When Religion Kills

Not long ago I happened to meet a young woman who used to attend the church where I pastor. I was having coffee with 2 friends of mine and one of them who is a member of my church introduced me to this young lady and told me that she had grown up in our church. I invited her to come during and our revival and she indicated that she might do that. I had not seen her since then, but I saw her again today and I invited her to come try our church. Her words were polite, yet sharp as she said to me, "I've not been to church since I was twelve. I'm not buying what you are selling. Thank you, but I am just not interested." Flames shot from her eyes as she said these words. I know that look. It is the look of one who has been suffocated and ripped to peices and I know short of a miracle from the Lord, I will never have the opportunity to share my heart with her. I have no idea what she has been through or where life has taken her, but I feel nothing but love for this young lady. The sad truth is she has rejected "what I am selling" without ever knowing what it is that I am offering. You see, I am not interested in "selling" her anything, but rather I want to introduce her to LIFE and life more abundantly. I frankly don't care if she ever set foot in my church, so long as she meets Jesus. Not the stern faced Jesus that so many have been taught, but the Jesus with eyes of mercy and a smile on his face that offers freedom, not bondage. Again, I don't know where she has been or what road she has been down, but the Holy Spirit impressed on me that she was in a very religious home and religion failed her and that family and it was broken. I have no idea if she happens to read my blog, but I am praying that somehow she does or someone tells her about this and she reads, because I want her to know that there is a crazy preacher who is praying for her and asking the Holy Spirit to break through and to let her know that Jesus has never failed her. Her family, the church and religion may have failed, but Jesus never fails! Listen girl (and anyone else who is reading) you don't need religion, there's nothing to it anyway. Religion is not of God, but a tool of Satan to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus came to give you LIFE... abundant life! A life filled with joy, peace and strength!


Those of you who read the Dawghowse who are enjoying the life in Christ, I am asking you to pray with me for this young woman. I will not share her name here, that would be inappropriate. But God knows who she is and I am asking you to join me in prayer that love will break through the shell of protection that she has built around her. I may not have her ear, but I know a God who can break through!

Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life

I just recently felt compelled to pull this book off of the shelf and re-read it. As I was reading today I was reminded of this blog entry from over 3 years ago and I decided to repost it with a couple of slight edits. If you've never read the book, I highly recommend it. Be warned, he is not a Christian and he quotes non-Christians and even bashes on us a bit, but in between there is some great material and advice!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life

I know that there will be people upset that a Pastor would promote this book and espouse these views, but Larry Winget has hit the ball out of the ball park with this book!
Of course, you can apply everything he says here to people in every walk of life, but man, would I love to tell some church folks to "Shut up, stop whining and get a life!"

Winget trademarks himself, not as a "motivational speaker" but rather as an "Irrational Speaker." He says, "We only make changes in our life when we no longer feel good about ourselves. We only make changes in our lives when we get uncomfortable with ourselves." He says that one of the biggest problems in America is that we, as a people, do not take responsibility for ourselves or our own actions anymore, but rather we are proficient at playing the blame game. He confronts those who are preaching for people to just feel good about themselves the way they are and to have a good attitude and says "that is a load of crap."
He says that what we need to be telling people is that they need to take a look in the mirror, look themselves dead in the eye and say, "This is my fault. I did it. I made these choices, I'm the one to blame and it is up to me to change and no one else."
Wow... what a novel idea! Taking responsibility for our own actions!
Who would have ever thought about that one?

Winget says that "we live in a society that condones a lack of personal responsibility."
He says that if we stood our ground and made people live up to what they say they are going to do, we would all be better off. But he adds that we just will not do that, and instead we make excuses that allow people to break their promises and blame someone or something else for it, and somehow hope that things get better. He speaks of how we build support groups to tell one another that it is not our fault that we don't live up to our word.

As I am hearing what Winget says, I find myself thinking, "This is EXACTLY the problem in our churches today as well!" In the church, when someone breaks their word, doesn't get their way, or in some other way shirks their responsibility, they will immediately find a circle of friends to rally around them, start accusing the pastor of letting them down, or of not caring enough (Whine, whine, feel my pain, join me as I sing this refrain) and as a group then they stir up and muddy the waters to cover their own lack of responsibility!

Hey, news flash! If it takes Pastor calling you every time you miss church for you to come back to church again... that is not Pastor's problem.. that is yours, and the truth is you are not serving God at all, but rather you want some one to excuse your lack of responsibility and tell you that you are OK, when you know good and well you are not!

Another simple, yet profound thing Winget says is, "While what happens to you may not be your fault, how you react to it is your fault." I don't know a single person who has not had something bad happen to them, even who did not have something happen in the church that they did not like or agree with 100%. That is not a reason to go running and circling the wagons until you get your way. The fact is, seldom does everyone in the church agree 100% on everything. Sometimes we just have to realize "It's not about me, and I cannot always get my way" and move on! End of story!

