Prophetic Vision

Proverbs 29:18 says: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." A better translation of that verse says: "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint." (Or "are out of control.)  This verse is not talking about us having "vision" as in having goals for ourselves. It is specifically referring to the need for prophetic vision or revelation from God. We live in a time today when most people reject anything prophetic and even mock the prophetic. Is it any wonder that the world is in such a mess? God's Word tells us that when the people do not receive the prophetic revelation of God, they live out of control. I think this is true of the world as a whole, but even more specifically to the church. Is it any wonder why we have a divorce rate within the church that equals the world? Is it any wonder we have ministers and ministries racked with scandal every time we turn around? Is it any wonder why an entire generation has turned it's back on the church? They've seen goals and plans, they've seen mega churches arise... but the prophetic... the divine revelation from God has been missing, and the people have "cast off restraint."


God is calling his church back to revival of the prophetic. I'm not talking about "fortune telling," but rather living under an open heaven where the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven. This can only be so when the people of God (not just ministers) are connected to God and receiving revelation (vision) and walking in accordance with that knowledge of what is connected to heaven.  


2011 is going to be a return to the prophetic... as what is released in heaven is released upon the earth. Will you be a part of it, or will you continue to reject the revelation of what God's will on earth is?

What Does It Mean?

Over the last few days I've been thinking a lot about what it means to "be saved" and to be a follower of Christ. I'm convinced that the vast majority of those who are Christians have barely scraped the top of the surface of what it means to be "a Christian." Most that have been born again seem to be content to be going to heaven. As I've been thinking along these lines one of my favorite songs, "Say So," by Israel Houghton came to mind. The lyrics to the verses are as follows:


What does it mean to be saved? 
Isn't it more than just a prayer to pray?
More than just a way to heaven?
What does it mean to be His? 
To be formed in His likeness
Know that we have a purpose 


Oh that the Church will arise
Oh that we would see with Jesus eyes
We could show the world heaven
Show what it means to be His
To be formed in His likeness
Show them they have a purpose


There is so much more to being a Christian than knowing you are going to heaven. When we accept Jesus Christ, it is not just so that we can go to heaven, but so that through the power of the Holy Spirit, the work of Christ might be carried on in this world. We are to be, in a literal sense, a living representation of Jesus Christ to the world. In other words, the things that people saw and heard from Jesus, they should be seeing in us.  As I was thinking on this, I found myself thinking, "something is wrong in my life."  As I read the word, I see that everywhere Jesus went, lives were changed. Oh yeah, "sometimes" I can say the same thing. "Sometimes" I see people saved. There are times I have seen people healed. I've seen the miraculous... "sometimes." But I have to be honest... these only happen "sometimes."  Somehow, I just don't think this is what living in the Kingdom of God is supposed to be like. Somehow, I believe that we are living far outside of the power and authority that lies within us as Christ followers. 


I've got a lot more thinking and soul searching to do... but I am convinced that what God wants is for His power to be on display through our lives in order that others may know that He is real and that He cares... that through His works, they may know that God is more than a fairy tale or the figment of someone's imagination. That means we... all believers, must be willing to walk in faith and willing to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us to impact this world.


I'm sure there will be more on this later.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation... Garrett Style

