Don't be moved!

The Lord spoke to me this morning in my devotional and I believe it is a word you will find very encouraging. I read Proverbs every day, the chapter corresponding to the day of the month. Today being the 10th it is Proverbs 10. A chapter devoted to the wise sayings of Solomon contrasting the wise man with the foolish or evil man.

The blessing of the Lord- it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]. God's blessing is there for us, we don't do anything [toil, strive] to receive it, it is there by virtue of our relationship with Christ. We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. Praise God!

Wise men store up knowledge [in mind and heart], but the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction. The lips of the [uncompromisingly] righteous feed and guide many, but fools die for want of understanding and heart.

These are wonderful passages of scripture filled with God's wisdom. Now hear is a key verse as we go into the Springtime and the season of tornado's and bad weather. Proverbs 10:25- When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous have an everlasting foundation.
Psalms 125:1- Those who trust in, lean on, and confidently hope in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides and stands fast forever. Praise God

Matt 7:24-25: So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it was founded on the rock.

These scriptures have application in many situations in our lives. They apply to our relationships, our finances, our health, our spiritual condition and also to our physical surroundings. Jesus was trying to teach the disciples this lesson when they were in the boat on the lake and a storm arose. He fully expected them to be able to take care of the situation and not be disturbed from His sleep. You remember that He was asleep when all the bad weather was going on around Him?

Jesus had to rebuke the storm by speaking to it and immediately the storm ceased. You've no doubt read this passage many times and maybe you've never grasped the significance of the power available to us through our relationship with Jesus. He intended for us to have power over the physical world around us. His plan for Adam was for him to rule over the earth.

We have been experimenting with this power for many years. Every time that a storm is forecast to come into our area, Jamie and I take the authority Jesus gave us and exercise it over our property. We usually will quote Psalms 91especially verse 10 which says: There shall no evil befall you, nor shall any plague or calamity come near your tent (your home, all your property, where ever you are, your children, etc.). We have never had any damage to our home or cars, our children or us.

We fully trust in and believe God's words to be true regarding our safety and we speak them out in faith trusting that He will protect us. Do this next time that storms come into your area. Instead of giving into fear, made a faith decision that His word is more powerful than any storm and trust that He will protect you. Just imagine that you're on that lake in the boat with Jesus sleeping. Instead of waking Him to do what He told you to do you take control and silence the storms in your life through the power of His words spoken through you. He'll wake up and say "Well done good and faithful servant".

Jamie and I bless you and ask God to richly bless and keep you according to His mighty word!

The Haunting Past

The more we mentor, the more we learn that there are still issues in our own lives that we are dealing with. Have you noticed how when you have overcome certain issues, the enemy tries to throw them back up in your face as if  they are still issues. We must always be wise to his schemes, not ever letting our guard down.

I was praying today and the Lord reminded me that those things of the past can be used by the devil as a "homing pigeon." I’ll explain... My husband is a mighty, faith man. Did you know that the opposite of faith is fear. Fear means flight or flee, being so scared “that which may cause flight.” Alan trusts God with his whole heart. He does! But there was a time early in our marriage where we were not in financial harmony. We have since, done Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace, we pray together seeking God’s financial council and we are in agreement when we do everything now. Now we are investing in the stock market together.

However, that homing pigeon of (financial) fear still tries to come back and land on Alan (to roost in his thoughts), even though Alan has already overcome that. So we must first, have the eyes to SEE as it is happening so that we can, REMIND the enemy that we have overcome that fear and THANK God that we are new creations in Christ Jesus. The old creature has passed away, behold we are made anew. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God” Luke 9:62. Fear cannot run roughshod over us anymore. It has no place. We now stand firm, in Jesus’ name.

Try that he may, the enemy cannot succeed in tormenting Alan in the area of financial investments. We bind our minds to the mind of Christ meaning that the enemy cannot come in the back door. Half of the battle is being aware that there is an accuser of the bretheren. Since we know that the opposite of faith is fear, the enemy longs to pervert Alan’s “faith mindset” to a “fear mentality”. So we take our authority because we are no longer in that place of fear anymore. We have spiritually matured! We are so far removed from that place we were years ago, there is no comparison to what we knew then to what we now know. And we aren’t going back, but are moving ahead in Christ Jesus. Empowered by the Holy Spirit! Praise God!

