Mind your business

It is another day worthy of praising the one and only living God!  I dare you to stand boldly on His word today, tomorrow and forever.  He is capable of getting you right were you need to be.  You are His greatest creation, so don’t go through your day trying to figure out how you are going to make it, smile and rejoice because you are already made!

Good day to you all!  I am confident that you are going to have a wonderful day today! Keep looking up because the Lord is looking down lovingly at you.  Have a face to face conversation with the Master and you will notice everything around you will be bright.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.  It is such a wonderful world because from one day to the next, we never know what to expect.  I know that sometime the unpredictability of life can put us in some strange and sometimes some seemingly impossible situations. I can say from personal experience that I am here today by faith and by the grace of God. Faith is what kept my sanity, and God’s grace is what kept me whole.  I had to learn to let God do what He does, and in the mean time I had to continue to do the work that I was given to do.  I had to learn to mind my business.

Dear Reader, know that God loves you! Know that God wants us to let Him handle our problems. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to be Holy, saved, and sanctified, that we forget about the people that we are supposed to touch. What good does it do to know the word of God and not live the word or God.  Sometimes people would rather see a sermon than hear a sermon.

Acts 1:10-11 tells us “And as they were gazing intently at the sky while He was going, behold two men in white clothing stood beside them .  They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?  This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into Heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into Heaven”  The men in white are thought to be either prophets or angels, but what they were telling the disciples as they watched Jesus go up into Heaven was, “While you are looking up, you have work to do.”  Dear Reader we have work to do. Keep your eyes towards God, but keep your mind on the business that God has for you to do.  Keep encouraging the poor in spirit, keep being a friend to the friendless, keep teaching those who are on the wrong path. Keep reaching out to those that are made to feel as though they have no hope and no way out. If you keep your heart and your mind on what God has told you to do, your Heavenly Father will do the rest.

You are beautiful, you are loved, and you are blessed

John Reed

Time to Change the Channel

Today is another chance for you to shine with the light that God has given you!  This is Sunday and we have danced through this week to the sweet melody of God’s grace!  Let’s get excited about today!

Good Day to you my Eternal Flames family!  I am so excited to see you all today and I know that today is going to be great!

Everyday we go through something.  Some things are good and some things not so good, but in this life that we live there is always a challenge that is in front of us.  When things don’t work out the way that we think they should, as human beings it is in our nature to want to remind ourselves of past disappointments.  We have a tendency to think thought after thought of things that have not gone right in our lives.  We have our own personal History Channel in our minds. When we are not able to see a way out of our current situation, we tend to stay on that channel.

Dear Reader on this Sunday morning I am here to upgrade your channel lineup!  I want to let you know that today is a great day to change the channel.  I want to encourage you to go from the History channel to the Discovery Channel. Dear Reader it is time to discover what God has in store for you! It is time to discover what you have to offer the world!  Today you have the opportunity to discover the greatness that is in you.  You have a God given power to make your current worries History.  I want you to walk the rest of your day knowing that your footsteps have been ordered by God and there is nothing that can get in your way.  Once you have your mind set on the Discovery channel and let go of past hurts and disappointments on the History Channel, your world will open up in ways that you have never imagined.

There is a blessing on the way, be prepared for a miracle!

John Reed

It Could Happen Anywhere

“You should be excited when your neighbor gets blessed. Because if God blessed your neighbor that means that God is in the neighborhood”-Pastor Raphael G. Warnock, Ebenezer Baptist Church

God’s love is like music moving all around us.  The Tree’s sway back and forth as the sun plays His melody so perfectly. This is the soundtrack of your life and with every blessing you should be dancing, swinging and swaying!  God’s rhythm section is a heavenly host of angels that will be there to protect you every step of your way.  God has armed me with harmony, so feel free to join me in singing the song of the heart!!

We have always been taught that the Holy Spirit dwells in the church.  As a child I had always heard that you don’t say or do certain things because church was “holy grounds”.  Don’t say this, or don’t do that at the church because God has a watchful eye on you when you are at the church.  Even as a child I could not figure out how God’s eye was more watchful at church then it was at my house when God’s eye see’s me where ever I go.  The song says “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” There is no lyric that says that He only watches me at church.  It was later in my studies of the Bible that I learned that the church is indeed Holy ground, but I also learned that the church is in me.  I learned that the Bible once us to fellowship with each other and pray with each other, but the church is a living thing.  The church is the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  I may meet you at building on Sunday, but when you see me, understand that I have been having church all week! 

