The Great God of Comfort is Still Available!

Have you ever had one of those moments which stand out so vividly in your mind that many years later you can remember ever detail of it as if it had just happened? It can sometimes be a catastrophic event! It might even be just one of those special moments when the occasion is so momentous to you it is like it is etched in stone, like the birth of a child. Maybe it is a time when God had a divine appointment with you, like the one I want to share.
I will never forget this day as long as I live. It was in January of 1997. We were pastoring Triumphant Life Center in Rio Dell, California. That Friday morning I had gone to Eureka, California which was twenty-five miles away to take care of some business. One of my favorite things to do, if time permitted, was to go by the One Way Bible Book Store and browse. They had a good selection of books and a wonderful selection of used Christian books. Even when I didn’t have money to spend I would drop in and just look through the books. I love to read and I love books, so it was a great place to hide for a while.
I had looked around the store and it was time to leave so I approached the checkout with my purchase. The clerk had stepped into an office area behind the counter and was talking to a customer on the phone. I wasn’t in a real hurry so I took advantage of the wait to turn and look at some of the books and magazines in the checkout area. I wasn’t paying attention to the clerk or the conversation but as I stood with my back to the counter and office it was as if suddenly their voice was amplified. I heard the clerk state to the person on the phone, “I am sorry but the great God of comfort is not available!”
Now I don’t really know what they were talking about. Obviously considering where I was at the time, they were either talking about a book or some type of recording which had that name but when they made this statement a feeling went all over me. I suddenly felt something rise up within me and wanted to shout to the top of my lungs, “The Great God of Comfort is always available!”
As I left the store I couldn’t get away from that statement, it just kept rolling over in my mind. How terrible it would be to feel the great God of comfort was not available! How could you deal with life? How could you face tomorrow? How could you go on if you believed the great God of comfort was not available?
That Sunday night, as you might have already figured out, that is what I felt to preach about. God led me to a passage that I had not paid any attention to prior to this time. Paul is greeting the church in Corinth in his second letter and makes this statement as part of his greeting:

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.“ 2 Cor 1:3-4

I preached a message entitled, “The Great God of Comfort is Always Available!” No matter what the problem is, the Great God of Comfort is always available! No matter how great the trial, the Great God of Comfort is always available! No matter how deep the valley or how lonely the night, the Great God of Comfort is always available! He will walk with you through those times when you feel you can’t walk another step! He will comfort you when you feel comfortless. He is always available.
The following Thursday I was again on my way to Eureka this time going with my son Justin to get his drivers license. On our way we stopped in Fortuna to take care of some other errands. As we were leaving town we passed my brother Tim and his wife Cristie and we all waved at each other. Justin and I were surprised when just a few miles up the freeway Tim pulled alongside of us and motioned he needed to talk to us. We took the next exit and they pulled up at the stop sign and told us they had been to the doctor and he was sending them to the hospital to run some tests.
Cristie was expecting their second child and was about thirty-five weeks into the pregnancy. They had just been to the doctor for a checkup and he thought they should go to the hospital to run some additional tests. I asked Tim if I needed to go with him but he said no, everything was fine. Just wanted to let us know so we could pray.
About two or three hours later, as we were returning home, my pager began to vibrate. There was a message to call my wife. My mobile phone was mounted in my truck which she had so I couldn’t call right away. The pager went off again, this time the call was from my mobile phone in the truck!
I was now getting nervous! My father was very ill and I was sure that he had fallen or something else had happened to him. I told Justin to stop in Fortuna and I would find a pay phone to call. We found a phone and I called the truck. There was no answer. I called the house and again there was no answer. About that time my pager went off a third time and this time it was a call from the hospital. I decided not to even call the hospital just to go directly there and find out what was going on.
When I arrived at the hospital I walked directly into the reception area. I had spent so much time there with family and saints the person at the desk recognized me. Before I could say anything she said, “They are all in the chapel!”
My heart sank! My feet became lead! I was wondering what could have happened so quickly that they would already be in the chapel? When I opened the door my wife looked at me with a warning look and eyes filled with tears. I quickly looked around and in the room was several other family members all focusing their attention on Tim and Cristie. I walked over to them and asked what was wrong. Tim, only twenty-two years old, looked at me with a shocked look and said, “They can’t find a heart beat for the baby and are sure we have lost him!”
From that point on things become a bit of a blur. This was my little brother and sister. They were my kids. Tim is eighteen years younger than I and I helped raise him. Cristie was a perfect fit in our family and we have always loved her as one of us. Now they were hurting so bad and I couldn’t help them. I remember taking them aside to talk to them and try to say something right for them. I told them that they could trust God in this and He would help them through this. They could trust Him and He would receive the glory from whatever came from it.
I will never forget as this young couple who were just starting life together and just starting a ministry together looked at me and said, “If the devil thinks this will stop us from living for God and having revival in our lives he is wrong. He is in for a fight!”
Sunday night Tim and Cristie came to church although I had told them if they weren’t up to it I would understand. Tim asked if it would be alright to arrive a bit later than usual and sit in the back as they didn’t feel like answering a lot of questions but did want to be in Church. I, of course, said that would be fine. So they came to Church that night.
Church started in a tentative manner. It was as if everybody was afraid to worship because they knew Tim and Cristie was there. Maybe we were wondering what they would think. We were also feeling their pain and loss. The worship leader started us in the old chorus, “Won’t We Have a Time When We get over yonder?” As we sang it through a time or two it was as if we didn’t believe the song. Suddenly I heard a commotion and looked up. Down the aisle dancing for all he was worth came Tim! He danced to the front of the Church and reached up and took the microphone from the praise leader. With the microphone in one hand and the other raised to his Comforter he began to dance and sing that song giving it a brand new meaning. Several times through the next weeks and months this couple would refer to a divine appointment they had on a Sunday night with God. God met with them and sent them a personal message, “The Great God of All Comfort is Always Available!”
A little over a year ago I received a phone call at work and was told that a Sister in the church we attend had a son pass away that day. The son was in his early thirties and had died unexpectedly!
The following Sunday morning, just a day or so later, I was surprised when his grieving mother came into the Church. I was further surprised a little while later when she alone stood to her feet, raised her hands to heaven and began worshiping her God with all of her heart, just like she always does.
My brother Tim was sitting in front of me and a while later passed me a note that said, “Hey, the Great God of Comfort is still available, put that in a book!”
This past week, while in prayer, I once again felt led of God to share this thought. I still would rather not share it because I can’t without weeping and reliving those moments, it still tears at my heart! However, I feel there are those who are in need of the reassurance that in your moment of despair you can know the Great God of All Comfort is Still Available! It doesn’t matter what your tribulation is, He is available. Be assured He will Comfort you! Be assured He will take you through this time of tribulation! Be assured that from this time of receiving comfort from Him you will be able to share that Comfort with someone else in their time of tribulation.
Before I posted this blog I asked permission of Tim and Cristie to use their story. I knew if it affected me so deeply it would do the same to them. In fact, I sent them a second letter saying I had changed my mind and wasn’t going to post it. However, God once again let me know someone needs to hear this story. I received the following words:

