I am attending a Men’s study on Tuesday night and we are reading the book “The Last Arrow” by Erwin McManus. Last night we had a great discussion on the first chapter and there is one part of the Chapter that talks about the Prophet Elisha sharing his wisdom with the king Jehoash.  Elisha was telling the king what it would take to be successful.   Read the story below.

2 Kings 13: 14>20 Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.” Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” Elisha died and was buried.

 
The wisdom that Elisha passed on was an act of Obedience on the part of King Jehoash and the king did in great on the first portion of the instructions.   Now when he was told to strike the ground with his arrows that is when he lost the full blessings of God.
Our discussion was. How many times would I have struck my arrows to the ground? I have to tell you that I may have done what the king did – it did not make sense and a few times would have been enough.   When God is calling on us to do something – how many times do we just go far enough?   I believe God is calling us to go farther and not stopping at a point that is comfortable.
The first chapter talks about being Average and how comfortable we become by not going farther.   We like that spot of being average when God is calling us to be extraordinary.
 
A couple of quotes from the Chapter are:

1. We are to shoot and strike, but we are what we are not to do is stop.
2. I wonder how many times in my own life I thought I failed but actually the only thing that happened was that I quit.
3. We are living a life that is uniquely our own.

So I am back to the original question:  

How many times would you strike your Arrows?

Bobbyg
 
 

I would like to do one more tribute to Billy Graham… If you did not see the special on Fox this last Sunday please take some time to watch it here minus commercials.
Billy Graham remembered  
[button link=”https://billygraham.org/video/a-life-remembered/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Billy Graham Remembered[/button]
Then Bob W.  sent me a fun interview of Billy Graham with Woody Allen…
[button link=”https://youtu.be/-BEa_DqbEYE” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Billy Graham and Woody Allen interview[/button]
I hope you have enjoyed all the articles about the life of Billy Graham…
Bobbyg

I am going to devote this blog Reverend Billy Graham – he was one of the most influential evangelist of all times. He will be remembered…
This week at Church we had a Special Speaker – Pastor Shaun invited Billy Graham to speak. It was a sermon that he did in 1957 (I was only 2 years old) and his message had as much relevance today as it did back then.  It was a powerful talk on what it looks like to be a Christian.
 
My wife and I came up with several of our Favorites on Billy Graham – here is a small glimpse of what we have enjoyed reading.

1. One of Billy Graham’s quotes about Death: “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”
2. Billy Graham’s Entrance into his library: “The Entrance to the Library is a shape of a cross, a visual reminder to visitors that it is only through the Cross of Christ that we can be reconciled to God”.
3. Billy Graham’s Coffin: Inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola made this treated plywood casket for the Rev. Billy Graham in 2006, at the request of Graham’s son, Franklin. Graham, who died Feb. 21, led ministries that supported the construction of two chapels at the country’s largest maximum security prison.
4. Billy Graham’s son (Franklin) stated that a couple of years ago his father said that he would have liked to do one more sermon on this verse: Galatians 6:14 > May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
5. Here are a couple of his sayings that inspired Diane and me:

• “My one purpose in life, is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ.”
• “I have never know a man who received Christ and ever regretted it”
• “Some of you today are going through heartache and grief so intense that you wonder if it will ever go away. But I want to tell you that our God cares for you and for your family and for your city. For God loves you, and he shares in your suffering.”

I would hope that when our last day’s come that we can be remembered in the same way as Billy Graham will be remembered.

A follower of Christ!

