King Solomon in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes said this: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Among the times and seasons that he spoke of is the particularly appropriate statement that there is "a time to mourn."
I awoke early this morning and was greeted by a notification on my cell phone that alerted me about the horrific shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 1. I read several articles and then tuned into the news channels to watch some of the media coverage of the tragedy. As I watched, I wept. I thought of all the families that today are mourning the loss of a loved one; a son, a daughter, a sister, a brother, a grandson, a granddaughter. I thought about the dedicated police officers, fire department personnel, first responders and good Samaritans who tended to the wounded. And I prayed.
In the aftermath of this horrible event, there are nearly sixty people who lost their lives, and hundreds who were wounded and injured. The long and tedious investigation of the shooter has been launched and there are many more unanswered questions than answered ones. What do we do? How do we respond to such a terrible event?
It seems to me that Solomon's words are particularly appropriate for a time like this. It is a time to mourn. When we mourn, we call on our God who is the only one who can bring peace to a tumultuous world. He is the only one who can ease the pain and touch our hearts with true supernatural love. He is the only one who can dry every tear and give us an eternal hope.
This is a time to mourn, a time to pray, a time to come together, and a time to rely on God, the author and perfecter of our faith. It is not a time to cast judgement. It is not a time to politicize the event and make a case for your particular political viewpoint. Our nation belongs to God and he is the one who can heal us. If we can stop arguing long enough to come together under this truth, we can see our nation begin the process of healing. This happens under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who delivers God's love and peace to our hearts.
Let's take one day, just one day to mourn, to pray for the hurting people who have lost loved ones. Let's pray for our nation, our government, our president, our police officers, fire personnel, and our military. Let's thank God for the freedom that we have. This is a time of mourning, a time for repentance, and a time to cry out for God's help.
It is a time for mourning. The time for dancing is just ahead. Let every race, every creed, and every political persuasion come together. Let us speak God's blessing over America.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
COME ALIVE!
I found myself in the hospital this past summer. I acquired a foot infection and the only solution was to have massive antibiotics forced into my body intravenously. After I had been there for several days, I began to feel better, but the onslaught of antibiotics had to continue. The day before I was to go home, I had an opportunity to read a passage of scripture that had been on my mind for some time. The nurses left me alone for several hours and I grabbed my IPad and began to read Ezekiel 37.
In that chapter, God took the prophet Ezekiel and showed him a valley full of dry bones. I knew this story but I was pressed to read it and listen to what God might say to me. As I read, it became clear that God had something to say. Today I want to share just one of those things.
When God showed Ezekiel the valley, he asked the prophet a question. It was a simple but challenging one. He said, "Son of man, can these bones live again?" I'm sure it caught Zeke off guard. So he answered God in a very safe way that seemed to take the pressure off of himself. He replied, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know." I'm not sure that was the answer that God was looking for, but he moved on and commanded Ezekiel this way, "Prophecy to the dry bones." God certainly is big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to have spoken to the bones himself to command them to come to life. But he wanted to use Ezekiel to speak His word to the bones.
Through that scripture the Lord began to speak to me in deeper ways than I had heard in a long time. He showed me the dry bones just like he showed Ezekiel. He showed me that these dry bones are Christians that have been hurt by religion, hurt by broken relationships, or are harboring anger toward God for circumstances that have torn apart their lives. As surely as God said to Ezekiel to speak to the bones, I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Son of man, prophecy to the dry bones."
It renewed a call in my life that had lain dormant for a long time. I have always known that my heart and ministry was for the church and He made it clear that he had a group of people for me to reach. So I answered, "Yes Lord, I will do it." I want to speak to people who have soured on Christianity. I want to try to show them the true love of God and draw them back to him. I want to smack the enemy right in the nose and tell him that these dry bones are God's chosen sons and daughters. Though he thinks he has the dry bones right where he wants them, God has a different plan and it involves new life and the very breath of God filling their lungs.
On February 24&25, we are having a conference called, Come Alive. It is a time designed to simply tell the Good News of God's love once again. A place where the hurting Christians are filled with the very breath of God. I invite all who feel you are like the dry bones. If there is some dry area in your life that you can't get over, this is your time. There is healing, there is hope, and there is always God's love to carry you. Come and let God do his incredible work in your life. For my part, I'm going to "Speak to the dry bones" with everything I have.
You can learn more, get all the details and register here: Come Alive 2017
I found myself in the hospital this past summer. I acquired a foot infection and the only solution was to have massive antibiotics forced into my body intravenously. After I had been there for several days, I began to feel better, but the onslaught of antibiotics had to continue. The day before I was to go home, I had an opportunity to read a passage of scripture that had been on my mind for some time. The nurses left me alone for several hours and I grabbed my IPad and began to read Ezekiel 37.
In that chapter, God took the prophet Ezekiel and showed him a valley full of dry bones. I knew this story but I was pressed to read it and listen to what God might say to me. As I read, it became clear that God had something to say. Today I want to share just one of those things.
When God showed Ezekiel the valley, he asked the prophet a question. It was a simple but challenging one. He said, "Son of man, can these bones live again?" I'm sure it caught Zeke off guard. So he answered God in a very safe way that seemed to take the pressure off of himself. He replied, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know." I'm not sure that was the answer that God was looking for, but he moved on and commanded Ezekiel this way, "Prophecy to the dry bones." God certainly is big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to have spoken to the bones himself to command them to come to life. But he wanted to use Ezekiel to speak His word to the bones.
Through that scripture the Lord began to speak to me in deeper ways than I had heard in a long time. He showed me the dry bones just like he showed Ezekiel. He showed me that these dry bones are Christians that have been hurt by religion, hurt by broken relationships, or are harboring anger toward God for circumstances that have torn apart their lives. As surely as God said to Ezekiel to speak to the bones, I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Son of man, prophecy to the dry bones."
It renewed a call in my life that had lain dormant for a long time. I have always known that my heart and ministry was for the church and He made it clear that he had a group of people for me to reach. So I answered, "Yes Lord, I will do it." I want to speak to people who have soured on Christianity. I want to try to show them the true love of God and draw them back to him. I want to smack the enemy right in the nose and tell him that these dry bones are God's chosen sons and daughters. Though he thinks he has the dry bones right where he wants them, God has a different plan and it involves new life and the very breath of God filling their lungs.
On February 24&25, we are having a conference called, Come Alive. It is a time designed to simply tell the Good News of God's love once again. A place where the hurting Christians are filled with the very breath of God. I invite all who feel you are like the dry bones. If there is some dry area in your life that you can't get over, this is your time. There is healing, there is hope, and there is always God's love to carry you. Come and let God do his incredible work in your life. For my part, I'm going to "Speak to the dry bones" with everything I have.
You can learn more, get all the details and register here: Come Alive 2017
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