Now comes the biggest problem with the entire Word of God.  This is what keeps people from walking with God as they should.  This is what causes the big disappointments in life.  This causes backslidding and keeps the world at large from even trying Christianity and heaps the church with persecution.  Isaiah fifty-five verse eight says:  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord."  The path towards being the person has for us to be hits a road block right here with most people.  Most figure that when they accept the Lord they've found the perfect thing because now they have the aproval of God to do what they want.  Most figure that prosperity fits right in there with getting a raise at work...who doesn't want that?  Healing is perfect because after all who wants to be sick?  Deliverance?  Sounds good if that means that mean old devil can't take away things from me that I want!  There's a flip side to this also where people automatically assume that being a Christian means giving up all the stuff that you want to do...both of these ideas couldn't be more wrong.  It's true that God's ways are above ours as are His thoughts but this doesn't mean He's a fool!  God can't be anything but good so when He says His ways and thoughts are different then ours that means that our thoughts aren't good and that they won't bring what's best for us.  This is where the need for faith presents itself.  We have to take that step where we are willing to trust God.  It does'nt always mean taking what seems the most logical course.  Keep in mind that God sees the future.  What seems right today could be disasterous for the future but to do what He askes us today may look crazy right now.  The vision of Christianity doesn't look so logical here on earth many times.  How can it be best to 'serve' anyone...even God?  How could it be the best to make yourself 'vulnerable' by loving others?  Under natural circumstances it wouldn't be but with God all things are possible.  This goes against our lusts and evil desires and those things that we think of as self preserving.  The bible says that without faith it's impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).  Loving a God that we can't see and often don't think we feel is a matter of faith.  Loving others because God asks it is a matter of faith.  We do this much as we would invest into a bank account.  We put money into the bank actually believing that it will be safe there and grow in value as we invest more and the money gains interest.  Faith is a similar matter...the Word calls it the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  It's not the same to believe God for things that are not in agreement with the Word as it is to agree with God about what is in His Word.  Satan keeps many in bondage over this by making them feel that they don't really need to pray, they don't need church.  They are so preoccupied with getting more and more money that they miss the fact that not only are they not gaining money they aren't doign so well with their family either.  You can gain the whole world and lose your soul (Mattew 16: 26) but as the bible puts is...how can you really place a value on your soul?  Having money but no direction in life is a tragedy.  If you're not pleasing God with your life what happens when you die?  We have a limited amount of time here on this earth but an infinite time in eternity wether that be with God or the devil.  The world stresses what can be seen and seems to have forgotten that man's most important part is his spirit.  You can spend a fortune making your body appear young but you can't stop time from eventually taking it's toll and in the end dying.  The spirit lasts forever so what is it that man can't comprehend about this?  Why would we not invest everything in the spirit?  Romans eight verse seven says it so very well:  "Because the carnal mind is at enmity (or against) God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."  How profound!  Our natural mind isn't even able to be in agreement with God nor is it capable of wanting what is actually best for us.  It doesn't want to give up control.  We can't afford to approach relationship with people and certainly not with God with the natural mind running the show.  We want what we think is best and we want it now and if we don't get it...it's over.  God sees His relationships as permanant.  He doesn't give an opportunity to leave us nor forsake us because He promises that He won't and He's not a man that He should lie.  Powerful for us personally...awesome when applied to ministry!  Quality time spend with God through His Word or in prayer or through praise and worship by ourselves or with others has a magnifying effect on everything good in our lives.  Experiencing God makes you want to go out and talk about it...that wonderful in your own family and at work but there's also a whole world out there that needs to hear it!  Thinking as God thinks is to think living thoughts....His ways are so much better.  I don't understand it all but I know that God is good!  Let's chose eternity over the temporal things of this life.  Chosing life on this level will cause everything else to fall into place and put it all in proper perspective.

