Ted Haggard's New Church, My Visit...

Visit my daily blog at http://darrellcreswell.wordpress.com/ .If you attend St. James in Colorado Springs, Ted Haggard’s new church, the first thing you will notice is that the new church is within eye-shot of the mega-church he founded in his basement , New Life. Ted Haggard started his new church two weeks ago in the barn on his property. When God calls someone to the ministry the Bible says, that calling is without repentance. What that means is when you are called of God; it is a life calling, a life of service, there’s no going back. There is no changing your mind. If you fall, you repent, receive forgiveness, pick yourself up, receive your healing from the Spirit of God and then get back to work. It is you that failed, not God. He still requires of you. This is something that I have had to come to terms with in my own life, as God convicted me to return to the ministry. Ted Haggard believes that the Lord called him to minister to Colorado Springs 28 years ago and he is continuing in that calling.

I decided to go visit Ted Haggard, and St. James this Sunday without forming any preconceived opinions about it, and write about my experience there honestly and openly. As I pulled onto the property, there were quite a few cars in front of me. I waited in line as I watched the parking greeter direct the cars where to park. I thought to myself, thank the Lord for those that have already volunteered to assist with the parking. As I pulled up I realized that it was Ted Haggard directing parking, greeting each car as they pulled in for the service. I stood and watched as he greeted every car, taking the time to shake the hand of everyone in every car that came.

As the service was about to start, I watched Ted as he greeted people, shaking their hands as they entered the barn for the service. He was jovial and very warm, laughing and enjoying the fellowship with his new congregation. There was also an excitement, almost with a twinge of nervousness, like that of a teenager on prom night. He was very much at ease seeming very comfortable in his own skin. I was taken in by the humility that seemed to encompass his personality, a sincere humility that seems genuine and can only come by God working in one’s life.

It has been 3 ½ years since Ted resigned at New Life Church amidst the scandal that he very openly talks about. He made light of the scrutiny of his life by the media, stating, “If I want to know what I am thinking, all I have to do is read the paper”, this I believe in reference to the many negative articles that have blasted him in the last few years. Let me say this to the Body of Christ, Ted Haggard has openly repented. Ted Haggard has asked and received forgiveness from God. We as the Body of Christ are commanded to forgive him, even as we have been forgiven. And I mean TRUE forgiveness, the kind where you pray for and uplift someone before the throne and seek God that He might be glorified in their lives, that’s the kind of forgiveness I am talking about. The Lord tells us in Jeremiah 31:31 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." If it’s good enough for God, it is good enough for me.

For this article that is all I am going to say regarding that, as I believe that God is a God of restoration, and that’s that. Whether or not you think he should be a minister is a matter of personal opinion. Ted himself states, I may not be qualified to be a pastor, but I know I am qualified to serve others in need. I have learned a great deal over the last three and a half years and have deep desire to help others in need. I do know much more that I did prior to my crisis in November of 2006. I know more about compassion, understanding, kindness, love, and peace. I want to help people. I know that when we suffer, a loving hand, a kind voice, a gentle touch, and practical assistance can make all the difference in the world. Depression, loneliness, personal failure, embarrassment, and disillusionment can be powerful forces in a person’s mind in difficult times.

On my blog today, I want to talk about what God is doing instead of what Ted has done.

As the service began, people kept filtering in for the next 10 or 15 minutes. As I looked around the barn, it was completely full, with standing room only. Chairs had to be set up outside the barn door under a tent, and they were also full. I looked up in the hay loft and there were worshipers also standing in the hay loft, which was working as an overflow. I almost wished that I had been up in the hay loft as I have never worshiped God in a hay loft. The Pastor announced they would have a new meeting place in a couple weeks. It was easy to see as the barn could barely accommodate all those who came and a larger space will definitely be needed.

I was reminded what it must have been like for the early pioneers as they set up make-shift churches anywhere there was a space, mainly in barns and taverns. I thought as I sat there that there had been many humble beginning in a barn, including the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There was a mixture of old and young alike, without any distinction being seen regarding class or race. There were folks from all walks of life.

