Since Easter
it’s been about 40 days.

If it’s 4o ….
then today should be a day of Celebration…
for on that day 2000+ years ago
Jesus ascended into Heaven.

There was great celebration in Heaven as The One Who exited 33 years before as The Son returned with Triumph as The Savior.

He assumed His Place at
The Right Hand.

He sat in that Place because His
enemy had been invaded and defeated.

And…
His followers entered a short period of waiting …to be filled …..
filled with The Gift which Jesus told them would be given only after He ascended.

Like us…
they most likely wanted The Gift to be given after about one day of waiting, if that long.

It was ten days.

Remember how expectant, hopeful
and anxious you used to be in the days leading up to Christmas ??

You may still be that way.

Your young children are.

Let us be that way about what is coming.

Think about this…
If Jesus ascended on or about this many days since Easter……

We are now in the ten or so days
that the disciples were in…
leading up to The Entrance.

The Entrance ….
of The Holy Ghost
into this world
and into
and upon them.

So….
we are in the ten days between the Ascension of Our Lord and

Entrance of the third person of
The Trinity who allows us to fulfill
The Commission given us by Jesus.

Be expectant…
of what that Spirit might do in you.

Be hopeful…
that He might grant you new
Sufficiency for every situation….as He did the disciples.

Before The Entrance the twelve were like the Stooges, twelve Barney Fife’s following Jesus, but gaining no real ground always having to be led and corrected.

The Entrance changed that.

For them…during these days we are in, they were not yet filled.

For us….The Entrance has occurred.

Has it yet occurred in and upon you?

If so….be in celebration for and about that.

If not…..then seek it as the disciples did during this ten day period.

What a great event if you gained The Entrance this Pentecost season.

Seek it.

Be Expectant….

as you have been about getting gifts in late December when His Birth is celebrated.

These are days to remember and celebrate as followers of the One Who Ascended and as those who have been transformed by The Entrance.

 

Terry

May 2016

Marked Up

A guy walked by me this morning,
looked at my Bible on the table and said, “that’s a marked up Bible.”

More than any other thing, I hope that the “marked up Bible” is a positive witness.

I can state that as my hand held the pen, many times the Book has been marked with my heart as I have sought answers and guidance from The Father.

Other times as the ink was used to underline for emphasis and memory, my mind has searched for understanding and wisdom.

Marking the Bible means the reader
found words of inspiration or instruction.
It can mean a passage is meant for future reference.

I sometimes make the statement that some book is good or important enough to read with a pen in your hand.

The weight of words on ones life leads those words to be held in high esteem.

They have prominence.

They get underlined.

A “marked-up Bible” is an outward witness of an inner and constant need.

A ” marked-up Bible” is a visual representation of a soul in search of gainful knowledge.

Learning of and growing to love our “marked-up” and scarred Savior
leads us to a future with Him ….
leads to an understanding of Him.

It leads to a life reflective of Him.

Keep a pen close by.

Terry
April 2016

Not a Singular Revelation

 

I feel a bit validated by a devotional I read yesterday.

Comments have come from my heart and mouth which have said for some time that the way we most likely serve God the best is through the gifts, talents and abilities and leanings He has placed within us.

It was not a singular revelation.
It makes sense….it should to all of us.

The things we are naturally good at…
How did that occur?

God placed that natural ability in us to serve Him in a manner which would also brings us Joy and Fulfillment.

He has good work for us to do…
because He gives us a natural bent to do those very things.

If you think you are or being used by God…or that you are not fulfilling your purpose… Look to the leanings, talents and things you like to do.

It’s not drudgery.

These abilities were given to you to serve God with Joy.

He is not out to trick us.

Serving Him is simple.

If you recognize the gifts and talents within you…then you know how to serve God in the way He intended.

Give back to Him the enjoyable abilities He has given you.

Terry
April 2016

I heard him before I knew him.

Several years ago the style of music in the worship services at my Church were progressing toward a more contemporary, “younger” style.

I liked it.

During particular songs which were of a fast beat I heard a guitar sound similar to that of The Edge, U2s lead guitar.

It was not out of place…it gave those songs the same “anthem” sound and feel of a U2 song….if you know U2 then you know their spiritual component…and contributed to the lifted up worship which Hillsong and other contemporary Christian churches were putting out at the time.

The rift was coming from Chris Griffin’s guitar.

I made it a point to go meet him….because of what I was hearing.

Little did I know…..
I was meeting one of the best people I would ever come to know.

And, I still feel that way years later.

I came to know a great musician.

I came to know a better person.

Chris was and is a husband, father, musician, band leader, music teacher, marketer and with all the attention which comes from playing on stage in front of adoring people….one of the most humble people I have known in my many years.

As I had heard him before I saw him….
I came to understand this was a great example of who he was…and is.

