July 25th, 2009 by Joe

"We must all eventually give up all the things we love most"…

So was the thought in an article I read in a sailing magazine the other day.  The author reflected on how aging had started to restrict his enjoyment of the sailing lifestyle he had enjoyed most of his life.  As I read this line in the article, it occurred to me we all go through this – but for a Christian, there was a slight difference.  Join me in this thought today…read on and see.

When we are young, we are invincible – our bodies strong and unbounded by endurance and growing strength.  Through our middle years, most of us are blessed with good health, an stable income, and the fruits of our labor.  As we reach our twilight years, it begins slowly – suddenly, we get more winded going up the stairs we took two at a time in our youth.  We cannot read our mail without a pair of glasses kept nearby.  Colds last a day or so longer.  But then come the big ones – maybe one day we cannot garden like we loved to all our lives.  Maybe we lose our driving license.  You get the picture – the things we love and enjoy in our life begin to go, one by one, until, at last, we are left with the simple life until we again return home to our heavenly Father.

As Christians, if we put God first – and love Him with all our heart – we rob the thought at the top of this blog.  If we love God the most, we will have him at all times in our life, right until the very end. He cannot be lost as we age, and he cannot be taken from us, like so many of the worldly things (driving, sports, wealth, youth, etc.). Focus on God daily, make Him your joy, make him the center of your world each day, and He will never leave you. May God Bless you in His grip every day of your lives!

July 8th, 2009 by Joe

Sorry to have dropped off the earth on you all for the past days, but part of my absence was spent reconnecting with my children, camping and enjoying time with our family united again! The melancholy feeling of returning from missions has subsided, and I am now focused on our next trip this Fall and hopefully more gigs around the country.

An interesting conversation and revelation occurred last night. A few posts back you may recall the apparitions and occurrences at the bible college grounds where we stayed. I kept thinking that there must have been some rituals performed on the area in the past, but couldn’t discern much more than that. Last night, over dinner, Bill Drake (our band leader, singer, songwriter) shared with me that after we left, they had a great time of worship on the last evening there. The owner of the college shared with Bill how the mountain in our backyard (beautiful; great to wake up and look at) was the site for pagan rituals and sacrifices, and that there had been many sacrifices in the area in the past! I got chills as I heard this, realizing many of the things we experienced were probably connected to the property’s past occultism.

As I close up this chapter, we will move these posts over to another folder, and move on to the summer’s challenges. I hope to have pictures from the tour uploaded in the coming days/weeks, so please check back when you can. It’s been great sharing with you – I hope we go deeper in faith together this summer!

July 1st, 2009 by Joe

Right now I am 6 hours into the almost 9 hour flight to New York. A few more hour flight after that and I will be back in my home state. I have had some to to unload by watching movies, but the songs from the last 10 days permeate my mind and soul. I see the faces of people I’ve talked with and ministered beside. I take time to now reflect on the beautifully choreographed dances the dance team created to go with our songs, and the wonderful spirit they brought. I pray for the evangelism team; who love humankind so much they are willing to constantly seek out people to share the Gospel with – and in such a kind-hearted way.

This trip was a big question mark at first; we’d never gone with such a large group, and never worked with more than one dancer at a time. We also always did our own evangelism with the crowd after each concert, so we had absolutely no idea what God was teaching us. It was absolutely wonderful; we could focus on serving with excellence, while being completely comfortable in the efforts of the evangelism team and relishing the freedom of the dancers! What a unique experience for all in attendance at our events.

I wrote a song about a man Jon met with in Slovakia. He was a highly educated man, who had researched every religion and spiritual way, except Christianity. He felt hollow inside, and had almost committed suicide. What attracted him the most was the constant joy he saw in our faces; something he longed to experience. In Europe, and the Middle East, people do not just shut down your conversation when they disagree. They probe you for insight to your viewpoint, and expect you to do the same to uderstand them. Do not misunderstand me – I love “chit chat” as well – and I do NOT want us to become more European. I am merely sharing with you how nice it is to share your Faith with someone who may not agree with you, but is willing to ask more questions; hungry for answers. This man – Alex – did not come to Christ that night, but rather left us as a more educated man, and seemed to be very interested in seeking out what Christianity would offer. I feel the seed landed on fertile soil; pray for him.

I just a few hours, I will be able to connect with my children on the phone – a real treat, even though Skype and Facebook have provided a means to keep in touch. As this tour concludes, I invite you to stay with me as we go through summer together, and maybe some thoughts will strike a chord with you. As always, I welcome your emails through the contact link, and I will continue to pray this blog touches lives and grows your faith. Thank you for reading and writing to me on the tour – it has been a source of strength! Blessings!

Joe