I listened as he opened the service affectionately welcoming everyone to the “Barn Church” as he called it, St. James. Ted Haggard shares that St. James Church is for anyone, Democrats, Republicans, Independents and those who go to Tea Party rallies. If you are straight, gay, bi, white, Hispanic, Native American, or a confusing combination, you are welcome at St. James. Those working to overcome their sex or drug addictions, St. James are for you. If you have a friend or family member who struggles, St. James is for you. Adulterers, Ex-cons, everyone is welcome.

When it was time for the offering I was in for quite a surprise. Ted instructed everyone to take out an offering, not their tithes, but an offering. Then when everyone had it hand, he further instructed that we share our offering with someone in attendance as we felt led of the Lord. I must admit, being a minister and the son of a minister, I have attended many church services but I had never participated in an offering like that. It was different and quite refreshing. During the offering a young man came up to Pastor Haggard and asked the body to pray for him as he was battling a drug addiction. Ted’s words that St. James is to be a place where drug addicts were welcome suddenly became a reality. The Spirit of God was at work leading this young man to the service, and convicting him of his sin, as he openly confessed his addiction, and asked the Body of Christ for support. This was a forbearer of the message to come and the symbol of what Pastor Haggard’s message is to St. James.

As he began his message, Ted proclaimed St. James to be a church with a “No Stones Environment”, in reference to our Lord’s words,” he who among you that is without sin, cast the first stone”. He went on to share that we as the Body of Christ need to encourage our brethren as the Holy Spirit works in their lives. We as believers should offer support and encouragement, rather than condemnation to those who struggle to overcome various issues in their walk with Christ. The Body of Christ many times executes judgment instead of encouragement for those in need he shared. I have to agree, as sometimes we as believers are very hard on other believers who are struggling with sin in their lives. It is wrong and in contradiction to the Word of God to judge your brother, we are to uplift and pray for our fellow believers and even non-believers alike that the Spirit might work in their lives and Christ might be glorified. It is our role to encourage, Pastor Haggard said, and God’s role to judge. He went on to say that many times Christians use the scriptures to judge and hate, when we should use the scriptures to encourage. I said Amen.

In closing Ted shared that it is a practice of St. James to randomly call someone of the congregation and ask them to bring their prayer list forward. The members are asked to keep a private prayer list in their pocket of needs. A man named “Tiger” was called forward and Pastor Haggard directed a portion of the collected tithe were to be given to someone in need on the man’s prayer list. Tiger shared that he would share it with a man and his family who was following Christ and was in need as the man had just been released from prison for armed robbery. The words Pastor Haggard had shared in the opening almost seemed to be prophetic as a drug addict opened shared his struggle, and was embraced in love by the Body and now an ex convict was being helped as he was in need, by the tithe of the church. It gave me a good feeling all over, and I was touched inside. Real people, real needs….real solutions.

All in all it was a great service, I left feeling I had been fed, both by the message and by my interaction with the Body of Christ. In finishing let me encourage you to pray that the Lord will be glorified in all that is done at St. James. Lift them up in prayer as we are commanded to do in James 5:16, “Pray for one Another”.

I like the “No Stones Environment”. We have many foundations and doctrines in our churches, the “No Stones Environment” should be put over every sanctuary everywhere to remind believers that we are not to cast stones or judgment but rather love and encouragement. At St. James it is a foundation of their church that no one is allowed to cast stones, a message all of us should take to heart, including me.

Please, Go ahead of me…

In this world of personal service and convenience we sometimes get caught up in getting our way all the time. But Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 10:24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.

I know that many times in my life, I fail to heed the advice of this verse. We all as humans like to get our own way. It is in our carnal nature. But as believers we are commanded to take heed of our actions as they relate to other believers and in accordance with God’s Word. But by obeying the principles of love and service shown in the Scriptures we see the God working in the lives of others and are able to discern His will for our own lives.

The secular world does not view life as such. In everything around us, in print, TV and in media we are encouraged to live for ourselves, to take care of # 1, to place our own needs, desires and wants first. By ignoring commandments to serve and place others before us, sin is produced in our daily living. This sin in turn will isolate us from those dear to us who can also help, encourage and uplift us as we live day to day. God did not create us to be isolated; we were created to be independent.