We enter a note now in Isaiah that has some urgency to it.  We see here in verse six of chapter fifty-five that God issues a call to every one of us.  It says:  "Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near."  Now we know that the Lord is with us at all times so what is this really talking about?  Having the knowledge that God is near and actually feeling like that are often two different things.  There are good times and bad times in every life.  All of these times have potential to draw us ever closer to the Lord.  I know that when we hear the Lord speaking to us it's time to act, when He's moving it's time to go with it and take as much ground as you possibly can.  Valuable indeed is the Christian that instigates faith in others and inspires movement towards the Lord!  Christians so often are so obsessed with their own life that they actually neglect the gifts that God has given them and deprive the rest of the human race of partaking of them.  We have an expression that says you can't see the forest for the trees.  This talks about obsessing with one thing to the point where you can't see anything else.  If we struggle with money...then all we seem to notice are the price tags on things.  If we are having a hard time with various sins we can even gravitate towards those that walk in the same kinds of sin or worse so we can feel justified.  This is the absolute worst thing and the typical trap of the enemy.  Satan not only causes us to stumble in sin but convinces us to actually protect that sin and keep it in our lives.  Almost always with sin there's bondage...or a compulsion to defend it or keep it hidden one way or another.  The irony of it all is that God sees it anyway but sees us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The next verse has an offer too good to refuse.  It calls for the wicked to forsake his (or her) way and the unrigheous man (or woman) to forsake his (wicked) thoughts....it says let them return to the Lord.  God isn't as hung up with sin as we are...we feel compeled to make ourselves pay for wrong doing...this is not the character of God who says simply...let's not do that anymore.  This is a call to Christians or those that already know God because it says return to the Lord.  We give sin too much power, we give evil so much credit and ability to entangle us but the bible says to lay aside these things which do so easily beset us.  I hate to over simplify things here but it's my experience that those that drink don't do so alone...drug addicts often have a whole ring of 'friends' in the drug circle.  We must seperate ourselves from these 'friends'.  What kind of friend could it really be that only is around you when you do wrong anyway?  The best kind of friend isn't always condemning but doesn't always tell you what you want to hear either.  A true friend is 'there for you' by doing what needs to be done in accordance with the word of God.  We don't like to really define friendship with what it truly is...Jesus is the friend that is the true example...He died for us and never gets tired of us or throws us away.  We know about aqaintences but we have no idea about true friendship.  The modern world doesn't want to be bothered with friendship or even true love.  Marriages don't stand because they often are based on infatuation or lust.  These things are temporal and never last.  True love goes beyond the flesh and loves a person for what they really are inside.  The bible says if you want friends you have to be friendly (Proverbs 18: 24).  We have no idea what this really means...we think that it's talking about the surface relationships we know all too well but it's not talking about this shallow nonsense.  It's talking about love that often requires sacrifice yet never surrenders the friendship.  I wish that I could say I've walked in the fullness of this but I can't.  I desire this from others but don't often require it of myself towards others...I don't think I'm alone in this.  How powerful this is for us between us and God but this vision gains vast strength when applied to ministry.  It's easy to be a 'soul winner' but how about this kind of committment to those you tell about Jesus?  How about this kind of committment with those in your life now?  Do we have the nerve to say what may not be popular to our 'friends'?  I dare say that if our friendships won't stand this test then then are not, nor were they ever real friendships...don't require of others what you aren't willing for yourself.

I have had arguments more than once with those that feel that the things of the bible have passed away and aren't in effect today.  This tragic error is more prevelant than you might think.  My argument with this above all else is my own personal experience that is in agreement with the scripture.  If healing if something that only happened before how to explain the healings I've experienced personally?  If power over demons is gone how do we explain the evidence to the contrary that we've seen?  I don't see how we can possibly expect people to recieve Christ if there's no advantage over those that don't believe!  We become a new creature in Christ Jesus and those that say there's no change are in contradiction with the Word of God.  The bible says we become a new creature and that old things are passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17) so something changes with Jesus...old things, the things that you did before you were saved are passed away!  It says that all things are become new!  That's a terrific promise because this is true amnesty before God!  Now we can see a shadow of these things in Isaiah once again where it says in verse four that nations who don't know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God...I believe that this is a prophecy for us as Christians today.  Most of us aren't from the original tribes of Israel yet here we are able to receive Jesus and enter His family!  We're the 'other nations' mentioned here.  The promise is just as powerful.  There's no evidence that God has taken away any of His power from us...the Word says He's the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) .  Where does it say that he's withdrawn something from us in that?  This covenant is for all of us.  It's something that is meant to be spread from us to our families and to those around us.  It's too big to not do anything or go anywhere.  This is not always a power that you'd think of as great.  Rather than change circumstances it can bring change to you and the circumstances lose power over you.  God can also work great changes in the circumstances that face us today and make them seems that they were never a big deal in the first place.  Our God is powerful!  It's very limiting to keep this to our own little needs.  We need to get this message out to know the real blessing of God.  This isn't something that some big minister can do and isn't for you.  Everyone can spread the Gospel.  I heard it said once that there are no great men, there's only great anointings...I truly agree with this!  One theme that Eagle Ministries brought to the Philippines was "The Power of Salvation for the Common Man".  I'm so tired of hearing of all these big ministries that roll through town and do this or that.  I long for the larger reaching power of people like you and I being changed by this wonderful power of salvation and reaching out and doing extraordinary things before our God...maybe these things won't lead to a church of thousands or millions of dollars but maybe it will be a ministry like Christ's own that touches a handful of men and changes the world!

