Wednesday, April 21, 2010

MY FRIEND LIZ CLARKE FROM BELFAST, NO.IRE

Monday, April 19, 2010

FAITH IN ADVERSITY - DANA M'S STORY!



Every once in a while, a story of great Faith (in the Lord your God) really stands out, especially when the testimony is day after day. Our wonderful friend Dana M.is such a living testimony. The young mom of four wonderful children from 7-21, Dana was widowed in her thirties three years ago today (April 19, 2010) when her late husband died after a fall, and left her in charge of three corporations. The trauma, as you can imagine, was unbelievable.

If you know anyone who has gone through this kind of grief, it can be unbearable to the point (many times) of questioning the point of your own existence….even if you are a Christian and even if you are a strong believer! Just look at the book of Job in the Bible! Sometimes you think God is there for everyone else but you. And what about your four young kids! The Bible is firm about the Perseverance of the Saints and ours is the kingdom of Heaven, that is, if we endure to the end.

Dana has since happily remarried a great guy named Wes, a patriot and good man in every sense of the word (seen in photo here). Since then, her life has been seemingly overwhelmed by pain, caused by certain health issues. What those are is not as important to this discussion as her response to it! I can only describe it GRACE! Great Grace! I was so impressed and blessed and not amazed, but reassured by her posts about her upcoming Surgery this Thursday, that I sought permission to post some of them on this blog.

Here are some of them. Read them, be blessed by them, see the heart of a saint – a true woman of God- – as she seeks after the Heart of the One True God in Heaven, Jesus Christ! Also please share with a friend or family member, whom you know is having a difficult time with any adverse situation in life!
God bless (Bernie Lutchman).

DANA ~~Thank you all. I'm doing my best, eating properly, taking my meds, sleeping often & letting God love me through my family, friends & our beautiful new puppies! I'm a good napper on a normal day but also a happy camper on busy days like today. I've scheduled myself a morning of mani/pedi's on Wednesday & take the girls (puppies) in to the Vet for their second set of shots Thursday morning. So I'll be busy taking care of my babies until Wes comes home to take me in for surgery. I've had grafts before, as well as anchors and screws; so nothing should come as a surprise. I am just praying very diligently that the shoulder block doesn't paralyze my diaphragm this time - which makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to breathe. It took 8 hours for me to be able to breathe the last time; so just giving it to God ahead of time this go-round. Susie, I'll pray for you - those dreams are very precious...I remember & I still have them, as do the children…..

DANA~~”We walk by Faith, not by sight...but I am ever so thankful for the sight God has given me; for the experiences that I've lived through that have brought me to a place in my life where I can actually see God's miracles. Today we spent a bit of time with my dad. When I was growing up he was a hard, violent and an angry man. In 1998 he suffered from a major aneurysm in his left temple. I was able to be there when he awoke from his surgery & coma after sitting vigil for many nights. Once he was released, I was at their home often to keep an eye on him, as I'm the only one in our family with any medical schooling. One day, shortly after being released, he began to act odd & just grabbed his shotgun and some ammo & told everyone he was going hunting.

Absolutely crazy. On the short walk to his car, he collapsed. In the ER I repeatedly pointed out to the nurses that he was not breathing correctly. His o-sats (oxygen saturation) was reading in the 90's but I could tell that he wasn't breathing & being the pushiest little blond known to man, I kept at them until they were ready to kick me out...and then he crashed. His lungs were completely paralyzed & he was put on life support & transferred to a downtown trauma center.

He was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome, which paralyzed his lungs & then worked its way throughout his entire body, leaving him comatose for nearly 3 months. At the time I just had my two older children, so I spent the night shift with my dad every night, worked everyday & then spent the afternoons with the childr
en.
Today, 12 years later, he drags his left leg, cannot smell or taste anything, but he is a Christian. So sometimes, our faith is given power by our sight. If God can save my dad, He can bring me through the diseases I live with, the allergies I live with and at least one more surgery! I trust Him!
BERNIE’S NOTE~ I enclosed this comment from Susie here as an example of how Dana’s story was already Touching Lives!!!
Susie Griffin Bridgeman says “ Wow what a testament! Maybe I can renew my faith for it has been a little on the thin side these days”.

