O Lord Have Mercy

Lord, thank You for allowing me to born in Texas, 

A great state only because You decided to bless us, 

We have abundant resources that are overflowing galore, 

This should result in bended hearts in worship who adore, 

You our great Savior, King, and our merciful Prince of Peace, 

Yet the masses stopped looking to You - the praises ceased, 

Lord, did You send the drought to break our stubborn pride, 

Was it You who pushed away the clouds making the rain hide, 

We have sinned as a state refusing to obey Your commands, 

Audaciously thinking You should acquiesce to our demands, 

Now torrential rains have come with floods the drought now ended, 

Still our hearts are proud and stiff so very few knees are bended, 

O Lord, are You again bound and determined to get our attention, 

Sending flooding rains  to chastise like a child sent to detention, 

I cry out O Lord please have mercy on this land  gone so wicked, 

Where babies are killed, people lie, steal, cheat and many are bigots.

Have mercy on a state that is so  engulfed in sinful and wicked ways, 

O Lord, please have mercy and like days of old send revival in our day. 

Jesus is Lord Of It All

Jesus is Lord of it all. He is Lord over times of triumph as well as times of defeat. He is Master over health as well as sickness. He is Sovereign Ruler over times of drought as well as when the floods come. He is Lord over days filled with laughter as well as nights filled with weeping.

I love Romans 12:12. "Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer." Another way to put that could be, "Be exceedingly glad in confident expectation; be long suffering in adversity and trials; be enduring, constant, and steadfast in your petitions and intercessions." We all could use more of that.

While we are not in control of our days and what happens, Jesus is still in control. Last night torrential rains hit our community again. We shattered the all time record for rainfall in the month of May from 13 inches over thirty years ago to 16 inches to date.More rain is forecasted for tonight.

It rained so hard last night I reduced my driving speed to 40 mph. Streets in my neighborhood were like a creek last night. Only two weeks ago Lake Bridgeport was 24' low. Now the lake is past capacity.

I recall very clearly the drought of the past several years. We pleaded with God for rain. Now there are people pleading with God to stop the rain. Houses have been flooded. Some houses have been swept away in currents destroying them. Many have lost their lives in this monsoon season. In my own neighborhood there has been a tornado that went right through my back yard. I praise God not a vehicle was scratched no my house damaged. Even if things had turned out differently Jesus would still be Lord of it all. Only He can stand over tragedy and triumph and pain and parties ruling it all. He is greater than all. Neither the laughter or the tears alter the fact that He is faithful, trustworthy, and dependable. [I Thess 5:24] He is never caught by surprise or been in a situation beyond His control. This is tough to believe especially during times of tragedy or catastrophe.

Jesus is Lord over rainy seasons and desert like drought conditions. He is Lord when the bank account is full and when there are more bills than money at the end of the month. He is Lord when the children are compliant and when they revel. He is Lord over the cribs in the maternity ward at the hospital as well as the caskets at the funeral home.

No mater what we are facing we need to be reminded Jesus is Lord, Master, and Ruler over it all. I rejoice in the hope that though times do not last forever, even though there are times when it seems like they do and will never end. I rejoice that we have all enjoyed good seasons, peaceful seasons, tranquil seasons that we took for granted. The trials can make us appreciate those peaceful seasons and life's little blessings all the more.

I have lived long enough to know afflictions do not last forever. I think back on the three months after my mother had a massive heart attack and suffered brain damage. I remember anxious prayer filled days and nights in the ICU waiting room. When she recovered enough to be in a regular room none of us knew then she would never get out of the hospital or skilled nursing center again. There were many painful hospital visits. Momma did not always make sense when I tried to talk to her. The brain damage changed her. Her body wore out in the end. Sooner than any of us anticipated she died back in 1998. For her the afflictions ended. She gave up her sick and diseased body and left the afflictions of planet earth for the joy of eternity with Jesus. In time we learned to cope with grief and the new reality of life without Momma.

I remember seasons of ministry that were so hopeless I literally had no words left to pray but only tears fell. It seemed they would never end. Day by day, hour by hour, God helped me through. On those Sundays  depression engulfed me God strengthened me to preach one more time. Many times I preached to myself. God gave strength to plod through another day, another trial and at times through another Sunday and another sermon. I look back now at those trials now all in the past. They ended. God brought me through. He will do the same for you.

So we keep persevering in prayer. We keep taking hopeless and impossible situations to God asking for His help. We keep seeking His counsel in times of confusion. We keep asking Him to move larger than life mountains for us. We believe those afflictions will one day come to an end.

In ALL OF THIS Jesus is Lord of it all. I don't like the trials and adversity but I can sure see how He has used them in my life and the lives of other of His followers. Press on. Press on weary soldiers of the cross. Press on and trust on.

Grace

I thank God for HIs grace in the choices we sometimes make and and the subsequence consequences. How many times has God not allowed us to reap what we sown but dealt with us in grace. I praise His name for seeing past our flaws and failures to the redemptive purpose of His will. I exalt Him for not allowing our actions or inactions to alter His plans and purposes in this world. He works despite us. I praise Him for never looking past our sin or rebellion against His will and His ways burt for grace that forgives, redeems, and restores.

I am a product of that grace. Grace that is greater than all my sin. Grace that keeps me on God's path. Grace that points the way to Kingdom adventures and kept me from following my own destructive paths over the years. Grace to not allow me to reap the devastating destruction I have deserve by what I have sown over the years.

I see this same truth in the lives of Abraham, David, Jonah, and Peter. God dealt with each of them in grace and preserved His purposes for each of their lives. Praise God there are second and third chances with the Lord.

When I look back at all the times I steered off course, sinned, chose good ideas over God ideas, and thought I knew best my life should have ended up in a gutter. By God's grace He gave me a Godly wife, children who bring me joy, a life calling and purpose, vision for the future, and surrounded me with tremendous relationships. Add to that my salvation and I say, "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see."

Lord, Send Revival Fire

In ages gone by sinners have led nations far astray,
From God leading to His honor grievously betrayed,
We have followed the footsteps of sinners before,
Who rebelled against the holy law of the Lord,
In those dark ages You raised revival instruments,
Who called nations back to Your law to implement,
They fervently prayed down Holy Ghost revival fire,
Separating the sin from the saints as with holy pliers,
These agents of revival fire saw their mountains moved,
They prayed tirelessly and Your promises so proved,
They believed for awakenings that shook whole nations,
They labored for revival tirelessly without cessation,
We are in need O Lord of true Heaven sent revival fire,
That is my earnest plea, my deep seated passionate desire.

O Lord Please Speak

I awoke today with one burning thought on my mind,
Seeking God in prayer and His voice wanting to find,
I pleaded earnestly, "O Lord, I beg You to please speak,
There is no other voice I so diligently desire  to seek,"
I opened His word, devouring pages and chapters,
After I prostrated myself before the Great Benefactor,
The Lord of Glory, my Savior, and the Prince of Peace,
I pleaded withGod to speak to me and I did not cease,
The message did not matter, exhortation or conviction,
A word of comfort or a new call to a faith expedition,
I just wanted my Lord to open my heart for His voice,
Shutting out other distractions proved the best choice,
Hearing from Him on this adventurous journey called life,
Is worth the time, the effort and is in no way a sacrifice.

50 Years Ago

A little over 50 years ago Billy Graham traveled to Minneapolis, MN to hold a crusade. He cited several statistics about the moral condition of the United States in one of those messages.

In the early 1960's these are the things Billy Graham shared.

•  There were 500,000 abortions a year
• There were 8 million alcoholics
• There were 220,000 illegitimate births

Fast forward 50 years. Look at how fast things have grown progressively worse. 

• There are 1.21 abortions annually
• There are 17.6 million alcoholics
• There are nearly 1.6 million illegitimate births

Things are getting worse. 50 years ago people worried about Communism and Russia's Khrushchev. Today our enemy is ISIS and the brutality on Christians. 50 years ago the Supreme Court did not meet to redefine the meaning of marriage. Today we wait for them to hand down their ruling, in essence, legalizing same sex marriages in every state and censoring the pulpits in America. 

50 years ago America went through the sexual revolution. Today we are a sin drunk nation of debauchery of every kind of sexual evil. 50 years ago some things were still considered shameful and done behind closed doors. Shameful things are now flaunted openly. Sex is exploited. 

50 years ago there were no cell phones, twitter, social media, or internet. Still the gospel advanced. Many hippies turned to Jesus for salvation and away from the sex and drug culture. The trends tell us we are losing the battle for the soul of America with all of our technology. 

Our programs are not swaying the nation back to God. Our clever promotions are not drawing the masses to repentance and changing the moral landscape of the nation. Mega churches have not produced a mega sized national revival. Sex education has not stemmed the tide of abortions or illegitimate births. 

Experts write books, hold conferences and espouse that what we are doing in the church is not working. They tell us we need to change with the times. They use phrases like, "The message must never change but the methods have to change." They tell preaches to change the way they preach and what they preach. The emphasis in on practical application and preaching to people's felt needs. 

