Dare To Listen

May | 30 Faith – The Old Battle Ground & The Muzzling of The Lion

2011-05-30T01:30:00.000-07:00

Dream Word – ROAR

Amos 1:2
"The Lord roars from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers." NKJV

Faith – The Old Battle Ground & The Muzzling of The Lion

Today in 2008, Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was introduced by former President of the U.S.A., Bill Clinton, to the waiting press and gathered multi-faith communities in New York, where he announced his new ‘Tony Blair Faith Foundation.’ In Cliff Richard style, he declared that extremists from all religions should not sing all the good tunes and so went on to say that, ‘Faith is the New Battleground.’

In 2008, Blair’s New Faith Foundation advisory board, consisted of the dynamic duo of Evangelicalism in the form of Rick Warren and Nicky Gumble, who together in turn, extolled both the man and the initiative with superlative garlands such as ‘staggering, unique, necessary and prepared.’ Lining the way and also extolling this new interfaith initiative, alongside these notable Evangelicals of the early 21st century, were equally notable Anglicans, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Hindus, acclaimed academics all. Indeed, former Prime-Minister Blair, became one of the New Teachers of a Yale University course in ‘Faith and Globalization,’ and in addition to this, Blair’s new Faith Foundation through the academic guidance of Cambridge university, also supported ‘The Coexist Foundation’ in the setting up a world-class centre for education about Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abraham house, in central London became a place where members of the three Abrahamic faiths, ‘met on equal terms, to encounter their traditions, explore their roots, discover what they shared and tackle their differences.’

There is no question that we should do all we can to work together with other people of like humanitarian mind to alleviate the sufferings of the poor, even working together in the wholesale genocide of the Mosquito. Amen and let it be so, yes let it be done. However, under the blanket of such a screaming and vast humanitarian necessity, we would be blind and moronic not to understand that faith is not in fact the new battleground but is in fact the old one, indeed, the only one! For the message of the Gospel is both totally inclusive to all men who hear and believe it and absolutely exclusive to all who do not. The message of Jesus to all men then, be they Gentiles, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Hindu, Buddhist or otherwise is this: “Continue to be dammed or, believe in Jesus and be saved.” Do you see the implications of this?

So, whilst thanking God for every shard of goodness found in anyone and anything, yes, whilst wanting to encourage that and amplify the same, wherever it is found, and to do so for the benefit of all people, never the less, this ‘One Way, Only Way’ Christian message shall be classed as nothing else but an extremist one, for this message can do nothing else but condemn all other faith’s core belief systems, as being deceptive and dastardly destructive to the ultimate and eternal good of humanity.

Remember, that though we proclaimers of this message of ‘The Way’ do not deliver God’s Gospel down the barrel of an ArmaLite, nor pack it in a bomb vest of destruction, yes, even though we do not fly this message on the wings of a rocket, nor preach it from the sides of a trundling tank, never the less, the very proclamation of this message will be seen as disrespectful, destructive and extremist, and such extremism will be bundled with the murders and the terrorists, and treated just the same.

I wonder if today in 2008, the foundation for a world faith religion was further strengthened and that in reality, the old faith battle had actually just been stepped up a gear?

So called love, tolerance and respect that stifles and kills the peaceful proclamation of the Gospel, is simply a muzzling of the Lion that roars the withering truth from the terrified tops of Carmel, across the pastures and the shepherds of all religions that presently surround Jerusalem.

Listen: - "Come, I'll show you the judgment of the great Whore who sits enthroned over many waters, the Whore with whom the kings of the earth have gone whoring, show you the judgment on earth dwellers drunk on her whorish lust." In the Spirit he carried me out in the desert. I saw a woman mounted on a Scarlet Beast. Stuffed with blasphemies, the Beast had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, festooned with gold and gems and pearls. She held a gold chalice in her hand, brimming with defiling obscenities, her foul fornications. A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: Great Babylon, Mother Of Whores And Abominations Of The Earth. I could see that the woman was drunk, drunk on the blood of God's holy people, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.( Revelation 17:1-6 - from THE MESSAGE)

Pray:- Lord, clothe us with peace, discernment, grace, clarity, certainty, strength, truth and courage, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

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May | 26 | The Problem of Promethius and The Preparation For Death

2011-05-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Dream Word – FIRE

Ecclesiastes 7:2
Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. NKJV

The Problem of Promethius and The Preparation For Death

Pastors who imitate the preaching and the moral action of the prophets without also imitating the prophets’ deep praying and worship so evident in the Psalms are an embarrassment to the faith and an encumbrance to the church. (Eugene Peterson – Working The Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity)

I neither want to be an embarrassment nor an encumbrance, but I am afraid, that my natural tendency is to be so, for I have seen what Promethean fire and its resultant adrenalin-led activity can do in raising the dancing blue flames of man-made hope, both seen flickering and realised in books like “Your best life now”. Yes, I’ve seen what those flames of soulish prophetic doing can achieve, what they can get done and boy do we need to get things done! For when I look around, oh friends, when I look around, there is so much to be done, and frankly so much that we can do now and yet, yes and yet, there is oh so very little time to do it in.

You know, the needs are so great and our ability to meet those needs are now so possible, that I just want to get on down and go buy that excavator, yeah! Stoke that fire and lay hold of that yellow hot, JCB, earth-moving machine and flip that mountain on its back; build that tunnel, ford that stream, make a way through that mighty river, ‘cause I’ve got, “high in the sky, apple pie.... hopes” that we can move that rubber tree plant! Yes sirree, move it wherever we so well please. We can do it! Let’s shake that thing, yes, let’s shape this thing called our destinies, this thing called our possibilities, yes, let’s get up, let’s get down, let’s get with it and let’s just do it baby, cause we are preparing people for life! Preparing people for change, preparing people to better themselves, to better society and to better the nations of the world! Hallelujah and chaaaaaaaaarge! Have you not heard “We can do it!”

Peterson (in the book I mentioned previously) points out how the present generation of church (I believe the Laodicean Church) has bought into the Promethean myth in such a way that “We have let ourselves be co-opted in the struggle against limits, committed to raising the standard of living: bigger machines, cheaper chicken...uncritically using the means offered by the world...so uncritically applauded and so readily at hand.......we have joined in the struggle to make life better for everyone with any available means.....the problem is that Prometheus does not pray, there is too much to do and there is little time to do it.”

Do remember that in the legend, Promethius redeemed humanity from the tyranny of mortality, by causing mortals to cease foreseeing their personal doom, by placing in them blind hopes and lastly, by stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humanity, for their pleasure, for their profit and for their continual and technological advancement.

Peterson is right in his statement about proclaiming prophets and their lack of prayer, for if there are two things that characterises both the present pastorate and the postmodern community of the saints, it is first, a distinct lack of prayer and secondly, a lack of preparation for a good death. In less than a century, over 6 billion people will die on this planet. Surely this is something we should prepare for and in the so doing, that preparation for death should turn our so short lives into journeys that are baptised in the warm and wet, ever running river of prayer? This is not miserable thinking but it is Biblical thinking! There is so much to do and so little time to do it in that we really must pray and that much, much more. Yet the doing, yes, all the blind man made doing, has squeezed out all our praying.

Tell me, do you have a Promethean fire in your own personal boiler tonight? After all, just where are you getting your central heating from? What is raising the power of your personal steam, your church’s steam, your mission’s steam? Have you numbered your days? Have you and do you consider your mortality and is your life, lived in its ever lengthening shadow? If you find the thought of that last question maybe to be defeatist, or even repugnant, then I can virtually guarantee pastor, brother, sister, friend and mate, that you’ve got some strange Promethean fire in your boiler, and I tell you, it needs putting out! For if you don’t put it out, it sure as hell will burn you out! Mark my words here. Mark my words.

Yes the two best things and most Biblical things you can do is pray and prepare for your ultimate demise. Think about that tonight.

Listen: - And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Leviticus 10:1-2 KJV.

Pray:- Lord teach me to pray. Lord teach me to number my days. For Lord, I love this strange Promethean power. I just love it Lord! You know that I do not wish to be a Luddite Lord, but I do ask You to put the false fire out and then my Lord, send the Holy fire from Your throne, in Jesus name I ask it, amen.

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May | 26 | Sissies or Soldiers?

2011-05-25T21:57:00.001-07:00

Key Word:- COURAGE

Title:- Sissies or Soldiers?

Psalm 58:6-8 TLB
O God, break off their fangs. Tear out the teeth of these young lions, Lord. Let them disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands. Let them be as snails that dissolve into slime and as those who die at birth, who never see the sun..

In America I am sure that my Southern friends will forgive me this morning for referring to the birth today of a most famous daughter of America in 1819, Mrs Julia Ward Howe.

Anti-slavery activist, suffragette, and Unitarian, I might not agree with all of her theology or her politics but the poem she penned on visiting the Union Army of the Potomac is inspiring. To the tune of ‘John Browns Body’, the ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ became the marching song of the Union army and an inspiration to countless millions. Though the first three stanzas are marvelous, the last two stanzas surpass them all when they say:

He has sounded forth the trumpet

that shall never call retreat
He is sifting out the hearts of men

before His judgment-seat
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him!

be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies

Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom

that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy,

let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

I have been witness in my lifetime to some of the greatest new worship songs I have ever heard. They move me from earth to heaven in prostrate adoration and so they should, for He is worthy. However friends, amongst all this glorious worship, the church militant seems to have laid down its weapons, seems to have retired from the field before the final battle, seems to have failed to finish off the enemy, cut the head from Goliath and stamp the serpent thoroughly under its feet. Friends, look you. In all our ‘New Worship Experience,’ where are the war songs of the mighty men of God the All-mighty? Where are the fierce ‘Lion Like Men’ of the greater David? Where are the great hearts of this day? Who will break the enemy ranks and draw water from the well of Bethlehem for King Jesus today? Are all we have in our ranks today, simply sissies with a dream? History maker fakers? Surely not? What about you? Are you a song singer or a real history maker? Faker of maker? What are you today?

Stop singing like a Sissie man! Enough of this hold me, stroke me, feel me, touch my hair and tell me that you love me rubbish! For God’s sake! for His kingdoms sake! Grow up man, get up, and go up to some mountain and take it for Jesus, take it with Jesus, take it because of Jesus. Stop the singing ans start the soldiering, maybe then you’ll have something to sing about. In the meantime I wonder if God is simply saying, “Just shut up!”

“Rise up O Men of God, have done with lesser things give heart and soul and mind to God to serve the King of Kings!”

Listen:- For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. Psalm 18:39-40

Pray:- Teach my hands to make war, make my arms strong to bend the bow of bronze, grant me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand to uphold me. By Your gentleness, make me great. Enlarge my path beneath my feet that I might not slip up in the pursuance of my enemies, until each one is overtaken and thoroughly destroyed by both Thee and me! Amen.

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May | 26 | Set The Juice----Loose! Serve it Like Sushi

2011-05-25T00:37:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – STREET-CRED

Mark 12:37b
And the common people heard Him gladly. NKJV

Set The Juice----Loose! Serve it Like Sushi

I remember performing some poetry for a about forty very rough, 'rough sleeping' homeless folks in the city of Brighton. It was surprisingly well received. Afterward, a very well spoken, silver-faced, Einstein-like figure came over to me and said, “I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your poetry and especially your delivery. You know of course, that you are following in the footsteps of the great Englishman, Chaucer, who also communicated so well in the vernacular of his day.” I was really pleased with this. Sure he was raving tooting bonkers, but I was really pleased with his comments. So, when I arrived home I immediately shared my grand comparison with the proud bubble burster of my home, my wife, who simply said, “Hmmm, yes, Chaucer. He was crude as well.” Typical. What does she know anyways?

Unfortunately we have upwardly diminished the power of the Bible in making it palace worthy rather than pavement worthy, making it a book for the studious instead of a book for the sidewalk. The common people heard Jesus gladly and I can guarantee you, He wasn’t received in the majestic language of the King James Version. The common people. They heard Him. They received Him. Gladly! I am not talking about dumbing down here either, but rather about tooling up with the words of the day.

We need to regain some street credibility in the delivery of the Scriptures. Before that happens however, we need to let loose the so long now muzzled, powerful jaws of the lion and allow it to roar once more. I wonder if the hidden and diluted Word of God which we are peddling from our pulpits now, which over the years we have also so tightly dressed up like a gay and mincing, little white and pink padded poodle-ette, is quite frankly too embarrassed to be taken out doors? It's embarrasing, for our misuse of it in this way, and that is what the diluting of the Word of God is, a gross misuse, has robbed it of its awesome power and thoroughly embarrassed it. God help us please! For this Word in its undiluted form is the very life giving juice dripped from the leaves of the squeezed out tree of life! So, yes indeed, we need to let the juice loose even if it does cause so many letters to be written by ‘disgusted of Tunbridge Wells!’ I say again, Let the juice loose!

However, before we can let thus juice loose once more, I wonder if we need to let loose most of the Christians who read the juicy book and especially those frightened little folk we have sent to seminary dentistry, where they have had their teeth removed and the rough and ready garments of the prophet replaced by a smart and casual respectability. Lord God! (and that’s a calling prayer) I hate respectability. With a vengeance! You see, I reckon that nice speaking polite little Christians have done more damage to the Kingdom of God than the devil could ever do.

I have two things to leave with you tonight.

First an equation and frankly, maybe it’s just me, but I do find that in my life, that the more righteous I experientially and practically become, the less outwardly, pretentiously respectable I both appear and act. How’s your life adding then up in terms of middle class, middle England respectability tonight? Are you above all things, nice?

Secondly, that when a clawed and sharp beaked, sharp eyed hawk even gently glides past the settled nests of the starling colonies, the little birds attack it. Prophet. Jesus street preacher. Watch out for the darling, little starlings for they are not as sweet as you might think and I tell you, they do not want their nice little nest much ruffled, especially if their religion gets in a state. If you are not nice, they will peck you to death.

Even so then and never the less, do remember to drink the Bible in its undiluted form, yes remember to simply let the juice loose and always preacher, I mean always serve it like sushi. Raw!

Pray:- Deliver us O God, from all the darling, darting starlings and all the ‘Disgusted’s of Tunbridge Wells’, yes deliver us from all the pale pulpit pansies planted in graveyard flower pots and placed neatly in old varnished pulpits, who hate to be disturbed and loathe to disturb others. Don’t give us gold fillings O Lord! No, You can keep all that useless rubbish Lord, but rather, please grow us a new set of sharp canines and grant us that deep and guttural, testosterone filled roar of the prophets of old. Lord set the juice loose and give us some “street cred” once again, in Jesus name we ask it, amen!

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May-05-Coaching Columbus

2011-05-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Key Word:- HONOUR

Title:- Coaching Columbus

1 Peter 3:5,6
For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord,

So she says “Hey! We should have taken a left back there!” He doesn’t reply but inside he’s thinking “Christopher Columbus didn’t need directions and neither do I!” Such are the thoughts of everyman in the driving seat when any woman, wife or otherwise, attempts to give him some dimensional direction. Call it chauvinism, call it childishness, call it instability, call it even God’s design; yes, call it lack of security, or call it what you want but accept this fact and make peace with it, “Men are just like that!” I mean, what can women tell them about finding directions?

Unfortunately, this male attitude does not translate well when the opposite sex also tries to give any ‘non-dimensional’ direction to them. Men will rarely sit peaceably under the authority and teaching of a woman. On the odd occasion, they might listen to and follow a Royal Queen, a Boudicca, a Deborah, an Elizabeth or maybe even a Margaret! However, it’s rare friends, it's so very rare. Women have to be seen to have wisdom, age, respect, maybe even a kind of motherhood but preferably a grandparent-hood about them, before men will even countenance some good advice from their lips. You will forgive my lack of political correctness here I hope, because my New years resolution was to ‘Stop putting square pegs into round holes’ and just face some plain old facts, even if they are contrary to popular politically correct opinion! My statements reflect nothing on the abilities of women but on everything to do with being a man. Yes, don’t get me wrong, for every wise husband learns that he should listen to his wife. After all, she’s usually correct!

May I suggest the failure of women to communicate and instruct men is not so much in the content of what is said but in the delivery. Not so much in the rightness but in the approach. The male ego is a fragile commodity remember, and needs treating with honor and respect. If you don’t, then women, you will not be received. End of story.

The benefits of honorable communication from women to men are however, far reaching, even reaching into the future. Ask any mother and they will tell you that there comes a point when their loving son will not listen to a word they say! Never the less, ask any man, and they shall tell you that when sensibility eventually came upon them, they remembered and cherished every word spoken from the loving lips of mothers and grandmothers. Yes, every passionate plea and every overheard heard prayer became to them a means of re-instruction, a treasure of remembered love that repeated itself in their more mature days. Such honorable instruction as this ,will be respectfully received, recovered, and regurgitated. Men are just like that and you dear sisters would do well to take note.

Listen: - when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 2 Tim 1:4-5

Pray: - Thank you Lord Jesus, for the great and honorable and courageous women in the Kingdom of God. What would we do without them Lord? Make them wise tward men. Now O Lord, help the men of the Kingdom glory in their manhood, in Jesus anme we pray, amen.

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May-03-Simple Yet Sumptuous!

2011-05-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

Key Word:- SATISFY

Title:- Simple Yet Sumptuous!

Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Everyone knows that when Henry Ford first mass-produced his Model T Ford, you could have it any color you wanted provided it was black! Today of course, Mr. 'Monotone' Ford would not have been able to compete in this vast market place of color choice.

Whenever I go down to the local supermarket it is not long before I become overwhelmed with the array of choice that is set before me. For me to be found perplexed in the aisle of most any shop nowadays is not unusual, as on average, each store has some 50,000 separate items to choose from! From the vast array of competing service providers and all their sumptuous socks in sizzling and saucy colours that the marketting mantra of the century is indeed found to be , ‘Competition afforded by choice.’

