Ramblings

Today has been one of those busy doing nothing days. This morning was cold, and I had to get my wife's vehicle tagged, her sticker expired in August, we don't drive the van much, ride together most of the time...and I had misplaced the registration letter, it had fallen behind the drawer in my desk and was on the flood under the desk...55.00 later she's legal again! Then it was off to the airport to drop off our evangelist, which meant a stop at Leroy Selmon's for sweet heat chicken and then to Starbucks on the way home...it's an addiction and an anointing:) Our nine year old had to have a tooth pulled, her first time, thankfully it was a baby tooth, but she needed to come home afterward...so I got to bring her home and spend the afternoon watching the Suite Life of Zack and Cody...she's asleep and I'm still watching Disney....something wrong with this picture? I am a blessed man, God has given me a wonderful wife, wonderful children, and He has remained faithful, even when I was less to Him than He is to me. Faithful is what I want to be, to be consistent, to become more like Jesus, to allow less to disturb me, to respond as He would, to be light and salt, less reactive to the stuff that often pulls us down...to appreciate the process more...God is good and I'm trying to be :)

Book Review

I'm preparing to read a new Thomas Nelson book by Pastor David Jeremiah entitled "What In The World Is Going On?" 10 Prophetic clues you cannot afford to miss! Check out this link and see what you think! I'll be posting more about it in the very near future! http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=078522887X

You Can't Stop A Season!

I am a Chicagoian transplanted to Florida, we don't have hurricanes in Chicago, so when we moved to Florida in 2004 and experienced our first hurricane season, I was flipped out to say the least. When the first one entered the Gulf of Mexico all the models suggested it was coming to Tampa Bay, we live about 30 minutes outside of Tampa so I was quite concerned, what do we do, how do we prepare, do we board up, should we be afraid, will it hit us? These are just a few of the milder concerns I had. It ended up missing us, we would also that same season endure a couple other misses, a the lower end of a category one and the tail end of a tropical storm. It's now been four years since we experienced our first hurricane season, June through November still concerns me, I particularly get nervous toward the end of August through the end of October...but I have learned some things! Hurricane season is much like the seasons of our lives, it's on God's calendar first, He controls the wind and the waves, He orders the events of our lives and either in control of all or not at all. There is nothing we can do to change the season we find ourselves in, much like the coming of the storm, we prepare for it, make sure we have made all the necessary arrangements, have all the equipment and supplies we need, and we ride out whatever comes our way. So often we want to control everything, to figure out what is taking place in our lives, Jesus told His disciples, "It is not for you to know the times and seasons that the Father has put in His own power!" Don't understand me here, I am fully aware that God expects and needs for us to discern the times, we are to have an awareness, but we are not supposed to allow the times and seasons to dictate our victory, our ability to remain focused when trouble comes our way. The storms of life are opportunities for God to reveal Himself in real and relevant manners, He speaks and the winds and waves obey Him. Whatever season you may be going through in your life, don't try to stop, learn to walk in it and see what lessons the Lord will teach you, what glory the Lord will reveal in you as you walk out the revelation of Jesus Christ!

Drew Barrymore

It's Saturday and I'm taking a lazy day. My wife and I have been preaching a revival this week, driving back and forth, so it's been late nights since Wednesday...So I'm watching the movie "Fever Pitch" a great movie with Drew Barrymore as one of the stars. I think she's a cute girl, but sometimes I think she has a big face...just thought the blog world needed to know!

It's Just Stuff!

I need to make a confession, sometimes I let stuff get to me...even little stuff! You know, the car breaks down, bills are unpaid, kids are driving you crazy, God doesn't seem to be at home...ever been there? Isn't it amazing how easy it is for little things to get under your skin, on your nerves, in your head, and mess up your day, your week, your month...your life? It's not that you mean for it to be that way, you want to be adult enough to recognize that it's just life, spiritual enough to know the enemy is trying to distract you, and mature enough to walk through it, but the truth is that sometimes it just gets to us.

Peruse the scripture and you'll quickly find that our Bible hero's had their moments too, Paul got ticked off and sent Mark packing, Moses killed a guy, and Peter cut a guys ear off...talking about having a bad day! The thing that speaks to me in all of this is that having stuff is human, that's not an excuse it's an opportunity! Because we are human, live in this world, and endure suffering as a part of our walk with Christ, we have to learn how to recognize the difference between an attack or assualt and simply having stuff...Satan uses everything, but not everything that happens in life is demonic in nature, though we can cause it to become that way...I am convinced that I run out of gas today that it isn't the devil, that is, until I open the door for him to invade my humanity and create such conflict within me that it becomes a place of contention!

