Hall Memorial CME Church

CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF

2012-02-12T15:39:00.000-06:00

The sermon is titled: CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF

Listen well.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

PARENTING BIBLE STUDY for 2/8/2012

2012-02-10T20:06:00.000-06:00

Although I began the study by saying that it was January 8th, this is, in fact, the discussion from February 8th.

We continue in the study on parenting with an in-depth look at the interrelationships and intersecting responsibilities between parents and children, from questions 16 through the end of part four.

Get the printed questions and follow along with the discussion. Download the worksheet at http://media30.podbean.com/pb/7350c947ddec367aefb888ac8a78478f/4f2b3906/blogs30/46502/uploads/HMCMErelationshipbiblestudyParentsandChildrenforposting.pdf
Listen well.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church. Call/ fax: 334-288-0577

Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.
Montgomery, AL 36116

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SICK FOLKS IN YOUR HOUSE

2012-02-05T19:05:00.000-06:00

If you've ever had to deal with a sick family member, especially if their condition was long-term or if their illness became progressively worse then you know that it’s tough having sick folks in your house. It’s just as tough when the illness is a spiritual affliction.

What do you do when someone in your house is spiritually sick? Find out in this message title:
SICK FOLKS IN YOUR HOUSE

Listen well.

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PARENTING BIBLE STUDY, part 3 continued

2012-02-02T19:51:00.000-06:00

Continue in the study on parenting with an indepth look at the interrelationships and intersecting responsibilities betweens parents and children, questions 13 & 14.

Get the the printed questions and follow along with the discussion.

Download the worksheet at http://media30.podbean.com/pb/7350c947ddec367aefb888ac8a78478f/4f2b3906/blogs30/46502/uploads/HMCMErelationshipbiblestudyParentsandChildrenforposting.pdf

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.
Montgomery, AL 36116

WHO IS TALKING? WHOM ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

2012-01-29T16:02:00.000-06:00

False prophets, death threats from God, and a demon in the Amen corner while Jesus is preaching---- these are the elements of a sermon that took me out of the comfort zone of typical sermon composition.

Ask and answer the questions:
WHO IS TALKING? WHOM ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

PARENTING BIBLE STUDY, part 3

2012-01-26T05:35:00.001-06:00

In our most recent Bible study on the relationship between parents & their children, we deviated from the set order of questions; but that's happens sometimes as the Holy Spirit has His way.

The class focused on question #12 Compare Ephesians 6: 4 with Proverbs 13: 24; 22: 15; and 23: 13. How can parents apply the rod while not provoking their children to wrath?

This took us back to questions 9 & 10 from part 2. Listen to the lively discussion of this very important topic.

If you haven't already done so, you may want to download the printed worksheet which now includes all of the questions up to this point.
http://media30.podbean.com/pb/1035ee6206679e99f60706b33c1c3268/4f213aa8/blogs30/46502/uploads/HMCMErelationshipbiblestudyParentsandChildrenforposting.pdf
Share your comments & question.

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order
made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.
Montgomery, AL 36116

THERE WILL BE A TEST ( HOSPITALITY)

2012-01-22T15:53:00.001-06:00

When a teacher reviews old lessons it means that a test is coming up. The book of Deuteronomy is essentially one long review of the commands and lessons that God gave to the children of Israel. The material from that review, in particular the principles of Deuteronomy chapter 10, still apply to us.
Learn how this review lesson opens the path to possessing the promises of God.

Learn how to prepare for the test that is already scheduled.

Learn Hospitality: Because There Will Be a Test on This.

Listen well.

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(Free podcasts are also available on iTunes. Download at http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hall-memorial-cme-church/id490585856 )

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.
Montgomery, AL 36116

PARENTING BIBLE STUDY, part 2

2012-01-19T20:24:00.001-06:00

Share in our Bible study on relationships. Listen to part 2 of the discussion of Parents and Children.

Listen well and follow along with the printed lesson.

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Download the questions for this study session at http://media30.podbean.com/pb/b02fd86e82860b3f992091a93c6464a9/4f18d07d/blogs30/46502/uploads/relationshipbiblestudy5ParentsandChildrenpart2forposting.pdf

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church Call/ fax: 334-288-0577 Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.
Montgomery, AL 36116

IF YOU DO NOTHING YOU'LL COME UP SHORT

2012-01-08T14:45:00.000-06:00

Reconsider the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25: 14-30. Begin by understanding that the parable isn’t about a few coins but about millions of dollars. Now, follow the message from Pastor Graves’s personal experience in the early days of his marriage to the judgment hall of eternity. Learn an essential principle of the Kingdom: IF YOU DO NOTHING, YOU’LL COME UP SHORT

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

2012-01-01T18:51:00.001-06:00

Why were blessings missed in 2011? How can you fulfill the resolutions you made for this year, especially when some of them are the same goals you had for the year that just ended? The secret is in the timing.

Follow this lesson from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and Matthew chapter 25. Learn why, even in spiritual things, TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

WHERE IS JESUS NOW? (The Real Story of CHRISTmas, part 4)

2011-12-25T13:14:00.002-06:00

The popular image of Jesus and the Wise Men shows 3 devout kings kneeling with shepherds around the manger of an infant Jesus. According to the Bible, that image is wrong.

Discover the real story. Learn why the wise men and the evil King Herod where so obsessed with the question “Where is He?” Find out where Jesus actually was and how he got there. Then find out why it’s so important to ask yourself the question:
WHERE IS JESUS NOW?

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

THANK YOU

2011-12-23T14:29:00.000-06:00

Thank you to the the members of Hall Memorial CME Church who signed up and showed up to minister at the Christmas Clothes Closet, December 19-23rd. I am mindful of what it means to give up hours of your Christmas week. You committed your time, and I noticed that every one of you gave more hours than you signed up for.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, (1 Thessalonians 1: 2, 3)

Thank you for carrying and folding, for sorting and labeling, and for setting up tables and racks (including the rack you had to fix after I knocked it over trying to unplug the Christmas tree in the dark).

You made each person who came in to the Christmas Clothes Closet feel like they were a v.i.p. customer entering an elite boutique. You gave warmth to some who would have been cold that night. You provided gifts for some who had none to give this Christmas. You took time for conversation and spoke comfort to folks who hadn’t heard much good in a while. And, you gave at least one young man the first suit he’d ever owned in his life.

God knows that you served joyfully and well.

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 6: 10)

Thank you, Rev. Perry, Jerome, Sis. Bibbins, Carol, Jerome, Cheylon, Sis. McReynolds, David, Gwen, Andre, Kathy, Minister Madlock, Inell, Stacy, Bro. Moore, Bro. Jackson, Shelia, and all kids and other adults who came by to quietly lend a hand without being seen.

I love being your pastor.

Merry CHRISTmas,

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II

p.s. See you Sunday at 9 A.M.

WHAT WE DO at HMCME

2011-12-19T01:05:00.000-06:00

Today, I heard Luke chapter 2 eloquently read by two African-American girls (Kaitlin & Alexis).

I watched 10 year old Alexis sit down at the piano and play “Silent Night.” Then I listened to a 13 year old African-American male named Quinton play it on his trumpet.

Moments later I watched a twenty-something year old sister named Cheylon perform a classical dance that moved her so deeply that she and several members of the audience, including me, were in tears by the end of the song.

Shortly after that, a chorus of African-American males 13 years old and younger sang “Mary Did You Know.”

Leaving this place, I watched people hug and shake hands, pausing to share holiday plans and ask about each other’s family. I saw people standing in front of a bulletin board, adding their names to a list of volunteers who’ll give out clothing to the needy in the week before Christmas.

This was no benefit concert nor holiday special.

This was just church at Hall Memorial.

You should join us.

Hall Memorial CME Church, 541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, Alabama.

The Real Story of CHRISTmas, part 3: LOOK WHAT GOD WILL DO

2011-12-18T13:28:00.000-06:00

Take a walk through Luke 2: 21-40. Meet Simeon and Anna. Understand the realness of Joseph’s and Mary’s situation. See how God uses what looks like randomness and circumstance to deliver magnificent blessings to His people, and learn where you need to be to receive the blessing God wants to deliver to you.

But understand, you can’t get there with elves and reindeer.
Instead, LOOK WHAT GOD WILL DO when we understand The Real Story of CHRISTmas

Listen well.

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THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BABY

2011-12-13T00:21:00.000-06:00

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE BABY NAMED JESUS

We’ve all heard the story of Jesus’s birth and the shepherds who visit him many times, but have you been paying attention to the real story or to the bootlegged version. Why? Why does it even matter to get this story right? Maybe it has something to do with our traditions? Maybe it has something to do with our shopping plans? And, maybe there’s just something about the baby whose birth we celebrate on Christmas Day?

To find out, pay attention.

No audio time, but the text of the latest sermon at Hall Memorial CME Church is available at the link below.
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BABY NAMED JESUS.

http://media30.podbean.com/pb/c39c41813de9455c76d477f61209a4d3/4ee6ecf8/blogs30/46502/uploads/SomethingaboutthebabynamedJesus12_11_11.pdf

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

4 DINNERS IN 1 MEAL (THE LUKE 14 DINNER)

2011-11-27T16:55:00.000-06:00

The Thanksgiving meal prepared by my mother was enough to have been 4 dinners. Ironically, Jesus knows what that’s like—sort of. In Luke chapter 14, Jesus accepted the invitation to an after worship meal. Jesus didn’t bring a dish, but He did bring a lesson, actually a set of lessons. These lessons serve up 4 spiritual dinners, each with its on flavors of conviction, challenge, and hope.

Following this sermon, the members of Hall Memorial CME Church put the lesson into practice. The church kitchen crew prepared a meal, and the church “fixed” their plates, but we didn’t eat a thing. We carried plates to the Greyhound bus station, back corners, convenience stores, and hotels frequented by the cyclically homeless and transient. We gave them our food and left it to God to bless us.

At one location, we found and fed 12-15 families living semi-permanently in a Day’s Inn.

It was a blessing well worth 4 DINNERS IN 1 MEAL.

Listen well.

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LUKE 14 DINNER

2011-11-24T09:23:00.000-06:00

What: Luke 14 Dinner for the Needy.

When: November 27, 2011, approx. 12:30 p.m. (after morning worship)

Where: Hall Memorial CME Church is at 541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, 334.288.0577

HMCME is well-known for the delicious soul-food dinners we serve after special afternoon services. On Sunday, Nov. 27th, after morning worship service, we will pile food on our plates for a traditional Sunday meal – with a twist. Rather than enjoying the meal ourselves, ...we’ll get into our cars and go out along the East Boulevard and other areas around Montgomery, handing our plates to the homeless, transient, and hungry.

As Jesus said in Luke 14: 12- 14, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
This is one way we tell Jesus, "Thank you." Join us and share in the the best meal you'll never eat.

A CHARGE TO KEEP

2011-11-20T19:42:00.000-06:00

Worship can be so moving, so exciting, so empowering; but the rest of the week (sometimes the rest of the day) can be so spiritually unproductive. Sometimes you experience powerful praise and worship and nearly as soon as you leave church you experience spiritual defeat.
What happened? Why?

Pastor Anderson T. Graves opens the Word and answers these questions in a sermon delivered for the Homecoming & Church Anniversary Celebration at Southside CME Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Learn why it’s so important to KEEP THE CHARGE.

Listen well.

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UNDER DIVINE CONSTRUCTION

2011-11-13T14:00:00.002-06:00

This road is not easy. Sometimes it’s so rough that you don’t see how it’ll ever get any better. Sometimes it seems like you’ll never get any better. Will it? How can you know?

Through the opening passage of the book of Philippians and his own story of a wreck/ wrecked life, Pastor Anderson Graves II shares a Word that answers these questions. Follow along and learn THE SIGNS THAT YOU’RE UNDER DIVINE CONSTRUCTION.

1) Fellowship in the gospel
2) Sharing in the chains of others
3) Defense and Confirmation of the Gospel.
4) Grace of God
5) Love,
6) Knowledge,
7) Discernment.
8) Spiritual Priorities,
9) Integrity
10) Righteousness

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

PROVERBS 21: 29 -- STRONG BROTHERS

2011-11-11T05:26:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 21: 29 A wicked man hardens his face,
But as for the upright, he establishes his way.

Brothers are often raised to be “hard.” And there’s a good reason. The reason is that the world is In fact a cruel & vicious place, & if you’re not strong enough it will chew u up & spit you out in soggy, flavorless chunks. A man can’t afford to be blinded by emotion, but neither can he afford to be hard-hearted & therefore blind to his feelings & the feelings of others.

In practice/ in life, the emotionally blind (hard brothers) & the emotionally blinded (‘soft” brothers) are the same. They both react out of fear; they both live w/out a plan.

Hard/ hard-hearted brothers are afraid so they fight when there’s nothing to fight over. Soft/ emotionally weak brothers are afraid so they flee when there’s nothing to flee from.

Hard/ hard-hearted/ emotionally blind brothers refuse good advice & refuse to consider the consequences of their actions either on themselves or on others. They do without thought/ plan. Therefore they fail.

Soft/ weak/ emotionally blinded brothers are incapable of refusing advice. They do what everyone tells them, hopping from path to path & never charting a clear direction. Therefore they fail.

The wise & godly balance is neither hard nor soft; it’s STRONG.

A strong brother doesn’t react out of fear. A strong brother acts out of love & righteousness. A strong brother chooses his response based on how to do right by others (love) while always doing what is right (righteousness).

A strong brother listens to advice & correction, but makes the final decision his own. A strong brother understand his place in His plan & makes his personal plans according to His Divine will & Word.

A strong brother doesn’t move blindly along a random path. A strong brother consciously establishes his way.

Soft breaks. Hard shatters. Strong endures.

Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

LOVERS, SPOUSES, STALKERS, & SHAME

2011-11-06T21:59:00.000-06:00

In a way everyone---saved or not, believers or not----everyone has a relationship with Jesus. The big question though is: What kind of relationship do you have with Jesus? Beginning in the love poems of Song of Solomon and continuing into Jesus’ parable of 10 potential brides all pursuing the same groom---- hear what the Word has to say about the love of Christ. Take a romantic view of His love.

