Weekend Review

I trust that each of you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. It is always a pleasure and honor to be able to recognize those special people that God has placed in our lives. I am blessed with a wonderful Mother who has invested in my life in so many ways. I am also blessed with a wonderful wife who God placed in my life over 37 years ago. God has certainly given me a "help meet" who has been at my side in these many years of ministry service to the Kingdom of God. My wife is a "great" mother and grandmother who is now investing herself in our family and the needs that they face on a daily basis. God has used my wife as an intercessor over the years of our marriage; not only for her immediate family but also for those that we have served during the Ministry. I can certainly rejoice and reflect on the blessings of God that He has provided me through the love of my mother and wife. This weekend reminded me of the need to be thankful for all the people that God has placed in my life. God has used many people to shape and mold my relationship with God. These people of influence have taught me much about God and about the reality of life. I have learned the need to offer my time and service to others. I have learned the joy of offering my life in service to God. I have learned the joy of surrendering my life to the Will of God. I could continue listing those Christian lessons that I have been taught by these people of influence that God has placed in my life at strategic times. Each of you could speak the names of parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, employers, etc. that have influenced your life in a positive way. I feel God encouraging me to remind the readers of this blog that we not only need to appreciate those people that God has put into our life but we need to express that appreciation to them. Don't miss the opportunity to express sincere appreciation to those who have played a role in your spiritual, physical, financial, and emotional development. We are thankful that they took the time to invest in our lives and we are thankful that they loved us enough to care. Take some time today and express thanks to those people that God has placed in your path of life. We were blessed to participate in an anointed service at New Day Worship Center in Lancaster, Kentucky. The local body welcomed us with a warm spirit of friendship and Christian love. It is always a blessing to be able to worship with the Family of God. Several people responded for prayer at the end of the message; burdens were lifted, hearts were encouraged, and the lives of people were influenced by the presence of the Spirit. We were blessed to be able to share the Word of God and pray with the people during the prayer time at the close of the service. Let us always remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ; many of our "family" are facing situations in which they need the intervention and direction of God.

Reflections

Yesterday was a travel day for me. I trust that you took time to pray for our nation, your community, your local church and your family yesterday. Every day needs to be a National Day of Prayer but it is a blessing to have those special times in which the Body of Christ corporately seeks the face of God. My vehicle became my prayer closet as I joined other Christians around this nation in crying out for the intervention of God in the affairs of our nation. On several occasions I was able to tune into various radio programs that had asked for people to call and record their prayers for our country. I was blessed as I listened to the various members of the Body lift their voices seeking for God to send His Spirit afresh and anew in our lives. I heard both old and young intercessors, I heard people from various ethnic backgrounds and people from various sections of our country lift their voices to God seeking for His direction. It is such a blessing and strength to be a part of the family of God and watch the other "family" members offer their prayers for me and the needs that I am facing. Many of us may be intimidated by the thought of prayer. We are concerned if we are praying in the right manner and using the right words. I read this quote recently and it reinforced my desire to pray even more. The writer defined prayer in this manner: "Prayer is simply having a conversation with God." If we could only take that approach when we come to God in prayer. Certainly we offer respect and reverence for God but we also need to remember that God has given us the opportunity to come to Him in prayer. It is God who has called us to draw near and make our needs known to Him. It is God who has sought to interact with mankind; it is God who has chosen to adopt us into His family through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Why should I fear prayer? Why should I be intimidated when I come before the presence of the loving Heavenly Father who has called me His child? I am always reminded of the simplicity of faith when I see a child or young person come forward for prayer during a revival service. Just to see them offer their request or need to God with sincerity reminds me that God will not turn anyone away who comes to Him in faith believing. Take a moment and review your thoughts concerning your prayer life. The Father is waiting to spend time with you; make yourself available to Him.

Knowing Christ

Special Notice: Many of you may have chosen to follow the revival this week through the live streaming of the services via the Internet. The Breezewood church staff wanted you to know that the provider of the service had some difficulties during the broadcast last night and they apologize for any inconvenience that you may have noticed. Last night's service was awesome as the Lord released the Word of God to the congregation; not only was the Word released but the Word was received by those in attendance. Once again the altar was full of people who were seeking after the presence of God. I truly believe that God spoke deliverance in the lives of many people. The anointing of the Spirit spoke freedom and liberty to all of us. This is the day in which we need to walk in our spiritual identity; we are children of the King and we need to operate our lives in the authority of His Kingdom principles. As I was praying this morning I was reminded of how important it is for me to become better acquainted with Jesus Christ. I can read books about Christ and His work in my life. I can even read the Bible and gather knowledge about His presence in the world and His desire to make a difference in my life. I can even sing songs about Christ and even sing songs to Christ; but all of these actions will never take the place of knowing Christ. The church can not afford to settle for less that a true relationship with Christ. This relationship must be growing and maturing every day. We can never learn everything concerning Him; His ways are higher than our ways. But we must have an ongoing hunger, passion, desire and recognition that encourages us to become better acquainted with Him. It is imperative and necessary that we become better acquainted with Him and with His revelation of truth. National Day of Prayer: Tomorrow is a day set aside for believers to intercede for our nation. Many churches are arranging times of prayer throughout the day for us to come together and cry out for the intervention of God in the affairs of our land. Surely all of us can recognize that we have a great need for God to touch our nation with spiritual renewal. The Body of Christ is in need of spiritual renewal and awakening; we must be about the "Father's business." I encourage you to participate in some way with your local church but also take some time for private prayer in which you intercede for your community and for the needs that are present. Also remember to pray for the leadership of our nation, both spiritual as well as all levels of governmental leaders. May God bless America is the cry of my heart!

