A Season Of Change-Readying For The Next Step

A Word To Hear
A Word To Hear

Today in my own life I will be packing to move tomorrow. Seems good to end the nightmare on Halloween!

Lately I find myself telling others how amazing grace is not just because I believe it but because I have seen it. In the last few years I have seen more marriages healed, children restored (Even kidnapped ones!) and restoration come to family units than the first 20 years of my Christianity. I am not ready to say I have seen more miracles and healing yet in the last two years, but it is clear we are heading in that direction. Continue reading A Season Of Change-Readying For The Next Step

Halloween and Me

2013-10-19 14.16.41(Because many have asked my take on Halloween, let me share my recent thoughts. My old thoughts are all over the internet!)

So many know my background prior to becoming a believer and how I got here. In a nutshell I went from being one who religion did not really mean much to, to one day being confronted by God.

I had various touches with His word, but not so much Him. When I went through a tough time with alcohol and drugs I went to a minister and asked him to help me. He told me he “did not think God could help” me.At another time, I fell in love with a girl. Her mom was dying of cancer. I found that white covered bible from my early days in an Episcopal or Congregational church that had been given to me. For some reason I was drawn to the book of John. I talked to her a few times about God(in my limited understanding) and tried to bring comfort to her life. Her mom died, she found another guy and I gave up on God.

It was not the first time I felt like God “let me down.” (This is just one of the problems of giving people rules and regulations, and not relationship(s).) I went through it another time when I was going out with another “religious” girl. I just could not match up.

In the early 80’s I started a business. Jewelry and gifts and what was soon to become so much more. I was going along making a good living. One day while I was gone, a gal stopped by the store and left some of her creations for me to view. What I found myself attracted to was the ugliest ring you could imagine. I put it on and I could “feel” something. I found myself ordering things for my store I had never previously cared about.

Soon, books, potions, herbs and you name it, began to fill my stores. 5 of them at one point. What began as no understanding progressed to New Age and more. Never one to just go slow, I went crazy. In more ways than one. Even friends who had worked with me saw. Now people working with me had names like Raven and Princess. I found myself drawn into the darkest of realms. My mind was out of control.

And that brings me to Halloween. So many have asked me my thoughts on things related to this. I have been around long enough to know the many ways the church has dealt with Halloween. I have two thoughts I feel that are important.

One, each one of us i called to handle Halloween in our own way and as God leads. My biggest concern with Halloween is and always will be children. My grandson is 6 and he will do what I do. He tells people he wants to be like me. My over riding concern is the desensitization of children. Someone sent me a photo of a beheaded person a few weeks ago. An honor killing. They asked my thoughts. I COULD NOT LOOK AT IT! And yet kids today, many have no problem with some of this stuff. Cartoons, videos, the internet. The value of human life has been cheapened by the world.

And now the bigger problem. The church. For years we have practiced isolation. Maybe bad theology. Maybe bad eschatology. Maybe no grace. The issue is this. We will never turn people around until we, the church, turn around and turn away. From our buildings, programs and thinking that keeps us from reaching out and seeing the kingdom of God for what it is…people.

Maybe it was 12 plus years of pastoring. Maybe kids and grandkids. Maybe I am just old enough to see love, really does cover a multitude of sins.

Healing and You

Lee JohndrowThe Lord has been speaking to me about healing. A few years ago David Wagner gave me a word about healing. I have pondered it, thought about it and done what I believe I could as I asked God to reveal more and more to me.

In the meantime we are hearing of some powerful testimonies about God healing cancer and all manners of illness. Weekly I hear of the power of God moving in people’s lives bringing healing.

I am a reader and I do follow the news. Not to become fearful, but to speak into the things that I believe need to be changed. This week I ran across two headlines.

‘We’ve reached the end of antibiotics’: Top CDC expert declares that ‘miracle drugs’ that have saved millions are no match against ‘superbugs’ because people have overmedicated themselves…

And

Study: Reservoir Of Hidden HIV Possibly 60 Times Greater Than Previous Estimates

Neither one of those intimidates God. He has healed the sick and raised the dead. (Funny that yesterday our children’s church teacher taught the kids about raising the dead. On the way home Jacob prayed for a sick friend and then he started with “raise the dead, raise the dead, raise the dead.” Yeah-that’s what I am talking about!)

We are in time where it is not time to be fearful but to recognize the power of the finished work of Jesus and the stripes He bore on His back to pay for your healing.

I am not fearful. God knows He heals. And if He knows it we ought to as well. He says to “lay hands upon the sick and they shall recover.”  Doesn’t get much easier than that.

If you are sick, God is desirous to see you whole, healed and delivered of illness.

All those headlines really mean is we can still turn to Him.

The Spirit of Restoration

Yesterday morning while getting ready for service, I could feel the words “The Spirit of Restoration” being pressed into my thinking. During worship it got stronger and stronger. I shared with my friend that I really believed I was seeing something.

I released it with my words during the rest of service just mouthing the words and getting a feel of what God was saying. Not a public thing but a personal thing. Frankly I was not sure how to see it through. So, I left it in the air during the day. Continue reading The Spirit of Restoration

The Trinity Of The Holidays Nears

Christmas 2012
Christmas 2012

I know we have not made it through Halloween but when you have family in different states, married children with new families you learn to make plans. And seeing my first Christmas lights, well, it excited me.

The holidays! Yippee! Break out the lights! As I have said in previous columns I am a huge fan of the holidays. Over the years my wife and I have used this opportunity to open our home to many. We have had people out of prison, off the streets and folks who were “worse” off than us. We have had as many as 25 people in our living room sharing our meal. This year is somewhat different as we are “displaced” on some levels with our home, but our children and grandchildren will still be with us and who knows, maybe someone who needs company. Over the last year or so, I have lost a few friends. I am sure their spouses would appreciate the company of others. Nothing can replace the life lost, but healing is a process and it often begins with friends and family. Continue reading The Trinity Of The Holidays Nears

God Loves You A Lot!

Yesterday while walking I was meditating about the Lord and the fact that He loves me. I have so many friends that struggle with that. They cannot conceive that the maker of the universe would love them.

Last night I was trying to help a young mom work through some of the more difficult times that she had gone through. She suffered through shame and guilt as the result of these times. I was going back and forth with her over the idea that God REALLY loves her. A well-meaning friend had convinced her she deserved all the bad things and that as long as everyone else would be okay she would walk through it. Continue reading God Loves You A Lot!

Your Child is Watching

Back meadows
Back meadows

Yesterday I was walking around my community and I thought look at all these adults and no kids walking. I thought I would love to be walking with one of my children or grandchildren. My children would probably keep up with me while the younger ones would stop for leaves and bugs and rocks.

The more I walked the more I thought.

Jesus said “I only do the things I see my Father do.” Let me tell you children are like that. As the influencing male in Jacob’s life, he has wanted to dress like me, read like me and kid around like me. Continue reading Your Child is Watching