Consider what the Spirit has to say about LOVERS, SPOUSES, STALKERS, & SHAME.

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577

Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

2011-10-30T20:33:00.005-05:00

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You can learn a lot from comic books. One thing you learn is that knowing your identity is key to putting your power to work. That’s also true in the real world of spiritual truth. Sometimes we live perpetually wounded and powerless lives not because we are wounded and powerless, but because we don’t realize that we are healed and powerful.

In this sermon you’ll learn the connection between the Christian walk and the life of Pastor Graves’s favorite superhero. Learn why you aren’t as victorious as you somehow think you’re supposed to be. Learn how you can to turn that all around if only you will
REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

Listen well.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOAT (the b-o-a-t, not the b-o-x)

2011-10-17T19:16:00.001-05:00

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Anybody can think outside the box, but are you ready to think outside the “boat.” Look anew at the calling of Jesus’ first disciples in Matthew 4 and the occasion of Jesus and Peter walking on water in Matthew 14 connect that with a real life example from ministry at our church.

Find out what boat you’re in (cause you’re in one) and learn how to

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOAT (the b-o-a-t, not the b-o-x)

Listen well.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

WHO'S GOT WHOSE BACK?

2011-10-17T17:10:00.001-05:00

There are just some things that you can’t handle alone even though you’re left alone to handle them. In those times you wish we there was somebody who really had had your back.

Somebody does.

Find out who that is in this message originally delivered for Youth Revival at Oak Grove M.B. Church in Monticello, MS.

Find out WHO’S GOT WHOSE BACK.

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

MONTGOMERY AREA PRISON OUTREACH CONFERENCE

2011-10-15T06:36:00.000-05:00

What? MONTGOMERY AREA PRISON OUTREACH CONFERENCE
When? October 15th, 9 A.M.- noon

Where? Hall Memorial CME Church,

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116

Who? Ministries, churches, non-profits, government agencies, law enforcement, and all groups & individuals who care about prison outreach.

Why? As we at Hall Memorial CME Church and our partners at Gateway Benevolence Ministries ministered to the men and women in the jails and prisons we found that their needs didn't end with the classes and Bible studies we brought to them behind bars. We found that when they were released even those who accepted the invitation to connect with our churches were often ill-prepared to live legitimate, productive lives. We also discovered how ill-prepared we were to meet their many needs.

As we searched for help, we found many, many others who are doing good work, potentially filling the gaps in each others’ resources.

The MONTGOMERY AREA PRISON OUTREACH CONFERENCE on Saturday, October 15, 2011 is about getting all of those people together and saying to each other, "This is what we need. This is what we have. Let's share."

How much? Free. But registration is required. Register online at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/U2KR7C2S3Q4L

If you have questions or want more information, email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com You can also join in the conversation by joining the facebook group Montgomery Area Prison Outreach

FOR HIS NAMESAKE (NAME'S SAKE)

2011-10-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

Here is the problem: People get saved and then, after they’re saved, they sin. And yet, God continues to show mercy to people who mess up even after they’ve received the great gift of salvation. What would He do that for?

For His Name’s Sake (Namesake)

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116
Phone: 334-288-0577
Email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN

2011-10-03T00:25:00.001-05:00

From small deviations in our regular schedules to national tragedies and cataclysms, there is no shortage of events and incidents that can turn our world upside-down. But, is that always a bad thing?

In Acts chapter 17, an angry mob accuses the early Christians of coming into town and “turning the world upside-down.” Maybe, just maybe that’s what we’re supposed to do.

Maybe it’s time for us to be more like those early believers who TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.

Listen well.

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BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR

2011-09-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

When it comes to asking God for a blessing, we worry most about how to be sure we get the answer we seek. Maybe we should be more concerned with what happens when we actually get the answer we’re after. Every answer brings change and conditions. It’s the new conditions that decide whether our answer from God turns out to be a blessing or a curse.

Take a look at King Saul’s downfall in 1 Samuel 15 and the Jesus’ parable about day laborers in Matthew 20. See the connections and learn why it’s so important to

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116
Phone: 334-288-0577
Email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

DON'T WAIT FOR YOUR LAST CHANCE

2011-09-11T22:57:00.003-05:00

The book of Exodus could be called the book of 2nd chances. Throughout the text nations, tribes, families, and individuals are given chances to correct their lives and align themselves with God’s will. Among these stories of 2nd chances is one we’ve overlooked--- The story of all the 2nd chances that God gave – to Pharaoh.

Take a new look at the 10 plagues and Pharaoh’s role in them. See yourself in his story. Hear the Lord say,
“Don’t Wait for Your Last Chance.”

Listen well.

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DON'T WORRY. IT'S ALL PART OF THE PLAN

2011-09-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

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Trouble comes. Frustration happens. People oppose you when all you want to do is serve God. What about when you put your heart into His service and other people don’t listen to you or receive the vision you know God has given you?

The Word from the Lord is look back at Exodus. Remember the revolution that God brought about through Moses.

Listen and learn that You Don’t Have to Worry. It’s All Part of the Plan!

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116

Phone: 334-288-0577

Email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

MONTGOMERY AREA PRISON OUTREACH CONFERENCE

2011-09-03T13:32:00.001-05:00

What? MONTGOMERY AREA PRISON OUTREACH CONFERENCE

When? October 15th, 9 A.M.- noon

Where? Hall Memorial CME Church,

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116

Who? Ministries, churches, non-profits, government agencies, law enforcement, and all groups & individuals who care about prison outreach.

Why? As we at Hall Memorial CME Church and our partners at Gateway Benevolence Ministries ministered to the men and women in the jails and prisons we found that their needs didn't end with the classes and Bible studies we brought to them behind bars. We found that when they were released even those who accepted the invitation to connect with our churches were often ill-prepared to live legitimate, productive lives. We also discovered how ill-prepared we were to meet their many needs.

As we searched for help, we found many, many others who are doing good work, potentially filling the gaps in each others’ resources.

The MONTGOMERY AREA PRISON OUTREACH CONFERENCE on Saturday, October 15, 2011 is about getting all of those people together and saying to each other, "This is what we need. This is what we have. Let's share."

How much? Free. But registration is required. Register online at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/U2KR7C2S3Q4L

If you have questions or want more information, email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com You can also join in the conversation by joining the facebook group Montgomery Area Prison Outreach

GET READY FOR THE REVOLUTION (No, Not that Kind of Revolution)

2011-08-21T13:15:00.001-05:00

We live in a time of changes that are-----well, revolutionary. God is not surprised. In fact, the story of Moses opens to us a Word from God that shows His hand in this season of change.

Listen well and GET READY FOR THE REVOLUTION!

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116
Phone: 334-288-0577
Email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

BEFORE YOU PLAN, CHECK THE MASTER'S SCHEDULE

2011-08-20T12:31:00.004-05:00

Delivered for the planning meeting of the Montgomery-Phenix City-Opelika District of the CME Church, this message presents a Biblical challenge to our usual way of planning. Pastor Graves shared how the Holy Spirit convicted and deepened the way he views his calendar and offered instruction for how the church should look at its schedule.

Listen well and learn how to Adjust Your Plans to the Master’s Schedule.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church (541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116)

Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Phone: 334-288-0577

Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

DO YOU WANT YOUR LIFE BACK?

2011-08-19T06:34:00.002-05:00

What's happened to your life? What's happened to your church? What does that which was promised "life and that more abundantly" feel so ----- dead inside? For those who ask themselves these questions, there is an answer and a solution.

Listen well to the Word delivered for the opening night of Revival 2011 at 1st CME Church, Montgomery, Alabama.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church. 541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

IF YOU GET THE BREAD, YOU CAN STOP ASKING FOR THE SIGN

2011-08-14T14:07:00.004-05:00

In the book of Matthew, God spends 3 chapters (14-16) talking about bread. Bread for 5,000 people, bread eaten with defiled hands, bread on the children’s table, bread for 4,000, signs and leaven.
Clearly God was making a point.

The point is “If You Get the Bread, You Can Stop Asking for the Sign.”

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

DON'T FORGET THE LAST LESSON

2011-08-08T01:37:00.005-05:00

How soon we forget. Sometimes we find ourselves lost in a storm, sinking in sin---not because we don't know how to get out, but because we failed to remember or to apply the lessons that are the key to our deliverance. The disciples experienced this.

Listen well to their story. Learn the lessons---and remember.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

PARTICIPATE IN YOUR PROVISION

2011-07-31T20:51:00.003-05:00

What do you do when you’re tired and running at less than 100%?What do you do when you have meet the needs of others while trying to deal with your own?

You become an active participant in God’s plan for your provision.

The miraculous feeding of 5,0000+ hungry people shows that to be a participant in God’s plan of provision you must follow these 6 steps:
1. Acknowledge- Say what you need
2. Assess-See what you already have
3. Allocate- Give God what you have
4. Accept- Receive whatever God gives you
5. Accomplish-Glorify God for His provision

You’ll understand, if you listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

TEACHER NOTES ON : Relationship Study Lesson 2, Part 1:

2011-07-27T07:26:00.000-05:00

Bible Study: RELATIONSHIPS

Lesson 2: Failure & Redemption in the First Marriage

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor-teacher

Genesis chapters 1 & 2 present the ideal marriage. Genesis chapter 3 gives a step-by-step narrative of how a good marriage can fall apart. The purpose of this lesson is to understand what went wrong and how to deal with it. After all, at the end of all their problems, remember that Adam and Eve stayed married & gave birth to everybody.

Study Part 1

1. Look at Genesis 3: 1, 4. Note the qualifying words (indeed, surely) in the serpent’s questions and statements to Woman. How do these qualifiers more effectively create doubt than a straightforward invitation to disobey God?

Genesis 3: 1     Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2     And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3     but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4     Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5     For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

- Satan didn’t technically call God a liar. Had Satan said, “God’s lying” or “God is wrong” the woman likely would have gone off and the conversation would have been over. Instead, he simply implied that there might be another, easier interpretation of God’s Words.

- “That’s not really what God was trying to say, was it?”

- “I know He said you’d ‘die,’ but do you really think He meant you’d ‘die-die,’ like literally ‘dead-die’?”

- He planted seeds of doubt about something that had been absolutely certain the moment before.

- He made Eve think, “I know that what the Word of God said, but is that really what God meant?”

- The doubt about the Word provided an opening for the suggestion/ temptation. The doubt opened a window for Eve to rationalize her sin & justify it as a more liberal/enlightened interpretation of the Word of God.

- Any interpretation of the Word that justifies sin is a mis-interpretation.

- Application: Doubt can be the death of a healthy marriage. (Remember that at this point in history, Adam & Eve do in fact have a healthy marriage.)

- Eve falls for a trick satan continues to use today, especially (though not exclusively) on women: Over-interpretation.

- Generally, men communicate literally. “I’m tired” means “I am tired.” It doesn’t mean “I’m bored with you and want to find someone younger and more exciting.”

- Over-interpretation can take a clear, simple, loving message and twist it 180 degrees. God’s “Don’t eat from the tree of knowledge or you’ll die” was over-interpreted into “It would be a godly thing to eat from the tree of knowledge.”

- In a marriage, over-interpretation can create resentment over statements that were never intended to offend. It can cause a spouse to see signs of infidelity where there is nothing but faithfulness and genuine commitment.

- CAUTION: Over-interpretation can work both ways.

- Statements and actions that are clearly wrong can be twisted to make them seem right.

- For example: If a man hits a woman it does not mean “He loves me so much he couldn’t control himself.” It means “This is a man who hits you.”

- We prevent over-interpretation by

o 1) developing godly discernment daily through Bible study & prayer

o 2) seeing the context of the relationship instead of obsessing over a single act, word, or emotion

o 3) understanding our issues (more on this with question #3) and our spouses

2. Look at Genesis 3: 5,6. What did Satan present as enticing about the tree of knowledge? Looking at Genesis 3: 6, what did Woman find appealing about the tree of knowledge?

Genesis 3: 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

- For satan, who is a power obsessed ego maniac, the most enticing thing was power.

o Isaiah 14: 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

- *Because power was satan’s issue, he approached Eve assuming she would be enticed by the same thing.

- In fact, what tempted Eve wasn’t power. Verse 6 shows that Eve was tempted byt beauty, taste/ pleasure, and wisdom---none of which are necessarily sinful.

- This is the work of temptation at its most dangerous. Take something/ someone with traits which are in themselves positive, but put thing/ person in conflict with God’s commands.

- Example: Nothing’s wrong with good conversation between friends. It’s not a sin to enjoy the company of someone of the opposite sex other than your spouse. He’s/She’s a good person (maybe even a Christian). All of these are positive traits. But, when time with that person begins to be an escape from your marriage/spouse or when thoughts arise to do the opposite of what God & your vows say you should do---that person, that time w/ them is no longer innocent. It’s forbidden fruit.

- *Quick note. When someone first tempts you, they reveal their own issues. The 1^st appeal will be based on what tempts them. They’ll give you a reason for doing what they want. When that doesn’t work, they won’t change what they want you to do, but they’ll come at you with a different reason why you should do it.

- Once they understand better what makes you tick, they’ll tailor their temptations to your issues.

3. Did the woman give in to the serpent’s temptation solely based on his words or was some of the temptation from within herself? In other words, did the devil make her do it? (Consider James 1: 13-15.)

James 1: 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

- The Woman was tempted by satan, but she was not possessed by him. The devil enticed her to do wrong & encouraged her to do wrong; but the devil didn’t make her do wrong. Sin was Eve’s free choice.

- Marriages never fail for just one reason. In all the divorce situations I’ve dealt with as a pastor, friend, educator, & family member, I have never seen a situation in which it really was totally one person’s fault. The other person was a participant or an enabler.

- Point? Neither spouse can put the responsibility for the marriage’s success or failure on the other person.

- Factors exist against marriage. The attack Satan began in Eden continue today. Statistics may be against you, but marriages don’t fail because of statistics or because of satan. Marriages fail because husbands and wives fail their marriages.

- Each individual in a marriage brings his/ her own desires, goals, ambitions into the family. You don’t cease to be an individual when you get married.

- These ambitions may not be sinful in themselves, but when the desire to see them achieved blinds you to your responsibilities to God and to your spouse, then the desires have become issues.

