Thursday, July 31, 2008

Update On Blake


The surgeon saw Blake and evaluated his arm. He said it is too swollen to do anything with it today so he will not be having surgery at this time. He has to stay in a splint until Tuesday and then he will go back for another x-ray. The good news is the surgeon said that Blake will not have to have surgery at this point if the bones will shift on their own. We will know for sure on Tuesday. Pray that the bones will shift into place on their own so that Blake will not have to undergo surgery and the doctor will not have to reset them himself.

P.S. Pray for Blake to receive comfort from the pain at this time.

Prayer Request


I received news yesterday that my pastor's son, Blake Allard, broke his arm. Today I received a text message that he will be seeing a surgeon at noon and Lord willing. will have surgery late this afternoon. His right arm is broken in two place for sure, maybe three. He is in a lot of pain. Please pray that he gets into surgery today and that there is no nerve damage.

This is one fine outstanding young man. He is dedicated to God and has a love for souls. You know his parents, Brian and Jana Allard. Please pass this on so that we can get a prayer chain going for Blake and his parents. Thank you!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Absolutely Beautiful!



This is absolutely beautiful. It was sent to me via e-mail from a friend. Watch it if you get a chance and make sure your speakers are on. I'm sure you will be blessed by it as I was.

Friday, July 25, 2008

STRESS

The Sun Fountain - Peterhof Great Palace - St. Peterberg, Russia


A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes'.

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while'.

After reading this, it reminded me of what Jesus said; "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 International Standard Version.

This lecturer spoke about something so small as a simple glass of water that can become a heavy burden when we don't learn to lay it down. It is the little things in life that can destroy us if we let them. Song of Solomon 2:1 talks about "the little foxes, that spoil the vines:" We need to learn to "be careful for nothing" just like it says in Philippians 4:6.

We need to learn to turn everything over to him for Matthew 11:29-30 reads;"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

He has promised that if we come to Him He will give us rest; "This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing" Isaiah 28:12.

To many times we try to do things on our own instead of learning to lean on Jesus. The battle is not ours but it is the Lord's. Yes, we need to learn to lay our burdens down and drink from the fountain of refreshing waters.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

One Word


I thought this sounded like too much fun to pass up.

The Game is on!!! Describe ME in one word.... just one single word.

Then copy this and paste it to your blog and see how many strange and interesting things your friends say about you with just one word. This could really be interesting.

You're IT! GO! Describe Me as you see me with just one word. Let's be honest now!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Preparing The Soil


I was talking to an individual last Thursday about the prayer meeting we had a week ago last Monday and how great it was. This individual spoke about how they got a touch from God at that prayer meeting. I went on to tell them that if they would have been there at the beginning instead of coming in late they would have received more from the prayer meeting. They would have received the victory they have been wanting. The reply was "I was only 20 minutes late."

"Only 20 minutes late and prayer meeting is only one hour long" I replied. I then told this individual that they are late for every service. You come in almost every time at the end of every song service. That is why you are struggling. That is why you can't get the victory. You will never get what you need for yourself unless you are there to prepare your heart for the word. That is why you leave the same way you come every service. Don't get me wrong. I did this out of love. I then went on to explain to this individual that the beginning of the service is the most important part. Some people say that as long as they make it there in time for the preaching that is all that matters. I disagree!

We should be there early for prayer before service. Am I always there early for prayer? No, not every service. But I generally make it on time for praise and worship service. Some days I have a hard time getting around with my migraines. I get up and it might take me two hours to get myself together and to church on time but let me tell you, I am praying while I am getting ready for I want my soul to be prepared so that when I get to the house of God I will be ready to worship. I love worship service (song service if you please). Prayer and worship service is like the tilling of the soil and the kneading of the dough.

