Showing posts with label pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pain. Show all posts
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Saturday, October 31, 2020
MISERY LOVES COMPANY?
They say, “Misery loves company,” but I don’t know about
that.
The idea is we tend to spread our pain to others as if by
division we can diminish our share of anguish.
I’ve been sad enough to be bitter and make my company miserable,
too. It didn’t help. For each companion infected with despair, the inverse
occurred, and my share of misery multiplied. My misery does not love present company.
But PAST company is welcome.
There is surprising comfort in realizing that my particular distress isn’t particular to me. Someone else has scars in the same place. Others have fought the same battle, lost it like me, survived the loss, fought it again, and survived to share the story.
None of those miserable examples of humanity survived that
moment unscathed, but each of them survived.
They got up --- limping, grieving, chastised and still angry; but they
got up and went on to succeed.
It should comfort our community to open the Bible and read that that we are not the first community of faith to experience this particular combination of anxiety, anger, hope?, resignation, and cynicism about the possibilities of justice.
The Korahites had been slaves, leaders, rebels, outcasts, and worship leaders. One of their songs declares the misery of being citizens of a country defined by sin, led by lies, governed unjustly, and oppressed with impunity.
Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the
enemy? (Psalm 43: 1-2)
The sons of Korah pleaded for a sign, for a Word from the Lord that would make all their praise and worship seem relevant in the midst of national misery.
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God. (Psalm 43: 3-4)
We don’t know what were the specific issues which inspired the 43rd psalm. What were the alternative facts delivered by the deceitful and unjust man? Whose lives didn’t matter to the ungodly nation they nevertheless loved? What were the systemic tools used for oppression? We don’t know how or if the complaints in the psalm were justly resolved?
All we know is their misery.
And we know how they survived, got up, and kept going.
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm
43: 5)
The Korahites worked on themselves internally.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?
They concluded that they could not survive depending on circumstances as the source of their mental health. They recalled that they, like the miserable saints before could endure and progress if they placed their hope in God.
Hope in God
The Sons of Korah decided to reinvest in their praise and worship. To simply DECIDE that their praise and worship was relevant.
For I shall yet praise Him
They decided to remember, to believe, to KNOW that God had brought them through every past battle; and, therefore, He would bring them through the next battles, including the battles with their own misery.
The help of my countenance and my God.
JESUS had no form or comeliness . . . no beauty
that we should desire Him. . . He
was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief. He was lonely because we
hid, as it were, our faces from Him.
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isaiah
53: 2, 3)
Jesus triumphed over death, the grave, Hell, sin, and human
betrayal. This is our God in whose
eternal company we have our most precious hope.
This is the company that misery can love.
Over and over, the Bible affirms: You may not feel alright right now, but you will be alright in the long run.
You will lose sometimes, but you will ultimately win.
God’s people hurt, too.
But God heals His people. Every
time.
May our present anxiety find relief in the great cloud of witnesses who have suffered and triumphed before us.
- Anderson T. Graves II, is a writer, community organizer, consultant and the pastor of Bailey Tabernacle CME Church
Email: BaileyTabernacleChurch@comcast.net
Friend on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
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twitter @AndersonTGraves
Support this blog with a donation to paypal.me/andersongraves or CashApp at $atgraves or on the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.
Sunday, October 18, 2020
"LESSONS ALONG THE WAY" Bailey Tabernacle CME Church Worship Experience October 17, 2020
October 17, 2020. The
Bailey Tabernacle CME Church worship experience. Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor.
From Exodus chapters 12 & 13, a look at the beginning of
Israel’s wanderings and the application to our efforts to find our way.
The sermon is: “LESSONS ALONG THE WAY.”
We give thanks for of you who continue to be faithful in supporting the ongoing ministry of Bailey Tabernacle CME Church.
Visit us at baileytabernaclecme.org
. You may use any the following
options for tithes, offerings, and donations:
1) From your computer
or phone use the Givelify app
or website for BAILEY TABERNACLE CME Click on or copy this link and paste it
into your browser for Givelify: https://giv.li/7xp90t
2) From your computer
or phone use Paypal. PayPal.Me/BaileyTabernacleCME
Click on or copy this link and paste it into your browser
for Paypal paypal.com/paypalme2/BaileyTabernacleCME
Or 3) Mail your check
or money order to:
Bailey Tabernacle CME Church
P.O. Box 3145
Tuscaloosa, AL 35403
#Awordtothewise #btcme #baileytabernaclecme #preachingexodus
Email: BaileyTabernacleChurch@comcast.net
Friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
Follow on twitter @AndersonTGraves
Sunday, June 14, 2020
"REMEMBER THE PROMISE & THE PAIN" Bailey Tabernacle Worship 6-14-2020 (video)
Welcome to the
online Bailey Tabernacle CME Church worship experience for June 14,
2020. The #preachingexodus series brings us to the end of
chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3. Engage.
Share. Comment. Rejoice in the Lord.
THANK YOU to all
of you who continue to be faithful in supporting the ongoing ministry of Bailey
Tabernacle CME Church.
Visit us at baileytabernaclecme.org .