John 13:20 I tell you for certain that anyone who welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

This scripture explains to us, that when we meet other believers we are actually coming face to face with our Savior. We should have a deep respect, love and humility toward others whose lives have been redeemed by the Lamb. We cannot just go on our merry ways and pretend that we have no responsibility toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. Their welfare is our duty and responsibility

(I Cor. 8:9) But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak.”

This is the attitude and actions of a person who is truly living for the Lord and truly concerned about the seeing others come to Christ. We should all have the attitude….”If it offends my brother, I will not do it, even to the end of the world, I will not offend or cause someone to stumble”, this is an act of service. God will hold us personally responsible for and accountable for our actions toward others. We cannot let our liberty and freedom in our Salvation; cause us to neglect our servant’s responsibility to the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? What Paul is explaining here that our individual actions are reflected in all believers’ lives, in our homes and in our church. If we sin, it is not in isolation as we sometimes assume. Our sinful actions can bring pain and harm to others.

We have a responsibility to hold ourselves to the standard given to us in God’s Word, living our lives in a way that does not hurt others but uplifts them and encourages them. By denying ourselves we allow God’s Spirit to put to death our carnal inclinations to be self-centered. We will never notice or be aware of the needs of those around us as long as our eyes are focused on ourselves. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and free us from our own selfishness , our lives will be released and free to bless our families, friends, church, community, world and most importantly….OURSELVES!

At Deaths Door, Grandma Pulled Me Out of Hell…A Tribute to Emma Reedy

At Deaths Door, Grandma Pulled Me Out of Hell…A Tribute to Emma Reedy




It is now 2010. I have been serving the Lord since I rededicated my life to the Lord in the mid 1990s.I am thankful and humbled to be a servant of the Most High. But let’s step back a moment before all that happened. I was backslidden. I had fallen away from God completely. I was drowning in sin. In the mid 1980s I had taken a year sabbatical from the ministry working in a mega-church as an associate pastor and went into private business. The Lord had blessed my efforts and I hit one of the largest oil wells ever drilled in North America. I was an instant multi-millionaire worth tens of millions of dollars.



But in the years that followed, I did not return to the ministry, and I slowly took a down turn in my spiritual and personal life. Forgetting that it was the Lord that had guided my life, I completely turned my back on Him and sin became my master. Back to the mid 1990s. I was a drug addict, and having oil funds to fuel my addiction I was spending 2-300 hundred dollars a day on drugs. Everything and everyone around me suffered as my life was out of control. I was completely lost. I contemplated suicide on a daily basis.



In the midst of all my turmoil there was someone that had me in their spiritual radar. By the time I had married she was already an elderly woman, she was my wife’s grandmother, Emma Reedy. We connected well in those days as I was a minister of the Gospel and she was a very deep spiritual woman. We used to sit and talk of the goodness of God all the time. She had a Bible that was tattered and torn. It had hundreds, if not thousands of personal scribbles and notations on its precious Holy pages. She could quote almost any passage verbatim and I would sit and listen to the decades of enlightenment God had shared with her.



But as the years past, one of us changed…. it was me. In her sweet but forceful way she would sweetly always remind me that I needed to find my way back to the foot of the cross. At first I just ignored her invitations to pray with her or to talk about God, but as the years passed her words would irritate me more and more. So much was I irritated by this that I would not go with my family to the various Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers at her home for the annual celebrations. I would always get a message that Emma was praying for me.



As she grew older, her health began to deteriorate. She was in a nursing home, and as it is with all of us, her cycle of life was coming to a close. She had suffered a stroke and was hospitalized and then returned to the nursing home as her life slowly slipped away.



I received a message that she wanted to see me. As I understood it the stroke had robbed her of most of her motor functions and most of her ability to speak. It was about 7 in the evening as I made my way reluctantly to go see her out of respect. I found my way to her room. I walked in to the dimly lit room. She seemed to be asleep, resting. As I turned to leave, she spoke,”Have a seat, Darrell…please” she said. There was a chair next to her bed and I sat down next to her.”How are you Emma”, I asked? She remained silent. So I sat there remaining silent for a minute or two. She suddenly spoke up again and said to me, “There is a Bible on the stand next to you; would you get it for me please”? As I picked up the Bible, she said “Please turn to the Lord’s Prayer and read with me. Grudgingly I turned to Matthew 6:9-13. Even though I had not held a Bible in my hand for ten years, I knew the scripture by heart.



