Pastor's Notes

"1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. 2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. 3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. 4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. 5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. 6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. 7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee." (Song of Songs 4:1-7)

When you read these verses, the same attractiveness that the Shulamite Bride had and that appealed to her husband, is the same attractiveness that appeals to Christ with regards to His church…the Bride!

There are seven particular descriptions that King Solomon gave concerning his bride and they give a perfect characterization of what the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, are to represent.

Consider first, the word "behold."

To "behold" anything requires fixing the eye on the object. There must be a continued looking.

In these passages the bridegroom is desiring to attract the Bride's attention from her self-consciousness because of being 'sun-tanned" and having the stigma stamped on her by the angry "mother's children." In the first chapter of Song of Solomon we're told the young Shulamite girl had to work long hard hours in the sun and she wasn't able to take care of her skin like other young women did of her day, and the sun had tanned her skin. Fair skin was considered a mark of extreme beauty and attractiveness in this particular culture of the Shulamite's day. She wasn't able to use the oils and cosmetic means that the wealthy women of her day had and as a result, her self-confidence was low regarding her appearance. King Solomon sought to draw her thoughts away from the negative to the positive.

Two times, King Solomon writes, "thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair." In the Bible, when a statement is repeated, it is done for emphasis.

The importance of this is to draw our attention to the reality and significance of the Bride.

The church, as the Bride of Christ, we may not be important in the world's and the flesh's standard, but in the eyes of Jesus Christ, His church is very attractive and beautiful to Him.

What was it that made the bride attractive?

Seven descriptions of King Solomon's bride reveal her outward appearance. In comparison of spiritual means, they speak of the characteristics and descriptions the Bride of Christ are to have.

The features praised and applied to the description of the Bride of Christ, serve only to reflect the image and likeness of the groom, in this case, Jesus Christ!

"Thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks." (vs. 1) The eyes of a dove are considered to be the symbol of innocence or purity.

Matthew 6:22 reads, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light."

When the eyes of an individual are normal. Both are directed toward a given object at the same time, which means the eye is "single." This is normal in that the eyes see one object.

Please do not mistake the following comparison as demeaning or making light of any persons physical handicap/condition, but only for the sake of illustration I want to prove a point.

If the eye is crossed, it sees double, which is two objects or the same object in two different places.

Astigmatism, is when the eyes are blurred.

Nearsightedness is being unable to see distant objects clearly.

Farsightedness is the vision is better at seeing objects at a distance.

Colorblind is being unable to distinguish between certain colors.

As Christians, our life is to resemble a "single eye." Not one blurred, or any other malady, but one that is focused on Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12:2 admonishes us to "Look unto Jesus…."

"Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead." (vs. 1) As stated in a previous blog, (The Attractiveness of the Bride!) King Solomon compared the hair of his bride to the flock of goats feeding along the mountain side of Mt. Gilead. They would be in lines like wavy hair.

As well, the hair of the goats was often silk, black and shiny.

When David had to flee from King Saul, David's wife, Michael, deceived the King's men into thinking that David was lying in bed by using as a pillow of "goats hair," to somehow disguise it as David.

The hair in the Old Testament was a symbol of power.

Samson's power rested in the Nazarite vow of not cutting or shaving his head.

The hair of the Nazarite was a symbol of his relationship with God as well as the symbol of power.

If there is any one thing we as Christian men and women need in the culture challenging our faith to today is "power/courage."

Acts 1:8 Jesus told us that we would "receive power," after that the Holy Spirit came upon us. This power would be courage. Courage to face the onslaught of the perilous days we are living in and courage to deal with the issues we are facing as no generation previously has.

"Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing." (vs. 2)

The analogy was used of the brides teeth being evenly like the teeth of sheep after they had been "shorn" or "cut" and washed.

This "even shorn" speaks of "integrity."

This "even shorn" speak of "no hypocrisy."

We need to be the same at all times.

We must be the same in public as we are in private.

James 1:8 reads, "A double minded m an is unstable in all his ways."

James 4:8, tells us, "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

"Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and they speech is comely." (vs. 3)

Scarlet is the crimson color that is deep red, shading towards purple.

Crimson is the symbol of redemption.

It was a "scarlet thread" that Rahab used for her protection at the destruction of Jericho.

Colossians 4:6 reads, "Let your speech be always with grace." We are to offer words of redemption.

Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

There is nothing more shameful and disgraceful that a filthy mouthed bride!

Romans 3:13, describes our old nature, that old life-style before we were born again, "Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips."

Psalms 140:3 describes the lips of the evil as being like "adders poison under their lips."

Yet, as the Bride of Christ, we are to use our mouth to declare the great things of God.

Psalms 63:5 reads, "my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips."

Psalms 107:2 reads, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the enemy."

"They temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks." (vs. 3)

The cheeks of King Solomon's bride were red looking under the veil.

This "red" reflects the blood of Jesus.

What makes the Bride of Christ attractive is that we are "covered and washed in the precious blood of Jesus." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Revelation 1:5 declares, "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."

"Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury." (vs. 4)

Just as the tower of David was decorated with the shields and armour of warriors, theses stood for the victories achieved.

In the Bible, the neck can be "stiff" (Acts 7:51) meaning rebellious or the neck can be "stretched forth" meaning arrogant or prideful (Isaiah 3:16). However, Isaiah 52:2 gives us the example of the "neck of the bride of Christ." "Shake thyself from the dust, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck…" The "neck" resembles "victory and freedom."

"Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies." (vs. 5)

To the marriage bed, the breasts were a symbol of pleasure.

Yet, we know that it is the breasts of the mother that gives nourishment to the baby.

It's interesting to me how that God described Himself to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 as the "Almighty God." The Hebrew word for "almighty" is "shaddai." It means "breasted one." God said that He is the El (God) Shaddai (all breasted One.) What God was meaning by this name is that He can supply our needs and give us nourishment in our spirit and provide for our needs in the material world too.

So as the breasts give nourishment…and God describes Himself as the One who give nourishment to those who put their trust in Him, shouldn't the Bride of Christ resemble and reflect such characteristics? The Bride of Christ is to be "givers of life." Offer the hope we've found in our relationship with Jesus Christ!

The systems of this world can only give temporary hope; government can only give hope with regards to their political agendas; special interests groups give hope only by what profits them.

Yet, the Bride of Christ has the message of HOPE for now and especially eternity. Shouldn't we offer it with courage and clarity?

There is hope in Christ that YOUR past can be forgiven in Jesus and though you can't go back and start over, you can from this point today, have a brand new ending!

There is hope in Christ, that YOUR present and future can be better than and different from your past by having a relationship with Jesus Christ!

The Bride must give nourishment to the perishing….it's the message of HOPE in the eye of uncertainty. Hope in a risen Christ who sets on the throne in Heaven to ever lives to make intercession for those who come unto God by Christ Jesus!" (Hebrews 7:25)

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

As you read the following Scriptures, please keep in mind that King Solomon is marrying a young lady from the country. What he says about her, is a reference to what she is accustomed to seeing. He uses analogies or illustrations that she is familiar with as a country girl in order to express his thoughts.

As well, it's important to understand the setting; this is King Solomon and his bride on their wedding night. This is their time together, this is their special moment of consummating a marriage that is pure and holy before God. No immorality has been in this relationship only true and pure love.

Yet, let me hasten to add, the story you are to read in Song of Solomon 4:1-7 is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: (the word "locks" is a word used for hair. Yet, it could also refer to the veil that the bride wore on her wedding day. He could see her eyes through the veil she was wearing.) thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. (King Solomon compared her hair to the scene that was often witnessed in their day of the flock of goats that fed on Mount Gilead. The feeding of these goats on the side of the mountain, where the pasture was abundant, the animals were very healthy. When looking at this sight from a distance, while they were feeding against the sunrise or sunset, made for a very beautiful picture. This is why King Solomon compared the hair of his bride to the scene of a herd of goats that fed as they walked along the side of Mt. Gilead. The feeding goats resembled wavy lines that to him looked like her hair that was black and undoubtedly wavy.)

2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; (He mentions that her teeth were as white as sheep, newly cut or trimmed and washed.) whereof every one bear twins, (by this statement he is referring to the upper and lower set of her teeth that they are the same; they are perfectly matched.) and none is barren among them. (not one of her teeth are missing.)

3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, (her lips are like a ribbon of scarlet.) and thy speech (or mouth) is comely: (or beautiful) thy temples (which is a reference to her cheeks on her face.) are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. (He compared her cheeks to a "piece" of a pomegranate. When the pomegranate is opened, inside is a row of seeds that look like crystals tinged with red. King Solomon compares her cheeks to them by saying, "behind your veil are hidden beautiful rosy cheeks.")

4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. (Your neck is more graceful that the tower of David, decorated with thousands of warriors' shields. What King Solomon is referring to was a custom where soldiers hung their shields on the towers belonging to the leaders of whom they pledged allegiance. In this case, his father, King David had a tower that was built where all the shields of the mighty men who had been conquered by him and his armies were hung. To King Solomon, the neck of his bride was more graceful than the tower his father had decorated with shields of his warriors.)

5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. (King Solomon compliments his bride's breasts has being perfect; to him he says, they are like twin deer feeding among lilies.)

6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. (Verse six is a compliment joined with verse five. Often "mountains and hills" were used as metaphors for women's breasts. He mentioned two types of perfumes: myrrh and frankincense. These were fragrant odors that were pleasing and pleasant. He says "I will hasten to those hills sprinkled with sweet perfume and stay there till sunrise." Like body spray, the perfume she applied was very attractive and pleasing to Solomon. He says he will lay enjoy the love of his bride unto the sun rises.)

7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. (in other words, he states, "you are so beautiful, my love, so perfect in in every way.)

As you read these verses, you may think, "I can't believe these verses are really inspired of the Holy Spirit!" But they are. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, "All scriptures is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Yet, to some, they may think that these verses are nothing more than the writings of a lust driven, perverted King. Be it far from that! These passages of Scriptures were recorded for us to know a healthy example of the actions of love that are to be expressed between a husband and wife.

Unfortunately, some of you who are reading this, have been sexually abused. You may resent such affection being shown to you because you've been taken advantaged of, wounded and bruised by the selfishness of someone else. The consequence is that you have a distorted view of what a healthy love relationship is to be like regarding the love between a husband and wife.

Please know….for you…there is healing!

The healing for you can start with surrendering your pain to Jesus and allowing Him to help you one moment at a time. He can heal you and help you to know the reality of a healthy relationship with a man or woman in marriage.

So please understand…this is not a story of a sex addictive, lust driven man who has disregard for women….this is the story of a man and woman who have fallen in love and remained pure and true to each other and have now come to their wedding night to consummate their marriage in a way God intended for love and sex to be experienced and expressed between a man and a woman.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

Song of Solomon 3:6-11, are verses where the Shulamite Bride is speaking here.

The Shulamite bride in her diary or her journal, about, a dream that she had concerning her and King Solomon.

All of this centers around the “wedding day” she and King Solomon will have. In her mind, she was looking with anticipation for that special day when she and King Solomon would be married.

6. Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness (who is this that is coming through the wilderness....) like pillars of smoke, (this was from the incense poles burning) perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? (special perfumes and fragrances were around this caravan.)

7. Behold (now we are going to be told who this is.) his bed, which is Solomon’s; (this was a canopied couch that Solomon was carried in. This “bed” or “couch” was a canopy with curtains draped over it. You’ve probably seen a movie on TV, that many years ago, before the invention of the automobile or even horse and carriage, when certain attendants of royalty in the eastern countries were traveling, they were carried on the shoulders of men in this covered canopy.) threescore valiant men (60 of King Solomon’s best and strongest) are about it, of the valiant of Israel. (they are the best warriors that King Solomon has. Notice what the Bible says they are skilled at:)

8.They all hold swords, (they are fighters or warriors) being expert in war: (they know how to fight and are very skilled at defense and as well as offensive attacks.) every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. (they are present to protect this royal wedding caravan while traveling at night from robbers, thieves and thugs.)

9. King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. (Now we are told what this “chariot” or “covered canvas” is made of. The first description is the wood of Lebanon, which has two main characteristics: this wood had a fragrance and was durable cedar.)

10. He made the pillars thereof of silver, (the pillars were the strong supporting columns for the veil or curtains.) the bottom thereof of gold, (the floor of this canopy was made of gold.) the covering of it of purple, (the covering veil was of fine twined linen, the color of purple.) the midst thereof (in the middle of this covered canopy, it was) being paved (the interior of this covered canopy was made) with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. (the women of Jerusalem, out of love, honor and respect for their King, gave and provided the material for the interior of this royal canopy because of their love for King Solomon.)

11.Go forth, 0 ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. (it was the custom of that day, that not only would a king wear the crown he was given the day of his coronation, but often the Kings’ mother would have a crown made for the wedding ceremony of which she would put on the King’s head to wear. Such was the joy of this occasion, many were glad at the wedding union of King Solomon and the Shulamite Bride.)

What it must have been to have seen; looking out the window of their home; standing in the yard and seeing columns of smoke mysteriously arise. There isn’t any fire in the forest, nor is there an invading army coming to the country side; but billows of smoke rise up from the burning of insence.

There is the fragrance of myrrh and frankincense made from all the scented powders of the merchant signal an invasion not of an approaching army, but one in love; King Solomon coming for his bride.

Inside this march of billowing pillars of smoke, is the royal canopy accompanied by sixty of the best that Israel has to offer in military protection for the King. Skilled warriors. They are present to protect the king while coming for his bride and returning with the King and his bride to Jerusalem.

Arriving in royal canopy, covered with special veils and curtain, Shulamith and her family had never seen anything like this before.

The article that would be used to transport the bride and groom to Jerusalem for their wedding was made of the wood of Lebanon; which the Shulamite bride would be accustomed to because it was wood from her native homeland where she lived in southern Lebanon.

The posts of this carriage was made of silver, the floor made of pure gold, with materials that gave distinction of royalty. The interior of this canopy was made by expression of love from the women of Jerusalem to honor their king.

In King Solomon’s eyes, nothing is to expensive to express his love for his bride.

The “daughters of Jerusalem” are called upon to go and behold the beauty of King Solomon as King in such a royal fashion; look at the crown his mother had made for him to wear for this joyous occasion; yet, in the air, in the atmosphere, there is joy that abounds because everyone is happy that the King is going to wed the bride of his heart.

When you look at this story, you may immediately say, there is nothing in these verses that pertain to me in the life that I live now.

Well, the reality is that there is much these verses that do apply you...especially if you are a born again the Spirit of God.

2 Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

The church is likened to a “bride.”

