Surprised by God

 Have you ever been surprised by God? I am sure Mary was when God sent Gabriel to her announcing she would give birth to the Son of God. I imagine the disciples were surprised when Jesus called them to leave their fishing nets to follow Him and become fishers of men. I am betting Moses was surprised when he saw the burning bush that was not consumed by the flame, and he heard God call Him to deliver Israel from Egypt. Did Moses get surprised again when God parted the Red Sea to make a way for Israel to escape from Egyptian forces when there seemed to be no way? God surprised them again with manna, water from a rock, and provision of quail for meat. 

Have you been surprised by God? I have multiple times. Surprised when He called me to preach as an eighteen year old high school graduate the summer before I went to Howard Payne University to play football and study journalism. He surprised me again when I met the love of my life, my best friend, and wife of 34 years in Brenda. He surprised both of us when He blessed us with not one, but four sons. He surprised us with many might moves from Him saving souls. Too many to recount. At youth camps, revivals, retreats, rallies, and in the different churches we have served. He surprised us over and over again with answers to prayer. You just cannot know all the ways God has sustained Brenda and I over these 34 years on our journey of faith. Sometimes He provided hundreds of dollars. Sometimes thousands. A few times tens of thousands. We did not ask any person for this provision. We asked God, and He surprises us by communicating our need to people whom responded by giving. God gets the glory for every answer to those prayers. 

He surprised us with a call to Fritch, TX. I did not send a resume to this church. A friend did without my knowledge. He certainly called us here, a fact we cannot deny. He made a way for us to get a loan on a home based on my income alone. Brenda has not had a job in seven months. He has met our every need. He surprised us by moving so powerfully this past summer, and the much celebrated lake baptisms on Aug 3rd. He surprised us again by opening a door for our son Tucker to get a teaching and coaching job in Borger, only a few minutes from Fritch, and him moving back in with us. God surprised us again by First Southern Baptist Church blessing us with an incredible pastor appreciation gift a few weeks ago. He continues to surprise us with more people getting saved. Four in the past week and a half. 

God certainly surprised us by sending revival to FBC Seminole back in the summer of 2010. I look back on those days with such fond memories. The prayer meetings. The yearning for God by that church. the mighty men of prayer that met Friday mornings. I recall writing a 40-Day devotional in preparation for those revival services in just three days as God inspired the material. I reflect on the cleansing of the temple, where we prayed and read through the Bible out loud in the sanctuary, the week leading up to the first services. I still can see Coach Herb Rios starting the first service of those revival days by reading the last chapter of Revelation out loud that Sunday morning. I recall the first song of the first meeting sung by Sherman and Tammy Aten. The worship honored God for 23 straight days. There was intensity. I remember seeing people flat on their faces at the front of the church in tears as they repented of sin. The people kept showing up. Jase Waller baptized people nearly every night. 37 to be exact. The testimonies were deeply impactful. The people kept showing up hungry for more. My life revolved around prayer, study, preaching, sleeping and waking up to do it all again. God surprised us as much in those 23 days as He has my whole ministry. 

I sit here this Thursday evening after everyone else has left the office. It is after hours and I let my mind drift back to the surprise of that Seminole revival. I retreated to my office each night after the service to write about it while it was fresh on my mind. I plan to turn those writings into a book one day. While looking back with joyful satisfaction, I also am looking ahead. To the day when God chooses to pour out the weight of His presence in Fritch, TX at First Southern in a transformative way. I can see it in my mind and spirit. I know in those days God will do more than we have seen in decades. I look forward to the day He surprises us with true revival. One that shakes the church and the city. A revival that sweeps through all the churches in Fritch and far beyond into the whole Panhandle region. 

One day we will show up for up worship unsuspecting what God will do. One day the worship will transport into the glorious presence of God. One day the proclamation of His word will move people to broken repentance. Once the people are clean before God, He will start saving souls by the dozens. Dozens upon dozens and the baptistry waters will flow and be stirred continuously night after night. Nights will turn into weeks and weeks turn into months with all that God wants to do. One of these days He will surprise us with a revival that exceeds our wildest expectations. May it be so Lord. Amen. 

Sent on Mission

 I love the fact that God chooses to send us on mission for Him. Some missions are more important than others. God sending people to China or Libya seems a bigger deal than God sending us to pass out bulletins. In His kingdom, He determines the assignments. He chooses who will go and do whatever He deems necessary. Our role is to remain submissive and responsive to Him. 

In Mark 11, there is the story of Jesus sending two disciples to go find a colt nobody had ever sat on to bring back to Him. I imagine the disciples were puzzled by such a request. First, they walked or traveled by boat where ever they went. There are no recorded stories of Jesus riding a horse or donkey except in this case. Second, the colt did not belong to them. Jesus tasked the disciples with taking a colt that belonged to someone else. 

This mission was not the most important thing He ever sent his disciples to do. It seemed rather insignificant. They did not see the fuller implications of the mission. It required faith. It most likely did not make sense to them. They obeyed their Master anyway. 

