Winterfest 2009

I realize that it has been a while but I have been pretty busy lately. I went to Winterfest 2009 with 5 teens. Winterfest is a Church of God teen rally that is held every year in Indy. It was the first time I have attended and happily I can say it was an awesome time. Truely life changing. If you can imagine, 3000+ pentecostal teens (that's not including their sponsors), worshipping and praying. We saw literally hundreds during the weekend that gave their lives to God, some speaking in tongues, the presence was awesome without doubt. Not only were teens moved but everyone there was as well.
The one testimony that most will remember is a teen that went there with a friend and after the service Saturday morning he talked to some of the pastors that had attended at his hotel. Later during evening service, he brought a Police Officer in from the street pulled out two bags of drugs, a gun, and simply said, "I'm done banging, do what you got to!'. Way cool!
Mind you I am new to the tech-age so to speak, if I can figure out how, I'll post some pix later. But I want to leave this thought. Sunday morning, the minister (Tom Madden) said to everyone that it is easy to feel the Holy Spirit with as many people as that in one place, with all the lights,special effects like fog machines, and the live bands. And he said that Satan was not there at the service, and here is where the lesson was, he said that when you worship and give your life to God, it is the best feeling but, he said, for the new Christians among us, and to some old ones that forget the reason that Satan is not there is that he is waiting for you at home! So the question we have to ask ourselves is, now what? Now that we have returned home, do we go back to the way things were or are we going to make the change for God. And I did ask myself Now What??

I heard something interesting that I wanted to share. There is a group of people that are considered "Titanic Enthusiest". These people are so fasinated by the whole thing that they have an annual event, which is pricey I guess, that celebrates the voyage. Guests, when they board, are given an assumed identity that is the name from the original manifest, and a card that says crew or passanger, then are told near the end of the event if they were rescued or not, and that information is on their cabin door.
Aparrently there are far fewer names on the rescued list than the other. Then I thought about the old saying the "short list", and I wondered if that was where it came from. And it occured to me, faith and confidence in the Lord are wonderful posessions to have, but if there were a printed card, message, or something that told our names, and then eithere "saved" or "unsaved" what would mine say? Would I change anything I had done or that I am doing? But then it hit me, if I have concerns about it, or if I would change something, am I really where I need to be with God?
We only get one chance to get it right. Then we either go to Heaven or Hell. There is no middle ground, no grey area, and no do overs. I praise God that we have an instruction book to tell us how to spend eternity with Him. Can we really afford to take chances? God is NOT the one to play games with. The Bible says that God wants to hear from every one of His children, and as humbling as that is to think who am I that He wants to hear and have a relationship with me, it also says that if we hold on to sin, or keep grudges, then He may not hear or honor our prayers. I don't know about anyone other than me, but as much as I HAVE to rely on Him, I need to be sure that nothing is stopping Him from hearing me. Although He is known by many names, and for many things, I can praise and glorify Him because He is the God of mercy and forgivness and all I have to do is ask.

Now I'm Mad

I was reading about the apostles and how they and other early Christians were really bold witnesses for Christ. Even when they were told not to mention His name, they (Peter and John) told the counsel more or less that they had to do what they had to do, and then they praised God for getting a beating in His name. Would we? They along with the likes of Steven (who was stoned to death) and John the Baptist (beheaded) suffered endless persecution continuously. Imprisonment, beatings, stonings, even death in most cases was the "norm". So, I was thinking.... how many of us would be willing to endure such things? There are missionaries and believers all over the world to this day being persecuted and killed for His kingdom, but what about in the USA?

So why am I mad? In the news lately there are things going on such as in Gainsville, Florida, transgenders can use whichever restroom they feel appropriate, states allow same sex, and let's call it what it is, gay marriage. By the way, have you been to McDonalds lately? One of their execs was given a seat on the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and, in a release by the company, because Christians say that being gay is wrong and a sin, they (Christians) are spreading hatred! Do you listen to gosple radio? There is legislation that is called the fairness act or close to that. It says that if anti-abortion supporters are given air time, then pro-abortion has to get the same amount on the same station.

