http://www.calliope.org/shays/shays4.html
I've always been curious about Daniel Shay's Rebellion, which occurred in 1786-1787, since I first "learned" of it in junior high school in American history. I used the the term "learned" advisedly, because the book author and our teacher, Mr. James Brooks, were equally vague about Daniel Shays or the principles for which he fought.
While reading about it today, I was surprised to learn that one of Shay's top captains was a free black man, a Massachusetts farmer, named Moses Sash. Shay's rebellion sought to put an end to debtor's courts and to land foreclosures. When the rebellion failed John Hancock, the governor of Massachusetts pardoned everybody, including the brother, Moses Sash.
History truly edifies.
The link is above. Enjoy.
Larry Delano Coleman, Esq.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Benjamin Banneker: Dogon descended A.M.E.
http://www.nndb.com/people/922/000163433/
Yesterday, a friend, Leon Dixon, revealed to me that Benjamin Banneker--surveyer, astronomer, mathemetician, farmer, almanac publisher, multi-genius African American-- was descended from the Dogon tribe of Mali, West Africa, an ethnic group renown for its ancient and mystical astronomical knowledge. http://www.unmuseum.org/siriusb.htm, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDIrFNPLIs, http://www.zetatalk.com/theword/tworx114.htm
Banneker's grandfather, Banneka, was a Dogon. http://www.duboislc.net/read/BannekersDogonAncestors.html His grandmother was a white English woman, named Molly. Their daughter had a child by a slave, Robert, who ran away. http://wapedia.mobi/en/Benjamin_Banneker#5.
Today, I was surprised to learn that Benjamin Bannker, who died at age 75 in 1806, was also a member of the nascent AME church in Oella, Maryland, as the first above link attests. The AME church originated in Baltimore and Philadelphia in the late 1780's. http://www.ame-church.com/about-us/history.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church
Ironically, after leaving my friend's home, yesterday, May 28, 2010, I went right around the corner from his house to a revival at St. John A.M.E. Church in Kansas City, Missouri, Rev. Suson Johnson-Williams, pastor.
Bannker's spiritual perspectives and insights are the subject of my present investigation, being an A.M.E. itinerant elder, myself.
However, but for my friend, Leon's disclosure, I could not have known of these connections: Dogon/Banneker/AME or their ethereal imponderables.
Much Love
Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
Raytown, Missouri
Yesterday, a friend, Leon Dixon, revealed to me that Benjamin Banneker--surveyer, astronomer, mathemetician, farmer, almanac publisher, multi-genius African American-- was descended from the Dogon tribe of Mali, West Africa, an ethnic group renown for its ancient and mystical astronomical knowledge. http://www.unmuseum.org/siriusb.htm, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDIrFNPLIs, http://www.zetatalk.com/theword/tworx114.htm
Banneker's grandfather, Banneka, was a Dogon. http://www.duboislc.net/read/BannekersDogonAncestors.html His grandmother was a white English woman, named Molly. Their daughter had a child by a slave, Robert, who ran away. http://wapedia.mobi/en/Benjamin_Banneker#5.
Today, I was surprised to learn that Benjamin Bannker, who died at age 75 in 1806, was also a member of the nascent AME church in Oella, Maryland, as the first above link attests. The AME church originated in Baltimore and Philadelphia in the late 1780's. http://www.ame-church.com/about-us/history.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church
Ironically, after leaving my friend's home, yesterday, May 28, 2010, I went right around the corner from his house to a revival at St. John A.M.E. Church in Kansas City, Missouri, Rev. Suson Johnson-Williams, pastor.
Bannker's spiritual perspectives and insights are the subject of my present investigation, being an A.M.E. itinerant elder, myself.
However, but for my friend, Leon's disclosure, I could not have known of these connections: Dogon/Banneker/AME or their ethereal imponderables.
Much Love
Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
Raytown, Missouri
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
"Geyser in the Gulf" --You can help
http://www.lloydminsterheavyoil.com/petrochem01.htm
Given the oceanic catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, a little chemisty lesson in crude oil may be appropriate.
