The 2nd Wave Is Coming!

Our church has just concluded a phenomenal series of revival meetings! It would be quite difficult to put all that God began into words, it would most certainly involve many adjectives, and take several pages, and then it would only describe the perspective of what can be visibly seen, not those things taking place internally. Did I tell you this has been a phenomenal meeting? If I were to try to share my thoughts and the things that caught my attention and to place them in a nutshell I would have to say that I have captured three things: 1) The enemy would like to kill the dream, but to do so he would have to kill the dreamer...and he doesn't have that power or authority; 2) Life will seek to steal our praise, when we lose our praise we lose our passion, when we lose our passion we lose our power, when we lose our power we open the door for the enemies of our souls to take us out; 3) There is a 2nd wave of revival coming and it will be greater than the first! I am an avid movie fan, love new and exciting movies, but I've noticed that usually when a movie goes over well and the producers decided to create a sequel, that the sequel usually isn't as good as the first. For some reason something is usually lost, it's dull, lacks creativity, it fails to have a wow factor, and if the second works, the third in the series rarely has what it takes to draw my attention and cause me to want to take notice of it. When God does something, He does it big and He does it right. He has the uncanny ability to make all things new, even when it looks outwardly like it's all over. I get this picture in my mind of Genesis 1, when the scripture says the world was without form and void, in the original Hebrew text it says that the world was a chaotic mess, but God spoke into the mess and created a beautiful new world. Take a trip through the scripture and you consistently find God walking into the middle of messes and restoring them, releasing His glory into the lives of broken people, healing hurts, restoring loss, and mending things that have been ripped apart....And then He speaks with a commanding resolve: "The Glory of the Latter House shall be Greater than the Former House!" The 2nd wave is coming, another opportunity for God to work in your heart and life, don't allow what you see presently to deter you from what is to come! Jesus went to a wedding, they ran out of wine...and Jesus showed up and showed out, the governor of the feast said, "You have saved the best until the last!" Somehow I believe that's exactly what God is doing right now, it may not look like we thought it would, may not come the way that we planned, but God is on the move and the best is yet to come!

Get Ready!

Change You Can Believe In

The theme of Barrak Obama is that he is advocating change we can believe in, seeing that the majority of Americans agree that we need change, he theme is quite appealing...my question is what are the changes we need and what will he do to make it happen? I say this with a great of respect, with grave concern, and with a spiritual side of me raging to get out. We all want change of some type at some time in our lives. In fact, change is a necessity if we are to progress in life, whether it be physical, financial , or spiritual. We all change, I see more fat and more gray hair each day, I didn't ask for them, they just arrived and now I have to deal with it. I need believable change, something others can see and want to follow, freshness in my life, new ideas and to be more effective in every aspect of my existence...the question I face is how do I change in a positive manner? What is it we're looking for? Will a new president be able to accomplish this? In our homes, churches, and jobs, what changes need to be made, how will we make them, and how can we make them work? Understand this, I am by no means slamming Sen. Obama, I'm simply borrowing from his campaign slogan and asking the question, how can change that we believe in take place?

What If...

In many of the circles I am involved in people are always looking for the next big event! They're praying for revival, a spiritual outpouring of unlimited measure that is going to finally, once and for all change everything and make the world a better place. It's certainly a worthy cause, one I would definitely like to see take place...but what if... What if the outpouring is already here, lives are already being changed, needs are being met, and the revival we so desperately desire is already in the world, we just need to tap into it? The prophet Joel talked about renewal and restoration in the final days of man upon the earth, he emphasized the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would revolutionize mankind. Turn a few hundred years and a couple of pages from the Old Testament to the New Testament book of Acts, the Day of Pentecost to be exact...The apostle Peter is standing before the crowds, filled to the overflowing with the Holy Spirit and saying, "This is that which the prophet Joel spoke of!" So if this was that, then has the outpouring ceased, has the Spirit stopped being poured out, or is He as the scripture seems to indicate being poured out without measure in the earth and in the lives people who are hungry and thirsty...Is it possible that issue at hand is not if the Spirit is coming, it's are we receiving, are we experiencing the fullness of the God life, are we walking in and walking out the revelation of the Holy Spirit, are we enjoying what God is offering to them that can receive Him? It's just a thought...I want to live and walk in this that is that!

