A Building and a Band

After spending over a year of fellowship at Doug and Jackie's home we decided to step out and move into a more public location. I scouted around the community and found a small room available in a small underground mall adjacent to the local community bank. This location was central to the community because of the bank, the barber shop and a small cafe' called Rock's. Our room used to house a craft store and a number of other retail businesses. We were adjacent to a laundry mat and a plumbing company.

Our little room could hold about 50 people and so it was a cozy little spot. We were an underground Vineyard for sure. You would never know that this place existed from the outside. In hindsight that might have limited us a bit but we were very excited to have a place of our own. It did generate some enthusiasm. I remember running an ad in a local paper for musicians for a church plant. I will never forget the evening when a young couple named George and Julia showed up at our place. They were there in response to the ad and I was kind of taken back when they stopped in. There was an immediate connection. They were precious and hungry to do something for the Lord. I was convinced that God had sent them and we immediately united in worship and praise to the Lord.

So here we were, We had a small building and the beginnings of a band. This was really exciting for Doug and Jackie and others. We didn't have services at first. We would just get together and jam with our instruments. That was a precious time. There was so much hope and anticipation. I can see the necessity to birth things now. Birth brings life and rejoicing. It brings unity and purpose. The Lord gave us a boost of energy and we were so thankful for our meager beginning. I still had my insurance agency and I still had to put three kids through college but having a place to worship and having a spiritual cause and purpose was so gratifying.

Next up.....

Marty and Pat

Peace on Earth

I remember as a child the wondrous view that I had of Christmas. I loved everything about Christmas. It seemed to always have this dual purpose. We had a manger scene under the tree. I understood the birth of Jesus. My mother and father never attended church but they seemed to have a deep understanding and respect for the birth of the Christ child. Santa Claus was the other thing going on at the same time. I never quite understood how these two events related to one another but as a child I didn't try to figure that out. I thought that Jesus was the serious and Holy part of Christmas and that Santa was the fun and magical part of Christmas. The innocence of that approach was healthy when I was a child. As you get older you start to form all of these adult opinions and you no longer accept things as simply as you did as a little child.

The loss of that kind of innocence is kind of sad because for many of us Christmas now becomes something we analyze instead of something we accept and enjoy. That's why children are such a great remedy and reminder to all of us of the simplicity and innocence that we once knew. I guess that as adults we have to stop the music around us so that we can begin to sing our own song once again. Raising appreciation and lowering expectations is a great way to enjoy the season. Peace on earth and good will to all men seems to be real the message of Christmas. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. I wish all of you His peace.

Merry Christmas!

Random Mid-Week Thoughts

1. The Steelers are at it again. Super Bowl bound?

2. Another guy swindled 50 Billion dollars from the American Public

3. The Illinois governor is in big trouble trying to pawn off Obama's Senate seat

4. Everybody wants bailed out!

5. Our Christmas tree is perfect again.

6. Starbuck's in Gibsonia is jam packed in the morning.

7. I hate winter colds

8. God's love has to be extravagant to let us go on like this.

9. Some Christmas lights look like the neighborhood bar.

10. I'm ready for another diet

11. I love Beatle music

12. and a partridge in a pear tree

Have a great week!

The Simple Life

The end of the year Holiday Season is upon us and the stress that is often associated with this time of year always seems to strip us of the heart felt joy that we desire during Christmas. As a child Christmas was very simple. That's because everybody in the adult world is working overtime to make Christmas special for the children. The kids just wait and let it all happen. They are filled with fantasy and expectations while Mom and dad are out there doing all that they can to meet them.

You will read a lot of articles in the paper about how commercial Christmas has become etc and how we need to dig deep for its meaning. The fallacy in all of that is that it is very difficult to change an ongoing lifestyle for just one day of the year. Our life in America is so driven economically that we rarely have time to enjoy the simple heart felt gifts of life. I loved living in West Virginia because the folks down there lived a much simpler life style than we do in the Pittsburgh area. It seems that having less in the material gives you more time to enjoy the intangible gifts of life. The way we we spend our time is a clear indicator of the choices we have made. The American dream is temporal and fleeting at best because at the end none of it really matters.

What we really need life to be on this side of eternity is simple. We don't have to live in a cave or regress or try to re-invent the peaceful 1950's. We just need more time. More time to enjoy friendship. More time to give ourselves to others. Most people want to do these things but their time is pre-occupied primarily to sustain their life style. I have to admit that I have lost a lot of valuable opportunities for friendship because I too have an economic nut to crack. I am seriously considering changing all of this because as they say, the suns a burning. Time is fleeting and so is life.

The material world in itself is not good or bad. The portion of it that you seek after and eventually obtain will determine your lifestyle. It will also have an affect on your true relationship with God and with others. We fall away from the most important gifts of life when we succumb to economic striving. I can see it all around me. I couldn't see it when I was in the cycle myself. I didn't have the time to see it.

Psalm 116:6-8

The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Seeing the Light in a Dark World

I once read that darkness was an obscurity that leads into gloom. That doesn't sound very encouraging. It sounds like that old country song, "Gloom, despair, agony on me, deep dark depression, excessive misery." I don't think that too many of us would walk right into a dark room very quickly. We would at least have some apprehension and try and find a light switch. I also think that most of us can be trapped when we encounter places and situations that are not real clear to us and are rather obscure.

I've also recognized how vulnerable we all are to the darkness of this world. The obscurity is ever so subtle. In America we are enamored by so many things that in the very end mean very little. These things pre-occupy our time day in and day out but they eat away the opportunities to let the light shine on the darkness. Darkness keeps you busy. You are always trying to find your way out. If you light a match in a dark place you might get about one minute of insight as to where you really are.

This is one of my favorites in the Bible

1 John 1:5-7

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Here's what I learn from this scripture.

1. If God is Light then nothing is obscure and unclear in Him

2. We cannot live in the obscurity and darkness of the kosmos(world) and be rightly related to God.

3. We cannot have fellowship with other Christians(fellowship is different than friendship) if we are in darkness.

4. Our sin is not being cleansed while living in the darkness.

The first step out of the darkness is being truthful with ourselves about where we are in the light of these verses.

Questions that I ask myself

1. Is God clear to me? Is He real to me?

2. Am I fooling myself with my present life style? Am I operating in the Kosmos(this world) or am I living in the Kingdom of God?

3. Do I have real community and fellowship with believers or am a I alone and isolated in my deepest thoughts?

4. Am I deceived about where I really am? Is there bondage and sin that I am not willing to identify?

Walking in the Light is an upper! It is exhilarating and helps us live freely in this world and yet not succumb to it's gloom and doom. Groping around in the dark is no place to be. I've stubbed my toe one too many times doing that.

Thanksgiving

Wow, where do you begin? This is by far my favorite holiday. Even as a child Thanksgiving seemed special. It was like a peaceful prelude to Christmas. Thanksgiving is simple compared to other holidays. I know that the ladies that prepare the meal might have a different opinion but overall the activity of the day is less stressful. After all, we have to eat anyway.

There is a sense of reflection and quiet appreciation on Thanksgiving. Everyone reflects a bit on Thanksgiving. We add up all that we have and appreciate in life and we see that things aren't so bad. We see those around us that God has given us to be our family and friends and we are filled with thanksgiving.

When I think about all that life brings, I think about God's intention for all of us. My best way of describing Him to any who ask is that He is faithful. He is faithful to us in our worst moments. He is a faithful supplier of love and grace. Without His faithfulness life would not continue because He would no longer be a part. So thank you Lord for hanging in there for all of us. Your grace is more than sufficient.

What Unifies the Church?

It's obvious that the church universal may need to be redefined because what we perceive as the global wide church may not in it's total be the real church. There are many beloved brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world that have been consumed by institutional Christianity. These brothers and sisters are viable and essential to the organized church because they are actually missionaries to these organizations. The man made organized church cannot unify. It's obvious. The sectarian behaviors that exist divides us all and so we are a bit confused when we read the scriptures about the unity in the body of Christ.

How are we ever to unify? It's apparent that this unity will never occur through human effort. That actually gives me great joy. I'm very weary of the results of our work.

Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

The unity is in the Spirit! This is a hard saying for those of us who want control and don't want to yield to the Spirit of God. I can imagine a day when those led by the Spirit will unify with Him and that will be a day the world will have to reckon with. Jesus has not given us an illusion of things to come.

One Body
One Spirit
One Hope
One Lord
One Faith
One Baptism
One God

Self Awareness

How much do we need to know about ourselves? How much introspection is enough? The Scripture teaches us the very opposite of what the world is promoting. You can visit any library or prominent book store and find shelves loaded with self-help books. I find this to be very revealing as to the state of mind that is prevalent in the world. We actually think that we can help ourselves. I do believe that there are times that we need to examine ourselves but that should be a short rest stop.

Without quoting large numbers of scripture there is every indicator in the Bible that we are our own worst enemy. The Bible teaches us to lose ourselves. What does that mean? What do we lose and what do we gain with that kind of thinking. The religious person may think that I am talking about self denial. No sweets, no meat, no beer, no pizza, no dancing, no smoking etc....... Well that process takes me to do that and I don't think that I am capable of rescuing myself from all of those vices (especially the pizza). Is that what God wants anyway? That sound like a lot of duty and religion.

I always thought it was very cool when I would read about Jesus hangin' out at parties with sinners. He wasn't condoning all the drinking and rebel rousing but I'm sure that he enjoyed being in a non-religious setting so that He could touch the hearts of real people that were lost and yet not relying upon the cloak of religion.

Our model for fixing our future is self help. We even made up our own religious saying," God helps those that help themselves." There is nothing further from the truth than that statement. The Lord has no limitation on who He helps.

I know this for sure. I enjoy those times when I have little or no thought of Davey Buhl. That means my focus is on the Lord and others. There is no greater feeling than ridding ourselves of unreachable self expectations but rather accept who we are and move on. The therapy for growth in our own life is losing our self awareness and self introspection and enjoying life through the Spirit of Christ deep within us. I have heard so many sermons about us becoming more like Christ. Do you know what would happen if that actually occurred? Our life would not be the same because the more we become like Him the more we do the things that He does. That would turn the world upside down. Now we can see how far away we are from becoming the true body of Christ on this earth.

I have come to the conclusion that I have sporadically seen many people that have a lived a life similar to Jesus. There seems to be a short life span for that life style because we continually short circuit the Spirit filled life by mixing it with our man made religion. That quenches the Spirit of God and we lose our effectiveness. When we take control, we lose Him. When He takes control, we lose us.

Do the Things That You Did At First

Revelations is such an interesting book. It takes us into the future. It examines our past and it offers remedies for the present. That just about covers it all, wouldn't you say? The writer, which is believed to be John, writes a critique and anecdote for the seven churches in Asia. As you read the first few chapters of Revelations it is very easy to identify with the flaws of each church. In the first chapter you will read about the Church of Ephesus.

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Many of us readily identify with the Church in Ephesus. It seems that they were a hard working group of Christians that were fighting the good fight but they really lost their way with their relationship with the Lord. This happens when the task becomes the center piece of our existence. The remedy for this behavior is in verse 5, "do the things you did at first". For some of us the things that we did at first were exciting and passionate but there may be many of us that didn't have a very good start and so they cannot completely identify with this verse.

How we start is important. Some of us cannot readily identify a starting point. Some of us think that we were just born a Presbyterian because our parents were Presbyterian. That is not what John is talking about in the first chapter of Revelations. To become a Christian is to experience a "birthing of a new life". Those that have this experience a radical change in their thinking and behavior. Newborns of any life form are frisky and hungry at all times. The new babe in Christ is no different. The initial growth period is exciting and adventurous. It doesn't have to a dramatic Damascus road experience like the one the apostle Paul had but there should be evidence of a new birth by our behavior and change of heart.

If you have had this kind of experience, remember the things that brought you great joy and return to them. If you never had that kind of experience then it may be time for some soul searching and self examination. A new beginning may be what you need. Either way, the Lord has spoken. He has clearly given us a way to return to Him or start anew. We just have to respond accordingly.

An Open Invitation

Our Vineyard plant was on and so our first step was to invite folks to Doug and Jackies. A lot of the folks that we invited were already plugged into a local church. We were just trying to serve as an adjunct to what they were already doing. Not many responded because they knew that we ultimately wanted to become a church but we still had some nice gatherings. I can remember the sharing of life in our small group. It was about as innocent and pure as it could be. We really wanted to see God come and use us mightily. In hindsight, I can see some things that may have impeded our progress.

Our home group was centered around worship and music. The folks that came enjoyed the strength and quality of our worship experience. My background and talent in music was a strength but as I look back, it may have been a hindrance. Our group would have been very difficult to duplicate. There just didn't seem to be a lot of musical types around to start a new group and so everyone that wanted to be a part came to Doug and Jackie's. We spent a lot of time in prayer. We petitioned the Lord continually.

I would often attend a Vineyard church planting conference in Columbus. The conferences were informative and very uplifting but I still felt a sense of disconnect. It was like nobody knew or even cared that we existed in our little church plant in Valencia, Pennsylvania. The Vineyard church planting team adopted you once you became successful in your growth pattern. They really didn't have people in place to closely oversee new church plants. They were always accommodating and encouraging but they had no real connection to many of the church planters on the east coast. East Coast Vineyards did not grow at near the same speed as their western counter parts.

This was troubling to me because I felt very alone in my endeavor. Pastor Ron had moved to Africa to do missionary work and so I had no one to guide me. The group was faithful though. We all wanted to persevere. Our hope was that the Lord would bring us through and that His Spirit would reveal to us the steps that we needed to take.

Next Up....

A Building and a Band

Revisiting the Church at Antioch

When we read the Book of Acts we often miss the great value it can bring particularly to our understanding of the development and growth in the early church. It was at a place called Antioch that people were first called Christian. Antioch(Antakya) is located on the southeastern border of modern day Turkey. When you read Acts you will notice the spontaneity by which the early church grew. The church was perpetuated because of a movement deep within the heart of the people. The body at Antioch grew much the same way our physical bodies grow from childhood. Childbirth creates family and families by their very nature cause unity and responsibility one to another. The Christians at Antioch were a combination of three types. There were many persecuted Christians that landed in Antioch after the persecution and death of Stephen. They were on a mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ every where they traveled. There were the new born babes in Christ and there were the prophets and teachers of that particular locality who were considered the prominent local ministers.

If we could go back in time to observe and participate in the growth of the church at Antioch then we would be able to see upon our return the tremendous of amount of rubble that has been thrust upon us over that 2000 year span. The beauty of having a locality and its true believers create the identity of local church is so much healthier than dividing up communities with those that followed Luther, Wesley, or Calvin. We have divided the Body of Christ and broken the bonds of unity that God planned for us from the very beginning. We have broken up the family and so we wander around like orphans. We don't even know each other that well. Our adopted parents from our institutional style church have very often been good to us but that was not God's best for us.

Some believers today have had an Antioch type experience with a number of new births in Christ with friends and neighbors only to see them lose their unity because these small groups when birthed do not recognize the Body of Christ and end up attending the system that exists today. Their passion soon dwindles as they become a part of organized religion.

The church at Antioch can happen today if we would recognize the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is obviously not an organization. It is a living vibrant moving being under the headship of Christ that covers the whole earth. Things that are alive have spontaneity. Life is spontaneous and so is the Church. You can't organize life or spontaneity. Spontaneity makes life exciting and worth living. God knows that. We shouldn't be messin' with His plan. We should return to it.

The First Body Builders

Nah! This isn't about tightening up the abs or burning fat in the weight room. It is about building up the body of Christ. Jesus was the first apostle or "sent one". The twelve apostles that the Lord hand picked were His personal disciples. After those twelve there came an event recorded in the scriptures that still holds true today.

Acts 13:1-3

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

We all know the story about the apostle Paul. He and Barnabas were the first to be sent by the Holy Spirit. The prophets and teachers in Antioch were spoken to by the Holy Spirit. This is God's way of activating ministry. He initiates the call. He fore ordains whom He will call. The qualifications of Paul and Barnabas had nothing to do with them being chosen. Paul was a former enemy of God. God humbled Paul and his incredible conversion laid the groundwork for the incredible work that God would eventually call him to do. This is the way it is supposed to work. When God initiates the call then we have a much better chance for success as long as we are obedient to that call.

