The Hoodlum Preacher

Benefits

2011-10-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

In 1975, I received a Bad Conduct Discharge from the U. S. Marines because of some crimes that I had committed. As a result, I was not eligible to receive any government benefits. In 1991, I gave my life to Jesus Christ, walked away from my criminal lifestyle, and moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Although I was trying to do what was right, my discharge was hurting me. I couldn’t apply for certain jobs. I couldn’t afford to go back to school. I didn’t have health insurance and I didn’t meet the qualifications for buying a house. All because I didn’t have any benefits.

After I wrote my first book, The Hoodlum Preacher, some Hollywood producers talked to me about making it into a movie. But, to avoid future embarrassment, they wanted me to verify the things that I had written. So I got copies of my criminal records from Illinois and Missouri. I was even able to get a copy of one of my mug shots. But when I received a copy of my military records, I got the shock of my life. Although it listed my many court-martials and convictions, it listed my discharge as, “Honorable Conditions.”

I found out that the Appellate Court had overturned my major convictions and upgraded my discharge in 1979. I never received the letter that they sent informing me of the outcome. Therefore, for more than thirty years, I thought I had a Bad Conduct Discharge. More importantly, for more than thirty years, I had benefits that I was not aware of.

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He became our lawyer in the court of appeals. And because of what He accomplished on Calvary, the sins that we committed and were convicted of were overturned. But some of us are still beating ourselves up because of things that we did in the past. Some of us are not aware of the benefits that we have been given. We don’t have to wait until we die to have joy. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Serving God has benefits.

Rev. Burton Barr's Trilogy on KINDLE Now!!!

Danger

2011-10-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, we had a family dog named Rex. Although Rex was kind of temperamental, I loved playing with him. There were two things that Rex did not allow anyone to do, no matter who they were. First of all, he didn’t let anyone stick his or her hand in his doghouse while he was in there. The other thing was, he didn’t want anyone to touch his food while he was eating. Everyone in our family knew this, and my parents constantly warned my little brother, Ralph, and me not to go near Rex’s house or his food.

One day, Ralph and I were playing with a stick on our back porch and we accidentally dropped it. It fell off of the porch and landed in the middle of some food that Rex was eating. Ralph thought he could grab the stick before Rex could grab his hand. Bad move. Rex had Ralph’s hand before he even got close to the stick.

Ralph ran away crying, so I tried to comfort him. I told him that he went at it the wrong way. I told him to stand back and watch me get the stick. I knew better than to put my hand near Rex’s food, so I decided to kick the stick away and then pick it up. Another bad move. Rex had my foot before it got close to the stick. Both of us went in the house, crying, while Rex finished his meal.

We sometimes do things that we know we shouldn’t. Maybe we think we can get away with it or it might be to impress someone. If we do what God told us to and stay away from the things we should avoid, it could spare us a lot of pain in the end.

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The Cave

2011-10-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Because of his age, a lion was unable to provide food for himself like he had done in the pass. Therefore, he decided to resort to trickery. He stayed in his cave, day after day, pretending to be sick. One by one, other animals went to his cave to express their sorrow. When they did, the lion quickly devoured them.

One day, a fox went to the lion’s cave, but refused to go inside. Standing at a respectful distance, the fox asked the lion how he was doing. “I’m feeling a little weak today, “replied the lion. “But why are you standing out there? Come on in and let’s talk for a while,” he said. “No, thank you,” said the fox. “I see a lot of foot prints going into your cave. But I don’t see any coming out”

A lot of people have done things that ruined their lives, damaged their health or destroyed their careers. They saw what drugs, alcohol, gang activity and reckless living did to others, but they still tried it. In other words, they saw the footprints that led to the cave of misery and pain, but they walked in anyway. They thought they could handle it. But before they knew it, they were trapped.

Everyone has been trapped in one cave or another. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is like quicksand. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. There is only one way out. His name is Jesus.

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The New Jim Crow

2011-09-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

“Jarvious Cotton cannot vote. Like his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, he has been denied the right to participate in our electoral democracy. Cotton’s family tree tells the story of several generations of black men who were born in the United States but who were denied the most basic freedom that democracy promises - the freedom to vote for those who will make the rules and laws that govern one’s life.

“Cotton’s great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Ku Klux Klan for attempting to vote. His grandfather was prevented from voting by Klan intimidation. His father was barred from voting by poll taxes and literacy tests. Today, Jarvious Cotton cannot vote because he, like many black men in the United States, has been labeled a felon and is currently on parole.”

Those are the opening paragraphs of Michelle Alexander’s new book, “The New Jim Crow.” In the days of the Civil Rights Movement, it was the church that stood up and fought for our people. But today, many of our churches have retreated to the safety of their sanctuaries. As a result, we are losing more and more of our young people to drugs, prison, or an early grave.

Many of our ancestors lost their lives, fighting for the right to vote. But today, more than one million African Americans cannot vote because they are in prison and another three million have lost their right to vote because they have felony records. African Americans are 12% of this nation’s population, but we are more than 50% of the prison population. In St. Louis, Missouri, almost 97% of the population in the Youth Detention Center is African American children.

Is Michelle Alexander right? Is the criminal justice system, The New Jim Crow?

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Priorities

2011-09-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

A man had two 50-yard line tickets for the Super Bowl. As the game progressed, a gentleman came down and asked the man if anyone was sitting next to him. “No,” he said, “the seat is empty.” The gentleman was shocked. He said, “This is incredible. Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Super Bowl, the biggest sports event in the world, and not use it?”

Somberly, the man said, “Well, the seat actually belongs to me. I was supposed to come here with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Super Bowl that we have not attended together since we got married more than 40 years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” replied the gentleman. “That is terrible. But couldn’t you find someone else to take the seat? Wasn’t there a friend, a relative or even a neighbor who could have come to the game with you?” The man shook his head and said, “No. All of them are at the funeral.”

This year’s football season has just begun. Therefore, many of the seats in our churches will be vacant. Some of us will be at the various games. Others will be parked in our favorite chairs in front of our television sets. Although we live in a world of advanced technology, many of us feel that we have to witness the actual kick-off rather than record the game and watch it later. Others feel that they cannot miss one second of the action.

For those of us that feel that way, I am glad that Jesus had His priorities straight when He hung on the cross and died for our sins. I’m sure He had other things that He could have been doing.

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Consequences

2011-08-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

On a very cold evening, a young lady was walking through the woods on her way home. While she was walking she came across a snake that was lying by the side of the road. As she came closer she could see that the snake had been injured and was nearly frozen to death.

The woman felt compassion for the snake, so she picked him up, wrapped her coat around him and took him home with her. When she got home she fed the snake, placed him in front of the fireplace and nursed him all night long. The next morning, before she left for work, she changed his bandages, set plenty of food out for him and made sure the heat was left on high.

That evening, when she got home, she was surprised to see that the snake’s wounds were healing and his condition was no longer critical. He was even crawling around on the floor, laughing and playing. The woman was so happy that the snake was feeling better, she ran over to him, picked him up, and started hugging and kissing him. But while she was hugging him, the snake hauled off and gave her a vicious bite on her neck.

The woman dropped the snake and fell back in a state of shock. She grabbed her neck, and with tears in her eyes she said, “How could you do this to me after all I have done for you. You know that your bite is poisonous and now I am going to die. How could you do this to me?” The snake just looked at her and said, “Shut up, silly woman. You got just what you deserved. You knew I was a snake before you took me in.”

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What Do You See?

2011-07-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Brian Cavanaugh told the story of a wise old archer that was training two young warriors. Across the meadow was a small target hanging from a tree. The first warrior took an arrow from his quiver, readied it in his bow, and took aim. The teacher asked him to describe everything he saw. He answered, “I see the sky. I see the clouds. I see the trees with their leaves and branches. And I see the target.” “Put your bow down,” said the teacher. “You are not ready yet.”

The second warrior stepped up and readied his bow with an arrow. The teacher told him to describe everything he saw. “I only see the target,” was his reply. “Then shoot,” said the teacher. The arrow flew straight and hit the target. “Very good,” said the teacher. “When you only see the target, your aim will be true, and your arrow will fly according to your wish.”

When you are traveling through the streets of your city or community, what do you see? Do you see alcoholics? Do you see drug addicts? Do you see prostitutes or gang members? Do you see beggars or undesirables? If that is what you see, you are not ready for the work that Jesus commissioned us to do. You will know when you are ready, because when you look around, all you will see are souls.

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The Rich Man And Lazarus

2011-07-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus told the story of two men. One of them is a rich man, usually called Dives, which is Latin, for rich. The other man is a beggar named Lazarus.

There are different views on the historicity and origin of the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Most theologians believe that this is not a parable that Jesus is telling, but it is a historical account. Supporters of this view point to the amount of detail that is in the story. For example, in no other parable does Jesus use a character’s name, but refers to them as, “a certain man”, “a sower”, etc.

Let us compare the lifestyles of these two individuals. First of all, the Bible says that Dives dressed in purple and fine linen. Wearing purple was associated with kingship. He lived in luxury, enjoying himself by eating sumptuously, meaning he dined on exotic and costly dishes everyday. In most Bible stories, when they mention a gate, they are usually talking about the gate to a city. But Dives was rich enough to have a gate to his house.

This brings us to the second character in the story, Lazarus, because that was where he was laid each day, at the rich man’s gate. The Bible says that Lazarus was happy, just to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, literary meaning, what he threw away. In Biblical days, there were no napkins or paper towels. Therefore, the rich would use pieces of bread to wipe their hands and fingers, and toss them out of windows along with bones and scraps of food for the dogs. When the parable speaks of dogs, we should not imagine well-groomed, affectionate pedigree dogs. These were semi-wild dogs that roamed the villages and towns eating rubbish and fending for themselves.

Before the age of the welfare state, the diseased and disabled of society were considered to be a burden on others. They were often left sitting or lying at the roadside and in public places asking for charity from passers-by. The description of the dogs licking Lazarus’ sores suggests that he may have been severely disabled, therefore, was unable to protect himself.

Now the story takes a dramatic turn. The Bible says that Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died but “in hell he lifted up his eyes”(v23a). I used to wonder why Dives went to hell. Just what had he done that was so terrible? After all, he had not ordered Lazarus to be removed from his gate. He made no objections to his receiving the bread that was flung from his table. And he was never deliberately cruel to Lazarus. So why did Dives go to hell?

The sin of Dives was he accepted him as part of the landscape and thought it was perfectly natural and inevitable that Lazarus should lie in pain and hunger while he wallowed in luxury. So it was not what Dives did that landed him in hell, but what he did not do. The sin of Dives was that he could look on the world’s suffering and need, and feel no grief or pity in his heart. He looked at a fellow human being, hungry and in pain, and did nothing about it. His was the punishment of the man who did nothing.

This parable illustrates a theme that is common to several of Jesus’ parables. The treatment of the least of society is the true measure of piety. We cannot be indifferent to the needs of the poor. External virtue and legal satisfaction cannot compensate for this neglect. Jesus taught repeatedly that the Kingdom of God is within the soul, not in the law.
The parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus makes an important point. It is a warning to the rich and the rest of society about the danger of neglecting the poor.

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Stay In Your Lane

2011-07-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

I love watching judge shows on television. Some of my favorites are: Judge Mathis, Judge Judy and Judge Alex. But the show that I like the best is Judge Karen. One of her most popular sayings is, “Stay in your lane.” Sometimes, one of the litigants will get overzealous while presenting his or her case and try to do the judge’s job. When that happens, Judge Karen says, “Stay in your lane. I know what I’m doing.” Judge Karen has a book with the same title, “Stay in your lane.”

Many of us have been guilty of trying to do someone else’s job. It not only happens in the secular world, it happens in many of our churches as well. We try to tell the pastor how to lead his flock. We want to tell the deacons how to minister to the congregation. We attempt to tell the minister of music which songs the choir should sing. We even have the audacity to try to tell God how to get us out of the mess that we have gotten ourselves into.

Our problem is, we want to be in charge of everything. We think we have all of the answers. We don’t want to relinquish control of our lives to anyone. Not even to God. When things don’t go the way we would like, we want to question God. I have seen people blame God for everything from the loss of a loved one, to the loss of a job.

God loves us and He knows what is best for us. We all go through difficult situations sometimes. But we cannot blame God every time things don’t go our way. I must admit, there were times when I was guilty of doing this.

The next time you want to tell God how to do His job, I suggest you read what God said in Job 38:4. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” In other words, “Stay in your lane.”

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Blockers

2011-06-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

When I was in the Marines, we formed touch football teams and played during our lunch breaks. The different platoons played against each other. On my team, the quarterback’s name was Freeman. I was the number one receiver. I was a good player and a fast runner. But I had two problems. I dropped the ball a lot, and I didn’t follow my blockers.

Both of those problems stemmed from an incident that happened during one of the games. I had caught a pass and turned to run down the field when I was hit by a player that I did not see coming. I had never been in that much pain in my life. I wanted to cry. But I was a man, a football player and a Marine. After that, whenever a pass was thrown to me, I looked down field to see if I was going to be hit. In other words, I took my eyes off of the ball.
Some of us have been hurt by people or circumstances that we did not expect. As a result, instead of focusing on the task at hand, we took our eyes off of ball. We dropped out of school. We quit our job. We left our spouse. We stopped going to church.

Sometimes Freeman would call a play that was designed for me to get the ball and run to the right. But if I didn’t like the way things looked, I ran to the left instead. The problem was, my blockers, who were my protection, were going to the right. But I thought I was fast enough to make it on my own. So I went in the other direction.
Sometimes God sets up “blockers” to protect us and pave the way for us. The blockers might be our parents, our pastors, or our teachers. But sometimes we don’t like the way things look or what they tell us. So instead of following them, we go it the other direction, thinking we are smart enough to make it on our own.

God has a plan for our lives. We just have to follow His direction, keep our eyes on Him and don’t quit.

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The Line

2011-06-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager, I ran with a Chicago street gang named, “The Roman Saints.” One day, some of us were hanging out on the corner when we spotted several members of a rival gang named, “The Vice Lords.” We started chasing them down Roosevelt Road. I had always been a fast runner. As a matter of fact, I prided myself in being able to outrun most people.

At the time, I was new to the gang and I wanted to impress the guys that I was with. So, while we were chasing the Vice Lords, I decided to show them my speed and ability. Naturally, I was ahead of everyone else. After several blocks, the Vice Lords stopped running. I said to myself, “We got them now.” Then I noticed that they had not only stopped running. They were just standing there, looking at me as if they were waiting for me. When I turned to see where the rest of my gang members were, I got the shock of my life. They were standing on one of the corners, about a block and a half behind me, yelling for me to come back. All of a sudden, the Vice Lords that I had been chasing were chasing me. More of them joined in the chase, cutting off my escape route. I ended up getting one of the worse beat downs in my life. I found out that there was a street that the Saints did not cross. That street was the dividing line between our turf and theirs. If we crossed that line, we were no longer under the cover of the rest of our gang.

Some of the saints of God have crossed the line as well. Some of them were trying to impress other people. Some of them wanted to engage in activities that were ungodly. Some of them just yielded to temptation. Whatever their reasons were, they were no longer under the cover of God’s anointing. Now, some of them are experiencing one of the worse beat downs in their lives. Some of them are in prison. Some of them are strung out on substances. Some of them are in abusive or dangerous relationships. All the while, the rest of the saints are yelling for them to come back.

Have you crossed the line? Are you getting close to it? It’s not too late. Just come back.

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Why We Can’t Wait

2011-06-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

“It is the beginning of the year of our Lord, 1963. I see a young Negro boy. He is sitting on a stoop in front of a vermin-infested apartment house in Harlem. The stench of garbage is in the halls. The drunks, the jobless, the junkies are shadow figures of his everyday world. The boy goes to a school attended mostly by Negro students with a scattering of Puerto Ricans. His father is one of the jobless. His mother is a sleep-in domestic, working for a family on Long Island.

“I see a young Negro girl. She is sitting on the stoop of a rickety, wooden one-family house in Birmingham. Some visitors would call it a shack. It needs paint badly and the patched-up roof appears in danger of caving in. Half a dozen small children, in various stages of undress, are scampering about the house. The girl is forced to play the role of their mother. She can no longer attend the all-Negro school in her neighborhood because her mother died recently after a car accident. Neighbors say if the ambulance hadn’t come so late to take her to the all-Negro hospital, the mother might still be alive. The girl’s father is a porter in a downtown department store. He will always be a porter, for there are no promotions for the Negro in this store, where every counter serves him except the one that sells hot dogs and orange juice.”

Those are the opening words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his best-selling book, “Why We Can’t Wait.” He was describing the living conditions of a race of people in 1963. He was trying to tell a group of passive, Christian ministers why it was important to stand up for what was right without delay. A lot of things have changed since then. Unfortunately, too many things remain the same. Children are being murdered on the streets of our cities. War has been declared on our nation’s poor. Hatred is prevalent all across this country. Prisons are bursting at the seams. And all the while, many of our pastors are preaching sermons about, “Bye-and-bye, when the morning comes.”

Jesus told us to “Go.” Not “Wait.” What are we waiting for? This country is full of people who are lost and hurting. Drugs have taken over our communities. Unemployment is at an all time high. Food pantries cannot keep up with the demand. Thousands of families are without gas and electricity because they cannot afford to pay their utility bills. Many of our seniors have to choose between buying food and buying the medicines they need. Children are suffering from sicknesses and diseases, and their families can do nothing about it because they don’t have healthcare. Our boys are being exposed to first-class jails and second-class schools, and if we are not very careful, there will soon be more jails and prisons in this country than there are colleges and universities.

Dr. King ended his introduction with these words: “The boy in Harlem stood up. The girl in Birmingham arose. Separated by stretching miles, both of them squared their shoulders and lifted their eyes toward heaven. Across the miles, they joined hands and took a firm, forward step. It was a step that rocked the richest, most powerful nation to its foundations.”

What about the rest of us? Are we going to stand up and join hands with them? Or are we still waiting for, “That great getting up morning, bye-and-bye?”

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The Game

2011-05-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

In my book, The Hoodlum Preacher, I talked about a well-known pimp that operated on the West Side of Chicago. I met him one Saturday afternoon in a barbershop, called Freddy’s. Freddy’s was a place where many of the players got their hair done. It was the 1970s and most of the players were wearing “Super Fly” perms. While sitting in the chair, he talked about the flamboyant lifestyle of players. Because of his reputation and notoriety, everyone in the shop was hanging on his every word.

He said, “There are two kinds of people in this world, the players and the squares. The squares have to get up and go to work everyday because that’s the only way they can make any money. They don’t know how to play the game. They are too busy living their dull, boring lives and trying to stay out of trouble.

‘But us players, we know the game. We drive the baddest rides. We’ve got the prettiest women. We’ve got all the money. And we do whatever we want to do, whenever we want to do it.” Then he said, “I don’t know about y’all, but as long as I live, I’m gonna be a player.”

Players are people that live on the edge. They are the pimps, the hustlers, the con artists, the gang bangers, and the drug dealers. They are called players because they play games on people that are designed to separate them from their money and their possessions.

This might sound crazy to some people, but there is something about the danger of living on the edge that is intriguing to people in that lifestyle. Maybe that’s why they call it “The Game.” To the players, it is a game. A very serious one. If you win, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have outsmarted some of the most intelligent people in the world: doctors, lawyers, bankers, judges, policemen, merchants, and even other hustlers. But if you lose, you can lose more than just your money. You can lose your freedom, or even your life. But that’s the game. Everybody can’t play it. But if you chose to try, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences if you lose. And the consequences can be severe.

That lifestyle makes perfectly good sense when you are living outside of the will of God. We cannot see God’s truths because we are blinded by Satan’s lies and his promises of fame and fortune. But God wants us to live abundantly. However, some of us choose to listen to the one who has come to steal, to kill and to destroy. (John 10:10)

Some of players are tired of the way they are living. They are tired of drinking. They are tired of drugging. They are tired of prostituting. They are tired of going to jail. They are tired of playing the game. They want to quit, but they don’t know how. Sin is the game that Satan has tricked them into playing.

Some of our churches have built walls that separate us from the players. It is time to tear down those walls. We have to reach out to the players. They are the ones that Jesus died for. It is time for us to stop playing church, and start being the church.

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Seek Wisdom

2011-05-15T19:41:00.001-07:00

The Bible talks a lot about wisdom. Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, devoted an entire book on the matter. Living a Godly life in an ungodly world is no simple assignment. It takes prayer, faith, determination, and wisdom. Jesus told us to “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16).

One day an old German Shepherd was chasing rabbits. Before long, he discovered that he was lost. Wandering about, he noticed a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch. The German Shepherd thought, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep trouble now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settled down and started chewing on them with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther was about to leap, the dog exclaimed loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder if there are any more around here?" Hearing this, the young panther halted his attack in mid-strike. A look of terror came over him and he slinked away into the trees. “Whew!" said the panther, "That was close! That old dog nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a squirrel that had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figured he could put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he went. The squirrel soon caught up with the panther, spilled the beans and struck a deal for himself with the panther. The young panther was furious at being made a fool of and said, "Come on Squirrel. Hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

The German Shepherd saw the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thought, "What am I going to do now?" Instead of running, the dog sat down with his back to his attackers, pretending he didn't see them. When they got close enough to hear, the German Shepherd said, "Where is that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!" As you can imagine, the panther ate the squirrel. But he never bothered the wise, old German Shepherd again.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 NIV).

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Stay On The Line

2011-05-09T04:06:00.000-07:00

There is a commercial that comes on television that advertises investments or some other financial matter. In it, the advisor maps out a plan for the client. After the consultation, the advisor shows the client a line that is painted on the ground. She tells the client that all he has to do to be successful is stay on the line. Afterwards, we see the client walking down the street, being careful not to stray from the path that has been drawn for him. But after a while, something in a store window catches his attention. The man takes he eyes off of the line and heads toward the store. Just then, we see his financial advisor standing behind him, yelling, “Stay on the line.” The man steps back on the line and follows it to financial freedom.

After seeing that commercial, I thought about a park that is located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is named Forest Park. It is very large and there are a lot of roads, twists, turns and curves in it. One day I decided to take a short cut through Forest Park. When I got in there, I got lost and couldn’t find my way out. Every turn that I made was the wrong turn and every road that I took was the wrong road. Finally, I said, “Lord, if you will get me out of this park I will never set foot in here again.”

Some time later, I was driving down a street that was close to Forest Park. I started thinking that I had gotten lost in the park the last time because I had gone in too deep. I thought I could go back in there, and as long as I was careful and watched where I was going and could see the main road, I would be OK. Besides, a lot of people drive through there without getting lost. So I ventured back into Forest Park. Before long, the street that I was driving on turned into a one-way street, so I couldn’t turn around. I found myself getting deeper and deeper into the park. Before I knew it, I was lost again.

Satan tricks us that way sometimes. When God delivers us from things, instead of staying away from them, we think that we can flirt with them again. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can dibble and dabble as long as we don’t go too far or get in too deep. But we don’t realize how quickly that road can turn into a one-way street, and we cannot turn around. Before we know it, we are lost again.

Don’t let Satan fool you with the distractions of the world. Jesus has drawn a path for us to follow. All we have to do is stay on the line.