- Eve was led away by her own desire for the physical beauty, physical pleasure, and promise of wisdom that she saw in the Tree of Knowledge.

- Pretty things (shopping), physical pleasure (pampering), and knowledge/ information (gossip)became Eve’s issues.

- To protect your marriage, husband and wife must each consider themselves, their ambitions, issues, and emotional baggage. When you understand yourself, you can anticipate the types of temptations to which you’re susceptible. (Galatians 6:1-4)

- You can anticipate the devil’s approach, recognize it when it comes (2 Corinthians 2: 11), and avoid “the fall.”

4. Where was Adam when his wife ate from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3: 6)?

5. Woman ate the forbidden fruit first, then Adam after her. Whose eyes “were opened” first?

6. Compare Genesis 3: 7 to Genesis 2: 25. What’s changed?

7. Considering the discussion in lesson 1 (question #19) about what it means for a husband and wife to be naked and unashamed, what are the implications of Genesis 3:7 for modern marriages?

LET ME BREAK IT DOWN

2011-07-25T00:50:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the Lord will give me one sermon to write leading up to Saturday night and then on Sunday morning give me a different Word to speak. That's how it happened this week.

The message I delivered picked up after "Messing Up Your Good Thing" and walked through the rest of Jesus' sermon in Matthew chapter 13.

Listen well, and you'll hear how Jesus "broke it down."

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.

Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

FROM THE PULPIT TO THE PEWS TO THE PROMISE

2011-07-19T23:14:00.001-05:00

Delivered for the Lay Worship Service at the North Central Alabama Annual Conference, this sermon opens a new layer in the familiar story of the children of Israel's journey in the wilderness. If you'll receive it as I received it from the Holy Spirit, you'll find truth for yourself, for your church, for this very moment.

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

MESSING UP YOUR GOOD THING

2011-07-17T23:29:00.001-05:00

Jesus told a parable about sabotage in Matthew chapter 13. This story connects us to the dramatic story of Jacob in the book of Genesis. Through the connection between these stories on opposites ends of the Bible the Holy Spirit opened understanding of the the root of some of our struggles and the reason why some people have it all, but aren't happy with it.

The Word shows how things get so messed up and offers hope and a plan for turning your life around.

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

Lesson 2 of Relationship Study (Part 1): FAILURE & REDEMPTION IN THE 1ST MARRIAGE

2011-07-14T08:13:00.002-05:00

Bible Study: RELATIONSHIPS

Lesson 2: Failure & Redemption in the First Marriage

Part 1 of 5

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor-teacher

No Bible study at HMCME July 20th (Join us for VBS from 6-8 P.M.) or July 27th.(We’ll be at the Alabama Regional Conference in Auburn.) We’ll continue the lessons online, here on the blog and on Facebook www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves)

Read Genesis chapter 3. Post your answers as comments. We’ll share online.

Genesis chapters 1 and 2 present the ideal marriage. Genesis chapter 3 gives a step-by-step narrative of how a good marriage can fall apart. The purpose of this lesson is to understand what went wrong and how to deal with it. After all, at the end of all their problems, remember that Adam and Eve stayed married & gave birth to everybody.

Part 1 of 5

1. Look at Genesis 3: 1, 4. Note the qualifying words (indeed, surely) in the serpent’s questions and statements to Woman. How do these qualifiers more effectively create doubt than a straightforward invitation to disobey God?

2. Look at Genesis 3: 5,6. What did Satan present as enticing about the tree of knowledge? Looking at Genesis 3: 6, what did Woman find appealing about the tree of knowledge?

3. Did the woman give in to the serpent’s temptation solely based on his words or was some of the temptation from within herself? In other words, did the devil make her do it? (Consider James 1: 13-15.)

4. Where was Adam when his wife ate from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3: 6)?

5. Woman ate the forbidden fruit first, then the man after her. Whose eyes “were opened” first?

6. Compare Genesis 3: 7 to Genesis 2: 25. What’s changed?

7. Considering the discussion in lesson 1 (question #19) about what it means for a husband and wife to be naked and unashamed, what are the implications of Genesis 3:7 for modern marriages?

COMPLETE TEACHER NOTES: THE FOUNDATIONS OF MARRIAGE

2011-07-13T09:51:00.000-05:00

Bible Study: RELATIONSHIPS

Lesson 1: The Foundations of Marriage

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor-teacher

Below are all of the questions and teaching notes I made for the 1st lesson of the study. Although this is lesson #1, the actual content, with discussion covers 3-4 Wednesday nights.
Questions are in bold type. Answers, notes, etc. are in plain type.

Read Genesis 1: 26-31; 2: 7-9, 15-25.

Pre-study question: Define the following terms. Consider the social, legal, and spiritual aspects of each word: We started by sharing our personal definitions of marriage, husband, and wife. We realized that these concepts aren’t as simple as they appear.

a. Marriage- union between man & woman; what God has joined together; contract between 2 parties

b. Husband – head of the family; provider; man who vows to relationship with a woman according to God’s law; Genesis 2: 23, 24

c. Wife – Genesis 2:23, 24; like the man, but different

1. Genesis chapters 1 & 2 describe the creation of humanity. As is often the case, the masculine term “man” is used here. However, in Genesis 1: 27, the Bible explicitly refers to the creation of male and female. What does this indicate about God’s plan/ intentions?

- God always intended to create males & females.
- Eve was not an afterthought. Adam was not an incomplete first attempt.

2. To whom does the plural “them” refer in Genesis 1: 28? “Them” refers to male & female, man & woman/ Adam & Eve.
To whom then, do the blessings of dominion apply? God gave the promise of dominion to all of humanity, both men and women.

3. Compare Genesis 2: 7 and Genesis 1: 26. How is “man” used differently in these verses?

In Genesis 1: 26 “man” refers to humanity in general, males & females.

In Genesis 2:7, “man” refers specifically to the male/Adam.

Again this shows that the creation of the woman along with the man was always part of God’s plan. God made Adam to be a man/male. He intentionally designed and created Adam as a male human being. God made humanity to composed of males and females. He intentionally designed and created men and women to be different.

4. Compare Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 2: 21, 22. Explain the difference between how God created the first male and how God created the first female?

Genesis 2: 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

… 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

God made Adam’s physical body from the dust of the earth. The elements and compounds in African dirt were the building blocks of his physical body. Once the physical body was formed, God directly breathed life into Adam. Man was intentionally formed to be both physical and spiritual.

Eve, was essentially cloned from Adam. Because her physical body was made from Adam’s physical body, both man and woman had the exact same (and therefore compatible) physical chemical/ genetic make-up.

It came up half-jokingly last week, that if God had made both of them from the dust of the earth that we might be arguing now that Adam was made from one kind of dirt and Eve was made from another. God’s way eliminates any support for an innate superiority or inferiority in either male or female.

Adam and Eve were formed intentionally but differently.

Although genetically identical, they were made male—on purpose, and female—on purpose.

5. Why wasn’t it good for Adam to be alone? Consider Genesis 1: 28. Also look at what Adam was doing (Genesis 2: 15, 20).

Genesis 1: 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2: 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it… 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

- God gave the promise of dominion and the command to be fruitful & multiply to them, male and female together. Really, Chapter 2 takes place in the middle of verse 27. So, one reason that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone is that he could not fulfill the command to multiply ---alone.

- In chapter 2, Adam is given 2 jobs. He was actively (and successfully) performing those tasks when God, not Adam, remarks that it isn’t good for him to be alone.

- What does dominion look like? It looks like someone working at exactly the callings God has given them. The other reason it was not good for Adam to be alone is that if he’d fulfilled his tasks without the woman she would have no place in the dominion that God had called them to.

6. What was Eve’s purpose? Consider what God said to/about her in chapter 2 and in chapter 1.

In chapter 1, everything that’s said about Adam also applies to Eve. His dominion was her dominion. His home was her home. The commands for him to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue the earth where all command to her as well as to him.

In chapter 2, Eve is made to help/ assist Adam in the work he has already been assigned. She does not define the man’s purpose; God has already done that. She comes in to be a “just right” help and to be an active participant in them fulfilling their purpose. The general promise/ destiny is given to male and female. The specific means of fulfilling their destiny of dominion is given to the man.

7. Genesis 2: 18 is one of the most frequently misquoted verses in the Bible. It does not say that God would make a “helpmeet” nor does it say “helpmate.” What does it say? What does that mean?

The Bible records that God designed Eve to be a “help meet” or a “help comparable” to Adam. Note that these are two separate words. God made eve to be a “help” to Adam. She was made specifically to be comparable, or suitable to him. The KJV term “meet” in this context means proper. In other words, Eve was made to be just right for Adam.

It was always God’s plan that Adam and Eve share in the responsibility and authority of dominion. Eve was formed in such a way that she fit into the organizational scheme that was already at work in Adam.

When God made Adam, He said that the creation was “good.” Adam was not missing anything. He didn’t have any baggage or sin or issues. He didn’t need Eve because he was messing up the names of the animals. He didn’t need Eve because he was pruning too much off the roses in Eden. God’s complete plan for humanity included males and females. It wasn’t good for Adam to do it all by himself because God didn’t intend for him to do it all by himself. But there is no indication or hint in the scriptures that Adam wasn’t capable of handling the business given to him –all by himself.

- The pronouns in Gen. 1 & 2 are important. In Gen. 1: 26, God refers to Himself as Us & Our. The Trinity decides to create man in Their/His image. Man and woman are made to be in a relationship that completes their destiny. They are complete together and they are complete separately. This is a reflection of the unity of God the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. It’s not exactly the same, but it is an earthly image of the triune godhead. Also, note that we have trouble understanding the Trinity in part because we keep comparing God to earthly stuff (water, atoms, humans). God isn’t like this stuff, but we at our best are somewhat like God.

8. It was always God’s intent to have both man and woman in dominion. So why didn’t He make them simultaneously?

We can’t know for certain, but we do know that sometimes God fulfills His promises in stages. For example, David was anointed to be king of Israel but it was several years before he actually sat on the throne of all 12 tribes. There were several steps he had to go through. In the same way, we see Adam being prepared to “be a man” before Eve is brought forth. Although their union was always meant to be, Adam needed to be prepared. The promises of Genesis 1 were made to a family, but the man had to be prepared before he could take up his role in the family.

You might think of it like a man who owns and company and intends to pass it to his son. The father might make his son work in the factory and learn the business before he actually names the son to be president.

What did God give/ do with Adam before He gave Adam a wife?

God gave Adam several things.

- God gave Adam a home of his own—Eden.

- God gave Adam work to do. He had 2 jobs: gardening which required him to labor with his hands; and naming the animals which required him to apply his mind to examining and understanding the nature and purpose of every creature.

- God gave Adam rules to live by. He had freedom to eat of everything, but he had a restriction from eating of one tree.

9. What did God name the woman He had made? (Trick question!) Read Genesis 2: 23.

God didn’t name the woman. Adam named her “woman,” which means out of man. “Woman” was more than a title, it was a name.

According to Gen. 2: 9, when Adam named something, God accepted the name. The name defined the thing.

The name “wo-man” defined Eve in relation to her husband. We may have a problem with that today, but keep in mind that at this time, Adam is perfect. The world is perfect. There is no sin, no baggage. Adam doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t mistreat Eve or anything on the earth. Adam lives in perfect fellowship with God, regularly beholding the fullness of his glory.

Adam and Eve are the prototype of men and women. They were created in a state of absolute perfection, placed in an absolutely perfect and sinless environment, and given unrestricted direct fellowship with God. Their relationship was literally a “match made in Heaven.” Consider now what their marriage teaches about all marriages.

10. (Consider your answer to question #1.) Just as God has a plan and destiny for each individual, if God has given 2 people to be married, He has a plan and destiny for them as a couple/ unit/ family_.

11. How does the answer to question #2 affect the concept of “success” in a marriage?

A family’s success must be collective success. A family’s success is defined by dad’s & mom’s success as a unit. A family is not successful when dad is doing his thing and mom’s left out. A family is not successful when mom in taking dad for all he’s got. “They” have dominion together or they each fail.

12. Read 1 Peter 3: 7. What is necessary for a husband and wife to stand in God’s favor?

1Peter 3: 7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

For a husband (and wife) to walk in God’s favor they have to be united:

1) There must be understanding between them. (Not necessarily agreement on every topic, but understanding of each other’s perspective.)

2) They must give each other honor. This means that he has to appreciate her ,and she has to appreciate him.

The husband must take the lead in seeking and modeling these areas, especially in giving honor to his wife. In a male-dominated world, it is tempting to treat women as inferior. That is not the way to God’s favor.

The husband and wife are “heirs together” of God’s grace. Once the union is made, they stand in or fall out of God’s favor as a unit.

Specifically, to the husband, God commands us to :

- Live with our wives

- Understand our wives

- Honor our wives issues (weaknesses) and all. Looking at the entire letter/ epistle of 1 Peter, the context is spiritual not physical. We’re not talking about physical issues, but spiritual issues.

- See that ours is a joint spiritual inheritance not and simply individual one

-

Heir= someone for whom the Father has promised an inheritance.

Inheritance= something better that the father has coming

Referring to the entire church, Peter writes in 1 Peter 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

- Husbands are admonished to love and live w/ their wives according to God’s commands because our obedience/ disobedience to how God says we’re to treat our wives affects our spiritual power.

o The scripture says point blank, that if we don’t honor & understand then our prayers will not be as effective.

o Note: The scriptures doesn’t say that wives have to understand husbands. In fact, I can’t think of a single scripture that commands women to understand men. I think it’s a good thing when women understand men, but I can’t say that it’s a Biblical command. I must say that husbands do have a Biblical responsibility to understand their wives. (Whoever said being a man was easy?)

o The Bible does not say that men have to always please their wives. The Word reference the fact that we often do strive to please our wives even to the point of disobeying God, but this is a caution, not a command.

o The Word does say explicitly that we are to live with, understand, and honor our wives—issues and all.

13. The answer to #4 shows a progression in the order of Creation. How is this progression lived out in a marriage? (Look at Ephesians 5: 23, 24.)

Ephesians 5: 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

God-man-God-woman-God-husband & wife together-God.