The church today is in great need for true apostolic ministry. The true body builders are the ones appointed by the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Spirits' call. It's His engagement that we so desperately need. For many of us, we see this as a dangerous path. I believe that the root of that kind of thinking comes from our inability to hear spiritually. We have not exercised our spiritual ears. We are greenhorns in the spiritual realm. We like to have control. That is our downfall. We cannot have control and reap the fruits of the Spirit.

The church will have unity when we unleash God's body builders to do His work. He has shown us how it is done. He has given us clear instruction. Lord give us the eyes and ears to see and hear your Spirit at work.

Sent or Self Appointed....

Ministry goes on everywhere in the church of Jesus Christ. A lot of it is fruitful and a lot of it is not so fruitful. In some cases it is down right futility. I have been a participant in both camps of ministry. After 36 years of examining my own path in ministry it has become increasingly clear to me that most of my self appointed ventures lacked something. I would volunteer my services all the time because I thought in some way I could help. The problem with the self appointed volunteer method is that it completely disregards the leading of the Holy Spirit. I'm sure that the forces that war against God's people love the self appointed volunteer approach to ministry. The intentions are good but we all know about the path of good intentions and who might be leading us there. As Christians we are to be followers of Christ and we are to be led by the Spirit of Christ. We cannot be presumptuous in our walk but rather we should be abiding in and hearing from God through His Spirit. The way we should do ministry has been clearly modeled through the life of Jesus.

Jesus did not volunteer to do His Father's will, He was "Sent" to do His Father's will. The word apostle means "Sent one". Jesus was the first apostle or sent one (Heb 3:1). A call from God is a commission from God. It doesn't start with us. It starts with Him. Herein lies a problem that is vastly overlooked in the church. How many are sent verses how many are self appointed or volunteered. Whenever we abdicate the Lord's pattern for anything in our life we suffer the consequences of falling short in our endeavors.

It behooves us therefore to seek a fresh start in the Spirit. The Old Testament was the time of the Father. He was for us. The New Testament was the time of Jesus. He was with us(Emmanuel). We are now living in the time of the Holy Spirit (Christ in You). We cannot neglect the Holy Spirit or we will surely fall into the trap of being self appointed in what we do. If we are weary, it may because we are operating in our own strength and our own strength in insufficient to do the work that God calls us to do. It all starts with Him. It has to or we labor in vain.

The Local Church By Watchman Nee

My foundational beliefs and understanding of Christianity and the church was greatly influenced by China's Watchman Nee. I've recently been reading Nee's "Normal Christian Church Life". This is a wonderful little book about the formation of local churches and Christian community. When I read Nee's writing I am always amazed how clearly he see's and explains governmental issues in the church as well as his keen insight into life in the Spirit. Here is an excerpt from a chapter in Nee's Normal Christian Church Life.

If in a given place anyone believes on the Lord, as a matter of course he is a constituent of the church in that place; there is no further step necessary in order to make him a constituent. No subsequent joining is required of him. Provided he belongs to the Lord, he already belongs to the church in that locality; and since he already belongs to the church, his belonging cannot be made subject to any condition. If, before recognizing a believer as a member of the church, we insist that he join us, or that he resign his connection elsewhere, then "our church" is decidedly not one of the churches of God. If we impose any conditions of membership upon a believer in the locality, we are immediately in an unscriptural position, because his being a member of the local church is conditioned only by his being a believer in the locality. All the saved ones who belong to the place in which we live belong to the same church as we do. I mean by the church a scriptural church, and not a man-made organization. A local church is a church which comprises all the children of God in a given locality.

Doesn't that sound absolutely refreshing and simple? Wouldn't it be wonderful to wake up on a Sunday morning and gather together with believers in your neighborhood and local community instead of the devisive way we huddle together in our own little groups under a denominational or non-denominational label. Nee also goes on to define believer. Here is that excerpt:

How can we know who is a Christian and who is not? "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him" (Rom. 8:9). According to the Word of God, every person in whose heart Christ dwells by His Spirit is a true Christian. Christians may differ from one another in a thousand respects, but in this fundamental matter there is no difference between them: one and all have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within them.

The members of the church of Jesus Christ have the Spirit of Christ. We do not have unity with those who do not yet have the Spirit of Christ. Herein lies the problem with the American church scene. True believers are not gathering in their repective localities and so disunity occurs. We have folks organized and forced to be members of pseudo-christian communities and so there will always be constant division with the real church of Jesus Christ. The essence of what Nee is writing about in his book Normal Christian Church Life quenches my thirst for a simple understanding to the problems we face. It just sounds Normal.

Where is your treasure?

I have to admit that the presidential race has taken a toll on much of my thinking. Now that it is over I can see with much more clarity that the driving force behind our politics is money. The American treasure is the "American Dream" of economic fulfillment. I have lived the American dream. I have succeeded in that regard but I can readily see that the American Dream is really not what I treasure down deep in my heart. Way down deep, I treasure love and friendship. I treasure the gift of life that God has given me. I treasure my wife and family. I treasure God's grace. I treasure moments of deep passion and inspiration. I treasure the hope of the Gospel. None of these treasures depend on money. They are eternal.

The American lifestyle too often strips us of our deepest treasure. We lose ourselves in the pursuit of economic gain. When we can't find ourselves anymore then our life becomes a life of futility. The American political process is clearly in place to protect and advance the American Dream. It's obvious that the heart of America is all about its money. Christians try to infiltrate the political system to promote Christian values. This seems to be failing. You cannot legislate morality and values. They are matters of the heart.

Look at the two parties. The one on the left wants to give entitlements to the lower and middle class and make them government dependent. The one on the right wants us to become self dependent and free from government control to pursue the American dream. Either way you look at it, the focus is centered on what we do with our money.

We have unconsciously created a false treasure. A treasure that we cannot keep. Yes we can hand it down but is that the best inheritance for our children or are we just pushing them deeper into the cycle of economic gain.

I have learned from this election that I need to pursue real treasure. I want nothing more in life than valued friendship and the Lord's purpose for me with the years that I have left on this earth. I pray that all who read this will pursue the same and not be too caught up one way or another with the American political process.

Render to Caesar what is Caesars but more importantly render to the Lord what is the Lords. His treasures are eternal.

Matthew 6:21

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

The World Awaits

I'm sure that the terrorist element of the Arab world really hates George W Bush. He has made a shamble of their efforts. Iraq is closer than ever before to becoming able to self-rule independent of military aid from the USA. The European and Arab countries have a vested interest in this Presidential Election. A McCain victory would spell trouble for terrorist groups but Barack Obama could provide a 4 year window of opportunity for them. I have this gut feeling that sinister plans have been in the works by the terrorists for a long time but they have been hestitant to use them against Bush.

Economic recovery may take a back seat to defending ourselves if Obama wins. I hope that I am wrong. Obama has been a senator for four years and two of those years he has spent much of his time running for President. It really is amazing to me how he became the Democratic nominee with so little experience.

I kind of look at it this way. We will get the president that we deserve. It's the nation as a whole that will make this decision. What are we? What do we collectively embrace as truth and values. The answers to those questions will come next Tuesday and we will have to live with that choice for the next four years. God's principle of sowing and reaping will never be more evident in our nation. The furthur away that we drift from Him the more susceptible we become to corruption and immorality. Corrupt and Immoral societies make bad decisions.

What are we?

Hindsight is great but it's obviously always too late to cast light on the present. When we were gathering together at Doug and Jackie's we were all desiring the presence of God. The closest that we would come to sensing His presence was when we worshipped together. We desired community. We wanted something to happen that would generate a Spirit driven community. What were we to do? We all had families and responsibilities but the yearning in our hearts would not go away. The denominations offered us something different. We couldn't go there. I'm not sure that we were necessarily looking to organize but rather hear from God on what to do. I was growing a business and still practicing my morning sermons. The Vineyard offered us a chance to be autonomous but at the same time be a part of something. I would often attend the Vineyard church planting seminars in Columbus. They were interesting and gave me a good background on the Vineyard.

