I love the Presence of the Lord!!! Sometimes I get so excited, I can’t contain myself! There have been numerous times that I’ve had to pull my car over while driving down the road because I was so overcome with His presence. I’m sure there are many drivers in the Dallas area that think I am crazy because I often wave my hands and sing at the top of my lungs when I’m alone in my car. But the Presence of the Lord is not something that can easily be described with mere words. In fact, how can one explain it unless it is experienced?
One of the writers of Proverbs, Agur, said this: “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin.” (Proverbs 30:18-19)
Like Agur, there are some earthly things too wonderful for me to understand: West Texas sunsets, the smell of newly mowed grass, watching a scissortail chasing a hawk, and the smell of leather in a new car; each brings a smile to my face and a feeling of joy. Another classification I entitle “Sheer Heavenly” are the moments when your toddler grandchild wraps his/her tiny hand around your index finger as you stroll across the lawn and walk along together…what an incredible feeling!
But alas, there are three more things of a Heavenly realm that are far too wonderful for me to comprehend, yes, four which I do not understand: the look on a person’s face who just met Jesus for the first time, the expression on a mother’s face upon hearing that her child just got saved, the overwhelming delight of a person who just grasped the truth of God’s grace, and being in a congregation when the Spirit of God falls.
When the Father’s Presence is manifested during worship, so many things begin happen spontaneously that I cannot number them all. This past Sunday morning was such time at Shady Grove Church; the Father’s Presence was manifested in incredibly beautiful ways. I smiled and laughed for joy until I thought my face was going to break. I could hardly keep my arms down. At one point, the entire altar area was filled with people getting an impartation of the Holy Spirit.
Another time during the service, people in the congregation practically ran to the altar to minister to a few people who came forward for prayer and ministry out of response to a word of knowledge about suicidal thoughts. Unsolicited singing of a new song by the church body came forth, two or three really mature prophetic words stirred the body, testimonies of healings abounded, and the overwhelming sense of angels in our midst were almost more than this “middle-aged” man could handle.
Again I ask you, how can you explain the joy you experience when you suddenly realize the Presence of the Holy God is walking among you? I tend to think it’s impossible to put into words but this I know: in His Presence is fullness of joy and there in the fullness of His Presence, lives are transformed. May the Lord Most High grace us with His supernatural love and power until the end of the age. May we be so empowered and motivated to stretch forth Jesus’ miraculous hand to others that we see the harvest of souls we have all longed for.
Join me and let us say together – “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good”.
PS: I am starting to hear many testimonies about lives that were touched and healed during the great outpouring of His presence last week. I would love to hear yours. If you have a testimony or if God touched you in a miraculous way, please go to www.shadygrove.org/testimony and tell us about it so we can rejoice together.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Joys of Getting Older
Syble's 96 year-old mother, Florence Rose, just moved to an adult care facility in Grapevine, TX. Over the past 6 ½ months, her presence in our home has been a huge blessing. She is the best mother-in-law a man could ask for.
When she moved, we decided it was the perfect time to change out the flooring in our living room. Syble had wanted to make the change for a long time but it seemed like so much work! We knew that any flooring change would require some heavy lifting - every piece of furniture in that room would have to moved.
Thankfully, Niles Holsinger willingly agreed to recruit some guys to help. He easily found people to help move the furniture out; however, he had some difficulty finding help when it was time to move it back in.
While we were discussing the predicament, I told him that the people we have known for all these years are too old now to move heavy stuff. He aptly replied, “Ha! Another joy of getting older: no longer having to move furniture!” I loved his perspective!
I feel the disadvantages of getting older have been so greatly exaggerated that people no longer look forward to the joy of it, which should be a crime. Getting older has so many advantages; we just need to see this event from a higher perspective.
It was announced, in the USA Today, dated July 21st, that the world’s oldest man passed away this last weekend…he was 113. The reporter said, “If 50 is the new 40, then 100 is the new 90.” They reported that the number of centenarians worldwide is projected to reach nearly 6 million by 2050.
Genesis 6:3 says that a man’s days shall be one hundred and twenty.
Just think of the joy you will experience as you grow older.... You will actually reach a point when your great grandchildren will offer you their chair. Your grandchildren will carry your Christmas presents to the car Christmas day. You will be able to legitimately claim to have selective hearing, just don't tell anybody.
You will get a “Senior Discount” without even asking! Think of the money you will save! You will get discounts at the movies, at restaurants, at ball games, at the State Fair, and just about anywhere else you feel like going. In addition, you'll have plenty of opportunities during the day to take a long, healthy walk when you have a "senior moment" and have to look for your car at the supermarket or the mall.
