The River's Edge

Fault in Revival?

Posted on 04/11/2012 by kelrod100

This post is in hopes to honor the friends and family of Daniel LaCroix, and Darby McFall, 2 fallen comrades, warriors, friends, and beloved. Fallen, but never forgotten.

Let me begin by saying I am, and always will be a revivalist. In my heart, I believe God has called me, and my ST family to bring life to our city and region. No matter the circumstances, I have to remember this.

I didn’t know Daniel, as, I knew his sister. He is, regardless, my brother in spirit. I did know Darby very well though. I find myself travailing to bridge the gap between what I know in my heart to be true of my Father, and the reality of the recent circumstances surrounding the death of these friends. On the one hand, I know my Father and His promise and declaration of setting the captives free, and raising the dead. I know He has given us His Spirit to take authority over the dark powers of this earth, and to reinforce His good news throughout the nations.

Then we have to face realities like the ones we did these last few weeks. Realities of death with no resurrection. Realities of revivalist families who are rock solid in their faith in God’s word, yet still are forced to suffer through the pain of having to bury their loved ones before their time. How in the world can these truths both be true? How can people who harness some of the most intense faith I’ve ever seen see their prayers return void?

I see the McFalls, and the recent tragedy that has come to their home. My heart mourns with them as they are forced to bury their 11 month old daughter. As their friend, I mourn with them. As a parent, I am angry for them. As a sibling, I want to offer comfort to their 2 other daughters, who unfortunately are old enough to grasp the weight death bears on the soul. As a son, I want to give some semblance of solace to the parents that it’ll all be ok. As person, my heart is to demand justice for them, to demand someone be found to blame for them.

That is not, however, what we see happening. Though the family is surely going through the mourning process, I’ve never seen such a response of love, grace, and honor that has been shown in this situation. They are not responding out of anger, need for restitution, or any form of hate or bitterness. They have shown grace to the caretaker of Darby during the accident, and have decided to respond in a way that promotes life. The family used the circumstance to provide life for other children by donating their daughter’s organs to others in need. They have found a form of peace in the most unthinkable of circumstances, and are proactively, though slowly, making movements forward.

I find the rest of us are still left in a kind of offensive fighting stance. There are still a great number of us who have yet to find the peace the McFalls have come to understand. We all are mourning in our own way, and at our own pace. A great deal of us still find ourselves echoing the voice of Darby’s 2 sisters. “Why!? Why did this have to happen!?” “Why” is the question, isn’t it? I mean as great as it is to hear the parents are finding peace, those looking on from the sidelines are not necessarily privy to the same ending. Maybe it’s selfish pride, maybe it’s immaturity? Maybe it’s just stubbornness. Maybe it’s just me, but whatever the reason is, I can’t help but feel like this is just unfinished. Not that I could ever pray any harder than Darby’s parents, but there’s this inherent feeling in people (me) that resonates in our soul of “if only I were there, this might be different.”

More than anything, I feel most of this frustration stems from knowing that this is a calculated attack from our enemy. I can’t help but feel frustrated because I know I have power over the enemy, yet it still isn’t enough to bring Darby back. It kind of feels like we’re caught in a “no man left behind situation.” This was a laser guided missile meant to destroy the heart of not just the McFall family, but our Strong Tower family as well. That heart is our children. The children of our collective family almost completely outnumbers the adults. All the adults, and even many of the pre-adults, have found themselves tightly knit to the kids, even the ones that are not their own. To have lost one of these little ones hurts as bad as if we lost one of our own.

So where do we, as a collective family, go from here? How do we traverse this gap, together? Most of all, how do we come to terms with everything with the same peace the McFall family has? Unfortunately, I fear that the peace surpassing all understanding has a catch to it. If we want that kind of peace, we need to be prepared to willingly give up our “right” to understand. We need to be prepared to give up our need to have answers and justification for wrongs done to us. We, like children, can’t always expect our Father to spell out EVERY decision made. EVERY time something goes wrong, we can’t expect an explanation. Is premature death dealt by the hand of God? Absolutely not! Those called by His name are meant to rid this world of the darkness in it. As we expand the kingdom (as is our commission) we are going to run into these kind of problems. The enemy is not going to just willingly give up what was his for so long.

