I Fear I May Forget

I was channel surfing this afternoon and came across the movie "Stepmom" a great story of a young lady(Julia Roberts) learning to adapt to becoming a stepmother and dealing with the dying mother(Susan Sarandon). In a moving meeting of the minds Julia Roberts tells Susan that her greatest fear is the when the daughter gets married and the stepmother is making over her, wanting this to be a special moment between a mother and daughter, that the daughter will look at her and say, "I wish my Mom was here!", to which the mother replies, "My greatest fear is that she won't!" I'm not normally a crying type person, don't get too emotional about many things, but I have to admit every time I see that movie I tear a tear or two during that part. My father passed away November 1, 1994, he was my friend, I didn't always agree with him, understand him, I'm sure he could have somethings different, but he was my Dad. I hate Father's Day, get depressed as it approaches and am thankful that I don't preach on that day any longer, I miss him and it overwhelms me. What I struggle with the most is that there are days when it seems like yesterday he was calling me, and there are days when I start to pick up the phone to call him, I say to myself I need to tell him about something or ask him a question, and then I catch myself and remember he isn't there. It's the other days that bother me the most, that it's now been almost thirteen years and there are those other days when I don't think of him at all, when it's almost as if he was never there, like I've forgotten and I force myself to remember...I don't want to forget.

When Will This Be That?

It's almost 2:00 AM and I can't sleep. My wife is sound asleep and has to be at work by 7:15, so I need to be nice and not watch television, and laying in the bed tossing and turning is a real bore...So it's time to write. I've created a new myspace, a huge step for me, more of that stretching stuff, it's pretty cool to enter this new world, at least new for me! Being the contemplative person that I am there's a question in my spirit that has to be answered. Read Acts chapter 2 and you find Peter boldly proclaiming that this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy that in the last days God is going to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. I truly believe that the outpouring of that day was the beginning of something awesome, it birthed a fresh awareness of God and empowered normal men and women to accomplish the ministry of Jesus Christ...it was not an end though, it was a beginning. The question in my mind is simple: "Is this it?" I know I've written about this previously, but the question continues, is this we are presently experiencing all there is or is there more, and if there is more when will we experience it? It seems that we live on the edge of the next great move all the time, yet never quite arrive there. Could it be that the outpouring that began on the Day of Pentecost has never ceased, but that it has shifted, and that only those with eyes to see, and ears to hear, and faith to walk out the revelation that has already been given will partake of what God is doing? Yesterday it rained at our house, I mean it pounded, hail fell from the sky, it was amazing! Yet at the same time, my wife was going to work, less than three miles from our home and it didn't rain one drop. I'm reminded of the servant of Israel's king that heard the prophecy of Elijah that famine was ending and food would arrive on a certain day. The servant said, "If God made windows in heaven, might this thing be?" The prophet said, " You will see it with your eyes but you will not partake of it!" I am convinced that rain is not only coming, it is here, we just have to get in it!

Florida Drivers

We're on our way Saturday from St. Augustine to Orlando when we stopped for lunch at Flagler Beach. Get back on I-95 South and the traffic suddenly goes from 75+ mph to 20 mph, all three lanes and the traffic on the northside is at a standstill. We do this for miles and miles, do you know why I-95 South was backed up for miles and miles? There was a wreck on I-95 North! The problem with that is there are barriers between the two sides and at least 50 feet between the two barriers, so why should the South side be backed up! In Florida people stop and go on the major highways, creating pockets of unnecessary traffic that create cardiac issues in my life. My advice to Florida drivers...Take Your Foot Off The Brake! Today was the last day of our vacation, we spent the night last night in Orlando and the day today at MGM Studios, talk about a crowd! It's been a great week and now it's back to office in the morning! No foot on the brake here!

Vacation

My family and I are enjoying a few days of fun and sun in St. Augustine, Florida. We've been here since Monday, been laying on the beach, by the pool, and discovering the historical section of St. Augustine. It's been good, although being the high strung person that I am it has taken me until today, which is Thursday, to begin to actually relax...don't ask why, but for some reason I live stressed, tight, and it takes days for me to just start enjoying the trip.

Our girls are a hoot, Julie is the best, and we are having a great time. We've slept in, and today watched television until the sky cleared off and are now on our way to work on our tans! Saturday we head to Orlando for the weekend at MGM and then it's back home late Sunday evening and back to work on Monday.

Just thought I would drop by for a minute!

Bubba Gump Shrimp

Yesterday my loving wife took me to Universal Studios in Orlando for Father's Day! A friend from church accompanied us and we had the best time! Rode rides, walked and talked, enjoyed each others company and ended our day at Bubba Gump's Shrimp!