Understand that this bride, who is the church, the body of Christ is to be “a chaste virgin.” In other words, there is no courtship with the loves of this world/sin/flesh.

The appealing of sin may be there, but the courtship with such is not entertained because of who we are....the bride of Christ.

Consider some brief thoughts about this wedding procession, where various applications are significant to our journey of faith.

Preceding us, as the bride, is the pillars of smoke and the fragrance of frankincense and myrrh.

Incense/frankincense and myrrh are a type of prayer.

The bride traveled on a canopy made from the cedars of Lebanon.

This speaks of power. Cedar is a type of power. Which is the Holy Ghost.

Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

The bride will be directed and protected by the warnings of the 60 valiant men. This is a type of the five fold ministries of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets, and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers,”

The wedding party is carried on a canopy made of four pillars of silver. Silver is a symbol of redemption.

1 Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

The wedding party is carried on a canopy with a bottom made of gold.

Gold is a symbol of “glory.”

2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory 0f the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

We will be carried to this wedding on a canopy whose interior is filled with expression of love. The expressions of love are from the bride….What He’s done for us and in us. 1 John 4:19 reads, “We love him, because he first loved us.”

When we get to this wedding it’s going to be a joyous occasion. Song of Solomon 3:11 reads, “in the day of the gladness of his heart.” What a day that will be. The joy of the bride is the march…the joy of the groom is the celebration of the bride at the marriage supper. The march displays the beauty of the bride, the supper is where the groom revels in the beauty of His Bride.

Hallelujah…what a day when we, as the bride, are joined to our groom Christ Jesus.

I anticipate this day….we as the church mustn’t be carless or lazy for Jesus is coming for a church without “spot or wrinkle.”

Yes, I’m going to a wedding….and I’m the Bride….how about you!

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

To understand this blog, if necessary, please read the following blogs:

The Diary of the Shulamite!
A Passion For His Presence!
A Passion that Orders My Life!
A Passion that Testifies!
A Passion that Passes!

"It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me." Song of Solomon 3:4

Passion is rewarded by God!

In her dream she found the one she loved and longed for. She "held him and would not let him go."

How fitting does the love of the Shulamite Bride and the Shepherd parallel the love of a disciple and Christ. (Let me hasten to state that I understand fully and agree that this love story aptly fits and describes the love between a husband and wife; but it also can be applied to the relationship of Christ and His disciples.)

She held the one she longed for and looked for….this is passion at it's greatest!

Rewarded not with things but with what she longed for…HIM!

Hebrews 11:6 reads, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

This New Testament verse describes this Old Testament event of Song of Solomon 3:4. She "diligently sought" the one she loved.

Diligently means to effort that is steady, earnest and energetic.

In n our age of inconsistencies, how needed are men and women who have a passion for Christ with "diligence?"

Consider this:
Her diligence was motivated by love! "I found him whom my soul loveth…" This may very well explain why so many don't pursue a deeper walk with Christ. It not motivated by love. Your motivation does make a difference! As a pastor I've seen this as the determining factor to effective ministries and ministers as to what motivates them to do what they do. When we are serving Christ out of any other reason than "love for Him and to Him" what we do soon becomes a drudgery rather than a delight.

Her diligence was a choice! "It was but a little that I passed from them…" Her choice was to pass on by the distractions. How often are we guilty of letting people and circumstances distract us from our focus on Christ. It so easy to let obstacles cloud our view and distort our perspective. The choice must be made decisively, distinctively and with great diligence. You can't tarry or waist time in deliberating should I entertain person or divulge in this desire. Be deliberate and determined once you've made the choice to honor Christ!

Her diligence was rewarded! "I held him, and would not let him go…" She was rewarded with Him! So are we when we pursue a relationship with Christ. Christ doesn't reward in the American way….nor the Southern traditional way…that is giving of things…but He gives us Himself. John 14:21, "...he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."

Until my next blog confabulation…God bless!

"...she worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me." (Matthew 15:25)



"O mother, great is your faith, your request is granted." (Matthew 15:28)

This past Sunday night, April 26, I picked up in our study of Daniel 9 on the prayer of Daniel recorded for us in chapter nine, verses 3-19.

Over the previous weeks, I've ministered various thoughts regarding his prayer, that is powerful and personal in regards to his love for God and concern for his people the Jews.

Daniel chapter nine and verse 16 and 17 reads, “O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.”

The phrase "cause Thy face to shine upon…" is a request from Daniel to His God, for favor. How important is the desire to have God's favor on our lives!

To desire the favor of God, three needs are expressed:
(1) The need for acceptance;
(2) The need for approval;
(3) The need for attention.

In the three needs mentioned above, I gave the reasons why they are expressions of our need in regards to having the favor of God in our life.

Let me ask you this questions?

Whose attention is better to have? God’s or man’s!

Of course, God's. I want to have God's attention on my life.

This was Daniel’s plea in Daniel 9:17, “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and give me Your attention….”

Daniel knew that if he could have the “favor of God” that no matter what lay ahead, with God’s favor it would be bearable.

The “favor of God” would not only make circumstances “bearable” but the favor of God would make things “better.”

We studied the phrase, "cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.”

In this particular phrase, we're given the place Daniel sought for God's favor, the condition why he was seeking for God's favor and the reason why Daniel wanted God's favor.

Having God's favor may be experienced in the material blessings of life, but more than world of the seen, it's the deep settled peace of knowing His joy, peace and presence that it is an abiding anchor in my heart.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

The Amplified Bible reads, "IN THE night I dreamed that I sought the one whom I love. [She said] I looked for him but could not find him. So I decided to go out into the city, into the streets and broad ways [which are so confusing to a country girl], and seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I could not find him. The watchmen who go about the city found me, to whom I said, Have you seen him whom my soul loves? I had gone but a little way past them….." Song of Solomon 3:1-4

How often have we allowed people, places or things to deter us from deepening our relationship with Christ.

I often find myself allowing the demands of people in the issue of urgency to override the important matters in my life. To my own demise, I know, but it's none-the-less true. People, as sincere as they can be at times, yet, if we're not careful we will let "their" needs take the place of what is the most important in our life…our relationship with Jesus Christ.

There is "places," that can be a hindrances. Now read carefully what I'm about to write, it's not necessarily "places as locations" that I'm referring to, though these can be severe hindrances to our growth in the Lord, but there are the "experiences of life" we can term as "places in our journey of life." You might be at a place of fear, discouragement, doubt, unbelief, trial, sickness, etc. If we keep our eyes on the place rather than Jesus, it won't be long before we will find ourselves out of fellowship with Christ to the place our hearts have grown cold and indifferent to the things of God. It can happen quick and easy. John the Baptist had made the announcement of Jesus as the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world," but when he was arrested and put in prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if he was really the Messiah or was there was another he was to look for. You see, it so easy to let "the places" in our life deter us if we aren't vigilant in our walk with God.

Then there are "things" that can be a detriment to our relationship with Christ. In His parable of the seed and the sower (Mark 4), Jesus gave the example of one type of soil that represented the individual who had received the Word of God but because of "the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." How deceitful and damaging "things" can be. Things that rob us of our time and energy, not to mention money. Things that stress us, frustrate us, aggravate us, distract us!

The answer is found in the Shulamite's reaction to the watchmen, "she had gone past them…"

To keep from letting people, places and things distract us we need to "pass by them" by "looking unto Jesus." (Hebrews 12:1).

