The Word Was In The Beginning

Well, well well. No new deep thoughts for today to share. So instead you will get my poem for the day. This is inspired by the section of Scripture from John 1: 1-14, which is so beautiful by itself that nothing can top it.


The Word Was In The Beginning

The Word was in the beginning
before the world had begun
and He started the elements spinning
cause the Word was God's only Son

He sent out the Spirit in power
to assemble all matter just right
so the darkness started to cower
when exposed to Almighty light

Then a man was placed in a garden
to care for all that was made
but he sinned and needed a pardon
by the blood of justice delayed

In the fullness of time came redemption
the Word and the Light became flesh
and His blood caused our spirit's perfection
and His love spun our souls to refresh

Oh we praise the Lord of beginning
Oh we praise the Light of the world
as we wait for the end of all sinning
we will raise up His banner unfurled

2017

This has been quite a year for our country as well as for some friends of ours. Although there are many things I don't understand there is one truth that will never fail -

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)


2017

There'd been fires
and there'd been rain
there'd been people
not home again
there'd been wind
and there'd been shooting
oh Lord we've seen
the worst of things

There'd been cancer
and there'd been death
there'd been homes
with no one left
there'd been anger
and there'd been fighting
oh Lord we've seen
the worst of things

There'd been people
who braved the flood
there'd been hero's
who gave with blood
there'd been friends
and there'd been sharing
oh Lord we've seen
the best of things

There'll be faith
and there'll be hope
they'll rebuild
with stronger rope
they'll rejoice
as they're rebuilding
oh Lord we'll see
the best of things

A Story of Renewal

The prompt for one of the contests that run on the poetry site I use was to compose a poem that talked about a historic event that had a great impact on our lives. I choose to write about a 1967 weekend retreat attended by college students and faculty from Duquesene University, a Catholic school located in Pittsburgh, PA, along with some other young leaders who had been involved in leading Catholic University youth groups and Catholic marriage encounter weekends.

Events that happened at this retreat triggered what was to become known as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, a true fresh breath of the Holy Spirit into that church that impacted many millions of Catholics world wide, including myself. Although there had been previous Catholics that had experienced the active working of gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives and many others who reflected the fruits of a Spirit filled life it was this weekend that provided the spark for an explosive Holy Spirit outpouring throughout the Catholic Church.

The idea for focusing on the gifts of the Holy Spirit began when two professors from Duquesene happened to have dinner with a Presbyterian lady who had been "baptized" in the Holy Spirit. This lady obviously had something that radiated from her about her relationship with Jesus and the professors wanted to examine this Holy Spirit thing further. The people invited to the Ark and Dove retreat house just outside Pittsburgh were told to prepare for the weekend retreat by reading the first 4 chapters of Acts and the books - The Cross and The Switchblade, a story by Assembly of God pastor David Wilkerson about the power of God in his ministry in Harlem and - They Speak With Other Tongues, a story by John Sherill about the baptism of the Holy Spirit being experienced in the main line denominations.

The retreat house had an upper room chapel and one evening various individuals at different times felt a compulsion to go to the chapel to pray. When they got there they each felt the overwhelming presence of God, so much so that they lay prostrate on the floor, and a couple of them started speaking in other tongues. The result of their experiences was awe at the holiness of God and a great joy that filled them and many others that saw, believed and received their own Pentecost.

Because some of these people were involved in campus ministry, prayer meetings soon sprang up at places like Michigan State, Notre Dame and the University of Michigan. These same people created the Life in the Spirit courses and literature and eventually organized renewal book and tape distribution, prayer meeting song books and conferences.

A Life in the Spirit seminar was an hour meeting in a small group once a week for seven weeks with daily Scripture readings in between. The power of this was that the first four weeks were basically going over the same material as does the four spiritual laws of Campus Crusade. These are: God loves us. Even though He loves us there is a real problem and that is that we all sin and fall short of what God desires. The good news is that God the Father has provided through His Son Jesus a way to be united with Him. We need to confess that we sin and invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. The course then covers what Jesus has promised for us with His Holy Spirit.

All this is gone over in the first 4 weeks. The fifth week is scheduled to pray with people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Between week 4 and 5 the course leaders try to meet individually with each person to see how they are doing and if they have any questions that they might not want to bring up in a group. All this leads to the best and most powerful part of what is accomplished for an individual.