1) First, the man/ husband must understand and walk in his relationship to God. Out of that relationship the man understands & executes his responsibility to work and to provide for himself.

i. Then, man is ready to have a wife. Husband and wife must be right for one another. But the woman must see her connection to her husband in the context of her relationship to God. A woman has a divine purpose and a family role. The 2 are supposed to exist in harmony, not in competition.

2) God made the woman and she was with God(Gen. 2: 22)/ had her own personal relationship w/ God before she was brought to the man.

- The wife is to contribute to the process of taking dominion. She is to help the man succeed. Whether she works in the home or outside of the home, a wife is more than decoration, housekeeping, & sex. She is supposed to help her husband advance the family.

Note: The wife has voice & vote, but the final say in the exact work/ the exact means for the family’s progress is between the husband & God.

One of the problems with marriages in the church is that you have “godly” men who are looking for godly women, and “godly” women who are looking for godly men, but neither group is looking for God.

The Genesis model of the perfect marriage shows a man serving God and a woman with her own relationship to God. God brings them together, and together they serve God.

14. Considering the answer to #5, how is a husband supposed to achieve success? The husband is supposed to involve his wife in his success. His success should benefit his wife & their family (not just monetarily), making their life and relationship to God better and. If he prospers but she suffers, he’s outside of God’s will.

How is a wife supposed to achieve success? A wife’s success is supposed to benefit not weaken her husband. They are not competitors, she can and should improve herself, but in such a way that she has his back, not so that she can replace him in authority. A wife who prospers by stealing from her husband or who’s primary contribution to the family is to increase their debt and conflict is outside of God’s will---regardless what other women say.

For a closer look at a wife’s “work”, look at Proverbs 31: 10-31. Note that the Proverbs 31 woman may be a stay-at-home mom, but she is a hard-working, financially contributing stay-at-home mom.

15. Based on the account in Genesis, what does God expect of a man before the man becomes a husband? Consider answers #5 & #8.

God expects a man to have a relationship with Him, to be responsible (to work), to be out of his parent’s house, and to understand some things about the way the world works (This understanding was required for Adam to examine & name the animals).

A prospective husband doesn’t have to have it all together. He doesn’t have to have achieved all that he can. In fact, the model in Genesis 1, 2 shows that it’s best when a husband and wife build the greater part of their success together.

To wives: your husband’s peak should come after he marries you, not before. If he never has any more than the day before he married you, it’s at least partly your fault.

16. Looking at answer #6, what does God expect of a woman when she becomes a wife?

God expects the wife to fit her husband, to have his back. God expects a wife to listen to her husband’s vision of their future and to help him fulfill it. She is not called to dictate the vision, but she is to provide whatever information, resources, and support will help him understand God calling(s) on his life better.

A possible addition to the discussion:

R& B artist Kelly Price recently released a song with this chorus:

You're not my daddy. You're my man.

I think it's time you understand.

So just make me happy if you can (Oh)

I'm not your mama, I'm your girl.

And I am the lady in your world.

And loving each other's how we work. (Oh)

17. Why do women take their husband’s name when they get married? What does this signify in a spiritual sense?

Adam named his wife---twice. (Genesis 2: 23; 3: 20). In a spiritual sense (and this isn’t a popular view) it signifies that her identity is intricately tied to his destiny. God delivers some promises & instructions to both Adam & Eve. God delivers some promises & instructions just to Adam. God does not deliver any of the foundational rules of humankind to Eve alone.

None of this diminishes a the reality and power of a woman’s individual relationship with God. The Bible full of these (for example: Deborah the married prophetess of Judges 4; Huldah the married prophetess of 2 Kings 22; Isaiah’s wife—also a prophetess—in Isaiah 8; the widowed prophtess Anna (Luke 2); Mary the mother of Jesus)

A wife may be deeply and powerfully spiritual, but the job of chief spiritual intercessor is assigned to the husband. He may be spiritually immature but it doesn’t change God’s assignment. He may leave the spiritual work of the home undone so that his wife has to do it; but he will still be held responsible for the work whether he did it or not.

18. Read Adam’s marriage vows in Genesis 2: 23, 24. How does this apply to marriage today?

23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

- A husband must receive his wife as a custom-made gift from God. If he receives her as his wife, he must regard her as “the one.”

- A man’s wife must be his number 1 earthly priority. She is more important than his sisters, than his friends, than his daddy, than his mama. Period.

- Whatever disagreements they have in private, in public---he takes her side, even if he has to stand against his mama.

- Note: If anyone can find a scripture (not their opinion, not their experience) that says otherwise---write it down for me to review.

19. Read Genesis 2: 25. How does this apply to marriage?

25 And they were both naked , the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

a. Emotionally- emotionally naked and unashamed. A husband and wife should be to share feelings, fears, ambitions, and issues with one another that they are unable/ unwilling to reveal to anyone else, including siblings, parents, and friends

b. Financially – financially naked & unashamed. A married couple should know each others’ financial situation, all the details. Point blank, if you don’t trust her/ him, don’t marry her/him. Separate accounts are acceptable; secret accounts are not.

c. Sexually – sexually naked and unashamed. A husband and wife should be one another’s exclusive source of sexual gratification. No other person or means as a substitute. A husband & wife should not be ashamed of their sexual intimacy. If a couple’s desire and sexual intimacy is supposed to be fulfilled/ increased after they get married.

Note: Society has degraded and made a joke of sex between a husband and wife while romanticizing, glorifying, and recommending every other kind of sexual experience. This is backwards.

DANGER IN THE DESCENT (A Different Lesson from the story of Noah)

2011-07-05T01:14:00.001-05:00

In 2008, a research team from Massachusetts General Hospital performed a comprehensive investigation into specifically why so many climbers die on Mt. Everest. They found that most people who lose their lives on the highest mountain in the world do not actually die climbing up to the peak. They die coming back down.

The Biblical patriarch Noah built the ark. In one of the greatest acts of faith in history, Noah constructed a great wooden ship and saved humanity and the genetic ancestors of all land animals. All this is recorded in Genesis chapters 6-8.

In Genesis 9:21, Noah got drunk.

Sloppy drunk.

Sloppy-took-all-his-clothes-off-and-passed-out-naked drunk.

The hero of humanity shamed himself before his family. Noah’s youngest son Ham made fun of him, and in anger (and no doubt embarrassment) Noah cursed Ham and all of his descendants. Generations before the confusion of languages at the tower of Babel (Genesis chapter 10), Noah’s curse provided for the first ethnic divisions. Ham’s (aka Canaan’s) descendants eventually formed the pagan nations that rejected God and fought the Israelites (Genesis 10: 15-18).

All because Noah got sloppy drunk.

How could a noble, holy man like Noah let himself fall into such a situation?

He was coming down from a peak.

The high point of Noah’s life was the ark. Comparing Genesis 7: 11 and 8: 14, we realize that Noah and his family were inside the ark for over a year. That year is added to the time it took Noah to build the thing.

Think about the intense focus, planning, and constant effort all of this took. Once the Flood came and the ark was afloat, Noah literally became the head of humanity, the patriarch of the planet. Inside the ark he had to attend to the animals, see to the distribution of provisions, settle disputes, make decisions. There was constant activity.

Until the waters receded.

Then, Noah found himself again on dry land, but it was not land he recognized. The face of the world had changed. Sure, he named his landing site Mt. Ararat, but he couldn’t know relative to the pre-Flood world how far he’d actually floated. On dry land, the animals disbursed and started doing what animals do---without Noah’s direction. On dry land, his sons would have begun talking about building their own houses and going off with their wives to lead their own families. On dry land, without the constant work of the ark Noah would have had time to stop and reflect on the fact that every old friend, relative, and acquaintance he had known was dead.

During the crisis of the flood Noah had been strong. Doing the work of the ark Noah had been steadfast. But when the adrenaline ebbed the strain of the regular routine of just living was too much.

Noah couldn’t handle coming down from the peak.

For some of us, crises are easy. We’re ready to put in extraordinary effort, to rise to tough challenges, to deliver excellence under pressure. We like to push ourselves to conquer new summits of performance. Satan won’t trip us in the middle of a crisis because we are at our spiritual and personal best in tough times.

We, however, are at our weakest after the peak. When extraordinary demands give way to ordinary days we have to be extra careful of our spiritual lives.

Satan will come at us then. He’ll assault our peace and tempt us to escape into whatever is our favorite or habitual distraction. For Noah it was the wine bottle. For others it may be food or sex or conflict or whatever.

If we let Satan trip us after the peak, we may find ourselves doing things that put us to shame before our families and cause problems that linger for years.

Guard yourself after the peaks. Remind your support team to continue & even to intensify prayer for you after the big event is over.

Don’t let yourself be destroyed on the descent from the mountain.

2 Corinthians 2: 11 …for we are not ignorant of [Satan’s] devices.

REMEMBER THAT FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

2011-07-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

"Freedom is not free." It's a patriotic slogan, but when examined in the light of God's Word the statement points to powerful principles of spiritual deliverance. Learn why you still feel bound by & to old issues. Learn how to be free--truly free.
Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577 .
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

“Weapons of Mass Distractions” written by Apostle Dr-Sandra Wise

2011-07-01T07:13:00.000-05:00

This was written by a facebook friend, Apostle Dr. Sandra Wise of Dallas , TX. The Word was a blesing to me. With her permission, I'm sharing it with you.

“Weapons of Mass Distractions”

PLEASE READ: Nehemiah 6:1-6:19; Nehemiah 4:1-4:19

"Distraction (Webster) – [1]. Is the act of distracting; a drawing apart; separation. [2]. That which diverts attention; a diversion. [3]. A diversity of direction; detachment. [4]. State in which the attention is called in differe...nt ways; confusion; perplexity. [5]. Confusion of affairs; tumult; disorder; as, political distractions. [6]. Agitation from violent emotions; perturbation of mind; despair.

[That ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction (such as in 1 Cor. 7:35)].

Introduction: Dealing with Distractions

Do you have any unfinished projects lying around collecting dust? It’s so easy to get sidetracked isn’t it? It takes tenacity to finish what we start because there are always so many competing distractions. It is hard to remain focused isn’t it? Life for many consists of rabbit trails rather than highways. They are always on the move, but not really getting anywhere. The distractions of life dictate their decisions and control their schedules. We make a lot of plans, but get very little done. The phone rings. We need something at the store. We want to check our email. We get caught in the web of the internet following a story, looking up something, blogging, reading other people’s blogs, checking the weather, or just catching up on the news. The kids need to be dropped off, and then they need picked up. Something needs cleaned or repaired. A stack of books are begging to be read. Even making lists of things that need to be done is a distraction.

The problem is that it all seems important, or at least necessary. Our lives are filled with the urgent, and we have no time for the eternal. We have tended to a million little things and left undone the big things. We have filled the day with things that do not ultimately matter and left undone the things that do matter. We have done what seemed necessary and neglected what was essential. Days turn into months and months into years, and our lives have become trivialized by distractions.

And we shouldn't go to the world for our ideas in building the church. Many churches are using worldly marketing strategies, and trying to attract people using worldly ways. Have you been to some of these night-clubbish style churches? Our goal should not be to get the crowd rocking, but to get them established on the Rock.

Nor should our goal be just to have a big attendance. Show me Jesus talking about high attendance? The churches He commended in Revelation were congratulated on the basis of values such as love, faith, patience, endurance, etc. Never once did He commend their attendance. But in American churches today, attendance is everything! It's the measure of success! Go to any pastor's conference. Everyone is asking each other about attendance, and immediately the pecking order is established. The guy w/ the big church is asked to speak and the guy w/ a small crowd, who may be in a tough area, and may have more wisdom and holiness, is disrespected...because our values have been warped.

We love our growth, but if we have to compromise to do it than forget it. Having a big crowd is not necessarily having a church.

One thing that clearly emerges from our study in the Book of Nehemiah is that life is a battle from beginning to end. In Ephesians 6:12 the Apostle Paul warns, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood…but against the powers of this dark world.” We meet these powers of darkness in our text today.

Here in Nehemiah 6, as in many other places in Scripture, we learn that the devil has two main ways of working. The first tactic is fear. Satan is prowling around, as Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8, “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

But he has another battle plan as well. He not only uses fear, he also utilizes flattery. 2 Corinthians 11:14 reveals that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light.” He comes with enticing promises and flattering words, assuring us that what he proposes will cost us nothing.

Whatever method the evil one employs, whether it be fear or flattery, his aim is to distract and destroy us. We need to be on guard against each of these approaches. That is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that “We are not unaware of his schemes.” We need to be on guard because Satan is both a lion that devours and a serpent that deceives.

Let me give you a simple outline of chapter 6 that will help us get a better handle on how to deal with distractions.....

Part 2: "The Intrigue (1-4)

The Innuendo (5-9)

The Intimidation (10-19)

1. The Intrigue (1-4)

...Since Sanballat and his sinister buddies failed in their attempts to stop the wall builders, they decide now to concentrate their attacks on Nehemiah himself by changing their tactics and resorting to subtle persuasion. We might call this political softball. You will experience this as well when you try to correct some things in your life. Many people today are faltering in their Christian pilgrimage because they listen to the advice and temptations of those closest to them.

Let’s take a look at verses 1-4: “When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it -- though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates -- Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.”

These enemies suddenly become Nehemiah’s friends and invite him to a conference down on the plain of Ono. The first four verses look like a political concession speech they want to meet with Nehemiah and cut their losses or so it seems. Ono is located on the seacoast near the Gaza strip. It was a beautiful resort area. But Nehemiah senses danger: “they were scheming to harm me.” So Nehemiah said, “Oh, no!” to Ono.

Some commentators suggest that they were trying to trick him into leaving Jerusalem, where he had armed support, to come to a conference where they could ambush him. Nehemiah evidently senses this. He firmly declines, saying, “I am carrying on a great project, and I cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

That is a great answer even though it sounds rather blunt. But Nehemiah sees through their scheme by refusing their invitation four different times. You, too, may experience continuing pressure to change your mind and go along with something that is wrong. Some of us give in to repeated pressure. We might decline the first invitation but find our defenses weakened as the enticements continue. But Nehemiah persists in his refusal because he knows what his priorities are: “I am doing a great work. I have a great calling. God has committed a tremendous project to me, and if I leave, it will be threatened.”

