Well, I have lots of things jumbled up in my mind that I would like to release as a stream of, most likely, unrelated ideas across this page but the truth is, when it comes to transforming them from clear thoughts to communicable ideas, my abilities at the moment fail me.

It constantly amazes me the simplicity of God’s message and the complications we, as people, want to interject into it.  We have this insatiable quest for knowledge of God’s Word while it is a message that even uneducated people in remote lands who have no printed copies of the Bible have been able to grasp.  Are we reaching for the Tree of Life or for the Tree of Knowledge?

Work has settled down into a routine again and I really need to try and get some things going that will get me out of the office at least one day every week or so before I slip back into the rut I was in a good part of last year.  There is nothing as satisfying as getting, watching and directing the work, and see your plans all come together and work as proposed.  Sitting in front of the computer at work all day is not even close in comparison.  I even find myself wanting something more than spending endless hours in front of the computer here at home to, but at least I get to give and partake of ministry here.

I have my monthly meeting of the Parks Board tonight.  I really don’t care to be a part of it but they were having problems getting people to serve so I decided to give them a hand.  There is an older, retired man, who spends time away and misses a lot of meetings; another young man who gets tied up at work and misses meetings or comes late; myself and two women who are both married to members of the town council. The problem is the woman who has been head of the board’s husband just became a council member and she will have to step down as head.  That more or less leaves two of us to fill that spot and I certainly don’t want it so I hope the other guy is up for it.

Well (that’s how I started this blog), that’s about enough ramblin’ for now.  There are some other things I wanted to share about myself but I’m not sure whether it’s the right thing to do or not at this moment so maybe next time?

Have a blessed week!

(Milo: In answer to your question of a week or so ago, the church I attend has a Saturday Night service and two Sunday Morning services.)

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." - D.L. Moody

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

Well, it’s hard to believe another week has passed and I only managed to blog on Monday.  I’ve had several things rolling around in my head to espouse an opinion on but most of them escape me at the moment.

I did, one day this week, log on and try and do my SIRs but then was interrupted and never got back to them.  I always start reading the backlog with the intentions of leaving some comments but then get overwhelmed and start to just leave my “signature” greeting.  I did find myself at one site at which I wrote a rather lengthy comment and then, when I was ready to post it, deleted it (though I copied it first into WORD).  There are a site or two run by people who acted like friends only to turn on me and attack me and when I see their comments at a site I read, it makes me think twice about posting anything which will cause them to get angry again (and it’s not a holy anger).  This comes from first not wanting to be attacked and have to spend the time defending myself, and second, not wanting to start disagreements at a third party’s site.  Like one person said, xanga should be a place of discussion and not an opportunity for Christians to criticize each other’s beliefs but some haven’t yet realized what God’s priorities are and lack even an elementary understanding of 1 Cor. 13.  That kind of reaction is exactly why I don’t get into political type discussions here as this is to be a place of rest and encouragement and not a battleground, especially not a battleground amongst brothers and sisters in Christ.  How can the lost be saved if we spend all our time defaming one another?  One of our most important tools in evangelism is the way we live our lives before others, but some seem to think it involves telling the lost (and the saved for that matter) just how worthless they are.  Some want to speak with authority but have never spent the time before God’s throne to acquire the wisdom it requires to use that authority.  It is my prayer for all of us that we will get our spiritual acts together and stop being the tools of the enemy to divide people from Christ but would become uniters.  This may involve some compromise but it is easier to point out others faults when we could be using the time to encourage them towards the things of God?  Let’s not be part of the problem but part of the solution because the thing we are pointing out as wrong today may very well be something we change our minds about tomorrow.  None of us is perfect and we can’t speak in the absolutes that some would speak in.  We can express our beliefs, but do it in a way that influences others to consider them, not in a way that derides and condemns the beliefs of others and only hardens their hearts even more.  As I read at another site, “We can't prepare the way of the Lord unless we are living lives according to His will rather than our own.  If don't live according to His will, then we are preparing the way for ourselves.”

It is my hope and prayer that you all have a great weekend and a blessed week ahead.

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." - D.L. Moody

I thought I’d do something completely different today and offer you the opportunity to hear one of our Saturday Night services.  If you click on the following two pages (HZUMC Sermons & Saturday Night Music) and look for January 24, 2004, you can then play the links in the order listed below. (If you have a fast connection you could download them and listen to them as a playlist to avoid the additional clicking!)

