UPDATE: 'Loving God - Inspiring Change' has now MOVED

Hi.


'Loving God - Inspiring God' has now MOVED!

Please come & take a look at the new website: This will be being UPDATED in the next few weeks. Feel free to contact me if you have any problems/questions!


www.samgrebert.com


Bless You!


Sam

*NEW LOOK*: "LOVING GOD - INSPIRING CHANGE!"

Hey everyone!

Just so you know, in the next few weeks I am updating 'LOVING GOD - INSPIRING CHANGE!".

You will see the Blog gradually have some significant changes taking place in the style & NEW content over the next few weeks, I believe these changes will be a become a great Resource for people all over the world who view the Blog.


The new Blog will look better, have NEW features, NEW Links, NEW Resources, NEW Featured Articles & have NEW tools to help you in your Faith life!

Keeping checking back in the next few weeks! :)

If you attend SpiritLife - keep checking out the page for updates & info. in regards to the Group & what God is doing!

In the mean time, check out my YouTube channel or follow me on Twitter!


www.youtube.com/SamGrebert or 'SamGrebert' on Twitter



Blessings.


Sam



Jesus Is Lord

Gay Christian blasts "bigoted" Madden...

Hey.

Just thought I would write a brief update regarding Peter Madden

(Christian Democratic Party) & his attack on Sydney Mardi Gras - 

Just so you all know:

SameSame have written an article about my YouTube response video! I am very grateful for them doing this as it gives Gay Christian's a great platform in the media & is causing people to actully discuss the issue of being both Gay & Christian & what it means.

Check It Out!  :-)

http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/6381/Gay-Christian-blasts-bigoted-Madden.htm

Jesus Is Lord

My Response To Peter Madden: Sydney Mardi Gras

My response to Peter Madden (Christian Democratic Party) concerning his attack on the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, His attack on freedom of expression, His blatant Religious intolerance & his complete disregard of LGBTIQ rights &

everything Mardi Gras stands for - A celebration of:

FREEDOM, SOCIAL ACTIVISM & EQUALITY!

CHECK OUT!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/SamGrebert







Jesus Is Lord

Fall in LOVE with Jesus!

Hey!


Just thought i'd take a moment at the start of this week, to just tell YOU to...


Fall in LOVE with JESUS!


This is a NEW YEAR! A Year of NEW beginnings - A year of NEW opportunities to LOVE Jesus more than ever.

The earth desires a relationship with the Father, YOU are blessed to already have that relationship through Jesus - It is your year & time to  renew it, develop it & strengthen it.

I believe this is one of the greatest things we can develope - our relationship with Jesus!

Jesus is waiting & longing for your love, attention, prayers & adoration... He wants & desires YOU! He wants  to be your greatest friend & companion. He will never leave you or forsake you.

Every opportunity you have is because He loved you first & has given you the chance to be His witness to everyone around you - through Him saving you from death & sin, giving you a NEW life in Him!

Let this be your year to show Him how you love Him & how you want to desire more of Him: Let your very being crave Him, let your actions demonstrate Him, let your thoughts dwell on Him, let your spirit-man be transformed into His likeness!


Fall in LOVE with Him...




Jesus Is Lord

It's All About Jesus...

Hey All.


Hope your all keeping well.


I decided to write a brief Blog while in Grafton with the folks. Firstly, this topic came about due to a few different things that have happened this week for me personally - main issue was the passing away of my Nan from cancer... this was a major thing for me to deal with.

In this entry i want to be 'real' & transparent with everyone about what this experience meant for me. This experience has been both challenging & confronting - but also a constant reminder that the only thing that matter is JESUS! It's all about Jesus.

I have been reminded throughout this week that 'things' happen while we are here on earth - we aren't immune to accidents, failures, imperfections or even death itself.... Yet. ;-)

I believe it's what we do when these bad things happen to us that is the defining point in our lives, the thing that makes us different. So do we just give up? throw in the towel? get depressed? ... OR do we make a CHOICE to rise above the situation/circumstance & not let it overcome us? The last is the one I believe God wants us to apply to our lives.

