Comments for J. Kevin Butcher's Blog

Comment on Who chooses? by thomas

thomas — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:29:02 +0000

Man it doesn’t get any more dramatic than this……If I am willing to die for the sake of my grandson’s souls does that put me in bed with the desires of my heart???? If I chose to do anything and everything to keep them on the path to being true nazarites does that mean I’ve disregarded Gods sovereign control???? If I sacrifice all …my reputation, finances, integrity, livelihood, time…. in pursuit of keeping them on the “right path” do I forfeit my vow of being surrendered and submitted only to my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus???? A five point Calvinist would probably say don’t bother fretting the tough stuff because if they’re saved, they’re saved and if they’re not, they’re not but I choose to believe there’s a duality at play involving both “chosen” and “choice.” Of course I don’t have the earth shattering answer but my gut tells me JAMES alluded to this quandary when he said faith without works is dead………..that via our free will we have the power, in Christ, to take action……There’s a whole bunch of drama with multiple members of my family and I wished I’d acted on their behalf more than I have but I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t intervene on behalf of my grand kids when it comes to helping them become intimate, loyal, devout friends of Christ……

Comment on I just don’t understand by PJKB

PJKB — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:31:38 +0000

It was such a blessing to meet you the other day, Lori, at the prison ministry meeting. I look forward to sitting down with you and your husband in the near future to simply share Christ and some encouragement and kingdom vision for our community. Much love…

Comment on I just don’t understand by lori taylor gray

lori taylor gray — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:56:08 +0000

Do you see why, why I have fallen in love with this ministry!!! I have over the years belonged to word churches that made you feel like, if you don’t get the desired results like, healing, prosperity,answered prayers,etc. that it was some how your fault! You didn’t have enough faith, that you didn’t stick to it long or hard enough. It is sooo good to be free of that bondage! Just to be able to breathe! To love God purely! Without having to work up anything. Now to find a pastor/teacher that has like precious faith and love of God is so incredible to me!!! Where do I. sigh up? I have got to be a part of his ministry. I look forward to meeting with you. Sinceryy, Lori Taylor Graytamr

Comment on Childhood by thomas

thomas — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:43:21 +0000

It’s funny how proximity sometimes brings home emotions we didn’t otherwise have the propensity to express…. To find our self in the presence of a person, place or thing and suddenly be transposed to another dimension, another time, another state of being in which at the speed of thought we are looking down on ourselves from an alien-like perspective. Time can stand still in such a state, as the mind goes beyond physical capabilities… how in heavens name could tears not flow…
Love was not a commonly used term in our our household…. nor in my social environment for that matter… and I went to a religious school for nine years. It was like the unspoken entity that was to be just taken for granted except for the occasional insert for gp. All the fun and exciting things can overshadow the miserable and hurtful things but nothing can compensate for the absence of open, unconditional, Christlike Love. That love, which like incense arising to greet with pleasing fragrance…shouts the presence of Christ. Oh how our destiny…that daily, desperate desire to acknowledge an receive the love of God, that he so willingly has in available abundance….especially calls in these times of proximity.
God let me grasp with perfect cognitive ability, your provision of love, that I may exude it at every encounter with your loved ones…………..

Comment on I just don’t understand by Renaldo F.

Renaldo F. — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:23:18 +0000

I just don’t understand and I honestly I extremely hate it!!!! I have seen so much evil that doesn’t make sense in the world that it racks my brain. As I prayed the other night I asked GOD, “Could all this be because some guy ate a fruit a long time ago?” It just didn’t add up.

But one thing that doesn’t add up either is why does GOD love us? Why did GOD put his precious truth in flawed human beings that he knew was going to mess it up? Why does GOD love me so much that without looking he led me to Hope Community Church and put me in the right group of believers for me.

I know we all have pain, and myself included and I have prayed for things that have not happened and I have prayed with you all on things over the years things that have not happened and things that have gotten worse and things that GOD has totally moved awesomely on.

I can’t make sense of prayer or faith or any of this stuff. I thought as a youth foolishly that by 17 years of being a Christian that I should know more than I do, in fact I know less! Which is a good thing.

I wish totally I had super powers, powers to heal all of you because I know all of you. My total fantasy is that I would walk into a hospital and heal everyone in their and raise all the dead. But that isn’t reality. That will never happen.

