Light Sent Into Darkness

"The people which sat in darkness saw great light" Matthew 4:16

When Jesus came to the earth it was a time of great darkness.  While Jesus was still a baby, Herod the king put out an order to kill all the children two years old and under that lived in the region of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  Can you imagine the great sorrow that spread through the land?  Today we see the same kind of darkness in our world.  It is into this great darkness that God seeks to send the light of the gospel.  God desires that we provide a stark contrast to the darkness of sin.  By His grace we are children of light.  We shine as lights in the darkness.  God is exposing sin in the light of His goodness through Jesus Christ.  When God is finished, sin shall not rise up a second time (Nahum 1:9).  Stay strong in the Lord and shine as lights in this present darkness.  "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" Romans 8:18.   

I Am "Back"

Many of you know that I broke a bone in my back a few weeks ago.  Thank you for all the cards and prayers.  I am back and ready to be out there in the ministry of the Word.  I know that God has used my down time to get me ready for the task ahead.  There are many reasons to be excited and many challenges to discourage those who look at the size of our enemies instead of the power of our God.  Remember, "the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven" Matthew 13:33.  Yeast is a tiny, rounded, colorless one celled plant that floats through the air everywhere.Yeast creates chemical reactions on the starch and sugar in bread batter.  From one cell of yeast another is formed, creating the same chemical reaction within the neighboring starch or sugar.  All we need is to allow the Holy Spirit to impart His Word in us!  We then will naturally impart change to those around us.  All we have to do is be with people.  We need to look at every relationship as an opportunity for the leaven(yeast) of the kingdom!

Summer Ends With A Bang.....or a fang!

We have had a wonderful Summer that will not soon be forgotten!  VBS reminded us that God gives us the power to do the right thing!  Camp brought fresh commitments that have shown lasting results.  I had the privilege of baptizing five young people after camp. "IN, Not Of" was not just a camp theme, it is God's call on our lives!  I enjoyed some needed time off with my family in Florida.  The Summer ended with me walking to turn off a small water sprinkler that I had placed on one of the many parched places in my yard.  With little water around, a near by snake decided that my dripping water hose was the perfect opportunity to get a refreshing drink.  Little did that snake know what a ride it was in for when it slithered between my bare foot and the inside of my sandel.  After stomping around like someone trying to summon rain through a strange ritual I found that I had been bitten on the end of a toe.  I must have slung that snake into the next county because I haven't seen it since.  As I was stomping around I saw enough of the snake to be 99% sure that it was a garter snake.  Never let anyone tell you "they wont hurt ya".  The bite may not be venemous enough to hurt, but the bite itself is no picnic!  Stay cool and trust God to keep you from that old serpent whose bite is indeed poisonous!

Revival

We were blessed by a wonderful host, the Robinson church, at General Conference.  Thank you Robinson for a tremendous job.  Remember, true revival can come if two things are present.  First, the message must be right.  Second, the people must be right by that message; they must believe the message.  Pray that we will continue to be a message centered people with a God centered message.  Pray that our people would believe that message, the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray for revival!

Will I See You in Robinson?

May 3-5 are the dates of our General Conference. I hope you are making plans to be there. It is my prayer that 104 South Old Robinson Road, Robinson, Texas 76706 will be remembered as the place where that revival began. When we look back to 2012 will we simply remember a conference theme or will we be grateful for something real and lasting? I'm trusting God for a General Conference that will make a lasting impact for the kingdom of God! Will you join me in asking God for what we need?

Praying For Revival

As I finish my tour of local churches, my attention turns to General Conference. At the last council meeting I informed our Robinson church that the theme for this General Conference shall be Revival. Now I am asking every Bethel Methodist and all other concerned Christians to ask God for revival in and through the Bethel Methodist Church. At our last Pastor's retreat we sensed a move of God in our own hearts. We felt directly led to pray for God to send revival. Pray for all the preparations leading up to this important event in Robinson, Texas.

Respect For Authority

Respect for authority is one of societies greatest needs. Ephesians chapter five and six deal with the principle of authority. All authority under God is to be a reflection of the ultimate authority. Husbands are the authority in marriage. However, Ephesians 5:25 says, "husbands, love your wives,even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it." Authority under God is never given for the selfish ambitions of the earthly authority. It is granted to benefit God in the entity that the authority is authorized to serve. The same is true of parental authority. Ephesians 6:1 says "children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right". It goes on in Ephesians 6:4 to say, "fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord". Again, this authority is not granted to serve the one in authority! Authority is granted to serve God in every aspect of human life. This principle can be seen in governmental power(Romans 13:1-7). Listen and heed God's wise counsel in Hebrews 13:7, "obey them that have the rule over you". Parents; do your children know who is in charge? They better know.....and you better know who is in charge of you! God help us to maintain proper godly authority!