Doubt Not

Faith has been on my mind a lot lately. It seems that I have always had some struggle with faith, but it was not until a recent conversation with a friend that I understood why. This past week our church has been given several sermons about faith, specifically from our Pastor and from a visiting minister. Both of these men are men of great faith, and I have always admired that about them, but it always feels as though I have trouble with faith. The conversation with my friend (also a minister) has helped to enlighten me as to why I have such struggles. I am by nature analytical (my wife would say pessimistic), this causes me to always seek a logical answer for why something does or does not happen. If a prayer is not answered immediately it is easy for me to begin doubting, and I especially doubt myself. I doubt that I've prayed enough, I doubt that I have enough faith, I think that I've done something wrong, I doubt that it was the will of God. 

All of these things come into my mind. The part that is the most puzzling to me though is the fact that I doubt that I have enough faith. This strikes me as the ultimate insult to myself, I believe that God can do anything, I believe that God will do anything, but I doubt that I really believe that. It's a strange thing and it's hard to wrap my head around it all. So I have committed myself to having more faith. So when I was going through my Bible reading the past couple of days Matthew 21:21 stood out to me. This verse is a part of the parable of the fig tree that Jesus cursed. When the disciples noticed that the fig tree had withered so quickly they were shocked and asked Jesus how it had happened. Jesus responded "...if ye have faith, and doubt not..."  Since I am in the middle of such a struggle the words "doubt not" stood out to me. How do you get to the point of not doubting? I'm not sure the best way, but for some "only believe" works, others are more like Thomas. I guess I fit in with those that are more like Thomas, as I continue this journey I am praying that God will open my eyes and give me the faith to believe.

The Sower and the Seed

Today in my Bible reading I came across the parable of the sower and the seed. For those unfamiliar, the parable is found in Matthew 13:1-9. In this parable Jesus tells us that the sower is sowing seed, some of the seed falls by the wayside, some springs up and wilts quickly, some is among the thorns and choked out and finally some produces fruit. The first part of the story spoke to me today. This year I am trying to live according to a new philosophy. That philosophy is that regret hurts worse than failure. This is something that my wife saw and relayed to me. I am so fearful of rejection or failure in my life that I often just do not do some of the things that I really need to do. In this parable though we see that some of the seed that the sower throws goes by the wayside and immediately fails, some of the seed springs up but then wilts and some of the seed is choked out by the thorns. All three of these examples could be seen as a failure and yet the sower still sows because he knows that some of the seed will fall on good ground and will produce a harvest. We must be like the sower, we must sow indiscriminately because we do not know when the seed will fall on good ground. If we never sow because we are afraid of the failure we will never see the 30-fold, 60-fold or the hundred-fold.

Blind Faith or Mentorship?

As a youth pastor I am often overwhelmed by the responsibility of passing the truth on to this generation of young people. The process of educating the youth of today about the truth of God's Word is much different from the same duty in years gone by. We, as a society, have become increasingly skeptical and it seems that this trend will continue. Since we can expect the trend to continue, we must educate our youth in such a way as to minimize the possibility of them falling into the same trap.
In the past church leaders have relied upon the teaching of blind faith. Society as a whole was Christ-centered and therefore it was supposed that the views of the church would be reinforced by society. Today we are still largely a Christ-centered society, but the loudest voices in society are those decrying Christianity. These voices are working to make the youth of today feel that Christianity is outdated and irrelevant.
I wish it were not true, but we will lose young people. It is a reality that we have to accept. That said, we must do everything in our power to implant the seeds of truth so deeply that they will eventually return. Since we can no longer depend on society to help reinforce the views of the church we must change from teaching blind faith to relying on experience. It's not possible to teach experience, instead we must mentor and guide our students through their experiences.
So how or what do we teach? Practical application is the only way. We must teach the why. This year I am encouraging our students to do self-study of the Bible. Learning the Word for themselves is the best defense against the skeptics and cynics. It is also an excellent defense against rebellion. Teenagers in this age distrust authority seemingly more than any previous generation. If instead of telling them what to believe, we open up for discussion and allow them to study the Bible for themselves and teach them to "rightly divide the Word of truth" the lessons are more likely to stick. Continue to pray for our Prodigals!