“I don't have a problem with you using our story. Tim preaches about it occasionally, and I know that's part of the reason God let it happen to us, to use it help others. So whatever you feel like doing is fine with me.
By the way, did you realize today was Tyler's birthday? January 30, 1997...now I can kind of look back on it as a beautiful day. I don't cringe anymore when this day comes along.…”

The Great God of Comfort is Always Available!
Today, November 8, 2012, I opened my Facebook page and Cristie had posted something she was thankful for. It touched me so much I had to pull this story out and add her testimony and share it again. Cristie Doran:Today I'm thankful for my second born, Tyler. I carried him in my body for 35 weeks, in my arms for just a few moments, but I carry him in my heart forever. I was taught some invaluable lessons through having loved this baby boy. Just a few of them: The great God of comfort is always available, there really is a peace that passes all understanding, and God really can heal the broken heart. Just a thought! God Bless…

Do You Love Miracles?

Have you ever seen a miracle? I mean a real live miracle like you read about in the Bible? You know a miracle where the lame walk, blinded eyes are opened, or deaf ears are unstopped. Not a miracle that we title that way just to hide our surprise. “Wow, she made it to church on time, what a miracle!” Or, “I couldn’t believe I found a parking spot next to the door of the mall, God worked a miracle!”

I love it when God shows off with a miracle. I remember one service in which we had several miraculous healings all at once. We were worshipping God and a lady had her foot healed, broken bones mended right there. She began to scream “I’m healed!” She jumped up and down on that foot. About that time another person let out a shout they also had been healed. They felt God touch and heal their heart! Miracles are awesome!

I recently read a book by a well known evangelist who said the day of miracles were past. I thought, friend you and I need to have a little talk because I have seen some miracles in my life! I love miracles.

Another thing that I really love is the way God provides for us. He does this in so many different ways. I remember when I was very young my Dad preached a revival in a country Church. The last night of the revival we went to get in the car to go home and the people had filled our car with groceries. The trunk and back seat were stacked full of home grown provisions. The monetary offering was fairly small but the food offering was incredible. There were several dozens of eggs in the offering. It took several weeks to go through all of them. I remember when Mom opened the last dozen there was a ten dollar bill lying right on top. Finances were tight, at that time, and you could buy a lot for ten dollars. What was amazing is the money was in the last carton, not the first or middle. Provision when we needed it.

I love the word of God. I love to read it! I love to hear it preached! I can remember messages I heard preached decades ago because something from the Word of God blessed my soul. I can remember scriptures that I read years ago and for the first time something in the passage spoke to my soul. Many years later I remember the time and the place. The Word of God is powerful!

When God spoke to Moses about building the Tabernacle it was to be a place where Israel could come to meet with God and God would meet with Israel. It was placed in the center of the camp of Israel; every tent was to face the Tabernacle. God was very detailed and specific in the instructions to the Tabernacle. He detailed its location, dimensions, materials to be used and furnishings. Even with the furnishings he was as detailed in His instructions, even to the point of their placement within the Tabernacle itself.

