Man, oh man... does my brain HURT!!!
But what's better still, and I do not want anyone to miss this point, my heart hurts, too. And that, dear friends and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, is the truth!
Today was filled with truths, from a finalization on a lecture about Faith from our local saint, who, while hoarse and ill and seemingly too far behind in his presentation to be able to finish, managed to stand firm, speak clear, and use the time allotted to complete the packet; all by the grace of God! And, also by the grace of God, we were all blessed to see the Lord working through this man, as we always are. Thank you, dear friend and teacher, for sharing what the Lord laid on your heart!
So then I went to a class given by one of our Associate Pastors, designed around going the second mile as a disciple. Please note, it's not the extra mile, but the second mile. I learned about what the first required mile was from a historical and legal stance, and then learned that the first mile was a requirement... and that it still exists today! There are so many who are walking that first mile out of nothing but obligation, and are moaning and groaning the entire time. And I can speak on this, because for two years I have been one of them! I have served in Pre-School Ministry for two years, always saying that I didn't want to be there. The second miler, though, chooses to keep going. CHOOSES!!! With all the testimony of the Roman soldiers that we have to rely upon, isn't it possible that there is something to the choice to continue? No one ever promised it would be easy. In fact, the loud booming of "take up your cross" seems to tell me that it will, in fact, NOT BE EASY. But if we choose, with joy and a servant mindset, then God will bring us through anything we encounter!
And then another breakout speaker for the afternoon who spoke about the necessity for deep personal cleansing. There is a litany of scripture attached to this concept, but let me just summarize with the statement that we cannot see the manifest power of God until we are ready for it, inside and out! And, if we don't pray correctly, then we will not be ready.
Which leads us to the highlight of the evening, our final keynote speaker, who talked about... you guessed it... PRAYER! In discussing the Sermon on the Mount, he brought up several now-familiar points. Prayer is work; prayer is not easy; right-minded prayer will avail much; wrong-minded prayer will avail little; prayer increases faith; God must be the center! My wife and I both were moved to tears as this Pastor stood and shouted at us that the only way to have an effective prayer life and be able to know that you have been heard is to pray properly. And he is absolutely correct.
This conference, like last year, has been a blessing and a joy to all who attended. In the spirit of the conference, I ask, as always, that you pray with your spouse tonight. But instead of praying about what you need, why not take a crack at praying to God for what His will is in your life? The main theme has been prayer, but the underlying theme has most definitely been surrender... so live out that classic hymn, and proudly proclaim, "I SURRENDER ALL!"
God bless you all!!!
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