Community Involvement

I am the Co-Chair of the Warden Community Coalition. We are funded by a grant that is given to communities that face a huge underage drinking problem. Our average of underage drinking is higher than the state average. We know that in order to reduce under age drinking we must surround ourselves with people in the community to address all areas of the problem. This is our third year and we are finally implementing some of the things that we have planned. Let me talk to you for a moment about why I am involved with this group.

1. I was asked: in a small community every person is considered a good neighbor who can help in the community.

2. I am passionate about preventing under age drinking. My Dad was an alcoholic and it started when he was young.

3. My children's future: I am paving a way for them to have a better environment to grow up in.

4. Finally, I have an opportunity to meet people that I would not otherwise. I have friends because of the Coalition that have trusted me , and maybe someday they will trust Christ with their life.

In a small town, they only way to make an impact is with contact. We are trying to make contact with others in our community. What are you doing in your neighborhood?

Writer's Blog (Block?)

I have not posted for a few days, but I am back from my hiatus. Please forgive me as I have been in so many meetings and conference calls that my head is swimming. This is the time of year that is busiest for me as I prepare for our Annual Meeting. So here is my post for the day.

The power of prayer has always amazed me. Take for instance I was speaking today to a missionary who is getting ready to go on the field. He and his family were in a church in the Spokane area and they had a lady tell them about the power of prayer. The lady mentioned that the Lord will give her the name and a location of a missionary somewhere in the world. This lady will pray and not even know this person.She said that the Lord had impressed upon her heart to pray for a man by the name of Jonathan, and that he was in India. When she related this to my missionary friend he said that he knew a man by that name and knew that he was in India. He also related that this missionary was in the same commissioning group as he and his family. It turns out that the lady was praying (and had been praying for 2 months) for a missionary who was right in the middle of all the violence that was taking place in North India.

There is someone right now who is praying for you. You may not know them, and they may not know you; but prayer is being offered up to Heaven for you right now. How awesome to think that God loves you so much that He knows your name, and He has shared your name with another person so that they might pray for you. This is why we consider prayer a powerful weapon. May God lead you in your prayers, because someone is depending on you.

Who Will Pray?

I have been listening to and watching prayers that have taken place during the Inaugural ceremonies, and I am amazed at what has been said. It seems to be the popular thing today is to refer to God's Word, or scripture as President Obama made mention of in his Inaugural speech. If we are praying to God with the audience listening what are we saying? Here are few quotes from some of the Inaugural prayers.

First was 87-year-old civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery, who raised some eyebrows and brought smiles when he prayed, "Help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back; when brown can stick around; when yellow will be mellow; when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right." (The Pastor's Weekly Briefing 1-22-09)

Who was Mr. Lowery praying to? Or was praying to be heard of men? How about when Gene Robinson prayed to "the God of our understandings." Who was he praying to? Did whoever he was praying to hear his prayer? I am convinced that prayer has lost its true meaning, and when people pray in public they pray to impress people instead of imploring God's favor upon this earth.

What about Rick Warren, I watched his prayer and felt that he was under a lot of scrutiny to say the right thing. Now since I have not been asked to lead prayer in Washington,D.C. I will save my criticisms of what should have been said in that prayer. Let me say one thing and I will move on. I only wish that Rick Warren would have prayed like he was praying to God and not trying to be so inclusive of every religion. God is his judge, and I will reserve that for Him. We need more people who will discharge the privilege of prayer with such power that it will shake the house in which they stand. God, give us people who will not flinch in the face of opposition, and will do the right thing no matter what. I want to finish with an example of one Pastor who prayed as though God was listening. Here it is.

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism; We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism; We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle; We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery; We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation; We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare; We have killed our unborn and called it choice; We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable; We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem; We have abused power and called it political savvy; We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition; We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.

I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ (www.truthorfiction.com)

May his tribe increase.

Sermon Outlines from 2008-2009

I have submitted sermon outlines from 2008-2009. If you are interested in viewing them here is the link: www.sermoncentral.com/contributorprofile.asp?contributorID=53619

A New Beginning

Today was the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. In many ways it was a historic moment, as Barack Obama is the first African American President. I say congratulations to Mr. Obama for a job well done. But I have some reservations about President Obama, they are as follows:

First, Mr Obama has promised to enact the Freedom of Choice Act which will increase the number and scope of abortions in America. This legislation will undo all the good things that have been done in defending the unborn. I am pro-life and I am glad my mother was as well, and I have a hard time believing that President Obama wants to destroy human life. However; as our President stated many times that he believes this to be a woman's choice. Nevermind the fact that Planned Parenthood has exploited a woman's choice to line their pockets and destroy the destiny of countless millions of people. Abortion is hot topic, because it is wrong to kill the unborn for whatever reason that is given. With that said I believe that the flood gates could be open for an all out war on the unborn. I believe Mr. Obama should rethink his position.