My family and I set out on our vacation this past week. We left town on Wednesday evening, driving to drive to Paducah, Kentucky to spend the night with my wife's parents. We went out to breakfast with them and then left just before noon, with Macon, Georgia as our destination for the second leg of the trip. Those first two legs went off without a hitch, other than 3 car accidents which caused some pretty messing traffic and slowed us down a bit. The third day started out OK, but being Christmas Eve, traffic was horrendous and it took longer than we had anticipated.  We had to make it to Jensen Beach, Florida that day, which was not going to be a problem. However the problem was that we knew we were going to need to go to the grocery store when we arrived. We've done this before, several times, in Orlando... and we knew that Walmart on Christmas Eve was no place to be. It is absolute craziness! But suddenly my wife had a thought... what if the stores would not be open were we were going. Jensen Beach is actually on an island, so we became concerned. She called down to the resort, and they said that the economy had hit the area pretty hard, and she did not think any of the stores were staying open late. Libby got the number to the closest Walmart and called and they were closing at 7:00. If we flew, we might make it by 6:50, but that was pretty iffy. So Libby did a search on our GPS and found another Walmart in a town that was a bit closer to us, so she logged it in, and we did 80-85 MPH to get there on time. As we got off the Interstate and onto the local highway we had about 24 minutes. A few more minutes drive and we could quickly get enough groceries to get us through Christmas and then do the major shopping afterward. As the GPS began telling us one turn after another, we all began to think and say, "this cannot be right."  Sure enough, when the GPS announced, "you have reached your destination" we found ourselves approaching the Walmart Distribution Center.  We were all a bit miffed, but what can you do but laugh? I told Libby, "I feel a blog coming on," and we all laughed.  As we backtracked out of there, we spotted a Winn Dixie grocery, pulled up in front and they told us, "we're closed!"  It was 7:00 on the nose and they were closing and turning people away. We discovered that all of the stores were in fact closing at 7:00... so, since we needed to eat something, we found a Walgreens, knowing they always have a small grocery section in them. We went in, bought picked up a couple of frozen pizza's, a dozen eggs, a pound of bacon, milk, a pack of hot dogs and buns and a couple of Stouffer's dinner entree's ,  2 cans of Pringles chips and two 2 liters of soda. When we got to the check out, the cashier noticed that the hot dogs were out of date. Daniel went pack to get another pack. All 8 packages of the  "good" variety were out of date. So, we bought a cheaper brand. (Hey... you have to eat something!).  The total for this came to more than $50. But what can you do? When we got back in the car, Daniel said, "we're in Christmas Vacation." We all just cracked up laughing.   


We headed down the road, with the GPS reprogrammed to our resort, with only 17 miles to go. As we crossed the bridge to Hutchinson Island, we were getting excited, and we were all tired and SO ready to get out of the car. As we drove up the road, we were in awe of the scenic view around us. Finally the GPS said, "right turn ahead" and as we turned, it said, "you have reached your destination."  We were all speechless. It was not the right resort! Wrong name... wrong address.  Again, we all laughed, and I said, "Yep, Christmas Vacation... Garrett style."  A man came out and told us that our resort was almost 2 miles back the direction we had come from.  We turned around and just a few minutes later we were in the lobby of the resort. As we were talking to the clerk and told her about the GPS, she told us that for some reason if you typed their address into a GPS it would always take you to the wrong address, and no one has been able to figure it out. I'm thinking... might have been nice of you to let folks know this when they booked their reservations.  Oh well... we made it.


So, instead of having our big Christmas dinner that we had planned, we had hot dogs for lunch and some sort of pasta for dinner... but were on a sun soaked beach, flying a kite, collecting shells and thankful that we were not at home in the 6 or more inches of snow that they were getting.  We'll never forget this Christmas. For all it's pitfalls, it was fabulous. 

At the Risk of Making People Mad...

I have had quite a few people calling, texting and emailing me wanting to know if we are having church this week. I'm sorry, but am I missing something? Why would we not have church? God forbid that we interupt the Christmas celebrations with some crazy notion of having church the day after Christmas.  Before the folks at Harvest Church have a cow about me "outing you", let me tell you, you are not alone. I've talked with several other pastors today, here in town, in cities across Illinois, and several other states and others are reporting the same thing; that people do not want to have church the day after Christmas. I am just stunned. What in the world has happened when the church wants to omit going to the house of worship as a part of Christmas. And this is the day after Christmas! Next year Christmas falls on Sunday. Are we going to skip our time of worship of the Christ child on Christmas? Persish the thought... but I guarantee you that we will be dealing with this issue next year. I'm going on record right now as saying that next year, Christmas 2011, our church doors will be open and we will be there worshipping the Lord!

There has been some reports from friends in the ministry saying that their people were furious at the idea of not having church this Sunday. Thank God! I'm glad that there are people who have their priorities right and have not given in to the commercial take over of Christmas. I have to be honest... this issue has just made me sick. I'll be honest enough to say that attendance at my church has been absolutely pitiful during the month of December, and the weather has not really been an issue. The one week we had snow, the fact is the roads were not bad and people could have made it in. Bet they'd have made it to work under those conditions.

Anyway... I'm so stunned that people want to exclude going to church as a part of their Christmas celebration. When I was a kid growing up, Christmas and Easter were the two high attendance days for the year in church. Now days, they are some of the lowest, because we've made these days more about family than about Jesus. There is something BAD wrong with this picture. I feel like Charlie Brown screaming out, "Isn't there anyone can tell me what Christmas is all about?"

