HOLD ON!

So I know it's been awhile since I posted anything but things have been really really quiet in the prayer chamber and in studying God's Word! That is until this morning! I have been so desperate to see God's glory and it seems He has had me on this looooooooooooooong road of repentance. But then, His Word bears it out that if we repent, He answers. If we get low, He drops His glory down! Well, this morning was awesome! I began, like usual, with worship and then I began to try and pray but I felt God hush my spirit. (I am crying right now as I type!) It's really been a long time since He spoke as clearly as this morning. Don't get me wrong... I hear His voice...everyday that I open His Word He is speaking! But today was one of those intense moments that only comes from times of fasting and prayer! Tears began to stream down my face as God began show me some things. I am not going to go into what He showed first because it has something to do personally with a dear friend of mine. But suffice it to say it was SO powerful and real and went right along with something God had shown her Monday night in her sleep! That's how God works!
Ok, soon to the second thing HE showed me....

I saw old roots...huge ones...old ones...

They were attached to something. I am not quite sure to what or to whom but they were beginning to crumble! As the Word of ALMIGHTY GOD was going forth I saw them began to snap into and lose their grip. The began to disintegrate and were even pulled by an unseen force AWAY from what that had been rooted to. Old, dry, black and brown powder went everywhere because these roots were apparently dry rotted. They didnt shrivel and gradually fade away . They were snapped and became NOTHING as the Word went forth!

At first I marveled at how it WAS NOT a gradual release but an instantaneous deliverance.

But I began to sense that there HAS been a gradual release that has been unseen. Prayers have gone up that people have though again and again have been for nothing. God's people have felt these prayers that have gone up have not made headway. But His Word says that the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous avails MUCH! These prayers have caused these roots to dry rot! The roots have gradually lost their power and have become weaker instead of stronger. They have grown dry and are not capable of sprouting new growth. And BECAUSE of the prayers of the righteous, there is about to come an instantaneous deliverance as these roots completely lose their hold!

So people of God, I just want to say to you that if there is something you have prayed on for years....if there is something you have nearly lost hope on....God wants you to know your prayers ARE making an extreme amount of headway! There are things going on in the spirit realm that you and I can neither see nor completely understand. Just because you have yet to see a difference in the fleshly world , does NOT mean things are not happening! Your righteous, unselfish prayers are causing long standing roots to become dry rotted and if you will just hold on, you will see an instantaneous deliverance that will obliterate the enemies strong holds!  SO HOLD ON!!!!!

Let the preachers pray.....

Joel 2: ¹² “ Now, therefore,” says the LORD,

      “ Turn to Me with all your heart,
      With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
       ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments;
      Return to the LORD your God,
      For He is gracious and merciful,
      Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
      And He relents from doing harm.
       ¹⁴ Who knows if He will turn and relent,
      And leave a blessing behind Him—
      A grain offering and a drink offering
      For the LORD your God?
       ¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion,
      Consecrate a fast,
      Call a sacred assembly;
       ¹⁶ Gather the people,
      Sanctify the congregation,
      Assemble the elders,
      Gather the children and nursing babes;
      Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
      And the bride from her dressing room.

       ¹⁷ Let the priests, who minister to the LORD,
      Weep between the porch and the altar;
      Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD,
      And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
      That the nations should rule over them.
      Why should they say among the peoples,

      ‘ Where is their God?’”

Verse 17 ALWAYS sticks out to me here. Let the ministers WEEP between the altar and the porch pleading with God to spare His people.  We preachers always seem to have an answer for every reason "stuff ain't goin' right". If we are not growing our churches by leaps and bounds, we claim we are in a bad area. If we are not the "coolest" church where "the party is" then we claim our funding is a problem. If we are not seeing souls saved, lives reformed, and marriages put back together, we claim that it's not God's timing. If we are not walking in a mighty anointing and don't have a fresh Word from God, we blame our people. Oh, you have heard the quote, I'm sure: "Prayer-less pews make powerless pulpits." While I agree with this on some level, I also tend to gravitate towards the thought that maybe...just maybe...our powerless pulpits are not anyone's fault but our own. We have people all around us who are so very desperate. They are looking to all the wrong things to help them out of their jams. Any why can't we seem to reach them? Because we are prayer-less ourselves. We, God's called ministers of the gospel, have gotten SO busy with "ministry" that we have forgotten what our REAL ministry is supposed to be. We are supposed to be a group of people on our faces before the Most High so that we can receive some REAL power from the throne room of God. And WITH that real power we are supposed to be calling for God to have mercy on His people and save their  never-dying souls! We are not seeing an influx of souls because we, the preachers, are no longer willing to pay the price.
Now, I understand you have to take care of your church people. I understand that many times there are no other Spirit-filled men like Stephen of old that will stand up and HELP pastors with the chore of making sure everybody is in good health and has some at their surgeries and someone to pray over their sick wayward spouses, and visit the widows and take care of the orphans. I, as a pastor's wife and pastor's kid, understand all too well that pastoring takes SO much time that you don't seem to have time for what Joel calls for. But then maybe again we DO have time but we are so busy trying to please everyone that we cannot possibly find our prayer closet. I think maybe there is too much junk cluttered up in front of that prayer chamber door. Maybe it's time to clean things out...re-prioritize our lives, and get back to some of the basics. Prayer & fasting. After all, this is how the old guys that blazed trails before us did it. Maybe some of those old paths are worth visiting.

