Life Goes On

Several things on my mind today. One foremost thing is that whenever you are going to expose the enemy (Satan) expect some push back. Yesterday I preached from Ephesians 6 on spiritual warfare. Starting on Saturday night I was fatigued, achy and didn't rest well. That continued through the day Sunday and by the time we got home Sunday night I was convinced that I was coming down with something. Amazingly I slept well Sunday night and woke up this morning feeling fine. Some might think that I just had a 24 hour "bug", but I believe that the devil was exacting some revenge for my telling my people how to deal with him. The second thing on my mind today is that getting old is for the birds. My wife has decided that I should no longer put up the outside decorations for Christmas. She enlisted two young folks from our church to do the job. Admittedly they will probably do it better and faster than I would, but it somehow leaves me feeling a little bummed. Like many m...

One of the saddest verses of scripture I know is Ezekiel 22:30 "I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found none."   I fear that might be the case in America today.  Most prayer meetings I attend are focused on personal and health issues.  Very few prayers are offered for the unsaved, the leaders of our country, or the need for revival.  We love to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14, but I fear that we don't really apply it.  Some of the key phrases in that passage are "humble themselves" ; "seek My face" and   "turn from their evil ways.".   Easy to say but hard to do. In the old days people would talk about "being on praying ground".  That means that sins are confessed and forgiven and a person is in a position to approach the Father in prayer.  We desperately need some folks who are on "praying ground" to stand in the gap...

'Are You a Christian?' My Thoughts on the Umpqua Community College Shooting (Exclusive) < In America we are on the cusp of religious persecution...especially aimed at those who admit to being Christians.  The time has come for those who claim to be Christ-followers to settle once for all the question of their commitment.  In recent years it has been difficult if not almost impossible to get "church people" to verbalize their "story" or "testimony" even in the warm confines of the local church.  Given opportunities and even being urged by pastors or Sunday School or Small Group leaders to share their "story" many people suddenly get lock-jaw.  Often there is an embarrassing silence that descends upon the gathering until the leader fills the emptiness by telling their story or moving on to another topic. Many Christians have watched in horror the videos of believers in foreign lands being beheaded because of their faith.  Increasingly...

Last night as I watched the news and saw the thousands of Syrian refugees, my heart hurt for them. Today I found a link that showed that there is some good that is coming from the horror these people are facing.  I was reminded that God is at work in the background providing the way of salvation even in the midst of turmoil and upset.  The "news" that we see on TV or the internet is only the surface.  There is a much bigger picture that is being painted by the God of the universe.  Now I'm asking myself every time I watch the news, "I wonder what the story is behind the story?" We must never forget that God is not asleep at the wheel.  His eye is on the sparrow...and I know He watches me.

I was sent this book to read and review on my blog by the B & B Media Group, Inc. Dr. Albert L. Reyes, President/CEO of Buckner International, a global ministry dedicated to transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children, orphans, families and senior adults, has written a book that defines the work of his ministry through a series of stories of people whose lives have been impacted.  Starting with the declaration so Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Dr. Reyes shows how this “job description” of Jesus is practically applied in the lives of all believers.  Using some materials from a doctoral dissertation by Dr. Thom Wolf, Dr. Reyes weaves the admonition of Micah 6:8, which Wolf called the “Micah Mandate” f...

I think that it is fairly obvious that our country is sick.  I propose that praying for a sick country is much the same as praying for a sick person.  First it is necessary to determine the type of illness in order to know how to pray effectively.  Basically there are three types of illness; Sickness that leads to death (no need to pray because this is going to happen regardless) Sickness that is the result of sin (James 5:16) [Requires the open repentance of our national leaders and of the Christian people of America] Sickness for the glory of God. (God heals to bring Himself glory and show His mighty power) Once we have determined the type illness that is plaguing our country we will know how to pray for her. Personally I believe that the type illness is that which is the result of sin.  That being said, we should personally repent on behalf of our country and also we should pray that the Holy Spirit convict all Christian politicians to confess and repent the si...

I was sent this book by the B & B Media Group, Inc. for my honest review. I'm not really a fan of self-help books, but this is an exception.  Author, Pastor, musician, entrepreneur James T. Ward, Jr. has done a masterful job of dealing with a pandemic problem.  Victimology is huge in America today.  Our society feeds it and feeds on it.  Ward has identified the primary causes and offered real solutions that anyone can understand and incorporate.  I love the "pull-outs" on every page that will help the reader or counselor pinpoint particular sections of the book that will apply to their situation or discussion.  In the introduction to the book Ward said, "In order to liberate others in life, we must begin by liberating ourselves."  From there he proceeds to guide the reader into practical ways to deal with "victim mentality" in their own lives.  He even addresses the role that "politically correct" speech plays in creating a victim mindset...