The Tabernacle was a type for the New Testament. It represents our relationship with God. The Tabernacle was located in the center of Israel with all of Israel focused upon it. God is to be the center of our lives with our focus on Him.

The Tabernacle was covered with badger skins on the outside, yet on the inside, hidden and revealed only to those who entered, it was beautiful. The colors of the drapery and covering were scarlet, purple, and white accenting the gold of the furnishings highlighted by the flickering lights of the Golden Candlesticks; it must have been breath taking. This is typical of our spiritual relationship with God. To the outsider it might seem unattractive but when you enter into the Spirit of God it is so beautiful words are so inadequate to explain its splendor.

As you approached the Tabernacle you saw the Altar of Sacrifice and the Brazen Laver. This was where the priest offered the sacrifice for the sins of the people. They would then wash themselves at the Brazen Laver before entering into the Tabernacle. This is a type of repentance and baptism. We must repent and be baptized before we can enter into a relationship with God. We also need to repent and allow God to cleanse us each time we come to worship Him.

Entering the Tabernacle you stepped into a room called the Holy Place. In this room there were three articles of furniture. These pieces were The Table of Shew Bread, The Golden Candlesticks and the Altar of Incense. They were a type of the Word of God, the Holy Ghost and our worship to God.

Behind the Altar of Incense was a thick curtain or veil. In the room behind that, called the Holiest of Holies, was one piece of furniture which was called the Ark of the Covenant. This room was only available to one person in Israel and that was only one time a year. Moses could not enter here nor could Joshua or any other man. Only the High Priest could come in and only when it was time to apply the blood offering to the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. This is a type of Jesus Christ obtaining mercy for us. This was where God met with man and showed his mercy. It is also a type of you and me entering into a worship attitude that takes us beyond the veil of this flesh into communion with God in the Spirit! We no longer have to have a man represent us; we can come boldly before God and obtain mercy and help. We can fellowship directly with Him.

The Ark of the Covenant was a type of God being with man. It was not God, but represented several things about God. On the cover of the Ark were two cherubim facing one another. Between then was the Mercy Seat. Inside the Ark there were three things: Aaron’s rod that budded, this was an almond stick that had budded although it was dead, a testimony of God’s miraculous power and authority. There was a pot of manna from the wilderness which was a testimony of God’s miraculous provision. There was also the table of stone on which the Covenant had been recorded that was between God and Israel. It was a reminder of God’s promise to Israel and what God expected of them. It was His Word.

Many years later Israel carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle as a “good luck charm.” However they lost both the battle and the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines. The Philistines put it in the temple of their god’s and much to their dismay God destroyed their gods and wrecked havoc in their temple. They moved it from place to place with continued disastrous results until finally they put it on a cart and sent it back to Israel.

Generations later Solomon has built a temple to God. At the dedication of the temple he brings the Ark of the Covenant into the temple and bestows upon it its place of honor. The Bible tells us that at this time all that was in the Ark of the Covenant was the “two tables which Moses put therein” or the Word of God. The Philistines had taken out the rod that budded and the pot of manna.

You know, that is like so many people in our world today. They want God to do miracles and they want God’s provision but they will leave behind the Word of God. Give us something that sparkles! Give us something that makes us feel good! We don’t need the Word it is tough and boring! It isn’t for us today!

Take a moment to notice this. The Philistines were afflicted in their secret parts! They had the miracles and the provisions but they couldn’t get rid of the Ark fast enough because they couldn’t handle the power it brought. Paul speaks of these types of people in 2 Timothy 3, they want to look good, they want the miracles and provision, however, they deny the power that brings it about and makes it real. They don’t want to live by the Word of God. They don’t love the Word of God. Paul said to get away from these types of people! You can’t run fast enough, spiritually!

Miracles are wonderful but God gave them to the Church to confirm His Word. Provision is wonderful and needed, however it is a physical manifestation of God’s love for His people which He tells us of in His Word. When the Ark came back to Israel, it came back with out the rod or the pot, but the Spirit of God was still with it. You can know God without the miracles or the provision but you can never know Him without His Word!

Today, as never before, I pray God give me a love for you Word. Job put it this way: “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food,” Job 23:12

Do you love miracles? Do you love God’s provision? I do! However, I love His Word more than all else!

Just a thought! God Bless.

When God Gives You a Wakeup Call, Don't Hit Snooze!

