Worship Experience!

 I had the pleasure this past week to go see worship artist Brooke Ligertwood in concert. She is the worship leader for Hillsong Worship and has released some solo music as well. She was on one of her solo concert tours for her recording *Seven*. 

From the moment I bought the tickets, I knew this concert would be different. I wasn't exactly sure how or why it would be different, but I just knew that it would. She was performing at a church in Naperville. So not to far away. I get to the church and head into the auditorium. It is a general admission show, so I am looking around at possible seats. A gentlemen approached me and asked if I was a single. I told him that I am married, but for the sake of the concert seating I was a single. He told me that he had a seat for me if I wanted it. I said "sure, I'll check it out." He started walking toward the stage and walking closer and closer. Ended up five rows from the stage. I never thought in my life I would ever get that close, but there I was filling it.

Like I said earlier, I knew that this night would be different. The crowd was electric and ready to worship God! Before one note was played or one word sung, I was weeping. You could just feel the sweet presence of Jesus in that room. Holy Spirit was very evident!

Brooke came out and started playing and the tears really started. Wow! The power of her music and the message the words contained (The Gospel). 

I had made up my mind going into the church, that I was going all in. Worship like never before. So I sang (ok let's be honest here. Made a joyful noise) as loud as I could. Instead of raising one arm, I had both in the air. So much so that my shoulders were hurting on the way home! She asked us to pray in our own prayer language, and boy did I! My body was hurting. I had helped move my step-dad the Saturday before and did something to my lower back/upper leg. I could hardly walk a step without almost going down. I prayed for healing from that. (Side note. Ever since that night, I have been able to walk pretty freely without pain and almost going to the ground). I prayed for healing for people I know that are battling all kinds of things. I prayed for the night and for God to move. Boy, did He ever move. 

I really didn't know what to expect that night, but I came expecting. To feel God differently. To experience Him differently. To feel His presence. Wow, is all I can say. For almost two hours we sang, prayed, gave praise and worshipped our Lord & Savior!

John 4:23 New Living Translation

23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

Hebrews 13:15 Amplified Bible

15 Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

God is ready to do something new, if only we are willing to do something new. I have been to worship events before. Both at the local church and national touring artists. Like I said earlier. This show just had a different feel to it. From the purchasing of the tickets, to the final word and chord played, God was in this whole thing, to me!

I give thanks and praise to You Jesus. For using Brooke Ligertwood in such a powerful way! To magnify & lift up Your name.

Thought Provoking!

 My family and I went to see the movie *Jesus Revolution* over the weekend. It is a really good movie. If you don't know the story, it is about how the Jesus movement got started in the '70's with the hippies in Southern California. How one California church opened it's doors to the hippies much to the chagrin of it's existing members. They had long hair. Were a little smelly, wore clothes with holes in them. The "proper" church members told the pastor that these people didn't belong in their congregation. The pastor disagreed and opened the doors and welcomed them in. Thus beginning a Jesus movement that spread throughout the whole world.

Well if you know me, you know what happened. The movie got me to thinking.

Do I treat and welcome people who are different than me? That look, dress & smell different? How they are dressed? I mean do I really? I would like to think that I do, but after the movie, I'm not so sure.

I wear shirts or hats that have a Christian message on it. Or Scripture passages. Something about Jesus. I call it witness wear. The meaning behind it is to start a conversation about my faith and of course Jesus. Trust me, I have had plenty of conversations because of this type of clothing. When I wear something like that, people approach me. Some are not like me, at all. If I am honest with you, when I see them coming towards me and I know that they are coming for me, sometimes in my head I'm like "please keep moving." "Don't stop, don't stop." Then when I think that, I say to myself, "that's not like Jesus at all." How am I showing Jesus to them if I wish that they would keep moving. Nine out of ten times they stop.

1 Peter 2:17 The Message

17 Treat everyone you meet with dignity. 

Even if people I meet do not look, dress or act like me, I still try and treat them with dignity. They are still human after all. I engage in conversation. Listen to what they have to say. Most of the time they just want someone to listen to them. I guess I look like that guy to them. After talking with them, I always kick myself for wanting them not to stop. Jesus loved everyone, so why can't I even talk to everyone that comes my way? 

1 John 3:11 Amplified Bible

11 For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another;

So I will and try to do better at welcoming in people who are from a different situation than I am. If I meet them in church I have a different reaction than if I meet them out in public. And that is a shame.

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

Borrowed Time!