Dear Reader, I want you to know that there is no one place or one time that God can bless you .  It can happen anywhere.  I want to encourage you to go to church on Sunday, but don’t let Sunday be the only time that you have a talk with God.  You can pray at night before you get in bed, but God would like to hear from you sometimes in the morning before you get out the bed.  I don’t want you to pigeon hole your expectations.  You don’t have to be in the sanctuary in order for God to speak a word in your ear. Sometimes you can be at work, or on your way to work when you get an answer to the question that you have asked God.  It’s not where you are at, as much as it is ‘are you listening’. You don’t need to be in the church for a revival to happen, Dear Reader, it can happen anywhere.  God is not bound by our man made schedules.  He is able to revive our situation whether we are on 85, 285, or working our 9 to 5, when God moves He does not need for it to be Sunday.  Dear Reader be encouraged today because your blessings are not for a limited time only.  Forgiveness does not have to happen on Sunday morning, it can happen anytime.  I want you to be excited today because God is working you through your situation.  When you put your faith in a God that created space and time, don’t let people that are bound by the constraints of time tell you what you will or won’t accomplish.  You tell them that God is moving and when God is on the move miracles have no restrictions.  God’s hand is never out of bounds.  When you walk with God, tell those people with negative tongues to watch out for you because you are libel to be blessed in the middle of their mess.  It can happen anywhere!

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed

The AT&T Mentality

There is a blessing behind every cloud and clouds have never been known to sit still.  So be patient when it rains because God’s weather is always good…

Good day to all of you Great Expressions!

I was eating dinner and watching television when an advertisement for AT&T came across the television and it struck me at that time that AT&T got it right.  The commercial was about to go off and the slogan came on and it said:” Rethink Possible”.  I took a spiritual look at that slogan and thought about those AT&T moments in the Bible. Don’t you know dear reader that sometimes instead of us knowing how our situation is going to end we need to Rethink Possible. 

I think about three young men that refused to worship the king’s idol when the music played.  The kings told his men to fire up the furnace and make the fire as hot as possible.  The fire was so hot that the men that opened the doors to the furnace DIED FROM THE HEAT. Don’t you know that sometimes the same people that are trying to throw you in the fire, will be consumed by the same fire that was meant for you?   They put those young men in the fire in hopes that they would burn up.  When they looked in on the men expected to see them burned up, what they saw was four men dancing around the fire. Jesus had joined the party. It was at that moment that God could have put up the slogan: Rethink Possible

When a man named Jesus died on the cross and they put Him in the tomb. Mary and friends came to put spices on the body, but when they got there they did not find Him.  They found an angel sitting on a stone and when they asked the angel where was Jesus. If this was a commercial this would be the point that God would place the slogan: Rethink Possible. They thought that death had the final word, but Jesus rose on that third day so that in all things we could rethink possible. Dear Reader please know that when the world has given up on you, and when the your dreams have died, or when your being put in the fire, don’t give up.  Our impossible is merely a jigsaw puzzle that God is not done with yet. Just because you cannot see the picture does not mean that it is not there. Rethink Possible.

Dear Reader I know that sometimes life and the people around you can make you feel like there are no miracles left for you.  Now I am in no way a spokesman for AT&T, but I can testify on behalf of my life, on what God can do. I want to encourage you on this Thursday morning to keep looking up, keep praying, keep your faith, and most importantly: RETHINK POSSIBLE!

You are all in my prayers

John Reed

Kitchen Nightmares

Let today be the start of a new week and a new you!  God is blessing and progressing you to new and exciting things, and today is another chance to start fresh.  You have victory in your DNA so get ready to for great things to happen to you.

One of my favorite shows to watch on television is Kitchen Nightmares.  For anyone that has not seen this show, Gordon Ramsey, who is a world renown chef, goes into a failing restaurant to find out what problems they are having, so that he can help turn the restaurant around.  Some of the restaurants are filthy, and unsanitary.  Some of them have bad food and bad cooks. Some of them have bad business plans.  Then there are some that have all of these issues.  Gordon Ramsey comes into each situation and uses his expertise to tell the restaurant owner what they need to do in order to run their restaurant properly.  Some owners don’t want to hear that their restaurant is filthy, or losing money.  Some owners don’t want to fire their cooks.  Even though this chef who has run successful restaurants for years is giving them top notch advice, they are slow to listen.  Then there is a breakthrough, and once the changes are made, the restaurant owners are almost brought to tears because now their business has a chance to be successful.

