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Introduction

At a time when many Apostolics are 3rd, 4th or even 5th generation, many are losing sight of the landmarks that our previous generations have left us. This eagerness to depart from the things that identify us is not always a lack of love for truth, but is often the result of a lack of adequate teaching. This is reflected in my own life. Being a 4th generation Pentecostal myself, I fell for the "it's only a consecration" philosophy and for a period of time lost my way. It was not due to a lack of love for God, but it was because I had only been taught "The Rules" without ever really learning the reasoning behind them. By the grace of God my wife and I found our way back to fullness of truth and for that we will be eternally grateful. In retrospect we now know that by turning away from our heritage God opened our eyes to see that what before seemed like bonds and burdens was the very thing that brought us back and into deep relationship with Him.


Because of our past experience, God has given us a burden for what we will call Prodigals. The dictionary defines prodigal as a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance. This seems very fitting as many former apostolics are using their God-given talent wastefully. Many fine singers, musicians, and even preachers are using their talents for pursuit of worldly gain rather than to glorify their Creator. We know that everyone is called to be a minister in some capacity and we pray that you will join us in praying for these that have gone astray.


Many days I will simply post the prayer requests that I have received while other days I may be able to post an encouraging scripture or story. To subscribe simply click the RSS subscription button below or simply visit this page to check for updates. Because of other excellent resources for prayer, such as World Network of Prayer (www.wnop.org), I ask that your requests would be limited to lost children of Apostolic parents. I will be accepting prayer requests, praise reports and encouraging stories for entry into the blog. If you or anyone you know is praying for a son or daughter who has wandered or has been led astray, please do not hesitate to send me a prayer request through the comments section below. Comments are not public and only prayer requests, praise reports etc. will be published. In order to maintain anonymity only first names along with the state of residence will be posted on any prayer list.


This blog is a new venture for me entirely and I will apologize in advance for any growing pains we may experience over the next few months. I pray that you will be patient with me as we begin this journey together.


Thank you for taking the time to view this blog. I hope and pray it will be a blessing to you.


For the Kingdom,


Mark Barnes

Monday, November 19, 2012

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!
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