THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD

Listening to Keith Green this morning as he sings "How Majestic Is Your Name". I had to  ask myself, "Do I truly unerstnd the Auwseomness and Power found in the name of the Lord?" The conlusion was that I did not  fully grasp  the fullhess of the name of God, As my health has declined, I have a new found desire to know God in ways I never considered before.

Asking God to give me a more clearer understanding as to His nature, His character, and His mercy and grace, I guess I don't simply do not want to believe in God,,,,,,,,,,But believe God! This new understanding helps me whan the physical stuff becomes overwhelming and I feel as though I am drowining in despair and self pity. The knowledge that His grace will see me through this day becomes more than a theological concept, It becomes a reality in the midst of the storm I am moving through. Thanks for stopping by today, and may God become an even greater reality in your life today. A reality that will take you through whatever situation you may be faced with.

God on you

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NEVER GIVE UP!

 

I Peter 2:9-10 (The Message Bible)
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do His work, and speak out for Him to tell others of the night-and-day difference He made for you----From nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

1969....
We were the generation that was going to change the world.
A revival was sweeping the country and it was unlike any revival that we'd ever seen.
From California came a wave of God's Spirit calling out those from the counter culture to be changed. Salvation was everywhere, touching and changing lives that had been counted out by society.
Those who were changed by the Holy Spirit began to tell others...
The ones who heard this message  were changed through God's Salvation....
They, in turn, told others, and it became a wave of God's love and freedom that took off across our country. Funny part in all of this..........it began out side the walls of the traditional church. In fact, the very fabric of church began to change to accommodate new music....new language for theology. As I've said over and over...."The message never changes...God's truth does not change. The vehicle the message is delivered in may change, but not the message."
And empowered by this message, we knew that we were going to be the generation that changed everything with the Kingdom message of Jesus.
We thought this movement would last forever.....

It has.
It has not lessened or lost power.
It has not become static or institutionalized by ritual or rote services.
We've grown older....
But as for me, I still burn with the fire of God to see people meet my Jesus.

You see, movement in the kingdom......this dynamic of bringing change to society through the message of Jesus Christ is not confined  to only those who are young.
No doubt about it....those who are young have passion and fire. When they are touched by the Holy Spirit, something wonderful happens in the midst of all their "young-ness".
It's like being in love for the first time in your life. You want to tell everyone how great it is, and how they are missing out if they don't have that special someone in their own life. So you run around telling your story.

But I've found out something about having a few years under my belt that I could never have known when I was younger.  There is this thing called wisdom. Not as the world defines or gives to us, but that which comes from walking with Jesus for a number of years. Wisdom that comes from life experiences. I do not want my wisdom or view of life to distort the beauty and splendor that is Jesus. I don't want to be cynical of new ways or models that come along. I want to see Jesus in every aspect of His church. I don't want to be the old geezer who is always complaining and punctuates his sentences with "Back in my day....."

I want to be a torch passer. One who comes along side of this generation and encourages them to strike out and follow Jesus. I want to be like Billy Crystal in the movie "The Princess Bride" telling the hero and his followers...."Have fun storming the castle". I may not physically be able to do as much as when I was in my twenties....but my love for Jesus and the Kingdom message is still as fresh as the day I heard it for the first time.

I want to worship Him and see Him in new ways.
I want His word to unfold and reveal to me things I've never seen before.
I want the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to move and heal people.
I want to be the conduit through which the Holy Spirit flows and brings new babes into the Kingdom family.
I want Jesus.
Lastly, I do  not want to define this upcoming generation. I want them to let Jesus define them and what they are called to do.
Think on these things today...

God on you...
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DARE WE BELIEVE?

 

It is amazing to me what one can find if you look. When ever I go to a bookstore, I always search out to see if they have a discount table or a cut rate book bin. Over the years, these are the places that I have found some hidden jewels that seem to escape the over-the-top merchandising that goes on by Christian publishers.