2. The Innuendo (5-9)

When the enemy cannot accomplish his purpose by offering peace, he switches back to his original scheme of sinister threats. He moves from political softball to political hardball. Take a look at verses 5-7: “Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in which was written: “It is reported among the nations -- and Geshem says it is true -- that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.”

This arm-twisting tactic is designed to pressure Nehemiah to yield to their request, and thus fall into their trap. But he resists because he sees it for what it really is, an enticement based upon lies. Note that it was an “unsealed letter.” In other words, it was designed for everyone to read, so that the lie would be spread around that Nehemiah was trying to make himself king.

Have you ever noticed that rumors regularly cite people of distinction as sources? That’s what happened here “and Geshem says it’s true.” Someone has said that gossip is news you have to hurry to tell somebody else before you find out isn’t true!

Nehemiah responded three different ways he denied the rumor, he prayed to God for strength, and he went back to work. Look at verse 8: “I sent him this reply: ‘Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.’” That’s the best way to respond to a charge like this -- just a flat denial. He doesn’t try to disprove the accusation but merely states, “That is a lie. There is no truth in it.”

And then, invariably, as was his practice, he responds with another “prayer” in verse 9: “They are all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’”

Their tactics were to get the people to think that Nehemiah had some hidden motive -- his own glory -- for rebuilding the wall, hoping that the workers would thus become discouraged and quit. Nehemiah simply prays, “Lord, do not let that happen. Strengthen me to work all the harder.” They were on the last lap of the race and the finish line was in sight. He took care of his character and trusted God to take care of his reputation.

PART 3: 3. The Intimidation (10-19)

Once again the enemy switches his game plan in verse 10: “One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, ‘Let us meet in the house of G...od, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you -- by night they are coming to kill you.’”

This false prophet claims to have hidden knowledge. That is suggested by the phrase, “he was shut in” at his home. He was secluding himself for some religious reason. This is frequently the case with those who claim to be psychics who are in touch with the invisible world. They sit behind curtains in semi-darkness, trying to create a sense of mystery, as though they know more about inscrutable things than others.

What he says sounds logical: “Some people are out to get you. They are going to kill you.” Nehemiah certainly believes that! The man suggests, “Come on up here and we will go into the temple and shut the doors. They will not dare attack you there.” That sounds good, but immediately Nehemiah detects that something is wrong. He knows that he is not permitted to go into the temple, for only priests could enter the holy place.

So he answers in verse 11: “But I said, ‘should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!’” He realizes that a prophet who was really from the Lord would say nothing contrary to God’s commands. In verse 3 he said, “I cannot come down.” Now he says, “I will not go in.”

Having right priorities gave Nehemiah the courage to do what was right. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but instead it’s the tenacity to do what is right no matter how much we’re afraid. You see, it’s not just a matter of saying ‘no’ to distractions. We have to first say ‘yes’ to the right things, so that our priorities match up with God’s priorities. As we keep the main thing the main thing, we’ll be able to deal with distractions the way Nehemiah did.

God gives Nehemiah some insight in verses 12-13: “I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.” It was all part of a plan to discourage and distract the people from following Nehemiah’s lead. Fueled by jealousy and ambition, these enemies slandered him and tried to trick him into yielding to their demands.

We must be aware of this kind of attack in our lives as well. Don’t take someone’s advice or do what a friend asks you to do just because they seem like a nice person. Don’t let anyone or anything distract you from God’s priorities. The best response to such an approach is what Nehemiah uses here -- a deep sense of his true identity as a believer. “Should a man like me run and hide and try to save his life by wrong approaches and unlawful practices?” He falls back upon his clear understanding of who he is and what his priorities are. He is a believer in the Living God and as such need not resort to trickery to save his life.

Nehemiah meets this attack of the enemy by going to prayer once again in verse 14: “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also that prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.”

This brings us to the end of this first phase of Nehemiah’s work in verses 15-16: “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” Even their enemies had to admit that God was at work! This entire project was finished in just 52 days!

Brothers and sisters, here’s one of the overriding truths from this book: the devil never quits. He is never going to give up while we are still alive. God has wonderful blessings and much encouragement and joy for us along the way, but we must never cease battling against the world, the flesh and the devil until we get to heaven. The enemy of God will never quit. If he cannot distract you with fear and flattery, he will use gossip and false accusations.

Conclusion

Friends, the enemy will act to distract you. But while he blasts away, God is building His kingdom. Satan is subtle but God is sufficient. Remember, when God’s priorities become our priorities, God’s kingdom work will advance. When the wall was completed, verse 16 says, “…All the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” May that be said of us!

shared with permission from Apostle Dr. Sandra Wise of Dallas , TX.

Notes from Bible Study on RELATIONSHIPS: MARRIAGE

2011-06-30T05:12:00.001-05:00

Bible Study: RELATIONSHIPS

Lesson 1: The Foundations of Marriage

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor-teacher

Pre-study question: Define the following terms. Consider the social, legal, and spiritual aspects of each word: We started by sharing our personal definitions of marriage, husband, and wife. We realized that these concepts aren’t as simple as they appear.

a. Marriage- union between man & woman; what God has joined together; contract between 2 parties

b. Husband – head of the family; provider; man who vows to relationship with a woman according to God’s law; Genesis 2: 23, 24

c. Wife – Genesis 2:23, 24; like the man, but different

1. Genesis chapters 1 & 2 describe the creation of humanity. As is often the case, the masculine term “man” is used here. However, in Genesis 1: 27, the Bible explicitly refers to the creation of male and female. What does this indicate about God’s plan/ intentions?

- God always intended to create males & females.

- Eve was not an afterthought. Adam was not an incomplete first attempt.

2. To whom does the plural “them” refer in Genesis 1: 28? “Them” refers to male & female, man & woman/ Adam & Eve.

To whom then, do the blessings of dominion apply? God gave the promise of dominion to all of humanity, both men and women.

3. Compare Genesis 2: 7 and Genesis 1: 26. How is “man” used differently in these verses?

In Genesis 1: 26 “man” refers to humanity in general, males & females.

In Genesis 2:7, “man” refers specifically to the male/Adam.

Again this shows that the creation of the woman along with the man was always part of God’s plan. God made Adam to be a man/male. He intentionally designed and created Adam as a male human being. God made humanity to composed of males and females. He intentionally designed and created men and women to be different.

4. Compare Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 2: 21, 22. Explain the difference between how God created the first male and how God created the first female?

Genesis 2: 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

… 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

God made Adam’s physical body from the dust of the earth. The elements and compounds in African dirt were the building blocks of his physical body. Once the physical body was formed, God directly breathed life into Adam. Man was intentionally formed to be both physical and spiritual.

Eve, was essentially cloned from Adam. Because her physical body was made from Adam’s physical body, both man and woman had the exact same (and therefore compatible) physical chemical/ genetic make-up.

It came up half-jokingly last week, that if God had made both of them from the dust of the earth that we might be arguing now that Adam was made from one kind of dirt and Eve was made from another. God’s way eliminates any support for an innate superiority or inferiority in either male or female.

Adam and Eve were formed intentionally but differently.

Although genetically identical, they were made male—on purpose, and female—on purpose.

5. Why wasn’t it good for Adam to be alone? Consider Genesis 1: 28. Also look at what Adam was doing (Genesis 2: 15, 20).

Genesis 1: 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2: 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it… 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

- God gave the promise of dominion and the command to be fruitful & multiply to them, male and female together. Really, Chapter 2 takes place in the middle of verse 27. So, one reason that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone is that he could not fulfill the command to multiply ---alone.

- In chapter 2, Adam is given 2 jobs. He was actively (and successfully) performing those tasks when God, not Adam, remarks that it isn’t good for him to be alone.

- What does dominion look like? It looks like someone working at exactly the callings God has given them. The other reason it was not good for Adam to be alone is that if he’d fulfilled his tasks without the woman she would have no place in the dominion that God had called them to.

6. What was Eve’s purpose? Consider what God said to/about her in chapter 2 and in chapter 1.

In chapter 1, everything that’s said about Adam also applies to Eve. His dominion was her dominion. His home was her home. The commands for him to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue the earth where all command to her as well as to him.

In chapter 2, Eve is made to help/ assist Adam in the work he has already been assigned. She does not define the man’s purpose; God has already done that. She comes in to be a “just right” help and to be an active participant in them fulfilling their purpose. The general promise/ destiny is given to male and female. The specific means of fulfilling their destiny of dominion is given to the man.

7. Genesis 2: 18 is one of the most frequently misquoted verses in the Bible. It does not say that God would make a “helpmeet” nor does it say “helpmate.” What does it say? What does that mean?

The Bible records that God designed Eve to be a “help meet” or a “help comparable” to Adam. Note that these are two separate words. God made eve to be a “help” to Adam. She was made specifically to be comparable, or suitable to him. The KJV term “meet” in this context means proper. In other words, Eve was made to be just right for Adam.

It was always God’s plan that Adam and Eve share in the responsibility and authority of dominion. Eve was formed in such a way that she fit into the organizational scheme that was already at work in Adam.

When God made Adam, He said that the creation was “good.” Adam was not missing anything. He didn’t have any baggage or sin or issues. He didn’t need Eve because he was messing up the names of the animals. He didn’t need Eve because he was pruning too much off the roses in Eden. God’s complete plan for humanity included males and females. It wasn’t good for Adam to do it all by himself because God didn’t intend for him to do it all by himself. But there is no indication or hint in the scriptures that Adam wasn’t capable of handling the business given to him –all by himself.

- The pronouns in Gen. 1 & 2 are important. In Gen. 1: 26, God refers to Himself as Us & Our. The Trinity decides to create man in Their/His image. Man and woman are made to be in a relationship that completes their destiny. They are complete together and they are complete separately. This is a reflection of the unity of God the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. It’s not exactly the same, but it is an earthly image of the triune godhead. Also, note that we have trouble understanding the Trinity in part because we keep comparing God to earthly stuff (water, atoms, humans). God isn’t like this stuff, but we at our best are somewhat like God.

8. It was always God’s intent to have both man and woman in dominion. So why didn’t He make them simultaneously?

We can’t know for certain, but we do know that sometimes God fulfills His promises in stages. For example, David was anointed to be king of Israel but it was several years before he actually sat on the throne of all 12 tribes. There were several steps he had to go through. In the same way, we see Adam being prepared to “be a man” before Eve is brought forth. Although their union was always meant to be, Adam needed to be prepared. The promises of Genesis 1 were made to a family, but the man had to be prepared before he could take up his role in the family.

You might think of it like a man who owns and company and intends to pass it to his son. The father might make his son work in the factory and learn the business before he actually names the son to be president.

What did God give/ do with Adam before He gave Adam a wife?

God gave Adam several things.

- God gave Adam a home of his own—Eden.

- God gave Adam work to do. He had 2 jobs: gardening which required him to labor with his hands; and naming the animals which required him to apply his mind to examining and understanding the nature and purpose of every creature.

- God gave Adam rules to live by. He had freedom to eat of everything, but he had a restriction from eating of one tree.

Start New Lesson with #9.

9. What did God name the woman He had made? (Trick question!) Read Genesis 2: 23.

God didn’t name the woman. Adam named her “woman,” which means out of man. “Woman” was more than a title, it was a name.

According to Gen. 2: 9, when Adam named something, God accepted the name. The name defined the thing.

The name “wo-man” defined Eve in relation to her husband. We may have a problem with that today, but keep in mind that at this time, Adam is perfect. The world is perfect. There is no sin, no baggage. Adam doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t mistreat Eve or anything on the earth. Adam lives in perfect fellowship with God, regularly beholding the fullness of his glory.

Adam and Eve are the prototype of men and women. They were created in a state of absolute perfection, placed in an absolutely perfect and sinless environment, and given unrestricted direct fellowship with God. Their relationship was literally a “match made in Heaven.” Consider now what their marriage teaches about all marriages.

10. (Consider your answer to question #1.) Just as God has a plan and destiny for each individual, if God has given 2 people to be married, He has a plan and destiny for them as a couple/ unit/ family_.

11. How does the answer to question #2 affect the concept of “success” in a marriage?

A family’s success must be collective success. A family’s success is defined by dad’s & mom’s success as a unit. A family is not successful when dad is doing his thing and mom’s left out. A family is not successful when mom in taking dad for all he’s got. “They” have dominion together or they each fail.

12. Read 1 Peter 3: 7. What is necessary for a husband and wife to stand in God’s favor?

1Peter 3: 7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

For a husband (and wife) to walk in God’s favor they have to be united:

1) There must be understanding between them. (Not necessarily agreement on every topic, but understanding of each other’s perspective.)

2) They must give each other honor. This means that he has to appreciate her ,and she has to appreciate him.

The husband must take the lead in seeking and modeling these areas, especially in giving honor to his wife. In a male-dominated world, it is tempting to treat women as inferior. That is not the way to God’s favor.

The husband and wife are “heirs together” of God’s grace. Once the union is made, they stand in or fall out of God’s favor as a unit.

Specifically, to the husband, God commands us to :

- Live with our wives

- Understand our wives

- Honor our wives issues (weaknesses) and all. Looking at the entire letter/ epistle of 1 Peter, the context is spiritual not physical. We’re not talking about physical issues, but spiritual issues.

- See that ours is a joint spiritual inheritance not and simply individual one

Heir= someone for whom the Father has promised an inheritance.

Inheritance= something better that the father has coming

Referring to the entire church, Peter writes in 1 Peter 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

- Husbands are admonished to love and live w/ their wives according to God’s commands because our obedience/ disobedience to how God says we’re to treat our wives affects our spiritual power.

o The scripture says point blank, that if we don’t honor & understand then our prayers will not be as effective.

o Note: The scriptures doesn’t say that wives have to understand husbands. In fact, I can’t think of a single scripture that commands women to understand men. I think it’s a good thing when women understand men, but I can’t say that it’s a Biblical command. I must say that husbands do have a Biblical responsibility to understand their wives. (Whoever said being a man was easy?)

o The Bible does not say that men have to always please their wives. The Word reference the fact that we often do strive to please our wives even to the point of disobeying God, but this is a caution, not a command.

o The Word does say explicitly that we are to live with, understand, and honor our wives—issues and all.

