June 2005
The Voice Of
Our Generation
6/3/2005
8:32:29 AM
We live in a wicked/crooked/perverse
generation. Yet we also represent the generation that will see the coming of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as he returns to guide us into the next
dispensation of the Kingdom. Most Christians aren’t even aware of the next step.
When they hear “end times” they tend to take it literally. That is unfortunate.
Jesus’ imminent return is anything but the end. It is the beginning of a world
with no wicked influence: no war, no hatred, and no sickness. We do not hear
enough of this truth. We are a very special generation. The other day I may have
come up with the title of my new book of poetry I am about to put together:
Poems from the Belly of the Apocalypse. I know it sounds a bit cryptic, but it
simply refers to the time in which we live. Apocalypse is just another word for
Revelation. And if the Lord is coming back at any moment, then we currently are
living on the cutting edge of a time and a dispensation that this creation has
long awaited to unveil. The singers of our age, the poets of our age, the
artists, the prophets of our age are all Voices of the Generation of the
Apocalypse. It’s weird to think that I am actually a Voice of my Generation:
Perhaps not a popular voice but a Voice nonetheless. Each of us should see
himself/herself as such. Then maybe we would be more focused on exactly what our
message should be.
Solice
Against Injustice
6/6/2005
10:00:25 AM
Sunday night was an absolute festival
in the spirit. When I see the broken and the poor slink into sanctuary, seeking
spiritual shelter from the storms that are raging in their lives, I feel
something deep inside of me raging too. The injustice that surrounds some of
these fine people is flabbergasting at times. Their stories curl your toenails
and sadden your heart. Their searching eyes want to trust every word you say
about what the Bible promises to God's children, but their life experiences
pound them into submission to the reality of their circumstances. My words fall
short. But then along comes a night like last night: God's presence fell before
the music even kicked off. Goosebumps were rushing up and down arms before
anyone even prayed. It was as though God said, "Oh well, I love em so
much...I'll just bless them anyway tonight." These penniless paupers danced on
the head of injustice tonight. They danced like they were the richest of the
rich. They sang at the top of their lungs such a joyful noise that a spiritual
commotion had to be stirred in heavenly places. These outcasts of society
laughed like children with no thought of tomorrow or of the wicked circumstances
awaiting them after service. We all, with abandonment, entered into a time of
pure praise and worship. It continued through the sermon and right up until I
baptized four of the newcomers who have been sparking revival in our church of
late. I howled like a bear as I dunked each of them beneath the cleansing water.
We splashed in divine waters until we forgot there were any problems, toils,
burdens, or pains out there anymore. Nights like this offer solice to
overburdened souls who fight against the injustices of this world on daily
basis. Nights like this make me glad I answered the call to follow
Him.
Sink Or
Swim
6/7/2005
1:11:42 PM
A very special friend of mine—who has
the liberty to say such things to me without setting off red flags—said
something that had the appearance of logic at the moment but later struck me as
most illogical. She said, “Sometimes I get so tired of it all. Maybe I’ll just
sink instead of trying to swim. At least it wouldn’t hurt so badly.” It is
statement of fatigue with the daily battle, of weariness against the burden of
the day, of hope lost in the face of constant pressure. We have all felt like
giving up at some point in our lives. Yet, something inside of us compels us to
flail away to stay afloat…to stay relevant…to stay alive. We desire buoyancy; we
crave that next breath of air…that next creative rush of revelation. It may seem
easier in the moment to rest, to stop struggling against the circumstances of
our lives, but that deception will be evident once you sink to the bottom and
discover that your desire for one more breath of life-giving air is all that
matters anymore. Then you will discover true pain, true weariness, and true
fatigue. The battle back to the top where the swimming seemed so hard is
excruciating, and not all make it back. The journey from sinking back to
swimming makes this present hassle seem like child’s-play. Holding your breath
as time slips dangerously by in an all-out struggle for survival is much more
difficult than treading water through forced gulps of precious air. Certainly,
we all go through hard times; but it could be worse: We could be deceived into
giving up the battle altogether.
Mosquitoes
& Lightning Bugs
6/10/2005
7:58:29 AM
Tropical rains make for sultry
summers. Instead of baking in the evening sun, we simply boil in the humidity.
