Tuesday, August 21, 2007

It finally came.................................





The rain we so desperately needed arrived yesterday. 2.22 inches in one day, Wow! They say it is a record for the month of August in Indiana. And with the rain, came the usual rain issues.

So, there I was at the local BP getting gas. The rain was coming down in

buckets, and I thought I could run between raindrops. I got inside ok,



and thought I'd sure like a nice cold diet coke to drink while I am on my

way to the hospital to do visitation. I paid for my gas, oh and my soda, and started out the door to the truck. Again, I thought I could run and miss the raindrops. So I ran out and got right to my truck when.............
whoosh, there went my feet, right out from under me. Remember, I was trying to avoid getting wet. As I lay there on the nice black asphalt, in my nicely pressed pants and white shirt, with my cup of diet coke now covering my chest.....I first looked around to see if anyone saw me. No one ran to assist the big guy on the deck. :) But I got up, now thoroughly drenched, assessed the situation, and thought, "Aw, what's the use.".....

But that is just a side note about the rain. I spoke to several people yesterday, and in passing everyone had something to say about the rain. "Sure is raining hard out there." "Boy, we really needed that rain, didn't we?" And the statement that caught my attention the most, "The ground is so dry and hard, the rain is just running off."

How many times in our lives has the ground of our lives been parched? How many times has our spirit been parched, and we have prayed for the rain, the fresh rain of God brought in by the wind of His Spirit? How often have we needed rain, needed a refreshing and we have gone too long without a visitation and the wind blows, and the rain falls, but our ground was too dry?


It's a good time for Pastor to tell you, you need to stay close to the fountain of life. It's a good time for Pastor to tell you not to stay away from the fresh rain of God so long that your spirit gets dry, your heart is so parched that it hardens. Stay close to the fountain. Listen, do you hear the thunder.........sometimes the thunder cloud that would cause us to fear, cause us to stay away, may be the very warning that God sends our way. All the while telling us there is a storm coming, there is a tempest raging, but in the midst of that storm is the rain that your spirit so desperately needs to sustain your spiritual life.


Jesus said it, If you are thirsty, come. If we can stay close, and allow the rain to penetrate our dryness, Jesus said then....out of your belly shall flow rivers.................rivers of living water.................springing up.................into everlasting life.


I feel the rain. The fresh, bountiful, refreshing rain from God.


Do you feel it?


You should bask in his rain.................................




Sunday, August 19, 2007

Who Said So???????

I preached, in service this morning, from this simple thought. The world in which we live is filled with words. Evereyone has a word about something.

The enemey of our souls has a word, but God also has a Word for us today.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said in verse 4 of chapter 8, "Where the word of the king is.....there is power, and who will say unto him,'what doest thou?'" I said it this way, The King's is a voice of authority and nobody will say, when the King speaks, "Who said so?"

We don't just serve a king, we serve the King, in fact He is the King of Kings. When He speaks all creation takes notice. When the earth was void and without form, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, the spirit of God moved on this void and nothing changed, but when God spoke......creation began.

The spoken word of God brings life and peace. It brings something out of nothing. So, regardless of your situation, Listen for the Word of God, because His Word has power to change your situation.

I'm glad for the moving of the spirit of God that we feel in our hearts, but I need over and over again, the Word of the Lord to speak to me, to lead me, to guide me, to deliver me, to save me and, to keep me.

Troubles are about to get you down.......................Who said so?

Circumstances are about to overwhelm you..................Who said so?

Your past is sneaking up on you to overtake you.............Who said so?

I hear the Word of the Lord................and He said everything's gonna be alright!!!!!!!!