Koinonia in the Storms!

Just when you "feel" like you are going to go through a storm all alone, Jesus shows up with a whole herd of "sheep" and kicks-off a great big koinonia party! Wahoo!!!

Jesus DID say, after all, that He would never leave us nor forsake us, and He DID say that He would give to us His Peace... now THAT is a sure-fire formula for a Divine and Holy party!

["Koinonia" is a Greek term in New Testament scripture that speaks of "the beneficial outcome of fellowship" enjoyed within the context of the church family.]

He Remains the Same!

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

~ Hebrews 13:8 ~

Some morning when we awaken to find that our world has exploded into chaos all around us while we slept peacefully through the night before, let us remember our God remains the same "yesterday, today, and forever," that on that morning He is the same:

• as He was the previous evening,
• as He was 2,000 years ago, and
• as He was on the first day of creation!

So, don't be afraid, for:

• He is God,
• He is ultimately in control, and
• You remain the apple of His eye!

See you at the altar.

Sundays are NOT "me" Days!

When I was in Bible School preparing for ministry, I found that Sundays ("The Lord's Day," as the Apostles in the New Testament call it) where extremely draining on me both physically and emotionally.

After praying for a change in how I was experiencing Sundays, I had a thought wander slowly through my mind:

"Let Sundays be for God, and for other people.  Sundays are NOT 'me' days!"

So, I did. I made a conscious decision that Sundays were not going to be "me" days. Instead, they would be all about God and all about other people.

Something amazing transpired. From that next Sunday forward, as I consciously made "The Lord's Day" ALL about HIM and THEM, and NOT about ME, I was well rested physically and emotionally all day long.

Sure I still catch a nap on Sunday afternoon if time permits it, but the Holy Spirit EMPOWERS me and RESTS me for the service that I render to both God and People on "The Lord's day!"

Thank You for dropping by and reading my journal.  See you at the altar of service, where we (1) serve God in worship, in giving, and in intercession, and where we (2) serve People in encouragement, in intercession, and in fellowship.

All Are Kids, But Few Are Childlike.

"Since all of us are kids, regardless of our age, we are left with choosing to be either childlike, or childish.

I choose daily to mature into a childlike faith that never doubts God and endures all circumstances with a simple grace, and to leave behind a crumbling childish ego that seems to be so easily offended by both God and people."

Post Script:

Man, do I hope I have made progress these last 45 years!  Friends need NOT reply to this last sentance, Thank You very much!!... unless of course you really want to! :-) 

Lifting God's Spirit on Blue Mondays!

Think of how many "down" and "lukewarm" people God has to deal with on Mondays all in the name of Monday Blues!

Let's BLESS GOD on Monday by firing up our entire being, singing PRAISES, declaring THANKSGIVING, and proclaiming to God just how GREAT HE REALLY IS!!!

Let's help God "forget" that Monday is typically a blues day!!

See you at the altar bright and early on Monday mornings, all fired up and ready to shake the heavens with our expressions of Joy, Praise, Thanksgiving, and Worship!

Let the Divine Fellowship [e.g. "Party"] begin!!

Persecuted Church vs. Lukewarm Church

Christian groups in various parts of the world face persecution and martyrdom everyday. While they die to themselves daily so that they may live for Christ daily, we in America face a different form of testing: a lukewarm church environment.

Some groups everyday face the question, "Will I deny Christ by the end of the day today, or will I stand before Him, face-to-face, and hear Him say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant?'," while in America we might daily face the question, "Will I deny Christ little-by-little over a life-time of days, or will I stand before Him, face-to-face after another 14,000 or 15,000 days of life and hear Him say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'?"

The following link [click here] is a one-minute audio report from the month of July regarding the persecuted church. The news report is just the tip of the iceberg, but let it be a reminder to us of two things: (1) To pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ located in various countries and situations around the world, and (2) to fight the good fight of the faith in our own arena, the battle arena itself being a "lukewarm church environment."

See you at the "Altar of Fresh Fire," a fresh fire of devotion unto Christ in a lukewarm society!  Let's Fire-Up!

PEACE in the STORM - Part 3

[I am frequently asked through emails, phone calls, etc. how it is that I seem to have such Joy and Peace in spite of my Job-like journey. This is Part 3 in the series.]

"In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever."

~ Psalm 41:12

Integrity is a huge part of our walk with God, whether we are walking through good times or bad. The Psalmist continuously refers to his own integrity and the resulting works and presence of God. I have found this connection to be so true, the connection between integrity and the manifest presence of God in my life.

Am I perfect? Nope, but in the words of the Apostle Paul,

The Ultimate Balanced View of Life

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

~ Philippians 1:21

The Apostle Paul seemed to have found the ultimate balanced view of life.  He was content to live life with Christ even in his trials and imprisonments, yet he also looked forward to the day he was going to die.  He was torn between which one he wanted the most, not that he had a death-wish, but that he had come to know Christ so personally and his faith had become so real to him that life and death, well, both offered great hope for him!

What If You Were Not American?

Americans, please consider for a moment:

What if you had been born and lived your whole life in Haiti, in economic poverty and now even your poverty-valued belongings were destroyed by an earthquake?

Or, in North Korea, isolated from the rest of the world, and always being told that all the other nations are looking for the slightest opportunity to invade and destroy your family and your people?

Or, in Ethiopia, where there is constant famine and civil war, and no real government that can bring order to society; where the only "law and order" is established by gangs, thugs, and pirates armed with AK-47's and are often drunk or high on drugs.

Or, in Mongolia, in Columbia, in Iran...

God has blessed us, America! Let us bless Him in return by letting Him back into our schools, our public squares, and yes... back into our churches.

Our nation will be sustained if we keep our altars in our churches populated, altars that once again are places of both Repentance and Thanksgiving.

See you at the altar, my fellow Americans! Let us consider God's blessings that have been poured out upon us from our nation's birthday until today, and let our Thanksgiving be raised to the Heavens with a Shout of Praise!

PEACE in the STORM - Part 2

[I am frequently asked through emails, phone calls, etc. how it is that I seem to have such Joy and Peace in spite of my Job-like journey. This is Part 2 in the series.]

Guarding our thought life is an absolute prerequisite to safeguarding the precious Peace that Christ has given to us in the midst of a storm, or during a spiritual war. The Apostle Paul gave specific instruction regarding the safeguarding of our thought life, our mind-sets, etc.: