Always Turn to GOD

May 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Just because you receive the sentence of death does NOT mean that death has the final word….always turn to GOD that He may receive the Glory and thanks.

2 Kings 20
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 “Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you…” 

Hezekiah was told by a prophet of the Lord that he would die… but…he appealed to a higher authority…GOD! No matter what anyone tells you….always take your case to the Supreme Court!


2 Corinthians 1

9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

If life seems to be closing in on you, if all seems dark….just remember life is not about how you feel. Paul tells us to look at the times GOD has intervened on our behalf.  Remember the near accidents that didn’t happen; the worries that never came to pass, the lightening  that never struck?  He helped you before and He’ll do it again.

Just call on GOD!  He loves you. Your life matters to Him.





 

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Where Are We Now?

May 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Our third 3300 mile walk for Christ across ended in January but here it is nearly the middle of May and we’re still traveling in the RV! We thought we’d be settled into an apartment by now but God had different plans. Working for the Lord, we don’t always know where we’re going but we do know Who we’re following!

While we were on the road, we developed a new Biblical character to share. It’s a story everyone knows and yet…every time you read Scripture there is something new to learn. You’ve probably heard of Bartimaeus (Bar-ti-may-us). He was a blind man who encountered Jesus and then received his sight. We wrote our rendition of the story based on the last line of Mark chapter ten. It simply says “Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus down the road.”

When we read that… we thought, “What did he see? Where did he go?” and so out of those questions “Bartimaeus” was born. At first we were nervous about portraying him. There are so many emotions that he went through. He received his sight, witnessed Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, was horrified by the scourging, crushed by the crucifixion, and overwhelmed by the death of his Redeemer.  Now that we have returned home, many churches that we have spoken at before, have asked us to return to share the testimony of this often overlooked blind man.

For the last few months we have been zig zagging across the Mid West…Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma, St, Louis and back to Kansas City. The next few months have us in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio and back down to Oklahoma. Please make no mistake…we are not complaining! It is an honor to share the Word of God and serve the Lord. We would love our life and only ask to do more!

But all the traveling does take it’s toll and many a morning, Lucy & I look at each other and say “Where are we now?”

 

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Homeless or Pilgrim?

April 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sunday, we were scheduled to speak at both  morning services and then address a luncheon afterward. Since we were driving about one hundred and twenty miles to get there, we decided to go in the day before. The church was located in the downtown area of Emporia and so we decide to “camp out” at the local Wal-Mart. One of the nice things about Wal-Mart is that they graciously allow motor homes and truckers to park overnight in their parking lot. You don’t realize what a gift that is until you are looking for a spot to park a big rig.

We had just pulled in  when  a young man came up to the driver’s side window and said, “I’d like to talk to you.” I replied, “Sure. What about?” and made my way to the door. His name was Steve and he was from the San Diego area. He said he had been homeless for about seven months and was on his way to the House of Prayer in Kansas City. When he said that, I thought “God wants me to give Steve a ride to the Prayer Room. I told him that we would be leaving town the next day around 2:30pm and that if he wanted a ride to KC, we’d take him. He looked surprised….so was I!


As our conversation started, it seemed like all he wanted to talk about was  GOD. He didn’t complain about the economy or rant against the government,. Steve didn’t even hit us up for a handout. After an hour and half or so, he left to find a place to stay for the night. Lucy gave him some fruit to take with him. We didn’t have any meat to make him e sandwich.  I felt bad because our RV wasn’t big enough for him to stay inside. I should have gotten him a room but I didn’t. I had the feeling that we were going to see Steve again before the day ended.

Lucy and I decided that if Steve did return we would get him a room for the night. We kept hearing the tune “Freely, freely you have received. Freely, freely give.” People have been so good to us. How could we have hesitated to give to another? Later that evening, Steve did return and we got him set up in a nice motel. He was excited about taking a long, hot shower. After eighteen months on the road in an RV, Lucy said she could relate!