This is when I came to the answer that it is simply 'All about Jesus' - nothing else really matters in this world except Him & how we respond to Him.

Jesus is everything we ever need!


He is our Father - if we are fatherless.
He is a mother - when we are motherless.
He is our brother & sister - if we have no siblings.
He is our comfort - when we are troubled.
He is our peace - when our lives are in turmoil.
He is our joy - when we can't laugh.
He is our doctor - when we get sick.
He is our lover - when we are un-loved.


Jesus is everything YOU need!


Even though Nan has passed away I know that she is with Jesus - like the Scripture says: she is seated in heavenly places, far above all sickness & disease, principalities, rulers & powers, & now she has a glorified spirit-body; a body that is no longer subject to suffering, pain, weakness, disease, or cancer.

This is the one thing that has been my focus this last week when i was told she had gone home. Only this reality made the difference between me & a non-believer, the reality of Jesus in her life & the HOPE that this brings to us.

It' ALL about Jesus. I pray you are encouraged & can relate on some level to what i am trying to share. Let this encourage you to not be dis-couraged by your circumstance & situations that seem to oppose you, but to rise ABOVE them!

Bless you.




Dedicated to Nan -



Doreen Grebert (1930 - 2011)

In God's care...




Jesus Is Lord
 

Lonnie Frisbee... A Forgotten Memory.

LONNIE FRISBEE 1949 - 1993

A BRIEF HISTORY:



"Lonnie Frisbee (June 6, 1949 – March 12, 1993) was an American Pentecostal evangelist and self-described "seeing prophet" and mystic in the late 1960s and 1970s. Despite(
or because of) his hippie appearance and being a man who struggled with homosexuality, Frisbee had notable success as a minister and evangelist.

Contemporary accounts attributed his accomplishments to his incredible anointing of the Holy Spirit. Frisbee was a key figure in the Jesus Movement and eyewitness accounts of his ministry documented in the 2007 Emmy-nominated film Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher explain how Lonnie became the charismatic spark igniting the rise of two worldwide denominations (Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard Movement). It was said that he was not one of the hippie preachers, "there was one."

Frisbee, who functioned as an evangelical preacher also privately socialized as a gay man both before and during his evangelism career. This is held in tension with the fact that he said in interviews that he never believed homosexuality was anything other than a sin in the eyes of God and both denominations prohibited gay sexual behavior. Both churches later disowned him because of his active sexual life, removing him first from leadership positions, then ultimately, firing him . As part of his ostracism from his former churches his work was maligned but he forgave those who tried to discredit him before his death from AIDS in 1993."



MY PERSPECTIVE:


Lonnie Frisbee had a remarkable story - a story that evangelical Christianity has tried to ultimately forget & supress from its history books.

Lonnie was a Hippie, a former drug addict & an openly Gay man - but more importantly he was a radical deiciple of Jesus Christ & Minister of the Gospel.

His Ministry in the Jesus People Movement, Vineyard Movement & Calvary Chapel changed, impacted & transformed thousands of lives! His life & teachings are not something we can afford to just neglect or willingly be ignorant of.


I believe Lonnie Frisbee's life is a story which is intruiging, unique but also quite sad. Lonnie passed away from AIDS in 1993, he was aged 44. When he passed away he was abandoned by the Church, forgotten & his Ministry reputation had been discredited entirely when he 'outted' himself again - when he chose to be honest & upfront. Lonnie had already forgiven the people who he once was associated with in Ministry for the way they & the Church handled everything & for what they did to him in ignorance & haste by the time he passed away.

We can learn alot from Lonnie Frisbee & how God uses people despite our weakness & imperfections. God chose Lonnie for a mighty purpose that changed & shaped Church history.

As Gay Christians we can gleem alot of inspiration & influence off of Lonnie's Ministry & what God did through him.