There are times when Jesus calls us to do things that seem insignificant. Like serving food before Wednesday night Bible study. Or printing bulletins for Sunday worship services. Maybe it is playing an instrument in the worship team, running the audio visual equipment, volunteering in the nursery, or cleaning up after a fellowship meal. These may not be the most important jobs each week, but they play vital roles in the overall ministry. 

That colt Jesus sat on traveling down the street where people laid down palm branches had major significance. This action was done by the people to make way for the king coming down the road. Maybe the people thought that Jesus was going to be their king to conquer the oppression of Rome. They did not know that He was the King over every other king. That His rule would have no end. That is rule reached far beyond Rome to the whole world. 

The people shouted, "Hosana," which means save us now. They had no understanding that the salvation He would bring was much more needed than replacing an earthly government. His salvation would save people from their sins. His salvation extended beyond those laying down Palm branches. That salvation is still at work including three teenagers last night here in our youth group. 

The mission to get the colt did not seem very important. Thousands of years later we are still talking about it. Don't despise the small assignments. God sees so much more than we see. He sees how little acts of faithful obedience can result into much bigger outcomes than we can imagine. One small sacrificial gift of a small amount could be multiplied in the economy of God to do much more than we think. I say it again. Don't despise the small assignments. You never know how God might use it for His purpose and glory. 

A Miracle Story

 Brenda and I ate lunch with two friends today we have known for 30 years. God's call took us on different paths and we lost touch with each other for about 20 years. Now that God moved us to the Panhandle we reconnected. They told us the miracle story of a church they started 20 years ago. It is the Messiah's House miracle story. 

It started with four people. Jason and his wife Leanna and another couple. Just four people in a living room. Praying together and dreaming together. They felt the clear call to start a church. God blessed their steps of faith and faithfulness. Those four people grew into a dozen. Then into a few dozen. Eventually they secured an old church building in downtown Amarillo. Over the years, God kept bringing more and more people. To the point they outgrew the downtown location. 

Through a series of miraculous provision they bought a church property from a sister church who were relocating. A large spacious facility. The sanctuary contains 1,000 chairs. It is large but not audacious. Jason's office is small and understated. The children's areas are spacious and kid friendly. They have been in this location for eight years now. They just celebrated their 20th anniversary as a church. 

What  has God done in those 20 years? Thousands have been saved. They rented out Hodge Town, which is the minor league baseball stadium, for that anniversary service. 2,700 people attended. Over three dozen people were saved that day. It was a glorious day for our friends. 

They hold two services each Sunday morning back on their campus. Both services have around 800 people show up for worship. Parents stand in a line for up to 30 minutes to pick up their children from secure children's areas after the services. That little fact blew me away. The facilities are well marked, secure, and decorated with excellence. It is the kind of church where joy exudes from the people, and the life of God radiates  through every sector. God has truly done, and continues to do a miracle at Messiah's House. I rejoice for our friends, but more so for the expansion of the kingdom of God. 

I left there today inspired with Brenda. Not by the numbers. We are not chasing numbers. We are chasing God and His impact on people, families, and the community. It gives me hope not to despise the day of small beginnings. Fritch is a small town. First Southern is a small church. God is a BIG God and He is planting large dreams for this church. A church He will transform in the next few years. A church that will grow in prayer, faith, and numbers. A church with a new vision to pursue and a dynamic faith to share. We are starting with more than four people in a living room. We have a few dozen and ample facilities for many many more. While we are not large now, I believe growth is coming. I believe God's work has already begun. The excitement is building. The joy has returned. People hope again. Love flows again. The seats are starting to fill up again. While we are a long way from a full house, we are slowly inching forward. It is a privilege to get to serve here. I am blessed each Sunday night in our prayer meetings. The sound of those prayer warriors filling up the sanctuary moves me each week. The anticipation for greater days is all around. I can't wait to see what God does six months from now, a year from now, five, ten, and even twenty years from now. God will astound us, and we will glorify Him every step of the way. One day we will have our own miracle story to share. 

Burning Hearts

 When I use the phrase burning heart, I am not talking about the acid reflux from eating something spicy at dinner. I'm referring to a soul burning hot with love, zeal, resolve, and passion in knowing and serving God. Such people seem to be few and far in between sitting comfortably and callously in the pews week after week. 

Think about it. For all our money spent to disciple people, in some churches tens of thousands, others hundreds of thousands, and a few millions, what do we really have to show for it? Only about 50% of the membership ever show up. The majority do not support the church through volunteering in a ministry. While many may support the church financially, the minority do so with full ten percent of their income. One statistic reports that 9:10 people have never shared their faith in Jesus Christ with a lost person. 95% have never personally prayed with another person to trust Jesus as their Savior. These are sobering statistics which do not indicate we have people with burning hearts in our congregations. 

