All in Country
Tuesday is coming. Everyone acts as if the world will end that night. It won’t.
Pray this way for a national revival in America.
This month is critical for our nation’s destiny.
What can we do to bring our nation back to God?
Besides Harvey/Irma/Maria, North Korea nukes, Mexico City earthquakes, and London terrorism, what is there to worry about?
I believe the secret of peace right now is understanding the difference in “times” and “seasons.”
It’s everywhere.
Congressmen being shot. Angry racists driving cars over human beings. States threatening seriously to secede from the “United” States of America.
Do you ever wonder how the wheels of power turn? How a person with millions of people looking to them for leadership manages his life, his time, and his priorities?
I had six wonderful years holding a weekly Bible study for Louisiana Governor Mike Foster and his top staff. He didn’t know it, but while I was teaching him the Bible, he was teaching me excellent leadership!
It’s a defining moment. Christians are confused about the election. Polls, parties, and mistresses are everywhere. Everyone’s talking but no one is listening. Through it all, I feel peace in my heart because I’ve lived through this before.
It’s been tough this week to watch piles of clothes, furniture, appliances, and TVs out in front of every home on my street. It’s dark. It’s difficult. 40,000 homes are under 4-8 feet of water. Nine megachurches are totally flooded. Not one church had services last Sunday.
Jacob was in a dark place. Running from his brother, he found a rock to sleep on. There, in a dream, he saw God. (Gen 28)
It seems we have all been a little shellshocked. What a summer. Terrorist attacks and campaigns. Shootings and tension. Now, it has come home to me more than ever. I have lived on Bethany Church’s North campus property for 53 years. I’ve never seen anything like what happened there this weekend.
How quickly your world can change. From a calm, lazy summer Thursday afternoon to 25 inches of rain and emergency evacuation. I was speaking in Austin, Texas, Saturday when I got word from Melanie that she had grabbed our vital documents and loaded a boat for higher ground.
Here in Baton Rouge, the unthinkable happened this past Sunday morning: three police officers dead and three wounded. From Dallas to Nice to Baton Rouge, we are all on an emotional roller coaster of tragedy.
How do we cope? Where do we find the courage to keep loving, keep forgiving, keep giving? Jesus repeatedly told those in distress to "take courage." It was a COMMAND: "TAKE courage." Don’t leave it laying on the ground, pick it up.
It’s crazy. The images of carnage. The blatant anger. The hurt and frustration. The escalating conflict and animosity between races and with authorities. What is the solution? “Hesed.”
The whole world is upset about borders. From Brexit to the Middle East to the Ukraine, borders are shifting. Some propose tighter borders and others want them totally removed. John Kerry recently referred to a "world without borders." Someone said that he left that speech, got into his armored car, anddrove behind the walls to his home! During the Katrina crisis, we had 900 people sleeping on the floor of our church. Visiting our church, President Bush remarked about a strip of blue tape we put on the floor between each person's private "space." In nine months with Katrina evacuees we never had ONE fight.
The nation was stunned last week when Islamic terrorism struck San Bernardino. Fun loving party-goers were suddenly sprayed with automatic weapons. The plot shows a deep hatred for Americans and sinister preparation to kill. Everyone is thinking, “What’s next?”
Fear is a normal reaction to a perceived danger. Yes, mass shootings are occurring almost weekly. Gun and bullet sales are through the roof. People are concerned to go to a mall. Every footstep or out of the ordinary motion makes people jumpy.
There is huge energy behind the apocalyptic movement right now. With four blood moons, ISIS, and Iran’s nuclear deal there is a feeling of imminent disaster in the air. How is a fellow to live? What should be our posture at a moment in history where it seems entirely possible Christ could return?