The Vineyard church planting emphasized values and practices. The Vineyard church plants reflected the values and the gifting of the church planter. That made each Vineyard unique in many ways. As much as I loved the Vineyard worship, I still felt a bit unsure of my connection. The Vineyard church planting movement progressed rapidly on the west coast. The east coast had very slow growth. I didn't pay attention to the cultural difference at the time but it is obvious to me now that planting a Vineyard church in Western Pennsylvania would prove to be very difficult. The suburbs of Pittsburgh was socia-economically much wealthier than the panhandle of West Virginia. Suburbs aren't real communities. That's how I see suburbia. Little towns are communities. Suburbs are outside the inner city community. City Vineyards seem to do better that suburban Vineyards.

Our hearts desire was to see a conquering community in northern Allegheny county and southern Butler County. In hindsight, those areas were deep into traditional thinking. Those of us that experienced the Holy Spirit often struggled to find kindred spirits. The remnants of Northfold became a large part of a new non-denominational church in another part of the North Hills.

We felt very alone in our quest but we loved each other and were willing to battle through the obstacles. We soon came to the conclusion that we had to have our own Vineyard and so off we went just like Abraham. We didn't know where we were going or what was going to happen. When you commit to something like this, all hell comes against it. Pioneers always receive strong resistance. The powers of darkness would much rather that we play church. We were all the way in the water now and there was no turning back and so 20 years after my initial coming to the Lord I was about to live a life in a dual role. I was about to give myself as a church planter as well as a business entrepreneur.

Keep in mind. The idea of church and community was still not very clear to those of us that had experienced the Holy Spirit. We were about to learn valuable lessons.

Next up.....

An Open Invitation..

Hearing the Lord......

Hearing God's Voice and knowing God's will, have always been my deepest desire. I have to admit that these two desires have too often escaped my grasp and are not often fulfilled. When I think about the reality of hearing God's voice, I readily admit that when I have actually heard from God, I had to respond in some way or at least be very humbled by His presence. This leads me to believe that many of us are wandering in a spiritual wilderness because we have no idea how to hear from the Lord. I have also concluded that hearing has a lot to do with our brokenness and attitude of heart. The road block of spiritual dullness that exists between us and the Lord is caused by the rebellion in our heart. Most of us do not see ourselves in rebellion. We think that we are learning the things of God and doing the best we can. That's my point. The best we can has very little affect on our ability to hear from the Lord.

I remember as a youngster growing up how I would tune out many of the things my father would say to me and then a day of reckoning would come. My ears would perk up after my dad would set me straight. I have a grandson and a granddaughter now and it is very easy for me to see the rebellion in their lives at two years old. They want to have their own way. We are born with this rebellion because we are born in sin. Loving correction and discipline brings the child back to the place where they can hear. Without discipline or correction then the child will grow insecure and have very little boundaries.

I would therefore conclude that hearing from the Lord is directly proportionate to our willingness to live under his authority as our Heavenly Father. If we dismiss the chastisement from the Lord then we will miss hearing from Him as well. When we first come to the Lord there is sometimes a violent collision of our will against His. When our will is broken and we see His goodness then the floodgates of joy open and His presence is very real in our lives. We are all eyes and ears to our loving God.

I love these verses in Psalm 51:

Create in me a pure heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

My toe is in the water.....

It was approximately 1991,92 that I began to venture out in an attempt to see if there were was anybody out there that had any interest at all in starting a new church. My friend Tom at Allstate was one place to start. Tom's background in the Lord and in ministry was with the Episcopal church. Tom was studying to become an Episcopal priest at one time. We enjoyed each other's fellowship but Tom lived in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and I lived in the North Hills. Tom and I would get together and share our thoughts on ministry but nothing really developed at first. As I prayed about where to start I began to think about Doug and Jacquie, a young couple from Valencia. I sang at their wedding. They were in my home group at Northfold. They loved Beatle music and they really enjoyed the songs that the Lord had given me. They were so easy to be with. There was something God-breathed in our relationship. It was easy to be together and it was fun.

I remember visiting Doug and Jacquie one day and actually ended up doing a live Beatle concert in their living room. They started to chime right in and sing along with me. Doug played the harmonica and Jacquie had a beautiful voice. The Beatle music soon advanced into some of the songs that the Lord had given me and I could sense the Lord's presence as we would sing and worship the Lord. It was as if God made the way for us to be together so that we could be edified and encouraged. After several off the cuff get togethers, it soon became apparent that we needed to be together. Doug and Jacquie were members of a Presbyterian church at the time and seemed discouraged about their overall experience there. Our conversations eventually gravitated towards the dilemma we all found ourselves in after leaving Northfold.

I loved being with Doug and Jacquie because their hearts were pure and they extended grace to me as I would share my heart about my journey. I was equally interested in their journey as well. They wanted more and so did I. Being together at least brought some momentary satisfaction and sanity while we were groping for answers. Eventually Doug and Jacquie decided to host a home group. I would do some teaching at times but most of our time together involved around worship and fellowship. It was the spark that we needed at the time. Our weekly gatherings created a lot of expectation merely because we knew how to enter into God's presence through worship. We would sing one song maybe 20 minutes or so depending on the leading of the Spirit. There was a sense that the Lord was the maestro and that He was leading the chorus. It was awesome.

As I look back, that was such a God thing. We all had questions. We all had life's myriad of problems and doubts but they would all be set aside when we came together in His presence.
My toe was in the water for sure now. I liked what we were doing. I liked it a lot.

Next up.....

What are we?

It's Time To Party!

Yesterday, Dar and I along with Pastor Ron and his wife Pat traveled down to Wheeling, West Virginia to celebrate the 60th birthday of my friend John Rasz who at the same party was also being acknowledged for his 2oth anniversary as Wheeling Vineyard's Pastor. It was a major trip down nostalgia road for me. There were so many people there that were a significant part of my walk with the Lord. It was quite the blessing to see them all in one place. I have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed at first because I have not seen some of them for over 20 years. The feeling that I had when I got home was one of gratitude. I wouldn't trade those relationships for any others in the world. The Lord has a master plan for all of us. The fact that you have people that appreciate you is his handy work. He wanted love and friendship for all of us and so we were made in his image to give of ourselves and receive from others this expression of friendship

Community and being together is necessary for us all to function as God created us. Thank you Lord for John's party as a wonderful reminder of the joy of having friends and fellowship.

I highly recommend parties!

Is The Sky Falling?

The financial crisis has surely affected the presidential race. There really isn't much else for Obama or McCain to talk about that has as much relative significance. The Global markets have followed suit fueled by the dilemma of the USA. The rest of the countries don't seem to have the where with all to administer a quick fix like the USA just implemented. The European countries are blaming each other. Is the Sky falling? I don't know for sure but the economics of mankind seem to be an area of extreme vulnerability. This is the kind of feeling that I get when a hurricane destroys our cities. We are rendered helpless. As advanced as we are, we cannot handle the fury of nature. Nature is an outside force. This economic crisis is a symptom of a much greater cause or influence. This comes from within. We are reaping what we have sown. The United States has some serious moral and ethical problems. What we are experiencing now as remedies are nothing more that an attempt to eliminate the symptoms.

It's very difficult for me to watch the political process unfold this fall because the real problems can never be addressed because they are not political. The problems we are encountering have a whole lot to do with the injustice that exists. We do not have the conscience to administer justice. We are too political. We are content with blaming each other. That is an injustice. You don't want your doctor to put a band aid on your cancer and then send you home. That would be suicidal. This is what we are doing with the economy. There are hearings going on in congress that are supposed to expose those responsible at AIG, Leman and others. I am very tired of all of this because somehow I never feel that justice is being served.

I am in great fear that we as a country are in danger of complete collapse because we lack the moral integrity to administer justice. In the private sector, there is no bailout. Heads have to roll. People get fired and replaced. This mortgage crisis happened because the oversight of those in control was just not there. The CEO's along with some of our congressional leaders were rolling in the dough with these bad mortgages until the folks they loaned the money to began to default one after another. No closing costs. No down payment. They just financed the whole thing just to get people through. Even a good gambler wouldn't take those odds. The downfall was inevitable. Some of this stems from a political agenda that wants to give the people in the lower socia-economic level the opportunity to have their own home. They get a lot of votes from this sector of society and so that is what I believe is the real motive. That's akin to giving a child a B in school that deserved a C or a D. Giving the child a B is supposed to make him feel better but it is actually presenting a false hope to the child. It's not the truth.

