When Women Pray

We have a tremendous opportunity as the women of College Church of Christ! Beginning the first Sunday in March (March 6), we will have a Women's Prayer Group meeting in the Ocheltree Group Room (700) before church at 8 a.m. All women are invited. Helen Gonzales will lead us in seeking God's face on behalf of ourselves, our families, our church, our city, our state, our nation and the world.

Some of the most powerful prayers in the Bible were prayed by women. For instance, one prayer even has its own name: "The Magnificat". It is the prayer of praise that Mary prayed when she learned that she would be the mother of Jesus. We often sing part of this prayer in church. Perhaps you recognize it:

"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
holy is his name."
Luke 1:46-49 (NIV)

Hannah prayed a similarly powerful prayer when she learned that she would give birth to the mighty prophet, Samuel:

"For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's
upon them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
It is not by strength that one prevails;
those who oppose the Lord will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."
1 Samuel 2:8-10 (NIV)

Miriam, the sister of the great prophet Moses, led the congregation in praise after they crossed the Red Sea safely, but their Egyptian pursuers were drowned in the waves:

"I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him."
Exodus 15:1,2 (NIV)

In heaven, those men and women who have suffered greatly under the evil world rulers of the End Times, but who have remained faithful to God, even unto death, will repeat the chorus led by Miriam and Moses at the Red Sea:

"And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fie and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:

'Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages.
Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.'"
Revelation 15:2-4 (NIV)

Let's come together as the women of College Church of Christ and make history with our prayers! We can do it! Our sisters Mary and Hannah and Miriam did long ago. We can do so today!

Women's Prayer Group meeting will take place on the first Sunday of each month at 8 am in the Ocheltree Shepherding Group Room (700).

--Posted by Mama O

The Lord's Prayer

My dad, Dr. Bob Morrow, and me, with the shofar, or ram's horn he and my mom got in Israel. The ram's horn is blown to announce the Year of Jubilee: freedom from debt and slavery, restoration of property and reunification of families.

My dad, Dr. Bob Morrow, woke up with this version of "The Lord's Prayer" in his head one morning, shortly before our reconciliation in late January, 2016, during this Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25). I shared the story in my January 28, 2016 blog:

http://newmerciesocheltree.blogspot.com/2016/01/today-this-scripture-is-fulfilled-in.html

 He sang it to Steve and me on the evening of our reunion after nearly 13 years of separation. I am sharing the link. Unfortunately, these links do not work with a click from this blog, so you will need to type these links into your internet browser. Or, copy and paste the links into a text or an email to yourself, then they should function as live links.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=58F17E83E32202D4!22384&authkey=!AHnwhakw6G3JxQw&ithint=video%2cMOV

--Posted by Mama O

Deceiving the elect(orate)

"to deceive the very elect(orate)--if that were possible." Mark 13:22b (NIV)

I am currently studying the book of Revelation in Bible Study Fellowship. We were asked this question, based on Revelation 13:11-18 and Mark 13:22:
"What was the purpose of the power given to the second beast?"
Here are the Scriptures:
"Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for i is man's number. His number is 666." Revelation 13:11-18 (NIV)
"Jesus said to them, 'Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, I am he,' and will deceive many. You must be on your guard. Because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now--ad never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect-if that were possible. So be on your guard. I have told you everything ahead of time.'" Mark 13:7,9,19-23 (NIV)
False christs and false messiahs promise hope and change and freedom and greatness without the power of God to make it real. False prophets and false messiahs can be religious, political, pop culture or media icons.
Friends, we are in the middle of the most divisive and least civilized presidential election I have observed in my (nearly) 56 years as an American citizen. I am issuing a warning, "Be on your guard! Don't be deceived!"
God's love and forgiveness are the only true and lasting agents of transformation and change in society. Beware of political promises. Pull out your Bibles and go to prayer. Ask yourself, "Does this promise accurately reflect God's heart for our society?"
And, I will pose the question, do personal insults and name-calling match our calling as Christians, and do we want to purposely elect leaders who will model and lead with such behavior?
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each others just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

--Posted by Mama O

"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Dad (Bob Morrow), Mom (Guylene Morrow) and me (Carolyn Ocheltree)

This is me and my mom, Guylene Morrow. We think we look a lot alike!

My dad, Bob Morrow, and me, with the ram's horn he and my mom brought back from Israel.

"Sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you. Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers." Leviticus 25:9-11,41 (NIV)

"Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
'The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them,' Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'" Luke 4:14-21 (NIV)

Yesterday, my father asked Steve and me to visit him and my mom. Our relationship has been separated since April, 2003, nearly 13 years. Steve and I separated ourselves from my family because we did not want to be part of covering up some very serious family sins. I was blamed for being a troublemaker and a divider of the family. Steve and I made the separation in order to state that we would not continue the cycle of abuse and perpetuate family sins.

On Wednesday, January 27, 2016, my dad, Bob Morrow, called Steve and said he was sorry for the division in the family. For the first time since April of 2003, there was no blame thrown in our direction.. Just a simple apology and an invitation to come visit him and my mom. We went as soon as Steve got off work last night.

