Has Your Porch Light Went Out?

As I was walking out the door at Church this morning, Pastor Dave, asked if I would preach the evening service. I quickly agreed even though I had absolutely no idea what I was going to preach on. I have been struggling all weekend for the next message the LORD would have me preach and I was hitting a dry spot. I came home and prayed and opened my Bible up to 2 Chronicles 29. There within that passage of Scripture in verse 7, I found the message: "Has Your Porch Light Went Out?"

 "6: For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.
7: Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. " - 2 Chronicles 29:6-7

I studied on this subject around 4-hours before I had to be back at church. I wasn't sure exactly what was going to come out when I got up there but the LORD came through and delivered the message for me. By the time it was over with it just seemed like a dream. I couldn't even hardly remember what I had said, so I kind of enjoyed listening to it when I got home tonight. I'm always amazed at how the LORD will work if you will just submit yourself unto Him.

You can listen to the audio here:



Or watch the video below:

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One of my favorites

The song, "I Thirst", has always been a favorite song of mine, as well as my late Papaw Chesney. I loved to hear George Younce of The Cathedrals sing it. I'm no George Younce but I had a request to sing it at church on Easter Sunday evening. I thought I'd share it with readers of this blog:

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Jesus Keep Me

I sang this song Wednesday night at church. It's one of my all-time favorite hymns.



Near the Cross
Fanny Crosby 1869 (Public Domain)

Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream, Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.

Refrain:
In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find, rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,love and Mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star, sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o’er me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait, hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand, just beyond the river.

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Always humbling

In the life of a preacher, there is nothing more humbling and satisfying than to be used by the LORD. Everytime I have the opportunity to preach I walk into that pulpit with every intention of seeing someone saved. In the hours spent studying for a sermon, every effort is put into trying to draw even the tiniest detail out of the Scriptures in hopes that the LORD will work through the message and into the hearts of the people. Unless you are a preacher, you may not understand the emotions that run rampant throughout the discourse of a sermon. By the time it's over and done with you are emotionally drained and feeling pretty much defeated.

Pastor Dave asked me last Wednesday night if I would preach this Sunday. Of course I am always eager for a chance and gladly accepted. I immediately began praying and seeking for what the LORD would have me preach. Sometimes the message will come to me quickly but other times it is an excruciating time of waiting. This was one of those times of waiting. Thursday night I studied and prayed for several hours. Friday night the same thing, staying up until 2:30 a.m. trying to get answers. Finally on Saturday afternoon I had that awesome feeling of chills running through me as I read through the Book of Matthew. There in Chapter 15 was a Gentile woman without any hope, begging for Jesus to heal her daughter from demon possession. I tried to put myself in the woman's shoes and how she must have felt, being so hopeless and going to such great extremes as to barge in on Jesus and his disciples as they were trying to rest from the weariness of the ministry.

Six hours later, my eyes were burning and watering and I could barely hold my head up, I needed sleep. I went to bed on Saturday night totally exhausted. I woke up at 4:30 am on Sunday morning and all I could think about was the message. I tip-toed into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee while I gathered my Bible, computer, and a few commentaries. After an hour or so, I felt more at peace with the message and the outline I had written for it and decided to just lay down on the couch and try to take a nap before time to go to church.

By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I was rip roaring and ready to go. I could hardly contain the excitement that I felt as I stepped behind the pulpit. I opened my mouth and let the Words come out as the LORD had given them to me. Sometimes when you preach, you notice a few people that are occupied with different things, I usually take my glasses off when I preach so I can't see the details of people's faces, this seems to help some. Last night it seemed that everyone in the church was paying attention. All heads were up and faces were fixed forward. The feeling of the Holy Spirit was so thick I could almost reach out and touch it. Nothing I had done, mind you, but just the presence of the LORD coming forth from the spoken and written Word.

As I prayed and gave an invitation I just had a feeling that there were some in the congregation that needed to make decisions. As I saw a man make his way down to the altar and heard the cries and shouts of his wife, I had the most humbling feeling, knowing that the LORD had used me one more time to be his mouthpiece. The hours of studying, praying, and agonizing over the message are always worth it. Even if no one responds, I know the LORD is in it and it's for a reason.