The Good News of Christmas

I was out for drive tonight and drove through one of the local parks and just had to stop and admire the beauty of the night. The old fashioned street lights scattered throughout the park cast a reddish hue on the snow while off in the distance other, newer lights cast a blue light in that area. It was so still and quiet, and today was pretty stressful and hectic, so I just parked the van and after snapping a few pictures I just sat and enjoyed the quiet solitude of a cold winter night in the park. I found myself thinking about Christmas, and then on the Biblical account of Christ's birth... especially the part where the angels announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 

This is one of my favorite parts of the story of Jesus' birth. I find it so utterly cool that the Angel of the Lord came to shepherds who were tending the sheep out in the fields. You have to understand that shepherds at that time were among the lowest of the low in the ranking of society. Yet God chose them above all others to be the first to hear the news that they were loved and that the Savior was born and lying in a manger. He chose them, just as he chooses us. I am so thankful that while I was an outcast of society, a strung out sinner who had trashed his life and was on my way to prison and feeling as if I had no reason to live, this same God once again reached out to one of society's lowest and he told me that love had come... for me.  The King of Kings came, not only for the elite or "desireables" but the angel's announcement was to show that Jesus came for all... even those of us who might seem to be less than desireable. Rich or poor, black or white, we are all the same in the eyes of the Lord. This was the significance of this announcement... at least to me.
 Today, we struggle with the relevancy of Christ's birth, and too often allow it to be buried and forgotten under all of the commercial aspects of the season. But for those who have heard the message, it has all the importance in the world. A Savior is born. God lived as we did, and then when his mission on Earth was finished, he sacrificed his life so that we might have everlasting life.
This is hope. This is peace.
This is Christmas.

I believe that this is still a story of great importance, even in 2010.
Is there any other story that offers such hope?

I have to wonder... rather than singing about Chestnuts Roasting, and a magical snowman or a man in a red suit... shouldn't we be raising our voice with the Heavenly Host and shout: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests"?

Irony?

Just heard how Julian Assange and his attorney are "outraged" that someone leaked the contents of his arrest report, and they are demanding an investigation. Hello? Did I wake up in an alternative universe this morning? Is this not the man who is responsible for leaking top secret information on his WikiLeaks site?  Stuff does not taste so sweet when it hits home, does it Julian. Personally, I'm hoping he gets fed a whole lot more of his own medicine. What an idiot!

Waiting On God

So, I was reading in the Bible tonight and these verses grabbed me and caused me to dwell on them for a bit.  
Psalm 25:4-5 says:
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
Teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
For you are the God of my salvation;
For you I wait all day long.


As I read this, I recalled something I had been reading a few weeks back, in Karl Barth's book: "Dogmatics in Outline." As I understand Barth, he was writing that we can not know God, except through God's own revelations. In otherwords, our only real knowledge/understanding of God is in what God himself has or is revealing to us. For example, I can teach someone about God... and someone can know "about" God based on what I am conveying, but their only real knowledge "of" God himself is in what God himself reveals. God may use the teaching/preaching or writing of individual, but without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, it is only our knowing about God, which not the same as knowing God. As for me... I don't simply want to know about God, I want to know Him. I want to feel His heartbeat, to know his heart and mind. I want to be like Moses, and not simply know about God, I want to know His ways... how he moves and acts. I want to walk step in step with Him. And the only way this can be done is spend time with God and learn from his revelation.  Sometimes, most of the time, God reveals himself in His Word. This is why we must know His Word. But he also speaks to us by his Spirit. Often times through the spoken Word, as someone is teaching or preaching, the Holy Spirit connects that Word to our spirit and it becomes revelation knowledge to us. 


The psalmist, so long ago, seemed to understand this. The psalmist prays that God makes God's ways known, that God teaches paths, that God leads in truths, and that God is the psalmist's salvation through making himself known. 
And this is the part that just jumps out at me... the the psalmist prays, "for you I wait all day long." Extraordinary! The psalmist says, "I will wait on YOU (God) to reveal to me who you (God) are.


So, now I'm sitting here thinking and I am asking myself..."Can I wait all day long for God to reveal himself to me?" Or do I run from one book to another, from one Scripture verse to another, from one TV preacher to another, from one friend to another, from one church to another...from one opinion to another, seeking to know, reasoning to know, but never waiting for God to reveal God?