What in the world is that noise! Go away, you are annoying me! Oops! It is the alarm clock. My sleep blurred eyes try to focus on the red illuminated numbers on the clock. I blink them and try to again focus. Suddenly I am wide awake! The clock say’s it is 6:45 AM! I had hit snooze!
This is how my morning started one day several years ago when I was a school bus driver. My day normally started with the sound of the alarm clock going off at the awful hour of 5:15 AM. That was in good weather, if it was freezing cold the day started earlier in order to get the bus warm. I usually would hit the snooze button and grab a few more precious minutes of sleep. I would get up by 5:30. I would take a shower, fix some breakfast and be at the bus garage by 6:15. This would give me time to do my pre-trip inspection and get the bus ready to hit the road. I would pick up my first child, who lived twelve miles from the school, at 6:40.
On this particular morning I was already five minutes late picking up my first child and I hadn’t even got out of bed yet. Needless to say, I rushed! I drove fast! I had the bus garage call the radio station to announce that bus 70 was running late! This is not the way I recommend starting your day. Parents were upset because their schedules had been delayed. They had to wait on me. Students were upset because they were late for school and some of them missed the breakfast the school provided. Most of all, I was extremely embarrassed because everyone in the county knew that I had run late that day, it was on the radio. I even had people at church ask me about why I was late. I learned when you get a wake up call, don’t hit snooze!
In life we get wake up calls, or that is what I call them. You are driving down the road and suddenly a light comes on in the dash. There is a little gas pump that is all lit up. A wake up call! You are almost out of gas. If you are driving down the interstate in Arkansas and you edge just a little too far to the right your tires will hit a series of bumps. I call them wake up bumps because they are there to warn you that you are in danger of leaving the pavement. It is a wake up call.
I have had incidents happen in my life that I would have to recognize as wake up calls. These were times when God has done something to get my attention and help me realize I needed to become aware of where I was headed. It was His way of saying, “Hello in there! Wake up and pay attention!”
It might be a message that I hear preached that tells me, “Wake up!” It might be a sickness that comes upon me or a loved one. It might be a near tragedy or some other event that makes me realize I am headed in the wrong direction, I am asleep at the wheel, and I am not a wake to the reality of my situation. Wake up calls from God! Don’t hit snooze!
Paul tells us in the book of Romans the alarm is sounding and it is time to get up. If time was short when we came to Christ, how much shorter is it now? Walk in the light of Christ! Follow His Word! Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and don’t give the flesh an opportunity to cause you to sin! Hey, God is giving you a wake up call, don‘t hit snooze! (Romans 13:11-14)
We know we are living in the last days before Jesus comes back for His Church. Look at the signs of the times. Read the news. Listen to the alarms that are going off. Don’t hit snooze!
Jesus likened it to the time before the flood. The people were living life as they always had lived it. They knew Noah was building a boat. They had heard him preach there was going to be a flood. However, they said we have heard him preach that for the past 100 years and it hasn’t happened yet. They hit snooze!
Lot’s daughters and son-in-laws said you are a foolish old man! We have never seen fire rain from heaven. We have never seen a city destroyed like you say. We are having a great time and don’t want to change. They hit snooze!
Even if God doesn’t come in your lifetime or mine, death will come to all. You don’t know when, and then again you do know that we are told it is appointed unto man to die and then he will face God in judgment. I have been to funerals of more young people than old. You are never too young to die! Let this be your wake up call, please don’t hit snooze!
I have known of people to ignore wake up calls. They have continued on to do what they had started out to do. They have been warned! They have been cautioned! Yet they gave no heed and went their way only to destroy their lives. They didn’t die. The rapture didn’t take place. No, they got to live their lives with the pain and suffering that came from ignoring the wake up call from God. They hit snooze!
When God sends a wake up call your way, stop! Look! Listen! Pay attention to what you are being told! Get on your face before God and allow Him to examine you. Allow Him to show you what you need to do. Give Him the opportunity to show you how to live your life. I like the way the Psalmist put it:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Ps 139:23-24
When God send a wake up call, don’t hit snooze!
Just a thought! God Bless.

Waters to Swim In

Do you enjoy swimming? To me there is nothing as refreshing on a hot day as getting into the swimming pool and just letting the water totally cover you! It seems like every part of your body is refreshed and cooled.

I remember when we were kids we lived just a little ways from the river. In fact, you could see the Eel River from our back porch. We would spend as much time as possible at the river playing, hunting, and fishing. However, we were never allowed to swim unless we had an adult with us. For some reason my Mom is terrified of water. My Dad didn’t learn how to swim. He said his Dad threw him in the creek and told him to swim out! He sank to the bottom and walked out. He and his Dad repeated this a few times and finally his Dad gave up.

When we could talk Mom into taking us swimming, which would happen only one or two times a summer, she was very rigid in what we could do. We were never allowed to get in the water past our knees. Really! If we went out past our knees she would panic and make us come back.
Now the problem with this is simply it is hard to get wet and have a great time in knee deep water. You can’t swim! You can’t really float! All you can do is splash around a bit and maybe lay in the water, moving around with your hands on the bottom. It is not really fun, but it is better than nothing.

I will never forget the summer when I was able to go without Mom’s permission. A couple of friends and I went to a swimming hole and I learned to swim. One of my friends had some ski belts which we put on. We climbed up on this log and jumped into about 12 feet of water. It was so awesome! This is how I learned to swim. I loved it because I found out that water that is over your head enables you to do so much more and have so much more fun.