David penned, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." (Psalms 121:1-2).

Simon Peter begin to sink under the wind and waves when he took his eyes of Jesus. (Matthew 14:30).

We must pass by the people, places and things that seek to detour us by their comments, allurements, attractions and obstacles in our way.

Proverbs 4:25-27 gives us good instruction, "Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established {and} ordered aright. Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil." (Amplified Bible)

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

What a great move of the Spirit of God we had in our Worship Services. I picked up in the study of Daniel 9 on the prayer of Daniel where I've been preaching a series on the five particular principles I see that Daniel addressed in his prayer to God.

Daniel 9:3-19, is the prayer and it is one of the most powerful prayers, I believe, next to the prayers of Jesus, ever recorded for us in the Scripture.

In this prayer, he addressed the condition of his people, and then I considered the concepts of his praying, drew upon the character of God and this past Sunday, 4/19, I preached from the subject, "The prayer of Daniel: the curse poured out."

Daniel 9:11, this aged man seeks the Lord in reference to the curse poured out on his people as a result of their disobedience.

I asked three questions and endeavored to answer each of them:
(1) What is the curse?
(2) What brought about the curse?
(3) How can the curse can be broken?

My what an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit was present in a powerful, powerful way. As I preached the message, the Holy Spirit was moving and dealing with hearts and when I gave the altar call, several responded pouring out their heart to the Lord.

Oh what a blessing it is to see individuals give their burdens to the Lord and watch as the peace of God floods their life.

In our evening service, our youth ministries had the entire service. It was National Youth Day in our fellowship and they were given the opportunity to conduct the worship. What a special time we had. Their worship, testimonies and special singing blessed everyone in a great way.

I rejoice in what God is doing in their lives. God is truly moving in the hearts and lives of teenagers that will seek Him and allow the Lord to make Himself real to them.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

What a great Easter Sunday of worship we had. It was truly a wonderful day of fellowship with God's people and celebration of Christ's resurrection.

I deviated from the study of Daniel that I had been preaching from on Sunday's to minister from John 2 in honor of this very special occasion of Easter.

I preached on the subject of "The 'I Will's' of the Resurrection."

I drew my thought from Jesus' words in John 2:19, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Jesus wasn't referring to the material temple in Jerusalem but the temple of His body. "Crucify Me on the cross and in three day's I will raise it up!"

From here I preached on 7 "I Will's" that were promised by Jesus in light of and on the fact of His resurrection from the dead.

Those 7 "I Will's" were:

I WILL be who I said I Am! (John 2:19; Romans 1:4)
I WILL give you hope of the resurrection! (John 6:44)
I WILL give you heaven! (John 14:1-3)
I WILL be with in presence! (John 14:16-18)
I WILL love you! (John 14:21)
I WILL manifest myself to you! (John 14:21)
I WILL come in to you and fellowship with you! (Revelation 3:20)

Oh the joy of God's Word. It's such a comfort and reassuring power in such troubled times we live in.

I'm reminded of the Words of the Psalmist David in context of what God's Word meant to him, "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." (Psalms 19:10)

Until my next blog confabulation…God bless!

This past Sunday was a great day of worship.

I preached from Daniel 9 verses one through four on the subject, "The Prayer of Daniel: The Character of God." In the prayer of Daniel he mentioned 8 characteristics of God. It's an amazing prayer of a great man of God. He had lived in exile for all of his adult life and now in his early 80's he's soon to see the return of his people to their homeland and he's seeking the face of the Lord for them in light of the change that is to soon take place.

In this powerful and personal prayer, reflected on 8 characteristics of God.
They each reveal an aspect of God's power and desire to personal to each of us. I praise the Lord for God's way of revealing Himself to us in and through the power of His Word!

Sunday night, our associate pastor, Bill Mayo preached a timely message from the Word of God in 2 Chronicles 12:1-16 on "Restoring the Shields of Gold." He drew from the true life story of King Solomon and his son Rehoboam with the shields of gold King Solomon had made earlier during his reign but they were stolen under the monarchy of Rehoboam and he replaced them with shields of brass.

Bro. Mayo likened this "shields of gold" to our worship unto God. He drew from the unfortunate and sad dilemma that like as Rehoboam had substituted gold for brass, we often substitute our authentic worship (shields of gold) with form and tradition (shields of brass) and lose sight of the reality of an authentic move of God's Spirit and presence in our lives.

It was truly a timely Word from God to draw us to examine our hearts regarding our attitude of worship to the Lord.

God blessed in a great way and I praise God for the truth and encouragement that His Word gives to our lives.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: TO WHOM I SAID, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?" Song of Solomon 3:1-3

The New Living Translation reads like this, "I will get up now and roam the city, searching for him in all its streets and squares. But my search was in vain. The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds, and I said to them, Have you seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?"

Her passion for her beloved moved her to action. Passion will do that; it can't be explained by the ordinary…known by sedentary….and is usually rejected because of the familiarity. Yet, to her, she was willing to go beyond what was explainable by normal standards because of her passion.

When the watchmen of the city found her searching her lover at night, she immediately questioned them, "Have you seen the one I love so much?"

What a testimony!

Your passion for Jesus will have a testimony. A testimony of who He is and what He had done for you and in you!

It's a testimony you aren't ashamed of; no matter who makes fun or looks at you with a bewildered face…it's your testimony of Him!

The woman at the well left her water pots at noon day and ran into the city with this testimony, "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:29)

The word testimony is defined as "an open acknowledgement." This is what makes testimonies powerful…they are given unashamedly. When you don't care who knows but you just care that everybody knows….knows that you are identified with him, because of who He is and because of what He has done.

Her testimony was that she loved him! How well do I remember as a kid growing up in church when it was a regular part of our mid-week worship service to have what we called "testimony services." People were given the chance to stand and testify for the Lord. It was almost as important as the preaching and often better than the singing at times. Some seemed to have a special gift for giving their testimonies. Powerful and exciting open acknowledgements of God's faithfulness. Some wouldn't give testimonies but "terror stories" about how the devil had tormented them or some silly nonsense that didn't mean nothing to the worship service. I do miss those times…I often would like to have them again, but unfortunately, so many seek to "toot their own horn" about how great they are or how good the devil is doing his job or bore us with their tale of defeat and rob God of His good time to be worshipped that we can't have them any more; but yet still, we can have a testimony where it means the most and counts the greatest…OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF OUR CHURCHES!

The unbeliever is never made a believer by what we say inside our sacred shrines, only what is lived out in our lives; where the rubber of real life meets the road of trials, adversities and our faith that acts all circumstances to honor to our Lord!

Our testimony is that "we love Him because He first loved us!" (1 John 4:19) Paul the great Apostle gave a good example of a testimony in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

"TO WHOM I SAID…" it is written…she gave her testimony because she had a passion. That may be why we don't see more testimonies outside the church walls because of our lack of passion…our passion has been replaced by passivity!

It might be the number one reason why so many don't want what we profess because what we do share is passive and not birthed with passion. We seek to be "politically correct," rather than passionately connected to Him and "preoccupied with our self" rather than possessed by His Spirit!

"I said to them, Have you seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?"

Until my next blog confabulation…God bless!

This past Sunday I continued the series in Daniel chapter nine. Sunday morning, I preached from Daniel 9:1-19 concerning the prayer of Daniel.