When I think of the millions of dollars spent on building facilities, adding specialized staff to oversee ministries, producing more programs to keep people busy, and then look at the end result of all that, I am grieved. We are producing good church members. Are we producing people with burning hearts who go continually to make other disciples? Matt 28:19 

When I think about my own spiritual journey from conversion to this day, I see some things that made the difference for me. God put men in my life early on to personally disciple me. I was taught from my conversion that we are supposed to witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. It is commanded all through the Bible. Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, Acts 20:24, Rom 1:14-16 just to name a few. People know this. They have heard it over and over again. They simply refuse to obey it. We are commanded to go make disciples who in turn make other disciples? Seeing people trust Jesus as their Savior is like pouring gasoline on an already existing fire. I got to baptize a young man this past Sunday morning. I wish I could do that every single week by the dozens at a time. This past summer we baptized 20 people in Lake Meredith. The joy was enthusiastic and contagious even for those who just showed up at  the lake for a Sunday afternoon picnic and swimming. Each person changed by Jesus and rescued from eternal damnation. That should make any believer's heart burn. 

I had a passionate follower of Jesus lead me to trust Jesus for salvation. That man did not stop there. He spent the next couple of years investing in me. In essence, he reproduced himself in me. The challenge was for him to make a disciple who would in turn make other disciples. That is what I've tried to do for the last three decades. I've tried to reproduce myself in other young men and women. His investment in my life resulted in a burning heart that burns more today than back then. Through the years, God put others in my path who did the same. They invested in me and made my heart burn even more. Men like Eli Bernard, Charles Roberts, Dr. Frankie Rainey, David Munden, Eric Adcock, Galli Davis, Jeff Robinson, Keith Nash, Les Chambers, Karl Don Hughes, Greg Hughes, Kelly Hughes, Mark Beaty, Tim Shirley, Jase Waller, Sean Decker, Herb Rios, and many many others. These men helped me burn brighter and hotter. 

Then there are the authors. Leonard Ravenhill, A.W. Tozer, Rees Howells, E.M. Bounds, Jim Cymbala, Roberts Liardon, and Mark Batterson to list a few of my favorites. Each added to the burning. Each spurred me to blaze higher and hotter. There is no room for ice cycle sermons preached by cold hearted preachers. We need fire hot messages born in prayer that are used by God to exhort, convict, inspire, ignite, and empower listeners. We must have devoted passionate burning disciples who live on mission to make other disciples. 

The number one factor I contribute to my burning heart is that I try to stay close to the flame. God is a consuming fire. The closer I get to Him in prayer the more my heart burns. The lack of burning hearts indicates to me that we do not have church members spending much time in the blazing presence of God. What a shame. Many are content with lukewarm hearts. This makes God vomit. Rev 3:16

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, once asked God to set him on fire so that others would come and watch him burn. I would add one thing to that thought. May people come and watch us burn for Jesus, and have the fire of God to spread to those watching. 

In February of 2024 a wildfire spread through the Panhandle of Texas scorching hundreds of thousands of acres, killing tens of thousands of cattle, and destroying hundreds of structures. I heard over 200 homes were destroyed by the fires in Fritch, TX alone. Other communities were hit just as hard. The conditions were right. A lot of rain that year produced a lot of dry dead grass. The humidity was low that day and the winds were high. One spark ignited walls of fire that spread fast. 

What if that same thing were to happen spiritually? God has people prepared for salvation. The conditions are right. The harvest is plentiful. What if any one us were used by God to be the spark that ignited revival in our region. I pray it be so. I pray we burn for God and seek to spread that fire to those around us. Just imagine what good might come from that. I trust God for it. 

Our Days Are Numbered

 It does not give me any great pleasure to write this, but it is true nevertheless, we all have an expiration date. Our days were numbered from before we were born. I am pleased to shepherd three people in our flock who are still active in their 90's. Each still lives independently. They are all here most Sundays. One still worked until about a year ago. One lady still mows her own yard of over two acres. The third just recently stepped down from teaching a Bible study class. I have heard of a 93 year old preacher who drives 35 minutes each Sunday to preach to a small flock. Those are all pretty amazing feats to me. As beloved as those people are to those around them, they would be the first to admit that they will not live forever. 

I know of an 81 year old lady who is passionate about missions, and labors to serve food to high school students for lunch weekly. She is flanked by other senior citizens doing  their part to express the love of the Lord to teenagers. They cut, chop, mix, cook, and dish out delicious students for free each Tuesday morning. They inspire me to do more and not less. They do not use their age as an excuse. Yesterday I saw multiple senior adult men constructing a fence around our playground. Some are in their mid 70's. Some of those men serve on disaster relief teams on chainsaw crews when natural disasters strike. They are an inspiring bunch. The fact remains each of them have numbered days remaining like the rest of us. 

We can bemoan the fact that we will not live forever on this planet. We do not get to choose the way we leave this earth. Like the 90 year old people in our church, I would prefer to live independently in relatively good health able to serve the Lord until my last day on this planet. I think most of us would. The reality is some people require care in the twilight of life. Some have to live with family members, others must have home health care, and sadly some are forced to go into a care facility to live out the last chapters of their life. 

Such was the case for my friend brother Bob Harper. He was a preacher I served with when I was still i youth ministry. He outlived one of his sons and his beloved wife Patsy. Each time I would go visit him, we talked about books we loved to read and things of the Lord. He never failed to tell me when I left, "If I don't see you again down here, I will see you up there in heaven." He told me that for several years. Then his health began to fail. He was in and out of the hospital and rehab facilities. It became apparent the end was near. He could no longer get up. The last few times I visited him he was incoherent. The last time I saw him he was curled up in the fetal position struggling to breathe. I knew he would not be around much longer. He died that night. He reached his last numbered day. I told him that day I was envious he was getting to heaven before me. 

