Marching Forth!

Looking back on my life, historically my first impression would be better classified as a wrong impression.  There have been many times I had a negative first impression of people who later ended up being among my best friends!  The first glance or personal interaction can distort the truth of reality.  People are more than just a face and a name, and it is a shame for us to judge by appearance.  It is not above a man to do what is shameful, or to even make a practice of it. When I arrived in Sydney, I took the train from the terminal to the home I am staying at in Baulkham Hills.  The train was creaky and old, and as I rode the train from the Central Station tall graffiti-covered brick walls loomed on either side of the tracks.  Rubbish lined the sides of the tracks as we sped under grey, overcast skies.  Serious people stared straight ahead as the train jostled from side to side.  Abandoned buildings with broken windows, the same red bricks, t...

" Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God, [8] who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the mountains. [9] He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry. [10] He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. [11] The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy ."  Psalm 147:7-11 On the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne cup horse race is held annually in Victoria, Australia.  It is often called "the horse race that stops a nation."  For many people in Victoria it is a holiday where men don suits and women wear dresses and fancy hats to watch the horses race.   Even people who are not horse racing fans gather to watch the powerful steeds, pick their winner, and place their bets.  All can appreciate the quickness and power of a horse running at top speed.  God is the One wh...

Today was a significant day in my walk with Jesus.  It was a fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken to me seven years ago:  " You will preach, and you will be sent ."  I believed in seven years I would see the word of God fulfilled.  Never could I have imagined in 2002 that God would have moved me out of the trade that I loved, into a full-time position working at a church, and later leave that position to pursue the call of God to march forth to the east side of Australia.  As I stood before the congregation at Calvary Chapel Melbourne, it struck me that God has done a marvelous thing.  He truly does all things well. If you follow the blog you know a little of my testimony.  I never aspired to be a preacher, and never planned on serving in the Body of Christ in a pastoral role.  Yet the call of God to preach was clear, as clear as His call to minister in Australia would later be.  Australia is certainly new territory for me, but the sa...

Tomorrow I am flying down to Melbourne, Australia.  God willing I will be preaching at Calvary Chapel Melbourne and I look forward to holding forth God's Word.  I've been very blessed by the time of preparation and I have no doubt that God will prepare all our hearts to hear from Him. The messages have come out of Hebrews 11:32-34 :  " And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: [33] who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, [34] quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens ."  I find it ironic that most of the men of faith mentioned here are typically used as examples of what not to do.  If God sees these as men of faith, then instead of dwelling on faults and shortcomings i...