Kingdom Surrender

Posted on FaceBook Jun 18, 2020

HELLO KINGDOM!

Before this year began, God placed on my heart the need for revival, which became my word for the year. Before the pandemic hit, I had posted a couple posts relating to that theme. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have continued to post about what is going on, usually referring to the need for revival. Lately, my posts have been sporadic and getting progressively longer. I’ve been writing what He places in my heart, when He places it in my heart. I don’t worry about the length, or about the likes they garner (or lack of likes.) I don’t worry about “empty chairs.” I only plant the seed and God will do the watering according to His plan. A few days ago He planted the Truth in Love theme, in response to the current social injustice crisis gripping the country (and world.) He also has me breaking it into a series. I finished this first segment Wednesday afternoon, before going to Wednesday night service, and listening to Pastor Timothy Mutchler deliver the message.

Truth in Love Part 1

The Holy Spirit is still in control! We attended our church on Sunday and watched a couple other church services on-line, and read several devotionals. All had similar themes around being bold and speaking out in TRUTH. I ended my last Kingdom post Jun 7 with “be the Voice of Truth.”

Pastor Robert Madu spoke of grace and truth at Elevation Church yesterday. If you have a chance, listen to it. His message centered on John 8:1-12 and John 1:14. John 8:1-12 covers the story of the adulteress brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees. They were trying to trick Jesus. In the process, they were twisting the facts and law to do so. They said that the Mosaic law stated that such caught in the act of adultery should be stoned and wanted to know what Jesus would say. At first Jesus appeared to ignore them, writing on the ground. When pressed again, He rose up and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” He could have retorted with throwing the Mosaic law back at them, stating that it takes two to commit adultery and asking where the other participant was, thus standing on the truth of Law. But He didn’t. He exemplified what John wrote at the end of John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” He used grace to defuse the attempt to trap Him, and spoke with the full weight of truth of the Law.

The scribes and Pharisees tried to use shock and awe to entrap Jesus. They burst in on the middle of Him preaching in the temple, plopped the woman down in their midst and challenged Jesus, quoting Law. Much like a lot of the media and people with agendas are doing today, whether in print in newspapers, over the airwaves (radio) and broadcasts (TV), or on social media posts. Most are using little to no grace, preying on emotions. Few are speaking truths, or at most using only partial truths or twisting the truth to suit their purposes. Unfortunately, Christians are taking the bait and responding in worldly ways.

A lot is being said, and done, from all sides: black lives matter, police brutality, rioting, property destruction and more killings. Many are taking sides and speaking out, one way or another. This country is on the verge of chaos. But God is moving, He is lifting pastors and Christians, who walk in Christ, up from the ashes to preach the Truth in Love. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11-16: “And He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

And Jesus tells us that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:31) More than that Jesus told the disciples, after his resurrection to “make disciples of all the nations” and “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) In other words PREACH THE GOSPEL. There will be only One Solution to this crisis, only One Answer, only one Source. That is found in Jesus Christ. As Christians, we must rise up as One Voice, do the will of God, and speak Truth in Love, as He has shown us. This is just the beginning.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I had completed writing this Wednesday afternoon, before going to Wednesday night service and receiving Pastor Tim’s message. I’ve also mentioned several times that the Holy Spirit is touching the hearts of many with similar themes, as Christ-Centered Pastors seem to be following the same Liturgical Calendar. After reviewing my post this morning before actually posting it, I realized two things that confirm this thought. First, the title of Pastor Tim’s message? The answer to that question is found in the last paragraph: PREACH THE GOSPEL. Second, speaking of answers, his mother Cindi Mutchler, was wearing a T-shirt. The front of the shirt had “Jesus.” The back of the shirt? “The Solution, Answer, Source.”

Make no mistake, He is moving in a mighty way. Focus on doing His will and let your light preach the Gospel. They are watching to see how we will react. What will you do?

Be Blessed!

Posted on FaceBook, Jun 7, 2020

GOOD MORNING KINGDOM!

“Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death.” (Acts 7:57-60, 8:1)

“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” (Acts 8:3)

David Dorn, a retired St Louis police captain, was shot and killed by looters while he was protecting a friend’s pawn shop in the early hours of June 2. A small memorial has already begun to spring up. One sign reads, “’Y’all killed a black man because ‘they’ killed a black man??? Rest in peace.” Someone captured the shooting on video and posted it on Facebook, but it was taken down. One witness commented on Facebook, “It’s one thing to be a victim of a robbery/assault but to lie in your own blood pleading for help and no help comes other than people standing around on FB Live recording his death.”