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A Good Soldier

2011-05-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Christians are often compared to soldiers and Christianity to warfare in both song and scripture. One songwriter said, “I’m a soldier in the army of the Lord.” Another one wrote, “I am on the battlefield for my Lord.” The Apostle Paul knew this is warfare that we are involved in. That is why he told the church at Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God. Four years later, he wrote a letter to Timothy, telling him to fight the good fight of faith. Three years after that, he was led by the Spirit to write another letter to young Timothy telling him to endure hardship like a good soldier.

What is a good soldier? Some people confuse being a good soldier with being a soldier who is good. There is a difference. I was in the United States Marines for five years. Almost half of those years were during the Viet Nam War. During that time I saw a lot of soldiers and marines who had received medals for being good. Being good simply meant showing up for roll call, being at their assigned post, doing a good job and not causing any trouble. For that, they received Good Conduct Medals because they were soldier that had been good. But that was the only medal that many of them received. They did not receive a medal for valor. They did not receive a medal for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. They did not receive the Medal of Honor or the Silver Cross.

We have some Good Conduct Soldiers in God’s Army as well. Our churches are full of them. They never miss roll call, meaning, they are in church every Sunday. They are always at their appointed post: the usher’s board, the mother’s board, the deacon’s board, the choir, the pulpit, or whatever their post may be. They do a good job and never cause any problems. If God were to give out Good Conduct medals, they would certainly receive one. But that is the only medal that many of them would receive. Because, when it is time to go onto the battlefield and minister to the people in the community, that is where they draw the line. They say, “That’s not my job.”

What about you? Are you a good soldier? Or are you just a soldier who is good?

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Is Your House In Order?

2011-04-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

I hate an unmade bed. I can’t stand it. It doesn’t matter how clean or neat a house is, if the beds are not made, the entire house seems messy to me. I got that from my parents and from spending five years in the marines. One of my father’s strictest rules was for us to make our beds as soon as we got up. That was instilled in me at an early age. When we got married, my wife got up to go to the bathroom one Saturday morning. When she returned, she was surprised to see the bed had been made. When I was in prison, my celly (cell-mate) and I had a fight one day. He would not make his bed, and I refused to live in a messy cell.

My mother was the same way. If my brother or I left our clothes in the living room or kitchen, she threw them in the trash. And we better not take them out. She said that she was our mother, not our maid. She did not believe in cleaning up or getting things in order when we were expecting company. She said the house should be in order all the time.

Keeping your house in order might be important to you too. No one wants to be surprised or caught off guard with a messy house if someone were to show up unexpectedly. But what about your spiritual house? Is it in order? No one knows the day or the hour when Jesus is coming. (Matt. 25:13) You don’t want to be surprised or caught off guard with a messy house (lifestyle) when He comes.

A few years ago, people were quoting a popular phrase, “What would Jesus do?” I think a more important question is, “Is your house in order?”

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2011-04-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

PART I

PART II

PART III

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No Pain, No Gain

2011-04-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

When we were children, my grandparents had a piano in their home. It was more of a decoration since neither of them played. We lived in a two family flat. I lived on the second floor with my parents and my younger brother. My grandparents lived on the first floor. My brother and I had always wanted to learn how play the piano. All we were able to play was, “Mary had a little lamb” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with one finger.

Eventually, we talked our parents into letting us take piano lessons. We were excited when we found out that the piano teacher was coming on Saturday. My brother and I started a list of all of the songs that we wanted to learn how to play. We wrote down the names of all of our favorite songs that we heard in church. Then we listened to the radio everyday and added some of the songs that we liked to the list. We figured that since the piano lesson was going to last an hour, we should be able to learn how play at least fifteen songs. Maybe even twenty. We were so excited; we could hardly sleep that Friday night.

When the teacher arrived, we were ready. I handed her the list of songs and sat on the stool. She didn’t even look at the list. She had us play some crazy exercise over and over again for the entire hour. Then she told us to practice that exercise everyday for an hour, and she left. My brother and I were in shock. We looked at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened. I looked at the list of songs that we had prepared. I thought we would be able to play some of the songs that were on our list. I was so disappointed; I never took another piano lesson. As a result, all I am able to play today is, “Mary had a little lamb” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with one finger.

Nothing that is worthwhile happens overnight. To be successful at anything, it takes hard work. No pain, no gain. Although many of the great athletes, musicians and singers are gifted, they still have to work hard, practice and make sacrifices to perfect their skills. That applies to everything in life. Not only your chosen profession, it also applies to education, marriage, and parenting. It even applies to discipleship. Becoming a Christian is easy. All you have to do is repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. But if you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you have to work at it. Bible study and prayer are very important. You also have to make sacrifices. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24)

Do you want to be the best at whatever you choose? Or are you satisfied being able to play, “Mary had a little lamb” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with one finger? No pain, no gain.

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Are You Using All Of Your Strength?

2011-04-03T19:26:00.001-07:00

A little boy was playing in his backyard one day when he noticed a huge rock that was in the middle of the yard. He decided to move the rock so he would have more room to play. He pushed the rock as hard as he could, but it would not budge. He tried pushing it from another angle, but still the rock would not move. Becoming frustrated, the boy sat down and tried to shove the stubborn rock with his feet. The rock would not move.

His father glanced out the window and saw him struggling with the gigantic rock. He went outside and watched his son as he toiled intensively, trying to move the rock. Finally, he said, “Son. Are you using all of your strength?” The boy said that he was. His father stood there, watching his son as he strained and struggled with the enormous rock. He asked his son again, “Are you using all of your strength?” Again, the boy said that he was.

His father stood there, watching his son grunting, groaning and sweating as he desperately tried to move the humongous rock. He said, “Son. Are you sure you are using all of your strength?” The boy was almost in tears when he said, “Yes Dad. I am using all of my strength.” His father put his hand on his son’s shoulder and said, “Son. You are not using all of your strength. I know, because you haven’t asked me to help you.

David said, “The Lord is my strength.” (Psalm 28:7) When things get rough and we find ourselves struggling, trying to move the gigantic rocks that life throw in our paths, instead of calling on God and asking for His help, we are determined to move them ourselves.

I don’t know what your situation is or what you are going through right now. But God is watching you. He is asking, “Are you using all of your strength?”

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Why Don’t You Quit?

2011-03-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

I love Jazz. I love listening to the sweet sounds of gifted artists like Miles Davis, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington, Jr. and Wes Montgomery. One of my favorite musicians is the legendary Gene “Jug” Ammons. The first time I heard him was in a lounge in Chicago. The D.J. played a cut called “Ca’ Purange (Jungle Soul)”. I had never heard anyone play the tenor sax like that before. Some time later, I heard other records of his, such as Angel Eyes and Canadian Sunset. I was an instant Gene Ammons fan.

At that time, Ammons had just been released from prison after serving seven years of a 15-year sentence for narcotics charges. Shortly after his release, he put out a new album titled, “The Boss Is Back.” The number one tune on the album was a cut named, “The Jungle Boss.” Although I liked that tune, my favorite was a cut titled, “Why Don’t You Quit?”

Like many jazz artists of the 50s and 60s, Ammons was addicted to heroin. Even with all of his success in the music industry, and his two stints in prison, he was still unable to kick his habit. This is purely speculation on my part, but some of his friends and relatives probably kept asking him, “Why don’t you quit?” Well, speaking from experience, that is easier said than done.

I was addicted to heroin and cocaine for more than twenty-two years. During that time, many of my friends and relatives were asking me that same question. “Why don’t you quit?” I was never so tired of hearing any one question in my life. I can only imagine how tired Ammons was of hearing it. That is probably why he took that question and made a record out it. Why don’t you quit?

There are literally thousands of people that are strung out on something; drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, pornography, etc. To those who are on the outside looking in, the solution seems simple. But to those who are caught up in their various habits, it is a different story.

Different people were able to turn their lives around by using different methods. I can only tell you what worked for me. It was the power of God through Jesus Christ. The problem is, people want to put God in a box. They think He only works in certain ways. The truth is, God works in many ways.

God has miraculously healed many people from deadly diseases through prayer or the laying on of hands. Others had to spend time in hospitals or undergo surgery. Likewise, He has delivered a lot of people from drugs after they gave their lives to Him. Others had to go to treatment centers. God uses doctors, hospitals, treatment centers, 12 step programs, or the power of prayer to heal or deliver us from our situations. Sometimes He uses prison.

I don’t know why God works the way that He does. When you get to heaven, you can ask Him. Maybe He has already told us. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”(Isaiah 55:8-9)

One day, Oprah did a show called, “Why don’t they quit?” It was a very interesting and informative look at drug addiction and the inability of addicts to kick their habits. Part of the program was very technical, dealing with different parts of the human brain and how it functions. The discussion made some people realize that quitting is not always that easy. I’m not just talking about the drug culture. It amazes me how many people have smoked cigarettes for years, knowing the damage that they are doing to their bodies. But as hard as they have tried, they are unable to stop. Many of them knew what the dangers were before they started. But they look at the person who is struggling with a drug habit and they say, “Why don’t you quit?”

They might argue that cigarettes are legal and socially acceptable. So is alcohol, and look how it has devastated the lives of so many people. I don’t know if we will ever find an answer that we can all agree on. But there is one thing that I am convinced of. As long as there are drug addicts, there will always be someone who will look at them and say, “Why don’t you quit?”

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The Way

2011-03-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

A fly was trapped inside of a house. Everyday, he looked out of the window and saw all of the other flies just flying around and enjoying themselves in the nice warn sun. He decided that he was going to get out of that house and enjoy the fresh air too.

He flew towards the daylight only to bump his head on the windowpane. Again and again he tried to break through, but again and again be bumped his head on the cold, hard glass. He looked in the window seal and saw all of the flies that died trying to escape through the window. He was determined that he was not going to end up like them. He was going to make to freedom. But after days of trying, he eventually joined all of the other flies that lay dead in the window seal.

The sad thing is, he did not have to die there. Just a few feet from the window was a door that was standing wide open. If he would have chosen the door, he could have flown safely through. But he lay dead in the window seal because he was determined to do it his way.

We are often unsuccessful when we try to break free from situations in our lives because we are determined to do it our way. What we don’t realize is there is a door nearby that is standing wide open. Jesus is that door. He is standing there with his arms wide open. He is saying, “I am the way” (John 14:6)

Lets stop trying to do things our way, and trust God to work things out His way.

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Lost In The House

2011-03-13T21:30:00.001-07:00

My wife and I just purchased a house last week. Although it is nice and beautiful, it is also big and confusing. There are a lot of rooms, doors, twists and turns. I don’t know how many times I was going to the hall closet and ended up in the garage. Or I was going to the basement and ended up on the sun porch. One time, I just stopped in the middle of the kitchen and started turning in circles. My nephew, who was helping me with some things, started laughing and said, “What’s the matter? Are you lost?” When I said that I was, he said, “How can you get lost in the house?”

There are a lot of people who are faithful church members, but they are lost. Some of them sing in the choir. Some of them are ushers. Some of them are deacons. Some of them are even preachers. They are in the church house every Sunday, and they do their jobs well. But if the truth were told, they are lost in the house.

Contrary to popular belief, everyone that goes to church is not saved. Did you read the story of the prodigal son in the 15th chapter of Luke? His brother, who never left home, got mad when his brother repented and went back home. There are some church members that have the same attitude. They don’t want certain kinds of people in “their church.” Gang members, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, ex-offenders or anyone who is not like them are not welcome. But they don’t realize that those are the people the Jesus died for.

Most people that don’t attend church do not have a problem with God, the Bible, or the church. They have a problem with church members. The reason that some people don’t go to church is because of the way they were treated when they did go. You have not been hurt until church folks have hurt you. Let me tell you something else while I am on the subject. Some people don’t go to church because they see how people act that does go. They are in the church, but the church is not in them. In other words, they are in the Lord’s house, but they are lost in the house.

God loves you. No matter what you have done or what you have become, you are welcome in His house. But you don’t want to be lost in the house.

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"It Is Finished" excerpt from "He's Only A Prayer Away" by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.

2011-03-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

On Good Friday afternoon, in 2004, I sat in the back of Scruggs Memorial C.M.E. Church in St. Louis listening to my pastor, Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Bobo preach one of the seven last words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was the same word that I have chosen to conclude this book with. “It is finished” (John 19:30).

As he was nearing the end of his sermon, I felt my cell phone vibrating. When I peeked at the caller I.D., my heart sank. I recognized the number because I had called it many times during that week. It was the number to Forrest Park Hospital, where my mother had been in hospice care for several days.

As Pastor Bobo talked about how Jesus’ earthly mission had been completed and how the suffering and the pain of Calvary and the cross had come to an end, I thought about my mother. I thought about all of the sacrifices that she had made while raising my brother and me.

I thought about all of the pain and suffering she had endured over the past few months while she was in a nursing home. I thought about the gut wrenching cries and moans that tore my heart to pieces when I’d visited her on the previous day. Then, I heard my pastor say, “It is finished.”

Although I politely waited until the seventh and final word of our Savior had been preached and the benediction was given before I stepped outside, I didn’t hear anything that anyone had said. All I remember was standing on the steps of that church and listening to the message that had been recorded and left on my phone’s voice mail. It was the nurse saying, “Mr. Barr, I am calling to inform you that your mother, Mary Jane Barr, has expired.”

I thought to myself, “It is finished.” Her work down here on earth was completed. Her commitment as a loving mother, a faithful wife, a dedicated worker, and a loyal friend had come to an end. It is finished.

As sad as I was on that fateful afternoon, I was also encouraged because I knew that because of the finished work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I would see my mother again. It is finished.

My friends, when Jesus spoke those powerful words while He was hanging on that cross, they were not words of defeat.
If you notice, He didn’t say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.” You need to hear that. Those were words of victory. It was not only victory for Christ, but it is also victory for all of us who choose to follow Him and to know Him as our Lord and Savior. It is finished.

Here is another thing. I don’t believe that those words were whispered. No I don’t. I believe those words were shouted. I believe they were shouted because Jesus wanted Satan and all of his demons to know that the battle was over. Satan had been defeated. Jesus had successfully completed His mission, so, before He took His last breath, He shouted, “IT IS FINISHED”. It is finished.
Let’s examine the words of Jesus, “It is finished.” Exactly what was it that was finished? When He received the vinegar and uttered those famous words, what was He saying?

Over the years, I have done a lot of research on this subject. I’ve read a lot of books and utilized the Internet.
One of the things I learned is what Jesus meant when he said, “It is finished”.

First of all, it meant that His life on earth was finished. Although He is God, while He was here on earth, He was a living, moving, breathing human being. He ate. He slept. He walked. He wept. He preached and He prayed. When he uttered those words; all of that was finished.
His holy hands that had healed so many, given strength to the lame and sight to the blind would soon be cold and motionless.

His feet, which had walked on so many missions of mercy, would soon become rigid and unmoving. His voice, that had spoken countless words of grace and love to so many, would soon become silent. His body, which had carried Him through three decades of life, would soon become lifeless. It is finished. Yes, Jesus’ human life had come to an end.

It also meant that His work on earth was finished. All of the Old Testament prophesies were fulfilled. Death and the grave were defeated. Everything that He had been sent here to do was finished.
Let me personalize this thing for you. When I was nine years old, I sat in the back of the Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago and listened as my first pastor, the Reverend James A. Murphy, preached a sermon about Adam and Eve. It was the first time I had ever heard the story; so I sat there somewhat spellbound as he talked about the fall of man and the consequences that we all had to suffer because of the fall.

Although my brother and I were in church every Sunday, I think that was the first time one of Rev. Murphy’s sermons really hit home with me. I loved to hear him preach Sunday after Sunday. It was through him that I first heard the story of the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the lion’s den.

There were so many sermons that Rev. Murphy preached that made me feel good. The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, and Lazarus being raised from the dead were just a few. I guess you could call them shouting sermons.

But the fall of man was not a shouting sermon, not to me. Because the only thing that my little nine-year old mind could digest was that because of Adam’s sin and disobedience, I was going to die and go to hell someday and there was nothing that I could do about it.
I felt when Adam fell, I too had fallen. I was a sinner. I didn’t want to be a sinner. I didn’t even know what a sinner was. I was just nine years old.
Rev. Murphy didn’t let the story end there. He told me about Romans 5:19, where it says, “As by one man’s disobedience” meaning Adam, “many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one,” meaning the finished work of Jesus Christ, “shall many be made righteous.” Jesus took a sad story and gave it a happy ending.
Because of His finished work on Earth and on the cross, when we repent and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God forgives us for our sins. Man’s problem is that we have a hard time forgiving ourselves.

“It is finished!” was His cry. His work was finished. It was complete. It was ended.

“It is finished,” however, refers only to Jesus’ redemptive work. We know from Scripture that His work as Lord continues.
Christ is in heaven right now as Lord of the universe and head of the church. Jesus is hard at work on our behalf and for our good; preparing a place for us, pleading for us before the Father, defending us, and keeping us safe from the attacks of Satan. It is finished.

Jesus has completed the work that God sent Him to do on Earth. What was started when Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, was ended on Golgotha. Christ’s salvation work was done. It is finished.
This means that Christ’s work of suffering was done. Oh, how our Lord suffered. Think of Gethsemane, the Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod, and then Pilate again. Think of the brutal soldiers, the journey to Calvary, the nails of the crucifixion, those three awful hours of darkness when God forsook Him physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Our Lord suffered so very much.

But now it was finished. The cup of wrath has been drained. The wages of sin have been paid. The disgrace and shame, the suffering and the agony are past. Never again shall He experience pain. Never again shall He endure the taunts and the slaps of those who hate Him. Never again shall He be in the hands of His enemies. Never again shall He be in darkness. Never again shall God’s presence be taken from Him. It is finished.

It is finished means that nothing more could be done or would be required to secure the salvation of sinners.

I read the story about a young man that came forward in a Gospel meeting asking, “What can I do to be saved?”

Knowing the man thought he had to do something dramatic to be saved, the pastor responded, “You are too late.”

“Please don’t say that,” exclaimed the distressed seeker. “I really want salvation. I will do anything or go anywhere to obtain it.”
“I’m sorry,” replied the pastor. “You are too late for that. Your salvation was completed many hundred years ago at Calvary. It is finished. All you have to do now is accept it.

In 1975, after my third court martial, I was given a bad conduct discharge from the United States Marines. That meant I didn’t have any benefits. Whenever I filled out applications for employment or was asked if I was a veteran, I had to say that I was not.

In 2008, I went to the veteran’s administration office and got a copy of my military records. To my surprise, I learned that the major charge that I was convicted of had been overturned on appeal in 1979.

Therefore, my bad conduct discharge had been thrown out and I was given an honorable discharge; but for almost thirty years, I had been living with the guilt and shame of a sentence that had been dismissed.

Man sold himself into sin, but Jesus paid the price to redeem mankind. He became a propitiation for our sins; appeasing God’s wrath and judgment; fully satisfying the demands of a righteous God in respect to judgment upon a sinner.

I’m not worried about anything because I’m a child of God. He adopted me a long time ago when Jesus hung on the cross and said, “it is finished.”

It is finished because the Father was satisfied. It is finished because the Son was crucified. It is finished because the Saints were edified.

At last and did my Savior bleed
And did my sovereign die
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I
At the cross – At the cross
Where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away
It was there by faith
I received my sight
And now I am happy
All the day

It Is Finished.

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Who Are You Calling?

2011-02-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

I had a friend in Chicago whose name was Maurice. He was a major drug dealer and a fence. For those of you who may not know what a fence is, he is a person who buys stolen property. Maurice was a high roller. He owned two nightclubs and was into some of everything on Chicago’s West Side.

In September of 1985, some detectives came to my house and took me to jail. I needed $50,000 cash to get out. The only person that I knew that had that kind of money was Maurice. I called him, but he wasn’t there. A week or so later, I called him again, but he still wasn’t there. I tried calling him again and again. But every time I called, they said he was not there. Finally, I gave up.

When I went to court, I was given 2-year sentence. When I was on my way to the bus that would take me to the penitentiary, guess who I saw? That’s right, I saw Maurice. He was getting on the same bus. I had been trying to call him because I was in trouble, but he was in more trouble than I was!

Sometimes we put our trust in the wrong people. We put our trust in our friends, our family members, our classmates or our politicians. But we should put our trust in the Lord. He is the one that we should call on in times of trouble. God loves you. No matter where you are. No matter what you have done. No matter what you have become. God loves you and you can call on Him.
Justice and Mercy had scheduled a very important meeting. Justice arrived at the appointed place exactly on time. He was dressed sharply and looking good. He didn’t have one hair out of place. His robe was so white, it seemed to glow. Even his sandals were spit shined. He paced back and forth, glancing at his hourglass, as he waited for Mercy to arrive.

When Mercy got there, he didn’t look anything like Justice. His hair was all over his head, and his robe was dirty, ragged and scorched. His sandals were run down and had holes in them. He said, “I’m sorry for being late, Brother Justice, but I have been on one assignment after another. Three young boys were in a fiery furnace, and I had to see about them. Then, there was a young man that was in a lion’s den. I had to see about him. I was on my way here when I learned that there were two men in a Phillipian jail. God was so impressed with their prayer and their praise, He sent me to see about them.

Just then, Mercy’s cell phone rang. When he finished with his conversation, he turned to Justice. He said, “I know that we have a lot to talk about, but we will have to do it at another time. Someone else is in trouble. They are saying, ‘Lord, have mercy.’ I have to go and see about them”
Are you the one that is calling on the Lord right now? Or are you calling Maurice?

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The Bridge Builder

2011-02-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Two men owned farms that were across the road from each other. They had been friends and neighbors for as long as either of them could remember. One day they had a disagreement that led to a very heated argument. When it was over, they vowed to never speak to each other again.

Some time later, a stranger knocked on the door of one of the farmers. He said that he was a builder by trade and was looking for work. He asked the farmer if he needed any help around his property.

The farmer said that he had the perfect job for him. He pointed to the road that divided his property from that of his former friend. He said, “I want you to build a huge wall at the end of my land. I want the wall to be so big that that I will never have to see that man over there, or his house, or anything that belongs to him ever again.” Then he said, “I have a few errands to run. There should be enough wood in the shed for the wall. I’ll pay you when I get back.” Then he got into his truck and drove off.

When the farmer finished with his business, he headed home so he could see his new wall. But when he got there, what he saw completely blew his mind. Instead of a wall that divided the two properties, there was a bridge that connected them.

He ran to the builder as he was putting his tools away. He said, “What is this? I told you to build a wall, not a bridge.” While he was talking, he saw his neighbor running towards him, laughing and crying at the same time. His neighbor told him how sorry he was about their terrible misunderstanding. He said, “When I looked out my window and saw the bridge that you had built, it made me realize just how valuable your friendship really is, and how much I missed fellowshipping with you.” The farmer looked at his friend and realized how much he had missed their fellowship as well.

He turned to the builder and said, “Thank you for bringing two stubborn old friends together. There are a lot of things that need fixing around here. There is enough work around here to keep you busy for a long time. Please stay.”

The builder smiled and said, “I appreciate your offer, but I must be on my way. I have more bridges to build.”

God is looking for some bridge builders. Are you one?

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Get Off Of The Bus

2011-02-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

We just witnessed one of the coldest spells that I can remember experiencing since I moved to St. Louis. I felt like I was back in Chicago or Detroit. As I was driving down the street one day, I noticed people at various bus stops, all bundled up and shivering as they waited for the bus. It reminded me of something that happened to me on one very cold winter day in Chicago.