The first thing done when praying for someone to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives is to lead that person in the sinner's prayer. You cannot imagine how huge this is for the average Catholic who has been told all their lives that if they have been baptized Catholic and have gone to confession and are without mortal sin then they will go to heaven. For many Catholics (not all of course) this was when they actually became born again and experienced a personal relationship with Jesus.

The effect of the release of the Holy Spirit then produces a hunger for living a holy life, the words of the Bible becoming alive and meaningful, a desire to share this good news about Jesus to all and of course spiritual gifts that the Spirit has given to build up the individual as well as the faith community. Weeks 6 and 7 then talk about how to live a balanced Christian life and what to expect days, weeks, months and years ahead.

The Charismatic Renewal grew quite rapidly and deeply within the Catholic Church but eventually, like all revivals it cooled down and became institutionalized. And a large problem for Catholicism is that it's structure, devotion to Mary and other like things are substitutes for the Holy Spirit. I left after 10 years when I realized that it was not possible for any of those things to change.

And yet it was through this that I was lead in 1972 from being an atheist to believer and Jackie and I began to experience a wonderful Spirit filled life that still goes strong today. Below is my poem.    

Duquesene Weekend - 1967

Catholic retreat
at the Ark and Dove
Holy Spirit
in the room above
those who were hungry
filled with love
late into the night

Spirit's power
joy and awe
new languages
mission's call
ancient church
shook in that hall
late into the night

Pittsburgh on
to East Lansing
South Bend, Ann Arbor
hear them sing
Jesus is Lord
sweet offering
late into the night

Great crowds came
worship and pray
small living rooms
stadiums on display
modern day Acts
was now OK
late into the night

Words From A Watchman

And I set watchmen over you, saying; "Listen to the sound of the trumpet!"

But they said: "We will not listen."   Jeremiah 6:17

Recently, because I have studied and taught on the end times, one of my children asked me if there was any prophetic significance to the two recent hurricanes that have caused so much destruction in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. My reply was that the earth has always been subject to drastic weather events and perhaps these two were things that just happened in the course of time.

Yet on the other hand it is interesting that the hurricanes occurred so soon after the total eclipse that traversed our country this August. In Scripture eclipses of the moon are signs of judgment for Israel and eclipses of the sun are signs of judgment for the gentile nations.

Here are some more thoughts on the matter.

I am convinced that the year 2017 is quite significant on God's calendar for the Jewish nation but I don't know what that is yet. There are an amazing number of important dates concerning Israel and Jerusalem that tie into the years 2017 and 2018. Interestingly there are also some corresponding historic dates for the Church that tie in to 2017. The Church of course is world wide and the U.S. is not Israel nor the center of the universe.

However, many believe that, because of our unique call upon God and dependence upon Him at our founding, the presence of a Church that has sent out missionaries and mission materials world wide, a still vibrant Church in many places, the large number of Jewish people living here and our special relationship with Israel, that we will be blessed or judged depending on our countries stance toward Israel.

Here are just a few of the dates I am talking about:

1517 - Ottoman Empire controls Jerusalem - Martin Luther nails 95 thesis at Wittenburg Church
1897 - First World Zionist Congress calling for a Jewish homeland
1907/1908 - Azusa Street Revival, reintroducing Pentecostal/Charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit
1917 - Balfour Declaration - British call for a Jewish homeland in Palestine
1917 - British general Allenby captures Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks (ending 400 yrs rule)
1947 - Jews declare a homeland in Palestine (50 yrs from Zionist Congress)
1948 - Jewish state officially begins
1967 - Jewish forces capture East Jerusalem/temple mount in 6 day war

2017/2018 is the 500th anniversary of the rebirth of the Christian Church, the 120th anniversary of the call for a Jewish state, the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of the Jewish state and the 50th anniversary of the Jews gaining control of Jerusalem and the temple mount. It is also the Jewish year 5777/5778.

There was also on September 23 a major sign in the heavens that corresponded with the description of the sign of the woman and the birth of a man child found in Revelation chapter 12. This happened to occur during the Jewish feast of Yom Kippur (also known as the Feast of Trumpets and the Jewish New Year). Some commentators thought this might indicate a good date for the prophesied rapture of the Church.