Distraction = Destruction

Our Young Marrieds small group is reading a book, His Needs Her Needs by Willard F. Harley. Its preface tells about Harley’s early encounter with a friend whose marriage was in trouble and came to him for advice. The friend’s marriage ended in divorce anyway so that sent him on a journey to discover what counsel could have made a difference in the outcome. His answer theorized that if you could associate “a feeling of love, to a person”, then that could be the difference.That is a great concept. Many have called it the best marraige book ever written with over one million copies printed internationally in over 15 years.

As Christians, we automatically associate those same feelings of love with our heavenly Father. “A feeling of love with Abba Daddy.” The Bible is the number one most printed (over any other publication) in the entire world. The Bible is revered as the inspired Word of God. Yet, why is the world currently in a downward spiral? That is the question that has me troubled. Morals, values, character, leadership, government, marriage, the family unit, etc.

What is the first commandment? (Jesus)“Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord; And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with your whole soul (your life) and out of and with your whole mind (your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.” -Mark 12: 29-30 AMP. 

He is a jealous God because he wants you to have THE best and your obedience of Him is what avails Gods best for you. A practical application of this, is to respect God and those in authority over you. The other gods have become the distraction of the one true God. There is a reason that this is the first commandment. It is because God knows any other god (lower case) will side track us (ie: power, money,  people, objects, hobbies, ablity, etc.). The enemy uses them as distractions. Distraction will take us down a path of destruction. There are scriptural references that attest to that. And that is no theory. It is Truth.

Jer. 25:6; 35:15, Luke 4:8.

Navigator

We have been asking the Lord to show us how to relay the person of the Holy Spirit to individuals in terms so that they can understand. One day He simply replied, “Navigator.” Upon thinking on this, I kept coming back to the GPS (navigation) system in cars and on cell phones. The “nav” system works as a compass based on a map. The Holy Spirit works as a guide (navigator), based on God’s Word (The Bible), hence the expression, “the Bible is a guidebook for life.” 

Alan and I were in New York over the holidays. When Alan returned our car into the rental office, he had to walk back to the hotel. He used the “nav” system, on his new phone for the first time, following the map to get back to the hotel. A few days later we were getting in our last few hours before catching a cab back to the airport. Bags already awaiting our return in the lobby office, a cab had been pre-arranged to pick us up at the hotel at 3:30 pm to take us to the airport. Getting maximum enjoyment while in Brooklyn, we cut it a bit close in returning to the hotel. 

Upon realizing our dilemma of possibly not making it back in time, we kept asking people on the street how to get back to our hotel. We were frantic. I’d had a muscle injury in my leg before going on the trip, so I was nervous about re-injuring it by walking faster than my leg was ready to go. I was being pressed to hurry. We did get back in time. 

Later, however, we realized we’d had the capability to find our way back, all along. We had not yet gotten accustomed to using this new feature available to us. The map had been right there in Alan’s pocket. The “nav” system. All we needed do was USE IT! How many times have you, in a moment of panic, reacted without realizing what you needed (or something comparable), was available to you all along? If you’d just had the pressence of mind and taken a moment to recognize it.

The Holy Spirit is like that too. He is already there (within us), poised and ready to help. All we have to do, is Power up. He is the POWER; our Empowerment, our Compass, our Guide, our Helper, even our Navigator. Just as you tap onto the screen to summon the “nav” feature on your cell phone, so do you tap into the power of the Holy Spirit by simply asking Him for His help. When we get accustomed to using this supernatural empowerment available, it becomes second nature to us.

That empowerment can’t be much use or help to us if we don’t not use it. As Christians, we need to use this precious, God-given gift of the Holy Spirit. He is there as Navigator to get us through the stormy waters of life; marriage, work situations, financial decisions, parenting, and other relational issues, etc.  “But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Holy Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all truth (the whole, full Truth). For he will not speak His own message; but He will tell whatever He hears from the Father and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come.” -John 16:13 AMP

After the Storm

It's Winter in Alabama or at least the calendar says it is so. However the temperature seems more like Spring and with that warmth have come the storms. Last Monday morning early there were a bought of tornados here in Birmingham. Areas north of us were hit extremely hard with whole neighborhoods being heavily damaged.

One of the couples in our church whose home was damaged live in that area of town. On Saturday I went to help them do whatever was needed to begin the process of recovery. Arriving there was like traveling through a war zone. What were houses now looked like huge piles of sticks with trees scattered all around pushed over by the high winds. The tornado had mostly spared their home but had removed most of the trees in their wooded yard.