Secondly, Mr. Obama has made many promises that I am not sure that he can keep. You know the old joke, "when is a politician lying? When his lips are moving." Mr. Obama has taken the position to try to please everyone and will find that in the end he will please no one. His position is reminiscient of Neville Chamberlain. Mr. Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of England during the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich. He tried to appease a tyrant, and all he did was expose England to the vicious attack of the Third Reich. He was quoted as saying "peace in our time." We all know that Hitler went on a rampage to conquer and destroy after signing the peace agreement with Mr. Chamberlain. It is kind of like that children's story, "if you give a mouse a cookie, then he will some want some milk." Mr. Obama can't afford to appease the dictators of the world and believe that they will be satisfied with concessions. This President will be tested by Iran, Pakistan, Hamas, and others how will he respond? Only time will tell.

This is truly a new beginning, it is time for Christians everywhere to pray for our President and our Vice President. This could be the beginning of a prayer movement that will affect the destiny of America for time to come. Congratulations Mr. Obama you are in our prayers.

The Church Needs Power From on High

For those of you who have read my previous posts, you will understand where I am going with this new post. For the rest of you, let me make it perfectly clear. We need the authentic Pentecostal experience in our churches. Let me give you two reasons.

First, we need to understand that Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Promise of the Father (Luke 24:49). They didn't know what this "power on high" would be like, but they wanted everything that Jesus had for them. Why would Jesus give His disciples anything that would be harmful for them (Luke 11:9-13)? We need the power from on high more than we have ever needed the Spirit of God in our land. I know that we differ on "manifestations", but could we not agree that the Spirit of God is the only one that can give us power to live in this godless society? We need the power of God to be His witnesses.

Secondly, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is barren because we have relegated the Spirit of God to a back room. I want my children to experience the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and more than that I want them to experience what it means to live a Spirit empowered life. If we don't preach, teach and live the daily visitation of the Holy Spirit then we should not surprised that we live defeated lives.

Let us regain authentic Pentecost before it is too late. If we are happy about the churches in America that are closing their doors, and the generally apathy that has plagued the body of Christ then we should do nothing. Our churches must become more than social clubs.

If You Want To See God Move

Last night concluded our meetings with David Woods. There were 73 people in attendance, and David prayed for every person that wanted to be prayed for, and David was the vessel of The Lord as God spoke through him. Many people were touched by the scriptures that were given to them as a confirmation of what God had already spoken to their heart. There was not a dry eye in the place as once again the Holy Spirit revealed to our speaker things (non-embarassing) about the people he was praying for. Our meeting finally concluded at about 10:00 or 10:30 p.m. I would like to say that I am glad we asked David Woods to come. Let me tell you why.

1. David Woods is a man of the Word and is not given to weird spiritual manifestations.
2. David Woods is not ashamed to be called Pentecostal. Something that we are lacking in our Assembly of God churches.
3. David Woods is not an evangelist that demands a certain amount to come and minister to your church. He operates by faith.

OK, I understand that God is responsible for what happened at our church, but David Woods was the vessel that God used. It has been my experience that as a Pastor there are a few evangelists who could be called Pentecostal. Most of our speakers today are not stressing the power of God through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Thank God for men like David Woods who still believe that we need to return to our Pentecostal roots. Our churches will not be effective in the Kingdom of God without the operation of the Holy Spirit in the congregations we serve.

If you want to see God move in your church then contact David Woods at www.wordfortheworld.org/.

The Proof of Pentecost

Yesterday I told you about what has been happening during the revival with David Woods. Let me share what God did last night. There was a man who had his ears unstopped, and had his rotor cuff healed. There were multiple (10-15) young people filled with the Holy Spirit, and there was a Pastor friend of mine who said "he felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit." Many words of knowledge were given by the Holy Spirit giving confirmation to the people who received those words. I could go on the Word preached was followed by signs and wonders. But here is the question, what do we do about those who are not open to these things?

I am intelligent enough to know that there are people who are not open to the things that we are experiencing in our church. The proof that we are spirit filled is how we will handle this opposition.
It is easy to write people off that say that they are not in agreement with these things, but it is better to listen to them. Stephen Covey talks about "first seeking to understand, then to be understood." I think this is excellent advice to those of us that consider ourselves to be Pentecostals. We must love those who don't understand or agree with our doctrinal position on the Holy Spirit. I believe that no amount of debate will convince others to see things our way, the only thing that will convince them is when we love them even when we don't agree with them.

Here is your challenge, don't just talk about being spirit filled; live like you are spirit filled!

Is Pentecost Dead?

I have heard from many of my non-pentecostal friends that Pentecost or that which the early church experienced was just for that time, and has since ceased. It sounds scholarly, and rational, but it is a mistaken notion. Let me explain why.

Let's look at the growth of Pentecostal denominations around the world. The Assemblies of God alone has 58 million adherents, or people that consider their neighborhood Assembly of God to be their church. The work of the Spirit is not just for Pentecostal churches, but for every man, woman, boy and girl that would desire the gift of the Holy Spirit. If the work of the Holy Spirit has ceased why is it that even today in 2009 do we hear about people experiencing what the Early Church experienced? To those who would say that Pentecost is dead, I would say they are mistaken. But, let's not just talk about what is going on some foreign land. I would like to focus on what God is doing in our church in Eastern Washington.

