Dried Up Brook

"Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in  Gilead, told King Ahab, "As surely as the Lord , the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!" Then the Lord said to Elijah, "Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food." So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. Then the Lord said to Elijah, "Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you." I Kings 17:1-9 http://bible.us/1Kgs17.1.NLT

This is one of the passages Pastor Clay used during his sermon last night. I have to give you a little background information before I can go on. I've been driving a cab in Nashville for 20 years now. I make LESS money now than I did in 1992. I don't mean ratio-wise; I mean actual dollars. Back then, every Thurs, Fri, and Sat night we would run non-stop from 7pm-3am. It was difficult to find five minutes to use the restroom! Now, even on those nights, we may wait 30 minutes to an hour between runs. I made enough money in 3 nights to support myself and 3 children and go to college full-time. So, why is it so hard now? There are a number of reasons such as: too many cabs (legitimate and gypsy) on the road, Mayor Dean's eco-busses from the $250,000+ condos in the Gulch to 2nd Ave paid for by TAX DOLLARS!, sheriffs give free rides on major holidays, outrageous gas prices, drivers who are desperate for money so they take advantage of their customers, etc. Customers don't like being taken advantage of, so they don't call as often.

I was informed just before church last night that as the cost of everything else goes up, my income is about to go down even further! It's been 8 years since we've gotten a raise so they decided to raise the meter .10 per mile a few months ago and put the issue on the back burner to be readdressed. Now, they decided NO raise, but we're going to ADD cabs-88 of them to be exact! Now, I have to add this for fairness purposes, those cabs will only be added IF the city can find it in the budget to hire another cab inspector and office person. If those who want this can convince the cab board (which is appointed by the mayor), I don't think they'll have much of a problem achieving this. However, a friend of mine thinks this was the cab board's way of delaying the issue for a few more months. Bottom line, we have a major potential problem on our hands.

This is where my mind was when I walked into church last night. I was kind of half listening to the sermon and half thinking about, okay worrying about, my job, my future, my finances. I work the visuals at church, so I have to pay close attention when Pastor is reading Scripture. As he was reading the above passage, I began to realize some things. #1-God told Elijah when it was time to move. God told me a few years ago to concentrate on my novels. I have been "too busy" to work on them diligently and they have spent a lot of time on the back burner of life. #2-God provided for Elijah when he was where God commanded him to be (by the brook). The cab business has provided and paid the bills for a long time! #3-When it was time to move on the brook dried up. The cab business has gradually been drying up.

So, where is God commanding me to go? Novels. What am I afraid of? I Had Dreams (my first novel, self-published, released March 2007) hasn't generated any incom (certainly not enough to raise a teenager on) and I haven't had any success finding a traditional publisher for Alternate Choices (my second novel, in editorial stage). God then pointed out to me that He commanded Elijah to go to a WIDOW, the poorest of the poor, not to a gold mine! Then, when Elijah stepped out on faith and obeyed, God provided through her. Novels may look like a widow at this point, but God can and will provide through them.

Pastor Clay said "Stop trusting in the provision and start trusting the Provider!" It amazes me how I thought that is what I was doing...until last night!

Pastor Clay went on to preach from John 15:1-2 where the Bible talks about how God cuts off the branches that are no longer fruitful and prunes those that are so they may bear more fruit. I definitely see little, if any, spiritual fruit coming out of my hours in the cab, but the potential for many souls to be saved through my writing!

The Principle of the Process

Finding Change Series Wed Oct 5
The Principle of the Process
Pastor Clay

The process is how we get from here to there. There may be many victories and set backs along the way. We often assume the set backs are mistakes that we've made, but many times they are just part of the process. There are no short cuts to THERE. Nothing worth having is easy or a straight shot.

Acts 16:9 - Paul was given a dream.

FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY Acts 13:1-3 The calling came first (v2), then there was a word from God, and then there was a prayer meeting. The HS was saying NOW is the time...

SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY Acts 15:35-39 They were "called" by just knowing what needed to be done.  They disagreed on how to do it, but in the end God worked it all out for good.

Acts 16:6-10 They walked almost 500 miles only to find out God said not to go there. That doesn't mean stop, it means keep moving. Ask what's next. Don't give up when God says no.

Principles of the Progress
1-God probably won't do it the same way twice.
2-We need to recognize what is really going on.
3-Look back and see how far God had brought you. It is not worth it to let the enemy push you back. Look back as a point of reference and the wall before you won't look so big! God will put people in your path who will help you over the walls that rise up in your path. We need each other!

Don't presume to know what the path is from here to there. If you asked Paul in Damascus, he would not have said that he was going to be beaten repeatedly, shipwrecked, or imprisoned for the cause of Christ. However, that is exactly what happened! Could you have the attitude that Paul had? Or do you cry and complain that this is not what you signed up for?