People do not like to think about or talk about death. They avoid it. Many do not even like to use the word death. It is just as much a part of life as a new baby being born. Ecclesiastes 3:2 states that there is a time to give birth and there is a time to die. Ps 90:12 exhorts us to be taught to number our days that we present to God a heart of wisdom. Nobody lives forever on this planet. The oldest person alive today is a woman who is 113. One day she will reach her allotted number of days from God and die. 

We can focus on the morbid thought of death. I only mention it for two reasons. People must be warned that after death they will face the judgment of God according to Heb 9:27. Those who have trusted Jesus for salvation, and received forgiveness from their sins through His shed blood on the cross, will graduate to eternal life. Those who stubbornly rejected the grace and love of God will  receive eternal damnation. I write in hopes that maybe one person might read this, and turn from their sin to Jesus for salvation before it is too late. 

The second reason I write this is not to focus on dying, but to focus on living while we still have life. No matter our age, we can still live and make the most of the days we have left. We can still learn. We can still worship God and seek Him. No matter how limited our bodies become, our soul can still soar to new heights in our relationship with God. We can still pray believing God to move mountains. We can still talk about Jesus to others. There is so much we can do. Let us live out our days like Jonathan Edwards did when he wrote his 70 resolutions. One of them simply stated, "I resolve to live with all my might while I live." Even though our days are numbered, may we live each remaining day with all our might. 

Wrestling with the Word of God

 Have you ever wrestled with the word of God? You read Bible truth, but your experience and your prayers  resulted in a different reality. You wrestled with God over His word. What He promised He would do it appeared He did not do. You did mental gymnastics trying to  reason your way through the discrepancy of your experience and God's truth. Does God keep His word? Is He a promise keeper or a promise breaker you may have wondered? These are legitimate questions. 

Is there one single verse in the Bible that is not true? Can people really stand on God's word and His assurances to us? Have you ever wrestled with the word of God?

You may read verses like Matt 7:7-8. You may have asked, sought, and knocked, but you did not receive, you did not find, and the door was not opened for you. Maybe you  read and prayed Mark 11:23-24, but your mountain did not move. You might have read Jn 14:14 and asked in Jesus name, but you did not receive what you asked for? There are multiple other verses that could be cited and the out comes be the same. What is the answer? Is it some preacher double talk making excuses for God's failures? Is there some other insight that has not been considered?

Walk with God long enough and you will come upon an experience when it appears God did not keep His word. What do you do then? John the Baptist faced such a moment. He doubted Jesus was the Messiah. He sent people to get an answer to his question. Jesus answered in a mysterious way that the blind received their sight, the lame walked, but blessed are those who did not stumble on account of Him. To put that another way, Jesus responded by saying blessed is the person who does not understand Him, but trusts and follows Him anyway. 

There is a tiny part of many Christians who read God's word and apply it in prayer while thinking they know the best way for God to answer. They figure out in their minds the way they think God ought to work to give them the desired result. Be very careful and repentant if such thinking enters your mind. You are in essence saying, "God I know how to run the affairs of my life better than you do." That is blasphemous. Sovereign God knows what He is doing. There will be many times when it appears He failed and let His people down. Trust Him anyway. 

I cite two old testament and one new testament example. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and eventually put in prison for a false accusation by a lustful woman, whom Joseph rejected her sexual advances. Sitting in prison recalling his freedom, it must have felt like God failed him. Fast forward. In one day God promoted Joseph from prison to the palace second in command over the land. God did that to preserve His covenant people Israel from perishing in a drought. That would not have happened if Joseph did not get sold into slavery. 

After Joseph died and Pharaoh died, another ruler reigned in Egypt. When he saw the swelling population of Israel he feared. The people of Israel became slaves. Generation after generation begged God for deliverance but still died slaves. Did they feel God let them down? Eventually God raised Moses to deliver them from their bondage. It seemed like God was not keeping His word to Abraham about making him the father of a great nation. In reality, God kept His word. During the slavery years, the Israelites multiplied into millions of people. It was then that God brought them out slavery in miraculous fashion as a whole nation of people. God did just what He promised Abraham He would do. 

In Acts 8, after Stephen was stoned to death, persecution hit the church. This caused Christians to scatter to the surrounding regions outside of Jerusalem. Saul was arresting Christian men and women and hauling them to prison. It did not appear that what God promised in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 were true. The reality was God scattered His people so the gospel could be taken to Judea, Samaria, and the far parts of the world. God kept His word after all. 

You may wrestle with God's word compared to your experience. You only see in part while God always sees the whole picture. He knows what He is doing, and therefore can be trusted. In your wrestling with the word of God, put this in the back of your mind. You only see part of the puzzle with several key pieces missing. You cannot make out the whole picture from your vantage point. God holds those missing pieces and knows WHERE and WHEN to place them in the puzzle so that it makes sense and it glorifies Him. Don't judge God too hastily or harshly. You just have not seen the full picture yet. Give God time and watch what He does. He will always vindicate His faithfulness when given time. 

