Jesus, Faithful to Glory!

I have to admit that sometimes I don’t always feel God’s presence immediately in our prayer meetings.  At times I feel God is not listening to me at all!  Almost like a misfit compared to our God and Maker of this Universe.  And I wonder why a God that big and powerful would even listen to me, much less answer a request that I may ask.  After all, I was just as guilty as those who didn’t believe Jesus was Our Messiah and God and who cried out to crucify HIM on the same stony mount where Abraham offered up Isaac.  But just as God provided a substitute for Isaac and Abraham with a ram on the third day of their journey up to a hill where God led Abraham; I’m confident HE will provide for us according to HIS word. For God is faithful and just and HE is called Jehovah Jireh, God will provide.

And just at that moment when I don’t think God will move upon us, or provide like HE did in HIS word.  When my words won’t flow or come out just right, or I am interrupted in prayer distracted by thoughts of things I need to finish or accomplish.  Maybe the music in the background is too loud or not my preference.  Then all of a sudden, God shows up and touches and comforts me with HIS presence.  And I remember that we today have a greater advantage than those in the Old Testament, because we have God’s Spirit living within us!  Why should we ever feel discouraged knowing that?

If we look at the visible and tangible things around us then we may never see or feel God!  But one thing I know for certain is that God is faithful and true to His word.  He will stick closer than a brother day or night, in trial or blessing. And He’ll stand one day to confess my name in Heaven and to the Angels.  That’s why I’ll choose to be faithful to HIM, regardless of my feelings or emotions at a given moment!  HE is the air that I breathe and He is why a few simple words mean so much more to us, than to those who don’t know HIM or witnessed HIS faithfulness like we have.  Because throughout our lives starting the very moment we made HIM king in our hearts, confessing Him as LORD, Jesus has been faithful!  Faithful to remove the stain of sin in our lives as we repent before Him.  And Faithful to the day we shall behold His face in Glory!

“This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I’m desperate for you
And I, I’m I’m lost without you! song by Michael W. Smith”

Bro. Tim

Weak Days

WITHOUT GOD OUR WEEK WOULD BE:  Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday & Shatterday.  Remember, 7 days WITHOUT Jesus makes one WEAK!!

Response to above email forwarded from a friend.

Do you ever get the idea that God makes it easy for us to follow him? It’s only difficult when our view is obstructed by distance. As a testimony to God and His word, I don’t ever want to spend a day without God in it!

I’m trying to remember what Pastor brought up last night which is so relevant concerning worship. How did you put it Pastor? Worship is doing all things as if we were sharing the moment with God? Even the mundane things can be such a blessing if we do as if we were doing it for God. How does Manny clean the church early every Sunday unless he is motivated by God to do it for HIM! Maybe he’ll listen to some praise music while vacuuming. Or if I spend time working in the flowerbeds, I’ll see it as time I can spend with Jesus just relating HIS word to the task at hand. Or to the person who sings, as if he were singing to Jesus! God enjoys that time as much as we if we do it with thanksgiving and cheerfulness!

But also, spending time with God each day keeps us strong not to falter into temptation or hardness of heart. I can’t imagine where I would be today if I didn’t spend time with God. I need His word to protect me and create strength in my soul. I also liked how the video series last night said we as Christians shouldn’t be isolated from the World but insulated. And no where else can we get insulation other than HIS word and spending time with HIM. We all know we work and live in a wordly environment and many of our co-workers and neighbors don’t live as we, but we can’t resign ourselves to the monastery or a ranch and live without interaction with the world. Just another reason to be ready in season or out! No matter what day it is of the week.

Liked it Kelly!

Tim Fisher – Outreach Director
www.northgatepentecostals.com

Feed Them As Long As You Can Lily!!