 
Bobbyg

Today my wife and I got up at 04:00am to take a friend of hers who lives in Longmont to DIA.   When we left it was a negative 12 Degrees outside and the roads were somewhat icy most of the way. Then we had to deal with the Denver rush hour and on the way home there were about 12 vehicles in the ditch that slowed down the traffic.   When we got home it was time to take a nap.
After getting up I read the newspaper and in the Letters to the Editor there it was: an article named “Look around and realize that today is a good day”. (Do they know what my day was like!!!!!)
I would like to share the Article by “Win Ratz”:

Today is a good day…….   Someone smiled as we passed each other at the library. – The heavy, gray clouds parted, and the sun came out. – Our neighbor cleared our driveway of snow. – A friend called, and my day was lighter. – A neighbor refilled her bird feeder today. – I called an old friend who is sick. We laughed about shared memories, and were lifted up to a brighter place. – Two little girls came to our door selling Girl Scout cookies. We choose our favorites and the girls went happily on to the next house. –

“Today is a good day…..”

 
It made me realize that a bad day like mine is only because I look at the day through the wrong colored glasses. As Pastor Shaun stated in his talk at the Interfaith Prayer breakfast we need to look at the World through rose colored glasses and see Jesus shining. That is what this person did and it brightened their day.   So now I am looking at my day a little different today… Here it is:

1. We were able to help a friend get to the DIA and really enjoyed our talk.
2. We did not have an accident and got home safe.
3. I cleaned my walk and then went down to the neighbors and got to visit with a couple of the guys.
4. The sun has come out and it is a really bright day.
5. My sister is coming over for a visit – well maybe that isn’t too good LOL…   nah we had a great talk.

As you can see we should have a good day every day – we just need to set our minds on being positive….

So remember – Today is a GOOD DAY!

Remember that with Jesus you can never have a bad day!

 
Bobbyg

I have attended several prayer meetings in the last week and a long time ago someone stated that they were all prayed out and did not want to attend another Prayer meeting.   The question came to me – Can I be Prayed Out?
There are several ways we can pray, but I believe that we can never be prayed out…   This verse states that we should be praying continually:

1^st Thessalonians 5: 16-18> Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 
So how do we do that?????   Good Question….   Here are some ways I enjoy praying:

1. Attend a couple of powerful prayer meetings.
2. I like to do at least one prayer walk a day.
3. Pray when a request comes to me.
4. Pray for situations that are happening around me.

** Do I pray continually? – Probably not as I should, but I do try to make it a part of my daily life.   This is an act of obedience that takes practice and the more I involve myself in prayer the easier it becomes.
I attend a Pastors Pray meeting and talk about intimidation – these Pastors really pray good – how can I compete.  One of the Pastors took me to the side and asked me why I did not engage.  I told him the reason why and he just smiled – since then I pray with them and it has helped me in my prayer life..  I just need to talk to the Lord about what is on my heart..
 
Today before I went to an interfaith prayer meeting for our legislators I heard this song on KLove..   “When we Pray” by Tauren Wells.   Great song – enjoy…

[button link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZZzgJB33E” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] When we Pray[/button]

I hope you listened to the words – this talks about the power of when the Church Prays…   The World will start Changing…

So how is your prayer life?

Are you working on making it better?

Are you praying with/for others for a specific Cause?

You can change the world…..

Bobbyg
 

This is not a normal topic that I would be writing about, but the Super Bowl was great.   I have to tell you my wife is a New England fan but she was even rooting for the Eagles because of their faith.  In the last month I learned about the Faith of the Eagles players that amazed me.   During an interview with the Running Back “Jay Ajayi” the interviewer asked him a question about the Christian Faith of his team.   He responded how awesome it was to be working with a group of believers..      (The Eagles are getting to be known as a team of Christian Faith)
Our local Newspaper on Saturday had an article about the Quarter Back “Nick Foles” and it was telling about how he was working on becoming a High School Pastor.   That seems to be where his passion is and he knows after football he wants to join the ministry.  In the article it also mentioned that another player was planning on becoming a Minister “Stefen Wisniewksi”.   If you have kept up with the media on the Faith of the Eagles you would also know that the other quarterback “Carson Wentz” has been interviewed several times about his faith.   Then the topper of all this was when I read about other team members accepting Jesus and being baptized the day before a game…    This is absolutely awesome – Jesus is shining through a whole NFL Team.
When I look at the Faith of the Eagles team it makes me want to join them if only I had some skills, so I guess that is not a choice for me LOL….    What I can do is look at their example and see how I can make the world around me look like a team of Faith.  It is easy to do it in a Church Setting, but how can I do this in the my connections outside the church.   You know when we get involved in different activities outside the church why can’t we be a group of faith.   It can be with our:       Hunting Partners –  Our Fantasy Football Team –  Our Softball Team –  Our Bowling Team – Our guys we play games with (Electronic or physical) – Our Politics – Our Neighborhood.    There are allot of areas that Christ can shine through all of us in our connections…..   we just need to the have the boldness of the Philadelphia Eagles Christian players to create a Team of Faith.  ##Remember that the Eagles team has non-Christians also – so you may want to invite some of your non-Christian friends to join you….
So Look and see where you can make this happen today…..  Let us be known as a “Team of Faith”…
****Let your light shine – do not hide it under a Bushel…….    just had to throw this on in….
Bobbyg
 