New Year, New Challenge

It's hard to believe that 2014 is here, time seems to pass so quickly. This year I have challenged our Youth group to read through the New Testament. My goal is to take each weekly lesson from the most recent weeks reading. I feel that this will be an encouragement and an attainable goal for both the students and myself. The treasures of the Bible are amazing, reading slowly and deliberately is a much different experience than rushing through out of duty. I hope to instill this principle in each of the young people in my youth group so that they will develop a love for God's word.

Finding Favor With God

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  (Rom 8:28 KJV)

The verse above, familiar to the majority of those in the Christian faith, outlines what should be the core thought of any Christian who desires God's favor. This verse alone, when used to evaluate any situation or trial, can be used to determine how God is working in your life. 

God has been dealing with me lately about favor. Often I feel as though I am always struggling, whether financially, spiritually, emotionally or physically. If we are not careful this mindset can get a hold of us and we can easily become depressed, disillusioned and bitter. Using Romans 8:28 as a sounding board has made my walk with God easier. It has allowed me to focus on the good, and to see how God uses trials and temptations to shape us into the vessel that he wishes us to be. Always be quick to reference this verse when a trial or a decision comes up. Ask yourself these 2 simple questions:

1. Do I love God?

2. How could God be using this situation to grow me?

If you answered yes to the first question you know that the situation is for your good. After reminding yourself of this promise you can evaluate how God could be using the situation to grow you. Recognizing the purpose will allow you to grow faster because you can work on the area of your life that God is trying to improve.  

Treacherous Beauty

The Himalayas are a thing of beauty, located in Asia the range includes both the highest mountains in the world including Mt. Everest and K2. The majestic size of these mountains and their endless beauty can distract us from the danger that is involved in climbing them. Every year climbers lose their lives trying to conquer the peaks of these mountains. This reminds me of sin in a way. From a distance and from the outside sin looks so appealing, but the trap that it creates is always treacherous. The consequences of sin are always more dangerous than they appear. Steer clear of the dangers of sin.

How You Look

I've been studying Luke 19 a lot over the past couple of weeks, during this time God has shown me that it's not about how you look, it's all about how you look. Confused yet? In this day and age, and for most of history from what I can tell, people have been interested in how they look. They worry about how others view them, they want to be seen as the best at something if not everything. It is within human nature to desire to be better, to have better and to do better. In Luke chapter 19 we see something else though. The Bible tells us that Zaccheus was the chief publican and a very rich man, and yet he was not concerned about what others thought about him. Zaccheus could've been like everyone else that day and just remained in the crowd. It's easy to be in the crowd, we see that Peter disappeared into the crowd when Jesus was taken from the garden. The crowd is a good place to be when you are concerned with how you look. It's easy to blend in, it's easy to look like you are just like everyone else when you stay in the crowd. That's not what Zaccheus did though, he asked where Jesus was going and he ran ahead of the crowd and found a tree. He knew that if he looked hard enough he could see Jesus, and in order to get a look at Jesus he was willing to forget about what he looked like. Sometimes we need to have this same mentality, we need to stop worrying about how we look and start worrying about how we look. We need to start seeking Jesus, longing to look in his face, longing to spend time with him and longing to have a true relationship with him. If we do this, his reaction will be the same as he reacted to Zaccheus. He called him by name and said I must abide with you today. Start seeking Jesus and he will be found.

The stench of the pigpen

When we examine the story of the prodigal son in Luke we notice that he finds himself at his lowest tending to the pigs. If anyone has ever been around pigs you know that they are recognizable by their stench. I personally wouldn't want the job of feeding pigs, but when we look in the context of the story and at the audience to which Jesus was speaking we see that it would be even more revolting. The Jewish culture, under the law, sees pigs as unclean and even handling them would require a ritual cleansing. So you can understand that the prodigal was at his lowest, not only had he lost it all, he now was looking at the slop as a viable source of food. Considering the fact that you are reading this on an internet connected device I am sure that you have never seen the utter poverty that it would require to wish for the scraps of food that the pigs were eating. Yet we see the prodigal, a young man of a high class upbringing desiring this very thing. He looks longingly at the food and it reminds him of the banquets of home. This slop that he was carrying was similar to the leftovers that he used to throw away, he begins to remember the grand banquets in which he used to partake and suddenly he realizes that even his father's servants are eating better than he is. It is the stench of the pigpen and the memories evoked by the leftovers that begin to pull him toward home. He begins the journey home in hopes of just being accepted as a servant. There are things throughout the life of a prodigal that reminds them of home. Keep praying, watch for opportunities and keep the doors open!