Now we enter Isaiah chapter 55 and proceed to verse three.  I again notice some of the language that God uses when talking about His coveanant or agreement with us.  This is actually stronger than a contract or agreement but it's the closest words I can think to descrive what the Lord is talking about.  Verse Three uses the word "everlasting" to describe the covenant He has with us.  This is a word mostly lost on the modern world.  We don't have any idea what permanence really is.  We live for today and can't usually be bothered with the future...it takes to much energy and seems to be a hopelss venture because who can tell what the future brings right?  Wrong!  We know the Maker of the past, present and future and to be a Christian who doesn't care and isn't aware of the time we live in is tragic!  We can't afford to be so wrapped up in today that we lose all vision for the future.  It's true that there's enough difficulties to consider for today but the vision of tomorrow isn't about difficulties if it's from God and therefore is free of limitation.  We must have something that we are aiming for, something that God has given us to reach out towards or we perish.  It's astounding to have so many out there that have lost all vision and live for today to the point where there's absolutely nothing else.  How can you be a parent and not concider your children's future?  How can we just surrender our dreams that God has given us and just let whatever happens happen?  God's covenant is often not thought of because few are willing to even see what it's about....most feel that it's not realy for them in the first place.  This kind of thinking kills and brings nothing but hopelessness in life.  The covenant of God IS for us and must be fought for.  Terrorists have a vision of death that they are willing to sacrifice all for.  They fight for a dead god who has nothing for them after they die doing what they're doing.  Christians have everything to live for and great hope that when they die they go to be with the Father but from looking at many Christians today you'd never know they were anything but worldly people who know nothing of eternity.  Verse three goes on to mention the 'sure mercies of David'.  Remember that David was not a perfect person by any stretch of the imagination...he committed adultery and had the woman's husband murdered but in spite of all this he ever went back to God and repented and did all he could to do right before the Lord and God responded with His infinite mercy.  This is ours for the taking as a Christian!  He doesn't require that you never make a mistake but does require that you believe on the sacrifice of His dear son Jesus Christ.  Seeking the things that God has said in the scripture and in prayer changes you.  You can't be involved with the Word of God and in relationship with the Lord and not be changed.  Modern Christianity is oftne more obsessed with looking right and saying the right things than it is actual relationship.  Saying the right words isn't enough.  Doing the right things isn't enough.  If you're able to attend church and walk right out the door and never concider God at all for the rest of the week you're living a life limited by your own lack of devotion.  There's an excitement that comes with relationship with God.  We all have times that are tough and the days that feel 'dry' but none the less He provides the ability to stand through this...the covenant sustains, God sustains and He will never leave us nor forsake us.  The sure promise of God combined with sure mercy is the only way to go.  The world can not offer this and we can't attain the fullness of who we're meant to be without this.  The ministry once again makes a way to do more than merely exist.  It's a way to gather with outhers of like vision...others who encourage us and strengthen us and provides us with strength when they are weak.  Many attend church but have no committment to the vision at all...some don't even know what it is and therefore miss what strenght there is in the church.  Being part of the ministry isn't about attending and not caring but it's about a committment to God that is evidenced by your committment to real live people in the ministry.  Faith without works is dead and one of the best ways I know to have a living faith is not to just talk about how  I want to minister while I refuse to commit to anything but myself but rather to make myself available to others in the ministry I work with.  I believe that if people aren't reaching out to me...reach out myself and don't complain about it.  Pray for those that are in the church you're in.  Pray for the world at large and don't be too blinded by your own little world.  Amen!  Thank you Lord that there's more out there then just me!