He also says, if you see a problem, instead of whining and complaining about it, do something to change it. Talking about problems to other people without trying to change it accomplishes nothing but trouble and discord. He adds, "If you are not going to do anything construes to change the problem, then shut your mouth about it." The point is, if you don't care enough to try to effect change in a positive way, then you have lost the right to open your mouth about it. "Shut up, stop whining and get a life!"

Another he says that I just love is that when you see that you are not taking responsibility for your own actions and you know you need to change, then the way to do it... (are you ready for this?) Is to change.
He says, you don't need a list of steps of how to change... just change.
Stop acting selfishly.
Stop doing what you know is wrong.
Wow! Another novel idea!

People Never Cease to Amaze Me

It's happening again. Last Sunday there were a few people who approached me after the worship service to tell me, they "felt led" to leave our church and start attending another. If someone truly feels that way, then I have no problem with it, so long as they just go. But it never happens that way. They can stand and look you in the eye and tell you that they have no problem with you or your church, but that God is leading them... but then they start trying to lead the sheep of your fold astray, to take them with them to the church that THEY felt led to go to. That's when they start to do what I call "circling the wagons." What's that? That is where you find as many people as you can to join your side. It's kind of like in the old cowboy and Indian movies where they covered wagons would make a circle to make their defense. The only difference is that in this scenario they go on the offense, trying to take as many with them into their circle, because everyone knows that the more you have in your circle, it proves you are in the right.

Somehow, I just don't believe God is ever in that. If God leads you, then go, and keep your tongue in check. When you start running your mouth and trying to take others with you then you have just crossed into the realm of sowing seeds of discord, and that, according to the Word of God is an abomination before the Lord.
You'd think that after all the years I've been in the ministry I would be used to it, but I don't think you ever get used to people and their betrayal. Yeah, it is betrayal. You pour into the lives of people for years, only to have them try to destroy your ministry as they go. I know it won't work. I've been through it enough times over the years that I know we will not only survive, but we will grow through this. What bothers me deeply is that every time this happens, innocent people are hurt deeply. Usually it is the ones whom they persuade to follow after them to their new destination. The church they leave is poisoned in their mind by those who bad mouthed the church and the pastor, so they can never go back. Or, they feel guilty for leaving, so they can never go back. And the sad truth is, those that left this church will eventually leave the next, and the next, and the next... leaving behind badly wounded sheep as a telling tale of their legacy, and these wounded sheep are often destroyed spiritually because of all of this. It makes me sick, and I am sure it sickens the Lord as well.

I will say it again. If God leads you to do something, then do it, but don't drag others into what God is telling you to do just to prove what a great thing you are doing. When you drag others around from place to place, you leave wounds in both them, the church you left and even in the church you are dragging them into.

Oh my!

Are You F.A.T.?

Matthew 24: 45 - 51 speaks of two servants: one who is faithful and wise and one who is unfaithful and slothful. To the one who is faithful and wise; there are great rewards. To the other; there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. Something tells me that if we would have been able to speak to the unfaithful one, he would have thought that there was nothing wrong and that there was plenty of time to set things right if it wasn’t right.

Proverbs 20:6 says: Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

The faithful and wise would just keep on doing what was required. You see that is the key to being used of God. To be a faithful servant God is looking for us to be Faithful, Available, and Teachable... F.A.T.

Does this describe you? The Disciples were FAT, Paul was FAT, are you F A T?

Are you faithful? God is looking for, longing for those who are faithful.

God is faithful to us. In Deuteronomy 7:9 the Word of God says, "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."

So the question is, Are we faithful? I mean, REALLY faithful. Can God count on us to always be there, dependable and trustworthy? His desire is for us to be what he describes in 1 Samuel 2:35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

Are we faithful to His Word? Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. This is not just for the preacher, but for all of us who are under the blood.

Are we faithful in His service? Remember the parable of the talents? To the one who was faithful and used his talents the Master said, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Are You Available?
We need to ask ourselves, "Are we available to be used of God?"

How many of us have used something besides a hammer to drive a nail? We all have. Why? It was handy. So, the question is, "Are you handy to God?" We often think that God has to use the "professional" minister, but God has a calling and a use for all of us if we will only make ourselves available. In 1 Samuel 3:10 "And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant hears."
Are we available to be used of God?

Remember in Isaiah 6:8 "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." We need to learn to make ourselves available.

The last point or question is "Are You Teachable?"