The farmer just doesn't go out there and throw down the seed but he prepares the soil. He first tills the land, gets rid of the weeds. That is what we do when we come into prayer before service. We till the land (our hearts) and get rid of the weeds (sin). The farmer makes sure that there are no rocks, thorns, thistles or anything that would prevent the seed from growing when he plants it. That is what we are doing in prayer. We are shaking off the world and anything that has attached itself to us that is not of God. Then the farmer begins to prepare the soil for planting of the seed. He turns the soil, he waters it, he plows it, he makes the rows where he wants them. That is what we do in prayer and praise and worship. We are turning the soil of our hearts and we are watering it and plowing it and drawing the rows so that when the word of God is brought forth it will fall on GOOD SOIL and will sprout good deep roots and grow forth in our hearts and we will grow strong in Him.

A good baker will prepare their goods in the same way as the farmer. They don't just get the ingredients for the bread, tortillas, or a fancy cake and throw it together. It takes special preparation. There is the mixing of the dough. Setting it aside and letting it rise. Coming back and kneading it, pounding out the lumps, again getting rid of the sin and every weight which doth so easily beset us. The baker will do this several times until the dough is just right and ready to put into the oven. Then it will bring forth a great loaf of bread or fantastic tortillas or a delicious cake. But without the proper preparations the dough will not rise and whatever the the baker was trying to make will have to be thrown out. I want the Lord to be able to take my heart and I want it to be pliable in His hands. I want it to rise with good things and not to fall flat.

This past Sunday morning and evening this individual was on time for service. I am happy to say they received a blessing at both services. They were even on time for this past prayer meeting and was touched in a mighty, mighty way. Don't tell me worship service doesn't play a big part in the preparation of the way the service goes and in what one receives from God. You will never convince me other wise. Read your bible, it is so important that they even had the praise singers go forth first in battle. 2 Chronicles 20:21-22; " After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out AT THE HEAD OF THE ARMY, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever. As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated."

If praise service isn't important then why did God have them first in the battle field? There is just something about praise and worship that brings down the power of God. Yes, it is the preparation of the work to be done in one's life. Need a miracle? Need an answer? Need a healing? Need salvation? Prayer and Worship is the answer. It will prepare you for the planting of His Word. For when it falls on soil that has been prepared it will spring forth and your needs will be met and you will rise victorious.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Busy Bee Or Pesky Mosquito?


"It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted."— Mary O'Connor


Think about it!


All mosquitoes must have water in which to complete their life cycle. This water can range in quality from melted snow water to sewage effluent and it can be in any container imaginable. They lay their eggs in places such as tree holes that periodically hold water, tide water pools in salt marshes, sewage effluent ponds, irrigated pastures, rainwater ponds, etc. Each species therefore has unique environmental requirements for the maintenance of its life cycle.

Only the adult females bite man and other animals. The male mosquitoes feed only on plant juices. Some female mosquitoes prefer to feed on only one type of animal or they can feed on a variety of animals. Female mosquitoes feed on man, domesticated animals, such as cattle, horses, goats, etc; all types of birds including chickens; all types of wild animals including deer, rabbits; and they also feed on snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads. Most female mosquitoes have to feed on an animal and get a sufficient blood meal before she can develop eggs. If they do not get this blood meal, then they will die without laying viable eggs. However, some species of mosquitoes have developed the means to lay viable eggs without getting a blood meal.

Some mosquitoes attack during daylight hours and others at night. Some are painful and persistent biters and others are moderately aggressive biters. Some pass on diseases known as encephalitis (sleeping sickness) and malaria.

As you can clearly see the mosquito has no value. It is a worthless pesky insect that is only out to draw blood and pass on disease to those it comes in contact with. It doesn't think about the future. It does not work well with others. It is all about me, myself, and I. Sad to say but there are people like that who sit on the church pews. They can do nothing but complain, and bicker about everything. They have the preacher for breakfast, lunch and dinner and even midnight snack. Like the mosquito, these people are always in attack mode and their bite is painful and persistent, attacking day and night. Then they wonder why they are having problems in the home with their children and their marriage. They gossip about their brothers and sisters in the Lord. Never do they have a good word to say about anyone or anything. They are constantly out to draw blood with their biting hateful, hurtful words. They are not drinking from the fountain of living waters but drinking from waters that are polluted like the mosquitoes do. They are transmitting terrible diseases with their attitude as they themselves are dying a slow spiritual death.