Awaking at 4am Monday morning to the sounds, they had made it into the hallway from their bedroom before the tornado struck blowing out windows. In a few seconds the storm had passed leaving them unharmed but traumatized emotionally. Looking at all the damage around their home, it was a blessing to learn that no one had received serious injuries just scratches, bruises and terrifying memories of the storm.

As we began to work clearing debris there was a group of people helping. I asked them how they knew our friends. Interestingly they told me they didn't know them at all. Just a group of people helping someone else who was in need. As I looked around the same thing was going on at other homes. People helping to cut down damaged trees while others brought food and water to those volunteering.

There were officials of course but mostly volunteers. It was so encouraging to see church groups and neighbors, people helping others through a difficult time. It's something we need more of in these trying times. People helping others without asking anything in return. It's a spirit of mercy and compassion, something God given from the Father of all mercy. Zechariah 7:9

Adoption Spirit

We are in the middle of a time of prayer and fasting for the new year and seeking God's direction for our church, the Inverness Vineyard. In our prayer times, the Lord is pouring into us much wisdom and a new and deeper understanding of His wonderful love, grace and mercy for us. He intends for us to be conduits of His love, mercy and grace to a world of lost, depressed and desperate people.

As we are being filled up with Him, we look for people upon whom we can pour out His anointing. Out of our inmost being will flow rivers of living water. The very life blood of Christ which transforms us into His likeness! Paul speaks of the adoption this way in Ephesians: "He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight."

As I was about to pray yesterday during lunch a co-worker came into my office asking some questions about her sons ability to remain under her medical plan. As we were talking she began to pour out her heart and brokenness about her son who was in rehab for addiction to alcohol and drugs. She loves him so much and was so distraught over his inability to free himself from addiction.

She told me that she and her husband had adopted their son as an infant and that he simply could not understand why his birth mom had chosen to give him up for adoption. The Lord was speaking to me through this situation of His Spirit of adoption that He actually chose us when we were in the middle of our sinfulness and lostness.

As I was praying with her, we prayed for the Spirit of adoption to infuse their son with the understanding of the love that his adopted mom and dad have for him as well as the love of his heavenly Father. That love would transform him enabling him to free himself from the past and unlock the chains of addiction that have bound him.

Today, invite the Lord to come into your heart and permeate your soul with His Spirit of adoption to free you from the past and any sins that have bound you. He is able and He is willing to do it!
Blessings

Tower of Babel

Since being involved in marriage ministry, we have a very different perspective on lots things including the story of the Tower of Babel. 

The story goes like this... “At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. As the people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began to talk about construction projects. “Come,” they said, “let’s make great piles of burnt brick and collect natural asphalt to use as mortar. Let’s build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies - a monument to our greatness!” - Genesis 11:1-4 (bold italics for emphasis)

Wow. Did you catch that? “A monument to OUR greatness.” What in the world were they thinking? They were thinking that they no longer needed God because they were god. “Pride comes before the fall.” Upon reading this, we realized how similar a parallel this is to the marriage relationship. Husbands and wives process and communicate in such different ways. At times (and for some, most of the time!) there is difficulty relating between man and woman; husband and wife. Why do you think that is? It is because God wants us to understand our extreme need for Him in our relationship with our spouse. And His Holy Spirit is there to help us understand and relate to one another. That is why the Holy Spirit, the Third Cord, is so necessary. The Bible tells us, “God blesses those who realize their need for Him...” - Matthew 5: 3. So that means, He (God) can't bless us if we don't realize our need for Him. Right? Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Did you know that the Bible instructs us on ways in which God will hear us? “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.” - Psalm 34: 17 (bolded for emphasis). That is why He intervened on behalf of the Babylonians. They were behaving in an unrighteous manner. “Anyone who obeys God’s law and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven” -Matthew 5: 19. We know that “obedience is greater than sacrifice” -1 Samuel 15: 22. It goes on further to say in verse 23, that “rebellion (the opposite of obedience) is like divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”  Choosing rebellion over obedience is a vile offense to God. Do you see how the Babylonians were trying to make idols of themselves? 

We can learn from their error as we cry out to God in humility, submitting to His authority and instruction from the Holy Spirit. He is our counselor and guide in troubled times Blessings!

Refreshment

Refreshment! We all want it. We all need to have it when we get to a point of saturation with life. We often decide to go on a vacation when we get to that point. To a place to get away from the fierce pace of life. To rest; slow our pace; to catch our breath. From a Christians’ standpoint, we already have that available to us! It is that secret place with our Lord. We can go there anytime, day or night. He is the 24/7 Counselor. 