The Steadfast of Mind

 The longer I walk with the Lord the more I see the need to win the battles in the mind. I believe Satan attacks there most. He is constantly assaulting our thoughts planting toxic doubts, depression, and disillusionments there. He is relentless in those attacks. You could be having a great week, and then one thought along with dwelling on that thought could send you on a tail spin. Your faith cracks. Doubts creep in crowding out hope in the God who loves you. 

When those thoughts are accompanied by confusing circumstances, multiple why questions, and crushing crippling criticisms that God has failed and abandoned you it is easy to live with turbulent thoughts. None of those things are true, but the enemy can wreak havoc in the mind to make us believe they are. These are not one time skirmishes with the father of lies. They are ongoing battles. Where do we go for help?

A little verse in Is 26:3 may help. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You. NASU  The word steadfast in this verse means the one who is supported and upheld. This does not mean through our own efforts we trudge ahead. It means we rest in God and are reminded God holds us no matter what we are going through. Sooner or later we all face things too difficult for us to bear. Things that are too heavy to carry, too painful to endure , too complicated to solve, and too massive to move. In those times, our steadfast mind must remember God is our support and help. 

The word keep means God will watch and guard us. Like a lifeguard at the beach watching ocean swimmers. He is always on the alert scanning for those who get in trouble. So is God watching us. He never sleeps. He never gets distracted. We need to remember this when the enemy sows toxic thoughts in us and our lives get topsy turvy. 

He keeps us in perfect peace. That means He keeps us in complete sound security. Why? Because we trust Him. We have confidence in Him. We keep our faith in Him. We believe He will always be there for us. No matter what we are facing. No matter how difficult life gets. The result of our trust is that God keeps us in perfect peace as we are steadfast in our minds. 

What does that mean? When life is chaotic and out of control, we can still rest in God in perfect safety and sanity of mind. When the crisis comes over and over again to the point we entertain the thought we can't take anymore, those who remember God supports us are able to reign in our wild runaway thoughts. When the tragedies come no matter how grievous, those who are steadfast in their mind have a firm foundation. When the storms blow so hard our thoughts begin to drift, the steadfast in mind find an anchor resulting in perfect peace. May the Lord strengthen and encourage troubled hearts with this word today. 

Travailing

 The word travail is defined as painful and laborious effort. That describes the kind of praying it takes to give birth to miraculous moves of God. The kind of heart, soul, and passion poured out before God. The only thing to liken it to is a mother giving birth to a child. There are tremendous labor pains and excruciating effort before the bundle of joy comes. 

This kind of prayer is taxing. It requires time, focus, perseverance, and gut wrenching agony in the kind of fervent petitioning that moves mountains, changes circumstances, and calls the things that are not into existence. It is a rare form of prayer among the pew dwellers. It cannot be accomplished in a few short minutes. Time becomes irrelevant in travailing intercession. A person will get lost in the presence of God losing track of time. Burdens will be unloaded and new ones will be planted from God about the things that break His heart. 

Just like a baby is conceived and then must grow to maturity before birth comes, so with some answers to prayer. Some answers come quickly. People love it when that happens. Other answers are delayed until God's perfect timing and plan unfold. This season of waiting is necessary just like it is necessary for the embryo to become a fetus and eventually a baby. God's answers will not come one second earlier than He intends. Some prayers linger in the ears of God. He does not always give us what we want. Many times we do not know what is best. The waiting period can seem long and drawn out. 

Then the time comes to travail. The answer is close at hand. The agony of such travailing times are not pleasant. In these times, faith is tested. Resolve is proved. Perseverance is required. The end result of all that is the long sought after answer. This is where God is glorified. Where His people get to testify of the great things He did. When the tangible answer is visible for all to see and enjoy. 

Sadly, some never get to this point. They give up too soon. The quit travailing, quit believing, cease hoping, and lose heart. How many millions of prayers were not answered that God intended to, because His people failed to travail long enough to give birth to the answer. Let us travail until we see God work for His glory. He is glorified when He does impossible, improbable, and implausible things. He is able. He is reliable. He is undeniably powerful. Let us travail until the miracle answer comes. 

Another Funeral

 I'm grieved today. Saddened by another death and another funeral. Don't get me wrong. I am not grieving the death of a person. I'm grieving the death of a church. To be more accurate, the death of multiple churches. I read a sobering statistic that in one denomination alone 900 churches close their doors every year. It is sad. 

I think about the excitement among the people who started those churches. With great hopes and optimism they felt the call of God to begin their church. A handful of charter members dreamed God's dream to start a Bible believing church. They prayed, sacrificed, and labored to see those churches established. People were saved. Ministries were started. Facilities were built. All with such high hopes. I bet not one person ever dreamed a day would come when the doors would shut forever. God is not glorified when that happens. 

Sadly, I have been a part of two such churches. Both of them were churches Brenda and I started. Both started with great enthusiasm and high hopes. In the end, both fizzled in finances and effectiveness. I walked away from both of those churches with a symbolic imaginary "F" stamped on my forehead standing for failure. I often wonder why we ever felt called to those tasks when God knew beforehand they would not succeed. 