I, for one, grow quite weary of the same old same old. I am ready to see and be a part of the last part of Joel 2. But I am also smart enough to know God does things in order and until we get the first part of Joel 2 right, we will never walk in the latter part. SO I challenge you to scrub your "agenda" for the day and find yourself alone with God. There is something He wants to show you....... SO I SAY LET THE PREACHERS PRAY!!

Joel 2:

The Land Refreshed

    ¹⁸ Then the LORD will be zealous for His land,
      And pity His people.
       ¹⁹ The LORD will answer and say to His people,

      “ Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,
      And you will be satisfied by them;
      I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
       ²⁰ “ But I will remove far from you the northern army,
      And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
      With his face toward the eastern sea
      And his back toward the western sea;
      His stench will come up,
      And his foul odor will rise,
      Because he has done monstrous things.”
       ²¹ Fear not, O land;
      Be glad and rejoice,
      For the LORD has done marvelous things!
       ²² Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
      For the open pastures are springing up,
      And the tree bears its fruit;
      The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
       ²³ Be glad then, you children of Zion,
      And rejoice in the LORD your God;
      For He has given you the former rain faithfully,^[d]
      And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
      The former rain,
      And the latter rain in the first month.
       ²⁴ The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
      And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
       ²⁵ “ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
      The crawling locust,
      The consuming locust,
      And the chewing locust,^[e]
      My great army which I sent among you.
       ²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
      And praise the name of the LORD your God,
      Who has dealt wondrously with you;
      And My people shall never be put to shame.
       ²⁷ Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
      I am the LORD your God
      And there is no other.
      My people shall never be put to shame.

God’s Spirit Poured Out

    ²⁸ “ And it shall come to pass afterward
      That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
      Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
      Your old men shall dream dreams,
      Your young men shall see visions.
       ²⁹ And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
      I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
       ³⁰ “ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
      Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
       ³¹ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
      And the moon into blood,
      Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
       ³² And it shall come to pass
      That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
      Shall be saved.
      For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
      As the LORD has said,
      Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

Tainted Worship??

Do we have tainted worship in our churches? YES. But I fear it comes from an unexpected source. I know sinners come into our churches every weekend and clap, sing, even lift hands and worship God. Of course God's Word says that even the heavens declare His glory and that if we hush then the rocks will cry out in our place. Well, we obviously know that neither the sky nor the rocks can know salvation for they have no soul. So I am not saying it's a BAD thing for sinners to worship God. It most definitely is NOT bad. God desires ALL of His creation to worship Him. And He is absolutely worthy of every last bit of it!

But I am talking about something far more serious. Let's read in Nehemiah 13. Look at these verses (23-31)
²³ In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴ And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.
²⁵ So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. ²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. ²⁷ Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”
²⁸ And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.
²⁹ Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
³⁰ Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, ³¹ and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.
Remember me, O my God, for good!



Nehemiah is going about repairing walls and getting rid of the MESS that has slowly crept in on God's people. We need a Nehemiah today because I fear that history is revisiting us this time through God's church....even His leaders. Am I gonna get onto leadership? YES I AM. I can because I AM leadership....and not perfect by ANY stretch of the imagination. So I feel like I can say this and maybe someone will hear. We have a serious problem in our leadership. People want to keep hiding secret sins and sweep them under the rug. We have allowed people on our worship teams who are in illicit affairs or are gay. We have leaders with alcoholic beverages in the fridge in their homes. We have "christian" counselors showing porn to couples they are counseling. We have lying ministers. Lord, we lie about EVERYTHING....from how many people we had in church to what our tithe of tithe is. I know of some who constantly stay out of God's house because they are "sick" or have a "headache". That's a LIE! And cussing!! OH my goodness the cursing and use of our Lord's name in VAIN!!And I am talking about credentialed ministers...people who should be leading but still need a leader!! Our worship is TAINTED. And that's a nice term.

