Kicked Back and Relaxing

Well Glory to God tonight! I guess there’s really no special reason for that, just is!  Just got done packing about half the seed corn that I’m sending out to folks from the Northern Farmer blog. I figure its my Christian duty to give folks a chance to be independent of big multi national corporations and get some seed their way that can reproduce itself. Just one of those little things that I do. Won’t find that in any ministry manual but its important to me anyway.

So now that I finished up with that for this evening I figured I’d sit here a spell and listen to some country gospel music and just relax my brain for a minute or two. The belly is full of good home raise foods and I’m sipping on a hot cup of coffee, shouldn’t give me much problem with sleeping, I’m tired enough the way it is, plus I start the Bible book “numbers” tonight. And if that don’t make a person tired I don’t know what will.  Seriously though I’m picking up bits and pieces in those old books of Moses. But still it can get a little rough. Now I ain’t reading it out of obligation or anything like that. Even as tough as it is to get through I figure it doesn’t hurt to read it once in a while. It sure does give meaning to the song “I’m Not Under The Curse”, let me tell you! It does make me wonder though about some Christians that try so desperately to get back to the Law.  Well, they can do what they want I guess, just don’t drag me into that world.

Sometimes to clear my head I just sit back and listen to the music I’m listening to now. Just old fashioned country gospel music. A little bluegrass here and there. A little country once in a while and every once in a while some flat out hillbilly music. I guess this doesn’t make it look  like I’m the most sophisticated person around and that’s OK with me! Because I find plenty of joy in the old time ways. When the Bible was the Bible, when Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Where the Blood was flowing, for us. Yup, just give me that and it’s good enough for me. Funny how when a person keeps it simple how powerful it can all get!

I really wondered a couple years back why I was being drawn to the old time ways, what was its pull on me and why so strong. But in the time that passed I found out. I love that simple faith where Jesus is King! And there’s not one thing in this world that I could do to be good enough to face God. But I’m not under the curse no more because of the Blood of the Lamb! And seeing that the Lord put me out here in the country I had might as well do what I have to do right where I’m at. I ain’t sending in money for a miracle to some city slick preacher that lives in mansions and has personal jet airplanes. That has folks squealing when they come out to preach like when the Beatles first came to America in the sixties. In case your wondering I’m old enough to remember when they made their first appearance on American TV. But back to the subject at hand, nope, just give me a small church with good folks and I’m happier than a pig in mud! Don’t need any of this new religion that seems to be spreading everywhere nowadays. Don’t need a show in church, don’t need to be entertained. Just read some scripture and then preach it!

Sometimes I really feel like a misfit as far as faith matters go nowadays, but what can I do? Anything else is like a fish out of water for me. Don’t want to be caught up in the new religion’s overloaded prosperity message. I just want to prosper in God! All the rest will burn up anyhow when we cross the River Jordan! Anyway, that’s what my Bible says.  Best to have it burned up on this side of the river as far as I can see. You know, there’s so much promise in the Word, so much. And the oldtimers knew it. Many times how they believed is belittled today, how they looked forward to the promised land. Well as far as I’m concerned that’s a durn good thing to look forward to! Because to put it bluntly this world ain’t all that great. And when you believe with everything you got that Jesus came to save mankind and start looking at the eternal side of things its really fairly hard not to get full of joy and also to spread that joy around with everything you got! You ain’t worried about impressing anybody with your material things. Because it’ll all burn up anyhow! Gee, this sure is simple! What ain’t so simple is trying to hear it preached in this day and age in this country.

I’m about finished with that cup of coffee now and had better head on upstairs and get more into the books of Moses. But at least after that I can go to the New Testament and relax my brain. Shut this music down that I’m listening to and call it a day. Yup, life is good when a person looks beyond it. This is such a short time here, why screw it up worrying about how to get ahead in the rat race. We got Jesus and we got His Word and His Word is everything! And it’s forever! Glory!!

“Whereas I Was Blind, Now I See”

Then they said unto him, “Where is he?” He said, “I know not.”They brought to the Pharisees him that beforehand was blind.

And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, “He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed and do see.”

Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles?” And there was a division among them.

They said unto the blind man again, “What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

But the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?”