I was at a local bookstore, in fact I wasn't even in the store. They had a roll around cart on the sidewalk loaded with different selections that had been marked down. I saw it. Why Revival Still Tarries. An updated answer to Leonard Ravenhill's Why Revival Tarries. Struck by the thought that someone would update a classic, I purchased the book.

Written by Chad Taylor, Why Revival Still Tarries hits home to the Christian. This is not a book for the lost. It is not a book for the casual Christian (if there is such a definition). It is for the believer who is looking around at church and the business of the church and finds themselves a bit queasy over what they see.

Taylor writes, "Why does revival still tarry? Because God's people still tarry. We have not left the catacombs of complacency and entered the battlefield of humanity. We linger in the conference lines and meeting halls hoping the Lord will "touch us" one more time. It's not a touch of casualness that God longs to give us, but a taste of His fire (pg.9)

Such language strikes at the very heart of the church today.
A church who has traded the eternal things of God in order to get the lost inside their walls. Once there, the church has nothing to offer except entertainment, coffee and a danish.

Why does revival still tarry? Because our hearts are yet to be broken. We walk around with our pride and dignity still intact. Until we truly listen to the message of the Cross and the gospel of Jesus, we will not understand what God expects of us as His children.

God on you......

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JOY!

 Many thanks to everyone  who came out for the meeting last night, especially Debbie H. for filling in and teaching for me. I had the fluid drained yesterday and after such a procedure I am usually wiped out and good for nothing. Hopefully I will be back next Thursday.

I've mentioned on several occasions that because of my health, I've developed a new found love and view of scripture. One verse that has spoken to me is found in Hebrews 12:2 - "For the joy set before Him he endured the cross....." I think the reason this particular verse has stuck with me is the word "Joy." I've tried to rationalize the word "joy"and what it means, but I think the power of the word coupled with what Jesus was facing (the cross) is something that none of us can truly understand until we weigh the glory of heaven and being the the presence of Christ with the struggles and dark things of this world. The comparison of the two words (joy and glory) is where our real struggle lies. But Praise God we have a Savior who truly understands us an desires us to look beyond our 'Today" problems so we can see the hope and promise of Christ that has been afforded to every believer. 

Today I will embrace my "here problems" as I look to the eternal things that await me. I trust you will find comfort in these words, and that you also may lay hold of the person and presence of Christ.

God on you....

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I HAVE MET THE ENEMY....AND HE IS ME

 

Recovery Basics:101 -  You are who you hang out with.
Everyone who comes into treatment or begins a program to deal with their addiction knows this. But what most people don't realize, is that they themselves are the number # 1 person they don't need to hang out with.
In other words, isolation is the killer to any recovery.

When I'm left alone with my thoughts, I will lean toward going to that dark place where using or drinking is probably going to happen.
When I'm alone at home, I will more than likely give in to the emotional thoughts that come up in my mind. We will perceive the pressure we are feeling from life is greater than it actually is. We will feel that the slights and hurts from others is like a open wound with salt in it. All of these will be compounded by the isolation and the very simple thought of "I can get away with using. No one is around and no one will know." Truth is, God is there with you. He is not silent and if you listen for Him, you will hear Him bringing encouragement and help. 

We can come up with a million reasons why we don't need to be around others, but none of them are valid. We need community. We need people around us who are like-minded. Who can encourage us to keep on this journey with Jesus and our sobriety. There is strength in numbers....there is safety in the group....there is encouragement from each other. Sounds like church doesn't it? 

The very first word of Step # 1 of the Twelve Steps is "WE".
Not "I" or "me".......but We.
We have the collective experience that can be drawn from to aid us in this new way of living.
We can point each other to the Christ who IS the only Higher Power.
After all....
We really don't have an alcohol or drug problem....
We've got a living problem.
Somewhere along the way, we have allowed our hearts and character to be deceived. Just like the woman in Genesis 3, we have bought the lies of the devil.
We have tasted the fruit and it was sweet, and it was good.
But the consequences that followed our choice have brought utter destruction into our lives.

