heroic Faith

Posted By ghostrevolver on January 21, 2010

Greetings, in the form of a farewell. 

it isn’t good-bye, it is more ’see you there’

I want everyone to know, anyone coming here to this site, all my friends, my family, my fans, my associates, and all who just end up here while surfing the net, I am moving my blogs and my booksite.  I am going to list the site here and I hope I will see all of you and hear from you on that page instead. 

Come on over, the new place is already furnished. 

God Bless each of those reading, follow Jesus always.

wyatt

www.trailofthepriest.com

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Posted By ghostrevolver on January 6, 2010

again.

I am terrible about keeping up with my blog.  It’s a simple truth.  I hope maybe to get better, and I keep saying that, but change is slow.  Anyway, be patient and keep watching.  I may surprise you all yet. 

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Posted By ghostrevolver on December 24, 2009

My Devotion for Sunday was put off, unfortunately, and I apologize.  It is good that I am not a pastor now or my congregation would constantly get the message late.    However, this Message is not just a Devotion.

I leave you all with Merry Christmas, and I ask that you remember that Christmas is about Jesus Christ Coming to earth as a man and living here for us and dying here for us, then Rising again from the dead and taking His place in Heaven again to Reign for all time.

It is a Time about Jesus.  There is no other Reason that it would still be celebrated.  Jesus Christ Was and Is God in Flesh, and He Came to our world to Save all.  That alone has made Christmas.  It is Christmas.  Think about it.

He Loved us so, The Father Loved us so, that Jesus Came as a Sacrifice, Born, Lived, Died, and Rose again from the tomb that we might be Saved.  The answer to every problem lay in a manger crib that first night.  The most Mighty King and Lord of Power and Glory and Honor was Born humble and gentle, beckoning all to come to Him, to recieve Him, that they might be Saved.  The awestruck world still struggles with the Truth, that God Loves us enough that He Would Die for us…and Rise again To Take us home. 

This year, Praise Him and Celebrate Him.  He Deserves it.  And, remember, come to Him, all ye who are heavy laden, and He Will Give rest and abundant joy.  He Loves you all. 

Christmas is not One Day a year, it should be every day.  We should celebrate it and act it out every year, the Mercy, the Grace, the Love.  Jesus Did Not Stop at Being Born; we should not stop at remembering His Life, His Death, His Love, every day of the year.  He Will Return for us; Let Him Find us doing good, loving, living well, and Honoring Him. 

We are His Children.

We ought to make every day in that thought Father’s Day. 

Merry Christmas to all of you, a Holy Time for all.

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Posted By ghostrevolver on December 15, 2009

In devotions, which I am supposed to try to render on Sundays, I tried to do a study of Jesus’ names and Titles.  I am often late on devotions, and I apologize.  For Sunday, the day 13 of December, this year, 2009.

Today’s is a study of His Title, the Alpha and Omega.  It means the beginning and the end, generally translated, and refers to His Omnipotent Stature, His Existance as God in the Beginning of all things and His Continuing Existance as God throughout all things and all time. 

In The New Testament, Revelation 1:8, and followed by three other times, Jesus Christ Described Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, with no question, God Almighty.  Amen, for He Is.

The Scripture is plain and simple and powerfully to the point; He Was Before all things, and made all things, and all things through Him were made, and He Is Constant during all things and times, and God all the time, powerful and in control and Almighty, and He Will be even after all things, God still, after all that is known as we understand it has gone to dust, and into nothingness, and all that remains is what He Wanted to remain, with Him. 

Now, I have touched on the name Alpha and Omega once before this night, but I wanted to offer another look.  Another topic I type is one about heroes and heroic comparisons.  Now, before another word is typed, let me say that there is no comparison that can be made to Jesus Christ.  I will attempt no comparison to His Heroism, but I cannot make a writing of heroes here regularly and not talk about the Greatest Hero Ever.

Valor and nobility were never better displayed than when the Son Of God left the Glorious Courts and Splendors of Heaven, put on a sheath of mortality, and came down among the people He Loves so dearly. 
He felt pain.  He bled.  He cried.  He could have come as a conquerer and forced mankind into subservience, but that is not Who He is.  He came to walk among us as one of us, Live as one of us, and chose to be killed here in this dark little world, for all of us.  He Gave His Life in living trying to help us find  Him; He Gave His Life in death to cleanse us so that we could be with Him when we found Him.  He gave His All without anything to receive in return, selflessly trying to make His children aware of their heritage and
The Love available to them. 

