"MARISA DEFRANCO FOR U.S. SENATE?!"

"...Let another take his office..." (from Acts 1:20 New King James Version)

There is a bright liberal Democrat woman actively campaigning to be the Democratic Nominee who faces Republican Scott Brown in the election for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. I am NOT talking about "Cherokee Indian" Elizabeth Warren!

I want to make it clear that I am a registered Republican, fairly conservative on most issues, and a huge fan of Senator Scott Brown. I was a fan of Scott Brown's when he was in the Massachusetts State Senate. I always figured he'd eventually become Governor of Massachusetts and that he was about the sharpest Republican politician in the state. I was DELIGHTED when he announced for U.S. Senate to replace the late Ted Kennedy and I've consistently supported him. I plan to vote for Scott Brown in November.

I write this piece, however, because fair is fair.

There is a far more worthy Democrat candidate for the Senate and it's Marisa DeFranco.

You can check out her website at:

www.marisadefranco.com

Marisa DeFranco (first name pronounced MarEEEsa) was the in-studio guest on Dan Rea's "Nightside" program on Boston's WBZ 1030 A.M. last night from 9 to 11. She was a FASCINATING guest! Dan is a personal friend of Scott Brown and of his wife, channel 5 reporter Gail Huff. Dan is conservative on most issues. There's no way Dan will vote for anyone against Scott Brown. But Dan welcomes public figures of all kinds to his show. He has repeatedly invited Elizabeth Warren to be a guest and has been turned down.

It was obvious Dan really liked Marisa DeFranco and was impressed with her. He made it clear that he disagrees with her on most political issues, but he found her to be very affable and a great guest. She was very interesting and likable; although like Dan, I disagreed with about 3/4 of her political positions and would not vote for her.

When Elizabeth Warren announced her candidacy a few months ago, there were several Democrats in the race. Within weeks, all but DeFranco dropped out. Dan Rea asked Marisa why SHE did not drop out. Her response? "I don't scare easy. I never have."

DeFranco is an attorney; primarily an immigration attorney. She explained that she's taken on numerous "hopeless" cases that many other attorneys would not touch. Colleagues have thought she was crazy. Yet, she's WON most of them.

Marisa DeFranco has to get 15% of the vote at the Massachusetts Democrat Convention on June 2 or bluntly she's "toast". IF she gets the 15%, she can be on the ballot for the September 6 Primary. Rea thinks a DeFranco/Brown race would be far more exciting and interesting than a Warren/Brown race. He believes their debates would be far more interesting; and I think so, too.

I don't believe Marisa DeFranco could beat Scott Brown in November, but I don't think Elizabeth Warren can either, despite the fact that Obama will almost certainly carry Massachusetts. I do think this would put DeFranco in a good position to run for Congress in two years and she probably WOULD win that.

Well, "political junkies" out there, what do you think?

FRIDAY NIGHT "LIGHT"!

"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:23)

No, the title of this post is not a typographical error! I do know "Friday Night Lights" is the title of a television show which ran for several years on NBC. It was a drama about Texas high school football and one of my favorite shows from the past few years. That's NOT what this piece is about, however.

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. (That's declared in the Gospel of John.) This Friday night, May 25 a VERY SPECIAL AND IMPORTANT SERVICE is taking place in downtown Marlborough, Massachusetts. Now, before you start snoring or thinking this has nothing to do with you, please keep reading!

I've been an Ordained Assemblies of God minister for over thirty years and a "born again Christian" for over forty years. I've been around. In the evangelical, Pentecostal, and Charismatic Christian worlds, I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly! I expect this to be one of the most important services I've ever attended in my life- no kidding! No, I'm not running the service but I'm very honored to have been asked to be one of a very few people giving a ten minute "sermon"- which I think will be more of a brief "from the heart talk" as anointed by the Holy Spirit. When I preached and taught all the time, I really took it for granted. I have not preached a sermon in six months, and I have not regularly preached and taught in over two years. How humbly and seriously I take this now, and ESPECIALLY for the involvement in this service.

The service will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is expected to run until around 8:30. It will be held at New Hope Community Church (Assemblies of God) at 204 Main Street in downtown Marlboro. New Hope rents from a Brazilian Baptist Church at that facility. Lest anyone start rolling their eyes and picturing a small storefront church- this is a modern, first-class facility which seats (I would estimate) 300 in a beautiful sanctuary, and has an attractive fellowship hall. But the main attraction is NOT the facility.

