Deaf Ministry

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” ( Matthew 5:3 ESV ) What did He try to tell us? From the world's standard, most of us know that Jesus is the most unusual teacher.  We will never understand His teaching until we have leadership from The Holy Spirit studying His Word (the Bible).  Then we are able to follow His teaching.  Since at age of 13, I have had the experience of walking with God; I understand my own guilt and helplessness.  I realize my own emptiness.  Only by God’s grace I was able to find everything in His kingdom.  His kingdom is everything good. Being poor in spirit implies that we forsake our old habits of our minds, of our appetites and of our tendencies.  We realize that alone, we are at end of our rope. Only after forsaking all these old habits for the Christ, we look up to Jesus for His help.  At that point, we are ready to start our new life on the path He directs. Faith in God is wonderful experience for eve

I thought I would like to bring up this article in order to give you a complete list of the Ten Commandments.  Most Christians do not have all of them in memorized. Although the Bible is the world’s bestselling book in the world, it also is the world's most least read book in the world.  Average Christians prefer to read the New Testament over the Old Testament. Even though the 10 Commandments are from the Old Testament, all of these commandments still apply to everyone in this day. Most Christians have heard all about these 10 during their lifetime. I feel that many Christians take these ten for granted and really do not realize the power and authority that is on these special ten. The 10 commandments come from Exodus 20:1-17 (ESV). Here is the verse: And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  1   “You shall have no other gods before me.  2   “You shall not make for yourself a c

Trans means across.  Form is about the message today.  We might use Spoken English,  Spanish, or some other spoken language.  As Deaf people, we most likely use American Sign Language or use Cued Speech to give us visual cues of spoken language.  We may use pen and paper, email, Facebook, or a video relay serve to convey our message.  We also use our lives and actions to communicate.  God has communicated with us.  " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16) There is no other sentence or thought in all the world or in all of World History that is more important than that Truth. As we live, we speak for one side or the other.    Does our behavior hurt Him?  Are we giving place in our lives to things that do not honor Jesus?  Joshua said, "Choose today who you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve The LORD."  (Joshua 24:15 B)  Do we behave in a g

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (English Standard Version). Trans = across Form = support, limit, shape As we study God's word, we make it part of our lives. Our eyes go across the page. We find God on the pages. The Bible comforts us when we are sad. David wrote many of the Psalms when he was a young person, alone in the field with sheep. Sheep do not smell good at all! It was a lonely and dirty job, but it was the job David was called to do. He was alone with God across the pasture for the sheep. Later, after he was chosen to be king and anointed he waited for a very long time to be King. He knew God's future plan, but David was hiding in caves and running across the wilderness from Saul for many years. He looked to God for support. God gave support. God can be thought about as a loving parent. Acros

As we have gone "through" this study about Romans 12:2 about transformation, we are "through" (finished) with the first part of the word trans-form. We are at the final stop for "form" and it means a resting place. Most people worry often. People get nervous or scared. Sometimes, we do not know why we are worried. It is not something we can explain. We have a bad feeling and we may be awake late and night and worry. God does not want us to do that. The Bible says, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (I Peter 5:7) (NLT) Make a list of your worries. It might be a very short list or it might be a very long list. Number each worry. Read 1 Peter 5. Underline I Peter 5:7 in your Bible. Write the words on a paper and tape them to your refrigerator. Now go to your "worry list." Look at the list. Remember the verse I Peter 5:7. Start to pray. When you pray about worry #1and you tell God all about it, dr

When God goes through our souls, we change in form. We are like onions. God is peeling away the dead brown outside leaves. He wants to get to the center (core) of our lives. Layer by layer, we peel away an onion. Layer by layer, God peels away the dead part of our lives. It changes our form, our souls. We use a sharp knife on the onion. God's word is His knife (sword). "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit between joint and marrow (hard and soft part of bones). It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) When we do that with an onion, sometimes, we have tears and cry as parts pull away. God's work in our lives is very slow and careful and sometimes we have tears. It takes a loving, all wise God to know just how much of our old sin nature He can cut away with His knife Are you allowing God to go through your soul and peel away the parts of your

