Archive for December 2008
The floating axe
December 16th, 2008

I was recently doing a funeral and the Lord reminded me of the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. A band of prophets were building and an axe head flew off the stick. It was lost in the Jordan River. The Jordan always represents “death.” The axe appeared to be gone, lost forever. How many people have I stood with this year, peering over into the murky waters of death.

The beatiful thing about the story is, however, that God told Elisha to cut down a “tree” and throw it into the waters. The tree always represents the cross. JESUS suffered so terribly on the cross that death might be defeated! Any suffering we endure now does not compare to His sufferings that day. A “revelation of the cross” produces a miracle: up from the bottom of the river, that which was lost began to rise. Elisha reached out his hand and took the “swimming axe.”

Perhaps today in your life something (or someone) is dead. You have a sense of loss, confusion, and hopelessness of ever finding them again. Put the cross in the powerful river of death and watch God’s miracle power restore that which was lost. Your relative who died in the Lord will live again. They are not lost, they are in a different dimension. Reach out your hand and remember that you will soon see them again! Whatever you have lost, believe God for it to “float” up miraculously from the bottom of the river of death.

Our family has faced death this year. God has been faithful, and we are still full of joy because of the cross of Christ. We love you and claim that your axe head will float again!

Bro. Larry

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An incredible performance
December 6th, 2008

Wow, what a night last night was!

Claire Jones, the Royal Harpist of England, did a full one-hour Christmas concert accompanied on the harp by Melissa, my daughter. They have been staying in our home the last week and practicing, and it has been a little bit like heaven! These two young ladies are fellow students at the Royal Academy of Music in London getting their Masters Degrees in Harp. Claire played for Prince Charles’ 60th birthday two weeks ago (along with 60 harps she arranged) and allowed Melissa to be one of them! Afterward, she and Claire met the Prince and Camilla in a private reception. He asked Melissa about Bethany because Claire had written him a letter describing our church. Claire is a wonderful harpist, but even greater is the fact that she has truly been saved by watching Bethany on the internet on Sundays with Melissa!

Over 900 people showed up for this free concert at Bethany South. It was almost like breathing the rarified atmosphere of heaven. TWO harps playing in duet with intricate melodies and counter-melodies. No wonder heaven is so incredible as we imagine that perhaps thousands of harps will be in concert continually. David had 4000 employed in his temple worship day and night and heaven probably has millions.

To GOD be the glory for this phenomenal event. I can only imagine what the shepherds thought the night heaven opened and a “multitude of the heavenly host appeared, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.’ ”

That’s where my Mother is now, and where we are headed…

Bro. Larry

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