As I read this article (posted on The Daily Citizen), the above Scripture passages came to mind. Saul witnessed the stoning of Stephen, then went about persecuting Christians. I believe this event may have been the beginning of his conversion, weighing heavy in the back of his mind, until that day on the road to Damascus, when struck down by Jesus Christ and questioned as to why he was persecuting Him. Saul’s immediate response was to ask what He wanted him to do, and, as the saying goes, the rest was history. From that moment on, Saul, who later would be better known as Paul, followed the will of God.

Scriptures abound exhorting Christians to be bold and to be the light. A revival is spreading throughout the land. We can no longer stand on the sidelines, as Saul did watching Stephen being stoned to death. And we do not need to wait for Christ to knock us down to get our attention. He has already done that through His Word, planted deep in us. Acts 4:29-31 tells us: “Now, Lord look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness, they may speak Your Word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. Being bold does not mean being boisterous and shouting negativity. It does not mean being reckless and joining the violent, incendiary rhetoric. Scriptures tell us to speak the Word of God with boldness. We must walk it out with Christ. We don’t speak out against injustices, but speak in kindness of support for justice. We don’t act out in protest against but rather work towards correcting those injustices by being a part of the solution as the Holy Spirit guides us.“

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:29-32) James 1: 21-22 tells us: “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It is not enough to just obtain knowledge, then do nothing with it. The person, standing on the street corner and seeing a fire in a nearby building, calls out, “Fire!,” but then does not pull their phone out of their back pocket and call the fire department, fails. Now, like never before, it is time for Christians to become the light God has called us to be. Get involved in making effective positive change. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in your path to be God’s instrument to cause the solution, His solution, to unfold.

Lord, use me to be your instrument of REVIVAL. May your light shine through me so that others can know of your great mercy and grace. Allow me to be a part of Your Solution now. I am all yours.

Allow God to work through us to speak, to be, the Voice of Truth! Be Blessed.

Posted on FaceBook, Jun 1, 2020

GOOD MORNING, KINGDOM!

Part of REVIVAL entails being bold in proclaiming Truth, especially on days like yesterday, Pentecost Sunday. Within a 15 minute span yesterday morning, I heard two pastors talk about being bold Christians in speaking up on recent events that have rocked the world. Both pastors were driven to deliver a passionate plea from the heart, inspired by the Holy Spirit. One, Pastor Bil Cornelius from Church Unlimited, is white. The other, Pastor Don Leavell, Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship, is black. I only mention skin color to set the stage for what is to come. The color of skin is irrelevant, as Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is not saying there are no longer any Jews or Greeks, slaves or freemen, male or female. It’s just that because of our salvation, those distinctions are irrelevant. We are members of the same body, not exactly alike. We have different functions but we are all equal. As we often tell our GriefShare participants, nobody can rank one’s loss as greater or lesser than another’s loss. Each loss is uniquely their own. And as we tell both the GriefShare and DivorceCare participants, the fact that they have lost a loved one or are divorced or separated, does not define them. They are James, who has lost his wife or Becky, who happens to be divorced. They are first and foremost James or Becky, a child of God’s. A person whose eyes no longer function as well as they originally did (near- or far-sighted for example) is not redefined as a person, nor does it change the function of the eyes. The eyes are still a member of the body, whose function is to allow the person to see the world around them. When eyes begin to fail, other senses may be called upon to compensate. Hearing, smell, touch can take up the slack of not being able to see as well.

After 40 years of living under the military lifestyle, then another 18 years working with Walmart, diversity had been ingrained deeply into me. I can truly say I can’t remember any time where I was affected by the color of another person’s skin. My daughter, in high school a number of years ago, approached me one day, saying that she really liked a classmate and they were wanting to date. She wanted to know what I thought about it, since the young man was black. I told her my number one concern was HER happiness. I then asked her if she was strong enough to accept that she might lose friends because of her decision. She said that wouldn’t happen because everyone loved her and the young man. I responded that it might be true for each of them, but some friends would not be able to accept the two of them together. Her response was, “If that happens, then they weren’t real friends, and it would be their loss.” They started dating and she did lose some friends. They eventually married and had 4 beautiful boys together over a 12 year span before the marriage fell apart. She later remarried and had a fifth beautiful boy.