It reminds me of the passage where Ezekiel speaks of being taken out into the water. It started out shallow but eventually he was led into water that was waters to swim in. I remember my Dad preaching from this passage many times a message called “Wade out into the Deep!” He would preach about our relationship with God and how some people are happy to stay close to shore just kicking around in shallow water. We need to venture out into the deeper waters that we are able to swim in.

The same is true in our worship. Many times we are content to splash around in the shallow waters. I want to be very careful because I have no intention of making light of any sacrifice of praise that is made to the Lord, so please stay with me. Yet we go home and have never left sight of the shore. We have not gone far enough to get into the water to swim in; we have hung around the shore, that which is safe and familiar.

Let me give you an example that I have seen happen many times through the years. We come to Church really excited about the service. We are remembering past services and the touch of God we have received upon our lives. We begin to sing praises to Him. We sing of His mercy and grace. We sing of His name and heaven. At first it is just “our self” that is doing it but soon we begin to feel a little something! The more we praise Him the better we feel and others are feeling it too. Someone might begin to jump up and down a bit! Someone might break into a run or a dance! There are times when this might go on for a time period of great praise to the Lord.
How many times do we stop there? How many times do we stop and catch our breath and say, “We could go home now. We have already had Church?” Many times we do just that. My question is simply this, what would happen if we pressed on into deeper waters. What would happen if we would wade on out until we were in waters in which we were totally submerged in the Spirit? Let’s think about this for a moment.

The word “baptize” is used five times in the New Testament in three different scriptures. In three of those scriptures it is quoting John the Baptist prophesying that Jesus would come and baptize us with the Holy Ghost. We know that baptism only happens when you are totally submerged. We know that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God. I do not believe the baptism of the Holy Ghost to be only a one time event in our life. I do believe that God wants to baptize us repeatedly with His Spirit. We have to wade out into the swimming waters in order for this to happen.

Every day we deal with life. We deal with hurts and disappointments. We deal with anger, pain, bitterness, abuse, fear, deceit and all of the other things that life throws our way on a daily basis. Being emotional we feel these pains and our soul filters these emotions. After awhile the filter will become clogged with the debris of life. At that point we come to the place where we feel we can’t take any more. We become overwhelmed!

However, when we push past the familiar in our praise, we begin to allow God to do a work in us. Let me share this thought. There are seven words in the Old Testament for praise, I won’t take time to go into all of them, but I noticed many of them were words, powerful words, which just speak of a commitment of our relationship with God, whether or not we are feeling anything special. They speak of raising our hands, being thankful, shouting, playing music, to boast, and to celebrate. All of these are wonderful and I love them, they are so much a part of who we are. Yet I also noticed that in part they are a testimony to others, as well as God, of how we feel about God and His goodness. There is also one word that is a little different and it speaks of blessing the Lord from a prostrate position.

Now I am not bringing about a new doctrine, I am just sharing a thought that has been on my heart for a while. If you look this word up in the scripture you will find that it is the same word that is used when God blesses us. Let’s take a look at a couple of Psalms where it is used.

“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Ps 95:6

This is more of a positional type of worship, whether physically or spiritually and emotionally, we bow before Him. It also speaks of adoration. So the reason we bow before Him is because we adore Him. Let’s go a bit further.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Ps 100:4

This speaks to me of going further than praise and thanksgiving, which seem to be the starting point. This speaks to me of entering into a worshipful attitude that is deeper. With this thought in mind, check this out…

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Ps 103:1-2

The rest of the Psalms list the reasons to adore Him, all of reasons we should adore Him. This is, to me, speaking of wading into those waters where you totally become submerged in the Spirit of God, waters to swim in. You are worshipping Him with all that is within you! Every part of your being adores Him.

Consider this! Jesus takes a little side trip to Samaria. There He meets a lady and begins to talk to her of Spiritual things. She spoke to Him of His being a Prophet and of places to worship. Jesus said there would come a time when worship would not be required to happen in a certain place. He went on to say that it was time when those who worshipped God openly would do so in spirit and in truth.

He then makes this statement which I will quote because of the power of it:

“…for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

The words used here speak of worship meant to adore. It also means to kiss like a dog licking his master’s hand. It means to prostrate your self before Him in adoration. It goes on to use the words spirit and truth. Spirit speaks of God’s Spirit, entering into a realm beyond our spirit to where the Spirit of God is one with ours. Truth speaks of verity or something real, true, genuine. Men will worship Him in unity with His Spirit in a real and genuine manner. The most powerful part of everything Jesus says to the woman is this, “God is looking for us to worship Him in this manner.”

This is worship that cannot take place in the shallow water; this is when you get out in the waters to swim in. This is when you have lowered yourself and exalted Him in your adoration. This is when you magnify the Lord and exalt His name. You adore Him!

Let’s go back to the filter we spoke of earlier. Jesus stood on the last day of the Feast and said if any man is thirsty he can come to me and drink. If He believes on me scripturally out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. Then the writer makes sure we understand that Jesus was talking of the Holy Ghost. When we begin to worship God as a true believer, one who adores Him, the Holy Ghost is going to flow through our heart. All of the debris that has been caught in our filter is going to be flushed out by the power of the Holy Ghost. There will be a flowing of the Spirit. Our emotions will be cleaned as our spirit communes with the Spirit of God.

Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit of God. He is telling us to come under the influence of God’s Spirit. He tells us to allow the Spirit to control us. Could I go as far as to say, to wade out from our comfort zone into the swimming waters!

Just a thought! God Bless.

Oops! I am Lost!

Have you ever realized that you are lost? Maybe you are driving down the road and it suddenly dawns on you that you have no idea where you are or how to get to where you want to be. By being lost I am talking about not knowing how to get where you want to go and not being able to get back to where you came from. I am talking about being totally lost. It is a strange feeling that I describe as feeling helpless.

I have been blessed with a great sense of direction. Somehow I am able to picture in my mind where I want to go and I am able to get there. If I have been somewhere one time, most of the time I am able to go there again, even if it is many years later. When I was six years old we moved to Fresno, California. We were only there a couple of weeks when Mom took us somewhere, just us kids and her, and on the way home she got lost. She has often laughed about it because I told her how to get home. I can honestly say I have only been lost one time in my life.

I lived for thirty five years on the north coast of California. Much of that time we lived in a city which was about two hundred and fifty miles north of San Francisco. Although it was the “big city” and a get away destination for many people I was only in the San Francisco about seven or eight times in my life. On most of those visits I was passing through on the highway and had only actually visited the city three times. It was in San Francisco that I had my “lost” experience.
My wife and I had been to Bakersfield for a meeting and were returning home. Any trip out of our area to the “Valley” was a long trip. Driving to Bakersfield was a hard nine hour drive. Through the years we had explored the quickest routes and had found a route that would take us through the East Bay area and junction I-5 that saved a lot of time. However, I had never taken that route back and was unfamiliar with it. On this particular trip we were going along when out of the corner of my eye I saw a sign and quickly took the exit. The moment I had committed to the exit and there was no turning back I knew I had made a mistake. It was the wrong exit and before we knew it we were dropped into the middle of San Francisco!

Now understand I am just a country boy. The biggest city that I have lived in during my adult life is the one that I live in now which has a population of fifty-three thousand. However, I was raised and lived in a city of three thousand people. It had no stop lights, no banks, and no car dealerships. It had a couple of grocery stores, bars, one gas station and was about a mile and a half from one end to the other. The tallest building in town was probably the two story house that I lived in, simply because it sat on the side of a steep hill and was actually three stories on that side.

So here I am in San Francisco and I have no idea where I am in comparison to where I have been before. I look up to get direction from the sun and all I can see is skyscrapers. Everything is totally foreign to me. I tell my wife not to worry we will find US 101 and that will get us out of there. I just needed to find out what direction to head in. I look to my left and sitting next to me is a man on a motorcycle so I ask him to tell me how to find US 101.
The nice gentleman says it is simple. Just make a turn and follow the road a bit, make another turn and another and follow the road. It would take us where we wanted to go. That sounded simple enough, so we set off to follow those easy directions. We followed them exactly as he said and came to a stop light. I looked around to see where we were and was astonished to find we were sitting at the stop light we had been at when the nice man gave us directions. We had spent the last twenty minutes going in a large circle; it is hard to know you are doing that in San Francisco with their winding streets. I imagine he is still laughing, I know I am.

After searching for another half hour or so we finally found a gas station and were able to purchase a map. With the map we soon found our way out of the “big city” and headed back to the sanctity of the small town.

I remember another time, when I was very young. We were again returning from a trip to the “Valley” this time through Sacramento. Mom was driving and was not real familiar with the road. I was a sleep in the back and remember waking up to hear Mom and Dad talking about the route to take. Dad settled back to sleep and Mom kept the pedal to the metal.
An hour or more latter Mom asked Dad a question and suddenly he was wide awake. In fact, we were all wide awake. The question she asked had to do with Grass Valley, California. Grass Valley is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which were in the exact opposite direction from where we were should have been headed. We were headed up I-80 toward Reno, Nevada!

Somewhere along the way Mom had taken the wrong highway and headed in the wrong direction. Dad got out the map and we began to work our way back to where we needed to go. Until his dying day, over thirty years later, Dad would laugh about the night Mom tried to take him to Reno to get a divorce.
You know, it doesn’t take much to get started in the wrong direction. It doesn’t take a lot of effort or planning to get lost. It can happen to the best of us and it can happen quickly. Just a wrong turn is all it takes. Just a moment when we are not paying attention or maybe it was just a bad decision.
We pastored in the Ozarks for seven years. Not long after moving there we had a “Singin‘” one Sunday afternoon. One of the men in the Church invited a Christian Blue Grass band to come and sing. After the “Singin’” was over I was talking with them, just making friends. They told me there was a Christian Blue Grass pickin’’ and grinning that took place once a month and invited me to come and be a part of it. I told them I wasn’t a bluegrass player but would enjoy coming out and asked where it was. They said it was in the Friendship Community building. Well, being new to the area I had to ask where that was.