I began to read as she quoted the scripture by heart. I read the words slowly as it was a tremendous struggle for her to even speak. As I read the Words, she with great labor and difficulty reached out and grabbed my hand, and held it. Her grip was weak, so I held her hand as I felt she was too weak to hold on.



As I read I came to the verse; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. But the words that came out her mouth were different than the words I was reading from the Word. She said,” Lord lead Darrell away from temptation, and deliver him from evil, right now in Jesus name”. As she spoke those words she gripped my hand with the strength of an 18 year old. I was speechless and stopped reading. She slowly turned her head my way, and said,” Son, you are no longer bound, Jesus has set you free”. I let go of her hand and she lay there with her eyes closed, silent.



I quickly got up and left the room. I walked outside, and wept and wept and wept. I never saw Emma alive again, as she died shortly thereafter. At her funeral the church was filled to overflow. Person after person for an hour took the podium to tell how Emma had led them to the Lord, including the Pastor of the church. I was amazed that this little woman, who lived in a town of maybe 50 people, had led so many people to the Lord. I am privileged to be one of those people. Grandma Emma, on her death bed, speaking possibly her last words spoken, spoke truth and Grace into my life and pulled my soul from the depths of Hell, as her prayer broke the chains that Satan had on me and released God’s glorious Grace back into my heart, redeeming my life. For that I will be eternally grateful.



When I get to heaven, I intend to look her up, probably somewhere on Apostle’s row, with a place next to Peter and Paul and thank her for reaching out to me while she herself was on death’s door and allowing God’s grace to work in me and return my path to one of righteousness in Christ.

What is a Facebook Friend…Really?

Join over 1000 readers a day at  http://darrellcreswell.wordpress.com/ .....There is one thing that I want to say right off the bat, which is that this article is not purposely written to offend anyone. I am going to discuss our friendships here on Facebook, and our use of applications, notices, gifts, messages and such between us. I am going be direct and say how I feel. I am not intentionally trying to be rude or judgmental, so I ask your forgiveness ahead of time if you are offended by any of my words. Please read the whole article in its entirety.


I want your friendship here on Facebook, I actually cherish it….And as a friend I want to give you love and receive love from you…I want to connect…I want to agree…and in love, have the right to disagree…I want to discuss faith, family, religion, God, whatever, anything, and everything with you. I want as a person to take the time to post a response to a comment and/or send a personal message. I want my friends here to stimulate my thinking, as I try to do the same for them. I want my friends here ask for prayer, so I can pray for them…give a word…send a blessing….let me know they like something…..or don’t like something, as I will try to do the same for them. I want to know you and who you are.

I don’t want you to just send me a Heart, just for the sake of sending out a bunch of hearts….I want you to tell me your heart, teach me your heart, share your heart with me…..Don’t just send me a smiley symbol just for the sake of sending something out…Please….Talk to me from your heart, make me smile and give me an opportunity to do the same for you…..There are pictures that are tremendous, that stir my soul, I want to see them, send me those….There are videos that make my heart cry out to God and give me knowledge and joy, I want to see those too. I need to be actually loved and to be sharing love, it’s part of my being, my nature, my core. I love it when someone on here takes the time here on Facebook to pick out a special card, or heart for me, and sends it to me. But when I get it 10 times in a row, over and over, the gift loses all its value as I realize it wasn’t for me but just something for someone to send out.

