PASTOR’S NOTE

Life has a way of teaching you things about the order of your life and differences between our desire and what really had purpose.  Some years ago, at a low time in mine and Joanne’s ministry, we were desperate to make a meaningful change.  A church in Illinois was in search of a pastor and we were contacted as potential candidates for the position.  At first glance it seemed to be the answer to our prayers.  After a successful weekend try-out we were to be voted on singularly.  It would seem to have been a done deal, until the associate pastor threw his name into the pot.   Although we received the majority of the vote, he split the vote enough to where neither of us received enough votes to win the position.  We were devastated.  One year later we found ourselves pastoring in Virginia Beach and for nearly ten years enjoyed a fruitful ministry there.  Looking back at it now, I realize the young man who threw his name into the voting probably did so by the design of God.  Evidently neither of us were the will of God for that congregation.  This way both of us were eliminated from the running.  On a side note, I also realize that Joanne and I both would never have been content in such a small rural town.  Thank you God, that you have been in control and not me.  We need to realize that much of our life is shaped by our decisions alone.  On the other hand, much of our life is shaped by the decisions and actions of those around us.  Just as in the case of my candidacy for the pastorate in Illinois.  Had it not been for the decision of that young man to candidate for the same church, we would have gone there to pastor and probably been somewhat successful until we got our fill of the slow pace of the area.  To put a cap on the story, one Joanne’s dearest life long friends and her husband now pastor that church and are doing great things for God.  At that point in our lives, our needs were in control of our desires.  This is a very dangerous place to be for anyone.  Most of us want to live purposeful lives.  Here are some steps to take toward maximizing a life of purpose.  One is to look back over the path of life that has brought you to where you are today.  Determine the good decisions and the bad ones that you have made.  Then determine who has influenced your life to the good or bad.  Now repeat the process that resulted in good decisions and eliminate the bad influences in your life.  I will follow this up with more details because it is not just that simple.  Now make the most important decision of all, let God have full control of your life.

PASTOR’S NOTE

I am a people watcher, are you?  Later you can ask me, as my wife often does, did you notice what they were wearing?  I must confess that most times my answer is no.  I watch their behavior more than anything else.  What they wear does not interest me at all.  It is what they do.  Like the person who will not get off the phone while sitting with someone at dinner.   Sacrificing the pleasure of the other person’s company just to hold a conversation that probably could be done later.  Or the young lovers sitting in a corner booth away from the crowd, more interested in each other than the meal that is getting cold while they pursue the path of emotional and social discovery.  Last evening while Joanne and I were enjoying a meal in one of the local establishments, a group caught my eye.  There were, if I assessed the situation correctly, a couple sets of grandparents, a young couple in their thirties and four children:  a boy about seven or eight, a set of twin girls maybe six and a younger sister of about four.  It was the twins’ birthday as I realized later when the waiters and waitresses came out to sing Happy Birthday.  What caught my eye was that the young father was holding one of the twins like a baby in his lap.  She was afflicted.  Later, when it was time to go, they would put her in her wheel chair that had been put out of sight for the celebration.  Joanne and I were enjoying our time together and were having wonderful conversation.  But from time to time I would find myself glancing over to watch the goings-on at the other table.  These were not he nor his wife’s natural children unless from a previous marriage.  All but the boy were African-American and Caucasian mix.  Yet with care and love he held her and occasionally he would shift her position from his lap to his shoulder,  probably as much for her as for him.  She did not talk or move, she just watched without expression.  He talked to her, smiled a lot and once in a while wiped her mouth with a napkin.   He would hand her off to others.  All the men at the table seemed to take their turn, but she always came back to Dad’s arms.  Oh, that I had been Jesus, just to go over and heal her and lift the burden from their shoulders.  The remarkable thing that I witnessed is that this young man had decided to be a Father to this young girl and her siblings.  Often such things are thrust upon us and we respond faithfully.  Then there are those who chose to so love.  True fatherhood is not a mistake or just the draw of the cards, it is a choice.  Just look at our Heavenly Father.

PASTOR’S NOTE

Have you ever felt that draw to something you just can’t quite put into words?  Yet you know you are being pulled into a direction that if you follow, there is going to be a dramatic shift in your world.  Whether it is God unsettling your spirit or a sudden awakening to your inner self, you do not know, but you feel the tug of destiny and this time you know you cannot ignore it.  For example:  Over twenty years ago my family and I were living in Somerset, KY.  There Joanne and I were taking care of a little church my brother-in-law had started.  At the same time I had a roofing business and was still holding revivals when I could.  We had bought a home and two of our three little girls were in school.  In early November I felt impressed to begin to shut down my business and prepare to let the church know that I would be leaving them as an interim pastor.  I had no prophetic word to base any of this upon or a spoken word of knowledge and no prospects of what I might be doing afterward, just a strong pull toward an unknown.  It so happened that Christmas fell on a Sunday that year.  The week before Christmas I finished my last roofing job.  I sold some of my equipment and gave the rest away.  Christmas Sunday was our last day at the church, with no revivals  scheduled or any prospects for a pastorate.  New Years weekend we were in Southern Illinois performing a wedding.  While there, our answering machine at home picked up a call from a man I had never heard of who was a deacon in a church in Virginia Beach, VA.  They were looking for a pastor.  Long story short, by March we were moved in and spent the next nine and a half years there.  Because of the pull I began to feel in November of eighty-eight and because I listened and acted upon it, it changed my life and the life of my family forever.  Recently I have been feeling that pull again.  Not to do as I did before but this time to a more concentrated time in prayer and in the Word.  And once again I am responding not knowing what is coming or what changes may take place.  No, I have not received a word of prophecy or anything like that.   This is one of those times the conduit of prophets or those who propose to speak for God has been by-passed.  This is direct and extremely personal.  Therefore I have not invited anyone to share in this time with me.  What I can tell you is, there is a paradigm shift taking place.  Have you ever felt that draw to something you can quite explain?  God is up to something.  Don’t ignore it this time.