I happen to have a foot in two different Christian world views. The first is the study of Biblical prophecy which I believe shows that my Lord Jesus could return at any time to catch up all born again believers, first the dead and then the living (the rapture) to be with Him for eternity. After this happens, either immediately or after some period of time, tribulation will come upon the nations, God will focus His attention on the Jewish people and Jesus will return to earth to reign and rule for 1000 years.

In my lifetime I have seen a steady decline in the moral condition's of both our country and the world and I believe the pace of disintegration is rapidly increasing. There is a steady and I believe organized attack on Christian values in general and on Christians in particular. The only solution I see to that is massive revival, where enough people get born again and empowered by the Holy Spirit so that society in general can be renewed. I pray for this but right now my eyes cannot see it.

My other foot is in the prophetic witness of those who are truly sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is saying. I do believe that the aspect of the spiritual gift of prophecy that reveals future events is for today and I know of some things that have been promised whose time has not yet come. So the paradox for me is that Jesus can come at any time but there are still promises to keep. Personal prophecy should never overrule Scriptural prophecy but we must admit that our timing of future Biblical events may be influenced by the teachings of others who are not infallible.

Great caution though must be exercised with personal prophecy. I believe that there are many prophets who perhaps are sensitive enough to the Holy Spirit's voice that they can get some things right but for a variety of reasons (that I will not list here) other of their words are not solid and true. They partially prophesy from their own biases.

There are a whole bunch of these prophets who believe that God will put Christians in positions of influence (government being one of those) and then there will come a revival in America so strong that the nation will be renewed. They see a mass harvest of souls prior to the first return of Christ. Again, I am more inclined to see revival coming, not top down but out of distress rather than out of prosperity.

I am not a prophet but I want to blow this trumpet as a watchman, one who has been called to gather the people to safety.

Our country has been given a major warning from God by the total eclipse of the sun in August which traversed the entire continent in the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. To make this sign stronger and more obvious there will be another total eclipse seven years later that traverses the U.S. from Texas to Maine, the route of which marks an X in the middle of the country. Seven is a divine number. Maybe these will be seven years of either warning or judgment.

It would not stretch the imagination to say that Harvey, Irma and the Los Vegas shootings, so soon after the eclipse, can be seen as warnings that we must soon get our house in order. There are also rumblings in the earth, political situations in North Korea and Russia and domestic tensions that keep getting worse.

Perhaps, if there is a major revival coming, it will come after the rapture. What we are doing now is laying the groundwork for it. We will plant, someone else will harvest.

We have an enemy here and abroad who hates us and is well organized. He knows his time is short and is on the move.

Do not put your hope in politics to change the drastic situation our country is in. The situation we find ourselves in (20 trillion in debt, the inability to reign in spending, the annual growth of the welfare state) has come because of weak and corrupt hearts. Although there are many good people in government, human nature desires power and Washington corrupts almost all who serve there.

Do not put your hope in Donald Trump. Yes, it has been prophesied that he was God's man to route out corruption in government, to expose the hypocrisy of the press and to stop the assimilation of the U.S. into the politics of globalism. We will see.

And even though he has so far surrounded himself with true Christians, selected well for Supreme Court and lower judgeships, is a friend of Israel, removed U.S. funding for abortions overseas, started withdrawing from the unrealistic climate accords and has been eliminating all of Obama's restrictive executive orders, he is still a vain, vindictive and insecure individual and I still fear he may end up being a wolf in sheep's clothing.

We must pray that his heart will be soft to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that he will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in his character and his life, and that God will use him to help heal the racial divide and unrest that dark forces have planned to split apart our country and bring violence to our cities. We must pray that God will give him wisdom for all the challenges that our country will be facing in the years ahead.

We have elected a Trump(et), have seen our warning eclipse and now we must listen and find our safety in the love and grace of our Lord Most High. He will never disappoint and will see us through.

And watch and be ready, for Jesus may return at any time.