Faith: Vehicle of Destiny--Pastor Clay Baggett

During worship tonight, the Holy Spirit was moving!!! Maybe it was just me, but it was awesome! The last song we did was called Awakening and it went right along with my conversation with God yesterday on my way back from Evansville (see previous post). Then the sermon just further confirmed it all. Here are my sermon notes:

Imagine your faith as a vehicle. What would that vehicle be?

   Gremlin: Small, out-dated, cheap, no longer in production

   Ambulance: Only accessed in dire emergencies

   Bus: Mass-transit, only strong in large groups

   Mazaradi: Fast, beautiful, but not at all practical, and very expensive.

   Monster Truck: Loves to crush stuff and make noises but never really accomplishes anything good.

   Concept Car: Beautiful, unique, one of a kind, but was never meant to leave the showroom.

   Bicycle: Easy to take care of, relatively inexpensive, not dependant on the oil in the middle east, low emissions, heart healthy, requires a little work on your part to get where you're going.

Let's look at Paul. What did his vehicle look like? What is it that made Paul so extraordinary?

Acts 14:8-20

1-This man had FAITH! (v 8)

     a-The lame man's circumstances said he could not.

     b-Paul perceived his level of faith because like spirits attract like spirits.

     c-Paul observed him intently before judging his level of faith.

2-Being an ORDINARY person is important because God use them to do EXTRAORDINARY things! (v 14)

     a-Paul had issues.

     b-Paul had flaws.

     c-In the midst of success don't lose your ordinariness.

You bring the ORDINARY; God adds the EXTRA!

3-ORDINARY people doing EXTRAORDINARY things can expect EXTRAORDINARY attacks!

     a-Deal with ordinary (obvious) attacks first. Satan will use 20-year-old offenses to deflate your faith if he can.

     b-We need to be willing to work outside the world's system.

     c-Because the only place the enemy can attack us is thru that system.

     d-If you're being spanked by the enemy then realize that it's because of the potential potency of the anointing on your life.

     e-God's agenda for you is waiting on you to recognize who you are!

4-ORDINARY people doing EXTRAORDINARY things can expect EXTRAORDINARY deliverance!

     a-The people had left Paul for dead, but God had a different plan.

     b-I wonder if Paul felt like he was in God's perfect will when he waked to the next city 100 miles away after being stoned.

After church was over, I went to talk to Pastor Clay and Jonathon to tell them about my time with God yesterday and how they both reiterated what God was saying to me. They were talking and I was waiting when Pastor Darin smeared anointing oil on my forehead. He said "I had some left on my hand, so I figured I'd give it to you." I said, "Nothing wrong with that! I'll take all the anointing I can get!" The whole night was amazing!!!

In Your Presence

I got a run going to Evansville, IN. (We have a contract with CSX to transport their crews, so these runs are not that unusual.) While I was on the way up there, I could only pray silently, but I told God that when I dropped these guys off I wanted to pray for real. I wanted to spend some serious time with Him.

I haven't updated my GPS in awhile so the new stretch of Pennyrile Parkway from Hopkinsville to I-24 doesn't exist according to it. It shows my little yellow cab driving in the middle of no where. Sometimes it shows a dotted line to the nearest road to show me that if I can get there, the GPS will be able to direct me the rest of the way. I was praying when I saw that little dotted line on the screen. I said, “Lord, that is how I feel sometimes; like I'm floating in the middle of no where. I feel so alone and uncomfortable, but at the same time, I know I am where I belong. Others keep telling me I need to get over onto the road that everyone can see, but I know that isn't where You want me to be. I know that if I continue on the way I'm headed (even though it is uncharted territory) I will end up on the right road.” As I was approaching I-24 the solid red line was coming into view. Then the dotted line told me what I already knew... this path WILL get me there!

Then I started reflecting on something that Morgann, Mark, Abby and I were talking about after Life Groups on Sunday night. We were talking about what it means to DWELL in God's presence. Psalm 140:13 says, “Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.” Is it just something we experience every Sunday and Wednesday at church? Is it something we experience every day, but only during our time of “devotions”? Or is it something we can experience all day, every day, every moment of our lives? Dwell means “to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside” (dictionary.com). So, I began to pray and tell God that I want to dwell in His presence. I want to LIVE there all the time!

How do I do that? I quickly realized that I am to focus on Him always. Hebrews 12:2 says “Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

There was a time that I would imagine that Jesus was sitting in the front seat of the cab riding with me, because technically speaking HE IS! I was so embarrassed by some of the things that my customers would say and do that I stopped inviting Jesus to come. In a way I thought (not a conscious thought, but somewhere in the back of my mind) I was protecting Him from the sin I'm exposed to everyday. God spoke to me today and made me realize just how arrogant that was. Little ole ME thought I could protect Jesus from the sin in this world. While I think the sin I see daily is horrid, Jesus has not only SEEN worse, He BECAME worse!!! He became all sin so that He could conquer it.