Churches both large and small have spotted this seeming need to provide ‘choice’ to seekers of spiritual truth and have unwittingly engaged themselves in that self same competition afforded by the lust for choice! So, on most weekends you will find churches offering services on Saturday and Sunday, Monday morning, various afternoons and most evenings, contemporary and traditional, long and short, dressed up, dressed down, smells bells and hope on a rope. I’m not knocking it; after all it is getting in the punters! After all, people expect choice and are coming to worship and to participate in the style of their choice on the day of their choice at the time of their choice. Indeed, it’s so needful now in Christendom to present such ‘spiritual’ choice, such ‘spiritual’ options that today, this ‘service choice’ has been re-presented to us as the ‘Christian Norm,’ even the cutting edge of postmodern evangelism! After all, look at all the choice in the availability of the multitude of protestant denominations, and hey, didn’t Paul say that he would become all things to all men if by any means he could win some, and by the way haven’t we got four different gospels with one message, you know four different flavors with a different emphasis for at least four different sets of audiences? Good grief isn’t it obvious, God is into choice!

Laying aside the honorable and dutiful question of which day of the week to gather as a body to adore God together and to minister to one another; laying aside the exceptionally cheap ‘mile wide and inch deep’ quality of such a present day presentation of spiritual ‘choice’; laying aside the market place competition set by postmodern day consumer Christianity; laying aside the subsequent ‘Wal-Marting’ of Christendom, we still come to another massive problem for the sheep of His pasture and that is, that although the postmodern spiritual punter may easily quench his natural curiosity, may easily sign up for his shopping reward card and get the nice little spiritual discount his truly unrepentant soul requires, the real sheep are left rotting on the hills and wasting away for lack of good nutrition. Such choosing, such foul presentation of choice, such pandering to the flesh, for that is what it is, has left in it’s wake an emaciated Christianity that now teeters and totters pathetically through the land. The spiritual punters have touched and tasted and are some are even satisfied with the tasteless drivel, as after all, it would appear that being a Christian is not as demanding as they thought it might be. However, the people of His pasture, are left both hungry and even starving.

Sheep you see, don’t want choice; they just want feeding the food that is fitted for their needs! True sheep just want to eat! Crispy or grilled, they just don’t care! They don’t want fries, and they don’t want coke with it and no, they apparently don’t want honey mustard either! Good grief they just want a burger in a bun! They just want food from a shepherd who is sprinkled with the anointing from on high and glows with the manifest presence of the Saviour. I tell you what: sheep will travel a thousand miles for such simple and sumptuous fare and you know what, they may even do it on a Sunday mate. Imagine that!

Listen:- “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16

Pray:- Grant me O good Shepherd, a simplicity of life, a focus on the fundamentals and thenO my God, come quench my thirsty soul and feed me with the food allotted to me. Amen!

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May-03- Building On A Math’s Lesson For Moles With Memory Problems

2011-05-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

Dream Word – SURE

2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; NKJV.

Building On A Math’s Lesson For Moles With Memory Problems

We Protestants against spiritual abuse, against doctrinal deviousness, yes, we reformers of a previous and terrible travesty of pure religion, now hang our certain and hopeful hats on five giant pegs, those being,

1 Sola Scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
2 Sola Fide (“by Faith alone”)
3 Sola Gratia (“by Grace alone”)
4 Solus Christus (“Christ alone”)
5 Soli Deo Gloria (“Glory to God alone”)

How wonderful.

It is therefore a real shame that the outworking of these five central pillars of Protestantism, of Biblical Christianity, have on the whole led to an ever emergent and “lazy ass” Christian. We have become far too much at ease with the once wonderfully simple marriage of faith and grace, which seem nowadays to have given up producing vigorous, respectful, thankful and sacrificial offspring and have somehow been left with a nasty nest of twittering cuckoos, all over-fat children, who in their subsequent and sedentary post-modern growth, display little relation to the revelation of Scripture, which that marriage of faith and grace once so wonderfully proclaimed, and so subsequently, they have no heart or inclination, no stomach and no staying power, to either know what they should look like, desire to become nor be determined to die for. This must be rectified. We Protestants have gone soft.

Our text for tonight, is built on a ‘Therefore.’ So, looking at the previous verses in the opening of 2nd Peter, we see they speak of a multiplication of a Divine grace and peace, which in turn results in a super abundance of faithful and fruity action! 2 Peter 1: 5-9, is in fact a math’s lesson for blind moles with memory problems and is rooted in the superabundance of the promises of God and therefore prefixed with a very demanding and all encompassing action phrase, translated as, ‘Giving all diligence!’ Phew, I am tired already! Yup, this maths lesson for moles with memory problems demands ACTION. Indeed, the word diligence here, is from which we derive our English word, SPEED. Peter says in effect, “Give all eagerness, all earnestness, all business, all forwardness, haste ,despatch, diligence, yes, give all SPEED, to add my previously stated seven ‘active ingredients’ to your Christian life. Why? Well because if you do not, you will turn into a smelly blind mole which burrows in pig swill and bathes in dog vomit.” Simple!

So, now in our text for tonight, Peter goes on to say, “Be EVEN MORE diligent.” Peter uses the verb SPOUDAZO here, so in other words he says, “Hey, move faster still folks, for when it comes to being SURE of your calling and election, I want you to PUT YOUR SPEEDOS ON!” Oh, yes indeed! We might paraphrase Peter then by saying, “Oi! If your knowledge and testimony, if your service and story of present salvation and future happiness is as real as you say it is; if it is truly through God’s grace, by faith alone in Christ alone, resting in the Scriptures alone and all for the glory of God alone, then show me the active goods! No, more than that, forget assuring me so much of your salvation, rather, ASSURE YOURSELF! Yes, make your calling and election forcefully firm to your own heart. Make it steadfast, make it sure and certain to yourself! Do this all the time. Yes, let your action reveal your faith, first of all to yourself .”

Friends, the outcome of such a speedy and consistent effort which is rooted in those five Scriptural pillars, is that you shall run so confidently, that you shall never run and ruin yourselves in the bumbling and blind blundering of ignorant little moles. Now that’s magnificent!

Listen: - But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. James 2:20-24 NKJV

Pray:- Lord, deliver me from the bondage of works but help me always to righty and continually, make both my calling and election sure. In Jesus name I ask it, amen.

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Apr-27-The Clang of Symbols

2011-04-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – LOOK

Revelation 17:3-6
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marvelled with great amazement. NKJV

The Clang of Symbols

No, today’s title is not a spelling mistake! Rather, let it be known that symbols communicate. Yes, symbols make a sound, they inculcate a message, they congregate peoples, they educate the masses, they articulate core values, they rally the disorderly, and once they are most fully embraced, symbols define directions and ultimately rule over those people they fly over. Why do you think that after WWII and the defeat of the Nazis, every effort was made to completely remove any symbolic representation of the black jack boot which was placed over most of old Europe then? Because it had residual and unifying power. Indeed, it is still an illegal and punishable act for the swastika to be displayed in present day Germany or Austria. Yes symbols are powerful. I think we can say these three things then concerning symbols:

First that the creation of symbols have declarative power.

Second that the emplacement of symbols have immense practical power.

Thirdly that the application of symbols give rule.

As I write this Whisper, Schiller’s ‘Ode To Joy,’ it’s sentiment of unity and brotherly love so marvellously illuminated by Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, has now become the official anthem of the European union. The blue skied background twelve golden starred banner has become its official flag, and the Euro, its official currency. Latin is being moved to become its official language of ‘unification, ’ its symbolic motto and tag line being ‘In Varietate Concordia – ‘United in Diversity.’ The Revived Roman Empire is now festooned with symbols of declarative power. The systems that now form under these flapping symbols arm the union with practical power and move the whole to a ruling stance. Yes Europa, robed in priestly colours, sits now ever stronger, astride her scarlet beast. These symbols speak loudly to those with uncorked ears. Are you listening?

Undoubtedly you have symbols in your life, which of those then, at least to some extent, maybe dictate, direct and rule over you? The British Pound and the American Dollar despite their maybe current frailty, still rule over many of you tonight. Pierre Cardin and Givenchy still rule over many more maybe. Mercedes and Jaguar, PhD’s and 6 Golden Rings together with a multitude of other symbols, which might include even the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack, rule over many millions more.

Examine the ruling symbols of your life. If they are contrary to the symbols of God, then I tell you, you need to get yourself out from under them and raise some new and Godly symbols of your own. Yes, symbols are powerful. I think we can say these three things then concerning symbols: First that the creation of symbols have declarative power. Second that the emplacement of symbols have immense practical power. Thirdly, that the application of symbols give rule. What symbols rule in your life tonight?

Listen: - I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets." (Hosea 12:10 NKJV)

Pray:- Lord, brand me with the symbols of Your love, yes, come fly them over my life and also place Your white streaked bark before my almond peering eyes and anoint them with the symbols of the stripped poplar of your unstoppable blessing, in Jesus name I ask it, amen.

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Apr-26- God The Grave Digger

2011-04-26T04:10:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – JUDGEMENT

Nahum 1:14
The Lord has given a command concerning you: "Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are vile." NKJV.

God The Grave Digger

The prophet Jonah had previously been mightily, if not reluctantly, used by God to preach repentance and grace to that great city of Ninevah. The Ninevite’s response to Jonah’s reluctant proclamations then had been to repent and to accept God’s goodness and thus, God’s falling feet of judgement pounding their way toward them, had then happily been turned away. Now however, the prophet Nahum in effect says that, “Now Ninevah shall fall!” God is returning to Ninevah once more and this time, He has a shovel in His hand and the word on His very angry lips is “I’m gonna bury you!” What on earth had happened here?

Do remember that a peoples past repentance does not guarantee a present grace. Repentance must be continually lived in for mercy to ever flow. There is a lesson here for individuals and for nations, for the lions of the earth and their blood-lines, can always be finally done away with. For good! For when God brings His shovel and digs for the much warned yet unrepentant a pit, then the earth He heaps upon them shall cover them forever and the wind will blow away every remnant of their once proud existence. For example, I remember when all my maps of the world at school were mostly covered with pink, indicating the breadth, depth and spread of the once great British Empire. Selah.

There are two marked contrasts about God presented to us in this book of Nahum and the fact that God is the God of the whole earth and that all nations are therefore accountable to both Him and His laws is the basis of this reactive contrast.

First if we as nations obey God and seek to follow Him and honour Him then this attitude and action will assure for the obedient nation concerned, both peace and prosperity; on the other hand, disobedience to His purpose and disregard of His rule and laws, will bring catastrophe to that nation and on its heals a most terrible judgement. Do you see the reactive contrast? To the nation seeking to obey Him, God is a rock and a refuge, a God of goodness carrying a basket of goodies. However, to the nation that disobeys Him and in the so doing “does the dirty” on those seeking to follow Him, then He a jealous avenger, clothed from top to tail in the black suit of the undertaker, striding angrily across the mountains of doom, carrying a shovel across His judgemental shoulders. This is a terrible but simple picture and calls forth the choice of both individual and national obedience or disobedience, of life or death, even from every generation that sees it!

I look at our falling nations of the West, least not this isle of mine, and believe we are in the time of the prophet Nahum, but Oh my God! I long for the time of Jonah the prophet to come again once more and even now I still sniff the air in prayerful hope, to try and smell the vomit of the whale upon our darkened streets once more and see a stomach acid stained white prophet rise from the puked up mess and preach repentance to us once again. Though all our fishing grounds are empty, maybe God has a few of His own great fish still hidden in His deeps? Maybe these will carry some reluctant prophets to come to these beleaguered shores once more and preach righteousness, sin, coming judgement and repentance in Jesus to us again. I hope so. I pray so. Maybe some of you should do so.

Listen:- Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6-10 NKJV

Pray:- Lord help us all by sending Jonah's to our shores once more. Amen!

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April-17-Mi-nute Men or Minute Men!

2011-04-17T07:19:00.001-07:00

Key Word:- FIGHT

Title:- Mi-nute Men or Minute Men!

Isaiah 40:9
"O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

Some people have said it was Longfellow’s poem that made Paul Revere and his ride an important event in American History.

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
The contents of the poem, the facts of the ride, the man himself, and even the supposed cry of “The British are Coming,” have all been subjects of historical dispute. Even so, these facts remain true:

People were aware of the times.
People were watching and waiting.
People were ready at a minutes notice to bear arms and fight for what they thought was right!

Friends, where are the watchers and the minute men of the church today? Where are the prophets and the proclaimers, the true disciples and disdainers of all that glitters and is not gold. Where are the spiritual fighters and the holy men of old?

Our enemies are not primarily flesh and blood but our warfare is mostly and primarily spiritual. So, where are the spiritual fighting men of this our day, where are the warrior women? When looking back at our time to put a stamp of victory on the pages of His story, who will call these days and years famous? Who will seek to remember them, or maybe rather seek not to remember them for fear of shame and embarrassement as the stamp of victory has had to be replaced with the smudge of defeat.

The Words of another American, William P Merril, maybe should be sung at the multitude of leadership, family and marriage conferences that teach men how to be ‘nice’ and to ‘get along’, maybe this should be the old new song that shakes the salt cellar of the church so much, that the damp and lumpy masculine mess which it now is, begins to come apart a little?

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God

Listen: - Another popular lyric poem from long ago reads like this: - “Then the horses hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his steeds.’Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.’” Judges 5:22,23

Pray: - Lord, awaken me, heal me, help me, arm me, that I may be mentioned in eternal dispatches and known on the field of battle. O my God do not let my carelessness become my curse. In me, I ask it O Lord, in me I say, “Rise up O Lord, O Lord our God may Your enemies all be scattered!” Lord, come shake my damp old saltcellar, shake it Lord, shake it hard over the pages of my history!

From April 24th 2011
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Apr-12-Of Preaching & Pulpit Monkeys

2011-04-12T01:04:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – FOOD

1 Corinthians 1:21-24
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. KJV

Of Preaching & Pulpit Monkeys

I am what was once referred to as a ‘Literate.’ That is, I am an ordained person not bearing a University degree. I would like a degree, a couple maybe but ah no matter, I must confess, I do love being a “literate”. T’is enough.

I regard myself as someone rooted in literacy, in all kinds of words and in The Word in particular and I am daft enough to believe, that even in this Post modern age, even in what some have referred to as a visualized Post Evangelical age, that the proclamation of the Word of God still stands tallest as the primary means of communicating the gospel. I believe in the verbal proclamation of the gospel, one voice to another’s ears; one soul speaking through the connected eyes of another, from his heart to their heart. I believe this is God’s chosen way of communicating the Gospel and though it might be foolishness, it works. The only reason it has not seemingly been working and the main reason we have replaced it most thoroughly with anaemic video clips, cosseted in the pale blanket of wet worship, is that we have hired ourselves a multitude of pulpit monkeys, who, void of any anointing, never the less bear a reputable degree, manage well and communicate inoffensively better. For sure, such monkeys are cute to have around at first, performing great tricks even, but in the end, who wants to listen to a pulpit monkey chattering on about nothing. The soul turns sour and dies under the pathetic ministry of such chattering monkeys. Yes, I wish with all my heart that we had men in our pulpits instead of monkeys, for what we have is just not enough.

In his book, ‘Lectures to My Students’, when talking about ‘God’s Acres,’ those open air arenas of proclamation and the great men of the past who made them their pulpits, Spurgeon makes mention of the Scots divine, Holy George Wishart. It is Wishart’s disciple, John Knox, who tells us that being denied access to most churches, that Wishart preached the length and breadth of Scotland in the open air. Indeed, on one occasion he went to the plague city of Dundee, choosing his platform of proclamation to be the entrance of the east gate, where taking Psalm 107:20 as his text, he preached to the infected outside the city gate and the black death free within. Spurgeon says “Seldom has a preacher had such an audience and seldom an audience had such a preacher......Old time stood at the preachers side with a scythe, saying with a hoarse voice, ‘work while it is today for at night I will mow thee down.’ There, too, stood grim death hard by the pulpit, with his sharp arrows saying, ‘Do thou shoot God’s arrows and I will shoot mine.’ This is indeed,” says Spurgeon, “a notable instance of preaching out of doors.” You’d better believe it!

Wishart escaped an assassination attempt at Dundee, but his old enemy Cardinal Beaton had him handed over to him by the Earl of Bothwell. Wishart was tried as an heretic, convicted and burned at the stake outside the walls of Edinburgh castle. On the morning of his execution the Captain of the castle invited Wishart to breakfast and gave him both food and gunpowder bags to put under his clothing. At the burning, his executioner knelt and begged for Wishart’s forgiveness, which he most readily gave. The fire did indeed eventually explode the gunpowder bags but they didn’t kill him straight away. From his window, Cardinal Beaton watched Wishart’s dying agonies.

Yes, you can buy yourself a pulpit monkey anytime you like. Ah, but men who carry the gunpowder of the Holy Spirit, underneath their anointed and holy garments, men that pack power in their words, and shoot arrows from their mouth, men who stand with time and death by their sides, men who truly believe and practice the foolishness of preaching, my God, men like that are worth their weight in gold! However, they cannot be bought. Think about that.

Some of you tonight are called to set your pulpits in the open air once more. Make sure your a literate in the Word, make sure your packed with the gunpowder of the Holy Spirit.

Some of you tonight need to stop monkeying around and repent. Yes, some of you, for goodness sake, need to start being men in your pulpits and not a monkeys.

Some of you Church goers tonight need to check your larders and I tell you, if all you have accumulated over the years are bunches of bright yellow bananas, then some of you need to simply stop going to the local zoo, because I tell you, that’s what your local church has turned into.

Listen: - He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Psalms 107:20 NKJV

Pray:- Oh God that we would have some mighty men to worry us once more! Take us back to Your word, put Your bow in our mouth and Your fire in our hearts. Pack us O God with the explosive and resurrection power of Jesus Christ the King. Please God give us words and voices once more, instead of this endless chatter of the pulpit monkeys, in Jesus name we ask it, amen and amen.

From April 24th 2011
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Mar-31-Stones of Fire

2011-03-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – ROCK

Ezekiel 28:14ct
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. NKJV.