There had been a change in leadership, of which, Daniel had served under 7 kings already and Darius made the 8th. He is now in his early 80's and has served as a captive for over 65 years. Faithful to God in a land he had lived in for all of his adult life, yet, he still considered himself a foreigner to this land.

This particular chapter starts out with the change in monarchies. As his custom was, he was praying, yet, in this chapter, we're given his prayer.

Of all the prayers I've studied in God's Word, Abraham, David, Jeremiah, Paul, next to the prayers of Jesus, there is no prayer recorded, I believe, that reveals the transparency and authenticity of a man's heart than this particular prayer.

Both the Sunday morning and Sunday night services, I preached from Daniel 9 drawing from his specific 548 word prayer. (that is 548 word prayer in English, not sure what it was in the language of his day?)

Sunday morning I preached form the 7 confessions of sin he made to God. I drew upon the seven usages of sin Daniel confessed. Each of the words describe a different facet of sin in how they are displayed so many times in our live. It's a great study and worthy of your time.

Sunday night, I preached on the five concepts of Daniel's praying. You will find them in Daniel 9:3-4. My what a move of the Holy Spirit in our service. The altar service was a very powerful time as everyone gathered around the altars to seek the Lord. God blessed in a great way and I praise the Lord for His mighty workings in the hearts and lives of individuals.

If you get the time, or better yet, make the time, study the prayer of Daniel in 9:3-19. In the coming weeks, I'll share more thoughts form this prayer as I'll be preaching on three other subjects that Daniel prayed about.

Until my next blog confabulation…God bless!

1By night on my bed {this is her reference to the dream she had.} I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. {in her dream, she was looking for her fiancé and couldn't find him. They had been together but for some reason he wasn't with her and this brought fear and anxiety to her.} 2I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: (Song of Solomon 3:1-2)

Passion is what drives many peoples lives.

Passion is defined as an object of deep desire or interest.

Passion is what drove Michael Phelps to win 8 gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. To achieve such a goal there were things he had to put in place attain it. He didn't just get up one morning and decide that today I will get 8 gold medals. No years in advance he had ordered his life in such a way that he took the steps to attain to the abilities to achieve such a goal.

So it is with the Shulamite's desire for her beloved. She had a passion for him that was driven with order. It wasn't just any man she loved but Solomon. To have his presence, she had to order her life in such a way as to enjoy his presence.

If you want to know God you can. But it doesn't just happen. There are things we must put in place (order, if you please) if we want to have a relationship with Him.

Here is an example of the order:

Jesus Christ is the door to God. (John 14:6) A relationship with Him is a must.

Daily reading of God's Word. (Romans 12:1-2) Our minds must be renewed by the Word of God on a daily basis.

Living in the light/characteristics/behavior of being born again. (Ephesians 4:21-24) We can't just live any way we want to and expect to enjoy His presence. Ephesians 5:8 sheds insight on this point, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:" We must walk in the nature of who we are in Christ; walking as children of darkness when we profess the nature of light is conflict and our life is out of order.

Our passion for Christ will order our lives. We hunger for Him and long for Him, we will arrange our life in such a fashion as to enjoy Him and know Him.

John 14:21 reads, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Jesus said that He will manifest Himself to the person that loves Him. But how do we show that we love Him? We have His commandments and KEEP them! In other words, "we order our life."

When we have a passion for Christ…it will order/arrange our affairs, relationships, desires, dreams, hopes to reflect such!

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

Sunday morning, March 22, I preached from Daniel 8. As previously stated, I've been ministering through the book of Daniel, verse by verse now for several months. Many have been touched and encouraged; I praise the Lord for His working in lives. Yet, this past Sunday, I went through the whole 8th chapter of Daniel; (27 verses).

I preached from the subject, "The Position of Jesus; the Condition of the Antichrist; the Hope of the Believer." I drew my thought from Daniel 8:25, the latter part of this verse, "he (that is the Antichrist) shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; (Jesus Christ) but he (the Antichrist) shall be broken without hand. (that is defeated at the Battle of Armageddon.)

I approached the position of Jesus in three facets. His position when on earth; His position now in heaven and His position when he return at His Second Coming to do battle with the Antichrist and his armies in the valley of Jehoshaphat.

The condition of the Antichrist is that he will be elevated and exalted by his own means, of course, supported and strengthened by the work and power of Satan, but with his ability to deceive many, he will be worshipped as God. Yet, ultimately, his condition will not always be one of elevated praise and admiration; he will be defeated and that without any hand of man but by the "brightness of Christ's coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8) and, according to the words of John in Revelation 19:20, the Antichrist will be "cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."

The Hope of the Believer is that before the Antichrist can be revealed, though the mystery of iniquity is already at work, (2 Thessalonians 2:7) the hindrance to his revelation as the man of sin can't be until the church is removed. (2 Thessalonians 2:7). I believe, based on the Scripture, the next great event that will have world wide impact greater than any history has known will be the rapture of the church.

Sunday night, I preached from Philippians 2:12-13 on the subject, "God working in…Me working out." Paul encouraged the Philippians Christians to "work out (this is my responsibility in the process of spiritual growth and discipline) your own salvation with fear and trembling. (I must take my spiritual growth serious and not with a frivolous attitude.) For it is God which worketh in you…" (this is God's part in my spiritual growth and development.)

I shared three means God uses to help us grow and paralleled them with three ways we are to respond to God's means in order to grow.

Growth in Christ isn't automatic. It requires our submission to what God uses and employs in our live. Our part is necessary or what God desires to do "in us" can't be accomplished. Romans 6:13 is so very true, "yield yourselves unto God…" and Romans 6:16 is a fact, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

It was a great day in the Lord. During the time of our altar services, where we allow the congregation to seek the Lord in response to the ministry of His Word, the Spirit of the Lord was present in a powerful way.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

By night on my bed {this is her reference to the dream she had.} I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. (Song of Solomon 3:1)

The very essence of her dream was the young Shulamite bride and her fiance' were together and then for whatever reason, in her dream, were apart. Her longing, her hearts cry, was to have him…his presence in her life .

This is a very beautiful picture of the child of God in describing our passion; our desire; our longing for the presence of God in our lives.

To the religious person this is going to sound fanatical.

To the hypocritical person this is going to sound foolish.

To the lukewarm person this is going to sound legalistic.

To the unsaved this is going to sound completely of no importance whatsoever.

But…to the person who is desiring a closer walk with Jesus; a walk of such that you are tired of the "norm" in the sense of not finding fulfillment with just church as usual; you're tired of going through the routine and the ritual but there's seemingly no meaning, no love, no longing, no passion in your walk with Jesus…."longing for the Presence of God to be greater and more personal in your life is the heart beat of a love for God that this world knows nothing of or can even offer.

In Exodus 33, the people of God had fallen into sin because of the cal that Aaron had made and the people had worshipped. God decided that He would no longer be with them, but would send "an angel" to go with them in their journey to the promise land. Moses was concerned about this and pleaded with God, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." (Exodus 33:16) Moses wasn't desiring the presence of an Angel to walk with him and the children of Israel, he wanted the presence of God Himself…he wanted God to be with him by His Spirit and His Presence.

David, expresses the longing for God's presence in his life in Psalms 63. While in the wilderness of Judah, fleeing from King Saul, as he was hunting him down like a vagabond, David prayed, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longing for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the Sanctuary." The hunger of David's heart is for God's presence to be real in his life, even when he couldn't be at the Sanctuary offering worship, he wanted God to be real in his life.