After writing about Politics last week and how we are so divided in this country it made me want to do just one follow up.   Mandisa has a great song called “We all bleed the same” that addresses this problem in a great way. Her question is:

We all bleed the same

We’re more beautiful when we come together

We all bleed the same

So tell me why, tell me why

We’re divided

          The song has a great response on coming together that has a powerful message.  You will have to listen to the whole song to get the impact on what it means to come together instead of being divided…  here is a blurp.

If we’re gonna fight

Let’s fight for each other

If we’re gonna shout

Let love be the cry

[button link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVKuA1s5I3o” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] We all Bleed the same[/button]

I was listening to Erwin McManus on Sunday and his sermon on feeding of the 5,000 had me thinking about what we should be doing to heal the divisions of our nation.   First of all we need to know that “God wants to see what he can do through you not in you”.   When God tells us to feed the 5,000 as he did to the Disciples, the Disciples wanted to send them away –  Is that we do today when Christ tells us to go into all the nation and tell the people about Him…. do we send them away to someone else.
When it comes to Divisions how many times do we just want to run instead of being engaged? I have to say at times I run from controversy instead of engaging with the Love of Jesus to the issue of division. We need to “Expand our influence in the world – Jesus needs to be working through us to feed the 5,000”.   We need to focus on what we have instead of what we want to have to equip us to evangelize – Christ will supply the rest.
Did you know that the miracle of feeding the 5,000 was Jesus’s Miracle for his Disciples by supplying them with the food and it was the Disciples Miracle to the people by feeding the 5,000? We need to take Ownership of being the stewards that Jesus wanted us to be. If we remember that everything I have belongs to God and just be obedient in using it… WE CAN FEED THE 5,000.

The miracle that people are waiting for is from us we just need to allow Jesus to work through us!

You can heal Divisions by feeding the 5,000 with the Love of Jesus!

Remember: “We all bleed the same!”

So Engage today and feed his people and be United!!!

Bobbyg

I am back after taking a week off from writing my blogs, but I probably should have been writing or doing something besides watching the Politics of our country. A very you wise young man (Steve N.) stated that he had to back away from the ongoing dialog of Politics because it pulled him into their narrative and he became as angry and they were.   I should have remembered – LOL…..
I do have to say that the Leadership of our Country needs our prayers really bad at the present time.   I like the current direction the country is going but the anger and division at the top of our government is not good…. By the way I normally stay away from writing about Politics, but I believe this is something I need to say.
The one thing I know is that we have to start praying now!!!   Pastor Jay has a program for Cheyenne that is “Cover Cheyenne” and it is a good program that I believe is needed now for our Country.   Pastor Jay has prayer points that he sends out every month and I believe we can take a few of them and utilize them when we pray for the Leaders of our Country.   Here are a couple of them (my revised version).

• Power – Pray for the Lord God of Heaven to release of the power of the Holy Spirit for quick healing and deliverance for our Leaders.

• Unity – Pray for Jesus Christ can be the center of our country once again. Pray that He will bring forth unity rooted in the submission of our leaders to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head.