I don’t want a farm gift, I want a friend. I am not in the Mafia; I am in the body of Christ. I am not in Farmville or part of the Mafia apps, if I were and we were both sharing that here on Facebook then that would be great. When I get those, I do not even know what they are or what they mean. I am a believer, and I am your friend. Last week I got hit with a snowball from a Facebook friend that invited me to a snowball fight, which in itself is fine. The problem is, it was sent out randomly to a list of friends and as a result I got it posted on my page 14 times in a row. I went to the senders page to point it out to them and they already had many complaints from a lot of other users. Nothing in that really connects much with me. It makes my point exactly. My article here in not to be negative or rude: but uplifting and empowering. I sometime get hit 10-15 times with the same pillow from the same person as a result of some mass send out asking me to hit them back. Since I am receiving it 5-15 times in a row, they do not even realize they are sending it to me. That means it is not personal to them as they are sending it out multiple times, so why should it be personal to me? My primary goal in this article is with our responsibilities in loving each other as members of Facebook and together in the Body of Christ.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New Living Translation)

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. How about 1 million or 10 maybe 50 million standing side by side, that is impossible to break. Facebook gives us that opportunity.

Do Everything in Love, 1 Cor. 16:14

I know we have Farms, E-Cards, Smiley Faces, Bows, Ribbons and Hearts, Bears and Hugs, and they are all ok, but our responsibility toward each other as fellow recipients of God’s mercy and love, however, goes much deeper than that. There is a good reason why. While we may find ourselves necessarily involved with unbelievers in life (outside FB) as the result of various human relationships (mother/son, brother/sister, employer/employee, etc.), we have no spiritual union with unbelievers beyond those human ties.

But when it comes to our relationship with fellow believers, and that includes those here especially on Facebook, there is a different defining issue. No matter what happens in our previous human relationships, here in Christ we have been joined by his Spirit into one body in an organic union like the relationship of arm to hand or leg to foot. This new spiritual union brings with it new responsibilities. We can use these on Facebook tremendously, as a unique and POWERFUL arm of the body of Christ. We have the ability to connect together, all Christians of all denominations, with no church walls in a force and power that has never been available in the history of the world. For the first time since the advent of the cross we have the opportunity for millions, tens of millions, and eventually hundreds of millions of believers, to connect with one another almost instantly, at anytime, at anywhere in the world. We can be unified in love, will and purpose.
These new responsibilities are the subject of a great deal of New Testament teaching. The body of Christ has greatly evolved in the last 2000 years, and many of our essential needs have become lost in the unfortunate secularization of our practices. For some of us, our relationships between are no longer defined as organic unity, but by our organizational structures. As a result, our “love one another” responsibilities toward each other, as spelled out in the Word have been either ignored, compromised, or forgotten.

God says in Colossians 3:17, 23-24, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. . . And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

A Pastor friend of mine here on Facebook in Europe recently wrote to me. He said, “As much as I appreciate FB connections, I dislike FIGUREHEAD friendship. I am deleting many on my list. I am not here for mere display of numbers. Iron sharpens iron. If I have fewer connections on here, that’s ok. I am not running for political post. I just want to get in touch. PLEASE!!!

In the 1950s, sociologists coined the term “homophily” (love of the same), to explain our tendency to link up with one another in ways that confirms and affirms our core beliefs. Facebook that has given us new ways to connect in love and speak truth to one another, showing and converting that love into spiritual power, becoming a “spiritual homophily”. Facebook offers the Body an efficient and far-reaching way to bond, which erodes natural barriers.

”Homophily” refers to a tendency to associate with others who think in similar ways, regardless of differences in status, age, gender, class, race, and so forth. This is often expressed in the adage “birds of a feather flock together”. We t believers are the birds and we are flocking together on Facebook, united by God, with love for one another. That is why these friendships and the way we can connect with each other so important to the Kingdom.

The benefits of my “friends” to me are enormous. You as my friend are part of my future. Friends affect our future and our present. Friendship is a means of fellowship. Honestly, it is good to send that pillow to some that you have connected with in that way, but not to everyone. There are friends here that connect with the farms, they enjoy it, and I think that’s great for them, but not everyone. I am not here for pillow, farm or flower either. I connect differently with friends and my friends are different than just that to me. Friendship is the nucleus of the body of Christ, as we love one another and connect with one another, the enemy is defeated.