Nehemiah talks about this serious problem in the above passage of scripture. He is talking about Solomon....the King....the leader of God's people. He says God loved him dearly and gave him wisdom and riches and was good to him....upheld his end of his bargain with David. And that even though there was never another king quite like him, he had serious issues. Foreign women. They were his downfall. Nehemiah said, "do you call this obedience? Engaging in this extensive evil, showing yourselves faithless to God by marrying foreign wives?"  He also talks about a guy who was the son of Eliashib the high priest.....said he was driven out of God's presence because he defiled the priesthood.

I fear we have preached radical grace for so long that we (leaders) entertain sin because grace abounds. But didn't Paul say God forbid that we should continue in sin just because grace abounds! I love His grace! I am thankful for His grace because I'd be dead and in hell if not for it!! But should we walk on sin and continue in our selfish ways just because we know we can be forgiven? NO WAY!

So maybe you don't have a problem with any of these sins....maybe it's ok for you to do these things...lie, drink, cheat, steal...I dunno. But I wonder what God Almighty thinks. How does HE feel? This IS His ballgame after all....not mine. Not yours.

We need some Nehemiah's to stand up in the authority of the Holy Ghost and radically change some stuff. We need to rebuild some walls that have crumbled...some holy walls....boundaries. We need to clean out our closets and our refrigerators!  I AM CALLING TO LEADERS! I know we all won't agree on everything and my convictions and your convictions are different. But I think we can ALL agree on this one thing. God said BE HOLY FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM HOLY. We are walking in some unholy ways and we are leading our congregations right down that same road. If we do this, we WILL stand in judgement for it one day. Oh, we may have accolades right now....and we may have the coolest churches where the party seems to be. We may have accumulated all the cool points but when the rubber meets the road and we stand before God and have to give account for every idle word...for our actions....for where we led the people of God....I just really don't think God is gonna care about our cool points.

My heart is heavy. I am hungry for revival. But it's time for judgement to begin at God's house. I want God to move so desperately so I am asking for Him to purge our church leadership. I am asking Him to uncover EVERY unholy thing and bring it to the light. Believe me, Jeff & I have LIVED it.....what things you cover up and hide, God WILL expose to all. But what you cover under the blood and RID yourself of...God will THEN cover it with His radical grace...but only when ur ready to remove it. I want revival in our church....in Georgia...in my Tattnall co.....in Glennville and all around...in Glennville Church of God...in my home....in ME. I want it, but it's only gonna come when we, the leadership, purge our homes and our lives.


I leave you with 2 Chronicles (READ IT---REALLY read it) 7:¹² Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, ¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. ¹⁷ As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, ¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’
¹⁹ “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
²¹ “And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?’ ²² Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’”

AWAY WITH THE CRCT

AWAY WITH CRCT!!! Alot of this speech I am about to share  is just how I feel b/c I think CRCT is the stupidest move EVER for education. My oldest son has had 2 years of school (6th & 7th grade) where he had to take TWO math classes and NOT be able to  get into any of the arts at school in which he is quite gifted and talented!!! WHY you may ask did he have to take 2 maths for 2 yrs? Becasue when he took CRCT in the 5th grade, he failed math....by 3 points. It didn't matter that his grades had been all B's all year! It all came down to this stupid test.....and my son experiences anxiety on such things! Anyway, we had to go thru a bunch of junk to get him to able to be able to re-take the test. He passed. But he still had to pay for it for 2 yrs and it makes me mad. It is WRONG. I agree with this speech whole-heartedly. Read it and see what you think, because I am really ready to see teachers be able to TEACH and not worry about this MESS that supposedly says no child is left behind. Well, it HAS caused my child top be left behind on other things and his confidence in himself has been lost in all this mess!

This is  Matt Damon’s speech at the Save Our Schools March. Their mission is to “restore educator, parent, student, and community influence over education policy and practice,” which basically means change the education reform that’s been put in place during the last decade, where standardized testing serves as the measure of success in the classroom, for both teachers and students. The march drew boatloads of teachers, as well big names like Matt Damon and I wanted to share it with you!


