Lent: Day 2: Genesis 2:4b-3:24

After reading this passage, I was trying my best to string together some words to convey what I saw in the text. I wanted to sound profound. I wanted my words to be eloquent. I wanted to sound like a prolific theologian with some deep explanation of the text. However, I couldn't come up with any of that. All I could muster was one sentence. One sentence to describe the action that took place during the encounter in the Garden of Eden between God, Adam, Eve, and the serpent with much emphasis on Adam and Eve. If you have any questions about the sentence feel free to email me at michaelswortham@gmail.com. So here is the sentence:

We can sabotage our own blessings by not following instructions.

That is all.

This is Minister Mike and I want you to Consider This...

Lent: Day 1-Psalm 51

David is pouring out his heart to God in Psalm 51. The words of Psalm 51 are born out of a situation in which David has transgressed against God by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband Uriah killed. David tried different ways to cover his “secret” sins but God has a way of bringing all things done in the dark to the light. Psalm 51 is his plea of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. And a verse that stands out in this Psalm is that of verse 10. It says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”

This time of lent is a time in which we seek God and plea as David did, for God to create in us a clean heart and give us a new and right spirit. This period of consecration is not a time of competition but completion. This period of sacrifice is not a gimmick but a time for growth. This period is a time for God to make us into new creatures. My prayer tonight is that we begin the renewal process. My prayer tonight is that we sacrifice in order that we become something new at end. Lord create in us a clean heart and put in us a new and right spirit.

This is Minister Mike and I want you to Consider This....

Weekly Prayer and Scripture Itinerary for Lent

The season of Lent in Christendom begins on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 and ends on Saturday, April 23, 2011. This 40 day period of fasting and prayer (excluding Sundays) has been recognized by the Christian faith for centuries. Below is a prayer and scripture itinerary for this year. This was compiled by my church and I am sharing it with you all in hopes that it can serve as a guide for all of us during this time.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. michaelswortham@gmail.com

God Bless. Minister Mike

Weekly Prayer & Scripture Itinerary

GOD FORGIVES SIN
March 9: Psalm 51:1-12

March 10: Genesis 2:1-3:15

March 11: Psalm 32

March 12: Romans 5:11-17

March 13: Isaiah 53:6 & Joel 2:12-18

GOD DELIGHTS IN SHOWING MERCY

March 14: Psalm 103:17

March 15: Lamentations 3:23

March 16: Luke 6:36

March 17: Titus 3:5

March 18: Proverbs 3:3

March 19: Micah 6:8

March 20: Matthew 5:7

JUSTIFIED BY GOD'S GRACE

March 21: Romans 5:18-21

March 22: Acts 15:11

March 23: Romans 3:22-26

March 24: Titus 2:11-14

March 25: Ephesians 2:6-9

March 26: Philippians 4:19

March 27: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

THE REAL EVIDENCE OF OUR FAITH

March 28: Matthew 6:1-4

March 29: Psalm 92:12

March 30: Isaiah 3:10

March 31: Matthew 25:34-40

April 1: Acts 9:36

April 2: Psalm 37:3

April 3: Hebrews 16:16

TRUE FASTING

April 4: Isaiah 58:1-14

April 5: Matthew 6:17-18

April 6: Daniel 10:3

April 7: Acts 13:2-3

April 8: Romans 8:13

April 9: Luke 12:22-34

April 10: Colossians 3:1-10

TRANSFORMATIVE PRAYER

April 11: Ecclesiastes 5:2

April 12: Matthew 6:5-13

April 13: Mark 1:35

April 14: Luke 22:41-42

April 15: Psalm 91:15

April 16: Isaiah 65:24

April 17: Luke 11:9

RESISTING TEMPTATIONS AND VICTORIOUS LIVING

April 18: Matthew 4:1-11

April 19: Hebrews 13:20

April 20: 1 Corinthians 10:13

April 21: James 1:12

April 22: 2 Peter 2:9

April 23: Ephesians 6:13

April 24: 1 Corinthians 15:56-58

The Season of Lent is upon us

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 marks the beginning of Lent for this year. Lent is a period of preparation and consecration for all of Christendom. During this 40-day period (March 9-April 23: excluding Sundays), we engage in a time of fasting and prayer, of self-denial and sacrifice in hopes of strengthening our relationship with the God of our salvation.

The 40 days are representative of the time period that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying while being tempted by Satan. This time in the wilderness occurred prior to his public ministry. Before engaging in ministry, Jesus went through a period of fasting and prayer. Jesus went through a period in which he went into solitude to be with God and eliminated those things that were hindering him from being closer to God. Jesus throughout his ministry found time to get away from everyone and spend time with God. Before we embark on journeys in life it important that we pull ourselves from the things that distract us from hearing God. In order to gain clarity and insight on our life's journey, it is important that we engage in periods of fasting and prayer.

The period of Lent is not a competition. It's not about "who can out fast who." This period of fasting and prayer is between us and God. We do not have to advertise that we are participating in Lent or that we are fasting. We don't have to share with the world what we are giving up. This is about us and God.

And give up something that is going to actually to be a struggle for you. The point of fasting is removing those things that we feel we can't "live without" and replace those things with the One we can't "live without." Jesus fasted from food and water, two things we need to live, but that was replaced with God. For us is may be fried food, candy, fast food, etc. For some it may be twitter, facebook, television, etc. For others it may be alcohol, sex, clubbing, etc. What we must do is search within ourselves and be honest with ourselves and ask "What is it that is hindering me from getting closer to God? What is it that is preventing from hearing the voice of God"

In the next post, I will provide a weekly scripture and prayer itinerary that my church provided for us. We can use this as a guide to help us during this period.

