Heart Hunger

On August 11, 2008 I fell over clinically dead in the airport in Albuquerque. My physical heart was very sick. Since then I have studied the many, many times the word heart is used in the bible......whole heart, wounded heart and on and on. How about our spiritual heart? How about your spiritual heart....my spiritual heart? For the last several weeks I have been using "Experiencing His Presence" by Tommy Tenney. Take a moment and read the following quote.
"Please show us you face. We are passionate for one thing--YOU. Set our hearts on fire with hunger; make us miserably desperate for more of YOU. Set YOUR coal of hunger and holiness on our tongues and in our hearts. We long for YOU.
Let YOUR fire burn in our churches; let the fire blaze in our homes. It's not man that we want; we want YOU, Lord. Show us YOUR face, God.
Good words for the church....an even Greater God!

Now is the time....

                                             "........men ought always to pray and not faint." Luke 18:1
With the bombardment of grievous emails.....the one this morning revealing that our crumbling society just hasn't happened......duh! That certainly is not new news. Our morality, education, spsiritual stability have all taken

Yesterday.....friend or foe?

During the years that I pastored a wonderful bunch of folks at Faith Mountain Church in Red River, NM I said on a number of occasions "Yesterday will kill you if you let it." All of us have "yesterdays" that we wished had never happened. I'm not talking about the inevitable days of illness or death. I'm talking about times when we preformed very poorly or worse. Actions that perhaps still haunt us....still bring pain to our hearts. In their book "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" Dr.Paul Brand and Philip Yancey tell of amputees still feeling sensation in a phantom limb. Somewhere, locked in their brains, a memory lingers of the nonexistent arm or leg. For a few, the experience includes pain. Doctors watch helplessly, for the part of the body screaming for attention that does not exist."

For those of us you are followers of Jesus, we can and must move on from the pain of our yesterdays. In Philippians 3:13b we find these liberating words "....I've got my eye on the goal, where God is calling us onward- to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." The Message. God is well aware of all of our yesterdays....Move on now. Forget(to lose out of mind: Strongs) and move on. We are not helpless.....
Grace and Peace

Do we pray......or do something else?

Been getting any emails lately that have a political theme? I haven't counted, but I would guess I receive at least 3-4 or more a week. Since we are entering into a "political season" I  suppose these emails are inevitable and perhaps even necessary.  I've begun to reflect on how I have been responding to some of these missives. Although we all are obligated to be informed, we are also accountible how we respond to these emails.......some of which press the standards of edification. You've seen them.
SOME REFLECTIONS IF YOU WILL:

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority( high position, superior in rank or character Strongs) , in order that we may lead a tranquil and quite life in all godliness and dignity." 1 Tim 2:1-2
As is always the case with our Father, the choice is ours. I am pressed to pray for Kings....or Presidents!
What could happen if there was a fresh wave of the body of Christ praying fervently for all those in authority?
Just a thought.......or perhaps more than a thought.

WHY LEADERS LOSE THEIR WAY

Wonder way folks in high profile positions sometimes fall.......? I remember a letter from my Mom when I was attedning Baylor a "few" years back tellng me that our pastor had fallen morally. I couldn't believe it .....no way! Well since then I have seen or read countless leaders who lost their way. From an article by Professor Bill George we can see some factors that might lead to demise.
Leaders have a high profile. Leaders are often held in high regard....maybe too high regard. In what Dr. George calls the leadership trap....when leaders begin to focus on external gratification instead of inner satisfaction. Little by little they can drift from the right path.
George's answer is accountability and shifting from being heroes to servants. Rings a bell doesn't it..."the first shall be last and the last shall be first." Let me close with this quote from former U.S. Senator  John Ensign who resigned after a moral failure: "When one takes a position of leadership, there is a very real danger of getting caught up in the hype surrounding that status....Surround yourselves with people who will be honest with you about how you really are and what you are becoming, and then make them promise to not hold back..from telling the truth."
Blessings dear ones.

GRACE

Grace! What a great word.....and even a greater reality for the followers of Christ.
                  "My grace is sufficient for you." 2 Cor. 12:9
The word sufficient carries with it the idea of a root thought of protection.....Wow! The word means enough, contentment. His grace is not only favor. but power. Power over lack, difficulty, worry.

"Never change God's facts into hope and prayers, but simply accept them as realities and you will find them to be powerful as you believe and live them out."  H.W. Peploe

"We are as we love."