I have witnessed both first- and second-hand the prejudices and discriminations they have endured over the years, especially when they came to Kentucky to visit us. Despite all that, I cannot even begin to understand the anguish and pain brought about by a small segment of our society. Just like despite the fact I was in law enforcement for 20 years, I can’t understand what was going through the mind of that police officer as events unfolded at warp speed. But this I know. There is such a thing as abusive force. There are a couple absolutes I have adhered to. One is there is never a time when a man should ever use force against a woman. Never! And only the minimal amount of force necessary to control any situation can be used by law enforcement. Deadly force can only be used as an extreme last resort, under limited circumstances. Not all cops are bad. There are those that squeak through batteries of psychological testing, just as bad apples squeak through into all professions (teachers, judicial, religious, government, etc.) Just as most protestors are not criminal looters, etc. As believers, we must be the light of Christ, speaking up, not in condemnation or judgement, but in the same manner as Christ himself did. We must speak in all kindness, proclaim Truth, not partake of loose tongues, adding fuel to the fires. AND PRAY! For peace, wisdom, common sense. Work together as one body of Christ. Follow His will and guidance. Scriptures throughout the New Testament tell us to love one another, even our enemies. Jesus not only has the Answer, He is the Answer.

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 4:31-5:1)

Be Blessed!

Posted May 28, 2020

GOOD MORNING KINGDOM

!REVIVAL. I chose that word at the beginning of this year to be my word for the year. This would be a year of revival, both physically and spiritually. 5 months in and it has already been quite a year.

On the physical side, I have had a full physical exam. I have had a golf ball sized cyst removed from my back. I learned I have Type 2 diabetes, dropped weight and lowered sugar levels 60-80 points. I got back on track to have a venous closure procedure done on both my legs. I was originally scheduled to have that procedure done in Oct 2010, but two weeks before the procedure, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and the closure was put on hold.

The closure has again been put on hold for a couple weeks. My recent physical also showed I had a large gall stone in my gall bladder, which may be the cause of slightly elevated levels in one of the liver tests conducted (though a more recent test showed that level has dropped.) So, my gall bladder is being removed today, and my venous closure, scheduled for tomorrow has been rescheduled. Now some may think I’m falling apart. I say I’m merely cleaning house, God’s house, His living Temple, which leads into the Spiritual Revival. As I progress on my physical revival, I feel myself growing and drawing closer to God, in part thanks to the current pandemic. But, just as in facing the approach of Hurricane Harvey, God has revealed even more so that He is still in control. Just as He was during the hurricane. We chose not to evacuate ahead of the hurricane, resting in God’s protection. Yes we took precautions, like clearing everything off the patios, stocking up on a small supply of essentials, lowering the hurricane shutters, and battening down the hatches as it came ashore. The results? We lost part of our wooden fence out back. That’s it. We never lost power. Even more amazing was that we never lost satellite TV signal (We have DirecTV, y’all.)

As then, we again are resting in God’s protection and He is providing big time. Three of the four of us who live under this roof work in “essential” businesses and continue to leave home every day to work out there. One works for HEB, one works with first responders, I work to sell protective equipment (safety shoes.) Pat works from home. Pat’s sister works at the hospital. My step son works at STX, where there was a big outbreak of the virus. My son and son-in-law are nurses (in Dallas and Delaware.) We generally take all necessary precautions, as dictated by the various governments. And God is protecting all of us. Why He has chosen to bless us with His protection I will never know, but I will continue to praise His name and give Him all the glory.

Through all of this, a sense of spiritual revival continues to grow stronger in me. A revival over the entire world. I see it all around me. More people are tuning in to on-line services. I have immersed myself deeper in His Word and sharing with others. I sense that I am drawing closer to the ministry God has called me to. There are people out there who are scared, hurting, suffering. Many are struggling because they can’t walk into a church building to worship. It is for them that God is calling us to be His people.

John 7:37-38 says: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” And Matthew 5:14-16 tells us, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

God has blessed each of us in some way. We are to share that blessing with others, it is not ours to hoard. He is calling us out of this darkness caused by the pandemic to be His light. We can’t hide at home, or in a church building and expect to help those who need it. We are the church. It is time to stand on that hill, shine with all God has blessed us with, and give Him praise and glory by ministering to others.