Just think of all the Biblical examples of older people. It will really cause joy and encouragement as you approach the “new 90.” You may want to have a child like Abraham and Sarah, go to battle for your “mountain” like Caleb, get a double inheritance like Job, or come into a position of marvelous revelations like John on Patmos.
Psalm 92 says that those who are planted in the house of the Lord will still bear fruit in old age and shall be fresh and flourishing. Think of that!!!
Acts 2 says that old men will dream dreams…surely that includes old women, too!
1Timothy 5:1 says old men are not to be rebuked, but exhorted as a father. Now, that is a great advantage.
Look at all the advantages--I bet you can't wait to get older now!
In closing, I want to remind you that Caleb was 85 when he said that he was as strong and fit for war as the day when he left Egypt forty-five years earlier. By faith let’s join the “Caleb Company.” The older we get, the more misery we are going to deal the devil!!!
Your fellow soldier.
When she moved, we decided it was the perfect time to change out the flooring in our living room. Syble had wanted to make the change for a long time but it seemed like so much work! We knew that any flooring change would require some heavy lifting - every piece of furniture in that room would have to moved.
Thankfully, Niles Holsinger willingly agreed to recruit some guys to help. He easily found people to help move the furniture out; however, he had some difficulty finding help when it was time to move it back in.
While we were discussing the predicament, I told him that the people we have known for all these years are too old now to move heavy stuff. He aptly replied, “Ha! Another joy of getting older: no longer having to move furniture!” I loved his perspective!
I feel the disadvantages of getting older have been so greatly exaggerated that people no longer look forward to the joy of it, which should be a crime. Getting older has so many advantages; we just need to see this event from a higher perspective.
It was announced, in the USA Today, dated July 21st, that the world’s oldest man passed away this last weekend…he was 113. The reporter said, “If 50 is the new 40, then 100 is the new 90.” They reported that the number of centenarians worldwide is projected to reach nearly 6 million by 2050.
Genesis 6:3 says that a man’s days shall be one hundred and twenty.
Just think of the joy you will experience as you grow older.... You will actually reach a point when your great grandchildren will offer you their chair. Your grandchildren will carry your Christmas presents to the car Christmas day. You will be able to legitimately claim to have selective hearing, just don't tell anybody.
You will get a “Senior Discount” without even asking! Think of the money you will save! You will get discounts at the movies, at restaurants, at ball games, at the State Fair, and just about anywhere else you feel like going. In addition, you'll have plenty of opportunities during the day to take a long, healthy walk when you have a "senior moment" and have to look for your car at the supermarket or the mall.
Just think of all the Biblical examples of older people. It will really cause joy and encouragement as you approach the “new 90.” You may want to have a child like Abraham and Sarah, go to battle for your “mountain” like Caleb, get a double inheritance like Job, or come into a position of marvelous revelations like John on Patmos.
Psalm 92 says that those who are planted in the house of the Lord will still bear fruit in old age and shall be fresh and flourishing. Think of that!!!
Acts 2 says that old men will dream dreams…surely that includes old women, too!
1Timothy 5:1 says old men are not to be rebuked, but exhorted as a father. Now, that is a great advantage.
Look at all the advantages--I bet you can't wait to get older now!
In closing, I want to remind you that Caleb was 85 when he said that he was as strong and fit for war as the day when he left Egypt forty-five years earlier. By faith let’s join the “Caleb Company.” The older we get, the more misery we are going to deal the devil!!!
Your fellow soldier.
Friday, July 17, 2009
14
Several years ago, we experienced one of those kinds of services you dream about. The Spirit of God moved powerfully. Everyone was encouraged and impressed with the Lord. I figured that God had just about said all we could handle for one day, so I decided not to preach. After all, we had been in the service for about three hours.
The father of one of our members was visiting that day. He said, ”I hope you are not planning on paying the preacher for this week, because he didn’t preach today.” I totally understood his perspective, but I hoped he didn’t think that preaching on Sunday was all I did.
Today I didn't bury or marry anyone. I didn't make hospital visits or teach a class or conduct a staff meeting or help settle a dispute of some kind. I didn't study for my sermon or write a weekly devotional... I did "other" pastoral duties.
Along that line, I would like give you a sampling of one of my days, like today, Tuesday, July 14th, from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM. I am not a Jack Bauer of “24,” but it will be a small window into a day in my life. Here goes:
8:00 AM: We met our good friends, Wayne and Bonnie, at Bayley’s for breakfast because a transformer had blown in our neighborhood leaving us with no electricity. I needed my morning coffee.
9:00 AM: I then drove to a church in another town--a short distance away--for some consultation.