I'm going to move onto the next chapter in Isaiah putting us in chapter 55.  I've never found more relevant things at the perfect time than right here and now!  I like how this even starts on an excited note!  It's basically saying "Hey everyone!".  It says is anyone thirsty?  Come to the water.  Don't have any money?  Come, buy and eat.  Get somethings that are priceless without having to pay a cent!  The world we live in today is driven but desires...more often than not lusts.  I always figure that lust is nothing more  than a burning desire to have what you don't need and have no business wanting in the first place.  God is not talking about lusts here nor is He talking about things that pass away or have no value.  He isn't requiring some huge price from you...atually under the new covenant we can see that Jesus paid for the good things of God with His very life!  I love how in verse two it says:  "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?"  Talk about the main problem with the human race!  We lust for things that only bring misery.  We refuse to admit error when we're wrong and choose people to be our 'friends' who will agree with every rotten thing we do because we're into those kinds of things ourselves.  We're much like Herod in the bible who liked to talk to John the babtist once in a while because after being as wicked as he was he felt it meant something to hear someone tell him that he was wrong...but he never changed.  The good things of God bring change.  We need change in our lives...this is the primary reason we receive Christ.  Sadly often Christians seem to think that we receive Christ merely to have one more person to agree with us or rather someone who isn't really here to confront us so we'll speak for Him and say that he agrees with us.  The bible becomes a manual that has various phrases taken out of context that agree with us.  Enter the problem with liberalism as we know it today.  Freedom that is exercised without consideration for others and is a law unto itself becomes anarchy and this can never bring anything that's good.  Christ brings much needed reform into our lives but this can only be received if there's unlimited trust involved.  There needs to be a conversion of our lusts for evil into desire for the good things of God.  This requires reading the word, time in prayer and time with other Christians not to mention some real submission to Godly leadership of those God places in our lives.  Today the teaching said it so well.  Mom taught that we have a responsibility for the 'soil' in our lives.  The Word of God is perfect and ever good for us but even good seed can come to naught if the 'soil' of our lives doesn't allow it to grow.  What is soil?  Our hearts, how we feel about things and what we're thinking and saying.  Good seed can be planted over the years in our lives but all too often we don't change one bit.  The seed is good but the soil is terrible.  Sad to say we can have good soil in one area and terrible soil in another.  We can walk according to the Word of God for one instant and then walk as the Devil himself the next.  Many Christians don't seek change and are in fact threatened by it so they take the wide, lazy road and surround themselves with those that agree with whatever they're doing.  This is not the course that God has for us.  Christianity is challenging...it's a living relationship with the one true and living God.  You can't be involved with that and not change for the better...but you must be involved and not just associated with the truth.  A hardened heart has no conscience and walks as the world walks.  This is not a mistake that you feel genuinly sorry for but a life style that is always missing the mark and doing wrong.  Nobody is above the need for change...nobody has 'arrived'.  We need to run to God.  I've seen myself and the areas that need God, it's not a pretty sight at all.  If we want the best for ourselves and the best that God has for us we need to come and invest our time, prayers and loyalty in Him...not just as an extra activity that we do when our conscience is bothering us a little too much but choose this as a lifestyle.  Thirsty?  I sure am...fill 'er up Lord!

We have been living in some very troubled times.  The talk of the day is over who has or doesn't have WMDs but here once again in Isaiah I find the comfort of God.  There are many things which satan uses as weapons against us.  We must understand the purpose of all the weapons he uses.  I believe that the goal is always the same for these evil weapons:  to rob, steal, kill and destory by causing us to forsake our faith in God.  This can happen not only on a personal level but a national level.  We can only plunder the strong man if we bind him up.  We must guard over our faith and use it for more than just our own little lives or it will not grow.  Isaiah chapter 54 verse seventeen is very exciting:  "No weapon formed against you shall prosper.  And every tongue which rises against you in judgement You shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servanats of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me.  Says the Lord."  Wow!  This is a huge promise from God!  Personally I fear the breakdown of my own faith far above physical death.  The bible says that without faith it's impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).  If we don't have faith we can't be pleasing to God, therefore this is the most prescious gift we have of all!  Evil things come our way but the thing that breaks us is the lack of faith.  We so often are like Peter walking on the water with Jesus.  We see the waves sometimes and start to sink just like he did.  The tragedy is that often we have lost sight of Jesus to the place where we can't seem to seem him reaching out to us though our faith be weak.  The Lord is always there and even in those times when our faith seems weak or gone He's right there to help us.  Satan tries to create the illusion of a broken realtionship with God but according to the Word nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8: 35-39).  Nothing can split us from God and the things that seem so brutal to us today will eventually have to 'bow the knee to the Word of God.  