This passion is described in the life of Mary. She set at the feet of Jesus, listening intently to His every Word. (Luke 10:39)

This passion is described in the word of Simon Peter in John 6, when certain of the disciples had left Jesus and no longer walked with the Lord, Jesus said to him, "Will ye also go away?" and Simon Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." There is no question about it…in the answer of Simon Peter, "You alone are the answer to our needs!"

What I find in these verses of Scripture, Song of Solomon chapter three, verses one through five, is the longing of a heart for the presence of the one she loved.

This is the description of the child of God here and now…not later in eternity.

When I die as a child of god, I will enter into the presence of God that's not limited by this human body. But until then, here and now, I need His presence in m life. I need Him to make Himself real to me. I want nothing to do with the religious traditions that breeds only form and ritual with no touch from God or His presence.

Give me God's touch; Give me God's presence!

So…until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

This past Sunday, March 15, we started revival services at our church. Our Associate Pastor, Bill Mayo, delivered a powerful message in the Sunday morning worship service. He preached from Acts 12 on the subject, "Spoiled Intentions." He drew his thought from where Herod "intended" to kill Simon Peter after he had beheaded James. He preached how God can spoil the intentions of Satan against our lives. It was truly a powerful Word from the Lord. Many filled the altars seeking the Lord with one person accepting Christ as their Savior. PRAISE GOD!

Sunday night, we had Big Mo preaching for us. He has a dynamic singing ministry, not to mention his call to preach.

Sunday night he preached from 2 Timothy 3 on the churches need for the power of the Holy Spirit. He drew from the reality that many churches are substituting other "gimmicks" in the place of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Monday night he preached from Jeremiah 8 on the subject, The church is for Birds. What a powerful message.

Tuesday night he preached from Job 1 on the subject, Living in the land of Uz. This message zeroed in on the importance of hedge building around our lives and our families lives. Again, it was truly a powerful Word from the Lord.

Wednesday night he preached from Revelation 2 on the subject, The White Stone. He gave us what the white stone was used for historically and the significance of each event. As with the previous nights, it was truly a powerful Word from the Lord.

At the close of the meetings, including Sunday morning, 14 individuals had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It was truly a great blessing to see lives pour out their heart to the Lord for forgiveness of their sins and allow the peace of God to flood their heart and minds.

There is no doubt to the reality of the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of individuals today and that Jesus is still saving and redeeming lives from the strongholds of sin. Hallelujah!

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

This past Sunday, March 8, 2009, we had a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our worship service.

I preached from Daniel 8:1-8 on the subject "God will fulfill His Word."

I drew from the passages of Scripture where Daniel was given the dream of the ram and the he-goat that described two particular empires that would, in succession, overthrow Medo-Persia. The ram symbolized the Medes and Persian Empire and the he-goat symbolized the Grecian Empire, primarily the leadership of Alexander the Great. The Medo-Persian Empire defeated the Babylonian Empire and the Grecian Empire defeated the Medo-Persian Empire.

What Daniel saw in his dream future to him but is now history to us. Within 15 years of his dream, the Medes and Persians would overthrow the Babylonian Empire and just over 200 years later, the Grecians, under the leadership of Alexander the Great, would overthrow the Medo-Persian Empire in a massively destructive manner.

"What does this have to do with me?" you might ask. I personally believe it has everything to do with me and you!

As I stated above, what Daniel saw in chapter 8, verses 1-8 of Daniel, was future to him, but is now history to us. What's the significance of this? The validity of God's Word is revealed in the fact of fulfillment. Just as Daniel's dream was from God and revealing future events regarding these particular nations that had and would oppress the Jews, we can with confidence put our trust in His Word, knowing that God will fulfill what is YET to be fulfilled!

I shared various examples from the Word of God where prophecies were given and then how and when they were fulfilled; prophecies concerning the birth of Isaac, King Josiah, Jesus and the return of the Jews to their homeland.

God will fulfill His word!!! My what a move of the Holy Spirit in our service. The glory of God filled the House as the folk opened their hearts to receive from the Lord. What a outpouring of His Spirit!

Comparing Scripture to Scripture and considering the historical facts…God will fulfill His Word! That's why I cling to the hope of the resurrection in the event of the Rapture of the Church!

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

Most will remember when you first fell in love; primarily the ladies will, how that you would "doodle" on a notebook "I love ……." Most girls, not many guys, (I didn't) often keep a diary. In the diary were notes of your dreams and hopes of the person you had fallen madly in love with. (I guess that what most ladies write about in their diaries…don't know.) But I do know that in Song of Solomon chapter three we are given such an example of the Shulamites diary.

The Shulamite bride in her diary/journal, writes about a dream she had concerning her and King Solomon. (Song of Solomon 3:1-5)

1.By night on my bed {this is her reference to the dream she had.} I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. {in her dream, she was looking for her fiancé and couldn't find him. They had been together but for some reason he wasn't with her and this brought fear and anxiety to her.} 2.I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. {In her dream, she was looking for King Solomon but couldn't find him. She dreamed that she went into the streets of the city; the broad ways of the city and searched for him but still she couldn’t' find him.} 3.The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? {The men who served as the police or guards of the town during the night, found her walking through the streets at night looking for the one she loved and she tells us that she enquired of them "where is the man I love…I can't find him; I'm looking for him.} 4.It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: {in her dream, she finally found the one she was in love with and looking for. In her dream she continues to tell us what she done when she found the man that she loved.} I held him, and would not let him go, {though this was a dream she had, it describes the great affection and love that she had for King Solomon. It is possible that when the young Shulamite bride went to bed that night, she went to sleep with her fiancé on her mind. Dreaming this event of losing the one she loved she went out in the night streets looking and searching for him because she longed to be held by him and in turn hold him. She did not want to lose sight of his presence in her life. Yet, we read what she done when she found King Solomon in her dream….} I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. {She is dreaming about her wedding day. In her dream, when she found her fiancé, she brought him into her mother's chamber or bedroom. The custom of that was that the wife lived in a separate apartment or room and the only person who was permitted to enter into that room was the wife's husband. She was dreaming of bringing her fiancé, who was soon to be her husband into the room like what her own mother had and there they would consummate their love. Let me hasten to note here, there is nothing unclean or sinful about his; it's just the expression of a sincere and pure love. How do I know this? Read what she says in verse five….} 5.I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, {she is telling her dream to the women of Jerusalem and warns them against doing something that would be wrong; consider her warning to these other young ladies:} I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. {Three times in the book of the Song of Solomon do you find this particular phrase, "stir not up…" It is found in chapter 2 and verse 7; chapter 3 and verse 5, chapter 8 and verse 4. Each time this phrase, "stir not up, till he please," carries the reference to the "stirring of temptations" to sexual love before the proper time. She is telling the other young ladies, named here as the daughters of Jerusalem, to tempt her to engage in sexual love that is to be expressed only between the marriage of a man and a woman. She says to them, there is a proper time for this to happen and until then, I am willing to be patient. She was so sincere about this commitment she "charged" the women. The word "charged" is equivalent to "an oath." She felt that her responsibility to wait for that special time when she would give herself physically and intimately to her husband was sacred and needed not be a temptation to break her commitment to wait. Her renewed commitment is seen in the words "I charge you….by the roes, and by the hinds of the field." The roes are animals of the antelope family and the hines is a reference to the female deer. Both of these animals, the roes and the hines, were noted for their swiftness of foot. These animals have keen vision, acute sense of smell and are quick to unusual noises. At the least disturbance they will run away. What she is talking about, in using their example, is that to get close to them, being they are the type of animal they are, you have to be patient, wait and take your time. She says that there will be a proper time when me and the man I love, will be able to express our love for each other in the proper manner……but until then….as one waits patiently to approach the skittish animal of the roe or hind, so will I wait patiently for that special moment will be able to give myself to my heart's love.}

Beautiful words from her diary…don't you think? A Committed young lady to the one she loved?