I had been waiting for my bus for several minutes in the freezing cold. When the bus finally arrived, I climbed aboard, paid my fair and took a seat. I was glad to be out of the bitter cold and on a nice, warm bus. I leaned back in my seat, glancing out of the window while enjoying the ride. All of a sudden, the bus made a left turn instead of going straight. When I looked around, I realized that I was on the wrong bus. The bus was headed downtown, but that is not where you want to go. I started to get off, but it was so warm, cozy and comfortable I decided to ride a little while longer. It felt so good; I think I dozed off for a while. Before I knew it, I was at the end of the line. I was in the heart of downtown because I didn’t get off of the bus when I had the chance.

A lot of men and women are riding the wrong bus. Satan is the driver, and he is taking them where they don’t want to go. He is taking some of them to the penitentiary. He is taking some of them to the cemetery. He is taking some of them to divorce courts. He is taking some of them to maternity wards or abortion clinics. He is taking some of them to the pits of hell. They know they are going the wrong way, but they are comfortable and they just want to ride a little while longer before they get off. All the while, God is saying, “Get off of the bus.”

What about you? What bus are you riding on?

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Aim High

2011-02-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

I once read a story about flea trainers and how they train their fleas. First, he places them in a jar. When he puts them in there, they jump out, because fleas are incredible jumpers. But the training begins when he puts a lid on the jar. The fleas continue to jump, but when they do, they bump their heads on the lid over and over again. After a while, the fleas continue to jump, but they no longer jump as high as they can, because they don’t want to bump their heads anymore.

Now the trainer removes the lid from the jar. When he does, the fleas continue to jump, but they do not jump out of the jar. Actually, they don’t jump out because they no longer can jump out. They cannot jump out because they have conditioned themselves to only jump so high. Now, that is all they can do.

Some of our people have conditioned themselves to only jump so high. Every time they tried to jump any higher, they bumped their heads. They have bumped their heads on racism. They have bumped their heads on peer pressure. They have bumped their heads on people telling them what they could not do, and what they could not be. They have bumped their heads over and over again because Satan has placed a lid over their dreams.

I want to tell you something. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan thought he had shattered His dreams. But early that Sunday morning, when Jesus stepped out of the grave, not only was the stone removed from the entrance to the tomb; the lid was removed from above your dreams. That is why the Apostle Paul was able to say, "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me."

Don't be afraid to aim high. Aim as high as you can. One of my former Pastors used to say, "Always aim for the moon. If you fall upon the stars, you will still be on higher ground." Put your trust in God and aim high.

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I’ve Fallen, And I Can’t Get Up

2011-01-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

When I was seven years old, I was playing in front of my house when a girl, riding a bicycle, ran over me and knocked me down. I kept trying to get up, but I couldn’t. I was in a lot of pain. My leg was broken in two places. But I remembered that my father was in the house, and he had the window open so he could hear me if I called him. So I started yelling, “Daddy, Daddy.” Before I knew it, my father was standing there. I said, “Daddy, I can’t get up. I can’t get up.” He had reached down and picked me up.

There are so many people who have been crippled by sin and they are lying there, trying to get up by themselves. They’ll say, “As soon as I get myself together, I’ll go to church.” Maybe somebody who is reading this blog is going through something. You know that you need the Lord, but you want to get yourself together first.

You might feel like your whole world is coming apart. There is trouble in your home, trouble at your school, trouble in your family and you just don’t know what to do. You have to remember that your Father is in the house and He has left the window opened for you. All you have to do is call Him. You can’t be too ashamed to call him. You can’t be too proud to call Him. It’s not too late. If you call Him, He will hear you. He will reach down and pick you up.

You can’t get yourself together. That’s like a sick person saying, “As soon as I get myself well, I’ll go to the hospital.” As long as you are trying to do it yourself, you will be like I was, trying to get up with a broken leg.
To fall and not cry out for help is worse than the fall itself. Maybe you are ashamed to let anyone know that you have fallen because you don’t want people to think less of you. 1st John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If Satan has knocked you down, just remember, your Father is in heaven. And he has the window open. He is waiting for you to call him. Just say, “Father, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

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Can Anything Good Come Out Of Prison?

2011-01-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

The prison industry is the fastest growing business in America. This nation prides itself for being known as “The land of the free.” But for more than 2 million men and women, those words are just another line from a very old song. In many of our penal institutions, there is no such thing as rehabilitation. They have simply become cheap labor camps.

But in many cases, it is not the fault of those who are in charge of the prisons. They are just doing their jobs, so we can’t really blame them. Neither can we blame the parole boards for keeping these men and women locked away longer than necessary. We can’t blame the prosecutors who will do whatever it takes to win a conviction, even if he knows that the defendant is not guilty. We cannot blame the judges for handing out all of those ridicules sentences. We can’t even blame police officers that will lie and plant evidence on someone so he can make an arrest.

Then who can we blame? Whose fault is it that this nation has become so cold-hearted, blood thirsty and unforgiving? This might come as a shock to you, but I blame the church. I blame the church because there are too many of us that do not care what happens in this country as long as it doesn’t affect us. We don’t care how unfair this justice system is, as long as our families are not caught up in it.
It doesn’t bother us that so many of our sons and daughters have become victims of the crack epidemic, just as long as our children are not strung out. Some of us can even sit in our nice, warm cars while on our way to church, and see a homeless person that is obviously cold and hungry, and just turn our heads as it they didn’t exist. We can look at an entire generation of young people being drug off to prison and not even care.

More than 10% of our young black men between the ages of 25 and 29 are in prison right now, and nobody cares. The church has lost its compassion for those who are lost, and has bought into societies philosophy of, “Lock em up and throw away the key.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be any jails or prisons; That's where some people need to be. But prison should not the solution to every problem that we don’t have an answer to. We can’t keep throwing all of these men and women, and now even little children, into these deep, dark, dungeons of despair with no hope of ever seeing the light of day again. I don’t care what anybody says. It’s just wrong.

Thousands of men and women are being released from prison every year with no money, no home to go to, and no one to turn to for help. Many of them are trying their best to do what’s right, but no one will give then a chance. Not even some of our churches. They are afraid of them. They don’t trust them. They don’t want them in their churches. They are asking themselves, “Can anything good come out of prison.”

All of us are not ex-offenders, but we are all ex-somethings. Some of us are ex-alcoholics. Some are ex-adulterers. Some are ex-gamblers. Before we look down our sanctified noses at someone else, we must remember the kind of lives that we lived before God delivered us. If God can change me, He can change anyone. I know that He can, because He changed me when I was in prison.

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Change The Station

2011-01-16T18:16:00.001-08:00

When I was about eleven or twelve years old a group named, “The Coasters” recorded a song titled, “Charlie Brown.” There was a different version of the song that was going around at school. In that version, some of the words were changed and there were a lot of curse words being used.

One night when our parents weren’t home, my brother and I were singing the school version of Charlie Brown, curse words and all. We were singing so loud and having so much fun, we didn’t hear our mother when she came in. But she heard us. Before we could do anything, she was standing there with an ironing cord in her hand.

She looked at me and said, “Don’t stop now. Keep singing.” My brother and I started crying and saying we we’re sorry. But my mother said, “I don’t want to hear that. I want to hear Charlie Brown. Sing Charlie Brown.” While she was whipping us, she made us keep singing Charlie Brown.

After that night, I never wanted to hear Charlie Brown again. As a matter of fact, every time that song came on the radio I changed the station. That is what we must learn to do. Change the station. If your friends are getting you into trouble and making you sin against God, change the station. Stay away from those friends. If the places that you go cause temptation, change the station. Don’t go to those places. There might be something, or someone that you are holding onto that is causing you to stumble. You know what you’ve got to do. Change the station.

Comedian, Danny Thomas told the story about a man that went to his doctor because of a pain that he had in his shoulder. He raised his arm above his head and said, “Doc. It hurts when I do that.” The doctor looked at him and said, “Then don’t do that.”

Change the station!!!

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Change The Station

2011-01-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

It Ain't That Kind of Party

2011-01-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that people who know little or nothing about the Bible also know little or nothing about heaven and hell. They have seen movies and cartoons that have been made on the subject; therefore, many of them believe that they know what lies ahead for them when there lives are over. Many of them believe that hell is going to be just one big party.

I can still remember some of the misconceptions that I once had concerning this matter when I was still living a life of sin. I had always said that I didn’t want to go to heaven when I died. I honestly thought that heaven was going to be the dullest place imaginable.

I mean, what was there to do for a player like me? There are no nightclubs up there. There are no wild parties or loose women running around. There are not even any drugs up there, so I couldn’t get high, kick back on one of the clouds and just chill out. So what was there to do besides walk around all day and sing a bunch of church songs that I didn’t even know? And besides, I figured that once the angels heard me sing, they weren’t going to let me join the choir anyway.

And why would I even want to go to heaven? I wasn’t going to know anybody there, at least not anyone that I wanted to hang out with. I figured that heaven was going to be full of squares. You know, people that had to work for a living, went to church on Sundays, and went to bed at night. You know, those kinds of people.

No, heaven was not for me. There was not going to be any partying in heaven. The real party was going to be in hell where all of my friends were going to be. I could just see it. All of us down there together: Fuzzy, Tadpole, C.J., Red and all of the other players and hustlers. We would all be there, together again, smoking the best weed, sipping on some Johnny Walker Red and partying with some of the finest women in hell. What a good time that would be. It might be a little warm and uncomfortable down there, but I’d get used to it. Besides, you should see some of the hellholes that I have been in while here on earth.

I know that some of the things that I have said might be funny or unimaginable to some of you. But that was how I really felt. You would be surprised just how many people are lost and know that they are on their way to hell, but they think that it is no big deal. It is nothing that they can’t handle.

Many of them feel that they have no choice in the matter. It is too late for them, so they may as well make the best of it. Some of them think that they might even enjoy it. It can’t be any worse than life has been for them here. But we have got to reach out to them and let them know that hell is not what they think it is. We have got to let them know that it ain’t that kind of party.

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Junkyard Jewel

2011-01-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

Maya Azucena wrote and recorded a song that is so beautiful and powerful that the first time I heard it I almost cried. Maybe it touched me so deeply because it described me and so many other people that I know. The name of the song is, “Junkyard Jewel.” Some of the lyrics are:

He was a Junkyard Jewel
Hidden in trash
Forgotten too long
Until found at last
Junkyard Jewel
With so much inside
Hidden from the rest
As a matter of pride

The world is full of junkyard jewels. They have lost their way and are living in a world of hopelessness. Some of them are in prison. Some of them are on drugs. Some of them are prostitutes. Some of them are in gangs. They are not bad people. Many of them are intelligent and talented. But they are victims of their environment.
Dr. Martin Luther King said, “There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a large segment of people who feel that they have no stake in it. People, who have a stake in their society, protect it. But when they don’t have a stake in it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.”

Many of our young men and young women feel that they have no stake in this society. They have become disenfranchised. They have no jobs and they see no future. Many of our young people are being exposed to first-class jails and second-class schools. They are Junkyard Jewels.

Many people are going to the church for help. The sick, the hungry, the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the gang members, men and women who have just gotten out of prison. They are going to the church looking for help.

But what is the church’s response? Many times we are saying, “Send them away. We don’t want those people with all kinds of diseases coming in here infecting the rest of us. Send them away. We don’t want those crack heads and drunks coming in here with our children. Send them away. We don’t want those homeless people coming in here smelling up our church. Send them away. We don’t want those jailbirds and gang members coming in here starting trouble, pastor. Send them away.”

The church is looking at a world full of lost and hurting people who are coming to us for help. But we are saying, “Send them away. Let them find help someplace else.” But I can hear Jesus saying, loud and clear, “They don’t need to go away. These are my Junkyard Jewels. You help them.”

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The Gift Of Love

2010-12-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite storytellers, William R. White, told a story that’s origin is found in Jewish oral tradition. After making a few changes, I have told this story in churches and prisons all across this country.

When God had nearly finished the act of creation, an announcement was made that the only thing left was to create a creature that is capable of understanding and marveling in the greatness of God. “They will be called humans,” God said. “They will not only be on earth, but they will be created in my image. They will have reason, intellect and understanding.”

But Truth approached the Almighty God, pleading with Him not to create humans. “Oh God,” Truth said. “I ask you to refrain from calling into being a creature that is capable of lying. The last thing we need is to have a world full of deception and fraud.”

Then Peace came forward to support Truth’s cause. “Oh Lord,” he said. “I beg you not to create creatures that will disturb the harmony of your creation. I fear that these humans will act with revenge and initiate war.”

Justice stepped forward. He said, “Dear Lord, I must agree with Truth and Peace. I think you will be making a huge mistake by creating humans. Before long they will be robbing, stealing and killing each other. Then this beautiful world that you have created will be full of jails and prisons.”

While they were pleading their case against the creation of man, the soft voice of Love asked to be heard. He said, “Dear God, I know that any being that is created in your likeness will have the capacity to perform great deeds. Filled with your Spirit they will comfort the sick, visit the lonely, and provide shelter for the homeless. They will even minister to the prisoners that Justice spoke of. Such a being could not help but bring glory to you, Oh Lord.”

Although the Lord listened to the voices of Truth, Peace and Justice before He made His final decision, it was because of Love that human beings were created.

When God created man, He did not create a perfect being. He did not create people that are incapable of sinning. But because of His love for us, He is willing to forgive us for our sins if we ask Him. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

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This Christmas

2010-12-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

The story was told of a little child that wandered through the streets of a large city on Christmas Eve. Busy people rushed back and forth with their arms filled with presents. Everyone seemed to have a destination except the little child. As he walked around, the bitter cold nipped at his cheeks and bit at his bare fingers. This was no night to be out alone. He must find a place to stay.

He walked down a street that was filled with large homes and beautiful yards. He walked to the door of a gorgeous house and peeked through the curtains at a huge, well-decorated Christmas tree. Inside the house, children were playing and shaking presents that had their names on them.

The little child stood on tiptoes and rang the doorbell. A boy opened the door and looked down at the youngster. “I am sorry,” he said, “Our parents are not home, and they would not like to have anyone upset our Christmas Eve.” The door closed slowly. The little child soon tried another home. This time a woman shouted at him, “Get off my property, right now!”

The wind seemed as angry as the woman when the young child reached the unsheltered sidewalk. He decided to try a street where the houses were smaller, hoping people that were friendlier. He started ringing bells and knocking on doors. One woman was afraid that he would bring germs into her house. A man said that there wasn't enough for his own children. As he went from house to house, people just looked at him, shook their heads, and closed the door.

“There must be some place in this city for me,” he thought. As he walked through the dark streets, he passed houses that were much smaller in size. At the end of one street, he stopped at a house that had no curtains. It was easy to see inside. In the corner sat a small tree with no lights. Near the fireplace, a mother was reading to her small children. “Mommy,” one of the children called out. “Someone is at the door.” They rushed to the door to see who was there. In the doorway stood the little child, shaking in the cold.

The mother picked him up and pressed him tightly to her breast as she carried him to the living room. “Quick, warm some milk,” she said to her son as she rubbed the child’s numbed fingers between her hands. Pushing his tangled hair back, she tenderly kissed him on the forehead and whispered, “We are delighted that you have come to share this Christmas with us.”

For nearly an hour, they stood around the fire until feeling began to return to the frozen body of the little child. When their guest seemed to be warmed, the little girl said, “Finish the story, Mommy.” The mother placed the little girl on her lap and opened the book.

Suddenly a powerful light began to flood the room. The family turned to see the little child being transformed before their eyes. The light from his face became so bright; they were forced to turn their heads. Then the light left the room. As the family rushed to the door, they watched the light ascend until all that was visible was a star that shone brilliantly over their home.

The boy was the first to break the silence. “Was that the Christ child, Mother?” he asked. “Yes,” she replied.

It is said that each Christmas, Christ returns to earth as a little child, wandering through the streets of a city, seeking a place to be warmed. When He is accepted, God sends a brightly lit star to shine on that house.

This Christmas, bless someone who is in need. Then look up and see God's sign.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS!

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The Christmas Story

2010-12-13T04:48:00.000-08:00

On a very cold Christmas Eve, a man sat by his window thinking about the Christmas story. He said, “Why would an all-powerful God choose to come to earth the way the Bible says that He did? Why would He choose to be born in a stable? It makes no sense. I’m sure that if God really wanted to come down to earth, He would have chosen a more exciting way.”

Just then, he heard a strange, loud noise coming from outside. When he looked out, he saw a flock of geese frantically honking and wildly flapping their wings in the deep snow and fringed cold. They appeared to be dazed and confused. Apparently they had dropped out of a larger flock that was migrating to a warmer climate.

Moved with compassion, the man bundled up and went outside in an effort to save them. He opened his barn door and tried to coax the shivering geese inside and out of the freezing cold. But the more he tried, the more the geese panicked and ran away from him. The man became frustrated. He thought to himself, “If they only realized that I am trying to save them. How can I make them understand that I am concerned for their safety and well-being?”

Then a thought came to him. “If I was one of them, they wouldn’t be afraid of me and I could lead them to safety. I wish I could become a goose just long enough to communicate with them so they would realize what I am trying to do.”

Suddenly, he remembered it was Christmas Eve. A smile came across his face and the Christmas story no longer seemed ridiculous to him. He visualized a little baby lying in a manger. He realized that God became one of us so He could tell us how much He loves us and wants to save us.

He finally understood the Christmas story. Do You?

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Count Your Blessings

2010-12-05T20:06:00.001-08:00

William R. White told a story about two merchants that were fierce competitors in a large town. Their stores were across the street from each other. The merchants didn’t measure the success of their business by daily or weekly profits. Their only concern was doing more business than the other. If a customer made a purchase at the store of one merchant, he would taunt his competitor when the sale was complete. The rivalry grew more and more every year.

One day God sent an angel to one of the merchants with an offer. “The Lord has chosen to give you a great gift,” said the angel. “He will give you anything you want. You can have riches, long life, healthy children or anything you desire. Just ask and it is yours. But there is one condition,” the angel said. “Whatever you receive, your competitor will get twice as much. If you ask for a million dollars, he will receive two million. If you become famous, he will become twice as famous. If your business grows to ten stores, his will grow to twenty.” The angel smiled and said, “This is God’s way of teaching you a lesson.”

The merchant thought for a few minutes. Then he said, “Let me make sure I understand what you are saying. You will give me anything that I ask for. But whatever I receive, my competitor will get double. Is that right?” The angel said, “That is correct.” The merchant smiled and said, “My request is that you strike me blind in one eye.”

God wants us to be the best that we can be and use the gifts and talents that He gave us to bless others. But sometimes we lose our focus and look at everything and everyone as our competition. We want the biggest house, the fanciest car, or the largest church.

Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. God is not concerned with what you have or what you accomplish. He is concerned with how you use what He has given you. Learn to count your blessings instead of comparing them.

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What Did The Turkey Do?

2010-11-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

A lady went into a pet store one day to purchase a parrot to keep her company. The shopkeeper told her that the only parrot that he had was once owned by a sailor, and his language was very filthy. The lady believed she could change the parrot’s attitude and vocabulary by showing him love and affection. But when she got home, she found out that the parrot’s profanity was worse than she had thought.
She became so frustrated; she put the parrot in the freezer for several minutes hoping that would teach him a lesson. When she took him out, she asked the parrot if he was sorry for the way he had acted. He said he was and promised not to use that kind of language anymore.

The lady came home from work one day and the parrot started cursing at her. She put the parrot in the freezer again, this time for an hour. When she took him out, he was cold and shivering. She asked him if he had learned his lesson this time. The parrot said that he had, and again, he promised never to use that kind of language again.

A few weeks later, the lady was late getting home from work. The parrot was upset because his supper was late, so he cursed the lady out, using words that she had never heard before. She became so angry; she threw the parrot back in the freezer. Then she went to the grocery store to finish shopping for her Thanksgiving dinner. She returned a few hours later and remembered that the parrot was in the freezer. When she took him out, he had almost frozen to death.

She put him in his cage and asked, “Have you learned your lesson this time?” The parrot said, “Yes Ma’am.” She said, “Are you going to be good?” The parrot said, “Yes Ma’am.” She asked, “Are you going to use that filthy language anymore?” The parrot said, “No Ma’am.” The lady said, “Don’t make me put you in that freezer again.” The parrot said, “Yes Ma’am.” As the lady was walking away, the parrot said, “Excuse me Ma’am. Can I ask you something?” The lady said that he could. With a shaky voice, the parrot asked, “What did the turkey do?”

When misfortune falls upon someone, some of us tend to think it was brought on because of something that person had done. If you lose your health, your house or your happiness, some people will speculate and wonder what you did to deserve such adversity. If you are not careful, you might find yourself wondering the same thing.

Troubles, heartaches and pain are a part of life. God never promised you carefree living. But He did promise never to leave you alone. Sometimes, like the parrot, we bring things on ourselves because of our disobedience. But sometimes we get caught up in situations that are beyond our control. Job was going about his daily routine and lost everything that he had. Joseph was looking for his brothers and was sold into slavery. John The Baptist was preaching the Gospel and was beheaded. The turkey went for a walk when it was too close to Thanksgiving and ended up in a freezer. Stuff happens.

When you see someone who is going through some kind of hardship, instead of wondering what they did to deserve it, ask God for wisdom and strength to help them.

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Keep Fighting Until The Bell Rings

2010-11-22T05:56:00.000-08:00

My church had our Christian Education Institute last week and I was one of the instructors. Each night, there was a lecture period before the classes began. There was a timekeeper in the front office that rang a bell when classes were supposed to end. It was a long, busy week; therefore, many of us were extremely tired.

On Thursday night, the lecture period went over a little. Since the classes started later, someone went to all of the classrooms and told the instructors that we were going to dismiss a little later. She said, “Just keep going until the bell rings.” Although we only went over a few minutes, it seemed more like it was a few hours. I kept thinking to myself, “When is the bell going to ring.”

When I got home that night, I thought about my brief boxing career while I was in the U.S. Marines. During one of my fights, my opponent gave me all that I could handle, and more. Since he was smaller than me, I thought I was going to have an easy victory. Nothing was farther from the truth. We went toe to toe during the entire fight. When the final round was about to begin, my corner man said that I was ahead on points. To win the fight, all I had to do was fight until the bell rings.

That was the longest round that I had ever fought. I think my opponent turned into Popeye and his corner man gave him some spinach before the last round started. I was hitting him with everything I had, but my punches no longer fazed him. His punches felt like giant boulders, coming from every direction. I was ready to quit, but I kept hearing my corner man yelling, “Keep fighting until the bell rings.” I was thinking to my self, “When is the bell going to ring?” When the fight was over, I found out that I had barely won. That was my third and final fight.

The Apostle Paul wrote most of the books that are in the New Testament, but he had some major battles and suffered quite a few disappointments during his Christian journey. But at the end, he was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul didn’t stop fighting until the bell had rung.

We all go through difficult situations. You might be going through something right now. You might be in the toughest fight that you have experienced as a Christian. You might even be questioning your faith or wondering it the Lord is with you. Just remember, Jesus is your corner man. He is saying, “Keep fighting until the bell rings.”