The mosquitoes thrive in this weather. What nasty, wicked, evil beasts these
bloodthirsty demons can be! One thing about this summer that isn't so bad is the
revival of the lightning bugs. At about dusk each day, those florescent critters
are going off like bombs along the edges of the pine tree forest that surrounds
our neighborhood. If there is a more beautiful sight, I have not seen it. They
shine like stars in the night, flickering by the hundreds, while the mosquitoes
circle around behind us to take advantage of our fascination. It occurs to me
that the same God who made the lightning bug made the mosquito. What was it
William Blake said in his poem about the Tiger: “Did He who made the lamb make
thee?” The complexity of our God escapes me. His ways are unfathomable. How
often I have questioned what I see in this world! So much about life seems
illogical. To me, heaven makes lots of sense but hell is scary. Why can’t life
just be cotton candy, walks along the beach, and kisses under the mistletoe? On
the other hand, could a world with no mosquitoes truly appreciate the lightning
bug?
Inquiring
Minds Want To Know
6/14/2005
7:49:01 PM
God loves an inquisitive mind. In
fact, you can’t draw close to Him in any real way without a thirst for knowledge
and an open mind, willing to expand. The irony is that Christians are often
considered “closed-minded” or “simpletons.” In fact, some Christians are afraid
to open themselves to the whim of knowledge because they are weak in the faith.
We get bogged down in the many useless facts and trivia that we pick up on our
path to a deeper walk with God. Incredibly, I have heard some Christians say
that they never study the biblical book of Revelation because it confuses them.
Yes, that very book in which the declaration is made: “Blessed is he that
readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy…” (Rev. 1:3). God’s
instruction to me when I asked Him how to guide me through the maze of the
inquisitive mind: STUDY EVERYTHING...PREACH THE
GOSPEL!
God's Water
Tower
6/17/2005
7:42:01 PM
Trusting in God is simple, really. In
practical terms, we seem to be stronger in our faith at some times...weaker at
others. In the
Feeling"
Faithful
6/18/2005
1:34:28 PM
Someone once asked me, "What do you do
when you don't feel like you have any faith, Brother Eddie?" I told them to do
something I read in a book by C.S. Lewis: Do the sort of things you imagine you
would be doing if you felt like you had faith. If you were being faithful, just
what sort of things would you do? Do them! Let your "feelings" catch up with
your "actions" later on. It really works!
Gone A Few
Days
6/19/2005
9:53:44 PM
I'm leaving to be with family for a
bit. I am going to help my nephew find work. I am going to be with my wife as
she supports her family; two of her loved ones will be having surgery this week
in
No Place
Like Home
6/23/2005
4:07:30 PM
I’m back. I’m fatter. Older. Poorer.
And a lot less spiritual. But I am back. Back in my own bed, drinking Jena
water, awaiting trusted friends to catch me up on all the rat-killing I’ve
missed since I embarked on my trip down South. I think I’ll stretch out my feet,
grab a cup of tea, and see how much my flowers and plants have grown without me.
It’s good to be home.
All
Consuming Fire
6/27/2005
9:01:52 AM
Our God is an all consuming fire! I
suddenly see the futility of so much that seems important when His presence
engulfs me during a sovereign manifestation. All that can stand in His presence
is the fire that He has placed in me. Everything else is consumed. Acres and
acres of wasteland are charred. All that is left over is that fiery content He
breathed in me at the beginning. Spiritual clarity is absolute in those moments.
There is no double-mindedness or wavering whatsoever. My faith level peaks.
Tears explode from my eyes. I can feel myself shaking to my very bones. I have
no explanation for what I feel in the natural during these supernatural moments
from above. I simply know that one of those supernatural moments is more
important to me than years of time in natural. The revelation, the compassion,
the mission: They all seem so obviously clear and present in such a way that I
could preach ten or twenty sermons from what I feel in my spirit in a flash of a
moment when the Fire of God consumes me. It’s like having a Road To Damascus
experience every single time. I say all of that because I experienced just such
a moment the other day, and already, I am seeking God to burn away the dross
that’s accumulated in the interim.
Tail Wags
Dog
6/28/2005 2:35:13 PM
The folly of
"polls" published by the mass media continues to impress me. The mass media
continually feeds the latest bad news to a news-starved consumer; then the same
media asks the mass-media-educated consumer if they think things are going bad.
When the convinced consumer responds that yes, things are going bad--since that
is what the mass media has been telling them--the mass media reports the polls
as proof that things are really going bad out there, according to the consumer.
Talk about the tail wagging the dog!
Nothing To
Say
6/30/2005 10:02:24 AM
My mind is so
filled with the clutter of the day and my spirit so stifled by the burdens set
before me that I can think of absolutely nothing to say of any consequence
today. Of course, I am not going to let that stop me. One thing people should
know about pastors: We spend as much time as everyone else wondering just how to
get some sort of meaning out of the content of our lives. Sometimes we find
answers. Then there are days like
today.