We can to use this website not only as an opportunity to make friends and connect and fellowship but as a weapon against the enemy. And as we love one another, we can seize this tremendous opportunity to use Facebook as a salve to heal wounds, as a life-preserver to one who is drowning and as loving arms to someone who is lost or hurting. I will try, because that person might end up being me, or that person might end up being you. We need to personally connect, know and love one another, so that if, or when something should happen to one of us…..We can honestly say….”I am here really here for you, my Facebook friend”.

Job 16:20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God….

What God could teach Tiger about a golf ball..!!!

When a golf ball is hit, the impact, which lasts less than a millisecond, determines the ball’s velocity, launch angle and spin rate, all of which influence its trajectory, and distance.


Let’s look at the physics of a golf ball’s flight, and apply spiritual values and principles, to those physics.

A golf ball moving through the air experiences two major aerodynamic forces, one of which is lift. Lift is the force that directly opposes the weight of the ball and carries it through the air.

Salvation is the lift in a Christian’s life that gives us the ability to fly high. Sin is like gravity which wants to hold us down. But once the force and impact of the Cross is applied, lift is created, and we find ourselves flying through the air, defying the sin we were born into, out distancing it by the redeeming blood of the Lamb.

Because lift is a force, it is a vector quantity. Vector quantity is really a simple phrase it has two characteristics, a magnitude and a direction. That means is has direction, velocity, momentum, and force. In Christ we have direction from His word, and velocity, momentum and force by His Spirit.

God in his omnipotence engineered our spiritual lives like the cover of a golf ball. A believer’s life is not always smooth; there are pits (dimples) along the way. Originally, golf balls were smooth; but golfers noticed that older balls that were beat up with nicks, bumps and slices in the cover seemed to fly farther. Golfers, being golfers, naturally gravitate toward anything that gives them an advantage on the golf course, so old, beat-up balls became standard issue.

Aerodynamicists realized that the nicks and cuts were acting as “turbulators”, they induced turbulence in the layer of air next to the ball, and that layer reduced drag. As the ball was re-engineered over the years, it was discovered that the less smooth the cover was, the further the golf ball could fly. So they started manufacturing them with dimpled covers. And as a result, dimpled balls fly farther than non-dimpled balls.

When any ball travels through air, it faces resistance in the form of friction and drag. In contrast to the smooth surface, on a dimpled ball the air flows in a turbulent manner when the surface is marked or rough. It reduces a separation in the air that a smooth ball doesn’t. The drag is thus, reduced and the ball covers a longer distance.

So it is with life; it takes some rough spots, nicks and cuts in your life to make you go your farthest..Romans 5:3-5 tells us that we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. God allows us to be “dimpled”, that we grow stronger in Him, and as we grow in Him we are able to separate ourselves from things and situations that would drag us down. And as a result we are able to fly higher and cover a longer distance in faith, as we are strengthened and “dimpled” by life’s trials.
As I said there were two aerodynamic forces. The second is backspin. It is also used in driving a golf ball. A well-struck golf shot will result in a large amount of backspin that will carry the ball higher into the air and farther. A back-spinning ball experiences an upward lift force which makes it fly higher and cover a longer distance than a ball without backspin. And what is backspin you ask. Backspin is the ball rotating backwards round and round, to the point on the ball where the impact first launched it. Remember in the beginning, we talked about when a golf ball is first hit, the impact, determines everything about the direction and distance of the ball.
So how is that (backspin) spiritual you ask? Paul the Apostle put it this way,” I affirm, by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily”.1 Cor.15:31
Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”.
Our submission to the cross is a daily experience in which we surrender our lives, and our wills, in order that we might shine forth His Light, and bear lasting fruit for His glory. If every day we find ourselves at the foot of the cross, (The Cross is His impact on our lives called Grace) where we first received redemption, crucify our old flesh, and deny ourselves, we backspin to the point of that Grace. It is this Grace, at the foot of the cross, the point of impact where we first received Him, that gives us direction, velocity, momentum, and force to go farther and stronger in our walk with Him. Back-spinning to the foot of the cross, daily is a powerful thing, it will carry us higher and farther.
And finally, in order to keep the aerodynamics optimal and simple, the ball just needs to be clean.