His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind;

but by what means he now seeth we know not, or who hath opened his eyes we know not. He is of age; ask him. He shall speak for himself.”

These words spoke his parents, because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had agreed already that if any man confessed that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

Therefore said his parents, “He is of age; ask him.”

Then they again called the man who was blind and said unto him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.”

He answered and said, “Whether he be a sinner or not, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”

This is part of one of my favorite Gospel stories, from John chapter 9, the story of the blind man healed by Jesus on the sabbath and the resulting fury of the religious of the day. I always dwell on this chapter and there really is allot of drama in it too. Its not much different in these days and times when it comes to moves of God and I really shouldn’t go there with this post this evening. But you know, what went through that blind man’s, (or should I say, formerly blind man’s), what went through his mind when there he was, born blind and gets healed and he ends up answering to folks, namely the religious in his day and time. And with something so spectacular, so miraculous just happening a short while before and no one seeming to notice, or care. Even the blind man’s parents had more fear of the religious that kept them from praising the Lord for something so spectacular. Talk about oppression!

I really think that allot of Christians go through this same thing today. Whether it be from the church, or family or friends. One can get miraculous healings, deliverances, you name it and there will always be someone around to try and take it all away. But like that blind man, there’s no changing the facts! I often wonder what was the rest of his life like, you know, anybody can figure there was some major changes in his life, from being blind to being able to see. And then to later find out that it was the Christ that healed him. Can anybody take that fact away from him? I don’t think so. And today there’s multitudes being delivered and healed, some more dramatic than the one from the Gospel of John, but the majority of folks around those that were healed will try to convince a person otherwise.

I was reading on another blog a few days ago and this person was saying how all the power of the Holy Ghost was taken away after the first Apostles died off. And that now instead of that early power we have His Word to get us through. But absolutely no power is here anymore.  Now we have religion and that’s good enough. But the funny thing is, if we have the Word of God with us what good does it do us if we don’t believe it? Because how can you have the Word and not the power of the Word? How can we read the Word and then not believe it? But that’s what he’s saying. We have the Word now, but we don’t believe any of it. I don’t know, I’m just like that blind man, lookin at all of these folks with amazement. I once was blind, but now I see. I know the Word of God is alive and well! I know that everything in the Word is still the same now as it was back then. I know that nothing was taken away.

This might have allot to do with so many dead churches around. They have the Word but don’t believe it. But enough of that, I know I believe the Word and that’s that for that! When grilled like the blind man was by the elite all he could do was tell the truth! And what was his immediate reward? He got banished by the religious rulers of his day. For me this is really something to think about, something to dwell on. Its time that some Christians that believe the Word is alive and well in this day and age reach out to those living in bondage, even those living in churches that down play such deliverances and healings. This is all real and this is what is offered to each and every person by our Lord Jesus Christ. To set the captives free and for those who were blind, to see.

Pondering

I’m going to call it a day in a bit here, tired out. Wind is howling outside and rumor has it that tomorrow will be on the chilly side again, but I’m sure thankful for today being around the freezing mark, talk about a nice break! But tired is tired and that’s what I am. Sometimes Sundays will do that because on days like this I know there’s only chores to do and the body goes into slow mode. It should be a busy week around here, plus I want to clean out a couple of pens that are getting pretty rough looking but with all the sub zero temps lately its been durn near impossible to clean them, just keep piling up. There’s two more hogs to butcher Thursday and cut up Saturday morning when I have a little help around the place. But at least there ain’t hardly no paper work that I know of bogging me down and that makes me one happy fella. There’ll be Children’s Church on Wednesday evening and I’m having a better time in there lately just doing stuff out of the Bible. I don’t know but when I can do that it just flows! I was reading about those old time fired up preachers that would just open the Bible and point there finger to any verse that it landed on and then preach it. So a couple of weeks ago I figured “why not”! I told the kids, (one at a time), to close their eyes and I’d hand them the bible. It could be right side up or upside down, but they didn’t have any idea. With their eyes closed they’d open it up, point to a verse and I’d look and take the Bible from them and I’d preach it for around five minutes. We did this several times, most kids getting a couple of turns at selecting a mystery verse and we ended up all over the Bible but a strange thing happened. It developed a pattern and the kids couldn’t believe it, nor could I. That Bible came alive with a lesson and besides learning the lesson the kids, (and I), learned the power of the Word of God! Totally incredible! This next week I plan on really getting down to the basics of the Bible so the Word becomes a part of those kids! And they soak it up! God is Good!