Dear Reader I ask:  What kind of kitchen are you running?  Do you have things that are in your life that are keeping you from being as successful as you can be.  When God comes in and gives you the top notch advice in His word on how to make your kitchen successful, do you resist seeing what is wrong?  It may be hard to hear sometimes, but we all have a need for a make over at some point.  If you will allow God to come into the midst of your kitchen nightmare, I promise He will clean out your pantry so that you can have fresh idea’s.  He will get rid of all of the rotten food that was making you and the people around you sick.  He will get rid of some of the negative people around you that keep cooking up negative thoughts in you. He will get your business strategy right were it needs to be.  God’s success rate is higher than ours will ever be, so He is the authority that we should rely on to get us back on track. Yes, He will point out the “mess” that you have made, but He does not come to you with destructive criticism to tear you down, only constructive criticism so that He can build you up.  Stay in prayer Dear Reader, your kitchen nightmares are about to be over.

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed

Stolen I.D.

Let today be the day that you see the sun for it’s brightness, the rain for it’s nourishment, and the earth for it’s abundance. Your miracle is on the way!

  It is so wonderful to see you all today! 

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions-Matthew 7:20

There was a woman who attended church on a regular basis.  She loved her church and she claimed to love the Lord with all of her heart so to express her love she put bumper stickers all over the back of her back.  She had one that ‘Jesus is my co-pilot’, another that said, ‘I Love the Lord’.  There were multiple bumper stickers on the back of her car letting anyone that saw her vehicle know that she was on her Christian path.  One day as she was on the interstate she was pulled over by the police.  The officer walked over to her window and asked the woman for her license and registration, he looked for the VIN number and double checked the plates to make sure that everything was valid.  The woman asked the officer what the problem was, and the officer replied, ”Ma’am, I watched you cut off three cars on the interstate.  I saw you make a gesture with your finger at another car that cut you off.  I saw you roll your window down and scream something at the car that was going around you. I wasn’t going to pull you over, but I saw the bumper stickers on your car, and I figured the car had been stolen.”  Don’t let anyone mistake your identity.

Dear Reader sometimes the only thing that people have to go by is what we present to them.  That is why it is so important that your actions match what you believe.  Being a bad witness is worse than not being a witness at all.  You are a star to somebody, so always continue to shine.

I pray Gods blessings on you all.

John Reed  

Who's Bad?

Today is your day!  Today is the day that was made just for you.  God gave you this day on purpose.  Do not take your days for granted because the days of our lives are not promised to us.  Take advantage of your blessings and do not let anyone bring you dow

It is our desire that everyday is a “good” day.  A day when nothing goes wrong, and everything goes our way.  We desire to be stress free and a good day is a day free of stress.  As we know from everyday living, everyday is not going to be a perfect day. 

Dear Reader, I want to give you some advice on how to make every single day a good day.  I want to give your eyes the clarity that they need to see the good in everyday.  The only way that you can turn everyday good, is to realize that you are BAD (Blessed Anointed  Delivered). When you are BAD you are anointed by the blood of Jesus, and there is nothing that can touch you.  When you are BAD your enemies will have to step back, your mountains will become foot hills.  Situations that were meant for your harm, will work out for your benefit.  Yes Dear Reader it is good to be BAD.

When you are BAD you are walking in the footsteps of greatness.  You are walking with the one and only Jesus.  The same Jesus that touched water and turned it into wine.  The same Jesus that took two fish and five loaves of bread and fed 5000 people.  The same Jesus that when He was told about His friend Lazarus’s death, went back into hostile territory, walked into the tomb and brought him back to life. His disciples advised against the trip.  They said, “Jesus, they tried to kill us the last time we went there.” Jesus answered them, and His answer in today’s language would have reminded you of a young Cassius Clay, Jesus basically told His disciples, ”I’m a BAD man”.

Don’t let anyone try to invoke the spirit of fear in you.  When you step out on faith, and somebody asks you what makes you think that you can achieve when all others have failed you tell them, ’cause I’mBAD’.  When you have to walk back into hostile territory with everyone telling you that there is no way that you will make it out, have no fear because you are BAD.   You are Blessed Anointed and  Delivered so no matter what your situation you know that God is working it out for your good.  Everyday God will reveal your blessings, and everyday will be good. Now go on with your BAD self.