Who knows? One of you may be visited with a valuable insight into how to solve this life-altering, nation-altering, world-altering phenomenon. Query: how much oil is in that sub-aquatic hole? Don't we have a right to know, or is that British Petroleum's proprietary secret?
This disaster affords an opportunity to learn and perhaps contribute to our own posterity.
You may not perceive it yet, nor feel it yet, but this "anointing" is coming your way, too.
One enlightening link is above. I reiterate, your help is needed. Pass this on, please.
Peace,
Larry D. Coleman, Esq
Kansas City, MO
Given the oceanic catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, a little chemisty lesson in crude oil may be appropriate.
Who knows? One of you may be visited with a valuable insight into how to solve this life-altering, nation-altering, world-altering phenomenon. Query: how much oil is in that sub-aquatic hole? Don't we have a right to know, or is that British Petroleum's proprietary secret?
This disaster affords an opportunity to learn and perhaps contribute to our own posterity.
You may not perceive it yet, nor feel it yet, but this "anointing" is coming your way, too.
One enlightening link is above. I reiterate, your help is needed. Pass this on, please.
Peace,
Larry D. Coleman, Esq
Kansas City, MO
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Power of Infallible Proofs
“The Power of Infallible Proofs”
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
Kansas City, Missouri
Rev. Clinton Stancil, Pastor
Delivered by Sunday May 16, 2010:
Rev. Dr. Larry D. Coleman
“Talk is cheap.”
We’ve all heard that expression. What it means is “prove it.” Prove it.
How can LeBron James be the “king” of basketball, without having won a title?
He’s got to prove it. Bill Russell has 11 titles. Michael Jordon has 6 titles. LeBron James has “0” titles. He’s got to prove it. He hasn’t proven it, yet.
The Bible is explicit. It says, “Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thess. 5:21. Prove ALL things. Hold fast that which is good.
“All” includes sports figures, politicians, doctors, lawyers and “Injun” chiefs.
It even includes preachers, priests, deacons, deaconesses, trustees, stewards, ushers, choir members, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and Popes.
All means “ALL,” Y’all. Why? Cause talk is cheap. Talk is cheaper than a handshake, cheaper than a fake grin. Are you praying with me?
1 John 4:1 (ESV) says--
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
To prove something is to “test” or to “try something out.” My daddy told me years ago. “Son, try on a pair shoes before you buy them.” That’s wisdom.
A carpenter’s rule of thumb is to “measure twice, and saw once.” That’s wisdom.
Isaiah 24:2 put the universal burden of proof this way—
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
Everybody’s got a burden of proof. Jesus discharged his burden when he rose from the grave with all power in his hand, having given his life for you and me.
“A charge to keep I have and a God to glorify, a never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky.” Charles Wesley, 1762.
In my other professional field, the legal field, we recognize different burdens of proof, depending on the type of case and the circumstances.
You may have heard of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” That’s criminal law.
You may have heard of “preponderance of the evidence.” That’s civil law.
The burden of proof (Latin: onus probandi) is the obligation to shift the accepted conclusion away from an oppositional opinion to one's own position. The burden of proof may only be fulfilled by evidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_burden_of_proof
Say “evidence.” Say it again. “Evidence.” Now, what is evidence?
EVIDENCE
In law, various things presented in court for the purpose of proving or disproving a question under inquiry. Includes testimony, documents, photographs, maps and video tapes.
Trial evidence consists of:
1. The sworn testimony of witnesses, on both direct and cross-examination, regardless of who called the witness; 2. The exhibits which have been received into evidence; and Any facts to which all the lawyers have agreed or stipulated.
Arguments and statements by lawyers are not evidence. The lawyers are not witnesses. What we say in ourr opening statements, closing arguments, and at other times is intended to help you interpret the evidence, but it is not evidence; Questions and objections by lawyers are not evidence. Attorneys have a duty to their clients to object when they believe a question is improper under the rules of evidence; Testimony that has been excluded or stricken, or that the jurors have been instructed to disregard, is not evidence and must not be considered.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/e048.htm
Just like what a lawyer says is not evidence, neither is what a preacher says, evidence. Both must present some evidence, some proof. Jesus’ life was full of proof, and his rising from the dead was infallible proof! And even after a life time of proof, salvation cannot be earned it is the “gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8-10:
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
As the scriptures make plain, talk and name-dropping are cheap. Matthew 7:21-29 (ESV):
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Authority of Jesus
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Well, having laid the foundation, we turn now to our subject, “The Power of Infallible Proofs”
“Infallible Proofs”---Hmmmmm---That’s a new one! What’s that? I’m glad you asked. Infallible means “incapable of erring…incapable of failing.” Infallible.