The next day, we ministered at church as planned and then went to pick up Steve. We had a two hour ride back to Kansas City and Steve talked the whole way. Lucy said she hadn’t heard me that quiet in years! He talked about God and people and people and God. He mentioned the fact that he was homeless a couple of times and I finally interrupted him. “Please don’t define yourself as homeless unless you want it to be who you are. Lucy & I don’t have a home but we’re not ‘homeless’.” He looked me at me for a moment and then said, “I’m not homeless. I’m a pilgrim who walks with GOD.”   He got quiet…for about ten seconds…and all the way back he talked but he never defined himself as homeless again and I hope he never will.

Lord, You said that the power of death and life is in the tongue. We know that the words we speak shape and define our life. Thank You, Lord, for giving us the power to re-shape and re-define our lives beginning right now. We are children of GOD and as such we have the freedom to love and to bless…ourselves and others by the words of our lips.

 

 

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Aaargh! Technology!

March 19, 2011 By 1 Comment

It’s been months and for whatever reason I could not access Blogger nor could I get anyone to respond to me in a manner I could understand. Now I don’t know if it’s all my fault or partly theirs but it has been frustrating. That being said….I’m back to the wonderful world of blogging!

***
For the last eighteen months Lucy and I have been on the road, doing a walk across America for CHRIST. We completed our journey on Saturday, January 8th. We walked route 27, moved over to route 997 and took our final steps at mile marker 30 in the Everglades and not a soul in sight.
CNN didn’t send a reporter. Oprah didn’t invite us for an interview and we didn’t get an offer to do a reality show! BUT…behold underlying truth… when we did what He asked us to do, not understanding a bit of it…we believe we saw God smile.
Old Testament Scripture tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). The Hebrew word shama means to “hear, listen and obey.” Notice it didn’t say we had to understand what we were doing. Jesus tells us (in Luke 6:46-48) that if we will come to Him, listen to what He says and do what He tells us…no storm will prevail against us. Storms may come but they do not win!
So….What is God asking you to do? Is He telling you to go? Or… Are you suppose to stay and share His love with your family? Are you to go into full time ministry? Or….share the knowledge of Christ in the marketplace?
If you’re not sure what God is saying, welcome to the club! Just do the best you can to move forward. Take a baby step of faith and practice listening for His voice and obeying as best you can. He’s not seeking perfection. He is Perfection!
Father God is simply looking for a listening ear, a willing heart and an obedient spirit…He’s looking for you!
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Be Not So Subtle

December 5, 2010 By 1 Comment

Sometimes blessings are so subtle, we miss them. You and I are surrounded by blessings everyday. They’re called people!

Our nation is composed of over 300 million people and yet we seldom take the time to have a discussion with someone we don’t know.
I’ve found out it really isn’t that difficult to start a conversation with someone. You just pretend your’re a five year old and you ask a question: “Whatcha doin?” “Where ya goin?” “Have you always lived here?” “Do you really LIKE Grits? People love to tell you stuff about themselves. The truth is we’re all looking for someone to take an interest in us; to listen to us. “
Another way to get in touch with the blessings around us is to help them… approach us. Let them ask the questions. Do something that will get them to notice you (walking across America in 1st century attire works for me but you may want to try something a little less obvious). Be prepared for the question and let your answer lead you to ask them a question.
For instance, people ask me what I’m doing. My standard reply is “I’m praying for America; the land and the people…the crops and the livestock. Is there anything I can pray for you about? That generally opens the floodgates of the soul and we connect at a level deeper than just sports, weather and reality shows.
I have been an outlet for the emotions of people in several different arenas of life. I like to think I have blessed these people by listening and praying with them. I always want them to know that they have been a blessing to me because they honored me with a sacred piece of their life.
Yvonne was in tears because she and her sister had a terrible argument. Jake was torn apart because he feared he might lose custody of his two sons. Eduardo’s dad worried about his son’s low blood count. Unemployment woes. Legal battles over land rights. Broken relationships over how to divide an inheritance. Fear of disease, debt and death. Fear of…..just about anything you can imagine!
Fear grips people and although we may not be able to cure each others fears…through the power of Christ within us, we can release the paralyzing grip of fear and bolster each other’s faith!
You and I are created to be a blessing. Let’s not be subtle about it!
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