If this is truly where our problem lies, then I vote we use our most powerful weapon in our arsenal. Worship. I vote we offer a sacrifice of praise that rattles the gates of Hell. I vote we worship our Father and His goodness with such passion and heart this Sunday that the enemy will regret taking this life, the same way he regretted setting Jesus up those thousands of years ago. The point of this atrocity is to distract us from what we are called to do. If we fall into this trap, then we are letting this little warrior die in vain. I refuse to allow that to happen, at least for my family. As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to worship with everything I have on Sunday, thinking of her the whole time. That is how I’m going to honor her memory, and her family. I will live out my life, and my walk with her in mind and the plan that was so suddenly cut short. Who dares to join me?

Eph 3:19

Philippians 4:7

1Cor 1:25, 3:19

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Fire-Water

Posted on 02/25/2012 by kelrod100

So this last week I’ve been getting some downloads about baptism. Sorry if this gets preachy… but this is huge for me.

So there have been, for years, religious debates about baptism. Is there one, or multiple? Is fire baptism legit? What is the purpose of baptism? These are all questions worth asking, and all answerable.

So ever since God set up his order of priests, He has had, to some degree, baptism as part of the sacrificial ceremonies. It started as priests going through ceremonial washings in order to enter the Holy of Holies. Without this washing, the priests would be killed if they entered into the presence of God. Not out of malicious intent this happens, but out of the fact we can not be in His presence with any trace of sin. This is the heart principle behind baptism. The only way we can truly be in His presence is to be washed clean of our sin.

That is why water baptism is essential even through the new New Testament. The thing is though… through the Old Testament, washing was only necessary for the priests. When John the Baptist came on the scene, he baptized the common man. This was the essential part of his ministry – preparing people to become the royal high priests in 1 Peter 2:9. We all are to be baptized in water, then, in turn, are all able and called to baptize others.

According to Mt 28:19, we are called to baptize in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I think we have gravely undervalued this command. We have treated it like the communion verse “do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus wasn’t telling us something symbolic you say during baptism! His name IS power! When we baptize some one in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there HAS TO BE EVIDENCE THAT FOLLOWS. What do we receive when baptizing in each name? When we are baptized in Holy Spirit, we receive power (Acts 1:8), when we are baptized in Jesus, we receive righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), and when we are baptized in the name of the Father, we receive a restored relationship with our father in Heaven (as made possible by the washing of our sins away).

The other part of being baptized many debate over, is whether there is one, or multiple. I have discovered this truth concerning God. Look back at how many times he healed blind people the same way in Jesus’ ministry. the answer is a big, fat 0. We are to be spirit lead, and have discernment for the moment. I believe baptized follows the same principle. We are to have all 3 baptisms, but that doesn’t mean they will always happen at the same time. Don’t believe me? Check this out…

Matthews account of Jesus’ baptism shows Him receiving power by the Holy Spirit descending, and the father publicly establishing relationship by audible voice. Obviously he was minus his own baptism, but it did show him receive Father AND Holy Spirit at the same time.

Acts 8: 14-17 shows Philip in Samaria, spreading the Good word. He then requests John and Peter come where they find the Samaritans had been baptized, but still haven’t received the Holy Spirit. They laid hands, and they all received the Holy Spirit.

Then there’s the Acts account of Cornelius. In the middle of Peter’s message, all the gentiles in the room received the Holy Spirit, without even receiving water baptism.

What does all this mean? It means that there is no formula for receiving baptism, but we ARE to receive a complete baptism. We need discernment and wisdom to know the situation we find ourselves when baptizing each individual, and need to be knowledgeable of what is required. So many people have been deceived into thinking that water baptism is the ONLY baptism needed. Though, in some cases, it can be all encompassing… that does not mean it is 100% of the time.

I believe we are to receive 2 baptisms. sometimes they are at the same time, sometimes they are not. I believe one is of water, the other fire (Pentacost). If we look at God’s heart of water baptism, we see it is to clean sin from us in preperation for His precence, symbolizing Jesus’ death, burial, and ressurection. Being baptized in fire does something different. When we are washed, it only cleans the surface, and washes us under Jesus’ blood, while fire purifies us on the inside. It is the fire baptism that burns away our sin nature, or the root of our sin. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to have a renuing of the mind (Eph 4:23) and kill our sin nature. It is through this baptism we receive the fruit of the spirit, and are actually able to begin truely building a relationship with God.