Keep Watching!!

The original intent of this blog was as a prayer list for prodigals. I know that most of the posts lately have not related directly to this mission and I apologize for the drifting focus. It is my goal to re-focus on prodigals and as such I would like to encourage the parents and prayer warriors reading this blog to keep watching! Don't just keep watching the blog, but keep watching for prodigals. When reading the story of the Prodigal son we notice that the father saw his son when he was a long way off. You don't notice people when they are a long way off unless you are watching for them. The father never stopped looking, just as God never stops watching for us when we are astray. Keep asking God to draw the prodigals back to him. John 6:44 in the KJV states that "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.". Many of the prodigals will not come at the beckoning of their parents, friends and relatives. They will only come when they are drawn by a power not of this world. Continue to pray for the prodigals on this list, God is and will continue doing a great work!! God Bless You!

Don't Give Up On Me Yet!!

I've been studying for a lesson this week and the scripture in Hebrews 9 came to mind "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement:". This scripture suddenly became real to me, sometimes we give up too early. We see someone going down the wrong path and just assume that they are lost forever. We even give up on ourselves believing that we will never make it. But this scripture screams otherwise. As long as we are still alive there is still hope! Don't judge me yet! I'm still here!

Light

A few weeks ago I spoke to the youth group on the subject of Salt. I took my text from Matthew 5:13. Tonight I finished up the thought by speaking on light (Matthew 5:14). There is something about light, we must have it, it is necessary for life. In turn to be called the Light of the World is quite an honor. As I spoke tonight, I brought out the point that I believe it is more accurate to view ourselves not as the actual light, but as a prism that demonstrates the attributes of the One True Light. For a prism to work properly it must be clean on the outside as well as without defect on the inside, likewise we must be clean, and holy so that the light of God can shine through us for all the world to see.

My Dad Drives a Red Truck

I know from the outset that the title of this post may throw some readers off.  You are probably thinking "What in the world is he talking about?". I'll get to the point in a minute, first a little background.  My current job allows me to travel often within a 4-state area.  I really enjoy traveling, my only regret being that I typically have to travel alone. Recently I have noticed a strange phenomenon as I travel.  It seems that everywhere I go, no matter how far from home, I find myself looking intently at every red semi-truck pulling a gasoline trailer.  The reason for my curiosity is that my Dad drives a red gasoline truck.  This has struck me as odd though, that I would look intently to see if it was him even when I know he is 4-5 hours away. One day as I was laughing a little at myself I began to realize that I should be looking for my Heavenly Father in the same way.  What if we took a day and just looked for God in all the details.  What if we took a day and saw all of the answered prayers, all of the avoided disasters and all of the hungry people God is directing us to.  I can assure you, our spirits would be lifted and our futures would be brighter.

Your First Night In Hell

My heart is heavy today with a burden for the backsliders and those that do not know God. I listened to an old sermon last night by the late JT Pugh titled "Your First Night in Hell".  The sermon gripped my heart and made me realize that sometimes we forget that Hell is real.  Sometimes we only look at the positive, we only think of Heaven, we only think of earthly things, we forget that so many are lost and on their way to a place of eternal torment. If I had one wish tonight it would be that all of those that are away from God could hear the passion and the conviction in Bro. Pugh's voice as he described the torment that would be facing those that choose not to follow God.  If we ever needed to hear such preaching, it is now. We need to wake up to the reality of the fact that it's not just Heaven that is for real!  Lord Jesus, wake us up before it is too late!

Pastor Appreciation

A couple of weeks ago we had Pastor Appreciation day at our church.  As I sit here today my mind returns to my testimony on that day when, as is my custom, I became flustered and forgot most of what I had intended to say.  Because of this I would like to just take a few minutes today to outline the points I had intended to make, but failed to verbalize.

