TEAM Ministry in Benton, Arkansas

Refreshed! Lives being touched and changed by the wonderful Spirit of God! Healings! Renewals! Born again of the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in a brand new language! Together Experiencing Apostolic Ministry!

This past weekend TEAM Ministry was blessed to be in services with Pastor Jay Emerson of Apostolic Tabernacle in Benton, Arkansas. This was a rare occasion for TEAM because several of the members and MVPs were together in service. Jared Doran, Faye Doran, Shelisa Doran, Margie Power, Melinda and Don Doran were all together. What a wonderful time we had.

We were blessed in both services with a surprise appearance of a friend from the past. We were all surprised when Jarus David of Colton, California came walking into the service. Jarus is a mutual friend with Pastor Emerson, the Kennedy family of Benton, and the Doran's. His father held several revivals for my father and then myself. We have also preached for them on numerous occasions through the years. We enjoyed and were blessed by the musical ministry of Jarus and his sweet spirit.

Jared preached Sunday morning about "Refreshing" which comes from God. It is God's desire to refresh us with His Spirit, making us a new. Sunday night I brought a message about the Signs of the Believer. God blessed His Word in both services. Hearts were touched and spirits renewed. In Sunday night's service God ministered throughout the service and confirmed His Word with the infilling of the Holy Ghost of a young lady. Others expressed how God had touched their hearts and had started a healing in their lives.

It was wonderful to witness God blessing both the young and the old. Meeting the needs of the Church and the individual simultaneously. Using the young person and allowing them to be blessed and a blessing. Ministering to and through the more "mature" meeting needs and healing wounds from the past.

Together Experiencing Apostolic Ministry! Witnesses the power of God as he heals the broken hearted, delivers the captive, opens the sight of those that are blind and setting at liberty those who have been bruised. This is the acceptable time for God to meet the need!

God you are great and greatly to be praised! Oh magnify the Lord with us and let us exalt His name together!

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.