His life is still a living Testimony of God's faithfulness, favour & desire to move through openly Gay Christians who will hear His voice & move in His Anointing.


Stir yourself up to believe God for more - MORE Grace, MORE Power, MORE Anointing, MORE Opportunities, & MORE of HIM!! 

We will see God raise up lots of "Lonnie Frisbee's" in the earth.... that even though Evangelical Christianity has tried to forget who Lonnie was & what God chose to do through him - they will not be able to ignore an uprising of Holy Spirit Gay Christians who choose to respond & hear His voice.

It time for a new generation to awaken to the realities that Lonnie walked in, awaken again to the simple Gospel, a Gospel that relevant for everyone who hears it - An inclusive Gospel.



Jesus Is Lord






 

Sounds From Heaven.... Raining Presence Music

Alberto & Kimberly Rivera

I want to introduce you to a husband & wife team in the USA who have a Prophetic Worship Ministry - Raining Presence Music. 

This music of Alberto & Kimberly Rivera has a sound of Heaven on it - it creates an Atmosphere of God's Glory & Presence!

As soon as you start to listen to their Worship you can 'sense' something tangibly different compared to other Artists, I believe it is the Anointing of the Holy Spirit!

This music as you listen to it will lift you up into His Presence & deeper into the Glory realm - the miraculous realm where God manifests Himself to us!

Alberto & Kimberly's Worship is a mixture of spontaneous & the prophetic, intimate recordings of songs given by the Holy Spirit to the Church, the Anointing flows off every lyric as the songs flow together on the recordings.

Kimberly & Aberto are Spirit-Led in their worship - Spontaneous songs, Prophetic influeces & singing in the Spirit (Tongues) are common throughout.

I recommend anyone wanting more of God, anyone wanting to go deeper into the things of the Spirit - anywone wanting pure Worship in Spirit & Truth to either contact their Ministry via the link or purchase their music via iTunes.

This Anointed music will draw you up into His Glory - you can be healed from this music - the Anointing breaks the chains of bondage over & around us! You can be set free from addictions, depression, sickness & demonic influnces by listening to this Anointed Holy Spirit music!

Check Out!

http://www.rainingpresence.com/ 

or search 'Kimberly & Alberto Rivera' on iTunes to find their cd's

Jesus Is Lord

It Gets Better!!

**This is Bishop Gene Robinson's "It Gets Better" youtube video. His video is transparent, honest & encouraging! Gene Robinson is an openly Gay Bishop within the Church.
Check it out! Its a great Video!




Hey All.



"IT GETS BETTER"!!



No matter what it looks like now, where you are, or what's happening around you. It WILL get better!! I promise.

I know what it feels like when you feel you have no-one to talk to, reach out to, or someone to confide in. When your all alone in a dark place - a place where you cannot think clearly about things - a place which feels like a 'prison' around your mind & around about your very existence - until it feels like you have no hope, strength, or will to go any further.

I want you to know that, YOU are Unique, Special, Loved & have so muchValue!
Everything you do in life is important, valuable & is great because it's totally YOURS!

There is always HOPE, you are never alone in this life, someone - somewhere cares about you, thinks about you & truely loves you! You are never alone... even in your darkest hour.

I want to encourage you, that God has an awesome plan for your life, things you could only ever dream of, so wonderful that you couldn't comprehend the total understanding of it! Your life is a living example to others, YOU are a shining example of Hope to others! People who are going through the same things as yourself.

I once was in that place of total hopelessness & didn't know how I would cope with everything that appeared to be spiraling out of control around about me - My emotinoal struggles, the Church & friends abandoning me, having to tell Mum & Dad the truth about the whole 'Gay' thing! All these things took a toll on my mental health & physical health.

There is HOPE for you!

My life is now great! I have a loving, accepting family who love me for who I am - not who they think I shouold be. I have a wonderful Boyfriend Ben, he means everythig to me - Ben constantly challenges me to do life better! I am blessed to be doing life with him!

It truely did get better for me! Just like it will for YOU aswell.