13. The answer to #4 shows a progression in the order of Creation. How is this progression lived out in a marriage? (Look at Ephesians 5: 23, 24.)

Ephesians 5: 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

God makes --> man; man is w/ God.

God makes --> woman; woman is w/ God.

God brings --> man & woman together to become husband & wife; huband & wife serve God.

1) First, the man/ husband must understand and walk in his relationship to God. Out of that relationship the man understands & executes his responsibility to work and to provide for himself.

i. Then, man is ready to have a wife. Husband and wife must be right for one another. But the woman must see her connection to her husband in the context of her relationship to God. A woman has a divine purpose and a family role. The 2 are supposed to exist in harmony, not in competition.

2) God made the woman and she was with God(Gen. 2: 22)/ had her own personal relationship w/ God before she was brought to the man.

- The wife is to contribute to the process of taking dominion. She is to help the man succeed. Whether she works in the home or outside of the home, a wife is more than decoration, housekeeping, & sex. She is supposed to help her husband advance the family.

Note: The wife has voice & vote, but the final say in the exact work/ the exact means for the family’s progress is between the husband & God.

One of the problems with marriages in the church is that you have “godly” men who are looking for godly women, and “godly” women who are looking for godly men, but neither group is looking for God.

The Genesis model of the perfect marriage shows a man serving God and a woman with her own relationship to God. God brings them together, and together they serve God.

BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS: RELATIONSHIPS Lesson 1: The Foundations of Marriage

2011-06-15T17:51:00.000-05:00

Bible Study: RELATIONSHIPS

Lesson 1: The Foundations of Marriage

Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor-teacher

Read Genesis 1: 26-31 and Genesis 2: 7-9, 15-25.

Take a moment and list any questions or concerns that you have about marriage. You may include items specific to your relationship, to issues in the lives of others you know, or things that come to mind out of the news or trends in general society.

Pre-study question: Define the following terms. Consider the social, legal, and spiritual aspects of each word:
a. Marriage
b. Husband
c. Wife

1. Genesis chapters 1 & 2 describe the creation of humanity. As is often the case, the masculine term “man” is used here. However, in Genesis 1: 27, the Bible explicitly refers to the creation of male and female. What does this indicate about God’s plan/ intentions?

2. To whom does the plural “them” refer in Genesis 1: 28?
To whom then, do the blessings of dominion apply?

3. Compare Genesis 2: 7 and Genesis 1: 26. How is “man” used differently in these verses?

4. Compare Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 2: 21, 22. Explain the difference between how God created the first male and how God created the first female?

5. Why wasn’t it good for Adam to be alone? Consider Genesis 1: 28. Also look at what Adam was doing (Genesis 2: 15, 20).

6. What was Eve’s purpose? Consider what God said to/about her in chapter 2 and in chapter 1.

7. Genesis 2: 18 is one of the most frequently misquoted verses in the Bible. It does not say that God would make a “helpmeet” nor does it say “helpmate.” What does it say? What does that mean?

8. It was always God’s intent to have both man and woman in dominion. So why didn’t He make them simultaneously? What did God give/ do with Adam before He gave Adam a wife?

9. What did God name the woman He had made? (Trick question!) Read Genesis 2: 23.

Adam and Eve are the prototype of men and women. They were created in a state of absolute perfection, placed in an absolutely perfect and sinless environment, and given unrestricted direct fellowship with God. Their relationship was literally a “match made in Heaven.” Consider now what their marriage teaches about all marriages.

10. (Consider your answer to question #1.) Just as God has a plan and destiny for each individual, if God has given 2 people to be married, He has a plan and destiny for them as a _______________.

11. How does the answer to question #2 affect the concept of “success” in a marriage?

12. Read 1 Peter 3: 7. What is necessary for a husband and wife to stand in God’s favor?

13. The answer to #4 shows a progression in the order of Creation. How is this progression lived out in a marriage? (Look at Ephesians 5: 23, 24.)

14. Considering the answer to #5, how is a husband supposed to achieve success?
How is a wife supposed to achieve success?

15. Based on the account in Genesis, what does God expect of a man before the man becomes a husband? Consider answers #5 & #8.

16. Looking at answer #6, what does God expect of a woman when she becomes a wife?

17. Why do women take their husband’s name when they get married? What does this signify in a spiritual sense?

18. Read Adam’s marriage vows in Genesis 2: 23, 24. How does this apply to marriage today?

19. Read Genesis 2: 25. How does this apply to marriage:
a. Emotionally

b. Financially

c. Sexually

20. Have your responses to the pre-study question changed? How? Go back to the question and make revisions as needed.

21. Have you discovered any answers to the questions you had at the beginning of the lesson. Share those answers.

22. Create a class list of all the unanswered questions you still have. We will search the scriptures and answer these as we continue with the next lessons.

HOMEWORK: Read Genesis chapter 3.

Revival has come. Pentecost is here? Now where is our Power?

2011-06-13T04:55:00.000-05:00

After the Ascension, the followers of Jesus spent 10 days in prayer and worship. After 10 days came Pentecost and the power of the Holy Spirit. Hall Memorial CME Church just finished 5 days of Revival services. Before Revival, we held 5 days of prayer meeting in preparation for Revival. 10 days. Sunday, June 12th, 2011 was Pentecost. When the day of Pentecost 2011 was fully come God sent a Word.

“Revival has come. Pentecost is here? Now where is our Power?”

Listen well.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

2011-06-13T03:17:00.001-05:00

This isn't an HMCME event, but we want to support whatever advances the work of the Kingdom. If you can make this conference, I recommend attending.

http://www.perfectingmusicconference.com/

WHAT DO I DO WHILE I'M WAITING (ON THE LORD)?

2011-06-06T12:22:00.001-05:00

I'd been seeking God about a deeply important decision--whether or when to leave my secular career. Finally I had a clear answer: "Yes. Wait." Ahhhhh! I hate waiting, but God opened His Word to me & showed me that when He says, "Wait," it means something much different & deeper than "Do nothing." Learn the principles of waiting--God's way.

Listen well.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com .
Phone 334-288-0577
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

I KNOW HOW OLD YOU ARE, AND I DON'T CARE.

2011-05-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Delivered for Youth Day at Holly Springs CME Church, this sermon offers a solution to the problem of feeling too young or too old to do something great for God.

Listen well.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II,
pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Call or fax (334) 288-0577 .
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

"Born for Adversity" A Lesson from Proverbs 17: 17

2011-05-27T01:14:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 17: 17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

My big sister Janifer and I used to fight (literally, physically fight) all the time. I truly believe that she spent much of the first 12 years of my life trying to figure out how to make my death look like an accident. I confess, too, that I was skilled and busy at getting on her nerves. It’s like we were born to be adversaries.

But, she wouldn’t let anybody (else) mess with me.

She had a near-prophetic sense for when a fight was imminent and she would fly in, ponytails swinging. She’d step between me and whomever it was (which ticked me off to no end, because I usually wanted to fight). Even when it was a bully on the bus bigger than both of us put together, she stood between us and didn’t back down.

And, I was just as protective of her. We went to a 6-12 school, so when I, the 5 foot-nothing, 68 pound jr. high kid, heard or sensed that some upperclassmen was coming at my big sister the wrong way, I’d go find him. And I meant every word that I yelled up at him. Disrespect to Janifer Graves would come with serious/ ” sharp” consequences for him---- and his 2 big friends. They could kick my tail if they wanted to (and sometimes they wanted to) but if anybody touched my sister I would ……Well, let’s just remember that I wasn’t saved then.

The way we watched each other’s backs, it was like we were born for times of adversity.

Today, I consider my big sister one of my very best friends. We love each other.

Being a friend who loves at all times, does not mean that you have to always agree. It doesn’t mean that you have to uphold your friend in wrong or always save them from the just consequences of their choices.
It does mean that even when you aren’t happy with them, you still love them. True friendship, true brotherly/ sisterly love, means that when you see/sense them in danger, you intercede. The danger may be from others, or it may be a danger of their own creation.

Your intercession may be physical and visible, or it may be invisible to all but God.

Pray for your friends. When you truly pray, you talk to God and you listen to Him.

The Lord will show you how to help. Sometimes He’ll provide a way to bring them out. Sometimes His way isn’t what you would’ve chosen. Sometimes His way to help isn’t the help they asked for. Sometimes, He’ll tell you to stand back and let them fight their own fight (and maybe take their own beating).

Love them enough to always love God and His will more. At all times, even in adversity-- love them God’s way.

"OUR BEST FOR HIS GLORY" HOMECOMING & REVIVAL

2011-05-26T03:39:00.005-05:00

“The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,” says the Lord of hosts. “And in this place I will give peace,” says the Lord of hosts. ------- Haggai 2: 9

Come praise the Lord with us as we usher in a Summer Revival, June 5th-9th.

Revival kicks off Sunday afternoon, June 5th, at 3 P.M. with Homecoming. Revival continues Monday-Thursday, June 6th-10th, we will have nightly prayer service at 6 P.M. and worship starting at 7 P.M.

Each service will feature a different, powerful preacher:

Rev. Richard Hassell
Presiding Elder of the Montgomery-Phenix City-Opelika District of the CME Church

Rev. Frederick Harris
Pastor of Abraham Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama

Rev. Shirley Cobb
Pastor of Prayer Chapel Ministries, Montgomery, Alabama

Rev. Pierre Primm
Pastor of Garners Chapel CME Church Phenix City, Alabama

Rev. Ken Austin
Pastor of New Walk of Life Church Montgomery, Alabama

No Friday Evening Service

For directions or more information, call 334-288-0577 or email mailto:hallmemorial1@aol.com .

Join us as we deliver “OUR BEST FOR HIS GLORY.”

I KNOW BUT I JUST CAN'T SEE IT

2011-05-22T16:27:00.001-05:00

When God calls you to a greater level of service or holiness, we know that God provides the means for us to achieve it. We know that God provides, but still sometimes we just can't see how it's going to happen.

Moses experienced this in Exodus 33 and Jesus dealt with it among His disciples in John 14.

Listen and learn how to find your breakthrough when you say " I KNOW, BUT I CAN'T SEE IT."

Podcast Powered By Podbean
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Call or fax (334) 288-0577 .
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

Watch Your Back with Your Guardain Angel (A Lesson from Proverbs 17: 11)

2011-05-19T06:42:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 17: 11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

A man was assigned to be ambassador in a far away and hostile country. The king sent with the ambassador a great warrior to be his bodyguard. Over time the ambassador became corrupt, but the faithful bodyguard continued to protect him.

One day as they were resting in the now rich ambassador’s palace, a letter was delivered to the bodyguard. He read it, then drew his sword and put the blade to the ambassador’s throat.

“What are you doing?” screeched the corrupt ambassador, “You work for me. Your job is to protect me! You’ve always protected me.”

“I protected you,” calmly explained the warrior, “because the king said so, but now the king says this.” He cut the ambassador’s head off, got on his horse, and rode away.

If God has assigned you a guardian angel, don’t forget Whom that angel really works for. Don’t think that protection and favor fall on you because you’re just that cool. Don’t assume that your position (even if that position results from a Divine appointment) makes you “untouchable.” God may be merciful and patient, but He won’t be punked by any one.

God draws a line that no human eye can see. Cross that line and not even a guardian angel can/will protect you.

Read the story of the prophet Balaam (Numbers ch. 22 and Joshua 13: 22). If God has dispatched angels to protect you, that's good. But if you're living sinfully and in rebellion to God's Word and will---well, you better watch your back.

DON'T LET THE THIEVES STEAL YOUR BLESSING

2011-05-15T21:36:00.001-05:00

This past week a good friend was the victim of a home burglary. His response was not what you'd expect, but it was rooted in his peculiar relationship with Jesus. In John 10, Jesus taught about spiritual thieves attempting a break-in. The Holy Spirit brought the two accounts together in a way I had not seen before.

Learn the who, why, and how of protecting your soul and your salvation.

Listen to the Word, and "Don't Let Thieves Steal Your Blessing."

Podcast Powered By Podbean
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II,

pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Call or fax (334) 288-0577 .
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

PULL TOGETHER OR FALL APART

2011-05-15T21:16:00.003-05:00

"An Essential Church Poised for Ministry in the 21st Century" was the theme of Men's & Women's Day at our sister church, Ebenezer CME. The Word from the Lord was about the destiny He'd already assigned to His men and His women. The challenge is for us to learn from the promise and failures of our 1st ancestors.

The message was "We have to pull together or We will fall apart."

Listen.

Podcast Powered By Podbean
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II,
pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Call or fax (334) 288-0577. Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU (An Unintended Sermon on Mother's Day)

2011-05-08T21:25:00.001-05:00

On Mother's Day 2011, I wanted to preach a sermon about mothers. God had other plans. What the Holy Spirit delivered was a Word about how we miss what we need most when it's right in front of us, and how we can finally have our hearts and eyes opened to the blessings we most desparately need.

Listen.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II,
pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116.
Call or fax (334) 288-0577.
Email hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

MAKING THE GRADE FOR GOD

2011-05-01T14:20:00.003-05:00

What does God require of us? Is it enough to be just as good and righteous as everybody else? What if our righteousness is above average? The Bible gives a clear and definite standard. Listen and learn how God judges/ grades our lives and learn how to make the grade God requires.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church,
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 3611.
phone: 334-288-0577
email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

2011-05-01T14:16:00.000-05:00

Fifth Episcopal District

Birmingham District -Disaster Relief

Bishop Teresa Snorton, Presiding Prelate

810 18th Street, North, Suite 400-D

Birmingham, AL 35203-3134

http://www.cmechurch.org/

aflcme5@yahoo.com

(205 252-2587

April 30, 2011

Thanks to everyone across the CME Connection who has expressed concern and lifted prayers for the people of Alabama. The effects of the tornado damage done on April 27 to several communities in the Southeast, particularly in the state of Alabama, are massive. The death count is now around 300 and there are still a number of persons missing. Search and recovery efforts are still underway. A number of CME families have been impacted directly or indirectly by these tragic deaths. Schools remain closed and power is gradually being restored. We solicit your continued prayers.