I will never forget this as long as I live. One of the men slowly leaned back in the pew. He stroked his chin with his right hand, his left arm crossed under the right elbow. He tilted his head back and got a far away look in his eyes as he looked toward the ceiling. The silence lingered as his companions sat and watch in reverend silence. Finally after two or three moments of pondering he looked at me and said, “Huh, I guess you just can’t get there from here!” He never did tell me how to get there and it was just a little ways from where we were.

In life it is so easy to get turned around and lost. It is so easy to find yourself headed in the wrong direction. It happens so quickly as you suddenly find you have made a mistake somewhere back down the road and are now in a situation where you have no idea where you are. Suddenly you are a washed with a feeling of helplessness, even hopelessness. Despair sets as you realize you haven’t any idea where you are or where you are going.

What do we do in this situation? Is there a remedy? Is there any hope? Can we get there from here? Oops, we are lost!

I have to wonder if David was feeling this way when he wrote:

“Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” Ps 25:4-5

When we don’t know where we are or how to get to where we need to go, it is past time to pull out the map and get direction. Our map in life is the Word of God. We can depend on God to show us, teach us and to guide us in the road that will take us safely through life. We can trust in Him for direction in the course our live should take and how to stay on that course. We need to let him show us, teach us and guide us. This will keep us from being lost.

Just a thought! God Bless!

TEAM Ministry Starts 2009 on the Road!

What a great way to bring in the New Year! Melinda and I were blessed to have the opportunity to bring in the New Year with a wonderful group of people in Fredericktown, Missouri. We were blessed with a great service and a great move of God during the service.

Brother Tim and Sister Deb Stafford and the saints of Fresh Anointing Tabernacle treated us so kindly. We enjoyed the worship service and the opportunity to minister the Word of the Lord. Then after the service we also enjoyed a time of food and fellowship.

Fresh Anointing shared some times of ministering. Brother Steve, who is deaf, preached to us through an interpreter asking, “Why are you afraid?” This was an incredible experience for us as this was the first time we had been preached to by a deaf preacher.

Brother Trent Stafford, the Youth Pastor, talked about getting ignited and intoxicated on Jesus. This is grape juice, by the way!

On Sunday we traveled back to Missouri, this time to Kennett. Jared was able to accompany us on this trip. What a great time we had visiting with some dear old friends (old as in years we have known them, not age since we are all still "youngin's") Brother David and Sister Royce Ann Henderson and also Brother Todd Henderson, their son. We first became acquainted with Brother David Henderson in 1969 and have a lot of great memories. Actually, we have decided not to share many of those memories unless we are well paid!

Sunday morning Jared ministered in the service. He preached on “Refreshing” and God really blessed his ministry. Sunday night I ministered so it was something new for us to team together like that. Again, Sunday night God was so kind to bless us.

One of the outstanding highlights of this weekend was being in services with Sister Shirley McCoy. Sister Shirley is Brother David Henderson’s sister and was a part of one of the churches we pastored in California. She is a dear friend and to be able to visit with her and worship in service once again was very precious to the Doran family. She was actually Jared’s school teacher for a number of years so he was really excited that they could be together, also.

What a wonderful way to start the year 2009! God blessed us with the chance to make new friends and meet up again with old friends. I don’t know if anyone else was blessed, but I sure was.

Back from the Road! God Bless

Not Derailed, Just Sidetracked!

Do train noises bother you? I remember when I was a kid we lived between the railroad tracks. Some people worry about living on the wrong side of the tracks. Well, we lived between two sets of track, each set having two sets of tracks. One was in front of our house and the other was behind our house and needless to say there was a lot of noise.

We were living in a small town called Scotia, California. Scotia was a company owned town. You had to work at the lumber mill or one of the businesses in town to live in a house in the town. We lived on Williams Street, which was the last street in town. To get to our street, you came into town and turned at the gas station. You would then come to a set of railroad tracks. When you crossed those tracks, you immediately crossed an old wooden bridge which spanned the log pond. As soon as you were across the bridge you would pass over another set of tracks. You would then go down a hill and around a curve. If you came off the bridge and down the hill fast enough on you bike you could coast the three quarters of a mile to our house. Behind our house, out the gate and about thirty feet lay another two sets of tracks.

Both sets of tracks in front of our house belonged to the lumber mill. They were used by the log trains and every day they would bring in loads of logs from the woods. Usually the trains would come in about 6:00 in the morning and then would run sometime during the day.

The tracks behind our house belonged to Southern Pacific Railroad. Trains ran on those tracks at anytime day or night. These were the trains that were so loud. It seemed like they were always stopping, starting, going forward and backing up. I never have been able to figure it out. Why did they have to do all of that maneuvering? Why did it always take them forever to do it?

The other thing I noticed, and I noticed this because we would play on them, was they would leave railroad cars setting in back of our house for days at a time. The train would pass by the house and then it would stop. It would back up onto a second track and the locomotive would just leave it setting there for days. This was a perfect opportunity for my brother and me to play on it, so of course we did. The whole time that train was setting there it didn’t accomplish one thing. It wasn’t good for anything but a playground for a bunch of boys. In fact, I noticed that to make a train totally ineffective all you had to do was to sidetrack it.