Opening Worship:

I Love Your Grace.mp3
Everything You Are.mp3
Jesus, Lover Of My Soul.mp3
Intimacy.mp3

Drama:

Listen to Drama dialog or
Drama dialog in MP3 format

Testimony:

Listen to Witness testimony or
Witness testimony in MP3 format

Song:

The People On Your Heart (Acoustic).mp3

Sermon:

Luke 16:19-31 "How Will They Know?" or
Right click here to download mp3 version

Prayer Time:

The People On Your Heart (Band).mp3
Here I Am To Worship.mp3

Closing Worship:

Knocking On The Door Of Heaven.mp3

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." - D.L. Moody

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

I think I’ll end this month with my occasional computer blog.  I’ve been spending a lot of time over at www.techsupportguy.com lately.  There are a lot of computer savvy people over there and if you have computer problems, there is a good bet someone there could help you out (and it’s free).  You can learn a lot just by reading the questions and answers there also.  For this blog you can click on the underlined links for additional info.

One thing you need to do is “Delete Your Browser Cache/Temporary Internet Files” occasionally.  Also it is a good idea to occasionally empty your “Internet browser history.”  Both these items take up hard drive space and can slow your computer down.

After doing the above, it’s a good idea to regularly run ScanDisk  and Defrag your computer.

To protect your computer while on the internet you need a good firewall which is software that asks your permission before allowing unauthorized entrance into your computer over the internet or unauthorized sending of info from your computer over the internet.  A good choice I use (and it’s free) is Zone Alarm.  There are a couple of other free ones out there and you can search TechSupportGuy for other suggestions.  Windows XP has a built in firewall but I’ve disabled it in favor of Zone Alarm.

Another requirement is a good anti-virus program.  I currently use Norton as it came on my computer and I use another version of it on my other computers because I get it free at work.  One that I’ve heard favorable reviews of (and it’s free) is AVG Free Edition.

Additional protection against “attacks” by spyware is required to keep your visits to various internet sites from downloading little spying cookies and programs on your computer and sending out this info to various places to track your surfing habits.  The two best (and free) ones are Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy.  You can find info and links to download them at www.TomCoyote.com (you may know him from xanga).  It’s a good idea to run them both as they both can pick up items the other didn’t see.  A little time spent at Tom’s site will turn up a lot of other valuable tips and info you might be able to use as well as forums where you can get help.

Two other programs of note that I use occasionally are HijackThis which is a great diagnosis tool when having problems.  It’s useful for posting it’s results to TechSupportGuy (or similar forums) for analysis.  Another is BelArc Advisor which you can run to build a profile of the software and hardware on your computer.

Two more sources I’ll mention are: 1) AnalogX where you can find lots of little programs to help you keep your computer running smoothly.  Back in the days when I didn’t have enough RAM I used their program MaxMem to help keep the RAM cleared out and running smoother. 2) Langa List a great (and free) twice weekly email newsletter with lots of great tips and information.

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

I’ve been busy at work this past week.  Monday I took a vacation day as the snow was quite deep and took me a while to shovel.  I drive around 25 miles one way to work and with the prediction of frozen rain to follow the snow decided to just stay home.  That’s one of the benefits of being the only Electrical Engineer; the work just waits for the next day.  I spent Tuesday in the office and then went back to the dam for Wednesday and Thursday to get the new generator running.  Tomorrow I will return to the office to wrap up a couple of things there.  I’d like to get permission to work at home at least once a week but haven’t done the paperwork to seek permission as of yet.  It would be a chance to get some CAD work and paper work done.