Churches die for many reasons. The primary reason is that they forget the main thing. Go make disciples. When churches lose that primary vision of making disciples who go and make other disciples, that congregation will die a slow death. Members will age. Younger families will not come and take on roles of leadership. People retire. The finances dwindle. The facilities show wear and tear. There is no longer a volunteer base to lead different ministries. If no new disciples are reached, the church will not survive. 

It's tragic and a bad reflection on God. What does the closure of a church communicate to a community? That God was not strong enough to sustain His work? That people were not committed enough to keep the work alive? Neither bring glory to God. 

I mentioned earlier that one denomination reported 900 churches closing each year. I also read another report that estimates there are as high as 15,000 churches shutting down across denominational lines in North America in 2025. It is tragic. I spent a great deal of time praying about it this morning how I can be a part of helping. For years I carried a burden for church planting. I still believe there is a need for that in places. I think there is an equal or greater need to replant and revitalize dying churches. I have done both. Planting and replanting churches are both hard. In my opinion, replanting is harder and more strategic. 

It is harder because of traditions, bad church history, bad past leadership, and people are set in their ways. Yet, one advantage is established churches has facility that already exists. One of the great challenges of church planting is finding a place to meet. In our church planting efforts, we met in a student building on a college campus, two different school cafeterias, a football stadium, a daycare, a warehouse, and a living room. Finding space for a new church is always a challenge. If thousands of churches are closing the doors, then thousands of places already exist. These spaces could be available  if someone is willing to do the prayerful and hard work to see them revitalized. 

I pray God raises people who catch a burden and call from God to go alone beside a dying church to trust God to revive them. It will take brave warriors who are filled with faith unphased by the many challenges. What glory God will get when the trend changes When hundreds and thousands of churches are saved from closing their doors. God will always get more glory for reviving a church than for one dying. That is a funeral I hope to avoid in the future. 

The Prerequisite of Prayer

 Wherever you see a great move of God, know for sure that prayer preceded that move. We must have the prerequisite of prayer before we see God do powerful things. We must prayerfully plow to turn over the soil of petrified hearts, wayward hearts, sinful hearts, apathetic hearts, and hypocritical hearts. We have plenty of programs. Programs have not produced the power of God. We have personalities. Churches are filled with personalities who use their charisma to minister, but that does not mean they are empowered by God. 

I long for the power and presence of God right here in Fritch, TX. I know there is more. So much more than routine services. So much more than religious routines. So much more than going through the motions week after week. So much more than swapping church members with other churches. There is evangelism, spiritual awakening, revival, times of refreshing, and the people of God turning in repentance. There is more. 

I had an experience in 1995 that changed my life. A revival was going on in Pensacola, FL and a couple invited me to drive them from east Texas to the revival paying all my expenses. I could not pass up that opportunity. I had heard about that revival. I was not prepared for what I experienced. We arrived on the church property around 4:00 p.m. Hundreds of people were standing in line waiting for the doors to open for the service at 6:00 p.m. When I say hundreds, I mean close to one thousand people. The next day we showed up much earlier. 

Months later I took several members from our church. We drove through the night and got to the church property at 6:00 a.m. Dozens of people were already waiting in line prepared to stay there for 12 hours until the doors opened. It was in August in Florida. That meant hot summer temperatures and high humidity. We endured and it was well worth it. They opened the doors at 6:00 p.m. and the 2,500 seat sanctuary filled up in minutes. The worship was intense. The preaching was hard and biblical. The invitation was like a wave rolling onto the beach. Hundreds upon hundreds ran to the altar. Some to be saved, some to repent, and others to receive prayer. There were sights that I will never forget. It created a hunger that I have not shaken in 30 years. 

I yearn and hunger for God to do it again right here. Right here in the Panhandle of Texas. Up here in the big country. In this small community. In this small church. In all the churches. In this remote part of Texas. We must have God. I am hungry. More hungry for this than I have been to see God move in a very long time. 

There is a lot of plowing in prayer that must take place first. Prayer has to precede the coming move of God. Private prayer. Groups praying together. Praying in worship services. Pastors praying together. May prayer permeate the culture to turn back the darkness and precede the glorious moving of God.   

Siren Warning

 I was seated at my desk when a piercing emergency siren warning pierced my ears. It serves to warn people about tornadoes or other natural disasters are coming. It is a perfectly clear day here, so my guess is it was just a test to make sure the siren is in working order. Prepared for another day when such a sound would not be a test, but rather a warning about impending danger. 

Consider this post a siren warning. While people may go about each day as business as usual, I intend to sound the siren warning that it will not always be this way. We approach with each passing day when planet earth will enter into the end times. Seven years of great tribulation. Seven years where God will pummel earth with judgment stacked on top of judgment. Millions will be killed at one time. A new world government will come on the scene. One world ruler will rise identified as the antichrist. He will be ruled by Satan and will punish any Christian who does not bow in allegiance to Satan. Those who resist will be executed. 