Turn with me, if you will, to Acts 1:1-11 (KJV). It reads:
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The most infallible proof of all church is the love of Christ in you.
He showed his hands, and his feet and the wound in his side. He was viewed by hundreds of people after the resurrection, for forty days and forty nights. The evidence of his existence outlasts the Bible’s pages. His grace and mercy is too great for one book. All of his so-called “miracles” are evidence of his divine nature. He lives, right now, in me and you. And he came here to restore unto us our true identity as men and women of God, “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Look in the mirror. Infallible proof. Breathe: inhale and exhale. More proof. Love: another proof. Believe and Obey: 100 proof! Amen, Amen, Amen!
The Power of Infallible Proof changed Saul, the persecutor, into the Paul, the Apostle.
The Power of Infallible Proof converted us from slaves to freed men and women.
The Power of Infallible Proof enabled us to withstand Jim Crow and segregation.
The Power of Infallible Proof lifted up Martin Luther King, Jr. in Montgomery AL., and Nelson Mandela in Soweto, South Africa
The Power of Infallible Proof raised up Prince Hall, Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
The Power of Infallible Proof but Barack Hussein Obama in the White House!
The Power of Infallible Proof lifted me from my sick bed and saved my soul!
The Power of Infallible Proof is running through this room, and through each of you, now, and right now. Can’t you feel it, can’t you feel it, can’t you feel it?
If you’re a witness to the power of infallible proof of Jesus Christ, stand up on your feet, and praise him, praise him, praise him ! Praise God for Jesus Christ!
Amen, Amen, and Amen again!
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
Kansas City, Missouri
Rev. Clinton Stancil, Pastor
Delivered by Sunday May 16, 2010:
Rev. Dr. Larry D. Coleman
“Talk is cheap.”
We’ve all heard that expression. What it means is “prove it.” Prove it.
How can LeBron James be the “king” of basketball, without having won a title?
He’s got to prove it. Bill Russell has 11 titles. Michael Jordon has 6 titles. LeBron James has “0” titles. He’s got to prove it. He hasn’t proven it, yet.
The Bible is explicit. It says, “Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thess. 5:21. Prove ALL things. Hold fast that which is good.
“All” includes sports figures, politicians, doctors, lawyers and “Injun” chiefs.
It even includes preachers, priests, deacons, deaconesses, trustees, stewards, ushers, choir members, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and Popes.
All means “ALL,” Y’all. Why? Cause talk is cheap. Talk is cheaper than a handshake, cheaper than a fake grin. Are you praying with me?
1 John 4:1 (ESV) says--
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
To prove something is to “test” or to “try something out.” My daddy told me years ago. “Son, try on a pair shoes before you buy them.” That’s wisdom.
A carpenter’s rule of thumb is to “measure twice, and saw once.” That’s wisdom.
Isaiah 24:2 put the universal burden of proof this way—
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
Everybody’s got a burden of proof. Jesus discharged his burden when he rose from the grave with all power in his hand, having given his life for you and me.
“A charge to keep I have and a God to glorify, a never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky.” Charles Wesley, 1762.
In my other professional field, the legal field, we recognize different burdens of proof, depending on the type of case and the circumstances.
You may have heard of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” That’s criminal law.
You may have heard of “preponderance of the evidence.” That’s civil law.
The burden of proof (Latin: onus probandi) is the obligation to shift the accepted conclusion away from an oppositional opinion to one's own position. The burden of proof may only be fulfilled by evidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_burden_of_proof
Say “evidence.” Say it again. “Evidence.” Now, what is evidence?
EVIDENCE
In law, various things presented in court for the purpose of proving or disproving a question under inquiry. Includes testimony, documents, photographs, maps and video tapes.