Here is the problem. When do people ever feel the need to repent? Jesus does more than enhance people's lives. He saves people's soul from the wrath of a holy God and forgives sin. If people do not feel the need to be saved and to repent should preachers ignore this subject and move on to something more appealing. Bible truth has been devalued in favor of self help pop psychological help of Dr. Phil and Oprah. We look to Hollywood for spiritual insights rather than in the backwoods of local churches where many of us were raised and taught the Bible by faithful pastors. 

Old fashioned preaching is no longer in vogue. Sermons are now called talks. Worship services have taken on the shape of productions and performances. Churches have majored on big business and often minored on small ministry. Prayer meetings are almost extinct in favor of fashion galas, brunches and book clubs. 

When God founded the church back in Acts 2, two things characterized that church. They prayed together a lot. They boldly shared the good news of Jesus Christ. God honored their efforts and did more than any of us have experienced. 

PRAYER AND EVANGELISM. There were noNational Day of Prayer. The church prayed everyday. There were no evangelism strategies. People shared Jesus daily. God did the rest. 

Fifty years later we need God to do the rest. We are not smart enough to rescue this nation. We are resourced enough to out entertain the world. We are not wise enough to see our own insufficiency to turn the nation back to God without His divine intervention. We have fooled ourselves into thinking we could do church without Him. Disagree? Where is the prayer meetings in your church crying out for God's help to minister? If those prayer meetings do not exist is that not in essence saying church can be done without God's help.  

Churches need to simplify some things and get back to the prayer meetings of old that God used to  produce revivals, spiritual awakenings, and mission movements. We need to get back to broken and burdened hearts for the lost moving us to tears. We need to persevere in sharing the love of Jesus with those near us trusting God for the results. 

Will this nation still be here in 50 more years if we continue on our present course?Will the church have even less impact on society in 50 more years? Wherever you are, wherever you serve the Lord, I urge you to start a prayer meeting in your church, Sunday School class, small group, and persevere until the spirit of prayer pervades the entire church. Pray until you get God's burden for the lost. Pray until you are filled with boldness and cannot keep from sharing the good news of Christ with people you come in contact with. Pray and believe God that the nation will be turned back to Him in revival in the next 50 years.

Memorial Day

Courageously they stormed the beaches of Normandy with valor,
Some fought to the end when sucker punched at Pearl Harbor,
Some plodded ahead through dangerous fields laced with mines,
Others marched in formation on Pacific Islands doing double time,
Some drove jeeps, helicopters, thanks, or flew fighter jet planes, 
All bravely displaying Old Glory and fighting in America's name,
Soldiers fighting for this land of the free and home of the brave,
Fighting for freedom, a family, community, and country to save,
Sacrificing limbs, health, and some giving the ultimate sacrifice,
Considering freedom of infinite more value than the loss of life,
Some came home wounded carrying the marks of battle scars,
Some came back in flag draped caskets driven in hearse cars,
Some came back wounded in the mind fighting traumatic stress,
Families set by helplessly watching soldiers endure the test,
Today we stop to remember those who fought on Memorial Day,
We remember those who grieve such a heavy price they pay,
We do not take for granted such tremendous pain and great loss,
God understands, He paid our steep ransom with Jesus on the cross.

The End Of Our Rope

O Sovereign Lord of all creation,
You created this once great nation,
Slowly we've turned from Your plans,
Shunning  protection from Your hands,
Right is wrong and wrong now right,
This is not true in Your holy sight,
You set laws and spoke commands,
This we remember and understand,
Sin brings about harsh consequences,
Judgment against we are defenseless,
Lord I cry for mercy and true revival,
This is a matter of national survival,
Please send conviction so we repent,
Over our wayward ways to lament,
We cry ofor mercy and deep healing,
To take back what  Satan is stealing,
Without You this nation has no more  hope,
We ar fast approaching the end of our rope.

Duty To God And Country

Yesterday evening a news story came on about how the boy scouts are considering accepting homosexual scout leaders in their organization. They showed one of the big wigs in the Boy Scouts saying that the country is changing and so the Scouts must change with it. He then went on to quote part of the Boy Scouts motto.

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. 

Do my duty to God. In the same breath he talked about accepting homosexual Boy Scout leaders he also talked about doing duty to God. Writing such a post as this will label me. I don't care. I am tired of the mainstream media trying to shove homosexuality down our throats as if it were mainstream. I am tired of sportscasters applauding the courage of a professional athlete who comes out of the closet to announce to the world that they are gay or lesbian. I am tired of homosexuals shouting the word equality. I am tired of gay characters on sitcoms. I am tired of gay couples flaunted on reality television. I am tired of the microphones alway thrust in support of gay people while the mainstream Christina perspective is either silenced or sound bites edited to make Christians look stupid and filled with hate. 

How can the Boy Scouts give into political pressure and go against their own motto in the process. If a Scout is to do his duty to God then he will not embrace the homosexual lifestyle. Scripture teaches against such a lifestyle. I know that statement is narrow-minded to some. I know if I were to quote scriptures some will lump it in with hate mongers. So many are afraid to offend the prevailing political correctness views they do not stand for truth. 

I still stand for truth. Homosexuality is sin. So is adultery, fornication, stealing, murder, abortion, telling lies, ad hypocrisy. Nothing is every going to change that. God set those laws and standards and no amount of political wrangling and judicial redefining is going to change God's standards. There will be many to cry out that homosexuals have no choice for they were born that way. Satan is a masterful deceiver. He deceives depraved people into perverse lifestyles. I have heard with my own ears the testimonies of people whom God delivered from the homosexual lifestyle. The mainstream media sure do not want you to hear their stories. 

Jesus loves homosexuals but not the homosexual lifestyle. Many churches have watered down the teaching of scripture on this issue. Many pastors are silent in the pulpit about this topic for fear of backlash. Homosexuals are not silent. They shout with megaphones. They have infiltrated the media. They intimidate local business people who do not accept their lifestyle. They SHOUT at the top of their lungs. Now the Supreme Court is about to weigh in on the matter. 

Conservative politicians are browbeat by reporters wanting soundbites for their papers and news shows. Yet liberal politicians are not asked equally tough questions and abortion or religious persecution and rights being violated in this country. 

If the Supreme Court decides in favor of homosexuals and redefine what God instituted in marriage, the repercussions will be devastating. Go ahead. Study history. See hat happened to other civilizations who readily accepted homosexuality. Watch what happens when homosexual men get into influential positions as troop leaders with young vulnerable boys. Mark my words. Boys will get molested. 

The United Sates of America is on a collision course with judgment. God's judgment is barreling toward us like a speeding locomotive. Repeatedly this nation has taken steps to oppose God and His laws. Scriptures and the constitution have bene reinterpreted and applied to suit the causes of a few. If this nation was found on religious freedom then where is my freedom to oppose a lifestyle I find offensive and opposed by teachings of scripture. Where is my freedom to preach without fear of backlash. Where is my freedom to stand firm on the foundations of my religious convictions with equal passion without it being labeled as a hate crime. 

Would it not be a criminal act on my part to see a terrorist plot about to unfold on  this nation and  to keep silent. My voice is very little. I have very little influence over people. Yet I am in the majority. The majority stand where I stand though the media would not want  you to know or believe that. It is my duty to God and this country to state that we as a nation are heading toward impending peril if we do not align ourselves with God and His laws. 

I am a former Boy Scout. I have many wonderful memories from my days scouting. We went on camp outs, to Scout Camps, earned merit badges, and challenged ourselves mentally and physically.. To do my duty to God is not to remain silent. To do my duty to God I call sin a sin and do not flinch if that makes me unpopular. 

I say it again. Jesus loves homosexuals. He died for them just as He died for me. God sent Jesus to die for the sins of mankind. Homosexuals can be saved and forgiven just like anyone else. God does not condone the homosexual lifestyle anymore than He does any other sexual sin. Same sex marriage is sin just like a couple living together outside marriage, a person sharing multiple partners, orgies, pornography, molestation, and rape. 

Duty to my God means crying out to America that we had better put on the breaks of redefining morality and repent before we slide down this slippery slope to the point of no return. God will have the last say. He will not be mocked. What we sow as a nation we will also reap. Only God can stop us before it is too late. 

Surviving Another Storm

While exiting the building after an  awards ceremony, I heard a man telling everyone a huge storm was heading in the direction of Runaway Bay where we live. We hurried home listening for weather updates on the radio. It was not belong people began texting telling us really bad weather with tornado activity headed our way.

Before long the tornado sirens sounded. We had to wake two of the boys up to get them in our room. Then the winds picked up fiercely and all six of us plus the dog got in the master bedroom closet. We were crammed in there like sardines. I voiced a prayer for ourselves, our neighbors, and the people in our church and the Paradise community.