We asked David Woods and his family to come and conduct a revival for our community. I first met David in Bible College about 20 years ago. David and I have reconnected in the last year, and I realized that the Lord was leading us to have a revival in our community. Let me tell you what God has done in the last three services.
We have seen people healed, delivered, and saved. My children (11 and 9) received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in one of the services. My children are getting up early and reading their Bible. The people in our community have witnessed the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. David is being used in the prophetic gifts. As a pastor I am amazed at the accuracy of the prophetic words that are given. I am amazed because I have not spoken to the evangelist or told him about the people in our church. There is a great deal of excitement in our town because of how the Holy Spirit is moving in our services. People are inviting people to come to church because they want them to experience what they have experienced.

So back to my initial question, is Pentecost dead? Not from where I stand.

The Unfinished Wall

I am fascinated by Jewish culture. It probably has nothing to do my Jewish heritage, not that the shape and size of my nose isn't a dead give away. Just kidding. I have Jewish ancestors and because of this heritage I want to know more about where I came from.

You see I am just a kid who grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. Don't know where it is, just refer to your credit card junk mail. Almost 90% of that mail comes from my hometown. Or better yet Vice President elect Joe Biden and I are from the same state. Okay, I promise no more name dropping.

But my Jewish heritage is much deeper than my grandparents. I am related to a Jewish carpenter who walked the face of the earth over 2000 years ago. Because He has redeemed me and purchased me with His lifeblood on the Cross I am Jewish. According to (Rom 11:17) And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; I have become a part of the olive tree (Israel). This does not mean that I have replaced Israel, but that I a Gentile (having some Jewish background) have been brought into the family of God and I am a descendant of Abraham because of His promise seed which is Jesus. That stated let me move on.

Now during the Diaspora (literally the scattering) the Jewish people had a longing to return to their home. Listen as John Hagee explains this tradition. "During the Diaspora wherever the Jews found themselves on the face of the earth, the Jews prayed for the return to Zion, the biblical synonym for Jerusalem. Their synagogues, wherever in the world they are built were built facing Jerusalem. When the Jew built a house, part of a wall would be left unfinished, symbolizing the fact it was a temporary dwelling until the owner could return to Jerusalem." (Jerusalem Countdown John Hagee Pg. 84 Frontline Copyright 2007) After reading about this tradition my mind began to wonder isn't that descriptive of how we as Christians should handle our affairs in this life. We should have an "unfinished wall" to signify that this world is not our home. This wall should tell others that we have not finished building because this is not our final resting place. We are not comfortable in this world because it is not our home, things are not the way we would like them to be. We are citizens of heaven and the Lord Himself is preparing a place for us, and has been doing so for over 2000 years! Here is the promise found in God's holy Word

(John 14:1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

(John 14:2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

(John 14:3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

I am going leave up the unfinished wall as a sign to my Lord that I am looking forward to the place that He has prepared for me.

So today if you feel you have not accomplished anything in this life, maybe it is because you are not home yet. Maybe you don't feel at ease with the way things are unfolding in this world, you are not alone you are a part of the fellowship of the unfinished wall.

Israel and Hamas.

Is it just me or are you tired of everyone asking Israel to agree to a cease fire when they are trying to defend themselves? Hamas has been firing rockets into Israel and then Israel decides to fight back. So, now it is Israel who should agree to a cease fire? Israel did not start this fighting but they will not stand around and allow Hamas to continue to kill their citizens.
Israel should have never given up the land that Hamas now occupies. Hamas has exploited the weakness of the Olmert government in order to attack Israel within her borders. It is the belief of this author that Hamas wants to expel Israel from the land that is rightfully hers. Hamas will not be satisfied with more of the West Bank, they will not be satisfied until Israel is driven into the sea.
If there is to be a cease fire, it is only to re-arm the terrorists. I was watching the news and noticed that Israel has allowed supplies to be brought into Gaza. How do we know that there aren't munitions among the bread? We don't. The thing to keep in mind is that Hamas (under Muslim law) is not obligated to honor a cease fire. They don't keep promises to infidels. If we know this, then why the international pressure on Israel to let up?
This is what I believe Israel should do. They should not let up on the fighting, and they should not agree to a cease fire, knowing that the other side will not honor this agreement. They should destroy Hamas' base of operations and send the terrorists a message, "we will fight back and we will drive you out of our land." I also think that the tunnel from Gaza to Egypt should be destroyed, as this is another way for the terrorists to re-arm. It is truly hypocritical of Egypt to host talks about a cease fire when they are allowing terrorists to come and go as they please.
It is time to take the gloves off and ignore the international pressure from the world.
Israel defend your land, because I would do the same thing if these same forces came to America. Please know that our government is not representative of how us Americans feel. Our President and Congress have to save face and please almost the whole global community. I don't, I am one blogger in the blogosphere and I want you to know that you have my support.

Welcome to my blog. This is a blog devoted to my thoughts, responses and even outrages about thing I read or hear. I welcome your comments, and would like to know what you think.