Come Back Home

When I was a child, a little boy named Michael lived next door to us. Michael was a bad little boy. He would do things that would aggravate the older boys and then he would run. Michael used to make us so angry. It wasn’t bad enough that he would do things to us. The worst thing was, while we were chasing Michael, he would be laughing. I don’t care how hard we tried, we could not catch him. I hated that little boy.

One day, Michael did something to me and started running. But that time, I caught him. I started beating him, and beating him and beating him. When I finished beating him, he went in his house, crying. I didn’t care. I was glad that I had finally caught Michael. Suddenly, it dawned on me. I had one little brother, but Michael had four big brothers. They were not just bigger than Michael. They were bigger than me too. I didn’t feel all that good anymore. I went in my house and hid in my bedroom.

About an hour later, while we were eating dinner, the doorbell rang. I thought it was Michael’s brothers, so I jumped up and ran out the back door. My father found me hiding on the back porch and asked me what was wrong. I told him what I had done and I was afraid that Michael’s brothers were coming to get me. My father put his arms around me and said, “Son. When you are in trouble, you are supposed to run to your house, not away from your house.”


When we mess up or get into trouble, many of us run away from God and the church. We are ashamed and afraid of what people in the church will say or think of us. We feel bad because we found out that we are not as holy as we thought we were. Sometime we even doubt our salvation. You must remember that no one is perfect. The Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3: 23)

When we mess up, we are supposed to run to God and the church, not away from God and the church. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1: 9)
If you are one of the runaways, it’s time to come back home.




He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In Stores Now!!! by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.


Available at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com

Love you all,
Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "He's Only A Prayer Away", "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

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The Cross Room

In Matthew 16: 24, Jesus said to his disciples, “If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” But many of us look for the easy, painless road. Whenever we face a challenge or any difficulty, we want to quit.

A man became overwhelmed by the trials and tribulations that he was going through, so he complained to the Lord. He said, Lord, this cross is too much for me to bear. I just can’t handle it anymore.” The Lord said, “OK. Just lay it in the corner, go into the cross room and pick out another one.”

The man was surprised and elated when he heard that. He said, “Do you mean I can choose any cross that I want?” God said, “Yes, my son. You can choose any cross that’s in the room.” The man was happy. He was finally going to get rid of that big, heavy cross.

But when he walked into the cross room, he was amazed at what he saw. There were thousands of huge, enormous crosses. Some of them were so tall; he couldn’t see the top of them. Some were so wide; he couldn’t see around them. He could not believe how big, heavy and rugged the crosses were.

Finally, the man spotted a tiny cross that was lying in a corner. He was so excited; he ran over and picked it up. He had found the perfect cross. He told the Lord that he had found the cross that he wanted. God asked him if he was sure that he wanted that particular cross. The man said, “Yes Lord. This is the cross I want.” The Lord said, “OK my son. You can have that one. But I must tell you, that is the same cross that you came in here with.”

The next time you want to complain about how difficult your Christian journey is, step into the cross room.





He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In Stores Now!!! by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.


Available at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com

Love you all,
Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "He's Only A Prayer Away", "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

To Sign Up for our email list, visit:
www.kobaltbooks.com

The Letter

I once heard a story about a man that went away on a very long journey. Before he left, he wrote a letter to the woman that he loved, promising to return to her one day. While he was away, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years.
Sometimes, the young lady felt sad, lonely, and depressed. Her friends and even her family members teased her and call her a fool for waiting so long for the man to return. Whenever she got to the point that she thought she just could not take any more, she would get the letter that her lover had given her, and read it.
Then one day, the man she loved finally returned. What a celebration they had. While they were talking, he asked her how was it that she was able to wait so long for him.
She said, “I see that even you don’t understand. It was your letter. That’s what kept me going all of these years. That’s what gave me the faith that I needed. It was your letter.”
Jesus went away a long time ago, but He gave us a letter. It is called The Holy Bible. If you are wondering if He loves you, read your letter. He said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) If you want to know how much He loves you, read your letter. He said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16)
If you are sad because you don’t have any friends, read your letter. He said, “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14) If you are wondering if your pain and tears will ever end, read your letter. It says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain.” (Revelation 21:4)
No matter what you are going through, you will find comfort in your letter if you read it.




He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In Stores Now!!! by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.


Available at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com

Love you all,
Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "He's Only A Prayer Away", "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

To Sign Up for our email list, visit:
www.kobaltbooks.com

Give The Ball To Calhoun

Brian Cavanaugh told the story about an important football game. One team was much larger than the other. The coach for the smaller team saw that his team was not able to contain or block the larger team, so he decided to call plays that went to Calhoun, the fastest back in the area.

The coach told his quarterback to give the ball to Calhoun and let him run with it. The team ran the first play, but Calhoun did not get the ball. The second play was again signaled for Calhoun, but once again Calhoun did not get the ball. Now the game was in the final seconds. The smaller team’s only hope was for Calhoun to break free and score the winning touchdown.

The team ran the third play, but again Calhoun did not get the ball. The couch was very upset. They were facing the fourth and final play of the game. Again, the coach sent in the play that was designed for Calhoun to run the ball. The ball was snapped, but the quarterback was sacked. The game ended without Calhoun ever touching the ball.

The coach was furious with the quarterback. He said, “I told you four times to give the ball to Calhoun. Now we have lost the game. Why didn’t you give the ball to Calhoun?” The quarterback said, “I tried to give the ball to Calhoun four times. The problem was, Calhoun didn’t want the ball.”

Ephesians 4: 11-12 tells us that the job of the pastor is to prepare God’s people for works of service. But instead of doing our part, we expect the pastor to do everything. Christianity is not a spectator sport. It is a team effort. God is the coach and the pastor is the quarterback.

Time and time again, God has called a play that was designed just for you. He told your pastor to give the ball to you. But some of you are like Calhoun. You don’t want the ball. You don’t want to sing in the choir. You don’t want to do outreach. You don’t want to teach a Sunday school class. You don’t want to serve with the ushers, the greeters, the youth workers, the food pantry or any other ministry.

You have an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. It will be a shame if that person is lost because you don’t want the ball.




He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In Stores Now!!! by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.


Available at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com

Love you all,
Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "He's Only A Prayer Away", "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

To Sign Up for our email list, visit:
www.kobaltbooks.com