I LOVE MY CHURCH FAMILY!

I love my church family.  I enjoy spending time with them.  We actually enjoy spending time with one another. We enjoy our times of fellowship. I say that from the depths of my heart.

My church  family is a very diverse group of people.  They range from people my age (mid 50's) to people in their 80's. We come from different backgrounds and have had different upbringings. Most are retired but some still work.  They have varying talents and abilities from singing, teaching, cleaning, mowing the church yard, taking care of maintenance issues, changing light bulbs, working in the kitchen, planning, praying and really whatever else needs to be done.

Some have funny personalities, some are serious most of the time. Some can sometimes pull a prank on you. Some have a very dry sense of humor. Some it's hard to tell, by their facial expression, if they are joking or not.

We come in various shapes and sizes from tall to short, from skinny to, well, uh....let's say not so skinny. (I fall under that category).

The one thing we have in common - the one common denominator we have is JESUS! If it weren't for Jesus most of us wouldn't be around each other. In fact, most of us wouldn't even know each other. You see, we are family. The blood of Jesus makes us family. I like that old chorus:

Oh, yes, Oh, yes, I'm a child of the King,

His royal blood now flows through my veins;

And I who was wretched and poor now can sing,

Praise God! Praise God! I'm a child of the King!

Because we are blood bought born again children of God, because we are joint-heirs with Jesus, it causes us to love one another! Are we perfect? Not at all.  Not a one of us is perfect, especially me. You see, I'm one of those Christians who knows and freely acknowledges I NEED JESUS! I need Him every day and every hour. We're not perfect, just forgiven.

When our church family gathers together, we laugh, we share, we enjoy the presence of Jesus, we hear the Word and hopefully, we leave with a nugget to chew on until our next encounter.

By the way, we don't only gather in a church building. We may share some fellowship in someone's home, we may share fellowship around a meal in a restaurant. You certainly don't have to be in a building to have fellowship with the family of God.

I trust you love your church family, as well. Spend time with them. Get to know them. After all, if they are born again, blood bought children of God they are going to spend eternity in heaven.

For those in my church family - you think I'm loud down here...you ain't seen nothing yet!

Until next time...enjoy the journey!

Ray

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HOW FAITHFUL ARE YOU?

What if God was as faithful to you as you are to Him? Have you ever given that any thought? Faithfulness is important in every area of our lives and in every relationship of our lives.

If you love someone you like to spend time with them. You spend time in conversation with one another. You spend time sharing things with one another. You enjoy each other's company. You are faithful in your relationship with that individual.

So it is with God. If you love Him, you will want to spend time with Him. How do we do that? Well, we can spend time in His Word, we can pray, we can meditate on His Word. He often speaks through songs or music. We can even spend time with His people. We can gather with our brothers and sisters for the ministry of His Word. God speaks to us through all of these areas.

Think about this - Jesus was faithful to us all the way to the cross! He was faithful with unconditional love for each of us. That love took Him to the cross. It wasn't a pretty sight. He suffered unthinkable torture. He did that for you and me. The leaders of the day thought they took His life, but the fact of the matter is Jesus voluntarily laid down His life for you and me. He was faithful to each of us. 

I, for one, acknowledge I didn't deserve the faithfulness and sacrifice Jesus showed toward me. Then grace entered the picture.  Thank God for grace - His Grace! Grace is God's unmerited favor. That is, God giving me what I don't deserve. I didn't deserve it, but I sure am thankful for it. Again, God was faithful to me in providing His grace. He has been faithful to each of us.

The reality is, God has been much more faithful to each of us than we have been to Him. What if the roles were reversed? What if God showed the same faithfulness to you and me as we have showed to Him? What if He showed the same degree of faithfulness to us as we show to Him in our lives right now? Is that a disturbing thought? If so, what are you going to do about it?

Let's be faithful to the One who has been most faithful to us! He deserves it. We owe it to Him. If we are Christians, we have been redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus.

Jesus gave His life for us. We ought to live our lives for Him. We have been called to present ourselves as a "living sacrifice...which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Let's do! Let's live for Jesus! Let's give it all we have. If we have a God worth serving, He' worth serving wholeheartedly!

Until next time...enjoy the journey!

Ray

Thanks for taking your time to read and share this blog. If you know of someone who would be encouraged by this blog, please feel free to forward  a link or use the icons below to repost or forward this blog.

ENCOURAGE SOMEONE TODAY

I want to take a moment to encourage everyone to be an encourager to someone else. You never know who God might send across your path and what that person may be facing in their life at this particular time.