Obviously, there will be many with different ideas, and I repect that, but this, to me, is the undeniable heart of our father God. He sacrificed His son to die, and be raised again for us, but He did so much more than that! He had in mind to give us power and authority over ourselves, this world, and the evil that is in it. We receive that power only by a complete and full baptism, followed by a continual growing in relationship with all 3 sides of our beautiful God in Heaven!

God bless, with Grace and Favor.

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One Nation Under Dog

Posted on 02/21/2012 by kelrod100

I pledge allegiance to the flag

Of the United States of America

And to the Republic

For which it stands

One nation, under God,

Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

If you’re like me, many of us quoted this every morning growing up. From Kindergarten all the way up, students all across America quoted this pledge, facing my red, white, and blue, with tired eyes, and limp hands over our heart. If only I understood then what I do now. Growing up, I barely could grasp the concept of what I was saying, and once it was finished, I didn’t think about it again until the next morning.

Well, things have changed my friends. I have become more educated, more patriotic, and MUCH more vocal than in my youth Here is where my heart breaks though. We have reduced this pledge to nothing more than merely a quote said in morning classrooms to help keep kids awake. We have obviously not paid attention to what we were saying through the years. If my generation, and all those before me, actually listened to the words they spoke, I truly believe we would see a different country. If you would allow me, I’d like to share what this pledge means to me

See, most importantly, I believe that whether we realize it or not, this pledge acts as a prophetic declaration over our country. Imagine this… every child in our country, roughly within the same time span, ALL quoting this pledge before they started their educational day. A nation full of our children’s voices echoing into the Earth. Now we’ve become so full of ourselves, we couldn’t even handle “under God.” Maybe this is just me, but it seems like when we started putting a belligerent stink on the “under God” issue we made ourselves vulnerable. For the first time since the Revolutionary War, we were attacked on our own soil by a foreign aggressor (I don’t count Pearl Harbor because they technically were not part of the union at the time). I believe this pledge acted as a prophetic protection and blessing of grace for our country.

So let me break down this pledge line by line.

I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America:

I do not pledge allegiance to men. I do not pledge allegiance to a “seat” of authority. I do not even pledge allegiance to our wonderful country. I pledge allegiance to my FLAG. That symbol of honor, virtue, and sacrifice that was bought and paid for with the blood of our founders. That flag reminds me everyday of the 13 stripes of crimson and white representing our founding sites bought by blood, righteousness, and innocence. I see those stars set in blue. A call to ARISE AND SHINE to every state within our union. The blue background I believe has been watered down thanks to our country’s continued effort to erase God from our history books, however; suffice to say it stands for the core values of liberty and justice that I believe has its roots secured firmly in the Bible.

And to the Republic, For which it stands:

Our country was NEVER meant to be a democracy! We were a Republic through and through. There are many thoughts on this part, and I say this knowing full well that there is a possibility I am wrong, but I know in my heart that a REPUBLIC was the intended heart of our forefathers for this country. What’s the difference? A big one. Here is the basic side-by-side comparison of these two forms of government.

Democracy:

Majority rules regardless of constitution

Majority made up of politicians purchased at highest cost

Decisions defined by law

Designed to be for MAJORITY

Intent is to extend power to rule by law/regulation

Republic:

All decisions made within constraints of constitution

All decisions require people’s vote (not electoral)

Decisions defined by justice

Designed to protect MINORITY (ironic huh?)

Intent to limit gov’t reach. Rule only within check/balance system.

I dunno about you, but as subtle as these differences seem, they are HUGE when it comes to dealing with corruption and frivolous everyday circumstances. One requires an iron fist, the other grace.

One nation, under God:

My lord I could type pages here… but I’ll try to stay minimal. All of my previous thoughts would be totally insane without this critical element. I honestly don’t care if you believe in God or not. The fact is, this country was founded on the principles that even if I am not a person of moral standing, and even IF by some chance I find myself surrounded by like-minded people, I am still held responsible and accountable by a being whom I can have no choice but answer to. It is this being our founders chose to unite this country under. THIS is the reason we became the quickest advancing country in EVERY arena of the world in less than 200 years. It was purely by the blessing and grace of God we are who we are today. Don’t wanna say “under god?” That’s fine, but just as much as you claim we can’t force you to say it, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL ME I CAN’T! It’s called grace… learn it, embrace it, get over it.

Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all:

We are called to be a people of relationship. A people with value for life, with a common thread that connects us so deep that when one of us is hurting, we all instantly switch to protective mode, and surround the person(s) with love, grace, and charity. That is the true meaning of indivisible to me. Liberty and justice… I wish were more self-explanatory. We have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, but if we rely on institutions to give them to us, they will always end up taking them from us. My problem here is that we have traded liberty for freedom, and justice for law. I know it sounds like semantics… but there really is a huge difference. When we operate in freedom, we see the world from a slave’s perspective, one who has ability to make decisions without learning HOW to make them. Liberty operates from a royal perspective, where we see ourselves not just as those who fight to guarantee freedom, but father the freed into how to be free. We have the same problem in dealing with justice. Justice requires a degree of relationship, and the ability to remain flexible from a case to case situation. The point of justice is when someone is wronged, it is made right. It’s under laws and regulations we see homeowners losing lawsuits to burglars who injure themselves WHILE committing their crime.

So there you have it. I don’t really know what else to say about the subject without massively repeating myself. Just remember, this is merely my thoughts on the subject, and you are entitled to think different; even if I’m right. Peace and Love

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My Identity in Alcohol

Posted on 01/21/2012 by kelrod100

Yup, I’m talkin bout me (a christian) drinking (alcohol). This post isn’t about if drinking is a sin, but I probably do need to set a foundation first. Now I understand many people have just as many thoughts on this subject, and whether or not it is a sin. Here is mine, take it or leave it. I believe the Bible says nothing about drinking, only getting drunk. Jesus made wine for a wedding party that was all already hammered. The point the Bible makes time and time again is self-restraint. Most things are fine as long as we are responsible with it, it does not impede our judgement, and we keep a level head with it. Excess in anything, from working, to food, tv, to sex is bad. All of it is amazing, as long as it is maintained within its realm of proper time and place. If you are someone who feels God specifically said not to drink, all the more power to ya. I have not received such a conviction. I also do not drink to get drunk, I drink because I like the taste and I’m legally old enough to be allowed to.

That being said, I had a revelation of sorts the other night as I went to grab some cheer-beer for a dinner party we hosted. As anybody knows who has ever hosted a party, you could start at the butt-crack of dawn, and still never have enough time in the day to get everything done. For some reason, at this particular party, the doorbell served as my “Hey you should get some cheer-beer” reminder. So as my guests walked in, I started out the door to satisfy my taste for this long awaited amazingness known as Mikes Hard Lemonade. It had been a while, and I coincidentally cooked the PERFECT meal to go along with this taste of pseudo-summer feelings. I ran across the street to the liquor store, grabbed it off the shelf, and skipped (yes, skipped) to the counter. Upon my arrival to the last checkpoint between me, and my immediate destiny of having a good night, I realized a horrible, horrible truth. In my excitement to fix this sensation, I left my ID at home, and of all the people at the store who do know me well, none of them were working. Heartbreak set in to the dreadful question “Can I see your ID please?”

At this point, something strange happened. See, I’ve never forgotten my ID before, especially with the few times I buy it. So for me, there was a set in of panic. There was this need for me to stand my ground, and declare that I REALLY AM OLD ENOUGH! How dare this pirate’s deck scrubbing wench tell me she can’t sell to me! Then as reality and truth set in, I came to my senses. I realized that nope, she really couldn’t sell to me because she’s not the idiot that forgot their ID, and took for the door with my tail between my legs. I returned home defeated, empty handed, and thirsty. I could have just grabbed my ID and gone back, but to face the wench!? I think not!

Anywho… I was at work today, workin LIKE A BOSS when I felt God speak a truth into my heart. The truth, to me, was so simple yet so profound. I simply heard “Ya know, ID is handy when I give you a drink also.” This caught me so off guard I couldn’t help but stand there like an idiot, goin “Huh?” I asked what the Lord meant, and I heard Him ask this question. “Does that store make the liquor they sell?” Obviously, no. The point being God is the maker AND distributor of the Holy Spirit. That when we go to drink his life giving substance (ref the Samaritan woman at the well) we become almost intoxicated by his presence, power, and love. If our ID is not in Him, that becomes a very interesting experience. I’m not saying one has to come before the other, but the devil and the Spirit of Religion does. The enemy tries to come in and act as distributor over something he has no control over. We live in the most amazing time ever in existence. A time where GRACE ABOUNDS! Of course God wants relationship with us, but He is willing to pour Himself out to anybody who is thirsty, even those who are unsure what they are thirsting for!