I will be in much prayer for all us during this period. God Bless.

This is Minister Mike, and I want you to Consider This...

Love Has Everything To Do With It

“What love got to do, got to do with it...” -Tina Turner

“How beautiful love can be/On the streets love is hard to see/It’s a place I got to be/LOVING YOU IS LOVING ME...” -Common

“‘Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. One these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’” -Matthew 22:36-40

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:34-35

“This is my commandment, that you love another as I have loved you. No greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I do not call you servants any longer...but I have called you friends...” -John 15:13,15

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” -1 John 4:7-8


Tina Turner in 1984 asked a question that many people have continued to ask since that day. Tina asked the world “What’s love got to do with it?” She went on to say that love was nothing but “a second hand emotion.” Then she topped off and said “who needs a heart when a heart can be broken.” And I know in some way, shape or fashion people can relate to what Tina Turner was talking about. If we look at her life and the history of abuse she faced, we can see why she questioned love. There have been times in our lives where we probably questioned loved. If we look at society, the lack of love is easy to see. When we look at the news, stories of violent crimes are generally the headlines. The abuse that occurs behind closed doors that we don’t hear about. The way we treat the homeless, poor, and less fortunate. The lack of love is evident in the world. It appears that the world has taken on the “what’s love got to do with it attitude.” But Jesus reminds me that love has EVERYTHING to do with it.

Love is a (and I almost want to say the) foundational principle that Christianity stands upon. Christianity and Love go together like lock and key. As a Christian we are commanded by God to love. Not only this but people will recognize that we belong to God if we love one another. The problem is that we have a hard time loving one another. We have difficulty loving our enemies. We have challenges loving people who have betrayed us. We have problems loving somebody who we cannot profit from in some way, shape, or fashion. Sometimes we even struggle to love people we know we are “supposed” to love. God never said that loving would be easy, but that does not mean that we excused from loving God and God’s people.

Our society encourages us to be self-centered. The world revolves around us and it is a privilege for you to be in MY galaxy. I believe that it is important for people to love themselves but when it gets to a point of narcissism then we have a problem. This self-obsession that has overtaken many in the world has become detrimental to the health of society. I love the line in hook to Common’s song “Love Is.” He says that “loving you is loving me.” Common has summed up what Christ teaches us in the Gospels. By loving my neighbor, I am loving God and myself. By treating God’s people as my neighbor and my friend, I am in turn loving God and myself. By stepping out of my own little world and stepping into the world of my neighbor’s, I am loving God and myself.

So at the end of the day, Love has everything to do with it. It is important that we embrace this principle of love. Love has the capacity to change the world. The love of God has transformative power. Love has the capability of turning the most cold-hearted person and this cold-hearted world around. We must embrace it though. By embracing love, we are embracing God because God is love.

This is Minister Mike and I want you to Consider This...

“Get Up, Stand Up”

“He has told you O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”- Micah 6:8

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24

“Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!” - Bob Marley, “Get Up, Stand Up”

Yesterday, January 17, 2011, marked the 25th anniversary of The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. National Federal Holiday. For the past 25 years on the third Monday in the month of January, we have celebrated the life and legacy of one who committed his life to freedom and justice for ALL people. When we think of Dr. King, one of the first words that comes to mind is “dream.” The eloquent speech that he gave on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the memorial honoring the “great emancipator” (laced with sarcasm) is what many people remember of the Atlanta, GA native. But his life was so much more than this speech and his dream was not one conceived by his own genius. Dr. King was not the first to have a dream nor will he be the last to have a dream. The dream that Dr. King spoke of was a dream birthed by so many before him. A dream and vision of a world where love, justice, and righteousness would reign. A world where the “-isms” that separate us can be destroyed and we live in harmony. A place where the people of God would not lack. A place where the poor will be cared for. A place where the orphan and widow will experience love and compassion. A place where all injustice would be eradicated and justice will reign supreme. This dream and vision trickled down through the ages. This dream and vision was conceived in the mind of God, professed loud by the prophets, and exemplified best through Christ.

On the third Monday in the month of January we have a tendency to idolize The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. We try to live vicariously through him and be satisfied with the work that he did with his life. We talk about “carrying on Dr. King’s dream” but if we are honest we would be satisfied if someone would do it for us, whether it be our preachers, pastors, politicians, or whoever. What we miss is that it is our job to help this dream and vision of “love, peace, and justice” come to fruition. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, Ella Baker, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and host of others have done their part but the fact of the matter is they are dead and are not going to resurrect from their resting places. It is time for a new generation to rise up. We need to stop waiting for someone to declare a leader then we all follow. If you see injustice, inequality, or hate, do your part to stand and fight against it. Marley said it in these simple words, “Get up stand up/Stand up for your rights/Get up stand up/Don’t give up the fight.” It is time for us to get up and stand up. If Dr. King and others were living, they would not be pleased with the state of the world. They would not be pleased with the random acts of violence that continue to happen in this country. They would not be satisfied with our failing school systems. They would not be pleased with disparity between the haves and have-nots. They would not be pleased.

So it is my plea to my generation that “WE GET UP AND STAND UP!!!!!” so “JUSTICE CAN ROLL DOWN LIKE RIVERS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE AN EVER-FLOWING STREAM” and do what God expects of us and that is “ TO DO JUSTICE, AND TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH OUR GOD.”

This is Minister Mike and I want you to Consider This....

Consider This...Episode 3 "Christmas Edition: Share Your Gift" MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!