In this highly tense moment Tucker cracked a joke to lighten the mood. He commented, "I have never been more close to my family." We all got a good laugh out  of that. When the winds died down I went to investigate. It poured rain. As heavy a rain as I have ever seen. Later I learned we received six inches of rain in about an hour.

We lost electricity in the middle of the chaos. Between flashes of lightening I could see large limbs scattered all over the yard. Some landed near our vehicles.When the rain subsided Taylor and I went out with flash lights to investigate. As far as we could tell none of the cars got damaged.

I slept in the living room in my recliner while Turner slept in my bed and the other boys on the floor. I used that time to pray. I did not want to whine like a spoiled American brat because we did not have a/c. I thanked God for the mild temperatures that day making it bearable in the house. I thanked God for His protection. I thanked God none of us were injured.

Many texted us through the storm checking on us or updating us on the weather. I praised God the electricity was restored at 2:30 a.m. The ceiling fans were a real blessing I did not take for granted. I did not take getting to cook breakfast for the boys for granted either. I thought of the millions of people in the world who live everyday without electricity. I saw it as a luxury and not a right. None of us slept great. We know church members who did not get their electricity turned on until 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night. They endured over twenty-four hours without it.

The next morning told an amazing story. When I surveyed the damage I discovered we had five trees down. One of them got uprooted. One fell against another tree leaving it suspended dangerously close to the master bedroom. Another tree that hung over our back porch and roof of the house got snapped in half but fell in the opposite direction of the house. I could not believe it. Gravity should have pulled that tree right on the roof of Tucker's and Turner's bedroom. The uprooted tree could have landed on our trailer but fell in the opposite direction.

In the front yard a a huge limb fell near Turner's basketball goal. It did not hit or damage the goal. Later that day I saw a similar goal down the street snapped in half. Taylor and I parked our trucks not six feet apart. Another large branch landed perfectly between my back bumper and Taylor's front bumper but did not hit either truck. AMAZING.

It appeared that God swatted limbs and trees away from our house and vehicles. A friend later told me, "You can speculate how all that happened or you can know God did it." God did it. He protected us again in the violent storm. The tornado followed our road for nearly a mile causing damage to many homes and tearing the roofs off some condos near the lake.

Two men from our church came with chainsaws to cut up the trees. They boys and I worked for seven and a half hours cleaning up branches. We also got to cut up a lot of firewood for next winter. Praise the Lord. My four sons put in Herculean effort yesterday hauling limbs. They worked hard and did not complain. At the end of the day they were exhausted.

I give all praise and glory to God. He protected my family, our home, and our vehicles. I am awed by His power. I am humbled by His protection. Again I ask why were we were spared when other homes suffered damage. Two doors down  a tree fell on our neighbor's house. We heard the story of a family who went into a bathroom and the tornado tore the roof off the whole house except the bathroom where they huddled. Another farmer could not find his thirty foot goose neck trailer anywhere on his property.

God protected us. God supplied peace in the storm. God sheltered us in the storm. All I can do is bow my knees, my head, and my heart and say, "Thank You Jesus. Thank You for sheltering us. Thank You for protecting our home and vehicles. Thank You for good friends who came to our aid. Thank You for no loss of lives in any of the tornado activity. Thank You for once again allowing us to survive the storm. In Jesus name, amen."

Abounding In Hope

Romans 15:13 (NASB)
¹³  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 


While we think of God as holy, righteous, powerful, do we really think of Him as a God of hope? That is exactly what this verse says. God is a God of hope. One way to define hope is confident expectation.

Though God sees everything and knows everything, He is still a God of hope. Think about it. God sees every sin, act of rebellion, perverse and putrid practice, and still He is a God of confident expectation. God has been mocked, rejected, denied, belittled, questioned, and He is still a God of hope.

We see less than God sees and know far less than He knows but we are prone to lose hope. For believers in Christ, we of all people on the face of the earth,  need to have hope. Hope that a better eternal home awaits us than planet earth. Hope that sorrows can be comforted. Hope that the nation will repent and return to the Lord in revival. Hope that the lost will get saved. Hope that the prayers will be answered. Hope that God will give strength in the difficult days. Hope that even nights of weeping come to an end eventually. Hope that God helps us face both triumphs and adversity. We should not only have hope but we should be abounding or overflowing with hope.

That hope will manifest itself in joy and peace. I read this verse this morning during my devotion. Afterward, I went to the kitchen to  cook breakfast. To my surprise the kitchen lights did not turn on. Neither did the kitchen ceiling fans or the lights over the breakfast nook. I went out in the garage and those lights did not work either. The refrigerator we have in the garage was not working.

Needless to say, in that moment, I had zero joy and zero peace. I looked for a flashlight. Of course the first two I found did not have batteries. Less joy and less peace. I finally found one that worked and went to the fuse box. I could barely make out what was what but tried flipping the fuses. That did not work. By this time I had negative joy and negative peace. I did not abound with hope.

Since cooking was out of the question I looked forward to a bowl of cereal. The older boys used all the milk. Now hope, joy, and peace were plummeting in my life like the Titanic. I began scrambling wondering who to call for help. I do not know any electricians. My whole morning started off in frustration.

Funny I never made the connection between what God spoke to me this morning through [Romans 15:13] and my circumstances. God tried to prepare me. God saw what I would experience. I did not abound in hope. Truth is I forgot about the whole thing for a little while.

Once the sun rose I went back to the fuse box. For the third time I flipped every fuse including the main. Hope surfaced half way through when I heard the refrigerator in the garage turn on. I finished with the fuses and walked to the light switch in the garage. Bingo, it worked. So did the lights in the kitchen. All was well in the Edwards household again. Hope returned.

The sad truth is I allowed my circumstances to get the best of my joy, peace, and hope. God who sees all and knows all had hope readily available by the power of the Holy Spirit but I refused to receive it. I walked in the flesh in those frustrating moments rather than than in Spirit. The Holy Spirt had abounding joy, abounding peace, and abounding hope ready to be poured out on my life to overflowing.

Please learn from my pathetic example. No matter what you are facing God is still a God of hope if you believe Him in the midst of your chaos He still pours out abounding hope for people. Even hope for the most hopeless situations.

It is sad that now I am abounding in hope. The God of hope was always there. He always will be. He always has been. Take comfort brothers and sisters. The God of abounding hope is available for you.

Keep Pedaling

I woke yesterday on one of those rare Saturdays when had no obligations.  The one thing I wanted to accomplish was ride my bike. Early afternoon I put on my cycling shorts, a bright colored shirt, and my shoes. I filled my water bottle and then donned my gloves, helmet and glasses.

I set a goal of riding ten miles. A little over a mile into the ride I realized that the first half of that ride would be riding directly into a headwind and riding uphill. Four miles into the ride I began a slow ascent straight into strongest winds of the day. The pace slowed. I gripped the lower handlebars and put my head down gutting out one revolution of the pedals after another.

I flashebacked to my 100 mile ride in west Texas back in 2012. When things got tough I kept telling myself that day to keep pedaling. I related that phrase in my mind over and over again yesterday. Keep pedaling. Keep pedaling.

One thing I have learned in my years of cycling is you do not want to quit pedaling while you are riding uphill and into the wind. If you ever come to a complete stop is extremely difficult to get momentum going again.

Now apply that to your situation. Some of you are riding uphill and into a headwind in life. You face challenges. There is the temptation to quit. There is the temptation to throw in the towel and take the path of least resistance. Yet God has you on a steep path into a headwind. The goal is in sight but the path to get there is excruciatingly painful and challenging.

Keep pedaling. To the student facing the end of the year exams and projects keep pedaling. To the worker laboring on the same job for years on end keep pedaling. To the mother cooking, cleaning, and awaking to do it all over again keep pedaling. To the one facing physical ailments keep pedaling. To the one fatigued from giving care to loved ones keep pedaling. To the one carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders keep pedaling. To the weary prayer warrior keep pedaling.

I don't know how many times I told myself to keep pedaling yesterday. I bowed my head and pushed and pulled those pedals looking at the ground right in front of me. When I looked up again I was only thirty yards from the turn around point. I stopped and took a long sip of water. I caught my wind.

Eleven Steps

A lot of people like to travel to exotic locations and scenic destinations. They enjoy seeing new sights, making new memories, and experiencing new things. Some places are huge disappointments while others are exceed expectations. Most of travels have been in the context of preaching.

There is one trip that thrills my soul. Many would find it less than thrilling. Some would even scoff. It is exactly eleven steps from my bedside to my desk in my home office. Those are elven short steps physically but they also usher me into another world spiritually. That office is my inner room. It is the kind of place Jesus talked about in [Matt 6:5-7.] A place to shut out all distractions. A place to forsake the company of people to keep company with God. A sacred place.

That elven step journey is the highlight of my day. The encounters with God bring life to my soul. Burdens are lifted for others in intercession and my own burdens are laid down there. God sees those prayers in the secret place. He beckons me to keep making that eleven step journey. Sometimes He beckons me to come in the wee hours of the morning. Often He awakes me in the middle of the night for time with Him. He listens to me. He speaks to me.

