young women of Huamachuco...


Yesterday, Deanna and I had the privilege of preaching/singing at Sunday revival services. She did an amazing job. I love to hear her sing!

I remember when revivals used to last for a week. Growing up in Indiana, our revival time was always a highlight of the year, and very well attended.

In the years since, the length of revival's have shortened with decreasing attention spans of those who make up the American church. Pastor's struggle to get their congregations to attend. The messages are no less gripping... life changing... it just seems no one can make time to come.

Why is that? In the last year or two I have participated in several revival's (I always balk a bit at that title, as one cannot orchestrate revival). These have been scheduled for anywhere from one to four days. Just two to five services to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the change of heart we desperately need.

I know there are many reasons for poor attendance. Most boil down to priority issues.

I wonder, if we are unwilling to allow the Lord access to our hearts to precipitate necessary change, then we are also likely to not allow Him to use us to impact our culture (not to mention those abroad).

If this is true, what is the future of the church?

When passion for Christ drains and fades from the landscape of believers, it has to have been replaced by desires for something else.

Our hearts have been trained to enclose around that which we value highly... like tentacles around prey. What is it that we are embracing? What claims the throne of our hearts?

I spoke to a man yesterday who told me the story about his first wife. Her heart calcified and she passed away.

This shocked me. I did not know it was possible in any sense other than a metaphorical one.

Calcification of the heart implies negative outside influence. Our hearts don't turn to stone in the natural way God created us to function.

While her medical condition is perhaps a rare one, the spiritual condition of the hearts of believers has become far too common.

I often use the phrase "white knuckle grip," when referring to the way we tend to embrace desires that begin naturally and innocently, but when left unchecked find the blood draining from the fingers of ownership.

Those fingers close tighter and tighter, increasing the loss of life in them. The result is a hard case "fist" wrapped around the heart that has become impenetrable to the Savior.

This will not change until we become aware and willing to allow Him access.

I praise God that this past weekend saw the eyes of many open to this truth.

The next step is true repentance. I fear we have gotten too skilled at the "stop, drop and roll" method of repentance. We 'stop' when confronted by the issue, 'drop' it for the moment, and 'roll' on in our way of life only to pick it up again down the road. There is no true heart change.

True repentance brings about a true change of heart.

A resupply of Spirit filled blood begins to course back through old dead fists and fingers, enabling them to cling to the hem of the Savior.

That is where I want to be found... at His feet, listening, worshipping, and obedient!


dad