Dancing In The Spirit

 When I was a new convert so many many years ago, one of the first things about the church that kind of puzzled me was all the new terminology I had to learn to understand and use. I would hear people say they needed to "PRAY THROUGH" and immediately thought " Pray through WHAT?"

 "Shouting" was something people did in anger or in a state of panic or warning but a POSITIVE connotation to the word? It was kind of amazing how that in Pentecost we had a vocabulary all our own!

 But there was one phrase that just captured my imagination right off the bat! It was the phrase.......


 "DANCING IN THE SPIRIT"

 The first time I heard anyone use it , it just struck such a chord in my heart! LOVELY was the word that came to mind, Absolutely WONDERFULLY Lovely!

 I had loved dancing in the world. I wasn't a great dancer but I enjoyed it mightily!  And to find that in this Holy Ghost Experience there was an avenue of praise that transcended just LISTENING to the musical praises of God but actually allowed one to be lifted right up along with them in the Spirit to a place of absolute exalted dance before the King of Kings, I mean  WOW!

 I can remember praying as I watched the others Dancing in the Spirit (I LOVE even just TYPING that!)

 But I remember praying "Lord I would LOVE to have that experience!" And it wasn't long before one Sunday Night I was there in the middle of a red hot move of God and before I knew it I felt that exhilerating LIBERTY to dance before the Lord with all my might! I can truly say that there is absolutely NOTHING like dancing in the Holy Ghost!

 I thought I understood it, I mean David Danced before the Lord and so that was all the scripture and understanding I needed! Besides.... It felt GREAT!!!!!!   But one day at a Shopping Mall in Stockton, California I was passing out tracts when a man came over to me and said "Are those tracts?" I said "Yes:" He said "May I have one?" And I said  "Of Course!" and gave him one. I believe it was the old tract Pentecost is not a Denomination it is an Experience" The minute he read the cover it was like it was on fire in his hand! He immediately crushed it in a ball and threw it on the ground.

 "PENTECOSTAL! I MIGHTA KNOWN!!!!" and he turned to walk away. But I was so angry! I mean HE ASKED ME for the tract, no one forced him to take it. So I being the non confrontational person that I am said " HEY!!!!! WAIT A MINUTE SIR! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?????"

 He turned around and thought for a second and said "Because your doctrine is false!" I said  "oh Yeah? SHOW ME !" He said "Well for starters you people are a bunch of fanatics! You go to church and dance all over the place like a bunch of whirling dervishes! And there is NOWHERE in the Bible that it says for Christians to dance in Church!!!! You should come to the Church of Christ and Worship the right way!"

 Well now I "HAD HIM" ! I said Well sir Psalm 150 very CLEARLY says to "PRAISE HIM WITH THE DANCE" !

 He shot back "You see! That just goes to prove my point! You people are so ignorant it's laughable just to talk to you!"  he went on "The word DANCE in the Bible doesn't mean to dance with your FEET but rather is the old name of a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT! IGNORANT!"

 Well that kind of threw me for a loop! I mean I had never heard that! But at least I got off one parting shot "OH YEAH ?  WELL IF IT * IS * A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO USE IT ANYWAY!!!" and he was gone!

 Well I went home that night a little perplexed! I mean What if he was RIGHT???? I mean wouldn't that mean that there was no Bible for our Pentecostal Worship in the Dance??????

 So as usual I launched into a pretty deep study of the scriptures and what it led me to was more than beautiful!

 First of all the word for Dance in Psalm 150 most certainly DOES mean to dance with your feet. IN FACT it is not just a generic term for dance but a SPECIFIC word for dance "MACHOWL" it is the NAME of a Hebrew Dance of the time. When David said "Praise Him In The Dance" he used a SPECIFIC dances name! It left NOTHING up to the imagination of the reader in Hebrew as to what David was alluding to! It would be the same as if he used the name of one of our MODERN dances!

 If he had said "Praise Him In The Square Dance" then you would know EXACTLY what to do! "Swing your partner round and round Dosey Doe and Allemand Left"  Or if he had said "Praise him in the WALTZ" you could mutter under your breath "One two three, one two three, One two three , One two three..." But he said PRAISE HIM IN THE MACHOWL!

 The root of the word machowl means to be wounded , to limp, to be PIERCED! To the Jews they call the Machowl "The Dance of the Wounded Feet."

 That is why even today, when they do the Machowl, you see them take a step and then LIMP take a step and then LIMP it reflects WOUNDED FEET.

 When I read that the hair on my head stood straight up!  I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I understood in a heart beat why the Devil hates our Pentecostal Worship so much ESPECIALLY  our DANCING IN THE HOLY GHOST! IT POINTS TO WOUNDED FEET!