When I think about my pastor I think about the following traits:

1. Leadership - My pastor and his wife are leaders.  They are not managers, they do not simply instruct.  They Lead by example.  My pastor and his wife are prayer warriors,  they prove it before every service by joining the saints in the prayer room.  My pastor and his wife are workers.  They are at every workday, every fundraiser and every event hosted by the church.  My pastor and his wife are soul winners.  They show up for prayer meeting, they show up for outreach, they love souls.

2. Vision - My pastor is a man of vision, but his vision is not limited to his lifetime nor is it limited to his personal accomplishments.  He does not seek acclaim or desire the accolades of men.  He is quick to share his experiences, not in a way that is not self-serving, but in a way that will benefit those of us that are less experienced. His vision is for all souls, both in our area and around the world.  His life has been given to reaching for the lost and, just as importantly, instilling that same desire in others. Only in Heaven will we know the full extent of his influence on the lost when we look around to see all that have been touched as a result of his ministry.

3.  Love - My pastor and his family treat my family as their own. Truly if I had to use one word to describe my pastor and his wife it would be Love. They have treated us like we belong since the first time we stepped foot in their church. It was that love that made us keep coming back.  It was their love that guided us through the toughest times of our lives. It was their love that has influenced us and been an example to us. I only hope that one day we can express love in the same way and affect others the same way that our pastor has affected us.

We Love You Pastor and Sis. Dougherty!

Revival By Design

Our Church has been in a transition over the past year that has resulted in a great harvest of souls.  We have been experimenting with different methods of outreach and discipleship and we are convinced that breaking free from traditions and beginning to focus on the field has resulted in this increased growth.  God has been doing wonderful things in these new converts and we are so appreciative of His grace and mercy.  Just over the past few weeks we have begun to implement "Revival By Design" which is a complex curriculum that addresses soul-winning.  This curriculum was developed by Missionary Mark Shutes and others based on concepts that Bro. Shutes has been using in Eastern Europe.  If you are a church leader and have been struggling with church growth, I would encourage you to check out this system.  We are very pleased and we are expecting a great harvest in the years to come.

www.revivalbydesign.org

Where is the Passion?

I spoke a couple of weeks ago at our church on the subject "Where is the Passion?".  God has been dealing with me these last few weeks about the lack of passion in my own life and in the life of this generation.  We are so consumed by self and things that we have forgotten the great commission. We have forgotten the great commission not for a lack of ability or for lack of opportunity, but because we do not have the passion of generations past.  I am reminded of the stories of Pentecostal elders who built traveled the country starting churches.  They did not rely on their own abilities to provide, but trusted in the abilities of God Almighty.  My prayer today is that we will get back to passion, a desperate plea for God to save the lost in this world.

Why Sleep Ye?

Last night I had the opportunity to speak at Apostolic Life Tabernacle in Vinita, OK. There was a wonderful presence of the Holy Ghost in the service. We are very excited about what God is doing in Oklahoma as a whole and it's comforting to know that wherever we go we can feel His presence. I felt impressed to speak on "Why sleep ye?". I took my text from Luke 22:45-46 where the disciples were sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus was praying before the betrayal. It seems that Christianity as a whole is asleep in this last hour just like the disciples. We are apathetic to the plight of those around us. We have been lulled to sleep by an enemy who has put us at ease. We are so confident in our salvation that we feel we can get away with anything. We are basically a prayerless society, it is unusual to even see someone bowing their head to ask a blessing over the food in a restaurant. We talk of the fact that it's all about relationship and yet we do nothing to build that relationship. It is time for us to "Rise and Pray" as Jesus instructed the disciples. We must pray, we must find the will of God for each situation that we encounter.

Spirit of Antioch Conference.

