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Pastor Mullett is my childhood Pastor, mentor and friend. I wanted to post these on our website to let you in on the inspiration that God
places around you every day. I enjoy these inspiration notes he writes every Sunday, and they're just too good not to pass on, so with Pastor Mullet's permission, I am pleased and blessed to be able to share them with
you. God Bless and enjoy! ~Pastor Cory P. Pariseau
Read the Mentor's Inspirations ArchivesNew Year Inspiration
December 31, 2006
Freely you have received, freely give. This is
the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 10:8 So last week we wrote about God giving us a second chance to regain the position of royalty that was lost in sin. Perhaps a New Year resolution now could be to offer a second
chance to someone who has wronged us. There are broken relationships that could be restored if one was willing to forgive the wrongs and hurts we have experienced. A wise mentor once told me, "Always keep your
relationships so the next move is up to the other person." The risk is always that we may get hurt all over again but the reward of a happier New Year might just be worth the challenge. Just something to think
about…Happy New Year…Jim December 10, 2006
Today's Inspiration is not original with me. It came to me from one of you. I love it. A Christmas version of 1 Corinthians 13.
If I decorate
my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I am just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautiful adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I am just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I
have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but
do not focus on Christ I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind though harried and tired. Love does not envy another's home
that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love does not only give to those who are able to give in
return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will
rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.
Merry Christmas and lots of love to you and yours. Jim December 2, 2006
It's December and the season of Advent. While science debates how
monkey became man Christians will debate how God became man. This question starts in the Garden of Eden where Adam stood naked before God to answer that fearful question, where art thou? In light of Psalms 14 we all
stand where Adam stood before Almighty God: The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who seek God. They have all turned aside. They have become corrupt. There
is non who does good, no not one. God knew the only way to save what He created was to become one of them. It was His decision to be born of Mary in a lowly stable. He came to serve the ones He loved. We have
been redeemed…..Jim November 25, 2006
My special thanks to each one of you who took the time to respond to this message this past month. It is people like you who make a difference. Solomon in
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep his commandments for God will bring every work into judgment. We who have experienced God's love and forgiveness now
become responsible to demonstrate that same love which, as Jesus taught, knows no national boundaries. We need to influence our Nation to find a better solution to our problem of illegal immigration then simply building
walls and fences. By reaching out to the less fortunate America can enhance its image rather then destroy it. As indicated in your responses our present bureaucracy is simply not working for them or us. Perhaps a better
way would be to turn the process over to the business community. Allow employers to issue government sponsored work permits to fill their employment needs. Require payment of at least the minimum wage and offer free
education so when the time limits run out a person is equipped to return to their homeland and make a difference. Limit our government to screening out the criminal element. I just wonder how Jesus would solve it….Jim November 19, 2006
I do want to thank those of you who responded to the message concerning illegal immigrants on November 5. Here again is a portion of the original text and following are your
responses: Our invitation engraved on the Statue Of Liberty still proclaims,
"Bring me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me." The immigrants that came accepted the most
menial jobs and turned them into wealth. Now we fear the loss of our riches and therefore plan to build a seven hundred mile fence to keep the poor outside. Times have changed. My fellow Christians, I believe the one
from whom we take our name is sad. Did He not instruct the Rich Young Ruler to "Sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven: and come and follow me". Mark 10: 21. Not a popular
idea today but think about it…Jim
Karen from Canada Writes:
Well Jim! Although I am in another country, I know we serve the same Lord. It seems to me that Jesus welcomed all who would come, no matter their station in life. Didn't He
say "As you do unto the least of these, so do you unto me"? I think that He would see us give aid, a helping hand, rather than "mass deportation". Lets not forget that we were all immigrants
once! Doug from Columbus, Ohio writes:
Given a choice, most people will take the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, the legal route is not currently easier to follow than the illegal route. We
attempted to work through our immigration and naturalization services (INS) to get 6 month work visa's for Manuel and Beto. They had housing, jobs, and transportation lined up. We filled out stacks of paperwork, and
sent several hundred dollars to the INS. Other than the cashed check, we never obtained as much as a letter of confirmation that they had even received our paperwork. The INS office that we had to deal with was in
St. Louis. Living 500 miles from there made it just that much more difficult. We sent multiple letters of inquiry, and phone calls never seemed to make it to the person who could help us out. The alternative method
is quite simple. In most any city in the U.S. there are people ready and willing to supply fake identities and everything needed to setup residence illegally. Most of these cases are family or friends who already
live here offering the services for free. You don't have to deal with a stranger 500 miles away who doesn't even have the common courtesy to return a phone call after they've collected hundreds of your dollars.