As my father grows older, memories of his childhood surface every now and then while we talk.  Recently he told a story about when they lived just outside of Tulsa, OK near the railroad tracks in Jenks, OK.  He didn’t re-visit the description of the house, but earlier stories described it vividly.  It was a two room white board house where 5 children grew up and lived, my dad second youngest.  He often told stories of the stove in the center of the kitchen area and how it provided heat for the entire house.  And on cold mornings it was his chore to light the stove early each morning.  Sometimes they would run down to the trains parked at the rail yard and use the excess grease from a train wheel to help the fire continue burning longer with wood through cold days.  
The garage was out back which was converted to a shop where his Dad and his older brother worked on vehicles as mechanics.  They took in many jobs other than mechanical work as well. I remember him telling me stories before about painting vehicles with paint brushes and replacing bumpers.  Anything having to do with a vehicle they were able to repair in most instances.  I view this garage out back of their house as the mechanic, body shop and towing company from the stories I heard throughout the years.  
Dad was born in 1926 so these stories give us an idea of the depression era he so deeply remembers in the mid to late 30’s, though he was just a boy. Dad’s stories are not unbelievable nor are they long or detailed.  But they do give you a glimpse of his character and background which was common to many people of his generation and his parents.   His mother, my grandmother Lily, he said, had a small garden out back of the house between the garage shop area and the back of the house which faced the railroad tracks.  And it was here where his story centered from his memory. 

 Even though this was a very short story told in a few short sentences, I realized it had greater importance than most people could realize.  We had been talking about our present economy and Dad started talking about what it reminded him of the most, and that was the Great Depression.  He spoke about the money his Dad and Mom had saved but he remembered them not understanding why simply their money wasn’t worth anything.  He remembers his Dad asking a close friend who owned a small corner grocery what good were the dollars he had saved for so many years.  Grandpa’s friend who was better educated than my Granddad simply replied “Ed, we’re broke, just simply busted and the money isn’t worth enough to buy what we need even to survive”.  It’s a hard concept to understand when something that you traded with and which had supplied a living for so long especially during the affluent years of the 1920’s had become so obsolete.  
But Grandpa and Grandma didn’t live an affluent life during the 20’s or anytime.  They managed to save money when most people were spending even though it was only pennies at a time.  Now all their efforts to save for a later day seemed to suddenly fail them.  But what they didn’t realize were the friends and neighbors they had come to know and help during earlier years were going to be their means to live in this depression.  It meant bartering with other families for items instead of purchasing them.  
One family would slaughter a hog and trade some of the meat for milk or eggs or anything another family had which you needed.  He didn’t add a complete recount of this part on this occasion but I had heard it a few times before, but he did mention it briefly so we all would know the friendship between neighbors.  But this story involved a simple gesture of caring which is so rarely seen these days. 
He quoted, “I remember an afternoon when the train stopped out back of our house.  Hobos, men and families from every train car emptied out of the stopped train and began walking to our house and small garden which Mom had so neatly weeded and aligned.  There were rows of vegetables and two rows of grapes which my mother so eagerly worked for to ensure that us boys would have fresh fruit to eat.”
 “Then when I was looking at those people so needy, as many as 50 to 60, I heard my dad yell out from the garage, Feed them as long as you can Lily, just feed them.”  A tear nearly came to my Dad’s eye when he finished and I’ll never know exactly how he felt or how vivid the memories of his Dad or Mother were, but I do get a glimpse of his desires.  Maybe it’s a desire to see and embrace his parents one more time and maybe it’s a clue of how we can endure if a similar time should happen again.  Perhaps he was telling our generation and me, people survived in a previous era by a willingness to help others.  And even though you don’t know them, or it’s in a moment when your next meal is as scarce to you as it is to anyone, just give as the Lord has provided for you. 

Tim Fisher
Northgate Pentecostals

The Rest of the Story

I was reminded of the parable of the prodigal son this week while listening to sermons.  One particular pastor described the life of the prodigal son assigning him a name and recreating this story with a name we all easily identify with wealth and riches.  The young man’s name was William Rockefeller in this particular version who had wasted and squandered his inheritance on the lusts of this world.  Self gratifying thoughts, lifestyle and pursuits were common to this man who moved from New York City to Lubbock, TX to make his name known among the world.  In only a few short years, young William went from conservative to liberal investment, liberal drinking, liberal gambling and liberal socializing.  Many co-eds knew William intimately but he couldn’t settle for one.  He started a spiral of drinking that ended late most every night.  Soon William found out his money had come to an end, so he purchased a bus ticket to go as far out of the city that the few coins he had left would take him because he couldn’t face those he had left.  He couldn’t face those men and women again who he failed in business investments or those young co-eds who depended upon him to supply their drug and drinking binges.