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

Purple Rain

What an awesome God we serve!  He has allowed us another day, and I could not be more excited about what this day holds!  If you could see what I see, you would stop what you are doing at this moment and give God the praise! Your battle is already won!  Smile about that, and oh yeah, it’s Friday!

Good day to you all!  If you are reading this you are in the midst of a blessing!  Rely not on your own understanding, but lean on the Lord and what He is able to do!

For ages the color purple has been associated with royalty. The fine robes that were stitched for European kings were dyed using the purple ink that the octopus ejects when it is in trouble.  The dye was so expensive and rare, only royalty could afford to use it.  The color purple is unique in the way that it takes red, which is a hot color, and combines with blue which a cool color.  The color purple is often used to signify love.  I think of what a beautiful image it would be to be caught up in a purple rain, because you would be drenched in love, and the impending hue that would be left on your being would give off the glow of royalty.  God’s blessings are like a Purple Rain.

Dear Reader I want you to be showered by God’s blessings.  I want you to know what it feels like to walk in a Purple Rain.  It is important to know who you are, and it is important to know whose you are.  You are the child of a God that cares about your every step and wants to restore you and mend your broken heart.  He wants to breathe life into your dreams that you feel have died before their time.  Yes dear reader times are changing and its time that we reach out for something new.  Reach out to God because He is already reaching out to you.  I want you to live each day with joy in your heart.  Don’t let anyone bring you down.  I told God a long time ago, “I don’t care where you go, I don’t care what you do, I don’t care my Lord, just take me with you.”  So when you feel like you can’t make it, Dear Reader don’t let your doves cry, and don’t turn a shade of computer blue.  I want you to keep looking up at the Purple Rain that is coming down on you.  You are His, and He loves you! 

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed

Time After Time

Don’t let a change in the weather change your outlook on this wonderful life that God has given you.  Today is another chance for God to show you His love, grace, and mercy!  Shine like you always do, and watch the blessing pour out on you!

Good day to you all!  I know that things may not always seem like they are working out, but have faith that God is working behind the scenes and your situation is about to change for the better.  I am praying for your breakthrough and I am praying that in all things you find peace and joy!

If your lost and you look then you will find me, time after time-Cyndi Lauper “Time after Time”

Growing up in the 80’s I remember Cyndi Lauper sang a song called “Time After Time”. The song was released in 1984 when I was 7 years old, and at the time I really did not see the meaning of the song.  Since then I have listened to the song and found much deeper meaning in the lyrics. When I hear the title I can’t help but think of how faithful God is to us.  In the Bible God promises that He will never leave us and He will be with us time after time.  No matter how bleak the outcome appears to be He is right there waiting to pull us out of the depths of despair time after time.

If you fall I will catch you I’ll be waiting, time after time-Cyndi Lauper “Time after Time”

Dear Reader always know that when on our journey through life we are bound to fall at times.  We are going to make the wrong choice and sometimes do the wrong thing.  God wants us to know and remember that when we fall He is going to be right there waiting to catch us time after time. We serve an infinite God who loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Nobody told us that the road would be easy, but please believe that He did not bring us this far just to leave us alone.  He is faithful to forgive us, time after time.  He is faithful to make a way out of no way, time after time.  He shows us His favor, time after time.  What a wonderful world this would be if we would call His name time after time.  If you take time to give Him the praise, and make time to have relationship with God, He will bless you Dear Reader, Time After Time.

You are beautiful, loved and blessed (time after time!)

John Reed

What TheraFlu Can't Do

Let us continue to shout with a loud voice, and praise the mighty name of Jesus on this day and every day to come.   Jesus is the reason for the season, but not just Christmas.  He is your cool breeze when Summer gets too hot.  He changes the leaves of your life a different shade in the Autumn.  He will keep you warm in the Wintertime, and He will never let you Fall.  Today is the day that the Lord has made so let us rejoice in it!

Good day to you all!  I am praying for a breakthrough for each of you today!  I know that your road has been long and it may seem like you will never get there, but if you continue to give God the praise for every step that you make, you will be greatly rewarded in the end.