While he is in front of so many people when performing…
Chris is not one to ask that the spotlight be directed at him.
I can name several young musicians he has trained, encouraged and mentored…and seeks that they step into that spotlight.

While he fits the role of any performer that may have lights shining on them, Chris has given up seeking that to a great extent and has taught children to play musical instruments.
In spending time with him I hear him talk about them and their abilities and potential, their futures….and hardly at all about his own career.

He has spent years teaching others when most musicians of his looks and talent would have left their life to go seek fame in Nashville, Los, Angeles or whichever road they could find away from where they were to what they thought they wanted.

He stayed at home with his wife, raised his children, invested himself in the lives of others and today is a leading creative voice of influence at what may be the fastest growing Church in America.

He still plays.

The band he has been part of for many years is in demand locally.
That band has also been chosen several times by our State Department to globally travel the World to play and teach about American music.

He has had positive influence around the world because of his gifts and talents.

What greater thing could be said of any person?

If you know Chris you cannot help but love him.
In the years I have known him I have never heard one negative comment about him.

Again….what better comment about a man?

There are people in our lives who amaze us because of what we see them do. Chris Griffin amazes crowds with what he does.

I write this comment about Chris Griffin this morning because he has always and still does….amaze me with simply who he is.

While he could be chasing a stage where notoriety would be fast and furious ….he has given up that chase for lasting and eternal things which do not fade quickly.

My days have been blest with his gifts, his friendship, his time.

I heard him before I saw him.

While his sound was out front, he was a bit behind the scenes.
When he has been out front, I have seen him force the gift he has been given to get the attention more than he, himself.

He possesses a character I seek to grow into even though I outnumber him in years.

As I have heard his gifts and seen the full use of his abilities…
my highest compliment would be to say that those things have blest me with a great friend…. and have drawn me closer to my Lord.

Terry
April, 2016

You know…
If you truly live as Christ did…
actually or aspirationally
you will,
as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7…
“wrong no man.”

You might irritate them…
as He did the Sanhedrin.

You might disappoint them…
as He did those who wanted Power.

But you will WRONG no man.

Their definition of right and wrong can be at variance with yours… but you will not do wrong.
You will wrong no man.

Did JESUS ever wrong anyone?

They might have FELT or THOUGHT
He did…
they had incorrect judgement.

Paul said in Galatians 5:22-23…
there are behaviors against which “there is no law.”

You will wrong no one..

when you live out
1 Thessalonians 5:13-22

when you live out
Philippians 4:8

when you live out
Ephesians 4:14:32

You will wrong no man.

Terry
April 2016

If you look at a compass there is a “true north”. Just like a true south, east or west….

true North has a real  location which does not change….90′ latitude.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west…..every day.

On planet Earth, Gravity is an absolute. In Newtonian physics, the force of Gravity  is

defined as the resultant factor of two forces….gravitational attraction and centrifugal

force. Step off a cliff and Gravity will take you to the next lowest surface. Guaranteed.

Mathematics is a science. Not an Art.

Water boils at one exact temperature and freezes at another…..always.

Are you on board yet…?

There are ABSOLUTES in this world.

There are ABSOLUTES in life.

There were and are ABSOLUTES in and from creation.

We have ABSOLUTES in our daily existence. The topics mentioned above are ABSOLUTES. They are standards we accept.. They do not change.

What are your ABSOLUTES which have nothing to do with science or physics ?

If Gravity were not an ABSOLUTE we would be wavering and floating around. If Mathematics were not an ABSOLUTE we would not have the physical structure to our society. If North was not a true and constant location….we could not have the GPS gift we have today.

What are your ABSOLUTES?

At my senior high school athletic banquet the speaker made his presentation around the belief that there are no ABSOLUTES in life. Other than the parents present, I do not believe many of the attendees understood, at that time, what in the world he was referring to or talking about.

But on the way home, my Father made the observation and suggestion to me that the speaker was wrong. My Father told me that, absolutely, there are ABSOLUTES in life. Without them we have no center, no STANDARD, no place to operate or exist from.

Yes, I did not drive myself and my date to my Senior Athletic banquet because I had broken an “ABSOLUTE” with my Father, two weeks before.

I learned early.

What are your non-negotiables?

Without ABSOLUTES one can wander from belief to belief and be easily influenced.

What moral compass would guide you with no ABSOLUTES?

It would be whatever was the “latest” or “hot” topic.

In my mind, with no “true north”, or no ABSOLUTES, you can be led to go along with and buy into whatever comes along.

I believe that so many people have accepted some of the more recent social changes because they have no ABSOLUTE belief system.

What can be wrong if you have no ABSOLUTES?

