Pastor Marvin Sapp Turns Up the Volume

By: Min. Angela Lee Price

My husband Bill and I went to Christ Temple Church Thursday, September 23rd to see Pastor Marvin Sapp. He was the guest speaker for Bishop Michael E. Ford's 19th Pastoral Anniversary. The placed was packed! There were people standing outside listening by the doors waiting to get in when we left. I posted three videos on the website, one of Sapp's opening remarks, and the other two of him singing Best In Me and Praise Him In Advance. Sapp said he would sing Never Would Have Made It at the end.

 I am sorry I wasn't able to post any of his sermon, Turn Up the Volume. However, the sermon dealt with the familiar story of Paul and Silas in the prison cell from Acts 16:25-26 with focus on the B clause of verse 25, "and the prisoners were listening to them." In his opening remarks, Sapp stated that life is filled with swift transition, and we have to function in purpose despite what we go through. We have to function in our assignment even though we don't feel like it. Our problem is we have confused our gifts with our purpose. My purpose is that which I was created for in the beginning of time. Adam was created to be in constant communion with God and to have dominion over the earth. Jesus restored that purpose after Adam sinned. The Holy Ghost didn't come just so we could speak with other tongues. The Holy Ghost came so that we could have power to be effective witnesses. Our purpose is to be worshipping witnesses that have dominion.

 Video:  Pre-Sermonic Remarks

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Don't Give Up On Your Mums In Tulip Season!

By; Min. Angela Lee Price
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31


We give up too easily. We want eveything quick, fast, and in a hurry. No one wants to wait anymore. We want what we want when we want it, and how we want it. However, as I stated in another post, Haste has no blessing.

It is mum season! Look around. Mums are everywhere, little ones, big ones, and very, very BIG ones. You can pray for mums, but praying to receive mums in March won't get you anywhere. You are more likely to get tulips in March than you are to get mums. That's because March is tulip season. If God gives you tulips in March, thank Him anyway even though you didn't ask for them. Don't throw a tantrum, pout or get mad with God. God is not a genie, nor cosmic bellhop, nor Santa Claus, nor is He an ATM machine! Don't grow weary! Wait on the Lord!

Renew your strength. Tulips are flowers, just like mums. Tulips will beautify your garden or home, just like mums. Renew your strength by count your blessings! Thank God for your tulips, and take care of them! He didn't have to give them to you, but He did! We serve a good God who knows what to give and just when too give it.
Claim the promise is Isaiah 40:31, and keep on praying, and praying. Pray persistently in April, in May, in June, in July, in August...keep talking with God about mums, the pretty colors, and different textures, and how you plan to water and take care of them, and where you will plant them, and how mums come back year after year bigger than before. Then on say, today, in due season, or shall I say mum season, the Holy Spirit just may quicken your spirit to run to your favorite store, where big, beautiful mums are on sale buy one get one free! In due season, God just may give you double for your trouble! Just ask Job. And, I'm a living witness of what God will do when you persist, according to His will in prayer. The red mum planted in 2010 is at least twice its original size! Isn't God good! Don't give up on your mums in tulip season!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace;

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time for peace.

Serving In His Steps Pedometer, Your Gift This Week

By: Min. Angela Lee Price

Your Gift from Jesus Saves Ministries (Quantities limited!):

A SERVING IN HIS STEPS PEDOMETER AND ACCORDIAN DEVOTIONAL, Focus Scripture and Prayers for the Fast-Paced Life, to encourage walking, running, and regular exercise as you walk with Jesus and serve in His steps. Join our discussion in the Reclaiming Your Health Group on the Jesus Saves Social Network!

Put Your Weight On God!
"Trust in the the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6.)

When we sit in a chair, we just sit down it. We place our whole weight in the chair without giving it a second thought. We trust that the chair will hold us. Likewise, we should trust God to hold our weight, carry our burdens and our problems without second guessing His ability to do so.

Do you have a weight problem, give it to God! I have discovered that God knows what He's doing at all times, in times of extreme illness, obesity, adversity, struggle, and even times of death. When we lean, we place part of our weight on God and part of it on ourselves, someone else, or something else. This causes us to worry, snack and eat all the wrong foods, and prolongs our ability to get lean and lose weight. This proverb teaches us to "lean not on our own understanding." We should not lean, for example, on ungodly weight loss plans and surgeries that could potentially leave us in worst shape than we were in the beginning. We should lean not on drugs and appetite suppressants that could potentially leave us jittery and cause us to become addicted to them. We should lean not on quick fixes to cure what it took, in most cases, years to create!

God may not give you a quick fix to your weight problem, but He will give you a certain promise. God promises to "direct our paths" when we acknowledge Him "in all our ways." In acknowledging God and walking in His paths, you might discover it's not what you're eating that's your biggest problem, it's what's eating you! While you wait on God, put your weight on God. Trust in Him fully. He will carry you through!

If you are trying to lose weight right now, how are you putting your weight on God? Name one or two ways we can turn to God for help in losing weight. Childhood obesity is becoming a big problem among our children. What should parents do to help remedy this problem?

Your comments add valuable insight to our discussions on the Jesus Saves Social Network. Brothers, we want to hear from you, too! How are you juggling gym time with work and family responsibilities? If you go to the gym, do you ever witness and talk about God? Don't wait on someone else to say what God has given you to say, comment now and put your weight on God!

You are a blessing to this ministry!