This is really not an "Assemblies of God" service. This is a service for the whole Christian community. It's being planned as a PRAYER POWER: CHRISTIANS UNITED IN PRAYER service. It will include great worship music, speaking, and most of all earnest prayer. Christians from various churches and denominations will be participating.

The service is the result of the dreams and callings of two wonderful men of God: Pastor Rob Woods, who is pastor of New Hope Community Church at that facility, and Evangelist Bob Gill who holds Ordination from an independent Christian organization in Alabama and is an active Member of the Marlborough Church. These men have been stirred by the Holy Spirit for months to call the Body of Christ in the MetroWest area together for prayer and unity. The plan is for future prayer meetings and services of this type to be held all over the MetroWest area in various churches.

I am excited about this service. I honestly believe God is going to meet us in a very special way. I encourage you to clear your calendar and be in attendance for this meeting if you live anywhere within a fifty mile radius of Marlborough, Massachusetts!

MIRACLE IN GREENWICH

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice..." (from Romans 12:15)

"Miracle in Darien," by Bob Slosser is a well known book in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian circles. It tells the story of the revival and miracles that broke out at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in affluent Darien, Connecticut under the ministry of the Rev. Terry Fullam over thirty years ago.

Don't be surprised if before long you're reading a new book called, "Miracle in Greenwich". With all of the gloom and doom and bad news we're all reading about, hearing about, and talking about, most of us are totally clueless that God is doing some very exciting things in our day!

There's a very good Assemblies of God Church in Greenwich, Connecticut where the Lead Pastor is the Rev. Glenn Harvison. The church is called, "Harvest Time Church". The church has a beautiful church facility on a very beautiful and choice piece of property in Greenwich, Connecticut. Like Darien, Greenwich is a very affluent southwestern Connecticut community. In fact, I'd say Greenwich is probably the most affluent community in New England.

Some might challenge the "New England Monnicker" when in comes to Greenwich, CT. If you look at a map, Greenwich, Stamford and several other communities are actually located on a piece of land that juts out south and west of the rest of the state of Connecticut. The real estate seems like it would be better suited to be part of the state of New York. In fact, that area is solidly part of the New York City Metro Area. They watch and listen to New York radio and television stations and they root for New York teams. Culturally, they're New Yorkers and not New Englanders. YET, the fact is that IS part of Connecticut and thus New England, and I want to report to you that God did something special at Greenwich this past weekend.

Pastor Ken Gott of Sunderland, England was the guest speaker for several special services. The church, which is a very good and very committed church, experienced a mighty move of God such as they've never experienced before.

Pastor Glenn Harvison posted this on his Facebook page on Monday, Morning, May 14: "The River of God has come to Greenwich. I saw it released and pouring down the altar and flowing down the center aisle. If you're hungry join us at 7:00pm tonite. I am still wrecked. Shook all night long."

There are many other Facebook postings from Pastor Glenn and people in his church. Some may be surprised to find me promoting these happenings as in many respects I've tended toward some of the more "conservative" end of the Assemblies of God spectrum. It's true, for example, that in many respects First Assembly of God of Framingham was more like a Baptist church than a Pentecostal church, HOWEVER, I remind you that even at the old and conservative Framingham church we had a number of special services where people were "slain in the Spirit" and supernatural things happened. I've been around Pentecostalism for a long time...over 35 years. I have seen all the "foolishness", the "false anointings" and the "fanaticism", and I've rejected a lot of that. HOWEVER, I've also HUNGERED for a genuine move of God to hit New England...where masses of people would be saved, experiencing new life in Christ, where masses of people would be baptized in the Holy Spirit, where healings and miracles would become commonplace, and most of all, where people would fall in love with God to the point that they would not care what ANYONE thought. That is apparently happening in Greenwich, Connecticut!

I've been down to the Greenwich church before. I sat in a class taught and facilitated by Pastor Harvison at the Southern New England District's Annual Conference a few years ago. I was captivated. Glenn is a very humble and unassuming guy, yet he shared how God worked miracles for their church, in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country to get their piece of property, build their building, and see miraculous answers to prayer again and again and again. I went down to a special two-day event there not long after that. I met and talked to a lot of folks from the church. Half of the church people live in Westchester County, NY and in fact the church's "next door neighbor" is the Westchester County, NY Airport.
These were not "flaky" people at all. For the most part, these were educated, middle and upper middle class people. They were the kind of people "with their feet on the ground"...not ready to take off in some spaceship to a comet or anything like that. The church struck me as very Biblically sound...even "conservative" in some respects, but very hungry for God.

