My Testimony

I wanted to share. May this bless, encourage and strengthen you. Soli Deo Gloria!!! PG

Put God In It

     In Joshua chapter 3, the children of Israel were about to enter the promise land of Canaan. They had waited nearly 40 years for this day. however, there was just one problem, they had to cross the Jordan River. To make matters worse, this was the harvest flood season and the depth and width of the Jordan was at its maximum. This would seem like a bad time to try and cross the Jordan. However, God prepares Joshua and the people by letting them understand that there going through was not just predicated on them, but it was on God. The main stipulation that God told them how they would cross the Jordan, was that they would have to have the Ark of the Covenant be carried in the Jordan. In other words, if they were to cross, the presence of God was to be put in the middle of the Jordan. God let them know that there ability to go through the Jordan was based upon  their willingness to put God in the very thing they were trying to get through. The question I want to ask someone today is, what is it that you need to put God in, in order to get through it? God Bless. PG

Simple, but not Easy

I was talking with a member of my church the other day and the conversation began to be focused on how hard it is for people to get "unstuck" in life. The reason they have been stuck is because they have been paralyzed by there past. She remarked that the process to MOVE FORWARD is "Simple but not Easy". We know what we need to do to move on and along, because that is simple. The problem is that it wont be an easy journey. It is like running in a race. Many times we look at the runners in a race, but we fail to remember how much training they have to go through to prepare for the race. The race is not easy, even though the route is simple, get to the finish line. It takes a lot to give your all and finish strong. The good news is the blessing is not in the starting but the finishing. Whatever you may be struggling with today, TRUST and DEPEND on God to guide you and lead you, but just know it will not be easy, but well worth the journey and effort. Ecclesiastes 9:11, Hebrews 3:14 and 2 Timothy 4:7

PS: I feel like this would be a great title of a book........

5 Years of GRACE

This week we are celebrating 5 years of Pastoral Ministry at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. I can truly say that time has flown by. It seems as only yesterday, I was accepting the call to this great church, to follow in the rather large footsteps of Pastor CT Walker, Pastor CS Hamilton and Pastor Otis Moss III. I must admit that initially it was a seemingly daunting task. I figured out very early, that the best way to approach this assignment was to bring and wear my own shoes. As I reflect over the last 5 years, I have learned the importance of Prayer, Patience and Perseverance. As I have seen God do amazing things at Tabernacle Baptist Church, I am so honored and humbled that God continues to show His Love for this body of believers through our Worship, Witness and Work. Over these past 5 years my purpose has been clarified(To Lead and Love people into a Maturing relationship with Jesus Christ) and my passion has been refined(Pastoring and Preaching). I look forward to this week sharing with my Pastor Anthony G. Maclin and brother Nathan Scovens, but most importantly, the greatest congregation in the universe, the TAB family. Will update later this week. PG  

Passion Week 2012(LOL)

This week is an important week in the life of the Christian Church. This is the week we celebrate the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I reflect on the magnitude of this life-altering and history-changing event, I cannot help but to be awed in the profundity of the moment. I am so amazed that such a great God would choose to show His Love for me by giving up His only begotten Son, to pay a sin debt that I owe. This gift of Forgiveness from God is paramount to our Faith, because God did not have to forgive us. God knew we were going to(and still do) mess up time after time and repeatedly do things that dishonor our relationship with God. However, God chose to lean towards LOVE instead of CONDEMNATION, when it comes to us. It is for this simple reason alone, I feel so honored to LOVE and SERVE a God that first LOVED me. That is why I don't mind LOL(LOVING OUT LOUD) when it comes to God. What is your response. Peace, PG 

I Am Trayvon Martin

The country has been riveted the last few weeks about the tragic death of Trayvon Martin. As evidence and 911 calls have become public, the public outcry has swelled to epic proportion. How can an unarmed(unless you consider skittles and tea as weapons) young black male be considered suspicious and a threat to an armed vigilante? As I began to ponder this and to see the public outcry stream through news and social media, I am faced with the sobering reality that this type of profiling is not new and perhaps will never end. As long as our skin has been kissed by the morning sun, we will always be perceived as "suspicious". As much as people want to be believe that we live in a "post racial" society, racism still happens and is just alive today as it was years ago, just now wears different clothes. I myself, have felt the coldness of a jail cell, while being detained for "mistaken identity" while a seminary student in Atlanta, Ga. I had to endure being called a "boy" by a police officer while being pulled over because I did not match the car I was driving, so surely I was a drug dealer transporting some illegal substance, while being suited and booted on my way home from a revival. My heart grieves because this situation in Florida is more than one young male not reaching his goals or potential in life, but this is about all of us who in any instant, can succumb to the suspicious perception of others. Martin Luther King, Jr once said he dreamed that one day his children would be judged "by the content of there character instead of the color of their skin.." I guess we are still dreaming....I Am Trayvon Martin.

No More of This

I was going to originally write a post entitled "Be Strong and Courageous", but today I had to funeralize a young lady by the name of Ashley Brown, who was tragically killed last week at the age of 27. What makes it so heartbreaking, is that she was an innocent bystander, who was struck by a stray bullet as an assailant just shot into the crowd. This is the third tragic funeral I have had to preach within the last year. I am saddened and sickened at my generations lack of compassion when it comes to life. I shared at the funeral today the passage from Luke 22:51. It was in this passage, as they were coming to arrest Jesus, that His disciples pulled out there swords and responded with violence. Jesus exclaims, "No More of This", encourages them to put there swords away and heals the injured man. In essence, Jesus was telling us all that violence is not the proper response. No matter if we feel its right or not, violence is not the answer. Just as Jesus was telling the disciples to put the swords away, the same could be said to our young people to put the guns and knives away. Even after the put the swords were put away, there was still an injured man. Jesus puts His hands on his ear and heals the man. The profound point here is that violence will always leave someone injured, whether it is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. The only healing can truly come from Jesus. We can march, hold vigils, but true healing comes from a touch from the master. The chronicler proclaims "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, seek my face, then I will hear from heaven and HEAL their land". Let us earnestly seek God and trust that He will HEAL our land, from senseless violence. Let us declare and partner with Jesus and live out "NO MORE OF THIS!!!!"