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This is my third post discussing those discussing Todd Bentley and the Florida Outpouring. If you have yet to read the earlier posts you can do so here, and here. Two weeks ago I ventured down to Lakeland for a few days with some folks from our church. This past Sunday I decided to devote my message to what is unfolding there. Those of you who are used to a 25 minute sermonette each week will need to take this in two parts because it’s 58 minutes long. It’s probably easier to grab it off itunes and plop in on your ipod, or you can get it off the podcast link below which is on our church website. Feedback is welcome though I prefer you read the earlier posts first before commenting as I’m not interested in giving scoffers a greater platform.
Is this that? Relections on the Florida Outpouring - Matthew 11:1-19
This past week alone I got sermon feedback from people in Washington DC, Hawaii, California and Iraq. Oh the wonders of the podcast. I’m told in three of these places my “Origins: God’s Green Earth” series is making the rounds and is quite a hit. Of course I appreciate feedback that is positive. Interesting to me, I’m getting triple the feedback I normally get in a message series and we are giving away hundreds of CDs. One lady on Sunday, a visitor, took a handful and plans to send them to her Ph.D microbiologist son with hopes that he’ll make room for God in his life. This morning I was mapping out the remaining messages in the series and had the thought… why quit so soon? There is so much more to say on this theme. I do believe it has end time relevance.
Also I know that those of you who attend CATG each weekend may never be able to run for President unless you disavow the crazy politically-incorrect things I’m saying right now and have said over the years. Actually we do need people in our midst to rise up and govern - that’s the Creation Mandate - rulership, dominion over the created order. Go for it! I promise to not pull a Rev. Wright.
Big thanks to my friend Steven M. Collins for this guest post. As usual, Steve opens the Scriptures in untraditional ways showing things we wonder why we didn’t see all along. Recently Steve gave me a preview of a fascinating paper he was about to post on his website - “Is the earth 6000 years old.” I’ve linked to the full paper here and also at the end of his guest post. After reading his paper a couple of times, I asked him to write a guest post here to sum that up and that is what is spelled out below. Steve lives here in Sioux Falls with his wife and family, has written five books on Israel, and is one of our life group leaders. More on his books and his blog on his website. Pray for Steve’s health - he’s unable to travel and take speaking engagements right now. Lord, touch this brother!
Pastor Steve, I am really enjoying your message series on “Origins: God’s Green Earth.” I agree it is critically-important that we understand the foundations of our beginnings in order to truly understand our Creator and his purpose for our lives. As you have been giving your “Origins” series, which has a strong emphasis on Genesis 1, I have been putting the finishing touches on an article which complements the subject matter of your messages. My article addresses the “Creation vs. Evolution” debate from an entirely new perspective.
My article strongly affirms a literal understanding and application of the scriptures, and I believe that by combining the account in Genesis 1 with creation accounts in other books of the Bible (Job, Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc.), we can actually reconcile the differences between the scientific community and the Christian community regarding the origins of the earth and life itself. We know that God has eternally existed. Have the creative efforts of an ageless Creator (in the physical world) been limited to only the most-recent 6,000 years, as many “young earth” Christians maintain? Read the rest of this entry »
My good friend Randy spotted this one. I love his title - Jesus, we plead your blood… over the unleaded?
There’s a great video clip on this over at FoxNews called Divine Intervention but I can’t get it to embed or link here.
“Oh God, our hearts are full but our pockets are empty. God, deliver us from these high gas prices. O Lord, these high gas prices, bring them down O Father.”
“God is the only one we can turn to at this point,” says Praying at the Pump founder Rocky Twyman. “Our leaders don’t seem to be able to do anything about it. The prices keep soaring and soaring.”
At least they aren’t praying… “God, give me gas.” In case you are wondering, CATG will be taking a pass on this one. Crazy I know, but we rounded up some gas money and sent a busload to our state Supreme Court in Pierre at 5:30 AM this morning to contend all day in prayer for mercy on our nation for shedding the innocent blood of the unborn. When God answers that prayer, his favor will fall on the nation again and our economy will turn around. Until then, carpool. Or, trust him to make your last gallon go 100 miles - I have a great testimony where God did just that!
Note to the faithful going to pray at the pump… leave the vigil candles back at the church.