I’m reading a book called “worship – a way of life” by Patrick Kavanuagh.  Something I read in the first chapter last night got me to thinking, which is why I read in the first place.  The basic message was from Matthew 22:37-39 and Matthew 25:40 which I will expand upon in the following:

Matthew 22

³⁴   But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
³⁵   Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
³⁶   Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
³⁷   Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
³⁸   This is the first and great commandment.
³⁹   And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
⁴⁰   On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So basically Jesus is saying that the first thing we need to do is love God with all we have to offer Him.  Worshiping Him with all that is within us.  The second thing we are to do, in close proximity to the first is to love others with the same amount of love we have for ourselves.  As I’ve mentioned here in the past, it’s important to get these things in the right order as no matter how much we choose to serve others, it can’t be a substitute for loving God.  Hebrews 13 says much the same thing:

Hebrews 13
¹⁵   By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
¹⁶   But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
¹⁷   Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Again, our foremost service is to God and we do that by praise and worship, but we can’t stop there: we must remember to do good, to serve others.  The part that got me thinking was contained in the next verses:

Matthew 25

³¹   When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
³²   And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
³³   And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
³⁴   Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
³⁵   For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
³⁶   Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
³⁷   Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
³⁸   When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
³⁹   Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
⁴⁰   And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
⁴¹   Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
⁴²   For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
⁴³   I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
⁴⁴   Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
⁴⁵   Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
⁴⁶   And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  So, while it’s very much His command that we first worship Him before we serve others, here He’s telling us that serving others is the same as serving Him!  I guess that’s why earlier He said: “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”  While I’m still trying to “figure” this out, I’m beginning to see that they are so closely intertwined as to almost be one and the same.

So what?  Well, as a worship leader I have often seen people who can’t get enough of “worship” (in the musical sense) while, at the same time, there are those who refuse to participate.  For a long time and after much study of Old Testament worship, I’d of said that these people weren’t worshipers because they didn’t obey the commands of the O.T. to sing, shout, clap, dance, bow, etc.  These days, I don’t dare make such a drastic judgment but do feel sorry for those who are inhibited and refuse to exhibit such behavior before their Lord and Savior.  Some of this comes from having led a congregation in worship that was for the most part very enthused and involved in the OT manner of worship while, at the same time, drawing so close to God that we couldn’t help but have a heart of compassion for serving others.  Drawing close to God just naturally gives you a glimpse of His heart and being changed into His image creates the love we read about in I Corinthians 13:  The love that doesn’t care if it wins the argument, the love that never judges or accuses, but is a love concerned with having compassion towards the failings and needs of others.  This was the love Christ exhibited and should be the love we exhibit.  That said, I can’t be the judge of whether those who aren’t clamorously foolish and undignified before God are worshiping or not, it’s between He and them.  I can’t be the judge as to whether someone’s service to others is done as “works” or as “worship” because we are all created differently, we react to God’s call differently and maybe, just maybe, it’s not all that different to God anyways.

I could go on but I hope I've made my point and this is getting quite long!

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

Well, it’s been over a week since I’ve blogged and some of that comes from the fact that I probably get some of my enthusiasm from comments received and when I post something as serious as my thoughts on prayer and receive very few comments, I wonder if I’ve hit too close to home or what.  At any rate, when I do skip blogging for a few days it seems the last posted blog will gather more comments as it seems some people only read the most recent posted.  Anyways, the last post didn’t receive much feedback and for whatever reason I guess it’s time to move on.

I’ve continued to alternate between the office and going to the dam where we are installing the new generator.  The first day of this week was a holiday and then the next two days were spent sitting a room with three other guys going over resumes to hire two new electricians to replace the latest two to retire.  The fourth is also eligible but being the kind of person he is, he’s stated that he’d hang on for a while to get the other guys broken in on the kinds of work we do.  I’ve never really discussed “religion” with this guy but he a person who usually puts other’s first and is a very generous and giving person.  I’ll definitely miss him when he is gone.  I spent the last two days at the dam.  It will probably be about another week before the job is done so I’ll be returning there most likely on Tuesday after a day in the office to catch up there.  I’ve a meeting on Wednesday at another dam to discuss a job but may have to postpone that one to be at the present job when they fire up the new generator for the first time.  I’ll know by early next week.

As our Saturday Night service continues to evolve back to it’s original purpose of being an outreach for the church, I go through many mood swings as far as being excited at one moment and then being disenchanted at another.  There is a lot of hard work going into the various facets of the service and various ways to reach out and attract the lost, but at times I wonder if there isn’t too much thought going into it.  We have one very sincere man with lots of ideas but he is constantly referring to another church and how they do their outreach to the point where I’d just like to scream and ask him why he doesn’t just attend that church.  That certainly wouldn’t be very Christ-like and I wouldn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm but I also don’t want to become a clone of another church and miss what God wants to do at our service.  What works at one church doesn’t necessarily mean it will work at ours and unless the ideas are coming from God, they can seem the best ideas ever and still not accomplish the desired results.  Sometimes we research things to death (literally and figuratively) and not spend enough time seeking God’s input through spending time with Him in praise, in the reading of His Word and in prayer.