Cash Donations
The College of Bishops is asking CME individuals and congregations to collect and send an immediate offering for disaster relief in Alabama and other affected areas during the month of May. Checks should be made payable to CME Department of Finance, noting it is for Disaster Relief. These donations and future contributions should be mailed to the Presiding Bishop of your Episcopal District.

The following disaster relief efforts have been organized in the Fifth and welcome your support:

Birmingham District
Individuals and congregations (local and from nearby states) are asked to donate the following items:

Bottled water, tooth paste, tooth brushes, soap, deodorant, shaving cream, disposable razors, shampoo, body lotion, combs, sanitizer, Kleenex tissue, toilet tissue, and new or clean, gently worn folded clothing (men, women and children, socks, and underwear (new) for all ages.

The presidents of each Missionary Society are to supply the following items to Mrs. Geraldine Odom, Birmingham Regional Missionary President: wash cloths, diapers, and female sanitary items.

All items can be dropped off at the Metropolitan C.M.E. Church, 1600 Avenue K, Ensley, Birmingham, AL, Rev. Jacob Colbert, Pastor, Phone # (205) 520-4209.

Drop Off times are as follows:
beginning Saturday, April 30, at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,
Sunday, May 1, from 1:00 � 3:00 p.m.,
Weekdays (Mon � Fri) from 9:00 � 2:00 p.m.

The distribution centers for the communities with the greatest needs are:

1. Trinity C.M.E. Church, Pratt City, Rev. George Hill, Pastor, 124 Page Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35214 and

2. St. John C.M.E. Church, Ensley, Rev Eddie Richardson, Pastor, 1710 Slayden Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35224

For additional information, contact:
Rev. Geraldine Daniels � Southside C.M.E. Church, Birmingham,AL
(1:00-5:00 pm Eastern) 205-252-5673
Email address: gadaniels1056@sbcglobal.net

Tuscaloosa District
Bailey Tabernacle CME Church (Rev. Dr. W. Clyde Jones, pastor) is providing meals for the community. Food donations (canned goods, non-perishable items, frozen items) can be taken to the church at 1117 23rd Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-2941.

Bailey Tabernacle is also serving as the host site for the American Red Cross� Spiritual Response Team�s Condolence Center, where families who have lost a loved one can go and receive spiritual/pastoral care and other forms of support.

Matthew 25: 35-36 reminds us �For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me�.

Let us work together for the good of our community by showing the love of God to our neighbors in this time of pain and loss. Thank you for all your support!

Bishop Teresa E. Snorton
Presiding Bishop
Fifth Episcopal District
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Resources for tornado disaster victims and volunteers

2011-04-30T08:51:00.000-05:00

Posted: Apr 29, 2011 5:18 PM CDT on http://www.abc3340.com/story/14543582/resources-for-tornado-disaster-victims

Updated: Apr 29, 2011 5:18 PM CDT
by Jonathan Pinnick –

MONTGOMERY - AL - Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has activated the Governor's Recovery Response Center. It's a central place to help people affected by storms to get resources people need in the aftermath.

If you have questions about state government assistance call (866) 465-2241. The call center is open daily from 7:00am until 7:00pm.

You can also get help by calling 211 or visiting You can also get help by calling 211 or visiting http://211connectsalabama.org/Subcategory.aspx?;;0;;N;0;31241;Disaster%20Services .

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

If you are looking for ways to volunteer, contact the Governor's Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives at (877) 273-5018. You can also log onto http://www.servealabama.gov/ .

A Letter from Bishop Snorton on Storm Damage in Alabama

2011-04-29T05:02:00.000-05:00

April 28, 2011

Dear Connectional Members and Friends,

The storms and tornadoes in Alabama have caused widespread damage and significant loss of life. In conversations with the Presiding Elders, I have gathered the following information about our churches and members. The CME Church is blessed in that, so far, we are unaware of any death of any of our members. Trinity Church in Pratt City has some damage and a number of church members there have damage to their homes. A member of Porter-St. Paul Church in Northport lost her home. A number of members of Southside CME Church in Birmingham have damage to their homes. A couple of churches in the Mobile District have minor damage. Just about everyone statewide is still without power. Telephone service, even cell phone service, is sporadic. Authorities estimate 3-4 days for power to be restored. We will update you on any additional information we receive.

Please keep the members of our church and all of those who have been impacted by these events in your prayers in the days ahead.

Bishop Teresa E. Snorton
Presiding Prelate, Fifth Episcopal District
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Jeanette Bouknight
Executive Secretary
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

"An Essential Church: Poised for 21st Century Ministry"

GET THE STORY STRAIGHT

2011-04-24T12:36:00.001-05:00

People say a lot of inaccurate things about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, especially about what may seem like contradictory accounts in the 4 gospels. Some of these criticisms come out of misunderstanding or not reading the scriptures. Some come from blindly repeating clichés and traditions we’ve heard over time. Some are just plain lies.

Listen to this sermon and see the full picture of Jesus' burial and resurrection. Listen so you can GET THE STORY STRAIGHT.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of hall memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116
Phone: 334-288-0577
Email: halllmemorialcme1@aol.com

ALL THE TIME IT TAKES: A Lesson from Holy Saturday

2011-04-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

About 2,000 years ago, Jesus spent a day like today—in the grave. He spent a Saturday like this one in Hell/ Sheol/ Hades; & He didn’t have to. He didn’t deserve to be there. He’d done nothing worthy of death. He had taken our penalty, our condemnation upon Himself. He had gone down for us. Jesus could understandably have said, “I’m not spending another minute her.” Instead, He stayed. He stayed the last day, the full time. Why?

“3 days,” the prophets said. 3 days the Savior stayed. He put in the full time to fulfill the mission of love.

Are you willing to put in the full time to fulfill your mission?

The calling, the task God has placed on your life and in your heart---you know what it is---won’t happen in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. There are parts of it that are tedious, thankless, and downright hard. To fulfill the task, you have to give up some of that precious American leisure time. The mission will take as long as it takes. It requires as much work as it requires, and no less—despite your whining. But, you already know this.

Will you put in the time?

On a Saturday like this about 2,000 years since Christ’s Resurrection, will you honor Him with your time? From this moment, will you persevere under the pressure until you have run your full race, finished your complete course, and fought all of the fight ordained for you?

THE PARABLE OF THE UNJUST RAPPER

2011-04-22T09:13:00.001-05:00

In Luke 16: 1-13, Jesus told the parable of an unjust steward. To be clear, the main character in this story was not a good guy. He was a “hustler” in all the word’s negative connotations. Nonetheless, (and this is what trips up many Christian readers) Jesus presents the steward as someone worthy of commendation/ respect.

The Master doesn’t commend the unjust steward for his past. His past was worthy only of judgment (v. 1, 2). The Master doesn’t commend the steward for his repentance. The steward doesn’t repent; he acts out of self-preservation & vanity (v. 3, 4). The Master doesn’t commend the steward for his sense of mercy and forgiveness. The debts the steward forgave didn’t involve his money; that’s not mercy (v. 5-7). The Master gives the steward props because he’d handled his business/ he’d dealt shrewdly (v. 8). The steward saw how things were going and immediately went out and “got on his grind.” He handled his business in such a way that it delivered a return to his Master and positioned the steward to provide for his own future.

Too often Christians see how things are going and do nothing. We talk about faith, and God’s time, and deliverance; but when things start to shift in our lives honestly most of us don’t even pray differently. Oh, we “say more prayers” when we lose a job or get a bad diagnosis. But do those life-changes alter your prayer-life. Did you add another 30 minutes of devoted prayer time to every day? Or did you just fire a prayer off while you were in the doctor’s waiting room? How are you handling your prayer business?

The unjust steward would have talked to as many medical providers and insurance people as he had to for as many hours as he had to over as many days, weeks, months as he need to until the situation was handled. How long, how often, are you willing to talk to God? How are you handling your business?

Did you start going to Bible study and Sunday school? Start really studying the Word of God at home every day, searching commentaries and resources on line to understand what God has to say about your situation? Or did you show up to one mid-week Bible study to vent to the pastor, and then never come back? Did you get on & stay on your Bible-study grind?

The unjust steward would have talked to everybody in his network and contacts list. He would have read everything out there. He would prepare and then prepare some more until he understood his situation and what to do. Then, he would have done it. How much time, study, and actual work have you been putting into serving your Master, into understanding how your Master wants to be served from this moment forward?

Jesus said: The sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light

Secular rappers produce some of the most profane and morally twisted poetry in the world. Rappers like Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, and Drake glorify the worst aspects of Black culture and either ridicule or ignore most of what should be glorified.

But they do handle their business.

While we complain that an hour- and-a-half of Bible study is too much for a weekday evening, Lil Wayne says in a BET interview “I try not to sleep. I try to work more.”

Church-folk drag their feet about moving to the next level of ministry and service to God in these last day. Congregations try to water down the Biblical commands to holiness and perfection (Leviticus 11:4, 19:2, 20:26; Matthew 5: 48; John 17: 23). Meanwhile Jay Z records a song about moving”On to the Next One," in which he rhymes “I’m moving onward, only direction. Can’t be scared to fail. Search for perfection.”

While the church sits, satisfied with mediocrity, content that we’re going to heaven even if we leave no lasting impact on this Earth, even if we don’t bring anybody into heaven with us--- 24 year old high-school dropout, Drake raps in different songs, “Everybody dies, but not everybody lives. I’m trying to do better than good enough. Cause you know life is what we make it and a chance is like a picture, it’d be nice if you’d just take it.”

Like the unjust steward, these rappers are caught up in lifestyles worthy of condemnation. If they don’t receive Jesus as savior they’re as doomed to hell as anybody else who dies unredeemed.

But you have to respect their grind.

I’m not saying Christians need to adopt a thug mentality. Jesus cautioned against that misunderstanding in the parable of the unjust steward.

Luke 16: 13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

But, we can learn this lesson from the parable of the unjust rappers:

Quit whining

Start grinding

Your time is

Right now

Get down, bro

Bow down, bro

That prayer time is how.

Your blade’s dull

Get your brain full

Of the Word

Daily Bread

Love Jesus

Like Jay-Z loves

His bank, son

We sleep

When we’re dead.

Romans 13: 11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II,
Pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116
Phone: 334-288-0577
Email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Read the Manual

2011-04-19T04:54:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 16: 20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

Every new cell phone comes with a manual. Most of us though only read the quick set-up instructions and (maybe) specific sections like “how to transfer contacts.” Then, we toss the manual in a drawer. Sometimes we haul it around saying, “I’ll read it later.” We don’t. When the phone screws up, most of us don’t pull out the manual; we call customer service, stay on hold for an hour and ask an “expert” to tell us what’s on page 12 of the manual.

The Bible is the manual God has given us for life. It contains the principles and examples necessary for leading a complete, wise, holy, and excellent life. But, we lay it aside and say that we need newer perspectives and principles on which to build our lives. We say the Bible isn’t enough anymore.

Whatever.

Most of us who say that haven’t even read the Manual.

If you don’t think the Bible has anything to help you deal with your crazy boss and co-workers or how to make a successful career change, you haven’t studied Proverbs.

If you’re offended that all the Bible says about money is that you have to give some preacher 10% of your income, you’ve never read Leviticus or Deuteronomy for yourself. You’ve listened to us “experts,” but you’ve never read the manual to see that most of the money talk in the Bible is about the other 90% and how you handle that.

If you don’t see how the Bible can help you deal with your crazy friends, read it and compare your friendship with Pookie to Jehoshaphat’s friendship with Ahab in 2 Chronicles 18 & 19.

If you believe in God, but you’re not sure about the whole virgin birth, walking on water, coming back from the dead stuff; stop expecting enlightenment to fall out of the sky. Read the book for yourself. Stop depending on VeggieTales, televangelists, and chain emails to dictate your theology.

Read the Manual!

Start wherever you want. Go in whatever order you choose. But you need to read, to really study the Word of God for yourself. Go to Bible study and Sunday. Challenge your local customer service experts (your pastor and Bible teachers, I mean) to form a group for studying through the whole Book.

Read the Manual!

(At the very least, you’ll stop quoting song lyrics and saying, “You know the Good Book says…”)

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116 phone/ fax: 334-288-0577

THE MIGHTY USHER FINGER

2011-04-17T19:31:00.001-05:00

No one in the church is insignificant. Every servant of Christ and every ministry in His church is important and powerful---not least of all the ushers.
Learn the Biblical legacy of the keepers of the doors. Realize the depth of their ministry and the potential of their contribution to the gospel. And maybe get a couple of laughs in, too.

Listen well to this message delivered for Usher Appreciation Day for our friends Abraham Baptist Church.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116 phone/ fax: 334-288-0577

WHAT IS MY FOCUS? (A Sermon for Palm Sunday)

2011-04-17T19:20:00.001-05:00

As I looked again and again at the full story of Palm Sunday in the 4 gospels, the Holy Spirit showed me a comparison I'd never considered before. Jesus' Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem was like a New Orleans jazz funeral. Depending on where you focus your attention, it could have looked like a parade or like a funeral procession.

Listen, and you'll see what I mean.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church.

541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116
phone/ fax: 334-288-0577
email: HallMemorialCME1@aol.com

THE RIGHT KIND OF INVITATION

2011-04-03T19:57:00.001-05:00

In the church we give a lot of invitations. We invite people to visit us for worship, Bible study, & special programs. The preacher invites people to come to the altar and make a commitment. But most of the time most of our invitations go unanswered. Perhaps that is because of something fundamentally and spiritually wrong with the kinds of invitations we give.

John 1: 43-51 tells the story of a successful invitation, an invitation that changed a dude with an attitude problem into one of the 12 most important leaders of the church.

There’s more at stake than numbers and attendance stats. The principles of inviting are crucial to the mission of saving souls. Listen well and learn how to give THE RIGHT KIND OF INVITATION.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II
pastor of HALL MEMORIAL CME CHURCH
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
(334)288-0577
hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

Proverbs 16: 9. Where Are You Going?