Like a knight, bold and fearless, He preferred His Own death over our
Spiritual deaths, and Laid down His Life for a world that hated Him.  True.  Faithful.  Love.  Many a hero and a warrior has there been that would kill for what he believed; Jesus Christ showed us that He Loved us enough and Cared enough to die a sacrifice instead.  In ransoming himself, He Set the standard for valor. 

He Wanted us to have free choice . . . so He Defeated all evil with His Love and His Sacrifice.  He Gave us His Blood, and His Inheritance.  His Name.  He Rose from the dead, Shattering the Power of hell and sin over mankind.  He Gave us the right to choose Him, if it is what we desire. 

We have already won.  The Scripture of Revelation 5:5 tells us that in no uncertain terms.

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, The Lion of the tribe of Judah, The Root of David,
hath prevailed…” 

Read on through to the end of Chapter 5 and see the Glory that is Our Lord’s, and promises given to us.  We must be Valiant.  We must be Faithful.  He Is.

He Stands at the very windows of Heaven, and Looks across His Creation.  A Creation that has often failed Him, and partly has forgotten Him.  Yet, He Loves them, each and every one.  He Will Fight for them, as He Always Has, and Will even Return for them, when the Hour comes.

He Sharpens His Sword, the Sword of Truth, and Watches.  He Armors Himself in Gold and Brass, His Eyes Burn with a Righteous Fire.  His Face glows with His Deity and His Power, and His Love for those who have taken His Name.  When the time is come, He Will Dispatch Justice, Come back to the earth as The Lion, not The Lamb.  He Rallies those to Him that would come, with a massive, Mighty voice as deep and rolling as the oceans He Created.  His burning Eyes scour the world for any who would call upon Him,that He might Aide them before it is too late, before Judgement is passed.  And, He Stares at all the forces of evil and Readies the justice and the Righteous Vengeance that has been held all the ages…
He Raises His Voice against an enemy and the very universe trembles…

And, The Father God Looks on, Preparing to Give the Order, to Bring His People Home.  We Rally to the Cross. 

We rally to our Father, our Brother, our Friend, our King…our Lord Jesus Christ, the real Hero.  He Was the Beginning, He Is now, and He Will Be the Ending, and what a Glorious Day it will be.  The Hero Who Came to Live for us, Suffered and Died for us, and Rose Again to Finish  His Own Plan, Will Come again as a Lion, The Lion, and His War will be against all evil and darkness, and He Cannot be overcome nor can He be turned away.  The Hero of All Existance Will Prevail, and all will be the way it should be. 

Do you want to see the Ending?  Read it in Revelation and take joy.

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Posted By ghostrevolver on December 8, 2009

I am certain most have heard the story of David and Goliath, and how David’s simple sling and stone were used by God to strike the insolent enemy of the Israelites dead. We tell it over and over again, and recount it as a tale of a true hero of the Bible. Yet, the truth of David is that he was more faithful than heroic. His strength was in what he knew and believed, his Faith in God. More than David was a hero, he was a man with heroic Faith. The main character in the battle is not David, and certainly not the giant, Goliath. The main character is God.

Is there not more being told in the story than perhaps we realize as we read it? I believe so, for David was a mere boy, to the soldiers of the day, a youth, and God called him to a purpose most grand. God called forth a youth where grown, grizzled veterans had fallen. I can see a reflection in Christian life now. We need to be certain that we make room and allowances for the Davids to come, in our own youth and young adults, as they take part and place in our Churches and our ministries. Make no mistake, they are there, poised to be called into battle. The question is, will we know enough to get out of the way, or how to help them as they come? I hope so, for the Bible shows us the ways.

First, we have to address ourselves, and admit that we need the youth. They are the next warriors, the future. Second, we need them to be encouraged, not browbeaten or ‘broken in’. We have to give credit where credit is due, and admit God Knows what He Is Doing. When He calls someone to do something or gives them a passion for a work, we need to be careful not to be Sauls.

Saul made two mistakes back to back.