Of course we can’t do that if we are not being observant. I went to fill up some gallon jugs at my favorite watering hole, the Windmill on Holly near Airline. Someone was there using both sides to fill up 5 gallon jugs. She apologized for using both sides. I told her I was in no hurry. I then asked her how she was holding up in this pandemic. She said she was hanging on and thanked me for asking. She then asked how I was doing, and it opened the door to minister. After talking a few minutes, her bottles filled and she started to leave. She stopped and thanked me, saying she needed to hear what we shared. Her truck was on the other side of the windmill, but when she finished loading the bottles in her truck and started to pull off, she stopped and again thanked me.

A revival is sweeping the land. Don’t let it pass you by or let it die on the vine. We must shed the yearning of going back to normal and instead embrace the new normal that God has planned for us. We are the Church. So Be The Church. The building is not the final destination. It is a recharging station, a place of fellowship. Yes gathering together in fellowship is important for believers. Yes it is not the same when done over the phone, on Zoom, etc. But it is still fellowship. We are not being prohibited from worshiping. Just can’t do it in the church building for now. So, rather than spending time and energy focused on when the church will reopen it’s doors, just Be the Light for all those God puts in your path, whether at the gas station, work, store, or even the windmill.

Look for signs of God at work. I don’t even have to leave my dining room to see that. A bird has built a nest between the screen and window pane and laid eggs in it. See the picture in the comments. Life is moving forward.

Be Blessed, and pass it on!

Posted on FaceBook May 8, 2020

GOOD MORNING KINGDOM!

Ahhhh! Dog house, I’ve missed you … not. But here we are, together again.

I know a rather strange way to start off, but it is what it is. This morning, at 5:30, after her Zumba, Pat says she didn’t really want to go to the track alone, so, since I was up, I told her I’d take her. So, at a little before 6 am, we head out the door. While Pat jogged around the track, I sat in the truck, reading a series of emails from Pastor Rick Warren’s Daily Hope. They were about obedience, a topic dear to my heart. Obedience is the key to unlocking Gods promises. He wants us to obey immediately. He wants our complete obedience. To love, trust and obey His details. He wants us to do so joyfully. That’s the focus of each of the 5 articles. When God puts something in your heart, do you jump to it or do you finish what you’re doing first? Do you only do the parts you agree with? Do you question Him, Doubt what He’s telling you? Do you obey reluctantly with a heavy heart? When you do those things, it’s a delayed obedience. And a delayed obedience is disobedience. And more importantly, you disappoint God, and miss out on the blessings He had in store for your immediate, complete, trusting and joyful obedience.

We each have a personal covenant relationship. As married couples, we (husband and wife) have a covenant relationship with God. Or we should. Scriptures tell us we are his bride. We are to be servants to our spouses, as Jesus is to the Church. Thus, in a covenantal relationship, treating our spouses as Christ would activates obedience as well.

That too is the key to a loving marriage. Sometimes, just as God can be, our spouses may say things that don’t make sense, or is phrased in indecipherable riddles, testing our obedience in trust. Doesn’t matter. Respond immediately. As in “I don’t want to go to the track alone,” really means “Come with me.” And had I not responded immediately, I would have missed out on blessings. First the extra time spent with Pat to and from the track. Second, the opportunity to read the aforementioned Obedience Messages. And third to help with a community good deed. As Pat was jogging, she couldn’t help but notice all the discarded bottles around the track (maybe she needs to jog faster so she doesn’t see them.) After finishing her jogging, she returns to the truck, and asks if there were any HEB bags. I tell her there aren’t and ask why. She points out all the bottles strewn about, then spots a plastic basket holding her granddaughter’s beach toys in the back seat. She empties it and say she’ll pick up what she can and heads out. Translation: “Let US collect what we can. Together we can collect more.” So, I was blessed with cleaning up a small part of our community.

When God speaks (directly, or through your spouse) be in a ready position to receive that message and respond immediately, completely, trusting in Him, with joy on your heart. Then humbly receive the blessings He will bestow on you, that you may in turn bless others. We are but His vessels, after all.

Have a Blessed. . . Oh wait! The dog house? That’s because when Pat thanked me for helping her, in my refined way, developed over 65 years of living, I responded with, “It was either help or wait longer to get home for breakfast.” Some people never get my way of saying “You’re Welcome.” And it’s supposed to rain tonight.

You get me, right? Anyway be blessed and safe today and this weekend.