This is the Truth that I have - that God dosent hate you! God dosen't want you to change! God isn't condeming you! God isn't abandoning you! But.... instead He (God) is:



- Loving
- Faithful
- Gracious
- Compassionate
- Merciful
- Understanding


This Truth will set YOU Free! You are LOVED by God! YOU have a bright FUTURE!



It will & IS getting better for YOU! Everyday is a NEW day, a NEW opportunity for YOU!


Some great websites with info to help you are:


http://www.freedom2b.org/

www.twenty10.org.au



Feel free to contact me or these websites if you want someone to talk to. We are all here for you. :-)


Sam x


Jesus Is Lord

The Power Of YOUR Testimony: GayChristianOnline

Hey All....

**This Story is submitted by a new friend over in the USA, His story is amazing to read & a great encouragement to us all. Check out his website aswell!.**

I grew up in a Christian home in Kansas attending an Assemblies of God church.  I knew something was different about me in my teen years.  I wasn’t like the other guys.  I knew this difference was something bad and something I should hide, so I repressed these same-sex feelings for many years.

My charismatic upbringing always encouraged me to have faith, pray, and seek God’s help! I prayed for God to change me.  I believe in the supernatural power of God. I have miraculously experienced God’s healing of my back in a car accident, and so I even had tremendous faith that God could even change me from being gay to being heterosexual. 

While attending the University of Kansas, I remember going to the library seeking to find answers about myself.  I read books on homosexuality.  I enjoyed taking many classes in psychology.  However, my charismatic faith upbringing always encouraged me to come to God when I needed help. In my heart, I believed that what I was experiencing as same-sex attractions was wrong, and so for many years I prayed, fasted and did everything I could to bring me closer to God. I believed that I would experience my miracle by drawing close to God.

This desire for change was so great in that it was a part of the reason why I chose to transfer my studies to Central Bible College with the Assemblies of God. I’m thankful for my time there. I remember getting my close friends in the dorm to wake up at 5 a.m. every morning to pray for one hour and begin our day seeking God. The bubble like Christian environment was a safe place to draw near to God; however, I recognized that everyone around me disapproved of homosexuality. So I kept this part of my life hidden from everyone around me.  I continued to seek God with all my heart, soul, and mind!

I became involved in ministry, and so I continued graduate studies at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Fuller Theological Seminary. I became involved working in full-time ministry for several years. During that time, I continued to feel that I could just repress my sexuality and pour myself into God and full-time service.

Prayer, fasting, bible college, seminary, and full-time ministry in American Chinese churches and Christian organizations in the U.S., never changed my same-sex attractions.  I had a hard time to reconcile my faith and sexuality together, so I ended up resigning from full-time ministry.  I ended up taking a teaching position overseas in Taiwan since I always had a heart for Asia.

Over the next 5 years, I found it extremely hard coming to terms with who I was as a gay man and also believing the church that I couldn’t be in a relationship with God because I was gay. My life kind of spiraled into some very destructive patterns until I was brought back to the U.S.

Kind of hitting rock bottom spiritually and emotionally, the Holy Spirit moved upon me and powerfully made me aware of how much He loved me...all of me...including the fact that I am gay.  I came across a video of Rev. Ed Bacon saying the words, “Being gay is a gift from God.” For the first time in a very long time, I felt God’s presence in and all around me. I knew God loved all of me...including me being gay. God’s love transformed my life that night.

Those events brought me back to an all inclusive loving church.  I’m so grateful for God and His wonderful grace in rescuing me and revealing His great love for me!  I’m also thankful for God blessing me with a wonderful godly partner!

I’ve recently came out to my parents.  I’m thankful that their immediate response was that they love me! It’s difficult for my parents to understand, but I am praying for them.

My prayer everyday is no longer, “God I don’t want to be gay.”  But now I’ve learned to love myself and I recognize my calling is to truly love others.

Jerod

http://www.gaychristianonline.com/



Jesus Is Lord