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Week In Review!

Hello Friends,

It’s hard to believe it, but March winds have blown February away and we are well on our way into this new year.  Maybe you had some resolutions or goals and you find that you have not made the progress that you would like to have made toward their accomplishment.  If that is the case, then I want to encourage you to stick with me over the next couple of weeks, as we seek to get back on track with the great things that we were created for.

This has been a great week for me and I just want to shout out a few praises about some of the special things that touched me and ministered in my life.  So here goes:

Grace Place Even When Closed Is Open For Ministry!  It always amazes me to watch the faithfulness of our “Graceteers”.  They show up day after day, week after week and month after month to help share grace with people from all walks of life.  This past week was our “Restock” week and our “Graceteers” showed up in full force to help make sure that the job of getting the store ready for the first full week of March was accomplished.  The amazing thing is watching how they minister to each other and to others that happen by the campus.  Even when there is not any shopping taking place at Grace Place Store, there is still lots of ministry going on for God’s glory and people’s blessing.

Love Wednesday Evening Bible Study And Fellowship!  Everyone needs to recharge and Wednesday evenings provide just that.  God has blessed us with a great group of men and women that love growing together and the Spirit continues to provide just what we need from the Word to face the rest of the week.  Our children and youth also have a blast and amaze me at how they keep growing.  Thanks to each of you that help to make this such a special time.

Unplanned Blessings From A Funeral!  This week I had the honor of ministering to a very special group of family and friends of a very special and gifted young man that passed from this life into Eternity.  I did not know most of the family or the friends and they did not know me, but after it was all said and done, I believe we all got to know each other a lot better.  It was a real blessing for me to be able to share God’s grace and comfort and I walked away with the blessing of knowing myself a little bit better!

Brothers & Sisters From Another Mother!  What an exciting time this morning to go and have church with some of my spiritual family from Bible Way Temple on Prince Street in Sunny Side.  They certainly know how to praise God and bless His servant.  My fire was lit when I got there and it was blazing when I left.  I may have skipped 2nd and 3rd gear, but no one seemed to mind.  Breakfast with these folks was another amazing blessing and the fried bologna had to be the highlight of the party.  Can’t wait to have even more fellowship together!

My week is filled with all kinds of activity and I literally am heading in three directions at one time, most of the time, but God still manages to use it all for His glory and our blessing and for that I am grateful.  In fact, if there was one word I would use to express how I feel about this past week, that word would be GRATEFUL.  Thank You Lord!

Thanks for letting me share with you and thanks for continuing to remember me and the ministry I give leadership to in prayer.  So thankful to have each of you in my life!

Live Blessed,

Michael Joe

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Letting Grace Flow!

God’s grace becomes powerful in our lives when it is received and when it is shared.  Don’t allow grace to stagnate in your life.  Make sure that you do your part, so that it can flow freely and powerfully.  Don’t miss the miracles that God wants to do in and through your life everyday.  

Here are three very necessary steps to help you do your part:  

1. Replace negatives with positives!  We need to get rid of negatives and replace them with positives.  Negative thoughts, people, situations all need to be replaced with positive.  It does not work to simply get rid of negatives, we must replace the negatives with positives for it to really work!

2.  Decide what you want!  What is it that you were created for?  What is it that God wants to accomplish in and through your life?  Fulfillment comes from doing what you were created for.  Accomplishment opens the door for even greater blessing, so make sure that you are accomplishing your purpose.

3.  Make a plan and work on it!  Most people have desires, but it takes much more than desire for us to live the blessed life.  How are you going to get from where you are to where you were created to be?  Answer that question and then begin to do that work and your life will become miraculous.

Grace is powerful and can accomplish amazing things in and through your life!  Let grace do it’s thing and live blessed!

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Undeserved Love!

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.  Yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me,  Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so!”

“Jesus Loves Me” is so much more than just a sweet children’s song.  It is a reality of eternity and it needs to be more than just a concept that we have been taught.  Most of us believe it, but I often wonder, if we have really allowed ourselves to experience it?  What I mean is:  It’s in our heads, but is it really in our hearts?  And if it is in our hearts, shouldn’t that change things?

The truth is that it is hard to understand God’s love.  I mean it really is pretty amazing that God can love someone like you and me, with all of our faults and failures.  But He does love us and with the most amazing and incredible love that we could ever be loved with.  I was watching the movie “October Baby” last week and there is a scene where the daughter is moving into college and as she is walking off from her Dad, she turns and goes running back into his arms and says:  “Thank you for wanting me!”  That line grabbed me and would not let go, because isn’t that really what we all want – to be wanted?

My understanding of love has grown and is growing.  In no way am I an expert or guru, but when I became a Dad, I gained a whole new understanding and insight into love.  Becoming a Dad, allowed love to take on a whole new meaning for me.  Matthew 7:9-12 puts it this way:  9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I believe that a very big part of love is trust.  When you realize that your Creator really loves you and wants what is best for you, then it is easier to trust Him.  When you trust someone, you believe they will do what is best on your behalf, even without you there to guide or direct them.  When you trust someone, really trust them, you want to spend time with them.  Time with your Creator is not a “have to”, it’s a “get to!”  Matthew 22:36-38 teaches us about what is really important:  36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

God’s love for you and me is amazing!  The fact that He “wants” us, still blows me away and challenges me to ask myself some hard questions.  Questions like:  Do you want more of God?  Because if you really want more of God, then you can have more of God, but you have to be willing to do your part.

Recovery programs often begin with accepting of reality and being honest about our challenges.  So let me start by saying:  “Hello, my name is Michael Joe and I am a sinner saved by Grace!”  I have learned the truth of Isaiah 64:6 which teaches that my righteous works are as filthy rags, next to the righteous perfection of my Almighty Creator and King.  

He does not have to love me, I do not deserved to be loved by Him and I cannot even on my best day do anything to earn His love, but He does love me and I need Him and His love, if I am going to make it through another day.

Think about your life for just a moment:  What’s missing?  I mean, really think about and answer the question, because the answer is your first step in the right direction.  Now ask yourself this follow up question:  “What can I do about it?”  What can you do?  What will you do?  When will you get started?  What are you waiting on?  Make a commitment to do what you can and do it.  Why?  Because God, your Creator loves you and that is more than enough reason!  Live blessed – it’s what you were created for!

Telling Stories, Sharing Grace And Loving Folks!