Sunday, October 21, 2012

Let Us Draw Out Our Lovingkindness to Everyone Knowing Him


Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_10_21_2012
Welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. The ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. These are our online only locations:
Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
We have email and Instant Messenger available. We’re still working this out between the three of us as to what will happen, as we include our Elder, Cal Jennings, our Apostle/Shepherd Mary C. Michel-Lynch and I in this mix. The IM is available if you ask first and identify the reason as being part of the ministry. This IM connects via Facebook as well. I will be informing you further in regard to changes being made. These changes were made due to health reasons. There will no longer be live video sermons for now, and the sermon length will be shortened dramatically. If, at some time, one, or any of the three of us, or perhaps other ministers in our ministry, would have access, live sermons might return.
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
From Rev. Lisa’s list: Clay - had surgery Oct 8 again,
Norma - surgery Wednesday Oct 10 for breast cancer, pray no chemo needed and quick recovery.
Rod – lump in throat, going to doctor Thursday
Sy– problems with his throat too
Tami – 
Jessika and family – emotional strength and all needs met, healthy baby
Sister Rachel, Joe, Lonnie, Johnnie and Jessie
Joel – asking for healing for his brain, and ability to memorize for his job
Maisie - 2 yr old in UK brain damage
Raiden - 3 yr old in coma, possible brain damage from accident
Pascal and his sister - need food and school supplies
Carol – foot and elbow pain
Laura– multiple health problems
Gene
Shirley
Carrie
Jimm – back injury and pain
Lulu – loss of limb, health issues
Multiple people on my FB list with severe health issues
Jerry – emotional issues, demons, deafness
Ruth and family
Tierra and her father (he has multiple health problems, lives far away)
Sarah - breast cancer
Robin - breast cancer
Sara – cyst
Julie – cysts
Clara – pain and various health problems, knees too
Kristine – peace
Angela – strength, clarity
Roberta – her children
My sisters and family – Angela, Mary and Eileen – all needs met
John
Robert
Janet
Clay – handicapped boy, shunt malfunction and infections, spina bifida
Pam – not feeling well lately
Lisa – meth addiction, asks for help and healing
Sister Inaiker (name unknown) epilepsy, panic attacks, deafness
Other no name given prayer requests
Dr. Anna – pain, fatigue, financial needs
             General prayers for God’s workers
Mary – good prayer partner and writer
Mary – faithful and writing to help others
Ruth
Laura
Pam
Dr. Anna
Tomarra – pastor’s wife
Bernie – desires to learn of God, needs study material
Pastor Stan
Pastor Prince
Pastor Creflo
Pastor Joyce
(many more)
             Overseas ministries
Francis Ondara
John Namavarapu
Tobias Ayugi
Apostle Al Anyona
Evangelist Abel
Pastor Ravi Daniel
(many more)
Phoebe Fair has been on our prayer list for her AT/RT cancer treatments. We must also pray for her brothers and her parents and grandparents due to a long and hard bout with whooping cough, preventing them from being with Phoebe during her treatments. Phoebe has been in and out of the hospital due to terrible reactions and more. Please continue to pray for her and her family as they fight with all they have.
We pray for Elder Cal Jennings, that his health improve and he be more able to work toward the glory of God.
We pray for Apostle/Shepherd Mary Michel-Lynch that her issues be resolved and her health return.
We pray for Emilie and Joey for health and education issues they are working on.
We pray in for other family members who have received after a rather terrible set of news.
We pray for Tony who has had a very hard pair of months.
We pray for Christie and her son, that their troubles, trials and tribulations have solutions soon.
We pray for Heather and Art, that they return to health and are able to do the things they love once more.
We pray for the family of Jacob Olivier who has been missing for two years.
We pray for friends Teresa and Hope, that their financial issues be resolved.
We pray for Debby, Karen, Jackie, for health to return for each of them.
We pray for Jason and Joyce and family, as Jason has been fighting cancer.
We pray for Eric and Kelly Starling, Kelly was recently diagnosed with a form of Leukemia.
We pray for those who are suffering strife around this world, in every form and formula.
We pray for all our ministers and their ministries worldwide, may they prosper and grow.
We pray for those at war, that peace might be reached. We pray for those who have been devastated by natural disasters and more, that they be able to recover. We pray for war torn countries that their economies recover. We pray for the economies of the world, that they work toward solutions.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We bring many of our friends, our family members, our colleagues, and even those whom we’ve never known up to You in prayer. We pray that you will help with their problems, their pains, their sorrows and more. We pray that you will help heal them, no matter their illness. We bring all of this up to You through Your Holy Name in the gift of the Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amein and so it shall be.
Opening Song: You Raise Me Up http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b861a61f8

