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You can't preach there!

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I've traveled and preached now, full-time, for over 7 years. There are some parts of traveling ministry that are soul-energizing and very encouraging. Other aspects can be challenging to witness, much less talk about publicly - this is one of those, but I would like to share it with you. There exist a handful of preachers throughout Pentecost who believe in revival, baptize souls in Jesus name, teach consecration, disciple new converts ... and hate their brothers. I suppose this shouldn't surprise us - we're all imperfect sons and daughters of God, being perfected by The Only One who *is* perfect! I'm not shocked that there are ministers who have a few rough corners that God is still in the process of smoothing. The strange part begins when an evangelist is scheduled by such a minister to come and preach a revival. Traveling ministers do not typically jump into local disputes among ministry - in fact, I strongly advise any traveling minister NOT to begin monologuing abo

A tale of 2 saints

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Once upon a time,  there were 2 Apostolic Pentecostal people. They were faithful members of a church. The 1st saint had many problems in their life, but they were honest about them. If one were to ask, they would admit readily that they relied upon the grace and mercy of God. Also, this 1st church member strongly desired God's guidance and repair in their personal situations. Translation : they needed their pastor's help a good amount, as well as the prayers and advice of other ministers in their home church. The 2nd saint was in many ways very similar to the 1st: they also had many problems in their life. However, there was 1 key difference - they  hid them! This 2nd saint kept all of their issues and needs buried and refused to ask for help. To repeat, this 2nd person had just as many issues, they just wouldn't ask for prayer or seek their pastor's counsel. Which saint was right? The answer is obvious: the 1st saint - the one who asked for help. One doesn't have

Let's talk about Dinah

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Years ago, I decided to read through the Book of Genesis: it was the first Bible book that I read start-to-finish. About two-thirds of the way through, I encountered a story that, in my teenage life (at that time), I had positively never heard preached or taught. It was shocking, and not a kids' story at all - and that's an understatement. This story's main figure was DINAH, the only daughter of Jacob the patriarch that is mentioned in the scriptures. For those unfamiliar with her story, I encourage you to stop reading this post, pick up your nearest Bible and read Genesis chapter 34 (or, click here to read Genesis 34 in the KJV ). I could discuss the many surprising matters that occur, but let me focus in specifically on the central character in consideration: Dinah, herself. NOT a sinner That's the first bit we have to be clear on. At no point is she pictured as a sinful or wayward girl. To me, this is the perplexing part. By all measures, she was a good daughter, an

The Day that God made Bigfoot

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Once upon a time ... I was seeking God, and praying for a miracle in a certain circumstance. The thing about deep personal prayers is that we pray many of them for so long, that we're surprised when God actually responds in the affirmative. In prayer, I felt God impress me that He would bring a miracle, answering my prayer. At first I was happy. But then, to be very honest, I was a little perplexed. After praying on this matter for a while, I wasn't actually ready for a "yes" from God: I wonder if there are seasons where God actually wants to tell us "yes", but we're wrapped up in our questions and unprepared for God's answers? I responded to The Lord as I always wish to - I thanked Him and offered praise for this, but then I went back into prayer. I needed some kind of reassurance. I prayed, "God, I believe you. But THIS prayer being answered would be like me finding Bigfoot. I need confirmation to make sure I got this right." Note : NEVER

"It's Not a Heaven-or-Hell Issue"

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"It's not a Heaven-Hell issue ..." Abraham : "I know that God told me to leave my extended family and not take them with me , but I can bring Lot. It's okay. It's not a Heaven-or-Hell issue." Lot's wife : " the angel asked us not to look back at Sodom , but I'm going to ignore that commandment. It's not part of the salvation plan: it's not a Heaven-or-Hell issue anyway." Aaron & Miriam : " we can murmur against Moses . I know he's the man of God, but he's our little brother and we disagreed all the time growing up. I can't imagine there'll be repercussions: it's not a matter of Heaven-or-Hell." The 10 spies : " we don't have to cross over into the promised land here and right now . We're safe, and we're free. Anyway, Moses is just a man, and this is not a Heaven-or-Hell issue." Moses : " God told me to speak to the rock and not strike the rock , but I'm going to do

2 License Applications

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2 men were applying for ministerial license. They arrived to meet the ministerial board with applications in hand, ready to answer some questions and get started with their publicly-accepted callings. I'll call the first man "Brother Rivers" . He was quiet. His application was full of surprises . First off, he had backslid early in life, and only recently had he returned. This was not the biggest issue - many men find repentance and good full ministries after such things. The larger issue was what he did right before all of this.  You see, Brother Rivers had a criminal record ; he was guilty of a very serious offense that would've carried a long sentence. Worse still - he ran from the authorities trying to bring him to justice. Even worse - it WORKED! He successfully avoided consequences to his criminal actions for decades of his life. He hid from justice, and now should the board license him? This was going to be a tough meeting. As for the second license applicant,

Wounded by a Previous Storm

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A few years ago, I was at a friend’s house in Clawson, Michigan. He was hosting a fellowship party there after a Friday night youth meeting. As we stood talking in his backyard that evening, he pointed to a tree. "See that broken branch there?" I looked, and high up on the tree, a branch was broken off. You could see the jagged bark and wood where something had torn away. He said, "that branch fell one night this winter and knocked out the power to my house." I asked what made it fall. "That's the interesting part. There was no storm that night. Nothing we could see the night it fell. We think a storm a few weeks prior must have compromised it." I posed to him: "so a storm from weeks prior – wind, lightning, and elements had done something to that branch?" He replied, "yes. It held up for several weeks, but eventually it fell." No current storm had made that branch to fall: it was wounded by a previous storm . For a time, it endured