Sorry to disappear from the blogosphere for a few days. I hope you were able to function for a few days without my life-giving insights into whatever I’m interested in. (Blame a hotwire.com $39 a night La Quinta hotel room that promised wireless internet but apparently the wires were missing that would have made it actually work.)
We just got back from Birmingham late last night. Went with 11 CATG peeps to Church of the Highlands for a spectacular church planting conference. Many things are rolling around in my head right now that will soon gel into more vision and passion for what we are doing right here in SD!
It’s always great to travel with friends. Lots of laughs… like yesterday when Pastor Dennis mis-spoke during a conversation about his baldness and talked about his using viagra and how that didn’t help his hair grow (he later tried to assure us he meant to say rogaine.) We flew from Birmingham to Dallas with Brian Houston - that was cool for the star-struck among us. I want to publicly thank Kathy for packing light this time… we knew you could do it!
Here’s some highlights:
- The greatest church planting “tool” is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his followers after three years of equipping… stay here in the upper room until you get what you really need to go out and take territory. Jesus sent people out to plant churches with POWER!
- Great word from Brian Houston on how we often focus on what we don’t have and only take notice of the lack… we miss what is right here in our own house- people, potential. We learned THE Darlene Zschech was once just a lady in his church named Darlene - now her song made America Idols top ten list - shout to the Lord! We often don’t see the “oil” in our own “house” because it doesn’t look like its going to look like when God touches it. We’ve got to raise people in our midst up and release them!
- Regarding prayer… a man on his face never falls from that position. Do we as leaders, at our core, really believe that prayer matters? How we run our ministries reveals whether or not we really believe that is true. The hard days in prayer are more important to God than the easy days.
More later…
The Global School of Supernatural Ministry at Church at the Gate ended tonight with several wonderful waves of healing. Sessions on hearing the voice of God, the five-step model for healing prayer and how to receive Words of Knowledge set the stage for God to move. No hype, not even music, full lighting, yet the atmosphere of God in our midst was tangible. Twenty or so words of knowledge came forth and then the testimonies started popping up. A couple dozen people noted at least 80% improvement. We asked God for more.
My testimony tonight is my right shoulder is pain-free for the first time in months and I have full range of motion. CATG Doc’s have told me I have rotator cuff surgery in my future but that I should wait until its intolerable - Dr. Myles at church has been working on it weekly for a few months.
If you have a testimony to share, click on the comment link under this post heading and share it!
God is good!
Leaders know that when you are fighting the good fight people say stuff about you, both good stuff and bad. Being human we tend to give more weight to the bad and let it bother us more. It probably takes three affirmations to outwiegh one low jab. Church at the Gate is filled with affirming people and I’m blessed. But today I got a big blessing from a CATG mom who forwarded on her eighth-grade daughters language arts assignment to me - it was about me! Gulp. I’ll post it below.
This is a first for me and quite an honor! Had the realization that this next generation is indeed looking up to us for models. That’s not something to take lightly. I also know these young gals and guys wearing pro-life shirts and buttons to public schools are heroes in their own right and take substantial flack for the stand they take. Even “coming out” as pro-life to a teacher can be huge. This will be the generation that wins this war. I love their boldness.
Look around you today - who is watching the stand you are taking? (It is okay, isn’t it, to share stuff like this with friends without it coming across as prideful?)
Stepping Out in Faith, Stepping Up to the Challenge
Many people like to become “robots” and act like everyone around them. They just want to follow the crowd, but how many people actually stand for what they believe? My pastor stands for what he believes and Read the rest of this entry »
Many of you remember the shock and devastation that hit the CATG Stahl family last October with the sudden death of Paul Stahl (age 25) to the Hanta Virus. Because of what happened to Paul Stahl, Thomas, Kaitlyn and I wore dust masks yesterday sweeping out our chicken coop. Here’s a story farmers need to read about Paul’s death and this virus.
Kenny just sent me this video link to a local newscast on life for Paul’s wife Megan and their daughter Sydney since Paul’s death. You can watch the link and read the story here. Life is precious and watching this makes me not take for granted the moments we have with those we love.