2011-04-02T09:45:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 16: 9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16: 9. Going into college, I had a plan that specifically excluded being a teacher. In school every opportunity tended to tutoring and revealed a love for sharing knowledge. Graduating w/ a degree in education, I had a plan that specifically excluded administration. I wanted to be in the trenches/ classroom, not stuck in an office. As a teacher I saw needs I couldn’t meet, I wanted to help my colleagues in ways I didn’t have the credentials to do. I had to become an administrator. Finishing my degree in administration I had a (very ambitious) plan for my education career that allowed for helping in church as long as I (haha) didn’t have to preach. Guess what God had to say about that? As a new preacher on trial/ in training I saw behind the scenes of what pastors have to deal with. I wrestled with the preacher’s path glad I was just a youth minister and planning how to serve that way forever. That is until the chance/ call to pastor came.

Like me, you’ve made plans for your life. If you’re a Christian, those plans were for good things, to do good things, to build a good life. You’ve given your heart to those plans and there’s nothing wrong with them. Maybe you’re going in exactly the life direction God wants you to go.

But maybe, you’re not headed to the life destinations you think.

(At least with me) God has a way of leading us where we think we’re going just so we can pick up the skills , experience, & connections we need to go where we’re really meant to be.

Don’t despair when you’re called to leave the desert and go back into Egypt (Moses). Don’t fear when you think you’re just delivering lunch and you end up fighting a giant (David). Don’t shrink back when you think you’re just gonna get married and build some chairs, but you end up having to rear and protect the Messiah (Joseph). Rejoice when you think you’re gonna run the family fishing business and you get called to leave it all, follow Jesus, and be an organizer of the church (Peter, Andrew, James, John). Tilt your chin up and get to work when instead of keeping your cushy job as the head-man’s personal assistant you have a burden to go back home and lead your folks in solving a community problem that’s been there for 100 years (Nehemiah).

When God changes your direction it doesn’t mean that your heart has been in the wrong place. It means that God’s heart has a bigger place for you to be.

1 Corinthians 2: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
phone/ fax: (334) 288-0577
hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

ESSENTIAL CHURCH BOOK STUDY, part 3: Chapter 1

2011-03-26T20:52:00.002-05:00

Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Drop-outs
by Thom & Sam Rainer

BOOK STUDY

Chapter 1
study composed by Rev. Anderson T. Graves II

Consider this quote from a church drop-out called Joe: I guess I never saw how my faith and my church connected. I knew I was saved. I knew I was sinning. I felt convicted about living this lifestyle. But I didn’t see how it all tied in to the church.

We assume that everyone in church knows that they’re supposed to live right. We assume that everyone who’s been saved will strive to be holy. The author’s research indicates that those assumptions are wrong. People who were members of a church but become church drop outs typically maintain interest in spiritual matters and describe themselves as people of “faith.” However, they don’t see the connection between their faith and a church. In other words: They aren’t dropping their faith. But they are dropping the church.

1. What can our churches do to make real and essential the connection between what we do at church and how we live away from the church house?

20% of high school students who are members of church of a church actually plan to stop attending church when they move out of their parents’ home. The other 80%, the vast majority, plan to stay in the church.

2. From the stats above, we can conclude that most kids don’t drop out of church just to get free from their parents rules. Losing teen as they enter young adulthoold isn’t ineveitable. How do we apply this news in the church’s approach to teens?

In the parable of the sower (Mark 4: 1-20), productivity/ success isn’t marked when the seeds come up as plants. The seeds only succeed when they come up and bear fruit themselves. Another point is that the productivity of the seed is based on the type of soil on which it is sown.

3. Of the types of ground mentioned in Mark 4, which kind best describes the environment for young believers in your church? What “treatments” are most needed to make the soil more productive?

Interest in religious matters increases in college, but attendance of religious service decreases until about 3 years after college graduation.

4. What needs and opportunities does this present for the church?

The major source of disillusionment within the church stems not from the expected differences of worship style wrs, time slots, day of worship, or even geographic location of the church. while some do leave for these oft-stated reasons, the major loss originates from the lack of discipleship within our churches. (p. 31)
To be blunt, God has converted our children, but we have failed to disciple them. (p. 30)

5. Describe the specific means by which a new Christian in your church is developed into a mature believer? Can you?

The majority of chapter 1 is a section titled “Back to the Basics.” The authors make the case that the fundamental problem with retaining active members is that we have over-complicated what church means.

This section deals with 8 premises (in italics):
#1 People are Looking for more but not finding it in church.

#2 People make a decision to leave or return to church usually When past experiences collide with future opportunities.

#3 Dropouts usually just want church to Give me a break!

#4 A major reason for dropping out of, staying out of, or returning to church is The people of the church.

#5 Most church dropouts/ stayouts say “I just don’t feel connected to the people anymore.”

#6 Dropouts and stayins agree that a critical factor is The pastor of the church.

#7 An equally (or more) critical factor is The parents of the church.

#8 There is no separating The essential church and the essential gospel.

6. Take one or more of these premises and explain it in the same length as a Facebook post (420 characters). Then post your explanation(s) on Facebook and see what comments you get.

A former church dropout called Matt (pgs. 34, 35) described how he sacrificed time at church to spend time with a new baby and work the long hours at his job. After a while his wife and he felt a ‘void in our lives.” When asked if going back to church had filled that void, Matt answered, “No.” He didn’t so much want church, but he wanted to walk in the call of God on his life. He said, “I needed to be the man for my family that God was calling me to be.”

Matt didn’t blame his former church, but he said he was never personally challenged there.

Matt is now a lay leader in his [new] church. His current church challenges him, and he is part of a mentoring group for those working through a call to ministry. He preaches occasionally on Sunday nights. Matt now feels the church is essential to his life. While he still struggles with his work schedule and balancing family life (and who doesn’t), the church is a key component of helping him do that.

7. How do we challenge believers and help them figure out how to meet those challenges?

8. Is asking them to take a church office or be on a church “program” the same as challenging them to live for God?

9. How do we impart the idea that taking “a break” from church is equivalent to taking a break from God? is it?

10. The people who report a disconnect with the people of the church were members of their churches. What mechanisms need to exist in our churches so that people feel connected to one another?

A myth repeatedly discredited in the book is the idea that young people prefer events and programs rather than substantive teaching and discipling. Essentially, young people leave the church because we have dumbed down the gospel while simultaneously increasing the complexity of church (Can you say “Pharisees”?)

11. What is an “authentic” church?

An essential church does not compete for sanctuary fillers. An essential church battles the dark powers for the hearts and minds of the lost. (p. 39)

12. Have we over-emphasized or under-emphasized adding to the numbers on our church rolls? What problems come from either approach? What is the correct approach?

65% of the people who stayed in church said that the senior pastor’s sermons were “engaging.” 63% of those who stayed said the pastor’s sermons were “relevant.”

13. How should considerations of “engaging” and “relevant” factor into sermon preparation?

Students are 20% more likely to stay in church when their parents are “authentic in their faith.”

14. What does your church do to help parents share their faith with their kids? What should your church do? Be specific.

Amos 8: 11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east. They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it. 13 “In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. “

Our young sistes and our young brothers (Amos 8: 13) are thirsty for the Word of God. They want to be told how the Bible says they are supposed to live. Think about it. Everything in the world already tells them that it’s O.K. to live anyway they want. If we deliver the same message or fail to deliver a different message (effectively the same thing), they we make ourselves irrelevant. Why do they need church if it only gives them the same crap they get everywhere else?

15. Essential churches are vessels out of which pours the living water of the Holy Spirit. What can you do in the next month that will move your church more fully into being that vessel?

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
phone: 334-288-0577
hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

TO KNOW & TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW

2011-03-20T20:12:00.002-05:00

O.K., so you know stuff. Everybody knows stuff, but how do you know that you know? Most importantly, you know what the Bible says about Jesus, but how do you know that you know? The familiar story of Jesus and Nicodemus reveals a challenge from God to go deeper and higher in our knowledge of Him--to a place where we not only know, but know and know that we know.
Listen.

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Rev. Anderson T. Graves II, pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, AL 36116
phone: 334-288-0577; email: hallmemorialcme1@aol.com

ESSENTIAL CHURCH- Book Study , Part 2: 7 Deadly Sins

2011-03-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

The quadrennial theme of the CME Church is An Essential Church: Poised for 21st Century Ministry

This is our 2nd post about the book Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts by Thom & Sam Rainer (B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN).

The authors list "Seven Sins of a Dying Church":
Sin 1: Doctrine Dilution
Sin 2: Loss of Evangelistic Passion
Sin 3: Failure to Be Relevant
Sin 4: Few Outwardly Focused Ministries
Sin 5: Conflict Over Personal Preferences
Sin 6: The Priority of Comfort
Sin 7: Biblical Illiteracy

Before you reply, read the explanation of these sins (pgs. 16-19) Here's a link to the introduction of the book. http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_PDF_Rainers_Essential_Church_Sample.pdf

1. Does/ How does each of these show up in our churches?

2. What do we do about them?

3. What is the comprehensive strategy (Carolyn) to deal with them all?

4. How does church move out of a state in which the memories have become greater than the dreams (Rose)?
*By the way, Rev. Lynn, that's a beautiful phrase. It needs to go on a banner.

"When the memories become greater than the dreams, we can never make a difference in changing our world for God." ---Rev. Rose Lynn

JESUS' PRAYERS IN GETHSEMANE: STUDY QUESTIONS

2011-03-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

Hall Memorial CME Church

PRAYER

Bible Study: JESUS PRAYS IN GETHSEMANE

Matthew, Mark & Luke describe Jesus’ passion & agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Read and compare the three passages.
Matthew 26: 36-47
Mark 14: 32-42
Luke 22: 39-47

1. Consider John 18: 1; Luke 22: 39; & Mark 14: 32; Matthew 26: 36. Where did Jesus and His disciples go after the last Supper? Why?

2. In the garden as on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9) Jesus takes His 11/12 closest friends with Him. He brings his 3 closest friends aside with Him away from the other 8/9 disciples. Then He leaves the 3 to go off a little distance to pray alone. What lessons can we draw about prayer “circles” from Jesus’ example?

3. Matthew 26: 37, 38; Mark 14 : 33,34. Describe Jesus’ state of mind in the Garden of Gethsemane.

4. How many times does Jesus pray in Gethsemane? Give the verse references from
a. Matthew 26: _______
b. Mark 14: _______
c. Luke 22: _______

5. The first time Jesus goes aside to pray, what instructions does He give to Peter, James, and John? Give the verse reference(s).

6. The 2nd time Jesus goes aside to pray, what instructions does He give to Peter, James, and John? Give the verse reference(s).

7. What did Peter, James , and John do while Jesus was praying? Why? Consider Luke 22: 45 and compare with Luke 9: 32 .

8. The 3rd time Jesus returns to Peter, James, and John, what instructions does He give? Give the verse reference(s).

9. Consider Matthew 26: 41; Mark 14: 38; Luke 22: 40. Whom does Jesus ask the disciples to pray for?

10. Read Luke 22: 40; Mark 14: 38; & Matthew 26: 41. There are two possible meanings of the phrase “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.
a. Ask God to keep you out of temptation.
b. Pray because the act of praying will keep you out of temptation.

Which do you think was Jesus’ intention? Why?

11. What does Jesus pray for Himself? Give the verse references from
a. Matthew

b. Mark

c. Luke

12. What is the cup/hour Jesus doesn’t want to receive? (Compare with Mark 10: 37-39.)

13. If Jesus didn’t want to go drink from the cup, why did He? What are the implications for us? (Matt 26: 53)

14. Explain the term “Abba, Father.” Consider Mark 14:36 ; Romans 8:15; & Galatians 4:6.

15. How does God answer Jesus’ prayer in Luke 22: 43.

Read this article from Wikipedia:
Cutaneous hemorrhage- According to Dr. Frederick Zugibe (Chief Medical Examiner of Rockland County, New York) it is well-known, and there have been many cases of it. The clinical term is hematohidrosis. "Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form. Under the pressure of great stress the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands. As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface - coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat\
In a lecture, Dr. Zugibe stated: "The severe mental anxiety...activated the sympathetic nervous system to invoke the stress-fight or flight reaction to such a degree causing hemorrhage of the vessels supplying the sweat glands into the ducts of the sweat glands and extruding out onto the skin. While hematidrosis has been reported to occur from other rare medical entities, the presence of profound fear accounted for a significant number of reported cases including six cases in men condemned to execution, a case occurring during the London blitz, a case involving a fear of being raped, a fear of a storm while sailing, etc. The effects on the body is that of weakness and mild to moderate dehydration from the severe anxiety and both the blood and sweat loss."
Another effect is that the skin become extremely tender and fragile, so that any pressure or damage to the skin is more than ordinarily painful

16. What does this medical explanation add to your understanding of Luke 22: 44.

17. List at least 3 principles of prayer you learn from Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW

2011-03-17T10:14:00.001-05:00

Text of Sermon
YOU THINK YOU KNOW, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW

ESSENTIAL CHURCH- Book Study

2011-03-17T07:43:00.000-05:00

The quadrennial theme of the CME Church is An Essential Church: Poised for 21st Century Ministry

Below are some stats and conclusions from the introduction of the book Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts by Thom & Sam Rainer (B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN).

- Big stat: 70% of church going young adults drop out of church between the ages of 18-22!

Top Ten Reasons Church Dropouts Stopped Attending Church:

1. Simply wanted a break from church.

2. Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.

3. Moved to college and stopped attending church.

4. Work responsibilities prevented me from attending.

5. Moved too far away from the church to continue attending.

6. Became too busy though still wanted to attend.

7. Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.

8. Disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues.

9. Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.

10. Was only going to church to please others.

General conclusions: 1) Churchgoing students drop out of the church because it is not essential to their lives.
2) Young adults are likely to stay in church if they see church as essential to their lives.

Here's a link to the introduction of the book. http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_PDF_Rainers_Essential_Church_Sample.pdf

Questions to begin discussion:
1. Do you see these top 10 in your congregations? In your life/ past, personally?

2. Do we address these reasons one at a time or in some more comprehensive strategy? Keep in mind that these are the top 10 reasons, not the only 10 reasons.

3. What does an essential CME Church look like?

*If anyone has a link to the text or audio of the 2010 Episcopal Address, please post it.

YOU THIINK YOU KNOW, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW.

2011-03-16T11:01:00.001-05:00

Text of Sermon: YOU THINK YOU KNOW BUT YOU DON'T KNOW