As we used to say 35 years ago... "That's heavy!"
That's something really deep to pause and think on. Have I been waiting on God to reveal himself to me... or am I too busy running here and there, looking for God on my time table and my terms? 
The Bible says, "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..."
There is something about this "waiting" thing.


God, let me stop running here and there, but rather to wait on you. Teach me Lord.


I'm reminded of a song Julie Meyer wrote and sings... the words say:


I want to know Your passion
I want to love Your Name
I want to feel Your mercy when I’m
Standing in the middle of the flame
I want to know God
I want to know Yah


I want to know
The secret place of Your thunder
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know
The hidden secrets of the Ages
And down ancient paths to walk
I want to know God
I want to know Yah


Yeah... I want to know God like that.

Warning From God?

Let me predicate this entire thing with this disclaimer: I'm having a lot of knee trouble and took some Vicodin to cope with the pain this morning and ended up taking a nap. I really don't think the medicine has anything to do with this, but if you think I'm off my rocker... I'll cut you some slack.


While napping, I had a very vivid dream, and while I'd like to attribute this dream to the medication, I really believe this was a God thing. In this dream I saw President Obama on television announcing that he was declaring that Marshall Law was being imposed across the United States.  It was then as if I was seeing things that had already happened that led to Marshall Law being imposed. I saw the world as a whole turn it's back on the United States and they stopped taking the US dollar in trade. The whole thing began with the middle eastern countries refusing to accept the dollar for payment for oil, and gas prices spiked to more than $6 a gallon and food prices soared out of control. Inflation sky rocketed and unemployment topped 30%. Then the government imposed a limitation on how much money anyone could remove from the banks and then imposed limitations on utilities which  forced blackouts across the US at alternating times. Internet was cut off and almost all television was forced off the air under the guise of saving energy costs.  Rioting and looting exploded across the nation and people were laying dead in the streets and the government was rationing food. People were fleeing the cities by the thousands because of the violence and the lack of food.  People on farms were shooting people who were coming onto their land to steal food, and I saw thousands and thousands who were living in shanty towns. Life as we know it came to a screeching halt. 


There was something about 6 months, but I'm not clear on this. I don't know if it was saying this was coming in 6 months or, what I think it was, was that people need to be prepared for 6 months of absolute chaos here in America. Think, what would you do if your savings, pension, everything was gone and you had to survive?   


I hope to God it was the drugs, but I cannot shake this dream. I've been thinking about how, if the US dollar was devalued, it would not only devastate the United States, but millions around the world would instantly be bankrupt. I keep telling myself that this could not happen, not in America... but I'll bet there were people in Greece thinking the same thing a few years ago. Can it happen? I hope not. I hope this was just a bad dream. But if not, I'm going to be getting myself prepared.


So, am I nuts? Was it the drugs? Or was this a God thing? I'm going to be praying about it, but I cannot tell you how much this dream has shaken me.

My Favorite Christmas Song

Gambling With Your Life

Why do some people refuse to give in to God, no matter how hard things get for them? You'd think they'd realize they need God and turn to Him, but they don't. We all know someone (or many) who is doing this. It just doesn't make sense for people to turn their back on God when they obviously need Him -- yet it happens all the time. God loves them and wants to help them, but they still stubbornly refuse to turn to Him.


I have a friend, who I will grant you, has walked through some tough times. She feels as if God failed her, but she cannot see that it was she who made a series of terrible decisions, which lead to an ill-advised marriage that did not stand a chance, and lasted only a short time. Since then, she has blamed the church and blamed God, and is traveling down a road of self-destruction at breakneck speed. She is living a life that is unraveling as she bounces from man to man, all of whom she meets while drunk... and the man is drunk... and they end up sleeping together and the only things they have in common is drunkenness and sex. And she cannot seem to figure out what the problem is. And with every new pain, she blames God further for her fragmented and troubled life. She cannot see that God has never failed her, nor has he ever left her. Rather, it is she that has left God. She knows better, but she expects God to bless her in the midst of her partying lifestyle. Meanwhile, God is patiently waiting, right where he has always been. She fails to see that it is possible that God may even be using these circumstances to try to get her attention... to draw her back to the right path. Yet she still refuses to listen or turn from her ways. This is nothing new, nor is she alone. People like my friend are just like the people of Jeremiah's day. Jeremiah 11:8 says, "They did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts." Sadly, because of this, their nation was eventually destroyed.


