I'm Pooped!

In the last week I've flown from Tampa to Nashville, preached five services in Glasgow, KY, flew to Baltimore, preached at one church on Thursday and twice at another on Saturday. Flew home Saturday and preach Sunday evening in Orlando...nine sermons in seven days...I'm old and tired! But is was all good, the Lord gave us favor and we saw good things happening in the meetings. How thankful I am for the goodness of God and the power of His Word, I never cease to be amazed at the Lord's ability to touch and change lives...the Word works!

So today, I'm getting back into the office swing, rubbing my eyes a little, and looking forward to 4:00 PM...but it's a good tired, in two weeks I'm back on a plane to Illinois...pray for warmth!

God's tired is a good tired!

Where Are We Going?

Every once in awhile I get a spiritual thought or two, and then there are those reoccuring thoughts that tend to consume me..this is one of those. In my spirit I keep hearing this thought of "Where are we going?" It reminds me of what I think must have been in Isaac's mind as his father Abraham took him to the top of a mountain to be sacrificed. It reminds me of Abraham who went not knowing where he was going...he was just going.

I know I mention this kind of stuff quite a bit, but doesn't it seem like God is pulling at us to move up? At our church we are hearing God say that it is our time for perpetual harvest, to return to basics, and to be real. He has also called us to step up to the plate and get involved...just do something!

Perhaps it's the restlessness of my own nature, but inside I'm constantly aware that I cannot allow myself to be stale or even worse...stagnant! I must grow in my walk and relationship with God and in the ministry He has called me to, I must not take it for granted...I must cultivate the fruit and gifts...in that order...that are within me!

Where I'm going may not be as important that I'm going...as long as I'm on the right road!

Can You Believe...It's Snowed?

I flew into Nashville Saturday and they had two inches of snow and slush on the ground and it was coooooold! We began revival Sunday in Glasgow, KY and it snowed last night and into this morning...haven't heard an official report, but the call was for 1-3 inches...and it's coooooold!

This Florida guy is absolutely freezing!

Revival is good and God is great!

Answer Me This...

During the school year I do the laundry at our house...faithfully every Thursday evening...it's my way of assisting my wife who works 8:00-3:30, and like most others has children, me, and is at the church three nights in a row...so I have volunteered to do the laundry.

Here's my question: Why is it that we can take clothes off the hangers and the hangers dissappear? Is there a rapture for hangers? It doesn't just happen occasionally, it happens every week...My wife seems to believe that it is ok to take clothes off the rack and leave the hanger on the rack...the Monk in me says that this simply is not right...of course, I am quite vocal about this...I believe the hangers should be removed from the closet and placed on an agreeable and findable place. What is so hard about placing hangers where they can be found, and, being able to find a hanger for everything you removed from a hanger?

I'll need Prozac before this over...probably already do!

I'm just asking!

I'm A Grandfather...Sort Of!

Last night around 11:15 I was awakened out of a deep...just gotten into sleep! My cell phone was going off in the kitchen and I scrabbled to catch it...but I'm old and missed it! To my delight it was a son in the ministry, known by the blogging world as PT, he was calling to tell me that about an hour earlier Esqsme had given birth to an 8 pound, 5 ounce, 20 1/2 baby boy! You could hear the excitement in his voice. She had been labor 11 hours and I know must have been exhuasted. When I checked my cell mail this morning here was his message: "I'm just calling to tell you that Elijah is here!" I thought there was something prophetic and spiritual about that!

This young couple were our youth pastors in Illinois, we took them under our wings and they allowed us into their hearts...and now he calls saying, "You're a Grandpa!"

I'm thankful for the opportunity to pour into young ministers lives, and I'm thankful for the friendship we have with this couple. Julie and I are so proud of them, they are doing a wonderful work for the Lord at the church they are pastoring. Good things are happening and their best days are ahead of them...God Bless PT and Esqsme, babies Kaylin and Elijah!