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Shattered Dreams

2010-11-14T18:15:00.000-08:00

It was the day before Thanksgiving in1975. I was on a small-chartered plane that was flying over Amarillo, Texas. The pilot had just announced that we were going to make an emergency landing. I can remember thinking to myself, "I don't want to die like this. Not here. Not now. Then again, what difference does it make if my life is over with anyway".

You see, the plane that I was on was headed to the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth. As I sat there, chained and shackled to eight other prisoners, my mind began to wonder. What happened? How did I mess my life up so badly? What happened to all of the hopes and dreams that I had once had? I began thinking that it might be better if the plane did crash, and shatter into a thousand pieces, just like my dreams had. Shattered Dreams.

I was at the lowest point of my life. I was a high school drop out with a drug problem and a bad conduct discharge from the Marines. Now, I was sitting on a plane headed to one of the most notorious prisons in this country on the day before Thanksgiving. I thought to myself, "What do I have to be thankful for?” Shattered Dreams.

Oh yes, just like everyone else, I had dreams, but now, all I could do was just sit there, almost in a state of shock, wondering how I had gotten to this point. What had I done to deserve a seat on this plane?

I was not a hardened criminal, and I wasn't a bad person. I had grown up in a nice Christian home with a mother and father who loved me. My father was even providing for my college education while I was still in grammar school. So why was I sitting on a plane, on my way to prison with a federal record, instead of sitting on a plane, on my way home with a college degree. Shattered Dreams.

After we made the emergency landing in Amarillo, we sat on the plane for several hours while the mechanics made the necessary repairs. While we were sitting there, my mind went back to the Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago. I could see myself sitting there on the front pew with my grandmother and listening to Rev. Murphy.

I could see myself standing in the Baptismal pool at age nine, staring into Rev. Murphy's face as he was about to baptize me, and thinking to myself that one day I was going to be like him. I must have been dreaming because I could just feel the pride that I had as I stood at my post as a junior usher.

I could even remember the feeling I had years later, when at age 17, I stood in the pulpit of the Galatians Missionary Baptist Church and preached my trial sermon about Daniel in the lion’s den. I was so desperately hoping that this was not a dream, because there I was, a teenager again, fellowshipping and hanging out with all of my Christian friends.

My life had meaning again. I felt like I could dream again. Dream of being a doctor. Dream of being a lawyer, an engineer, or anything I wanted to be, until I felt a sharp pain in my right knee. When I opened my eyes, I saw one of the prison guards standing over me holding a nightstick in his hand and telling me to fasten my seat belt. We were about to take off again.

When I looked around I quickly realized that I was not a teenager again. I was not in Church and these were not my Christian friends. I could forget about the dreams I had about becoming a doctor, or a lawyer, or anything else for that matter. It had all been just a dream. Now the plane had been repaired and I was on my way to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary where I would have to trade my dreams in for a uniform with the numbers 59698. Shattered Dreams.

I want to ask you something. Do you have a dream? What is your destination in life? What are your goals? What are your objectives? Do you have a dream?

In the 37th chapter of Genesis, we see that Joseph had a dream, and he went through slavery and prison, but even with all that, he still knew that he was going to be somebody. Some of you have gone through some difficult situations as well. Maybe it was in your home. Maybe it was at your school. Maybe it was on the block while you were hanging with some of your partners. Maybe you’ve been experimenting with some things that you know you had no business messing with. Or you’ve been doing some things that you know is wrong. Now you are confused because your life is in shambles and you don’t know what to do.

Well I want to tell you something. Your life is not over with. I don’t care what anybody tells you, you can still be somebody. So don't let anything stop you from dreaming and don't let anyone discourage you from perusing your dreams.

If there was ever someone who should have been discouraged from dreaming, it was Joseph. Let us take just a minute or two and look at a portion of his story. Some people probably thought Joseph had no business dreaming in the first place. You see, in Israel, it was the firstborn son who was loved in a special way by his parents and he inherited special rights and privileges.

His Birthright was a double portion of the estate and the leadership of the family, but Joseph was not the first-born. As a matter of fact, he was the 11th of twelve sons. So what right did he have to dream? What made him think that he could possibly be somebody?

Some people feel that you don't have a right to dream either. They think you are just wasting your time dreaming of being a politician, an entrepreneur, or CEO of some major corporation. Your skin is the wrong color, your parents don’t belong to the right club, or you were born on the wrong side of the tracks.

Oh yeah, they will try to keep you from dreaming, but I dare you to dream anyway. Dream as big as you can, and then place your dreams in the hands of God and watch what happens.

There was another group of people who thought Joseph had no business dreaming. They were his brothers. In fact, they hated him because he had dreams, but you don't have to take my word for it. Just look at the last part of verse 8. It says, “And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said." He had told them that he was going to be somebody. Now, you would think that if anyone were going to be on your side, and want to see you succeed, it would be your family or those closest to you. Am I right?

However, there are some people who don't want anything out of life, and they don't want to see you with anything either. They are satisfied right where they are. Sometimes those are the ones that are closest to you, your friends, your family members or your classmates. They cannot see any further than where they are right now. They look at their surroundings and they believe that the only way that they can make it is by running with a gang, selling drugs, or ripping off their own people. They think that going to jail is a badge of honor. They have no hope. They have no vision. They have no dreams.

I once read that when a flea trainer is training his fleas, he places them in a jar. When he first puts them in there, they jump out because fleas are incredible jumpers. I mean, they can jump so high, that sometimes it looks like they can fly.

The training begins when he puts a lid on the jar. The fleas continue to jump, but when they do, they hit their heads on the lid over, and over, and over again. So after a while, the fleas continue to jump, but they no longer jump as high as they can, because they don’t want to bump their heads anymore.

Now the trainer can remove the lid from the jar, and when he does, the fleas will continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the jar. Actually, they won’t jump out because they no longer can jump out because they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. Now, that is all they can do.

Some of you have conditioned yourselves to jump just so high because every time you have tried to jump any higher than that you have bumped your heads. You have bumped your heads on racism. You have bumped your heads on peer pressure. You have bumped your heads on people telling you what you could not do and what you could not be. You have bumped your heads over, and over, and over again because Satan had placed a lid over your dreams.

Well I want to serve notice on you. When Jesus died on the cross one Friday, Satan thought he had shattered His dreams too. But early that Sunday morning, when He stepped out of the grave, not only was the stone removed from the entrance to the tomb, but the lid was removed from above your dreams. That is why the Apostle Paul was able to say, "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

So don't be afraid to aim high. Aim as high as you can. One of my former Pastors, Rev. Joseph Jones, used to say, “While you are aiming, aim for the stars, and if you fall upon the moon you will still be on higher ground.” So aim high.

Joseph was not afraid to aim high, but there will always be someone who is jealous of what they may see in you and they will stop at nothing to try to destroy you and your dreams. Just look at verses 19 and 20 says, "And they said one to another, ‘Here comes that dreamer. Come now, let’s kill him, and throw him into some pit, and we will say, some evil beast has devoured him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams.”

I want to let you in on a little secret. Sometimes you have to stop watching your enemies so close and start watching your back when your friends come around. Some of them are the real player haters. There are so many people whose dreams have been shattered by their friends.

I don't know of anyone who got their first cigarette or their first joint from one of their enemies. You never see a man standing on the corner drinking whiskey or wine with one of his enemies. It is not a person’s enemy who talks them into smoking crack. It is not a person’s enemy who gets them to cut class. It is not a girl’s enemy that gets her pregnant. It is not a boy’s enemy who convinces him to join a gang. It is not a person’s enemy that can destroy his or her dreams in such a way, because no one would let their enemies get that close to them.

Only a friend, a very close friend, someone that you love and trust can get close enough to you to destroy your dreams in such a manner. So what are you saying, preacher? I’m simply saying that sometimes you have to take a step back and take a real hard look at the people that you call your friends.

My father tried to tell me that. He said, “Son. That crowd you’re hanging out with don’t mean you any good.” I wouldn’t listen. I said, “Dad. You don’t know what you’re talking about. These are my friends.” I found out that he was right, because when I was in Cook County Jail, there were so many times that I sat there wondering, “Where are my friends now?”

When the guards were passing out the mail and they would walk pass my cell because I did not have any, I wondered, “Where are my friends now?”

On visiting days, I wanted somebody to come and see me, but I just sat there, trying to pretend that I wasn’t hurting when my number wasn’t called because no one cared enough to come. Many times, I just sat there in my cell, fighting back the tears, and wondering, “Where are my friends now?”

Sometimes I would think about all of the money I had thrown away on drugs, alcohol and wild parties trying to buy somebody’s friendship. Now I couldn’t even afford to buy a bar of soap to wash my face. I wondered, “Where are my friends now?”

In verse 27, we read that Joseph's brothers decided not to kill him, but to sell him into slavery. They decided to compromise. That way, they could destroy his dreams without taking his life. We see in verse 28 that they sold him to the Ishmaelites and he was taken to Egypt.

Let me ask you something. Are you on your way to Egypt? Have you allowed your dreams to be compromised and now you have found yourself in slavery to some drug that’s ruining your life? Are you on your way to Egypt? Have you let someone convince you that you will never be anybody, or amount to anything? Are you on your way to Egypt? Do you think that it's OK to disobey your parents? Is it OK to lie, to cheat, and to steal, just because everybody else is doing it? Are you on your way to Egypt?

The last point that I want to make is that Joseph was not afraid to say no. In chapter 39, we see that Joseph had been sold to Potiphar, who was one of Pharaoh's officials and the captain of the guard.

The Bible says that the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. In the New International Version, Verse 7 says "and after a while, his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, 'come to bed with Me.' but he refused." Joseph said, No. He knew what was at stake here. It was his relationship with God.

Oh yeah, Joseph was a dreamer, but he knew who gave him the ability to dream. It was God, and as long as he had a relationship with God, he knew that he could still dream, no matter what his situation or circumstances were. He knew that he had to make a choice. Either say no to Potiphar's wife, or say no to God, and to his dreams.

You have to make some choices too, and decide who you are going to say no to. Will it be to the temptations in life, or are you are you going to say no to God, and to your dreams? When your friends come to you trying to get you to do something that you know is wrong, who are you going to say no to?

Young ladies, when your “boo” comes to you, talking about, “If you love me you will go to bed with me.” Who are you going to say no to? Young brothers, when your dogs come to you with that joint or that blunt, who are you going to say no to? When they come with that “Player’s Pack” telling you how much money you can make selling dope and poisoning your own people, who are you going to say no to?

There are more than 2 million people who are in prison in the United States today. What happened to their dreams? Our streets are full of women and men who are addicted to crack and are selling their bodies for a ten dollar rock. What happened to their dreams?

So I want to ask you again, do you have a dream? What is your destination in life? Where do you want to be 10 or 20 years from now? Do you have a dream?

When the Dream Busters come at you, trying to make you lose your focus, what are you going to do? When things get so hard that you just can't see how you can make it, what are you going to do? Are you going to just give up and give in, or are you going to stand your ground and echo the words of the Apostle Paul? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

You guessed it. It’s story time. Two fowlers went to a mountain to spread their nets so they could capture as many doves as possible. After they had set their traps, they left. When they returned, their nets were filled with doves. Desperately the birds flew back and forth trying to escape through the holes is the finely woven net.

At first the hunters were ecstatic over the large number of birds they had caught, but after examining them more closely, they were not very happy with their catch. You see, the birds were very small, and the fowlers were afraid that there would be no market for such skinny birds.

After thinking about it for a while, the men came up with a plan. They decided to buy some mash to feed the birds with, thinking that in a few weeks they would be nice and plump. Everyday the two men brought food and water, which the birds quickly devoured. Slowly, they began to grow in size, but there was one dove that refused to eat.

The other birds had gotten so comfortable in their situation, that they ate everything that the fowlers had brought them. They figured that since they were never going to get out of that net anyway, they might as well make the best of it. So they just laid around, eating and drinking, and getting bigger, and bigger.

However, that one obstinate bird was determined to make it. He refused to get comfortable. He refused to eat their food and he refused to quit struggling.

Then on the day the hunters came back to take all of the birds to market, the dove who refused to eat had become so skinny, that with one last mighty struggle, he was able to squeeze through the net and fly away. He was the only one that made it.

Are you going to be the one who makes it? Are you determined that you are going to do whatever it takes to achieve your dreams? Have you made up in your mind that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you?

Oh yeah, Joseph achieved his dream. No matter how difficult his situation had gotten, he never gave up, and he always trusted in God. So no matter how rough the road may become, never lose sight of your dreams.

Always give it your very best, because one day you are going to stand before the Almighty God of the universe and He is going to ask you, "What did you do with the dreams I gave you?" What will your answer be? Are you going to say, "Lord, they wouldn't let me---? They wouldn't let me do anything. They wouldn't let me be anybody." Or will you be able to say, "Lord, I took advantage of every opportunity that you placed before me, and I did my very best to achieve every dream that you gave me."

So no matter what it is that you are called upon to do, do it with a spirit of excellence. My father used to say, “If a task is once begun, never leave it until it is done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all.”

So if you're called upon to build buildings, build the best buildings that have ever been built. If you are called upon to design clothing, design cloths so well that even kings and queens will be wearing your labels.

In the words of one the greatest dreamers of all time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "If you are called upon to sweep streets, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote plays. Sweep streets so well, that all of the hosts of Heaven and of earth will pause and say, ‘There goes a great street sweeper, who swept his job well’.”

Dream on.

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Stop Worrying

2010-11-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

When I was a child, we used to travel from Chicago to visit our relatives in St. Louis every summer. I always liked going to my Uncle Johnny’s house because he had a big back yard with swings, apple trees and grass to play on. The rest of my family lived in flats, apartment buildings or projects and we had to play in the streets and alleys.

One summer, my brother and I made some sling shots out of some clothe hangers and rubber bands. We went to the back yard and started shooting rocks at apples, soda cans, or anything else that we could find. I was a terrible shot. I missed everything that I shot at.

Then I saw a bird that was perched on one of the branches. I put a rock in my sling, aimed at the bird and let the rock fly through the air. To my surprise, the bird fell to the ground. When I looked at his lifeless body, a feeling of guilt and shame came over me. I went in the house to tell my mother what I had done, hoping I would feel better. But what I saw made me feel worse. My mother and my aunt were standing in the kitchen, crying. The hospital had just called and told them that my grandfather had died. I thought God had killed my grandfather because I had killed one of his birds. There was no way that I was going to tell my mother that her father was dead because of me.

During the funeral, I was seated in the chair that was next to the aisle. Since the casket was closed when we marched in, I didn’t know that my grandfather’s body was already in there. I thought they were going to roll him down the aisle on a gurney and put him in the casket after the sermon. I spent the entire service worrying that he was going to grab my arm when they rolled him past me because I had killed him. When they started opening the casket, I looked over my shoulder and started crying and shaking uncontrollably. When I saw my grandfather was already in the casket, I realized that I had been worrying for nothing.

You might think that I was just a crazy, mixed-up child for worrying about something that was so silly. But most of the things that we worry about are just as silly, if we are Christians. Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” (Matt. 6: 25) In verse 26, He said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Finally, in verse 34, He said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
But we still worry about things that we have no control over. We worry about our health, our jobs, our bills, our children, our parents, the economy, the elections and many other things. Some of us have become sick because of worry. Did you know that 80% of the things that we worry about never happens?

Peter told us to cast all of our cares on Jesus because He cares about us. Worry doesn’t rid tomorrow of its sorrows, it just robs today of its joy. So stop worrying and enjoy the life that God has given you.

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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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Come Back Home

2010-10-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

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.

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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

2010-10-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

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
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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 Letter

2010-10-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

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.

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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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Give The Ball To Calhoun

2010-10-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

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

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www.kobaltbooks.com

Stay In Your Lane

2010-09-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Can We All Just Get Along?

2010-09-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

These were the famous words of Rodney King in 1992 after the Los Angeles riots. As you may know, Mr. King was the victim of a vicious act of police brutality that was caught on tape. The officers that were involved were later tried and acquitted by an all white jury.

The verdict brought outrage to millions of African Americans across the country and resulted in one of the deadliest riots in the history of Los Angeles. There were 53 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires and the damage or loss of more than 3,100 businesses.

That was one of the darkest periods in the history of our nation. But the darkness has not subsided in this country. All across America, thousands of young men are being gunned down on the streets of our cities. The sound of gunfire is all too common in many of our communities. There are more gangs in this country than there are religious denominations.

What is our response? What is the church doing? What are the community leaders and politicians doing? More importantly, what are the parents and the people in our communities doing? We are the ones that are affected the most. It is our sons that are being stuffed into body bags every night. It is our children that cannot play in front of their homes. It is our seniors that are afraid to sit on their porches.

Instead of standing up and taking back our communities, we have bought into the philosophy of the streets, “Quit Snitchin.” We have become a society of people that are afraid to get involved. Therefore, our communities are suffering and our children are being carried off to cemeteries and penitentiaries.

When I was a child, there was a public service announcement that came on television every night. It said, “It is 10:30. Do you know where your children are?” But now, night after night, many of our children are wondering where their parents are.

I started this message with the words of Rodney King, “Can we all just get along?” I want to end it with the words of another man whose last name was King. In a speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted the Irish political philosopher, Edmond Burke by saying, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

My question is simple. What are you doing?

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

"He's Only A Prayer Away" Chapter 5 - The Corner

2010-09-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

There once was a dance called “The Funky Four Corners.” I bring up this dance because there are four street corners that I want to talk to you about. They are all located in Chicago.

The first corner I want to discuss is at 13th and Christiana. That was the corner closest to my childhood home. I have a lot of memories about that corner. My friends and I hung out on the corner of 13th and Christiana when we were teenagers. That’s where we smoked our cigarettes and used our filthy language. That was where we drank our beer, our whiskey, and our wine. That was where we met up with our girlfriends and did our hugging, kissing, and smooching. These were the things that we knew we couldn’t get away with if we tried to do them on the street where we lived.

My mother and a group of her friends, who also lived on our block, were known as “the heads”. We called them the heads because their heads were always sticking out of their windows, watching everything that was going on in the neighborhood.
When we got ready to do the stuff that we knew we were not supposed to be doing, we got away from our parents. We got away from the neighbors. We got away from “the heads”. We left the view of our houses and hung out on the corner.

The next corner that I want to talk about is 16th and Kedzie. There was a tavern and liquor store on that corner called, “The Bucket of Blood.” I don’t know how it got that name but it could be because of all of the fights that went on and all of the blood that was shed in there.

There were always a lot of people standing around on the corner outside of the tavern. Rain or shine, day or night, summer or winter, hot or cold, it didn’t matter. They would be there. The alcoholics would be there. The drug addicts would be there. The gang bangers would be there. The pimps and the prostitutes would be there. The players and the hustlers would be there. They would all be there, standing on the corner.

The next corner that I want to tell you about is 15th and Drake. On the southwest corner, there was a court way building. Court way buildings are very large building with lots of apartments. Sometimes they have entranceways that resemble yards or courtyards.

This particular building was like a mall…a drug mall. Any drug you wanted could be purchased there. In one apartment, they sold heroin. In another apartment, they sold cocaine, and in yet another, crack was sold. If you wanted a bag of marijuana you went to this apartment. If you just wanted a joint or two, you went to that one.
They even had an apartment where they sold bootleg liquor after hours. To the players and the hustlers, that building was one-stop shopping. On Sunday mornings, from 6:00 AM until noon, they had a sale. If you bought one bag of drugs, you got a second one for half price.

The last corner that I want to talk about is at 26th and California. Anyone who is familiar with Chicago knows this is where the Cook County Jail is located.
You might be wondering why I am talking about those particular street corners. Well, those are some of the corners that Jesus was talking about when He said, “Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” Matt. 22:9 NIV)
There is something else those street corners had in common. All of them were completely surrounded by churches. However, I don’t remember anyone from any of those churches going to any of those corners telling any of us anything about God, or about His love, or about His saving power. There were some people that went to the Cook County Jail, but most of them were unknown ministries.

One day, Jesus was speaking to some of the chief priests and the Pharisees after his authority had been questioned. In other words, he was talking to the preachers, deacons, and Sunday school teachers of that time. They were already jealous when they saw Jesus ride into town on a donkey, and how some of the people were laying palm branches in his path while Kirk Franklin and some of the young people were dancing around and singing, “Hosanna - Forever.”

The preachers, deacons, and Sunday school teachers got mad at Him when He went into the sanctuary and started throwing around pews because they were using the church for everything except what it was supposed to be used for. It had gotten so bad that people who were blind, crippled, or crazy couldn’t get any help because the church folks were too busy selling chicken dinners and raffle tickets, or playing bingo.
When Jesus came in and started healing people, they got mad at Him and wanted to see his preacher’s license, but He started talking to them in parables.
He said, “The kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come” (Matt. 22:2-3).

Most of the time, when someone gets married, after the wedding ceremony is over, there is a reception or a banquet. However, everybody that goes to the wedding does not necessarily go to the reception.

There are different reasons why people decide not to attend the reception. Maybe they felt obligated to go to the wedding. After they witnessed the couple taking their vows, and they shook their hands and offered congratulations, they left feeling satisfied because they had met their obligation.

Maybe they didn’t go to the reception because they were uncomfortable about being there. They didn’t want to be part of all the singing, the dancing, and the noise that would be going on. So they said, “It don’t take all of that.”
Maybe they didn’t go because they didn’t have the right kind of gift. They knew that everyone else would have a gift for the happy couple and they didn’t want to feel out of place because they didn’t have one.

Whatever the reason, they missed out on all of the festivities. They missed out on the food that had been prepared for them. They missed the celebration. They missed all of the fellowship and fun. In other words, they missed an important part of the wedding.

It is the same with some of the Christians of today. They are satisfied with just joining church. They repented of their sins and now they are saved, but that is all. They don’t go to Sunday school, Sunday Morning Bible Study, or mid week Bible study. They never attend any training classes. They never join the choir. They never get involved in anything that the church is doing.

Therefore, they never grow in the Lord and, consequently, they cannot share their faith or their testimony with anyone. In other words, they attended the wedding, but they didn’t go to the banquet.

I know they didn’t go to the banquet, because Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

They are not witnesses to anybody, not even to the people that are in their own homes. I don’t know why they don’t want to grow in the Lord and be His witnesses. Maybe they are like the people that went to the wedding, but didn’t go to the banquet. Maybe they just felt obligated to join the church. After they shook the preacher’s hand, they were satisfied and felt they had met their obligation.
Maybe they see people singing, and shouting, and making “all that noise”, and they say, “It don’t take all that.”

Perhaps, they think that in order to be a witness for the Lord, they have to have a certain gift. They have to be a preacher, a teacher, or an evangelist. Whatever their reasons are, they don’t realize what they are missing, because the banquet is ready, the table is spread, and the feast of the Lord is going on. You have to get into the Word of God. Go to Bible study. Get involved in whatever training the church has so you can be witnesses for the Lord. You have to feast on the Word of God.

The Bible says that the king sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. In other words, they were too busy doing other stuff to go to the banquet. Maybe they were watching the ball game or their favorite program. Maybe they just didn’t feel like going. Many of us can relate to these feelings.

He told his servants to tell those who had been invited, that the dinner had been prepared. The oxen and fatted cattle had been butchered, and everything was ready.
He said, “Come to the wedding banquet”, the Book says, “But they paid no attention and went off, one to his field, another to his business”, ( Matt. 22:5).