"Trans" means "through." Form means ceremony. We must be VERY careful today. Do NOT think going to church, getting christened as a baby or baptized under the water as an adult makes you a Christian. Those are ceremonies (celebrations that happen) in a Christian church. That does NOT mean your heart has been changed. When you are truly sorry for your sin and ask God to forgive you of that sin and you invite Jesus into your heart, that is the time you become a Christian. You may be in church, at home by your bed, at lunch with a friend, or alone in the woods when God changes your heart and accepts you into His kingdom. To help us understand that think: If we brought a pig, a horse, a dog, a cat or any other animal to church, would that animal become a Christian because it went to church? NO! If we dedicated that animal to God would that animal be a Christian? NO! If we baptized that animal would that animal become a Christian? NO! In the same way, any p

"Trans" means "through." Form is "conduct or way we behave." Through the way we behave in our personal lives, people should know we belong to Jesus Christ. Mohandas Ghandi, the famous Hindu man from India once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Of course, that is not true of ALL Christians at ALL times in World History, but that is not the question today. The question today is for me as I write this blog. The question today is for you as you read this blog. Can people who watch your life see Jesus? Maybe people you know cannot read The Bible, but they "read" your life and behavior. Will your life cause people to want to love Jesus? Do you let Jesus transform your life each day? Ghandi also said, " If Christians would really live following the teachings of Christ, as found in The Bible, all of India would be Christian today." John the disciple of Jesu

We are Deaf. Sometimes we go through hard times to communicate. People, both Deaf and hearing are not always patient as they go through the communication process. Sometimes we see the message is not clear and we must go through a process to fix the misunderstandings. Clear communication is important, but it is a challenge! There is physical Deafness. We did not get a choice at birth to be Deaf or hearing. There is spiritual Deafness. We do get a choice. Do we want to listen to God? We can be physically Deaf, but we can be spiritually hearing. Do we want to listen to God? Sometimes the message is soft and gentle, but sometimes He must turn up the volume to make sure we hear His message. Form is the way we communicate. There are many ways to communicate. We use Sign Language, write a paper note, use text, Blackberry, use Facebook, use VPS. God has a different way to communicate with us. God speaks. His words have power. God spoke and created the universe! Talk about

We go through change. Sometimes it is an easy trip or journey to go through change. Sometimes, it is long or difficult. Going through an experience can cause many emotions. We can go through an experience with fear or anger. We can go through an experience with acceptance or resentment. We can go through an experience with eyes wide open, like a child walking through Main Street Disney World for the first time. We can go through an experience with eyes closed tight, like a child on a scary ride. We need to remember one thing as we go through change. God said in Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave you or forsake you." We may not see God. We may not feel God. We may not hear God. We may and should TRUST God. He is there! Form is the shape of a body for making clothes. (Ladies understand this best too!) Men have seen these in movies. The body form are almost like we see in clothing stores. Women use this to make sure the clothes they are making will fit perfect. W

We still think of through. The spear went through the side of Jesus. (John 19:34) Through is not part way; it must be complete. The knife goes through the turkey on the big platter or it will not be cut up and put on our small dinner plates. If it is not cut up, it is not shared. Disappointment to see the wonderful turkey, but not get to enjoy it. The purpose is wasted. Form is easy to understand. My mother used to sew when I was a small child. She would buy the envelope of papers. She would pin the papers to the cloth. The cloth would be cut and must be perfect to follow the pattern or form. The pattern is the form used to cut fabric right way to make clothes. The scissors must cut away the parts of the cloth that are not needed. When Mother finished cutting the cloth, she would take out the pins and the paper would be folded away to use later. I could see the cloths. I could imagine what the dress would look like when it was finished. God has a pattern for your life

We continue to transform and go through change. We see form means shape. Of course, we think of shape of things. We use Sign Language to describe things by the shape. Thinking and praying about Romans 12:2, we should now see our lives start to change shape. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are like an ugly rock from the ground. The artist will take the ugly rock and use hammer and chisel to make a new shape. The artist studies the rock before he starts to work. The work is hard. Some parts of the rock come off fast. These are big parts of the rock. Slowly and carefully, other parts of the rock comes off. Later the ugly rock is transformed into something beautiful. There is a statue in Italy of King David. The final artist was Michelangelo. Two other artists started the work. The first man, Agostino started the work in 1464, but he quit after 2 years. The rock was not touched for 10 years. Later a man named Rossellino started to work on the same marble rock. H