This is not a directive at any person…..but the acceptance of alternative lifestyles has grown because people have no ABSOLUTES. The acceptance of the thought that it is proper to end a life in the womb…is arrived at in possessing no ABSOLUTE about the definition of what a life is, or what a child is. Its why so many on that front frown on escalating the quality of sonograms. They create the ABSOLUTE picture that a child exists before actual birth.

The social acceptance of the “right” to be whatever the season calls for as far as sexuality and gender …is because people ignore what has been the norm since time began. This progressive attitude to welcome any and all alternatives is a result of having no ABSOLUTES. One can change their appearance…but it is impossible to change ones gender. Chromosomes dictate gender and cannot be changed. That’s an ABSOLUTE.

Having ABSOLUTES is what William Buckley referred to as he started his magazine,         THE NATIONAL REVIEW, saying that one must “stand athwart history and yell STOP!”

There are things at which we need to stand up to and yell…..STOP.

This is not aimed at the social treatment of individuals, races, countries or religions.

Its about acceptance of the social slouching of civilization on the downward plane.

I believe in ABSOLUTES.

GOD is the ABSOLUTE ABSOLUTE.

Look at the order in Creation….in the Universe.

Gravity came from where? The planetary order, the seasons in our year, the placement of the Sun, the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, excretory systems in our bodies come from where? When you cut your skin and it bleeds, coagulates, scabs and then heals…do you cause that process…?

Why are so many laws across the globe similar…?

There is an ABSOLUTE order to things.

Build your life on the ABSOLUTES most likely already in your mind. Don’t deny they exist. One can deny them and go another direction….but those are steps taken in rebellion.

List your ABSOLUTES.

A recent candidate encouraged people to not be afraid of language which insults the standing up for ABSOLUTES. That language is called “political correctness”

Know your ABSOLUTES.

Live them.

Do not fear them… nor anyone who challenges them. Learn to explain and defend them.

For they make us who we are …or need to be.

ABSOLUTELY.

Terry
March 2016

terrybethea.com

The 40 days began two days ago…..
Easter, April 4th.

The 40 days is the period of time in which Christ was on earth,

after His Death and Resurrection,

in His glorified state,

ministering and instructing His Disciples,

blessing others with His presence, most likely dwelling on earth and in Heaven.

Validating His Words, as well as the words of others, concerning Prophecy.

Think about this from now until
May 13th…..

That’s right,of

That’s how long it was.

Consider the Joy felt by the disciples during this time.
Consider the validation His earlier words had now, in the minds of those who heard Him say He would rise from the dead.
Consider what the Sanhedrin thought during these 40 days….two of their number had exited …..

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

Consider that those who beheld Him during this period were seeing Christ in His glorified state ….
as we will see Him when He appears again.

He appeared to Mary outside what had been His Tomb.

He showed Himself to His Disciples,
in the Upper Room at John’s mothers house.
He appeared…….to their surprise….. without walking through the closed doors.

He appeared to the two travelers on their way to Emmaus.

He again appeared to the Disciples,
allowing Thomas to be convinced.

His earlier words were validated.

His earlier prophecy of His death and Resurrection was fulfilled.

Validation.

Confirmation.

We do not know this but it makes sense He would not only restore and encourage Peter….

but that He would also instruct the eleven or twelve in what they faced ahead

and how He desired for them to walk into their future.

He also gave them His Constant and Eternal Presence when He spoke to them in John 20 and said to them…

“Receive ye The Holy Ghost”.

He gives the same to us.
If we accept and receive Him.

Think about Him and meditate on this,

and on Him during these 40 days….until May 13.

He was blessing His followers.

He allowed them to know that His Words were validated.

It is as if He was saying …

You see Who I Am…

The Comforter is coming.

Now….

Go….

Do as I did,

and as I  instructed.

We know the phrase” throw down the gauntlet” to mean that one is issuing a challenge.

In its early use it was not meant as a metaphor, but as a physical action intended to issue a formal challenge to a duel.

When chivalry and honor were paramount, this act was considered an insult that could only be answered with personal combat.

We see it today in hockey when one player throws down his gloves and fisticuffs ensue for a few minutes.

In the past it could mean death….

as it did for a great American in July, 1804, when the sitting Vice President, Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton.

There is a scene in the second “HOBBIT” movie where the wizard, Gandalf, enters a large cavern.

He said a few short sentences and then took his staff, held it firm and thrust it down striking the floor with great force.

The cinematographer created a wave of light and force from the staff striking the ground, outward throughout the cavern.

Gandalf was calling out “evil” and “darkness”.

He then confronted those enemies, was temporarily restricted by them… but eventually triumphed.

The same action occurred in the trilogy of The “Fellowship of The Ring” movies

when Gandalf said, emphatically, to a behemoth… “you shall not pass”.

This happened again when Gandalf called out another wizard and was detained.