Some of our churches invest a lot of time and money in an attempt to educate and train their people. They are trying to teach them how to be good soldiers and good stewards for the Lord. They bring in preachers, teachers, and evangelists that are certified to teach every course imaginable. In other words, the oxen and the fatted calf have been butchered, and everything is ready.

They’re saying, “Come on over here where the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is going on.” God is looking for a church that knows that He is only a prayer away and is not afraid to go to a lost and dying world and tell them that the wages of sin is death and payday is coming. We have to let them know the gift of God is eternal life. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we will be His witnesses.

We will be His witnesses to the people that are on the corner. We will be His witnesses to the people that are in the taverns. We will be His witnesses to the people that are in the drug house. We will be His witnesses to the people that are in the jailhouse. We will be His witnesses to the players. We will be His witnesses to those who are lost and hurting.

There are too many church folks who don’t care about the people that are on the corner. They don’t care about the people that are in the taverns. They don’t care about the people that are in the dope dens. They don’t care about the players, or the people that are in prison.

They keep telling me that I’m just wasting my time preaching to a bunch of convicts with their jailhouse religion.

However, I hear the God of the universe saying, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, in the jail house, and in the dope house.”
Just because you don’t want to go to the banquet, don’t try to stop me from going.
The king said to his servants, “That’s all right. They don’t have to come to my banquet. Y’all go out there to the street corners and tell everybody that you see to come to the banquet.” The Bible says the servants went to the street corners and told all of the good people to come to the banquet, but that’s not all. They told the bad people to come to the banquet too (Matt 22: 10).

They told the gamblers to come to the banquet. They told the liars to come to the banquet. They told the thieves, the murders, the players and the hustlers to come to the banquet. They told the pimps, the prostitutes, the dope fiends, and the convicts to come to the banquet.

God is doing a new thing. He will rise up a nation of people who will obey Him. If the church folks don’t want to reach out to those who are lost, they don’t have to. God will save the people who are standing on the corner and He will use them to do His work.

He will go to 13th & Christiana, get those nappy-headed boys that are up to no good, and use them. He will go to 16th & Kedzie, get the players and the hustlers from in front of the Bucket of Blood, and use them. He will go to 15th & Drake, get the dope fiends that are coming out of the court way building, and use them. He will go to 26th & California, get the men and women that are in the Cook County jail, and use them. He will go to the worst corners, in the worst cities, and tell everybody to come on, let’s go to the banquet.

Jesus is saying, “Come on over here where the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is going on. Whatever you need, it’s at the table. If you need love, it’s at the table. If you need peace, it’s at the table. If you need joy, it’s at the table. If you need grace, it’s at the table. If you need mercy, it’s at the table. If you need salvation, it’s at the table."

Whatever you need is at the table. Come over here where the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is going on.

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

"Hold On, Help Is On The Way"

2010-09-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made Heaven and earth. (Psalms 121: 1-2)
This particular Psalm has a very special place in my heart. It was one of two Psalms that my father taught me. The first Psalm that he taught me was the 23rd Psalm. He taught me that when I was very young and didn’t know anything about the Lord. I didn’t know who God was, or should I say who God is, and I had no idea how much He loved me.

My father wanted me to know just who my shepherd really was. So he opened his Bible to the 23rd Psalm and showed me where it says, “The Lord is my Shepherd”
You see, he did not want me to be confused about this thing. He wanted me to know exactly who my shepherd was because he wanted to make sure that I knew who it was that I was supposed to follow. He wanted me to know that the neighborhood gang leader was not my shepherd. He wanted me to know that the corner drug dealer was not my shepherd. And as much as my father loved me, although he would do anything that he could for me, he wanted me to know that not even he was my shepherd. So he sat me down one day and said, “Son, the Lord is your shepherd.”

However, several years later I backslid, turning my back on God and walking away from His church. I became an alcoholic with a heroin and cocaine habit that was costing me an average of $200.00 a day. My drug habit led me into a life of crime. I was in and out of trouble, in and out of jails and prisons all across this country. I was living a life that was full of misery and pain. I knew I was in trouble and I desperately wanted somebody to help me, but I did not know where to go to find it.
So once again, I went to my father. And once again he opened his Bible, but this time it was to the 121st Psalm. He showed me where it said, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and earth.”

Then he said, “Son, whenever you need help, just look to the hills and call on the Lord, and if you really mean it, then all you’ve got to do is just hold on because help is on the way.”

As you already know, Ralph, and I loved to watch cartoons when we were children. Every Saturday morning and every evening after school our eyes would be glued to the television set while we watched cartoons like Heckel & Jeckel, Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse and Mr. Magoo. Do you remember them?

However, my favorite cartoon of them all was Popeye. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that our churches would be much stronger if our members were more like Popeye. One thing I learned from watching Popeye was that he knew exactly where his help came from. Oh yeah, he knew without any doubt what gave him his strength. It was his spinach. Am I right?

So when he came up against something that he could not handle, he didn’t get all worried and depressed. He just said, “That’s all I can stands, cause I can’t stands no more.” Then he reached into his bosom and pulled out a can of spinach. Here is the good part. Before he had eaten it, before he had even opened the can, he knew that everything was going to be all right because he knew where his help came from.
Too many church folks do not know where their help comes from. They read their horoscope every morning looking for help. They call their psychic friends looking for help. They are standing in the lottery lines looking for help. They go to the boats and to the casinos looking for help. They turn to Oprah and Dr. Phil looking for help, but Jesus said, “I will pray to the Father and He will give you another helper that He may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16)
The Holy Spirit is the one who Jesus called to be by your side, to help you, to stand by you, to strengthen you and to assist you.

Another thing I learned about Popeye was that he had a fresh supply of spinach every day. That leads me to believe that every morning before he left home he went to his supply source and got his spinach for the day because he knew that Brutus was going to be out there somewhere trying to catch him off guard. So, Popeye did not depend on yesterday’s spinach to get him through today’s battles, and he did not depend on the spinach that he had had when he first became a sailor. He knew that he had to have a fresh supply of spinach everyday.

We as Christians are going to have to learn to ask God for a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit everyday. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” In the original Greek, “Be filled” means to keep on being filled, constantly and continually.

You cannot be satisfied with yesterday’s filling, and you can’t be satisfied with the filling that you received when you first got saved. Therefore, you ought to be like Popeye. Every morning, before you leave your house, you ought to get down on your knees and go to your supply source, and get a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.
So when you are going through your daily routine and the cares of the world are starting to take its toll on you. When you don’t have but one nerve left, and Satan is getting on that one. When you feel like you are at the end of your rope and you just can’t take any more. You can do like Popeye, and say, “That’s all I can stands, cause I can’t stands no more.”

Then you can reach down in your bosom, way down in the depths of your soul, and you can call on your supply source, which is Jesus Christ. Then after you call on Him, all you have to do is just hold on because help is on the way.
Another thing that I really admired about Popeye was the fact that he wanted everybody to know where his help came from. He was not ashamed to tell people that it was his spinach that gave him is strength. As a matter of fact, he had a song that praised his spinach. You heard that song before.
“I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’m strong to the finish,
cause I eats me spinach
I’m Popeye the sailor man.”
I know you heard that song before. He sang it all of the time. When the show came on, he would be singing his song and praising his spinach. While he was walking down the street, he would be singing his song and praising his spinach. Everywhere he went he was singing his song and praising his spinach, and while he was singing his song, he had a smile on his face and joy in his heart because he was so glad to be able let the world know how much he loved his spinach.

We ought to be like Popeye, but there are too many church folks who sit in God’s house Sunday after Sunday looking like they are mad at the world. They won’t praise the Lord and they get mad at you if you want to praise Him. They won’t stand up. They won’t clap their hands. They won’t pat their feet. They won’t even smile. The choir or praise team could be singing their hearts out, trying to lead the church in praise and worship while they are just sitting there looking at their watches and saying, “I’ll be glad when they sit down and stop making all that noise. It don’t take all that”, but we have got to learn how to praise the Lord and thank Him for what He has done and for what we have, instead of always complaining about what we don’t have. Haven’t God been good to you? Did He wake you up this morning? Did He put food on your table? Did He put a roof over your head? Well praise Him.
However, I have a confession. I am not always as thankful as I should be either. I was released from prison after serving 10 months of a two-year sentence. While I was incarcerated, God got my attention through a prison evangelist, named Rev. Jerry Hodges. I gave my life to the Lord and started going to church regularly. I also continued my education, scoring number one in my GED class. I like to tell people that I was class valedictorian of the state penitentiary. I even completed a few college courses before I was released.

When I got out of prison, I decided to go to church on the first Sunday of my freedom. The church was approximately three miles away, and since all I had was one dollar to my name, I decided to walk there and ride the bus back. It was a very, very hot August day. It was so hot that even the flies were walking, and using their little wings to fan themselves.

While I was walking, I started thinking about the car that I had had before I went to prison. It had been repossessed while I was locked down. The further I walked, the hotter I got. The hotter I got, the more angry I became. I started complaining because I had to walk in all of that heat.

In the distance behind me, I heard someone that was singing and whistling as if he didn’t have a care in the world. As he got closer, I started getting angry with him. I said to myself, “Why is this fool so dog gone happy as hot as it is out here? I’m walking in all of this heat, and he is back there singing and whistling and making all of that dog gone noise.”
I became so angry; I turned around so I could see who this nut was that was so happy. What I saw completely blew my mind. It was a man with no legs, rolling along in a wheel chair with a big smile on his face. As he rolled past me, he greeted me politely, commented about the lovely weather, and kept right on singing.
I really felt ashamed of myself. There I was with two good legs, complaining because I had to walk. I learned to praise God regardless of my circumstances. I don’t care how bad off you think you are, there is always somebody who is worse off than you are. So praise God for what you have.

Now, I really need you to help me out with something. There is something that I have been confused about for a long time. I have always wondered why no one would eat any spinach except Popeye. Did you ever wonder about that?
I mean, every time someone got into trouble, they would call Popeye and he would eat some spinach and then rescue them. Why didn’t they just eat some spinach themselves? Could it be that they didn’t know what spinach was?
Well, Ralph, and I decided to try something one day. In my old neighborhood, there was a bully whose name was Fat Nash. You might remember me talking about him in “The Hoodlum Preacher.”

Fat Nash had the entire neighborhood terrorized. I mean, a bunch of us could be in the alley playing ball, but if someone said that Fat Nash was coming, the whole alley would clear out in no time flat. Even the dogs in the neighborhood were scared of Fat Nash. They wouldn’t even bark at him. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had a big brother that was called, Big Nash.

One day, Ralph and I decided to eat some spinach and then go and beat up Fat Nash, and if Big Nash was there, we were going to beat him up too. We almost tore up our pillows one night, practicing on them. That Saturday morning when we were at the grocery store with my mother, we told her that we wanted some spinach, a lot of it.
Now that surprised my mother because she knew that we didn’t like greens. When we got back from the store and started looking for the spinach, it surprised us even more, because we didn’t know that spinach was greens. It didn’t look like greens when Popeye ate it.

When we asked my mother where the spinach was, she pointed to the greens. I yelled out, “That ain’t no spinach. Them greens!” She said, “What do you think spinach is?” Needless to say, we didn’t eat the spinach, and we didn’t mess with Fat Nash either.
I told you that, to tell you this. There are so many people in the church, who are confused as to who the Holy Spirit really is. They do not know that He is God. They just see somebody who will shout all over the church on Sunday and then turn right around and curse everybody out on Monday. They’ll say, “If that is what it means to be filled with the Spirit, then I don’t want it.”

What they don’t realize is, if they are not filled with the Spirit, they are missing out on a lot of God’s blessings, because without God’s Spirit, you cannot love those who do not love you. Without God’s Spirit, you cannot have the joy of the Lord. Without God’s Spirit, you cannot have peace in the time of trouble. Without God’s Spirit, you will not have the patience to wait on the Lord. I’m telling you, you have to be filled with the Spirit.

Let us look into the lives of some of the people in Popeye’s world that chose not to eat spinach. First of all, there was Olive Oyl. You remember Olive Oyl don’t you? She was Popeye’s girlfriend. Now, Olive Oyl was not a bad person. She was kind of skinny and funny looking, but she was a very nice and pleasant young lady.
Her problem was that she would fall for every trick that Brutus came at her with. She used to make me so mad because Popeye would be trying to warn her. He would be begging her, saying “Olive, don’t go there. Olive, don’t do that”, but Olive Oyl just would not listen. She would go right ahead, following after Brutus and believing his lies until she found herself in something that she could not get out of.

Christians who are not filled with the Spirit are the same way. They will fall for every trick that Satan comes at them with. Other Christians will be trying to warn them, saying, “You shouldn’t be hanging out with that crowd. You know they don’t mean you any good.”
Aw yeah, they try to warn them, saying, “Look here brother. You shouldn’t be going to those places. You are going to get caught up in that same old stuff again.” Or, “Look here sister. You better watch that man. You know he doesn’t care about you. He’s just trying to get you into bed.”

Inevitably, just like Olive Oyl, some of you won’t listen. You go right ahead, following after Satan and believing his same old lies. Pretty soon, you start reminiscing and thinking about some of the things that you used to do, and some of the places that you used to go, and some of the people that you used to run with before you got saved.

Then Satan really starts talking to you. He’s says, “That stuff that you used to do wasn’t all bad. You really did have some good times back then. You just went too far. You can do some of that stuff again”

Then it starts sounding good, so you start agreeing with him, saying “Yeah, I know that God delivered me from a life of drugs, but I was smoking crack back then. I’m just going to smoke a little weed this time.” Or you’ll say, “I know I was a hopeless drunk when Jesus saved me, but I’m not going to drink Jack Daniels this time. I’m just going to drink wine coolers from now on.” Or you’ll say, “I know that I almost lost my family when I was laying up with Billy Bob, or Susie Bell, but I’m not going to sleep with them this time. I’m just going over there to have dinner.”
Before you know it, you’re going to find yourself: in trouble again, pregnant again, strung out again, in Jail again, or without hope again. Then all you have to do is just call on the Lord again, repent of your sins again, and ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit and then just hold on because help is on the way.

The next person that I want to tell you about was Wimpy. You remember Wimpy don’t you? “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today.” He was the negotiator. He always wanted to eat first, and then he would pay for it later, if he had to.
You know what I found out. There are a lot of Wimpy's in the church too. They are always trying to make a deal with God. They want God to bless them first, and then they might do what He wants them to do.

I can hear them now, “Lord, I will gladly tithe, if you will give me a better job”, or “Lord, I will start going to church every Sunday if you will just get me out of this mess that I’m in.”

Aw, come on now. You know we have some Wimpy’s in the church. They are the ones that are always praying those “I ain’t gone do it no more” prayers.
Finally, there was Sweet Pea. Little Sweet Pea. When I used to watch Popeye, Sweet Pea was a little baby, crawling around, drinking his milk from a bottle, saying “Goo Goo” and “Gaa Gaa”, and getting into all kinds of trouble because he didn’t know any better. That was almost 50 years ago.

You know what I found out? I found out that Sweet Pea is still a little baby. He is still crawling around. He is still drinking his milk from a bottle. He is still saying, “Goo Goo” and “Gaa Gaa”, and he is still getting into all kinds of trouble, because he still doesn’t know any better, 50 years later.
You might not know it, but there are a lot of Sweet Peas in our churches today. Some of them have been saved 20, 30, 40 years or more, and they are still babes in Christ. They have not grown.

They don’t go to Bible study. They don’t go to prayer meetings. They don’t attend revivals. They never fast and they do not pray. Therefore, they are making the same mistakes and getting into trouble because they still don’t know any better.
Guess what. I have another story for you. One day, a Sunday school teacher asked her class, “If you could be any Biblical character that you wanted, who would you chose to be, and why?” One little boy raised his hand and said, “I would be Moses because he was able to see God’s glory.” Another little boy raised his hand and said, “I would be David because he was the apple of God’s eye.” A little girl raised her hand and said, “I would be Mary because she was the mother of Jesus.”

Little Johnny, who was sitting in the back of the class, raised his hand and said, “I want to be Low.” The teacher said, “Johnny, there is no such person in the Bible”, but Johnny was insistent. He said, “Yes there is, teacher. There is a person in the Bible whose name is Low, and that is who I would want to be.”

The teacher said, “OK Johnny. Where in the Bible is there a person named Low?” Johnny said, “He is in Matthew, the 28th chapter, where Jesus said, “And Low, I am with you always.” Then he said, “The rest of the class can be whoever they want, but I want to be Low, because I want Jesus to be with me always.”

Although Little Johnny was confused in thinking that there was a person named Low, I agree with him. I want Jesus to be with me always too. When I am sick, I want Jesus to be with me. When I am in trouble, I want Jesus to be with me. When friends turn their backs on me, I want Jesus to be with me. When my family forsakes me, I want Jesus to be with me. Weeping may endure for a night but joy will come in the morning light. So hold on. Help is on the way. Hold on. Help is on the way.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, (surely) I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt.28:19-20)

He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
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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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"He's Only A Prayer Away" Chapter 3

2010-08-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that people who know little or nothing about the Bible, know little or nothing about heaven and hell. They have seen movies and cartoons that have been made on the subject; therefore, many of them believe that they know what lies ahead for them when their lives are over. Many of them believe that hell is going to be just one big party.

I can still remember some of the misconceptions that I once had concerning this matter when I was still living a life of sin. I had always said that I didn’t want to go to Heaven when I died. I honestly thought that Heaven was going to be the dullest place imaginable.

I mean, what was there to do for a player like me? There are no night clubs up there, and there are no wild parties or loose women running around. There are not even any drugs up there, so I couldn’t get high, kick back on one of the clouds and just chill out. So what was there to do besides walk around all day and sing a bunch of church songs that I didn’t even know? Besides, I figured that once the angels heard me sing, they weren’t going to let me join the choir anyway.

Why would I even want to go to heaven? I wasn’t going to know anyone there, at least not anyone that I wanted to hang out with. I figured that heaven was going to be full of squares. You know... people that had to work for a living, went to church on Sundays and went to bed at night. You know… those kinds of people.

No, heaven was not for me. There was not going to be any partying there either. The real party was going to be in hell where all of my friends were going to be. I could just see it, all of us down there together: Fuzzy, Tadpole, C.J., Red and all of the other players and hustlers. We would all be there, together again, smoking the best weed, sipping on some Johnny Walker Red and partying with some of the finest women in hell. What a good time that would be. It would be the ultimate party.

Although it might be a little warm and uncomfortable down there, I’d get used to it. Besides, you should see some of the hell holes that I have been in while here on earth.
I know that some of the things that I just said might be funny or unimaginable to some of you, but that was how I really felt. You would be surprised at the number of people who are lost, know they are on their way to hell, but think it is no big deal. In their eyes, hell is nothing they can’t handle.

Many of them feel that they have no choice in the matter. It is too late for them so they may as well make the best of it. Some of them think they might even enjoy it. It can’t be any worse than life has been for them here. We have to reach out to them and let them know that hell is not what they think it is. We have got to let them know that it ‘ain’t that kind of party’.

Some people believe that hell is a state of mind. Others think we make our own heaven and hell right here on earth. Carlton Pearson now teaches that no one is going to hell, but that is not what the Bible says.

Jesus said, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). If we are going to snatch sinners from the gates of hell, we must launch an all out offensive against Satan and his disciples. In order to do that, we must be prepared for warfare, and believe me when I say that this is definitely warfare.

As you can tell by my other books, I used to watch a lot of cartoons, movies and television programs such as Superman, Popeye, Mighty Mouse, and The Lone Ranger. Batman was another favorite. I really like the way that Batman prepares for battle. I truly believe that if we as Christians were to prepare for battle the way Batman prepares for battle, we would be awesome warriors for the Lord.

The first thing that he did was go to the Bat Cave. You see, Batman felt the need to get away from everything and everyone. He had to get away from Alfred. He had to get away from the mayor. He had to get away from all of the distractions of Gotham City, so he went to the Bat Cave where he could meditate and concentrate on the task at hand.

Sometimes Christians need to go the Bat Cave. We need to get away from our spouses. We need to get away from our friends. We need to get away from the television, the stereo, and all of the other distractions of the world. We need to go to the Bat Cave so we can meditate on God’s word, seek His guidance, and concentrate on the task at hand.

Jesus called it the secret place. “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6: 6).

While Batman was in the Bat Cave he would do something that was very important. He would get on the Bat Phone. The Bat Phone was a very special phone because it was the main line that went straight to the commissioner. The Bat Phone was never busy. He always got through; no matter what time he called, day or night. When he got off of the Bat Phone he was ready for battle.

Let me tell you something. You cannot go to the Bat Cave and just sit there. You have to get on the Bat Phone. The Bat Phone is a very special phone because the main line goes straight to the commissioner, who is God Almighty. My grandmother used to sing a song that said, “Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.”

Something else that I noticed about the Bat Phone is it was a two-way line. Therefore, Batman did not always do the calling. Sometimes the phone would ring and it would be the commissioner wanting to discuss something with him.
Sometimes God wants to talk to you. Sometimes He wants to tell you something. Sometimes He doesn’t want to wait for you to call Him, so He will call you. That’s why the songwriter said, “Can’t sleep at night. That’s all right. Maybe God is trying to tell you something.”

So the next time you are having a sleepless night, it might be your Bat Phone ringing. Don’t just lay there tossing and turning. Get out of bed, go to your secret place, get down on your knees and answer your Bat Phone.
There was something else that I noticed about the Bat Cave. Whenever Batman went in there, he was not the same when he came out. He went in as Bruce Wayne, an ordinary citizen who had a lot of material things but no power. He went in dressed like everyone else. He walked like everyone else. He talked like everyone else. He acted like everyone else. But when he came out he was no longer like everyone else. He came out with his battle clothes on. He had on his cowl, his Bat suit, and his cape. He was ready for battle because he was wearing his uniform.

It is time for the Church of God to put its battle clothes on. You know what your battle clothes are, don’t you? The old saints used to call them war clothes. It is the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the Gospel of peace, and the sword of the Spirit.

There is something else that you need to know about Batman. After he went to the Bat Cave, spoke on the Bat Phone, and put on his cape, he got into his Bat Mobile and went on the mission of taking back the streets of Gotham City. He took the streets back from The Riddler. He took the streets back from The Penguin. He took the streets back from Cat Woman, Mr. Freeze, and The Joker.

We must have the same mind set. After we have spent time in the Bat Cave, spoken on the Bat Phone, and put our battle clothes on, we have to go into our communities and take back the streets of our cities. We have to take the streets back from the gang bangers. We have to take the streets back from the drug dealers. We have to take the streets back from the pimps, the players, the slum lords, and the crooked politicians. We have to go to them with the love of Jesus Christ. We have to let them know that God loves them. We have to make them understand that they don’t want to go to hell because it ‘ain’t that kind of party’.

If we get discouraged while delivering the message of salvation to our brothers; that is when we must remember to fall on our knees and ask the Lord for strength. He’s Only a Prayer Away.