No one wants to be sick.  No one likes the aches and fever that are associated with being under the weather.  When we start to feel ourselves getting sick we quickly try to keep our symptoms from getting worse.  No one wants to be sick. Sometimes we wonder how or why we started feeling bad in the first place.  A friend of Jesus named Lazarus got sick. The Bible does not tell us what his sickness was, but it does tell us that Jesus made a diagnosis from many miles away.  John 11:3-4 tells us: So the sisters sent to Him, saying “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death.  It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Dear Reader no one enjoys going through trials.  No one likes the aches and pains that are associated with being in the midst of a storm under the weather. When word gets back to the Lord that you are suffering, He wants you to know that your illness, your trials, your tribulations, are not meant to destroy you.  They are not meant to put you under.  What you thought was meant to cause you harm is only meant to show you that Jesus can do what Theraflu can’t do.  When you are in an impossible situation that has got you sick, I want to encourage you to call on the Master.  He may not come when you want Him to come, but He will be there right on time.  Jesus could have rushed to keep Lazarus from dying, but He got there four days after Lazarus had been buried.  How many times have people tried to bury you, only for Jesus to show up and walk you out of your tomb?  You may be sick of your situation, just  know that your situation was not meant to take you out, it was meant to show you what God can do for you. Be encouraged because through it all you will be made whole.  You will have the victory.  God will do for you in your time of sickness what Theraflu can’t do.  Now pray on your two knees and call on Him every morning.  You are healed.

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed 

Keep Pushin'!

Today I want to let you know that there is a miracle in store for you!  If you want to know what a miracle looks like feel free to walk over to my side of the room and look at my smiling face.  I am a living and breathing miracle.  God has delivered me from so many elements of this world that wanted to tear me down and destroy, that there is nothing at Great Expressions that could steal my joy.

Often times we are impatient when it comes to what we want to happen in our lives.  Our timing is not God’s timing, and that is a good thing because God’s timing is perfect timing.  Even though everything my not look like its going to work out: Don’t Give Up.  I encourage you dear reader, to have a P.U.S.H. mentality: Pray Until Something Happens

On Wednesday June 16th 2011 the Catherine Furgeson school for girls in Detroit was set to close its doors. This was a school for teenage girls that were troubled, pregnant, or just having a hard time in life. The school had a 100% graduation rate. Funding problems caused the school to fall on hard times and was forcing the school to close.  On Wednesday night the principal was preparing to pack her office and say farewell to her staff, but then God stepped in and said no. On Wednesday night that school was saved.  There was somebody praying for that school, and what was meant to be a farewell gathering, ending up being a celebration party. Dear reader on this Friday I want to tell you that just when you are about to close the doors on your dreams, and throw a goodbye party, God can turn that goodbye party into a celebrations.  I am a witness.

Keep your faith strong and don’t forget to P.U.S.H. . When things look like they are at their worst P.U.S.H.. When your dreams seem like they are slow to materialize P.U.S.H.. And dear reader whatever you do, God believes in you so Don’t Give up on You. Ask the girls at the Catherine Furgeson School in Detroit if they believe in miracles and they will tell you that they are one.

Be blessed

John Reed

Let's Go Crazy!

Today is the day that the Lord has made, so if He has His hands on it then it must be good!  I am lifting up His name, and giving Him the praise for all the miracles that are seen and unseen!  On this day you can make a change for the better by choosing to let go of your fears and embrace your faith! 

Good day to every one!  I hope that you well on this Monday!  God is going to move on your behalf on this week so be prepared for a miracle!

In this world it is so easy to be self conscious about ourselves.  We often wonder what people are thinking about us, or saying about us.  Often we hold the opinion of others about us above our own opinion about us.  As human beings we are fragile.  Even people that say, “I don’t care what anyone thinks about me”, holds a few insecurities that make them second guess some of their actions.  Sometimes we let peoples expectations of us determine how we react to a situation. If there is a situation that does not look like it would turn out well, you would be crazy to smile anyway.  If people are attacking you, you would be crazy to pray for them and ask God to bless them.  When someone has denied you the help that you needed, you would be crazy to turn around and help them.  Well, when the elevator start to break you down, go crazy, and press that button to a higher floor.

Dear Reader I want to leave you with a thought for today:  When you are in step with God, you will often be out of step with the world.  There are going to be times when what you do in accordance to God’s law is going to make you seem a little crazy to the rest of the world. The good news is that God is going to reward you more for following Him, than the world ever will for following the status quo.  When you are crazy enough to forgive your enemies, and grant mercy on the ones that persecute you, you may seem like you have lost your mind, but you have only found your God.  When Jesus raised the dead and cured the sick, and healed the blind, the non believers said He must be crazy.  There are 5000 people out here and He is going to feed them with two fish and five loaves of bread?  He must be crazy.  Dear Reader when you follow a God with all power in His hand, the world may not believe in that power, the world may not understand what a miracle is.  The world may think that you are crazy. However, when you have faith, you may seem a little crazy, but God is in control.  God said that your enemies will be a foot stool for you. Looking back on the miracles that Jesus performed, we look back and say that they must have been crazy for doubting Him.  I invite you to go crazy with me.  Step out boldly on His promises. Let’s go crazy!