I have a good friend I have known for somewhere around twenty years. He lives in another state so we don't have the opportunity to see or spend time with each other often.  Most recently, it had been some three years since he and his wife and Cindy and I were able to spend any time together and then it was a brief time. The neat thing about this is that even after three years without seeing each other and very few phone calls, when we were together it was as if we had just seen each other the day before. We had the joy of spending several hours of several days with them last week. It was wonderful fellowship. Of course, there was eating involved. Eating is always a big thing on my agenda!  Ha. Ha.

This trip was a spur of the moment trip. It was nothing we had planned even a few short weeks ago. However, the time was right, everything fell into place and they were going to be home so we planned his trip in a matter of days. Guess what? God was in this trip! I love it when God puts things together!

We were able to sit and visit and he shared with us some things he and his wife were recently discussing in regards to expanding the ministry God has given them.  One involved needing a piece of equipment for his radio broadcasts. As it turned out, we had the exact equipment he needed. I purchased this a few years ago and have never used it. As it turns out, it wouldn't work for what I was hoping to use it for.  I was able to pass this piece of equipment on to him for use in the ministry. Is that God or what?

In addition to that, he mentioned some other things he desired to do but had no idea how to go about doing it. Cindy had the knowledge to do that and to help instruct them on what to do and how to do it. So now, this brother not only has the equipment he was praying about for his radio broadcasts, he now has a website along with a You Tube channel.

The next thing was obtaining a video camera for him to use to upload videos to You Tube that he wants to record. We put the word out on Facebook and before we returned from that trip my brother-in-law replied that he had a video camera that he would donate.

My friend was so excited he made arrangements to come up to our place Saturday afternoon to pick up everything. He was amazed and thrilled to see how God had met his needs. Again, I absolutely love how God does this!

He and his wife stayed over and I asked them to sing Sunday morning at church and he preached, as well.

I said all that to say this, God used us to be an encouragement to him and his wife. It reignited a fire in him. He is excited and can't wait to get to work.  We stand ready to encourage him and offer support to him in any way.

Another thing happened as a result of this trip. It reignited something in me, as well. I haven't been blogging much.  That's going to change. I have completely revamped my personal website that the Lord led be to set up back in 2012. I am in the process of updating it. I have felt led to start a podcast for a number of years but up to this point I have not yet done so. That is going to change. I will be looking in to information on how to do that. I will be setting up a personal You Tube channel that will not only have preaching on it, but will include other things such as interviews along with other thoughts and teachings that I have.
This is a new day. We must be about our Father's business.  Stay tuned!

Until next time...enjoy the journey!

Ray

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THE JOURNEY CHANGES

It's been quite some time since I have posted on my blog. It is not because nothing has been going on nor is it because I have nothing to say.  Anyone who knows me knows that I usually have something to say. Ha.  Ha.

Many of my readers will recall I retired from pastoral ministry in July of 2013. I loved the people. I loved the work and I loved the ministry. There were no issues at the church that led me to leave. The church was going well. However, I felt my time as "pastor" was done. I sensed, in the Spirit, God changing the direction of our ministry. I have certainly learned through the years to move when God leads to me to move. On the flip side of that I have learned to stay put when God leads to stay put. It has always been my desire to be right in the midst of God's perfect will. 

Just as I was sure God lead us to this rural church in June of 2008, I knew, without a doubt, he was leading us out. When God spoke to my heart about leaving pastoral ministry, He let me know this was not a resignation from this local assembly, but rather a retirement from pastoral ministry itself. These are two different things.

God also spoke to my heart that this was not a retirement from ministry but rather a shift in ministry focus. Not only would we be singing more, we would be available for pulpit fill, to assist other churches as the opportunity arose and to serve as an interim pastor to a church that is struggling or between pastors. God has gifted us with gifts to be able to assist struggling churches. We were excited about these new avenues of service.

We stayed very busy with our singing ministry, New Jerusalem Singers. God opened doors that have never been opened before. We were happy singing and filling pulpits as the opportunity presented itself. To be honest, preaching in the traditional sense was not one of the things I enjoyed. I always felt we could minister more in music and the message of the songs we sing. I often share between songs and have the opportunity to "preach" several different messages touching a greater variety of people then merely preaching a sermon behind the pulpit. I still feel this way.

In October of 2015 we received a call asking if we were available to fill a pulpit and preach.  This call came from the church I had retired from. Since this is one of the things we do - assist a struggling church - we agreed to come and fill in. The church had undergone a church split and there was a lot of hurt to deal with. There was healing that needed to take place.  I also offered to help them get the word out about them needing a pastor. Additionally, I gave them names of preachers who offered to fill the pulpit.

I was asked numerous times if I would be submitting a resume for consideration as pastor. My answer, "Oh, no."  Being a pastor again is not something I wanted or intended to do. If you have read my blog for any length of time you know I have "outside-the-box" thoughts on what "church" is or should be. For me to "pastor" is like putting a square peg in to a round hole". It just doesn't work that well.