Media gurus expect sensational moves of God to happen in storefront churches in Harlem or in the hills of Kentucky with "people who don't know any better". Now, sometimes great moves of God DO happen in places like that. But maybe God has moved so powerfully in places like Darien and Greenwich to remind us that our most educated and sophisticated communities are NOTHING without Him. Plain and simple- We need to come to the end of ourselves and WE NEED GOD.

Barack Obama is not going to save us and neither is Mitt Romney. And, some of you know I like Ron Paul. Ron's a great brother in Christ, but he's not going to save us, either. We need God!

Right now, I'm driving 50 miles one way to church to attend Bread of Life in Westminster, MA. It would be REALLY tempting do make a day of it and drive down to Greenwich next Sunday, but I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to pray for God to move in MY life and in the church where I worship.

Yup, it's barely New England but it IS New England. God is moving at Greenwich, Connecticut. Imagine if God were also so moving in all the churches of New England.

Know what? He wants to!

We just have to open up our hearts.

MITT ROMNEY NEEDS GENE BARIL

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

As I write this on the morning of Friday, May 11, 2012, probably the biggest news story and topic of talk radio discussion is the report that as a teenager at a prestigious private high school, Mitt Romney led a group of fellow students in hunting down and tackling a gay and somewhat unusual boy and cutting his bleached blonde hair off with a pair of scissors as he cried. My understanding is the story was broken by the Washington Post and that several guys who were part of this incident say they were like "a pack of dogs" and that they never forgot the incident. The victim is deceased.
When asked about this incident, Mitt sort of chuckled, said he was part of some "high school 'high jinks'" and cannot remember it. Almost no one believes Mitt told the truth, but for me, it's been painful to hear conservatives and Republicans calling in shows DEFENDING Mitt's actions and saying things like, "Well...well...OBAMA was a friend of Bill Ayres, what about THAT??!!" Well, what about that? It has nothing to do with anything.

Right now, I have so many personal problems I'm praying about and trying to untangle that the November election to me seems like it's about three years away. But, I admit to being in a quandary. Only once did I vote "Third Party" for President...in 2000. I know "Third Party" is a wasted vote, but I just may have to vote "Third Party" again.

NOW, here is what I have to say about this latest Mitt Romney news story:

Yes, it WAS something that happened almost fifty years ago. I fully believe Mitt remembers it and that Mitt was dead wrong. One caller to a radio show said something I DO agree with: that victim (although dead) is now "getting back" at Mitt Romney, and indeed he is! Mitt should have said something like, "Yes, I did it. It was a very stupid and inappropriate thing to have done. I am ashamed of it. I'm not the same person I was in 1965. I have learned from my mistakes and failures of the past." I think for most people, except the most ardent Mitt Romney haters, that would have been the end of the issue.

Now, why does Mitt Romney need Gene Baril? (For those who don't know this, Gene Baril is my late father. He died in 2000. For many years he was a Mass. Registry of Motor Vehicles employee, regarding as one of their big Supervisors at the old 100 Nashua St. headquarters in 1982.) The older I get, the more I appreciate lessons I learned from my father. He liked to lecture, and he could "lecture you to death". The following is from one of those lectures but I never forgot it. Mitt really needs this lecture!

It's too bad that the job of "Registry Inspector" (later "Registry Police Officer") got kind of dumbed down and watered down by the early 1990s and was then merged into the State Police. In the years prior to 1970, a "Registry Inspector" was a highly respected position in Massachusetts. Registry Inspectors knew "Chapter 90" (that is, the Massachusetts automobile laws) backward and forward the way evangelical Protestant pastors know their Bibles. Most Registry Inspectors had previous law enforcement backgrounds. All were driving experts, and all were very well informed and experienced about auto mechanics. Most were Veterans of the U.S. armed services. The civil service test you took to become a Registry Inspector was a very difficult one. In March of 1956, my father had passed that civil service exam. At that time, he'd had five years experience as a Boston Police Officer. He was a Veteran. He was a pretty accomplished auto mechanic. He was always a very good driver. He was 33-years-old, and was the father of a toddler and his wife was about to give birth to their second child. It was in the midst of those circumstances that Gene Baril was called into the office of then Registrar Rudolph King. To be summoned to appear before the Registrar was a big deal in those days.