Until our government fixes the bureaucracy involved in working here legally, they will continue to miss out on tax dollars that could be collected from legally working immigrants. As long as immigrants are working
illegally with fake identities at below minimum wage jobs our civic services will continue to be strained. Even if they don't pay out to the illegal immigrant, the children that they bear here are US citizens and
entitled to social services. Bottom line, make it easier for anybody who wants to work here to do it legally so we can collect taxes. Pay them a decent wage so that they are less of a strain on social services.
Wanda from Jackson writes:
Now think about this…if we do a mass deportation, who will pick all of our oranges and work for very low pay doing the jobs none of us are willing to do. It would devastate our
economy, not to mention all of those yummy oranges would go to waste. We need the immigrants. Why not make them legal citizens provided they are willing to work and contribute to our tax system. I would rather use
my tax dollars to pay for an illegal immigrant child to have routine medical care including immunizations than to build bombs and keep sending our money and troops to Iraq. Is it so terrible for the Mexican parent
to want a better life for their children? The Mexican immigrant risks their life in hope for a better standard of living, many times leaving family behind. They come her and work and send the majority of the money
back to the family in Mexico. Would it not be better for the family to also live here thus keeping the money here in our country. Also if they are legal citizens, they pay into our social security system, payroll
taxes etc. and help boost our economy. I say give the Mexicans a break. All of us would do the same thing they are doing if we were in their unfortunate situation. Jonathan from Pennsylvania writes:
Hey Jim,
You won't know me, although you met some of my siblings at the Cross Roads reunion. Having worked in a third world country for over 30 years, I continue to find the misinformation that most Usans have
tragic. (Persons from other countries in the "Americas" find the use of the term "American" insensitive to the fact that they too are "Americans", and so I have coined the word Usan to
refer to persons who are citizens of the USA). I would ask each of us to become friends of the poor and oppressed in so much of Latin America, and to live with them in the "little towns" or their
"favelas" or "shacks" or whatever, and experience their generosity before we give easy solutions to a very complex problem. Paraguay (where I lived and worked among the poorest) suffered
incredibly from the control and might of a US sponsored dictator for over 30 years. For the past 4 years the duly elected president, a firm Christian, and his wife one of the charter members of a Mennonite Church,
has governed the country. But corruption, greed, selfishness and poverty is worse than ever, and hundreds of thousands of Paraguayans have left the country in search of survival. (Moral: the problem is very complex,
and one man, or woman, cannot solve it ever, because change must happen in the heart of all persons). Mexico is by far not the only country whose citizens look for survival in the US. I cannot conceive of a
committed Christian consciously wanting to condemn persons, who most often are looking to survive, not to having a 2nd or 3rd car, or any car, to return to hungry crying children. When you have sat at your table,
and had children watching, through your window, watching each bite enter your mouth, and their mother telling you they have not eaten for 2 days, then you will be qualified to send them away empty, "for as much
as you did it not unto the smallest of these, you did it not to me," said Jesus. Please, lets open our heart, and let God's incredible compassion soften it more than our "loyalty" to a non-reality,
even in the US.
November 12, 2006
Last Sunday I wrote about our dilemma. As a Christian Nation what is our responsibility to the aliens in our Country? My friend Penny responded:
Yes Jim. You know I like to stir up a bees nest! I think and I'd like to know others thoughts AND solutions. It's all well and good to have ideals. I want to protect our Democracy as we've known it. Our Lord was
center part of it's creation. Mexico is a very wealthy country. She doesn't spread her wealth downward. She encourages her citizens to break our laws and rob our citizens. What are we being robbed of? Most illegals seek
work at a lower pay. They collect social security, welfare, food stamps, low income housing, and their young people get into our universities for free. I believe if a system were set up -after the mass deportation-to
provide a work permit for those men and women who want to work-would be good. Employers should be forced to pay at least minimum wages. Yes we would have higher prices but all would benefit in the end.
So Please, I invite everyone to enter this discussion. Send me your comments this week and unless you tell me not to, I will include your concerns and / or solutions in next weeks inspiration. mailto:sjmullett@yahoo.comOctober 22, 2006
This past
week I experienced a grand frustration. I was standing at an overlook, camera in hand and trying to capture an adequate image of the blazing Fall colors in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The pictures are
nice but can never be a substitute for standing on top of Grandfather Mountain and there experiencing the grandeur of God's Creation. Nor can one fully explain to another the rapture of a personal Spiritual moment in
the presence of Almighty God but I can say that it doesn't just happen. For Isabel and I to get to that overlook on the parkway took discipline and a strong resolve stemming from desire. There was the drudgery of
packing and unpacking a suitcase. There were long tiring hours of driving the Interstates. Lodging and food is not cheap in those hills so the value of our dollars became secondary. In our quest for that glorious moment
with God Jesus is our example: Who for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God. Let us lay aside every weight and run with endurance the race that
is set before us. Hebrews 12: 1-2… October 15, 2006
In August we began a series to see Jesus from seven various perspectives as written by Brian McLaren in his book A Generous Orthodoxy. If you
wish to review all seven you can find them at http://www.crossroadswcc.org/
and click on Mentor's Inspiration. Through this study I discovered a Jesus who is too large to fit into the box that I so often create for Him. I am reminded of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11, Other
foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ. Yet we build our lives on our own ambitions, desires and understanding. We applaud war and destruction and only pay lip service to the
Prince of Peace. I believe it is time for the Christian to get back to the basics of what our Lord taught us: Non-violent love. Liberator of the oppressed. Giver of life. Healing and forgiveness for us sinners. Servants
of humanity. Bless you…JimSeptember 24, 2006
More wars have been fought in the name of religion then we can count. God is on our side rings the battle cry and then we go to kill and slaughter
the enemy. How we need The Anabaptist Jesus to teach us how to live in peace. Remember in Luke 9: 51–56 how James and John wanted to call fire from Heaven to destroy the Samaritans. Jesus rebuked them!