I also have an ever growing fondness for the sentiments expressed in the song “Heart For The Nations” by Gary Sadler and Martin Nystrom (ã1994, Integrity's Hosanna! Music).  Left click the title for the complete song. The chorus is:

Father here we are, Standing in Your presence

Send us forth, To lead them to the cross

Spirit here we are,  Fill us with Your power

Send us forth, To lead them to the cross

When we get caught up in the planning for outreach I start to wonder if the lines get blurred between a desire to lead the lost into the kingdom and to lead them into our church.  Christ’s concern was with leading the lost into the kingdom and He really didn’t care where they attended church, per se, but sometimes we measure our success in evangelism by how many new people come to Christ and then join our church.

So, the thing that knits both these concerns together can be boiled down to the fact that it is not our church, but it is His Church and our concern needs to be with bringing people to Him, by seeking His plan and His method, and being satisfied that they are saved and not be concerned whether they end up a statistic for ourselves or for others.  It’s not a competition but a joint effort and He needs to the largest part of the equation.

"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." - D.L. Moody

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

The House of Prayer (Isaiah 56:7)

Isaiah 56:7 – “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

I honestly believe that the time is becoming short and I was wondering, in these end times is God’s Church becoming a house of prayer as prophesied?  I admit that while I believe 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing,” is a command to live a prayer life that is similar to our breathing (natural, necessary, and constant), I am not always quick to lay down what I am doing to lift up prayers for others.  I’m trying and I hope I’m getting better at it, but I’m far from having arrived yet.  I host The Prayer List at xanga and I know there are faithful people who lift up the concerns posted there but what about us others who can either never be bothered or who do so infrequently, at our leisure, when it doesn’t involve sacrifice?  James 5:16 tells us to “pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.”  Hmmm….when I am need of healing do I look past my own difficult circumstances to lift others up in prayer or do I selfishly utilize my prayer time to pray for myself.  While asking God to heal us is Biblical, I wonder if we utilized James 5:16 a little more if we would see our own healing sooner?

What other things are there to help us become The House of Prayer?  Well, the Holy Spirit inside us is probably the most important part but what else does the Word say? (Lots, but too much to cover here in one sitting so I’ll pick out a few relevant ones.)

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place.”  If we pray, in addition to a couple other conditions, we will see healing upon our country.  Hmmm…the country seems to be in pretty bad shape spiritually, have we prayed?

I Timothy 2:1-2 says, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”  So I’d say in conjunction with 2 Chron. (above), we need to be praying for our leaders if we are to lead peaceful lives.  Are our lives peaceful?  Have we prayed?

1 Timothy 2:8 says, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”  So like 1 Thess. 5 (above) we are to pray all the time, everywhere and without wrath and doubting.  Do we pray all the time everywhere?

Psalm 141:2 says, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.” Proverbs 15:8 says, The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright [is] his delight.”  So we can honor God by praying as a sacrifice, a sweet smelling incense in which He delights.  Have you felt lately that God delights in you? 

My point in all this is to urge myself and anyone else reading this to start setting aside our own desires and offer up at least a few moments to pray for others.  There is a world full of hurting people out there, both in the church and outside the church, in need of intervention by God, which can only come as we pave the way before Him with our prayers.  Jack Hayford said, "Prayer is not the mystical experience of a few special people, but an aggressive act. . . an act that may be performed by anyone who will accept the challenge to learn to pray."  Will we accept the challenge to learn to pray?  Will we allow ourselves to used by God in this important ministry?  Will you commit to visit The Prayer List daily and lift up the many, many prayer requests posted there? 

I’d add that you are all invited to send me any prayer requests you might have (Click Here) that you’d like us to offer up before the throne of God.  If you have a need share it with those who can help you.  I’d also offer up my site Accepting The Challenge To Learn How to Pray for some inspirational quotes and exegesis on prayer.

"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." - D.L. Moody

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

Well it’s been a while since I did “The Presence Based Church” so I want to continue on with that today.  I had a point to make when I started today’s installation but as I was writing it took a different, but interesting to me, twist.  You can read it below.