This country was founded on Christian principles. I think it was Ben Franklin, an author of the Constitution, that said "If you are not a Christian, you cannot be called an American". There is a sign that is often put on church signs that states "God is coming back and, boy is He mad". Praise God that is true, He is coming back. But, I am too. I think that it is time for all Christians to get mad, quit taking the punishment of a Godless world, stand and be heard. Therefore, one of my Newyears resolution is to be a bold witness for God, and to let people know that if you are gay, that is a sin. If you are an unsaved sinner, you are not going to Heaven, and finally, there is only one way to Heaven and that is through the Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God!

Expanding on the pipe lesson

I really felt led to expand on the first part of the lesson from yesterday. I did, after thinking about it awhile, realize that I have, like many others, been living life like I was fixing pipes. It seems like, as I did, spent all day fixing a water pipe that went noplace. Now there are other problems that went along with it like the fact that I had to do something with that line. Either I had to fix it or I had to bypass it.
I related it to my spiritual life when I realized that when we are in obeyance, servatude, and of one accord with Him, blessings from God can be like water flowing through the pipes. Blessings will flow to wherever we build a line, but, when we build those lines that stray from God we really cause ourselves problems. Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the light. He is the light unto our feet and light unto our path. When we stray or "T" off of His main line, we walk into darkness and end up nowhere.
Just like a path in a park, Gods' path, although narrow, can be well groomed fairly accurately and quickly with some dicipline (prayer, studying the Word) because there is light. But as we move away from God, things get darker, we cannot see as well (fix our eyes upon him), and therefore have more mistakes as we move increasingly slower. Just like doing yard work, if you spend all week pulling grass out of a weed bed, you'll end up with a dirt bed full of weeds and no lawn to show for it. My point:
Shut off and leave the lines in life that lead you astray from the main flow of God and go to nowhere, but let Him and His wonderous blessings flow to the rest of your house. Praise Him in all things, peaks and valleys, and magnify His name.

Pipes, Bibles, and God!

I said I had hoped to bring a laugh to some, and I think this is it. On the 23rd, our hot water froze, and early in the morning the cold froze too. I knew it was supposed to be warm the next few days so I wasn't really worried. But then it happened, sometime during the day, Christmas Eve, while I was at work, they burst. Or at least the hot water did. So I had to get the water company out to shut off the water. But we went to the family Christmas and spent the day with friends and family, and had a great time.
So, yesterday rolls around and about 10 AM, I go out and get under the house. Get this picture.....a SLIGHTLY overwieght, middle-aged man. trying to fit into a maybe 18 inch crawl space through about a 15X15" square hole in the foundation. So I get in and waller around in the fresh mud and water until I see the culprit. An obviously cracked pipe going into the house from the water heater. I climb out and go to the hardware store to buy a piece of pipe and some connectors...then glue for the pipe....then a saw to cut the pipe (which I paid almost six dollars for then found the same one for less than 4 at Wal-Mart). I got home, rebuilt the piece, crawled and wallered into position, glued it, crawled out waited 30 minutes, turned the water on, and TADAH... it didn't fix anything. I turned the water off.
I know that only certain people will understand when I say, I have trouble figuring out how to get a gas pump to work. But at this point I had determined that the only way, by myself to figure out exactly where the leak was, was to turn the water on, sprint across the yard, get under the house, look at the pipes, get out, sprint back and shut the water off. I DON'T SPRINT!!! But I found the leaky pipe then turned the water off and got back under there. I saw where the pipes went to the kitchen, to the tub and shower, to the bathroom sink and stool, but....and there is always a but...the one that was busted went to nothing! It was just there as near as I can figure. Imagine all day trying to fix a pipe to nowhere!!!
So I went and bought a shut off valve, glued it and the problem is fixed (well, don't tell the wife but it may be to the dishwasher). But I did learn a lesson from it, after a calming period. That lesson is really two: First, KISS, don't spend a day fixing something that goes nowhere, and second, it is the easiest thing to understand that we generally turn into the hardest. That applies to pipes, the Bible, and God. I guess that is our, as humans, nature to overthink and analyze what is obvious or written. AMEN!