In the comments of the last post I posted a bit from history about those circuit riders of old that brought Christ to this nation. This quote struck me deeply: “A Methodist preacher, when he felt that God had called him to preach, instead of hunting up a college or Biblical Institute, hunted up a hardy pony, and some traveling apparatus, and with his library always at hand, namely, a Bible, Hymn book, and Discipline, he started, and with a text that never wore out nor grew stale, he cried, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.”

Now I know that this is much different then what’s consider the norm in Christianity today in this country, but for me these words say allot. It strikes me, the difference in how they followed the Lord back in those times, and got the job done in the process. Some might say that I just live in the past because things like this draw me, but I really don’t think its because its from years gone by that I’m drawn to it. I believe that I’m drawn to things that are more in line with the Word of God. And sadly so many churches today are so far, far removed from the Biblical principles of bringing the Gospel outside of the church walls. What seems to draw me is when there’s certain times and seasons that the church got really close to being Biblical again. But then it would gradually retreat behind the church walls again and become stagnant.

Last summer we went down to the Twin Cities to a church that’s supposed to be so alive. But the thing that struck me was how totally structured it was, everything right down to a tee, more of a production than anything else. Now don’t get me wrong, it really was great as far as the service went. A person can get all exited and what not, but there was something missing. Folks, including myself were very well entertained for and hour and a half, but that’s about it. I know for a fact that if a person would’a got overcome by the Holy Ghost in there, they’da been ushered out immediately. And that’s supposed to be a Spirit Filled church. I left with that sense of just seeing a religious entertainment event. It could possibly be just me, but I don’t know, there was nothing there that was Biblical when a person is honest about it.

I ask myself over and over, am I just dreaming about something that’s not reality, or is God talking to me through His Word and through His Spirit that going outside the church walls is where true Christianity is found. This is not anti-church, not at all. Just trying to set the order straight. Something big is missing with how things are nowadays, something terribly big. Why does a quote like the one above move me? What is there in that quote that excites me? Is that quote closer to the Word, or are the entertainment type churches really the way it was intended to be? Is seeker sensitive an important Biblical doctrine or is that old quote closer to the Book of Acts Christianity?

I’m pondering this lately. Its on my heart and won’t let go.

The Christian Ranchman Paper

They’re talkin that today should be the last day of the cold, it was below zero most of the day but rumor has it that its now above zero, by a degree. We have an empty nest this weekend, the girls are both down in the Twin Cities at a church event for folks their age. But tomorrow’s supposed to warm up a bit and when it ever does I’ll be so busy, well, it’ll be allot of work if this ever breaks loose. And I’m looking forward to it! Now these past few weeks I’ve mentioned farmer/preachers and circuit riders a bit here and there. Why? Because it interests me, that’s all. Am I looking into the past, just dreaming? I don’t think so, not at all. Its lookin to me that some of this might just have to get going again because the regular way sure ain’t working!

Since 1991 I’ve received a Christian publication called the Christian Ranchman. Been getting it once a month for all them years. Its a very powerful paper because it consists of mainly testimonies. And testimonies carry allot of weight in faith matters. If any folks are interested in having it sent to your home just click the link and shoot them an e-mail and you’ll get a durn good paper that country folks can appreciate. I’m so thankful for receiving it all these years! And I hope to continue receiving them till I head for Glory Land.

Funny how just some regular country folks can put together a paper that cuts me deep to the heart. Where I live wouldn’t be considered ranch country, although we raise a pretty good amount of beef cattle here and there’s horses everywhere you turn, but we can relate to anyone no matter where they are in this country when they’re rural and doing these things. What impresses me the most is how the folks giving the testimonies are so on fire to spread the Gospel, and it shows that there’s folks all over that have the same vision that we do here. So if anyone is interested in it, just give them a holler and you’ll get it, free.