Here in Isaiah it says the the tongues that condemn us You shall condemn...notice the capital 'Y'.  This means that God will stand in our defence...there's no better defence to be found!  Beyond the courts of today that can make some pretty rotten decisions this court of God is the final word on all things!  God forms an unbreakable defence for us!  This is wonderful enough on a personal level but once again it gains true meaning with the ministry because it takes us past just feeling good about our own status with God and pushes us out to let others know of this great blessing!  Our church is small in number but great on the promise of the Lord!  Percentage-wise we have more people following after God than any church I've ever been to.  These people are my friends and my co-workers in the Lord.  It grieves me that any would forsake the blessing of the ministry.  Satan often convinces members of the church that this stuff isn't for them but this is more than an extra activity that you can do in your free time.  This is a requirement for life itself...this isn't about only you but your children for many generations to come!  They deserve the chance to do something bigger than they themselves could ever do on their own.  The right to worship God with others is too big for just us alone...everyone deserves this freedom.  Verse Seventeen continues by saying this is a heritage of the servants of the Lord....there's an s on servants at the end...it's not just for one person...one family or one country...this is a promise to all who believe.  There's no greater tragedy then forsaking this heritage and feeling that it's not really for you.  The end of the verse here says that their righteousness if from Me...capital M...from God.  You fail, you make mistakes, we aren't perfect, we are often failures but when God's righteousness is ours we move beyond our shortcomings and step into the acceptance of God that's far from weak.  Who doesn't need this kind of promise?  You can walk as though you don't have this blessing even as a Christian but we can choose life instead...not for just your own sake but for every single person you come in contact with.  I want that for my kids and I want that in my life and I want to be used of the ministry so that I can reach out to more people than I ever could on my own.  What a beautiful promise!

Tonight we had one of the most beautiful sunsets ever.  I can never see things like that without wondering what God has in mind for us.  That creative ability that He has is just too huge to keep to Himself.  I don't think He only paints the sky once in a while but also I'm sure that He paints our lives just like that.  I was so glad to be able to teach in our church today.  I never have to wonder if the people there care for me or not or wonder if I'm called to be there...I just know.  I'm more sure all the time that the time is coming for us to go abroad again.  I love to have that assurance that God is on the move for us and we're going to go along with Him yet again!

I'm going to pick up on again in Isaiah chapter 54.  This has something that I am believing God for all of us as a whole and especially for Camposans now.  Beginning in verse 13 comes a precious promise:  "All your children shall be taught of the Lord.  And great shall be the peace of your children.  I have really claimed this for my own children as well.  The source of peace isn't at all what the world often thinks.  It doesn't have a financial basis nor something that depends on the natural things of the world at all but actually true peace comes from the security of knowing we are in the hands of God at all times.  This is not something that can be known by talking about it or pretending to be calm nor is it something that can be attained apart from faith.  The peace that this scripture is talking about is directly related to being taught of the Lord.  This is a process that isn't like the world's school system which is over after a while but rather is something that continues throughout our lives.  There's always something that God is trying to communicate with us and teach us.  He is a very complex and dynamic person!  You can never know all there is to know about Him but seeking to know Him more and more and being willing to let Him make adjustments in our lives where it's needed bring a peace that passes all understanding.  A person's life can be in absolute turmoil but to have that relationship with God that brings healing and deliverance and a knowledge that all things work out to His purpose brings an inner peace that is very powerful.  I seek this with all my heart for not only me and my family but for the ministry that this peace can be brought to other people in our lives in a greater measure.  Verse 14 says:  "In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you."  Who's righteousness are we talking about here?  Our own?  I think not because the Word describes our righteousness as 'filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6).  This is the righteousness of Jesus Christ...that righteousness that was and is so powerful that He died for us and was risen again from the dead...that love that is so strong He would sacrifice all for us and pay the price for our sins!  That sacrifice of Christ has established us!  That means sealed all the good things of God to us!  This is why we don't have to be afraid.  God has paid far too much for us to surrender His investment to the Devil!  Fear and terror come directly from doubts and unbelief.  There is no fear as bad as the fear of the unknown...where you're just not sure what's going to happen to you.  Jesus removes this fear of the unknown.  This is how death lost it's sting...when we die we still go to be with Christ if we're believers so there's no uncertainty there.  If negative things come upon us there's the assurance that God will defend His investment in us.  I find this hugely comforting!  I've seen how the ministry magnifies all the things God has given by making it more than just a personal thing and giving these things to others in the world at large...how powerful!  Our families will know the fulness of these things as we persue the blessings of God on a level that is larger than just a personal thing.  This is a great promise and it's ours!  Thank God for this!  I claim it for us all!