Those elven steps lead me to realities with God that open pages of scripture, lead to receiving visions, and clear cut directions for life and ministry.

Do you have a sacred place to meet with God? Do you frequently make that journey to that place? O the joys with God we share when we tarry there in those secret places to meet with Him. That is the journey we must all take and keep taking. There are no substitutes for the experiences we gain when we take that journey.

Set your appointment with God for tomorrow. Get up and make some of the fist steps of your day be toward God in your inner room. Those experiences can never be duplicated anywhere else on this planet.

The Secret Place

O Lord You beckon me to come to the secret place,
Where cares are laid down and I seek Your face, 
You welcome us boldly come to the throne of grace, 
In the secret place You listen, hear, and You see, 
Where peace comes and fears and doubts flee, 
In the secret place You are there waiting for me,
In the secret place You ignite holy fire to my soul,
You heal my broken heart to again restore it whole,
In secret I find You of which not the half has been told.

Cowboy Counsel

Over the years I have both counseled people and received counsel from many. It might be surprising that some of those counseling sessions took place over the years in pastures, over barbed wire fences, in barns, riding in farm trucks in pastures, and on country back porches.

Today I went to visit a man to get some parenting counsel. When I showed up at his house he was on horseback. There he sat. Plain white t-shirt. Justin boot cap. Wrangler jeans. Boots with spurs. He is not the urban cowboy. He is the real deal. We started our conversation in the barn. He taking the bridle off his horse and me leaning on the gate. Not exactly the place most counseling sessions start but we both felt at home.

Soon we made our way to his back porch. We sat down under his back porch ceiling fans. I asked many questions. He had some advice. I opened my soul sharing my failures in many areas. He had strong counsel to share, words of comfort and encouragement. Before I knew it, I looked down at my watch and noticed three hours had already passed.

This cowboy counselor spoke in simple terms. Often he used agricultural analogies. He related training children to training horses. Speaking as a man to another man. He did not shy away from speaking the hard truth. Neither did he condemn me where I confessed failure. Though we never express our love for one another I know this man loves me. He does not say it. He shows it in tangible ways.

Those three hours flew by. I hung on his every word. In the end we walked back to the barn where he shoveled horse manure still offering words of counsel. I would not trade those few hours today for any plush office setting with a professional licensed counselor.

In past churches I have served I dressed in slacks, a pressed dress shirt, and dress shoes. Dressing professionally meant and still means a great deal to me. Today I wore my normal office attire at Faith Community Church; jeans, long sleeve t-shirt, and boots. It fit as we walked through the barn and around the farm. Over these past few years serving this church, I spent my fare share of time in hayfields, in barns, around livestock more than in Starbucks or Barns and Noble.

This cowboy counselor is different than me. He at home on the farm, on horseback, and fixing things. I am at home in a bookstore or library. He turns wrenches working on farm vehicles to unwind while do so reading a good book. God has given us a connection. He has done things for me and my family that have humbled me.

I have been blessed to serve in rural churches my whole ministry. Small towns in out of the way places. The pace of life often slower. In small towns everybody knows everybody. I am at home talking with country people. I enjoy eating at cafes more than five star restaurants. While I still dress up for church on Sunday I am equally at home in jeans and boots. Country people seldom are pretentious people. Country people can smell a counterfeit. They can easily see through a canned professional pastor.

So I went to this cowboy counselor needing some real parenting advice. He gave me eyes to see things from a different perspective. He brought a fresh and much needed perspective. I could act like I always have my act together but this guy is way too smart for that. He would see right through my smoke screen.

I am thankful for a day on his back porch. I left his home feeling like a better father and a better pastor.  Even pastors need counseling from time to time . Jesus. thank you for cowboy counselors.

All In

We live in a society of people who give lip service to commitment but often do not back that up with action. Everybody wants to be a champion until the alarm goes off and you have to get up early to lift or run. Everybody wants to hoist the trophy at the end of the season until it comes working out when the muscles ache, the temperatures are extremely hot or cold and others have opted for the easier path. Champions pay the price.

While I admire the devotion of athletes who are willing to pay the price I am often left scratching my head in bewilderment. I watch parents drive hours and hours to take their child to special practices to play of elite select teams. I watch thousands of dollars shelled out for special leagues, uniforms, coaches, and travel expenses to help their child excel. These parents are all in.

I see the athletes who show up early and stay late to put in extra work after everyone else has hit the showers. They are all in.

I see students who work diligently to make the best grades and to master their studies. When others have studied enough to make average grades these committed students stay up late hitting the books. They are all in for academics.

Some musicians practice and practice until they have perfected the piece of music they are playing. Over and over again they plan hitting each note, staying in tempo, and hitting every pitch. These musicians are all in.

What I seldom see is Christians who are all in. I am referring to followers of Jesus who love Him so deeply, are so committed to following Him, and who have laser like focus on His will they do not shrink back from sacrifice.

These are the disciples who do not mind getting up early to pray and meditate on scripture to start the day. These are the ones who love to linger in His presence. These are the ones with burning hearts who spread the flames to other people they come in contact with. These are the people constantly pleading with God to use them, to send them, and give them chances to share Jesus with others who do not know Him. These are the ones who dig deep in their pocket books to give to Kingdom causes denying themselves the trappings of this world.

In the Acts 2 church those disciples were all in. They prayed with fervency. They devoted themselves assiduously to study of the apostle's teaching. They shared their resources sacrificially to meet the needs of people. They believed God for miracles and shared Christ boldly and courageously with lost people. THEY WERE ALL IN.

Take Faith Community Church for example. Three times we tried to start Sunday School classes. Three times they failed miserably as people voted with their lack of attendance in supporting these ministries. Sunday night services are suffering the same fate across America. Prayer meetings are nearly extinct in most churches.

While people are all in when it comes to sports, music, grades work, and for some recreating and entertainment, I wonder when the people of God will be all in for Christ.

If people were all in on two  Kingdom things it wold make a huge issue. PRAYER. EVANGELISM. Why don't followers of Jesus give themselves to these ministries. Let me ask you a question. How many hours do you spend weekly transporting, waiting on, or watching your children do something. Multiple hours. How much time do you give in any given week to corporate prayer. I mean praying with a group of others.

In every church I have served since 1998 I have tired to start prayer meetings. I done them in the early mornings. Not one time have I seen even half a dozen people sustain such a prayer meeting. I once held them on a Monday night and each week there were only four of us. Many times I have encouraged and invited people to stay behind to pray after a mid-week Bible study. Most of the times there was not one person left after ten minutes devoted to prayer. Sunday night prayer meetings have not been anymore successful.

When will the people of God get all in for prayer? At Faith Community we have a prayer meeting before our Sunday morning services. Week after week the same four of us men show up. Where are the others who would be all in when it comes to other activities but are not all in when it comes to prayer.

I once heard as statistic that 90% of Christians do not witness to

Withered

In Mark 3 there is a story about a man with a withered hand in a synagogue. Jesus shows up and the Pharisees scrutinize Jesus to see if He will heal the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath.

You know that man suffered with that withered hand. Everywhere he went I can imagine people stared at the withered hand. He probably felt embarrassed. He most likely tried the best he could to hide the withered from view hand when possible.

To make matters worse, in his day people thought physical maladies were a sign of God's judgment in a person's life due to sin. Staring is bad enough, but for people to judge on top of that, only makes the matter worse.

What is withered in your life? Some suffer form physical issues. The physical problems are visible to all. Some are too fat. Some too skinny. Some have huge noses, bug eyes, bad hair, and some no hair at all. No matter the problem, many have them. Many have them and are embarrassed by them. They have suffered from the way they look all their lives.

Our society puts great value on physical appearance. If physical appearances are sub par there is emotional suffering and the feeling of lack of self worth. I wish I could shout with a mega phone in the ear of every person with low self esteem; YOUR SELF WORTH IS NOT BASED ON HOW YOU LOOK. YOUR VALUE IS DETERMINED BY GOD WHO LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO SEND JESUS TO DIE ON THE CROSS. THE CROSS IS THE PROOF OF YOUR WORTH. YOUR WORTH IS DETERMINED BY GOD. YOU ARE LOVED. YOUR SINS CAN BE FORGIVEN. FIIND YOUR IDENTITY IN THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST !

Many people suffer with a withered heart. They were abused, taken advantage of, mistreated, wounded and they suffer with a broken and withered heart. They have great difficulty loving people. They are not trusting of other people. They go through life with their guard up and incapable of giving or expressing love in a healthy manner. Hurt people often hurt other people. Find someone who systematically hurts other people and look far enough back and you will most likely find that person got hurt deeply at some point.