1 John 1:9 ….If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God taught me a lesson with beer dripping from my ears…

Romans 12:3-8 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you…
In the 1980s I was an associate pastor at a large ministry. Weddings and funerals were assigned on rotation to the pastors on staff. It was on a Saturday in the spring that I was assigned to do a wedding. Most weddings took place at the church, but this particular assignment was in a park. It was nice to do these weddings, as an associate one could count on doing 20 or so a year which helped a young minister financially, as the church gave the $50 fee charged for the ceremony directly to the minister performing it.

I arrived at the park and drove around looking for a wedding party, and could not see one. I was very aware and apprehensive as I drove around because I had spotted a large gathering of a Bandidos Motorcycle Gang. I was afraid the bikers had scared off the wedding party, so I parked my car, got out Bible in hand and walked around looking for them.

I hearing someone yelling, “Hey are you the preach”? I turn around and there is this guy, at least twice my size, right out of a biker gang movie, with brothers in tow. He was dressed in all the usual leather gear one would expect, as he proceeded to inform me that he was the groom, and he would be taking care of everything. I indicated I was indeed the minister. He proceeded to put his arm around me and walk/drag with me to where the ceremony was taking place.

As I arrived there were 70 or so members and they were pretty worked up as there was a lot of beer and marijuana being consumed. Many of the female members we dressed very revealing, which made me somewhat uncomfortable. I started to indicate to them that I would in no uncertain terms perform this ceremony under these conditions. But after surveying the situation, I saw it as an opportunity to show the love of Christ.

So I proceeded with the ceremony and vows as onlookers, smoked substances, drank heavily and hooted and hollered at everything that was said. As I finished the ceremony and pronounced them man and wife, the whole wedding party surrounded the bride and groom and commenced to shower them with beer spray as they shook their beer bottles up and directed them at the couple. As I was standing with the wedding couple, I was drenched in beer from head to toe, soaking my hair, and covering my suit.

The wedding couple then ran through the crowd while being pelted with rice and sprayed with beer. The then jumped on a motorcycle, and rode off. Standing there drenched in beer I wiped my face off with the inside of my coat. I was not pleased with the beer shower to say the least. It was also as I was standing there, I realized that the man who had told me that he was taking care of everything, including my fee had just ridden off on his bike. Noticeably upset, with beer dripping from my ears, I muttered under my breath something to show my displeasure of being jilted while having to put up with the seedy conditions of the whole situation. I was loud enough for the groomsmen to hear, but not intentionally directed at them as to start a confrontation. I turned around an angrily walked toward my car.

I was about 10 feet from my car, when I heard someone yell,”Hey Preach”, I turned around. There stood the first man and buddy of the groom. He said” It looks like my brother took off without paying you”. I said, “Yea, looks that way doesn’t it, I figured as much”. He says” Nah Preach, it aint like that, I was supposed to give this to you”. He pulls an envelope, folded in half from his pocket, and hands it to me. I put it in my pocket, thanked him got in my car and drove away.

Later at home I was explaining the situation to my wife, still complaining as I pulled out the envelope from my pocket to give her for bank deposit. I opened it up and inside there were three $100 dollar bills. It happened instantly, BOOM. I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I had missed a tremendous opportunity to share Christ because I had placed some legalistic thinking on this wedding ceremony and instead of showing the love of Christ in all situations; I showed the anger of my flesh, because I thought I had been shorted $50 bucks, when in truth the Lord had blessed me with $300. And because of my pride of carnal man, thinking more of myself than I ought to have, I had missed a great opportunity share the love of my Savior with a bunch of folks who needed him. I should have hung around, dripping in beer with despite scantily clothed women, all the drugs and alcohol in use and spread the message of the Gospel, which is my calling. I wept, asked forgiveness and promised the Lord I would never again let my pride stand in the way of the Gospel.

But I had already gotten angry over 50 bucks, walked away and missed a golden opportunity. Well that was over 25 ago, and I have never missed an opportunity to do so again. I have been in much worse situations and treated much worse, but the Grace of My Lord and the message of the Gospel has always, from that time on, dominated all situations, and the Lord taught me not to ever think higher of myself than I should.