11:30 AM: When I left there, my wife informed me that a mistake had been made in the process of getting her mother settled at her new residency… we were now overdrawn around $2,500. Don’t ask me how this happened. It was a result of a series of mistakes that “snowballed” into a personal crisis. Gratefully this was not our mistake.
12:16 PM: Now it is lunchtime… I’m eating lunch with my wife and a friend. We get a call that the law office had rectified their mistake with our bank account. Whew!
1:15 PM: I get an email from some one accusing me of totally missing the Kingdom of God... maybe this was loving from his perspective... But it was hard to take.
1:16 PM: I met individually with three people for about ten minutes. Each had a dream about some fresh direction the Lord seemed to be saying. They were really excited about what God was doing in their lives.
1:46 PM: I spent the next three hours huddling with part of the missions’ team discussing the upcoming missions’ conference. Now if that won’t light a fire under you, nothing will.
4:46 PM: Jon Dunn and I talked about how wonderful everything at the church was going before he left to visit the youth camp near Abilene.
5:10 PM: I rushed to be home by 5:30 PM so I could be ready to make good on a Sushi dinner we had promised a couple in the church. That was so much fun and so rewarding.
6:20 PM: Sushi Dinner
8:00 PM: After dinner, we four were sitting in my car in front of our house having an in-depth conversation. I noticed a neighbor walking around the car trying to figure out what we were doing. Finally the nosey guy just walked up to the window and rudely butted in asking what we were doing.
To say the least I didn’t handle it very well. I answered him in a "none of your business" kind of way… right in front of our friends. Wow! That wasn’t the best example!
8:45 PM: I was so convicted by the Holy Spirit that I knew I had to apologize to our friends for spouting off like I did. Of course, I lamely tried to let them know that I felt justified in my action… that didn’t fly.
8:50 PM: They forgave me and all was well—not quite. After our friends went home I knew I had to go apologize to my neighbor to have peace. I knocked on his door hoping he was still up. I asked his forgiveness for spouting off. He forgave me. I finally made it right with all finding the serenity I had lost.
9:00 PM: I slaved for Syble by moving furniture in our living room in preparation for new flooring.
9:50 PM: Now it is bedtime. I’m getting my clothes together to take to the cleaners tomorrow. Syble is reading Facebook when she says, “You’ll want to hear this.” She read me a comment about someone saying something nice about my Sunday messages.
9:55 PM: Ahhhhhhhh…and I crawl in bed.
10:00 PM: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The father of one of our members was visiting that day. He said, ”I hope you are not planning on paying the preacher for this week, because he didn’t preach today.” I totally understood his perspective, but I hoped he didn’t think that preaching on Sunday was all I did.
Today I didn't bury or marry anyone. I didn't make hospital visits or teach a class or conduct a staff meeting or help settle a dispute of some kind. I didn't study for my sermon or write a weekly devotional... I did "other" pastoral duties.
Along that line, I would like give you a sampling of one of my days, like today, Tuesday, July 14th, from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM. I am not a Jack Bauer of “24,” but it will be a small window into a day in my life. Here goes:
8:00 AM: We met our good friends, Wayne and Bonnie, at Bayley’s for breakfast because a transformer had blown in our neighborhood leaving us with no electricity. I needed my morning coffee.
9:00 AM: I then drove to a church in another town--a short distance away--for some consultation.
11:30 AM: When I left there, my wife informed me that a mistake had been made in the process of getting her mother settled at her new residency… we were now overdrawn around $2,500. Don’t ask me how this happened. It was a result of a series of mistakes that “snowballed” into a personal crisis. Gratefully this was not our mistake.
12:16 PM: Now it is lunchtime… I’m eating lunch with my wife and a friend. We get a call that the law office had rectified their mistake with our bank account. Whew!
1:15 PM: I get an email from some one accusing me of totally missing the Kingdom of God... maybe this was loving from his perspective... But it was hard to take.
1:16 PM: I met individually with three people for about ten minutes. Each had a dream about some fresh direction the Lord seemed to be saying. They were really excited about what God was doing in their lives.
1:46 PM: I spent the next three hours huddling with part of the missions’ team discussing the upcoming missions’ conference. Now if that won’t light a fire under you, nothing will.
4:46 PM: Jon Dunn and I talked about how wonderful everything at the church was going before he left to visit the youth camp near Abilene.
5:10 PM: I rushed to be home by 5:30 PM so I could be ready to make good on a Sushi dinner we had promised a couple in the church. That was so much fun and so rewarding.