As time goes on now I’ll do as I said I was going to do, write some about farmer/preachers and also circuit riding preachers and preaching both past and present. Kinda my hobby this winter, but I’m being driven in that direction. Must be all those years of getting that paper. Kinda like I’d better dance with the one who brought me, eh! For me its incredibly interesting and uplifting, plus, (this might not set to well with Christians who are all comfortable with how things are out here in the rural areas), its badly needed again! So I figured I’d kick it all off with the words to a song, (of coarse I won’t sing it, might cause the cattle to stampede down the road a few miles, its happened before).

1) The circuit-riding preacher used to ride across the land,

With a rifle on his saddle and a Bible in his hand;

He told the prairie people all about the promised land,

As he went riding, singing down the trail:

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms!

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

2) The circuit-riding preacher traveled through the mire and mud,

Told about the fiery furnace and of Noah and the flood;

He preached the way to heaven was by water and the blood,

As he went riding, singing down the trail:

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r

In the blood of the Lamb,

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r

In the precious blood of the Lamb.

3) The circuit-riding preacher slept in flee-infested barns,

Even then he felt the comfort of the everlasting arms;

That gave him strength to travel on to churches, homes and farms

As he went riding, singing down the trail:

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help, Love lifted me!

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help, Love lifted me!

4) The circuit-riding preacher preached from off the stones of graves

In the open, in the smoky rooms, in bat-infested caves.

And though the places changed, the word was always, “Jesus Saves”

When he went riding, singing down the trail:

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Bear the news in every land; Climb the steeps and cross the waves.

Onward! ‘tis our Lord’s command. Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

5) There’s a meeting up in heaven with the circuit-riders there,

All rejoicing in their missions they fulfilled most everywhere,

And they’re looking out for all the living circuit-riders here

As they go riding, singing down the trail:

Glory, glory hallelujah! Glory, glory hallelujah!

Glory, glory hallelujah! As they go riding on!

Old Fashioned Bible Believing

Last evening I had a blast in Children’s Church. It was kinda a review night with games and stuff. But I love the Bible and I figured we’d have a Bible night and I started asking questions from Genesis to Revelation. And what those kids knew surprised even me! But I gotta admit That I just love preaching and teaching the Word! I have a difficult time with formats that have lessons on them. Quite simply because I think that most of it is a waste of time. The one thing I’ve learned is that when a kid gets into the Word, the Word gets into him or her! Glory!

I love some good church music, of course I tend to lean in the Spirit Filled direction when it comes to music, not some of that funeral music I hear in some churches, but that’s just me. Well, over on about my favorite site on the internet Bro Rick put up some new songs and here’s one I love to listen to when I’m sittin here typing away! http://www.holyghostonline.com/video/God’s_Unchanging_Hand.mp3

I have to thank Holy Ghost Online for keeping an old dirt farmer like me on the straight and narrow! Now I understand that many folks just don’t see it like I do, but that’s OK. This is the kind of thing I love! Sometimes its tough making a go of it out here and when a person hears a song or two from an old fashioned Pentecostal church it just does something to me. A country church to boot! Yes sir, I do love my music! I can just about imagine being with some good down home believers out in a small town or country setting and worshiping like that. But hey, that is what I do! Glory! What a life!

Well, I don’t know, tonight I start the Book of Acts in the daily Bible readings that I follow. Of coarse I read allot more than what the daily readings call for, but its good to follow that schedule that’s in the back of that little old King James Bible that I’ve had for years and years. Otherwise I know I’d never read some of the stuff that I’ve been reading. But being that I won’t be reading a scheduled Gospel reading for some time again I’ll just read the Gospel of John for a bit on the side and then what ever others I feel like reading as time goes on. And the more and more a person reads them, the more and more they come out of a person. I remember when I first started a few years ago, I mean it was embarrassing! A typical five year old church kid from our little country church could out quote me in scripture. And it seemed like forever before I could get anything straight in there, let alone quote something out loud. But a funny thing happens, the words just come nowadays. And in different situations there’s always a verse or two that pop in during every day life, always covering the situation.

I’m beginning to see the importance of living in the Word. Because the Word is life itself. When I mention nightly scheduled Bible readings, its not a chore or something I’m making myself do to feel good or to please God, nope, its because I’m so hungry for it that it seems like I can’t get enough of it. Those folks of faith from days gone by knew this too! Soon when something comes up from mainstream society that just ain’t right, a Word will pop out and remind me at that moment what God truly wants.