Some live life with withered souls. They have committed such heinous sins they believe they can never be forgiven by God. Some men and women have given themselves away sexually and perversely so often they believe they are damaged and dirty. Others have abused their bodies with drugs and alcohol to such an extent they believe they can never be sober or clean again. No matter the sin many live with withered souls. Everyday they live with shame and condemnation. They have no hope of reconciliation with God. They have no faith that God loves them and is willing to forgive them no matter what they have done. He can, will, and has forgiven people for such sins as adultery, abortion, fornication, fabricating the truth, stealing, and every sort of sexual perversion.

In the Mark 3 story Jesus asked the man to come forward. Don't you know as soon as he stood to make his way forward every eye in the place focused on him and most likely his withered hand. Why would Jesus single this guy out. Next, Jesus asked the guy to stretch his withered hand forward.

This was a crisis moment for the man with the crippled and withered hand. To put that hand forward meant everybody would stare at the very thing that had caused him so much pain and humiliation over the years. Surely the man must have been tempted to keep the hand to his side hidden from sight.

Only when the man chose to put the hand forward did Jesus heal it and restore it fully. Could it be today Jesus is calling you to put your withered things forward to be healed and restored. He still does that. He heals people of poor self esteem through the cross of Christ. He heals broken hearted people and restores hearts that have been crushed so they can love others. He forgives sinners of all sorts of sins. He does all that and more.

What is withered in your life? Will you give it to Jesus and trust Him to make you whole again? He is more than able to do so.

Guilty

In second grade Mrs. Brumble gave us a test on the seven continents. I did not study. I could only come up with two out of the seven. In my desk sat a paper with all the answers. Slyly I reached down to pull that paper into view. As I worked on the remainder of the test I did not see Mrs. Brumble coming. She caught me cheating. I made a zero on that rest. She found me guilty and I had no excuses. She caught me red handed.

Since that day I have been guilty of many things. I have lied to keep from getting into trouble. I once stole a track shirt. God has a sense of humor because I lost it and never got to wear it after I took it. When in grade school I used to sneak into people's garages and steal their empty coke bottles. You could recycle them for money and that tis how I often paid my way to go skating on the weekends.

I used profane language as early as third grade. I heard others use it and thought nothing of it until an uncle reprimanded me. I thought it strange that he would scold me when much of the foul language I learned came out of his mouth.

I have always had a bad temper. My grade school teachers could always tell if my team won or lost on the playground by my countenance when we came in from P.E. I am still to this day overly competitive. I HATE losing. I want to win. Whether it be board games, basketball, chicken foot, or any other competition, I want to win. At times this attitude has translated to winning at all cost.

I nearly lost my ministry once on a mission trip over a game of ultimate frisbee. Things got way too competitive that night between me and a brother in Christ. I am shamed to say we stood face to face and had to be pulled apart. Since that day I do not allow myself to participate in competitions except with my boys and even then it is usually only on vacations.

I could list other sins and failures. I am sure many would love to read all the sordid details of a flawed life like mine. Many times I have questioned why God would choose me to preach.

I am guilty. The evidence is stacked against me from way back. Satan as plenty to convict me. I make no excuses. I will be the first to admit I have sinned. It did not go away when Jesus saved me. I continued to sin.

I still lost my temper. I still want to win at all costs. I've continued to struggle with impatience with people and at times u have been nforgiving. I've treated family and friends harshly. I often push away those who try to love me. GUILTY! GUILTY! On all accounts guilty.

I did not read the Bible long this morning before one verse struck my heart like an archer's arrow. I opened to Romans 8 and read, Therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [Ro 8:1]

Let that truth sink in deep. Therefore NOW. At this very moment, for all my past sin God has declared me not guilty. He already knows all my future failures. In Christ Jesus I will be declared not guilty. At this very moment my guilt is gone. Though guilty God does not condemn me. Though imperfect God is in the process of perfecting me. Though flawed to the core God is faithful to cleanse my sin and take away my guilt.

Horatio Spafford wrote it well in the third verse of his song, It Is Well With My Soul. My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.

Now we stand forgiven. I do not have to live out my days in the shame and remorse of failures. I can sing along with John Newton, Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see.

Paul writes there is NO CONDEMNATION. That means there is no declaration of guilt, no judgment, and no penalty for our transgressions. NO. NONE. NOT ANY. NOT AT ALL. If I am in Christ Jesus, wholly learning on Him alone for my salvation, then I am not condemned.

I deserve to be. So do you. Yet the our original Avenger paid our sin debt and today we are no longer condemned. Our sin, not just some of it, but all of it was nailed to the cross of Christ. Yes Mr. Stafford, PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD O OUR SOULS!

I sit here stunned as I mediate on this truth. Though guilty I am not condemned. Through Jesus my guilt is gone. He has cast my sin as far as the east is from the west. [Ps 103:12] That is good news for a guilty sinner like me. I am flawed, far from perfect, and unworthy to be a child of God. Yet, He loves me. He pardoned and continues to pardon me. He paid my ransom. He rescued me when I could not do one thing to rescue myself. All I can do in return is love Him and serve Him, which I gladly do. It will never be enough to repay. I am not trying to repay. I am  simply expressing my gratitude though guilty I am not condemned.

Have You Taken Time To Sit With The Lord

Those who know me best know I love solitude. I love times to pray, reflect, and to write. Unfortunately life has many distractions to keep us from solitude, prayer, and reflection. 

Over the last five days I entered the freeway of life in the fast lane. Meetings, travels, church events, and following our kids to their sports activities. The days started early and ended late. 

Many mornings I woke up groggy not wanting to get up. Each day I stayed under the covers as long as possible wanting more sleep. Each day, when I finally got out of bed, I had to hit the ground running. Each morning I planned on sitting down to pray and meditate on scripture. Day after day I found myself running as fast as I could just to get to the next thing and the next thing never included prayer and reflection. 

This certainly manifested itself especially with my family. Easily angered and frustrated. Irritated by other drivers on the roads. Lack of joy. Anxiety from trying to get to the next event with no time to spare. Impatience. Much of my lie over those days did exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. 

Yesterday was no different. We finally made it home last night at 10:00 p.m. and all I wanted to do was get into bed. I fell asleep immediately planning to sleep all night. 

At 2:30 a.m. I awoke. I tried to go back to sleep but finally got up deducing that perhaps God wanted me to get up to spend some time with Him. I knew it had been days since I had slowed down long to enough linger in His presence. My heart broke when I looked in my journal and saw how long it had been. 

Shamed, I repented and asked God to restore me. I poured my heart out in prayer for my family, flock, and friends. Time did not matter. Eventually I went back to bed but not before really sitting before the Lord. 

I wonder if my experience is shared by anyone else. I wonder if there are people reading this who love the Lord but have gotten so busy they are no longer slowing down to sit before Him in prayer and meditation of scripture. I wonder if anyone out there feels spiritually depleted because they are running on fumes of empty tanks spiritually instead of being revived and refreshed from daily time sitting before the Lord. 

This is so fundamental to our relationship with the Lord. It is elementary stuff. Basic Christianity. Bible 101. Entry level discipleship material. Christians are taught to have quiet times, or if you like, devotions. 

Though we know this with our heads, how often do we allow life to crowd out those times. Things like phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook, work, television, school, and the list goes on of all the things that can distract us and rob our time sitting with the Lord. 

I am ashamed because I know better. Good intentions are no substitute for actually slowing down to linger with the Lord in private prayer and devotional reading. There is no substitute. 

Those days I missed with the Lord are gone. I cannot go back and recapture them. There are no do overs. Those are encounters with God I missed out on. That does not mean I have to stay in that condition. 

No. I start anew today. While I am not recommending 2:30 a.m. prayer sessions as normal, I am saying that we must fight, claw, scrap, defend, and stand our ground for our times to sit with the Lord. Nothing must become important. TIME SITTING WITH THE LORD MUST BE OUR PRIORITY. I wrote in my journal this morning as a prayer, "Sleep eludes me. Sleep is not important. Seeking You is imperative." I want time to sit with the Lord even it means sleeping less. 

I got distracted. Distracted doing some good things. Many of them even included serving the Lord. Serving the Lord can never substitute for time spent with the Lord. 

Take the time to sit with Him today. Make no more excuses. Do not squander this day with good intentions. Fight fort the time to be alone with God today. Do it on your lunch hour. Go to the park and sit with Him. Turn off the television and get away from your family for awhile and sit with the Lord. Open your Bible, read slowly and reflect deeply. Pray without being rushed. Take the time to enjoy Him. Drink deeply from His presence and refresh your souls in Him as you sit with Him. It is the best time of our days.

Stormy Season

On my way home last night from watching Tanner play basketball storms were forming all around us. Brenda and Taylor were in a different car and called to inform me to listen to the radio. Tornados were forming in our proximity.

I did get to drive  straight home but rather had to drive Tanner back to school to get my truck. We opted to drive home on the backroads as the clouds brewed over head and the threat of tornados loomed. It takes us twenty minutes to drive from Paradise to our home. It takes about thirty minutes when you travel the backroads. I heard of tornados touching down north east of us.