Had a great Easter at CATG! Music rocked! Many many new people. Salvations! Particularly I was blessed by Travis & Jessy Miller sharing their testimony… it really and deeply blesses me to hear how CATG is being used by God to reach people for Christ, restore marriages, change the destiny of kids.
There was much talk at our home this Easter weekend about eggs. Not Easter eggs per say. What’s happening is we are resurrecting “Hickey’s Egg Farm.” In high school I had 500 chickens and an egg route delivering farm fresh eggs. The baton is getting passed now to Kaitlyn. Maybe she will call it “Kaitlyn’s Country Fresh Eggs” or something like that… stay tuned. Have you noticed the price of eggs lately?
Preparations are in high gear. I roped in Ben who serves so faithfully as THE trustee overseeing the church building addition. Like he didn’t have enough to do… I now have him making new windows and a door for our chicken coop. I’ll be sure to take before and after pics because this thing is getting fully restored. Also had CATG’r Clifford over this afternoon to talk chickens. Unexpected development there… initially it was about putting new shakes on the coop roof for the layers. But we decided to partner up to get 100 chicks this next week and fatten them up over the next couple months to fill the freezer. BBQ anyone?
Drum roll please…
The next hero on my list is CATG’s own Megan J.! Several reasons for this nomination. First, and something I haven’t even shown her yet because I wanted to announce it here… she made the COVER of a new college sociology textbook called “Social Problems!!!” I love it. (Megan is the one with the LIFE tape over her mouth praying here for the unborn - second column from left, three down).
I know you’re not supposed to talk about a woman’s age, but we are talking early twenties here and she’s already shaking society in notable ways! Admittedly there is a bit of (spiritual) fatherly pride coming through here but what pastor wouldn’t boast when a young adult in his church bucks the culture and takes a visible stand for the least of these. Actually, Megan’s mug shot already graced the Washington Post about 18 months ago.
Age is irrelevant to heroism. Looking out over the sea of faces at the Washington March for Life last week, many people from the platform noted the face of the pro-life movement is young - most under age 30. These are the survivors, Roe v. Wade survivors. 50 million of their peers didn’t make it.
Megan represents an emerging army of Nazirites who God is raising up in our nation - worshippers, history-changing intercessors, lovers of God. Be sure to click on the Nazirite link here and read Lou Engle’s comments. These are the heaven-sent heroes of our day. I’m committed to them and celebrate them.
Hardly a week goes by when I don’t get a Monday morning email from CATG’r Brad Bomhoff. The emails are always all caps and are loaded with encouragement and enthusiasm. This week Brad started off with “Oh Yeah ‘08″ in the subject line. I’ve been saying it in my head ever since. The positive flow coming from this brother is electric! Here’s just a taste of the kind of thing I get each week…
I AM MORE EXCITED ABOUT THIS YEAR THAN I HAVE BEEN FOR THE START FOR A NEW YEAR IN A LONG TIME!! LAST YEAR WAS AWESOME, BUT I BELIEVE THIS YEAR WILL BE JURASSIC… THE GIRDERS WILL BE SHAKING TO EPIC PROPORTIONS AT CATG, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRUCTION!! THE LORD IS GOING TO BLOW US AWAY THIS YEAR AND I TRULY BELIEVE HE IS GOING TO SPRINGBOARD US INTO SOMETHING THAT WILL SHOW HIS AWESOMENESS!! IS IT SUNDAY YET?? THE NEXT COMING ATTRACTIONS AT CATG WEST CAMPUS WILL BE THE NORTH WING, NEIGHBORS ARE YOU READY!! THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED CLOSE BEHIND TO THE NEW NORTH CAMPUS BUILDING. CAN YOU TELL I AM LITTLE EXCITED RIGHT NOW!! FOR 2008, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAND OUT EARPLUGS AT ONE OF THE SERVICES TO PREPARE FOR THE BIG BOOM THAT IS HEADING OUR WAY IN 2008. WE ARE IN NO MATTER WHAT!!
On behalf of he and his family, every Brad Bomhoff email ends with “we are in no matter what!” Pastors need these kind of people around them. I asked Brad if I could borrow his email here for the blog because I want him to infect others with this optimism. Oh Yeah! ‘08!! Keep saying it! It’s a declarative rebuke to the negativism at work in you. And surround yourself with these types of people!
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