Courtney’s Blog

Wow! How wonderful and Devine it is to read (find) this site, My Husband Ollie and I live in the Atlanta area (Newnan) GA and are well familiar with Pastor Bonner’s ministries! When my husband was communting to Norforlk working as a Federal mediator for nearly 2 years 8 years ago , he attended your church and would stop by the church store to purchase your tapes. They were fabulous. They helped us to stay focused on JESUS and not the burden of a 2 time per month 3 day visit home to see my 2 sons and rest. It was tough. Your mintering to us through our Jesus made it doable! Now, I am sick with an incurable (so thry say cancer, called Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma since ’06. I am now in full body radiation for 45 more days, 3x per week. My skin is burned badly – may hair gone and I hurt! It is horrible…but worse yet the look in Ollie’s eyes pleading with me to FIGHT and Believe hurts more.
He loves you Pastor Courtney, HE to this day speaks of your ministry and skill. In June 09 he retired – but is looking hard for something else for the insurance, and income, He was a successful Labor relations and HR pro! We have a son who will finish law school. in May and a 20 year old son who has Downs syndrome. We ask for nothing from anyone…we love each other greatly…AND YES we need some breaks. So normally priate me puts it all out here for the people of our God to see and pray with us, as we are praying for you. Celebrating the life and birth of our Dear Jesus. God Bless You Pastor and all you are and do.Hugs and kisses to your lovely bride and children as well.
Amen Your Sister in Christ,
Yolanda

I have always known God has had his hand on my life. and I know and have learned the reseprosity of giving. Sooo please do me a favor and put the one time giving box on this page, so I can give and get back the favor and blessings I know God has in store for me. and to continue helping the elderly and handicapped like I enjoy doing. Thanks and be blessed.

Good morning! I concur that God wants to demonstrate His love and power to the world through our lives in the secular….especially the secular. In this economic recession, God has and is positioning His people to fulfill what was spoken to Abraham in Genesis 3:1-3–to be a blessing. To be a blessing implies I have to be blessed! In these times, blessed goes beyond money and means peace, wholeness, and soundness of mind…just to name a few. One practical way we can influence those around us is to display genuine confidence that orginates from intimate times of worship with the Lord. Every day, I see and hear the desperation of people as a result of this economy. But what better way to be a witness than to tell people I want to pray you experience God’s peace in the midst of turmoil or the threat thereof. While I don’t always agree with and been critical of the administration’s initiatives, I have come to realize that it is my Christian duty to bless and not speak negative. Often many Christians quote Jeremiah 29:11. The focus is usually selfish. I want dare try and knock anyone who desires to be blessed–it’s human nature to want to prosper. But, Beyond my needs, if you back up four verses in Jeremiah 29 to verses 4-7, you find the requirement to be a blessing right were we are in the secular. Here is our leadership mandate; pray for economic recovery for co-workers, their families; pray for the success of the company; and above all else, speak blessings over the place where we work. If we think about it with Jeremiah 29:4-7 in mind, our success is tied up in the success of the place/organization/company where God has placed us. Interesting concept…God placed there to be a blessing!

Blessings to you,

R. Hawkins

Yes it is possible to stand on God’s promises without becoming self-centered and self-consuming. When we know that God the Holy Spirit is behind our abilities and giftings, we can successfully take dominion over our sacred and secular environments. Self- centeredness cannot dominate,therefore, we must lose the self-centeredness if we are going to effectively build God’s kingdom on earth. Besides,anything “self” would only prove ineffective in the faces of the very people we are winning for Christ. Flesh cannot build the Kingdom. As for recession, Kingdom men/women must trust God’s word in these times of testing. I know we are in a recession but myself and many, if not all of you, are still eating,still have a roof over your heads,etc. Many people have been victims in this recession but God kept us. I have two things I’m trusting God for. I’ve already shouted over them even though I haven’t seen them manifest.I believed and many will also when it happens and God will get all the glory.

What’s up, Bishop,

I know that it is possible to embrace the promises of God without being self-centered or consuming because to truly embrace His promises, it requires sacrifice and looking at the big picture of things. Like when Hannah gave Samuel away to Eli so that Samuel could influence his generation and without Him, David might not have been anointed King. In the end, she got everything she wanted and more because she gave up this child she wanted for so long, because of her sacrifice, a nation was blessed. As crazy as it sound to the world, giving up is the only way to go up in God. I recently wanted to have a career in Wal-mart, I moved up quickly and I assumed that it was where God wanted me to be and I thought that I would spend my life working there, but circumstances occur, and the Holy Spirit has a way of showing you the truth in a powerful way, showing you where you need to go and when. I refused to listen, I ended getting convicted a lot this last past month, and I realized that it wasn’t what I really wanted, I didn’t have peace, I wasn’t happy there anymore, I was pushing my friends and family away and I tried to justify it over and over but God wasn’t having it and things got worse. Like the Prodigal Son, I had to come to myself, and then I prayed to God to open a door for me and I found a better job that will build my retail management experience and it gives me the opportunity to go to college and serve more in the church. I realize that Wal-mart was just a season in my life preparing me for whatever God wants me to do in the future. Sometimes, the path that we want to take is not included in the promises that God has for us and I’m glad because God knows what is best for us in the long run, He knows where we going. I just remember that verse in Romans 8:28 that says, All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. I have to have conviction that in the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death (Proverbs 12:28), and when I’m going through I remind myself of Jeremiah 29:11 when God says, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God’s Word keeps me walking in faith and when I’m way off it gets me back in line with His purpose. I realize that God’s plan is bigger than me and that I’m just here so that He gets glory.

Blessings Sir,
You are absolutely correct when you say that we can in fact lead and succeed in tough times. I’ve chosen not to particate in the current recession because my word tells me that “The Lord is my shepard and I shall not want”. So as I apply that word to my life or curent situation success is my next destination.Also when we obediently sow,God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory not according to the current state of the economy.And last but not least the God we serve is more than enough and when we study Luke 5:1-9,Simon Peter was looking at lack,but all the while Jesus was planning a miraculous increase in his life.Peter was about to encounter the great El Shaddai-the God who is more than enough and as a reuslt they experenced the greatest financial revival they’d ever experienced. So it is with us wheter in the Scared or the Secular El- Shaddi is more than enough to meet us at our point of need.
Shalom,
Behind The Cross
G.N.Winley

I am seriously focusing on taking dominion in the workplace. I have this dichotomy of wanting to serve where I know I’m destined for this time, and wanting to leave for all the drama (and lack of promotion). I have tried on several occasions to do something other than what God has required of me and run into a brick wall, every time. Now the task is to remain faithful, committed, and allow myself to be the conduit that He envisions for me. On a very different note, leading in difficult times for me is in the form of caring for a so-called terminally ill sister. With all my strength I am grasping onto God’s promises so that God can sustain my sister as I walk with her through this perilous journey.