“I flew overnight from Vancouver to be with you today. I landed in New York a few hours ago and caught a flight down here because I needed to tell you all in person that I think you’re awesome.

I was raised by a teacher. My mother is a professor of early childhood education. And from the time I went to kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I went to public schools. I wouldn’t trade that education and experience for anything.
I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all come from how I was parented and taught.
And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success — none of these qualities that make me who I am … can be tested.
I said before that I had incredible teachers. And that’s true. But it’s more than that. My teachers were EMPOWERED to teach me. Their time wasn’t taken up with a bunch of test prep — this silly drill and kill nonsense that any serious person knows doesn’t promote real learning. No, my teachers were free to approach me and every other kid in that classroom like an individual puzzle. They took so much care in figuring out who we were and how to best make the lessons resonate with each of us. They were empowered to unlock our potential. They were allowed to be teachers.
Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when you could talk like that.
I shudder to think that these tests are being used today to control where funding goes.
I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very survival as teachers was based on whether I actually fell in love with the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas; less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us realize our talents.
I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if that was the type of education I had. I sure as heck wouldn’t be here. I do know that.
This has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me.
So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated, or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see yourself called “overpaid;” the next time you encounter some simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything. … Please know that there are millions of us behind you. You have an army of regular people standing right behind you, and our appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back.”



So, do you agree or disagree? Let me hear from ya!

Let's Get Together!!

I have some things on my heart today, one of which is something that I feel is getting completely lost in this busy busy world in which we live! The importance of this that I want to talk about seems to be one of great controversy although I grew up believing is was RIGHT thing to do. Now this is not aimed at anyone individually at all. This is just something I am studying and I am working on to see if maybe I have been wrong all these years! Now, in the long run, I will let God's Word speak for Itself...and for me. So, I am going to start with sharing a passage of scripture from Hebrews from a few different translations of the bible.

First, the New King James:
^{Hebrews 10:24} And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Ok, now the New Living Translation:
^{Hebrews 10:24} Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Lastly,  The Message:
^{Hebrews 10:22-25}So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

Hang on, let me throw one more in there....the Amplified version:
^Hebrews10:24And let us consider and give ^[d]attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities,²⁵Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.


ASSEMBLING....GATHERING.....GOIN' TO CHURCH......

Assembling today has taken on SO MANY forms and meanings. To some, it is as sacred as the blood of Jesus, while with others, there is no value at all in goin' to meetin'!The above passages would seem so simple that a child wouldn't mess em up yet I believe many miss its intended mark by a country mile and I also believe it has become something we can hit or miss on....like a lost art almost.

I think people are really forgetting just what can happen when God's people join together in some sort of assembly, gathering, whatever. A good example of being assembled is the 120 in the upper room at Pentecost! They were certainly assembled; Acts 2:¹ On the day of Pentecost^[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. ² Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,^[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 

Ok, they were gathered together...but they had this amazing experience because they were ALL IN ONE ACCORD! They were united! So maybe that is part of our problem. People don;t feel united with their churches. Ok, so does this problem lie with leadership, the congregation, or both? Let's look at it this way:

Let's compare the many members of Christ’s body to a car that has many members, or parts. We can have all the parts of a beautiful, new Mercedes Benz gathered in a pile — but I challenge anyone to hop on top of that pile of new parts and drive them to the Piggly Wiggly for a gallon of milk. Those parts would be more akin to a junk-pile than an automobile, and the supposed driver would get nowhere!  However, when all those parts are properly assembled by a team of assemblers who are in one accord — you can zip across the country at breakneck speed if that's what ya need to do!

So, part of what I'm thinkin' is that our churches are not filled and Christians are not attending is because the body is a conglomerated mess of parts instead of being unified for one purpose. DID WE FORGET OUR PURPOSE? DO WE EVEN REALLY KNOW WHAT OUR PURPOSE IS????

OUR PURPOSE IS CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED, RISEN, AND COMING AGAIN! OUR PURPOSE IS THAT SALVATION, FREE AND CLEAR, IS OFFERED TO EVERYONE!! I think God's people need to get a fresh grip on purpose!

 So, maybe the unity thing is our problem...maybe that's why good Christian people care nothing about being in church. I don't know. Maybe they are BORED with "church".

OK, so we (leadership) are pressed from every side to have the coolest, hippest church with all the new fangled lights and music and be all on the cutting edge of technology. Well, that's not so easy in small town Georgia. But we (leadership) worry that this is why we cannot seem to hold on to a younger generation....the 20/30 somethings. We are just not as appealing as Free Chapel (which I love-don't get me wrong)  or some other churches who have all the hippest stuff!