Stones of Fire

The Old Celtic legend says, that this particular saint had power over wild beasts, and in particular, had power over a ‘Chrysalids’ type of gigantic cow, which was of use to him as a kind of ancient U Haul and milk truck all in one. This particular cow had been put under the care and oversight of a wild wolf, who one day came and prostrated himself before the saint, repentant and forlorn, as a passing King had killed his charge for food. The King, having placed pieces of the cow in a cooking pot, despite the fierceness of the fires set under it could not get the water to boil! Thus the king, discerning both the power of God and their culpability in killing the saint’s large cow, eventually also came, and like the wolf, prostrated himself before the saint, as he and his entourage sought both his forgiveness and his protection from God’s wrath. These two things, St. Brynach provided, and to prove the efficiacy of his word, Brynach raised the giant cow from the dead, restoring him to the care of the wild wolf. For such devoutness, magnanimity and power, the king gave St. Brynach land for a monastery and church and also freedom from taxation to boot, and frankly, who wouldn’t! Interestingly, it was this same land, to which an angel of the Lord had directed Brynach to proceed to, as he was praying on the mount of his visitation, which is now named, Carn Ingli, or the Mount of Angels. This marvellous and still mystical region in the West of Wales, from which the magical blue rocks of the Neolithic masterpiece we have come to know as Stonehenge, were once hewn and quarried, was apparently first footed and owned by the angels and became to all spiritual peoples, a listening post, a meeting place, indeed, a place of practical business between the material and spiritual realms. Wales is a strange place!

In noting God’s delight in all things material, I have noted from the Scripture, God’s particular fascination and delight with untouched stone, stone shaped only by those four distinct tools at His command and in His hand. That is, time and water, wind and weather. The Celts might have said that ‘These four tools make shapes among the rocks and amidst the standing stones, and in forming an interface between the spiritual and material realms, they scoop out conduits of power, make places of interaction and interface, and allow heaven to touch the earth.’

In the same way dear friends, God takes the passing of time, the wind of adversity, the water of His sanctification and the weather of our journey, to rightly shape His living stones, His present saints, the church of His Own Dear Son, to change them into a listening post, even a proclaiming place of power, where heaven can touch the earth once more. Surely, when the living stones of Christ and the priests of the Most High God, gather in the standing circle of His love, surely then, from within that sacred place and out of that true and magical Royal Blue Kingdom, anything is possible and anything can happen? From there, maybe even wolves could begin to care for giant cows again and the Kings of the earth could come to us, for protection and for provision.

Stonehenge is being excavated once more, that it’s secrets may be found, whilst the church in these ancient lands and of these ancient lands, continues in its horrific decline into uncared for laughability. It is time that the spiritual and the material once again meet together in the church of the living God.

Listen: - But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40 NKJV.

Pray:- So set a fire underneath Your standing stones O God, the heat of which would crack open our clam like mouths to speak forth the sweetest of praise to the greatest of names on the earth, under the earth and in the earth and in that great name of heaven we so confidently and rightly pray to you and shout out tonight. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus!

From April 24th 2011
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Mar-28-Cow Zombies

2011-03-28T01:30:00.000-07:00

Dream Word – PROD

1 Samuel 6:3-9
So they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you." Then they said, "What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden tumours and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us — it happened to us by chance." NKJV.

Cow Zombies

So God desired to kill the sons of Eli. Thus Hophni and Phineas were killed when the Ark of God, that box of the presence of the Lord amongst His people was also lost to the Philistines in battle.

Like just another Trophy of just another locally conquered God, the Ark was then placed by the Philistines in the presence of their own god, Dagon. After all, surely two gods = double the power. What follows however, is nothing short of disastrous for the Philistines in that they were plagued with testicular tumours and overrun with rats and all their associated infestations and infections. To top it all, their idol of Dagon was found on several occasions to be laid prostrate and broken before the Ark of the Lord. This didn’t do too much for the reputation of their own local god in that “...neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” 1 Samuel 5:5. Yes, the Dagon shrine at Ashdod was forever rubbished by the presence of the real and only God.

The five Lords of the Philistines seemed to be passing the problems associated with the presence of the Ark of God, from one of their ruling provinces to the next. That is, until a vocal group of NIMBY’s (Not in My Back Yarders) kicked up such a fuss, that the problem needed to be properly addressed at last. Thus through divination, the priests of the Philistines came up with the solution laid out in our text for tonight and so, they loaded up the cart and watched the outcome from afar.

God now did what Dagon could never do: He guided the cows, who unaccustomed to the yoke newly placed upon them, never the less, under God’s guidance, drew the load equally and securely, kept their attention on the right road, overcame their strong and natural desire to go to their calves, and brought them in a straight line, without missing one turn in the road, straight away to the priestly city of Beth Shemesh.

Let me emphasize that these cows went contrary to their own inclinations in that they had not forgotten their offspring and were not therefore moved ahead in some disassociated Zombie Cow like state, no, they were still lowing for their young ones, calling them, even pining for them. It would appear then that these cows knew their true master, knew their great owner, and were following His commands, even to their death, above and despite their own natural cow like inclinations. The following and watching Philistines, in observing these continually lowing kine, saw the majesty and the power of God over nature. It was enough to cause them to acknowledge that the judgement of God, had indeed been upon them.

We all, in our home nations of this day, seem to neither know nor even consider that the judgement of God may be upon us. Unlike the pining cattle of our text, we are in fact “Zombie like Cows” trotting not so merrily but like a drug and voodoo’d zombie, we lumber in Frankenstein like steadiness, in stupor to the slaughterhouse, being covered in tumours of STD’s (did you know a 2003 federal study revealed that 25% of American teenage girls carry a sexually transmitted disease!) and piling up our young men like so much dead meat on various battlefields around the watching world. I cannot help but believe that this is but the beginning of our sorrows, for zombie like cows, lost in a self indulgent, cud chewing, mindless mooing stupor, rarely listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ presented to them for God has hardened their heart and settled them in their Christ rejecting state.

The whole truth of the Bible, presents a disturbing picture of a Holy and a good God, coming into contact with a dirty and a bad mankind. Our only hope is to pray God’s mercy over our Zombie Cattled Nations, which are moving headlong to the slaughterhouse. You see truly the answer to our problems is not better programs to pander to the masses, not hipper presentations to hype them into the Kingdom, not the coolest of music to con them into more consumerist tendencies, but rather to pray to God that He would unharden their hearts and unblock their ears before they are slaughtered before His presence. It's not a merry message, but it is one that needs proclaiming.

Listen: - The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; NKJV

Pray:- What passing-bells are there for these who die as cattle? Lift O Lord, the zombie like stupor that has fallen like death cauls around all the newborn of these wayward generations. Lord, grant to your church the right kind of cattle prod to issue a most timely wake up call to one and all, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

From April 24th 2011
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Mar-21-The Manufacture of Spiritually Retarded, Crippled Clowns

2011-03-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – MOVE

Jeremiah 3:15
And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. NKJV.

The Manufacture of Spiritually Retarded, Crippled Clowns

The servants of Christ wash the feet of travelling men, journeying across this dirty world ever closer to both the heart and the city of Jesus.

The servants of Christ, might retool these same journeymen, re-arm them, re-orient them, re-educate them maybe, reinforce them in the faith most certainly but shall surely return them to their journey, until the next and necessary pit stop, when they shall have the privilege to deal with a bigger, leaner, ever onward, ever upward ‘looker,’ than they previously had to service. For their journey, through both challenge and change, has brought to them increased personal strength and increased personal maturity and they have moved on, manned up, grown in both grace and truth! Grown in their appetite as journeyman, grown in that, their sight of the heavenly city is clearer, the smell of the green, green grass of their eternal home is that much more acute; their ears are more full of the sound of singing angels; their skin is more sensitive to the feeling and the flowing of the wind of the Spirit; their arms stronger and lifted up; their feet full of peace, more certain, more sure and more directed in the way; their armour dented but bright; their sword bloodied yet sharper; the loins of their mind now being more lifted and focused; the belt of truth, tight and secure around the chiselled core of their being! Yes indeed, the servants of Christ, that is the pastors and leaders of the church of the living God, shall happily and with great thankfulness, wash the feet of such travelling men, such lookers unto Jesus.

Now, this picture of growing and journeying strength, of maturing in grace and truth, I believe is a Biblical expectancy. However and unfortunately, this picture is in fact, to our Laodicean lot anyways, an unwanted and unsought for fantasy and ashamedly, for I speak as a shepherd, as a foot washer for the journeying man, the shepherds are mostly to blame for this most sorry state of affairs. In my journeying around the Christendom and in my ministry to the same, I am tired of seeing many gigantic, staff led churches, doing everything for their congregations to justify their often too well paid existence, by enabling thousands of kindergarten kiddies to simply continue to languish on the breast and in the so doing they have created vast churches of sucklers and suckers, baby Christian clowns. It’s just pitiful.

All teachers must ensure that at some point, and the sooner the better by the way, that their pupils overtake them. Yes, all teachers must pull back the bow for eventual release. However, when teachers have students who never move on, and in North America especially, these stunted students attend churches in their tens of thousands, then two strange things will happen to the church. Watch this now, for first, the teachers themselves will turn into smiling imbeciles, toting suitcases full of well worn platitudes and the odd blunt instrument, and secondly, their students will turn into spiritual cripples, retarded Christians, who of necessity, have to have their backside wiped for them and be personally spoon fed with poorly, pre-chewed rubbish.

Such sad shepherding is not releasing strong disciples into their journey, but rather, is producing imbecilic imitations of Christ, who ride around the children’s race track, pulling into the same old pit stop for the same old problems, which will be dealt with by same old people in the same old inept, low octane, low expectation way. There is you see, no expectation or plan no daring demand, no challenging necessity for people to grow in grace and truth.

I do not envy the shepherd, who has sold himself into such dismal drudgery and I pity the sheep that still suck on these strange, fat staff titties that such churches alluringly dangle before them, for neither the smiling and imbecilic teachers nor such crippled disciples, will stand in the fires which are to surely come upon us.

It is out of such great concern that I speak so harshly tonight. Cool or not so cool, senior or otherwise, I pity the pastor that has to stand before Jesus and account for every empty, energy absent, wimp of a word which he has spoken. It will not bode well for such makers of retards.

Yes, if you are not changing and growing, then you are spiritually retarded. If you are not being re-armed, re-orientated, renewed, refreshed, re-educated and re-enforced in your faith to then be released into and served on, your destined journey, then you are being short changed, slowly killed, and are going nowhere. Indeed, you are purposefully being kept in your wheelchair and paying through the nose for that privilege. You are a spiritual retard and you have been fed and bred for it from what other imbeciles have termed 'the finest pulpits in the land.'

I must confess, that at the moment, I can find no hope in my heart for such lost shepherds, locked into such a good looking and grossly debilitating system. However, I do believe there is some hope for those lost sheep who are sick of mommies milk and wanting at last, to take care of their own rear end. Yes there is hope for those sheep if they want it. The beginning of the answer is simple. Find some hard looking men and some greener pastures. Find some scarred and sun burnt shepherds moulded by the heart of Hosea and the sporting the look of Amos the iron man about them, and if they and the greener grass are over the hill and far away, then move there! Time is running out. For the sake of your poor retarded spirit, find a good restaurant that serves whole food, that makes you eat your greens, that measures your B.M.I. and coaches and cajoles you into becoming a muscular man, a man of the Word and the Spirit, a man that can survive in the field, form families and feed himself and them, teaching them to do the same. Find such a church and go to it.

The servants of Christ wash the feet of travelling men, journeying across this dirty world ever closer to both the heart and the city of Jesus.

Listen: - Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this 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. 2 Peter 3:14-18a

Pray:- In my life Lord, be glorified today. In Your church Lord, be glorified today. In this world Lord, be glorified today. Ruin this retarded Laodicean church Lord, by raising up men like You, full of grace and truth, full of the Word and the Holy Spirit, wholesome, healthy, hard and happy. Then Lord, make me one of them, in Your great name I pray. Amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Mar-21-The Deep Songs of The Spirit

2011-03-21T09:37:00.001-07:00

Key Word:- PRAISE

Title:- The Deep Songs of The Spirit

Psalm 33:1-3
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skilfully with a shout of joy.

“While we sing the Praises of our God in His Church, we are employed in that part of Worship which of all others is the nearest a-kin to Heaven: and ‘tis pity that this of all others should be performed the worst upon Earth. The Gospel brings us nearer to the heavenly State than all the former Dispensations of God amongst Men: And in these very last Days of the Gospel we are brought almost within sight of the Kingdom of our Lord; yet we are very much unacquainted with the Songs of the New Jerusalem, and unpracticed in the Work of Praise.” So goes the opening paragraph of the preface to the ‘Hymns and Spiritual Songs’ of Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

I have been to too many ‘Praise meetings’ which, if they are a testimony of what heaven shall be like, make me want to stay on the heavenly train and purposefully miss my stop! If praising God forever and ever in heaven, is like some of those ‘Praise Meetings’ we have found ourselves in on earth, then friends, I’m just not going!

Worship it has been said ‘is not about us’, but about God! I agree with that but I am not prepared to have that truth as an excuse for the continued pitiful spouting of pious platitudes and numb, dumb choruses hung so much about with limp and lame lyrics that leave people totally unmoved, except for thoughts of sleep and bed. A combination of powerful words, spirit moistened lips and a moved heart, should supernaturally raise the spirit of a man and wing him up to Jesus.

Neither do I think it right that on hearing a few notable chords we should clap our hands in glee and say, “oooh I like this one!” Well if you do then good for you friend but remember, ‘it’s not about you!” Unfortunately though, most of our post modern songs are nothing short of mere spiritual masturbation. They are mostly about us and are written with a view to our own emotional stroking.

When the words and the music and our hearts are all in tune, weeping in wonder at what Jesus has done for us, and given to us, then all the world shall come out in droves to hear us, the people of God, praise our Redeemer and I tell you the truth, all of hell, shall in turn, quake in fear to hear us holy ‘Men of Harlech,’ warriors famed in song and story, arrive on the field in glorious praise, singing to Jesus the deep songs of the Spirit, prepared for these last days.

Maybe the call needs to go out, for some more warrior poets, sons of the greater David to take up their pen as well as their sword and reset some deep roots into the Isaacs of old, that once looked toward the coming days of praise. For truly, “in these very last Days of the Gospel we are brought almost within sight of the Kingdom of our Lord; yet we are very much unacquainted with the Songs of the New Jerusalem, and un-practiced in the Work of Praise.”

Tell me friend, how’s that new Song coming along? How’s your praise life today? Have you really felt the darkness tremble just lately? Or are you just singing empty lies?

Listen: - He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3

Pray: - Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. (Psalm 40:5-6A & Psalms 51:15 NKJV)

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Mar-05-How’s Your Sex Life?

2011-03-05T01:30:00.001-08:00

Dream Word – DESIRE

Isaiah 26:9a
With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; NKJV

How’s Your Sex Life?

Do you pray when you get up in the morning? Yes, afore ye face the coming day, do you take the time to kneel and pray?

In a morning, though I do pray for others, I mostly pray for myself, mostly for me and mine. So, with such seeming familial selfishness, I thought it would be good to examine all of my personal prayers made over the mornings now long since gone. Having done that, I have found that I can group them under less than a handful of four major headings. Here they are: I first pray for Power, then I pray for Provision followed by Protection and finally, for Presence.

I pray for Power! Power to be healed of my infirmities that seem to increase exponentially as I get older! Power to be delivered from my demons and my long besetting sins. Power for God to come and change relationships, maybe even me, maybe. Occasionally I pray for power, that I might in all my daily circumstances display the Father’s glory. Oh yes, I like a bit of justifying grandeur to be mixed with my all my personal panderings. I, you see, pray for Power!

I pray for Provision I pray for my daily bread and a whole lot more to put in my large refrigerator and freezer. I pray for chunks of money to feed the barking bills. I pray for postal miracles, I pray for money in the mail. My wife prays for the same! For sure, I pray for strength for the coming day but mostly I pray for money, materials and manpower. I pray for Provision.

I pray for Protection. For after all, if God does answer my increasingly necessary but ever boring prayers, I don’t want these good answers stolen from me at the last, I don’t want to receive them with trouble added on the end. I need to at least cover all my bases of possible loss. Yes, I pray for Protection. Panic prayer insurance is surely a very good thing to have?

Finally, I pray for Presence and believe it or not, this brings me onto the question of my sex life, indeed of your sex life. You see, on those occasions when I have been thoroughly examined by my local Doctor, even just verbally so, he has always questioned me about my libido, or rather, if there is any lack of it. When this question has been asked of me over a visit to him regarding anything other than my genitals, it has always left me with a stunned look on my face. “Eh? What on earth did you ask that for?” In addition to the stunned look, I have to be honest that my response has never been the whole truth. “Yeah fine Doc! No problems in that department, no siree. Phew, praise God” Liar.

The doctor of course, in questioning my prowess in the bedroom is looking at sexual desire as a sign of physical health. If I am ill, then the power of my desire, is often re-routed into fighting disease, overcoming anxiety, or repairing the body. From a doctors point of view, him questioning the function of my libido is simply a fault finding question to discover indicators of failing health. Which believe it or not, brings me back to spiritual desire and especially to my prayers of Presence.

It is too easy to begin the day with God and then forget Him for the rest of it. When my prayers for His manifest presence in my day, is nothing but a quick tag line hooked onto the other guff, then my desire for Him is low, my desire for Him is waning, my spiritual libido is not functioning as it should, indeed, I am spiritually sick.

So, let me ask you tonight my dear friend, how is your spiritual sex life? Is everything OK in the spiritual bedroom department my friend? Oh really? DO YOU DESIRE HIM? IF EVERYTHING ELSE WAS STRIPPED AWAY, WOULD YOU STILL WANT HIM? DO YOU LONG FOR HIM TONIGHT? WILL YOU SEEK HIM ALL YOUR DAY TOMORROW? INDEED, WILL YOU COUNT YOUR DAY AN UTTER FAILURE IF YOU CANNOT FEEL HIS KIND CARESS, ENJOY HIS PRESENCE OVER A CUP OF COFFEE, OR SEE HIS FACE AMONGST THE MILLING CROWD. Yes, tell me, how’s your spiritual sex life tonight?

If you are too tired for desire and frankly, that’s the usual cause amongst us Christians, simple hard pressed tiredness, even exhaustion, then you need to refocus the use of your time, change your diet and get to bed earlier. It’s as profound and as practical as that. If however, you have no desire for Him whatsoever and frankly never really had, then you are very simply, a user and an abuser of God, just a spiritual morning masturbator. Your prayers have been prayers of provision, protection, power and prostitution. Nothing else. There has been no relationship in them whatsoever. Yes, your prayers have been prayers of Provision, Protection, Power and Prostitution. Nothing else.

Let us change our ways. Let us re-order our prayer patterns and on the morrow, let us choose to desire His presence. Let us begin, to court our God once more, in pursuing, desiring and dedicated, adoring relationship.