You don't know what spirit you're of. The human race is divided and violent and needs to learn the ways of Christ. Jesus supersedes the Old Testament by teaching the Grace of God and the way of love in human
relations. Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5 - 7. Today he has convened a learning community of disciples who seek to model lives of love and peace. They are called Conscientious Objectors to military
service. Nowhere does Jesus teach us to go to war. Next week we look at the Jesus of liberation theology… Jim September 17, 2006
Oh how we must learn to discern the difference of feelings that
come from the human emotional soul and the voice of God speaking to and through our spirit. The best way is to test the spirit with a stable body of believers. The Pentecostal / Charismatic Jesus teaches us how
to receive miracles and healings from God through faith in His promises. Brian McLaren states "the Pentecostal Jesus also saves by his powerful presence in this present moment". The Holy Spirit today is no less than the
real presence of Jesus invading a world bound by sin, sickness and poverty. We need to meet this Jesus but be careful, the Devil does not want you to know Him so he clouds the issue with the theological debate over the
gift of tongues. Be ready for it but avoid the debate. It's not a sign of spiritual maturity. Trust the truth of the scriptures: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of
light. James 1:17…..Next week meet the Anabaptist Jesus…Jim September 10, 2006
My dear friend Anne has gone to be with the Lord but while she lived she had no problem whatever with the Old Testament
story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. God would never instruct him to do that! Abraham just misunderstood the instruction! Miracles like Jesus feeding 5000 with a lads lunch may or may not have happened. More important is
the lesson we learn from the story. Jesus will supply our needs! She was very sincere in her worship of the Liberal Protestant Jesus. His example and teaching inspired her to work compassionately for social
justice, even more so then most fundamentalists. She lived alone but took her ex-husband into her home and nursed him through his terminal illness. Anne was wealthy having received a $100,000.00 inheritance but she gave
it all away a few dollars at a time anytime she met someone in need. Just before she died she expressed concern to me that she had kept one thousand dollars for final expenses. Someone may need it more then she. Her
body was donated to science. She heard the words of Jesus "In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these you did it to me" Matthew 25:40…Her friends planted a tree in her memory…. Jim
September 3, 2006
There is an eternal celebration going on between Father, Son and Holy Spirit but because of sin the world is missing out. God entered our broken world through the Eastern Orthodox Jesus
to teach us the joys of Creation. Jesus became human to show us how to be included in this "dance" with the Trinity. Our great sin is that we are so exclusive in our denominational religion and American culture. Those not like us we call outsiders and foreigners. Even Christians debate whether we should "kick out" the illegal aliens. Jesus, in His humanity saves the world by showing us the way back to Eden or is it the way forward to the Paradise of God spoken of in Revelation 2:7
To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the Tree Of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Like us this orthodox Jesus lived in the span between. May we learn something from Him. Next week
we we'll look at the Liberal Protestant Jesus….Jim August 27, 2006
The wages of sin is death! How I would tremble with fear of those words until after each offence I would turn to the
Conservative Protestant Jesus. He died on the cross to somehow absorb the punishment I deserved for breaking the rules. I suspect He even forgave some conservative preachers and bishops who created rules not found
in the Holy Scriptures! This Jesus will be my attorney when I stand before the Judgment of God. "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ"
2 Corinthians 5:10. This Jesus carries my guilt and for that I praise Him but does this emphasis on His death marginalize His life; His wise teachings and kind deeds, the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount, His compassion for the poor and hurting people He met? Brian McLaren said, "In my heart grew a deep, subtle, unspoken sense that something was missing which gradually opened my heart to search for other ways of seeing Jesus" Next week let's look at the Eastern Orthodox Jesus…. Jim Mullett
August 13, 2006
Wow it's Friday PM and we just returned from five wonderful days in Ontario visiting friends and relatives. Now reality hits: The raccoons destroyed the sweet corn patch, the grass is too
long, the mower is still in the repair shop not fixed, you wouldn't believe all the bills in the accumulated mail, a good friend died while we were gone and it's starting to rain! Time to get out the good book and read
Psalms 42; Why are you cast down O my soul? Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him for the help of his countenance. OK I read it and I do have Faith. I shall not be overwhelmed forever. Tomorrow is a new day and
God is still alive! So we all have our days, don't we? Thank God it is not a lasting thing..…Jim August 6, 2006
Jeremiah was a heartbroken prophet with a heartbreaking message. Forty years, despised and
persecuted by his countrymen he bathes his harsh prophecies in tears of compassion.