Don’t let the deceiver make you think you have to jump through hoops to attain this intoxicating presence! Recognize him for the deck scrubbing wench he is, stand in the knowledge of who you are, and drink in as much of what you can from Him! The world’s system demands an identity check before drinking. If you can’t find yours God will give you yours WHILE drinking! Dude… my God is awesome.

P.S. …she was a very nice deck scrubbing wench, and I’m sure she is a nice person also. I just never got her name…

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Re: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

Posted on 01/13/2012 by kelrod100

Ok, so after much hesitation and second-guessing, I FINALLY watched the latest YouTube phenom “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” If you’ve not heard of this particular video, just log on to Facebook. If you are friends with at least ONE christian, chances are they have posted it to their profile. That is exactly the reason I waited so long to even watch it. Personally, I have found that anything (especially a youtube video) that has been “shared” on this massive of level… isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. I finally gave in. I can now tell you that I’m so glad I did.

Like many of you, I am one of those that likes to check out the related videos posted, or at least the initial comments. As I’m enjoying the good feelings I have from this video, I begin scrolling down the page. I didn’t even get halfway down the page, and all I see are people (both “believers” and non-believers) railing on this guy for his claims. Curious about some of the rebuttal others felt the need to share, I clicked on one video response by the sn GScherbs. Then connected to his response there was a video from sn theamazingathiest. I figured if I wanted to find an alternate response, these two would be sure to give it to me. I could not have been more right. I also could not have been more heartbroken. On the one hand, the “likes” on the original video WAY overshadowed the opposing view, as well as the sum of the likes on the responses. That did comfort me a little, but then I got to thinking… what are people actually fighting against with this statement?

For those that have not seen this video yet, let me give you a quick overview. The maker of the video was pointing out the fact that Jesus does NOT = religion. He spoke of the grace and mercy we have found through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. He speaks of the fact that there is NOTHING that makes you so undesirable to our God that would exempt you from what He has to offer. He also speaks about how the “church” achieves the polar opposite reaction. That a majority of the “church” we experience today has no intention of living in grace, and how we must EARN our way to salvation.

If you ask me, this is all amazingly good news! Why then is there such an upheaval of negative commentary from BOTH sides of the spectrum!? Obviously, God and “religion” are volatile topics to start. In the state our culture is in, there’s always going to be at least a few people that stand against even just the THOUGHT of there being a god at all. This is not what I see here though… There is too broad a group of people with too high a popularity for it to be your average condescending atheist or some ignorant “christian.” Actually, I noticed a vast majority of conflict here wasn’t with theology at all. Most of the fighting was over terminology!

I find it hard to take people seriously (i.e. the 2 vid responses) when the thought process used to make their conclusions has absolutely no bearing to it. If you are gonna disagree with what I say, at least take the time to disagree on my level. Not sure what I mean? Try this… say I make the statement “I believe in apple.” Then someone for whatever reason disagrees, but their argument looks something like, “No, apple is gross because they are orange, they peel into wedges, and they are so juicy that my fingers ALWAYS get sticky!” Um… how in the world am I supposed to respond when you don’t even have a solid understanding on the characteristics of an effing apple!

Let me see if I can help clear up some of this confusion. If you ever run across a christian telling you, or you see the lines “Jesus hates religion,” or “I love Jesus, Hate Religion,” this is what we mean. When Jesus came to Earth, He came to redeem the world from the curse of sin. At the time, the practicing Jews (what we would call organized church) had TOTALLY missed what God wanted for them and their generation. The Jewish leaders were all about keeping the laws, even if it meant sacrificing relationships. The leaders had totally neglected their original purpose of God-given responsibilities, and created man-made rules that NO ONE could live up to. We call this the Spirit of religion. I, personally, think this is the name of a literal demon. Others think it’s just a mindset, or an aspect of Man’s nature. Since some “christians” are a little too worried at not offending, we usually just shorten it to “Religion.” When we say Jesus hates religion, it usually means that He is against anything that is against relationships.

Here’s the kicker though… now that you know this, it’s YOUR job to find out what the person means when they reference this. I am pleading with ANYONE that will listen, STOP ASSUMING WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT, AND STOP ASSUMING YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT. Arrogance is the biggest perpetuator of these ridiculous arguments. If you are not a christian, and you have never bothered to read my bible for any reason other than to read your life/presuppositions into it, then please don’t waste my time in telling me what you think you know about my God. I will do the same for you, and we will all get along. Mmk? Thanks The difference between my values, and apparently a LOT of other people, is that I choose to live my life with grace towards everyone I come in contact with. I do not require people to believe the same things i do to have a relationship. If people want to impose on me conformity to beliefs, then that shows me what you need prayer for, and I will love you regardless.

