This morning we are finishing our 24-hour prayer initiative at New Hope. Pastor Adam has done a great job utilizing various people to lead the worship and prayer time. It has been very encouraging to Anita and I to see so many people responding to such a challenge. I believe we will see some real breakthroughs in the spirit world because of this prayer initiative. Thank you for responding.

I really believe that God does absolutely nothing except in response to our prayers. He is counting on us interceding for the lost and needy. We literally are Christ’s body, His hands and His feet. We mustn’t take that for granted. Our actions are what makes a difference in this world.

Today is the first day of Spring, which reminds me, in 1609 the British were fighting the French for control of the St. Lawrence River. British Admiral Phipps was ordered to take his eleven ships and anchor outside Quebec. He was to wait for the land forces before launching a joint attack on the city.

Arriving early, Phipps was annoyed by the statues of saints that adorned the roof of the Catholic cathedral. So he spent the next few days shooting the statues off the roof. Days later, when the land forces arrived, he was out of cannonballs. He had used up his ammunition shooting at the Saints.

When was the last time you witnessed a Christian wasting his/her spiritual energy taking pot shots at another Christian?

Tags: Christian, church

We have been so blessed by all the support we’ve had in the cleanup at our house following our flood. We were able to employ a couple unemployed guys to remove the carpet and pad, then several friends came out to help Anita get things moved into the center of the rooms. Although I took a day off work and worked until midnight several days, the weekend required me to give attention to preparing my sermon and several meetings and classes I was in, I hated to leave all the work to Anita alone. This help was timely and amazing. The next morning the drywaller was there to cut away drywall.

Then today a group of 14 High School boys from Lakewood Park Christian School spent some time loading debris into a dumpster, removing picture hangers and wall plates, prying nails from the trim, and prying up the carpet strips nailed to the concrete. Its amazing how much work 14 teenagers bristling with testosterone can get done in an hour. And Anita and I are so very thankful for the help, because I have to keep on schedule at the church.

This is the body of Christ in action. Thanks to all who helped and are praying for us. We appreciate you.

By the way, details for Lillian Mitchells’s 90th Birthday Celebration: Saturday, March 21, from 2-5 PM at BridgeWay Activity Center, 130 Lincoln St., Kendallville, IN.

Did you hear the story of the man who was shipwrecked on a deserted island? When a passerby saw his fire and stopped to rescue him, he saw he had built three huts. The rescuerasked, “I have to inquire, what are the three huts?”

The shipwrecked man replied, “Well, this hut is my home. That’s where I live.”

“And the second hut?”

‘That’s my church. That’s where I worship.”

“And the third hut?”

“That’s my previous church. There were things I didn’t like there.”

At least he went to a new church after he left the first one. What’s the most lame excuse you’ve ever heard for someone leaving their church?

Tags: church, Excuses

Another of my heroes of the faith is St. Patrick. Today is St. Patrick’s Day and I always try to wear green. Although I have Irish ancestry (my ancestors had such Irish names as Carnahan, Gillespie, McNabb, Hobson, and Mackey), St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. Patrick was taken prisoner as a child by raiding Irish pirates from his English home. Sold into slavery, he had a hard life. He prayed and told God that if He would deliver him, he would serve Him the rest of his life. He then found an opportunity to stowaway on a departing ship. The ship was destined for France, and Patrick arrived safe, and immediately entered a monastery to become a priest, keeping his word to God.

Patrick was not the best student, and when the pope sent out a plea for missionaries to go to rugged Ireland, Patrick immediately sensed God was leading him to go back. But the religious leaders were convinced that Patrick’s grades were not good enough for him to carry out such an endeavor and denied him. However, when none of the other priests volunteered to go, they reluctantly approved Patrick as the candidate. The rest is history.

Patrick becomes a hero because he went back to those who had put him in bondage and offered them grace. Isn’t that exactly what Christ did for us? No one had a passion for the wild Irish like he who had been there. Wear green today in honor of St. Patrick.

Tags: grace, hero, missionary, St. Patrick

During a recent ecumenical gathering a secretary rushed in shouting, “The building is on fire!”

The Methodists gathered in the corner and prayed for the situation.

The Baptists cried, “Where’s the water?”

The Quakers quietly praised God for the blessing that fire brings.

The Lutherans nailed a notice on the door declaring that fire is evil.

The Jews fastened sumbols on the entryway hoping the fire would pass over.

The Congregationalists shouted, “Its everybody for themselves!”

The Fundamentalists proclaimed, “Its the vengeance of God!”

The Christian Scientists concluded that there was not a fire after all.

The Presbyterians appointed a chairperson who was to appoint a committee to look into the matter and make a written report to the Session.

The Episcopalians formed a procession and marched out.

The Roman Catholics found no precedence in Canon Law for spraying water in a consecrated worship space, so ignored the flames.

And the secretary grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire.

Tags: church, denomination, humor