A funny thing has happened in the Body of Christ. There are always those who are rising up who feel it is there job to tell the preacher what he ought to be preaching. They feel like they have a better understanding of God than anyone else. Many in the church have become "spiritual know it alls." What is a spiritual know it all? It is someone who does not need to be taught. Or maybe it would be better to say someone who refuses to be taught. Someone who has such insight and knowledge that they are above everyone else and too mature to learn new things.


A question that we need to ask ourselves is are we grasping the teaching? Paul warned that in the last days there would be a people who are "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." We are living in that day.


We must be teachable so that we can teach. Another characteristic of the last days church is that everyone wants to soak it in, but not give out. Try finding teachers, kids church workers, or those to teach in a nursing home. They are few and far in-between. No one wants to leave the sanctuary and go teach. The writer of Hebrews said, in 5:12 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."


So, look in the spiritual mirror today and ask yourself this question: Am I FAT?
If we want to be used of God we must be.
Are you Faithful, Available and Teachable? It takes all three to be F.A.T.

Don't Let Satan Steal Your Fries!

John 10:10 "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

It's been a great week in Galesburg and at Harvest Church. We've seen several people saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, many people healed, and heard testimonies of how God is doing wonders in marriage and in the finances of God's people. And just the way it always goes, when people begin to obey God, satan rears up and tries to divert the attention from what God is doing. Rather than get upset, I choose to rejoice because it speaks to me that something we are doing is right because we have drawn the attention of the enemy. That just stirs something in me and tells me to go for it with all I've got!

I preached a message yesterday about not letting satan steal your dreams. In response to this, someone sent me an email this morning with the following story in it:

Our church has a catch phrase that we use to encourage one another, "Don't let Satan have your fries." We all know what it means, but let me explain it to those of you who do not. Some time back there was a guest speaker at a conference who told the story of when he was just a young boy. He said that when he was a small child one of his favorite things was McDonald's french fries. He spoke how he and his father would spend special times together by making a trip to McDonald's for some of those fries. One Saturday they made their usual trip to McDonald's and as they sat down he noticed that his bag of fries was not as full as it normally is. His father, saw the disappointment in his son's face and he wanted to get what he paid for, so he went took the bag back to the counter and asked them to please fill the bag with fries. The teenager working behind the counter thought the man was being rude crammed the bag with as many fries as he could possibly fit into it. His dad took the fries back to the son and said "Son, don't let them steal your fries."

There is a powerful lesson in that little story! Not about french fries, but we all have things in our life that we hold dear, things we value... and it is a fact, satan wants to steal them from us. For many of us, it is our relationship with Christ in general. For others it is our destiny. For some it is the healing they just received. For some it is the financial miracles we prayed for and and are believing God for. What ever it may be, satan desires to steal them or divert the promises of God. Don't let satan steal your fries! Don't settle for anything less that what God has promised! Don't let him have a single fry! God has healed, restored and promised blessing... lay claim to all of these and do not give any ground back to the enemy of our souls.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I declare and decree today that satan cannot have a single one of my fries! I receive and live in the fulless of life that Jesus came to give to me. I walk in wholeness of life, health and prosperity. I am blessed coming in and going out. My heavenly Father has good things in store for me. These are mine, in Jesus' Name!

Let this be our rallying cry: "Don't let satan steal your fries!"

A Reminder...

This morning I was sitting and reflecting on what God has been doing at Harvest Church and those that would stand in opposition of it and ridicule the move of God. I was reminded of the river vision I had about 3 years ago, and in that vision there were people who stood and mocked and even cursed those flowing in the river. There were those who got out of the river and said, "I don't like that direction" and they turned and walked the way the river had gone before it shifted directions. There were those who got out of the river and and set up camp on the bank at the place where the river turned. God was saying that not everyone will go where the river will take them. It is a complete shifting, a change of direction and it is a place where those who go must abandon ALL attempts to control but rather must go with the flow. This move is for those who will yeild themselves completely to the ebb and flow of the Holy Spirit and trust God rather than man's traditions and religion.

Again, let me remind the church of what the Lord spoke to me back in 2006. " I will move in this church to the degree that you will allow me to move."

I say, "Have your way Lord!"

Well, Alrighty Then

No need for me to comment, this guy says enough! Wow!

No, the Media is not biased at all

The following video was shot by an intern reporter for the Galesburg Register Mail and is on the front page of the Register Mail online version (at www.galesburg.com). This is supposed to show the opinions of the people of the Galesburg area. However, their is an interactive poll to grade Obama's second 100 days included in the article in which this video appears and the funny thing is that the poll results show something far different. At the time I am posting this blog, the results are as follows:
A - 23%
B - 19%
C - 11%
D - 18%
F - 28%

Let's see, that 46% who give Obama a D or F, yet the video shows NO ONE voicing a negative opinion. No, it's not biased reporting at all.