The Amplified Bible defines the Holy Spirit as Counselor, Advocate, Teacher,  Intercessor, Strengthener, Guide and Standby. All of those. You can just crawl up into His big, loving, Daddy arms and express yourself to the only One who really understands because He created you and knows exactly what is going on (as being omnipotent, He has unlimited power and authority). You expressing your heart is the single most important thing that matters to Him at that moment (because He is omnipresent- He is everywhere at all times). 

It is best going to Him. The Perfect Counselor is Love. He is patient and kind. Long-suffering, full of grace and mercy. Does not condemn. Loves unconditionally. Knows the plans He has for you. Plans of peace (His Peace, Perfect Peace). To give you hope and a future (His Future). To give you life to experience to the full. Go there. To that secret place with Him and draw from His Presence. His Will for you. 

The enemy uses busy-ness to rob us of our peace and joy. Enjoy refreshment with the Father from this place called LIFE. The wheel of life is always turning. It is up to you to get a reprieve. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you when you need to go there. Jump off the wheel and into the His arms. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” -Deuteronomy 33:27

Resolutions

This has been a “soul searching” new year for us. Even more so than other years. I have noticed that in both of us as 2011 came to an end. There has been much silence between us, reflection and conversations of reviewing thoughts and feelings we have, things we have done, thought or said; questioning our motives, etc. As we have pondered that, I believe it surrounds our becoming (marriage) pastors and the great responsibility that comes with that. 

Our church pastor has taken the month of January for us as a church to fast, pray and to seek our Lord about the direction for our church for the in-coming year. Upon reading from “through the Bible in a year,” the scripture reading for today struck me, that stated, “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed the people who had every kind of sickness (physical, mental, spiritual) and disease.”- Matthew 4: 23

We know that the Bible says that Jesus came to overcome the world. The “world” here represents everything that is not of heaven (sin, sickness, poverty, etc.). Heaven is perfect; the world, imperfect. Jesus had such compassion for God’s creation (us) in this imperfect world, that He came to bring us hope. Our hope is in Him! He is hope for the hopeless.

As Christians, that baton was been passed to us. We are to bring hope to the hopeless. We are to be the salt and light (to those who need it). We are truth and the life that will set them free. We are holy and righteous representatives for Almighty God, the Christ Jesus. That is what the Bible says of us. So we have been honored, and given a great responsibility to represent Him well to the world. We are privileged to carry such an honor. I want to fulfill that responsibility to the best of my ability, as I know you do too. And the only way to do this, as God would do, is only by His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. 

“Not by power nor by might but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”- Zechariah 4:6

So indeed His Holy Spirit alive and active in us is necessary to accomplish the great commission. So Father we ask for Your eyes to see, hear and understand by Your Spirit. Amen.

The Banquet Table- The Feast Awaits Us

"As you wait attentively in My Presence, the Light of the knowledge of My Glory shines upon you. This radiant knowledge transcends all understanding." December 25th- Jesus Calling,  (Devotional) by Sarah Young.

Several years ago, I received this vision while running. In light of the marvelous gift to us of our Lord and Savior Jesus, I thought it appropriate to share with you. As I was running that day the sky seemed to open up and on the canvas of my mind I saw the banquet table spoken of in the 23rd Psalm. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runneth over." -Psalm 23: 5. No verse encapsulates the blessing of our relationship with the Lord more completely!

The table was huge with many chairs on each side. It was abundantly supplied with every kind of sumptuous food imaginable. Fruits and vegetables, meats of all kind were placed upon the table. At each place setting there was a plate and a chalice awaiting it's invited guest.

It was as if I were a spectator looking on with a view of the entire room. I noticed two great doors at the end of the rectangular banquet hall. The doors were giant extending from floor to ceiling. So heavy they appeared that no man could open them. The doors would open periodically and I sensed that people were entering however I could not see them. It was then that I noticed the doors were being opened by two angels. One positioned at each door to grant entrance to those coming into the room.

As I looked to the floor, to my surprise, I saw the people who had entered the room lying on the floor. Seemingly unaware of the great feast prepared for them. They entered the great banquet hall only to choose the floor.  Not only were they on the floor but they had brought with them what appeared to be bags of food. Bags filled with rotten apples and bananas, rancid meats, decaying vegetables. Why had these people chosen to enter in and bring with them their own rotten food?

As I looked at the table again, I noticed the Lord sitting at the end of the table in the place of the host. His eyes had tears in them as He viewed His people in the great hall choosing to sit on the floor when the feast had been prepared for them at the table. Then slowly I began to see people rising from the floor and taking their place at the table. Choosing to leave behind what they had brought with them and coming to the table to partake of the feast prepared just for them. This was God's best!