 You know the story as well as I; how the prodigal son went from living in a penthouse apartment to working feeding swine in a town far away from his home.  The position didn’t reward him with money, but only provided him the same food as the swine, but only the portions that remained which they didn’t eat.  He eventually went back to New York and his father accepted him home without hesitation.  His father restored William to his original position within the family knowing that he sincerely sought forgiveness from his Dad for his riotous living.  It’s a wonderful story that Jesus told his disciples to explain the view of God toward each one of us when we confess our guilt and failures which we were born into and have committed against righteousness. 

 But what happened to those who knew young William Rockefeller during the years he lived away from God?  If we were able to interview them who knew William do you think their story would be different from William’s father?  Suppose a reporter did just that and interviewed those who hung out with young William or those who now were completely broke and homeless due to their partnership with William’s company.

 Sir, do you remember William Rockefeller when he lived in Lubbock, TX?  Why yes I do and do you see that tall business building across the street?  That’s where I first met William and where my office once was.  Why sir, I was the biggest and brightest up and coming banker in this region until I backed the fleeting building failures of his company.

 Ma’am, do you remember William Rockefeller?  Of course I do.  Do you see that young lady there?  She once lived with him and now she spends all her money on booze and alcohol and avoids any contact with friends.

 Well the interviews seemingly lasted forever and no one thought the lives which were affected in such a drastic and dire measure would number so high.  What stories would be told about ourselves if some of our friends were interviewed from our past?

 This story is completely fiction, however, it applies to many of us today.  The question to us is since we know the story and have been given an example, will we return to those friends who knew us only in those times when we were apart from God?  If this were you or should it apply, would you return to Lubbock and give a testimony to those who knew you before your relationship with God, Our Lord and Savior was restored or began? 

 I’m not suggesting that God’s forgiveness is null and void if we don’t, but shouldn’t we with all conviction spread a new testimony especially to those who knew us in a different view? 

 Tim Fisher
www.northgatepentecostals.com

From Chaos to Kingdom

         In the past months, I have felt like God’s humble servant Job, in that I have faced more challenges and affronts to my walk with Jesus, than in recent memory.  However, in my deepest valley’s I often find the greatest source of my faith. The truth is, this life is wrought with pain and suffering, heartache and misery.  This month, I would like sharing my current favorite verse from Scripture, in the hope that it would be a source of inspiration and encouragement to others; as it has been for me.  Revelation 21:4:   ⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  As Christian’s filled with His Holy Spirit, we have assurance of an eternal life with Him.  Life defined by joy unspeakable!  Let us take heed to the words of Apostle Paul: ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”.  (1^st Corinthians 15: 58-59).  I am comforted in the knowledge that there is more than this life; that there is more to long for than the cares of this world.  Join me in celebrating the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who will wipe away all tears from our eyes.   God bless you all! 

Garrett Morrow

College Career – NGP

The Gift of Giving

            Merry Christmas!  I wish each and every one of you a BLESSED holiday season, full of Christ’s love.  All of us are facing uncertainty this coming year, and many of our friends and loved ones will look to us as Christians for leadership and guidance through the tough times that lie before us.  It has been said that the only Bible many people will ever read, is the witness of your life.  As children of God, we have been given the task of continuing Jesus’ earthly ministry until He returns.  Luke 10:27 reads “And he answered, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF“.  Only by loving Him with all our heart and following His principles can we prove ourselves worthy of such a great responsibility to emulate Christ.    
Recently my study has been drawn to this story in the Book of Acts.  “And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple.  When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms.  But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us! And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you:  In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene–walk!”…and the man was healed immediately.  This time, what caught my eye about this story was not the miraculous healing that blessed this man, but by Peter’s response.  Quote “But such as I have, give I thee (KJV)”.  What do we have that we could share that would bless others? Perhaps, the gift of time, the gift of love, financial blessings, the gift of a helping hand, or the greatest gift of all, the gift of the knowledge of His Grace and our salvation?  Matthew 25: 34-40 reads “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’   Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’  This passage is Jesus’ description of the coming Judgment, where He will separate his “sheep” from the “goats.”   In the New Year, let us strive to be a blessing to others, as our Shepherd has blessed us.  Let’s make the work of our Heavenly Father our priority.  I challenge you to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus, and to give unto others, such as you have.   Bless you, and my prayers be with you. 