The pressures of this world will not conform, frighten, intimidate, or cause me to doubt the God that saved my life. No, I’m not talking about some “spiritual” experience where I found purpose, or some stupid thing like that. I mean I had a real experience, with a real God, who really died for my sins, rose from the dead, gave me the Holy Spirit, and allows me to walk in His grace, power, and anointing on a daily basis. Don’t believe me? Don’t care… no one can take away MY experience when they themselves know nothing of which I speak. If you are one that did not like that video, do me a favor. Get over it! He made that video for people with hungry hearts. If you are not one of those people, then it wasn’t meant for you, and you can get on with your life. There is no need to bash him for something that wasn’t made for you. Instead of automatically criticizing something, why not look into it, even just a little bit, to see if his claims MIGHT be true. This is how we adults learn and grow in knowledge and understanding. Why not leave all this bickering and slander to our kindergartners and start having adult conversations.

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Playing Favorites

Posted on 01/03/2012 by kelrod100

Let me start this by saying that I love both of my beautiful daughters equally. I do live, and would die, for them both the same. I look at my oldest who is a few months shy of her second birthday, and her little sister who is 14 months behind. When I look at them, I see the beautiful young girls they are, and find myself lost in thought over what life has in store for them.

I had a harsh awakening today though. Last night, my oldest (Em) was very sick. In a matter of a few short hours she went from playful, (though mildly cranky) to a 102* temp, and completely miserable. My heart sank as I watched her laying on our couch in obvious pain. We put on her favorite show (a children’s sign language show) to try and sooth the nerves she had left.

This winter has been particularly hard on our family. Of the 4 of us, one or more of us have been perpetuating some form of sickness. This week prior our youngest daughter also got alarmingly sick. She began projectile vomiting EVERYWHERE! It was horrible! Our whole New Year Vacation was revolving around making her comfortable. Not really a big deal since we don’t get out much lol. Alas, ’tis the life of being a parent. I know to cherish it now because soon they won’t be here to comfort.

Now I don’t know if it’s because of the closeness of their age, or just the fact that they got sick so close together, but there was a noticeable difference in my reaction to their plights. Enough of a difference that, when noticed, troubled my heart. Last night I was laying in bed talking to my wife about my worry for Em and the thought of having to take her to the hospital. I made a mention about “this sucks. She’s not just my buddy, she’s one of my best friends.”Though when my youngest, Tay, got sick, as much as I felt bad for her, there was also a sense of inconvenience.

In my prayer time today, God revealed a Kingdom principle I had unwittingly stumbled upon. My reaction to my respective daughters during their illness had less to do with my love for them, and more to do with my relationship with them. Em and I have developed a very tight relationship, even for her not being two yet. Whenever I play music, Em will run to me to either watch with or to dance, but either way she wants to do it with me. She is always one of the first faces I see when I get home, and she always has a kiss for me when I put her to bed. She’s already a natural musician (like her daddy) and she loves to “sing.” Therefore, when she is sick, her daddy will run to Wal-Mart late in the pm, fight his way to the medicine isle, knock over ANYBODY in the way, and will rush back home as quickly as possible. Nothing will stand in the way of daddy getting exactly what she needs, as quickly as possible.

Then He showed me Tay. See, Tay and I are still working on our relationship. Not only is she still young, she is also still at the stage where mommy and ONLY mommy can give her what she needs. I am positive our relationship will improve in time, however this is just our current season. For Tay being sick, I would do all the same motions, however all the panache and expression are probably not as prevalent. See I love Tay with all my heart, but if I had to go to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night for her, there would probably be some moaning, some complaining, and probably take a little more time (understand we are talking NON life-threatening problems).

That’s when God hit me with it. It works the same way with Him in His Kingdom. He promises that to those who put their faith in Him, he will provide and care for. But I’ve noticed (as a general statement) that those that make more of a point of getting to know His heart, and take the time to proactively grow in relationship with Him… those are the ones that He will provide with a little more “panache.” This is the ultimate difference between just a “parent” and a “friend.” It’s not that either one is my favorite, though MY response was influenced by my degree of relationship. Notice my statement about Em – “she’s my best friend.” This was me unknowingly stepping into the kingdom and answering so MANY of my questions concerning “am I a slave?” “am I a friend?” “am I just his child?” “am I all of the above?” The reality is, the real question should be “have I proactively pursued the heart of my God today?” The more that becomes the question, the other ones will find themselves answered.