CHRIST suffered, GOD still suffers and GOD who desires all of us to repent constantly sees souls that he formed and loved, reject him and descend into eternal suffering. GOD has seen and feels all this pain and all this wrath he is our partner in all these sufferings and he is not some guy up in the sky immune from pain, he is not some LORD affair up in a castle. He is a Lord who is with us and who loves us in our pain.

Let us love one another, let us pray and let us be with all of us who suffer. I know one day as it says in the book of Revelation . . GOD will end all this and will take our thousands of years of prayers and abuse and toss them upon the judgement of all the things we all so hate.

Now? What comfort and hope have we in this life on this miserable world? GOD suffering with us, and us loving him and him loving us and us being together. I have suffered alone and it was horrible, now I suffer with you all and it is a blessing.

Comment on I just don’t understand by thomas

thomas — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:07:02 +0000

Not sure about the “prayer of faith” that promises to heal the sick and its very hard to wrap my mind around the catch 22 of the “necessity of prayer” coinciding with “Gods sovereign control” but the Holy Spirit laid something on my heart this morning that pertains to this blog. The vision started with thanking Jesus for freeing me from the influence of satan and moved me right into verbally proclaiming my joy in realizing his eternal damnation destiny……….for a new york second I sensed pity but it was instantly overshadowed by one word……..omniscient…..God knew the fall of satan and his remedy…just like he knew all of this (good) stuff AND all of that (bad) stuff…. the beginning and the end of all things….before anything was started. He alone had the chance to say…. IS IT WORTH IT ….”ALL OF THIS, FOR ALL OF THAT?”…..If God chose to go along with his plan, who am I to question….

Reeling from my wife’s recent passing I sometimes question Gods timing but I like the analogy of the 6 year old, understanding the parents perspective…..multiplied by infinity…….I love you….

Comment on I just don’t understand by Vera Hawkins

Vera Hawkins — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:22:15 +0000

I don’t know N, her family, or those who have been praying so desperately for her healing. I do know the confusion and pain experienced when a loved one is facing death, and dies. I will pray that N has a safe journey (escorted by Jesus, Christ) home, and that the Holy Sprit will continue to comfort all who love her.

Comment on I just don’t understand by Audrey

Audrey — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:38:57 +0000

I guess that makes me a very frustrated, naive, gullible idiot too. Getting to peak behind the curtain to see why or to more fully understand seems like it would help, but I’m not sure it would. Is there a reason that would satisfy us for all this pain and unhealed illness? I have been weeping since I heard about N on Sunday – a woman of tremendous faith and love for our Saviour – and I’m not sure knowing the “big picture” why would be at all helpful. Why did my daughter have a brain tumor at the age of 4? Why am I in a wheelchair in the prime of my life?? So either I chuck it all or let it drive me to a deeper trust that God does indeed love me and N more than I can understand. It makes me think about when I was a child and my parents would “deny” me something I desperately wanted. Having their understanding would not help me because in my 6 year old heart it would have been the most ridiculous reason I’d ever heard! I think the same for most of this. In our limited perspective, God’s reasons would not satisfy. However, it doesn’t stop me from begging and groaning for healing of the pain I see around me.

And this Prayer of Faith thing . . . currently makes my head hurt.

Comment on Love covers a multitude of sins by Kathleen Kastner

Kathleen Kastner — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:41:35 +0000

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has appointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus in Luke chapter 4.
Today as I was studying this passage – Jesus reading from Isaiah 61 – I was thinking about the prisons that we place ourselves in. We do not need to be behind bars to be imprisoned. How often do we allow our past mistakes, our wounds, our disappointments or the lies we believe about ourselves prevent us from walking in the freedom Christ so graciously gave us by His sacrifice…..?
The Jesus who read this passage in Luke is the same Jesus who is waiting to set us free – it is time to open the prison doors – Jesus has already unlocked them! The prison of fear, the prison of shame, the prison of unforgiveness. We do not need to stay there – we can have beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a beautiful garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness. We can grow up into strong, mature oaks with branches lifted high in confident praise to our Creator.

I will be praying for our dear sisters who are locked up – and also for those of us who are afraid to step out of our self-made prisons into His beautiful freedom and light.

Comment on Love covers a multitude of sins by Susan

Susan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:57:24 +0000

My brother…thank you for always pointing us toward the light of Christ and reminding us of His deep and never ending love for us, even when we see darkness and despair all around. Thank you for encouraging us to freely give what has already been given to us so that others may know there is more excellent way…