He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In stores Sept 1st, 2010 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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"He's Only A Prayer Away" Chapter 1

2010-08-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Just before he died, Sam Cooke recorded a song that is now a classic. He said:
I was born by the river, in a little tent
And just like that river, I’ve been running ever since
It’s been a long, long time coming, but I know
A change gone come, Oh yes it will

It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die
I don’t know what’s up there, beyond the sky
It’s been a long, long time coming, but I know
A change gone come, Oh yes it will

Death is something that many of us don’t want to talk about. We are afraid of it. We don’t understand it. It is a mystery to us.

Sometimes we feel guilty and even blame ourselves when someone that we love dies. We say things like, “If only I would have been there.” Or, “Maybe if I would have been a better son or daughter; a better brother or sister; a better father or a better mother.”

There was once told the story of a young man that lived in New York City. One day, he went to the market for his aging mother. While he was there, he noticed a strange looking man staring at him and following him around the store. When he looked closer, he realized that the strange man was actually the angel of death.

It frightened him so badly that he ran out of the store, leaving all of his groceries behind. When he got home, he told his mother what had happened. She immediately took him to the airport and put him on a flight to Los Angeles. Then she went to the market and confronted the death angel.

She asked him why he was following her son around the store and scaring him. The death angel said, “I’m sorry Ma’am. I didn’t mean to frighten him. I was just surprised to see him here in New York. You see, I have an appointment with him tonight in Los Angeles.”

As mysterious as death is, one thing is always certain. We all have an appointment with its angel. It doesn’t matter whether you are young, old, black, white, pretty, ugly, short, tall, big, small, behind prison walls or walking the streets. One day, death is going to come knocking at your door. The only question is; will you be ready?

To some of you, this might sound like a eulogy or a dramatic sermon you might hear at a funeral. In a sense, it is.

You may not believe this, but I see dead people. Let me explain.

I once saw a movie called “The Sixth Sense”. In this movie, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, is shot and wounded by a former patient.

Six months later, he finds himself providing much needed therapy for a peculiar eight –year old boy named Cole. During the course of the movie, Cole reveals that he has an unbelievable secret; He sees dead people.

He said, “I see dead people. They are walking around like regular people. They only see what they want to see.” Then he said something that messed me up. He said, “They don’t know they are dead.”

By the end of the movie, Dr. Crowe learns that he himself is also dead; fatally wounded by his former patient.

I want to tell you something. I have a secret too. I’m kind of like Cole. I see dead people. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about the kind of dead people that Cole saw in the movie. I don’t see ghosts. I see people who are dead in their sins. I see people who are lost and on their way to hell. I see people who are separated from The Almighty God. I see dead people.

When I’m driving down the street, I see dead people. When I’m walking through the mall, I see dead people. When I’m in the grocery store, I see dead people. When I’m at the post office, I see dead people. In the jails and in the prisons, I see dead people. In the schools and in the playgrounds, I see dead people. Everywhere I go, I see dead people

Dead people are everywhere. They are walking around like regular people. They only see what they want to see. They don’t know that they are dead. Some of them are reading this book right now and not only are they dead, but they are wandering around in a world of hopelessness.

The Prophet Ezekiel also saw dead people. These people had been dead for a very long time. He described it in the 37th chapter of his book. He said, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones.”

Where is this valley that the LORD led Ezekiel too? The Bible doesn’t say, but today I believe it could be located on any street corner, in any community, be in any school, and in any city. It could even be located in the multitudes of prisons and jails located around the country. The valley could be anywhere for all of these places contain dead, dry bones.

In verse two, he said, “There were very many in this open valley, and lo, they were very dry.” They had been cast away and long since forgotten about.

But in verse three, God asked the prophet an interesting question. He said, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I don’t know if you know this or not, but whenever God asks a question, He already knows the answer. That’s why he said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy upon these bones. Preach to these dead people. Say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). He said, “I come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

“Thus saith the LORD God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:5).

If you are one of the walking dead, you can have life. All you have to do is call on the Lord and repent of your sins. It doesn’t matter where you are, He will hear you. Remember, He’s only a prayer away.

He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In stores Sept 1st, 2010 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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“He's Only A Prayer Away” Introduction

2010-08-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

One of the earliest memories of my childhood is my father teaching me to pray. I was about four or five years old. My parents were going through a temporary separation and, during this time, my mother and younger brother lived in St. Louis. My father and I lived in Chicago where we shared a two-bedroom apartment with my grandparents, my uncle, Bill, and my cousin, Rose.

Every night, before I went to sleep, Dad would lead me in “The Lord’s Prayer.” I would carefully repeat the words after him. One night, I jumped into bed, anxiously awaiting Dad to lead me in our prayer. Instead, he told me to go ahead and pray. I was terrified.
“Dad, I don’t know how to pray,” I said nervously.

“Son,” He said, “Prayer is just talking to God. Just talk to Him the same way you talk to me.”
I recited the prayer the way my father had taught me. Then I added a few more sentences. I don't remember what I said, but I will never forget the smile that was on my father's face.
Dad is at home with the Lord now. Whenever I pray, I can see that big smile on his face. Thanks Dad, for teaching me how to pray and for letting me know that God is only a prayer away.

Our prayer time was very important to him. Eventually, it became one of the highlights of my day as well. I have discovered that prayer is just communicating with God. By communicating, I mean it is a two-way conversation. Yes, God talks to us as well. However, instead of seeking a relationship with Him, we sometimes try to turn God into a ‘sugar daddy’. We are so busy begging Him for stuff or surrounding ourselves with noise that we can’t hear Him.

If you have read my first two books, you know that I have a troubled past. I was a drug addict, an alcoholic, a con man, a liar and a thief. I also went to prison several times. I didn’t realize it at the time, but even when I was at the lowest point of my life, God still loved me. Although I had forsaken Him, He had never forsaken me.
That is the message I try to convey to everyone. It is the message of hope. Too many people have given up on themselves. They look at their situations and wonder if anyone cares about them.

I heard a song heard many years ago that sums up God’s love of man. I can still remember some of the words:

In a mansion made of stone.
In a shanty all alone.
God cares. God cares. He cares for you.
Whether black or white
You are precious in His sight.
God cares. God cares. He cares for you.

It doesn’t matter what you have done or what you have become, God still loves you. You can be sitting on top of the world or sitting in a prison cell, God still loves you. He not only loves you, He really cares about you.

This book is not a lesson in how to pray. The purpose of this book is to help you realize the importance of having a relationship with God. When you are ready for God, He is ready for you. It doesn’t matter if you are in the White House, the church house or the crack house; He’s Only a Prayer Away....

He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In stores Sept 1st, 2010 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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Don’t Forget Who You Are

2010-08-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that more and more fast food restaurants have started asking customers for their names when they place an order. Sometimes the clerk will just write the customer’s name on the ticket and call them when their order is ready. Other times, they will announce the customer to the rest of the crew and have all of them say, “Hello,” in unison.

This has been going on at McDonalds and a few other restaurants for quite some time. But lately, some of the White Castles franchises have been doing it as well. Most of the times, when they ask my name, I say, “B.B.” But sometimes, I just say the first name that comes to mind. I might say Willie, George, Joseph, Donald or anything.

I had placed my order one day and was waiting for my food. The clerk had called a name several times, but no one stepped forward. Then the clerk looked at me and said, “Excuse me Sir. What is your name?” I could not remember the name that I had given them when I placed my order. After thinking for a few seconds, I looked at her and said, “I don’t know.” She said, “You don’t know what your name is?” I said, “I forgot?” When I told her what I had ordered, she gave me my food.

When I got to my car, I remembered what my father used to say when I was leaving the house or going somewhere with my friends. He would look at me and say, “Don’t forget who you are.” I knew exactly what that meant. I better act like I’d had some “home training” and not embarrass him or my family.

Sometimes Christians forget who we are when we get around certain people or find ourselves in certain situations. We forget about the “home training” that we learned in church or in Sunday school. When we are at work, at school, at the mall or hanging out with our friends, we don’t act like we are members of God’s family. Consequently, we embarrass our God, our church, our pastor and ourselves.
When you are leaving church this Sunday, if you listen very closely, you might hear God say, “Don’t forget who you are.”

He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In stores Sept 1st, 2010 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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"Tell The Story" blog by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.

2010-08-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

I love stories. When someone starts to tell one, my face lights up, my ears automatically tune in, and they obtain my undivided attention. It all started when I was a child watching Rocky and Bullwinkle. There was a segment of the show that featured Aesop telling his son a fable each week.

My fascination continued when I was a teenager, and my friends and I sat around, swapping ghost stories. Years later, one of my uncles started telling some stories one evening when I was visiting relatives in St. Louis. I had just been called into the ministry, so I started using some of them in my sermons.

Over the years, I have acquired hundreds of stories. Some of them came from experiences in my life. Some of them are fables or stories that I have written. But I got most of them from storybooks or listening to other preachers or speakers. But out of all the stories that I have in my arsenal, I have discovered that the most powerful story that I have is the one that Jesus gave me. It is my testimony. It is the story of how God saved my soul.

You have a story too. When God delivered you from your sins, He gave you a story to tell, so tell the story. Someone is going through some of the same stuff that you went through and they need to hear your story, so don't be afraid to tell it. Tell the story. When you are on your job, tell the story. When you are sitting in the restaurant, tell the story. When you are at the barbershop or in the beauty shop, tell the story. Every time you get a chance, tell the story.

After you tell your story, don't forget to tell the Gospel story. Tell the story of how Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, and He was bruised for our iniquities. Tell the story of how He hung on an old Roman cross from the sixth to the ninth hour. Tell the story of how the sun refused to shine, because two Sons couldn't shine at the same time.

Tell the story of how He was buried in a borrowed tomb. But don't let the story end there. Be sure to tell the rest of the story, because early that Sunday morning, He got up from the grave, with all power in His hands.

Tell the story!

- Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher", "Amazing Grace", and "He's Only A Prayer Away"

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The Spotter

2010-07-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

One day a little boy bowed his head and whispered a prayer to God. He said, “Dear God. So far today I have been pretty good. I haven’t gossiped or lost my temper. I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I am thankful for that. But in a few minutes, I am going to get out of bed. From that point on, I’m probably going to need a lot more help. Amen.

We must learn to depend on God and trust Him in all things. He is the one that gives us our strength. He is the one that sustains us through adversity. He is the one that leads us in the path of righteousness. David said, “The Lord is the strength of my life.”

When I was in prison, I used to lift weights with some of the inmates that were in the yard. One of the first things that I learned was to always have a spotter if I was going to bench press a lot of weight. The spotter’s job is to stand over you and help you lift the barbell if the load is too heavy. Sometimes the spotter will just help you guide the barbell back on the stand. But sometimes he will take the weight completely off of you and put the barbell on the stand himself.

One afternoon I wanted to go to the yard and lift weights. It was very hot that day, so no one else wanted to go outside. So I went alone. There was some weight that I had wanted to lift for quite some time, but was afraid to try because I didn’t want anyone to see me if I failed. I decided to try it while no one was around. That way, if I couldn’t do it, no one would know.

I put the weights on the bar, laid back on the bench, and lifted the bar off of the stand. I lowered the bar onto my chest, but I was only able to lift it half way up. I lowered the bar onto my chest again but was unable to lift it. I realized that I was in trouble and needed a spotter. Somehow, I managed to roll the bar down my stomach, past my thighs and onto the ground. I never tried to bench press any weights without a spotter again.

God is our spotter. He watches over us everyday. Sometimes He just helps us with our burdens. But sometimes He takes them completely off of us. Is your load too heavy? Are your troubles and worries weighing you down? Don’t try to do it alone. Trust the spotter.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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Burned Bridges

2010-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

A wolf fled from a forest and ran into a village in great fear. Hunters and a pack of hounds were after him. Desperately, he looked for an opening in the city’s walls but found that every gate was closed.

When he looked up, he saw a cat sitting on top of the wall. He asked the cat which of the neighboring farmers might be sympathetic and hide him from the hunters. The cat said, "Go to Mr. Drucker’s farm at the north end of the village. He is a kind and generous man.”

“I can’t go there,” said the wolf. “I recently tore the skin off one of his sheep.” As the sound of barking dogs drew nearer, the cat said, “Then go to the west side of the village to Old Man Bill’s farm.”

“I’m afraid he is angry with me too,” said the wolf. “I carried off one of his kids last week.” “Then go to the south,” said the cat. “Henry’s farm is not far away.” “Henry is still upset with me from last spring,” said the wolf. “He threatened to kill me over one of his lambs.”

“There is really only one other possibility,” said the cat. “Daniel’s farm is on the other side of the woods. If you hurry, you can make it.” “I don’t think Daniel is a good choice either,” said the wolf. “I killed one of his calves two weeks ago.” The cat slowly shook his head and said, “Those are the most patient farmers in our area. Apparently you have burned a lot of bridges around here. It looks like you are on your own.”

I don’t know about you, but I have burned a lot of bridges in my life. Some of them were with friends, neighbors, relatives, even my own children. But there is one who can rebuild any bridge, no matter how badly it has been burned. His name is Jesus Christ. He did it for me. He can do it for you too. After all, He rebuilt the bridge that was burned between God and us.

Burned bridges destroy families, friendships and relationships. Have you burned any bridges? Do you want to rebuild them? Ask Jesus to help you. Don’t wait until it is too late.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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Let Your Light Shine

2010-07-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

One of my cousins gave me a beautiful plant as a house-warming gift. I placed it in a nice corner where it could be admired by anyone who visited.
After a few days, I noticed that my plant was dying. I thought I wasn’t giving it enough water, so I started watering it more, but the plant kept dying. Then I thought that I might be giving it too much water, so I started watering it less, but the plant kept dying.

Everyday, when I got home from work or from church, I saw more leaves lying on the floor. I kept asking myself, “What’s wrong with this thing? Why is it dying?” Finally, it dawned on me. There was no light in that corner of the house. My beautiful plant was dying because I left it in the dark.

That made me think. How many people are dying because I have left them in the dark? How many of my friends, family members or people that I come into contact with everyday are living in a world of hopelessness because I have left them in the dark?

Let me ask you something. When you are on your way home from work or from church and you see a prostitute walking the streets, do you ask yourself, “What’s wrong with her?” How many times have you driven down the street and saw a group of young boys selling drugs? Did you just shake your head and say, “What’s wrong with them?”

I have done it more times that I care to admit. But now, when I see someone who is obviously lost and on their way to hell, I remember my plant. So instead of wondering, what’s wrong with them, I ask myself, “How can I lead them to the light?”

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” So let your light shine. When you’re at home, let your light shine. When you’re at work, let your light shine. Wherever you are, let your light shine.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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God Is Good

2010-07-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Two men set out on a journey together. They took a donkey to carry their packets, a torch to light their way in the night, and a rooster, who was a friend to the donkey. The rooster sat on the donkey’s head during the entire journey.

One of the men was a Christian; the other was a skeptic. During their journey, the Christian frequently talked about the Lord. “In all things, God is good,” he said. But the skeptic just said, “We’ll see.”

Shortly before dark, they arrived in a small village and looked for a place to sleep. Despite their frequent requests, no one offered them a night’s lodging. Reluctantly, they went about a mile outside of town, where they decided to sleep.

“I thought you said God is good,” said the skeptic. The Christian said, “God has decided this is the best place for us to sleep tonight.” So they fixed their beds under a large tree just off the main road.

As they were about to light the torch, they heard a terrible noise. A lion had killed the donkey and carried it away. Quickly, the men climbed the tree. “Do you still say God is good?” asked the skeptic. The Christian said, “If the lion hadn’t eaten the donkey, he would have attacked us. God is Good.”

Moments later, a cry from the rooster sent them further up the tree. When they looked down, they saw a wildcat carrying the rooster away in his teeth. The Skeptic looked at the Christian. Before he could say anything, the Christian said, “The cry of the rooster saved us again. God is good.”

A few minutes later, a strong wind blew out the torch, and the men were left in total darkness. By now, even the Christian was starting to wonder why God was allowing all of this to happen to them.

The next morning the two men walked into the village to buy some food. They discovered that a large band of outlaws had swept into town the previous night, robbed the entire village and killed all of the men.

When the Christian heard that, he turned to his friend and said, “It is all clear now. If we had been given a room in the village last night, we would have been killed too. If we hadn’t slept in that tree and the wind hadn’t blown out our torch, the bandits would have seen us. So in all things, God is good.”

No matter what you are going through right now or how bad things look. Just remember, God is good.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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Taking The City

2010-06-27T17:16:00.001-07:00

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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Roadwork Ahead

2010-06-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

I was driving to work one morning when I realized that I had plenty of time to spare. It was a beautiful day and there was hardly any traffic on the highway. Since it was so early, I thought about all of the things that I would be able to do before starting my day. I could get a cup of coffee, read the morning paper or maybe even stop for a nice, hot breakfast.

I was rolling along, enjoying the ride and anticipating a nice, peaceful morning when all of a sudden I saw that dreaded, orange and black sign that said, “Roadwork Ahead.”

In no time at all, that wide-open highway turned into a huge parking lot. I inched along in stop and go traffic for several, painful miles. I had to cancel the plans that I had because of the work that was being done on the road that I was traveling on.

Sometimes we have to cancel or change our plans because God is working on the road that we are traveling on. Maybe that is why that relationship did not work. Maybe that is why you didn’t get that job. Maybe that is why you could not move into that dream house.

Sometimes things don’t workout because God is preparing something better for us. Sometimes they don’t work out because God is preparing us for what He has in store for us.

We all want to find success and happiness as fast as we can, but God knows the dangers and the pitfalls that lie ahead. So when things in your life are not working out as quickly as you would like, don’t get discouraged and give up. Just look for the sign that says, “Roadwork Ahead.”

AUDIO: "Roadwork Ahead"

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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"A Message from Hell" Chapter 6 of "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over" by Rev. Burton Barr Jr. & KOBALT BOOKS

2010-06-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

When I was in prison, a Christian newspaper was circulated each month. There were a lot of nice articles in it along with some very interesting testimonies about inmates and former inmates that had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and had turned their lives around.

What I remember most about that paper was a poem that I saw in it. The title was, “A Message from Hell.” I read that poem over and over again, but it would be years before the words that were recorded there would take on a very special meaning to me. In fact, it took the death of one of my oldest and dearest friends for me to understand what the “Message” was saying. Before I tell you the words of this poem, allow me to tell you a little bit about my friend, Fuzzy.

I was about 14 years old when Gip and some other friends of mine introduced me to a new kid that had just moved into the neighborhood. He said, “Hey Bub, this is Fuzzy.” I looked at Fuzzy and I said, “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy lost his hair. Then Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t Fuzzy was he?”

Everybody started laughing, except Fuzzy. He started chasing me down Christiana Avenue. I was laughing the entire time that he was chasing me. By the time he caught up with me, he was laughing too. We have been friends ever since.

Fuzzy lived on Roosevelt Road and Christiana Avenue above a tavern that was named, “The Heat Wave.” He lived there with his father, grandmother and his brother, Billy. He was about a year older than I was and very streetwise. His grandmother used their apartment as a gambling establishment and she also sold bootleg liquor after hours.
I was somewhat jealous of Fuzzy and the way he lived. He had complete freedom to come and go as he pleased and to do whatever he wanted. He didn’t go to school, he always had plenty of money, he was a sharp dresser and the girls were crazy about him. He was kind of like “The Fonz” on Happy Days.

Fuzzy and I had been through a lot together during our teenage years. We played together, fought together, and were almost killed together. Yeah, Fuzzy was one of my best friends.

We lost contact for a few years, when I was called into the ministry in 1965 and later moved to Cleveland, and then to Detroit. I eventually moved back to Chicago, but I backslid, leaving the ministry and the church. When that happened, Fuzzy was one of the first people that I ran into. We picked up right where we had left off, but by then we were both smoking marijuana.

As time went by, I started snorting and shooting heroin and cocaine. I convinced some of my friends to do the same. Fuzzy was one of them. In fact, I was the one that first stuck a needle into his arm.

Fuzzy and I got high together quite often. Eventually, I renewed my relationship with Jesus Christ and was delivered from my drug addiction. Nevertheless, I never told Fuzzy or any of my old friends about my deliverance. I kept putting it off, waiting for a more convenient opportunity. Unfortunately, it never came.
One day I received a phone call from my mother telling me that Fuzzy was dead. As bad as that news was, what Ralph told me hurt even more.

Whenever someone starts dealing heroin in a new neighborhood, they sometimes give away sample packets to potential customers in an effort to win their business. That’s what happened on Christiana one day, but that time, the heroin was laced with arsenic. Everyone that shot or snorted some of it died. That was someone’s way of getting rid of some junkies. Fuzzy was one of them. His grandmother found him on the floor in his bedroom with the needle still in his arm.

When I heard that, I was devastated. My best friend was gone. I kept thinking that if I had only had the chance to talk to him and tell him about how God had delivered me from drugs, my friend would still be alive. Then I realized that I had had more than one chance but I kept putting it off. Now it was too late. My friend was gone.
When I got home that night, I walked into my bedroom and sat down without even turning on a light. As I sat there, my mind went back to the poem that I had read years ago while I was in prison. I seemed to visualize a dark, gloomy figure walking towards me with a piece of paper in his hand. He said, “I am a messenger from the damned. This is a letter that I was asked to deliver to you. It is from a friend of yours who is in Hell now. It says:

Dear Friend,
I stand in judgment now, and feel that you are the blame somehow
While on earth, we walked day by day, but never did you lead the way
You knew the Lord in truth and glory, but never did you tell the story
My knowledge then was very dim. You could have led me safe to Him
We were together here on earth, but you never told me of your second birth
Now I stand this day condemned, because you failed to mention Him
You taught me many things, that’s true. I called you friend and I trusted you
Now I know, but it’s too late. But you could have kept me from this fate
We walked by day and talked by night, and yet you showed me not the light
You watched me live, and let me die, and you knew I’d never live on high
Yes, I called you friend in life. I trusted you in joy and strife
And yet in coming to this end, I see you really WERE NOT my friend.

Fuzzy

I don’t know if Fuzzy is in Hell or not. Only God knows that, but what I do know is that I saw my friend headed down the path of death and destruction and I did absolutely nothing about it.

Unfortunately, too many Christians are guilty of that very thing, and millions of people are suffering because of it. We have all been delivered from something. None of us were born holy, but we sit in church Sunday after Sunday, hiding behind our sanctified walls and stained glass windows while singing, “Send me, I’ll Go” and then we go to our favorite buffet after the benediction and do nothing. We cannot make anyone change the direction that they are going, but we can let them know that there is a better way, and Jesus is that way.

I have that poem and a copy of Fuzzy’s obituary on the wall in my office. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see his face. It serves as a reminder for me to tell somebody about Jesus that day.

Sometimes I get tired of seeing Fuzzy’s face, but there are so many other faces that I am even more tired of seeing. I’m tired of seeing the faces of teenagers who are behind prison walls and will be there for the rest of their lives. I’m tired of seeing the faces of grieving parents and grandparents whose children are riding in the back of a hearse instead of riding in the back of a school bus. I’m tired of seeing the faces of all of those men and women who stand aimlessly and idly on street corners everyday looking for their next drink or their next fix.

Many of them feel like they are living in a world of hopelessness. They think the church is a social club for perfect people or they have done too much wrong for God to forgive them, but we must help them understand that no one is perfect. There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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The Devil Made Me Do It

2010-06-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Satan was sitting on the steps of a church one day with his head hung down. A passerby noticed him and asked what was wrong. With tears in his eyes, Satan looked up and said, “The people in that church are always lying on me.”