That is not even the worst of it. The worst awaits those who never turn to Jesus in repentance and cry out to Him for salvation. The full fury of God will be poured out on those unrepentant. They will be condemned to eternal torture and torment in fiery hell. In utter darkness, in the bottomless pit, and suffering from eternal fire. It will be beyond imaginable suffering. It will not relent or lessen for eternity. For endless ages. 

That fate is coming. History is winding up to the end. Be forewarned. Heed it before it is too late. 

Prelude to Revival

 The burden is heavy. Deep seeded. A weight carried night and day. One that drives me to the prayer room. One that just compelled me to go into the sanctuary to pray some more. A yearning greater than I can put into words. To want to see the power and presence of God poured out in this church, the churches of this town, and through this community. 

Revival does not come without a cost. I'm not talking about a revival meeting where a church sets aside a few days with a guest preacher. The revival I yearn to see is much deeper. It is not scheduled. God sends it when He chooses. It could last weeks, months, and in some cases even years. A prelude to revival will always be a praying people. Prayer meetings are nearly extinct in so many places. We began Sunday night prayer meetings here a few months ago. I did not expect God would send revival right away. I know the soil of this church and community must be plowed through prayer for months or maybe years before such a move of God comes. 

There are many factors that contribute to revival. Yes, prayer must precede revival. There also has to be repentance. The people of God must be cleansed of sin. Repentance is not high on the priorities of many churches these days. It does not tickle the ears of this entertainment driven church age. The message of repentance will thin the crowds attending. Repentance has never been a popular message and never will be for that matter. It is needed. The people of God must turn from their wicked ways if they ever hope to see a real move of God. Another factor necessary for revival, is the people must hunger for God and His move among them. A hunger than transcends all other desires. A hunger that compel people to fast and pray. 

You could travel far and wide not finding churches where the people really pray, take repentance seriously, and really hunger for God to move powerfully. I think the results are self evidence. I was recently in a meeting with church consultants where they stated 90% of churches are plateaued or declining in attendance. This is a sure sign that God is not moving powerfully in the majority of congregations. I think people are content for it to be this way. Churches do not seem desperate enough to really have earnest corporate prayer meetings. When is the last time you heard of a church having a service devoted exclusively to repentance? Is repentance needed in the church today? Sure it is. When it comes to hunger, I say there are as many churches filled with people who hunger to see their children or grandchildren succeed in sports as they do to see God work powerfully in their lives, congregations, or communities. 

As long as those trends continue, there will not be great moves of God among us. I cannot accept that for the rest of my life. I know there is more. Much more. I have experienced it and I carry the burden to experience it again. Revival does not come just by wishing for it or reading a book about it. When the people of God get serious about meeting the requirements as stated in II Chronicles 7:14, God will get serious about working in transformational ways. 

There is always a prelude to revival. I'm on the front end of that here in Fritch, TX. Fritch, TX made the national news a couple of years ago with wild fires that destroyed over 200 homes. I pray for the day this community will make the national news again for the spiritual fire of God spreading through the churches here and through the whole Panhandle region. Prayer, repentance, and hunger must perseveringly come first. 

Wonder Working Power

 There is a lot of talk about the power of God. Rightly so. It is an awesome jaw dropping power. Only trouble is so few people really experience that power. There are hundreds of thousands of preachers in the United States. How many preach with the wonder working power of God? I certainly do not feel like I do, though I long for it. I preach the majority of time without results. The altar is barren Sunday after Sunday. I think that scene is replicated in worship centers across America. 

Where is the wonder working power of God? It does not come from reading books and gaining more intellectual faith. It does not come from sitting in academic classrooms. The wonder working power of God comes from one place. The secret place. The prayer room. Time spent there shut up to God is where what the Bible calls the anointing is born. This fresh anointing does not come without secret supplications. Only God knows how long that will take. 

We seem content without the wonder working power. I am not. I've tasted it. I saw the wonder working power of God in Seminole, TX back in 2010. God displayed that power. We experienced things that have been seared into my soul for 15 years. We saw the wonder working power of God at times weekly, and in one special season, we saw it nightly for weeks. Salvations. Deliverance from sin. Repentance. Brokenness. Revival. 

Since that summer I was forever changed. I can never be content with going  through the motions preaching again. No matter how many lifeless services I endure, no matter how many sermons I pour my out in preaching with no visible results, I know the power of God is wondrous. I know the power of God works in ways beyond explanation. I know God can do more in days with His power than I can ever do in my strength in decades. 

I can't explain why there is such a lack of power of God in the land. I can't even explain the lack of power in my own life. The Lord knows I sure pray. I pray a lot. Maybe I need to pray more. Maybe others need to pray more. I don't have answers. I just have a longing for the wonder working power of God. 

At the end of the day, it is the sovereign choice of God to anoint whom He wants. I long for Him to anoint me. I'm not out trying to make a name for myself. Certainly not trying to climb the ladder of success. I just want to be a vessel in the hands of God. An instrument of God's wonder working power. All I know to do is to keep praying. To keep pleading for more power. To remain faithful to preach the word of God without compromise or cowardice. I have to leave the results up to Him. Will you pray for your church and pastor for the fresh anointing of God to flow and the wonder working power of God to be on full display week after week. May we live to see those days ushered in again. 