As we transform, we continue to go through change. Form is the limits. (We use wood form when we pour concrete to make sidewalk.) We read The Bible and pray about the things we read. We look at our lives. We begin to see the way God wants to form our hearts, minds, and souls. God formed us from the dust of the Earth. We see that in Genesis 2:7. Our bodies were built with limits. We have limits in size. Nobody sees any man walking downtown that is 25 feet tall! We have limits in how much we can lift or carry. God uses The Bible to show us His limits for our lives. Just like the builder uses wood to make the limits of the driveway, God uses The Bible to teach us the limits for our lives. If the builder did not use wood limits the concrete would spill on the yard and make a big mess. The Bible shows us the limits by showing us His law. Follow His law (limits) and your life will not become a big mess. The limits He sets help to make us the kind of person that we were born t

Transform... We learned yesterday that "Trans" can mean through. The spear pierced Jesus' side. The spear went through Him. (John 19:34). "Form" is support. We have seen houses as they are built. First we see the rock foundation on the ground. The wood is next. The wood reaches up to the sky. These are two kinds of support for the house. Think of your mind, heart and soul as the house. Let God transform your mind, heart and soul. Let God's word go through you and support you as you become new person in Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) Maybe you have been a Christian for a few days or maybe you have been a Christian a long time. It does not matter how long any of us have been saved. We should continue to change and improve until our last day on Earth. It takes a lifetime to slowly transform our lives. Each day we will become closer to G

Transform = Change... Think about transform as good change in your heart, mind and soul. "Trans" can mean through. The spear pierced Jesus' side. The spear went through Him. (John 19:34) Read The Bible. Let the words go deep inside you. Let the words go through your mind, heart and soul. "Form" as "form (make) ideas" in your mind, heart and soul. Let the words of the Bible help you make new ways of thinking. The Bible says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8) As the words of the Bible go through your mind, heart and soul, His words will make or form new ideas. The more you read The Bible and love The Bible, the more the words will become part of your mind, heart and soul. Let God transform your mind, heart and soul. Let God's word go through you and form a new you. The more we make room for God, the less room we have for the bad habits of the old

There was a children's cartoon called Transformers. The robots are sometimes changed into trucks or other kinds of machines. Transform means change. This is the way the cartoon gets its name. I like to play crossword puzzles and other word games. I like to study words. Sometimes adding a letter or two or a few more can change the meaning of the word. Add and "s" to day (one) and we get days (many). "Son, clean your room." Something needs to happen. "I am cleaning it." Something is happening now. "I cleaned it." Finished! Transform has means change. Take the word apart like a puzzle. "Trans" is Latin Language. That is the language of the Roman soldiers that nailed Jesus to the cross. "Trans" has four meanings. "Trans" means "across." "Trans" means "beyond." "Trans" means "through." "Trans" means "full change." Form is also from

We are four days into the new year-2011. Some people want to stop a bad habit. Some people want to start a new good habit. These are called New Year's Resolutions, New Year's changes. Many people still follow the promises, (goals) (resolutions) to change their lives. Some people will succeed and finish their resolutions in a good way. Some people will give up and fail. What is the difference? All people who set new goals will mess up. This is because no people are perfect. The difference between people who succeed and those who fail is not power. The difference is not that very smart people can succeed and others will fail. The difference is not that some people find change in life easy and other people find change in life hard. What is the difference? The difference is simple. The difference is when we fail in our new goals, some people give up too soon. "Oh well, I tried, but now I quit. Finish. Done." or "I will not try to change anymore because

Today is New Year's Day. Many people will wake up late today. Some celebrated in the streets at midnight. Some people watched firecrackers in the sky. Some people got drunk. Some people went to churches and watched the New Year come at midnight. Some people stayed home and quietly celebrated with family and friends. There were all kinds of people and all kinds of plans for the beginning of the New Year. Now we face a new year. Everyone had some kinds of plans. "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." Holy Bible (NIV) Proberbs 16:9 The best plan today is the same as the best plan for the year. Make Jesus your King. He should be King of your heart. He should be King of your soul. He should be King of your thoughts. He should be King of your actions. Jesus wants to be the King of all your plans everyday. Make a plan today to pray and ask The Lord to show you step by step the plans He has for you today. If you do t