This weekend we had two fantastic church services at AWC. This was our first Spirit of Antioch Conference and we were blessed by the ministry of Missionary Charles Robinette.  The spirit of God moved in a mighty way and many lives were touched and changed.  During the two services Sunday a total of 12 people received the Holy Ghost for the first time!  During our evening service we were joined by several other Apostolic churches from the Tulsa area and we had a fantastic time in the spirit together.  We are praying that this unity will continue to grow as we reach out to our area.  I am reminded of Psalm 133: 

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
(Psalm 133 ESV)

There is nothing that satan would like better than to divide us and pit congregation against congregation.  In these last days we MUST have unity.  We have failed for so long because our focus has not been on saving the lost but on keeping the ones that we have.  If we as an organization would bind together in unity and purpose to reach the lost, there would be no fear of losing "our" saints to other churches.  There would be no fear of someone else receiving recognition.  What have we become that we are scared of sectional and district events because "our" saints may find a different church?  WE NEED UNITY!!  I know that I have written about it before, but we need it now more than ever.  UNITY! UNITY! UNITY!  Let us seek the will of God, for there will we find true unity.

Priorities

I was given the opportunity to speak with to the youth class this morning.  I felt to speak on Priorities.  How often do we let our priorities slip?  What kind of message does it send to our children when we do not keep our priorities in the right order?  Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God.  How much time do we truly spend seeking His kingdom?  How much time are we spending with our family?  Are we confusing our ministries with seeking the Kingdom?  Just thoughts for a Sunday afternoon.

Don't Forget the Dream

God has been dealing with me lately about not forgetting the dreams, visions, gifts, prophecies and promises I have in my life.  It is so important to retain focus, and not forget what God has in store for us.  It is so easy to forget a dream, it's so easy to doubt a prophecy and it's so easy to disobey and nullify a promise.  We must at this time re-focus and not let go of the things that God has placed in our life.  We must not forget that He is the only who should direct our path.  Remember the dreams like Joseph.  Genesis recounts the story of Joseph.  In Chapter 37 we read about the dream and how his brothers hated him for it.  We read how he was thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, lied about, thrown into prison, forgotten and finally raised up to be governor of Egypt.  Then in chapter 41 we see that Joseph remembered the dream when his brothers came to buy food.  God had not forgotten the dream and neither had Joseph.  We must also remember the promises.  Caleb was promised land by Moses, but 45 years later we hear him say to Joshua "Give me this mountain".  The promise came true because despite the time, despite the battles, despite the hardships, despite the loss of his entire generation Caleb clung to the promise.

Heartbroken

This weekend my wife and kids went to a family reunion with my mother-in-law and father-in-law.  While they were gone I was able to spend some time reflecting on where I am in my life and where I think I should be.  Today as I was preparing for our home fellowship group this evening I began to think of my friends and family that are no longer serving God. Tears came to my eyes and I began to weep when I started to realize the percentage of kids that I knew that are no longer serving God.  Tonight I type this blog with a broken heart and a renewed purpose.  May God bless each and every parent of a lost young person tonight.  My prayer is that comfort will come to each and every mother and father.  Know that God has not forgotten your child, know that he is still reaching, know that he will not give up, know that he is our Kinsman redeemer, know that He is as close as the mention of His Name, Jesus.

Update on Scott

Scott was at church Wednesday before last.  He is walking with crutches and doing well.  We serve a Miracle working God!!

Finding the Beauty in the Storm

I spent this evening outside with my wife and kids.  As we were going in for the evening we noticed a storm was rolling in.  As the lightning flashed across the sky in the distance and the thunder gently rumbled, the kids became very scared.  I on the other hand became more and more interested in the beauty and power of the storm.  After the kids went inside, I spent about 15 minutes watching the lightning come in, I was simply in awe of it's beauty.  This situation reminds me of myself and my relationship with Jesus.  Many times in the middle of the storm I am fearful, I am still young enough in my spiritual walk that I do not see the beauty of the storm.  I do not always understand that like the physical storm brings the rain, the spiritual storms also strengthen.

Prayer Request Update

Scott is improving but is still in need of prayer.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers.  Scott was raised in a UPC church and has recently begun coming back to church.

Special Prayer Request for Scott

This week I have a special prayer request.  A young man from our church was in a horrible car accident on Friday.  As of today he is doing much better, but he is still in need of prayer.  We appreciate your prayers and I will keep the blog updated as his condition improves.