If you would like to hear the message, you can listen to the audio here:



Or watch the video here:



Matthew 15:21-28 (King James Version)

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

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In the Valley

I heard this song a few weeks ago when I was browsing GodTube, listening to the Parrish Family. I immediately fell in love with it and knew that I just had to sing it at church. I was thrilled that Mary agreed to sing on it with me. We were able to do it this past Sunday morning.

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Promises

Pastor Dave and Sister Carol singing, Promises, at church this morning. I absolutely love this song.



Promises
written by Dottie Rambo

He didn't promise that I would never stumble,
But He did say He'd be there if I fall
He didn't tell me He'd hear complaints I whispered,
But He did say He'd hear me if I call.

Cho:
Promises, promises, and all of them true.
He's done exactly what He said He would do.
He didn't tell me my heart would not be broken,
But He did say He'd mend it again.

He didn't promise my cross would not be heavy,
But He did say that He my load would share,
He didn't tell me He'd grant my hopes and wishes,
But He did say He'd hear my earnest prayer.

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Are you one?

1 Kings 18:17-21 (King James Version)

17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

18And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

19Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

20So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

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Mary Did You Know?

Mary Did You Know, is one of my very favorite songs. I've always wanted to sing it and finally got my chance this year. The piano music is my sister Jennifer. She recorded the soundtrack for me during the week of Thanksgiving when she came in. I thought she did a fantastic job.

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What A Great Night

What great Spirit I felt tonight at church! Starting with some alone time in the Pastor's study for prayer, then going upstairs to meet and greet my fellow church members and visitors, then particpating in the congregational singing, altar prayer, and special singing. By the time I stood behind the pulpit to bring the message I was about to bust.

I felt such a peace and comfort and free Spirit tonight while preaching. I took the text from John 6:53-66, with my main focus being on verse 61 where Jesus asks the question, "Doth this offend you?" The video below is a short audio clip from the message that I mixed with a choir song. You can also listen to the entire sermon below:

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A Psalm to share

This is my brother-in-law, Mark Sharpe, singing, Surely Goodness and Mercy, at his church, Emory Pike American Christian. He is the song leader there. I think he does an outstanding job. The words of this song are so great. Of course they are from the 23rd Psalm, where David declares: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

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What Jesus Says About Following Him

Tonight I filled in for Pastor Dave while he is on vacation. I got Sister Charlotte to lead the singing for me so I didn't have to do everything. I sang the song, "I'd Rather Have Jesus," and then brought a message from Matthew 10:37-39 in which I titled, "Would You Really Rather Have Jesus?" You can listen to both of these below:

Sermon here:


Song here:

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God Saves Old Sinners

Here is a short clip of Preacher Langston and his wife singing, God Saves Old Sinners. They sang this tonight during our revival service. I think it's wonderful that they are still excited about serving the Lord after all of these years. They also seem so happy together.

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Singing bout Heaven

Last night during our revival service, Preacher Langston had the congregation all join together and sing at the end of his message. We sang a verse and chorus of "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be," and a verse and chorus of "Never Grow Old." I thought it was absolutely beautiful when I listened to it.

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What Would I Do Without Jesus?

Pastor Dave and Sister Carol Hutchison singing, What Would I Do Without Jesus?

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Awesome and powerful message from Paul Washer

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I Like The Old-Time Way!

Listen to the classic Cathedrals singing, "Old Camp Meeting Time," followed up with "New Born Feeling." Man, it doesn't get any better than this!



Old Camp Meeting Time - Lyrics

Long ago when but a boy at old camp meeting time, How my heart would leap for joy to hear the old bells chime, Calling all the saints of God into the house of prayer, Oh such praying singing shouting for the Lord was there

Chorus:
I like the old time preaching, praying, singing, shouting, I like the old time reading of God's Word, I like to hear those old time, Hallelujahs, glory, I like the old time worship of the Lord

Preachers in those good ol' days were filled with a holy flame, Preaching for the souls of men not for worldly fame, Under such old time preaching sinners fell to pray, And the Lord would save them in that good ol' fashion way

