OUT OF THE BOX

A girl from our church in Raleigh NC was taking a philosophy of religion class taught by a professor from Duke University. Nancy came to me one evening and shared how she had been brought to tears when some of the other students mocked her for sharing her faith during a class discussion. Nancy was a committed Christian and loved the Lord. She was shocked at the unbelief and skepticism of the professor and the students, and soon came to discuss it with me and fellow believers at church. Now she was asking me to visit the class. The professor had told the students to invite their pastors to come sit in on the discussions. My first thought was, “This professor wants to pull out all his weapons of complex, intellectual, theological, and philosophical thought, all his esoteric terms, and make me or any other pastor who shows up look like an idiot in front of the class." But I knew this was a great opportunity and so agreed to go. The next week one of the men from the church went with m

I look back over my life and see many regrets, things I would change or do better if I could go back and start over. I see areas where I was not a wise and faithful steward of resources, time, responsibilities, opportunities, and potential. How do I resolve what in the natural seems to be unresolvable? What do I do when I’ve lost or forfeited something I can never get back? How do I find comfort when something dear to me is gone? The answer: I give it to God. The prodigal son left home and wasted his inheritance in the world of disobedience and sin. Sometimes I feel like the prodigal who stayed home. I did not waste my life in sin and dissipation, but rather was the “good son” who stayed in the fold but still squandered opportunities, resources, time, and potential. This brings deep and painful regret that feels like it comes belatedly when it might be too late to recover or redeem the situation. Based on the prophet Nathan’s word to him, David knew his own sin with Bathsheba and the

  “Then the men…took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the golden rats and the images of their hemorrhoids. Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh (back to Israel), and went along the highway lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. 1 Samuel 6: 10-12   “Pulling the cart” The Philistines had captured Israel’s Ark of the Covenant and were passing it from city to city placing it on display as they gloated in their victory in a recent battle with Israel. However, the sneering did not last long, for every city where they set the ark experienced a plague of rats and hemorrhoids. The Philistines finally had enough of these plagues and decided to send the ark back to Israel. They placed it on a cart, along with a special gift of golden mice and golden hemorrhoids sent as a trespass offerings to acknowledge the hand of God in their tr

  “And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands (the idols)…”   Acts 7: 41 “And he made a molded calf; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”  Exodus 32: 4-6 “It it the sound of singing I hear….He saw the calf and the dancing.”   Ex 32: 18-19. The above verses show that we can disobey the Lord and still have a party---at least for a while. One of the problems with human nature is that it so often loses sight of both reward and consequences. When we get caught up in the temptations of the moment or in what we want right now, we forget that there is a reward for faith and obedience, and a consequence and reaping for evil and disobedience. And so like Israel, we make our “golden calves” and have a party. Moses had gone up the mountain to meet God face to face and to receive the commandments and the laws for Israel’s life as a nation. The people became impatient, discontent, perplexed, and maybe bo

Dear Friends I encourage my friends to read my book, Spiritual Power for Everyday Living. It is an excellent tool for introducing people to spiritual gifts and to the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit in the church today. The objective of this book is to inspire the reader to hunger for and experience the presence of God. The lessons and examples presented here are not simply academic in nature but were experienced in my life as a pastor and minister working with people over the years. Part One defines and explains spiritual gifts and supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit and gives first-hand testimonials. Part Two helps the reader to understand the prophetic ministry as practiced in the lives of the first Christians. Part Three gives a clear teaching to help the reader understand praying in tongues and its role in aiding the believer in a deeper experience of intercessory prayer and praise. A careful reading of this book will bring clarity and remove misconceptions rel

  A lady on the plane On a flight to Raleigh, NC I was seated beside a lady who was flying into Columbia, SC. As the plane was about to land in Columbia, I prayed quietly to myself, “Lord, this lady is about to get off the plane, and I have not said anything to her about You. Is there anything special I should say to her?” Suddenly the Holy Spirit gave me a name. [This is the only time this has ever happened to me]. I turned to her and said, “Who is Frank?” Suddenly her expression froze, and she stared at me speechless with her mouth open. I continued, “Sometimes the Lord shows me things to pray for people and I think the Lord has shown this to me for your sake. You can tell me. Who is Frank?”  She very sheepishly mumbled quietly, “Frank is a friend of mine who is having marriage problems.” I responded, “And Frank is coming to you for comfort, isn’t he?” With mouth still open and still staring at me in shock she just shook her head and whispered, “Um hum, yes he is.” I th