First, he doubted the young man because of his age. Age is never a factor in the Faithfulness of Jesus Christ. After all, when Jesus Himself Taught in the temple, He Was twelve years of age! We in the Church do that, judging age as wisdom. Age does not make wise or justified with God. Sarah was ninety years of age when she doubted, even laughed, that God Would Bless her with child. She had been waiting for a child and had given up and sent her own plan for Abraham’s heir into motion, thorough her maidservant. Abraham was older still, and had trouble believing. ( Genesis 18 )

Second, even when Saul allowed David to step forward, he tried to put his own armor and weapons on David. They did not fit, and were odd and untested, unfamiliar, to young David. We do that, too. When we do accept that young adults in our ministries are coming into service, we say things like, “The way we have always done this”, or “Do this the way I do”, or we stand over and scrutinize new projects and procedures of the young with brows furrowed and faces long. We try adorning the younger workers with our ideas, our methods, our approaches, and even our terminologies, our ‘armor and weapons’. This, too, does not work.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. If God Has Called someone into service, they have the qualities needed when they step forward, they have faithfulness enough to answer. We cannot put our talents and skills and ideas over them. God Is Calling them forward, they must answer. We cannot answer for them. The strengths they will need will be in what they believe, in Whom they believe.

Just food for thought, as we consider the youth we support in their signifigance in Christ as young adults, while this column goes forward. The Apostle Paul said it well to Timothy.

‘Let no man despise you for your youth, but be an example to the believers … ’ He showed two sides to the subject. We should never judge or look down upon one over their youth. In turn, they have quite a responsibility to the believers to show worth in the trust given them. ( 1rst Timothy 4:12 )

Let us always support the youth as they go into battle and answer their calls. And, let us remember, they may not wear our armors and swords as they go, but will find God in the use of a sling and a stone.

____________________ 

I will not post all of my articles, as you would suspect.  I did want to give you a taste of the kind of work and care we put into the Ministry and get your tastes and appetites whetted for the magazine.  Subscribe today if you like this!  You will not want to miss a copy!

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Posted By ghostrevolver on December 8, 2009

Not often enough.

I know this, do not doubt.  I should blog each and every day.  I just have been so stretched between things and places.   My deepest regret is being behind in the devotions I will do the very strongest to return to action in them this coming Sunday.  I apologize.

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Posted By ghostrevolver on December 3, 2009

Happening on the first of the month, for the first book I have had published, I must call it a success.

I had one of the best times of my life, signing those books and talking to some very kind people.  I was petrified at first, but was led through it all, and God, Our Jesus, Made it everything it should have become.  We were all so happy, all of us involved, and I have to say I will not fear another book meeting like that again.    Amazing!

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Posted By ghostrevolver on December 2, 2009

A short note for anyone interested:

My new job as writer of a column for the OFWB Press Magazine ( The  Free Will Baptist) begins with the article due out in the January edition.

A Sling and a Stone: Signifigance  In Christ as a Young Adult will be the title and it will be monthly, dealing with young adults as they find their place in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Posted By ghostrevolver on November 23, 2009

One of the names of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Son of God, God Almighty.

See The New Testament Book of The Gospel of John 10:10 through 11.

I wanted to share and found that I liked Chuck Swindoll’s lesson on this.  I am reprinting it here and I want to say to him thank you for the learned vision.

Jesus gives his life for his followers.

Today I want to tell you about sheep and the Good Shepherd.  Sheep are beautiful creatures made by God.  They need a shepherd to protect them from wild animals like wolves that want to eat them.  Every now and then one of the sheep has his nose down to the ground, eating peacefully, and wanders away from the fold (the other sheep).  Whenever this happens the shepherd uses his shepherd’s crook to guide the lost sheep back where he belongs.  The crook is simply a long stick with a curved shape on one end that will fit around the sheep’s neck.  The shepherd can shoo away wild animals that creep up on the fold with it. A good shepherd will defend his sheep from wild animals, but a bad shepherd will get scared and run away at the first sight of danger.