I know that Satan is the father of lies, but sometimes we lie on him and blame him for some of the bad decisions that we make. We give Satan more power than he actually has. He can tempt us, but he cannot make us do anything. It is human nature for us to make excuses or look for someone or something to blame when we mess up.

I was a career criminal for twenty-two years. During that period, I spent a lot of time in courtrooms. You cannot imagine some of the excuses that I have heard when people stood in front of the judge. I have told some doozies myself. Some of them worked. Some of them didn’t.

My favorite plea in court was, “Guilty, with an explanation.” In other words, I did it, but let me tell you why. Then I would attempt to shift the blame on circumstances that were beyond my control. I guess that was my way of saying, “The devil made me do it.”

It has always been hard for me to accept responsibility for my failures. When I flunked in school, I said the teachers didn’t like me. When I was on the baseball team and made error, I said the sun was in my eyes. When I didn’t make my quota as a salesperson, I said our prices were too high. When I stepped outside of the will of God and did something that I knew was wrong, I said the devil made me do it.

We must accept responsibility and learn from our failures. I flunked in school because I didn’t study. I made the error on the field because I took my eyes off of the ball. I didn’t make my sales quota because I didn’t qualify the customers. I sinned against God because of a prayerless life.

Let’s stop making excuses and strive to do our very best. Don’t goof off at work just because your boss is not looking. Don’t cheat on a test because you didn’t study. Don’t sin against God because He is merciful.

My father’s favorite saying was, “If a task is once begun, never leave it till it’s done. Be the labor, great or small, do it well or not at all.”

The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” The devil never made me do anything. I did it because I wanted to.

AUDIO: "The Devil Made Me Do It"

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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The Door

2010-05-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

When I decided to leave the streets and give my life to Jesus Christ, I thought all of my problems were going to magically go away and everything was going to be great. I thought my drug habit would just disappear. I thought the police would leave me alone. I thought I would be able to get any job that I wanted and all of my financial problems would be solved. I thought everybody was going to love me and I would be welcome everywhere. Well, things didn’t quite happen that way.
Last week I told you about a friend of mine that I grew up with named, Chucky. He lived across the street from me, and he had a crazy little dog named, Champ. None of us liked that dog. He was a sneaky, little, black, cocker spaniel.
Sometimes my friends and I would get together at someone’s house and play cards, listen to music or just hang out. Whenever we went to Chucky’s house, Champ acted like he was the nicest dog in the world. He would greet us at the door and sit around, acting like a well-mannered little dog. He would even let us pet him and play with him while we were there.
Sometimes Champ would lie under a table or sit in a corner and we would forget that he was in the house. We could go anywhere in the house that we wanted, and Champ wouldn’t even bark at us. We had a lot of fun when we were there. The problem was trying to get out of the door.
When one of us tried to leave, Champ became an entirely different dog. He would attack anyone that tried to walk out of the door. We could not understand how a dog could be so playful and friendly while we were in his house, and then attack us so viciously when we tried to leave.
That’s how Satan is. As long as you are in his house, he will do his best to make you feel comfortable. He wants you to feel welcome. He will let you think you are having fun while you are there. Sometimes he will lie under a table or hide in a corner so you won’t know that he is there.
He is just like Champ. You are welcome in his house. You can do whatever you want. You can drink all of the liquor, smoke all of the dope, or sleep with anybody you want. Just don’t try to leave. That’s when he will attack you with everything that he has. He does not want you to get to the door. Jesus is the door.
All of your problems won’t disappear, but He will help you face them. You don’t have to take my word. Just open the door.

AUDIO: "The Door"

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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"The Wild Mouse" Chapter 4 of "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over" by Rev. Burton Barr Jr. & KOBALT BOOKS

2010-05-23T20:25:00.001-07:00

When we were children, my father used to take my little brother, Ralph, and me to an amusement park named, "Riverview." It was located on the North Side of Chicago. We really enjoyed all of the games and the rides that we went on, but there was one ride that I would never get on. It was a huge roller coaster was named, The Bobs.

There was always a long line of people that were waiting to get on The Bobs, but for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why. That was the biggest, scariest looking thing that I had ever seen. People would be yelling, screaming and crying while they were riding on it, but after the ride was over, those crazy people would get back in line so they could ride on that thing again.

Some of my friends tried to talk me into riding on The Bobs. They called me chicken and scare-de-cat, but I didn’t care. There was no way that I was going to get on anything that went that high off of the ground. Period. Ralph and I rode on the safe, sensible rides like The Merry-Go-Round or The Ferris Wheel. One day, we found a ride that we had never been on before. It was called, The Wild Mouse. It had the same kind of seating that The Bobs had but it just rolled around the park on level ground and into a tunnel. There was a long line there too, but it looked like it was a nice, safe ride.

Ralph and I got on The Wild Mouse and took the seat that was in the front. We rode along, waving to people until we entered the tunnel. The farther we got into the tunnel the darker things became. We couldn’t see anything, not even each other. Although the tunnel was a little scary, it was fun. The train moved along very slowly, almost like The Tunnel of Love. We were laughing and talking and enjoying the ride.

Finally, after the long ride through the tunnel, we saw daylight ahead. We thought we were coming to the end of the ride, but when we came out of the tunnel we found out that we were no longer on the ground. When I looked down I couldn’t even see the ground. I think I saw The Bobs down there. I looked ahead and it looked like the tracks were coming to an end. I looked at Ralph and said, “Uh oh.”

Remember, Ralph and I was on the front row. I wanted to cry, but before I could get anything out we were flying down that long, steep track at about a million miles an hour. Everyone was screaming, “Awwwwwww”, but I was yelling, “Daddaaaaaaay”

I had never been so glad to get off of anything in my life. All 12 years of it. I had no idea that the ride that seemed so nice and peaceful was a roller coaster in disguise. I didn’t know that while we were enjoying that long, slow, uneventful ride through that long, dark tunnel that we were getting further and further off of the ground until it was too late. However, what surprised me was, as scary as The Wild Mouse was, a lot of the people got back in line to ride it all over again.

You might not know it, but Satan has a Wild Mouse too. It is called sin. We all have ridden on it at one time or another during our lifetime. Millions of people are still riding on it today. The Wild Mouse. Some of its riders are easy to recognize. They are drug dealers, drug addicts, alcoholics, Gang bangers, prostitutes, rapists, robbers, players and player haters just to name a few. However, there are a lot of respectable citizens that are taking the ride as well. The sad thing is they don’t even realize it.

All of their lives they have avoided the crazy, dangerous roller coasters like The Bobs. In other words, they stayed out of trouble, received a good education and they are pursuing the American dream. Some of them are doctors, lawyers, bankers, teachers, politicians, community leaders and hard working family people. They think they are traveling on nice, safe level ground as they cruise through, what they think is, the tunnel of love. However, when they reach the end of the tunnel they will realize that they are riding on The Wild Mouse and they are just as far from level ground as the people that are riding on The Bobs.

When I got off of The Wild Mouse that day I knew that I was never, ever going to ride that thing again. I didn’t like the ride, but there were others that loved the thrill and excitement, so they rode that thing over and over and over again. For the life of me, I just could not understand how they could do that. It is the same way in life. Some people accept Christ and walk away from the world of sin and ungodliness, but there are others that continue on that path because they love the thrill and excitement of it, or it could be that they just don’t know any better. However, it doesn’t matter whether you are riding on The Bobs, The Wild Mouse, or walking on level ground (living a Christian life) you are still a long way from perfection. We all are. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10) Although none of us will ever be sinless, by the grace of God we will sin less each day that we live.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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Chump Change

2010-05-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

In many of my sermons, books and speeches I talk about some of the people that I grew up with. Over the years I have talked about Fuzzy, Red, Tadpole, and even my dog Rex.

When I was in Chicago last month for my cousin’s funeral, Tadpole and I were talking about some of our old friends. During our conversation, we started talking about Chucky. I’ve known Chucky all of my life. We went to the same school, played the on the same sports teams, and fought together when gangs tried to takeover our neighborhood.

There was something else that I remember about Chucky. He was cheap. When we were teenagers, my friends and I would sometimes put our money together and buy beer or wine. All of us would chip in a dollar. But when it came to Chucky, all he would ever put in was a quarter. We would get mad and tell him he had to come up with some more money. But he would always say, “Sorry y’all, but all I’ve got is some chump change.”

We knew that Chucky had some money. After all, he received an allowance just like the rest of us. But whenever we were putting our money together to buy anything, all Chucky would ever come up with was some chump change.

In case you don’t know what chump change is, it is money that you don’t need. It is money that you can afford to throw away. It is what you have left after you have bought everything you want. It is what you give to the men and women that are on the street corners begging for spare change so they can get something to eat. It is also what many of us give to God every Sunday morning. Chump Change.

Oh yeah, we give God our leftovers. We furnish our beautiful homes, drive our expensive cars, and wear our designer clothes with our finest jewelry. We buy the best of everything for our children and go to the malls and shop till we drop. Then we go to church on Sunday morning and give God our chump change.
It is not only with our finances that we short change God. We give Him our chump change in other areas as well: our time, our talents, our worship and our praise. God loves us too much to give us His chump change. He gave us His best.
Are you giving God your best? Or are you just giving Him your chump change?

AUDIO: "Chump Change"

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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Wasted Gifts

2010-05-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

I hate shopping. Can’t stand it. I don’t like to shop for food, clothing, furniture, appliances or anything else. I probably hold a record for the fastest time getting in and out of stores. What’s so ironic is, before I was called to full time ministry, I worked in stores. Most of my “legal” jobs were in retail sales and management. My livelihood depended on my ability to get people into my store and separate them from their money.

In those days, my favorite holidays were the ones that people spent a lot of money buying gifts. But I don’t look forward to those days anymore. Don’t get me wrong; I still love holidays, and I love giving gifts to people. I just hate the shopping part, especially if the gifts are not appreciated.
I always spend a lot of time and energy trying to find the perfect gifts for people. Most of the time I am successful and people appreciate the gifts that I give them. But sometimes I give people gifts that they don’t really want. I know they don’t want them because they never use them.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever given a special gift to someone that you love and they never use it? They never wear that sweater. They never use that gadget. They never play with that toy. That painting is still sitting in the closet collecting dust. How does that make you feel? Are you hurt or disappointed because they are wasting a perfectly good gift by not using it?
How do you think God feels when He gives us gifts that we don’t use? Our churches are filled with gifted singers, but many of our choir stands are half empty. We have some of the finest educators in our congregations, but we don’t have enough Sunday school classes because we can’t get enough teachers. Our members have been blessed with all kinds of gifts and talents, but many of our ministries are suffering due to the lack of volunteers.

Pastors are begging their congregants to get off of the pews and get involved in some kind of ministry. But Sunday after Sunday, we just sit there wasting the gifts that God has given us. God gave you that gift for a reason. Are you using your gift to bless someone? Or are you just wasting it?

AUDIO: "Wasted Gifts"

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of The Hoodlum Preacher & Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over.)

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"Shattered Dreams" by Rev. Burton Barr Jr. & KOBALT BOOKS

2010-05-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, I was afraid to go down south. I saw the news reports on television about George Wallace, Bull Connors, and the Ku Klux Klan. I heard the stories of how they killed, lynched, and terrorized Black people.

I saw the magazine articles that described how they beat, shot, and gouged out the eyes of 14 year old Emmett Till before throwing him into the Tallahatchie River because he whistled at a white woman. I read about the bombing of The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama and how four little girls lost their lives because they went to Sunday school one morning.

I watched in horror as the police would sic vicious dogs on young black children because they wanted an education, and how black men and women were savagely beaten with nightsticks and sprayed with powerful water hoses because they wanted the right to vote.

The Klan did everything they could to shatter the dreams of an entire race of people. But there is a new kind of Klan in America. They don’t wear white sheets that hide their faces and they don’t carry burning torches. Instead, they wear baggy pants that expose their behinds and they carry AK47s. There is a new kind of Klan in America.

They don’t lynch our young boys for whistling at white women. They just drive down the street and shoot them down because they are standing on the wrong corner. There is a new kind of Klan in America.

They don’t kill our boys today because of the color of their skin. They kill them because of the color of their clothing. I’m telling you, there is a new kind of Klan in America today.

This new Klan does not terrorize our people by burning crosses in our front yards. They intimidate us by disfiguring our neighborhoods with gang graffiti. They don’t destroy our churches with bombs. They devastate them with burglaries. They disrespect our women by calling them B’s and H’s, and they disrespect the rest of us by calling us the N word.

In case you don’t know who the new Klan is, they are some of our young black men. They are destroying our communities and shattering the dreams of our people in ways that George Wallace, Bull Connors, or the original Klan never could.

In the days of the Civil Rights Movement, it was the church that stood up and fought for our people. But today, many of our churches have retreated to the safety of their sanctuaries. As a result, we are losing more and more of our young people to drugs, prison, or an early grave.

There was a time when our young people were filling the jails because they loved one another. Now they are filling the jails because they are killing one another. But African Americans are no more criminal than anyone else in this society. Yet, for as long as this country has existed, blacks have gone through this nation’s criminal justice system and have always been found wanting.

In St. Louis, Missouri, 97% of the population of the youth detention center is African American children. Our young men and young women feel that they have no stake in this society. They have become disenfranchised. They have no jobs and they see no future. Their dreams have been shattered.

I know that this week’s blog is a little longer than the others, but this is too important. We are losing too many of our children. We have to embrace our young people and teach them how to dream again.

AUDIO: "Shattered Dreams"

"Superman Don’t Wear No Coat" Chapter 2 of "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over" by Rev. Burton Barr Jr. & KOBALT BOOKS

2010-04-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, my favorite television program was Superman. I would race home from school everyday and plop down on the couch next to my grandfather just in time to hear the announcer’s opening words. “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”

Then the scene would shift to one of the street corners in Metropolis, and all of a sudden, you would hear somebody say, “Look. Up in the sky. It’s a bird.” Someone else would say, “It’s a plane.” Finally someone else would shout, “It’s Superman.” Then you would see Superman flying across the sky with his cape flapping in the wind.

After the program was over, I would go into my bedroom and pretend to be Superman. I had a t-shirt that I had drawn a big “S” on with a red crayon. I would put it on and tie one of my mother’s bath towels around my neck and try to fly across my bed. Although I was just a child, I wasn’t crazy enough to jump out of the window and try to fly across the street. We lived on the second floor. Even if I had been successful in flying across the street I still would have been in trouble because I wasn’t allowed to cross the street by myself. So I restricted my flying to my bedroom.

There were so many people that were caught up in the Superman frenzy; they came out with super everything, Superboy, Supergirl and Superdog. They even came out with a mouse that was flying around and beating up all of the cats in the neighborhood. They call him Mighty Mouse.

I loved Superman. He was my hero. I loved to see him beat up the bad guys and crush their guns with his bare hands. I loved to see him crash through concrete walls, but most of all, I loved the way that he stood for “Truth, Justice and the American way”.

One day, during the Halloween season, my mother took my brother, Ralph, and me to Sears to pick out our costumes. When I saw the Superman costumes I didn’t have to look any further. I knew exactly what I wanted. I was going to be Superman.

I didn’t need that t-shirt with the “S” drawn on it anymore. I had a real “S” for my chest. I didn’t need the bath towels anymore, because I had a real cape. Although Halloween was almost two weeks away, every evening I would put on my costume and become Superman. I couldn’t wait until Halloween came so I could finally wear my costume outside for everyone to see.

However, when the big day had finally arrived, the weather had turned cold, but I didn’t care. I put on my costume and headed for the door. My mother stopped me and said, “Wait a minute, boy. Go in there and put your coat on.” I looked at her and said, “Superman don’t wear no coat.” She said, “I said go in there and put your coat on”. I said, “But Superman don’t wear no coat.”

Mother gave me one of those looks, and then she said, “Either you put your coat on or you keep your tail in the house.” I went to my bedroom and started mumbling to myself. “Superman don’t wear no coat. Superman don’t wear no coat.” Then I put my coat on and went outside.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one whose parents insisted that their children wear a coat, but that didn’t make me feel any better, because no one could see the “S” on my chest or the cape on my back. Therefore, no one could tell that I was Superman. I just looked like everybody else. I just looked like another little kid with a coat on, but everybody knows that Superman don’t wear no coat.

Some people think of Christians as super humans and the church as a place where the perfect people meet. That is why some people think that they are not good enough to go to church. They will say, “As soon as I get myself together, I will go to church.” They think they have to stop drinking, stop drugging, or stop running the streets first; but that makes about as much sense as a sick person saying, “As soon as I get myself well, I will go to the hospital.” Jesus wants us to come to Him just as we are. Then He will change us into who and what He wants us to be.

In reality, the church is a hospital for sinners. None of us are perfect. None of us have “arrived”. We all struggle with some things, but we strive toward perfection. That is why we come together as a church family to worship God and to encourage and strengthen one another.

One day, a little boy went to his father and said, “Dad. What is a Christian?” His father, being one of the leaders in the church, was proud to tell his son what a Christian is, but after he had finished giving his explanation, the boy looked puzzled. Then he looked at his father and said, “Dad. Have I ever seen one?”

Unfortunately, some of us don’t always look and act like Christians after we leave the church house. When we get out into the mean, cold world, sometimes we put our coats on. We look like everybody else because we have our coats on. We talk like everybody else because we have our coats on. We act like everybody else because we have our coats on. Therefore, people cannot see the Christ in us because we have our coats on.

Bench members are not the only ones that put their coats on when they are not in church. There are some deacons, ushers, choir members and even preachers who have been known to put their coats on after the benediction as well. Some of them are well known televangelists, while others are unknown pastors of storefront churches.
Those of you who read “The Hoodlum Preacher”, know that I left the ministry and the church when I was 20 years old. I was a dope fiend for most of twenty-two years, from 1969 to 1991, and an alcoholic until 1993. In 1994 I went back to church and back to preaching the Gospel, and I was doing quite well, for a while.

I moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to go into business with a friend of mine. One day, I attended a birthday party in his backyard and drank a glass of wine along with the other guest. There is nothing wrong with having a little glass of wine, is there? Maybe not for most people, but I had been an alcoholic for almost 25 years. That innocent little glass of wine woke something up in me. Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen with the wine bottle turned up. After that, it was like I had never quit drinking.

The business failed and I returned to St. Louis. When I got back, I became a “closet drinker.” I was too ashamed to let anybody know that I had a problem and needed help. I had too much pride. After all, I was Rev. Barr. I was in charge of the substance abuse ministry. I couldn’t let people know that I was drinking again. So, after church was over and I wanted to go to the liquor store, I would change my clothes so I didn’t look like a preacher. In other words, I put my coat on.

Jesus said that we are the light of the world. However, we cannot light up this dark world if we have our coats on. It is very important for the church of God to remember that we all need help sometimes, and when we do, we can call on Him who is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24). Just remember, Superman don’t wear no coat, and Christians shouldn’t either.

"Words Hurt" + AUDIO

2010-04-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying that goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” That is an untrue statement. Words do hurt. People have lost their jobs, their reputation, even their lives because of things that were said about them.

Gossiping has been around forever. All of us, including myself, have been guilty of it at one time or another. We love to hear stories about someone that has fallen or messed up, especially if we don’t like them. If the story is juicy enough, we can’t wait to pass it on via telephone, email, text or some other form of communication. Sometimes we don’t even bother to verify the rumors before passing them on.

A man went to his pastor one day with a question. He said, “Pastor, I understand almost everything that is in the Bible. I understand the commandment not to kill. I understand the commandment not to steal. What I don’t understand is the command against slandering my neighbor. After all, they are just words.”

The pastor said, “I will answer your question. But first I have a task for you. I want you to get a bag of feathers and place one feather in front of every house in your neighborhood. When you have finished, come back and I will give you the answer.”
The man did as he was told. When he had finished, he went back to the church. He said, “Pastor, I have done what you have asked. Now tell me why does God hate slander so much?”
The pastor said, “I want you to do one more thing. Go back and get every feather that you placed in front of each house. Bring them to me and I will answer your question.” The man said, “That’s impossible. The wind has blown them all over town.” The pastor smiled and said, “The same thing happens with the lies that we tell about our neighbors. They can never be retrieved. They are like feathers in the wind.”

Before you say something to, or about, someone, ask yourself how will it affect his or her life? Remember, words hurt.

AUDIO: "Words Hurt"

"The Appointment" + AUDIO

2010-04-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Life is short. It doesn’t matter if you live one year or one hundred years, compared to eternity, it is just a drop in the bucket. Therefore, wouldn’t it make sense if we were more concerned about where we are going to spend eternity instead of how much stuff we can accumulate?
Don’t get me wrong; God doesn’t have anything against money or success, as long as our priorities are straight. But He does care about how we live and how we treat others.

At one point in my life, I thought I was invincible. I lived recklessly with no regard for myself or for anyone else. I didn’t think about the consequences that I would have to face because of my actions.

The Bible speaks of an appointment that has been made for everyone of us. “It is appointed for men to die once…” (Hebrews 9:27a). It doesn’t matter how rich, how smart or how slick you are, this is one appointment that you will keep.
The story was told of a young man that lived in New York City. One day, he went to the market for his mother. While he was there, he noticed a strange looking man that was staring at him and following him around the store. When he looked closer, he realized that it was the angel of death.

It frightened him so badly that he ran out of the store, leaving all of his groceries behind. When he got home, he told mother what had happened. She immediately took him to the airport and put him on a flight to Los Angeles. Then she went to the market and confronted the death angel.
She asked him why he was following her son around the store and scaring him. The death angel replied, “ I’m sorry Ma’am. I didn’t mean to frighten him. I was just surprised to see him here in New York. I have an appointment with him tonight in Los Angeles.”

The writer of Hebrews talks about another appointment at the end of the scripture that I quoted earlier. This one is with the Almighty God. “…but after this, the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27b). All of us will stand before God one day.
I cannot assume that everyone that read my blogs are Christians. Therefore, I would be remiss if I failed to ask you something. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Have you repented of your sins and given your life to Christ? Don’t wait until it’s too late. You don’t know the day or the time of your appointment.

AUDIO: "The Appointment"

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

Tick---Tick---Tick

2010-04-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

Time waits for no one. In the third chapter of book of Ecclesiastes, the preacher said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Then he gives us a few examples such as: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to search, and a time to give up; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.

We have all been guilty of putting off things that we wanted to do or needed to do. Some things never got done because we ran out of time. We may have gotten too old or too sick; too busy or too tired; too content or too broke. The bottom line is, you kept waiting and the clock kept ticking. I received a phone call a few hours ago from Chicago. I was informed that my cousin, Rose, had just passed away.

Rose was more like a big sister to me than a cousin. We were raised in the same house. She taught me many things, from how to play hopscotch to how to treat women. When I was in trouble, she helped me get a lawyer. When I was on drugs, she helped me get into treatment.

I had been thinking about Rose over the last few weeks. I had thought about calling her, but I kept putting it off. Meanwhile, the clock kept ticking. I was planning on seeing her in Chicago this summer, but the clock kept ticking. I was thinking about all of the fun that we were going to have, but the clock kept ticking.

There are so many things that I wish I would have done over the years, but now it is too late. I wish I had spent more time with my children while they were young. I wish I had told my parents how much I loved and appreciated them before they passed away. I wish I had been a stronger witness for Jesus Christ.