One of the most familiar insects in the world is the Honeybee. While many species of insects consume nectar, honeybees refine and concentrate nectar to make honey. Indeed, they make lots of honey so they will have plenty of food for times when flower nectar is unavailable, such as winter. Unlike most insects, honeybees remain active through the winter, consuming and metabolizing honey in order to keep from freezing to death.

Honeybees have a bright color pattern to warn potential predators (or honey thieves!) that they have a weapon to defend themselves. Their weapon is a modified ovipositor (egg-laying tube). This is combined with a venom gland to create a stinger located at the end of the abdomen. Because the stinger is modified from a structure found only in females, male bees cannot sting. When the hive is threatened, honeybees will swarm out and attack with their stingers to drive the enemy away.

We too, have a weapon to defend ourselves to warn off potential predators, the WORD OF GOD. God's word is used to save souls however, when God's House or His people are threatened then the children of God can attack by going to prayer and using the Word of God to bring down His stinging power to drive away the enemy.

Honeybees are social insects. They work together in a highly structured social order. This is how the members of the church of God must work together. There is only one queen in a hive and her main purpose in life is to make more bees. Like the bee hive that has only one queen, we must remember there is only one God. "...He is Lord of Lords and King of kings." (Revelations 17:14) Just like the queen bee, His purpose is to give life. "I am come that they might have Life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Each bee has its place and purpose. Drones, since they are males, have no stinger. Their sole function is to mate with a new queen. Worker bees do all the different tasks needed to maintain and operate the hive. They make up the vast majority of the hive's occupants and they are all sterile females. When young, they are called house bees and work in the hive doing comb construction, brood rearing, tending the queen and drones, cleaning, temperature regulation and defending the hive. Older workers are called field bees. They forage outside the hive to gather nectar, pollen, water and certain sticky plant resins used in hive construction. House bees take the beeswax and form it with their mouths into the honeycomb. The cells within the comb are used to raise young and to store honey and pollen. Flower nectar is one of two food sources used by honeybees. The other is pollen. Both are gathered by the field bees as they fly about on their daily foraging flights.

In the church today you will find it is the same as it is in the bee hive. We all have a calling. Ephesians 4:11 reads; "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;". We also have those who are called to be the altar workers, prayer warriors, singers, musicians, bulletin board decorators, Sunday School teachers, church cleaners, and we are ALL called to be witnesses, Acts 1:8; "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." All of this is for the Glory and the Kingdom of God and the purpose of saving souls.

I guess my question is Are we busy bees or pesky mosquitoes? Are we busy about our Father's business or are we busybodies? Are we busy spreading the word of the Lord or are we busy spreading gossip? Are we building up the kingdom of God and our brothers and sisters or tearing them down? Are we busy gathering nectar for the hive (gathering souls for the kingdom of God) or are we just out to draw blood?

I want to be known as a Busy Bee for the Lord and not a pesky mosquito. Lord knows I do not want the hand of the Lord to come down and swat me. We must find our calling and do it well for the Lord. Let us be known as Busy Bees for the Kingdom of God!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

I'll Never Know




Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that
You're my God

You're all together lovely
All together worthy
All together wonderful to me

I'll never know
How much it cost
To see my sins
Upon that cross

I'll never know
How much it cost
To see my sins
Upon that cross

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that
You're my God

You're all together lovely
All together worthy
All together wonderful to me



The above song is what Bro. Bryce Allard started this morning's service off with. There is more to this song but these words really stuck out to me. I will never know what it really cost my Lord to nail my sins to the cross that day on Calvary's Hill. I am just thankful that He loved me enough to die for me, to shed His blood to purchase my salvation. That is why the words to this song mean so much and ring so true. I am thankful for the FREEDOM we have here in America today but there is nothing like the SPIRITUAL FREEDOM I have within my soul all because of Calvary. That is why I say:



Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that
You're my God

You're all together lovely
All together worthy
All together wonderful to me