Listen: - I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain'; Isaiah 45:19a NKJV

Pray:- Lord, You have said, “Seek me and live!” Lord, You have said “You will find Me when you seek me with all your heart.” So with all my heart and mind and will, I decide to desire You. In the coming days O Lord, surprise my choice by adding the glow of passionate fires! Amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Mar-05-‘The Big E’ - Her Stars & His Scars

2011-03-05T01:30:00.000-08:00

Dream Word – FIGHT

John 20:27-28
Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" NKJV
‘The Big E’ - Her Stars & His Scars

Having rejected his Southern Baptist roots, the former decorated army flyer and WWII veteran, embarked on a screen writing career in Las Vegas, the end of which was the creation of a vast cultural consciousness spanning several generations. After a tumultuous life, he became the first person to be buried in space, the genesis of his ideas and the birth place of a ship with the registry entry of NCC 1701, which has sailed into the minds of thousands of millions of Star Trek fans. I am of course talking about Gene Rodenberry’s Constitutional Class Heavy Cruiser, better known as The United States Ship, U.S.S. Enterprise.

‘The Big E’ was the Seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear that name, and the Yorktown Class Carrier launched in 1936 would survive WWII and become the most highly decorated ship in the history of the American Navy, her crew earning her some twenty, distinct and bloody battle stars. Indeed, she was the most decorated ship of the whole of WWII and even received the most prestigious decoration that her Majesty’s Royal Navy could offer in the form of the British Admiralty Pennant.

Our great Commander in Chief Himself, Jesus, Eternal King of Kings, (the real “Big E”) and Lord of Lords, occupies all these, His vast and varied all unbounded seas, surrounded by a trillion bright and shining stars and bearing those most precious of all scars, those wounds of winning, gained at the most crushing defeat of our great enemy at Calvary’s cross. Yes, our Jesus, bears the marks of His victory on His real and resurrected body.

It is my belief that there will be scars birthed on earth which shall be borne in heaven. Scars which are grotesque in deformity here, turned in heaven, into bejewelled and emblazoned touchable tattoos. I believe that scars gained here in the wars of the Lord, are the only thing that shall be carried into heaven and they along with their bearers shall be remembered, honoured and most well loved.

Brethren, where then are the mighty men of the greater David today? Where are the Christians whose names shall sail with glory through the gates of Heaven into heaven’s victorious sees? Where are the men with battle scars?

This poverty ridden and most pitiable condition of ours cannot continue. In the West, darkness is making fast its plans, ready to rise up quickly against this sleepy church of ours, who like Jonah of old, sleeps in the bowels of the ship in the most vicious of rising storms. Trouble is coming and I am not glad for it but as an observer of the weather of time, I tell you tonight, that trouble is coming and it is more than we have ever seen thus far.

Who knows, maybe from our own, quickly coming ‘Pearl Harbour,’ some ships of Renown shall come to sail the seas once more, for I tell you, battle scars from the wars of the Lord, are the only things you shall take into heaven with you.

Listen: - Proclaim this among the nations:"Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men,Let all the men of war draw near,Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swordsAnd your pruning hooks into spears;Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'" Assemble and come, all you nations,And gather together all around.Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.Come, go down;For the winepress is full,The vats overflow — For their wickedness is great." Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. NKJV Joel 3:9-14

Pray:- Heaven knows that getting scars only makes us who we are and no matter how much our heart is aching, there is always beauty in the breaking? Beauty in the breaking Lord and blessing in the making, of wounds and scars and battle stars strewn along our windswept pennant. Give us strength and courage Lord and we shall give you our glory, Yes, all glory to God in the Highest and praise to our great King who from the lips of angels makes sweet hosannas sing. Lord, the people of the Hebrews with palms before Thee went; Our prayer and praise and anthems before Thee we present. To Thee, before Thy passion, they sang their hymns of praise; To Thee, now high exalted, Our melody we raise. Thou didst accept their praises; ccept the prayers we bring, who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King.

(some words, adapted from the song BROKEN, by Lyndsey Horn and from Theodulph of Orleans, who praised God in prison and died in the same place of his praising.)

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Feb-27-Checking Out Those Dusty Bottles

2011-02-27T06:09:00.000-08:00

Key Word:- REPENT

Title:- Checking Out Those Dusty Bottles

Proverbs 23:21
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

We may be well into the movable season of lent by now and I remember growing up, attending Roman Catholic schools and being tutored under the watchful eyes of the Jesuits. In particular, I well remember the preparations made for the 40 days of lent.

In those days of my youth and long, long before, this purely man made tradition would be a time of austerity and serious contemplation prior to the celebration of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord. Ash Wednesday would mark the ‘kick off’ of these religious proceedings and the Tuesday before, would traditionally be a day of sincere shriving. Yes, I said SHRIVING!

Shriving is an archaic word referring to the confessing of sins to a priest, thereby receiving both freedom from guilt and the gift of reconciliation. This particular Tuesday, or Shriving Tuesday or rather, Shrove Tuesday as it became known, would have been a day of confession, repentance and forgiveness. In my house however and in the houses of most modern Catholics and Protestants in the United Kingdom, it was a day for pigging out on pancakes!

In the not so long ago, like so many other poorer households in the West, the giving up of food for lent would have meant a waste of precious perishable and expensive goods. To that end, the larder may have been cleared for lent but nothing was wasted, no sir, everything was eaten and much of it was rolled and served in lightly battered parcels which we now call pancakes. What with all the abundant eating of Shrove Tuesday it then very quickly then became known as ‘Fat Tuesday’ and the literal French translation of ‘Fat Tuesday’ is in fact, ‘Mardi Gras.’ How interesting, that a time of repentance and reconciliation should so subtly be turned into a raucous party!

Sin always seeks to spend itself and before it is finally extinguished, and like a dying firework in its final moments, it will consume itself and all who pass within its fiery perimeter, will be burnt up with it, in its own self-indulgent madness. Mardi Gras, in the present bankrupt and previously flood water leveled city of New Orleans, pictures the world, like a red nose drunk, pedal to the metal, just one last time, before he drives into the waiting school children on the corner. Or paints the world in oils, sitting on an old leather lounger, leaning back with open and disdainfull legs, reconciled to death like a stage four cancer patient, sucking deep on his last cigarette before the final piece of lung is coughed up in his smoky sputum. Or like a pox faced hoar, pimped to the devil, syphilicticly deceived, still thinking she’s beautiful and so still trying to sell her wares on the brink of destruction, just one last time before her all indulgent legs are closed forever. Sin, you see, is a gigantic and greedy, self undulgent, self consuming madness.

When we as Christians look at the state our advanced civilizations, you would in my opinion, have to be on an astonishing amount of anti-depressants, not to tremble in fear at the obvious fact, that God is giving us up to our own sins and all their gross consequences. Whilst clothing ourselves with painted costumes, rather than repentant righteousness, nationally, we have sold our souls for a handful of plastic beads and continue to jiggle our teats before the dead but golden calf of self-indulgence. It’s all scary stuff friends but what is more disconcerting is the absence of any current and loud prophetic voice, announcing impending doom on such once blessed nations that now so blatantly shake their fists against God Most High!

The controversy of our age, is not found so much in wars, racism, poverty, perverse political agendas or even in genocide. No, the controversy of the age is found in our hard hearts towards the long, long-suffering, good and gracious God. A long lie is being perpetuated along these Western shores, that God is at work saving people. However, let me ask you this today, “If indeed so many people are becoming Christians in the West, then where do we go, to even get a sniff of its impact on our culture? Where is the change?” There is none and so like I say, there is long lie being perpetuated among us..

It is obvious that there is no real change, no real response of repentence and our beloved nation’s present answer to so consistent and merciful a chastisement, to all the certain and clear signs of a coming calamity, that seems to draw nearer with every sunrise, has been to simply continue to dance upon the breaches. To party on and party on. We the church in our own diminishing little way, are joining in this same devilish delusion of safety, and are even perpetuating it with pitiful little picnic’s in the park and big days out in the countryside, painting faces, finding space to ‘worship’ and of course, buying as much Chisrian ‘tut’ as we can cart away with us, especially music tut. Yes, especially music ‘tut’.

We in the church must remember that snake oil never did cure any nation of its scourges and its ills. It never did and it never will. So, as we tout our so called spiritual wares, let’s take the time to wipe the dust off the bottle and take a little longer look at just what it is we are selling, because whatever it is, it’s just not working!

Listen: - “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NKJV

Pray: Lord, we Your people humble ourselves and pray. We call for the healing of our land, and Your merciful provision of those from among us who shall be called ‘The re-builders of the old waste places, the repairers of the breach and the restorers of streets to dwell in.’ In Jesus mighty name we pray, amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Feb-26-The Making, The Breaking & The Branding of Mavericks

2011-02-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Dream Word – MAVERICK

Exodus 3:1-2
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. KJV.

The Making, The Breaking & The Branding of Mavericks

Even though they are rarely wanted by the rest of the herd, there has always been a need for the unorthodox, the unconventional and the non-conformist. The banding together of cattle in herd mentality, might for many, lead to safety, acceptance, corporate fellowship and copulation but for the unbranded bull, all the mooing hides, the hoofed up dust and the half eaten grass by muddy and well trampled waters, offers little consolation for their pioneer spirit. So, they leave the herd or are ejected from it, and plough their own trails on the roads less travelled, through the high sierras and down the rocky crags. It’s a lonely life being a Maverick, but it is only the Mavericks that forge the newer tracks amongst God’s green and rolling hills, yes, it is only the Mavericks that find the mount of the Most High God and return to the herd with a message. All true prophets are of necessity, mavericks.

I have often wondered whether mavericks are made or born? I believe it can be either. I believe it can be both. Pity the born maverick then, penned in by the herd, the deep furrows of the track, the fences, the tall tales of fearful giants and the taller tales of safer days, ‘herdside’, for I tell you that that bull shall die on his frustrated feet, long, long before his horns shall ever hit the dust. Pity the made maverick as well then, who, while longing not to be so unacceptable, and seeking earnestly some respectable conformity, nevertheless, when exhibiting the signs of some seeming, mad cow disease, is rejected and derided, excluded and divided, from those he longs to be with. Forgive me for mixing my animals but maverick bulls are often the scapegoats that are sent away into the desert with a flea in their ear, carrying the sins of the people.

Yes, mavericks are both born and made but both must, one way or another, embrace the loneliness of the backside of the desert. Moses was such a man, born and made a maverick. John the Baptiser was such a man, born and made a maverick. Hosea was such a man, Jeremiah, Amos, Paul, and tens of thousands of others, named and unnamed, were all mavericks, each of them returning to the herd with a burning message from Horeb, that only a maverick man might get!

A maverick with a message is hated by the enemy and he will always try and break him. Remember, that there was once a maverick Levite, (Judges 17:7 onwards) who left the herd at Bethlehem only later to sell his maverick soul for ten shekels and a shirt. Once the transaction was done, he found it easier to sell it again and again, for a little more money each time. The consequences of this breaking of a maverick bull, was that the man and his message was marred beyond recovery. Yes, there are two things that break a maverick and ruin his message once he gets it. First money and secondly the need for herd respectability. Yes, money and the need for affirmation from the other animals are the two siren scimitars which might slice the maverick man in two. Demas was cut in two by the former (2 Tim 4:10) and God help us, Peter and Barnabas were both sliced and diced by the latter. (Galatians 2:11-21)

The original and popular use of the word ‘Maverick’ referred to ‘wayward calves and cattle, who wandered the range, unbranded.’ Such cattle when found, hardy and well fed, became the property of the first person to put their own brand upon them. Broken Mavericks are always branded in the end. Yes, often times, many religious leaders throughout the ages, even Popes and Senior Pastors all, have all discovered that the best way to deal with a boisterous bull, is to brand him first and then cut his balls off, for mavericks always disturb the herd.

Mavericks in the making, wandering in the backside of the desert before they arrive at the Mount of God, before the fire of the burning bush is given into their bosom, might be some of the loneliest, frustrated and disconsolate people I have ever met but oh my God, oh dear Lord deliver us, those now branded bulls, former mavericks of old, now wandering around without their balls but accepted by the herd, are some of the saddest animals in the world, sporting both bad meat for the butcher and polluted manure for the ground. For once the branding took the light from their eyes, they also lost their flavour, their singing salty savour and became respectful, ruined and absolutely rotten. There is no recovery from this.

May God grant His flock, many a mighty Maverick, both born and made and may such Mavericks, avoid both the branding iron and the plush pliers of the caring castrators. In all their wide and windswept wanderings, may they find the Mount of God, see the burning bush, receive the majestic message in their hearts and from such burning and lonely furnaces of affliction, deal death to Pharaoh’s everywhere and reveal the safe paths of deliverance to all the flock of God. Amen.

Listen: - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9-10 NKJV

For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land — Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you," says the Lord, "to deliver you." Jeremiah 1:18-19 NKJV

Pray:- Help us O Lord, to arm our Mavericks and not to harm them. May they find new paths, hidden trails, fresh waters, and for their own hearts sake and for our continued deliverance, may they find both The Mount and The Message, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Feb-18-Some Hat Pins For Zombies

2011-02-18T01:30:00.001-08:00

Dream Word – AWARE

2 Corinthians 4:3, 4
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. NKJV
Some Hat Pins For Zombies

The Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system and Hollywood, have given us the scary pictures if reanimated flesh eating corpses, or as they are more better known, Zombies! I bet you didn’t know it but there are in fact two types of Zombies in our world. Yes and this is good to know for I am concerned that I find myself increasingly surrounded by Zombies.

The first type is the C.N.C. Zombie, that is, the Consumer ridden Non Christian. They may be ‘Chav’ like, or boys from Charter House. They may be shopping at Argos or even at Harrods. They may be layabouts or playboys, professionals or stupid! It doesn’t matter. The common factor is that these CNC Zombies are focused only on what is before them. Arms outstretched, vacant eyes, drool at the side of their mouth, they are interested in only consuming and if the eating is at the expense of someone else, or IS someone else, then so be it. The CNC Zombie is unaware of their own death and is merrily happy at the blindness of a sorcerous slavery that binds them in their chains. Yes, the worldwide economic enslavement of the CNC zombies by the enemy of their souls continues but no matter to them, for as long as they are feeding, whether on crepes or crap, it doesn’t matter, not as long as they are simply consuming! As they do this, and this alone, that full and happy, monosodium glutamate glaze of overfed blindness will continue. Zombies! I see these every day.

The second type is the F.F.C. Zombie, the Fixed and Focus Christian Zombie. I detest these the most, for they are fixed and focused on anything other than the simple love of God in the face of Christ Jesus. They are fixed and focused on anything other than the naked revelations of revealed truth. The hammering and beating, the drilling and the banging of the workers of the man of sin constructing his kingdom around their very feet is of no concern to them, for they are fixed on their own churches, focused on their own pet doctrines and pet pastors, fixed on their denominational peccadilloes, focused on feeding the machine and keeping it happy, quiet, functioning and controllable. Focused on wet worship and soft presucked morsels, for as long as they can sing well and have some tasty teat to suck on, on a Sunday morning, they’ll be satisfied with minute microwaved Christianity. They cannot abide strong meat, only milk, lukewarm, watery milk at that, which will be poorly digested, with only just enough spiritual nutrition to make them feel saved and certainly not enough to make them grow and walk properly! Zombies, nice well dressed, well spoken, well ordered ‘pooperninkums,’ all joining in the fiddling while the true saints of Christ burn. As long as they are given a free bunny rabbit when they give their lives to Christ and get their hair stroked regularly with a "there, there, there, poor sweet baby," then they are somewhat happy. Zombies!

Meanwhile, Satan’s New World Order, so enslaves their minds that they refuse to face the smell of the rising stench of Christian decay and see the settling of dust from the crumbling edifice that was once the church, pouring in on them from un-repented and un-repointed brickwork, letting in the Devil’s damp and spreading black death, like a lousy leak from the Hoover Dam all across their “praize” focused faces. Good grief it’s the entertainment industry that is setting most of our teaching titles and discussion groups. Yes sir indeed, it’s consumer Christianity at its best, but unfortunately the best it can do, is to re-animate a corpse and keep it drooling. In the end, whether C.N.C or F.C.C. it doesn’t matter, they are both Zombies.

When the real Christians arrive on the scene, we wont have questions regarding revival! For the clash of arms, the fall of Kingdoms, the leaping lame, the shouts of happiness breaking out of the open mouths of those delivered from deep gloom and a multitude of other magnificent testimonies to the touchdown of God Almighty, will be unchallenged evidence of God amongst us, which in the end, is all that the real people of God are truly longing for. (And, 'No thanks', I don’t want to buy that latest CD. )

Meantime, I am keeping the drool from the sides of my own mouth, keeping my arms up toward heaven, instead of outstretched toward the earth. Keeping my eyes and ears open, my sword unsheathed and my shield well up. I have also bought some old hat pins, they are a mite long mind you, but never the less, they are still sharp, ready to be sunk deep into a few pink professing buttocks. Tomorrow, I’m off to try and wake up a few Zombies. Do you want to join me?

Listen: - I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. NKJV

Pray:- Lord, break this great witchcraft of the enemy, that dulls Your churches ears to the sound of his hammering and blinds us to his wicked machinations. Father, please ram the hatpin of the Holy Spirit’s conviction right up our rear end, in Jesus name I ask it, amen!

Nov-12-Minging

2010-11-12T02:17:00.000-08:00

Well, good morning and welcome to WhisperingWord's frugal scrapings and observations on this morning's news for Friday November 12th-2010 :: Well time is a pressing today so this morning frugal news will indeed be just that! Yet. amongst the many stories of yet another day on topside of planet earth, the one that really caught my eye was the Ming Vase sale. Well actually, it was a Quianlong vase. But I tell you, it angered me.

The BBC reports that: "A vase found in a house-clearance in London has been sold for £43m, thought to be a record for any Chinese artwork. The 18th Century Qianlong porcelain piece had been estimated to fetch up to £1.2m for the brother and sister who inherited it. "The sister had to go out of the room and have a breath of fresh air," said Helen Porter from Bainbridges auction house in Ruislip, north-west London. The vase is yellow and sky blue in colour with a fish motif on the front. The buyer - who is thought to have come from the Chinese mainland - paid £43m, with an additional premium of £8.6m to go to the auctioneer. The family who inherited the piece "had no idea what they had", Ms Porter said. "They were hopeful but they didn't dare believe until the hammer went down." It is thought the vase left China in about 1860, and belonged to one family for about 70 years.

