Another Year Older and...

Well, tomorrow is my birthday, and to be honest this is one of those birthday's that can come and go and it won't make much difference to me. I haven't ever really been someone who cares much about my birthdays, but for some reason this one can go by and I won't pay much attention to it. I think it is because things are pretty hectic in my life at this time, and because there is much going on, this day doesn't hold any meaning to me other than it marks another year of inhabiting this literally old body! Oh well! The thing that is more impacting is that the next birthday I celebrate will mark 60 years of life. At that point, I think I will take notice. Part of the reason is, it won't be that long until I am 70!!!!! Now that makes me feel old, let me tell you. I have several friends who have entered their sixties successfully: Mike MacIntosh, Bob Grenier, Raul Ries, Don McClure, John Milhouse, and Jim Orate have all entered in to their Senile Sixties and all seem to still be able to tie their shoes and to chew their food without it dropping out of their mouths (except for Raul)! Still, that is one year away so let's see what happens when it gets here!
On another note, September will be a good month for ministry. We will have four Sunday nights set apart for special services with an emphasis on evangelism. Please think of friends and family who need Jesus, and invite them to come with you to the services. They will take place every Sunday night of September, and we will have some seasoned guys sharing the word with us: Mike MacIntosh, Raul Ries, and Pancho Juarez will all be joining us, and we also will have special musical guests, so the evening should be a real blessing and I pray that many people come to faith in Jesus. God knows that this nation really needs Him, and I pray we can do our part in this area to bring Him to people.
I was asked to be a guest on TBN in September, on the 14th but was unable to commit to being on the show. Arthur Blessit asked if I could join him as he hosts that night because he knows that I got saved under his ministry, and wanted me to come on and share about what the Lord did that day back in 1970. I would ordinarily have joined him, but I will be in Santa Cruz participating in a pastor's conference and so won't be here in the area at that time. TBN said that the next time he hosts, perhaps I can come on the program and I would definitely do so if I could bring a witness for Jesus.
On Sept 13 we will have a special guest for our Sunday morning service, as we will have Lt. Gen. Boykin with us. He spoke at our Men's Conference in June, and was quite a hit with the guys, so I believe he will touch quite a number of people when he comes. It is the week-end anniversary of 9/11, so I think many people will have an opportunity to get a good reminder of what we as a country have gone through, and I pray the Lord uses it to touch many lives.
Personally, as I observe this nation I cannot help but weep for it, it is so very lost. ABC is going to begin airing a program that is supposed to be a comedy about families, and guess what? Two homosexuals will be part of the "families" that make America laugh. The creators of such sit-coms know that Americans can view people differently if they get to know them in situational comedies, and the progressives who are trying to redefine family use TV programs to do so. Look at the popularity of Ellen, and remember the sit-com Will and Grace and you will see how people are softened up to believe things that are not lined up with Scripture through the brainwashing of TV programs like these. This is in line with the desire to get homosexual marriages legalized in California, and there is no doubt that this is part of a larger strategy to bring that about. No, I am not suggesting that ABC specifically sets out to spend millions of dollars to re-create America, but at the same time believe there to be a spiritual impetus behind all the evil that is presented as good. All one has to do is spend ten minutes reading Ephesians 4 to see this. There, Paul speaks of unbelievers who live in the futility of their mind, whose understanding is darkened, who are alienated from the life of God, have degenerated pasted feeling and have given themselves over to lewdness, etc. Paul is simply saying that people reject God's light and as a result, walk in habitual darkness, living in a world of make believe because they will not walk in truth. As Pr 21:2 says, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. These people creating a new society are walking according to their own wisdom, but in doing so are rejecting the clear word of God on the matter. You see the same thing with the "Evangelical" Lutheran denomination that just gave permission for their ministers to live openly homosexual lives and to still pastor churches. I am telling you, we are definitely fighting for the life of the souls of America and we need to wake up to this. Because of this we do need to reach out, so I pray that people will actually show up on Sunday nights with unsaved friends. To be honest, I pray they will show up all the time!
Finally, a friend of mine was telling me how people will see a retreat is coming up, and if they are parents will send their kids to the retreat but because they do, they themselves don't go to the Marriage retreat because they can't afford it. He said that he tells his friends that if there is only one retreat they can go to, it should be the Couple's retreat because the kids need solid parents, and by going to the Couple's retreat, they as parents get closer to God and become better moms and dads. I can't help but agree with this. It starts with the parents, and trickles down into the family. For my married couples reading this, save up for things that build up your marriages and get involved!