Sermon: Our sermon on the final verses of Psalm 36 begin with a plea. It’s not a plea for assistance, as if the person or people were in danger, but, instead, a plea that those who DO know God, to remember and continue his gentle and steadfast mercy, as He would remember. Scripture calls gentle and steadfast mercy lovingkindness. This is a word that has fallen out of use, but, in a lot of ways, should still be here. It doesn’t just apply to David’s words here in Psalm 36:10 KJV – O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
There are many ways to view this verse. The original Hebrew had two ways to say the word CONTINUE. In this case, it could also have said the following for Alternative to Psalm 36:10 KJV – O draw out in length thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
Wouldn’t we much rather have a feeling of peace for longer periods than they seem to be for us? Many would say yes. Some might say maybe. Others just could say perhaps the trials and tribulations are needed to recognize those times of lovingkindness for what they are, and it will make them seem longer anyway. In our realization of all of this we see another view of God in his judgment and lovingkindness shared in Jeremiah 22:16 KJV – He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.
There is a song that many of us would know. That song is titled It Is Well Within My Soul. When we recognize and realize that God is already there, waiting for us, beside us, behind us, carrying us, then it truly is well within our soul. That is, unless we let those troubles and trials and tribulations get the better of us, as we have a tendency to do. The next verse is our warning for that as shared in Psalm 36:11 KJV – Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
Fear is a great enemy, and for some can be very much a wall that cannot be climbed, a mountain too tall to attempt, but, we must remember, that those who are the cause of fear, the bad kind of fear, will suffer what their fear has done to others. We see this in the last verse of this Psalm in Psalm 36:12 KJV – There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
Those who understand love, and all its components, mercy, patience, hope, faith, peace, prudence, and all the rest, thus understand that the mustard seed may look like a tiny thing, but it can do great things, it can lead to amazing gifts, much as the fruit of life can do. We finish with the supporting verses that share more of what the final verse of Psalm 36 has to share as seen here in Psalm 140:10 KJV – Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits; that they rise not up again.
To emphasize what is shared in this verse would be that which is given to us here in the Scroll of Isaiah 26:14 KJV – They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
When a person dies, we have eulogies, funerals, memorials, whatever you wish to call them, but, in this case, we’re not talking human practice, we’re talking godly practice. With godly practice, it means the hand of God has taken them where nothing and no one can bring them back from. It is the place where love has ceased to be. In what David shared with us in the Psalm we just completed, lovingkindness, the gift of gentle and steadfast mercy, is a much nicer place to consider, a much better gift than could be shared. Perhaps if we shared this ideal more, this world might just be a better and brighter place. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)
Closing Song: Let There Be Peace On Earth (Duet between Elder Cal and Rev. Laura, and yes, done ages ago.)
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot & Multiply
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogspot  & Multiply
Mary C. Michel-Lynch ~ Apostle/Shepherd Facebook & Blogspot & Multiply
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Sharing Elder Cal Jennings' Sermon

This is the link to an absolutely brilliant sermon written by our Elder Cal Jennings.
http://spaceeagle.multiply.com/journal/item/4522 


Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot & Multiply
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogspot & Multiply
Mary C. Michel-Lynch ~ Apostle/Shepherd Facebook & Blogspot & Multiply
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Fountain of Life Is Our Light From the Darkness (originally presented 10/14/2012)

Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon or midweek study. You will normally see us posted on Sunday and Wednesday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love. It doesn’t conform to society’s wishes. This ministry shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who know me well will recognize that there are definitive differences in the creation of every sermon from this point forward. It is God’s will that has brought this to be. We wish only that God’s truth will be shared within His words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills my heart, mind, and soul to be shared with my hands, but with His words alone.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
 Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Google+ & Blogspot & Twitter
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current list.
- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him.
- Pray for my parents and youngest brother who would have lost their dog Shadow just two days ago now. He was a faithful companion for nearly sixteen years.