• Fullness – Pray for the Lord to bring the bride of Christ into its fullness in our Country.  Pray for hunger and thirst for the Wisdom of Christ in the decisions that they are making.

• The Great Commandment. First Love – Pray for the Church of Cheyenne to fulfill the greatest commandment to love God with our whole hearts and to obey Him in all things. Love Others – Pray for the Church of Cheyenne to love our neighbors and those who are different from us and show this love in practical ways.         LOVE THE UNLOVEABLE.

• Pray for God’s people in our Country to be positioned strategically in the social structures and institutions of the USA. Pray for the influence of the Kingdom of Heaven to increase in families, churches, education, media, entertainment economy and government in our Country.

• For our Leaders – Pray for protection for President Trump and all three branches of our national government in Washington, DC to be filled with the wisdom of God. Pray for the leaders in Federal, State and local government as they make decisions that will affect all of us for years to come. Pray for salvation for those in positions of authority.

• For the Church in Cheyenne to Pray – The church has a mission in the eternal plan of God to be a house of prayer for all the nations.

• Healing of Division – Pray for the God of Peace to come and heal the deep divisions that are so prominent in our Country. Pray against the plans of the enemy to deepen division and bring violence. Pray that members of the body of Christ would extend shalom into a broken world, to the glory of God.

 
This is a good list of items to be praying about but go where your heart leads you to pray.   The Holy Spirit will give you the insight on the struggles of the day that need Prayer…

Remember: 2 Chronicles 7:14 – if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Bobbyg

One of the worship songs this Sunday was “Holy Spirit you are Welcome here” and it made me think about the New Year (2018). I have this desire to fell the presence of Jesus in all aspects of my life.
This is a great song please enjoy:
[button link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zEiiZi2DKk” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Holy Spirit[/button]
I had breakfast with Pastor Dan this morning and we had a great talk about being more then talk and taking action in showing/telling people about Jesus. It is a powerful evangelistic opportunity when you feel the Presence of our Lord and you share it. You feel this peace surrounding you when you really experience His Presence. One of the special parts of this song is: “Holy Spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere” When you are driven by the power of the Holy Spirit there is nothing to fear – let your words be of Jesus..
The words of the song are below – please read them and really focus on the message.
Bobbyg

There’s nothing worth more

That could ever come close

Nothing can compare

You’re our living hope

Your presence, Lord

I’ve tasted and seen

Of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free

And my shame is undone

Your presence, Lord

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

Your presence, Lord

There’s nothing worth more

That could ever come close

Nothing can compare

You’re our living hope

Your presence, Lord

I’ve tasted and seen

Of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free

And my shame is undone

Your presence, Lord

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

Your presence, Lord

Let us become more aware of Your presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

Let us become more aware of Your presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

Let us become more aware of Your presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

Let us become more aware of Your presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

I am real careful when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, so I try to only make one that will challenge me (and I am not going to say what it is LOL). I do want to share something that I read the other day that I thought would be a great list of life items that I would like to strive to be in 2018.   It came from “Dear Abby” – just to let you know this is not where I normally seek wisdom.
It was an article from ‘The Holy Vedas – say: “Man has subjected himself to thousands of self-inflicted bondages. Wisdom comes to a man who lives according to the true eternal laws of nature.”
 
Here is a prayer from St. Francis that is a list of items that can be very helpful for 2018. This is a list of what we should be when we encounter these issues of life.

“Lord make me an instrument of your Peace.”

• Where there is hatred, let me sow Love.
• Where there is injury, Pardon.
• Where there is doubt, Faith.
• Where there is despair, Hope.
• Where there is darkness, Light.
• And where there is sadness, Joy.

“O Divine Master”

• Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to Console.
• To be understood, as to Understand.
• To be loved, as to Love.
• For it is in giving that we Receive.
• It is in pardoning that we are Pardoned.
• And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. 

 This is going to be an exciting year – enjoy and share your Faith.

Bobbyg