God is so good. I love Him so much for His ability to maintain so MANY dimensions of relationship with us. I hope this leaves you encouraged, I know it did me. As a side note, Em was touched by the healing hand of God. In less than 24 hours she had a normal temp and was playing around after only 1 dose of medication. What she had was a bacterial infection that realistically needed antibiotics, She kicked it with one dose of Tylenol, and the Holy Spirit. Atta girl. Go God

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When Christians use the “P” word…

Posted on 01/02/2012 by kelrod100

OK, so this has probably been the hardest blog I’ve ever had to write. Not just because of the topic, but because I am unsure of how to most clearly voice what’s truly in my heart. This is already my 3rd 0r 4th draft attempting to get it right. So please forgive any idiosyncrasies or poor trains of thought, but when one starts in on politics and God, it tends to go down many roads not originally intended.

First I suppose I should give a broad sense of where I want this to go, and will give you an opportunity to back out now. Though I hope you will at least hear me out. I believe God should not, and can not; for the sake of our country, be taken out of our governmental structure. I believe that this country needs to go back to its roots morally, ethically, spiritually, and fundamentally. I believe the Constitution that this country was founded on was; itself, founded on the Bible. Therefore the Constitution is the only other set of of documents that I believe to be timeless, ageless, and an inspired word of God. I think most of you have the point i’m trying to make here.

Now that that has been cleared up, let me explain my frustration. Many “christians” I talk to would agree in a general sense with most of my beliefs already mentioned. Also in talking to these “christians” I discover of those that DO agree with my points, refuse to talk about it in any formal OR informal setting that would mix God with Gov’t. Really? I mean, if one believes that God needs to be at the helm of our great country’s directioin, why then is talk of gov’t so tabboo within a mile of a pulpit.

Now some of you might be saying “separation of church and state.” To those of you who quoted that, I challenge you with this. WHERE IS IT IN OUR CONSTITUTION!?!?!? You will not, nor will you ever find it there. http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm … no this is not an ultimate source, but it is truth.

I feel like it might be easier to approach this from another angle. Let’s try this.

1. Our government was formed (capitalist, NOT democratic)

1.a cap·i·tal·ism/ˈkapətlˌizəm/ Noun: An economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.

Why is this important? Because our country still in its settelment stage tried various types of government involving “community” and “Utopia” ideals. It sounds great on paper, but there’s one BIG problem with this thinking. When 1 person works hard, and his earnings go into a communal share pot, then gets redistributed back to him, what incentive is there to work when his lazy @$$ neighbor gets the same amount as him, only the neighbor works half as much? I’ll tell you, the little work that will get done will be of poor quality. It’s just the way mankind is wired, right or wrong. Now what would happen if that same man was paid fairly for his work, without being forced to share to everybody? His production AND quality would improve on a grand scale! At this point it would be at his discretion what to do with his share of earnings (if he had a heart secured in the bible) it might still be to help his neighbor. Same ending for people in general, but with more products of a higher quality. This is exactly how in under 200 years this country went from scattered settlements to one of the most powerful countries that ever existed.

2. Because of our power and declaration for freedom, we brought in the weak, hurting, oppressed, and needy putting a huge growth to a massively undiscovered continent. One of the draw backs of this is that it would eventually bring people in that were not guided by morals and ethics, and would become bent to gain power through the system of our government. The only thing in their way now was the constitution. Well since our constitution is founded on something much more powerful, they would have to break the Bible, or at least its impact to the government. Instantly “educated” people were taught that it was impossible to mix religion with science. Then it was religion vs. education.Then it was religion against media. Now, after a century of slow deterioration of God in our culture, He is cast out of government. Now we wonder why our country is in such a state of crisis. Healthcare, gay rights, education, crime, you name it… we got rid of God, and people say it’s now an age of reason and right thinking. Sorry, doesn’t sound like our country is any better without God. In fact, It looks like we are doing even worse.

Then I meet “christians” that have the audacity to tell me there is no point in putting God back in our Government. I tell you this, I’ve had enough.