OK. Now this raises a number of issues for me. Here's but two of them::
The first is how a bloody vase is worth £43 simply because we say it is! The value of this tiny piece of porcelain is very simply 'what somebody was willing to pay for it.' There is slight intrinsic value in the piece, but not £43 million pounds worth! The second issue is the sheer immorality of paying £43 million for a vase when people will die tonight because of lack of food, yes people will die in depression TODAY, because they cannot find a job or feed their family. This £43 million could have significantly impacted the lives of not a few human beings today. No, this purchase, is nothing but an obscene crime against humanity.

A greater crime however, and I mean this, is when the church put bricks and mortar, programs and policies before its own blood bought brethren. Yes, Christians today will fall off the back of the luxury cruise ship of western Christianity and disappear into the distance, never to be seen again. Sometimes the sucking waves will be simply lack of finance, lack of hope, lack of love, but whatever, it will suck them down to the depths of their own personal hell. I tell you, when the church allows these people to disappear into the fading white phosphorescence of a darkened sea, yet still pours money into keeping the lights on in vast edifices of entertainment, then it com mitts sin, not only against a seemingly silent Christ who surely stares aghast at the staggering sight of all the sinking souls amongst His own redeemed people, but it sins against itself. Yes, whilst maintaining it's lying promotion it's own happy head shot of its heavily made up complexion, all in smiling and pastel colours, in the background, away from the cameras, this sin causes its own broken bowels to hang down from its own scabby arse, its loose and ungripping sphincter unable to hold in the whole maggot eaten mess of it, while the Lord of the flies hungrily circles, singing around the piled high skubula. I tell you, the offence of a the purchase of a £43 million vase, is nothing compared to the offensive self killing shittiness which THE CHURCH OF THE TARE AND NOT THE WHEAT, involves itself in every single day.
May God have mercy upon us.

James 2:15-17
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. NKJV

Oh and finally - Here are a few verse from the Bible use by 'The Church of The Tare and Not The Wheat.' It's Called The Alternative Ending Bible

Matthew 14:25-35
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
31 but the Lord said “No” and walked on by as Peter was eaten alive by the foaming waters and sucked beneath the big and pounding waves.
32 And when Jesus got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 Then those who were in the boat just stared at Jesus and were aghast!"
34 “Well”, he said, “There’s work to do. Row on!”
35 So they did. And eventually, all those questions they had about Peter: why he was left to drown? What his secret sins could have been and the like? Were all eventually sunk deep beneath their calmer waters, along with 'the rock', whose bloated body was now made food for all those other fishes in the sea that also had no money in their mouths.

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Oct-31-Of Carrots & Calebs

2010-10-31T03:20:00.000-07:00

Key Word:- DARE

Title:- Of Carrots and Calebs

Joel 2:28,29
“And it shall come to pass afterward. That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days…..”

Lieth Anderson in the forward to a very informative church planting resource book called ‘Into The Future,’ talks about what he calls his ‘recurring fantasy.’ In it, he imagines himself ‘walking down the streets of heaven and having a stranger come up to him and say “Excuse me. Someone told me you lived on earth at the beginning of the twenty first century, you know, back when God was doing His great thing in the church, back when the gospel was spreading everywhere. Is that true? Where you there? What was it like? What was your part?” I wonder if Maybe Mr Anderson is maturing into a dreamy old Caleb?

My circle of life experience has put me into contact with many older men at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the next and so far, and I can only speak for myself, it has not been an overwhelmingly enlivening experience, for they have been more like carrots than Caleb’s! You know, just old “stick in the muds” with weird hair styles, funny coloured clothes and an odd smells about them. Apart from a couple, there has been nothing to aspire to. I mean nothing.

I imagine Caleb of old however, especially in his 80's, to be a man the young guys respected and wouldn’t dare to mess with. A man they longed to emulate, Indeed, me thinks that the effect of even the presence of such an old warrior like Caleb, would shape your knees substantially. Do you know what I mean?

Caleb’s grip on grace would bring you to your knees in thankfulness and adoration of God Most High; Caleb’s grip on his sword would make your knees knock together should he even allow his fierce hand to brush against it in some kind gesticulation; Caleb’s grip on the greatness of God, would make your knees shake and his grip on the fire of God, reflected in his excited eyes at the coming conflict and victory, would warm you so much that it would be as though on a winters night you had sat too close to the blazing fire in an open hearth. Caleb would burn you friends. Caleb would excite you. Caleb would move you, make you be the man you could be, even the man you should be! If you could be with Caleb then I know you would want to be like Caleb, I guarantee it, for Caleb is a powerful old dreamer that looks to the heights, and rather than cry, “Give me my pension,” he sees his possession and booms in believing faith, “Give me my mountain!” Then, by fierce conflict, he seizes it from the foe and in so doing, teaches us youngsters how to fight and win, how to be and how to become more than conquerors. Caleb has a different spirit within him you see. Always has had, always will.

Unfortunately in our pews, as the old century now slowly slips away forever, all I have seen is row upon row of carrots! I do not wish to be mean, but we all know, and the devil knows, that there is little menacing to his kingdom, about a carrot! Tell me friend. How can our young men have victorious visions, if our old men don’t dare to dream, the dreams of God? Oh carrots my carrots, my eyes weep in secret for your pride; my eyes weep bitterly and run down with tears for the young that have been taken captive and have had their eyes gouged out by you musty old vegetables. May God forgive you for this and may God help us who have allowed it to happen. I would like to blame the cabbage patch women for the planting of carrot like men but I cannot for it is the ministers who are the most complicit for planting these rows of vegetables.

Young friend, if that fantastic question in the fantasy of Mr Anderson will ever be asked of you in heaven, wouldn’t it be great, if along with Leith Anderson you could reply with a gleeful smile, “Yes I was there. God did wonderfully amazing things. Let me tell you my exciting share!” Go on young brothers and sisters, dream a little; do some ‘visioneering;’ yourself and go believe and go achieve some great things with God! Ignore the carrots, for they are rotting in the ground even now and if you can, go seek out the few remaining blacksmiths who might still tool you up real good. If God’s grace permits, become a Caleb yourself for God help us! We could do with a few I can tell you!

P.S. Don’t believe the old wives tale that ‘carrots are good for your eyesight.’ I tell you, it’s just not true.

Listen:- Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the LORD's flock has been taken captive. Jeremiah 13:15-17

Pray: - Oh Lord, Oh God, Oh Jesus. Please! Where are the aged warriors that can teach Your soldiers war? Oh God where are the dreamers of old? Lord, deliver us from our present blind and pitiful patriarchs, those most comfortable and careful carrots, that we may not die in the wilderness and rot in the ground along with them. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Oct-05-The Rise of Daddyism

2010-10-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Now three times in the New Testament we find the word, ABBA, Daddy, Poppa, Pappa, Father, and one of those three times we see it used in the mouth of Jesus. In pleading and pitiful terms, during the darkest hours of His passion in the garden, Jesus moves into the very circle of holy fatherly intimacy and pleads Mark 14:36 "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." NKJV. When you read these verses, you feel that it is intimately holy, almost embarrassing to read, yes, it is like coming in on a love scene between a man and his wife, like seeing a mother cosset her dying child in her arms, like the last goodbye at a hospital bed, for the depth of intimacy is such that it makes you feel out of place, an intruder on unique love, yes, it makes you want to leave the room as you seem to encroach on a deep and personal holy intimacy that is not yours to gain sustenance from. It is personal, it is unique, it is not for you, and for you to stay would make you nothing but a perverted voyeur.

So with us, the use of ABBA, Daddy, poppa, father, is also a unique and personal experience, it is holy, it has depth, is has meaning, yes, it is a key to closeness that only experience allows the use thereof. In other words, there is a time and place for the use of this most holy and intimate of words.

So then, such public misuse if this term, of 'Daddy, and all other 'Daddyisms', is indicative of immaturity, and in the mouth of the so called mature, it might also bear the marks of falsehood. Yes, such public use of Daddysim by men on a platform, by men in public, is like a teenager groping in public, like married folk that should really get a room, like X factor contestants gushing over Simon Cowel, yes, like little loons that need to take life more seriously, yes, public 'Daddyisms', for men especially, is something that makes them look silly. Now hear me now, for our Master and greatest man that has ever lived, the last Adam Jesus, the first new man Jesus, uses this term in deepest intimacy, in both private and in public, on the former it is a depth of of personal intimacy, in the latter, I suspect, was a level of shared intimacy with his most closest of friends. So should we, especially in our culture. When men so publicly flaunt this most intimate of terms, to the watching world of men, it is silly, soppy, unattractive.

Real men are Romantic. In the right place. Real men are vulnerable. With their lover and their friend. Real men don't act like love sick pimply teenagers, gushing like an X Factor loon on the public stage, snogging in public like pitiful prat, way out of their emotional depth. Daddy, Papa, are terms of right expressions, keys of deepest intimacy, whose best use is in private, for I tell you, the Holy Spirit and the adoption birthed in us, like young gulls, fat fledglings searching for sustenance, will CRY OUT ABBA, DADDY, PAPPA...This will happen, it must. But where it happens and how, is a mark of our real possession of the same and indicative of our maturity in God. Grow up men. Grow up! Save your 'Daddyisms' for the sacred places.

None of these things are the answer to our malady. NONE! The only answer is CONVERSIONS. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM! Yes, and we need them now. All the farting around over therapeutic deism dressed up in a goaty beard and carrying a pint of lager will not do the job. We need conversions NOW. This means we need to get back to the BASIC PREACHING ON THE FULL GOSPEL TO PAGANS! WE NEED TO GET OUT THERE. Let us not miss this simple answer. Without God convicting people of sin through the preaching of His word, and the preaching of the Word taking place in the WORLD then we are doomed. No amount of 'Father Hearting' it, no amount of 'Father Wound Healing', no amount of parenting classes, no amount of 'how society in the sixties got us here', no amount how to become a better husband, no amount of ANYTHING EXCEPT CONVERSIONS will stop the two monsters of demographic certainty and statistical inevitability in bringing a final desolation upon the church.

I applaud, no I most honestly and humbly bow in admiration to EVERY EFFORT MADE in this area, however, do not be misled, UNLESS WE GET CONVICTION AND CONVERSIONS WE ARE DOWNRIGHT BLOODY DEAD.

Oct-01-The Kingdom of God

2010-09-30T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have been troubled all the more recently with talk and expressions of the Kingdom of God. For example, there is work that is done in the local church, giving that is done to the local church and then work that is 'for the kingdom' and giving that is 'to the kingdom.' The latter always being that more worthy and that more spiritual. But jsut what is this kindom?

When I look at the kingdom, you know, it is at it's core, there seems to be a bunch of people from different denominations all getting along with one another, around the lowest common denominator that will give them grounds for connection. Even if that lowest common denominator is God the Holy Spirit, or rather, the 'move of the spirit'. That is the Kingdom. Now, you've missed the important word. For it is not God, nor the Spirit, nor kingdom, No, don't miss that word I used: CONNECTION. Yes, the kingdom of God is good connections with the right kind of people.

Let's bypass, the words, kingdom and unity and being one and fellowship for they are too confusing, the Kingdom is CONNECTION or better still...Networking with the right kind of people, people who will stand by you, be your friend, support you, financially and otherwise and even make sure you get a job. The Kingdom of God is CONNECTIVE NETWORKING. It is both who you know and how much you have got to give. Friends and money. If you do not think this is the case, then see how far you get in the 'Kingdom' with no connections and no money. I tell you how far you will get.....you won't get far.

All other CONNECTIVE NETWORKING organisations work better than the Kingdom, simply be case they are totally up front about their raison d'etre. There is nothing dressed up about it, nothing forced, nothing nasty, no suspicion. Their connective Networks are honest, they are about friends and money. Nothing else. Friends and money. Tell me, what is your 'expression' of the Kingdom of God about really? Is all about who you know?

Sep-28-Professional Pulpit Monkeys - or - Prophet?

2010-09-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

First Published in July 2009---

The heartland of Middle England, that last notch on the worn out Bible belt which like Ezekiel's sash, has been long since left rotted in the ground has it's spiritual centre around Tunbridge Wells.

There in those heartlands, whenever any innovation is brought to the table, some slightly out of the box thinking maybe, or some un-parochial project, then the phrase often brought to bear so often on the budding thought is 'No you can't do that, this is after all Tunbridge Wells.' This little phrase is repeated in such a manner in that it kills faith by presenting itself as a reasonable excuse for not being different, for not trying something new and something un-parochial . 'This is Tunbridge Wells' is in fact not 'an excuse for not being innovative' but rather, it is an indictment of unbelief, apathy, pleasant and plastic respectability and of course, cowardice. Don't get me wrong, I'm not so much talking about the place but rather, that state of mind which is Tunbridge Wells, the state of mind which is the Laodicean church in England.

I tell you now, it is the professional minister that is responsible for this state of mind and state of affairs in the church, yes it is the hired pulpit monkey, grinning like Bruce Forsyth, dancing for the crowds and chanting 'nice to see - to see you nice' to the increasingly mostly feminine following (and that includes the men) that are responsible for all this bland niceness! So let me ask you my good friends, if I ever get professional, take me outside and beat the pious platitudes out of me, for I shall have fallen from grace and got out of the race whilst still pretending to be a runner in it!

There is something about churches like Bruce Forsyth that make me wretch, make me puke, make me want to pack my bags. To that end I am most assuredly like Christ and I thank God for that! No I am not professional, I am prophetic and the difference in those two words my friends, if you still are my friends, will always produce a separation, will always call for churches to be more like Bruce Willis than like Bruce Forsyth. If you like Bruce Forsyth Christianity, then my message is not for you. No, please go somewhere else, for there are lots of nice places for the respectable Christian to still go and get a good food feeding. Your welcome to them but frankly, Cow and Gate never did me any good and especially so when its served up by a pulpit monkey, a hired hand to make the sin smell nice, to stop the boat a-rockin' and to make sure God is accessible. Can you imagine having the arrogance of suggesting we can make God 'more accessible!' No, prophets don't do nice.

Christians should be Davidic. A little fella with a sling and a handful of smooth stones called God, grace, growth, goodness guts and glory! When we have gone down to the battle and asked some questions about the Philistine monsters all still allowed to be mocking God and have received the same rebuke that David did we should still mange to retain a couple more important stones to give us the courage to run at the foe in the name of Jesus and faithfully proclaim his sure and swift demise. Yes stick around, for I have a few bloody heads we want to flash before your frightened faces yet.

No, I am not a professional, for a professional would never hew the enemy in pieces, only a prophet has the power and dreadful determination to do that. I want to be more like Bruce Willis rather than like Bruce Forsythe. No, I don't do nice. You can go somewhere else for that. Ah but truth and grace, fighting and forgiveness, sacrifice and salvation, yes I do them, I long for them, I want live in them.

If you want nice, then go find yourself a professional paid up pulpit monkey. If you want prophetic, then be prepared to be challenged to change on every level of your life. Yes, you will need to grow up and get a bit more thick skinned and if you can't do that, then best you go join the mothers union and bake some fairy cakes.

Oh and please don't send me any emails, please just stop all the talking and do some walking. Show me the money Jerry! Show me the Money! If you can't do that then please, with the greatest of respect, just shut the heck on up.

Meanwhile - I hope you are ready to are ready to DARE TO LISTEN!

Jul-04-The Rozzers Are Coming

2010-07-03T23:36:00.001-07:00

Well, yesterday in London just 40 years after the first 'Gay Pride' march of just 2000 people, it was estimated that 1 million folk marched in the Capital City. From all walks of life and all social institutions, political, military, etc, LGBT had their members marching. Some of course were mincing and mucking about, but make no mistake about it, despite its colourful effervescence, this was a march, which sill had great political purpose.

Peter Tatchel, activist, politician and writer remarked in the Guardian that "In the last 40 years, queer people have become more visible than ever before and most of the public are relaxed about same-sex relationships. All homophobic laws have been repealed, apart from the ban on same-sex civil marriage. Positive images of LGBT life abound on television. Politicians and entertainers are openly gay. The police are serious, at last, about tackling homophobic and transphobic hate crimes. Gayness is no longer classified as an illness.....At this pace of progress, homophobic prejudice and discrimination are doomed." Of course, he is correct and for that some congratulations regarding their achievement are needed.

Christianity of course, like a frightened puppy, is mostly quivering in its own pee regarding these massive political LGBT gains. (And they are!) Good grief even Sir Cliff Richard, UK Christendoms long leading light on celibate asexualism, has called on the Church of England to update its views on same-sex marriages, arguing that all judgements on sexuality should be left to God. "I think the Church must come round and see people as they are now. Gone are the days when we assumed loving relationships would be solely between men and women. It seems to me that commitment is the issue, and if anyone comes to me and says: 'This is my partner; we are committed to each other', then I don't care what their sexuality is. I'm not going to judge; I'll leave that to God."

The Gay Liberation Front rooted in America, and fruited in a few new forms over here, believed that "heterosexuality was a remnant of cultural inhibition and felt that change would not come about unless the current social institutions were dismantled and rebuilt without defined sexual roles. To do this the GLF was intent on transforming the idea of the biological family and clan and making it more akin to a loose affiliation of members without biological subtexts." You see, the overall view from the LGBT community is that they problem is totally with a homophobic society, so society needs purging of all homophobia. Again Peter Tatchel writes in the Guardian that "The police are serious, at last, about tackling homophobic and transphobic hate crimes." So make no mistake about this, Bible Believers, and proclaimers of Biblical truth, will be seen as societies homophobes who must be purged. The Police in the thorough application of so called homophobic hate crime law, will see to it that this is done. Yes watch out now, look, even Boris Johnson, the mayor of London and previous political supporter of Section 28 said "I am pleased to support our city's pride celebrations and proud of London's reputation as a place where you can be yourself..."From poet laureates to politicians and pop stars to rugby players, there's an increasing confidence to be open about your sexuality...."Nowhere is this more evident than in London, which is home to one of the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities in the world....."Everybody has the right to live their life as they wish, free from persecution and abuse, and my office is working with the community, the police and other partners to ensure that, irrespective of sexuality, all Londoners are able to participate fully in the life of the capital." Society has declared that Bible proclaimers are committing hate crimes and mark my words, the 'Rozzers' will be round....

