This past weekend was a great time of ministry for us. We had a worship service at a new church and I was really concerned how it was going to go. We spoke to the people in charge the week before and I was concerned how our style would be received. When we got there, we were met with smiles and helping hands to unload the equipment (which is always welcomed). As we set up, I felt that God was, even then, instilling peace in my heart. We did what we do best, which was to follow the flow of the Holy Spirit, putting all our worries behind us (get behind me satan!) and even did a new song that went over beyond great.

Often, or should I say all the time we go to minister, I get this feeling deep inside me that we are not good enough, or professional enough, or not spiritual enough, and I want to crawl in a hole instead of doing what God made me to do. Sometimes I can recognize the feelings as not of God, but other times they sneak up on me and I start to fret. Each time we minister I ask God for my flesh to take a back seat and let His Spirit move in and thru me. He has never failed me yet, but still the doubts creep in. I want to be strong in the power of His might, not leaning on myself.

I have found the more I let go, and let God, the better off I am. Whether it be singing, sharing from my heart, or preaching more and more, I have found that as the scripture states “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.”

Would YOU pray that I learn to “lean not on my own understanding” more and more? I know he answers prayers and I’m counting on you.

God’s richest blessings!
:lou:Lou

I realized that in our spiritual lives we struggle to focus on the “game” at hand and sometimes feel the eyes of others watching us. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing because they can be eyes of prayer helping us to press thru our experience. As we try to focus our eyes should look more and more to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith to help us “focus” on what He wants us to do rather that strive in our own humanity.

When I think how hard I was trying to look good for the people watching while I was playing, I only got worse. Whether it was my glasses or my lack of skill in this game, it wasn’t long till the game was over. Our lives fly by as we look to our circumstances rather than the solution, trusting in Jesus. I may never be any good at the game, but I hope to continue to try to look more and more to Jesus in my “game” of life so that some day it won’t be looking thru a glass dimly, but see all that God has and has promised for me and my family as well as the ministry.

:lou:Lou

This made me think of the things of God.

So often we know the cure for other’s problems in their lives that only God can fix. But how eager are we to offer the perfect solution for any problem, JESUS!!! I find that I am just as guilty in not offering the “cure” for others as well. So if that is why my back went out, to open my eyes to get me to open my mouth to tell the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, then I will look to the pain and rejoice in the victory that Christ has already purchased for me with the stripes upon His back.

Serving the risen Savior,
Lou:lou:

A lot of you know that read these postings that my wife Kris (the head cheese) had surgery and has been on the mend. Thanks be to God for her speedy recovery! (still not quick enough for me!) Somehow I have been managing between the kids the business and ministry stuff. All I can do is put my trust in God to carry me through (and sometimes I feel like I literally need carried). Day by day as Kris gets stronger we approach more and more the doors that God has opened for us to minister. As the load gets heavier, I am trying to just keep looking to Jesus for strength and determination to do His will not my own. Like the song goes….I don’t know about tomorrow…. but I know who holds my hand…. My time is tight, but it is my desire thru the Holy Spirit to write more regularly here. So many wonderful things are happening that I don’t know where to start.

So……look for my next post!

Lou:lou:

We went to a new assisted living place and I felt I was just a little nervous:teary: about singing at a new place so I just shrugged it off again.

After we got all unloaded Kris said, “Where’s my music?” So steven and Evan went to the trailer to get it. Low and behold it was no where to be found so Kris sent me out to look. (as if my eyes were any better than theirs.) As I was coming back in, Kris had to go check for herself. So Stevens report was not believable and neither was mine to Kris. She had to see for her self.

We are all like that a one time or another where we must see for ourselves. Needless to say Kris didn’t find it eather so now panic was starting to set in.:nailbiting:

Iknew we could handle it but the voices in the back of my head were saying we were going to make a real mess of things. But then I remembered the scripture that says we are to be instant in season and out of season and I began to pray:pray: for God’s peace to flood over us which of course it did. And I began to hear in my head a chorus I heard years ago that said “Whose report shall you believe? We shall believe the report of the Lord!” And that report was how I shall be with you always even to the end of no music!

:up:Each of us needs to listen to the still small voice inside us which is the Holy Spirt trying to lead and guide us along our way. But fear not!!! Even when we don’t listen like we should, God gives us another way out. In my case, it was to give him even more of the glory for pulling us thru! God won’t leave us hanging! any of us who call upon His mighty name!

So when your back’s against the wall, who’s report will you believe?
:lou:Lou

At first I thought this is cute and I got a little chuckle out of it, but the image stuck in my head. I thought that this is really how it should be, based on the scripture in Galatians 6:2 which reads “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

I don’t know if this is what the original artist was going for, but it made me think how accountability is not always there. We need to be helping one another, lifting one another before the Lord in prayer, and sometimes it means, dare I say it, getting involved with someone else’s problems.