Touch back in the next blogs I'm going to write about her desire for his presence in her life and how she modeled it as an example for each of us that are disciples of Christ.

So…until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

Cold, cold, cold!

That's the best way I know to describe the past few days. Especially Sunday morning. Yet…it wasn't cold in our worship services. I praise the Lord for the move of the Lord's presence in our worship services.

Sunday morning, I continued to preach from Daniel 7 on the subject of "The Coming Antichrist." I done more teaching than preaching in this particular service. From Daniel 7, 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13, I drew from these particular passages that addressed the character and conduct of the coming Antichrist. What a dreadful future when this "man of sin" makes his debut. Yet, before any of this, I rejoice in the hope of the resurrection, the blessed hope promised to us as believers in Christ, the rapture of the church. As 2 Thessalonians 2:7 and reads, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…"

The words "letteth" and "let" means "hinders." These verses can be read appropriately like this, "For the mystery of iniquity, the behind the scenes work of the Antichrist, is at work: only he who now hinders will hinder, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked, the Antichrist, be revealed."

Who is hindering the "revealing of the Antichrist?"

The church!

Time will not permit me in this blog to go into specifics regarding biblical proof and support for the rapture of the church.

Sunday night, we had a great crowd despite the cold weather, and a great move of God's presence again. I preached from 2 Timothy chapter one, verses one through six. The Apostle Paul admonished Timothy in verse 6 to "stir up the gift of God within him." I preached from the subject, "Fanning the Fire."

There are times in this journey of faith, it is so easy to let our fervency and zeal of our commitment to Jesus Christ wane because of three particular hindrances: loneliness, weariness and the lack of seeing any productivity in regards to our prayers being answered or fruit from our particular labors.

I preached three means that we can use to "fan the fire" of commitment to Christ in remaining consistent in our service to Him.

What a great move of the Lord's presence. In the time of the altar service, folks opened their hearts to the Spirit of the Lord and sought God for His presence in a powerful and personal way.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

What a great time of worship we had in our church services yesterday. The Spirit of the Lord was present in a powerful and wonderful way.

I preached from Daniel 7. I've been doing a series of messages through the book of Daniel since September 2008, and yes, we've just got to chapter 7 of Daniel. It's been an exciting journey through this study of God's Word.

I ministered from verses one through ten. This was a little different than what I normally do because of the dream Daniel had of the kingdoms in beastly like fashion. In chapter 2 of his book, the King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about the same kingdoms but in a different fashion as seeing them in a image of various costly metals.

I drew primarily upon verse 10 where Daniel saw a judgment that is to take place and "the books were opened." I preached from the thought, "the books we will be judged by." There are three books I believe, from the Scriptures that both the saved and the unsaved will judged by. Two of them directly for unsaved and three of them saved.

What a time we had. Several responded to the altar service with one individual accepting Christ as their Savior. Praise the Lord!

Sunday night I had been scheduled to preach away at another church and was honored to be able to do so. God blessed in this particular meeting in a powerful way too. I was treated with such honor and I deeply appreciate the kindness of this host pastor and the wonderful reception of the congregation to the ministry of the Word. They were so hungry and receptive to God's Word and filled the altars and sought the Lord. It was truly a great, great blessing to experience. I praise the Lord for His faithful presence and for what He done and started in many lives yesterday. Eternity will only reveal the complete results of God's word being sown into lives.

May you be blessed today and thanks for stopping by.

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

The Amplified Bible reads, " [Then, longingly addressing her absent shepherd, she cried] Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, return hastily, O my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young hart as you cover the mountains [which separate us]." (Song of Solomon 2:17)

I like this rendering because it helps to put in perspective the scene of which I've been sharing with you. Her plea to her beloved is this, please allow me to paraphrase in my own words, "I am waiting until the day breaks, that is things change for the better, in which the shadows I am in have fled away, but until then, return or come to me quickly like that of a gazelle, who has much speed, and a young hart, who is known for their unexpected appearance, come over the mountains that separate us."

In the King James Version, it reads, "the mountain of Bether." This phrase means, "mountain of division." It's in the shadows of life that we feel separated from our Lord and many times from those who are actually the closest to us. Shadows seemingly bring a feeling of "distance," a wide distance.

She describes her beloved as a roe (KJV), gazelle (AMP) which both terms describe what we understand to be the antelope. She uses one other description of him as a "young hart." This is a male deer, as I stated earlier, is known for their unexpected appearance.

She says to him, like a young gazelle who has speed and a young male deer who can show up unexpectedly, do so; cross the mountains that divide us and come to me.

Oh how well do the "shadows of life" make us not only feel in the dark and cold, but oh so lonely. There is no more a awful feeling to experience than to be surrounded by people and feel alone, yet even more indescribable, it know you are surrounded by people that love you and still feel alone. There is no doubt that some who may read this can identify with what I'm writing. I'm sure there is a psychological name for such but if there is, it doesn’t change the experience. It's a tough place to be none-the-less.

I have paraphrased the latter part of verse 17 like this, "turn unto me, come across the divide between us with speed and appear in the midst of my night and shadows."

My, the desire she had for his presence. What an example for us regarding our Lord. We should want the presence of the Lord Jesus to be so real and present in the shadows of our life. We should seek and desire for him to come with speed in the midst of the shadows and show up in the dark of the shadows.

I know that most of us would rather He take care of the shadows so we wouldn't have to go thru them at all; yet, realistically, you or I will never know just how much His presence means to us until we face the cold, unpleasant and dark shadows of life. They come unexpected, stay long and bring all sorts of fears. But, thank God, they don't muzzle our cry that "until they pass, Oh Lord, come with speed and show up in my shadows!"

Please understand and don't try to ignore the reality of such shadowy experiences in this journey of life as Christians, but know for sure, Jesus may not take away the shadows of life for the moment, but He will "walk us thru them and walk with us." I am personally coming to experience this, that like the hand of a friend, the ear of a confidant, the hug of a lover, the watchful eye of a parent….Jesus will cross whatever we feel divides us in our shadows and with haste show up to minister to us. But remember, one word made all the difference in the shadows of the Shulamites experience. She stated that until the day breaks (things change for the better) and the shadows flee (the dark experiences of life go away) TURN! That's the key. Do you ask Him to come to you in the shadows of life? Do you ask Him to show up in the darkness of the shadows?

Only till we ask will he come. It's not that he doesn't want to come, He just will not show up until we ask Him to. He is a perfect gentleman and will not intrude into our lives until we ask Him to and when we ask Him to…He will show up…with speed and when we least expect Him…but He will!

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

In a previous post, I blogged regarding the issue of shadows in our life. Drawing from the scripture of the Shulamite Bride, "Until the day break, and the shadows flee away," (Song of Solomon 2:17)

There are shadows in the life of Christ's disciples. I left this particular blog with the question, "How do you deal with the shadows?"