So, how do small town churches get er done?

I looked around for some answers and what I found just brought back what I have known and believed for years and I quote this from a 20-something blogger:

“I’m not looking for a slicker sermon series or a faux-hawked worship leader or designer coffee in the back lobby.I also believe you make a commitment to one local church and invest in community with those believers long-term, I’m not going to start shopping for a new church. Besides, all those churches would also have long sermons and rambling prayers and worship leaders in skinny jeans. That’s the problem. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don’t want cool as much as we want real…. If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it’s easy or trendy or popular. It’s because Jesus himself is appealing and what he says rings true.”

WOW! Did I ever love reading THAT! Because believe you me...when you are in leadership and your church is not full and no matter how many people you call and visit, you still can;t get it full you really start wondering! But, truthfully that is all Jeff and I have EVER had to offer.....JESUS.

So, I hear people say and I read where they have written it...that they are bored with church because it isn't REAL! There's nothing wrong with all that other stuff I reckon but when it comes down to the Word and altar time and cultivating a real relationship with God.....THEY DON'T WANT THE FLUFF! They want something that will stick to their proverbial ribs! They want REAL!

But then, that's all we have to offer anyway is a VERY REAL JESUS. 

I could keep rambling...I could keep questioning. I could keep on trying to figure it out but I really believe it all comes down to DO YOU LOVE JESUS??

^{John 14:15} “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

IF we love Him we will keep His commands. IF IF IF.

^Hebrews10:24And let us consider and give ^[d]attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities,²⁵Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

HIS WORD IS HIS BOND. HIS WORD IS HIS COMMANDS. HIS WORD IS HIM.





BTW.....I think that if we will look deep down and really examine ourselves...the reason we are bored does not fall on the shoulders of our leaders or those we attend worship with but that the reason is ourselves. Like Jesus said of the church at Ephesus when He was giving John the Revelation.....we have left our first love. I have learned that I can worship Him and NOT be bored whether I am singing out of an old hymnal or have the most up to date technology happening during worship. I can worship Him and NOT be bored whether the preaching and teaching is challenging or dull. I can worship Him in whatever setting I find myself in and NOT be bored because I fell head over heels in love with Jesus---my first love---all over again! I am not saying you don't love Jesus...I am just saying your love for Him could be so much deeper and then maybe you wouldn't be so bored with worship. And here is your preacher's wife confession.....my family has (in the past) been so consumed with making sure everybody in our worship services was happy...from air to music to nursery to comfy seats....etc etc...that we found ourselves caring more about that than being in His presence. That's all changed in the past couple of years and now...no matter how "service" goes....we have just had the time of our lives in HIS presence because we fell back in love with Jesus!!!!!!!

ARE YOU A GIANT KILLER?!?!?!

Are you feeling broken from the battles in your life?  Are you feeling overshadowed by giants (financial, relationships, health, etc)?  When David was staring up at the face of Goliath, when no one else would stand and fight, where did his courage come from?  David KNEW that his God was bigger than the giant standing before him.  David knew all that was required of him was to place that one little stone in the sling, pull it back, and let it go!  It was God who would direct the outcome of that stone.  David KNEW that the battle belonged to God and the victory belonged to him through faith.  Can you gather new courage to stare down the giants in your life?  Can you let God be bigger than the giants?  The battle belongs to God, and the victory belongs to us if we have the faith to put a little stone in our sling, pull it back and let God prove himself faithful in taking down our giants.  In this life, we can’t avoid difficulties and struggles, but God tells us He cares about every area of our life, great and small.

John 16:33-These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

I will take away your coldness.....

This is an excerpt from the book, "When You Pray", by Lucille Walker. It is an interpretation by the Holy Ghost given at the 1975 Tenn Campmeeting during bible study. Oh how this rings true in this age we live in.....

 "You have wanted glory, I have wanted you to be broken. You have wanted fame, I have wanted humility. You have wanted success. I have wanted obedience and for you to carry your cross. You have wanted power, I have wanted you to be filled with love. I wanted you to be led but you have not wanted to be guided. I would have empowered you, but you would not obey. Hear me now: cast your excuses aside and let me walk into your life. I will take away the shame of your barreness, the shame of your coldness. I will touch you with holy flame and power with the Holy Ghost and fire, and you shall be my witnesses in these last days, saith the Lord God Almighty."