So, what can we say to the current success story of the LGBT communities political agenda. Well, we have to say that they have mightily achieved their goals and congratulations are in order.

Or we can say this, that according to the Bible, 'success' of the GLF fruit and the GLBT community is nothing short of the terrible testimony concerning the Judgment of God upon us.

So, to the LGBT community I say "Congratulations." To the pee ridden puppy quivering in the corner I am sending a little girl to come and stroke you and say 'there, there, there..."and to the Nation as a whole, yes to great Britain long since dominished, I am send my deepest condolences, for God has deserted you and pronounced a calamitous judgement upon you.

Please accept my commiserations.

Rom 1:21-32 NKJV

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Jan-11-Of Pig Sties & Palaces

2010-01-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

Of Pigsties & Palaces

The Elect Lady—Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. 1707-1791

The grey dawn broke over the residence of the Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. Job like in her life's experiences, this illness looked as though it could be her last. Her personal chaplain George Whitfield, who had preached in all of her houses to most of her noble friends, now moved purposefully towards the window. Cracking it open, the voices below of (1)thousands of admirers came prayerfully to the end of their petitioning hymn:

Uphold this star in thy right hand
Crown her endeavors with success;
Among the great ones may she stand,
A witness of thy righteousness,
Till many nobles join Thy train And triumph in the lamb that's slain.

Eighteenth century England was a hard and brutal world to live in. Alcohol and poverty proved a malevolent mix for the masses of the lower classes. There was many a highway man roaming the heaths along the roads into London. Poverty, inequality and drunkenness became a heady cocktail for violence. However, it was not only Whitfield and Wesley that feared not the mobs whilst loving the masses and preaching Christ to the forgotten and poverty stricken. Selina, since her conversion, had become very active and compassionate amongst the poor, visiting them and praying for them in their sickness with such love and concern that when they died, they left their children to her as a legacy that they might be cared for by the Countess!

However, it must be remembered that not only did Selina care for the lowly, but also cared for the high and the mighty. Selina was a regular visitor to the Royal Court, even appealing at one point directly to the king concerning the lifestyle of the then Archbishop and his wife. Her witness indeed was to both to pig sties and palaces. However Selina was more than a kind benefactor. She was a woman of great vision, zeal, courage, continuance, sacrifice, understanding, and discernment. Though an unfortunate participatory in the Calvinistic and Armenian controversy raging at the time between Wesley and Whitfield, they both had nevertheless preached in her pulpits and at her college, along with other famous Evangelical preachers of the day such as such as, Fletcher, Harris, and Toplady. From her thorough theological comprehension, the Countess was a Calvinist of ardent fervor, and was no stranger to fighting for her beliefs. She was very courageous concerning her beliefs. The Upper Class did not mingle with the minions in education, society, health or amenities. The Evangelical preachers call to conviction, confession and repentance may have been well understood and received by the masses, but on the whole it was rejected by the nobility. Indeed the then Duchess of Buckingham did not believe that people with 'blue blood' had to listen to such humiliating truths. Sneering at the then growing sect of the Methodists she wrote, (2) "Their doctrines are most repulsive and strongly tinctured with impertinence and disrespect towards their superiors, in perpetually endeavoring to level all ranks, and do away with distinctions. It is monstrous to be told that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl the earth….." It took a woman of courage like Selina to place the claims of Christ before such people. (3)She used to say she thanked God for the letter 'M' in 1 Cor 1:26 "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called." NKJV (4) "It is estimated that through the tireless efforts of the Countess of Huntingdon no less than 200 chapels and mission stations were opened. In 1828 forty years after her death, there were some 35,000 people regularly attending these places of worship, cared for by 72 officiating ministers."

Though at the time Oxford and Cambridge were still the only places where men could train for the ministry, Trevecca house near Talgarth in Breconshire was set up by the Countess and had more than 150 preachers passing through it, dispatching them all over England and even to the Americas! Indeed Missionaries sent to the southern state of Georgia in 1772, though there primarily to preach to the Indians and set up a (5)college for the Indian nations became instrumental along with Whitfield, in the conversion of many Africans then in the south. Following their emancipation some 2000 are reported to have left for Sierra Leone in 1792. (6) At least half of them were associated with the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion. A group of Connexion churches still exist today in Sierra Leone and are in fellowship with the remaining Chapels of the Connexion in England. Paul had his (7) Lydia, and Whitfield his Countess. Maybe today many pastors are still in need of godly and powerful patronage? Possibly we should be praying that more fish shall be caught, and found to have (8) money in their mouths, and mercy in their gills. (9) "The story is told of a bishop who complained about the Countess's Ministers who had created some kind of sensation in his diocese. His majesty offered a solution -"Make bishops of them-- make bishops of them." The prelate replied: "that might be done, but please your Majesty, we cannot make a bishop of Lady Huntingdon." At that point the Queen interposed, "It would be a lucky circumstance if you could, for she puts you all to shame."

***********************************************************

Sources:-

(1) Gilbert w Kirby, The Elect Lady (The Trustees of the Connexion. Stanley L Hunt (printers) Ltd, Northants England 1972) 29

(2)Ibid, 18.

(3)She was thankful that the text did not read: not any nobles are called as opposed to not Many nobles are called. Gilbert w Kirby, The Elect Lady (The Trustees of the Connexion. Stanley L Hunt (printers) Ltd, Northants England 1972) 54

(4)Ibid, 59

(5)Ibid, 60

(6)Acts 16:14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. NIV

(7)Acts 16:40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. NIV

(8)Matthew 17:27 "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." NIV

(9)Gilbert w Kirby, The Elect Lady (The Trustees of the Connexion. Stanley L Hunt (printers) Ltd, Northants England 1972) 36

Jul-18-Dare You?

2009-07-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Listen?

Jul-07-Why All The Castratos In The Choir Visibule?

2009-07-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

Some opening thoughts ----

Why All The Castrato's In The Choir Visibule?

Where have all the men gone - especially in Church Planting in the UK

I became a Christian in August 1979. For now nearly thirty years, I have pitched my personal tent amongst the people of God in many a varied situation. My Jobs and calling have led me to be involved with quite a few churches on two continents and for the last eight years in particular, I have been an active and avid student of church growth and church planting methodology here in the West.

However, although these opening thoughts throw a few stones at current and most successful church planting methodology, I have attempted to direct my main thrust around the need for churches who are driven by released preaching and released preachers. I really desire to examine what a released Preaching Driven Church might look like. Indeed, a book I am working on at he moment is an examination if two words, those being Control and Release. I believe that our present and seemingly successful models of church planting have become most monstrous machines of our own making, which in turn have a momentum and life within themselves, which control at every level the direction and destiny of local churches. I do not want to throw any babies out with the bathwater but I do want to make sure that we, the people God, are most thoroughly in control of any church growth model which we might utilize in the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the moment I do believe that we are the dying servants of attractively alluring ‘Stepford Wives,’ all out of control and killing us, not so softly with their satellite love.

I must say right now, that though I have read widely, I undoubtedly have not read widely enough. There is nothing new under the sun that’s for sure and some of which I write about will no doubt have been written somewhere else long before I put fingers to type pad and also, some of the ideas I an trying to express, may well have been expressed and put into practice elsewhere. I have endeavored to give credit where I remember where credit is due, however, where I have failed to do so, then please forgive me. There are lots of methodologies, styles, intents, purposes and practices out there and I have probably stolen from most of them! I have in my life endeavored to be a good Asian man in that I have tried to take that which already works, reproduce and utilize it for myself and my own profit. I am no expert in the matters of church growth either, no, all I am really is a little boy amongst the crowd watching the parade of the local kings and willing to cry out that “They are not wearing any clothes! They are altogether as naked as the day that they were born!”

You know, just using the terms ‘methodology’ and ‘preaching practices’ already has me bored. It sounds like some text book pointers for the elite, or certain studious folks without a real job or a real life. The truth is, that in my experience, there are not many people in those old pews or new padded movable seats, who frankly give a fig about methodology of any kind. The ‘Super Wal -Marting’ of Christianity has done its work in developing such a deep culture of Christian consumerism that it has given birth to plastic spiritual products for religiously plastic people. To quote a current hip word in North America, which, in my opinion, was far better utilized by C.S. Lewis, our Western Christianity and our people are just not [i]‘SOLID’. However, though most Christians do not care about ‘method,’ in church planting ‘method’ never the less, is everything!

These opening paragraphs may already lead some of you to conclude that I am a cynic of present church structure and practices, being both bitter and twisted out of shape about it all and frankly, you would not be totally incorrect. Don’t write me about it, just live with it. We’ve got problems in the church at the beginning of this 21st Century and I am prepared to pick at them and pull them apart. We have to, especially in England or in just a couple of generations, the Church in our country, will be no more.

I believe that we in the West, are the church of the blind Laodicean age and our poor ‘peepers ‘are in great need of a good old poking. The solving of our problems may indeed lie in the salving of our eyes but the truism that ‘there is none so blind as them that will not see’ is a formidable obstacle to overcome, when numbers and materials alone become the measuring stick for seeming success in church growth. Never the less, we must try and rub some scriptural exfoliate on the delicate surface of our eyes , to see if the cataracts of consumerism will be shredded away and we shall be left with yet another hill of cut [ii]skins to stand upon and so be able to rightly peer over the walls of these not so little, alluring and attractive church kingdoms. We need to take a very good look at what is really going on in present church growth.

Unfortunately I do believe that if you were to stand on all the lying hype from the lips of many Christian leaders and then look over the wall of these man-made, man centered and man maintained little kingdoms, then I think that when you have a thorough and honest look at where we are as Christian people (poor, blind and naked) and where we shall no doubt end up this side of heaven as the church militant (destroyed), you too will begin to feel a little worried, and maybe little bitter concerning what we have been robbed of and also maybe not a little twisted out of shape concerning our never realized and unfulfilled dreams. In great part, our leaders are responsible for this increasing defrormity.

If I am right, in that we the church have indeed churned out more plastic consumables than Woolworths ever did, or even Wal Mart, and Big Lots combined! And all in attempt to make God accessible (I am so sorry Father), then we need to ask ourselves some questions regarding the absence of men in the church and the pitiful presence of men with no bits. So :

“How on earth did we get here and how did we become so rich in materials and such paupers in true spirituality?

How did we produce so many ‘kitten like people’ whose matted little eyes have never fully opened?

How did the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, give birth to such worrying little whelps, such crappy little cubs?

How did we produce so many castratos in the well dressed choir?

How did we produce so many needy people who are willing to settle for less, and willing to be satisfied with mere morsels from mere mortals?

Just how did we produce so many Chamberlains shaking that piece of paper, that pitiful pact with the devil pronouncing ‘peace in our time’ whilst Satan himself maliciously masses his forces on the borders of our undefended kingdom and even now rolls heavily on towards all the capitals of our cities set on hills, all dressed with nice neat houses of grey?

The tanks are on the road friends and our houses begin to burn all around us, and it is not Babylon that has fallen, fallen and come crashing down but rather, the city of God that is almost laid waste before the enemies feet. What happened here?” Meanwhile, the major concern of our major denomination is 'what gender can I have sex with? Or, how to happily legitimise perversion.'

This is the beginning of a rant. However, though I will continue do a little ranting and raving, just a little, much more importantly, I will present you with a model for releasing the people of God into their destiny of becoming the powerful disciples of Jesus Christ, instead of the mass production of pew fodder that consumes junk food, whilst sitting on rear ends, and for th privelage of being continually breast fed, still cough up their ten percent on an regular basis to support the dynasties of the so called God blessed lifestyles of the ‘Fortune 500’ fortunate few, Pastor-Preneurs.

To comfort some of you folks, I want to tell you that I am a preacher and believe thoroughly in the primacy of preaching and in the local church in particular. I truly believe that until we get back to a church that is truly Preaching Driven, we shall never turn this ship around and we shall never affect the world for the cause of Christ. I Sincerely desire the thoughts of this opening shot to be something which ignites many fires that will burn the bondage of wrong thinking so that the people of God may be released into their callings and destinies. I might well be swinging an ax at just a few of our most precious trees but I also want to plant a few seeds in giving you some possible answers for a way forward for the church alive on planet earth before just before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are long over due a mixed outpouring of testosterone and repentance.

May I finish by quoting [iii]James Montgomery who was a Scot who lived just down the road from me in England, where I was born and brought up, Rotherham, to be precise. Now whilst acknowledging that Rotherham is a good place to die, James Montgomery did in fact pass into the next life in 1854, just over the Derbyshire border in the city of Sheffield and is buried in a local cemetery there. Montgomery was a writer and a radical and a poet, penning over four hundred hymns before his death. This old hymn of his, “Forever with the Lord” shows him to be a pilgrim and a sojourner in a strange land who was,

Loving the Word,
Living the Word and
Looking to Heaven.
(and by the way - this is the best way to make God accessible)

I am convinced that if we can walk the way expressed by James Montgomery, then both we and the world in which we live, would become better and sweeter places to be. Amen.

" For ever with the Lord!"
Amen; so let it be;
life from the dead is in that word,
'tis immortality.
Here in the body pent,
absent from him I roam,
yet nightly pitch my moving tent
a day's march nearer home.

My Father's house on high,
home of the soul, how near!
At times to faith's foreseeing eye
thy golden gates appear!
Ah! then my spirit faints,
to reach the land I love,
the bright inheritance of saints,
Jerusalem above.

"For ever with the Lord!"
Father, if 'tis thy will,
the promise of that faithful word
even here to me fulfill.
Be thou at my right hand,
then can I never fail;
uphold thou me, and I shall stand,
fight, and I must prevail.

So when my latest breath
shall rend the veil in twain,
by death I shall escape from death,
and life eternal gain.
Knowing as I am known,
how shall I love that word,
and oft repeat before the throne,
"For ever with the Lord!"

Words: James Montgomery, 1835
Music: Moving Tent, Nearer Home, Llanllyfni
Meter: SMD

[i] C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, Page 68
[ii] Josh 5:3 So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins .NKJV
[iii] http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/m/o/n/montgomery_j.htm

Jul-02-Defining & Refining

2009-07-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

The next Thirty years will define the church
The next Twenty years will refine the church

There will be civil war – not over blues and greys but over truth and gays ?
The real church will be for the rising and falling of many
Swords will pierce the hearts of good shepherds
Our children, sour milk fed, misinformed and deceptively misled
Whose faith is nothing but a castle on the sand
Will be washed away by the incoming tide

Christendom will be destitute
Christendom will become an open whore
Spreading her legs ever wider

There will be civil unrest
Clashes on the streets
Islam shall raise itself up and the country shall cower before it
Islam and Secular Humanism, clothed in gay attire and spouting BBC PC speak
Shall for only small time
Fight like Hyenas over the corpse of this once Christian country
The remnant will watch in envy at being sidelined from such a fight
The remnant shall seek a new exodus from these lands
Another pilgrimage to the land of promise
But to where? The door is being bolted
Only money shall find a way

All is lost
There are no blacksmiths in the land and
There is no generation with a sword in its mouth or with fire in its belly
Like lolling Laodicean imbeciles, the church, like a blind fool
Is sat in the corner, happy to wear her dunces cap
She refuses to repent and is happy to be blind
Even so, all her trinkets and toys shall be taken from her
They shall be taken in an instant

Oh church of Jesus Christ
The wrath of God is ready to be revealed against all unrighteousness
But You will not turn
You will not learn!
So, you will die along with them
Do not think you shall escape
Prepare yourselves to suffer
Many, prepare yourselves to die
The white of Albion is no more
All her gates have fallen
All is lost

Apr-12-Of Preaching & Pulpit Monkeys

2009-04-13T12:48:00.001-07:00

Dream Word – FOOD

1 Corinthians 1:21-24
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. KJV

Of Preaching & Pulpit Monkeys

I am what was once referred to a ‘Literate.’ That is, I am an ordained person not bearing a University degree. I would like a degree, a couple maybe but ah no matter, I must confess, I do love being a “literate”. T’is enough.

I regard myself as someone rooted in literacy, in all kinds of words and in The Word in particular and I am daft enough to believe, that even in this Post modern age, even in what some have referred to as a visualized Post Evangelical age, that the proclamation of the Word of God still stands tallest as the primary means of communicating the gospel. I believe in the verbal proclamation of the gospel, one voice to another’s ears; one soul speaking through the connected eyes of another, from his heart to their heart. I believe this is God’s chosen way of communicating the Gospel and though it might be foolishness, it works. The only reason it has not seemingly been working and the main reason we have replaced it most thoroughly with anaemic video clips, cosseted in the pale blanket of wet worship, is that we have hired ourselves a multitude of pulpit monkeys, who, void of any anointing, never the less bear a reputable degree, manage well and communicate inoffensively better. For sure, such monkeys are cute to have around at first, performing great tricks even, but in the end, who wants to listen to a pulpit monkey chattering on about nothing. The soul turns sour and dies under the pathetic ministry of such chattering monkeys. Yes, I wish with all my heart that we had men in our pulpits instead of monkeys, for what we have is just not enough.

In his book, ‘Lectures to My Students’, when talking about ‘God’s Acres,’ those open air arenas of proclamation and the great men of the past who made them their pulpits, Spurgeon makes mention of the Scots divine, Holy George Wishart. It is Wishart’s disciple, John Knox, who tells us that being denied access to most churches, that Wishart preached the length and breadth of Scotland in the open air. Indeed, on one occasion he went to the plague city of Dundee, choosing his platform of proclamation to be the entrance of the east gate, where taking Psalm 107:20 as his text, he preached to the infected outside the city gate and the black death free within. Spurgeon says “Seldom has a preacher had such an audience and seldom an audience had such a preacher......Old time stood at the preachers side with a scythe, saying with a hoarse voice, ‘work while it is today for at night I will mow thee down.’ There, too, stood grim death hard by the pulpit, with his sharp arrows saying, ‘Do thou shoot God’s arrows and I will shoot mine.’ This is indeed,” says Spurgeon, “a notable instance of preaching out of doors.” You’d better believe it!