Garrett Morrow

NGP – College & Career Leader

Through the Spyglass of History

            Is His-story your history?  In my prayer this morning, I was struck by this sobering thought:  one hundred years from now, how would a historian judge my life?  Noted American theologian Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr once wrote:  
 

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime;
therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
 

          When my soul has left my body, and memory of my earthly existence fades, will the chronicler be able to easily perceive the influence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in my life?  Will the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance) be evident in the manner in which my life was lived?  When I am no longer able to defend my actions, will they speak for themselves?  Many times we find that the things we stress over and preoccupy ourselves with have little value in the eternal Kingdom.  Have I fed the hungry, ministered for the sick, loved my enemy?  Is my life a direct reflection of Jesus’ earthly ministry?  Let’s make His story, our legacy!  God Bless!  
 

Garrett Morrow

College & Career Leader
Northgate Pentecostals

The Perfect Warning

Luke 21:7-11 “  And then they asked him saying “ Master but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?”  ………..v 11…And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences, : and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”  
 

In the light of recent catastrophic hurricanes and earthquakes in the news, I did a bit of research on recent “pestilence, fearful sights and great signs from heaven”.  I found this article below very interesting.  The article was published July 9, 2008 (thus no data from the 2008 hurricane season is included), by the Munich Re America and the Insurance Information Institute.  Subsequent earthquakes in Asia, and the billions of dollars in damage and many lives claimed are also not included.  Still without that data, I believe that the correlation to Jesus’s words undeniable.  Three hurricanes at once over the Carribean??  Hurricane Ike’s massive size of over 510 miles across?  That is well over 70% larger than the average hurricane!  Jesus has warned us, let us heed that warning!

2008 will probably go down in history as a year with one of the highest numbers of victims of natural catastrophes. The earthquake in the Chinese province of Sichuan, the cyclone in Myanmar, and other natural catastrophes between January and June claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people. That is a higher number of deaths than in the full years since 2004, the year of the tsunami in South Asia. There were about 400 natural catastrophes worldwide up until the end of June. The largest number of events ever recorded in one year was 960 – and that was in 2007. Overall losses so far in 2008 total about US$ 50bn. The insured losses are substantial and above the average of the last ten years.”The Sichuan and Myanmar tragedies show that risk awareness and measures designed to afford protection against such catastrophes in highly exposed regions must be given high priority by the respective governments”, says Board Member Torsten Jeworrek. Sichuan Province is highly earthquake-prone, and a Magnitude 7.9 earthquake like the one on 12 May 2008 was within the range to be expected on the basis of Munich Re experts’ risk models. Measures like adapting the building regulations in such regions could therefore save many human lives.

Altogether, the first half of the year – like the previous years – was marked by a large number of weather-related natural catastrophes. “To this extent, the year is following the long-term trend towards more weather catastrophes, which is influenced by climate change”, Jeworrek continued. “As one of the world’s leading reinsurers, we have the core competence for underwriting natural hazard risks. In addition, with innovative products and new coverage concepts, we can support not only adaptation mechanisms but also the development of climate protection technologies.”

The year so far in the statistics of Munich Re’s NatCatSERVICE database: About 400 natural catastrophes were analysed until June, 30.  0 of which were attributable to weather extremes. Overall losses (including about US$ 20bn due to the Sichuan earthquake) total roughly US$ 50bn, with insured losses coming to about US$ 13bn. For purposes of comparison, in 2007 as a whole, 960 natural catastrophes generated overall losses of US$ 82bn, of which the insurance industry carried about US$ 30bn.

The United States was hit by a large number of weather extremes in the first half of the year. There have never been so many tornadoes recorded in the first six months of a year; heavy rain and hail and subsequent flooding in Iowa and other Midwest states caused billion-dollar losses, which also had a significant impact on the insurance industry. The overall loss caused by the floods on the Mississippi and elsewhere is likely to be around US$ 10bn, with an insured loss in the upper three-digit million dollar range.