Our Magnificent God

When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah, thank God for saving me.  This old song is running over and over in my head today.  I can't stop thinking about how great my God is.  The one who created the universe with its Billions of stars loves me enough to speak with me, protect me, and even die for me.  

The world today is consumed with celebrity, we are consumed with wanting fame.  If we have any connection to someone of renown we use it to our advantage in business or other relationships.  We want to know celebrities, or should I say we want to be known by celebrities.  The same holds true in the church, we seek to be known for OUR great works and not for what God has performed and privileged us to experience.  We want everyone to know how many people come to OUR church, how many people are in OUR youth group, and which internationally-renowned evangelist we have speaking for us this week.  We want everyone to know that OUR local church has been called to be great, we desire recognition at sectional events and yet we know the only true God.  We know the only true celebrity, we know the ONE who should be celebrated.

Over the past few years several of the very prodigals that this blog was created for have found worldly fame.  Because of their background they have a following within the Apostolic movement.  Admittedly, I have followed their rise to fame. I have imagined what it would be like to rise to the peak of worldly fame.  And I have decided to follow Jesus.  I have decided to follow the ONE who, according to Job, hung the world on nothing. I have decided to follow the ONE who loves me unconditionally. The ONE who died for me, the ONE who only desires my praise, love and obedience.

Methods vs. Message

I know that the title of this post is cliche therefore I hope that this post does not go unheeded due to the title.  However, it accurately describes our situation.  We must change our methods if we wish to reach our prodigals and the lost of this generation.  It should be obvious to us that the current methods we use or have used in the recent past were not enough to keep our prodigals and typically it is easier to maintain than to restore.  That being said, if the methods we have used in the past are not maintaining our youth, we need to find new methods to both retain those that we have, restore those that we have lost and gain those that are hungry for a true experience with God.  We must be careful about our traditions, traditions are good but don't let a man-made tradition get in the way when it comes to reaching a lost and dying world.  At our local church we have made some changes to the presentation of our services and we have decided to change our Sunday evening Service into a time for home fellowship groups.  We are praying that God will give us open doors into our communities and that many people will join our home groups and hear of the wonderful truth of Jesus Christ.

The Prodigal Son And The Other Son

Recently a friend and I were discussing the elder son from the parable of the prodigal son.  So much of the time (as in this blog) we focus on the prodigal.  Indeed this parable focuses on how God welcomes us home just like  the father for we were dead and now we are born again.  However, it is important that we do not forget the other sons.  Oftentimes we focus on the lost to the point of forsaking those still in the fold.  In the parable, the son was angered when his father celebrated the return of the prodigal.  He was angry that his father had not recognized the years of labor that he had put in while his younger brother squandered half of his father's wealth away.  He was so angry that he refused to take part in his celebration.  When his father begged him to attend, the elder son responded with the following:

          

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.    Luke 15:29-31

Now we see that the father is explaining to the elder son that he has the rights to everything that is left.  Sometimes we wait for God to just hand out blessings that we are already in possession of.  We need to remember that we are His children and that we are loved.  We must remember to teach our children that we have a Heavenly Father that loves and cares for us.  Also we need to remember to teach our children so that they do not become the prodigal.  We must teach them about the ultimate power of Christ and His grace and forgiveness.  We must teach them to be led by the spirit and not the flesh.  The prodigal followed his fleshly desires until he was ultimately found in the pit of despair longing just to share the slop that he was feeding to the pigs.  

Unity!

Over the past few months unity has been a recurring theme in our church services. So I was surprised when in prayer yesterday I felt impressed to speak on it again to the youth class this morning. As I began to work on a lesson for the youth I had trouble coming up with something that seemed different and catching. I searched for something that would capture their attention and I had a strong desire to impress the importance of unity to them.  As I was searching for ideas God suddenly impressed upon me the concept of comparing graphite to diamond. Graphite and diamond are both made completely of carbon atoms.  While Graphite is soft, diamond is the hardest natural substance in existence.  Graphite is black, diamond has no color.  Graphite is commonplace, diamond is rare.   The difference lies in the types of bonds between the individual atoms.  Both substances are completely made of carbon but the graphite is bonded into sheets while the diamond is bonded into crystals.  The sheets of graphite make it easy to slough off the individual layers while the crystalline lattice of the diamond gives strength in all directions. This is much like us, if we separate ourselves into our own small little groups and we do not make connections with others around us we are easily pulled away.  But if we can make connections with others outside of our normal peers we can stand together through whatever trials we may face.  The secret to the diamond structure is the intense heat and pressure that it undergoes during it's formation.  It is the trials and the hard times that solidify our unity.  As we pray for prodigals let's also pray for unity within our families, within our churches and within our organization.