We finally finished the funeral and graveside services for Kent Camposan.  I don't think a person can ever squeeze a worthy tribute to someone in such a short amount of time but I have to say that Wednesday in particular did about the best job that could be done to do just that.  I remain so very blessed to be a part of our church.  The people did a fantastic job with everything from the music to the luncheon afterwards.  I can't help but think my mom did the best job ever.  Funerals are never a fun thing but under the circumstances that was the best one I've ever been to.  The graveside service in Powel was much more difficult somehow.  It seemed that the best was already done so what more could be said or done?  Personally I didn't expect to do much more than be there to pay my final respects and to show the family that I care but I was given about three seconds warning to read the things the family had put on the box that contained the urn holding my friends ashes.  I felt that I did a pretty lousy job at that.  I am still way more emotional over it than I would have believed possible and I just am not at my best.  It's one of those things where you just do the best you can and hope for the best.  It's still something that's hard to grasp but it's time to accept it an move on.  I believe that God will bless the Camposans.  I'm thankful that they're not alone and that they have a friend in God.  He's so much better than any natural friend because He never makes mistakes nor does He ever misjudge us.  I believe the best for them all and I know that if God is for them who can ever stand against?

Now comes one of the most difficult entries to this blog that I've ever had to type.  Yesterday afternoon shortly after 4:30 my long time friend Kent Camposan was killed in a car accident.  He was one of the people that I've always considered more than a friend and more like a brother or a father figure in my life.  It's not that we hung out all the time or something but it's something I have felt deep inside.  I remember him taking the time to teach me guitar when I had such a strong desire and vision to play.  He never charged me a dime but instead took the time to teach me and believe in me.  I value his belief in me more than anything in the entire world.  Many people pass through your life but those that really believe in you are a treasure that's more precious than gold.  I remember just last year we went to Kent's house for the fourth...actually the third of July as it turned out and we had so much fun.  We were not able to go this year...much to my regret but saw him and talked to him just a few days ago.  I can't say how much my heart goes out to his family.  I realize that he's in a better place and that he's with God now but the selfish side of me misses him so terribly.  I know that life goes on, I know that the pain of this will fade but no matter what I'll always have a piece of Kent with me...that belief that he had in me won't be in vein.  Someday we'll all meet again...that will be a great day.  This week and then the funeral will be over but I'll never forget Kent.

The paper was full of dire warning concerning personal fireworks this year and so we had a fourth with no fireworks at all until the end of the day.  Seeing the grass fires on the outside of town made me wonder if the law they have in place now is all that smart after all.  I debated about all the different places I could have put these pictures I have...thanks to my wife...and I figured this would be the best place for them.  I couldn't put it in e-mail because it was just too much.  I have a good selection for a new slideshow today!  I have everything from me and the kids to a bunch of good shots of the fireworks that were at the big show we attended.  I hope that you enjoy taking a look.  I don't know what on earth I'd do without my family!  God has been very gracious to me by giving me a very wonderful wife and fantastic children.  I never feel dragged down by them.  They enhance every aspect of my life.  I don't have to lie about them or cover up for them so I'd feel better about them but I can use so much that they do as terrific testimonies!  Thanks to the Lord who is also the most important memeber of our family!  I appreciate so much the saccifices that have been made that we might celebrate freedom.  Thank God for our soldiers who fight for a cause far greater than any single person and for our president that has had the courage to stand for liberty in spite of the arguments to the contrary.  Thank God for the liberty that our God died for and was raised again for that we might have eternal life!  This is indeed the year of increasing faith.  I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Here we have some great aspects of God's promises (covenant) to us.  Many people today search for permanent relationships being told that it's not likely to ever happen.  This 'back door' in our hearts can actually lead to breaks in friendships and marriage and even a lifestyle that doesn't ever have anything good that lasts.  Faith is the ingredient that causes things to last.  We see this nowhere greater than with the American public and the war on terror.  Many have lost their faith that our ideals and freedoms can last in the face of terrorism and seek to pull out for fear of being defeated.  God is not at all like this when He enters into partnership with people.  He relies on His own Word and inability to fail and expects that it will always work out no matter what.  Isaiah 54: 9-10 addresses this so very well.  It states that He will not be angry with us nor will He rebuke us and even more exciting to me is what it says in verse 10:  ..."My kindness shall not depart from you.  Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed."  Here is the element of faith that God invests that is so beautiful.  There's no condition of our success or failure here but rather the strenght that's on God's side that guarantees that He won't withdraw from us.  We often have requirements in a relationship that if someone doesn't do as we feel they should we'll withdraw our love but God is not tha way at all.  His guarantee here is without a back door where God can say well, I guess I don't have to honor our agreement here...I can just leave.  Instead He leaves Himself nowhere to go accept towards us.  The end of verse 10 is even more wonderful where God seals this promise with :  "Says the Lord, who has mercy on you."  This is not the way we use names.  Today we don't think much about names really...the names we have and that we give our children don't seem to be of much value but in bible times the name always meant something and had to do with how God would relate to us and sometimes how He would relate to entire nations!  God calls Himself the God who has mercy on us here so this is not an empty title but a statement of His everlasting character.  Personally this is great because I understand that even if I do something wrong He remains the God that has mercy on me.  I know I can go to Him for help and expect not a beating but help!  The ministry takes this to a level that's far beyond this!  The ministry takes what would be just for me and offers this promise to others, takes it to the nations of the world and let's many other people partake of this beautiful relationship.  I know that on my own I could well witness to people that come my way and that's great but the ministry spends all of it's time dedicated to the spread of the Gospel...it spends all the itme it has seeking a way to go out and spread the Word.  I appreciate what God has given me here but I want to put it with the longer reaching more powerful vision of Eagle Ministries that more would be reached and that I wouldn't find myself alone where I have a greater chance of failure.  The strength of the people God has in the ministry is a temendous asset!  I can have weak moments where others could be strong and in support of the vision and when others my stumble I can be there for them.  Magnifying the Lord is what the ministry is all about.  I can do this on my own but the more the merrier!

Here is an interesting bit of scripture beginning in Isaiah 54: 7 where it says that for a mere moment the Lord has forsaken you (us).  Many time we live a life where we're sure that God has turned all things against us...this feeling can result in dispair, anger, frustration and hopelessness.  I truly believe that this is a powerful scripture because it mentions God 'turning away' in wrath but the reconcilation in the rest of the chapter is huge!  I know that we as Christians don't have to worry about God turning away from us.  There are many scriptures that talk about how we as natural parents would never turn away from our children if they made a mistake...we wouldn't give away our children for adoption every time they dissapointed us or hurt our feelings!  God would neither leave us nor forsake us either and this is where His mercy and kindness toward us is mentioned beginning in verse 8 where it says:  "but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer."  This is a very powerful name of the Lord.  Personally for me I love it because often I lament innocence that I've lost during my life.  There are things that happen to all of us that causes us to no longer believe that our natural parents can protect us from everything and that same thing can happen to us with our heavenly Father.  God says that He will neither leave us nor forsake us but often we feel that if that's the case He just stood there and watched us go through horrible things.  God is good and He is above all question.  We don't know why things happen, I don't know why things but I do know for sure that God is good and He works with us through all the things we go through and there's always the potential for a terrible situation to turn out for our good but will we go one way or the other?  There's God's mercy that's there reaching out to us...true the same questions plague us that have been there since the first men walked the earth but the difference is now we can embrace God and His mercy and leave the question that's worst of all "WHY?"  We will never know the all the answers but let us realize that the mercy of God towards us will never be withdrawn.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  today isn't the rest of your life.  You can't see today as the way it will always be.  The eyes of faith ever see out ahead of us...the eyes of faith aren't blind nor are they foolishly opptomistic...they see things as they are...as God sees them.  These are the eyes we must look through to experience the mercy of God.  This is a great promise to us individually but on a ministry level it takes a whole new persective.  This is a truth that the ministry must bring to the nations of the world.  We've experienced this mercy...how could we ever hide it?  How could we keep it to ourselves?  The world must here our testimony!  The ministry sings of it in the new song and it really must go out and be heard.  The point isn't about wether it's accepted...it's wether there's a voice out there still offering the voice of mercy to people everywhere.  This is for all of us individually but in the ministry it gains it's power because through the ministry it's shared to others on a much broader scale!