Wishart escaped an assassination attempt at Dundee, but his old enemy Cardinal Beaton had him handed over to him by the Earl of Bothwell. Wishart was tried as an heretic, convicted and burned at the stake outside the walls of Edinburgh castle. On the morning of his execution the Captain of the castle invited Wishart to breakfast and gave him both food and gunpowder bags to put under his clothing. At the burning, his executioner knelt and begged for Wishart’s forgiveness, which he most readily gave. The fire did indeed eventually explode the gunpowder bags but they didn’t kill him straight away. From his window, Cardinal Beaton watched Wishart’s dying agonies.

Yes, you can buy yourself a pulpit monkey anytime you like. Ah, but men who carry the gunpowder of the Holy Spirit, underneath their anointed and holy garments, men that pack power in their words, and shoot arrows from their mouth, men who stand with time and death by their sides, men who truly believe and practice the foolishness of preaching, my God, men like that are worth their weight in gold! However, they cannot be bought. Think about that.

Some of you tonight are called to set your pulpits in the open air once more. Make sure your a literate in the Word, make sure your packed with the gunpowder of the Holy Spirit.

Some of you tonight need to stop monkeying around and repent. Yes, some of you, for goodness sake, need to start being men in your pulpits and not a monkeys.

Some of you Church goers tonight need to check your larders and I tell you, if all you have accumulated over the years are bunches of bright yellow bananas, then some of you need to simply stop going to the local zoo, because I tell you, that’s what your local church has turned into.

Apr-10-The Blair Which?

2009-04-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well it's good Friday. Nothing new there then for most people in Britain thank God it's Friday every week of the year. It's nearly Easter annd Hussein Obama is back from Turkey declaring that America is not a Christian nation. Yes it's Easter abd Tony Blair reveals he actually read the Koran almost evey day. It's Easter and the Archbishop who suggested we have Sharia Law in England will be celebrating bunny rabbits. After all, I'm not sure if he beleives in the resurection.

Happy Easter everyone.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7992738.stm

Tony Blair has spoken to the BBC about his first spiritual experience, which occurred when he was a child.

The ex-prime minister said that praying for his atheist father when he became seriously ill had "a tremendous impact" on him.

Elsewhere in the interview with Joan Bakewell, Mr Blair defended the decision to invade Iraq, and insisted that faith schools are not divisive.

He also said that he reads the Koran nearly every day.

Blair converted to Catholicism after leaving office

In the interview, to be broadcast in the "Belief" programme on BBC Radio 3, Mr Blair reveals that when he was 10 years old his father had a stroke.

Despite the seriousness of that illness, his mother wanted her son's life to carry on as normal, so he continued to go to school, where he ended up praying for his father with the headmaster.

"I said to him 'Before we pray, I should tell you that my father, he doesn't believe in God.

"And I always remember the headmaster saying to me 'Well, that doesn't matter because God believes in him'".

He described the experience as having a "tremendous impact" on him.

Terrorist responsibility

Mr Blair also spoke about the role of faith schools in the state sector.

During his time as prime minister, the academy schools programme was launched.

He believes that expanding faith school provision helped to foster inter-faith relations, adding that a question of equality was involved.

I certainly don't believe that there is a Christian conviction that is superior one way or another on what the right thing to do is

Tony Blair

"You can't say to Christians and to Jews that you can have a faith school but Muslims can't".

"I think they can help give a sense of values, they can ground a child, they can instil a certain amount of discipline, in the right way, in a child's mind, provided that they approach religion in a non-sectarian way."

Blair's family on his mother's side were Irish Protestants, which he suggested gave him a personal connection with Ireland.

His grandfather was a grand master of an Orange Order lodge, a fact that he jokingly suggested may have helped in the Northern Ireland peace process.

"Every so often some guy who would say he was a cousin of mine would sort of wander up and say 'You don't know me, but we're related'".

On the issue of Iraq, Mr Blair insisted that Britain went to war for the right reasons, and that a previous policy of appeasement towards Saddam Hussein in the 1980s had led to the Iran-Iraq war and a million casualties.

Everyday reflections

He denied thinking that his Christian beliefs meant that he considered his decisions at the time of the invasion to be automatically the right thing to do.

"I certainly don't believe that there is a Christian conviction that is superior one way or another on what the right thing to do is."

He said the decision to invade Iraq was something he reflected on every day.

Mr Blair added that his religious beliefs help him - accepting that there is a God can be frightening but it is also a source of comfort.

He also spoke about the motivations of insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, and rejected arguments that British foreign policy has radicalised Muslims.

"I think actually these acts of terrorism are utterly evil, yes. And when you think of the numbers of wholly innocent people that have died... I say the responsibility lies with the people doing the terrorism, 'cos there's no reason for them to do the terrorism."

Belief is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 10 Friday April at 2300 BST.

Apr-08-Magnificent Mohler on the Islamic Culture Clash

2009-04-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama has put the issue of Islam front and center on the international stage. His visit to Turkey, and his very public statements to the Muslim world, have raised a host of questions at home and abroad.

In his speech to the Turkish parliament on Monday, President Obama declared: "The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam." He went on to say that "our partnership with the Muslim world is critical not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject, but also to strengthen opportunity for all its people."

But the President also spoke of his "deep appreciation for the Islamic faith." Here is the statement in context:

I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot, and will not, just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world -- including in my own country. The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country -- I know, because I am one of them.

At a press conference in Turkey, the President made yet another statement:

"One of the great strengths of the United States is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

On CNN with host Roland Martin on Monday night, I said this:

"I think President Obama rightly said that the United States is not at war with Islam. I think that's a very helpful clarification. But you can't take Islam out of the whole civilizational struggle we are in, not only in the war on terror, but, frankly, going back for centuries, coming up with a definition of what a good civilization would look like and how a society ought to be arranged."

I do think that President Obama was correct in stating that the United States is not at war with Islam. This is not only important in terms of international diplomacy, but also in terms of constitutional authority. The government of United States has no right or authority to declare war on any religion.

We can understand the political context, especially as the President was in Turkey. Given the confusions rampant in the Muslim world, that is a crucial clarification. Of course, a quick review of the statements of President George W. Bush will reveal that he said much the same thing, over and over again.

The fact that President Obama made these comments in Turkey is very important. Throughout the Muslim world, most Muslims do see the United States as, in effect, at war with Islam. Classical Islam understands no real distinction between religion and the state, but instead establishes a unitary society. Thus, when a foreign power like the United States invades a Muslim nation like Iraq, most Muslims see this as a war against Islam.

While specific forms of government vary in the Islamic world, this general understanding holds true. Unlike New Testament Christianity, Islam is essentially a territorial religion including all lands under submission to the rule of the Qur'an. The President was in Turkey when he made these statements, and Turkey is usually defined in the media as having a secular government. Indeed, the Turkish constitution even requires a secular government. But, as anyone who has visited Turkey knows, this requires a very unusual definition of what it means to be secular.

Being Muslim is part of what the Turkish people and government call "Turkishness," a unifying concept that goes all the way back to Mustafa Kemal Attaturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Offending "Turkishness" is a criminal act in Turkey. The Turkish government is the steward of every one of the seemingly countless mosques within the nation and it pays the imams. Thus, Turkey is a Muslim nation with a secular government, but its secular character would not be seen as anything close to secular on an American model.

In this light, President Obama's statement that America is not a Christian country is also both accurate and helpful, though he is being criticized by many conservative Christians for making the claim. His clarification, offered in Muslim Turkey, establishes as a matter of public fact the reality that our American constitutional system is very different from what is found in the Muslim world -- and even in Turkey itself.

Furthermore, if the United States is to be understood as a Christian nation in the same sense that most nations in the Islamic world consider themselves to be Muslim nations, then America is at war with Islam.

The controversy over the President's remarks in this context are misplaced. There is indeed a controversy over whether it is appropriate to call America a Christian nation in the sense that Americans would even make such a claim -- but the context in Turkey and the Muslim world is very different. Do American Christians really believe that Christianity benefits by being associated with all that America represents in the Muslim world? To many Muslims, America appears as the great fountain of pornography, debased entertainments, abortion, and sexual revolution. Does it help our witness to Christ that all this would be associated in the Muslim mind with "Christian" America?

Beyond any historical doubt, the United States was established by founders whose worldview was shaped, in most cases quite self-consciously, by the Christian faith. The founding principles of this nation flow from a biblical logic and have been sustained by the fact that most Americans have considered themselves to be Christians and have operated out of a basically Christian frame of moral reference. America is a nation whose citizens are overwhelmingly identified as Christians and the American experiment is inconceivable without the foundation established by Christian moral assumptions.

But America is not, by definition, a Christian nation in any helpful sense. The secularists and enemies of the faith make this argument for any number of hostile and antagonistic reasons, and they offer many false arguments as well. But this should not prompt American Christian to make bad arguments of our own.

I criticize President Obama, not for stating that America is not at war with Islam, but for failing to be honest in clarifying that we do face a great civilizational challenge in Islam. Islam is, in effect, the single most vital competitor to Western ideals of civilization on the world scene. The logic of Islam is to bring every square inch of this planet under submission to the rule of the Qur'an. Classical Islam divides the world into the "World of Islam" and the "World of War." In this latter world the struggle to bring the society under submission to the Qur'an is still ongoing.

President Obama also created his own confusion over these issues, subverting his own main point. If America is not at war with Islam, it would seem unhelpful for the Obama administration to now refer, against previous American practice, to Iran as "The Islamic Republic of Iran." Similarly, some of his words and gestures during his trip seemed overly indulgent toward Islam -- especially as these words and gestures would have been interpreted in the larger Islamic world.

This ambition drives the Muslim world -- and each faithful Muslim -- to hope, pray, and work for the submission of the whole world to the Qur'an. Clearly, most Muslims are not willing to employ terrorism in order to achieve this goal. Nevertheless, it remains the goal.

Islam and the West offer two very different and fundamentally irreconcilable visions of society. While we are certainly not a nation at war with Islam, we are a nation that faces a huge challenge from the Islamic world -- a challenge that includes terrorism, but also a much larger civilizational ambition that remains central. Anyone standing in Istanbul, the historic seat of Ottoman power, should certainly recognize that fact.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and a minister of the Gospel, my primary concern about Islam is not civilizational or geopolitical, but theological. I believe that Jesus Christ is indeed, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," and that no one comes to the Father but by Him [John 14:6]. Salvation is found only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of Christ is the only message that saves.

I can agree with President Obama that Islam has produced cultural wonders, but I have to see it more fundamentally as a belief system that is taking millions upon millions of persons spiritually captive -- leaving them under the curse of sin and without hope of salvation.

For Christians, regardless of nationality, this is the great challenge that should be our urgent concern. Our concern is not mainly political, but theological and spiritual. And, all things considered, Islam almost surely represents the greatest challenge to Christian evangelism of our times.

The Challenge of Islam -- A Christian Perspective
Posted: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 at 4:20 am ET
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php

Apr-08-No More Neutered Males in Our Pulpits Please.

2009-04-08T00:33:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 23:1
"He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the Lord. NKJV

Served With Sago

They disembarked the ship at ‘Risk Point’ on the River Fly and were invited by the fierce Tribesmen into their longhouse for a meal. Little did they know that they were in fact the main ingredient of that meal. In just a few moments the stone clubs smashed into the back of their heads and then just as quickly, a bone dagger was thrust downwards into their gullets and their heads immediately sawn off their bodies with a bamboo knife. The headless corpses were then given to the women of the tribe, the flesh of which was removed and then cooked and mixed with sago, which in turn, was consumed with gladness that very day. It was via this most terrible route, that the younger missionary, Oliver Tomkins and the sixty year old walking legend of Rev. James Chalmers (Tamate, the Great Heart of Papua New Guinea,) entered into heaven.

Chalmers was known as 'Tamate,' simply because the Tribes people he took the Gospel to, could not pronounce his real name. Tamate stuck! Indeed, he stuck with his task and duty for over twenty years without taking a furlough, lost two wives to exhaustion and sickness, was shipwrecked at least four times and was in constant danger every other day and twice on Sundays! He was a sold out, eccentric man of God, a man’s man of genuine loveable character, making friends and followers ranging from Robert Louise Stevenson to even ‘Bully’ Hayes, that most infamous 6 foot 4 inched, 4 foot round barrel chested pirate from Ohio! There is no time tonight to tell you of his deeds amongst the fierce, live nose biting, eating, battling cannibals, which he came to take the Gospel to. Men like him would find no place in the churches of today. Indeed I wonder if their spirit if now placed among us, would most naturally turn to arson and burn our buildings down around our girly heads? Ladies please, no offence intended.

Whenever I read of brethren of this stature, for what mighty warriors were both they and their dear Deborahs’, I am struck by two things.

First of course is their daring, their dedication to duty and their utter death to themselves. The stories of these heroes of the faith need to be reintroduced to our young people of today, who God help us, are more familiar with the current Californian, white teeth teenaged idol, than any of these real giants. We are breeding pussy cats dear friends, pussy cats instead of lions, and when these cosseted little kittens finally do get older, all they will do is pea on their parents, eat processed salmon from a can and become incontinent on our carpet. At least they can sing a good song and play a mean guitar, I mean that’s got to count for something? The Christian education of our children needs some meat injecting into it that’s for sure!

Secondly, the brutal method of their departure is so contrary to the very false promises which is so much spouted lately from our pulpits by Pastoral pussy cats wearing velvet collars with dangling silver bells. It seems to me, God help us, that these pussy cat silver balls are the only dangly bits that will ever be let near the testosterone free areas of our pulpits. Don’t you know that neutered males can NEVER enter the service of God! Yet there they are and friends, they can do nothing but lie to their congregations because they have already lied to themselves and sold themselves to softness!

Am I mad? Or is it really the Parididdle of the Paraclete I hear, as Drake’s drum beats once more? Or is it just my simple, wishful thinking, my desperate personal longing, to hear the roar of lions in our land once more?

Apr-06-My Favourite African American

2009-04-06T11:14:00.001-07:00

Mr Keyes came to speak at a Pro-Life fundraiser I attended in South Florida- Excellent--

Apr-03-The Churches BIG UGLY HEAD

2009-04-02T01:57:00.000-07:00

Dream Word – HUMBLE

Galatians 2:9-10
and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. NKJV

The Bones Of The Elephant Man

Someone commented regarding God, that ‘The Invisible God is sat on a cloud somewhere, looking at people who break His ten commandments and then on their sad demise, will throw them into a molten and ever burning hell forever and forever for doing so! BUT He loves you! Yes He loves you and He needs your money. He always needs money! He is all powerful and all perfect and all knowing and all wise, but somehow, He can’t handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars every year and they pay no taxes and yet, they always need a little more.’ This, many people have commented, ‘Is nothing but male bovine manure’ and frankly, I would agree.

I do not want to deal with the gross contextual inaccuracies of the first part of that statement, as it simply points out the two glaring facts of the twentieth century, those being, that post modern man does not know the God of the Bible and most Christians find the full revelation of God in the Bible, to be rather troubling, so much so, they don’t really like Him either and much prefer the watered down version presented by pale and slick preachers, sliding them slippery-elm like words, from behind not so pure, Perspex pulpits. No, it is the latter part of that opening statement that I would like to look at tonight, which says that ‘God needs money.’

Religion has always been a multi-million dollar industry and even when the leaders are not stealing all the cream, then churches of the day always present their folks with a vision budget, the top three line items reflecting the Old Testament Temple requirements (in this order usually) of monies for personnel, monies for premises and monies for programmes. Local churches meeting in buildings with paid staff and programs to get and keep the pew punters in there, will always be asking for money. So what do you do? What do you have to do? Well, ask! That’s what I say! Lay out your plans and get the funding, ask! But please, stop telling people it’s God that needs the money! That’s just male bovine manure.

I have been to too many vision casting meetings, building drive meetings, dream casting meetings, end of year, beginning of year meetings all which in the end have focused on money and frankly I have to tell you friends that the most important item of local mission, foreign missions and money for them, have never been on the top three line items. Mission giving is there mind you, it makes an appearance, kind of, maybe, sometimes, but hey, charity begins at home and most of us have very costly local home churches.

Today I returned from the residing place of the bones of the elephant man, the Royal London Hospital. A light, set in the continued dark area of White Chapel area of continual immigrant turnover.Over the years it has seen French Heugenots, Irish and then Jewish immigrants and now Bengali Muslims. Indeed, the 4000 seat East London Mosque also now resides in this area. There is no connection to this, but even Jack the ripper did his dirty work around these prostitute ridden and continually gospel darkened streets. I was visiting my brother who has a ministry right there amongst the sick of every kind. It seemed every can carrying junkie with the saddest story in the world to tell you, seemed to know him and to respect him. One of his many friends was an old Jamaican Christian lady, who armed only with an old collapsible table upon which she laid out her old second hand bibles, for several years now, had been preaching the word to Muslims. She has had her table over turned many times and had indeed, feared for her life on more than one occasion. Still she continues on, right there in London’s Yashmacaddam streets. Welcome to England.

The only monies these two ministries have are what the two good servants bring to it. They ask for none, but simply in the most spiritually hardest and darkest places of this old girl of a city, spread what goodness and light they can. Frankly, I am not sure you could pay me enough to do either ministry! Yet, these two ministries are more intriguing than even the bones of the elephant man, still kept in the Royal London Hospital, who by the way, because the great size of his head, crushed and closed his own wind pipe, when he laid himself down to a suicidal sleep aged just twenty eight years.

As long as the church continues to serve itself, and in doing so perpetually prattles on about money, money, money, in both the name and need of God, it shall always lay itself open to such terrible criticisms like those contained in my opening paragraph. As long as my brother, my black warrior sister and people of their like, shall walk the streets of Whitechapel in both simple truth and unpaid goodness, such criticism will always be confounded!

I have no idea of specific times but friends, the grotesque largess of our Laodicean church diseased head, laced with the grey lice of all creeping compromise, has been finally laid down on the bed of doomed destiny. Unless we are revived, then I reckon we too have but twenty eight years before our crushed windpipe shall remove the life totally from the lungs of our lost land.

Listen: -If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NKJV

Mar-26-Marie Stopes - Condoms and Murder.

2009-03-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you will, The Hitler Euthanasia Clinic or maybe the Pol Pot Philanthropic Dispatch Center for Infants with Issues and Parents with Problems. Have you got the grotesqueness of that? So, as from today, abortion clinics will be advertising their murder facilities on television.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7964826.stm

Why? Well of course it's the only way to tackle teenage pregnancy and I am sure that Hitler and Pol Pot would most surely agree.