 

In both instances, Gandalf was temporarily bound, restricted or detained.

In the end, though, Gandalf triumphed.

 

Not making any level comparison here, but ….
that’s what JESUS did when He began His Work.

 

When JESUS walked out of His home in Nazareth, went to John, His cousin, was baptized and began His Work… the Gauntlet was thrown down.

 

Evil, Darkness, the devil and every minion that fell with him, was put on notice, called out and confronted.

The Force of Light and Hope which sprang out of that beginning moment led,eventually, to the Redemption and Salvation of us all.

Gandalf gave the Hobbits, Elves and Dwarves, courage and hope. He was with them and led them.

He did not create them, he could not live on in them.

 

JESUS not only created us, He came for us, fought and won The Great War for us…and today reigns for us as we have His Allowed Presence in us.

When the stone was rolled away and He exited his short term grave….

That Force which went out into the world when John baptized Him… came to full fruition and the darkness, evil and death were defeated for good.

 

It is now up to us,
with Him in us,
to exercise the Power given us,
to reap the Victory won for us.

We are more than actors in a movie.

Our role is real.

Our rewards are eternal.

 

 

Terry
March, 2016

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terrybethea.com

Heard a radio guy say the other day that people who were angry about a particular political topic were disillusioned.

I do not believe you have to be disillusioned to be angry.

The Colonials in pre-revolutionary America were not disillusioned… they were angry at a distant Kingdom ruling them without any representation.

They did not go to War without some degree of Anger.

There is a justifiable Anger.

FDR on December 8, 1941.

George W. standing on the ruins of the World Trade Center a few days after September 11th…with the megaphone.

You….
If your child were attacked.

Martin Luther King led a social uprising, not from disillusionment… but out of a measured anger at mistreatment.

At least since the 1964 election the Left has labeled active participants on the Right as “angry” and most times “disillusioned”.

Protestors who stand in front of “Women’s Health Clinics” and encourage women to think and maybe look at a sonogram… are not disillusioned.
They are angry at the shedding of “innocent blood”.

Disillusionment is not a prerequisite for Anger.

It can be.

But it’s not absolute.

It’s more of a political or manipulative tool to belittle one who shows passion…right or wrong.

Jesus was not disillusioned when He formed the “whip” and angrily chased the violators out of His house.

Using the “disillusioned” approach Is manipulative to the extent that the one who throws that out is attempting to make another get derailed or feel guilty.

Jesus’ did not feel guilty about His actions.
His anger was righteous.

Not all anger is righteous.

Much of our Anger might be overblown, out of proportion, and simply reactionary.

But…
not all anger though flows out of disillusionment.

The use of the terms ” disillusioned”
and “angry” has been used to quiet
conservative positions.

Anger results when passion rises.
Anger can rise when an Issue rubs our sense of propriety to the extent it cannot be ignored.

It’s like Beauty.
It has a variety of definitions but you know it when you see it…. where ever it is.

Understand that opponents will label you “angry” when they see you being passionate about your stance.

You can stand firm and not show anger.

There are times when action should be driven by a level of Anger. There is a righteous Anger.
There can be an anger with a measured response …under control. There is an Anger which is out of place.

Be careful to know the difference.

Anger can drive you at certain times…but it must be an Anger under control.

As the One who chased the money changers out of His house.

No disillusionment.
A proper response measured to the
provocation.

Terry
March 2016

In the story of Davids son, Amnon and the rape of his step-sister, Tamar, Amnon was at full fault.

He knew it was wrong before he did it. His prolonged thoughts about Tamar made him appear distraught.

This was noticed by a friend,
Jonadab. The description given by the scripture about him was than he was a “subtil”, crafty man.

In Genesis 3, scripture defines the serpent as “more subtil” than any beast of the field.

You know what influence it exerted over Gods highest creation.

Jonadab was crafty. He asked Amnon
what made him appear so down.
Hearing Amnon say he loved Tamar .

Jonadab crafted the plan which became the sin Amnon committed.

Be careful of any Jonadab in your life.

Those who have encouraged you in and toward misbehavior.

Proverbs 1 refers to this when the words instruct the reader to “consent not” when sinners entice you.

It’s naked manipulation.

To see you fall or to get them gain.

As the Scripture defines this type person in a similar way as It described the devil….
This person is serving the manner of the devil when they seek to manipulate and encourage you toward misbehavior, mischief and sin.

Discernment and maturity will assist you in eyeing these influences. Be careful when you are weak…
for they come then.

These people may appear to be your friend and to be looking out for your interests.

The serpent appeared to be helping Adam and Eve understand that their Creator surely would not allow their death.

Be alert.
Be aware.

As a “roaring lion” the Jonadabs In the world seek whom they may influence.

Terry
February, 2016