My friend is just like thousands of others in this life.... wallowing in their pity and brokenness... and blaming God all the while. 
What is the problem? Why are people like this? The problem can be put in one word: pride. I speak of this issue all the time in my church... saying that, "all sin begins with "I."  The problem for people like my friend is that she thinks she can get by without God. She's trying to prove how tough or strong she is, and it is probably that she may even think it's a sign of weakness to admit she needs God or the church. But pride blinds us to reality.  We fail to see our own faults, and it also makes us stubbornly cling to our own ways. My friend often brags about all the drinking she is going to do, or has done, and then talks about how bad she feels physically... often for days... and to her, it is almost like a badge of honor as she is really saying, "look how bad I am suffering" and knowing she will do it again... and again. Her heart is broken and her spirit crushed. She has spoken to me about how she is "damaged goods" and that no good man would ever want her now. That speaks volumes to me. She is secretly ashamed of her life, yet she has found a group that accepts her as she is... because they are just like each other... using one another emotionally and physically.  The sad thing is that the further she slips down this slope, the more she damages herself emotionally and spiritually... and even physically.  And the simple truth is, the biggest issue for her is her stubborn pride that keeps her from admitting openly that she hates her life as it is, and that her circle of "friends" are nothing more than users who will abandon her in a heart beat the moment she begins to turn her life back toward God. Such a game of deception Satan plays. My friend thinks she has "friends" but none of them want what is the best for her life. They only want what helps them to feel comfortable in the pig pen of their own lives.


Not long I spoke to this friend about her life and she kept trying to assure me that she was "OK" and that she knew she needed to make her life right with God, and she would... someday. She told me not to worry about her, that she knew the right way and, as she put it, "I'll be back to what I know is right."  So she knows. But she is playing games with God. It is almost like she thinks God understands what she is doing and is OK with it until she comes back. But I say to her (I hope she is reading this) and countless others like her... "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." God does see you... and He does know. He even knows what you are thinking. And I am warning you, you are walking on dangerous ground. Remember dear friend, none of us have the guarantee of tomorrow... or even the next breath. I'm not trying to scare you, just being real with you, because I love you. Don't play this game of yours too long. You are gambling with your life.

Show Me the Money!

A friend of mine who is also a pastor shared this outline for a sermon, in light of the many churches who either had to cancel services or were open and had very few show up to church. Some may be offended... but if they are, they need to ask themselves just who they are offended at. Truth is truth. The bills and obligations of the church go on every week, whether there is church or not, or whether they made it to church that week or not. Some miss week after week when winter rolls around, and they don't think it through, that if half the church is gone 2 or 3 weeks in a row, the church budget is devastated. I am convinced that this is where many find their "extra" cash for Christmas shopping.


Thanks to Jim Martin for the use of this message!


SHOW ME THE MONEY

I. You say you're faithful to God? Show me the money.

II. You say that you trust God to provide? Show me the money.

III. You say you love this church? Show me the money.

IV. You say that you know that being part of a church entails responsibility on your part? Show me the money.

V. You say that you are a blood bought, Spirit filled, on your way to heaven Christian? Show me the money.

VI. You say that you're sorry you missed last Sunday, but the weather was bad? Show me the money.

VII. You say that you have as good a sense of humor as the next person and understand that your tithes are not like admission to the circus? Show me the money.

VIII. You say that utility bills, insurance, church payment, and YES, YOUR PASTOR'S SMALL SALARY are necessary things to keep the church functioning. Show me the money.

IX. Now as the ushers are coming to receive the offering, show me the money...better yet, show HIM the money.

A Funny Bit of Life

Some years ago I remember reading about a man in Salt Lake City who decided to send out 600 Christmas cards to total strangers. He got telephone directories from several major cities and addressed 600 cards to people he had never met. He put his return address on the envelopes and mailed them out. The funny thing is, he received 117 responses from total strangers.   

One lady wrote, "It was so good to hear from you. Your card arrived the day I got home from the hospital and I can’t tell you what an encouragement it was to hear from an old friend."

There was another one wrote, "I have to admit that when we received your card we couldn’t really picture you.   We had to think hard for a long time before we finally remembered.  By the way, please give our regards to your father. He is such a wonderful man!"