Christians Burned to Death by Radical Muslims

For the last several years we have heard over and over that "Islam means peace." Does it? Hardly. Take a look at this latest story out of Pakistan from the London Times Online dated August 3, 2009 about how a group of Muslim radicals burned a family of Christians to death because there was a rumor that a member of the family had defiled the Koran. The media report states that the "official" count shows 8 were burned to death and at least others died from gun shot wounds as hundreds of this radical group caused terror as they ran through the streets shouting anti-Christian slogans. The police were on the scene but stood by and did nothing. Contrary to "official" report, others on the scene claim that the death toll could be as high as dozens, as more than 40 homes of Christians were torched. And remember, this was brought on by a RUMOR that a book of the Koran had been defiled, which the survivors insist did not happen.

So, this is peace? I know, some Muslim people will decry this and claim that this is a radical group and all Islamic people should not be judged by the actions of a few. One question I will ask any Muslim is simply this: Why do we never see any Islamic people trying to put a stop to such behavior? I'll tell you why. Let's look to the Koran itself, the book of Surah 9:5 says: "Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them and seize them, confine them, and lie in wait for them in every place of ambush." Who or what is defined as a pagan? Anyone who does not submit themselves to the Islamic faith. The Koran basically says to kill anyone who is not a Muslim.

Does Islam means peace? Not on your life. Take a look at the words of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian Shiite mullah; "Islam makes it incumbent on all adult males to prepare themselves for the conquest of countries so that the writ of Islam is obeyed in every country in the world." This religion is not about peace, it is about forcing all to submit to their belief or die.

I know that some people are saying this is blown out of proportion, but I say it is time we wake up. Most Americans are not concerned because it is happening half way around the world, therefore not affecting them personally. But the day is coming, much faster than you think, that you will see this same scenerio played out here on our shores. It is coming.

Where is the Love? (revisited)

A young woman I know in the Burg had broken free from a relationship where the man was emotionally abusive and had cheated on her repeatedly. I was so happy for her. Last week I discovered that after months of being away from him, she took him back yet again. My heart broke for her, because I realize that she really has no idea of what love is and is so insecure in her own self that she thinks she cannot make it without him. I hope she learns before it is too late. This morning as I was thinking about her, a post I wrote last year came to mind and I wanted to bring it back up to the top. I hope maybe she reads it and she discovers that what she needs in her life more than anything else is Jesus Christ.

Where Is the Love?

I met someone this past week and spent a few hours listening and trying to give advice, although I think it fell on deaf ears. This young lady had been having an affair with a married man for the past couple of years, being strung along by token gifts, sex (which she mistook for love) and hundreds of empty promises that he was going to leave his wife and marry her. He told her last week that it was over, that he was staying with his wife. Now, she is beginning to wake up to the reality that she has been being used and abused for all this time, and she is feeling dirty and unwanted. She told me that in reality, all the guys that she knows have viewed her as a sure bet to sleep with and that she feels no man will ever want her as a wife, only as a plaything. She's feeling totally used up, unloved and unwanted. She called me looking for someone to just listen, in hopes that someone might care.

You know, this is how Satan does all of us. It may not be through a sexual affair, but he toys with us, uses us and leads us on with promises of a better tomorrow and then when he has us set up, the bottom falls out. This is what he does. The Bible says he comes only to steal, kill and destroy. His goal is to steal your heart away from the real love that God offers, kill your spirit and destroy your life and destiny. It is not always with a man or a woman; but sometimes it is through business, sports, drugs, big dreams, hobbies, even religion. He knows where our weakness is and he sends someone or something to steal our affections away, to entice us away from the Lord, from attending worship, from people who love us and then when he has us where he wants us, he rips the rug out from under our feet and leaves us wallowing in a pit of despair. That drug that once made you laugh and think you were having the time of your life, is now a ball and chain to you. That "fun" you were having with illicit sex ends up in an unwanted pregnancy that shatters all your dreams and plans. That boy friend or girl friend that you poured all your time and energy into and gave yourself to in pleasure that you mistook for love, dumps you for another. And you find yourself thinking, "it's over. There is no hope for me."

You can change the story line a few hundred times over and insert different things and/or people that lured you away, but the "game" is always the same. You find yourself sitting all alone asking the question, "Where is the love?"

I'll tell you what it is you are looking for...
It is found in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Remember the old commercial, "Try it, you'll like it!"
Jesus is just waiting for you to come give him a try.
You've tried everything else in this world, why not try the one who loves you like no other and will always be there for you.

How do I know?
Because I tried him, took him at his word and I have been in the most awesome relationship with him now for the past 27 years.

I promise, you will not be disappointed!

O Praise Him

Just needs to be said and heard today... He is worthy to be praised!