6:20 PM: Sushi Dinner
8:00 PM: After dinner, we four were sitting in my car in front of our house having an in-depth conversation. I noticed a neighbor walking around the car trying to figure out what we were doing. Finally the nosey guy just walked up to the window and rudely butted in asking what we were doing.
To say the least I didn’t handle it very well. I answered him in a "none of your business" kind of way… right in front of our friends. Wow! That wasn’t the best example!
8:45 PM: I was so convicted by the Holy Spirit that I knew I had to apologize to our friends for spouting off like I did. Of course, I lamely tried to let them know that I felt justified in my action… that didn’t fly.
8:50 PM: They forgave me and all was well—not quite. After our friends went home I knew I had to go apologize to my neighbor to have peace. I knocked on his door hoping he was still up. I asked his forgiveness for spouting off. He forgave me. I finally made it right with all finding the serenity I had lost.
9:00 PM: I slaved for Syble by moving furniture in our living room in preparation for new flooring.
9:50 PM: Now it is bedtime. I’m getting my clothes together to take to the cleaners tomorrow. Syble is reading Facebook when she says, “You’ll want to hear this.” She read me a comment about someone saying something nice about my Sunday messages.
9:55 PM: Ahhhhhhhh…and I crawl in bed.
10:00 PM: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thursday, July 9, 2009
What is that Thing?
Have you ever wondered what a thing is?
My dad was under the car when he said, “Hand me that thing," and then pointed to a wrench. One day my son asked, “May I have one of those things?” pointing to a Popsicle.
From these two examples you would think that a thing was something someone knew what was but just didn’t want to waste the energy to think of the name.
On the other hand, when living in Lubbock, Texas, while opening the backyard shed I spotted a scary looking crawly creature. I said, “What is that thing?” I thought it was a scorpion that had lost it’s tail, except it looked much more vicious. I had never seen anything like it. It was a harmless Vinegarone. Have you ever said, “What is that thing?” when you didn’t know what it was?
Even in the 1982 re-make of the 1951 horror sci-fi movie, “The Thing”, there was an outer space creature that was so strange looking they didn’t know what to call it. It looked like nothing they had ever seen.
Have you ever thought about “things?” What are they… where do they come from… how long do they last… what is their composition? Are they docile or dangerous? Are they dumb or smart? Are they pretty or ugly?
There are thingamajigs… thingamabobs… thingies and thingumadoodads. There’s a “something” like in, “Ain’t that something.” Also, there is an “anything” like in “What was that noise?” “Oh, that wasn’t anything.”
“Thing” is defined as an object that one need not, cannot, or does not wish to give a specific name to. In other words, anytime you don’t know what something is or even if you do and are too busy to name it, then you have yourself a “thing.”
There is one thing I know… you never have to fear a thing because God causes all things to work together for our good. If that is not enough God says that we can speak to things even if we’re not certain what they are because since He is for us, who can be against us?
Have you ever felt that something was intruding into your life or circumstances without your permission? Listen to this, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, not angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28,31,37-39).
Hey, tell that thing where to go. Have a great week.
My dad was under the car when he said, “Hand me that thing," and then pointed to a wrench. One day my son asked, “May I have one of those things?” pointing to a Popsicle.
From these two examples you would think that a thing was something someone knew what was but just didn’t want to waste the energy to think of the name.
On the other hand, when living in Lubbock, Texas, while opening the backyard shed I spotted a scary looking crawly creature. I said, “What is that thing?” I thought it was a scorpion that had lost it’s tail, except it looked much more vicious. I had never seen anything like it. It was a harmless Vinegarone. Have you ever said, “What is that thing?” when you didn’t know what it was?
Even in the 1982 re-make of the 1951 horror sci-fi movie, “The Thing”, there was an outer space creature that was so strange looking they didn’t know what to call it. It looked like nothing they had ever seen.
Have you ever thought about “things?” What are they… where do they come from… how long do they last… what is their composition? Are they docile or dangerous? Are they dumb or smart? Are they pretty or ugly?
There are thingamajigs… thingamabobs… thingies and thingumadoodads. There’s a “something” like in, “Ain’t that something.” Also, there is an “anything” like in “What was that noise?” “Oh, that wasn’t anything.”
“Thing” is defined as an object that one need not, cannot, or does not wish to give a specific name to. In other words, anytime you don’t know what something is or even if you do and are too busy to name it, then you have yourself a “thing.”
There is one thing I know… you never have to fear a thing because God causes all things to work together for our good. If that is not enough God says that we can speak to things even if we’re not certain what they are because since He is for us, who can be against us?
Have you ever felt that something was intruding into your life or circumstances without your permission? Listen to this, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, not angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28,31,37-39).
Hey, tell that thing where to go. Have a great week.
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