Just Call Me Popi

Traveling On This Week

I live in a tri-fold world, I am an associate pastor, and I travel as a evangelist and missionary...it's pretty cool! This Saturday I leave for Glasgow, Kentucky to preach revival, we pastored this church for over five years and our oldest daughter was born there. On Thursday of next week I fly to Baltimore where I will preach at the East Baltimore Church of God that evening, spend the night and the next day with Roger Locklear, my former roomate in college and best man in my wedding, he's one of my best friends in the entire world. On Friday I connect with Bishop Don Fulton of the Ark Church in Odenton, MD and will speak to his leadership on Saturday and fly home that night. Sunday evening I will speak in Orlando...what a week. It is some of the most exciting times of ministry in my 27 years of ministry, God is allowing me to share a message of perpetual harvest and the refreshing of the Spirit in these last days...I am so blessed! While in Odenton I am sharing a simple message of what leaders owe leaders, what is that my Bishop expects of me? What do I expect of those I lead? And can a leader expect me to offer him? Let me share four little points with you: 1. I must have my Leaders Heart. He has the vision and I must embrace him and what God is saying to and through him. 2. I must have my Leaders Head. I need to learn to think like he does. 3. I must become my Leaders Hands. I am his extension, he has brought me into this place because I can help make his vision a reality. 4. I make cover my Leaders Hiney! I've got to cover his back! No one, including me, is going to take my pastor out...you may take me out, but not my pastor, I'm there to shield and protect him and his family. After 27 years of ministry, seven as a full-time evangelist and almost sixteen as a senior pastor, and now almost two as an associate, I know what it's like to be under fire, to walk in his shoes...he isn't always perfect, but he's God's man, and if I will love him, pray for him, support him, and protect him, God will do a great work through him and I along with many others will be a part of the great harvest that is to come! Thanks for listening, I'm gearing up for the weekend and needed to let some stuff out...let me know what you think!

It's Cold....In Florida!

I read in a book the first year we moved to Florida that the average temperature in Florida is around 72 degrees year round...it gets hotter and it gets colder. We get no sympathy from our friends in the North when we mention we're having a cold spell of the 50's! However, the last two days we've been cold...at night we've had freeze warnings and early this morning our electricity went out and our house has gotten down into the mid 60's and it's cold! Pray saints!

We didn't move from the North to live in cold...pray folks!

BetteAnn

I went to make a hospital visit this afternoon and was blessed by the person I was visiting. You really have to know BetteAnn to appreciate my appreciation of her, she is in her early to mid-fifties, sings on our praise team, is a little lady in stature, but huge in her faith and ability to praise God...in spite of her health. BetteAnn has had over sixty surgeries, cannot bend her neck, and this week had her themis gland removed. She was placed on a ventilator following surgery on Tuesday and was supposed to be off of it...but today is still relying on the vent. Today when I went to see her she was in pain, struggling to breath, and yet believing God for healing. She laughed when something humerous was said, nodded when something spiritual was said and smiled when I reminded her that in spite of the dark ones attempts to take her out...she's still here...she's still standing! One day she told me that she had to get back to church to worship...worship is what keeps me alive she said! I've watched her sing, step down off the stage and dance before the Lord...when I knew she didn't feel like it. As I held two of her fingers and prayed, I felt myself breaking, tears wanted to form in my eyes...not because I feel sorry for her...No, she's going to be fine! But because in spite of all she's been through, she's determined to come through and share her testimony...she'll be standing when others have simply sat and quit! Something inside me once again gives thanks that God has allowed me to remain upright when I felt like laying down. My health has not been the best lately, I've felt lousy for some time...but I'm still standing! God has kept His word to me, I am healed, I'm being healed, and I will be healed...His Word promises that to me, and BetteAnn's healing prophesies it to me...The testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy! Whenever someone testifies of what God is doing or has done for them each of us have two choices: 1. We can say that should have been me! 2. We can say that is going to be me! Personally, I chose number 2! Thanks BetteAnn! I needed to see you today!

I'm Still Standing

It's Friday morning and our office closes at noon, I'm looking forward to going home and laying back...read, watch tv, and maybe even take a nap...I'm old you know! As I sit at my computer our office manager is in her office singing the chorus to a song we sing at church, it simply says:

"I'm Still Standing...But For The Grace Of God...I'm Still Standing!"

Without trying to preach and sound too spiritual...I am still standing!

There have been times when the dark one tried to take me out...I'm still standing

There were moments when I though I could make it...I'm still standing

There are days when I'm broke and think I'm sinking...I'm still standing

There are times when my body and mind can't stand anymore...I'm still standing

There may be times when I think God has forgotten me and what He said to me...I'm still standing!