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed

Gimmie A Break

If you celebrate the good things in life, you will find that everyday will be a party.  Today let us celebrate Friday, and thank the Lord for his continued grace and mercy!

You are God’s masterpiece which makes you priceless, never let anyone make you think that you are less than God’s best.

“Gimme a Break I sure deserve it; it’s time I made it to the top”-Gimme a Break Theme Song

It is Friday and I think that it is fair to say that we all deserve a break. It seems like everyday we have so many things that deserve our attention.  Gas prices, bills, work schedule, kids and family can all seem overwhelming at times.  I want to encourage you on this Friday not to worry because relief is just a prayer away.  God is waiting on us to call on Him for relief. Yes we still have to pay the bills, and handle our work and kids, but the Bible tells us that if we put our trust in God that we don’t have anything to worry about.

 Philippians 4:6-7 says: Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Dear Reader God can relieve all of the stress that we have built up in us, if we go to Him in prayer.  He is the same God that parted the Red Sea.  He is the same God that gave strength to a senior citizen named Noah to build a boat. The same God that delivered the children of Israel into the promised land, is watching over you and He will deliver you to greatness.

There was a study that showed that people who pray on a regular basis have lower stress levels and maintain a more consistent heart rate than those that don’t. So I guess it’s safe to say that prayer is good for your health.

Don’t let the troubles of the world get you down. Keep in mind that you have a an advocate in your corner that always has your best interest in mind. Don’t tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is.

I wish you all peace

John Reed

It's Your Turn

Did you count your blessings today?  Take a moment to do so because the more you count, the more you will have to count.  God is still in the business of turning bad situations into blessings, so tell give your negative thoughts an eviction notice because they cannot stay any more.  You are more than a conquer!

Good day to each of you!  I pray that each of you finds unexpected blessings today, and that God sheds His grace and mercy on your weekend!

We all have a talent.  I happen to be able to write, and I discovered this at a young age.  I used to think about all of the ways that I could make money being a writer.  I could work for magazines or record companies being a song writer.  I could write books, or even be a screen writer.  All of those things were in my scenario on how I could bless myself with the gift that God has given me.  It wasn’t until I was older and I started to understand the Word a little more that I realized that my blessing was not for me.  I realized that my talent was like a fruit.  You have never seen an apple tree eat an apple.  An apple tree produces fruit for someone else. It grows through a  lot of dirt, and must stand up to a lot of turbulent weather.  Then after it reaches the right age it produces its fruit. I realized that clouds produce rain, not because the clouds are dry, but to hydrate the earth and replenish the oceans and seas. 

Dear Reader I want each of you to know that whatever talents and abilities that God has blessed you with, He has done so purposely.  There has never been a talent given by accident.  If you have the ability to do math and calculations in your head (that is definitely not me), then you may be the accountant that someone needs.  If you have the ability to speak in front of large crowds, someone may get a word that they need from you.  If you have a fondness for teaching, then you could be the teacher that could turn a young mans life around by pointing our his ability to write.  That young man was me.  So now I feel that it is my turn.  I feel that because God has blessed me, it is a privilege to be able to bless someone else with the words that He has put on my heart.  Dear Reader it is now your turn.  We all have dreams and goals, and we all want to be successful.  Pursue those things that make you happy, but sometimes if we use what God has given us to be a blessing to someone else we will bring them joy.  The person that I am is a product of someone doing just that.  Dear Reader Be a blessing on purpose, because that was the purpose for your blessing.  You have been blessed, so now its your turn.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Freedom

I can’t help but praise His name!  I don’t know what you come to do, and I don’t know how you are going to do it, but I am going to praise Him no matter where I am.  My praise report would be more like CNN because if I had to report how good God has been to me, I would be on 24/7. Smile everybody its Thursday!

Good morning to you all!  I am praying for you.  No matter what you are going through, know and understand that it will be better soon.

I have been liberated by the Holy Spirit, and I have embraced my freedom.  Not the freedom that we as Americans embrace as our constitutional right, but the spiritual freedom that I have been granted by the grace of God. I can’t tell you how good it is to be free.  There is something about not being bound to the expectations, rules and regulations of a world that is constantly looking for change.  I say again it is good to be free.  I don’t take this freedom for granted because it did not come to me because I deserved it.  If I can quote Snoop from HBO’s ‘The Wire’ “Deserve aint got nothing to do with it”.  It is not by my own works, but by the grace of God that I am here today.