The Apostle Paul said that in tribulation, stress, and situations, that none of these things moved him. When Joseph was taken from his father, his coat covered in the blood of an animal and presented to his father as evidence of his demise, it was just a coat, Joseph was very much alive and being positioned to revive a nation. Even though Moses was cast to the back side of the desert and forced to feed his father in laws sheep, he was not hidden from God, he was being prepared for his ultimate purpose.

Often those things that appear to destroy us are actually sent to develop us and create in us the ability to minister to others because of the stuff we ourselves have been through...I'm not minimizing the things that come our way, nor I am suggesting that the devil doesn't have his hand in working against us...I'm just saying that the hand of the Lord is upon us, that He has taken great strides in investing His best in our lives and sometimes...It's Just Stuff!

A Place

I find myself feeling quite contemplative today, sitting in a hotel room, watching television, waiting to meet a pastor for lunch, looking forward to ministering tonight in a revival service. My mind is moving a million miles per second, wondering what the Lord is really saying to me for the people tonight, preparing for a revival next week in Tampa, wanting desperately to hear God's voice for both of these places, and for myself. It's an amazing thing to me, the place we find ourselves, confused and content, concerned and convinced, desperate and determined, whimsical and wondering, looking and longing...maybe that's the place I find myself...looking and longing, looking at the world around me, looking into the lives and hearts of people around me, longing for God's touch upon their lives, longing for Him to touch and change their reality, this place called life...longing to be a part of something that will make a difference...longing to do more than just say words...hoping that the words I say are the right words, God's words, and good words...it's just a matter of being in the right place...isn't it?

On My Way...Out The Door!

In less than five minutes I'm out the door, my good friend and neighbor Pete is taking me to the airport this morning, and I'm on my way to Toledo, OH...via Detroit! This week I'm ministering at Faith Tabernacle in Northwoods, a tremendous church in the Toledo area. I'm honored at the opportunity, excited at the prospects, and fully aware that unless the Lord build the house, we who labor, labor in vain...with that said...I know the Lord has wonderful things in store for us this week...He is good and He is faithful! Out the door to an open door to an open heaven...can't ask for much more than that!

Sanya Bella

Well, I'm back! Last Saturday I arrived home safely from a truly incredible and remarkable journey to Kenya. This was my eighth trip, but my first alone, I have to admit I was a bit nervous, also this my first time to fly Kenya Airways, a very pleasant experience, other than the crying baby on my way from London to Nairobi, and the fact that my television went off after fifteen minutes, which is huge on a nine hour flight! I left home on Sunday September 21st, arrived in Nairobi at 6:00 AM on the 23rd and was on the next flight to Kisumu by 8:00 AM and in Kisumu by 9:00 AM. My day began on the run, Sammy Franz picked me up at the airport, took me immediately to Moi Stadium where we would have outdoor crusade in the evening and in a massive tent in the mornings. That same day I was honored to meet the mayor of Kisumu and the city clerk, we would later meet with the mayor again at a dinner for the local pastors. Nearly 40 pastors joined together to sponsor this crusade with Peter and Chris Franz of GFI-Ministries and Cita Ministries, these two brother are the sons of a German missionary who planted churches and ministries throughout Kenya, in fact, Peter was born in Kisumu! During the two week crusade over 1000 people made decisions for Christ, many were healed and delivered, it was absolutely phenomenal. The Lord honored me by allowing me to be invited to speak in the day services, I spoke on Leadership principles and Relational evangelism, also spoke in the Fire Conference along with my good friend and mentor, Bishop George Gichana of Praise Celebration Deliverance Church in Eldoret. From there I traveled with Peter and Becky Franz north to the Turkana District, where I saw poverty in a way I've never seen, this is desert area, there is no income, no businesses, no buses or taxis, the people live in huts and scrape by to the best of their ability...yet, in the midst of all of this, GFI has built a church and medical dispensary, they have establshed a long term relationship with these beautiful people...I was honored to eat in the home of Pastor Nachii Johonson, ate goat for the first time...at least for the first time I was aware of it...thankfully it was good and I didn't spew all over the place. This trip opened my eyes to many things, opened doors of opportunity for me to return to this third largest city in Kenya, to minister to the people of Turkana and the pastors of Kisumu, and to continue with my passion and heart for Kenya...The Lord is good and faithful!