The congress needs innoculated with truth serum. Quit covering up. Quit blaming. Take responsibilty for what happened in the financial markets and then administer solutions. I think that congress is trying to do this now. I'm not sure how it is all going to turn out but this sure makes you want the government of God on this earth. We desparately need a righteous monarchy led by a perfect king. When He speaks, we listen. End of story. It is becoming very apparent to me that we cannot govern ourselves.

George

During the summer of 2007 I made a trip to Cannonsburg, Pa to meet a guy named George about purchasing some baseball cards. When I met George I soon learned that he had stomach cancer and that he was selling off his card collection a little bit at a time. I ask the Lord for opportunities while I'm working in the sports card business and George obviously looked like an opportunity. I visited George a few times and on my third visit, I ask his permission to pray for him. His wife Sandy was present. It seemed kind of awkward. He just met me. I told him that I may never see him again and that I couldn't leave without praying. He gave me the green light and so I prayed. George didn't have much to say after my prayer. He started talking about baseball cards again and so I at least left George that warm summer day with some prayer.

I remember on my way home from that experience the thoughts that were crossing my mind. Does anybody care about this man? He seemed so dry and had a very single minded focus. He just loved sports cards. George was a very small thin man. Quiet in his demeanor. He was one of those folks that you could easily dismiss in life.

I didn't think that I would ever see George again but it so happened that he knew the guy that I partnered with at my sports card store in Robinson twp. George stopped in one day late in November and we kind of renewed our friendship. George didn't look good to me. His stomach was protruding because the tumor inside him pushed his intestinal track through his stomach muscles. It was sad. He kept coming to the shop and we would talk. I kind of felt like nobody was available to talk to George about God or his place in eternity. I was reluctant to bring it up in the shop because I didn't want to scare him. I did bring it up one day and he seemed to want me to talk while he listened intently. He didn't comment much and I couldn't sense any emotion or clear indicator that he wanted to know more.

Three weeks ago George called me and wanted me to come to the house. He couldn't drive his car anymore. He was slowly dying. I visited George and his wife Sandy. He gave me a bunch of cards to sell for him and Sandy. He wanted me to help her financially with his collection. I drove home with his cards and while driving home I knew that I needed to go back soon. The Lord was tapping me on the shoulder to back and pray for him. I knew that I needed a time with George to talk to him about Jesus. I called a few days later and went back down to Cannonsburg to have a one on one with George about the Lord. He had a hard time carrying on a conversation but he was coherent and understood everything that I was saying. He and I prayed together for his place in eternity. I left feeling that I obeyed the prompting of the Spirit. It felt kind of strange but he had no one else in the world helping him through this time other than Sandy.

George died two days ago. Sandy Called me and ask if I would speak at the funeral. She was grateful that in her words "I was there to help him cross over". I just wanted to share this because I wanted you all to know that God doesn't forget about anybody. I'm sure that George sometime during his life cried out to God and so God sent me. Sandy said that George never went to church but read the Bible all the time. This event has given me more assurance that God makes a way for each and everyone of us. George had no church, no christian friends that I know of. He just read the Bible and I'm sure asked the Lord a lot of questions along the way. If we make any attempt to seek Him, the Lord will honor that. I remember when I cried out as a young man while in a drunken stupor and the end result was that He heard and rescued me from a life going nowhere.

Have a great day! I'm off to the funeral.

Political Trust is Fading Fast

This mess with the banking industry is the clearest indicator yet of our governments lack of integrity. The Republicans and Democrats both tried to put a band aid on this cancer and the people of this country revolted. I would be more concerned about the lack of trust in our government officials than I would be the financial fallout. It is becoming increasing clear that the upper echelon in government will go to great extremes to cover up the mistakes and corruption that exists in the financial markets. This creates a moral dilemma of huge proportions because the bottom line of our politicians has been exposed. I would have to say that this is the first time that I have ever been embarrassed at my governments behavior. The two parties are so self interested that all they want to do is blame each other. They look silly and they appear to be clueless about the proper solution.

We have a great problem in our country that is fueled by our economic status. We are the golden goose of the world and there are too many hands in the American money pot. Most of us don't even know how our tax money is really being used or should I say abused. Guess what? The money pot is you and me. The bail out proposal was thrown on our lap. We were called upon to fix it and most of us had nothing to do with the problem. Does that make you feel secure?

I see the financial crisis as a symptom of a much greater problem. We have a moral dilemma that is eating away at the beliefs of our founding fathers. Our government is too big. It is becoming a huge weight on the American people. Trust is fading and it is breeding fear and insecurity in America. This is dangerous. People will revolt if you frighten them enough.

Father, Forgive us

We know not what we do.

Is This For Me?

After the visit to Wheeling, Tom and I started to get together more often. He now became much more than a fellow Allstate agent. We became partners in pursuit of what we experienced at the Wheeling Vineyard. Tom was attending an Episcopal church and I was church hopping. We both were deeply touched by the Holy Spirit at Todd's farewell to the Vineyard. The Pittsburgh culture was not at all like the Wheeling crowd. It isn't that way today either. The folks from the panhandle of West Virginia were no match socia-economically with Pittsburgh suburbia. Their lives were simpler than the yuppie like atmosphere of the North Hills area. It was difficult for me to see a Vineyard in Pittsburgh because of the cultural swing. Most of the folks that I knew were white collar businessmen. Wheeling folks were steelworkers, coal miners, and tradesman for the most part.
The simplicity of the area seemed to have an affect on the culture of the Wheeling Vineyard. It was more laid back and very comfortable. The people in Wheeling didn't seem as self sufficient. There didn't seem to be the economic striving that was prevalent in the Pittsburgh culture.

I prayed daily about the possibility of a planting a Vineyard Church in Pittsburgh. There was nothing like it anywhere in the area. I had reservations about such an endeavor because I was so deeply ingrained in my business. I didn't even know how to start a church. I was desparate for the type of community that I witnessed in Wheeling. My heart was willing but I had no idea how a Vineyard would be received. Most of the folks that I knew were from the involvement that I had in my kids sports and school activities. Everybody seemed to be plugged in and involved in some denominational church.

So here I am. My wonderful early days in West Virginia were fifteen years behind me. The collapse of Northfold was about 10 years behind me and I yearned to be a part of something like the Vineyard. I had to either look for a place of kindred spirit or seriously consider seeking out those interested in a church planting adventure. My thoughts were centered on building something. In retrospect, I can see the good intentions but back then I could not see the cultural divide between suburban Pittsburgh and Wheeling, West Virginia. The people of Pittsburgh approached things differently. I was about to learn this the hard way.

Next up.........

My Toe Is In The Water

What's Missing?

I have seen a lot of religious fervor over the years and yet so much of it is so un-appealing to the average Joe. I have ask myself many times, What's missing? There appears to be a distinct separation between what is quote "religious" and everyday life. That makes religion very abnormal to most people and it should be. Doesn't institutional religion seem a bit off base when you consider that God is the author of man's life? I have come to this conclusion in my heart, the Lord is not interested in our religion. God is Holy for sure but men are religious by nature. Men push. God draws. Religion is what we peddle. Real life is what draws us closer to Him. We just don't get it for the most part. Many of us think that religious duties bring us closer to the Lord but I beg to differ. So what's missing?

I really think that we may be looking in all the wrong places to find God and to our dismay all we find is religion. How boring and discouraging is that? Where is God then? I can tell you this much. The Lord is found in the heart of man. The Bible says that Jesus is the light of man.

John: Chapter 1

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

I am therefore ready to conclude that Jesus is the sustaining light of the human race and along with that He was the the only one holy enough to reconcile us to our rightful standing with the Father. Here's the deal though. Religion has made this process of reconciliation a lifetime process of religious duty and not a personal relationship with God's life giving Son. Religion can't get past the death and the resurrection and therefore religion is always making us pay for something already accomplished.

