Thou, O Lord

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me?!

Many are they that rise up against me.

Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God.

But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill.

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. (Psalms 3)

My how we forget, who is our encourager, who comes to fight our battles for us. Who is a strong tower. Lord may we remember to lift up our head and look to hills from whence cometh our help!!!

Praise His Name Forever!!

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES (from my son Brad)

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES   Do you ever feel like there's just too many or too high obstacles to overcome in order to get through the troubles in life?   In Matthew 19:26, it states "With man this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible." Let us not forget that any obstacle we may encounter in our lives, we must overcome them with the LORD and not on our own. God is always there by our side and will give us the strength no matter what the endeavor. Remember, God is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE!!!   I'm reminded of a song that states: "When everything falls apart, your arms hold me together.. When everything falls apart, your the only hope for this heart.. When everything falls apart and my strength is gone, I find you mighty and strong.. You keep holding on!!"   God has said "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13: 5&6. God is always there to be our helping hand in overcoming our obstacles. Let Him lead you in your life to do something Heavenly because He has a will for us all.   God bless!!!

Giving up......

Has the thought of giving up ever crossed your mind?

Have you struggled with a situation to a point that it seemed you couldn't go any further?

Well, here's some good news.....GIVE UP!!!!

It's not what you think, I'm not talking about giving up on life or even your walk with God. I'm talking about giving it up "TO" HIM!!!!

Matthew 11:30 says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Read Matt 11:29-30 in context)

We tend to try and "make" things happen instead of letting God direct us or living in HIS Will.

When we "GIVE UP" and let God take control things seem to work out a lot smoother.

Now, don't expect it to work out the way "you" had dreamed it would, because God works in mysterious ways and all things work together for the good of those that love HIM.

Be blessed and know that Giving Up can have a positive ending.......

Can you hear me now.......?

So many times I've heard preachers and worship leaders talk about being vocal or being loud. "Loud is good!!", they say. But is it?

We can bombard heaven with a whispered prayer that comes from the very depths of our hearts. We can shake the foundations with a hum of praise as we open up our heart and let out the spirit of worship.

Heartfelt prayers and worship does not have to be the loudest just the most earnest. He doesn't want our volume, He wants our utmost.

May we learn to turn it up and rip the knob off of our understanding of exactly what it means to truly Worship HIM in Spirit and in Truth!!!!!

Jesus......Use Me!!!

If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me....
If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me....
Take my hands, Lord, and my feet....
Touch my heart Lord, speak through me...
If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me...


There are times when I've asked people to sing or play during worship and you get just about every excuse imaginable. All I'm trying to do is get people to allow God to use them for HIS glory not for their's.

In the Bible, God used people to do great things that many of us wouldn't even think twice about using. People like Moses, (little) David and (Saul) Paul just to name a few. He doesn't call the qualified but qualifies the called.

We need to stop and allow God to speak to our hearts so we can truly understand just what His will is for our lives.

We need to say YES to God and allow Him to grow in our lives.....Jesus, Use Me!!!!!

Changing Lanes........

During the last couple of days, driving on the treacherous roads left in the wake of the storms that blew through this area, the Lord has taught me something.

When trying to change lanes, for a safer transit to my destination, would sometimes be difficult and I would need to concentrate and remember the basics of driving in order to make to the clearer lane. Sometimes the car would slip and slide and maybe react like it would not go through the obstacle(s) between the lanes and keep me in the same lane that I'm trying to get out of. But with determination and concentration and knowing how to handle my car, I made it.

In our Christian transit, sometimes the Lord wants us to shift lanes to get where He wants us to go. But in doing so we encounter obstacles. The most important thing to remember is the Basics. Know what your capabilities are and how to overcome those obstacles. As you move out of your comfort zone, it's not going to be easy, but anything worth doing right never is.

May God show you the path(s) you need to take and give you the strength and courage to make the first move in that direction.

Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus........

Today has seen alot of controversy over the new Governor of Alabama's inauguration speech.

So what's wrong with it?

According to the Internet he said the following:

"Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother," Bentley said Monday, his inauguration day, according to The Birmingham News.

Sounds like there was a message in side the message. Many people believe that if you do good works or you are good morally that you are a Christian......NOT SO!!! Also, he said he wanted to be their brother so in a sense he was pleading with sinners to turn to Christ.

Everyone MUST be born again. To put it simply, ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart. You must turn away from your wicked ways and look towards the light and follow it as it shines on your path.

Friends, if you have not received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you are not MY brother and sister. Just because you go to church every Sunday and give offerings and do good works does not make you a Christian. But listen, I WANT TO BE YOUR BROTHER IN THE LORD!!!! So, if you aren't there yet...GET THERE!!!!

What kind of person are you........?

Are you an encourager or discourager?

When you see people in your daily walk, how do  you greet them?

When you strike up conversations, do you go directly to "the gossip" that's circulating?

How should we, as Christians, conduct ourselves?

I think we sometimes forget about what Christ Word teaches us in our "daily" walk.

If we know that our brother or sister is down we should try to encourage him and lift him up and restore him....

We should hold our brother's and sister's accountable, if we know first hand that they are falling short of what they know to do good......

If our opinion is asked, don't give the "popular" answer or what they want to hear, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do (or say))

If we feel the need to talk about our brother and sister, we should do it in private....."ON OUR KNEES"!!

None of us are perfect, but we should strive to be more like Jesus and HE was an ENCOURAGER!!!!!

My Apologies...

To the folks that have been faithful to read my blog...I apologize for my absence of postings.

I would like to give many excuses why....but will not.

Please forgive me and I will do everything in my power to do better at posting regular items here.

Please continue to pray for me and our church as we look for a Senior Pastor.

May God richly bless you in what you do for HIM and HIS KINGDOM.

JOY, JOY, JOY.......

How are you doing since the Christmas Holidays?

Do you still have the spirit of the season?

Does the true JOY still live on in your life?

True JOY is never out of our grasp or can be taken from us. The JOY of knowing we are saved from a world of sin and have a promise of tomorrow.

This reminds me of a song I learned as a child:

I've got the JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY down in my heart,
Where?
Down in my heart,
Where?
Down in my heart.
I've got the JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY down in my heart,
Down in my heart to stay!!!

Beware of Icy Conditions....

While travelling to my wife's parents for the Christmas holidays, we have to cross the state of Illinois. If you know anything about Central Illinois, you know it's FLAT. Even though there were snow storms prior to our travel the roads were in remarkable condition except a large stretch of road in, you guessed it, CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

Because of the landscape and the gusting winds, snow was being blown onto the right hand lane of the interstate and causing intermittent strips of snow covered highway. At first glance, one would think this was a bad condition with possible ice complicating travel in this lane. With alot of traffic on the road I was forced to drive in this lane for a period of time which unnerved me a little bit. But knowing that I had great tires on the vehicle we were driving and knowing that it was just a light snow that was being blown onto the highway and it was not an icy condition, I felt relatively confident driving in this particular lane.

I said all of that to say this.....

In life the enemy will blow things into our way and psych us out to think it's more than what it really is. But if we stick to the basic fundamentals and know where we are going, what type of equipment we are operating with and keep our eyes on the road ahead, we can make it through anything.

It's all in the preparation......You wouldn't start out on a trip without being prepared for it. We should not begin our sprititual journey without the same type of preparation. Worship, Prayer and Studying God's Word.