But I think this one took the cake. One guy wrote, "It was so good to hear from you after all these years. By the way, we’re going to be in Salt Lake City this summer. Would it be all right if we came and spent a few days with you?" 

Can you imagine?

Shower Ideas

OK, strange topic today... but hey, it's me... and if you have not figured it out yet, I am a bit strange. Ask anyone who sits under my ministry and they will tell you that I'm just liable to say or do anything.  So, today I'm just carrying on that tradition in blog form.  
Yesterday I had a great idea while I was in the shower.  A couple of weeks ago I came up with the complete outline for a book I've been trying to write for 7 years. And I got to wondering, do any of you ever have ideas or profound thoughts come to you while you are in the shower? I often do. In fact, I say that I probably do some of my best thinking while I am in the shower.  


I have told my church that one of my best places to pray is while I am in the shower. (I know, some of you think that is so sacrilegious... but get over it.) It's just a fact that is true for me. One of the reasons is that when I am in the shower it is one of the few quiet times I have in the day. Think through that with me... You cannot read a book or newspaper in the shower. There are usually no interruptions, no phone calls, no television. (Although I do know some people who have TV's in their bathroom so they can watch TV while they are in the shower.) It's basically "alone" time and I utilize this time as a prayer time, but I have also learned to use this time as a great time to be alone in my thoughts and I have some of my best ideas while I am in the shower. Maybe that's why so many people think my ideas are all wet? (Sorry, just couldn't hold that one in.)  It's a great time to think, and I'll be honest, I don't think enough people actually spend time in thought any more.


Thinking is important.  Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, “finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”  It is not God's aim for us to "empty ourselves" of all things, as some people teach. God gave us a brain and the ability to think. He said in His word, "come let us reason together."  To "reason" takes thought. God wants us to think. He wants YOU to think, not simply to mindlessly follow someone else or the flow of society.


I want to challenge you today, take some time to think. No, you don't necessarily have to be in the shower, but it your life is as hectic as mine sometimes is, you might want to give it a try. While you are thinking, may I suggest that you spend some time thinking about the good things God has done for you and is doing even now in your behalf. I've found that when I am spending time being thankful, clarity of life's situations often comes to mind and I begin to see from a new perspective. Take 20 -30 minutes doing this, and then come back and share with me the things that come to your mind. I'll be willing to bet that you begin finding some "think time" in your life on a regular basis if you try this for a few days and begin to discover what it does for you.

I'm Borrowing this Prayer

I received an email from one of my "Internet friends" (someone whom I've never met, but we've been communicating by email, messaging boards and phone calls now for about 11 years. In this email, he had sent me a bit of information about a man named David Brainerd who was a missionary to the Native Americans. Brainerd lived just a brief life, dying at the age of 29 in 1747, but apparently God used his life in a very powerful way. I'm going to have to do some more research on his life and ministry, but one thing that struck me was a simple but powerful prayer that Brainerd prayed regularly. His prayer simply was: "God, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am."  

Wow! That is awesome! There just is not a word for what I feel inside as I think on that prayer.

I'm adopting this prayer into my life from this day on. 

Pray For You

I know I'll catch some flack for this... but I LOVE this song!

I'll Put My Faith In God

Ever since I was old enough to remember, we've been told about the possibility of alien life forms on other planets. Hollywood made movies about alien invasions, and long before I was around, Orson Welles scared the daylights out of millions of radio listeners with his adaptation of H.G. Wells' book "War of the Worlds" as listeners thought they were actually hearing live reports of an alien invasion. The thought of aliens has always intrigued us, as we have conjured up images of little green men, or other versions of what we thought an alien might look like. 


Last week, NASA had a special news conference to announce that they believe they have now actually encountered alien life forms, but that we have had it wrong. Apparently, ET may look more like a single celled bacteria, and has been found at the bottom of a lake in California. The scientist have observed that this tiny, microscopic creatures live in thermal vents at the bottom of this lake, and somehow exist and thrive in an environment which is rich in arsenic and phosphorus. They have experimented with this life form and slowly weaned the bacteria off of phosphorus leaving them to live off of arsenic. In doing so, they say the saw a measured change in the makeup of the cellular chemistry in the bacteria. From this, they have now come up with the theory that if these bacteria can morph its DNA to consume arsenic in the absence of phosphorus, that this "weird life"  which is made up of building blocks that has been unknown in our current knowledge and exist on earth, then it could also do so anywhere else in the universe. 