You can be God's "IRON MAN"

As I have grown older, I have gained a serious workout program. I love lifting weights, hitting the gym, the whole male testosterone thing. If I could I would want to be as physically as strong as Sampson, the Bible’s “Iron Man”. The Word of God tells me that the Spirit of the LORD moved on Sampson, and when that happened, Samson was able to slay a lion with his bare hands, slay 30 men with his hands at one time, he could snap robes like they were pieces of thread, he slew a thousand Philistines with the Jaw bone of an ass, he carried away of the gates of the city Gaza to Hebron,(he carried them over 20 miles) and he pulled down of the pillars of the Philistine temple. In the Bible we read that he was one strong guy, but there is one point in the story that becomes the essence of this piece. Samson himself was not strong, in fact he himself never did any spectacular feat of strength, not one thing at all. It was only under the influence of the Spirit of God he became an “Iron Man”.

Now wanting to be physically strong myself, is a Darrell thing, my physical man, not necessarily my spiritual side or my spiritual ambition. The one thing that all Sampson’s great acts of strength had in common is that he did them when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Samson was not a giant or an extraordinary human being. He was like any one of us. But he did mighty things when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Without the Spirit of the Lord being upon him, he was just an ordinary guy, not an “Iron Man”. Yet as he stood in battle and faced 1000 men, not even a knife, sword or spear could pierce his skin, God’s Spirit made him an“Iron Man”. No human muscle can ever be developed into spiritual power no matter how much we exercise. Only His spirit can do that kind of miracle. So on that note, as God is my priority in life, I am constantly working on my spiritual man to make him the spiritual Samson, for it is only the spiritual Sampson that is remembered in the Word as the man of legend. The Sampson that the Spirit of the Lord moved upon is the one of our Christian lore, the Bible’s “Iron Man”.

That same Spirit that moved on Sampson, The Spirit of Lord that made him an “Iron Man”, is available to you and I. As a matter of fact we have been given it as a gift, all we have to do is receive it. Jesus said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”. All power belongs to God. God is God; and power belongs to him. He gives It to us, yet still It is HIS power, the power of the Holy Spirit living, breathing, and working inside of you. When we read “The power of the Holy Ghost” in Romans 15:13, just what kind of power are we talking about? Job 26:13 by his Spirit the heavens are adorned. In the 2nd verse of the first chapter of Genesis, we read, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Earth was created by His Spirit, now that’s power. 1 Peter 3:18 Tells us that it was the Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead.
The power of the Holy Spirit is your protection, and all His omnipotence defends you. Can your enemies overcome Him? You alone can be conquered… His Spirit in you cannot…That is the awesome power of His Spirit. For the power of the Spirit is our power; the power of the Spirit is our might. Romans 8:11 He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Ephesians 6…Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We can all be “Iron Men and Women” for God, by HIS SPIRIT.
We have the Spirit of the Lord in us, with us, and on us…

Jer 1:18-19(The Mess)Stand at attention while I prepare you for your work.I’m making you as impregnable as a castle, Immovable as a steel post, solid as a concrete block wall. You’re a one-man defense system. They’ll fight you, but they won’t even scratch you.I’ll back you up every inch of the way.” This is God’s Decree.

Jere 15: 19-21 I’ll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable.They’ll attack you but won’t put a dent in you, because I’m at your side, defending and delivering.”This is God’s Decree.

Doesn’t that sound like an “IRON MAN to you? Sex or age is not a prerequisite to being a mighty "Iron Man for God".You can be in a wheelchair or an Olympic athlete. You can be tall, you can be short, but there is ONE that make you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. Sampson had it and it wasn't his hair.You can be 8 or 80, male or female,it doesn't matter by the Spirit of God, you can be an "Iron Man".

So this is my prayer, please pray it with me today. God create in me by your Spirit a spiritual man (woman) of steel; give me the spiritual lungs of a human oxygen tank to speak forth the truth, the Gospel and blessings by your Spirit. Most importantly I will use my head and heart, and all that I am, to learn to submit my will to yours and let the Spirit of God move in my life. From this point forward, I will NEVER settle for “just being” I want to be more, more!! I will be more!! Lord create in me all of YOU, help me be all I can…. By Your Spirit I want to be Your “IRON MAN”.