Several of the folks continued to ask if I was going to submit a resume. Finally, my wife created a ministry resume for me. I kept it in my Bible case for several weeks. Truthfully, I didn't intend to turn it in. Then one morning before Sunday School the Holy Spirit strongly led me to submit my resume to a member of the pulpit committee. I did so reluctantly.

We continued to fill in at the church as our schedule permitted.  One Sunday in January of this year, the pulpit committee asked me to meet with them after the Sunday morning service. The next Sunday they announced a vote would be held the following Sunday after the morning service. At that vote I was voted in as pastor of this church, once again.

While I sincerely do love the people, I have mixed emotions about returning to the pastorate. So much so, in fact, that I told my wife that I felt like Jonah and that the community was my Nineveh. Much like Jonah, God was calling me back but I didn't want to do. However, I learned from Jonah that it pays to obey God. This is where we are today...doing our best to obey God.

Are we there long term? I can't say. Only God knows. I believe God has us there for a season. That season could be a year, two years, five years or even ten years.  I can't say. What I can say is that we are there until God leads otherwise or until the congregation votes not to retain me.

In the meantime there is work to do. There are people to reach. There are believers to encourage. We must equip the believers to do the work of the ministry. God has a plan and we desire to follow that plan He has laid out before us.

I encourage you to follow hard after God and His plan for your life. We are all gifted and God has a plan for each of our lives. There is much to do and little time to accomplish it.

Until next time...enjoy the journey!

Ray

Thanks for taking your time to read and share this blog. If you know of someone who would be encouraged by this blog, please feel free to forward a link or use the icons below to repost this blog.

DETERMINED TO MAKE THE BEST OF EACH DAY

As I've gotten older I have had occasion to pause and consider life and where I am on my journey. While my journey has had its share of challenges and obstacles through the years I can truthfully say I am blessed!

Throughout the years I have had a good number of physical issues. These issues date back to my late 20's. I have had back issues with one doctor telling me rheumatoid arthritis in my spine will have me wheelchair bound by the time I am 35. By God's grace I have never been wheelchair bound. That is not to say I don't have back issues. However, I rely on His grace and strength.

I seems every time I enter a new decade age-wise, something else comes up. It was my back and ankle in my 30's. In my 40's I sustained a head injury and concussion that resulted in me having partial petite seizures. I would just zone out without notice. I called it going to "Ray's world". I was on so much anti-seizure medication that I felt like a zombie. The neurologist tried a number of medications and different combinations of medications to get these seizures under control. At one point I was taking a handful of anti-seizure medications. We prayed and we believed for healing and eventually healing came!

The next thing I battled with, and still do, is migraine headaches. At the present time these are controlled through medication.

In my late 40's I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Anyone who knows me knows I have very poor eating habits. I'm also not a very good patient so I don't monitor this like I should.

In my 50's I started having trouble with my knees, my left knee in particular. I found out last year I have bone on bone in my left knee. I was told eventually I will have to have a knee replacement. On top of that, I have osteoarthritis in both knees.

In addition to the aforementioned, I have battled with carpal tunnel for many years. This is aggravated by typing and even playing bass guitar.

I don't share these things looking for sympathy by any means. I know there are those in worse shape than me. My intent in sharing this is to share my determination to make the most of each day I have.

Like many, I have good days and better days. I won't accept that I have bad days. Any day I wake up and can get up is a good day. Some days I actually feel good and those are better days.

Each day belongs to the Lord. I have determined to make the best of each day. I want to do something I enjoy each day whether it's sitting on the swing with Cindy, relaxing in my recliner, watching a favorite tv show, blogging or going somewhere to sing. I want to make the best of the time God has allotted me. I want to make the time I have count.

I have a fantastic wife, a wonderful family, a good job that I enjoy and have need nor want for anything . As I stated earlier, I am blessed.  God is good.

No matter what you are facing I encourage you to determine to make the best of each day.

Until next time...enjoy the journey!

Ray

CHURCH VISIT - BAPTIST

This is my fourth blog post in a series I am doing on our experience visiting churches of various denominational labels, sizes and different styles of services. It is not my intent to be critical, but rather to be real and honest in our experiences. We have established criteria we are looking for at all of the institutional churches we are visiting.  I do not intend to mention the church specifically by name.

I have blogged in the past about Christians who have left and are leaving the institutional church in large numbers. They are leaving for their own spiritual welfare. Most still love God but have become disillusioned or fed up with the institutional church today. I believe this is a timely series. May it open our eyes and our hearts to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus.


CHURCH CRITERIA

~DENOMINATIONAL LABEL - Baptist

~TYPE OF SERVICE

   *Traditional 
   *Contemporary 
   *Blended xxxxxxxxxx

~SIZE OF CHURCH - Small (30-40)

~FRIENDLINESS - This was a friendly congregation from the pastor to the congregation. Many in this congregation know is from having sang at the church previously.