The scripture says that when we've done all to stand...Stand!

Just wanted to tell you, myself, Our Lord, and even the dark one...I'm Still Standing!

Something Beyond Normal

Yesterday our pastor was preaching about living our lives in the grace and mercy of the Lord. He mentioned how that God doesn't want us to be in bondage and needing to get saved daily, but to accept the Lord and live in Him and for Him...it was a powerful message. Somewhere in the middle of it all he mentioned not being normal...defining normal as the standard set by what everyone else is doing. If the majority is doing a certain thing, then it becomes normal. I sat up for the one...so if one in two homes is divorcing...it's normal? If I go down my block and the majority of the people on it drink, smoke, cuss, commit adultery, read the newspaper in their drawers on the front porch, whatever...as long as the majority is doing it...it's normal?

The call of God to our generation must be to do something beyond normal! We have never be called to do what everyone else was doing. In fact, that's exactly what got people like Saul and Samson in trouble wasn't it? Israel got Saul because they wanted to be like every other nation, God wasn't enough, they wanted a King like everyone else. Samson said that if his hair was cut he would be like any other man...compromising his relationship with God simply to fit in and gain the affection and attention of one determined to sell him out!

Can I say that I am not for sale! May I say to you that while I would appreciate the fact that people like me and can identify with me, that there is a deep desire inside of me to rise beyond what others are doing and really go somewhere in God! Normal means that I pray, preach, publish, present myself, act like, walk like, talk like, do everything like someone else. I'm thinking of a spiritual movie, "What A Girl Wants", the story of a girl who meets her very proper Bristish father for the first time...she's from San Fransisco...quite different. Things aren't going so well for her in England, the press is on her case, so she decides to fit in...finally her boyfriend asks her the simple question: "Why are you trying to so hard to fit in when you were made to stand out!"

Even within the realms of christianity there are churches, ministers, people, who become the standard for what is deemed normal and effective. So if we fit the mold these have set we are considered normal and acceptable...but normal and acceptable to who? Could it be possible that God created us with individual and corporate identities? Is it possible that one Saddleback is enough, that the only true Willowcreek is in Barrington, IL? Could it be that God is looking for somebody that will allow Him to develop them to the place that they become the them God always desired for them to be?

I'm just thinking I want to be beyond normal...I must enter in...only there can I find out who I really am!

Perpetual Harvest

Last January the Holy Spirit spoke to our pastor that 2005 would be the year of harvest for our church. He said that He would give us a Harvest of Souls, a Harvest of Favor, and a Harvest of Finances. Throughout the past year our church has seen this become a reality as the Lord moves and ministers to us both corporately and individually, it has been an amazing journey. At the end of 2005 God said that 2006 would be the year of Perpetual Harvest, that He would continue what He began in 2005. When we first began talking about Harvest I received the word and the principle but had not experienced it in my own life and family like others had...then all of a sudden the revelation became a reality as doors of ministry opportunity opened, we saw favor and financial blessings enter our lives. Julie and I gave away two older cars we had, they needed some repairs and told that to the people we gave them to...One car needed a new gas tank, it was going to cost somewhere between 265.00-400.00, the people we gave it to got it fixed for 50.00! We bought a car for half what the man we bought it for paid for it, he had bought it the day before and sowed it into our lives! Already this year doors of ministry opportunity are opening for me, we continue to go to Kenya and pastors are inviting me to come minister in their churches...and the Lord is blessing. This evening my wife received a phone call from a friend in another state that is in need, she needs to come back to Florida and can't afford it. Julie and I discussed it and will be sending some money...not a huge deal...but! Our dryer is drawing near the end of it's life, we bought it used and it has worked well...but this evening a family in our church called and said they heard our dryer was on the blitz and they wanted to buy us a new one...Julie resisted, telling her we don't want you to do that, it's too much...the lady replied, "Don't take our blessing!" I'm not boasting on us and know that harvest is not all about material things, but I do know that God has a way of making Himself known to us...and that He is in the business of releasing a perpetual harvest in our lives. I look forward to what the remainder of the year holds, and pray that harvest comes to those reading this post...it is harvest time!