What about you? Are there some things that you want to do before it’s too late? The clock is ticking. Do you have a friend or family member that you have not seen or talked to for a while? Tick---Tick---Tick. Are you putting off doing something that is very important? Tick---Tick---Tick. Do you know someone that needs to hear about the love and saving power of Jesus Christ? Tick---Tick---Tick.
I’m sorry, but there will be no audio for this week’s blog. I’m just not feeling up to it. Please keep my family in your prayers.

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

Where Is Your Brother?

2010-03-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

In the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis, the story of Cain and Abel was told. As you know, Cain allowed the powers of sin to overtake him, and in a fit of rage; he killed his brother, Abel. Afterwards, God asked Cain an intriguing question. “Where is your brother?

I want to ask you that same question today. Where is your brother? I’m not talking about your biological brother. I’m talking about the men, women, boys and girls that you come into contact with everyday in the brotherhood of mankind.
We all know someone who is hurting. They may have lost their home or their job. They may have gone through a divorce and are estranged from their children. Someone that is close to them may have recently died or one of their family members is in prison. They might be battling with some type of addiction or they may have just gotten on your last nerve. The bottom line is, they are hurting.

Every one of us knows someone who needs a helping hand or at the very least, needs an encouraging word. God is asking you, “Where is your brother? Can you see him? Can you see his hurt and his pain or have you just given up? Where is your brother?”
When Cain was faced with that question, he gave the answer that all of us have thought about at one time or another. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It amazes me how quickly we can give up on someone because of his or her predicament. But we are thankful that there was someone that did not give up on us when we were in our mess. I’m not just talking about you. I’m a member of that club too.

You have been hurt. You have been disappointed. People that you love have lied to you, stolen from you, and fooled you time and time again. You have cried many tears because of the things that they have done to you. But God is still asking you that same question. "Where is your brother?"

God told Cain something that every one of us needs to hear. He said, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” God does not want anyone to perish. That is why He is so patient. Remember, He was patient with you too.
The next time you pray; say, “Lord, here is my brother. I am putting him in your hands. Then trust God to do the rest.

AUDIO: "Where Is Your Brother?"

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon

God Created You

2010-03-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Life is not fair. Job understood this when he said, “Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). In a country that is as rich as ours, millions of people go to bed hungry every night. That is, if they are lucky enough to have a bed or a home for that matter. The amazing thing is, many people blame God for the misfortunes of humanity.

On a very cold, winter’s day, a young girl stood on a busy street corner begging for food, money or whatever she could get. She stood there cold and shivering as vicious winds penetrated her thin, tattered clothes. Hundreds of people walked past her but only a few dared to look in her direction.

A well-dressed, prosperous looking gentleman looked at the young girl and shook his head before getting into his expensive automobile. When he arrived at his huge, warm, luxurious home, he sat down at the dinner table with his family and began to feast on a meal that was fit for a king.
After eating his dessert, his mind went back to the hungry little girl that he had seen earlier. As he thought about her thin, dirty, shivering body, he started questioning God for allowing such conditions to exist. He said, “God, how can you let this happen? Why don’t you do something to help that little girl?”

He heard God responding to his question with the words, “I did. I created you.
God blesses us so that we can bless others. But instead, too many people have subscribed to the philosophy, “I got mine. You get yours.” They don’t care if you have enough food as long as their refrigerator is full. They don’t care if gangs terrorize your neighborhood as long as their community is safe. They don’t care if you have health care as long as their family is insured.

There are a lot of problems in this world. But God has already done what He needs to do to solve them. He created you.

AUDIO
"God Created You": http://www.kobaltbooks.com/GodCreatedYou.mp3

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over")

The Bench

2010-03-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I told you that I broke my foot while loading a truck with some donations for one of our ministries. I had been off work and missed going to church during the first few weeks of my convalescence. When I returned to church, I was on crutches. Therefore, I sat on the first bench that I could get to. It was the bench that was closest to the door.

After a few weeks, I noticed that everyone that sat on that particular bench was crippled in one way or another. I came in on crutches. Someone else came in a wheelchair. One person used a walker and another rode a scooter.
One Sunday, a lady came in on a walker. She looked around, in search of a seat, but the bench was full. Just then, the person that was sitting next to me got up, escorted the lady to his seat, and moved to another bench.

When I looked around the church, I realized that there were people all over the sanctuary that had sat on that bench at one time or another. Now they are sitting on other benches. Some of them are sitting in the pulpit. Some of them are sitting in the choir stand. Some of them are ushers. Some are deacons, praise dancers or serving in other areas of ministry.

The church is full of people that were crippled by one sin or another. Some of us were crippled by drugs. Some of us were crippled by lust. Some were crippled by greed while others were crippled by pride. God has delivered all of us from something.

All of us came to the church crippled and broken. Then one day, we felt God tugging at our hearts. We walked down the aisle, shook the pastor’s hand, and took a seat on the “crippled bench.” The problem is, some of you are still sitting there. You have been sitting there for years. You have become content just sitting on the bench with the crippled people.

God did not deliver you so you can just sit and do nothing. He delivered you to serve. It is time for you to get up, escort a crippled person to your seat, and do what God has told you to do.

AUDIO
"The Bench": http://www.kobaltbooks.com/TheBench.mp3

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over")

Bad Choices

2010-03-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Everyone makes mistakes. I made one on last week’s blog when I changed the scripture reference that I used, but I forgot to change the book that the scripture is found in. Matthew 10:10 should have been John 10:10. Did anyone notice that?

We must learn from our mistakes so we won’t make them again. The problem is, some of us do make the same mistakes… over and over and over again. I want to throw a curve at you right here. Some of the wrong things that we do are not mistakes. They are bad choices.

If you get in your car and drive away, not realizing that you left your driver’s license in your other jacket, that is a mistake. But if you get in your car and drive away, knowing that you don’t have a driver’s license, that is a bad choice. If you walk out of a store with an item that you forgot to pay for, that is a mistake. But if you walk out of a store with an item that you know you didn’t pay for, that is a bad choice. When you do something that you don’t know is a sin, that is a mistake. But when you knowingly disobey the word of God, that is a bad choice.
I made a lot of bad choices in my life. I turned my back on God and then walked away from the church. Bad choices. I hung out with people that meant me no good and often sought their approval. Bad choices. I got involved with drugs and participated in criminal activities. Bad choices.

What kind of choices are you making? Are they bad choices? You might go to church every Sunday, but what kind of choices do you make Monday through Saturday? You might tell your children what is right, but what kind of choices do they see you make?

When I was lost, my father never stopped praying for me. That was a choice that he made. When I was running the streets, he was praying for me. When I was strung out on drugs, he was praying for me. When I was in prison, he was praying for me.
My father did not live to see his prayers answered. He died three years before God saved my soul and delivered me from that lifestyle. But I believe that when Dad was laying in that hospital bed in a coma, the last thing that he said to God before took his final breath was, “Lord, save my boy.”

What about you? Are you praying for your loved ones? If you are not, that is another one of your bad choices.

AUDIO
"Bad Choices": http://www.kobaltbooks.com/BadChoices.mp3
"Just Do It": http://www.kobaltbooks.com/JustDoIt.mp3
"Be Thankful": http://www.kobaltbooks.com/BeThankful.mp3
"How Bad Do You Want It?" http://www.kobaltbooks.com/HowBadDoYouWantIt.mp3

I See Dead People

2010-02-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

There was a movie that came out a while back called, “The Sixth Sense.” Bruce Willis played the part of a child psychologist, named Dr. Malcolm Crowe.

One night, while he and his wife were celebrating an award that he had won, he was shot by one of his former patients that had broken into their home. In the very next scene, six months has gone by, and Dr. Crowe had another patient. He was a very strange eight-year-old boy, named Cole, who had a secret. He could see things that no one else could see. Cole was afraid to tell anyone his secret because he knew that no one would believe him. He knew that people would think he was crazy.
One day, Cole got to the point where he couldn’t keep it to himself anymore. He said, “Dr. Crowe. I’m ready to tell you my secret now.” He looked at the doctor, and in a voice that is just above a whisper, he said, “I see dead people.”

He said, “They are walking around like regular people.” Then he said something that messed me up. He said, “They don’t know they are dead.” Dr. Crowe asked him, “How often do you see them? Cole said, “All the time. They are everywhere.” Of course, Dr. Crowe thought Cole was crazy. But before the movie was over, Dr. Crowe realized that he was one of the dead people that Cole was able to see. He didn’t know that he was dead.

Like Cole, I also have a secret. I see dead people too. I’m not talking about the kind that Cole saw in the movie. I don’t see any ghosts. I see people who are dead in their sins. I see people who are lost and on their way to hell. I see people who are separated from The Almighty God. I see dead people.

When I’m driving down the street, I see dead people. When I’m walking through the mall, I see dead people. In my family, I see dead people. In the grocery store, I see dead people. In the jails and in the prisons, I see dead people. Everywhere I go, I see dead people. They don’t know that they are dead. That is why I try to tell everyone that I can about Jesus Christ, the only one who can give them life. Jesus said, “I come that you may have life”(Matthew 10:10).

What about you? Do you see dead people? If so, what are you doing about it? Are you trying to tell them about the only one who can give them life? Remember, before Jesus came into your life, you were dead too.

AUDIO: http://www.kobaltbooks.com/ISeeDeadPeople.mp3

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

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

Listen To The Music

2010-02-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

I love watching movies. Although I like a good comedy, my favorite movies are drama and suspense. I like movies that hold my attention and keep me on the edge of my seat.

There is one thing that I have noticed about most movies. When one of the characters is about to walk into a dangerous situation, we always hear some eerie music. Have you ever noticed that? When someone starts walking up a flight of stairs or heading toward a closed door, and that music starts playing, I know that they are walking into danger.

There have been times that I was so caught up in a movie, that when I heard that music, I would be shaking my head and hollering to the person, “Don’t go in there. Can’t you hear the music?”

I know it is just a movie and the music is there to add excitement to the scene. But sometimes I wonder what the person would do if he or she could hear the music? Would they stop what they are doing, or would they proceed recklessly? Would they head on into a dangerous situation, or would they act sensibly? In other words, would they listen to the music?

In our lives, we hear music everyday. I’m not talking about the sound of an orchestra or a band. I’m not referring to the melodies that come from our stereos, CDs or MP3s. I’m talking about the still, small voice of God that speaks to our hearts.

How many times have you said, “Something told me not to do that”? Could that “Something” be God talking to you? We often find ourselves in trouble because we do not listen to Him. Instead, we are like the characters in a movie. We go places that we have no business going. We get involved with people that we should stay away from. We eat and drink things that are harmful to us. I can imagine the angels in heaven shaking their heads and hollering to us, “Don’t do that. Can’t you hear the music?”

When God speaks to His people, it is smooth and comforting like soft, mellow music. The problem is, sometimes we don’t listen. We have our minds made up and we do what we want to do. Some Christians have lost their way because they didn’t listen to the music. Some women have gotten into abusive relationships because they didn’t listen to the music.

God knows what is best for us. The next time He speaks to you, open up your heart and listen to the music.

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over")

How Bad Do You Want It?

2010-02-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Quitting is one of the easiest things in the world to do. I should know. I was a master of it. If universities gave degrees in quitting, I could have graduated summa cum laude. The problem is, I quit school.

School wasn’t the only thing that I quit. I left my first wife after one year of marriage. I quit preaching three years after being ordained. I was kicked out of the marines before my tour of duty was completed. During the first fifty years of my life, the only thing that I ever completed was a prison sentence. I would have quit that too if I could have.

There is a poem that my father always quoted when he saw I wasn’t doing my best. It was his philosophy of life. It says:
If a task is once begun
Never leave it till it’s done
Be the labor, great or small
Do it well or not at all

The reason that so many of us do not succeed is because we don’t want it bad enough. We don’t want that degree bad enough to put in the work that it takes to graduate. We don’t want to make the sports team bad enough to practice day in and day out. We don’t want to excel at our jobs bad enough to learn everything that we can about our chosen profession.

Unfortunately, mediocrity is not only thriving in the secular world. It is prevalent in many of our churches as well. Some of us are not interested in being the best Christians that we can be. We don’t go to Sunday school or Bible study. We don’t read our Bibles or pray. A little rain or the threat of snow will keep us from going to church.

When I was hooked on drugs, I was the best junkie that I could be. Nothing could keep me from getting the drugs that I craved. My drugs meant more to me than my family, my friends, or my freedom.

There was a snowstorm in Chicago one winter that was so bad that cars or buses could not move. So I walked three miles through almost two feet of snow to the dope house and then three miles back. That’s how bad I wanted to get high. If I was that committed to something that was killing me, shouldn’t I be even more committed to the one who gave me life?

Do you want to be the best Christian that you can possibly be? If so, how bad do you want it?

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over")

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

Be Thankful

2010-02-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

I broke my foot a little over a week ago when I fell of off a loading dock. I was collecting donations for our food pantry and homeless ministry. When I went to the doctor, they put a cast on my foot that goes from my toes to my knee. Now I am confined to my house and the only way I can get around is by using crutches, a walker, or rolling around in an office chair.

I sat home yesterday having a pity party with myself. I started thinking about all of the things I could not do and the places I could not go. I was tired of those crutches. I was tired of that chair. I wanted to throw that walker off the back porch. I was getting depressed.

Then I came to myself. I broke my foot. So what. I should be thankful that I didn’t break my neck. I can’t get out of the house. So what. I should be thankful that I have a house. I can’t take my food downstairs and eat it in front of the big screen TV. So what. I should be thankful that I have food.

We have to stop complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves because of what we do not have and start thanking God for what we do have. There is always someone that is worse off than you.

When I was released from prison in 1986, I decided to go to church. But I didn’t have bus fare, so I had to walk. The church was about three miles away and it was extremely hot that day. While I was walking, I thought about my car that had been repossessed while I was in prison. I thought about all of the money that I used to have. I thought about how hot and sweaty I was getting. I was getting angry because I had to walk.

Then I heard someone coming up behind me. He was singing and whistling. When I turned around, I was shocked at what I saw. It was a man in a wheelchair with no legs. As he passes me, he smiled and said, "Beautiful day isn’t it?" Then he rolled along, singing and whistling.

I had two good legs and was complaining because I had to walk. There was a man that had no legs, but he was able to enjoy the beauty of life. All I am trying to say is be thankful for what you have.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. Author of: THE HOODLUM PREACHER and AMAZING GRACE: The Storm Is Passing Over

God's GPS

2010-01-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

Last year I bought a GPS for my car. GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It was designed to help travelers locate and reach their destination. Since I am in charge of the outreach ministry for my local church, it comes in handy when I am looking for addresses. It is also helpful when I travel out of town.

Shortly after purchasing my GPS, I was invited to Detroit to preach and do a book signing. Before leaving home, I programmed the address to where I was going in Detroit into the system. The trip was going smoothly for the first few hours, but then I was directed to turn onto a road that I was not familiar with. I had driven to Detroit many times before, but I had never gone that way.

The farther I drove, the more uncomfortable I became. I called a friend of mine that drives cross-country for a bus company and told him my dilemma. He said although the highway that I was on would get me to Detroit, it was not the route that he would have taken.

I drove for about another hour when I spotted a gas station. I pulled in and asked the attendant how to get to Detroit. He told me that I was on the right road. I drove for a few more hours without seeing a road sign that mentioned Detroit or Michigan.

I was almost ready to turn around when I spotted a state trooper. I pulled over and told him that I was trying to get to Detroit but my GPS obviously had me going the wrong way. He said that I was almost there. He told me to just keep going. Before long, I was in Detroit. Not only that, I had reached my destination without going through the high traffic areas.

God has a GPS too. I call it God’s Positioning System. Before we were born, God programmed our destination into His GPS. Sometimes we get off course. Sometimes we don’t like the route that He has chosen for us. But God puts His people in positions that He wants us to be in so that we can get to where He wants us to be.
When you pray, ask God to make you sensitive to His GPS, and then follow His directions. If you are not sure about how God’s GPS works, read the instruction manual that He has provided. It is called, The Holy Bible.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr. (Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over")

There Is No Plan B

2010-01-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite television programs is “The Practice.” Although it is no longer in syndication, I still watch the reruns. The law firm that is portrayed on the program is known for a courtroom maneuver that they call, “Plan B.” That is when they call one of the victim’s relatives to the witness stand and bushwhack him, accusing him of committing the crime that their client is charged with.
In our lives, we often resort to our own version of Plan B. It is a backup plan that we have in our mind or proposal in case the original plan fails. If we cannot get the job that we want, we go to Plan B. If we cannot get into the school that we desire or pursue the degree that we dreamed of, we resort to Plan B.
Plan B has become a cop out to many of us. If a task seems too difficult, or it looks like we might not reach our goal, we give up and look for Plan B. Our motto is, “If at first you don’t succeed, go to Plan B.”
Jesus gave the church a commandment before He left. He told us to make disciples. In Acts 1:8, He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” We must be looking for a Plan B, because 95% of church members have not lead one person to Christ. Instead, we complain about how messed up the world is.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” It is time for us to stop playing church and start being the church. There is only one way that we can change this world. There is no plan B.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr

"Happy Birthday Dr. King" by Rev. Burton Barr Jr. & KOBALT BOOKS

2010-01-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Today, we will celebrate the life of one of the greatest men that this world has ever known, Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. To many, he was known as a dreamer. Some called him a dreamer because of one of his most famous speeches. Others say that he was a dreamer because of the kind of world that he envisioned.

A world where men and women of all races, creeds and colors were treated with dignity and respect. A world where people would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. A world where all people, regardless of their nationality, could achieve whatever goals they strived to obtain. That is the kind of world that Dr. King dreamed of.

When I was a child, my father took me to Soldier Field in Chicago to see Dr. King one Sunday afternoon. I remember sitting in the bleachers, hanging onto his every word as he spoke to the roaring crowd. But it was not until I saw what he and so many people of color had to go through in the south that I realized just how special this man really was.

I watched Dr. King being punched, spat upon and pelted with stones as he led peaceful marchers down southern streets. My heart wept as I read the letter that he wrote while he sat alone in a Birmingham jail cell. A segment of society did everything that they could to shatter the dream of Dr. King and an entire race of people.

On an April evening in 1968, an assassin killed the dreamer, but he could not kill the dream. It lives on in many of us. Happy birthday Dr. King. Thank you for giving us something to dream about.

- Rev. Burton Barr, Jr.

Just Do It

2010-01-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Just Do It

Last week I told you about some of the programs that I was part of with Rev. Jesse Jackson. While I was praying and meditating about what I was going to write about this week, I remembered the very first program.

When I walked onto the stage with Rev. Jackson and the rest of the ministers, I thought I was just going to sit in the background and enjoy the program. But when it came time to start, Rev. Jackson asked me to open up and get things going. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but I started walking to the podium.

I turned to ask Rev. Jackson for some direction, but before I could open my mouth, he said, “Just do it.” I walked back to the podium and looked at the audience. I was still confused as to what was expected of me, so again I turned to Rev. Jackson who was seated behind me. But again, he looked at me and said, “Just do it.”

As I returned to the podium, I whispered a prayer, asking God for His help and His guidance. I opened the program, made a few remarks, and then turned things over to Rev. Jackson. I later found out that he wanted me to take part in his Christmas program in Chicago, but first he wanted to see if I could handle myself. I thank God for helping me pass the test.

My friends, sometimes you will be called upon to do some things. It might be on your job, at your school, in your church, or in your community. How will you respond? My advice is to ask God for His help and His guidance, and then, just do it.

Just Do It

2010-01-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

Last week I told you about some of the programs that I was part of with Rev. Jesse Jackson. While I was praying and meditating about what I was going to write about this week, I remembered the very first program.

When I walked onto the stage with Rev. Jackson and the rest of the ministers, I thought I was just going to sit in the background and enjoy the program. But when it came time to start, Rev. Jackson asked me to open up and get things going. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but I started walking to the podium.

I turned to ask Rev. Jackson for some direction, but before I could open my mouth, he said, “Just do it.” I walked back to the podium and looked at the audience. I was still confused as to what was expected of me, so again I turned to Rev. Jackson who was seated behind me. But again, he looked at me and said, “Just do it.”

As I returned to the podium, I whispered a prayer, asking God for His help and His guidance. I opened the program, made a few remarks, and then turned things over to Rev. Jackson. I later found out that he wanted me to take part in his Christmas program in Chicago, but first he wanted to see if I could handle myself. I thank God for helping me pass the test.

My friends, sometimes you will be called upon to do some things. It might be on your job, at your school, in your church, or in your community. How will you respond? My advice is to ask God for His help and His guidance, and then, just do it.

Happy New Year, from Rev. Burton Barr Jr.

2010-01-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

I want to take this time to thank all of you for your support last year. You have truly been a blessing to me. I pray that this new year brings you all of the joys and blessings that you can imagine.

While we were eating breakfast this morning, my wife asked me what was my most memorable day in 2009. Without giving it a single thought, I said, “Christmas morning.”

As some of you might know, I have spent the last eight Christmas mornings in one of the local jails, giving hope to the men and women that are incarcerated. People ask me why would I rather spend Christmas in jail with criminals and jailbirds instead of spending it at home with family and friends. My answer is simple. I was once a criminal and a jailbird myself.

I remember Christmas morning in 1985. I was an inmate at the Cook County jail in Chicago. I was depressed at the thought of spending another Christmas in jail. No family. No visitors. No hope.

Then I heard that Rev. Jesse Jackson was in the gym with a group of people from different churches for a Christmas program. When I reached the gym and saw all of the people that were on the stage and I heard the message of hope that Rev. Jackson preached, my life was never the same.

In 2002, I was on a program with Rev. Jackson in St. Louis. I told him how he had changed my life on Christmas morning at the Cook County jail in 1985. He invited me to go to the jail and be on the program with him that Christmas. I went to Chicago that Christmas and the next.

Although I was given an open invitation to go the Cook County jail with Rev. Jackson every Christmas, I thought about the men and women that were incarcerated in St. Louis, where I live. Therefore, I have spent the last six Christmas mornings at the Medium Security Institution in St. Louis.

So next Christmas morning, while you are sitting around the tree, opening the gifts that you received, say a little prayer for Rev. Jackson and the people that are with him at the Cook County jail in Chicago. While you are at it, say a little prayer for me, and the people that are with me in the Medium Security Institution in St. Louis.

Happy New Year to you and yours.

- Rev. Burton Barr Jr.

2009-12-31T06:58:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone for your support this past year. I hope to meet many of you personally one day.

HOODLUM PREACHER

2008-07-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE:

Kobalt Books is pleased to announce that Factor Media Group (Jean-Luc Martin and Ray Ellingsen www.FactorMG.com) and Tower 20 (Bruce Devan) have acquired the rights to “The Hoodlum Preacher” screenplay. Writer Takashi Bufford (Set it Off, The Tiger Woods Story) has signed on to adapt the screenplay from Burton Barr’s book “The Hoodlum Preacher.”

The Hoodlum Preacher

From prison to the pulpit, this con artist-turned church preacher went from standing in a police lineup to standing alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson. "The Hoodlum Preacher" details a life of crime and redemption, as a former drug addict now helps troubled youth and young prisoners avert a wasted life and to turn things around as he finally did.