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we also celebrate what His coming represents to us. He is the Shepherd spoken of in the 23rd Psalm. He is the One who prepares the table before us in the presence of our enemies. The One who anoints our head with oil. The oil that signifies the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The oil which refreshes and invigorates us to engage more freely in His service.

This year choose to joyfully receive what the Lord has prepared. He has prepared a feast of prosperity, provision and protection. The feast awaits!

God's Timetable

As a Christian, we have to remind ourselves on a regular basis, of things like,... 

my schedule is not my own. So often we forget this. Like when we were in New York City this past weekend. Alan and I were going to a church service which required our taking the subway. When asking for directions a man came over to help us. He quite earnestly gave us the best directions he knew. He even followed us down into the subway to look at the map making sure we understood the connections.

Alan had brought two of our books with us. One for the pastor at the church we would be attending but who was the other one for, I wondered? When I mentioned giving the extra book to the man that had helped us, Alan agreed. We sought him out at the station. When approaching him we introduced ourselves, told him we were pastors and that we would like to give him one of our books for his kindness. Upon taking it, he told us about himself. His name was Jay, he was 31 and he had just gotten a new job where he’d learned how it felt needing directions. His job was in sales and he had to deliver his products.

Being from Brooklyn all his life, he had trouble finding his way much beyond the New York City area that he was now servicing. He had just bought a GPS to use in his car. Alan boldly asked if we could pray for him. Jay responded affirmatively. Then Alan asked, ”what do you want Jay?” Jay said to do well in his new job and a good wife. So we began praying these things for Jay then and there. I could hear people walking past us and was aware that something very atypical was happening in the New York City subway. When we finished praying, we realized that something supernatural had also just happened. Something indeed was different about Jay. He was radiant. Glowing.  All smiles. He was encouraged. And so were we. 

Our schedule had been hijacked... by God no less. Even though we realized there had been a quicker way to get to our church service and we would now be late, this was definitely on God’s radar. It was a divine appointment. God loved Jay very much and He was going to do some things in his life. Jay was never going to be the same. It feels so good knowing you are in accord with God’s plan. I have thought and prayed for Jay a great deal since being home and we expect to hear from him again... either here or in the here after!

Collaborating with the Lord

Collaboration. Co-laboring. In marriage, collaboration is important because husbands and wives need to work together.... to be on the same page.... be in harmony and unity...as a team. However, what couples so often forget to do,  is to allow God's Holy Spirit to be at the center of the equation instead. How it should happen, is couples seek God first, then begin to dialog together as to how they believe God is leading them. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

We quite often run out ahead of God leaving the protective covering He has provided for us. Doing this frequently leads to our disillusionment with the mission we feel He has placed within our hearts. Running ahead of God can be mistaken for running with God. Yes, maybe God did give you a good idea, but did you let Him finish His thought or did you finish it for Him?

There is a great passage of scripture upon which we have meditated for years: Proverbs 16: 3 AMP - "Roll your works upon the Lord, commit and trust your way unto Him and He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will and so shall your plans be established and they shall succeed."

In your marriage, have you done what this scripture suggests? By allowing His thoughts to become our thoughts, we get the whole revelation of what God is trying to communicate to us. But it doesn't happen overnight! It takes time and careful meditation upon His word and listening for the Holy Spirit's wisdom regarding our situation.

Years ago we received a prophetic word regarding our ministry together for married couples. That we would be involved in instructing and guiding couples, leading them into God's will for their relationships. We received that word with gladness however it took many years for the fulfillment of that word. During those years God was at work in us causing our thoughts to become agreeable to His will. Now He has firmly established His plans in our hearts and we are fully engaged in doing His work.

Co-laboring is a "Third Cord" concept. We must train our minds to invite His Spirit into every aspect of our life; especially our thoughts. His ways are so much higher than ours that sometimes our minds get in the way of being able to grasp the significance of His thoughts. However, with time and careful attention to Him and His Word, we get the revelation He is communicating to us. The magnitude of His thoughts overwhelm our natural minds. As we invite the Spirit, His thoughts become our thoughts and we can see what was once hidden from us.

Here are some active steps to take to begin the co-laboring process:

• As a couple, come together in prayer seeking God's insight and wisdom. 
• Dialogue between yourselves as to what you're hearing from God.
• Spend time meditating on His Word as it relates to your situation. 
• Expect God to speak and receive confirmation from Him.
• Walk patiently in faith, thanking Him that His perfect plan will come to pass.