Did I tell you we used to live in South Florida, adjacent to the city of Hialeah?
http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/dead-baby-closes-florida-abortion-mill/
There's a nice little abortion clinic there that murders live babies both in and out of the womb, throwing the corpse in a cardboard box and leaving it in a cupboard. After all, what's a baby nowadays? Just a b bag of unwanted blood and guts, just offal and unwanted off scouring of the womb fit for the dustbin.

So now the UK is advertising murder on television.

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WILL HELP US SET UP A PRO-LIFE CENTRE IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS. WE ONLY NEED ONE THING AT THE MOMENT..MONEY AND LOTS OF IT. SEND IT TO ME NOW!

Cheques/checks in ANY currency will do.

Rev. Farrell
WAY PAST THE TIPPING POINT
146 Broadmead
Tunbridge Wells
TN2 5NN

thank you.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON TO ALL YOR FRIENDS.
for more contact information see

www.whisperingword.com

Mar-24-Of Parades and Pioneers

2009-03-24T04:51:00.001-07:00

How easy it is for people to join a parade. To become part of a marching extravaganza once its under way and gathering steam, takes no real effort whatsoever. Yet the pride you will see exhibited on some peoples faces for being part of the parade, would make you think that they had been though the fears of the first step and the all the frustrations of conception and fatigues of birth, instead of just being a very small fry who had slipped into the big school now running upstream. Look at those smiling teeth though! WOW! Look at that chest all puffed out and proud as though they had contributed to the formation of the thing. Yup. it's just too easy to join a parade.

To pioneer a parade, ah now, that's another thing entirely. There are not many people, indeed they are so few in number you can almost drop the letter 'M' and say there are hardly ANY people willing to gamble there all on the starting of a parade. Interestingly, the same people who will join it and puff their chest out in pride are the same folk who will suck breath through their tooth in front of the pioneer, shake their head, grab their kids and run for the nursery and the large heated sanctuary. Sanctuary indeed, for that is what they need.

We need some gamblers willing to ride the riverboats of God Most High today. We need some pioneers, some folks willing to hazard their everything on something worthwhile, some people occupied with Whispers, disturbed by the ghosts silhouette of an almost present, indescribable something that takes them beyond the edges of cultivation, onto the seas of God, pushed out into the deeps where they and they alone shall see the wonders of the Lord.

Here's a well know poem for you - enjoy!

The Explorer - Rudyard Kipling

"There's no sense in going further--it's the edge of cultivation,"
So they said, and I believed it--broke my land and sowed my crop--
Built my barns and strung my fences in the little border station
Tucked away below the foothills where the trails run out and stop:

Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes
On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated--so:
"Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges--
"Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!"

So I went, worn out of patience; never told my nearest neighbours--
Stole away with pack and ponies--left 'em drinking in the town;
And the faith that moveth mountains didn't seem to help my labours
As I faced the sheer main-ranges, whipping up and leading down.

March by march I puzzled through em, turning flanks and dodging shoulders,
Hurried on in hope of water, headed back for lack of grass;
Till I camped above the tree-line--drifted snow and naked boulders--
Felt free air astir to windward--knew I'd stumbled on the Pass.

'Thought to name it for the finder; but that night the Norther found me--
Froze and killed the plains-bred ponies; so I called the camp Despair
(It's the Railway Gap to-day, though). Then my Whisper waked to hound me:--
"Something lost behind the Ranges. Over yonder! Go you there!"

Then I knew, the while I doubted--knew His Hand was certain o'er me.
Still--it might be self-delusion--scores of better men had died--
I could reach the township living, but . . . He knows what terror tore me . . .
But I didn't . . . but I didn't. I went down the other side.

Till the snow ran out in flowers, and the flowers turned to aloes,
And the aloes sprung to thickets and a brimming stream ran by;
But the thickets dwined to thorn-scrub, and the water drained to shallows,
And I dropped again on desert--blasted earth, and blasting sky. . . .

I remember lighting fires; I remember sitting by 'em;
I remember seeing faces, hearing voices, through the smoke;
I remember they were fancy--for I threw a stone to try 'em.
"Something lost behind the Ranges" was the only word they spoke.

I remember going crazy. I remember that I knew it
When I heard myself hallooing to the funny folk I saw.
'Very full of dreams that desert, but my two legs took me through it . . .
And I used to watch 'em moving with the toes all black and raw.

But at last the country altered--White Man's country past disputing--
Rolling grass and open timber, with a hint of hills behind--
There I found me food and water, and I lay a week recruiting.
Got my strength and lost my nightmares. Then I entered on my find.

Thence I ran my first rough survey--chose my trees and blazed and ringed 'em--
Week by week I pried and sampled--week by week my findings grew.
Saul he went to look for donkeys, and by God he found a kingdom!
But by God, who sent His Whisper, I had struck the worth of two!

Up along the hostile mountains, where the hair-poised snowslide shivers--
Down and through the big fat marshes that the virgin ore-bed stains,
Till I heard the mile-wide mutterings of unimagined rivers,
And beyond the nameless timber saw illimitable plains!

'Plotted sites of future cities, traced the easy grades between 'em;
Watched unharnassed rapids wasting fifty thousand head an hour;
Counted leagues of water-frontage through the axe-ripe woods that screen 'em--
Saw the plant to feed a people--up and waiting for the power!

Well I know who'll take the credit--all the clever chaps that followed-- Came, a dozen men together--never knew my desert-fears;
Tracked me by the camps I'd quitted, used the water-holes I'd hollowed.
They'll go back and do the talking. They'll be called the Pioneers!

They will find my sites of townships--not the cities that I set there.
They will rediscover rivers--not my rivers heard at night.
By my own old marks and bearings they will show me how to get there,
By the lonely cairns I builded they will guide my feet aright.

Have I named one single river? Have I claimed one single acre?
Have I kept one single nugget--(barring samples)? No, not I!
Because my price was paid me ten times over by my Maker.
But your wouldn't understand it. You go up and occupy.

Ores you'll find there; wood and cattle; water-transit sure and steady
(That should keep the railway-rates down), coal and iron at your doors.
God took care to hide that country till He judged His people ready,
Then He chose me for His Whisper, and I've found it, and it's yours!

Yes, your "Never-never country"--yes, your "edge of cultivation"
And "no sense in going further"--till I crossed the range to see.
God forgive me! No, I didn't. It's God's present to our nation.
Anybody might have found it, but--His Whisper came to Me!

Anyways I did a search on you tube for my favourite scene where Jimmy Stewart ( no one's face displays emotion like that mans can) discovers what became known as the Glenn Miller sound. It's inspirational. Here a man finds the indescribably which he has been looking for all his life. The Whisper turns into a voice. I just love it and thought I might share it with you. Be blessed.

Mar-20-The Mega Church Manufacture of Spiritual Retards & Crippled Clown

2009-03-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

Dream Word – MOVE

Jeremiah 3:15
And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. NKJV.

The Mega-Churh Manufacture of Spiritually Retarded, Crippled Clowns

The servants of Christ wash the feet of travelling men, journeying across this dirty world ever closer to both the heart and the city of Jesus. The servants of Christ, might retool these same journeymen, re-arm them, re-orient them, re-educate them maybe, reinforce them in the faith most certainly but shall surely return them to their journey, until the next and necessary pit stop, when they shall have the privilege to deal with a bigger, leaner, ever onward, ever upward ‘looker,’ than they previously had to service. For their journey, through both challenge and change, has brought to them increased personal strength and increased personal maturity and they have moved on, manned up, grown in both grace and truth! Grown in their appetite as journeyman, grown in that, their sight of the heavenly city is clearer, the smell of the green, green grass of their eternal home is that much more acute; their ears are more full of the sound of singing angels; their skin is more sensitive to the feeling and the flowing of the wind of the Spirit; their arms strong and lifted up; their feet full of peace, more certain, more sure and more directed in the way; their armour dented but bright; their sword bloodied yet sharper; the loins of their mind now being more lifted and focused; the belt of truth, tight and secure around the chiselled core of their being! es indeed, the servants of Christ, that is the pastors and leaders of the church of the living God, shall happily and with great thankfulness, wash the feet of such travelling men.

Now, this picture of growing and journeying strength, of maturing in grace and truth, I believe is a Biblical expectancy. However and unfortunately, this picture is in fact, to our Laodicean lot anyways, an unwanted and unsought for fantasy and ashamedly, for I speak as a shepherd, a foot washer for the journeying man, the shepherds are mostly to blame for this most sorry state of affairs. In my journeying around the Christendom and in my ministry to the same, I am tired of seeing many gigantic, staff led churches, doing everything for their congregations to justify their often too well paid existence, by enabling thousands of kindergarten kiddies to simply continue to languish on the breast and in so doing have created vast churches of sucklers and suckers, baby Christian clowns. It’s just pitiful.

All teachers must ensure that at some point, and the sooner the better by the way, that their pupils overtake them. Yes, all teachers must pull back the bow for eventual release. However, when teachers have students who never move on, and in North America especially, these stunted students attend churches in their tens of thousands, then two strange things will happen to the church. Watch this now, for first, the teachers themselves turn into smiling imbeciles, toting suitcases full of well worn platitudes and the odd blunt instrument, and secondly, their students will turn into spiritual cripples, retarded Christians, who of necessity, have to have their backside wiped for them and be personally spoon fed with poorly, pre-chewed rubbish. Such sad shepherding is not releasing strong disciples into their journey, but rather, is producing imbecilic imitations of Christ, who ride around the children’s race track, pulling into the same old pit stop for the same old problems, which will be dealt with by same old people in the same old inept, low octane, low expectation way. There is you see, no expectation or plan no daring demand, no challenging necessity for people to grow in grace and truth

I do not envy the shepherd, who has sold himself into such dismal drudgery and I pity the sheep that still suck on these strange, fat staff titties that such churches alluringly dangle before them, for neither the smiling and imbecilic teachers nor such crippled disciples, will stand in the fires which are to surely come upon us. It is out of such great concern that I speak so harshly tonight. Cool or not so cool, senior or otherwise, I pity the pastor that has to stand before Jesus and account for every empty, energy absent, wimp of a word which he has spoken. It will not bode well for such makers of retards.

Yes, if you are not changing and growing, then you are spiritually retarded. If you are not being re-armed, re-orientated, renewed, refreshed, re-educated and re-enforced in your faith to then be released into and served on, your destined journey, then you are being short changed, slowly killed, and are going nowhere. Indeed, you are purposefully being kept in your wheelchair and paying through the nose for that privilege. You are a spiritual retard and you have been fed and bred for it from what other imbeciles have termed the finest pulpits in the land.

I must confess, that at the moment, I can find no hope in my heart for such lost shepherds, locked into such a good looking and grossly debilitating system. However, I do believe there is some hope for those lost sheep who are sick of mommies milk and wanting at last, to take care of their own rear end. Yes there is hope for those sheep if they want it. The beginning of the answer is simple. Find some hard looking men and some greener pastures. Find some scarred and sun burnt shepherds moulded by the heart of Hosea and the sporting the look of Amos the iron man about them, and if they and the greener grass are over the hill and far away, then move there! Time is running out. For the sake of your poor retarded spirit, find a good restaurant that serves whole food, that makes you eat your greens, that measures your B.M.I. and coaches and cajoles you into becoming a muscular man, a man of the Word and the Spirit, a man that can survive in the field, form families and feed himself and them, teaching them to do the same. Find such a church and go to it.

The servants of Christ wash the feet of travelling men, journeying across this dirty world ever closer to both the heart and the city of Jesus.

Listen: - Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this 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. 2 Peter 3:14-18a

Feb-27-A Tale of Two Rotting Balls

2009-02-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

A Tale of Two Rotting Balls

Acts 12:23, 24
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied.

In February AD303 Gelerius Velerius Maxiniamus issued an edict demanding the persecution of Christians. Lasting eight years, this last great persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire was often so violent, that even the pagans were disgusted.

In AD 311, while preparing for his twentieth anniversary celebrations as both Caesar and Augustus, Galerius was suddenly overcome by a serious disease. First, his genitals suffered a severe inflammation, followed by the growth of a deep ulcer, which was soon infested by worms, which casued the ulcer to began to swell and rot on his body. It was so bad, that some of Galerius' doctors were simply unable to endure the stench. Both they and others who failed to cure him, were executed immediately.

From his sickbed at Nicomedia on 30th April AD 311 Galerius issued an edict, which was confirmed by his fellow emperors, canceling the persecution of the Christians. His strategy had failed. The suffering of the Christians may have even won them the sympathy of the empire. By swollen balls and the stench of a rotting ulcer, the tide of the vicious battle had turned once again to the favor of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Our enemy is defeated. He is fighting a delaying battle. He cannot win. The gates of hell will not prevail against the expansion of God’s kingdom. Nonetheless, be sure of this dear friends, it is a vicious and costly conflict. Millions of our brothers and sisters have perished in it and even today, the church is openly slaughtered in many parts of this poor world. Against us, the Lord’s people, our enemy’s anger is venomous. Given a chance, he would once again embark on vicious persecution even on these very shores in which we live. We must prayerfully and actively fight to maintain and prosper that which generations of Christians have fought and died for.

For us, the people of God, to lay dormant at such a time as this, when all our walls are falling down around our ears, is such a lying, louse ridden lethargy, that I believe it can only be ascribed to demonic activity! The church of God must rise up from its lethargic lounging and fight the good fight today. If not, then once again we shall surely begin to pay a very high price in this deadly conflict right here on our own blood bought land.

MOHLER on The Times & Porrit's Death Culture

2009-02-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

"The Ghost at the Table" -- Are Kids a Threat to the Environment?
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php

The contemporary clash of worldviews comes immediately into view with controversies over children, contraception, abortion, and now the environment. A recent controversy in Great Britain makes this point all too clear.

Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the British government's Sustainable Development Commission, told The Times [London] that it is high time that the government moves to limit family size in the nation -- all in the name of the environment.

From the Times:

“I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate,” Porritt said.

“I think we will work our way towards a position that says that having more than two children is irresponsible. It is the ghost at the table. We have all these big issues that everybody is looking at and then you don’t really hear anyone say the “p” word.”

In reality, a loss of total population is a greater threat to his nation than a new baby boom. But an antinatalist worldview has been part of the extreme left of the environmental movement for a long time, driven by warnings of impending disaster by a "population explosion."

Amazingly, the prophets of population doom seem unembarrassed by the failures of their prophecies. Figures such as Paul Ehrlich warned decades ago that the world would be devoid of human life by now, snuffed out by ecological disaster and wiped out by famine.

Now, Jonathon Porritt describes family size as "the ghost at the table." Well, in Britain it is no ghost. Just four months ago Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, suggested in an interview with the very same newspaper that curbing family size might be the answer to the current economic crisis. "Basically, it’s a little embarrassing for everybody," said the husband of the monarch. "No one quite knows how to handle it. Nobody wants their family life to be interfered with by the government.”

Porritt proposes that the British government should take on the issue of family size by making clear that having more than two children is irresponsible.

He went on to argue that each child "born in Britain will, during his or her lifetime, burn carbon roughly equivalent to 2½ acres of old-growth oak woodland - an area the size of Trafalgar Square." The reduction of a child to a "carbon footprint" is about as twisted a formula as can be imagined. A child is compared to the loss of "2½ acres of old-growth oak woodland."

If his extremism is not clear enough, consider this section of the paper's report:

Porritt, a former chairman of the Green party, says the government must improve family planning, even if it means shifting money from curing illness to increasing contraception and abortion.

So this government official is quite willing to call for a shift from funding for cures for illness to funding for abortion.

The Culture of Death most often hides behind carefully measured statements and euphemisms. Every once in a while, the mask drops, and this is one of those cases. In the name of sustainable development this official calls for limiting family size, and compares the value of a human child to that of an oak woodland. In the name of environmentalism, he argues for shifting government financial support from finding the cures for illnesses in the body to funding the killing of babies in the womb.

Christians must be reminded that we do bear responsibility as stewards of God's creation. But we cannot be faithful in that stewardship if we adopt the logic of the Culture of Death. Human beings cannot be reduced to any cold economic or ecological value. Each human being is made in God's image, and each can be part of the fulfillment of our stewardship.

When a government official talks this way about what he calls "the ghost at the table," we are witnessing an ominous shift in the debate. Thanks to this interview, the ghost is now there for all to see.

_____________________

We discussed this issue on Tuesday' edition of The Albert Mohler Program. Listen here.

Feb-02-For The Pro-Hamas - Anti- Israel Protesters of Tunbridge Wells

2009-02-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Jan-30-It Would Appear That John Piper Agrees With Me!

2009-01-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

It Would Appear That John Piper Agrees With Me!

Against Obama

2009-01-24T00:39:00.000-08:00

You can guarantee that the President of the USA does not care two hoots about me. Yet he needs to.

In just a few days in office, he has lifted the 'global gag' imposed by President Bush and allowed American funding to once again flow to external out of country organisations that promote and practice abortion. He did this the day after he signed laws allowing the experimentation of embryonic stem cell research. Obama begins his presidency with the promotion of the culture of death.

The gay parade following the presidential parade, the prayers by the Episcopalian gay bishop, his willingness to engage in 'dialogue' with his avowed enemies and exporters of national death and destruction, are all indicative of national moral weakness and peace at any price.
Obama will with great panache and style, to the gleeful cheers of the liberal left and goggle eyed smiles of the young and the dumb, continually sign away the birthright of the American people, weaken them on the world stage and slowly remove them from it. Look up America! The countdown for your drastic diminishment has started.

The UK is already finished. Frightened Christians are cowering in the corner, clasping their ideas to their own shaking bosom, whilst the state church is STILL arguing about who they can have sex with.

Meanwhile Sky news today reports that in our country which has the highest teenage rate of pregnancy in Europe, 25% of children are seeking abortion advice from teachers and 66% of teachers say that school sex education should have information regarding termintaiton options.

We want to start at Crisis pregnancy centre in Tunbridge Wells for servicing East Sussex and Kent. Can you help us? Will you help us to do this?

I know like everything we do in our nation now it is very much a closing of the door after the horse has bolted and bolted it has. Never the less, I have to be able to stand before my Maker and look myself in the eye in the mirror in a morning and be able to say I did something. I didn't just roll over.

If you can help - if you can't live with yourself - contact me today.