Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, prophecies, words of knowledge,  words of wisdom,  tongues, interpretation of tongues, sermons  - all have one thing in common  - WORDS!

God wants our tongues loosed to be used!

ALL tongues belong to HIM  - to be used for His glory! Not just the pastors! Our hearts are connected to our tongues  and our hearts are full of HIM! His presence! Set them free to express what (and who) is in them! 

 I sought a sermon

but The Lord was seeking my heart.

I sought to please man

but The Lord knew that wasn't smart.

I sought for riches      that weren't riches at all,

while the wealth of Heaven was available. 

How easy it is!

To die and not live,

to pursue what will not give

eternal value or worth.

We spend our days

so selfishly 

Setting our gaze

On what is earthly 

not on what is worthy 

of eternity 

 I was on the phone with my wife, Sheryl. She was describing a situation to me  - She had decided to rake up all the dead leaves in our front yard and burn them. She loaded our burn barrel and started the fire. Some of the flames fell out and started little fires around the barrel. She took a hose and began putting out the fires  -  but then the hose slowed to a trickle, then quit altogether.  She and our daughter Kari grabbed a few buckets, ran back and forth into the house, filling the buckets, till the fires were out.

So as she's telling me all this, the Holy Spirit is ministering some truth to my heart. The reason the water quit flowing was -  the hose had become clogged with gunk and junk -  dead leaves and vegetation and mud. It had to be cleaned out. And so -  our hearts. We must guard our hearts and not allow gunk and junk (sins) to build up. We must spend time in the Word and let the Word spend time in us. Sheryl said the buckets represent going to church-  people get the Word and carry it back home, but it's not enough to put out the fires of hell and the fiery darts of the wicked, we need the Word daily. We need to be God's "buckets" that He can use to put out wild fires in people we meet.....taking it in, giving it out...like breathing. The world's junk (words) pollute the Word of God in us, if we swallow them enough. 

 I saw an ice-covered stream.  Here and there  -  there was no ice.  I could see the water flowing under the ice,  in places.  Other places -  frozen solid.  Human hearts are just are just like this.  Some are frozen solid,  impenetrable.  Others are partially frozen  -  very hard to penetrate-  but underneath-  the water of life still flows. It may be just a trickle  -  but there's hope because the ice can thaw! The more Sunlight (light of the Son) it's exposed to  -  the softer it becomes; till one day -  the ice breaks apart and is swept away by the River of Life  -  the mighty presence of God's Spirit  -  a river of love -  flowing in that heart -  broken pieces  - all the little pieces of hate and revenge and bitterness  -  Swept away! Far away,  never to be seen again,  praise God!

 The only problem with a great childhood is.......you gotta grow up. No choice  -  no choice at all -  got to grow up.

The only problem with growing up is.......you gotta grow old. No choice -  no choice at all  -   got to grow old.

The only problem with growing old is.......you gotta die. No choice  -  no choice at all   -  you gotta die.

The only problem with dieing is.......you gotta go somewhere,  either Heaven or Hell. No choice, no choice at all  -  you gotten go to either Heaven or Hell. 

Oh but here's the good news  -  you have a choice! You can choose either Heaven or Hell,  not when you die but right now.  You can choose to follow Jesus Christ  or reject him. Choose. 

 On a single Road tripp I

 Saw the Hoover Dam

 Saw the Canyon Grand

 Saw Niagra Falls

 and an International Puppet Festival 

 Saw the Red Sox play

 and win at Fenway

 and went swimming in Crater Lake

 Saw whales watching me

 Saw Multnomah Falls beauty

Saw Old Faithful 

 and much more at Yellowstone 

 Went frisbee golfing in Montana far from home

 On both coasts i sat by a fire on the beach

 We tried to wrap our arms around a Redwood tree

 I saw Big Foot but he didn't see me

 Went to Joshua Tree park

 got lost on a lark

 Saw the Blue man group

 Went horseback riding in the desert

 what a coupe!

 Road on boats, trains and automobiles, 

 Saw Carlsbad Caverns -

 them bats are for real!

 Swam in lake Michigan 

 saw The Bean -  and both sisters again 

 Stayed on the Outer Banks 

 and so much more for which to give thanks!

 The ghost town

scared me silly

when i was, oh,

around 7.

Casper Wyoming

is wherevit was

and i, no choice 

was thrust in a car

and driven 

to fear the ghost town.

Why do we want to

meet a town full of ghosts?

I thought

why are we going?

Every shadow

every dark nook

the mining tunnel

where men died

in pursuit of a better life  -

all full of ghosts, 

I was sure.

What was that?!

Did you see that?!

We paid for this?

Adults sure make

some strange decisions!

 I'm reading Luke 21:16  -  "And you shall be betrayed both by parents,  and brethren,  and kinfolks, and friends",  and I look back at my life and I realize I have been betrayed by all of these -  I really have. At times I've felt as if I'm "hated of all men". I've certainly never been the most popular guy around.  In Ireland  -  my ministry mirrored the Lord's   -  the first two years we had tremendous favor among the people  -  but the third year, many turned on us. I realize now the enemy cannot commit the sin of  betrayal, only the above list can. Yet I go on to read   "In your patience possess your souls" and I rejoice  that I am counted worthy to suffer for His name's sake.  This is not to deny there are times when I've spoken or acted out of my flesh, but a lot of what I've endured has been because of the call of God on my life.