What Do You Want Me to Do for You?

 Jesus asked that question to blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:51. Bartimaeus, who was blind, did not hesitate to respond that he wanted to receive his sight. That was a very specific answer to Jesus' question. He boldly responded. 

Think about the way we pray sometimes. We often pray vague ambiguous prayers that we would not really know if God answered or not. We pray general requests that cover a multitude of things. I believe we should learn to pray specifically to address what we need God to do for us. If we have a need of His provision and the need is for $957, then we should ask God for $957. I know this sounds dangerously close to name it and claim it theology. I assure you I do not support that. 

Go ahead and get your Bible and read Heb 11:1. Read the first few words. Does your translation read, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen?" Maybe yours reads a little differently. Generally they are similar. Did you notice that word "things". What things? What sort of things? When Abraham prayed believing God for an heir, he believed God for a specific gender in a son. When Israel thirsted in the wilderness, Moses prayed specifically for clean water to drink. When they desired meat, Moses prayed for meat and God sent quail. When Elijah prayed for the drought to end, he prayed for rain. You get the idea. 

What is it right now you want to God to do for you? The word "want" in Mark 10:51 means what do you desire, wish, and intend for Him to do for you? This is not based on what we deserve. It is based on mercy.  The compassion of God giving us what we could never earn or deserve. We all have wants. Some of those wants are legitimate needs. Others are things we wish God would do. What do you want Him to do for you? 

He is powerful enough to do anything. He is capable of answering. Notice Jesus did not ask what do you need me to do for you? He specifically used the word want. For many years, Brenda and I have stood firm in faith on Ps 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." The key phrase in that passage is delight yourself in the Lord. That means to desire what He desires. That means finding such contentment in Him that He curbs your desires into what He wills to do for you. 

Each of us has our own wants lists. God may will to answer some or all of them. One sure way to get prayers answered is to pray for what God wills to do. I Jn 5:14-15. I exhort you to not be afraid to pray specifically. Let me conclude with an illustration. In 2017, I asked God for five vehicles for my family. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, God answered that prayer. He supplied five cars with no debt. Each of those vehicles had over 150,000 miles on them. Each of them is on its last leg. They need to be replaced. 

Fast forward to 2025. I'm once again praying for vehicles. Only this time, I'm praying for six vehicles because our oldest son Taylor and his wife are down to one vehicle. I'm praying more specifically than I did back in 2017. God answered for the five cars, but they were all old and worn out when we got them. I'm asking God for His best vehicles with no debt. That does not mean I'm asking for brand new vehicles. It just means I'm asking for vehicles that will last a long time. I even asked different members of my family what kind of vehicle they would like. Doesn't mean God will give that, but I am praying accordingly. I asked God for those specific makes and models. 

I know that sounds outlandish. I get it. If God is asking me what I want Him to do for me, that is one thing I'm asking. Maybe I should say six things. My list is long. There are many other items I ask. I dare not list them so that you do not think I've lost all my marbles. I know that God can do anything. He glorifies Himself with answers. I lay this out now in advance so that when God answers you will know God answered specific prayers. He will be exalted. 

Go ahead. Ask in faith. Honestly answer God when He asks what do you want Him to do for you? You are just one miracle away from breakthrough. One miracle away from mountains moving. One miracle away from getting the desires of your heart. 

Countdown to the Holidays

 As the calendar turns to November, the holiday season is only weeks away. Christmas commercials started airing last month. A television network began showing Christmas movies around the clock already. I've even seen a few Thanksgiving commercials. A good friend of mine has been listening to his Christmas playlist for a couple of months. 

Not me. I am a traditionalist who does not want to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I look forward to the first time we will have all four sons and daughter in law under our roof that fourth Thursday in November. We will watch some football, eat a feast, share around the table what we are thankful for and take our Christmas card picture. Either that evening or the next morning, we will decorate. 

I always dread this time of year. I'm no scrooge. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day the working world slows down and in some cases even comes to a halt. What God has called me to do does not come to a halt because of the holidays. I have two ambitious goals to complete by the end of the year. To finish reading through the Bible. I have a long way to go to complete that task. I also set a personal deadline to complete the rough draft on my latest book. I just finished the third chapter and have a long way to go. There will be little slowing down for me. 

I will pause long enough to enjoy my family, and to truly give thanks for what God is doing for Brenda and I. I will celebrate His blessings. I will exult in the birth of Jesus, and once again be captured by the majesty and mystery of the Messiah's birth. 

I will also keep my nose to the grindstone and not use the holidays as an excuse to be apathetic. I read this morning from Ps 90:12 to number our days so as to present to God a heart of wisdom. I interpret that to mean make those days count. We only get a certain number of them. I do not want to squander them on things that will not matter. My favorite quote outside the Bible is from C.T. Studd. He said, "Tis only one life to live and twill soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last." I want that to propel me into the holidays and past. To let that fuel ignite passion to do what I can while I can until my last breath. I hope you too will number your days even with the holidays coming.