Dear Reader, I want to encourage you to join me in this feeling of being free. Free from stress because God is my provider.  Free from the “haters”, because Jesus said that the world does not hate you the world hates the God it see’s in you.  When you can get out of bed with God in your heart and the Holy Spirit guiding your steps you have been freed from the chains of opinion. You don’t have to worry about folks talking about you behind your back because God is not a God of hypocrisy. When God liberates you the freedom that you feel is everlasting. No one can take it away. Don’t let these bad news bears keep your spirit shackled to the chains of fear. The truth will make you free, and Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the light”, so Dear Reader when you put your faith in the Truth you will be free.

 When you experience the freedom that God has in store for you, you will be lifted up above the clouds of depression. You will be able to grow when there is a drought.  You will find peace when everyone around you has war on their tongues.  Don’t miss out on this experience. God has removed those things that would keep you bound by man here on earth.  The Lord is my shepherd and my protection, so what can man do to me? My spirit is free and you are a prayer away from yours being free as well.  I wish you peace and joy that surpasses all understanding.

You are truly beautiful, truly loved, and truly blessed

John Reed

Good Times

“Keeping your head above water; Making a wave when you can”

Good day to you all! This is the day that the Lord has made; praise Him like its Friday and be blessed!

The television show Good Times was about an African American family that lived in the projects in Chicago.  They were poor and they had often had a hard time trying to make ends meet. Throughout all of their suffering the family relied on a loving father to stay strong.  As a child I watched this show, and often wondered why it was called “Good Times”.  I watched this family struggle with social issues, poverty, racism, unemployment and every setback imaginable, and wondered how in the world was it a Good Time. As I got older I realized that sometimes in life, when you are struggling to keep your head above water, when you have God on your side, even when things are at their worst, a Good Time is sure to come.

Dear reader, I know that we have setbacks and heartaches that can be tough to deal with.  When it seems like the world is against you and that there is no way out, call on God and see how infinite his power is.  I guarantee that the more God Times you have, you will enjoy many more Good Times in your life.Whenever the hard times come, always know that you have a strong and loving Father who is the Creator of the world.  He is a Father who is the all powerful God who loves you and wants to have a deep and meaningful relationship with each of you.

When you are poor in spirit and feel like you are stuck in the projects of life.  Dear reader, keep looking up because your blessing is just around the corner.  Your prayers have been heard, and even though you are not where you want to be, Good Times are on the way.  You may experience temporary lay-offs, you may experience easy credit rip offs, you may just be struggling and surviving, but as long as in midst of it all you set aside some God Time, you don’t have to worry about your situation because a Good Time is on the way.  I am excited for you and your potential.  There is greatness in each of you and there is nothing that God cannot do.

Enjoy the Good Times, and be blessed!

John Reed

Get YOUR Shine On

We have made it to the middle of the week so there is not turning back now. Learn from the first half so that you can prosper in the second half.  There is no limit to what you can accomplish with God on your side. There is power in your praise!

Good day everyone!  Today is Wednesday and it looks like it is going to be a good day.  I am praying for each of you and your individual situations. God will provide.

We all have a tendency to be attracted to shiny things.  Those things that light up and those things that reflect light can capture anyone’s attention.  Children and adults find joy in Holiday light displays during the Christmas Season. The lights that we see often have different purposes.  Some lights are for safety, there are some lights that are used for decoration.  Some lights are simply there so that we can see better. Whatever their purpose, we would have a hard time without lights in our lives.    

Dear Reader I want to encourage you today to let your light shine.  I want you to shine with the light that was put in you by God Himself. Don’t let anything take away your smile.  Don’t let anything stop your laughter.  There are things that you are unique to you that someone needs to help light up their life.  You could be the one that lights someone’s path with guidance. Shine on!  You could be the one that is there to shine a light of joy. Shine on! You could be the one that is there to provide a search light to help someone find themselves and their purpose.  Shine on!  When you shine you are not just shining for yourself, there is someone that is going to look at your light and recognize the source.  There is someone that is going to see the God in you, because the light that you possess can is not just for display purposes.  The songs say’s “this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine”, well Dear Reader when God has His light shining through you there is nothing that you can do to stop that light from shining. Matthew 5:16 says: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Never take your light for granted because you are helping someone who was in the dark see their way through. Dear Reader go ahead an get your shine on.