Confused? Me too.  I'm questioning, "How do you make such a huge leap based from this new knowledge? OK, it has previously been unknown to us, but that means "undiscovered" not from an alien planet. Consider that in the past few months around the world there have been brand new discoveries, such as a new species of squid, a new species of frog, several new species of fish, a new flesh eating plant discovered in Cambodia... and these are just a few of the hundreds of discoveries found every month around this planet. Wouldn't it be just as easy to say that these frogs, or fish are aliens as it is to claim that this bacteria is an alien life form? Yet people are eating this news up as a gospel fact... with a giant, blind leap of faith.


Consider that these are the same people who absolutely scoff at the notion of God, and talk about the incredible amount of faith it would take to believe in a god. Yet, these same knuckleheads have no trouble taking this incredible leap of faith to believe that because this bacteria was previously unknown to us, it just HAD to come from another planet. Somehow that makes sense to them. But no one is asking, "How did it get here?" No one is asking how is it possible that we never knew about these frogs, fish, plants, birds and so on... maybe they are actually aliens. Makes just about as much sense to me.


They not only believe this... they expect us to believe it. Sorry, but I'm not willing to jump off that cliff of faith. Faith in God makes a whole lot more sense to me than what they are spouting off. In short, they are saying to us, "This life exists here, so it could also exist on other planets."  This is nothing new. Hundreds of years ago Epicurus wrote in a letter to Herodotus, "There are infinite worlds both like and unlike this world of ours. We must believe that in all other worlds there are living creatures and plants and other things we see in this world."  He was saying because life exists here, it therefore must exist elsewhere. The problem with that type of thinking is that now, centuries after Epicurus' hypothesis, we have the technology to see further and more clearly into the universe than ever before, and we still have no evidence of life on any other planet. There simply is no reason to believe there is life out there. Man simply assumes there must be since there are so many planets out there that the mathematical probability leads you to believe that life almost has to exist somewhere else.


OK...  I get the logic of science and I understand the mathematical equations. But they are still asking me to simply believe... by faith... that life must be out there.


I simply choose to put my faith in God. It is far easier for me to believe, "what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life." (1 John 1:1)  

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

Our dogs, are Rowdy and Copper. Rowdy is the bigger one in Santa suit.  Rowdy is an avid eater, constantly wanting treats. He hates this Santa suit, and I had put him in it again tonight, and then asked him if he wanted a Milk Bone. Normally, Rowdy will do anything for a Milk Bone. I mean, he goes nuts. But this time he jumped up like he wanted one, but he would not go to the kitchen for it. He has never done this before, and I did not know if he was acting this way because he was in the suit, or what was going on. I ended up giving him the Milk Bone (Copper too) and he was then spry as usual. In fact, he started acting like the suit did not bother him at all. (He's been in it now for almost 3 hours, and he's kind of acting like he actually likes it now.) A little bit later, I was doing the dishes and he came into the kitchen, dancing around as he usually does, hoping for some scraps or a treat. All of a sudden I went to put something into the trash, and I discovered why Rowdy had been so reluctant to come into the kitchen. The trash bag was ripped to shreds where it hung over the outside of the trash can. Apparently, Rowdy had been trying to get into the trash to get some chicken scraps and bones but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Still, he was well aware he had done something wrong, and that must be why he was not willing to go to the kitchen. I guess he figured that once I'd been in there and there was not punishment that everything was going to be OK.  I really found that funny that a dog could reason things out enough to not want to go into the kitchen because he feared punishment, and then to reason that it was OK after I'd been in there for a few minutes and there was not repercussions coming.  By the way... I did not punish him at all. How can you punish for something that makes you laugh like that?


One thing that makes me chuckle about things like this is that when I was in college, I flunked Systematic Theology under one particular teacher because he and I got into a rather heated argument over his insistence that the difference between mankind and animals was that animals did not have the ability to reason. I lost that fight, as he had the power to fail me, but over and over again, the animals prove me right.

To Extend Unemployment Benefits or Not?