The title quote was written by Richard Sibbes a long time ago....but it's truth still rings so very true. Scripture tell us to "..love not the world.." How you doing? I find that loving the things of the world comes pretty easy.....and sneaky! More stuff, more this, more that....I imagine you too know the drill. Let's look at the wonderful positives of love.....love HIM, love one another. As you know, this kind of love simply LOVES!!  No strings, no correct actions.....we love because HE first loved us. Take time to read 1 John4:7-21. Is today a good day to refresh our love.......I think so!
A quick note....thanks for you prayers for Golden's CLASS conference. It went well.
Blessings,
Blaine

God's call

Greetings to each of you.....
Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, when discussing God's dealing with Israel wrote: "...the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Rom. 11:29. Not only does this apply to Israel, but to us as well.
All of us are gifted(1 Cor. 12:2) and all of us are called...this verse and 2 Tim. 1:9. If this is true and it is then we each need to be about the Father's business.
Gods business for me at this time in my life is Mission Marketplace. As most of you know God has led me to start a business chaplain's ministry. I love my call and would ask that you pray with me for our Father lead me to the right clients. Would you join me in praying for His plan to come forth? Thanks so very much.
Pray too for Golden and me as we go to San Antonio this Friday. Golden will be ministering at a CLASS workshop. CLASS is her writers and speakers group. We will be doing some marketing too for book four "His Steadfast Love."
Blessings

An Unending Mission Field

“The concept of mission is very important to us,” says Moore. “We use the company as a platform to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people we can. That’s where our heart is. Our business is a mission field.” So says Bill Moore, Mid-West busines owner. A new concept....hardlly! Jesus says..."as you go preach." Early in His public ministry He said: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." The work shine means to radiate. I like that....better still our Father likes it too...Shine today!

     

Do you think Jesus is flabby?

"Exercise daily in God-no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is so far more so, making you fit both today and forever." 1 Timothy 4: 7-8, The Message.
One of the things that I had to do after my heart attack was a stress test. I did everything that the folks told me to do.....faster, slower, higher, etc. I swaggered into where Golden had been waiting and replied " I nailed that test." The cardiologist begged to differ with me..."You failed it bigtime." That's her exact words.
Is it possible that concerning our spiritual health(as well as our physical health) we can deceive ourselves?
Certainly!! Spiritual growth is essential for each of us......times of steady growth, times of very slow growth, times of very, very slow growth, but growth none the less. Simon Peter says: "You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...."
So beloved, let's get growing........Blessings

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.....My how I loved to preach on Father's Day. Why? Because I had been such a great father? .I think if you were to ask our girls if I had been a good father they would very likely say yes. However,
when one of our daughters said "I want to marry a man like Daddy." Golden chuckled and replied " Sweetie Dad hasn't always been like he is now". My point: I made plenty of rookie mistakes early on with our three wonderful daughters. Trial and error....with way too many errors. As I grew I began to do things like our Father wanted me to...good decisions became more prominent than bad ones. What's the old saying "Live and learn."
Father's day sermons became a time of practical review of my pilgrimage. Just last week I met a young father and I quickly exhorted him that "you have the most important job you will ever have in loving and raising your children."
Happy Fathers Day, men

Wow, what a wonderful message we heard at church yesterday. Chris Bennett, pastor of  Antioch Church in Norman, OK gave a powerful sermon on Honor. Some of the powerful points where:
"We as believers must place a high value on honor."
" The foundation of honor is love,"
"God calls us UP, before He calls us OUT." Chrs was talking about Gideon.
"We can celebrate who someone is without stumbling over who they are not."
A whole lot more....Chris challenged us to "...create an atmosphere of honor in our families, our churches and our businesses. Last quote: "In you dealing with people, do you see ths sin or do you see the saint."
Blessings,
Blaine

Hang in there...

"Men's best successes come after their disappointments."  So said Henry Ward Beecher.  Way to go Mr. Beecher. God says "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." What's on your plate today? Regardless of what it is, take heart.....do the right thing(do good) and our Fatherr will see you through.

Open New Doors

"I need a volunteer," the boss said. Like everyone else at the table, Peter inwardly groaned: high effort...short deadline....pressure. Who volunteers for that?

Answer: Peter did...half-heartedly. Then his pride kicked in, and he gave the work his best effort. It never grew easy or pleasant. But there's something about throwing yourself into a task. When Peter finished, his boss said two things: "Nice job." And "I won't forget this."

Jesus said---and managers know---that the person faithful in little will be faithful in much. Peter might add, now, that even dead-end projects, well done, can open new doors....in the high calling of our daily work.  

                                                                  Open New Doors
                                       Howard Butt, Jr Laity Lodge
Want to be trusted with more.....read Luke 16:10
Blessings, Blaine

Good Morning

Good Morning....."this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." What opportunities are avalable for us today. One that I know for Golden and me is our first Waco Chamber of Commerce luncheon. We are excited about His call on our lives and are looking forward to this day which He has made.
How about you? Blessings dear ones.

PRISONER a finalist in AWSA's Golden Scroll Novel of the Year contest!

We just received news last week that Prisoner of Versailles is a finalist in the Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc. Golden Scroll Novel of the Year contest. The winners will be announced July 10 in Atlanta at the annual AWSA conference.We are very excited about this!!

Well, here we go.......greetings!

Mission Marketplace is about people healthy people, hurting people....all kinds of people. The aim of our ministry is to come alongside all, regardless of status or station, assisting them in their life's journey to live successfully. By addressing the inevitable issues of life, we see our role as both preventative and problem solving.

OUR VISION: To develop relationships with client employees that encourages friendship and trust. We believe that God sees everyone as a valuable. A key part of our vision is to convey that worth to all of our client's employees.