What I'm Reading This Week

I Want To Live For God!

I know that sounds kind of strange coming from a pastor, but I really do want to love Him with my whole heart and to live for Him in a way that pleases Him and expresses to others how awesome He is. Recently I was reading a message board that is mainly comprised of denominational ministers and members, by the time I got done I was asking myself why I was in the ministry, and even further, I wondered if I had read this first would I want to be a believer? Don't take me wrong, I well realize that there are negatives in the world, have some in my own life, being a Christian doesn't exempt us from trouble, it means we don't go through it alone, it gives us insight, wisdom, power, and direction, it really is the abundant life...not just secure death. Abundance and prosperity in life to me are having what I need to do the will of God and to become the person God sees me as. So I will have more month than money at times, get frustrated, yell at my kids, not like my job, wish I could stay home on Sunday occasionally, go anyway and worship my way through it...and at the end, I'll be alright! When all is said and done, living with Christ is much better than living without Him, because no matter how much I screw up, and I do...too much and too often...He still loves me, lives in me, and listens...you can't go wrong with a God like that! I really do want to live to for Him!

My Foot

I was walked from my office to get my car next door this afternoon when I stepped on a broken bottle in the sand. It was one of those that was broken with a label on it, so it was flat. Looked at my shoe and there was nothing so I kept going, then I felt something, almost like stepping on a sticker, pulled off my shoe and there was a tiny shard of glass stuck in my foot...can you believe it? I've been punctured! It didn't go through my shoe and there wasn't any sand or anything in my shoe, just that piece of glass in my foot...it can only happen to me! It's Monday!

• My Life Today

My Mom made it in from Chicago Wednesday after 7-8 hours in the airport

My wife has the flu

My baby is spending the night at her friends house, I miss her and she's only been gone 2hrs

My oldest is in her room watching movies...She's driving now...a really great kid

I'm going to Virginia next Saturday!

What Happens In The End Is What Counts The Most!

Our pastor shared a powerful thought during his message yesterday, he was relating life to a football game when he made the statement that the best and most important part of a football game is what takes place at the end. As I was watching the Super Bowl last night I found his words to be true, after all that was said and done, the game was decided in the last thirty-five seconds of the game, at fifty seconds the Patriots were winning and looking as if they were taking the trophy home, fifteen seconds later everything changed. The Apostle Paul likened our walk with Christ as a race, reminding us that we all run, one wins, so we must run to win. He also reminds us not to grow weary in our well doing for we will reap if we do not lose heart. At a time when life seems to be becoming more difficult there is a tendency to relax rather than run, to grow weary in our walk rather than pushing and pressing into consistency and the greater things of life and of God. One of the problems I see among Christians is that too often we want everything the easy way, feel like some one owes us something, that we deserve for free what others have paid for, impart something into me, but don't ask me to pay for it...I want to be blessed, close to God, to obtain His benefits and blessings, but I don't have time to be committed...can't come to church for 2-3 hours a week, though I can watch a three hour football game. This morning on CNN.Com, I watched a priest who said that there is a progressive distancing from God, he also said that the working of our enemy satan is real and effective, not because satan has more power than God, but because he is being given more space...He's getting attention! Of late I have been dealing with the concept of relevance, of being real, of relating to people in a way that makes sense and that impacts their lives. What I realize in my heart is that I am where I want to be until I do what I need to do to get where I'm supposed to be. I know, I've said this before, but it is true, I won't get out of debt until I quit spending, won't lose weight until I change my eating habits and exercise and I won't be closer to God until I do what the Word says! Don't have to pray about it, need no further prophecies, no preacher to call me out...We have an entire book, a catalog if you will of God's words concerning our lives. We are at the end of the race and how we run right now determines if we win or not!