Nope, can't be done!

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NLT)

My daughter Kelley is an example of the impossible. She wasn't supposed to walk, she would never live on her own. With God all things are possible. I know we have all heard stories of miracles. Some give God the glory, others call them miracles of man, technology, science, or just plain old luck. I know better. I've seen Gods miracles in my life. Healing, Jobs, finances, relationships, ministry, and countless areas of my life have seen truly God breathed miracles. So why am I so down about the struggles and divisiveness of our planet. I should be ready and expecting a miracle.

God can cure our ills! He can bring all races together, he can defeat poverty, he can defeat loneliness, he can cure cancer, he can heal political divide, he can restore peace. He can and will do these things. 

Do we believe when we pray for these miracles? Do we really think they will happen? Who's fault is it if they don't? Where is your faith?

My loving Heavenly Father is waiting to perform miracles for those with the faith of a mustard seed. He is waiting to astonish the world! Why don't you pray tonight? Pray for a miracle? Believe in the miracle? Plan for the miracle! Be amazed by the miracle!

With God EVERYTHING is possible!

Why am I shocked?

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? (Acts 3:12 NIV)

I have seen the power of God time and time again. It seems I always have the same response, AMAZEMENT! Why am I so surprised! Is my faith really that weak?

A couple weekends ago, we traveled with my CMA family to southern Indiana. We road the best of the best motorcycle roads in Indiana. The trip was full of twisties, sharp turns, acceleration, and leaning heavy on the two tire sidewalls. One of our group recognized low air pressure in one of his tires. We stopped near the end of our day and added some air. About 20 miles later, at our dinner location, we pulled in and he said he could hardly drive his Goldwing. We looked at the rear tire. It was nearly shredded to nothing. Threads and cords were fully exposed. The tire was about to blow!

Our CMA brother was protected. We were all amazed. God showed his power and strength! To think of all that could have been, to think of the potential tragedy, placed all of us in awe!  Many people would say we were lucky. I say we were protected by the God of the Universe. I was amazed.

Why am I so shocked at the power of my God? We ask, we pray, we plead. Why are we surprised when he reveals himself in miraculous fashion?

My God is amazing! I praise you Lord for your hand in my life. I ask your forgiveness when I doubt you. I am humbled that you would choose me for a miracle. I am so excited that you can love me so much and use your power to protect me. Praise God for his miraculous ways!

The Spectacular!

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, (John 11:6 NIV)

Do you remember Willy Wonka? Every kid in that chocolate factory wanted their own way and they wanted it now! It sounds a lot like our prayers. We use all the right words. We have the best intentions. But, when it comes to prayer we want answers NOW and the answers better be yes! But, my loving Heavenly Father knows best. Sometimes he waits so his glory will be even MORE spectacular. Such is this situation with Lazarus. He didn't just want to heal someone, he wanted to raise them from the dead. 

My God is amazing. His love for us is just as amazing as the miracles he performs. We don't always know what he is up to, but we can be sure his love will shine through that plan. Praise and glory to the God who has brought me through this wonderful life. I have seen his glory. I have seen his grace and I have seen his mercy. Thank you Lord for going beyond the mundane to perform the spectacular for your people!

Miracles

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51 NIV)

The miracle of food, literally, coming down from Heaven every day is nothing short of spectacular. God chose this method to feed his people when they wandered the desert. I love that my God likes the spectacular. He will go to great lengths to show his existence and availability. Some people say he doesn't do that anymore. They say he doesn't show himself in spectacular ways. I completely disagree. Is it any less spectacular his healing cancer, saving lives, or healing relationships? I personally have experienced his REAL presence in my life. I do not need mana from Heaven to feel his presence.

The greatest miracle is the fact that God sent his son to live with us, teach us, lead us, and then chose to sacrifice him on the cross for our sins. We overlook this miracle all the time. We look past the truth that the creator of the universe cares about us, loves us, wants to be with us and sent his spirit to walk with us everyday. We overlook the miracle of life, the consistency of the rising and setting sun. Life in itself is a miracle. He provides us so much more than mana. He gives us eternal life. I would have loved to been there to witness the mana. But I wouldn't exchange that miracle for my own. Thank you Lord for your great love and the miracle you perform every day.