In ending here I still am amazed at how the Word came out last night! Glory! And when the Word comes out I know it ain’t me! I’ve been in church most of my life with a few years here and there that I took time off for bad behavior, but until these last few years the importance of the Word was never taught. The power of the Word was never taught. But I can testify that there is nothing more powerful than the Word! And when the Word dwells in us, well, there’s nothing better! Glory!

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Just a Little Update

Well tomorrow night’s church and I have some stuff to get ready. Typical me, getting ready at the last minute but that’s how it goes here. The Bible readings are going very good so far this year every evening. Tonight will be the last evening of Exodus and I got it pretty well figured out now how to build the tabernacle and how to make priestly robes. Amazing what a person learns eh! But after slugging through that every evening there’s the New Testament readings and there the interest picks up a whole lot more. Just finishing up the Gospel of Matthew and then it switches to the Book of Acts. Maybe someday I’ll get more into some of that Old Testament stuff, but the particulars of the law and a few other things can really bog a person down here and there.

I’ve been searching around here and there on this old computer and coming up with some interesting stuff. Mostly about rural evangelism and things of that nature. I’ll be putting together a thing or two shortly, mainly for myself here. On my computer there’s a bad habit of crashing about every two weeks and I’ve have more and more been putting things on these blogs just in case I have a wipe out on my computer’s memory again. A good feature on these newer model wordpress blogs is that a person can put links on that are not shown to anyone except the administrator of the blog. So now I’ve kinda got a backup for when the inevitable happens on this computer.

So I figure later this week I’ll probably write a bit more about what I’ve been writing about lately, spreading the Gospel in the heartland. For tonight I have to sit back and just write this little thing to remind myself what I’m even doing. Sometimes it can get a tad bit confusing. But all is well one way or another, the cold spell snapped and everyone’s healthy in this house. The critters are doing well and that makes me do well. Just think, in three months the crops should be planted, the grass growing green and the cows eating the grass! Oh Lord, I can’t hardly wait till this long season of feeding the cattle since the middle of summer is over with and life can possibly go back to how it once was. I know it’ll go back sooner or later, it was the same way in the three year drought of the late 80s. It gets to the point where one thinks it can never be green again, you think it’ll always be drought forever, but then it changes and sometimes changes big! Weather doesn’t usually do things moderatly, I figure we’ll be having flood years pretty soon. But that’s OK with me, wet feet don’t hurt a person like dust does.

So I’d better git and in a couple of days get things back on track around here.

Outside the Church

Wherefore, those who are aged, and have planted the fields for scores of years, having sown and reaped the bounty provided by Jehovah, the same shall train those who are few in years to know the times and the seasons, and the taking of dominion over the pests of the fields and every predator that creepeth along the land, to destroy the fruitfulness thereof, that thee and thy children may be sustained to a thousand generations by that which Jehovah hath provided.

I was going through some archives on the Northern Farmer blog, way back in 2005 and found this verse in the comments. Reading it shook me. Funny how a few years ago I read it and really didn’t notice it. But this verse spoke to me the other day and continues to do so. Kinda like an answer to questions I’ve had. But that’s the way it sometimes works. I do believe that the answer to every question a person has is in the Word of God, there waiting for the moment that it is needed. Glory!

Out here there’s work to do! As I found out even on the internet these last few years, there are folks that are hungry for the Gospel but the way of life they lead makes it so that the typical urban ministry would never reach them. Its different. Now I read about internet evangelism and all of that and heck, that’s been happening for the last few years and I didn’t even know it on many of these blogs, including mine. But people are hungry for the Word of God. Hungry to see it applied in their day to day life. Where what’s considered normal preaching wouldn’t spark an interest in em, talking farming and country ways does. That’s what is so wonderful about the Gospel, where some trained pastors would never have success some simple farmer preachers do. It’s always been this way, it isn’t just a new thing. This is the way it was in the New Testament. People spreading the Gospel amongst there own. Don’t need to hire it in.