-Mark

The List

I apologize for the extended period of time between posts.  I am juggling some things in my life and I am committing myself anew to this cause.  Please bear with me.  My goal is to officially launch the site within 1 month.

Thank You,

Mark

The List Continued:

Steve

Praying Through The Tabernacle

Recently an evangelist by the name of Don Dobson visited our church and preached a message on "Praying Through the Tabernacle".  He had spoken with our pastor and mentioned that he had a message for our church that God had been dealing with him about since the beginning of the year.  Having grown up in the church I have heard a lot of different sermons but I could not recall ever hearing about praying through the tabernacle.  Bro. Dobson went into much detail about the proper method of praying so I purchased the CD so that I could listen to it again.   Another gentleman in our church also was very intrigued by the sermon and had also been listening to it over and over.  A few weeks later as my wife was getting ready for church I turned on a service from the Pentecostals of Alexandria.  Pastor Anthony Mangun was preaching on Heaven to Earth:  The Tabernacle Today.  As I listened to the message I realized that Pastor Mangun was preaching about the same thing that Rev. Dobson had been preaching about.  I did some further research and realized that Pastor Mangun was teaching a series on this manner of praying and that he had learned it from his father.  I became consumed with this series and passed it on to the other gentleman in my church who was studying the method.  The Pentecostals of Alexandria posted the sermons as a podcast so I was able to access the entire series.  I quickly bought a large package of CDs and started making copies of the sermons and handing them out to my Pastor and other leaders in our church.  This series has had such an impact on each of us that my Pastor ordered the complete set of DVDs from Alexandria and we have been viewing the series during our Wednesday night Bible studies.

The series is available via podcast at www.thepentecostals.org/podcast and on DVD and CD at www.whitesteeple.com.

I would encourage everyone, but especially those praying for a prodigal, to listen to this series.  It will change you!

The List Continued:

Chanel - Tennessee

The First Drops

Many times we have read the story of the crucifixion.  We have read with jaded hearts and a feeling of disconnection with a story from long ago. Oh, how far removed we have become.  Fascinated not with the life of the One who loved us but instead with earthly gain. God don’t let us forget the sacrifice, don’t let us forget the burden of your soul.
Isa 53:11
(11)  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied of the great travail of the soul of God.  Remember today that the first drops of blood shed for our salvation was not from the stripes on His back, the first drops were not from the crown of thorns or the spear in His side.  The first drops were not even from the nails which held him to the cross.  The first drops were from his great anguish as He took on the sins of the world.  And yet we continue on in our sinful ways.  Forgive us Lord. Let us return to a place of repentance being always submitted to your will.
Luk 22:41-44
(41)  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
(42)  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
(43)  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
(44)  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Lord, I pray that we never forget your great sacrifice whereby we are saved.
The List Continued:
Toni - Collinsville, OK
Tammy - Tulsa, OK
Tracey - Broken Arrow, OK
Melissa - Tulsa, OK
Mary - Claremore, OK

New E-Mail Address

Hello all and thank you for checking my blog.  I have setup a new e-mail address specifically for this blog.  Please e-mail prayer requests/praise reports to passion4prodigals@gmail.com.  This method should prove to be easier than leaving comments on selected posts.

Thanks again,

Mark

The List

This is the first post that will actually include prayer requests.  As such I believe it only fitting that I begin with my own family.  This list is comprised of the individuals that are responsible for this passion and burden.  It is my desire to see God draw many of his wayward sheep back to the fold.  I will only post the names to this blog once unless a special need is mentioned.  Please comment on this post with your prayer requests or praise reports and I will publish them.  Please let me know when a miracle is performed in your family so that I can post  it here to build the faith of others.

The List:

Philip
Michael
Ron
Jon
Heather