Heart of God

Last night's service at the Breezewood church placed today's thought in my heart. We were able to experience the revelation of God's heart toward His people as we basked in the presence of His love. I know what many of you maybe thinking as you begin reading those words; you are thinking that you know all about the love of God. But is it possible to fully understand the love of God? Is it possible to fathom the depth and width of the love of God as He releases it in our lives? Pastor Donna, the local church Worship Leader, reminded us that it is possible that we may have "outgrown" the revelation of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world..." I do not want that statement to be a reflection of my view of the presence of God's love in my life. I want to cherish it more and more as I continue my life on this earth. I fully realize that there will be days in which I will need to walk in the depth and richness of God's love. There will be days in which I will need to be reminded that God "truly" loves me and that He has great concern for the welfare of my life. Today I encourage you to take a moment and rejoice in the presence and power of His love as you take today's journey down the road of life. Oswald Chambers provides this interesting thought today: "The Christian worker must never forget that salvation is God's thought, not man's..." He goes on to remind us that we can never fully comprehend all that His love entails for His creation. I have made this statement on several occasions; "God can not be defined in the term of one spiritual experience but God desires for us to experience Him everyday of our lives." As I am writing, I sense that some of you are like myself you need to experience the presence of His love today. You can remember that He loved you yesterday but you need to remember that His love is extended to you today. Don't lose sight of the declaration of truth, "God is love." His character reflects His love towards His creation and God desires to draw near to your heart as you live out this day in His presence and in His strength. The presence of God was awesome in the service last night. From the very opening of the Worship time we began to flow in the strength of the Holy Spirit. After a time of Worship and exhortation many responded to the leading of the Spirit. People brought physical needs, spiritual needs, emotional needs and even financial needs and laid them in the arms of the Lord. They leaned near to Him so that they could hear His heart for them. Many in the service was able to realize that God did care and that God was aware of their need and He responded in love. Pastor Bill, Sr. Pastor, reminded us at the close of the service that we don't base the meeting of our need on the emotion that we feel but we base our faith on the promise of His Word! Trust in His Word today and remember that God REIGNS in your life today.

Weekend Review

Pastor Bill and Donna Vines welcomed me into the Breezewood church with a very warm and gracious greeting. We are celebrating the one year anniversary of the Vines assuming the Pastorate of the Breezewood church and the Lord is blessing their obedience to the call of the Spirit. The church has remodeled their old school building into a state of the art Worship Center, and they have relocated their church offices into a building that also has been remodeled and it is located on the property adjacent to the new Worship Center. God is blessing the local body as they seek to make a difference in this community. I pray every day that God would raise that desire in the heart of the church in America; we need to make a difference in the lives of people that walk through our doors week after week. I have heard this question asked in various leadership conferences that I have attended; "If your church closed today would your community miss you?" Each day causes me to sense that God is calling each of us into a deeper love affair with Him. Is it possible that we have learned the role of "professional Christians" in which we have grown comfortable with the format of the church and we have learned how to make the appropriate response? We know when to stand, when to sing, when to give and we even know how to offer prayers. But do we know Him? Do we know Him in His great desire to have relationship with us. Do we truly believe that He is moving toward us and not away from us? Do we truly believe that God has a plan and purpose to make a difference in our lives so that we can make a difference in the culture of which we are a part. I truly hunger and thirst for that to become a stronger reality in the church in America. I am praying everyday for that to become a reality in the hearts of believers all across this nation. Will you join with me in that prayer? We are in great need of a spiritual awakening that will transform the heart and soul of America. I am convinced that God desires to do His work among us if only we will follow Him with resolve and courage.

Special Announcement

Greetings from the office of the Breezewood Church. You can watch the revival services on the Internet through the live streaming of the evening services. You can connect to the services by visiting the church's website at www.breezewoodchurch.org. Look for the information (upper right hand corner) that says USSTREAM.TV and click on the icon and it will link you to the services. The evening services begin at 7:00 PM. We hope you can join with us in the celebration of our great King and Lord!

Fayetteville, NC

I arrived in Fayetteville earlier this afternoon for the meeting at the Breezewood church. I am here to celebrate Pastor Bill & Donna Vines' one year anniversary as Pastor of the local church. I was here one year ago in revival and the Lord gave us a mighty move of the Spirit and I am anticipating an outpouring of the presence of God. I truly believe that this is the time in which God desires to send revival fire among His people; the harvest is ripe and we need to be involved with God in reaching people with the message of the Kingdom of God. During my drive over to this city I began to pray for the needs of this nation. Many of you have contacted us with various requests concerning yourself as well as other members of your family. I believe that God does answer prayer and I would like to ask each of you to agree with me in prayer for the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to stand together in faith and see God work in all of our lives. I desire your prayers this week as we seek to overthrow the powers of darkness that have encamped against the people of God. God is at work all around us and we need to take the time to identify His power at work. I desire to walk in faith and encourage my fellow believers to trust God with whatever they are facing.