This is such a huge dilemma in America right now, and I have to confess I am torn on which side to line up on. There are people who are very close to me who are unemployed and about to see their benefits run out. I feel for them... I worry for them. I worry for my own brother who has been unable to find a job in over a year. He has taken a job, only to see it cut as well, and he is at the end of his rope. I understand the pain and frustration of those who are seeking work very well. Yet... there is the other side of the coin. There are many who simply will not work as long as they can sit at home and be paid to do so. Just last night I was chatting with a friend on Facebook who said that his company had been trying to fill 10 jobs, paying better than $13 an hour with benefits, for more than 2 months. He said that hundreds had applied, interviewed and the job was offers made to many people, still, they have 4 of those 10 jobs open. The problem is that many of these people refused the job, because it would cost them their unemployment benefits. They would rather sit at home and be paid for as long as they possibly can before they take another job. OK, for some of these people, this job might have been less than what they used to make, but sometimes we have to suck it up and take the job that pays us less money. What if this bill is not signed? What if benefits are not extended? I'll bet some people will be wishing they had taken that $13 an hour job then. I've noticed here in Galesburg, people who used to have jobs that paid them very well, now working in fast food restaurants or Walmart. I can guarantee that they'd rather still be working for Maytag or Butler Buildings... but they have taken lessor paying jobs because lessor pay is far better than no pay. That's a no brainer.


Again, I'm really torn... people I know have diligently been looking for work, and it simply is not there for them. Yet the big problem in this comes down to this simple fact... The money has to come from somewhere! Where is is coming from? It is coming from our children's future. The Government is borrowing, and borrowing and borrowing to try to keep the plates spinning... but sooner or later they are going to fall. I fear that time is upon us.  Instead of looking at "the Government", examine this as if it were your own family. Suppose your expenses are far more than your income, and rather than make some tough and inconvenient cuts, you decided to keep your family afloat by putting it on your credit card. Month after month, year after year, you keep spending the same, and adding it to your credit card, until finally your debt, and the interest on that debt is so large there is no way you can pay it. I know, millions here in the US actually do that, and when it reaches that point, they simply run to court and file bankruptcy, and start the process over again. The problem is, we are talking about our Nation. And right now, we owe all this debt to China... and we are nearly at the breaking point, where we cannot pay China what we owe, and we as a Nation are enslaving our future... our children to the Chinese.


Extend the benefits? It pains me to say it... but I say extend them, but at bare minimum, make some huge changes to the system. For example, if someone declines a job... they forfeit their benefits. I know that seems tough, but something has to give. Or how about if you receive unemployment, you must give 15 hours a week to community service? Something tells me that many of those who are simply refusing to work would suddenly change their view if they had to help out in a homeless shelter or something similar. If you live in an area like where I live, the fact is, there simply are no jobs. But if there  are jobs available and people refuse to work, then I say it is time to cut the benefits of those who refuse.

Some Things Never Leave Your Mind

I look at the calendar, see that tomorrow is December 2 and in an instant, I am transported to December 2, 1979. That date is ingrained in my brain. This was the height of disco mania, and I had been partying hard for several days in a row with no sleep, going on cocaine and amphetamines and drinking heavy. I knew I had to come down  and get some sleep because I had to get back to work the next day, after having 4 days off, so I took several quaaludes and  tried to go to sleep. The chemical mixture in my body had other ideas, as soon my heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was going to come right through my chest. My brother, who was going through a divorce at the time was staying at my house and was asleep on the couch, and I went in and woke him up and told him that I thought I was going to die. He talked with me for a few minutes and took my pulse and decided he had better call an ambulance. They rushed me to the ER and I was hospitalized. I spent  the entire month of December in the hospital. I basically had damaged a valve in my heart, something I still deal with today... but the reason they kept me so long is that they were convinced that I had attempted suicide because of the massive amount of drugs in my system. I was never able to convince them that it was not a suicide attempt, which is why they kept refusing to release me from the psych unit. I finally told the shrink that I had in fact attempted suicide but that I was no longer suicidal and that I regretted my attempt. That did the trick and they let me go home 3 days later, on January 5. I never could figure that one out, because I had been so suicidal at that point, had been hospitalized several times, and I never denied that fact, but on this one, they refused to believe that it was an accident.  At any rate, every year when December 2 rolls around, I kind of do a flash back in my mind and remember, first and foremost, that I am lucky to be here... and I thank God for the transformed life I now have. Sometimes it is really hard to believe that I actually lived that life. It almost seems like something I saw in a movie or read in a book. 
That old me is long gone... thank you Jesus!