I believe I may have sinned, we started off with a tower of onion rings and then I ate the whole thing, some shrimp meal with four different types of shrimp, fried, chilled, coconut, and shrimp tempura, along with some french fries...it was absolutely phenomenal!

We came home worn out, but happy and full! What an awesome wife I have!

Good Word Pastor...

We are having our annual camp meeting this week, it's basically a revival we do each year at our local church, and it has been phenomenal! Each speaker has brought a word from the Lord, an encouraging word, a digging word, a profound word, a word that cannot be attributed to men, they have all spoken as prophets of God. Service after service I've sat on the edge of my seat, listening intently to what is being said, no note taking this week so I can preach it later, I've been listening with the ears of my heart not just my head. No doubt the words will affect my preaching, but I must say, I would rather be a voice than an echo, I want to say it first, not after someone else has said it. I've developed this habit of saying, "Good Word, Pastor!" When the evangelist says something that I like or that hits home. I want to ask myself what makes a good word a good word? There are probably many answers to the question, but my answer is when it touches my spirit so deeply that I am willing to not only hear the Word, but become and do the Word...it then has become a Word of the Lord in my life! Western Christians have heard so much, church has become a mall where we sort through the stuff, look for the right places, people, and programs, and somewhere in the midst of it all, we may find God. Call me narrow minded, but while I certainly believe we need many things to make church work, it's not about church, it's about relationship and mission, in that order, to know Him, to be known by Him, and for others to know Him through my example...That's a good word!

IS It Just Me?

This whole thing with Paris Hilton is getting old! I'm sorry that she had to go to jail and that she got sent home and then sent back, and yes, I probably think 45 days is too much jail time and that the judge is making an example out of her and trying to make a point...but she's there now, let's talk about someone else! She's on all the news stations, on the Today Show this morning they talked more about her than the deaths in Iraq, CNN Online keeps the stuff up on her that is absolutely old news...Tell us when she gets out and we'll all breath a sigh of relief, but until she gets out....talk about someone else! A lady in Phoenix gave birth to sextuplets this week, let's talk about her!

Shifting...Again

For over a year now the word of the Lord in my spirit has simply been the word...Shifting! I haven't been able to get it out my belly, it lays in the back of my head, and it comes to the forefront of my thoughts quite often...this is a season of shifting, can we survive the shift? I know that I've written about it several times and don't know that I've got much new to add, other than the fact that I truly believe the Body of Christ, both individuals and the corporate body that we recognize as the church, must move with this season of shifting. The word shift or shifting means movement, adjustment, varying. It is connected to the concept of reconciling, the adjusting to a season or a situation. For example, in the Northern United States as the seasons change the people adjust their wardrobes. In the early fall it's long sleeve shirts in the morning or a light jacket in the late afternoon, in early winter it is a light coat followed by a heavier one. Or perhaps the example of a watch fits here, if the clock in your kitchen is the standard you go by, then all other time pieces must be adjusted or shifted to reconcile them to the standard. In the Kingdom of God there is a shifting, a spirit if discomfort, people are sensing the need to move and adjust their lives, yet, they aren't always certain of what to do. If you're anything like me you like structure, you appreciate knowing what is ahead and what you're getting into. But in the Kingdom, we sometimes have to walk out into the darkness before the revelation comes, but light will appear and the path will be made known, if we survive the shift and overcome the obstacles!

Evan Almighty

Our family just returned from a sneak preview of Evan Almighty. I must admit that when I first saw the commercials I was cynical and figured it was going to be a corny movie...I was wrong! We got four free passes for the preview, there were so many people we were among the very last to be allowed in and the four of us sat separate from each other...the movie was great. It was funny, not one curse word, and it drove home a point. A radio personality was there and prayed before the showing, pretty cool! What spoke to me was that we have become so non-prophet minded that if a true prophet arose among us without a word of blessing, we would never believe him. I got something spiritual out of this and am so glad we got to go. The movie opens June 22nd, be sure to go see it!

Today

We had a good day today. Our service was good, the preacher preached well, spoke of divine reversal, how that God is able to bless those others think shouldn't be blessed, and how He is able to turn our lives around even we see it as impossible. Good Stuff, check out Genesis 48 for the story! Following service our young adult group had a fellowship, hamburgers and hot dogs, chips and deserts, great food followed by volleyball in the sand pit. A new couple and their children attended, we had a total of 28 youth between the ages of 18-30, pretty cool huh! The awesome thing about this group is that they want to hear what many adults don't. They ask us to tell them straight, get somber at times and at other times like to discuss, whatever their reaction, they're there week after week and ready to receive the Seed of the Word. Several of them left the volleyball pit at 3:45 to leave at 4:00 to minister at a church in Tampa...sort of speaks to you doesn't it? I'm glad the Lord gave us Today!