Trial evidence consists of:
1. The sworn testimony of witnesses, on both direct and cross-examination, regardless of who called the witness; 2. The exhibits which have been received into evidence; and Any facts to which all the lawyers have agreed or stipulated.
Arguments and statements by lawyers are not evidence. The lawyers are not witnesses. What we say in ourr opening statements, closing arguments, and at other times is intended to help you interpret the evidence, but it is not evidence; Questions and objections by lawyers are not evidence. Attorneys have a duty to their clients to object when they believe a question is improper under the rules of evidence; Testimony that has been excluded or stricken, or that the jurors have been instructed to disregard, is not evidence and must not be considered.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/e048.htm
Just like what a lawyer says is not evidence, neither is what a preacher says, evidence. Both must present some evidence, some proof. Jesus’ life was full of proof, and his rising from the dead was infallible proof! And even after a life time of proof, salvation cannot be earned it is the “gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8-10:
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
As the scriptures make plain, talk and name-dropping are cheap. Matthew 7:21-29 (ESV):
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Authority of Jesus
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Well, having laid the foundation, we turn now to our subject, “The Power of Infallible Proofs”
“Infallible Proofs”---Hmmmmm---That’s a new one! What’s that? I’m glad you asked. Infallible means “incapable of erring…incapable of failing.” Infallible.
Turn with me, if you will, to Acts 1:1-11 (KJV). It reads:
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The most infallible proof of all church is the love of Christ in you.
He showed his hands, and his feet and the wound in his side. He was viewed by hundreds of people after the resurrection, for forty days and forty nights. The evidence of his existence outlasts the Bible’s pages. His grace and mercy is too great for one book. All of his so-called “miracles” are evidence of his divine nature. He lives, right now, in me and you. And he came here to restore unto us our true identity as men and women of God, “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Look in the mirror. Infallible proof. Breathe: inhale and exhale. More proof. Love: another proof. Believe and Obey: 100 proof! Amen, Amen, Amen!
The Power of Infallible Proof changed Saul, the persecutor, into the Paul, the Apostle.
The Power of Infallible Proof converted us from slaves to freed men and women.
The Power of Infallible Proof enabled us to withstand Jim Crow and segregation.
The Power of Infallible Proof lifted up Martin Luther King, Jr. in Montgomery AL., and Nelson Mandela in Soweto, South Africa
The Power of Infallible Proof raised up Prince Hall, Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
The Power of Infallible Proof but Barack Hussein Obama in the White House!
The Power of Infallible Proof lifted me from my sick bed and saved my soul!
The Power of Infallible Proof is running through this room, and through each of you, now, and right now. Can’t you feel it, can’t you feel it, can’t you feel it?
If you’re a witness to the power of infallible proof of Jesus Christ, stand up on your feet, and praise him, praise him, praise him ! Praise God for Jesus Christ!
Amen, Amen, and Amen again!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Faith to be Healed
5/23/09
by Rev. Dr. Larry D. Coleman
Faith to be Healed
Periodically, during this walk in “the way,” one must “examine oneself” Galatians 6:4, in order to determine if one yet retains the “faith to be healed.”Acts 14:8-10.
The crippled man in Lystra leaped to his feet and walked, after Paul commanded him to “Stand up straight on your feet.”Acts 14:10.
Beset, buffeted, burdened and afflicted by the cares, demands and duties of this world? Though diseased and injured, do we retain the faith that we can still be healed through Christ? “Or do we look for another?” Matthew 11:3.
Certain preachers have treated this subject with great aplomb. http://www.jimfeeney.org/faithtobehealed.html
I have come to wonder, however, how does one, “a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked,”Acts 14:8, acquire the “faith to be healed?”What process enabled this?
Before David tested his mettle against Goliath, he had already vanquished a lion and a bear. 1 Sam.17:36. So, he had self-confidence: faith in himself, and faith in God, already. But, what precedents, what experiences gave self-confidence: faith in himself or in God, to the congenital cripple? The scripture says “This man heard Paul speaking.”Acts 14:9. And at Paul’s command, “he sprang up and began walking.”Acts 14:10.
Brooding over this subject, I have come to the following conclusions.