Restoration Spirit!

Jamie and I recently ran into a couple that we had counseled for several months back in the Summer of this year. They had been through some tough times together and he had recently lost his job due to a corporate downsizing. Their relationship had gone from bad to worse and they needed help.

Thankfully both of them had reached the point where they were ready to listen. If you counsel couples, you know what I mean! We've met with so many couples as I'm sure many of you have that are just getting their ticket punched prior to finalizing a divorce. One or both of them agree to come for a meeting just to say "there I've done it, it didn't work and now I'm leaving".

We counsel based upon the power of the Holy Spirit only and not with human wisdom. So during our first meeting we sensed that there were some significant hindrances from there backgrounds. He had come out of a household in which his parents never fought but stuffed everything. His father would simply walk away whenever there was a disagreement. She conversely had come from a home in which her parents fought incessantly. They basically never resolved disagreements but would follow each other through the house arguing. You see the problem when those two styles of conflict resolution meet.

The issue was really rather simple to resolve once the Holy Spirit had revealed the root cause of their problem. They were following the patterns set for them by their parents. In this case we were able to help them break the cycle of her aggressive behavior towards him and his "turtle" behavior of going into his shell. Communication was key in this as we helped them to communicate the way they felt without resorting to their past pattern of dealing with each other.

We always require that couples pray with and for each other in the counseling process and in this case we could see the power of prayer transforming their relationship. They told us that evening we ran into them of how it had been a turning point in their relationship. They were learning how to communicate with each other and understand the others point of view. The Holy Spirit was reconciling their broken relationship and deepening their love together.

It was great to get some feedback from them and to hear their story of renewal. The Holy Spirit is a restorer of the breach and is always ready to come and minister life to us if we will only ask Him and allow Him to work a miracle in our hearts!
Blessings,
Alan and Jamie

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

We went to help celebrate my (Jamie) brothers 50th birthday last night. On the agenda for the evening there was to be a roast of my brother, Charlie. I had planned to share, but everyone was enjoying the festivities so well that it got late. Being that I was recovering from a sinus infection partnered with laryngitis we needed to leave when the clock struck 9:30.

It was a shame to miss that part because I had prepared to share about my brothers younger years.  Few there new him during his boyhood years, but so often it shows you a glimpse into things to come. That night someone by the fire pit asked me if Charlie was always as creative as he is now. God designs us perfectly and scripture says that “He even knows us before we were formed in our mothers womb.” So I will share about him...

My brother, Charlie, is a great guy. He is creative, gifted, innovative, funny, loves nature and life and has favor wherever he goes! How’s that for near perfect. He worked for Southern Living (maintaining and designing gardens, and was Garden Editor) while in high-school then after college and all of his career until the last two years where he has stepped out in faith and begun his own gardening business at the Garden Gallery (shameless advertising).

As a young boy, at some point, my grandmother (who did not live in our town) spoke to my mother, expressing great concern of Charlie not having enough male influence in his life. At that young age he was surrounded by three older sisters and an “at home” mother, but a father that was on the road a great deal of the time.

My mother, was creative in her own right, and coupled with a limited budget and not wanting to make a significant investment until she knew something was going to “take,” sent Charlie down the street where we had a neighborhood lake. He took a long stick, a string tied to it and small safety pin attached to the string. You got it, a home-made fishing pole. I don’t even think Charlie used bait! And guess what he came home with? In less than an hour there was a commotion at the front door and in come the three musketeers, Charlie and his two buds, Ray and Ted Blackston. And there on the safety pin, Charlie had a brim about two inches long. Wearing an ear to ear grin, up until that day, I believe it was the happiest day Charlie had spent on earth.

At a young age, he exhibited tendencies to being a “real” mans-man. But my mother being a peace loving woman, didn’t feel right about buying toy guns for her little boy to play with. So what did Charlie do? Got a clothes pin, clipped a long unsharpened pencil in it and used it as a gun! Running through the house saying pow-pow, we quickly learned that there was “built-in” innovation and determination in this little boy. 

Any season you go to my brothers house these days, you will see the most unusual things exhibited in the most unusual ways. Creatively and beautifully he brings together rustic and nature. It is an adventure just walking through rooms in his house just taking things in. He is fearfully and wonderfully made because of the time that was taken to develop him. By his grandmothers concerns, my mother leapt to action. The intervention, introduction and development had been executed in giving him the ability to see and function in the world creatively. 