“Adaptation to the effects of climate change is one way of limiting many losses. Additionally, the battle against climate change calls for ambitious measures which, as evidenced by a new study commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, are to be regarded economically as growth drivers,” said Prof. Peter Höppe, the Head of Geo Risks Research at Munich Re.

The figures were presented at the 2008 Natural Catastrophe Update webinar on 8 July, 6 p.m CEST, hosted by Munich Re America and the Insurance Information Institute. The full presentation can be downloaded from the Munich Re America website (

http://www.munichreamerica.com).

 

 

 

http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=3044

Garrett Morrow
College & Career – Northgate Pentecostals

Back to School

Back to School

 

“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.”  - Plato 

            Sunday, August 24, 2008, was the final Sunday of summer vacation for many students across the nation.  As friends and loved ones prepared their children for the much anticipated/sometimes dreaded FIRST DAY of school; I thought it prudent to examine the role of education in all our lives. 

Today, education is viewed as a fundamental human right.  Since 1952, Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights obliges all signatory parties to guarantee the right to education. At world level, the United Nations’ International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 guarantees this right under its Article 13.  However, a cursory peek across the pages of history will quickly reveal a multitude of instances where man’s “education” has failed him.  These failures came about not by a lack of mankind’s desire to learn, but by a blatant disregard for the greatest scientific textbook available, the Bible.  The most obvious of course is the “fact” that the earth was flat.  This was a commonly held by many great thinkers and scientists until at the very earliest 2^nd century AD.  The Old Testament prophet Isaiah (circa 700 B.C.) quotes as follows: “It is he that sitteth upon the CIRCLE of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” –Isaiah 40:22 (*Circle=Hebrew “chuwg”,meaning “sphere”).  The Old Testament contains a variety of health related instructions, such as isolating infected people (Leviticus 13:45-46), washing after handling a dead body (Numbers 19:11-19), and burying excrement away from a camp (Deuteronomy 23:12-13).  In addition, Leviticus 25:1-12 speaks of leaving fields fallow for a year, advice regarded sound by modern science. Suprisingly, modern agricultural science also recognizes that the practice of intercropping can be beneficial in providing increased resistance against pests and disease.  There is mounting scientific evidence that intercropping increase yields and sustainability.  Interestingly enough, the Jewish religious laws proscribe it(Lev. 19:19, Deut 22:9).

            As Christians, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to “Study to show thyself approved to God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  Jesus warns us, in Matthew 24:4-5 regarding the many false prophets that shall come in the last days “…See to it that no one misleads you ……for many will come in my name…and will deceive many”.  Whether it be a false prophet claiming to be the messiah, or simply “higher education” that attempts to discredit the Bible (i.e. the THEORY of evolution) we must remember that a strong foundation in the Word of God will prove infallible and the one true guide for our lives. 

 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will not pass away.”  Mark 13:31

Garrett Morrow

College & Career – Northgate Pentecostals

Happy Father’s Day

The World’s Greatest Father

        The third Sunday in June marks a special occasion for many Americans, as it is the day we take time to honor our fathers.  From the founding fathers of this great nation, to our own dear ole Dads; each has had a tremendous impact on the course of our life.  Each year thousands upon thousands of coffee cups, ties, t-shirts, and trophies are purchased as gifts for deserving dads worldwide, emblazoned with the phrase “World’s Greatest Dad.”    As exemplary as each recipient must be, they pale in comparison to our Heavenly Father, who is truly worthy of the title “World’s Greatest Dad.”  An excerpt from 1 John 3:1 states “ See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are……”   How great an honor we as Christians enjoy, to be called the children of our Almighty God!  Jesus outlined our Father’s attitude toward his children in Matthew 7:7-9.   9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  11.  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?  This June 15th, as you celebrate Father’s Day in our own way, I challenge you show your love for Him by devoting some additional time in prayer and Scripture.  Let us rejoice in our divine birthright!  God bless you, and have a great week! 

~ Garrett Morrow