Until I Found You

I searched for love in the strangest places.

The bars, the clubs and sensual spaces.

I traveled all roads where the compass led.

Highways and alleys, all I found was dread.

Until I found you all the fields were gray.

Trees had no leaves and flowers decayed.

The sun never rose to a bright blissful day.

The streams were mirky as the miry clay.

Grey clouds covered the blue pastel sky.

The moon, and stars hidden from my eye.

Roads full of pot holes trails were a ditch.

The music of the singers, no feeling or pitch.

But until I found you all this would remain.

No peace for my soul no rest from my pain.

Life was a struggle I did my best to go on.

But until I found you there wasn't a song.

When I found you my heart was relieved.

For the first time in life I began to breath.

I could now smell the roses, the air so clean.

Roads paved in gold like nothing I’d seen.

The sky had now turned to the prettiest blue.

I looked up toward heaven, and I saw you.

There by the Father you stood at His right.

In all your great glory dressed in pure white.

But until I found Jesus my life was a mess.

I would’ve never known love, love at its best.

But now that I know Him I rest all assured.

My sins are forgiven, my love is secured.

The words I just wrote are exactly how I felt before and after I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. (January 7th, 1970)  For me it is impossible to express the profound love I found in Him, all I can do is try.

1 Corinthians 13 was the first message I preached.   

“1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians 13

The Preacher Man

Where have all the preachers gone?

All those that sang Christ’s song.

So hard to find these days.

Who with conviction, sang God’ praise. 

Once their voices sang aloud.

As they sang to a attentive crowd.

Now the song is soft and sweet.

No power to bring folks to their feet.

Like the howl of the wolf they sang

Preached against sin in Jesus name.

Not afraid of what the people said.

Preached with power, saving the dead.

Lord bring them back to the pulpit please.

That we can hear their powerful pleas.

With voices shouting far and grand.

Alters filled by those taking a stand.

We look around today and our hearts are filled with tears.  Not only at how low our society has become but I’m so sad to say, even the church.  We wonder how we could have gotten in the place we are.  So much hate and discord in the world.  People are rebellious on every front.  Families are divided.  Sin is accepted as the norm and we let it go as if it is alright.  We like to blame everyone one else, but where the blame belongs. Oh I understand what I’m saying will certainly not be excepted by most of those that read this but I am compelled to say it anyway.

The church has turned from a once powerhouse for Christ to a watered down trickle.  A trickle that only moves  a few.  We have become very complacent.  We have left the Holy Ghost out of our preaching thinking what we have to say is more important than depending on Him.  We have forgotten how to live by faith! Our churches are led by well meaning pastors full of education but not of the Spirit.  They do well in their sermons on how to lead a peaceful life and cope with the world but forget the lost, Jesus told us to go out after.  We have fallen to the philosophy of, “If we build, they will come”.  I hate to say it but if we aren’t careful we will be sitting on our hands when Jesus comes for us.

We’ve turned our churches into preforming centers where the emphasis is put on a booming, worldly musical production instead of the preaching of the Word.  We offer the world nothing more than they already have.  We have replaced the pulpit with a stool, which in itself shows the weakness we have.  No need for the alters anymore.  Many don’t even know what they were for.  No need for an invitation, why would anyone come when they have just heard a sweet nothing message.  

Preaching is no longer preaching. If you want to hear real preaching you have to search the internet to find someone worthy to listen to.  It used to be when you heard your preacher preach it made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.  We heard him preach against sin and not generalize it. He was in more fear of what God thought of his message than a board of deacons or elders.  I once heard a great preacher say, “If you haven’t made someone mad, you haven’t preached”.  Now our intention shouldn’t be to make people mad but to show them their faults that they may repent.  We are to preach to convict the conscience of men not to tickle their ears. You can’t sneak in the back door.  The preacher should be bold.

How do we expect folks in the pews to be able to take their stand if we don’t bring the message of God to them.  We have done well in giving them education.  Their minds are full of wonderful things.  We send them to seminars to improve their marriages.  We support many things in our communities and yet we leave out the very thing Christ has called us to do.  Be witnesses to a lost and dying world.  If we can equip the church to survive a marriage and serve others why can’t we equip them to win souls?   Oh but we sure don’t want a visitation day anymore. Sad, so sad.  

As I conclude my thought and bring myself back to where I started.  I would have to say the reason the world is in such a bad shape, as it is is because the preacher is no longer preaching with conviction.  The church has conformed to the world instead of Christ!  While I have said all these awful things about the church and the preacher, I would also like to lift up to the Lord those wonderful preachers that still sing the song God has put in their hearts.  Preach on, preach loud, preach with all your might, all of what the Spirit brings to your hearts….