I've Felt It!

Have you felt the Spirit move lately? I have! I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit at the Fall Festival last Friday night and Saturday. I found myself conversing with complete strangers there who sensed it too…now I have new friends. Then Sunday with Gerson & Betsy Tejeda sharing their ministry with us I felt its presence. Sunday evening in a videotaped message of Bishop Violet Fisher many of us felt the Spirit move in a powerful way! I’ve spent Monday & Tuesday in Springfield at the final session of the Congregational Development Leadership Institute and God’s Spirit was present there in a powerful way. Even on my ride home Tuesday, I was overwhelmed by the unmistakable presence of the Holy Spirit in my car with me. I guess the point I am trying to make is that if you expectantly search for the Holy Spirit, you will not be disappointed. However, if you do not actively search hoping to finding the Spirit active, you will miss it. Even great revelations will be missed if you aren’t expecting. Yeah, we are temples in which God’s Holy Spirit resides, but that does not automatically guarantee an awareness on our part. We must seek, and when we do Scripture repeatedly tells us we will find (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7 to name just a few). So have you felt the Spirit move lately? If not, why haven’t you been expecting?

PRAISE GOD! (I feel better now)

Is it me…or is satan the prince of darkness and of persistence? I mean, there are so many distractions to continually deal with, even in the church…Fall Festival, float for the parade, parsonage committee, meet with the District Board, CDLI homework, audio for website, pictorial directory…the list goes on and on. This stuff is all good, but it’s not the Main Thing! Then you add family and personal distractions…some days I just want to scream! But then I remember a saint who once told me that when the Spirit builds a fire…that’s when demons show up with their water buckets. So I scream out: PRAISE GOD! There is a fire here at Beulah (must be hotter than I first realized!) cause satan seems to be working overtime. What a privilege to be a part of God’s plan and see his hand move! My prayer is that we (each of us) would be given strength to stand firm against the enemy; a determination that would cause satan to scream; eyes to see the needs of those around us; a holy boldness in sharing our faith with every person we encounter; and that God would use us to encourage those believers who satan has beaten down and distracted from their calling…Lord, help us to keep the Main Thing the main thing! Amen.

Name That Tune!

As I read the devotion today on the Upperroom.org (you can connect to this from our homepage… just click on the Daily Devotion link on the menu), I immediately connected with the author’s image that a band playing together equates to them having a conversation. When it sounds good, they are listening to and talking with one another. When it sounds bad, it is as if they are having an argument. My thoughts immediately drifted to the tones coming from some churches. Sadly, instead of emanating angelic tones employing others to join them in singing the chorus of Handel’s Messiah, many churches sound much like an orchestrated fight! Squabbling and fussing, struggling for power and prominence; it’s no wonder the Kingdom is not being advanced! The author goes on to quote Psalm 18:21, “What you say can preserve life or destroy it.” Church, those are true words on a personal and even more true a corporate level. There are spirits that have been crushed by churches who do not consider that others are watching, or listening to them. I come across them all the time…"I won’t go to church because of what I saw years ago"…the story is too familiar and distressing. If we will not learn to harmonize here on earth, we may well find that we have not been invited to be a part of God’s heavenly choir.

The Real Difference Between the Sexes!

An email today from a friend whose daughter had a baby reminded me of the on-going discussion (yeah, it’s really an argument) with someone I love and respect about the differences between men and women. Brad Stine, a hilarious Christian comedian, might just sum it up best...I love this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDrOUjfrMRo

Thanksgiving...Already!

I love this time of year…it’s cooling off slightly and you can anticipate the change in the air. Fall is a gorgeous season that is climaxed with harvest time: a reward for our efforts and an indication of God’s faithfulness. I think my favorite American holiday is Thanksgiving. It is unfortunate that Madison Avenue has decided its greatest attribute is to be the start of the Christmas shopping season, which actually seems to begin these days in mid October…but that’s okay. Thanksgiving cannot be contained in only one day…if it is, you’ve missed the point. Thanksgiving is not a day or a season…it’s an attitude…a lifestyle. Psalm 95 says we are to "come before the Lord with thanksgiving." Why? Not because of the bountiful harvest, but because “the Lord is a great God!” Psalm 100 says we are to “shout for joy” as we “enter his gates with thanksgiving.” Again, why? Because “the Lord is good and his love endures forever!” We are to be thankful, not because of what we’ve accomplished or what God has given us…we are to be thankful because God is good…because he loves us…who we are or what we have has absolutely nothing to do with it. Last night the men’s group did an exercise where they wrote down all the reasons each person had to praise God for. I missed most of the meeting because of a meeting, but if we would all work a little harder recognizing our reasons for praise, there would be a lot less grumbling and discontent in our world.

Praise God!

Want to remember what’s really important in life? Check out this newscast from WKRN in Nashville. It was sent out on a prayer blog that I am a part of; Claire’s dad is a member. It reminded me of how our thinking is often skewed by insignificant stuff…and that so many things we take for granted are the things that are most dear to us. Put up with the commercial and get ready to prioritize some things…also know that Claire is proof that God answers prayer!

Here's a new link to the video at WKRN: http://www.wkrn.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=4095679&at1=News&h1=Franklin%20teen%20hit%20by%20car%20released%20from%20hospital&flvUri=&thirdpartymrssurl=&rnd=83937593

To Know Him & Make Him Known!

We are reading thru the New Testament, a chapter a day, and I gotta tell ya…I just love Paul. In his writings several things become apparent: his burden for the souls of the recipients of his letters (or for that matter of all people); his dedication to the cause of Christ (at any cost); his fervent desire to spread the gospel (in your face!); and his ability to address both doctrinal & personal issues with tact (at least most of the time). I long to be like Paul. Fact is, I am much more like Peter…now to have many of Peter’s traits would be a tremendous honor…but I’ve mastered his least desirable traits: stumbling along like a bull in a china shop with my foot in my mouth, focused on what I want or think is right instead of what God wants. The good news is that I know it’s not about me or my abilities; it’s about Christ and his love for me and for you. You see it’s true; Christ’s power IS made perfect in my weaknesses (2 Cor 12:9). So as I journey thru this life, trying my hardest to grow in my relatinship with Christ, becoming more like Jesus, often times looking less and less like him, it’s good to know that God has given me wonderful examples (like Paul & Peter) to spur me on…'cause that’s all I really want to do: help others to know Jesus.