I have found out since that there is a little lever that can be moved and it will switch the track so that when the train comes it will go onto another track or a side track. Many times you can change the direction of that train without even the engineer realizing it because it can be done so gradually. You can make that train totally useless without ever destroying the train. You don’t have to derail it, just side track it!

I have had this happen so many times in my life. I am chugging along through life headed in the right direction. I am so excited about what I am doing for God and what God is doing in my life. Then, somewhere along the way, I find that I have been going in the wrong direction without ever realizing it. Something back down the road had gotten me off on a side track and I didn’t even realize it. I had become totally ineffective. I hadn’t backslidden, or even really sinned. I wasn’t derailed, just sidetracked!

I remember in one church we were pastoring an incident that took place that side tracked us. We had been working, praying, and fasting trying to have a move of God. We had taught some Bible Studies. We had worked with different people and had in fact just baptized our first converts. About this time one of the couples in the church met a couple from town. This couple introduced them to this “wonderful idea.” The couple from the church in turn introduced this “wonderful idea” to everyone in the church. Three of four months later I came to realize that we had all began to focus on this “wonderful idea” to the point we weren’t teaching Bible Studies, praying like we had been or fasting. All of our extra energy was spent on developing this “wonderful idea.” Not derailed, just sidetracked!

I have seen the enemy attack the family. He comes in causing problems and division until the total focus of the family is on the problems. They no longer pray together. They no longer read their Bibles together. They barely go to church together if they even go at all. Have they went out and committed sin? No! But they have become totally ineffective in the kingdom of God. Not derailed, just sidetracked.

Someone says or does something that hurts us. We take offense to it! We begin to think about how bad it is and how bad we have been treated. Pretty soon we have traveled way down a track that is taking us away from God. We aren’t derailed! We are still moving! However we are moving in the wrong direction. There is a cancer eating away at our spirit! We haven’t been derailed, just sidetracked!

God call Abraham out of Ur to a land that He would direct him to. He made him promises that boggled the natural mind. Oh the wonder of it all! Yet, right after arriving in this promised land a famine sets in and Abraham decides theer is no way they can survive. He packs up his family and off they go to Egypt. He is not derailed, just sidetracked!

While in Egypt he almost loses his wife, Sarah. She is the woman the promise is coming thru. While they were in Egypt, Sarah found a handmaid named Hagar. Later she decides Hagar should be the one to bear the promised child. Not derailed, just sidetracked!

On his way home from Egypt he has a falling out with his nephew Lot. He gives Lot a choice of where to go. Lot looks toward Sodom and it reminds him of Egypt. He chooses Sodom and his family is destroyed. Not derailed, just sidetracked!

Whether you are a Pastor or a Saint we all have a purpose and calling in our life. God has given each of us a promise and a blessing. If we continue to respond to that call and that purpose, God will fulfill His promise. The enemy desires to kill, steal and destroy each of us. He has found it to be so effective to destroy us by getting us sidetracked. He steals our purpose. He destroys our effectiveness. Eventually he kills us spiritually because we have gotten so far from where we are supposed to be. Not derailed, just sidetracked!

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” 2 Tim 1:9

Am I losing my effectiveness? Am I losing my power and authority with God? Have I allowed the enemy to overwhelm me and load me down with my past to the point I can no longer do what God has directed me to do? Have I become calloused to the needs of others to the point I am not longer moved emotionally by the cries of the lost and hurting? Am I just going through the motions of life because this is what I have always done and this is what I think is expected of me? Have I been sidetracked?

When was the last time I really prayed though to the Holy Ghost? When was the last time that I talked in tongues uncontrollably? When was the last time the Holy Ghost flowed through me like a river of Living Water? When was the last time I allowed the Holy Ghost to flush out of my soul the pride, the anger, and the bottled up emotions which have been caused by the failures and disappointments in life? I am talking about being sidetracked! Not derailed!

There will be more people lost who consider themselves good Christians because they have gone through the motions of what they considered pleasing to God. Yet, they have not walked in the Spirit! Their lives are spotless if examined for sin. Yet they have failed to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection. They have failed to walk in His Spirit, fulfilling the purpose God has placed in their lives. They have not been derailed, just sidetracked!

Jesus said there would be those who would come to him with a wonderful resume. Look at what we have accomplished! Look at the healings! Look at all the buildings and programs and accomplishments! Jesus response was, yet you and I don’t know each other. You were so busy going through the motions that you never realized that even though you were moving you were going in the wrong direction. Not derailed, just sidetracked.

I want to keep my eyes on Him! I am going to put Jesus Christ back in the seat of the Engineer of my life. I refuse to become sidetracked! I refuse to allow the enemy to blind me to my purpose in Christ Jesus. I will stay on track! If you go far enough on the wrong track your life could end up a train wreck!

Just a thought! God Bless.