May 6, 2021

 Sometimes God surprises me.

 Have you ever heard something like this, “Well, just when I thought I had figured things out...”?

 The person usually goes on to explain how their plans got upset in some way.

 Well, I can say just as I thought I had figured out what God wanted me to focus on for the next few months, He surprised me.  I thought I was to focus on family projects and personal health [yes, I gained weight during the pandemic and let my regular exercise slide].  On the ministry side, I was to focus on finishing a video course concerning prophetic witchcraft, rewrite a book on hope, create several e-booklets and other materials to encourage believers, and prepare another video course.

 All these things are important, of course.  All this need doing, and I felt as if the Lord wanted me to work on each of these areas, which meant disciplining myself and creating a balanced work schedule.  Unfortunately, none...

Do your days  sometimes fill  you with frustration, confusion, and bewilderment?

Do you dream of greatness but struggle with the daily burdens of the mundane?

Do you feel like you should be soaring in the Spirit but feel pressed down by the distractions  and grind of daily responsibilities?

Hurrah! You're human...

and I know exactly what you are feeling.

In my quiet times with the Lord, when I read and study His written Word, I get excited about how loved I am by God, how I am seated with Him in heavenly  places, how he has given me--and you--authority and has created us to be priests and kings in HIs kingdom. I often pray that I may bring Him honor and great glory, and that I desire to see Him face to face. At times, I feel as if I could fly to heaven on eagle's wings or slay 50 Goliaths.

Then the reality of the present world smacks me in the face.  Oh, it may not be a major trauma or upheaval.  I struggle with the mundane...

On this Resurrection day, my thoughts wander. . . .

 Yesterday [4/3/21] I spent several hours driving across the Carolinas. Because work delayed my leaving until the afternoon, I didn’t really want to make this drive yesterday; but I had to take the journey if I wanted to be home for Resurrection Sunday [commonly called Easter]. Along the way, I had to slow down several times because of signs saying that "Road Work" lay ahead; these work slowdowns lengthened my journey considerably. I was so glad that the sun clung to the sky long enough for me to recognize the familiar landmarks and signs that lay within a mile or so of my home. [I actually entered the house just as the last afterglow faded from the sky].

During this long drive, I spent part of the time listening to books by Jennifer LeClaire and James Goll.  As I listened to their inspired words, my mind went from focusing on the length of my journey and the delays I faced to the goodness and majesty of...

Like many of you, Christmas  time this year was a roller coaster of emotions.  Our family is scattered, and getting together was impossible, except for a couple of hours here and there. While we had planned to have a small Christmas celebration with one other couple whose family is far away, illness [not Covid; we were quarantining ourselves before Christmas] interrupted those plans.  The few Christmas presents that I purchased online did not all arrive, the weather was awful, and to  top it all off, I miscalculated the time it would take for the chicken to roast, so we had had only vegetables ready for our Christmas meal!

Yet through it all, I kept asking God to help  me celebrate Christmas in my heart with true joy and thanksgiving.  I also sought His direction for the new year.  I felt led to repent of unkept promises, to  release all those who had disappointed me, and to fulfill some long term projects that I was involved with.

Then on...

Recently a pastor humbly posted about three dreams that he has had.  As he began sharing, he admitted he knew little about dreams and prophetic ministry.  He felt, however, that the dreams were warnings sent by God and was sharing them in obedience to the Lord's directive.

The reactions to the message of the "three dreams" were immediate and all over the place.  Some folks began to talk about getting supplies and being ready to hold up in remote areas; some "poo-pooed" the message, some reflected on what the message "really meant", and a few even attacked the pastor.

I myself posted a video about this message.  Today, however, I want to give honor to someone for their courage in obeying Christ.

Too often the people who call themselves Christians in this country look upon their Christianity as a cultural stance. Many who point critical fingers at the Church in the United States do so calling the Church a "failed culture", a tool to control the weak.

The Church...

Sometimes, the biggest enemy that we will face on a particular day will not be a sudden tragedy or unexpected upheavals.  Sometimes the enemy comes dressed as comfort or routine. For me, I find it so easy to "relax for a moment" watching TV...and find that I have wasted the time during which God wanted me to reach out to someone, or which I had set aside for Him. It seems I am particularly vulnerable to the lure of comfort and routine when I am being tested in ways that bring out my insecurities and fear.

And yet--I have prayed over and over again to be "on the cutting edge", to make a significant difference for God's glory.  How the spirit desires to bless the Father, while the flesh just wants quiet and ease! Like Peter, I tend to boast, "Anything, Lord!  I will do anything for You!"  Yet, too often I won't even get out of the chair for His purpose.

If we want to make a significant impact upon our world, we must be willing...

  Surveys reveal that massive numbers of Protestant pastors are leaving their pastorates because of burnout.  Many of those that remain behind are struggling with strongholds such as pornography, sexual immorality, or gambling.  The pervasive sexual sin among Roman Catholic leadership has threatened the very structure of the Catholic Church.  Among the so-called "laypeople", discontent and disillusionment are causing many people to drop out.   Many Millenials have dismissed the Christian message as irrelevant. Even among those that still faithfully attend and support their individual church bodies, it is a well-known statistic that 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work.

What is wrong with the Church?  Why are we modern believers falling so short of the early Church as reflected by the book of Acts?  Yes, the early Church had major problems, but boredom and burnout were not among them!

It is time for believers to take responsibility for the...