You see, Dad had met all the requirements to become a Registry Inspector and was about to be appointed to this job BUT there was a serious obstacle standing in the way! As a "kid"...late teens and early twenties...during the time just before and just after he served in World War 2, Dad had been involved in MANY driving incidents. He drove hot rods in those days. There was DRAG RACING on city streets! There were numerous speeding violations and numerous other motor vehicle violations. Such matters were anathema to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, especially for their Registry Inspectors.

Dad stood before Rudolph King. He was literally "called on the carpet". Registrar King read him the lest of violations. While Dad hadn't had any motor vehicle incidents for over seven years at that time, his record for his teens and early twenties was, well, LONG, and embarrassing.

Dad did not know what to do. He had a family. He had responsibilities. More than anything, right now in March 1956, HE wanted to be appointed to become one of these elite Registry Inspectors.

He began making excuses.

"Well...I was younger then..."

"I KNOW you were YOUNGER THEN!" shot back Registrar King.

Dad wished with every fiber of his being he hadn't done those things of his past. The drag racing. The noisy mufflers. The speeding. All of it. HOW could this be haunting him now?! It wasn't fair.

But Registrar King's stern look and firm objections just weren't about to go away.

Suddenly, my father remembered something. In the military service, when a Sergeant came up to you and asked, "Private, WHY IS YOUR BED A MESS??!!" or "Private, WHY did you stay out on leave for 2 hours extra, UNAUTHORIZED??!!" you DIDN'T give that Sergeant crazy excuses. Instead, you came to attention and said, "NO EXCUSE, SIR!"

Right in front of Registrar King, my father came to attention and said, "NO EXCUSE, SIR!"

Registrar King smiled. He told him that's what he'd wanted to hear, and that he expected he would never hear of any more driving infractions from him. At that moment,he was approved to become a Registry Inspector. As I've often bragged about him, he went on to a "distinguished career".

That advice from Gene Baril would go a long way toward helping Mitt Romney now. What do I need to hear from Mitt Romney, "NO EXCUSE, CITIZENS!"

TO HELP OR NOT TO HELP?

"Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse..." (from I Timothy 5:9-11)

Currently, there's a very good Adult Sunday School Class (on the Book of Nehemiah and practical lessons that can be found there) being taught at Bread of Life Church in Westminster, MA where I attend. Associate Pastor Janis Collette is doing a super job teaching the class. Last week, we studied Nehemiah chapter 5. Here, the people grumble that the elitist class is charging them so much in taxes, interest, etc. that they could not even reasonably live. Nehemiah really "came down on" the elitist class for this, and the matter got resolved. Janis asked the class a poignant question. I don't remember her exact words, but it was something to the effect of, "When DO you give people financial help and when do you NOT give people financial help?"

This sparked a lot of interesting discussion. There is no doubt that people in ministry face this issue all the time. I did. There are constantly people coming and asking for financial help- both regular church members and outsiders who contact the church for help. It would be wonderful if the church could just print up hundreds of thousands of dollars to pass out to needy people. I have a feeling that even if that WERE possible, we'd end up running out of ink and of that special money paper that comes from a unique plant in Dalton, Massachusetts and yet we'd STILL not be able to help everybody.

Much was brought up about the issue of "enabling". Sometimes when you hand out money, you do more harm than good. Yet, we really don't want to see children go without food or disabled people thrown out on the street, etc. It's a tough issue. Frankly, the New Testament SEEMS in a number of passages to lean toward the side of just handing out money and sort of "letting the chips fall where they may". I said "SEEMS". It SEEMS to, but THEN there's a chapter like I Timothy 5. We can't ignore it.

It is very unusual for me to contribute nothing to a discussion in Sunday School, but I didn't say anything on Sunday. I DO share the concerns expressed about "enabling" people. Yet, the past two years have been a very challenging time for our family. Right or wrong, if someone wanted to "enable" me, I guess selfishly I'd say, "Go right ahead!"