Repeat Chorus

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If That Isn't Love

I was really proud of the choir this past Sunday when we sang, "If That Isn't Love" for our choir special. It just seemed like everyone was putting everything they had into it. The singing, the music, the Spirit, everything was just lovely. Give it a listen below:

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The simple things

This year in our Vacation Bible School, the teen class is learning a new song. It is called, Jesus, Name Above All Names. I just love this song! It is so beautiful and true. I want to teach it to our choir as well. It's just a simple little song but sometimes God works through the simplest things. I think that is something that we need to always remember. We sometimes tend to make things a lot more difficult than they have to be. For some reason we get the "bigger is better" mentality and we think we have to do things on a grand scale. Sadly the world judges success by numbers; larger crowds, bigger bank accounts, etc... I'm glad that God doesn't use the same scale as the world. God measures man by what is inside of our hearts.

Update! It didn't take the choir long to learn "Jesus, Name Above All Names." We opened up the service with it this Sunday. Enjoy the song below!

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Marcus Faulknor, THE tenor

As mentioned in THIS post, Mother's Day, May 10, was the debut performance of Cross 4 Crowns new tenor, Marcus Faulknor. I was excited about meeting him and getting to hear how he sounded with the rest of the guys. When he walked into the church during setup, he walked over to bass singer, Justin Terry, and started talking in a really hoarse sounding voice, pretending to have a cold. Justin wasn't falling for it and told him so real quick. As I saw how they interacted together I knew that this new guy was a good fit.

There has been some speculation on some unscrupulous blogs that spend most of their time tongue wagging and gossiping, that because Cross 4 Crowns had went through 3 different tenors in the past 2 years, that there "must be some kind of internal problem." Rest assured, there are no "internal problems" with Cross 4 Crowns. Each of the former tenors vacated their positions in pursuit of different dreams. Instead of trying to dig up dirt on fellow brothers in Christ, why not hit your knees and pray for them instead?

Anyway, sorry to get off in a rant, that was just something that was eating at me.

I'm a quartet guy through and through. I was raised up listening to the Mull's Singing Convention and my favorite group of all time was the Kingsmen Quartet. There was just an excitement that the Kingsmen radiated. They could cut up on stage yet still be very sincere in the Gospel message. They would make you laugh and cry at the same time. They always had 4 solid parts. A full, rich baritone, a sure and steady lead, a rock solid barrel scraping bass, and a soaring tenor. Each member could be a soloist in their own right and mixed together the sound was, well, "Mighty." So, when I'm comparing quartets, I hold the Kingsmen as the top bar of comparison. There are a few quartets today that still hold to that traditional sound and I'm proud to say that Cross 4 Crowns falls right in there at the top of the ladder.

So, last night I had the privilege of hearing Marcus Faulknor for the very first time. Let me tell you, this guy is awesome! Group owner/baritone, Allen Leath, told the story last night of how Marcus came about being "THE" tenor for Cross 4 Crowns. It turns out that Allen was attending the funeral of his great aunt that lived in Georgia. During the singing part of the service he heard a voice behind him that he thought to be either a woman or an outstanding male tenor. After the service he turned around and looked and it was none other than an old friend that he had grown up with years ago, Marcus Faulknor. So, one thing led to another and now Marcus is THE tenor for Cross 4 Crowns! Don't you just love to hear how God works in ways like that?

Marcus was featured on one of the songs in last nights concert, "Hide Thou Me." He did an outstanding job. Also joining Marcus on piano is none other than, Andy Stringfield, pianist for the Kingdom Heirs. Take a listen as Marcus makes his Knoxville debut:

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Calvarys the Reason Why

A few weeks ago I was browsing various gospel videos and ran across this great group of singers from out of Bainbridge, GA, the Parish Family. I have probably watched and listened to the video below a hundred times. The song, "Calvary's the Reason Why," which was written by the very talented, Del Way, is so beautiful. I think the first time I heard it was when a lady at our church, Linda Long, sang it as a special. I fell in love with the song then and was thrilled to find this video. Last night while at church, I mentioned to Linda about singing the song again. Hopefully she'll feel led to do it soon! Meanwhile enjoy the Parish Family!

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