So what's missing? I really believe that most of us are in the dark because of religion and never experience a life style of daily walking with the Lord and with our brothers and sisters. It's awkward for most of us to share our life with Jesus to others because most of us don't know what a life with Jesus is really like. We are constantly trying to get people to go to a building on Sunday to find the answers to life and you know what? Jesus cannot be confined to that kind of a religious box. It is too confining and too formal and too rigid. The Lord is the center of man's life and not the center of man's religion.

If you talk to people enough and hear them out you will hear and see a lot of God's image in their heart. The real connection starts to come when we recognize that we are all a part of this wonderful creation and that God is the the giver of life and that He enjoys much of what we are and have done with the gifts and talents that He has given us. What's missing? Forget about religion. Acknowledge Him! Look at the many blessings that you live with right now. See him in your life. He gave you all that you have. Acknowledge this with others and soon His wonderful presence will surround you and in dwell you. He is a Father in waiting and not a relgious monument.

His Powerful Presence

I can't remember what year exactly, but it was in the late nineteen eighties that I experienced a most wonderful event at the the Wheeling Vineyard. Todd had worked on his first church plant for about five years by now and the Wheeling Vineyard had grown to around 400 people that met on Sunday at the Wheeling Day School gymnasium. I had no idea what was about to happen with my next visit but it was an amazing day to say the least.

I often helped Allstate in recruiting agents by allowing new candidates to visit my office to learn about the fundamentals of starting your own business. One fellow came to my office one day named Tom. We got along great and soon began to realize that we both knew the Lord and both had similar experiences coming to Christ in the early 1970's. Tom and I would meet regularly after he started with Allstate and it turned out to be more for fellowship than business. Tom yearned for the same things that I had on my heart and it just so happened that He and I made the trip together to the Wheeling Vineyard on this special day. I wanted Tom to experience the worship and the laid back feeling of the church. My friend John played in the worship band and so I felt right at home there.

It just so happened that the day that Tom and I chose to visit was Todd's farewell to the Wheeling Vineyard. The minute that we walked into the gymnasium you could feel something. There was a presence that is difficult to describe. It didn't take long to figure it all out because the worship was long and intense with tears being shed by so many and then folks one by one would go up front and tell stories about how Todd came and loved them and encouraged them and that he would never be forgotten. Such raw emotion was hard to watch without having it affect you down deep inside. My buddy Tom was sitting right beside me and he kept gripping his chair seat tightly while tears were running down his face. He had never been there before but what he was witnessing was clearly touching him deeply. Testimony after testimony giving glory to the Lord and thanking Him for sending Todd. It was more than emotion, however. There was a powerful presence there. It was as if an invisible maestro of this great orchestra was leading the chorus. The Lord was there. It was the most powerful outpouring that I had felt since I came to Jesus back at Windfall.

Todd finally spoke. He brought his family to the front with him and said his goodbyes. He encouraged them all to fight the good fight and to continue on with what the Lord started in Wheeling. It was real life drama. These were young people devoted to the Lord and to their young apostle. After the service Tom had to call his wife. He was visibly shaken. He was crying and he couldn't stop shivering with joy and laughter. We rode home together wondering what all that meant. What were we to do now? How do we continue?

Next up........

Is this for me?

Political Campaign is Cranking Up!

This presidential election was pretty boring about a month ago but a lot has happened since the announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain's vice presidential candidate. I saw on television last night that McCain-Palin are now ahead in the polls. I have to admit that Sarah Palin is much more interesting to me than John McCain. It seems a lot more like an Obama-Palin race now. Barok and Sarah are certainly personality dynamos. It's amazing how much charisma and charm affect the political soul. It almost disregards the issues and replaces them with who is currently winning the personality contest. I suppose that we are left up to trying to figure out which campaign is the campaign of substance. This is where I have the greatest difficulty. I'm just not sold out on the fact that any President elected can bring sweeping reform.

The polls indicate that we are divided right down the middle again just like the George Bush election. I guess that the swing votes will come from who the independents like. This announcement of Sarah Palin has really made this thing much more fun to watch. Sarah has strong roots in the Lord and so it is good to see her in the race. I'm not sure that she even thought this was possible when she became Governor of Alaska.

The Righteous Monarchy

After watching over 50 years of political pundancy I would have to conclude that there is no man made form of government that can govern without corruption, dishonesty, and personal gain. We are just too flawed to expect anything else. Watching the Obama-McCain campaigns is starting to grate on me because no matter who becomes president they rarely fulfill any promises. The reason in part for that is that we are a government of checks and balances. That means that no matter what we enact the other side is skeptical and critical leaving a large portion of the population confused. The check and balance type of government is the two party charade that we hide behind called conservatism and liberalism or more commonly known as Republican and Democrats. It is by far the best of the worst governing bodies in the world. The single most important issue for every American is the freedom that we enjoy and our country so far has done well to preserve. Some of that freedom is on shaky ground at the moment and if we ever lose that part of our heritage then I am sure that we will self-destruct with our own corruption.

Having said all that I yearn for the government of God on this earth. I'm tired of having everything being up for debate. I want someone to say this is how it's going to be and that will be the final answer. That kind of governing can only occur if the person governing is 100% perfect. Do you get the picture? Jesus Christ is the King of kings so say the scripture and some day we who know him will reign with him and under His authority. We won't have to check and balance anymore because He is the Alpha and Omega of all truth. What a relief!

I'm looking forward to His government.

The Righteous Monarchy

The Birth of the Wheeling Vineyard

While I was pursuing my career in insurance my friend John was sharing community with some of the old gang down in West Virginia. I would visit occasionally and during one visit I found that John and Marilyn were making frequent visits to Wheeling. The arrival of young Todd Hunter from the Anaheim Vineyard was starting to develop into something. Todd was around 21 years old when he arrived. He got a job at a McDonald's and began to spread the word. When his fellow workers would ask him why he moved from California to little old Wheeling Todd would promptly reply, "The Lord sent me here to start a church". Todd really didn't have the look of a pastor. He would often wear clothes that gave you a clear indicator of where he came from. He wore real colorful surfing shirts that clearly defined him as west coast.

Todd began evangelizing the Wheeling area's young people. He started one small group of new believers and after a short period time he would start another. Young people were coming to Christ through his ministry and along with the new believers came an up beat style of Christian rockin' roll. The groups continued to grow because the Lord was in charge of this mission for sure. When the Lord speaks clearly and we obey then great things will happen. I was watching this from afar and my heart began to soar with excitement because it reminded me so much of my beginnings. Now that I look back I can see the difference between Todd and I. He was plugged into and commissioned by a body of believers. This had to give him great assurance of his mission as he traveled 3000 miles to a city completely unknown to him.

The Wheeling Vineyard grew against all odds. The area was depressed because the steel mills went down. Wheeling certainly didn't fit the demographics for the optimum church plant. There was one ingredient that made it all work and to His glory it was because the Lord himself prompted Todd to move to Wheeling. The Wheeling Vineyard surely smacks in the face of our business like approach to church planting. The Wheeling Vineyard grew into many small groups in a short period of time without meeting in a central location. The power behind the growth was ignited by a powerful move of the Holy Spirit. It was exciting to watch it grow. I truly envied what was happening there because a lot of my old gang eventually became part of the church.

I was so encouraged to see this happening in Wheeling and yet I saw no such thing developing in Pittsburgh. I was very much entrenched in my business but I continued to visit Wheeling on occasion. I saw what Todd was doing and it was miraculous. I knew what he was experiencing because it happened to me on a smaller scale in Follansbee. It gave me hope that God was still moving. I continued to practice my early morning sermons and journal before every work day. I still yearned for a rekindling of the fire that once moved me.

Next up....

His Powerful Presence.....

The Language of The Lost

The way people think is clearly revealed by what you hear them say. There is no getting around that. We speak loudly about what we believe and what we depend upon when the going gets tough. The resourceful self-made American has a lot to draw upon. People that never come to know Christ have a language that expresses a lot of humanistic philosophy. The same old man made moral approach to living is often expressed by those who live their lives without ever acknowledging God.