This is the 70th Year of Jubilee since the Year of Jubilee was commanded by God, through Moses, in the wilderness. This is the 40th Year of Jubilee since Jesus was on earth. I have been proclaiming freedom wherever I go since the Year of Jubilee started, on the Day of Atonement, in late September of 2015. I have been encouraging people to boldly ask God for restoration of broken family relationships, for forgiveness, healing and redemption. And, as Jesus said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21)

--Posted by Mama O

No pain, no gain!

This Sunday concludes our 3-part January series on "Spiritual Disciplines". January is typically the month when we commit to self-improvement. We start diets and exercise programs, we launch "Read Through The Bible in One Year" plans, we start organizing our personal areas. So, it seemed like an ideal time to address some of the less popular, but necessary topics in our Christian walk.

In our first discussion we looked at the biblical meaning of "love". We may not think of love as a "discipline", but more as an emotion or feeling. But, the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 must be diligently maintained with discipline. Learning patience and kindness and a lack of egotism are not warm fuzzy feelings. They are hard work.

Why was love the first of the spiritual disciplines? Because love is THAT important. Without love, all other disciplines are useless. Without love, we are like a man who emerges from his house at midnight to bang on pots and pans. Our actions and our noise are misplaced: wrong time, wrong context. Our words hurt instead of help. Our actions are resented rather than appreciated.

Last week we addressed fasting and prayer (I noticed attendance was extremely low that day!). Fasting is a way of investing ourselves, personally, into our prayer lives. When we deprive ourselves of food for a time, we are putting some "skin in the game", making it personal. God is not obligated to do as we ask, even when we fast, but our fasting allows us to see and hear God speak and move in ways that we might otherwise miss.

This week, we will discuss a variety of spiritual disciplines including listening, prayer, humble service, covenantal community and simplicity, among others. We will explore the concept that "less is more". Do we really need all the junk we accumulate through the years, physically or emotionally? A good thorough cleaning might be in order for our personal spaces: our homes, our offices and our emotional life.

Wear your spiritual workout clothes. Be ready to sweat. Remember class, "No pain, no gain!"

See you Sunday morning at the gym, called Room 700.

--Posted by Mama O

Six Things Fasting Does For Our Prayers

"For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. But this kind (of demon) does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20,21 (NASV)

Jesus' disciples had been trained in spiritual healing and casting out demons and had been practicing God's medical mercy on many people when they were approached by a man and his son. The son was given to seizures, akin to epilepsy. When the disciples applied their training to the boy, his seizures continued. The disciples consulted with their master as to the reason.

Jesus responded with an encouraging lesson on faith and some further instruction, in advanced spiritual healing techniques. Apparently there are some strongholds of the devil that do not respond to ordinary methods. That's when more serious spiritual weapons are necessary. And fasting, paired with sincere and repentant prayer, is one of those advanced weapons.

What kind of strongholds might need those advanced spiritual weapons?

1. A long-standing grudge
2. An addiction
3. Unbelief
4. Prejudice
5. Childhood hurts
6. Abuse

We will study six things that fasting does for our prayers in Ocheltree Group this week. If you would like to do a little preliminary study, please read these passages, shared in a sermon by Dr. Adrian Rogers:

1. Fasting strengthens our prayers: Joel 2:12; Jer. 29:13
2. Fasting subdues self: Ezek. 16:49
3. Fasting stays the judgment of God: Jonah 3:5,10; Jer. 18:7,8
4. Fasting stops God's enemies: 2 Chron. 20:3,4,24,29
5. Fasting seeks God's guidance: Acts 13:2
6. Fasting shatters strongholds like bitterness, resentment, fear and bad habits: Isaiah 58:6

--Posted by Mama O.

The Greatest Of These Is Love

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)

January is the month when we are most likely to get our lives back in order. We

1. Start reading the Bible all the way through
2.Join a gym
3. Start a diet
4. Reorganize our personal space
5. De-clutter
6. Quit smoking
7. Start reading Moby Dick
8. Vow to cut back on social media or television viewing

...And the list goes on....

I, personally, am an enthusiastic advocate of New Year's resolutions. As the old adage goes:

"Failing to plan is planning to fail."

I believe life has natural rhythms and the New Year is one of those annually occurring opportunities to get a fresh start.

In the spirit of fresh starts, I will be teaching a three-part series on "Spiritual Disciplines" in the Ocheltree Shepherding Group during January. We will address some serious disciplines, the kind we would expect from full-time monks or nuns or Jason Locke: prayer and fasting, obedience, service, community, active listening, hope, simplicity, stability, balance and hospitality.

But, without a solid and stable foundation of love, these disciplines will function more like weapons that hurt people than like tools that help them. That's pretty serious.

We will discuss the biblical definition of love and the opposite of love. (Hint: read 1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 3:17,18; 1 John 4:18 and 2 Timothy 1:7).

I look forward to a spiritually healthy 2016, built on the solid foundation of LOVE!

--Posted by Mama O.