It is the same with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is there, scripture says, placed within us as a “down payment” when we become Christians. But unless it is developed or tapped into, we don’t experience it to the full. And as Charlie was determined, he pursued that “deep” need within him. Because it was in his DNA. The Holy Spirit is also part of our DNA as believers. We must be determined and pursue the Holy Spirit to fill that “deep” need that we have to find who we are, who we are to be and what the plan for life is. 

“A mans heart plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps” -Proverbs 16:9

“And I walk at liberty, and at ease, for I have sought and inquired for [and desperately required],  Your precepts.” -Psalm 119:45 AMP

A Godly focus on marriage

Jamie and I believe that God has given us a specific message to deliver to the body of Christ as well as the anointing to have our message received by the Church. Both of us have come out of stable households where our parents have been in long term marriages. 

Jamie’s mother passed away a number of years ago having been diagnosed with MS in her early thirties. We witnessed her Dad’s loving care for her during her slow decline in health until her eventual death. His love for her was and will always be a picture of God’s love for us demonstrated through the life of one of his faithful followers. 

I think that is part of the reason God has chosen us to speak His word concerning marriage. You need to understand that most spouses of MS patients leave their mates. In view of that statistic, it is particularly significant that Jamie’s Dad didn’t leave but provided the majority of her Mom’s care for over 20 years. It has been a powerful picture of their love for each other and God’s plan for how we are to live together as husbands and wives. 

Today the divorce rate in the U.S. stands at 50% for first marriages and 65% for second marriages. Even higher for a third or fourth marriage. The biggest reason for divorce? There are many but all tied to one general theme; “We just couldn’t get along.” And our children have born the brunt of our unfaithfulness to our mates. Today, 85% of kids with behavioral problems and 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. Children from single parent homes are more likely to have teenaged pregnancies and suffer a host of emotional and behavioral problems.

If this were not bad enough and it certainly is bad, the divorce rate in the church is the same if not worse than in the general population. We make all the same excuses for why we can’t get along and then have the audacity to bring God into the mix and say “God doesn’t want me to be unhappy.” I can hear the voice of Jesus saying “you are badly mistaken, have you not read in my word that I hate divorce?”

Please hear me in what I am saying and what I am not saying. I am saying that divorce is much to prevalent in our society. We are casual in our commitment to each other when we should be married for life. I have even witnessed pastors in their zeal to focus on evangelism say that marriage is unimportant in relation to bringing people into the Kingdom. What heresy! How many people have been turned off permanently by the ungodly ways in which we have treated out marriage mates?

What I am not saying is that there is never a legitimate reason for divorce. There certainly are and we must never encourage someone to remain in a dangerous or unhealthy relationship where their own safety or health is put at risk by the sinful behavior of a spouse. 

What we need is a godly focus on what God considers important. We need to put our own selfish desires away and ask for forgiveness. Jesus responded when asked by the Pharisees regarding divorce. “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.” 

Power Potential

This week at church we had guest speaker, Robby Dawkins (The Finger of God, Furious Love), come and speak. It was one of those times when we’re called to a place outside of our comfort zone. He reminded us that Jesus, more often than not, ministered to the UN-Churched, whereas most of us in church, minister in the most obvious place, Church. The place where we won’t standout. Less awkward. Less conspicuous.

However, Robby stretches us to look for those around us when in public places, especially in dark places when there is a need. Why? Because the enemy already thinks he has won those lost types into his kingdom, and there is less resistance. Less warfare. Robby reminds us that God really loves those less lovely types. We encounter less warfare with these types than when ministering to a Christian. There is more resistance with Christians because of his fear of the power potential. 

These lost, dark types need reaching as well. That is what Jesus modeled. He ministered to the sick (physically and mentally), maimed (crippled, blind, etc), prostitutes, tax collectors (dishonest business men), adulterers, etc. The next day, I was in Target and the little, old lady in line in front of me was saying how badly her toothache was. I knew what God was up to. The question is, was I up for the challenge? 

I was reminded of Robby’s comment to obSERVE where there is need around you. She definitely had need. So after my purchase I caught up with her and asked about her tooth. Then I asked to pray for her to be healed. She thanked me afterward telling me the pain was gone. It was a moment that ministered to me more than to her because I was obedient.  It was a win-win power moment 1) for me, but more importantly, 2) for her as she was reaching her “power potential” by recognizing The Healer of her body and her life and 3) for growing the kingdom of God.  