In this blog I want to answer this question.

The Shulamite Bride stated, "until."

This one word gives the answer to "how" any of us must face the shadows of life.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines "until" "as a function word to indicate continuance (as of an action or condition) to a specified time. For a time there will be "shadows" and they will eventually lift but, "until…."

This is the challenge.

The word until describes the activity of "waiting." I don't know about you, but for me "this is hard." It involves a lot of self-discipline in so many aspects.

Colossians 4:2, Paul wrote, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." This word "watch" means to "stay awake." Shadows often lead us to get tired which results in becoming lax and sleepy in so many ways. The most dangerous perhaps is in our relationship with Christ. As any relationship requires, maintenance and work to be healthy, so does our walk with Jesus. Shadows lead us to become sleepy spiritually if we're not vigilant and intentional while walking thru them.

James 5:11, reads, "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." The word of interest in this verse is "endure" which means "fortitude or perseverance." I looked up the word "fortitude" and it means, "strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage" Endurance means we have perseverance in the face of pain, whatever the pain or adversity, with courage. Let me hasten to add, "this is not easy" but it's possible with the strength of the Lord. (Philippians 4:13).

We have no control over the length of the shadows and the place of the shadows. But we do have control over how each of us individually responds and reacts to whatever shadows we encounter.

Until….the day breaks and the shadows flee, we must "watch and endure" Both run contrary to our human nature's flesh that responds and reacts to conflict like water…we seek the path of least resistance. Watching and Endurance requires and conscience and intentional effort in the Shadows of life if we are to come thru them a "bEtter" person rather and "bItter" person.

Check back, please, because I'll write more on the latter part of verse 17 on what the shadows of life often make us "feel."

Until my next blog confabulation….God bless!

As you can see it has been a few days since my last post. Things have been pretty busy; seems that way a lot for me and I'm sure you too. Yet, to be honest it's probably more to do with disorganization rather than time...but we'll discuss that later on. (probably not.)

This week in our community we had a difficult turn of events. A young man, 47 to be exact, died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. It was such a sad and sorrow filled day. My heart went out to the family, especially the mother and father. These types of matters leave you feeling so helpless as a pastor to comfort folk, and yet, it brings to light the reality that life is "not fair." No parent should have to bury their child. But it happens.

At the funeral on Friday, a gentleman who pastored the family 26 years ago, was called upon to preach the funeral. What a powerful and comforting word he delivered to the family and for all gathered at the funeral service. As I listened to his words, going back to memories of the days he served as the pastor of the family, there were laughter and tears from many. As he delivered his heart, he mentioned one important thought that stuck with me and I've pondered it. "Live life intentionally!"

Live your life intentionally. He described his thought by the example we so frequently do in putting off those things that we say we'll do….tomorrow. "I'll go visit this friend, tomorrow." "I'll tell them I love them, tomorrow." "I'll do this or that, tomorrow!"

As I've thought about that statement, I find it true in so many of our lives. We live busy lives that are so wrapped up in things that 3 months, 6 months and even 1 year and especially 10 years from now they won't matter at all…why? They'll be forgotten. I'm not suggesting we stop doing the things that help to maintain the order of our lives because we all need structure. Telling the people that matter the most in your live "you love them." Don't wait for the "convenient time" make the time!

Love intentionally!
Care intentionally!
Show interest intentionally!

I know what some of you are thinking…. "but what if I get hurt?" Unfortunately that's the risk of making yourself vulnerable to other humans. Learn a quick lesson in life. Human beings are by human nature selfish and self-centered…take it from a pastor who has learned it well; even the well meaning devoted Christian man and woman can at times be selfish. I know what I'm talking about because I deal with it in my own life "every single day."

Live your life with an intentional drive to say and do those things that will uplift those dearest and closest to you. Invest, intentionally, in the lives of those what nurture you spiritually in your walk with the Lord. Don't take those people for granted. Appreciate those who pour into your life with grace and compassion because one day they'll be gone! Sounds cold I know but it again is reality.

Time is like a blown kiss. It moves fast. But duplicate the action of my Granddaddy; I'd blow him a kiss and he'd always catch it and then put the kiss to his lips!

Catch "time" and make it work for you…live intentionally!

Until my next blog confabulation…God bless!

The conversation in Song of Solomon chapter two involves various characters; The King (who is the Shephard in this story), the Shulamite Bride and the daughters of Jersualem, or the women of Solomon's court.

In the particular passage before us, Song of Solomon 2:16-17, the Shulamite Bride is speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem. "My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether."

She has already given her "personal testimony" in verse 16, but in verse 17, she speaks words of encouragement that can be applied to every disciple of Christ… "Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether."

Shadows….

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word "shadow" as "the dark figure cast upon a surface by a body intercepting the rays from a source of light" We understand the meaning of shadows when a tree or some solid figure blocks the rays of the sun and a shadow is cast. The shadow I want to refer here is more than a physical shadow, but a shadow caused by the circumstances and events in our lives.

You've probably heard the words, "not a shadow of doubt," which means that "doubt" the obstacle between you and the truth you believe, can cast doubt or unbelief as a shadow.

Shadows aren't seasonable. Meaning, just a spring or summer occurance. Shadows are constant. It's not seasons that bring shadows, but "obstacles." It's the "figure" interecepting the rays from a source of light. In reference to the disciple of Christ, it's any obstacle, (namely a person or event) that intercepts the rays that shine on us from Christ's life.

Let me hasten to state that I fully understand the Christian life "is not" always a journey in the bliss of sunlight, and I don't mean that Christ ceases to be Lord in and of my life in those times. It's that events and circumstances, (whether caused by people or particular events) seem to cast a shadow over our lives for a time.

In the winter, shadows are cold.
In the summer, shadows are pleasant.
But whether, winter or summer, shadows are dark.

That's my point about shadows. They are those "dark moments of life."

Disciples of Jesus have them!

1 Peter 1:16 the aged Apostle Peter, much older and wiser penned, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations."

Manifold means "various in their manner," yet, "heavy in their influence on our lives."

Shadows for the disciple of Christ may be physical sickness, grief, depression, painful memories, a persistent weakness or present uncertainties.

Shadows come in all kind of ways are always dark and just the opposite of summer shadows, they are cold and difficult to walk thru.

Shadows of life are a reality.

Particularly, many Disciples of Christ, live in shadows as consequences of their live lived in sin and others as a consequence of other peoples choices around them.

Just like the natural, physical shadows limit the full strength of the suns rays at certain times, they are permanent nor do they diminish the entire strength of the sun. So do those shadows that effect us emotionally and spiritually, the do not diminish the entire strength of Christ's love and faithfulness. If any thing, shadows make us appreciate His love and faithfulness.

How do you deal with the shadows?

I'll address this next time I blog.

Until my next blog confabulation…God bless!

Hello friends, "I'm still alive!"

I apologize for not blogging in over two months. As most of you, it has been a very busy Holiday season and rather than making the time to post as I should have, I've been pretty much involved in duties and responsibilities of my work as a pastor.

I plan to be more consistent with a weekly format regarding writing notes on various biblical passages, along with sharing personal thoughts and/or experiences in the life of a pastor.

Thanks for your understanding, and for those who have emailed me that you've missed "my blogging" thanks so much for your interest.

Please check back tomorrow…I'll be sharing some notes on the Song of Solomon. Until then…thanks for stopping by and God bless!