 One month ago to the day, I was involved in a car accident. Nothing major. More of an inconvenience than anything. Going around one of those stupid roundabouts that are supposed to make traffic flow better. Yeah, made it flow right into my vehicle. Little damage to both cars. Both myself and the other driver were okay. No injuries. As we were exchanging insurance info, we were lamenting about how much we hate roundabouts! After exchanging info and checking again to make sure everyone was okay, we went our separate ways. As I drove off, a thought came to me. I (we) are living on borrowed time.

If this would have been a different time of day or a different intersection, the outcome could have been much different. Damage could have been worse. One or both drivers could have been hurt or even killed. I was thanking and praising God for His protection over the situation. I know that I was still involved in an accident, but like I said, it could have been much worse.

We need to be prepared to meet Jesus at any given moment. You never know when it will be your time. Like I said, if that accident had happened some place else, I could have gone to meet Jesus! People think that they have time to accept Him. "Oh, tomorrow is soon enough." You know what? Tomorrow never comes! Accept Him today, tomorrow may be to late.

Proverbs 27:1 New Living Translation

27 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

We all make plans for the next day, but truth be told, we don't know what tomorrow holds. Jesus does. 

1 Thessalonians 5:2 New Living Translation

2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.

So I implore you tonight. Get right with Jesus before it's to late. Do you think that I planned on being involved in a car accident that fateful day? I was just on my way to have lunch with my beautiful wife. God had an interruption for me. For some reason that only He knows, He wanted the other driver to meet me. In time, maybe I'll know why. God's timing!

God bless.
Rev. Kev.

Excited, Emotional, Exhausted & Frustrated??

 My wife and I were finally able to take our trip to Israel. I say finally because it has been in the works since 2018. We made our first deposit for the trip that was scheduled for 2020. Well, we all know what happened that year. So it was postponed. And then postponed again. I believe that it was postponed four times all together. Then it was totally cancelled, but then rescheduled for 2023. We kept holding our breath for another set back, but it never came. Needless to say, we were excited to finally be going. 

EXCITED:

Excited is an understatement. Who wouldn't be excited to take a trip to the Holy Land? Wasn't really excited about the long flight, but once we arrived, OH WOW!  To be able to see in person places that you only read about in The Bible. The Sea of Galilee. The place where Jesus walked on water. Where He called Peter to get out of the boat and come to Him. Where the battle of Armageddon will take place. Visited the city where Jesus' first miracle took place. Turning water into wine. The Jordan River. To baptize and be baptized in the same river that Jesus was baptized. See all the ancient architecture & ruins. It was a lot to take in. Sensory overload is what some of the people on the trip were saying.

EMOTIONAL:

How can you not get emotional about seeing where Jesus walked and talked and taught? The Mt. Of Beatitudes. The Mt. Of Olives, where Jesus will set foot when He returns. The Upper Room. The garden of Gethsemane. Seeing where He was whipped and beaten. Walking the Via Dolorosa. The same street that Jesus walked while carrying the Cross. Seeing where he stumbled and put His hand on the wall. Where He fell and Simon helped carry the cross. Golgotha. Where He was nailed to the Cross. Then the tomb where they buried Him! We checked. It's still EMPTY!! To see and take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The Western Wall or better known as the Wailing Wall. One day, so many emotions. Very powerful and impactful. That's not even the half of it. If I were to list everything, it would be a novel!

EXHAUSTED:

To say that we were beyond exhausted is another understatement. Every day we were on the bus @ 8:00 and done by 5-5:30ish. We walked & walked and then walked some more. At the end of the trip we added up the mileage that we walked. Thirty one miles during the five days that we were actually in Israel. That is a lot of walking for those who are not used to it. On some days we were emotionally exhausted as well. Some places we carried heavy emotions while we walked. Lets just say that we all pretty much slept good every night after a long day of walking and sight seeing.

FRUSTRATED:

Not going to lie. I as well as some others were frustrated with our tour guide. He was good at what he was doing, but there were some things that we wish we could have spent a little more time at. We took a tour of the tunnels under the Western Wall and came to the spot where the Holy of Holies was at. He just kind of brushed past it like it was no big deal. We were like "wait, hold on a minute." Wanted to spend a little more time there. Maybe do some praying. You know, what we Christians do. He was very knowledgeable in history, buildings, flowers and such. I wanted more of what Jesus did and where He did it.

WRAP UP:

The trip was amazing. We had beautiful weather everyday. Went with a great group of people. Made many new friends. I know that I am forgetting a lot of what I saw & experienced,  but I think that I hit some of the most important parts. At least to me. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime. Like I said, to be able to see and experience what you read in The Bible. Priceless!

Psalm 135:4 Living Bible

4 For the Lord has chosen Israel as his personal possession.

God Bless you all.

Rev. Kev.