The responses to my editorializing in the last post were interesting.  We all have our different views and outlooks on the subject and none of us is right or wrong as we are all different and we all find different experiences appealing.  I’d imagine that “in the world” people would get into violent arguments over petty things like that but you, my very appreciated readership, can always be counted on to be understanding, supportive,  and not prone to arguing.  Thanks for being such a blessing.

As I indicated in my last post this last week at work was terribly busy but it was also rewarding and when in those situations I always can see the goodness of God at work.  I know that at times my boss thinks I’m too laid back and won’t accomplish the things he expects but to me it’s just an attitude of not worrying because God is faithful to do all He has promised to do.  Maybe I’ll get the chance to witness that to my boss and my co-workers one of these days.

The Presence Based Church - Part 4

Well we’ve so far tried to distinguish between the Mary Church and the Martha Church and to sum it up in a couple of lines I’d say that though both love the Lord very much they both have their unique way of showing it.  Martha puts her all into accomplishing everything she can do while Mary takes the time to avail herself of His presence and sit at His feet.  These are both admiral traits, but as was stated in Luke 10:42, Jesus said “Mary has chosen what is better.”

Terry Tekyl calls the Martha Church a consumer-based church, “a church driven and shaped primarily by the needs of its market.  It is pushed and pulled in every direction according to what the ‘customer’ says it will take to make him happy.  It has adopted the world’s system of consumerism and all the tenets thereof.”  Their concern is actually in the number of people they can attract. (Terry Teykl The Presence Based Church, ã2003.  Prayer Point Press, page 33)

One pitfall of this attitude is that this brand of making church appealing usually ends up in attracting more members from other churches than it does in attracting new converts.  These new members from other churches are “church shoppers…, joining  churches for personal gain and leaving them for the same reason.” (William Chadwick Stealing  Sheep: The Church’s Hidden Problem with Transfer Growth. Page 20).   While we do need to find the right place to be worshiping, our concern, after a point, needs to be with how our particular God-given talents will fit into the ministry and not just “what are we going to get out of it.”  Church members who never give but are constantly receiving are literally violating God’s laws on giving and receiving.   He said we’d reap as we sow and that when we give, not out of compulsion but as our hearts tell us, we’d receive good measure pressed down and more than our storehouse can hold.  Is this why there is so much “sheep shifting” in the church?  We don’t give but we expect to receive and rather than face the fact that it is our own fault, we want to blame the church we attend; Pastor, elders, boards, members, etc.? 

I was going to take this further but that last part just jumped out of nowhere at me so I’ll stop there to allow myself, and you the reader, to digest it a bit.

(To be continued….)

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

I’ve had a lot of things rolling around in my head lately that I’ve wanted to say but never sit down and take the time to do so.  Mike (majormike) had an interesting blog the other day about things he hopes to not hear or see in 2004.  A couple that I can relate to, and have posted on before:

• Music on Xanga sites


• Stuff on Xanga sites that require plug-ins, especially ones I don't have so I get the you-don't-have-the-blah-blah-blah-plug-in message on EVERY PAGE LOAD


• Anything that makes a Xanga site take a week to 10 days to load

I’d also add:

• The annoying pop-ups that are now greeting me at a few sites as in advertising


• The annoying windows with personal messages that keep popping up a new one as you wade through them to try and actually read the site


• People who use backgrounds stored at another site that make us wait until xanga can fetch and load them

I’ve unsubscribed to a few sites because of the things mentioned above even though I’d really like to read what you say.  The object of a web site is to make things easy for the reader if you want readers to come and if you annoy us, we will go away.  I’d also add that Mike’s third one is most likely due to inexperienced programmers who want to make their sites fancy but don’t know what they are doing.  I saw one the other day that lamented that no one read their blogs anymore and they couldn’t understand why.  Maybe their loved ones should tell them.

Enough editorializing.

I have been busy, busy, busy since returning to work this week but it is enjoyable in the respect that the day is over before I realize it.  Steady work during the day keeps my mind off the clock and it especially helps that its not all being done in front of the computer.  We discovered a couple of serious problems today in preparing to send a crew out to install a new generator next week but the electricians and I were able to overcome it with about two hours work. The power requirement at the site is 120/208 Volt and our engineering division ordered a 277/480 Volt generator. Duh.  We dug into it though and found we could rewire it for the correct voltage.  I sometimes feel pretty stupid about the work I do but days like today make me look good to my bosses.  God IS Good!

