Gather the Outcasts

 This week, I received a request on what I should write about. However, me being who I am, I am morally obligated to put my own spin on it. So here goes… A few years back, I remember stepping up to the altar for prayer. I went up because I felt like I was at a crossroad. Between work, friends, and life, I had some very urgent needs that I wanted to bring before God and see what He had to say. I knew my tribe would rally around me and speak whatever God laid on their heart. I still to this day take what others have to say into full consideration, being mindful to suppress my emotions first to never allow offense to take root in my heart. However, this time was different. A man met me there. Not just any man, but a man I had the utmost respect for. He placed his hand on my shoulder and began to pray for me. Without hesitation, he very loudly said, “Lord, I pray that you shut her mouth and teach her to speak like a woman should…..” And to make sure what he was praying was biblical, he...

  Hello everyone! My name is Barabus Ball. First and foremost, I want to thank God for this opportunity and honor him. I also want to thank . Phil and Felicia Reed. They are great friends, following God and reaching people online in a way only they can. The timing of this is so spot on... And knowing how real Phil and Felicia are... I'm just going to share my heart.  Isaiah 56:8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him."  Outcast ... That's something I've been for years! Always discarded, always the one put in the back and always picked last... He's not good enough... and sometimes, short of my beautiful Wife, I still feel that way to some people... But who knows JESUS came for us outcasts! JESUS Picked me first, he put me on his team... and approved me... with no one looking... The Savior of the whole Universe called me to this wonderful yet shaking, uncomfortable, stretching ti...

  Special Guest Blogger: Heather Thomas Fifteen seconds after the doctor ran my test for COVID-19, she giggled and said, “Wow, that came back fast. You’re positive!” I didn’t doubt the results as I had been quite sick for a couple days leading up to Christmas of 2020.  After my diagnosis, I got the same question that seemed to baffle everyone, “How are you going to stay in your house for two weeks?”  I laughed because to me, that sounds like Heaven.  I am 100% an introvert by nature.  Technology has made it to where I can order all my groceries with the swipe of a finger and if I want a pizza, that too.  I will also mention I have no children but, five fur babies.  My husband takes care of us not only financially but, does anything he can to help around the house.  While Coronavirus did have me quite sick, a couple weeks of solitude and rest did not bother me.   The idea of slowing down is almost foreign to some.  When you’re going ...

Written by Guest Blogger: Josh Walriven The Beauty of Creation Psalms 19:1-6 1 The heavens declare the glory of God;     the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech;     night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words;     no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,     their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 5     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,     like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens     and makes its circuit to the other;     nothing is deprived of its warmth There is a burning desire deep within all of us to see the world. We long to travel and experience the people, cultures and beautiful landmarks of the world. Have you ever been to Yellowstone, Niagara Falls, or just been out in n...

Written By Guest Blogger: Vanda Pendland 1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of the oil and anointed him in the mist of his brothers; in the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward... 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine you have come to me with a sword with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of host the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. Have you ever found your self in a place like David? Anointed...    But.... David’s own father thought less of him than his brothers... His siblings mocked and made fun of him... The very leader he looked up to became jealous and was envious of him and wanted to take his life... The wife he loved was embarrassed of him and didn’t understand the relationship he had with the Lord... His army or (acquaintances) turned on him... The Bible says even his friends, the men he broke bread with even turned on him as well... Not only that.... His own son sought his lif...

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Rest. We don't seem to understand the value of it in today's world. We are always connected and available. Rarely, if ever, do we unplug, disconnect, and simply rest. I'm as guilty as the next person for filling my mornings, days, and evenings with activities and responsibilities. When do we say enough is enough? How weak and miserable must we become before we draw a line in the sand and say no more? When do we come to the understanding that busy does not equal Godly? I don't know exactly how it happens for everyone. How we end up just putting our noses to the proverbial grindstone and working and working and working. All the while our spirits whither ...

  My Vaeh girl! Isn’t she just captivating? Okay, so I’ll admit, I’m a little biased. Actually, I’m a lot biased and I couldn’t be prouder of my little team. For those of you who don’t know, I welcomed my first child into the world in February of 2006. That child was my Vaeh and she was born with Down syndrome. I remember this day with perfect clarity and I never remember feeling sad or disappointed that she was born this way. Due to my lack of knowledge of this disorder, I remember feeling fearful and worried because I didn’t know what our future held, but I never felt cheated. I wanted to keep her exactly as she came to me. I had forever on my mind and the thought of losing her nearly broke me. I didn’t care that she didn’t meet society’s expectations or that some would view the quality of her life as low. Heaven and earth collided so that we could be together and together is the only thing I cared about because I knew our love could overcome anything. Fast forward 15 years later...

Proverbs 13:12 NLT - Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Church, we need to have a talk. I'm worn out and tired. In the beginning everything was great. It seemed like we were always on the same page and anytime I needed something you were right there for me. When I felt called to jump in and serve you made a space for me to get in and get busy. When I was struggling with something in my life you were the shoulder I knew I could cry on and the arms that held me. We had some great times together. Every moment felt almost magical. There were celebrations and hang outs. We laughed with each other all the time. Even when things were hard it felt worth it because we were going through it together. I had your back and I knew that you had mine. I'm not sure when it happened exactly but something has changed after all this time. There was a shift in our relationship. The same concern for the condition of my heart slowly disappeared and requests f...

Written By Guest Blogger: Josh Walriven From the Heart:  1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? For years I have struggled with church. Yes, I attend church. I am on a worship team, have ran ministries and preached from the pulpit on a Sunday morning. I know some of you may be scratching your head right now so let me explain. My issues with the American church, as it is currently constructed, is that it has become a vehicle to put another butt in a seat to make a buck. We focus more on having another big event, a big-name worship leader, big-name preachers etc. The reason the early church was successful was because they fellowshipped together in and OUT of the temple.  Acts 2:46-47 Every day they continued to meet in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily t...

Throughout the passage of Matthew, we take from the text a call and a commission. This call is simple; to become a servant and to make disciples.  He commissions every day, ordinary people like you and me with this purpose. I’ll even go one step further and say that He loves to commission “the worst of sinners”. Just like Paul, God loves to demonstrate His patience and mercy on the most unlikely candidate. He then sends them out to fulfill a particular purpose, despite what anyone thinks of their worthiness. They are an example of God’s grace. We are made new, but the testimony lives on in us, to show others that through Jesus, there is a way out.  Mess #1. We try to erase the testimony. Through the competitive world of social media, spiritual filters have taken over the way we view ourselves. As painted and masked individuals, we have forgotten our original selves and now walk around in a masquerade of self-righteousness, displaying our own might, judging those who we feel ...