DANA~~Maybe this is why God woke you from your sleep... Perhaps knowing that your aunt is in Heaven & you are already chosen as a child of God, just needed to be brought to the forefront of your mind. I know that when my husband passed away in my arms, I could feel the Holy Spirit in the room, just scooping him up to take him home. It was as Holy a moment to me as when any of our children were born. It was an amazing experience, God was so merciful to save him from his suffering. Though it was the beginning of our suffering, we made ourselves focus on David's gain. We've never been perfect nor have we been able to consistently maintain that selfless attitude but the point is that whenever we're strong enough, we always try. I think God just wanted to remind you tonight that you are his beautiful child & always will be.

DANA~~God has healed me. Wes and I were talking about it about 10 days ago...how different I am, how different the anniversaries this year feel and how I am finally finding that peace that I so needed to find. But the long road is there to be walked for a higher purpose and you and your children will be in my prayers as you walk that lonely road I, too, have walked. Believe it or not, this walk is a blessing to you & your family, from God Himself. He will carry you on this walk, so lay all your burdens, emptiness and pain on Him. Everyone who loses a spouse has a different walk, some are longer and some are shorter; but we who walk in Christ are always healed.

BERNIE’S NOTE~~FINALLY, I LOVE THIS COMMENT FROM ONE OF DANA’S FRIENDS – “Eileen Wiegel Robbins~~”Dana, what an inspiration your words are! You are a shining example of how God can take even the hardest trials and transform them into something beautiful and wonderful. God bless and keep you” Amen. (BL)
DANA IS MARRIED AND IS THE MOTHER OF Ricky, Bridgitte, Nicholas and Madison. 

Saturday, April 17, 2010

HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER BEING RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL


On Tax Day, Thursday April 15, 2010, a liberal judge - Barbara Crabb - from the People's Republic of Madison, Wisconsin ruled that the National Day of Prayer (NDP) was unconstitutional. Needless to say, this started a viral thread on the internet which inferred the U.S. Government had cancelled the National Day of Prayer.
Needless to say, all of this could have been avoidable...but for the devil. The case Judge Crabb (and what a name!!!) ruled on was filed in the most communist of US cities east of San Francisco for that same reason. It was brought by the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FRF). They are a group of atheists and agnostics who were mad at former President GW Bush for having NDP services in the White House over eight years.
The FRF are just another in the lines of anti-Christian bigots, similar to "Rev." Barry Lynn's Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Of course, these peeps have no problem if other religions have special "prayer" rooms in airports (islam) or other such thing.
So the deed is done. We don't know if the current U.S. President will appeal this ruling. In the meantime, how do Christians react and especially those of us who are deeply involved in the National Day of Prayer.
Am not speaking as the coordinator of the NDP event at the Illinois State Capitol. I am just speaking as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ - what this Judge did, well is not unlike what some of the pagan kings of Judah did when they had ALL the Books of the Law burned. Those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.
By remaining silent while Biblical Christianity was assaulted and dismantled by the state, piece by piece for years, the Church is just as guilty as any judge or liberal politician or the media. Secular humanism has crept stealthily into the Evangelical church, but before now, it left the mainline denominations without their lampstands. These churches left their first love -Christ- long ago, and He removed them from His Sight.
Church leaders and famous pastors remained, and still remain quiet, as sin abound right in front of them...sometimes in their own pulpits.
They love fancy programs, multimedia noise and weak bible translations like the Message. They refuse to preach the Full Counsel of God.
They have no prayer meetings, prayer services or calls for Solemn Assemblies. They write books on fluff, feel-good falafel and fillers. They agree when some do-gooder or politician call for Civility, even in preaching the True Word of God.
Somebody read Matthew 23 here and tell me if Jesus was civil to the ancestors of today's Pharisees, as He condemned them to hell!
Therefore, long before Judge Crabb ruled against NDP, the church gave her the open door to shoot us in the foot. BUT she can't take out the True Remnant! His Word is written in our hearts and NO man or woman can take that away. The Judge said government cannot sanction such a day. But she knows she will be out of place to say that regular citizens are forbidden from it! This would be such an outrageous violation of the First Amendment that even the ACLU may be pressed into action on behalf of regular Americans.
Since we, the people, are not forbidden yet from Praying in Public (yet because the Persecution of the Tribulation has not yet arrived...and it will soon), let us continue to meet in public places and pray and sing and worship and preach the Full Counsel of God!
Be it resolved, the following - she ruled it unconstitutional for government to take part in this? Well, then let us resolve to be totally focused on Christ-centered Worship and Intercession. Let us resolve to take our eyes off which politician will be upset if he/she is not sitting on a platform waiting to make a campaign speech during a prayer meeting to the assembly and reset our eyes on our fellow saints and their prayer needs.
Let us resolve to ignore the media - local and national - forget fame and publicity, and then refocus on reaching God's people through Christian radio and the internet. We don't need the pride of seeing one's name in the local paper....and this can go on and on.
The main thing is - all we need, we already HAVE!!! His Name is Jesus! Who is this King of Glory!! The Lord God Almighty!
Therefore get into preparation mode, now. Make everyday the National Day of Prayer, now! Search your own heart and ensure that YOU didn't make God unconstitutional in your own heart, mind and soul!! Then, maybe then, we can have full grounds to criticize anyone who makes a rule, such as the one in Madison. Glory to His Name!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