So, I felt I could not be objective on Sunday,

Today, the Lord has brought I Timothy 5 to mind, and honestly, it's "food for thought".
Yeah, this is a difficult area. Now, when it comes to people OUTSIDE of the church, it's NOT so difficult for me. Back in the 1990s, a Methodist pastor in Framingham used to pass out money like it was chewing gum. People would just show up for the handouts, and he was happy to hand it out. I remember speaking to the frustrated pastor who replaced that man. The replacement told me he'd frequently had to contend with all sorts of vagrants just showing up at his office and asking, "Is THIS the church that HANDS OUT MONEY?!" He explained to them that unlike his predecessor, he did not just hand out money. He WOULD help in certain cases, but he had to be a good steward of God's money. I remember telling that to some people and getting the expected "F bombs" in reply. But that's wisdom. I learned a lot from David C. Milley who was my Senior Pastor when I was a very green new Assistant Pastor. He told such people that IF they would attend church for three Sundays in a row, the church WOULD help them financially. That showed if the person was serious about God and serious about commitment. Most did NOT take him up on it, but he WAS very generous to help the few who would. I adopted that same rule when I pastored.

Back to I Timothy 5, that deals with the situation of someone IN the church who has financial needs. Specifically, it deals with widows. In those days, widows were "up a creek without a paddle". The Apostle Paul insisted that ONLY widows who had reached the age of 60 and met certain other criteria would be financially helped. What about a 49-year-old? What about someone who did not meet all the criteria? As the late Larry Glick used to dramatically say, "SSOORRYYYY!!!"

That may sound cruel, but Paul knew that if you handed out money to all widows, pretty soon you would not be able to help anyone, including the most needy widows.

Financial stress. What is the church to do? A tough issue, and Janis tackled it on Sunday, and the Bible DOES have some things to say about it.

Who said God is not practical?!

KUDOS TO J.N. PHILLIPS AUTO GLASS

"...for the labourer is worthy of his hire..." (from Luke 10:7)

I hate to admit it, but I can be a very fussy consumer! A few times on this blog, I've soundly criticized businesses from which I've gotten bad service; sometimes "savaging" them. I've had folks tell me this was very unbecoming of a minister; at the time I didn't like that criticism, but maybe it WAS. This time, I am giving high praise to a business that is worthy of such:

A couple of weeks ago as I drove along the MassPike (Interstate 90) West I suddenly heard a BANG and noticed a small chip and line on the windshield in my field of vision in my old green 1995 Subaru Impreza. There was ALREADY a "bulls eye" chip in another place on the windshield. I call the car my "Lt. Columbo car". Like his old 1950 Peugeot, it is a small old dumpy foreign car but it gets me from place to place. The crack got bigger the next day.

A lot of people believe that everybody in Massachusetts automatically has glass coverage for their cars from their insurance companies. That is NOT true. I had glass work done twice on my 1993 Oldsmobile and I did NOT have glass coverage at the time. I DID have glass coverage way back in the 1980s when I had a windshield replaced on my Ford Escort. I really did not think I had glass coverage, but I contacted my insurance agency and was delighted to learn that I have it! They made arrangements with J.N. Phillips Auto Glass for me to get the windshield replaced.

I could have had a technician "come out to where I am" and do the replacement, but I told my insurance agency I'd rather go to one of their shops. I work in Framingham, so I asked for the appointment to be at the Framingham shop. I left work on Tuesday afternoon last week, and on the way to the shop I received a call from J.N. Phillips confirming that I was still coming and I said I would be there in five minutes. Thus, I was shocked when I arrived at the Framingham shop and they did not know who I was nor anything about the appointment! Even so, the folks at the Framingham shop were very polite and got right into their computer system. They found that I'd been scheduled for an appointment at their AUBURN store! All it took was a quick phone call and the Auburn shop changed my appointment to 3:30 from 2:00. (I live in Webster and although I asked for the Framingham appointment someone got confused and since I live in Webster, booked me for Auburn which is close to Webster.)

On the way I WAS apprehensive. I mentioned that Ford Escort windshield replacement. At that time, an independent shop used a NON-FACTORY windshield. It had a MUCH LIGHTER TINT than the original windshield and other glass. It never seemed quite right. I had a side window on the Olds replaced by an independent shop- that went O.K. I also had the Olds windshield replaced. The independent shop DID use a factory windshield but did a terrible installation. There was black goop that you could see all around the car interior around the windshield. It looked like it had been done by a second grader. AND, during the installation, they messed up my washer fluid hose so that function would not work. I had to have a mechanic friend fix it. I did go back to that shop and complained.

I must say, J.N. Phillips could NOT have been different from those independent shops I'd used in the past. At Auburn, everyone was super friendly. They were truly sorry I'd gone to the wrong shop and been inconvenienced. The technician was very nice and did a great job. It's a factory windshield. The MA inspection sticker and a couple of other stickers on the windshield were perfectly reattached! You would NEVER know there had been a windshield replacement except that the glass is now "PERFECTLY CLEAR" as the late Richard M. Nixon used to say!