- Please pray for relief in the trials and tribulations for Sister Theresa and myself as we have had a great many over the past year and more.

- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what tomorrow brings.

- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.

- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.

- Pray for those suffering as a result of the terrors that have occurred just this past week around this world.

- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.

Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the Spirit bring clarity to each of our decisions. We thank You for that gift and the many more You have brought us. May our fears be drawn out of us. Help us to see the many gifts Your love brings and the unknown locations it might be found. May our pain and sorrow be eased. May peace be brought from our hearts and shared with others. May Your gifts of love shine through us toward others. We pray for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, the wounded, and the frightened. We pray for the soldiers, the Samaritans, the children, and the rest. We pray in thanksgiving for every gift brought us. We pray that every tomorrow bring good things. For each of these we pray in Your Holy Name, through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.


Opening Song: I Saw the Light https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtolv9kM1qk 






Sermon: We have been wondering about fighting our days of feeling doom and gloom, and God is very good at showing us just how to do so. When I first read this verse here, I wondered what in the world it meant. In fact, I actually went looking to see what it meant. You’ll understand as I share this verse.

Psalm 36:8 KJV – They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

“Fatness” in Scripture, means the richness or “goodness” of God. So, the house they speak of has richness and goodness of God within it. What a wonderful thought for home to feel as though you have everything and the whole of it would be welcoming to all who enter. That leads us up to the next verse, in a lot of ways, because it is all about renewal as we have studied before here.

Revelations 22:1 KJV – And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Many of us fail to understand what it is to realize the beauty, the amazing, the awesomeness of the world around us. Imagine what it would be like without the concrete, asphalt, steel and glass. Imagine what it would be like without floods and fires, earthquakes, heat waves, frozen tundra, just life, in all directions, everywhere we look, and you’ll realize, you’ve just dreamt of heaven. Then we get to realize there is a source for all this. He is God, and He shares this with us here.

 Psalm 36:9 KJV – For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

The fountain of life, some thought it a myth, some wish to find it here on earth. Yet, many have tried, and failed, at doing just that. The reason would be easily found. God is that fountain of life. His fountain of life is full of light, which is unconditional love. These are the things we must remember, we must understand, or we will never realize how important His word truly is.

Isaiah 12:3 KJV – Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

We should be glad. We absolutely should dance around that well, because every time we raise that bucket, it is filled with the gift of salvation, and all we have to do is drink from that bucket which drew water from the well. In a scene at a well amidst the Gentiles, Jesus rested once, and was there with a woman drawing water from it. Do you remember this scene here?

John 4:10, 14 KJV – Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

The waters of life, the gift of life. If you remember in biology class, human beings are ninety percent water. Think about it, the entire amount of our body’s water, upon the glory of God, would be transformed to “living water”. Now, that’s an amazing thought, isn’t it? It’s one shared here.

 Revelation 21:6 KJV – And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

In this world we live in, we don’t think about how much it means just to have good water to drink. In this great world, water is a precious resource. It is the source of life, and it is the way toward relief of many forms. All Jesus wants to show us is the fact that we need to first see the potential that there is light to lead us out of the darkness. He shares this here.

Acts 26:18 KJV – To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Faith, as Jesus once said, can be seen as small as a tiny mustard seed, which, trust me, is a very tiny seed. But, if you plant that mustard seed, tend to it, care for it, that seed will grow into an enormous tree, with still more mustard seeds that fall from it, soon creating a forest. This is what faith can be. This is what life can be, if it would be possible to manage. Joy can be found within that, if we look for it. Now, where do we look? Well, take a look at what is shared next. 

Ephesians 5:8 KJV - For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.

Every one of us has had darkness in our lives. Each of us have had, or have seen days when we wondered if there were a way out, or not. Yet, there have been little sparkles of light to share, to bring, to prove that there is a way. That gift is a gift of God, and it is proven in friends, in family, and in the power of love. God, the deliverer, the bringer of life, the Alpha and the Omega.