You may use any the following options for tithes, offerings, and donations:
1) From
your computer or phone use the Givelify app
or website for BAILEY
TABERNACLE CME Click on or copy this link
and paste it into your browser for Givelify: https://giv.li/7xp90t
2) From
your computer or phone use Paypal. PayPal.Me/BaileyTabernacleCME
Click on or copy
this link and paste it into your browser for Paypal paypal.com/paypalme2/BaileyTabernacleCME
Or
3) Mail your check or money order to:
Bailey Tabernacle
CME Church
P.O. Box 3145
Tuscaloosa, AL
35403
-
Anderson T. Graves II, is
a writer, community organizer, consultant and the pastor of Bailey Tabernacle
CME Church
Friend on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
Follow on
twitter @AndersonTGraves
Click
here to support this blog with a donation. Or go to andersontgraves.blogspot.com and
click on the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.
Monday, October 21, 2019
HOW TO HANDLE THE PAIN (audio)
We step away from our series in the book
of Romans for a message about hurting and healing. The title is: HOW TO HANDLE THE PAIN.
Listen well.
If you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/
---Anderson T. Graves II is a pastor, writer, community organizer, and consultant
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Bailey Tabernacle CME Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He writes the popular blog: A Word to the Wise at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com
Support
Bailey Tabernacle CME Church with a donation through Givelify
Support by check or money order may be mailed to
Bailey Tabernacle CME Church
1117 23rd Avenue
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
Sunday, July 1, 2018
TEMPTATIONS, TESTS, & TESTIMONIES (audio)
Message
#5 in the Hebrews preaching series: TEMPTATIONS, TESTS, & TESTIMONIES.
(message
5, chapter 2:17-18)
Listen
well and leave a comment.
If
you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/
The
podcast is on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/anderson-graves-podcast/id918990482
---Anderson T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry,
and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor
of Miles Chapel
CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;
executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural leadership development for the National
Institute for Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Click here to support this ministry with a donation. Or go to andersontgraves.blogspot.com and click on the DONATE button on the right-hand
sidebar.
Support by check or money order may be
mailed to
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, AL 35064
Friday, March 30, 2018
I THIRST: from the 7 Last Words of Christ
The
5th of Jesus’ 7 Last Words from the cross was, “I Thirst.” Wrapped
up in those two words is a lesson about pain and the power available when you
learn how to embrace it --- the right way.
Listen
well and leave a comment.
If
you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/
---Anderson T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry,
and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor
of Miles
Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance
Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural leadership development for the National
Institute for Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Click
here to support this ministry with a donation. Or go to andersontgraves.blogspot.com and click on the DONATE button on the right-hand
sidebar.
Support by check or money order may be
mailed to
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, AL 35064
Sunday, April 9, 2017
GROWING PAINS & GROWING POWER
Historic,
traditional denominations like the Christian Methodist Episcopal church feel
distressed and confused by patterns of decline in membership and influence. We desperately leap from growth strategy to
growth strategy. The solutions though
have already been provided, long ago, in the story of a phenomenally fast
growing collective of churches, a fellowship that went from 120 members to over
3,120 in just 10 days. And that was all
sustained growth.
Their
strategies are preserved for us in the book of Acts. This message unpacks and applies the
principles and practices that made the Jerusalem church flourish. But you’re not going to like everything they
did.
This
message was originally delivered for the District Conference of the Birmingham
congregations of the CME Church. The
title of the sermon is: GROWING
PAINS & GROWING POWER.
Listen
well.
If
you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer
and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev.
Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in
Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth
Networking Organization (SAYNO);
and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for
Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
You
can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and
clicking the DONATE button
on the right-hand sidebar.
Support
by check or money order may be mailed to
Miles
Chapel CME Church
P
O Box 132
Fairfield,
Al 35064
Monday, October 31, 2016
PUSH
Imagine
you know you have less than 24 hours to live.
You gather your best friends around you and tell them, but they don’t
believe you. They say you’re too calm, too peaceful, to healthy to die. How can
you explain? How can you make them understand and at the same time, give them
the words to guide them through grief and loss and into peace and strength?
In
the text for Sunday’s sermon, Jesus was in exactly that situation. The Lord answered
His friends with a metaphor about . . . childbirth. Yes, childbirth.
Turn
to the closing half of John 16. The
title of sermon is PUSH.
Listen
well.
If
you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer
and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev.
Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in
Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth
Networking Organization (SAYNO);
and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for
Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
You
can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and
clicking the DONATE button
on the right-hand sidebar.
Support
by check or money order may be mailed to
Miles
Chapel CME Church
P
O Box 132
Fairfield,
Al 35064
mourning, joy, peace
Sunday, October 23, 2016
SOMEBODY OUGHT TO TESTIFY
A
hurting woman whose pain and place in the congregation had rendered her silent.
A
lesson in healing and the importance of every story.
The
title of message is SOMEBODY OUGHT TO TESTIFY.
Listen
well.
If
you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer
and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev.
Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in
Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth
Networking Organization (SAYNO);
and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for
Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
You
can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and
clicking the DONATE button
on the right-hand sidebar.
Support
by check or money order may be mailed to
Miles
Chapel CME Church
P
O Box 132
Fairfield,
Al 35064
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