10-3-2015

One last note on my personal background.  As a youngster, actually up until graduation from high school I attended a Southern Baptist Church.  I don’t remember how old I was when I started going there just that my neighbor across the street started taking me with her kids, probably while we were still in elementary school.  Her son & I were the same age.  OK, after graduation I became a bit sporadic in attending church, but that’s where I was sporadic at.  As I mentioned before, my wife to be & I liked the relatively new pastor and we stayed there a couple of years after we were married in 1972 after which we started to move around.  Even though we stayed in the county It was an excuse not to stay put.  So we really didn’t any specific church until we moved to Frederick in 1978.  We attended an Independent Baptist Church for about a year before we moved to the other side of Frederick.  After about another year we found a place in Frederick (city) where we lived until the year before we moved to Hagerstown.  For periods of time (more than just a couple of visits) we attended a Southern Baptist Church, A Presbyterian Church, Church of God (full gospel), Assemblies of God, a couple of independent Pentecostal churches, United a Pentecostal Church (the Jesus only people) and a Charismatic Church. 

My wife had a very rough childhood so we gravitated to churches willing to help her and usually along with the help came a requirement to attend regularly.  Most of the churches offered some help but, alas, beyond the help received, we didn’t have a whole lot in common.  And yes, during the time in Frederick there were once again times we were not really affiliated with anyone.

After moving to Hagerstown in 1994, my wife found a minister in a Southern Baptist Church willing to help even though we didn’t attend regularly but by this time both my wife & I were on a different spiritual plane than the mainstream churchs.  While in Hagerstown, also my wife discovered a Catholic priest willing to work with her and he was able to offer help in some areas missing from her life.  We were there a couple of years before he fell into disfavor with the church and was transferred to Baltimore.  Soon after we also left the Catholic Church.  He was the only reason we were really there anyway.

We found it difficult to ‘fit in’ in most churches so we became sporadic once again until my wife went to be with the Lord in 2005.  Her passing didn’t change my status much.  I knew I should be going somewhere but I wasn’t fitting in even with the ‘full gospel’ churches in the area.

In 2010 a friend of mine at the gym (Jim) suggested I attend the bible study which he attended at the ‘Y’.  I don’t know, maybe a couple of months later I woke up one Sunday morning and the Lord put on my heart “why not?”  So I got dressed as I had decided to go ahead and check them out.  After a while Father put on my heart that that is where He wanted me and that’s where I still am. 

God has exposed me to things then taught me about them.  Yes that meant a bit of research about what I was learning in order to come to an understanding of what it was He was teaching me.

I am in a full gospel, apostolic, prophetic church.  Years ago God gave me an understanding of ‘full gospel’ and Ian understanding of apostolic but the term ‘prophetic’ was new to me when I was introduced to it just a few years ago.  Don’t misunderstand me, I have been in churches where prophecy has been given whether via ‘tongues’ or where the preacher revealed what God had told him about someone in the audience but learning what a ‘prophetic’ is has been an experience.  I was introduced to the term “5 Fold Ministry” being in this church (which I had never heard before either) and a few other things which God has been gracious to bring me to an understanding.  It’s been a trip being in this church and exciting.  Even though we are currently a small fellowship I’m excited about where God is taking this group of believers.

NOW!  Starting next week I will be sharing what prompted me to start this blog and my plan is that every two weeks I will be sharing what God has shared with me as an update.  Father has given me some prophecy since last September and over time has given me an explanation for the prophecy.  What’s exciting to me is how God has ‘confirmed’ these words and I’ll share a little about that as we go along.  I’ll give you a teaser, from September through December I was looking for confirmation of what God was telling me, but I was looking in all the wrong places.

I’ve just finished reading (for the 2^nd time) Kenneth Hagin’s book “Understanding the Anointing”.  I found it to be a powerful, clearly written book in which I’ve seen a lot of myself, helping me to understand some of the things that I have been experiencing over the past several years (even before coming to this church I am now attending).  No, I’m not going to be sharing the book but if you have an opportunity to read it, do so.  I downloaded it off the internet

My prayer is that what I have already shared and am planning to share in this space will help someone who reads it.  My hope is that the reader comes to a better understanding of who God is, who we are and what sort of relationship Father wants with us all.   I’ll give you a hint.  Think of the song “A Closer Walk with Thee”.  Many years ago Father shared something with me which I have shared with others and that is that God will walk as close with us as we dare.

God bless