Be a blessing on purpose because that was the purpose for your blessing

John Reed

Off the Chain

The way you do the things you do make you the person that you are.  Remember that there aint no mountain high enough to keep God from getting to you.  There aint nothing like the real thing and God’s love is so real that you will have sunshine on a cloudy day.  I guess you say what can make me feel this way…my God!  This is a Motown Friday so everyone that is able to read this email should put on your dancing shoes because God is instrumental in the soundtrack of your life. 

I am wishing everyone a wonderful Tuesday!  I am grateful for each of you, and I want you to know that you are a blessing to me.

There are times when we don’t even realize the power that we have over our own destiny.  There are things that with faith we are able to change.  Did you know that the lack of faith will restrict God’s blessing on your life?  When we worry and stress about every situation that we do not see as favorable we are in essence putting a chain around our own prosperity. We place a combination lock around our hopes and our dreams and forget the combination.  I have been there Dear Reader. 

I have been in situations that I could not understand how I got there, and did not understand how I was going to get out.  I had to learn to look up and know that my Heavenly Father has the last say so when it comes to me.  My enemies seemed intimidating until I realized that God is every where so if they oppose me they were surrounded. My situations looked impossible until I saw that what I thought was Mission Impossible was really Oceans 11.  Understand Dear Reader in order for my life to be full of peace, love and joy, my faith had to be off the chain.

There are a lot of people that will claim that they walk with God, and talk with God, but when it comes to their personal lives they have fear on speed dial.  Prayer to them is a perfect stranger.  They would have you believe where they go to church, and who they call pastor will get them by in life.  They put there faith in the wrong things so therefore they remain in bondage.  The shackles on their feet won’t let them dance.

On this Tuesday, I want you to know that faith without works is dead.  I want you to be off the chain.  Take the doubt out of your life and put the shout in your life and watch what God will do for you.  Break the chains of economic depression, and the shackles of fear and frustration.  Free your hopes and dreams by putting in the combination of fear (left, gone for good), salvation (right), negativity  (left, gone for good), and Faith (right).  You have not felt freedom like the freedom that God gives you when you are off the chain. When you have nothing but unspeakable joy that surpasses all understanding, there is nothing that anyone can do to you.  There is nothing but a blessings coming for you.  Dear Reader don’t just stop at having faith the size of a mustard seed, but step out boldly on God’s word.  Dear Reader go into this weekend knowing that you are one prayer away from being free from whatever has you shackled.  Dear Reader we serve an off the chain God, so get ready to be free. Dear Reader you are indeed off the chain.

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed

Beauty in you

The best part about being in the middle is that there is just enough behind you to learn from, and enough room in front of you to apply what you have learned…..rejoice in the Lord today because He is good everyday!

On this morning I want you to know that you are beautiful, loved and blessed.  That combination should be enough to make you shout.  Yes there are people that might not see all of those things in you, and that’s fine.  If a man never learns art appreciation, don’t expect him to see anything but pictures on the wall, however if a man knows fine art he can appreciate that art, and recognize when it is priceless.  So many times we get around people that don’t see you for who you are. They think that your nose is not quite right, or that you need to lose a few pounds. Dear reader, understand that God only see’s you as a priceless work of art. Indeed you are beautiful, loved, and blessed, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it.

There was a man that found an old painting in his grandmother’s attic.  He didn’t think much about it, the frame was worn out, and the painting itself was not in the best of shape. The man didn’t think that it was much, but it did belong to his grandmother so he held it as sacred.  One day he began to see the painting itself began to come apart.  He noticed that there was something behind the painting, so his curiosity led him to peel the painting back. What he found was an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. What he had was valuable, and priceless, but he didn’t know it until he pulled back the paint.

You may have some things about you want to improve about yourself, and that’s ok.  Always know that you are a product of a manufacturer that has not had a recall yet.  The same designer of the rings of Saturn designed every hair on your head.  The same potter that planted the mighty jungles in Africa also scooped up some dust off the ground and blew life into it so that the world could know who you are. 

Oh Dear Reader if you could only see what I see when I look at you. My prayer for each of you is to remain who you are. In order to make lemonade you need sour and sweet, so don’t ever take your sour for granted. Just because someone see’s you as a picture on the wall, it does not mean that you are not a work of art.

You are beautiful loved and blessed

John Reed