruction and minimizing loss, executing their craft with excellence. We give you praise, and, oh, god, we ask now for your presence. We know are sympathetic ear and heart and healing is on the family of the one who was lost, Vernon Hunter, a veteran, hero, child of god, man of god, husband and father. We pray your comfort in their moments of distress. Usher them through the long night of despair. We pray your continued healing on those who experience bodily harm and those who emotionally are in distress for witnessing such a horrific tragedy. Now, we even ask your blessing on the family of the one who committed the crime and the pain.

Oh, God, now we just know that there are those in this city and we just ask you for your blessings on us all, both those who live in security and those who feel insecure, employed and unemployed, those who feel the stress and weight of despair, we pray, Lord, that they know that all is not lost. You know our needs better than we do, Lord. Touch, heal, make whole, deliver, redeem and give us your peace and power. This we pray in the strong name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Thank you, pastor. I especially like that part about the genius of the mayor and council. [Laughter] please be seated.

A view from another African-American pastor on Obama minister flap: “Prophetic speech is not hate speech”

March 21, 2008

The Austin American-Statesman’s religion writer, Eileen Flynn, talked to African-American pastors in Central Texas about the continuing controversy over comments made by Sen. Barack Obama’s longtime pastor.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, as everyone has heard and seen over and over by now, made racially charged statements that lashed out at the United States and suggested this country brought on the 9-11 terror attacks.

Obama rejected Wright’s harsh comments, but he didn’t reject Wright.

(Here is a take on the controversy by Time this week)

Pastors interviewed by Flynn said Wright’s comments need to be understood in a broader context including the totality of his preaching and the idea of speaking truth to power.

Here’s what the Rev. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims told Flynn:

“The only way (America) can become more livable is if we confront what we want to fix… There’s going to be ecstatic, excited speech that moves people to action.”

The story added:

Jesus, too, used harsh language at times, Donald-Mims said, but “prophetic speech is not hate speech.”