What God Wants for Your Marriage

Today we spoke at our church on What God Wants for Your Marriage.  Since we want everyone to know that the Holy Spirit is the key to resolving our relational problems, that was the focus. One of the things that the Holy Spirit had dropped into our understanding this month was that it is kind of like when you are in a crowded, noisy environment, yet you are still able to hear your cell phone when it goes off. And other people look at you in amazement that you actually heard it, asking how in the world could you hear that?

Your ear has to become trained to hearing that sound. You can do that with the Holy Spirit. You can train yourself to be alert and attentive and to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit over distraction.

Distraction is just insignificant noise designed by the enemy to do just that... confuse, distract, and to keep you crazy-busy. Tune it out so that you can receive the significant. That being the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs says, "... a wise man hides himself from evil, while the foolish man blindly forges ahead." The Holy Spirit will lead, guide and protect you away from destruction if you ask Him.

A Time to Heal

 In Ecclesiastes, The Preacher writes: "To Everything there is a season, and a time for every matter and purpose under heaven." After the latest revelation of wrongdoing and cover up, this time at Penn State University, I'm left to wonder what season are we in?

Is this a time to speak or a time to keep silent? Apparently officials at PSU felt it appropriate to keep silent and not to speak. How many of us when confronted with evil will simply look away? I'm asking myself the same question. When we encounter wickedness how do we respond? Do we take a stand and say enough or do we shrug our shoulders and say something like "you know the culture we live in."

Perhaps this tragedy will result in people making a decision to get involved, to not turn and look the other way. If any good can come from this, perhaps it is that some other vulnerable children somewhere will not have to endure years of torment, guilt and shame because someone close to their situation decided that enough was enough.

As a people, we must come to grips with the garbage that we allow to pass for acceptable behavior. We've been far to tolerant of people's aberrant lifestyles that result in death and destruction for them and those close to them. When will we stop kidding ourselves and embrace the absurdity that a perverted sexual lifestyle is not only wrong, it violates God's laws and the just penalty for that wrong will be enforced.

I hope and pray that this will be a turning point for our country. That we will turn from our wicked ways and seek out the one true God and ask His forgiveness.

Praise for the Proverbs 31 Woman

The 31st! Our founding Fathers practiced the spiritual discipline of reading the Bible every day. Many of them ,Pastors, would read the Proverb corresponding to the day. Today is a great day to praise the Wife that God so graciously provided to you.

Proverbs 31: 10-12; A capable, intelligent and virtuous woman- who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of honest gain or need of dishonest spoil. She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.

Let her know today how much she means to you and the blessing that her life is to you and your children! I know my wife is the Proverbs 31 Woman, she resides within all of our wives waiting to be called forth by her husband.

God's Glory

We just got back from doing a marriage conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our drive was gloriously “breath-taking.” And when I say this, I mean it not simply as an expression, but as a true physical manifestation from “taking in” an extra-ordinary view of color, like that from a jewel box. I’ve often heard people being interviewed in life-after-death experiences, express that color in heaven is not the same as the color we know here on earth. As an artist, I look forward to experiencing it, because I can’t imagine it any more beautiful than what I experienced this past mid-October weekend.

Something about the leaves’ fall color being back-lit by the sun makes me think of stained-glass windows. I had to lean my head back on the headrest just to take it all in. God’s presence is affecting me this way too. Unlike any other time, God “awe-inspiring” experiences are the norm. I am beginning to see Him more and more in the little things, as well as big ones. God is in everything. His fingerprint is everywhere around me. Even when bad things happen, instead of focussing on the bad, now I see or anticipate the good that is coming. Because without the bad, God could not “show off” what He can does best.

I love the scripture, “What the enemy means for evil, God means for good.” And also, when Jesus’ disciples asked, why the man was blind? Was it because of his sin or that of his parents? The answer. “Neither,” Jesus answered. “It is so that God can show His glory through miracle-working power.” What better reason? Then Jesus spat on the ground, made clay, spread it on the blind mans’ eyes and sent him to wash in the Pool of Siloam- which means Sent. When the man came back, he could see.

(Jamie) My eyes have been opened to see the miracle-working power of Daddy God in my own life. In our marriage; my health; and our children! I know He is always up to something good. That is what the Bible says, “For You (God) are great and work wonders (miracles)! You alone are God!” -Isaiah 86:10. I guess you could say, God has made a Believer out of me. Once you have experienced His miracle, you see things in a very different light (so to speak). My perspective on life is now back-lit by the glory of the Lord. It is awe-inspiring, breath-taking and down-right amazing!