Colossians 1:13 KJV – Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Notice, even today, families consider their children as dear, and in many cases, hopefully, show it in as many ways as it is possible. That’s the way it should be. God let us live for a reason. He saved our lives, far, far back in the past for a single reason. That reason is found here.

I Peter 2:9 KJV – But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

We’re different, Christians, true Christians, even those who haven’t decided, we’re different. If we weren’t different, we’d be like those robots you read about or saw in the movie I Robot. We aren’t robots, we are who we are, a perfect creation of God. Yes, I said a PERFECT creation of God. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: 

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

Closing Song: What A Day That Will Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycz4s2xwDhc 





~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Elder Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright ©circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness. 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Answering the Mysteries of Life, Through Knowledge, Wisdom and Love

Colossians 1:26-29 KJV - Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
To whom God, would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. 
When we are children we are taught about many things we consider to be mysterious. We worked, even then, to answer the mysteries. As adults our mysteries might be different, but we still strive to answer them. In the truth of Scripture, there are many mysteries which Jesus taught us, yet, to us, they can still remain as such. They continue to confound, to confuse, to even worry many of us. Yet, as Ecclesiastes promises, the Ecclesiastic, the Preacher says this, as we remember.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV - To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
There is a time, a place, a season, for every purpose, even knowledge, wisdom, love, hope, faith, peace, war, and so much more. There is a time for the mystery to exist, and there is a time to have that mystery solved. Every thing in life has an answer. The solution can be found in faith, which is borne out of unconditional love. Now, that's something to think about.

Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster & Multiply
Mary C. Michel-Lynch ~ Apostle/Shepherd Facebook & Blogspot
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.


Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Wind Beneath His Wings and Protection Found Beneath As Well (Originally posted 10/7/2012)



Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_10_07_2012
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon or midweek study. You will normally see us posted on Sunday and Wednesday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love. It doesn’t conform to society’s wishes. This ministry shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who know me well will recognize that there are definitive differences in the creation of every sermon from this point forward. It is God’s will that has brought this to be. We wish only that God’s truth will be shared within His words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills my heart, mind, and soul to be shared with my hands, but with His words alone.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
 Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Google+ & Blogspot & Twitter
Elder Calvin Jennings Facebook & Twitter & Blogster
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site:  
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current list.

- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him.

- Please pray for relief in the trials and tribulations for Sister Theresa and myself as we have had a great many over the past year and more.

- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what tomorrow brings.

- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.

- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.

- Pray for those suffering as a result of the terrors that have occurred just this past week around this world.

- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.

Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the Spirit bring clarity to each of our decisions. We thank You for that gift and the many more You have brought us. May our fears be drawn out of us. Help us to see the many gifts Your love brings and the unknown locations it might be found. May our pain and sorrow be eased. May peace be brought from our hearts and shared with others. May Your gifts of love shine through us toward others. We pray for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, the wounded, and the frightened. We pray for the soldiers, the Samaritans, the children, and the rest. We pray in thanksgiving for every gift brought us. We pray that every tomorrow bring good things. For each of these we pray in Your Holy Name, through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.


Opening Song: Wind Beneath My Wings 
https://youtu.be/jorJh8DTMVM 





Sermon: The past two weeks we took a voyage away from the Psalms for a reason. First, it has only been a short time since my return, and second, because I felt we needed a break from the complex nature of God’s word here in the Psalms. Today, however, we are going to continue where we left off here at:

Psalm 36:6 KJV – Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

Righteousness, notice how every single time we study a single portion of Scripture, righteousness figures in somewhere? It is a long voyage to first know what it is, then to learn how to gain that gift, and finally to maintain it, basically to keep it. This is, even though, we have Jesus and His love helping us to manage it. It is still important to understand that righteousness is a huge consideration, and it took a lot of sacrifice to give us the ability just to know that much. As to sacrifice, Job himself knew much about righteousness. Even though many shy away from his words due to the depressing nature of the writing, in truth, that writing says a lot about society as a whole, not just poor old Job. Let’s take a look at what he has to say here in:

Job 11:8 KJV – It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst though know?

There is nothing greater than righteousness, it goes, as Job said, high as heaven, and lower than hell. Some might ask, “Is there a place worse than hell?” There are those who just might not want to know that. With knowledge of what righteousness holds, we find here in the New Testament a view of what riches should be considered, and no, money and power would not be considered. 