In the Bible people are compared to sheep many times.  In Psalm 100:3 we read Know ye that the Lord he is God:  it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. People are like sheep in that we tend to wander away from God at times, wanting to do things our own way.  God knows that we are not perfect, so he sent his Son Jesus to be our shepherd.  Jesus took on all our sins or badness when he died on the cross for us. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Jesus explained to his followers that he was a Good Shepherd. He came to protect us by giving his life for us.  He did this so that we might enjoy life to its fullest and have the hope of living forever. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd:  the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:10b-11)  Jesus is our guide.  He is always ready to lead us back on the path of living right and doing the right things.  Sheep are gentle animals. The wool they grow is shorn and used to make beautiful garments.  Jesus wants his followers to be gentle and meek as well.  Our lives can be used to do works of kindness and mercy, love and generosity. God can weave these into a wonderful quilt of good works throughout our whole life.  We can be thankful that Jesus has not left us alone, but is always protecting us like a Good Shepherd.

May this Devotional Bless you as it did me.  I enjoyed it completely, and hope that its direct, basic Truth embraces you this day. 

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Posted By ghostrevolver on November 20, 2009

How many of us have good friends?  All of us, one would hope. 

I have a good many.  I have two who are mentioned special to me in the acknowledgement page of the novel, ‘Blood Rains: A Mick Priest Novel’.  I have referred to them together in this blog posting, though they do not remotely even know each other, as J and J.  Today, I want to share with readers a little about the Blessing my friends, Jacob and Jordan, have proven to be. 

I met Jacob at our Church Camp.  It was in the Black Mountain area of North Carolina, at a place called Cragmont.  I was a counselor and he was a camper.  He wound up in my wife’s small group and one of their topics was about hobbies, and he shared that many of his friends found him wierd because he collected ancient weaponry (swords, sais, nun chuka, tonfas, maces, and the like).  Well, that started a friendship between my wife and myself and him that has become a family level relationship. 

I also collect weaponry and display it on the walls and so forth, and it was something we all had in common. 

Jacob, then called, by his friends, ‘Big Jake’, was only 14 years old.  He was a good young man, with a lovely family and a welcoming home Church, but still needed just an extra voice in his life.  My wife and I became his friends and have been so ever since, and we have been just as Blessed as the young man.

Jacob is now 20 years old, gaining on 21, and has grown up wonderfully.  He has joined us in the ranks of counselors at the Camp Cragmont, and has gone on to work with the Youth in his own Church, in Sunday School and in programs.  He is very active in his Faith and has been a very, very good friend to us in turn, and has become family, as I said.  We consider him no less and he feels that, also.  His parents have become like family, and his grandparents, and the love that we have all found has come from God, for He Set it all to be, when my wife and I were counsel to the young ladies and gentlemen at Church Camp.  We were investing in their futures, and have gained rewards in our own lives.  Jacob is one of my very best friends, some 17 years my junior, and has walked along with me in my trying times and my happy times as a young man, not just as a boy at camp.  He has been friend and brother, not camper to me.  And, when the writing was hard during the novel time, he was a recurring voice, wanting to know about it and talk about it, and God Used his excitement to help spur me along sometimes. 

Thanks, Jacob.  I love you, buddy.

Then, there is Jordan.  What a wonderful young woman we have watched her become, albeit from a distance.  My wife and I have a horse riding instructor friend and former barn manager from the mid-state area, and we spent a lot of time with her on visits and so forth.  On one of those visits, we met a young lady, one of this friend’s students, named Jordan.  Jordan was appropxiamtely 13 years old and a real natural.  She took to the saddle with confidence and determination, and in her riding and learning, as with most every other facet of her demeanor, she was far, far more mature than her age.  Jordan would very quickly come to help teach rather than just train, for she was a keen study and a wonderful student.  I teased her once that she would have to teach me, because even then, and I was already riding and just into my 30’s, she was easily 10 times the equine handler I could claim to be.

Well, that started a regular jest and a friendship.  We watched Jordan age and grow and,even after we moved pretty far away from them, we talked with her and tried to keep up with how she was doing.  My wife and I were like proud parents when she was set to take off for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  She was sprouting very impressive wings, poised for flight. 

Now, in the beginning stage of her twenties, Jordan has a special place in my heart as a friend, but especially as an inspiration.  She knew I was writing and kept me on the move with questions of how it was going and updates … and was the first person, outside my wife, I trusted to read the unpolished manuscript.  She was kind and supportive and honest, and helped me by being fresh eyes and ears, and just being a friend, being interested.  This Christmas, she is getting a book that the author credited her in the opening pages as his friend. 

Thank you, Jordan.  You have a special place in my heart… and the pages …  of   ‘Bood Rains’.

God Bless you both.

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