Member Feedback:

"Praise the Lord! I plan to put my weight on God by reminding myself daily of Who God is, what He has already revealed to me of my destiny which involves losing weight so I can be "fit" physically as well as spiritually in His kingdom. I will remind myself that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" with the Holy Ghost living in me and I in Him; By God's grace and the power of the Holy Ghost in me I know that "no weapon formed against me shall prosper" including the temptations of the "lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye" when I want to overeat. As I fast and pray more I know that God will continue to strengthen me so I can exercise longer at least three times a week. I envision great weight loss as I put my weight on God because I know that He will deliver! Hallelujah!!" Cynthia Glenn

"I will stop worrying about things that I have no control over and trust God to carry that weight for me. I will start eating healthy foods and focus on what I can do to lose all of the excessive weight." Yolanda Burnley

"I don't want to lose weight as I have a healthy weight for my height, but I definitely want to tone my body. I used to be in perfect shape & tone the way I wanted, but I've noticed with the long hours & stress from medical school, I find myself always reaching for unhealthy snacks & junk food as I'm always on the go doing something. This fall, I've made a decision to buy more healthy foods that I can snack on. I've noticed that if I don't have any junk food left, I have no choice, but to reach for the fruits & vegetables. The more unhealthy options I have to choose from the least likely I am to pick the healthy foods. I think that's an important thing for parents to remember too as they try to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. If you don't purchase a lot of junk food or make it easily accessible then your kids won't have an option but to eat the healthy foods. However, let me stress that moderation is key. You can have junk food just not all the time." Chantel Jenkins

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Why Aren't Parents Training Up Their Kids?

By: Angela Lee Price

“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3: 11-12 KJV)

As I reviewed Proverbs chapter 3, I thought about how busy Solomon must have been at the time he wrote the most of Proverbs. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubine. That's a lot of women, y'all! This number doesn't even include the rest of the people under his rule. Solomon built the temple that his father, King David envisioned. For him to set aside time to teach his son to fear the Lord is commendable. But, then again, isn't this what parents are supposed to be doing with their children, instructing them in the love and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)?  Instead, our kids are often running wild in the streets with pants sagging.

With the economy the way it is, people are stressed -- working two jobs, or longer hours on one job, or stressed with bills mounting as they search for work. Should that be an excuse for parents not training up their kids? We are hearing more and more cases of child neglect, adults doing unimaginable things to children, babies even. Parents are letting television babysit their children and teach them about sex, violence and immorality while they teach them nothing at all about who God is. I think Justin Bieber caused such a stir with his "God-Jesus" comments partly because many people were not expecting "Jesus" to come out of his young mouth. Chalk that up to some good parenting somewhere along the way, the kind that, in the spirit of Solomon, made a way out of no way to teach their child to fear the Lord! So, why aren't parents training up their kids, providing a good education and insisting they go to school, correcting them when they need it, and teaching them about who God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit is?

Football Trivia Bible Study: There's No "I" In Team

On Saturday, September 3rd, I was Devotion Huddle and Bible Study leader at the St. Stephen Southern IN Sister's In Spirit Monthly Breakfast. The Lord laid it on my heart to share from the subject, There Is No "I" In Team. My Scripture passage came from 1Corinthians 3:3-8. With it being Labor Day weekend and the start of football season, I reminded everyone that we are co-laborers in Christ. Great football teams like the Indianpolis Colts don't win Super Bowls because of the talents of one or two players. If we are going to accomplish anything great for God, we have to take "I" out of it. It's not about us. It's about Jesus. As Christians, we all have different gifts and talents, but it's the same Spirit working in us to accomplish His will. One plants, another waters, but God gives the increase (I Corin. 3:6). It is God who should get the glory. Team work makes the dream work!

The bible study format was very interactive, allowing everyone to contribute. After devotion and prayer, we played "'Finder's Keepers." Gifts were hidden in the field behind the church. We asked everyone to find one gift, select a scripture for their "find," and write a paragraph about it. The Holy Spirit moved among us on the amphitheater to accomplish His will! Everyone contributed with great scriptures and paragraphs to support their "find," including the men and youth. And of course, everyone got to keep what they found which included some great gifts donated by the University of Louisville.

Afterwards, we tested our knowledge of the bible and football with trivia questions. "We need a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other if we intend to be effective witnesses on life's playing field," I stated. Who was the first black coach to win the Super Bowl? Who was last year's Super Bowl MVP, a Christian? Who was the first black assistant coach/coordinator in the SEC? Who said, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child? What is the name of the woman who slept at the feet of her future husband? What was the name of the tree that Adam and Eve were told not to each fruit from? I gave way additional gifts, including tickets to the Louisville Bats baseball game and the Louisville Zoo, Christian t-shirts, books, water bottles, and novelties, and gospel music donated by Jesus Saves Ministries, WLOU Radio, and St. Stephen's Member Services Ministry. Everyone walked away a winner!

God Corrects His Children

By: Angela Lee Price

“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3: 11-12 KJV).

Pastor and gospel singer Donnie McClurkin sang a very popular contemporary gospel song a few years ago entitled We Fall Down. In it, he encouraged all who fell down to “get back up again” with the lyrics, “for a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” People fall all the time. Roller skaters fall, but because they love to skate, they “get back up again.” Gymnasts fall, from their balancing beams and parallel bars, but because they love gymnastics, they “get back up again.” In fact, the act of “getting back up again” makes skaters and gymnasts better athletes by virtue of the lessons they learn in falling. Nevertheless, because of the nature of their sports, skaters and gymnasts, basketball and tennis players, too, all anticipate that no matter how good they become, they will still, on occasion, “fall down.”

Some people believe Christians, or saints, have limitless favor with God. This is simply not the case. Saints “fall down,” by falling into sin, but because they love the Lord, they “get back up again.” Solomon remind us in Proverbs 3 to welcome the Lord’s chastisements, and not grow tired of them, “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: (V11)” Sometimes the Lord’s chastisements can be painful, and it may seem as though He does not love us, but the Bible says, “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. (V 12)”

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!