You would think that Christians in America would be speaking a different language. I have noticed over the years that Christians talk less and less about their personal encounters with Jesus. Instead, their language revolves around precepts and doctrine. Folks talk about the great sermon. They ramble on about church attendance or the successful turn out at one of their events but it seems to me that you rarely hear them talk about their relationship with Him. Our language is a clear indicator as to what we are all about. There has been a gradual shifting of our focus over the years. Eventually we move things that are heavenly and make them earthly so that we can have control over every situation.

Are we missing God because of this? You bet! I am firmly convinced that for the most part very few of us know what God is saying anymore. Hearing from God means a whole lot less of us and a whole lot more of Him. The scripture speaks very clearly about losing our life to gain His. Yes, it costs us something to deny ourselves in order to hear from God. It's a price very few want to pay. The odd thing about our unwillingness is that it is costing us in a different way. I yearn for the days when we inquire of God. I like the fact that I don't know what's going on and resting in the fact that HE does. I'll never know anything clearly aside from Him anyway.

Lord,

You have such patience, love , and grace. You hear us speak a language that says nothing about you and yet you let us remain here on earth. Your love is extravagant and far reaching. Your patience is beyond human imagination and your grace is without question the mercy you give to all of us.

The Vineyard

My success in the insurance business started to grow and yet I still yearned deep in my heart for a return to ministry. I still made regular trips down to West Virginia to visit John, Marilyn, and a gang of old friends. In the early to mid-1980's there was a movement that began to stir out in California. It was later called the Vineyard when adopted by John Wimber who at that time was a church consultant and a former rockin' roller who played keyboards in the 60's. I loved the beginnings of the Vineyard church. Apparently there were a number of former Christian leaders and pastors that were totally worn out by church. In a last ditch effort to keep some kind of community alive they would meet in a home somewhere in Southern California. The gathering was at first depressing and actually quite embarrassing because those that gathered were tired and weary of each other as well. There was nothing new under the sun that they hadn't tried and so they seemed destined to walk away from the whole church scene until one particular gathering took place that changed their lives forever.

Apparently in this one gathering they openly began to confess their bitterness and resentment that they had for each other and the frustration began to mount and then it happened. The Holy Spirit embraced the group as they began to confess their faults one to another and they all broke down into deep remorse and wept for hours. This "Great Sob" experience continued into the next day and into the next few weeks as the house where they were meeting began to fill with repentant believers from all over the area. The house was filled daily from room to room and yet not much was spoken as the people entered. There was just a lot of weeping and cleansing going on. The Lord came in a mighty way to wash them and revive them. Many were saved during this experience and yet no one attempted to organize or make anything out of what was taking place.

After several months, John Wimber was invited to meet with this group to give his opinion of what had just taken place. The funny thing about his initial impression is that John Wimber didn't think that this fledgling group was going anywhere and he didn't really have much direction for them. It really didn't matter what John Wimber thought initially, the Lord had plans for him. The group eventually invited John to Pastor them and Wimber could not resist the promptings of the Lord. John Wimber was appointed as Pastor of this gathering later to be called Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

The Vineyard grew leaps and bounds and eventually found its way to Wheeling, West Virgina. The story of the Wheeling Vineyard is incredible. A young man in his early 20's named Todd was sent to Wheeling, West Virgina to plant a church. When the Lord spoke to him about Wheeling, he didn't even know that there was a Wheeling, West Virginia. The Lord was on the move and a great story was about to be written right under our noses about 60 miles west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was able to see this happen and for the first time in many years I saw hope for the church.

Next up......

The Wheeling Vineyard

Alienation of the Saints

When we are all doing the same thing under the guise of religiously activity there is very little persecution and for that matter very little alienation that takes place. We read in the scriptures about the persecution of Paul, Timothy and others and it makes you wonder about what we are doing here in America that is really cutting edge. As long as the church stays confined and organized there will be no persecution and alienation of the saints and in doing so we will never experience the real life and power of God.


I do find it refreshing when someone has developed conviction over something. It sets them apart. They have made a stand and because they have made a valued decision they will surely suffer some kind of persecution or alienate themselves from others. It is that kind of person that often leads the way. When a stand is made and ultimately bears fruit or proves to be right then others jump on the bandwagon. I see a whole lot more followers than I do leaders anymore. Too many want to stay in the middle and live a non-committal life style. How boring is that? Being a 60's guy, I'm used to stirring the pot and I suppose that I will be doing some of that in the days ahead. Stay Tuned!

Having Some History...

Having some history is a nice way of saying that you are getting older. I have to admit that things feel a bit different on this side of the timeline. You actually can look back and see what kind of decisions that you made and how they formed your life. My mother is going to be 90 years old this October and she continually talks about the experiences from her past. I guess that at age 90 there is a lot more behind you than ahead of you and so it makes perfect sense to hear her talk about the things during the days of her youth.

In some ways having too much past can interfere with your present if you are not actively pursuing life and God's purposes for your life. I have had an interesting life already and so I feel like I could write a sequel to Jimmy Stewart's movie about "A Wonderful Life". The present at age 61 doesn't feel like the present at ages 25, 35, 45, or even 50. There are some positives about this age for me. I've had gray or white hair for about 15 years. I told everybody along time ago when my hair turned completely gray that when I turned age 60 I would still look the same and that everybody else would look older.

I also do not think that I could have been a blogger back in the day. I wouldn't have been able to sit still for this. My recommendation to those of you that are in the early stages of your history is to understand that your decision making is your control to what you put on your historical calendar. Decision making is difficult for us when we have dubious character. Character is the basis for our decision making and so it behooves us to develop good character. There were times when I learned from my mistakes and there were times that I ignored them only to find those same mistakes repeating themselves over and over again until I decided to change.

The Bible refers to this principle as "Sowing and Reaping". If we do not know Christ then we go through life with a corrupted character and we are bound to reap some terrible consequences. Knowing Christ at least permits us in part to partake of His character and therefore we make better decisions because we have His life living through us. That was my saving grace. The Lord's influence on my life gave me a chance and I am so grateful to Him.

Success, I guess?

Well, that first year with Allstate started out very slow and ended up at a very hectic pace. Frieda and I accumulated hundreds of prospects over the phone and I ended up writing over 400 policies in 9 months. I was awarded by the Western Territory as " 1986 Rookie of the Year". I described prospecting to many of my fellow agents as nothing more than faith. Sales were the "Substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen" and that faithfulness and commitment was my part in the process of faith. After all, that was my directive from the Lord. It was kind of cool to see things happen so quickly and yet I can attest that the long hours really did pay off. I remember receiving my award at the Agents annual awards meeting. I also won a trip for Dar and I to Bermuda and so that was a very good year for me.

Was this what God wanted for me or was He teaching me something about faithfulness? I didn't try to figure all that out back then. I just accepted the fact that consistent hard work produced good results. This was a whole new world for me. I started to see the insurance business as a vehicle that could utilize my talent and also benefit my family. I was free to be creative and make decisions. I was able to experiment without apprehension. I knew after that first year that this was just the beginning of my success story with Allstate. I was going to make a mark for sure. I knew that my time had come in the insurance business.

Those were very exciting days and my ministry desire wanned a bit but never really left. Even at the peak of my success I would often wish that I was being recognized somewhere by the church instead of the insurance business. This is when I realized that God's impact on my life would never leave me. No matter how much success I enjoyed in the world it truly paled in comparison to the excitement that I had serving Him as I did in those days back in Follansbee.

Success? I guess, but the deepest joy was reserved only for Him. I became spiritually dull at the time but I could always count on His faithfulness to keep me in line.

Next up.....

The Vineyard

Practicing My Preaching

So here I was with a new career located in a shopping center store location. My fellow elder had since left his wife and so I hired her to help me build the business from scratch. Her name was Frieda. We would work from nine in the morning until nine in the evening and it was hard work. We were doing telephone prospecting because we had no accounts. We had plenty of room to grow. That's the business side of what was going on at that location but there was something deep going on inside of me. I felt like the insurance business was just a temporary interruption to what God really had in store for me. I didn't know what journaling was Per Se but I started a daily journal back in 1986. I still have the first three years of that journal and when I read it today I can still feel the loneliness that I felt at the time.