First, one must hear about Jesus. This awakens, then strengthens, one’s hope. Second, one must hear from Jesus. That is, receive his “still small voice”1 Kings 19:12, into one’s heart, the domicile of faith. Third, the faithful heart produces obedience. “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.“ 1 Sam. 15:22. These three steps form the foundation of one’s faith to be healed.
Thus, one woman, with an issue of blood, Luke 8:44, touched the hem of Jesus’garment. And she was healed, as were many other persons who did likewise. Matthew 14:36. In another instance, a lame man picked up his bed and walked, pursuant to Jesus’ command. Luke 5:8-9.
“Since faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,”Romans 10:17, healing the deaf and dumb man, who was brought by others to Him to touch and to heal, is among the most remarkable of Jesus’miracles. Mark 7:32-37. Jesus took him aside from the multitude , and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said unto him “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway, his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain.”Mark 7:33-35.
I, too, am “astonished beyond measure … “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:37.
In another example a Canaanite woman’s faith in Jesus was sufficient to heal her sick daughter. In one of the most compelling of Biblical colloquies, the following exchange took place: Matt. 15:22-,28:
“And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. Then Jesus said to the woman, I was sent only to help God's lost sheep--the people of Israel. But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, Lord, help me! He replied, It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."But she said, Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Dear woman, Jesus said to her, your faith is great. Your request is granted. And her daughter was instantly healed.
One’s faith can facilitate another’s healing, not just one’s own.
If Jesus can open a deaf man’s ears, surely he can open mine. If he can enable speech by one whose tongue is impaired, surely he can do the same for me. “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”Romans 10:10.
Too often, our “deafness” is recurring, and our “muteness”returns. At such times, God’s grace and mercy takes over. “I was found by those who did not seek me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me.” Isaiah 65:1.
This same “grace and mercy”which brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus in the first place, also leads us back to that healing place, “the place where thy honor dwelleth.”Psalm 28:6. “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit said the Lord. “ Zechariah 4:6.
Amen.
by Rev. Dr. Larry D. Coleman
Faith to be Healed
Periodically, during this walk in “the way,” one must “examine oneself” Galatians 6:4, in order to determine if one yet retains the “faith to be healed.”Acts 14:8-10.
The crippled man in Lystra leaped to his feet and walked, after Paul commanded him to “Stand up straight on your feet.”Acts 14:10.
Beset, buffeted, burdened and afflicted by the cares, demands and duties of this world? Though diseased and injured, do we retain the faith that we can still be healed through Christ? “Or do we look for another?” Matthew 11:3.
Certain preachers have treated this subject with great aplomb. http://www.jimfeeney.org/faithtobehealed.html
I have come to wonder, however, how does one, “a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked,”Acts 14:8, acquire the “faith to be healed?”What process enabled this?
Before David tested his mettle against Goliath, he had already vanquished a lion and a bear. 1 Sam.17:36. So, he had self-confidence: faith in himself, and faith in God, already. But, what precedents, what experiences gave self-confidence: faith in himself or in God, to the congenital cripple? The scripture says “This man heard Paul speaking.”Acts 14:9. And at Paul’s command, “he sprang up and began walking.”Acts 14:10.
Brooding over this subject, I have come to the following conclusions.
First, one must hear about Jesus. This awakens, then strengthens, one’s hope. Second, one must hear from Jesus. That is, receive his “still small voice”1 Kings 19:12, into one’s heart, the domicile of faith. Third, the faithful heart produces obedience. “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.“ 1 Sam. 15:22. These three steps form the foundation of one’s faith to be healed.
Thus, one woman, with an issue of blood, Luke 8:44, touched the hem of Jesus’garment. And she was healed, as were many other persons who did likewise. Matthew 14:36. In another instance, a lame man picked up his bed and walked, pursuant to Jesus’ command. Luke 5:8-9.
“Since faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,”Romans 10:17, healing the deaf and dumb man, who was brought by others to Him to touch and to heal, is among the most remarkable of Jesus’miracles. Mark 7:32-37. Jesus took him aside from the multitude , and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said unto him “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway, his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain.”Mark 7:33-35.
