No Place Like Home

In my office........................

at home with the family.........................

My 16 year old daughter, my 24 year old daughter and her husband, my 13 year old son, my wife and I all sit and talk. Well, actually we talk over each other. Do you ever do that?

Here we all are. we are sitting around the office, some in chairs, some on the arms of chairs, one on the corner of my desk. What are we talking about? Nothing really. Just talking, the clamour of voices, one over another. One loud, another laughing, one interrupting the last.

We have talked about french horns, gift cards, Dad's birthday, Amber and TJ arguing....imagine that!!!!!!!!!!! I love my family, I love it when we are all at home. But my family just likes noise.

My family is not unlike other families, but it is our family that has defined us. Our family brings strength to one another. we can pick at each other, and talk over each other, but no one else had better try it. We are family. I have seen my daughter run down the street chasing kids who were picking on her little brother, truly a sight to behold.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

Shouldn't our extended family be like this as well? Shouldn't my church family be like this?
When somebody comes against my brother or my sister, I should rise to their defense. When the enemy attacks my brother, I should drop to my knees and tell my heavenly father all about it. Sometimes we are just noise and clamour. Sometimes we accomplish things together, sometimes it is just us, sitting around and talking, talking over each other, but we are family.
Together, we can accomplish things, together we can overcome. United we are strong, divided we we will fall.

We live in an age of "every man for himself." "I'll sell you out if it benefits me."
We need family.
We live in an age of noise and clamour.
We need the continuity of family.
We live in a loveless society.
We need the love of family.

Family strengthens, family holds on, family never gives up. Maybe that's why Jesus called us his children, joint heirs.....................................He didn't give up.
Get a grip on a church family, join us this Sunday.

Just a little thought in the midweek....................................
Look for more later.
God Bless

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.................................

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!!!!!!!!