You know, there’s a large population out here in the country that would never step foot in a church, or worse, they go to church but don’t even know why, just something they always did. They heard all the same old stuff preached over and over, they seen folks that go to church but you couldn’t trust lending them a dollar. They go away with a bad taste in the mouth of this thing called church. I can’t blame them, I really can’t, I was there myself. When a person is seeking answers one of the worst places to find them can be in a luke warm or a cold church. So many people just get hurt and either never come back to church or else they go out of tradition but with no meaning in it at all.

There is such a need in this area of ministry, the forgotten folks that are assumed that they are just following along with all the fancy urban churches. But rest assured, they aren’t. As I drive around the countryside all I can see is an area ripe for the harvest and very few harvesters ready to tackle the job. To tell the truth I don’t believe it happens all to often that anyone gets the Good News spoken to them out here. Your just expected to go to church if you want that. You even have the churches praying for folks to come to the church, but very seldom does anyone in the church step out the door bringing the church outside the walls. Very, very seldom.

The churches might have a special program, or a special speaker or pastor and even advertise it, but they pick up maybe a stray or two that walk into the church, that’s about it. Most folks that come to any of these special services are just from other churches while the unsaved never step foot in these buildings. The churches pray for souls to come to them, the churches pray for the spirit of poverty to be broken in the area. But that only goes on inside the walls of the church. Once outside, well the prayers were said so now its in God’s hands. Time to get on with the important things of life, church is done. Might be some seminar the church folks can all go take part in, might be some famous preacher within a hundred miles speaking at some church so there’s announcements made in churches so that the saved can go and get more “filled”.

But week after week, month after month, year after year the population has no change in their church going ways. The unsaved stay unsaved and the church folks do what church folks think they are supposed to do. There’s churches in ever town, but the gap is widening as time goes on. The unsaved stay away from church and there’s very little attempted to reach them. None of the door to door witnessing that the New Testament had, none of the marketplace witnessing either. And in many cases what good would it do? When the unsaved see the “saved” there is no difference between them and the world anyhow.

Its time to take it back out to the countryside, outside of the church walls. Claim a farm here, claim a farm there, a homestead here and there, get started. Glory! Get out of the church walls and off our butts and actually do something! I love church, I love it allot! But its outside the walls where God really moves, He doesn’t move all to often in the walls of the church cause I believe He can’t find anything to do there many times. People pray for the Lord to open doors, they want to be closer to Him while in church. I do believe God is opening the doors, wide open for those believers that want to find God. He wants folks to get out the church door and that’s where they’ll find God!

Rural Call

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The other evening I received a phone call that has me dwelling allot these last couple of days. It has to do with rural ministry. Its something that God has been working in me for the longest time. After the phone call I was doing my nightly Bible reading and this was part of that evening’s readings. I’ve read these verses many times in the past but that’s the way the Word works, all of a sudden there’s a word that speaks directly to a person. I’m seeing fairly clear the calling now. Rural ministry is different than other mainstream ministries, but there’s just something about it that is calling me strongly. I’m just dwelling on this tonight, so I write.

There’s so much that can be done out here its almost limitless. I understand the area, the people. I wouldn’t make it ten minutes in the city, but God placed me here so that’s where the work will be done. More about this coming over the next few weeks. Glory to God!

The Rural Good Old Boys

A bit tired out this evening, we were catching and loading steers today, taking them to town to the co-op and getting them weighed. One was a bum steer, beautiful animal but he got a little bull in him yet and he durn near sent me to the promised land but I guess it wasn’t quite my time yet. I managed to leap a tall steel gate in almost a single bound. this old geezer still got something left. But you take a bull type critter that wants to pound you into people burger and the incentive is really there to do super human feats. And do them I do! So being that I’m still around tonight on this earth I figured I might as well write something to keep my mind off of all my fun and games that I play every day. I always said the only true sport for me is the rodeo. The reason being I suppose is that its kinda fun to watch other folks risk their lives instead of me. In reality I’m closest to being a rodeo bull fighter. Now them folks must have a difficult time getting covered by life insurance the way I see it. Now I never been in a barrel with a bull rolling me around the arena, but I’ve been in a round bale feeder for an hour with a one ton Black Angus bull on the outside moving it around trying to get at me. By trying I’m not saying he was gentle and contemplating it, he was out for blood, mine! Don’t know why, but that’s what bulls are supposed to do sometimes. I didn’t do anything heroic, just tried to survive, try to outlast him, which I did until he finally musta got bored with me, (this happens with people too), and he walked away checking out his ladies.

