OUT OF THE BOX

  “BEHOLD, YOU ARE THERE.” Psalm 139:8 In our spiritual growth we need to walk in faithful obedience to the Lord in the full range of experiences, from “pit” to “peak” and everywhere in between. We grow in spirit and depth as we walk with Jesus through desert places as well as “green pastures,” and as we persevere in faith on stormy seas and in the “deep” as well as the peaceful walk by “still water,” The Psalmist speaks of remembering the Lord from the Jordon valley as well as from the heights of Hermon. He experienced the Lord’s lovingkindness in the daytime and His song in the night. Near or far, high or low, there is no extremity that can separate us from God’s love and care. Twilla Paris wrote and sang a wonderful song that was popular in 1984. The song tells of the Christian who is amazing and successful in God’s work and in his personal life. The song goes on to say, “They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down. They don’t know who picks me up when no one is aro...

 A friend of mine was having to make a tough decision in an area where there appeared to be some tension between practical wisdom and what the Spirit of the Lord was leading him to do. Below is an email exchange of our conversation. The unusual nature of the topic may spur some of you to comment.  My friend's email Billy, I wanted to shoot a quick note your way with an update letting you know that I'm about to take a major leap of faith and leave my current job with no other job lined up to step into. I know many people would consider this to be CRAZY, especially with the current state of the economy, but, at the risk of sounding like a spiritual nut, I truly feel as though it's the direction God is moving me in. I've been praying for wisdom/clarity of thought in what steps to take next, and I'd be much appreciative for your prayers as well. This is the first time in my life I've stepped away from something without having something else in place to move int...

There are many areas where Satan is working in our nation today. Christians usually recognize what is blatantly evil, but they are often naïve, blind, and susceptible to the enemy’s areas of subtle nuances where he craftily sows deceptions to lead a person or a people astray. I am discussing here just a few areas where we see his deceptive activity. His work is insidious. It appears harmless until it is too late to avoid the damage. It works as a snare hidden from view awaiting its chance to entrap. Below is a short list of “the serpent’s” subtle and insidious work. These items will be obvious to those who follow Jesus and believe the Bible to be the word of God. However, the world along with professing Christians who question scripture will not recognize the danger in some of these practices and cultural trends. Here is a list of areas where the devil comes as an angel of light to deceive. YOGA Yoga is the new religion of Hollywood. It seems every other commercial shows someone on...

THE CAT AND THE RAT FACING THE BATTLE The Cat at the Door When I was just a kid we had a yard cat that should have been out hunting mice, but instead, was always sitting at the screen door meowing and whining plaintively, “begging” for someone to let him in the house. “Meow, meow, meow!” he cried. Translated into English this means, “Let me in. Feed me, pet me, help me, comfort me, make me happy. I want to go inside where it is comfortable and safe. I don’t want to face the world outside.” My Dad hated for a cat to sit at the door begging like that. So he pushed the door open, and shoved the startled cat out onto the carport. As he walked past he said, “When I get back, I am going to haul you off to the shopping center.” He fully intended to get rid of the cat. The Fight About an hour later, I heard a commotion beside the corn barn at the edge of our back yard. I turned my head in time to see about 15 or 20 squawking chickens flapping their wings, jumping in the air, and scurrying in e...

Dear Friends This post touches on the Christian influence in a society where there are forces that seek to silence that perspective. My wife Laurel recently heard a statement made by a leader in "The Good Club" (involving people such as Bill Gates and George Soros) who stated that in an upcoming summit meeting they would be discussing how to silence evangelical Christianity, which stands in the way of their one-world global government goals. Christians in the United States must at this time kindle the fires of personal revival and be "salt and light;" for the days are coming when we could be facing real persecution. –Billy Long CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE IN GOVERNMENT   CHURCH AND GOVERNMENT The church as an organization should not control civil government, but Christian influence, however, should pervade the government via the involvement and participation of Christians in the political process. Government always reflects the worldview of those who govern and make the law...

  LEADERS' UNHEALTHY CONTROL OF COMMUNICATION   This article is a follow-up to my post on manipulation. The issues highlighted below are principles I learned while serving “as referee” (and in some cases a participant) in a few church “fights” and were originally written with the intention of helping pastors understand some of the issues that get them into trouble. Initially I was reluctant to share these with a broader audience, but then realized that the principles are apropos to any discussion of healthy leadership. Many readers will identify with one or more of the problems discussed. For every issue there is a flip side. There is always the “other side of the coin.” This “flip side” issue is especially true for some of the areas covered in this article. For example, pastors usually teach on gossip, and they legitimately try to prevent unhealthy and destructive communication within their community of believers. But my emphasis here is the other side of the issue, whic...

  MANIPULATION Too often leaders are guilty of manipulation. Manipulation is unhealthy in any relationship and is a violation of trust. It involves the dishonest use of influence to get people to do what you want them to do and is an underhanded means of controlling people. Leaders use manipulation when they lack the ability to lead by inspiration, when they have ulterior or hidden motives, or when they are trying to get people to do what the individuals most likely would not do if they had access to all the facts. Manipulation involves giving partial truth and withholding information that would be necessary for others to make an objective decision. It means distributing information selectively, giving little twists to the facts, and sharing only that which would cause other people to respond favorably to the objectives being presented. DIPLOMACY AND TRUTH Being diplomatic can “put a sweet face” on manipulation. Diplomacy in its positive sense refers to the ability to handle affair...