As we neared home, I noticed the skies getting considerably blacker. When we turned down the last stretch I became concerned. Lightening began cracking. It did not rain but overhead I knew something serious was blowing in the direction of home. Then the report on the radio cited a tornado touching down between the towns of Jacksboro and where we live in Runaway Bay headed our direction.

By the time Tanner and I reached home the tornado sirens in our community began sounding. Some reports stated a tornado formed over Lake Bridgeport about a mile from our home. Brenda began getting a series of text messages from concerned church members and friends wanting to know if we were okay. We gathered all the boys into our bedroom and I instructed them on my command to head for my closet if a tornado threatened.

We scrambled to find flashlights and batteries. We soon discovered we did not have battery powered radios. We were watching Pete Delkus reporting the weather and just as he began to talk about Runaway Bay the satellite went our and we were left in the dark about what the storm was doing in our community.

Turner got scared and nestled into my arms on my bed.. Tanner and Tucker fell asleep on the floor exhausted from the day. Taylor played with his iPod winding down after a week of final exams. Brenda busied herself responding to all the text messages. All six of us huddled in my bedroom.

In the middle of the storm I had peace. I did not panic. I did not worry. Throughout the next half hour Brenda continued to get text messages. In the end God protected us. We never even lost electricity. Losing our satellite reception for a short season proved our only inconvenience.

Soon the storm pounded rain and lightening lit up the night skies and then passed. Everything went back to normal. Brenda played on her Nook. Tanner and Tucker went to their own beds. Taylor and I watched a little television and then we went to bed.

There are four lessons I take from this stormy season that might apply to your life as well. First, storms can suddenly appear. When Tanner and I went to his basketball came the skies were overcast but it had not rained all day. The storms formed while we were in the gym totally unaware of what developed outside.

Life is like that as well. Stormy seasons come unexpected in the form of trials of every sort. Many times we never see them coming. They blindside us like a linebacker blitzing a quarterback. We all get lulled to sleep with a false sense of security. We feel insulated in our bubble living pan free and carefree until the storm hits. I would draw your attention to [Matt 7:25], The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. The context of this verse is about building on a solid foundation. Two different people built and the storm hit both houses. One collapsed. One withstood the storm. My point is that the storm hit both houses. Storms of life hit believers and unbelievers, rich and poor, famous and obscure, young and old, married and single. We should not get lulled to sleep by a false sense of security. Sooner or later storms hit all of us.

The second thing I think about during this stormy season is God gives peace in the middle of storms. [Phil 4:6-7] Don't worry about anything,but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

As Turner laid in my arms last nigh,t I asked if he was nervous. He said yes. I then asked if he trusted God. He again said yes. I gently reminded him that if we really trusted God we had nothing to be nervous about.

Even in the middle of the storms of life we can have God's peace. What a blessing. Not our man made peace that can be shattered in a moments notice. God's peace. Think about that for a minute. Has God ever been worried? Has God ever wrung His hands in despair? Has there ever been one time when God sighed in anxiety thinking all was lost? NO. NEVER. That is the peace that He gives us as we pray and trust no matter what we are facing.

The third lesson is the storm passed. All storms have a beginning and an ending. Chaos may abound in the middle but in the end storms pass. They blow over. The same is true in life. Trials end. We may not like the end outcome but the storms to end. Even if they end in death for us or those we love.

The last lesson learned last night came from Turner. Right after our conversation about trusting and not worrying he made a very profound statement. He commented, "Dad, we don't need to worry. No matter what happen we will be okay. If God protects us during this storm we have nothing to worry about. If we all die in this storm we know where we are going and that is not bad. No matter what happens we will be okay." All of that truth from an eleven year old.

It reminds me of my absolute favorite Bible verse and the one I have selected to have preached at my funeral. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. [Phil 1:21] Even if the whole Edwards household had been wiped out last night and we all died it would have been our gain. We would not have lost anything but gained everything. We would have been rewarded and the reward would have been all the sweeter because we would entered glory together. God had other plans.

So I awake this morning again seated at this keyboard to proclaim God's truth for all who choose to read. We all face stormy seasons. They come unexpectedly. God still gives us His peace. Storms come to an end eventually. Even when we lose our lives in the storms it is our gain if we are in relationship with Jesus Christ. Let your hearts be comforted.

A Salute To Prayer Warriors

Today is the National Day of Prayer. All across the nation there will be prayer events held. Some will gather at city halls, fire houses, in front of court houses, in football stadiums, and churches to pray. Important officials will make speeches and lead crowds in prayer. Beautiful worship will be lifted to the Lord. Influential pastors will be invited to breakfast at the Whitehouse. Prayer rallies will be held in little never heard of communities

I have participated in and lead such events in the past. Today, I turn to my attention to a different group. I salute the men and women who will pray alone. They will not assemble with crowds. There are no crowds who want to pray to be found. They will not stand in the spotlight. These faithful prayer warriors will once again take up the gauntlet to stand in the gap for their nation, their community, their church, and their family and friends as they have done tirelessly for decades.

I salute the prayer warriors who make their bedsides or living rooms a prayer altar day in and day out. Many hold up the torch of intercession alone in churches that have long ago seen better days. They pray more than their pastors pray. Many tenaciously intercede for this nation with broken hearts knowing how far we have drifted from God.

I salute the prayer warriors who make every day a day of prayer without the fanfare. I salute the prayer warriors who often pray in tears more than with words. I think of faithful pastors in obscure places serving small churches but who pray with fervor. They intercede for their flock, pray for the lost, and cry out to God for healing of the land. I think of homebound people who can no longer go to the house of worship but they pray mightily for a fresh move of God. I salute the faithful man, woman, and student who will be the only one to show up today for the National Day of Prayer in their communities.

I salute the prayer warriors who prefer to keep company with God more than people. I am thankful for these backbone of our nation people who will never be noticed, recognized, or rewarded until eternity. While so many preachers, worship leaders, Bible teachers, and authors get all the notoriety we will be surprised in eternity to see prayer warriors rewarded more highly.

I salute these persevering intercessors who never give up even though some answers to their prayers have been delayed for decades. They still pray in faith tenaciously clinging to and standing on the promises of God. I celebrate the many testimonies of the mighty ways God has used their lives of prayer.

I am humbled when I consider the depth of their prayer lives and see the shallowness of my own. I am thankful for people God has used in history to change things through prayer. Such people as John Hyde, Reese Howells, George Mueller, Leonard Ravenhill, E.M. Bounds, Jim and Carol Cymbala, Beth Moore, Amy Carmichael, Shirley Dobson, Lottie Moon, and Bertha Smith. What legacies of faith they left behind or are still leaving. We are still reaping answers to their great prayer lives.

I think of modern day intercessors. I am now thinking of two ladies who have faithfully held up the torch of prayer for revival and awakening in Seminole, TX early each morning. They have been doing this since 2010. I am thinking of the group of senior adult women at FBC Paradise, TX who have been gathering to pray for their community and church for over two decades. I am thankful to have been the recipient of the prayers from both groups over the years.

I am thankful for the intercessors at Faith Community Church. I am thankful for the three men and two students I gather with each Sunday morning to lift our church, our services, and community in prayer. I am thankful for the intercessions of my wife who often lays her hands on me and prays over me in the middle of the night to receive inspiration for messages and anointing to preach them.

Prayer warriors do not draw attention to themselves. Often they are quiet and unassuming. They prefer their ministry to be done in the backgrounds. They like isolated prayer closets away from the hustle and bustle of life. They have faith enough to move mountains. You will not see them on the platform of some conference. You will not see them playing a role today in most National Day of Prayer activities. No. They will most likely be alone somewhere taking their watch in prayer alone with God. It is to these people I salute and give God praise for you.

On a personal level, I can without reservation say I was saved in part due to the faithful intercessions of a pastor's wife named Doris Roberts. She often saw me running around the neighborhood and received a burden to pray for me. She did so and years later God used the student minister at her church to lead to faith in Jesus Christ. How could she have known as she prayed for me, God would call me to preach, to write books, and write these blogs. Mrs Doris Roberts, I salute you and thank you for intercessions on my behalf.

Praise be to God for the intercessors and the true prayer warriors who tirelessly stand in the gap.

I Wil Meet You At The Pearly Gates

It was the phone call nobody ever wants to receive. I will not forget it. I had just returned from Houston where I visited one of our students who had been involved in a car wreck and was in the hospital. I had not been home very long when I received that phone call that changed my life.

My mother had a heart attack and they took her to to the Emergency Room. I rushed to the hospital but by the time I arrived she died. When I walked in the room where her body lay the reality sunk in that Momma was gone. Some family members were also in the room.

My mother suffered from bad health for a long time. The last months of her life were spent in hospitals and nursing homes. Those months were difficult months for her and the rest of the family.