Ah, life on the farm or ranch, just a dreamland with flowers blooming and grass waving in the gentle breeze. Yup, that’s what some folks think, and that’s OK the way I figure it. I always get a kick out of folks that think that way. I can honestly say that if you want to see death, just come and farm. “You can’t kill em all” was the saying of an old ranch vet years back. Even though sometimes it seems like we are well on our way! So what does this have to do with a blog called healing waters, a supposed Christian blog? Well, just about everything! Its called flat out reality! We see death all the time, but we also see the miracle of birth. We see unbridled violence that can happen at any moment. In society today most people are far, far removed from these realities, and somehow even forget that they exist. But in the countryside this is the way it is.

Sometimes I really wonder who are the people that I get along with the most. I mean in the day to day stuff, not church. The way I see it is I blend in good with that group of folks called the “good old boys” out here in the country, farmers, junk dealers, wood haulers, that kind of folk. These are my people. I never could blend in to the high society stuff and to tell the truth I have absolutely no interest to. I am where I am for a reason and I might as well accept that, plus I love it. Even when a higher society preacher comes through and visits church or something, all proper and all of that I always wonder how he’d do in a round bale feeder with a one ton bull trying to kill him. Really, I do! What can I say, that’s my life. I wonder if he’d be hanging in there trying to outwit the massive monster or be whimpering. Although I wouldn’t blame him for whimpering, cause it really ain’t happy hour in that situation. This is an old country way of thinking when your in the good old boy club.

Last week or so Brad mentioned a book by Charlie Russel, that Montanan artist, a wonderful book. There’s one story in there, a true story, (at least I think its in that book, or else its in one of his other books), about when they were working doing their cowboy work and along came this eastern preacher with a horse and a buggy. The preacher was driving that poor horse so hard that it was near keeling over and dying. The preacher started yelling at the cowboys telling them to repent you heathens. Now those boys were squatting down eating some beans and salt pork and they listened kindly to this green horn that was out to get them saved the hard way. But those good old boys seen how that man had abused his horse and that didn’t set to well with them boys. After some more barking from the eastern preacher those boys did the only thing that could possibly be done in a situation like this, they hung him! Now remember these are good old boys, so they did hang him but they made sure not to break his neck, not to bad anyhow and just give him a good case of rope burn on the neck and a little more fear of God in his soul. That eastern preacher took off out of there when all was said and done, with orders from them boys to be good to that horse or he would be going to hell, quick.

Oh boy, I had no intention of just sittin down shooting the bull tonight but you just never know what will happen when I sit down at the computer. But what I’m saying is these are my kind of people and these are the people I communicate with, whether its in English or Spanish, the rural folks. I’m one of them, that’s what I live and breath. This is the culture I understand instead of look down on. This is where the Lord has put me. In an area of rural Anglo folks, and an expanding population of rural Hispanic people that I can sit down with and get along with just as easy as anybody. Plus I love the foods that those ladies can whip up, wow! I like it when food can make a person break into a dead sweat! This is where our family’s ministry is and will be for a long time. Glory!

Super Sunday Evening Musings

I’m pondering a bit this weekend. There’s so much happening on the faith front sometimes I just have to stop and wonder what’s going on. This past week in the little spare time that I’ve had I’ve been reading a book from the public library called the Heavenly Man. I must say that I’m being shaken bigtime. It’s the true story of modern day Christianity in China. Never have I ever read anything that is closer to Biblical Christianity than this. I’ve always wondered how come there is so little Christianity such as the Bible talks about. But the answer I’m getting is that real Christianity is alive through out the world. Now I know I might get into trouble for this but so what. I don’t care who the preacher is, who the Biblical teacher is, I just don’t care, the question I’ve always had is where is Christianity such as the Christianity in the Bible. Its darn hard to find it in any church, that’s any church. The western “form” of Christianity leaves so much to be desired in comparison to what a person’s spirit is longing for.