POWER

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know ...... his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, (Ephesians 1:18-20 NIV)

We have such a puny view of power. We view our President as having great power. Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet yield power in the form of money. The power of man is so short sided, limited to trivial acts. None can compare to the power of God. None of these men, have, or ever will, defy the laws of nature. They can't walk on water, change water to wine or bring the dead to life. They will never rise from the dead. My God has done all those things. His power is beyond all I can imagine. I know of a Gods power because the Bible tells me so. I also know of that power because he has used it for me. He has raised his powerful right hand to help me throughout the struggles of my life. He has performed miraculous signs on me just as powerful as he did in the bible. A loving, healthy family, meaningful work, Deep friendships, a great home, financial security, and an all around joyful life, are all examples of his handiwork. If you think those things are not miracles, read the local newspaper or watch a national news program. Try as they might, the power brokers of our country want to take care of me. They don't even need to try. I have a God with infinite power watching over me.

Look at what God has done!

Psalm 105

 1 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
   make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
   tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
   seek his face always.
 5 Remember the wonders he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
   his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the LORD our God;
   his judgments are in all the earth.

I had a chance a couple of weekends ago to present a devotion to a secular motorcycle rally. These people weren't your regular church-goers. Yet, they still attended. They didn't have to come. But, because we came to the rally, I think they felt obligated. I was able to share a little about what God has done  in my life. I am reminded constantly of the wonders God has done in my life. If I could share those miracles every day, I would.

I have found there is nothing more valuable, when witnessing to someone, than your own personal experiences with God. I used to think I really had nothing to share. But, I realized that God has worked in some amazing ways in my life. I'm not sure exactly when I realized it but God has performed miracle after miracle in my 51 years of life. When you finally get to the point when you realize God's presence in your life, you need to share it with everyone. God is directly involved in your life. God is always with you. You just need to recognize it.

Lord, I praise you and praise your name for the blessings and miracles you have performed in my life. From my birth into a great family who loves you, to my adolescence, to finding my wonderful wife, the gift of 3 great daughters and now 2 son-in-laws, to great careers and jobs across the country, all of these things are wonderful gifts from you. Thank You Lord for thinking about me and guiding me through life. Amen!

Scared to Death!

Revelation 11 (The Message)

 ^7-10"When they've completed their witness, the Beast from the Abyss will emerge and fight them, conquer and kill them, leaving their corpses exposed on the street of the Great City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, the same City where their Master was crucified. For three and a half days they'll be there—exposed, prevented from getting a decent burial, stared at by the curious from all over the world. Those people will cheer at the spectacle, shouting 'Good riddance!' and calling for a celebration, for these two prophets pricked the conscience of all the people on earth, made it impossible for them to enjoy their sins.¹¹"Then, after three and a half days, the Living Spirit of God will enter them—they're on their feet!—and all those gloating spectators will be scared to death."^12-13I heard a strong voice out of Heaven calling, "Come up here!" and up they went to Heaven, wrapped in a cloud, their enemies watching it all. At that moment there was a gigantic earthquake—a tenth of the city fell to ruin, seven thousand perished in the earthquake, the rest frightened to the core of their being, frightened into giving honor to the God-of-Heaven.

Have you ever been really scared?  Stephanie Loves Harrison Ford. So, one time we went to the movies to watch "What Lies Beneath". That was a scary movie. Steph and I don't go to scary movies. This was the exception. We loved the movie, but we were scared to death! I'm sure their are scarier movies out there. We just don't go to watch them. I remember when my daughter McKenzie was in Junior high and she went over to a friends house. They started watching "Children of the Corn". She told her friends that she was feeling sick and she called us to come and get her. When we picked her up, she told us that the movie really scared her and she couldn't watch it. This may seem silly. But, at the time, we lived in the middle of a corn field out in the middle of nowhere. I was scared coming into the house from the drive way! The house was old and creepy. I completely understood why she wanted to come home and NOT watch the movie. 

Sometimes I think the Book of Revelation was written to scare us to death. The end of the world as we know it is pretty scary. The suffering, destruction, and death that will occur is scary. I can just picture this huge Football Stadium type crowd cheering at the destruction of the two witnesses, "Gloating" over their destruction. Then after 3 1/2 days they and their rotting corpses get up and are filled with the Holy Spirit! That would scare you to death. The point is to frighten them to their core and turn them to God. 

Sometimes it takes a scary moment, a close call, or a miraculous event to turn us toward God. We are so stubborn and blind to his power. Sometimes we need the shock value of a Scary Event to open our eyes! So if you don't like being scared to death, save yourself some needless fear. Just come to Jesus right now! Don't wait! You won't ever have to "Fear" again!