Romans 11:33 KJV – O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

God knows all, sees all, is all. We just don’t realize that much. The problem is, though many understand God created the heavens and the earth and all that would live there, it means He lives and breathes, in His own way, just like we do.
There are times in our lives we fail to realize this. Well, actually, too many times we fail to realize this. Here we see Job realizing that very thing. 

Job 7:20 KJV – I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why has thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Some of us know all too well what it is to be a burden, or feel like a burden, or perhaps carry too many burdens at once. We can realize now, that we wouldn’t be the first, and assuredly won’t be the last. That’s why God gives us good things, after we’ve survived the bad. We see some of that here:

Psalm 36:7 KJV – How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 

There is a song I love, it’s titled Wind Beneath My Wings. If you consider God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit ARE that wind, you’ll understand the reason to love such a song. LOVE is the ultimate gift, this especially if it is unconditional. Our last verse shares what comes of love and why we should recognize not only is God the wind beneath our wings, but the protector that holds us under His proverbial and literal wings. See it here:

Ruth 2:12 KJV – The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Trust, now there’s part of love. A gift of love many of us strive to manage. It’s one that is hard to maintain, because trust can be built, but just as easily it can be broken. There is no mountain He can’t move, there is no valley He can’t walk. There is no star He cannot reach. There is no love He will not give. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: 
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

Closing Song: Go Tell It On The Mountain 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVxYhF6liTU 






~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Elder Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright ©circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness. 

Friday, October 5, 2012

That’s the Way Love Should Be


Psalm 89:15-17 KJV Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
In thy name shall they rejoice all the day:
and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

Last weekend, like the one before, I hurt myself because of my many issues with vision, light, sound, and motion, syncope, and more, I fell, four times in the space of one week. All of them, within inches of my desk. As a result I am mummified over my entire torso, waiting to see the chiropractor, as, due to the type of coverage I have, the adage is money doesn't grow on trees. When I saw the first two of these verses in my email I realized, even though this is a bad thing that happened, I've had the support of all who care enough to call, to write, to sit here beside me and pray, or even just to give me a hug or lift something I just can't reach.

The single most important thing, I trust God to give me the answers I need. I trust God to find the ways I can do this. He gave me an awesome and amazing family, incredible ministerial assistance, and friends from all corners. That means more than anyone realizes. It means I can do the things I love, out of the goodness of my heart, not expecting a single thing in return, because I do what I do out of love that doesn't have shoestrings, it doesn't have conditions. That's the way love should be. Isn't it?

Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster & Multiply
Mary C. Michel-Lynch ~ Apostle/Shepherd Facebook & Blogspot
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Wisdom in Knowledge Lived and Experienced in Memories and Love



Ecclesiastes 7:18-19 KJV - It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
When I was a girl, fresh out of high school, back in 1988, it was not my first taste of "freedom", as I had worked the two prior summers. That summer was different. At the end of that summer, I was headed off to college a thousand miles from home. The Ecclesiastic, the Preacher, who is speaking here, dared to experience everything, good, bad, and in between to determine what was wisdom and what was foolishness, and where the middle might be. Sometimes that's exactly what we must do. Just two weeks into August I stepped onto campus, and that first day at orientation I met one of my best friends, and she lived right there in "town", just down the way and around the corner she would joke. Two weeks after that we together joined a group which, a week later, comprised of seven women, all ages, all levels in school, and we became the core of what was known then as P.D. Clown Alley. No, it wasn't a circus act. It was a clown ministry group. Now, my costume bit the dust long, long ago, but one of those dear friends managed to locate all but one of the skits we used to use. I will be doing my best to drag the one I once wrote and the one we performed the most out of the mothballs of my memories, because they share God's love, as much as our Ecclesiastic here would do. Wisdom isn't just a gift, it is knowledge, learned, and lived. In the quarter century since then, I have experienced the beauty of bringing life into this world, and the sorrow of losing those I love the most to a life that waits for all of us. Much like each of you, I'm sure, each of those memories lives, bad or good, for each of us who remembers and forgives.
~Shalom~
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.