THE SECRET PLACE, Part 9

Sincerity
Last time we saw that the key that opens the door to that special resting place is Authenticity!
We know the word "Authenticity" can best be described as "UNDISPUTED CREDIBILITY"!
So what about "Sincerity"? Is it the same as Authenticity?
In my humble opinion, NO!
Before Princeton University became a pagan institution, it was one of the finest in Christian education just like Harvard, Yale etc. But they still have one of the best literary and theological works available in these United States. I love using their dictionary because they get to the root meaning better than most.
The Princeton dictionary defines "sincerity" as the "quality of being open and truthful" or "not deceitful" or a "quality that inspires belief, naturalness and simplicity". This is the bookend of Authenticity. While the latter defines Credibility, the former (sincerity) is the open book or transparency which LEADS to Authenticity.
So what does this have to do with Prayer??!! Oy vey! Everything! Try sitting down with 15 store-bought devotional books, a cup of coffee and bagel and think you're coming into a Secret Place with God. Add to that a laundry list of prayer requests and see how far that goes!
Key in on three things - simplicity, truthfulness and openness.
1. Be Simple. Ditch the devotional books....even the great ones like Utmost for His Highest or anything by Andrew Murray or EM Bounds. Read them during the day, if you have a spare minute or on your lunch break to stay connected to the Word all day long. Have only the Bible in hand and a notebook if you wish, to write down anything the Lord gives you or leads you to. Ditch the coffee and bagel too. How would you like God to sit on His Throne munching Panera and sipping Starbucks while you pour your heart out? No coffee, but keep a bottle of water nearby if you need one.
2. Be Truthful. Don't try to pull one over on God! Christians do that all the time, sin, commit mental and physical adultery, act unholy at work and then pious on Sundays! God's own man - King David - a man who was so anointed, he wrote most of the Bible's Prayer Book (The Psalms), yet after he broke EVERY Single Commandment, he was TRUTHFUL enough before HaShem God to confess his evil sins, repent, turn away and beg forgiveness. Got sin in our lives? ANY KIND? Go to Psalm 51 in the Secret Place. The Lord will see our truthfulness and turn His Ear to us.
3. Be Open. That's the next step up from being Truthful. Again the standard is David in Psalm 51 but also Job in Job Chapter 41. Most of the entire book of Job was one major discourse on whining, rumor and gossip about God and everything that made Him so upset that He appeared to Job in a Whirlwind and proceeded to give Job "the business"! After our Great God spoke forcefully for almost three chapters, Job finally answered and acknowledged he had no idea what he was taking about! He even admitted he had no intimate knowledge of God until then! (That is what the Hebrew word "yada" or knowledge means!) Most "praying" or professing Christians have no Yada! They have NO intimate Knowledge of God because a. they were never really redeemed in the first place or b. they are like most Western believers and are just putting in their pew time until the black Cadillac takes them to the graveyard.
Sure some of this is tough to imagine doing daily or as much as possible. But the Fruits and the inner rejoicing is beyond compare! Go to it, in Jesus' Name, amen.

Monday, April 5, 2010

MESSIANIC PASSOVER SEDER APRIL 2, 2010


It was a humbling honor and privilege to be asked to lead and conduct a full, authentic Messianic Passover Seder on the exact day that our Great God and King - my Commander in Chief and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, was crucified!! After being mentored and counselled by several Messianic Congregation friends and a rabbi from the UMJC, the Seder was presented at Countryside Family Church of the Metro St Louis (East) Southern Baptist Association, Millstadt, Illinois.
Thank you to all who prepared the kosher meal entirely from scratch - brothers Tony Joyner and Brian Morgan, as well as Pastor Dennis Morgan and his family. Thank you to my dear wife, Vicki and our family as well as the Temple Brith Sholom from Springfield, Illinois.
Jesus was crucified on April 2, 33 AD. It is one of the few times that both the Hebrew and Julian Calendars lined up! Therefore He rose on the Day of First Fruits - Sunday April 5, 33AD!
Shalom Shalom!