In “The Heavenly Man” its almost like the Book of Acts and more like the early church when the great persecution started up in the Roman Empire. What a person reads is as close to pure Christianity as can be found in this day and age. Its almost totally different than any form or denomination in western countries today. And the Holy Spirit moves with force almost unheard of in western countries. The hunger I’m feeling for this is overwhelming me.

Its embarrassing how we complain about this and that in today’s church. Think about it, almost every Christian blog, every Christian forum and anything else where “Christians” can interact on the internet in reality are just whining places. This isn’t right or that ain’t right. This is so hard or that’s so hard. Squabble about this and that tid bit of man’s wisdom. I’ve come to the conclusion that the modern western church is just flat out lazy. And I am too! What would it be like to memorize the Bible so one can go and preach the Bible without the benefit of a real Bible in hand. Because if you had a real Bible in hand you’d probably be shot. What would it be like where believing the Bible is absolute, I mean really absolute, not the western way of saying we believe that it is but then live totally different than our professed beliefs. Where we would die for it rather than recant it. Where being a Christian makes one an enemy of the state, punishable by death. Heck now folks get all bent out of shape if something isn’t quite their way at church. Get all self righteous and huffed up and move to a different church where they can be more popular.

Here the preaching is mostly what God can do for us, how we should be doing good in this present society, in fact how we should flourish in this society. How folks can see how we are prospering and want what we have, (God, so they can have the things we have too). But when a person comes face to face with pure Christianity that all changes fast. Refined Christianity, refined in the fire of persecution. Those folks have one thing in mind and that is to do what Christ wants them to do, unlike western Christianity that’s main driving force is what can God do for them.

The tortures that our brothers and sisters in Christ endure are unbelievable because they call Jesus Lord. This is actually difficult to write because how can one even touch close to the way they follow Jesus. It has almost no resemblance to what most folks in America consider Christianity. The Christians there in China and elsewhere are fanatics for Jesus, just like the church in the Book of Acts. The Word is pure and there’s absolute reverence for the Word of God. Here the Bible is taken for granted and not read much. There its memorized so the Word is in them. Here it would be considered religious.

A little while ago I just glanced at the TV and there was a thing about Asuza Street on it. And about how those folks a hundred years ago were persecuted in America for the walking in the Apostolic faith. Because at it was stated on the show, when one walks the Apostolic walk you will receive Apostolic persecution. In this country except for rare occasions that doesn’t mean death, but one can be ridiculed, shunned, laughed at and all the rest. But the thing that’s noticeable here is the lack of persecution. Does that mean that I am so much like the world that it gladly puts up with me? Why does this society put up with me so well? Am I like them lock, stock and barrel? Do I do what they do, do I act like they do?

As one can tell this book makes one self examine themselves. It also inspires one to really do what we are supposed to do when washed by the Blood of Jesus. He said the world will hate us because the world first hated Him. Do I have that absolute love and reverence for the Word of God, something so precious that there’s nothing in the world of equal value? Because in real Christianity the Word is priceless. I don’t know, I’m just rambling tonight, but I’m deeply troubled. I’m not troubled by the church around me, I’m looking in a mirror and don’t like what I see. I blend in beautifully in this society and that troubles me. There’s no death sentence here for proclaiming the Gospel. I won’t be tortured for preaching the Word, so when I leave the house and go into society there’s very little difference between me and the most unsaved, materialistic people around. Here I have freedom to preach the Gospel, and barely do it. How could I ever face a Chinese Christian, let alone God?
The timing of getting this book from the library is from God I do believe. There’s very few things that can convict a person like this. The embarrassment of even trying to compare oneself to these Christians in China and elsewhere is sobering to say the least. I’ll end here with a quote from the book’s first couple of pages. A matter of fact veiw of their situation and persecution. Notice no whining but a matter of fact statement of how God purified His church.

And God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. God saw the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3

Thankfully we serve a God who knows how to raise the dead! I believe God allowed the atheist government to destroy the old structure of the Chinese church so that He could rebuild it according to His own purposes. He started with little and has made it much. The simple fact that the Chinese church has grown into a force tens of millions strong today is a sign not only of God’s existence but also of His matchless power.