I was listening to Devin Williams Pour It Out. Actually, I wasn't really listening to it as much as it was playing in the background while I was praying. As I was praying I would realize that the song playing in the background totally agreed with my prayer, so I would stop praying and sing the song to God, stopping along the way to elaborate on the lyrics. It was so awesome!!! By the time I got back to Nashville, I was so on fire!!!

Change the World--Pastor Grant-Ross

TODAY is the day to start over! Put the mistakes of yesterday behind you. Your future begins today. Unfortunately, there are no redos in life. The decisions that you make right here will decide what your tomorrow looks like. You can't change the past, but you can change the path you're on now.

II Cor 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Are you living a life of faith or a life of fear?

Judges 6:11-16

We, as humans tend to lean to the negative. If God is with me, why? Why? Why?

"If your ship doesn't come on, go out and meet it." -- Jonathan Winters

God sees past the excuses and looks at your heart! God sees what He created you to do, not the obstacles you see as in your way.

There are some things that you have to change to get your fresh start...

1-Your Mind

     a-Don't deny your problems, face them!

     b-Take responsibility for your own mind.

     c-The battle is the Lord's.

     d-Be careful what you see, hear, think, etc. It just may become what you do.

Psalm 1

2-Your Heart

     a-Let yourself be set free.

     b-Leave guilt behind.

     c-When God forgives he forgives extravagantly!

     d-How would it feel to live free?

     e-How would it feel to live with a heart not bound by guilt and shame?

3-Your World

     a-Live a life that matters.

     b-Life is short... Make your time meaningful.

     c-Move beyond good intentions.

     d-Get over yourself! It's not about you!

Quit looking at what's wrong and start focusing on what is right. Get excited about this fresh start that you have right now.

II Tim 1:6 "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you..." 

You have to rekindle the flame...not God. He hasn't moved...you have!

Rom 12:11 "Never lag in zeal..."

Fruit

"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." Gal 5:16-26 http://bible.us/Gal5.16.NLT

I fell flat on my face in the sin area. I opened up my Bible app on my phone and this is the passage that I read. As I analyze my life, I realize that I don't see as many things on the fruit of the Spirit list as I would like to. I also realize that the only way to achieve that is to spend more time with the Holy Spirit.

My prayer closet is calling me... Gotta go!

Promises

This wasn't based on a sermon I heard or a tape I listened to, but I wanted to share it because it was awesome!

 I was driving down the Interstate when I saw a beautiful rainbow this morning. I immediately said, "Oh, Lord. That is beautiful. Thank You so much!"

He immediately spoke to my spirit loudly and clearly. "I keep my promises, Trai. Remember them. Stand on them. Stop wavering and questioning what you don't understand and just trust Me."

We went on to discuss the specific promises that He has given me that I have doubted lately. I needed that encouragement a lot more than I realized.

Thank You so much, Lord, for reminding me that You are who You say You are and that You'll do what You say You'll do. Thank You for loving me enough to be involved in my daily life and for giving me promises and things to look forward to that directly pertain to my daily life. I love You so much! You are AMAZING!!!

Get in the Game ... Pastor Clay Baggett

Extraordinary happens when ordinary people do whatever it takes!
You are a product of your decisions... not your conditions.

You are called to love others as you love yourself. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

 Matt 22:36-39 "36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'t38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

You have to take ownership of your Christianity. You have to get in the game. Christianity is not a spectator sport! It's easy to judge the mistakes of others when you're a spectator, but until you get in there yourself, you're in no position to speak.

Mt. 28:19 "19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

GO! Not watch.

I Cor 12:12 "12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ."

We each have our own assignments. There is a seed of greatness in each of us. You were created for offense, not defense!

So, how do we play? How do we get involved?

1-Players know who they are.
Mt 16:17-19 "17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.18 And I tell you that you are Peter,t and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadest will not overcome it.19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bet bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bet loosed in heaven."

You have to know who you are in Christ. You hold the keys.

2-Players focus on what they can control.
Matt 6:21 "21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
 
You can control:
a-your attitude
b-your mouth (gossip, lies, exaggerations, etc.)
c-your actions

Bloom where you're planted! Stop waiting for _____ to happen and make the most of where you are now!

3-Players take the field.
Matt 24:12-14 "2 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
 
Players charge onto the field with passion, energy and a desire to win. Sometimes they get dirty, bruised, and bloody, but they still give it their all! If we would approach life like that Satan would be scared! He would say "uh-oh. I know who you are" and he'd run!