The day before she died I visited her in her nosing home. We talked and I treasure that conversation. We talked about Taylor. She watched Taylor while Brenda and I worked for the first year of his life. She had only seen and held Tanner once.

My mother had a massive heart attack on February 14, 1998. Two weeks later God blessed Brenda and I with Tanner. Momma saw Tanner one time. While in the hospital she fought an infection and the doctor did not want an infant in the room around the infection. When the infection cleared we introduced her to Tanner. Brenda took a picture of that moment. Momma sat up in a hospital bed with tubes holding that baby boy. That proved to be the first and only time she would ever see or hold Tanner. He is seventeen years old now.

In my last conversation with Momma she asked about Taylor and Tanner. Then she told me she was tired. She even mentioned that she would not be around much longer. Her words were prophetic. When she said she would not be around much longer I reassured her of her eternal destination since she trusted Christ as her Savior. When I said that she broke out in a huge grin. I told her I loved her and kissed her on the cheek. I did not know that would be the last time I would see my mother alive.

She died the Friday of Mother's Day weekend. We buried her the following Monday and I preached her funeral. Mother's Day always reminds me of her of course but also of the fact we lost her that weekend back in 1998.

When I purchased her grave marker I wanted to put a special message on it. Here is what I had engraved on the granite. "I will meet you at the pearly gates." My family visited her grave this past summer while on vacation. It is hard to believe it has been 17 years. It is harder to believe that my mother never met Tucker, now 15, or Turner, now 11.

So much has happened in the past 17 years. Brenda and I have moved five times during those years all over the state of Texas. We have served four different churches during that time. Taylor and Tanner, our two oldest boys, are now driving and Tucker will start his driver's education this summer. It is hard to believe my mother did not get to enjoy her grandsons.

I am convinced my mother would never leave Heaven to come back to us. One day we will all go to her. Therefore we grieve as those who have hope.

Here is the point. Tell your mothers and fathers you love them. Talk to them about Jesus before it is too late. Reconcile with them if possible. Make the most of the time you have left with them. One day they will be gone. I am so thankful God allowed me that last conversation with my mother. She knew I loved her and we spoke of her salvation in Jesus. What a blessing.

Momma, I will meet you at the pearly gates.

Building A Testimony

What kind of testimony is God building in you? We often hear or read about the person who went from rags to riches and wee get excited. We do the same with people who went from poverty to prominence and our faith is encouraged. We love the stories of God redeeming the drug addict, saving the sex addict, or rescuing the abused.

God loves to build testimonies. Here is the kicker. Many times God uses adverse circumstances to build a greater testimony. The blacker the backdrop the more glory God gets from the person who simply pressed on rather than quit. The harsher the reality among the persecuted the more treasured God appears to those watching Christians suffer willingly and joyfully for a greater cause than comfort and personal security. There are people that treasure Jesus Christ more than health or even life.

We miss the truth that many times the adversity in our lives is God building a greater testimony. Instead of seizing the opportunity to trust God and to watch Him work, we waste our days in whining, crying, sniveling, complaining, pouting, and even giving up.

I will agree that there are some people that seem to live more blessed than the rest of us. They succeed, make more money than they know what to do with it, and are seemingly blessed in every way. Certain pastors and singers hit the fast track of success and have all the perks that go with that success. Honestly those people do not inspire me.

I am inspired by John Bunyan, who spent years of his life in prison because he refused to be silenced in preaching the word of God. He suffered in isolation. His wife and children suffered in poverty because he would not accept the compromise of his freedom in exchange for his silence in the pulpit. God was building a greater testimony. While in prison, Bunyan wrote his book Pilgrim's Progress. This book has been one of the best selling books of all times. What makes it more impressive to me is the backdrop from where he wrote the book.

Paul also spent time in prison and also wrote. He wrote much of the New Testament in prison. God built a greater testimony in Paul. He wrote many powerful statements. I have been crucified with Christ  and it is no longer I who live but Christ in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me. [Gal 2:20] For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. [Phil 1:21] But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. [Phil 3:7-8] Not that I speak from want for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. [Phil 4:11]

Adversity did not keep Paul from living for and serving the greater cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not use his persecutions or imprisonment as excuses for not being faithful and not building a testimony. He trusted God was bigger. Bigger than beatings. Bigger than prison. Bigger than hunger. Bigger than comfort. Even bigger than martyrdom.

What kind of testimony is God building in you? I see the truth in my life. God is using adversity to build a testimony of His enduring faithfulness in and through me. A hundred times Brenda and I could have gone under financially over the years. Over and over God rescued us with His timely provision. Though living that way may seem exciting it is draining. How many broken down pastors will stumble across a blog or book I've written and be encouraged by testimonies of God's provision. How many discouraged saints will entertain the thought that all is lost because of financial pressure and hear me share a testimony about how God met our need at just the right time. This is part of my testimony.

Faith Community Church could have died many times, but God has sustained us for nearly four years. How many other discouraged church planters will hear about or read our story and be encouraged to keep laboring and not lose heart.

How many other authors are about to give up on their dream because they cannot get their books published, but they will read one of mine and hang onto the hope that the same God who worked for me can also work for them. Their dream of writing will not die in that moment.

God is building a testimony in you. Maybe you are fighting cancer. The way you live with cancer and continue to trust Christ and to serve Him speaks louder than any sermon. Maybe the end result of the cancer will be death. If you trust Christ your death may minister to more people and your life will preach your funeral message.

Maybe you are divorced but you still have joy and purpose because your identity is hidden in Jesus and not a person. God can use your testimony to minister to scores of other brokenhearted people who cannot find their way through the blinding tears.

God uses adversity to build testimonies in people's lives. What kind of testimony is He building in you? Do not let adversity be an excuse for not going all out in your devotion and service to Him. NO MATTER HOW TOUGH THE CIRCUMSTANCES THEY DO NOT HAVE TO LIMIT YOU FROM BEING ALL GOD WANTS YOU TO BE. YOU ARE NOT LIMITED IN CHRIST BY YOUR PAST, PERSECUTION, POVERTY, CANCER, DIVORCE, BANKRUPTCY OR EVEN DEATH.

Dear Lord, please build a lasting testimony in us. Please help us lean into our troubles with persevering faith. I ask You to remind us that You can even use adversity in building testimonies. For that we give you praise. In Jesus' name, amen.

The Valley Of Dead Dreams

Have you ever had a dream die? The death of dreams can be very painful. In Ezekiel 37 God sets the prophet Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones. In essence he in a valley of death.

I love the mountains. I love the beautiful scenery. I love the views from high up on mountains. I love the challenge of climbing higher up mountains. I've noticed something. People love to climb mountains like Mount Everest. It is a quest and a challenge to conquer. Yet people do not live on mountain summits. The higher you climb on a mountain the more sparse the population becomes. People don't live on the mountain tops. They often live in the valleys.

That is where God set Ezekiel. In the valley. Valleys can also symbolize dark, low, and depressing seasons of life. That is exactly where God planted Ezekiel. In a low place.

Things were more challenging because the valley was littered with bones. Exceedingly dry bones. Bones represent death and these bones had been dead a long time.

How many people feel the same way? How many people feel God set them in a low, dark, and difficult place. In that place wherever they look all they see is death. Where vibrant dreams once flourished now there is only death. Visions crashed on the rocks of reality.

There are many people who started out enthusiastically chasing dreams and visions with vigor. Over time many of those dreams and visions died. Some died slow and painful deaths. The slow erosion of the dream eats away at faith and drains vitality from the soul. Other dreams die suddenly and tragically. It is hard to cope with the death of dreams.

At this point let me say some dreams need to die. They were never God's dreams. They were never in His plan or purpose. These dreams need to die and furthermore, we need to let them die and release them. I am not writing about those kind of drams. I am writing about dreams that God instilled in your heart. The kind of dreams that He wants to come true but they died in the valley. These are the dreams God wants to resurrect.

Picture Ezekiel standing in that valley of dry bones. Everywhere he looked he saw defeat, death, and hopelessness. It was in the middle of this scene that God speaks to Ezekiel. He asks the prophet, "Can these bones live?" For our purposes the question could just as easily be, "Can these dead dreams live?"

Why did God ask Ezekiel that question? Did God not know the answer. Of course God knew the answer to the question. Ezekiel's opinion is not the most important thing. What God thinks is of paramount importance.

Can your dead dreams live again? At the heart of this question is what does God will and what is God capable of doing. According to Ephesians 3:20 He can do immeasurably more than we think or can imagine. God can even resurrect the valley of dry bones dream with no life in them.

Ezekiel ansewrs, "You know O Lord." God alone knows what He is capable of doing. God knows what He intends to do. Do we believe the dry bones of dead and broken dreams can come back to life? Do we believe God is able to breathe life into what is lifeless.

Today, as you read this I am convinced God is speaking to some of you. He is resurrecting dreams from the tomb and calling them forth like He did with Lazarus. God is reigniting His dreams in hearts and minds again. These dreams are not only dead, but have also been dead for a long time.

