Sunday, Blessed Sunday

The pictures are from last night.  To top off Africa night, Pastor Robert and Pastor Reed asked Daniel to come up front.  On the last campaign in Uganda, they used a tent for the meetings.  It was just right until it rained.  There were so many people crammed inside that as the speaker would back up to make a point, his backside would pop out the over-crowded tent and get soaked with icy water.  Daniel began to pray for a larger tent.  As it turned out.  a woman 8,000 miles away had a tent!  She didn't know Daniel, but wanted to sell her 350-person tent.  The pastors told her about Daniel's ministry and offered to buy it for him.  She was so touched by the story that she donated the tent, the generator and chairs for the tent!  Daniel was so moved that he fell to his knees in thanks.  I don't believe there was a dry eye in the church.

Because the need for these tents for crusades is great, somehow though the grace and greatness of God, two more tents have been found.  One will go to the other ministry in Uganda and the other to the Philippines.  I can't even explain the joy that we all felt!  This was before we even had the preaching!

Pastor Jack talked to us about our preparedness to serve the Lord.  He went to the book of Esther and talked about how she prepared herself for the king.  He paralleled that preparedness with what we must do ourselves to prepare to meet our King, Jesus.  As he spoke, there was excitement in the room as we began to see that we must be prepared at all times because we never know when the King will place us in service to Him.  It was an awesome message and one I was thrilled to have been there to hear.  We ended that service by praising the Lord again in song.  The Spirit in the room was palpable and as before, no one seemed to want to leave the room.

You would think that Sunday morning service would be anti-climactic to 4 days of intense missions conference/revival.  You'd think wrong. There was much sharing of joy, a tremendous time of prayer and not 1 or 2, but 3 offerings.  the first offering was taken for our head pastors, the second for Hurricane Relief and the third was the regular tithes and offerings for the host church.  With joy in his voice, Pastor reed announced that this group had collected not $2,000 each night for the missions, but $5,000each night.  In addition to that, money was raised as well for special projects.  Before the offerings were taken this morning, these 50 people and a few of their contacts raised more than $20,000 for the ministries in the Philippines, Mexcio and Uganda in just 4 days!  The Lord continues to work miracles with this group of people.  I believe because I have seen what they can do, but I am in awe of the sacrifice they are willing to make for those in the trenches.

The music this morning was awesome!  We sang until we cried for joy.  We touched one another and prayed, then sang again.  Finally, Pastor Reed's closing message.  The theme of the meeting was "Breaking New Ground"  The talks were fantastic.  This morning, we were encouraged to do as in Ezekiel and let the four winds blow in our lives, cleansing us, convicting us, preparing us for Him and blessing us.  We closed in prayer, again reluctant to leave the presence of the Almighty and step back into our lives. 

Conviction and joy can live in the same sentence when you see that although we can be sullied by the world around us, we are still the precious children of the Father. I feel refreshed in the joy of the Lord.  I am convicted that I need to be more attentive to my relationship with Him.  I am ready again to do whatever that takes.  Without Him, I am lost.  There is true freedom in being a bond-servant to Christ. 

I could have stayed there several days more and let myself be wrapped in the love of those wonderful holy rollers.  It would have been like a preview of heaven.  But the Lord wants us to be ready in season and out and I can't be of service to him if I don't step away from the building. 

Be blessed tonight,