I highly recommend J.N. Phillips Auto Glass! AND, for those of you who care about the environment and recycling, they RECYCLE all of their old glass!

ENRICHING ENCOUNTER ...WITH GOD

"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (I Timothy 2:8)

Yesterday, May 6, 2012 was "the day". I want to tell you about how it went, and I hope to inspire some of you- especially men- to try something similar and see what happens!I am blessed to currently live just about a seven minute walk from the Webster, MA Beach and Recreation Area. It's often been my habit on Sunday afternoons, to walk over there for a time of personal prayer and Bible reading. Some weeks ago, it occurred to me that my Sunday afternoons spent in this way are a "gem" I should share with others. I thought that perhaps I could gather a few men together on a particular Sunday afternoon, and we'd walk over there and spend some time in Fellowship and Prayer; and that afterward we'd grab a bite to eat at a local family restaurant. I decided that Earth Day- April 22 would be PERFECT for this event, and I put the word out. Alas, on Earth Day we had drenching rain and wind all afternoon. I was very disappointed, but I decided to reschedule to Sunday, May 6 and again promoted this on-line.I had quite a sense of anticipation yesterday morning. How many guys would show up to join me? One? Two? Three? Maybe Five?

At 3:20 p.m. I was all alone in my driveway, and yes, a bit disappointed. But I decided I was going ahead with this GOD ENCOUNTER PRAYER WALK, even if by myself!It was wonderful!I had an awesome, special, and meaningful time! I really believe this made a DIFFERENCE in the spiritual realm. Honestly, with two or three other guys, it WOULD have been more powerful, though. I have decided to share what I did yesterday. I want to CHALLENGE you. MAKE THE TIME! Take a Sunday afternoon. Go to your won "special place outdoors" wherever that is. Invite several guys to join you. Even if they don't, do a prayer walk including special prayer "focuses" like I did, and see if you're not TOTALLY BLESSED!I spent about 90 minutes on this prayer walk. I walked to several different areas of the Webster Lake Recreation Area and focused on 8 different areas for prayer.

FIRST, I stopped in a dirt parking area and made my prayer focus "EARTH". I prayed a prayer of repentance for not having the spiritual impact on this world that I should be having. I was impressed to kneel for about a minute as part of this prayer, and even though it would look foolish to anyone who observed this, I did it.

SECOND, there's a paved walking route through a wooded area. I followed the path, and walked into a clearing off the path. In that clearing, I focused on praying for those I have been at odds with, or "ENEMIES". I (sadly) can hold things against people and sometimes be slow to forgive. This was a time of earnest prayer of forgiveness of others and acknowledging situations where I've failed others.

THIRD, I went to another dirt parking lot and spent time praying for spiritual leaders; for my pastor, for my District Officials and other Christian leaders. Our pastors need prayer! We need to pray earnestly for them! I entitled this focus "ELDERSHIP".

FOURTH and FIFTH, I went to a parking area close to the lake's boat launch area. Here, I focused on two areas, "ECONOMICS" AND "ELECTIONS". I prayed for churches and ministries who are hurting in this difficult economy- that God would bless them and miraculously provide the funds they need, even as he blessed Amy Semple McPherson and enabled her to build Angelus Temple during the most difficult years of the 1930s. I prayed about this Fall's elections: that Godly men and women would be elected to public offices.

SIXTH and SEVENTH, I walked to the actual beach and sat on a picnic table. Here I focused on "EVANGELISM" and "ENTREATIES". I spend time praying for the lost. I also spent time praying for personal needs- for several crises in my personal life. Had several men joined me, I would have had us praying for each other's needs at this point.

Finally, EIGHTH, I walked back to the first dirt parking lot from which I'd started. Once again, my focus was "EARTH". I prayed that in the coming year, in both big and small ways I will have a genuine impact for the cause of Christ in this world. I sang "Jesus Use Me" right out loud and did not care what anyone thought about it.

I walked out of that place feeling PEACEFUL, JOYFUL, and VERY BLESSED! I believe something was really accomplished for God! I do encourage my brothers in Christ to dry doing this. You'll be blessed, and more importantly I believe it WILL have a powerful impact on the Church and on our world!