Jesus also wept over Jerusalem and I believe He weeps today over the brutality of the Middle East and the way Christian people have
misinterpreted His Kingdom. He stood before Pilot and rightly declared Himself to be the King Of The Jews. The Scriptures Clearly designate Him to sit on the throne of David. But He said to Pilot "My Kingdom is not of
this world". In Luke 17: 21 Jesus said "Indeed the Kingdom is within you". Jesus as a direct descendant from Abraham fulfilled God's promise that all nations would be blessed through Him, not only the descendants of
Abraham but everyone including the Arabs. In Luke 12 Jesus said "Fear not little flock, it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. This war today is a human battle. I doubt that God has anything in
it. It leaves me feeling sad…Jim Mullett July 30, 2006
I got a letter this week from our missionaries in Argentina. It seems persons they're ministering to are concerned about the U.S. trusting in
arms of destruction and that by their silence our churches are also responsible. My greater concern is that far to many Christians are openly encouraging and supporting our present warfare! It's a natural animal
instinct to stake out and defend ones own territory. We humans are smarter then animals, we have created weapons to kill more efficiently. The Pilaga People in South America are being taught to apply Jesus' values and
teachings to the clamor for justice. The struggle for Life in its fullness must be part of our discipleship. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" John 10:10. Our
secular world knows nothing but warfare but we who are followers of Christ must never be silent with the message of God's love to all people. Think about it…Jim Mullett July 23, 2006
I just again read John chapter three about Jesus, his discussion with Nicodemus and the declaration "Ye Must Be Born Again". Nicodemus was confused. He was a Pharisee, a Ruler of the Jews and the rule book was
the Law of Moses, especially the ten commandments. He was taught that keeping the rules was how you would be saved. That's how it was in the Old Testament under Moses but now Jesus speaks of being Born of the Spirit.
God loves you He declares in verse sixteen. I paid the price for your sins. If you believe in Me, you will not perish but have eternal life. We can trust in Jesus to give us salvation or we can trust ourselves to keep
the rules. It's your choice. You can't have it both ways.…Jim July 16, 2006
My son is a computer networking engineer. When he graduated from High School I would have ask, A WHAT? As a lad he brought a friend
along to church. Today Cory is a pastor in intercity Columbus, Ohio. He has a lovely website. Again I would have ask, What's that? We Seniors are in a different world today then in the past. I invite you to check out
Cory's web at http://www.crossroadswcc.org
Put it in your bookmark. If you click on Mentor's Inspirations you can find all these messages I wrote since January. Thank you Cory for being a partner in the ministry of Christ's Gospel. You who read these messages can also be a partner as you forward my comments to your friends. Today I give you the words of Jesus in Acts 1: 7 & 8
It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to me to the end of
the earth. Do you think Jesus knew we would have internet? … Jim MullettJuly 9, 2006
In Isaiah 50 God asks us this question: Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to
deliver? Today I find myself concerned and fearful about the direction a close friend is taking in life. I've spent a number of days worrying and scheming to think up a plan of intervention. Isn't that so human of all
of us. I know God is much superior in wisdom and knowledge then I am but suppose he tells me to stay out of it and just continue to be loving? This really tests our confidence in God. Can I trust and not be afraid? …..
Jim July 2, 2006
Spiritual growth happens in the present, not the future or the past. This past winter a friend gave me a book purported to be so amazing you can't put it down. It was about a
"holy" man in China living a very miraculous life. Last week another book came to my box free and unsolicited: God has returned incarnate in a man, the Bible is now irrelevant for we have entered the Age of the Kingdom!
All this in China. But where in China and who wrote this stuff? The book sounds dramatic but is impossible to authenticate. We live at a time when many Christians get all excited about end time reports. The "Left
Behind" series made millionaires of its authors. When the disciples ask about end times Jesus said "take heed that no one deceives you for many will come in My name saying I am Christ"
This week read Matthew 24:1-14. Our job is found in verse 14. Oh yes, I had another offer this week: for twenty five bucks I can buy a CD that will Identify the antichrist and 666. A Hungary person called last evening needing food. I think that will be a better investment… Jim
Read the Mentor's Inspirations Archives
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