I originally thought that God was speaking to just me on this subject until I was walking through WalMart’s parking lot and actually saw the same design on a license plate so I felt that this is meant for others as well.

I encourage you to step up and step out to help yourself as well as your fellow man. Help someone to be accountable today and also make yourself accountable as well. When we work together in our Christian walk, it fulfills the verse in Proverbs 27:17 that says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

As the end times continue to approach, we need to be sharp to divide the truth from what is not the truth and stand together!
:lou:Lou

We sang about 14 songs at the Saturday program and only about 6 at the one Sunday morning. Kris wanted to give me a hard time for talking too much, but I felt that I should share what was on my heart. All in all everyone that we spoke to was blessed.

After coming home, we decided to go to McKeesport Hospital to visit one of the dear people from that church that was not able to come to the service because of her cancer. This woman was so moved that Kris, Keith, Gary and I (along with Gary on the guitar) came to see her and sing a few songs as well as have a time of prayer. It was just wonderful!

I felt as if the day was complete at that point, but God had other plans. As we got on the elevator I noticed a guy there with us. I looked at him and my eyes were immediately drawn to a florecent sticker that was on his jacket. We all have seen these at the store. It was a sticker that they put on items that are too big to put into a bag . It read”PAID THANK YOU”. When I looked at that all I could think of was how all Christians that call on the name of Jesus have a right to wear such a sticker and wear it as a badge of ownership to the King of Kings.

I am so happy that I can say to the Lord “THANK YOU” for paying my sin debt in full and purchasing me with His precious blood and marking my account “PAID!” What a perfect end to a wonderful weekend!

:lou:Lou

Anyway, this brings me to the place of a cool spiritual message that we all up north can relate to. In a few weeks we will venture into the great outdoors, into the brisk air and have a need for covering on our hands. The song “Keep Me in Your Will” (so I won’t get in your way) done by Jessica King reminds us that we all need to be a “glove” for God to put His hand into, to work in and through us.

Being involved with the puppet ministry part of this ministry for over 14 years I can really relate to that. A lot of people think that you can just put your hand into a puppet and it comes to life, but you really have to be into what you are doing in order to make it believable and get your message across. Each one of us have some “manipulation” in our life causing our actions. Good influance or bad, it all is up to OUR choice because of God giving each of us free will to pick which way we will turn.

I don’t know about you but I would rather have God inside this shell, glove, or puppet if you will, than anything or anybody else.
:lou:Lou

We sang at a church that we had to take our equipment up 3 flights of stairs and if you have ever seen our sound system you would know that was not an easy thing. After the program was over, I was in the basement dealing with tape and CD sales longer than anticipated. I was tired from pouring myself into ministry but I knew we still had to load up. Gary and Keith had already taken down most of the stuff by the time I dragged myself to the 3rd floor again and I didn’t want to be thought as a “slug” not carrying my share of the weight. So big strong guy that I am, I started to carry that system down by myself. BIG MISTAKE! It was too much for me to try and Keith came up and “thumped” me on the head (3 times to be exact:dizzy:) and told me not to try that again.

How many times has God provided help for us and we are too stuck in an “I can do it myself” mentality. We all need to work together to accomplish much for the kingdom.

In Ecclesiastes 4:12 it says “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” We as a body need to learn to work together so that we don’t get weary in well doing.

This reminds me of when I was in the Little Theater and played Charlie Brown and the Lucy character said holding her hand up, “These five fingers, when alone are nothing, but as I curl them together, they become a fighting force terrible to behold!”

Let’s together with Christ, become a fighting force as this world has never seen!
:lou:Lou

When I picked the new glasses up, I took my mom for a ride to Monroeville with me. When I came out I couldn’t believe the detail in everything that I could see! It reminded me of the first time that I got glasses when I was in first grade. My mom was there also and I remember thinking even back that far how I could actually see the edges of things, the definition of each leaf on the trees, the amount of signage that I had just been looking past because it wasn’t in focus.

After pick up we went to lunch and I can remember looking out the window of Boston Market and feeling like my brain was going to explode because of the increased amount of input that my brain was having to process. It is so hard to believe how much I was missing.

This made me think of each of our spiritual journeys. We all wander around thinkng that we see (and know) all there is to know about the things of God but we may have an old prescription and we are just getting by with seeing general things, when God actually wants to sharpen our eyesight to see things more clearly, more of His details, more of Him.

My prayer for all that read this post, as well as everybody else, is that we could all see the things of God more clearly to His Glory, Amen!
:lou:Lou