MAY 6 IS GONNA BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

I originally posted this on April 23. SUNDAY, MAY 6 IS GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY! Temp. of 65 degrees and mostly sunny! MEN: Meet me at 3:15 at 45 Thompson Road (Route 193) in Webster (near Place Ford and Lake Pizza/Restaurant). We're gonna have a "God Time" at the Webster Lake and Recreation area, just a few minutes down the street from my residence!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Associate Pastor Janis Collette opened yesterday's Sunday morning service by reading from Isaiah chapter 55, including the above verses.What's that famous saying: something about, "the best laid plans of mice and men..."?

Yes, for Earth Day, I'd invited any brother in Christ to join me to come and have fellowship and pray at Webster Lake Beach and Recreation Area, which is only about a five minute walk from where I live. Well, I hadn't anticipated the huge rainstorm that would hit for April 22 & 23. I was a bit disappointed, but there's jut no way we could have gathered for a time of prayer and fellowship with the rain, wind, and cold. I've got an important church function to attend next Sunday afternoon, but I'm planning to move the "Earth Day" prayer and fellowship to Sunday, May 6 at 3:15 p.m. I hope you can join me.Here is the original piece I posted a few days ago; just change the date from April 22 to May 6 and pretty much everything else remains the same:"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (I Timothy 2:8)Earth Day is this coming Sunday, April 22.I am blessed to live a 5 minute walk from the Webster (Mass.) Lake and Recreation Area.I often walk down there to enjoy the scenery and pray on Sunday afternoons.I feel the Lord has put it on my heart to pray especially for our country and its needs on Earth Day, and I'll be doing that on Sunday afternoon, April 22;walking to the lake, enjoying the Earth, and praying to God. Although I usually reserve such times as precious times for myself, I feel strongly that the Lord wants me to open this up to any Christian brothers who would like to join me.

I'm planning on walking over to the Lake Beach and Recreation Area around 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, April 22. This whole thing should take slightly over an hour.

For anyone who joins me, we can stop at one of the nearby eating places such as Lake Pizza and Restaurant afterward and grab a bite to eat and fellowship. If you'd like to know more and/or you'd like to join me, please e-mail me atrevrbaril@aol.comBrothers, I am serious: I would love to have you join me on April 22 and to bring a friend. Don't hesitate to contact me for more information. I believe God will meet us on April 22 in a special way!

BOB BARIL

BLOG UPDATED AGAIN

"...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I started "The Blog of Bob Baril" as a blog on AOL in early 2006. In those days, AOL's blog feature was called "AOL Journals". I liked that it was pretty user friendly. I also liked that I could post a photo of myself on the AOL Journal, AND that it recorded how many "hits" the blog had gotten.I think it was in 2008 that AOL discontinued their "Journals" feature. I'm really NOT so technically savvy at all! In fact, I still don't have a "smart phone" for instance. I have a DUMB PHONE. All it can do it make calls and take pictures, and I have NEVER taken a picture with it in my life. It's almost three years old and dying, and I am reluctant to ever get a smart phone! So, I was panicked when AOL was discontinuing the blogs, and I posted a piece in which I wrote that it may be the end for my blog. In fact, AOL gave you the option to change to Blogspot (now called "Blogger" and run by Google). I took that option.At first, it was all VERY different and I did not like it. There WAS a way to post a photo, but it was very complicated and I could not figure it out. AND, there was no more "counter" to tell how many hits you had on your blog.

I received a communication a couple of weeks ago that Blogger was making a big change in how you would post on your blog and how you would manage your blog. I tried to "walk through" their "Upgrade" procedure, but I got so confused and discouraged that I gave up. I wondered, again, if this would be the end of "The Blog of Bob Baril" or if I would need to find a new server for the blog.I don't have a computer at home now (long story) so most of the time I am posting at a public library as I am at the moment. That makes things even harder for things like uploading a photo and taking forever to do all the technical stuff to reconfigure your blog setup. Yesterday, as I only worked 4 hours at BJs I had time to go to my daughter's apartment where the old iMac computer with photos of me is located. I had time to "play" with it, and although it took me a LONG time, just as when I set up Facebook in 2010, I figured out how to upload a photo and thus I now have a photo on the blog! And, although YOU can't see it, there IS a place where the blog author can see how many "hits" he is getting, and I am getting far more than I expected.If you want to read my expaned profile, just CLICK on that at the above right, and THEN when you get there, CLICK on the ABOUT box. So, The Blog of Bob Baril lives!