Dear Lord, I know I have nothing to fear with you in my heart. The only thing in life that is truly scary is a life without you. Thank You Lord for conquering fear and death. Thank You for caring for us and comforting us in our time of fear. We love you and Praise Your Name. Amen!

Macho-Macho Man..............NOT!

Revelation 5 (The Message)

 ^4-5I wept and wept and wept that no one was found able to open the scroll, able to read it. One of the Elders said, "Don't weep. Look—the Lion from Tribe Judah, the Root of David's Tree, has conquered. He can open the scroll, can rip through the seven seals."


Do you remember the Village People? We still play YMCA at basketball games.  It is definitely a crowd participation song. They did another song, "Macho Man". This is a really weird song. What is truly ironic about this song was WHO was singing the song. I would have to say, these guys did not look very macho. I might even say they were the opposite of macho.

Well, I might be slightly more macho than these guys. But there are times when I don't feel very macho.  I am an emotional guy. This is never more true than when I'm touch by God. When I am touched by God it is so easy to Tear-Up and get very emotional.  When I see God's power displayed in someone's life or when I feel the presence of God, I can't hold back the emotions. I feel like a big baby. I don't care.
There are so many critiques of God, people who believe in coincidence more than they believe in the power of God. So many people believe in the knowledge of a doctor, or medicine for their miracle cure. People believe in the power of a therapist or a counselor to put their marriage back together or heal them emotionally. Well, I can tell you from personal experience, the power of God is greater than all of these. I get emotional when I see or witness the direct affect of the power of God. Yep, I am brought to tears just like a baby.  God has gifted man to do so many things. Yet, we are still limited. God has no limits. God can heal any physical or emotional problem. God is amazing and when his power is  unleashed, we should all be amazed and drop to the ground in worship of him.  I don't care if it's not macho. I don't care if people think I'm a baby. The power of God revealed in my life brings me to the knowledge that I AM a big baby.

Dear Lord, I am so amazed at your power and strength. I know I'm not worthy of any miracle you have done in my life. Yet, you, again and again, have brought those miracles to me. I am in awe of you. I worship you and Praise you! Thank You Lord! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

We are not Great.........God is Great!

Revelation 3 (The Message)

⁷Write this to Philadelphia, to the Angel of the church. The Holy, the True—David's key in his hand, opening doors no one can lock, locking doors no one can open—speaks:⁸"I see what you've done. Now see what I've done. I've opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don't have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn't deny me when times were rough.

 I belong to a great church. County Line Church of God in Auburn, Indiana. This church has a rich history and continues to grow like it has over the years. When my grandparents visited our area they attended this church while my family attended a church in Fort Wayne. I remember them talking about loving this little country church. Many years have gone by since Grandma and Grandpa Lewis visited CLCG. It is so ironic that Stephanie and I attend this church now.

  Yesterday, Stephanie and I had a unique opportunity to speak about how God has worked in our lives and the life of our Daughter Kelley. In short, Kelley was born with Spina Bifida. 5 months before her birth, we were counselled to abort the pregnancy. Because of our upbringing, we couldn't even consider it. Well, when Kelley was born she was not supposed to ever be able to walk, sit, crawl, or lead a meaningful life of any consequence. They said she would probably be institutionalized. Now, 25 years later, Kelley is completely self sufficient, she walks, drives an adapted car, graduated from high school and is a complete miracle of God. She has endured 13 operations and God has brought her through each one in a very real and miraculous way.
The service yesterday was very powerful and had a profound affect on, not only Stephanie and I, but also many others. Amazingly, it also happened to be that Kelley decided to come home this week (she lives on her own in North Carolina and hadn't been able to visit in nearly a year). She was here visiting and attended church with us yesterday. It was just amazing to have her here when we were sharing about how God has worked in her life.
The reason I am sharing this with you, God opened this door for us to share our story. He put everything in place for us to be at our church. He had set everything in motion years ago when my Grandparents were visiting CLCG. He opened the door in a very powerful way and no one could close it. He prompted Stephanie to respond to the previous sermon. He touched Pastor Stuart with Stephanie's story. Everything was orchestrated by him. He used us from the very beginning with the purpose of being able to share with others.
I am so thankful to be used by God. I am awed that he thinks we are worthy to be used. Stephanie and I have done nothing of real consequence in our lives. But, God has taken our average lives and made them more than special. We are just examples of how God can work through weak and inadequate people to do a great work. We are not great but God is!