I, too, am “astonished beyond measure … “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:37.
In another example a Canaanite woman’s faith in Jesus was sufficient to heal her sick daughter. In one of the most compelling of Biblical colloquies, the following exchange took place: Matt. 15:22-,28:
“And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. Then Jesus said to the woman, I was sent only to help God's lost sheep--the people of Israel. But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, Lord, help me! He replied, It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."But she said, Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Dear woman, Jesus said to her, your faith is great. Your request is granted. And her daughter was instantly healed.
One’s faith can facilitate another’s healing, not just one’s own.
If Jesus can open a deaf man’s ears, surely he can open mine. If he can enable speech by one whose tongue is impaired, surely he can do the same for me. “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”Romans 10:10.
Too often, our “deafness” is recurring, and our “muteness”returns. At such times, God’s grace and mercy takes over. “I was found by those who did not seek me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me.” Isaiah 65:1.
This same “grace and mercy”which brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus in the first place, also leads us back to that healing place, “the place where thy honor dwelleth.”Psalm 28:6. “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit said the Lord. “ Zechariah 4:6.
Amen.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
"Broke-ology" by Nathan Louis Jackson
Dear Mr. Robert Trussell--
Beauty is truly within the eye of the beholder, just as poignancy is selectively sensate.
Your review of the K. C. Repertory Theatre's production of "Broke-ology,"-- KC Kansas' playwright, Nathan Louis Jackson's, "chef d'oeuvre,"-- though technically compliant with prevailing norms, misses the point, by reason thereof.
When I experienced the play during past Saturday's matinee, I was one of only a handful of African Americans among an otherwise packed house.
The universal power of the play's overarching theme cut through the audience like an electric knife. The standing ovation at the end was as much cathartic as it was celebratory.
What your review (KC Star, 3/2/2010, p.D2) misses is a four letter word, "love." This play was all about love. The love. Between man and wife, father and sons, people and heritage. Broke, yes. But, "Joie de vrie," notwithstanding. While you may have used the word, "love," in your article, I did not feel any love emanating from your review.
"Feel" is the leitmotif of "Broke-ology," Mr. Trussell. Feel what? The "montage of a dream deferred," to quote Kansas' poet, Langston Hughes. The house, itself, which was supposed to be "temporary." The energetic and pretty young wife's premature death, and her unfulfilled longings expressed even beyond the grave. The peremptory pregnancy of the stay-at-home son's girlfriend. The unrequited and threatened realization of the college-trained son's ambitions. The encroaching and terminal illness of dad, heightened by his sense of failure and obligation to his deceased wife whose love and spirit he covets. The feeling that all of them are trapped, or "stuck" in a nightmarish goo, dissembling life.
The neat solution? Medically induced suicide. Death was one of Shakespeare's favorite devices and his ghosts are iconic.
The play is every bit as powerful as Lorraine Hansberry's classic "Raisin in the Sun," spiritually and symbolically. Or "Was it just my imagination, running away with me?" The streaming tears in my eyes, and others', said otherwise.
Respectfully,
Larry D. Coleman Esq.
Beauty is truly within the eye of the beholder, just as poignancy is selectively sensate.
Your review of the K. C. Repertory Theatre's production of "Broke-ology,"-- KC Kansas' playwright, Nathan Louis Jackson's, "chef d'oeuvre,"-- though technically compliant with prevailing norms, misses the point, by reason thereof.
When I experienced the play during past Saturday's matinee, I was one of only a handful of African Americans among an otherwise packed house.
The universal power of the play's overarching theme cut through the audience like an electric knife. The standing ovation at the end was as much cathartic as it was celebratory.
What your review (KC Star, 3/2/2010, p.D2) misses is a four letter word, "love." This play was all about love. The love. Between man and wife, father and sons, people and heritage. Broke, yes. But, "Joie de vrie," notwithstanding. While you may have used the word, "love," in your article, I did not feel any love emanating from your review.