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

For my first blog of this new year, I’d first like to offer up a prayer that this be your year of prosperity both in the physical and in the spiritual realms, and that we would achieve in the new year all that God has lain before us to accomplish in and through Him.  The following is a blog I posted last April, which includes a portion of a blog from the previous November, but which I feel is even much more relevant with this new year:

I was looking through the book "Whatever Happened to the Power of God" by Michael L. Brown and came across this statement I had underlined: "...What we are presently walking in is not all it was played up to be.  It cannot possibly be the same brand of faith as that which shook the ancient world.  If our God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20), why do we ask for so much (according to His will!) and apparently receive so little?  Why do the imaginations and dreams we had when we were first saved just seem like immature fantasies now?  We talk about doing the "greater works" of Jesus, but let's be real: Ten of us doing the same works of the Lord would challenge all of America overnight. (I wonder if there are even five of us who could handle such an anointing - along with all the media exposure - without letting it go to our heads.)"  (page 27-28)  Lots of food for thought there.

All of you young people out there struggling to do something for God to help bring change to this world, don't allow your zeal to be dampened by the discouragement you will hear from other, older, "more mature" Christians.  Seek out those in authority in the Church who understand your passion and will help you to grow in Him and will stand with you and encourage you to be all that Christ is calling you to be.  It's time for "we never did it that way before" crowd to stand aside and quit quenching the Spirit as He tries to move through God's people.  You can't run off thinking you know it all, without any kind of accountability, and expect to do the "greater works" but you also can't allow those who have no vision for the kingdom to place barriers in your way.  There are alot of people needing ministered to and the time for intense ministry and outreach is and/or is soon to be upon us.

This all brings to mind another blog I did which follows:

     In religious movements, the first generation always has exuberance and vitality.  Prophetic leaders birth new churches as the contemporary church lies in spiritual stagnation.  Leaders of the new movement want to right the wrongs, purify the believers and release the true church to fulfill its destiny in the world.  Some biblical truth is presented in dramatic and radical ways with an appeal to “return to the worship of the New Testament church!”  The emphasis usually focuses on a personal, satisfying experience with Christ now.  The movement becomes the custodian of a “present truth.”

     During the second and third generations, “The flexibility of fresh religious experience begins to harden into set form.”  Whereas the enthusiastic first generation lived dynamically through their own experience with God, those who follow attempt what is really not possible: to live vicariously through the ministry and message of past generations.  As a result, “the people find their security in the form, not in the expression of worship.” – Ernest B. Gentile  “Worship God!” pg. 53 Ó1994 by Ernest B. Gentile, Bible Temple Publishing, Portland, OR.

A lot to chew on there.  It makes me think of Isaiah 58:12 which states, “Those from among you shall build up the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”  This is a chapter of prophecy that I’ve heard many churches claim in the last few years and when I have thought about it, I always think of the call to “raise up the foundations of many generations” and how that is a call for us, in these times, to raise up the younger generation who will be called “The Repairer of the Breach” and “The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” 

This is a message to you young people out there that God has risen up many in this present generation to break away from the mold of religion, to break away from the church motto of “we’ve never done it that way before” and to strike out in an ever changing and ever deepening quest to have an intimate relationship with Him.  I implore you young people to not allow yourselves to rest, as past generations have been content to do, and attempt to live through the message of past generations, finding your security in the process of church, but to steel yourselves for the battle and to press on into a deeper and deeper discovery of your own of Who Christ is and how much the Father loves you.  We hear much about these being the end times so you have no time to sit around and bask in past glory, you have to erect the new foundations, you have to take His message to the world, you have to prophesy and lay hands on people and call them forth into God’s Kingdom.  Us “older” folks, your Moms and Dads have tried to lay a foundation for you, but you are ultimately responsible for your relationship with Him.  Continue to worship Him in an uninhibited and undignified manner.  Give Him the glory that is due His name.  Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, with all that is within you and you will do great and mighty things in His name, even greater things than Christ was able to do on this earth.

Move out in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and accomplish the objectives He’s placed in your hearts!

God IS Good!

Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!

You're Invited!!

Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!