This is why God lead me to start Vineyard Recovery.
A place where we can gain strength and courage for the journey.
A place where we can grow in our understanding of who this Jesus really is.
A place where we can experience that change of character we all need to walk out this new life and relationship with Jesus.
A place where we can connect and realize what an incredible family God is providing us with.

STAND

 

Adversity......
Trials...........
Problems......
Situations.....
Circumstances.
All a part of life. But in the life of someone coming our of addiction, such are usually self-inflicted. The dark thoughts and negative emotions cloud and color the choices that are made. What this means is that sometimes a bad choice turns into a terrible choice, as one choice piles up on another in an effort to deal with life.

I have been in the middle of these type situations for a long time. Watching someone make a bad choice because it seemed like the easier, softer way, rather than the right way.
Someone chooses to drink, knowing full well what is going to happen.
They drink anyway.
One drink leads to twelve, all the while putting the addiction stamp of approval on the decision to start. At the same time, the truth eats away at every decision. "You know better than this! Don't do this." But with every drink that voice is replaced with an accusing, sarcastic voice that demeans the individual with guilt and shame. These two wonderful emotions only fuel the cycle to drink so that you don't feel. Funny part is that the more you drink (or use drugs) so that you don't feel....the more you feel all the negative garbage that is being heaped on you.

God's plan to deal with such emotional baggage is pretty amazing.
Once a person is saved, they have deposited in them God's Holy Spirit.
I know this term doesn't fit Him well, but think of the Holy Spirit as a type of "SUPER" conscience. Yet more than simply sound the alarms and whistles when we are headed toward making a bad choice, the Holy Spirit will direct us in our choices. All the while, He begins the process of changing our character so we don't live the old life style.

I love James 1:2-4 in the Message Bible.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it (the situation/ circumstance) do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way.

Instead of cutting and running back to the darkness, we take hold of Jesus' hand a little tighter. "I will not run! I will stand!" As we declare our intention, God's Spirit will strengthen us. It will be a storm to weather, but as with any terrible weather pattern, there is always a break and the sun comes shining through. Same with this new life we are trying to lay hold of. The storms of life will come and buffet us, but the SON, Jesus, will come shining through. That is a promise.

During the darkest time of world war II, when England stood alone against the German War machine, Prime minister Winston Churchill told the people that when history looks back at their struggle, it would declare "This was their finest hour."
Such will be recorded for everyone who lays hold of Jesus, and does not let go but pushes forward to face the day.

God on you...
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STEVEN

 

He was a regular to our Saturday "breakfast give-away." He loved the social aspect to coming and being with a group of people. He would stay to the very end before we took him home. Health issues limited his mobility and there were days when I would give him a ride to the meal where I knew he didn't really feel like being there.

He was always telling me that he wished he could do more to help with the meal, and I always assured him that his just being there, sitting and talking to the others was a big help.

He came to the meal this past Saturday and in fact told me that he felt pretty good that morning. He seemed to be getting around a lot better and didn't appear to be in any pain. He ate breakfast, talked with the ones seated near him, and just seemed to be his old self.

As we were finishing up and getting ready to go, several of our group came by and prayed for him, hugged him and let him know how much we loved him. He was one of those rare individuals that God puts in our path that teaches us more than we taught him. That was the last I saw of Steven Redman.

Received a call from Barry Hooks yesterday morning. Barry told me that Steven had died the night before. I sat there with a couple of thousand questions running through my brain. "But we just saw Steven less than 24 hours earlier!" Now he was gone. I could ponder that greater questions about life, what does it mean, why are we here?" But I chose to pray and than God for bringing Steven into our life. 

I do know that Steven clearly knows the truth that you and I claim to believe. All of his questions have been answered and he sees Jesus in way that we haven't. If you would please pray for Steven's family, that the Holy Spirit would bring peace and comfort them during this time. Also pray that if there be any among his family who doesn't have a relationship/salvation with Christ,  they come to a saving knowledge of their need to give themselves to Christ.

Steven...........I will miss you my old friend.

God on you...

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