"Feel" is the leitmotif of "Broke-ology," Mr. Trussell. Feel what? The "montage of a dream deferred," to quote Kansas' poet, Langston Hughes. The house, itself, which was supposed to be "temporary." The energetic and pretty young wife's premature death, and her unfulfilled longings expressed even beyond the grave. The peremptory pregnancy of the stay-at-home son's girlfriend. The unrequited and threatened realization of the college-trained son's ambitions. The encroaching and terminal illness of dad, heightened by his sense of failure and obligation to his deceased wife whose love and spirit he covets. The feeling that all of them are trapped, or "stuck" in a nightmarish goo, dissembling life.
The neat solution? Medically induced suicide. Death was one of Shakespeare's favorite devices and his ghosts are iconic.
The play is every bit as powerful as Lorraine Hansberry's classic "Raisin in the Sun," spiritually and symbolically. Or "Was it just my imagination, running away with me?" The streaming tears in my eyes, and others', said otherwise.
Respectfully,
Larry D. Coleman Esq.
Monday, March 1, 2010
“EQUALITY OF GOD”
Sunday, February 14, 2010
“EQUALITY OF GOD”
By rev. dr. larry Delano coleman
Does God have favorites? Or, is God equal in his dispensations?
Ecclesiastes 9:2 says:
All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
Put another way, God is no respecter of persons. Acts 10:34 states, “Then Peter said, "Now I understand that God doesn't play favorites.”
Deuteronomy 10:17 is even more explicit:
"For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”
Notwithstanding these explicit teachings, certain men persists in insisting that their conduct on earth--indeed, their mere genealogy-- entitles them to divine favor denied to others. Jesus disabuses these “already saved” folks of such narcissistic notions:
Matthew 5: 44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. “
Ezekiel 18:4 addresses this precise question. “Behold all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”
Elsewhere in Ezekiel 18, we find:
25 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?”
God is the perfection of equality, its absolute epitome.
Favorites? Unthinkable? Unfathomable. Incompatible with the existence of God. Indeed, nullified by the existence of God.
“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.” Isaiah. 40:25.
Although we are on the earth rotating at approximately 1,000 miles per hour, we don’t feel it. Although the earth is orbiting around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour, we don’t feel that either. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970401c.html
Our solar system, in turn, is orbiting around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, at 568,000 miles per hour, which itself is orbiting at untold speeds. And our planet is 28,000 light years from the center of our galaxy. http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/blog/content/solar-system-moving-100000-mph-faster-thought-15-speed-increase-translates-doubling-mass-mil
Of course, light itself is traveling at 186,000 miles per second, or 299,792,458 metres per second,[1][2] often approximated as 300,000 kilometres per second.
. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
Our God can’t help, but be equal! His immutable laws establish equality.
“EQUALITY OF GOD”
By rev. dr. larry Delano coleman
Does God have favorites? Or, is God equal in his dispensations?
Ecclesiastes 9:2 says:
All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
Put another way, God is no respecter of persons. Acts 10:34 states, “Then Peter said, "Now I understand that God doesn't play favorites.”
Deuteronomy 10:17 is even more explicit:
"For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”
Notwithstanding these explicit teachings, certain men persists in insisting that their conduct on earth--indeed, their mere genealogy-- entitles them to divine favor denied to others. Jesus disabuses these “already saved” folks of such narcissistic notions:
Matthew 5: 44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. “
Ezekiel 18:4 addresses this precise question. “Behold all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”
Elsewhere in Ezekiel 18, we find:
25 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?”
God is the perfection of equality, its absolute epitome.
Favorites? Unthinkable? Unfathomable. Incompatible with the existence of God. Indeed, nullified by the existence of God.
“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.” Isaiah. 40:25.
Although we are on the earth rotating at approximately 1,000 miles per hour, we don’t feel it. Although the earth is orbiting around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour, we don’t feel that either. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970401c.html
Our solar system, in turn, is orbiting around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, at 568,000 miles per hour, which itself is orbiting at untold speeds. And our planet is 28,000 light years from the center of our galaxy. http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/blog/content/solar-system-moving-100000-mph-faster-thought-15-speed-increase-translates-doubling-mass-mil
Of course, light itself is traveling at 186,000 miles per second, or 299,792,458 metres per second,[1][2] often approximated as 300,000 kilometres per second.
. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
Our God can’t help, but be equal! His immutable laws establish equality.
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