~AVERAGE AGE OF CONGREGATION - 40-50

~DRESS ATTIRE - Casual

~GREETING - We were greeted upon entrance by the pastor and his wife and then by others as they came in after Sunday School

~MUSIC - They had no musicians. They utilized video DVDs to sing along with.

~BALANCE OF MUSIC VS WORD -  There was a good deal of music spread throughout the service. The message was about 40 minutes. There was fair balance of music vs Word.

~TECHNOLOGY UTILIZED - Power point projectors were used - two on each side in front and one in back for the worship leader.

ALTAR CALL/INVITATION - There was an invitation given

~ACTIVITIES/PROGRAMS OFFERED - They have a food pantry where they provide food to those in need on a monthly basis. They are starting potlucks once a month which will also celebrate birthdays for the month. They are also working on cleaning and maintenance of the building. 

~BIBLE VERSION USED- KJV

~PREACHING STYLE -  Pastor was more of a preacher as opposed to a conversational style.

~USE OF SCRIPTURE - There was good use of Scripture 

~RELEVANT MESSAGE - The topic of the message was a good and interesting topic.  However, the pastor got off topic and started "chasing rabbits". He got on to an entirely different topic.

~LENGTH OF SERVICE -  1 hour 50 minutes

~OBSERVATIONS/COMMENTS

*Service started about ten minutes late.

*Being in a blended service with both traditional and contemporary music was a bit of a challenge for us. While we knew both of the traditional hymns they sang, we only knew one of five or six choruses. For me, this was a hindrance to my worship as I was focused on watching the words on the screen and trying to catch the tune.

*The pastor and another minister worked together in the service each doing different things. They did seem to work well together as a team.

*The pastor did lose his place in his notes two or three tomes and had to shuffle pages of his notes to find his place. 

*The pastor invited us back for next Sunday but I explained we would be at a different church next Sunday morning.

CHURCH VISIT - ASSEMBLY OF GOD

This is my third blog post in a series I am doing on our experience visiting churches of various denominational labels, sizes and different styles of services. It is not my intent to be critical, but rather to be real and honest in our experiences. We have established criteria we are looking for at all of the institutional churches we are visiting.  I do not intend to mention the church specifically by name.

I have blogged in the past about Christians who have left and are leaving the institutional church in large numbers. They are leaving for their own spiritual welfare. Most still love God but have become disillusioned or fed up with the institutional church today. I believe this is a timely series. May it open our eyes and our hearts to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus.

CHURCH CRITERIA

~DENOMINATIONAL LABEL - Assembly of God

~TYPE OF SERVICE
   *Traditional "Classic"

~SIZE OF CHURCH - Large church overall with three Sunday morning services. However, the "Classic" service was sparsely attended.

~FRIENDLINESS - The greeters as well as some of the church folks were very friendly and welcoming

~AVERAGE AGE OF CONGREGATION - 60-65 for this service

~DRESS ATTIRE - Casual to dress

~GREETING - There was a short greeting time at the conclusion of one of the songs

~MUSIC - A praise team/choir comprised of 21 people led the music. A band consisting of a piano, bass guitar, drums and a small brass section.

~BALANCE OF MUSIC VS WORD -  There was a good balance of music and Word.

~TECHNOLOGY UTILIZED - Power Point projector with three screens.  Pastor utilized tablet for his message.

ALTAR CALL/INVITATION - None given.

~ACTIVITIES/PROGRAMS OFFERED - Cell groups, Missions Week coming up and church cleaning day.

~BIBLE VERSION USED- ESV. Pastor did share a couple of Scriptures from the KJV during the message, as well.

~PREACHING STYLE-  Conversational while sitting on a stool.

~USE OF SCRIPTURE - Pastor utilized a good amount of Scripture in his message.

~RELEVANT MESSAGE - I found parts of the message to be somewhat relevant given today's society and church.

~LENGTH OF SERVICE -  1 hour 5 minutes.

~OBSERVATIONS/COMMENTS
~As mentioned previously, this is a large church overall with three services on Sunday morning. The "Classic" service we attended appears to be geared more toward senior citizens with traditional hymns and older choruses. This service started at 8:15 am and was done by 9:20 am. I find it a bit unusual for a Pentecostal church to have such a short service and no altar call. There were 40-50 attendees.
~Pentecostals are also known for having the spiritual gifts in operation. There was no indication of that in this service. That is not to say these spiritual gifts are not on display there, We just did not see them today.
~I am uncertain if I found the pastor boring or if I was just tired, but I found myself dozing off during the message. That's all I'll say about that.

Be watching for my next blog post.

Until next time... enjoy the journey!

Ray