Is God capable of resurrecting your dead dreams? He is strong enough to reach down into the valley of death and call dead things back to life. I certainly believe that is on God's heart. Listen for His voice. When He speaks and asks if you believe your Lazarus like dreams can live again. answer with faith. Answer believing God can do immeasurably more Trust Him to bring dead dreams back from death. Trust Him to resurrect what you gave up on a long time ago for His honor and His glory.

My Guilt Is Gone

The evidence stacked against me making the case shut tight,
Rebellion, defiance, repeated sin proving a life not up right,
My accuser did not miss one broken law what I did wrong,
The list of my faults kept increasing until it was very long,
A guilty verdict assured once the facts were all spoken,
I stood before the judge ashamed in tears and broken,
Before the judge passed my guilty sentence on down,
My advocate stood near  the judge adjusting His crown,
My advocate is my Savior, Redeemer, and God's Son,
Who died on the cross my victory purchased and won,
He showed the nail scarred hands - the price of guilt paid,
The judge silenced my accuser throwing out all his proof,
He declared, "My son your guilt is gone" this is gospel truth,
So I am pardoned, set free, forgiven  al my guilt is now gone,
Now  I sing with all the saints of old that Amazing Grace song.

The Bleeding Heart

There are so many people that live out their days with bleeding hearts. The wounds are deep. The scars are evident. The pain is excruciating. For some the bleeding of the heart is only a trickle. For others the bleeding flows more freely. For a considerable number the bleeding is crucial.

I am not talking about physical bleeding. I am referring to the emotional bleeding of those living out every day with wounded hearts. Often my days are filled with listening and ministering to these people. The list is long.

I think of the man working away from his family. His heart bleeds because he misses them. He is a devoted family man and suffers silently when he has to be away from his wife and children.

I think of those parents breaking on the inside as they watch their youngest children soon graduate from high school. It won't be long before their nests will be empty. They rejoice and grieve at the same time. These parents bleed emotionally as they recall a lifetime of memories and wonder where the time went. They wish they could hold onto their little girls and boys all grown up now a little longer.

I also think of the man wounded by one church after another. He has seen the ugly side of church in not one but five different situations. His heart bleeds. His wife's heart bleeds. He is disillusioned trying to understand. He is vulnerable. He is devastated and wary of ever putting his heart out there to be trampled by another church again. While his heart bleeds insensitive church members who are manipulative, divisive, abusive, and hard hearted never consider the damage done to staff members in the wake of their actions.

I think of widows and widowers who live with the gaping hole of grief in their hearts everyday. Some lost their spouses to old age. Some had to say goodbye to their spouses unexpectedly. All grieve. All still bleed a little. Each days something triggers a memory. Everyone else moves along in life enjoying their families. These grieving souls live alone. Grown children get too busy to call or make time for a visit. Friends forget over time. Pastors come and go and the new ones are not aware of the bleeding hearts that sit in the pews week after week. Such people drop through the cracks.

There are parents who still feel the pains and bleed inheart when they see a mother or a father playing with a child. They are reminded of precious memories of playing with their own child before God called them to Heaven. These grieving parents would do anything to hear a simple, "I love you," again, to have that child climb in their laps and hug their necks, or to tuck them into bed just one more time. The reminders are everywhere their precious children are no longer here. Though their are pictures to remember it is not enough to stop the bleeding. These parents learn to gut out life. They even smile and laugh from time to time. Yet the bleeding remains. Each day a little more life ebbs from them as they long to be reunited with their children.

We are surrounded by bleeding hearts. Do we ever notice. Do we take the time to look outside our circumstances; to focus on others that need encouragement, a listening ear, a comforting hug, or a prayer of reassurance. It is so easy to be consumed by our own troubles and trials we fail to see those bleeding hearts all around us.

Jesus notices. When He walked this earth physically He saw people. He saw the bleeding heart in the man with the withered hand. He saw the bleeding heart of the demon possessed man, the woman with the long issue of blood, as well as father who lost his daughter. Jesus ministered to the bleeding heart of the mother walking in the funeral procession of her son. He also ministered to the bleeding hearts of two grieving sisters over the death of their brother Lazarus. Jesus comforted the bleeding heart of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus tenderly restored the bleeding heart of one brash disciple who crashed and burned. Jesus walked slowly through the crowds. He loved the unlovable healing the blind, the lame, and the lepers. He had compassion for the people who were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus embraced the hurting. He made time for the children. He patiently taught the multitudes. He even reassured his cousin near the end of John the Baptist' life when he doubted.

Jesus still ministers to bleeding hearts. One of the ways He does that is through you and me. He lays people on our hearts and minds. He reminds us of their hurts and pains to pray, to call, to visit, to email, text, tweet, or write a letter. He prompts us to listen, to hug, and to hold those bleeding. He slows us down long enough to remind us others are suffering and need help. that. Jesus does not forget the bleeding hearts. He walks through the healing restoration process with bleeding hearts for as long as it takes ushering them back to wholeness.

Ministering to bleeding hearts is messy business. You have to be willing to enter their pain. Some of their emotional bleeding with get on you. Your emotional reserves can be depleted. O, but such ministry is needed and Jesus is our example in this.

 I have been on both sides of this issue. My heart has bled over the years. God used people to minister to me. Some listened without judging. Some encouraged with letters, emails, and phone calls. Others simply stood with me in the tough times. Countless numbers have prayed and stood in the gap for me.

On the other hand, I have held the hands of those battling terminal illness. I have embraced those grieving the death of a spouse, child, or parent. I have wept with those caught in sin and sought to love them without condemnation back to repentance and restoration.

Some of you reading this today are bleeding. Consider this your reassurance that Jesus sees, Jesus cares, and He is ministering to you today to stop the bleeding. For the rest of you, consider this your wake up call. Your wake up call to the reality that people are suffering all around you. It could be someone right under your nose in your own family or someone you work with. It could be somebody at school.  It could be a friend you have lost touched with. It could be somebody in the next pew you hardly ever notice. Walk through life with your eyes open to those around you and your heart open to minister to bleeding hearts. The day may come when the roles will be reversed and you will be the one with the bleeding heart.

Jesus, I thank you for always being available to those with bleeding hearts. I thank you for using people to be your vessels of ministry and healing. May you use all of us to help the hurting today in some capacity. In Jesus name, amen.

Through The Eyes Of Faith

We are told in [II Corinthians 5:7] that we walk by faith and not by sight. In every single life situation we should look through the eyes of faith. That is not easy to do when you hear frightening words like cancer, divorce, you're fired, drought, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and death. There are multiple venues on any given day that we will be tempted to view with physical sight and not see those things through the eyes of faith. We have all lived long enough to know that we see things just the opposite as God wants us to. We look through the eyes of reason, logic, fear, doubts, and anxiety. We do not look through the eyes of faith as often. This is the reason we get scared, become anxious, and entertain doubts. 

The child of God is supposed to see things differently than the rest of the world. God is on our side. H has made wonderful promises to us.  We are supposed to see things from a different perspective. When we look through the eyes of faith we will see things from God's perspective. The difficult circumstances may dictate to us the situation warrants worry. God gives us His peace when we see things as He does. 

Let me give you a few examples. Even though it did not make sense Noah spent more than a century building an ark at God's instruction. He saw no evidence of God's impending doom with his human eyes. People ate, drank, got married, had kids, and saw those children get married. Everything continued right along as it had always been. Noah kept looking through the eyes of faith  working on that ark. Cutting down trees. Turning those trees into lumber. Forming the shell of the boat. Adding the floors and sides. He labored even though the skies remained clear and life flowed along like a gently rolling stream. One day God told Noah and his family to get on the ark. Soon the rains fell. Noah had already seen this day. He had seen God's impending judgment through the eyes of faith. 

The prophet Elijah predicted it would not rain. For over three years God withheld the rains. Drought conditions followed. After three and half years of drought one day God instructed Elijah to pray for rain. There were no clouds in the sky visible to the human eyes. There were no visible signs of a thunderstorm approaching.  Elijah looked through the eyes of faith and pressed through in prayer. He did not give up when his servant returned six times telling him he saw no clouds in the sky. Even on the seventh time the servant saw only the tiniest cloud but Elijah saw something different. Eventually the skies turned black and the rains came. Elijah had already seen that rain by faith. 

Jarius had a daughter who got very sick. He went to Jesus asking for help. Jesus got delayed and the little girl died. Everyone in the house mourned her death. Jesus informed all the people there that the little girl was not dead but sleeping. When all the people laughed Jeus put them out of the house. Even though the little girl died from His perspective she was napping because He would soon bring her back to life. 

As you go about your days, make the choice to see things through God's perspective. Choose to look through the eyes of faith and you will surely view things differently. Stress will not weigh on you. Peace will rule. Fears will be cast away as God gives courage to handle every situation. Lord, please help us all to look through the eyes of faith.