And In The End Dear Skeptic

And in the end dear skeptic, what do you have?
I have a promise of a full life to come
an assurance no one can take
you have nothing
save in the memories of those who will also one day pass

I have seen beyond the veil and looked at my High Priest
you think you have no high priest
and worship no one else
but deception reigns
for you serve one who fell because of his pride

Faith has cost me everything
for I have willingly surrendered all
my rights, my desires, my rebellion
my ability to make the rules
yet His bounty in return has far exceeded my loss

Being master of yourself will cost you everything
solely in return for the lusts of the mind and body
these will age as you do
the body and mind turn to dust
someone else will tell your tale

Each day I live in awe of my Master's work
the beauty and complexity of matter
the inspiration and sweet guidance of His Word
how He calms my stormy seas and hears my pleas
worship and obedience are a joy

You see the math but not the Math Maker
and thinking you are wise you believe lies
told by one who hates everything pure and holy
who gets you to blame the Most Pure and Holy
for all the ills cause by rebellion and sin

There are many gods and many paths
but in the fullness of time the true Father
sent us His only Son - Jesus
who lived, who shed His blood for the sins of all
who rose and now sits at the right hand of the Father

There are many gods and many paths
much tried and true wisdom abounds
yet all are man's efforts to make himself righteous
there is only One who died so that you may live
in the end dear skeptic, choose life

The Woman and The Dragon

This week on September 23, for the first time ever, will be an alignment with the constellation's Virgo and Draco which is talked about in Revelation 12. Here is a poem inspired by that.


The Woman and The Dragon


The Woman

Who is this woman
sun at her head
moon at her feet
crowned with twelve stars?

A King has been in her womb
after forty-one weeks she will give birth
to a male child who will rule the nations
with an iron rod.

The Dragon

Red and fierce waits the one
with seven heads and ten horns
and seven crowns upon his heads
for the woman to deliver so that he may devour.

His powerful tail
sweeps away
a third of the stars
casting them to earth.

The Woman

When she gives birth her child is caught up to the throne.
Angry, the dragon sends out a flood to destroy her.
The wings of an eagle carry her away to a wilderness
where the ground opens up to swallow the waters.

The Dragon

The woman's protector engages the dragon and his forces in war.
Weak and no longer having a place the dragon is thrown down.
He becomes enraged and goes off
to make war with the rest of her children.

A voice cries from above:

Rejoice heavens, for the one who accuses
day and night has been thrown down.

Woe to you earth, for the dragon knows
his time is short.

Knowing God

It was all a mystery
too big to comprehend
too vast in the smallness
and in the invisibility of it all
how could I stake a claim

For many nights I lay awake
trying to understand the smoke and mirrors
Death, or more simply, fear of Death
the awareness of no more awareness
that was the common denominator
in all religions

OK, if that was it then that was it
I could live without all the fear trappings
do my best, live peaceably, don't rock the boat

But then one day I met her
full of life, full of faith, and best yet
she laughed at all my crazy jokes
but her family had this strange belief
that when they prayed about something
they actually expected to be heard

But I could not claim something out of nothing
believe what I could not grasp
walk on choppy waters

It started with a thought
logic presented this argument
If there was a God, what ever that meant
and If that God was in the vastness and the smallness
and If that God in some way created, or designed or knew me
then it only followed that this God must have a will for me
and that life would work out much better
if I knew what that will was

Thus I challenged the confounding emptiness
reveal yourself and I will follow
I waited and got what I expected - NOTHING

And yet - in the next few months - my world shook
He began to speak to me though testimonies of divine power
each time I had a question it was answered in the strangest way
the word began to speak and the depth of joy began to pull
and I could see the path but knew not how to walk it

Again I challenged
reveal yourself and I will follow
I waited, this time full of hope
then sighed a deep sigh at the nothingness

At this point friend, He took me by the hand
which opened His word, which spoke to the deepest part
showing the soft gate to the endless trail

Now, on my knees, I confessed all my rebellion
and promised allegiance to the still invisible something
and asked that He would renew my heart
fill me with the power of His Spirit
and be the Lord of my life

As I began to yield my tongue to a new language
His presence filled me to the deepest part
and I knew, for the first time, so sure
I could never doubt or question the reality
that God, in all His unsearchable majesty
knows me, loves me, and is worthy of my praise

Nineteen seventy-two has long passed
His presence remains and my greatest joy
is found in being lost in worshiping the One
who has proven faithful at every corner
through the joys of life and the despairs of death
who still holds my hand and gently leads me on