My day would start about 7:00 AM. I would arrive at the office two hours before Frieda and I would begin to journal. I made a lot of assumptions back then and some of them were wrong I suppose but I had this idea in my head that God wanted me to prepare myself for something that He would reveal to me in the days ahead. My wife and family were not privy to this. I was very private about what I was doing in that office every morning. I started writing sermons and memorizing scripture. I would stand up and rehearse behind an imaginary pulpit. After all, that is what I now perceived the ministry to be. I was very articulate and dynamic while practicing. One day the cobbler next door came to his shop early and heard me preaching. I was so embarrassed at first but he stopped over and started asking all kinds of questions. He was a lonely young man. He didn't know anything about God and was confused by his childhood. We struck up a good friendship.

My early morning prayers were almost always the same. I was always pleading with the Lord about what to do about the ministry and the church. My wife was actually kind of happy to see me away from the church scene and working at Allstate. At least I had some direction and that gave her some security I suppose but my heart was never in the business. I became very efficient at the business and I loved the competitive nature of it all but I had a love-hate relationship at best while selling insurance. My favorite time of the day was that 7:00 AM time with the Lord. When that time was over, I would turn on another switch and become the consummate business entrepreneur.

At least the cobbler heard one of those sermons and I was content searching and praying all by myself. I didn't want to involve other people because I thought that this was my time to be with the Lord and sort things out. I resisted fellowship for quite awhile. Going to church somewhere never entered my mind. The churches just seemed to be more of the same. I wanted my relationship with the Lord renewed and I was yearning for Him to empower me like the days in Follansbee but it never happened and so this was definitely a wilderness walk for me. My family loved me and supported me in most things but nobody really cared about my calling other than myself and so I was in a very dry and lonely place.

Next Up...

Success, I guess?

God is Silent

You will read over and over again in the Old Testament about the long periods of time when God was silent. People just did not hear from God. When I read the Bible about such times I wrestle with our present day relationship with God. It seems that every church seems to have heard from the Lord and they are out and about doing the Lord's work. My only conclusion about what is happening is that if we are truly hearing from God then the overall results would have to be better. If you are one of those folks that do not really know what God is saying in the midst of all this religious activity then I would say that your position is unique and that you are onto something.

I know that as a father when I am silent around my children that I am often deeply disturbed about something to the point that my communication is rendered useless because I know that my children are not listening when I speak. They are too busy doing their own thing and acknowledging me may be an impediment to them. That is very frightening to me when I think about our Heavenly Father because without His voice and guidance the world is on a collision course with disaster.

My gut feeling is that God is silent right now because when God truly speaks then humility and reverence becomes a part of us because we find that we are no match before an awesome God when He speaks. I've read a number of books. There are a lot of wonderful incites and excellent observations about the condition of the modern day church but I still feel that it hasn't happened yet. Maybe God really has to use the foolish things and the base things to confound the wisdom of men. God's word may land on an unsuspecting soul whose heart is pliable in His hands. That's my hunch. I don't think that He is going to speak through the institutionalized church. They aren't truly interested in what He has to say because they are too busy being who they are. Yes, we do take ourselves seriously. I have done it myself.

The Interview

So here I am in the early 1980's with apparently no future in the church and a heart gone astray because of the circumstances. I had my wife and three children to support and so I had to make a go of it in the insurance business. I never really committed myself to the insurance business because I was hanging on to the ministry as my possible life's vocation. That possibility no longer existed and so I had to commit my time and energy into selling insurance. The Lord had already spoken very clearly that His basis for promotion would not be my talent. It was faithfulness and commitment that the Lord was after in me. For the first time in my life, I was ready to go all the way and aggressively pursue a career. I had already interviewed at a number of places but there was one job interview that really intrigued me. It was with Allstate Insurance. I could actually see myself as an Allstate agent and I finally got an interview with their manager. His name was Bud McDevitt.

The day of the interview came and I prayed that the Lord would be with me and give me the right words to say. I'll never forget that interview because I became very confident and actually a bit cocky during the process. I was always impressed with the ferocious Jack Lambert of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the epitome of commitment and success during the Steeler Super Bowl years and so I told Mr McDevitt that if he would hire me, I would become the Jack Lambert of Allstate insurance. He laughed and our conversation suddenly turned into a football chat. It didn't take too long after the interview for Mr McDevitt to call me and offer me the job. May 1st, 1985 I became an Allstate agent. My world had changed dramatically. My focus had changed dramatically and yet way down deep inside I still yearned for the things of God.

Next up....

Practicing what I could Preach

Ba-Ba Black Sheep

Did you know that the wool on a black sheep is very beautiful? The problem with the black sheep is that they are commercially undesirable to the textile industry. They are not useful and so they are not wanted. I find that so intriguing because the comparison of the textile industry to the commercial church industry is so obviously parallel. Not all of the churches in America are corporate business machines but the thinking behind the majority of them is quite similar. In the textile industry the industry comes first. The natural resources that it uses is essential to it's success. Black sheep are not essential. Their wool cannot be dyed. The black sheep has therefore become symbolic of the undesirable and disreputable. We have all heard about about the black sheep of the family. They just don't fit in with the others. In the 18th and 19th century the black sheep was considered as the mark of the devil in England.



So, through no fault of its own, the black sheep struggles for acceptance. There is no legitimate place in society for this poor wretched animal. When I think about the black sheep, I think about the many Christians that I have known over the years that just didn't seem to fit in with the business of church. The folks that I am talking about are not the free spirited and rebellious but actually quite the opposite. They want to give themselves and many have given themselves only to be spurned by the commercial church. They were commercially undesirable. They would ask the wrong questions. They would stir things up that upset the flow of business.
I was a businessman most of my life and I know how business operates. What have you done for me lately is kind of the going attitude.

Don't be surprised if you see The Lord do something about this in the days ahead.

As The Word says:

1 Corinthians 1:26-28

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

He knows that we struggle......

Life doesn't run smoothly. There are always a number of little bumps and an occasional big bump in the road. If you live in Pennsylvania then you are also dealing with a life full of potholes. It's symptomatic of our region. Maybe some of the anxiety comes from the feeling that we always have to be right and that we can never make a mistake and that if somehow we can come close to always being right and very close to being mistake free then our life will run smooth. The problem with that kind of thinking is that it all revolves around our own behavior with no regard for the unforeseen or other people. This self-imposed pressure that so many of us put on ourselves is often cruel and self demeaning. We just don't understand our condition. We don't understand that we are flawed. We are flawed because the human race has a broken relationship with God. We have interrupted His perfect plan for us by inventing plans of our own and the lunacy of devising our own way is costing us plenty.

We can't control our desires because we are flawed and so often times our desires become obsessions that ultimately begin to own us. Do you know who and what owns you? What is your bottom line. Where do you hang your hat? What's your base when all is said and done? In other words, what is motivating you as you journey through life. This can fluctuate for sure but sooner or later you will set your course or like many wander aimlessly with no base at all.

We really take ourselves way too seriously. While we are on this journey, did you ever wonder where God is in all this chaos. The only way I can begin to understand God is by understanding how he made us and in particular the characteristics of fatherhood and motherhood. When I watched my children growing up it was difficult at times to see them struggle. I also knew that it was not my place to always barge in and try to fix every problem or my kids would have felt suffocated and oppressed by their own Dad. The best moments were when my kids would come to me for help. They would give me permission to speak into their life and so I knew that what I offered at least had a chance to be received. If we are overbearing with our children they won't come to us with an open heart.

Having said that, why would we view God's position with us any other way. We are created in His image and with His attributes and so God too is waiting for us to come to Him. He knows that we struggle and is waiting for us to cry out to Him. Many folks interpret the silence of God as indifference but I would suggest that He is not intrusive but rather a Father in wait. He is active in the affairs of the world. He has everything under control and everything that is going to happen to the future to the world is in the Lord's hands but our individual relationship with the Lord is a separate matter. The next step is always ours. He is a Father in wait. Can you imagine how much we could get resolved if we would turn to Him. We may not get all the answers that we want but we will always receive His grace that enables us to go through anything, even death.