A COUPLE GRANDPARENTS

We thought you might enjoy pictures of a few of our grandparents on their day.  Their smiles are wonderful and so are they.  We respect and honor them not just on Grandparents Day but all the time.  Thanks!

PASTOR’S NOTE

At seven-thirty Wednesday morning I received the call from my wife to inform me that my cousin had called to let us know that his wife Betty had passed away.  After several years of suffering with a brain tumor she had lost the battle and succumbed to the ravages of the disease.  I immediately changed my schedule and Joanne and I went to Camden, Ohio where they live to spend the day with Darrell and lend any support that we could.  Just ten days before we had visited Darrell and Betty, shared a little time together and offered prayer.  Betty prayed with us and cried a bit as we prayed that God would heal her and reveal Himself to her and Darrell.  Lest you think too much of this feeble effort let me be honest enough to say that sadly this was th first time we had been to their home and that we as a family have been way too independent of each other for far too long.  It is also interesting that this happened just days before our annual family reunion that took place on Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.  We love each other which is proven every time we get together.  Our reunions always consist of great food, fun, fellowship, lots of laughter, prayer and counseling.  Yet after they are over we go our separate ways without hardly a phone call in between reunions.  Yet let trouble come and we start circling the wagons and bring out the heavy artillery, like faith, prayer and the Word of God.  No we are not all Christians and many of our clan are far from God in their life styles.  But we are family and we have a heritage and we have a God.  We are not without hope nor are we helpless.  We will reach out to those who have not made the calling and election sure and hold them up with love and faith.  During the process of saying good-bye to one of our own over the next two days, there will be words spoken in low soft tones carrying a precious cargo of compassion and encouragement.  Hands will be grasped in moments of privacy and prayers prayed specifically for them.  Tears will fall.  Hearts will strengthen.  The healing process will begin.  This is not only what it means to be family but this is the work of family.  Each of us have our place in this world and our purpose as children of God is to witness of His grace, love and power, thus convincing men and women to come to Christ.  But let us be careful not to set our eyes on the world by overlooking our families.  Take this to heart.  Jesus told His disciples to start close, Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.  Start close, family, then…

PASTOR’S NOTE

This past week has been a somber one.  Our nation observed and recounted the acts of heroism and the needless loss of life on 9/11/09.  President Obama spoke in the memorial service at the Pentagon Friday.  He did a really good job.  I have determined to visit the sites of these tragedies.  I will at some time make my way to the site in Pennsylvania where that plane plummeted to the ground killing all on board.  It was a plane that was believed to be headed for our nation’s capital building and the law-makers there.  Had not the passengers of that aircraft stormed the cockpit and resisted the terrorists, America’s grief and harm would have been much greater on that day.  Then it was on to Ground-zero in New York City, where those twin monuments to man’s ingenuity and prosperity crumbled to the ground after being hit by two planes used as missiles by their terrorist pilots.  Let us not forget that there is a third site.  Our nation’s Pentagon was also targeted that day.  The very heart of our military and defense was in the sights of those who hate us as a people and whose desire was to cripple us as a nation.  I suspect that the feelings I will feel once there will be akin to those I felt when I stood on the battlegrounds of Gettysburg where thousands of American boys and men gave their lives on both sides for those things they believed.  Or the time I stood on the western beaches of southern India where Thomas, the once doubting disciple of Christ gave his life slain by the very tribal people he came to share his faith with.  I felt there a sense of awe and that I was stepping on sacred ground:  where faith and ideology overcame the fear of death and from the common, and in some’s eyes,the mundane of humanity stepped forth heroes.  Had they not, more would have been lost.  These spontaneous warriors of faith and compassion gave all for their nation, their leaders and their brothers.  They did not seek this title or our praise.  They did not ask for your respect, honor or the tear of remembrance that ran down your face.  They wanted to live as much as anyone, yet on that day they fell for you and I.  I don’t want to just read about it and look at the pictures.  I want to stand where they fell and thank them aloud for what the silence of their lives lost means to all of us.  I have never had the priviledge, but I will some day stand upon the hill called Calvary and do there what I have been doing here for more than thirty-six years, praise Him aloud for being my Hero!

9/11

Eight years later, I still remember exactly where I was on that fateful day.  Shock, horror, unbelief and a feeling of helplessness were just a few of the many emotions I felt.  I had a chance to catch just sound bites of our President’s speech.  Well done.   I have a sterling silver pendant that I wear every 9/11.  On the front, an American flag is waving.  On the back, “United We Stand  9-11-01″.  The only time I wear it is this day of every year.  I sit here looking at it and fingering it just as I look at the wedding ring on my right hand that belonged to my deceased mother from my deceased father.  I guess for me it is like those of a previous generation and the day of Pearl Harbor.  I usually post the sign, “We will never forget” on the church sign.  Thank God for the heroes of that day.  Thank God more for our Saviour who “Despised the cross, enduring the shame”  just to redeem us from our sins.   We will never forget the cross or 9/11.

Run For Your Life

more about “Run For Your Life“, posted with vodpod

 

REVELATION SONG by Kari Jobe

more about "REVELATION SONG by Kari Jobe", posted with vodpod

HAPPY LABOR DAY

Safe House of Worship wishes all of you a safe and restful LABOR DAY!  Remember: Even God rested on the seventh day so for all of you workaholics take a day off!