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

4-Players carry the ball.
They step out from behind their titles, job duties, position and act on behalf of the vision (winning the game).

They are willing to try other ideas if it will help win the game.

It is your responsibility to run with the ball if it lands in your hands. (According to Matt 24:12, it IS in your hands!)

5-Players choose to play hard and they play hurt. 
You can't give up! How about you? Are you willing to play hard? Even if you're hurt? Church people inevitably will hurt you. Are you going to let that get in your way? There are lives out there who need the hope that you have found.

6-Players know that change begins from the inside out.
Personal change always precedes great moves of God.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Ghandhi

Most of us like this intellectually, but we don't like it enough to change our lifestyles.

It's time to get out of the bleachers and get in the game!

Waiting for the POP! Pastor Clay Baggett

This sermon was so good! I have never thought of waiting for the promises of God this way before, but it was an awesome analogy!

Faith is the confident expectation of a coming good.

Hebrews 11:1-3, 6 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible... 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

1-You have to have confidence in the unseen. Key word in this passage is “Now”. If you wait until you see it to believe it, you have no faith. Note verse 6, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without faith.

I Kings 18:41-44 “41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “ There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

2-Sometimes we have to believe in things that seem ridiculous, but we must believe (have faith) anyway. “There is the sound of abundance of rain.” There had been no sound yet. Elijah was instructing Ahab to have faith.

3-We have to hang on to the little things (ie, the cloud the size of a man's hand).

4-Sometimes we have to wait and go through the process (like Elijah's servant did in this story).

Mark 8:23-25 “23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

Waiting for the manifestation of what we have faith in is like popping popcorn.

1-Sometimes God has to get you out of your comfort zone before the promise can be fulfilled (Mark 8:23a). (Going from popping corn in a kettle to a microwave.) Sometimes He expects you to close the door on relationships with the doubters in your life. (Closing the microwave door.)

2-You have to be obedient and act on whatever God is telling you to do, whether that be looking toward the sea, allowing Jesus to put spit in your eyes, or sometimes there is nothing for you to do, but continue to praise Him while you wait. (You have to push the buttons on the microwave).

3-We have to be patient and wait until the proper time. We tend to jump the gun and rush in before the promise is fully matured. (We open the microwave at the sound of the first pop.)

4-When it is the proper time it will be clear that it is time. (The microwave beeps to let you know that the popcorn is done.) When the microwave gets the hottest, the popcorn is almost done. When the test, the waiting, the impatience is almost too much to bear, the manifestation of the dream is about to happen.

The only way that the devil can beat us is if we quit! Don't quit! Don't try to open the microwave before it's time. You will have some popcorn, but it won't be a full bag and it won't be the best it could be.

In my life personally, there are two clear visions that God has given me. Who I'm going to marry and that I am to write Christian novels. I tried to jump the gun with who I'm going to marry. I learned a few years ago that when it's time it will happen, so I have completely accepted that as I go on with life, praising God and living for Him, knowing that it will come to pass eventually. On the rare occasion that I do doubt it, I just remember the little things and re-read my journal if necessary to take me back to the time when God promised it. As for the writing, well, I have to do it. I get so busy with the distractions of everyday life that I haven't made the time for what God has called me to do. The funny thing is that I was just talking to a friend about this on Saturday and asking her to pray about the distractions I face when I try to write. This sermon was on Sunday morning. I love it when God does that!

This sermon was very encouraging to me. Sometimes I just need a reminder that God always keeps His word and these things will come to pass.

Do You Really Want to be Healed? Pastor Grant-Ross McGregor

Pastor Grant-Ross spoke Sunday on the story of the guy at the pool of Bethesda who had been crippled his whole life. When Jesus came along and asked him a simple question the man was full of excuses. Jesus said, "Do you want to be healed?" The man says, "yes, but..." Jesus had asked a simple yes or no question. He was looking for a yes or no for an answer. "Do you really want to be healed?"

Jesus is asking us the same question but so many times we, like the paralytic here, come up with excuses. Jesus doesn't want excuses. Do you want to be healed/delivered? If so, stop making excuses and pick up your mat and walk! Are you willing to let some things or people go? Are you willing to change your schedule? Are you willing to change your lifestyle? How bad do you want to be rid of whatever you need healing/deliverance from? To what length are you willing to go?

Do you REALLY want to be healed?

Yes, Lord. I want to be delivered of my poor eating and exercise (or lack thereof) practices! Lord, help me to make the changes that I need to make. Help me to see the benefits of the sacrifices and not just the loss. I want to be able to fulfill Your calling for my life and I know that my unhealthy lifestyle is standing in the way of that.