America, get ready. I am bringing God back to you. I am His. I am free. I am secure. I am remnant. I am not alone.

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Warfare pt.1

Posted on 12/15/2011 by kelrod100

So one of the benefits of my job as a welder is that I have 11.5 hours behind a welding hood. 11.5 hours of me, my thoughts, and the Holy Spirit (HS). After a year of this, and allowing HS to teach me to listen to His voice, I’ve also begun to learn His heart. One of these areas I’ve been learning about more recently involves what has become taboo in most religious arenas. I’m talking about demons and the demonic realm, and most importantly, our role in it.

Now, first I feel the need to address Hollywood’s perception of this area. Though I am a huge fan of stuff like Supernatural, The Exorcist, and Paranormal Activity, they all miss some very important things. First off, you need to understand, DEMONS ARE NOT ALL POWERFUL! Not even the Devil himself is all powerful. They are tricky, clever, manipulative, blood-sucking, bump-in-the-night types of evil… but there is a limit to what they are capable of. Their greatest weapon against you comes straight from the movies – they will always try to cast a shadow thats infinitely bigger than their actual size.

Before I get too ahead of myself, lets start where priorities are the greatest. If our greatest concern is the darkness that surrounds us, then the darkness will always consume us. The greatest power that we have when the dark surrounds, is to become an ‘open heaven.’ Where there is light, there can be no darkness. The greater the heaven inside us, the less the dark can overpower us. How do we become an open heaven? It’s actually a lot simpler than it sounds. We become an open Heaven just by allowing HS to work in and through us, and to consciously meditate on the promises God has made to us for our life. Sounds stupid and religious, I know… but I’m not speaking from inexperience.

When I first became a believer years ago… I thought it was my duty to ‘vanquish evil’ and thought just because I could say ‘in the name of JESUS!’ that somehow I would be invincible. Sadly… this is just not true. Yes, there are cases where Jesus’ name is effective, but 9 times of 10… its because that person has some degree of relationship WITH Jesus. Don’t be fooled here, though. Having a relationship with Jesus is NOT the same as having an ACTIVE relationship with HS. What Jesus taught in the Bible will NEVER be outdated, however, it’s HS that allows us to bring the Word alive, and applicable to our current situations. The Word is a sword, regardless of whos hands it’s in. The HS is the one that teaches us how to weild it in each independant circumstance. Without HS, the Word becomes religion, which takes relationship OUT of the equation, and makes LAWS and RULES the most important aspect. This is when the Word is weilded carelessly, and will cause damage (this is one of the tactics of the enemy by the way)

This is the key to becoming an open Heaven. Through relationship, we go from God’s slave (emphesis on obedience) to God’s friend (emphesis on shared info known as revelation). The ultimate destination we (the corporate church) aim for would be to fulfill our role as the bride (empesis on the ability to share God’s heart in freeing his creation via the authority he freely gave us, while remaining completely within his will and under his authority). Please do not distort my terminology here. I know how it reads, because it feels the same as I write it. The terms are merely a picture descriptioin of the types of maturity levels every believer must go through as we grow in faith.

Imagine having a child. They grow through similar levels with their parents. First is the nurturing stage, then the learning obedience stage, then the discipline stage, etc. until they become (hopefully) well rounded, trusting adults that can be trusted with ever increasing complex tasks and duties. The goal of this system is to go from being completely dependant for everything, to being able to think for themselves. God works the same way with his kids.

That being said, we have a Church right now full of Harry Potter wannabies. People in their spiritual adolescence are running around trying to cast out stuff with these ‘In Jesus name’ incantations, and expect the devil to run every time. Sorry guys, this isn’t Hollywood. Good news, though! You don’t have to be some priest, you don’t have to know any latin, and you don’t have to be afriad. If you would just start to realize who God made you to be, accept it, love it, and walk in it, the devil has no choice but to leave you when you tell him. If you would flow in HS, and allow him to work in you, He will show you EVERYTHING YOU NEED, FOR EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. Allow God to help you fight your battles, full of faith and hope, and I promise you, no demon can argue with you. I know one solid piece of fact. The SMALLEST DROP of HS in you is greater than the BIGGEST, BADDEST evil spirit that could ever torment you. I promise you that. I’ll talk more about this later, but for now, live in peace, grow your faith, thrive in hope, and continually seek out a relationship with God. This is how you begin to take back your life. God Bless.