 The very first person to preach a Gospel Message was GOD HIMSELF in Genesis 3. And the very first person to HAVE a Gospel message preached to them was the DEVIL HIMSELF! God said I WILL PUT ENMITY BETWEEN YOU AND THE WOMAN, BETWEEN HER SEED AND YOUR SEED! HE WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD AND YOU SHALL ***BRUISE HIS HEEL****

 When David danced before the Lord with all his might it was accompanied by SACRIFICE that pointed to CALVARY!  It was no wonder that the Devil attacked David for that Dancing! The sad thing was that his wife Michal who became the ridiculer of Davids worship JUST AS EASILY could have become a PARTNER to David IN THAT WORSHIP! Just as Moses Led the men and MIRIAM led the women IN DANCES so Michal could have laid aside HER false sense of propriety and gave vent to worshiping the God of Israel!

 So today we find our selves surrounded by lost humanity many of whom are deeply OFFENDED when they see Gods people actually DANCE in the presence of God! They don't understand HOW we can DANCE in Church! But the answer is that I CAN DANCE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD BECAUSE ***MY FEET*** THAT WERE ONCE SHACKLED BY SIN HAVE BEEN SET FREE BY THE ONE WHOSE FEET WERE WOUNDED FOR ME!

 When *I* "DANCE IN THE SPIRIT" it has a much deeper meaning to me now than it did as a new convert because I realize that far beyond "FEELING GOOD" I am now once again rejoicing in the victory of Jesus Christ over that old Serpent the Devil!
 My feet can DANCE because HIS FEET WERE WOUNDED! Hallelujah! That calls for a song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIPNegmUcPQ

MUNICH!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord!

 Today was a great great day for us here in Germany. It even SNOWED a little bit in the village I live in! Got up about five am, had a fantastic breakfast of the BEST smoked ham you can imagine with scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions in them, got ready for church and drove into Augsburg for early morning prayer.

 Left the service with one of my assistants (IS that COOL to be able to say or WHAT!?!) and the OTHER (Is that even COOLER!?!?!?! MAN we've come a LOOOOOONGGGGG way!) assistant and I caught the train into the city of Munich where we held service in our relatively newer assembly right in the very CENTER of the city! We had a beautiful turnout of Twenty Seven in attendance this morning and it was interesting to say the least to have your message translated into German and FRENCH simultaneously! (We have several French Speaking members in the Munich church.) A new family has started coming from the Ukraine and we are so happy for that! It is so amazing to see how the "VINE" just keeps GROWING in the most unexpected places!

 Pastor Paul Wilson the Pastor of the Munich Church is finishing his crusade there in Togo and Benin this week and will be flying home where he is greatly needed as well!

 Pray for us the building we are renting in Munich is small and costly pray that we find something BETTER and CHEAPER!

 ALSO SPECIAL SPECIAL PRAYER NEED!!!!!!!!!!

In the Photo above is Brother Brian Shell who came over to preach us a several month revival here in Apostolic Lighthouse Augsburg, Germany. The impact of that Revival is still discernible today with the souls that he left behind!!!!!! (How many times do we see revivals where there are great results but a month or two later they are ALL GONE!?!)  This man has moved so deeply in the Holy Ghost and his fruit is taking root so wonderfully! In this photo he is baptizing Sister Katija from Bulgaria who is still so on fire for God due to the miracle of Healing that God Performed for her in that revival!

 Brother Shell is currently back in the United States preaching this month in the midwest states of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Pray for him and his family, he has answered the call NOT ONLY of the Lord of the Harvest but of the Eighty Five Million Lost souls here in Germany to leave all and come work for God right here in the very heart of Europe. As he travels to raise help so they can do so, please pray for this wonderful brother and his family that they can QUICKLY be back over in the Field where we need them so DESPERATELY!  In fact if you would like to take Brother Shell on as a Missionary Partner or are led of God to send them a one time Missions offerring you can send it through the I-AM foundation Brother Jonathon Alvear will be handling their support for them at this address.......

International Apostolic Missions

                                                                        PO Box 501

Conyers, GA  30012

 Be sure and make the offerring out to I AM FOUNDATION but write in the Memo Line "Bro Brian Shell, Germany"

God Bless You! Hasn't today been a GREAT day????!!!!!

I Woke Up Singing This Morning

 This morning I woke up singing! At least in my HEART! And soon it filled the whole house! As I shaved, Showered and dressed it was an old old song that just issued forth from my spirit!

It is simply entitled "It Wouldn't Be Enough"

 It wouldn't be enough!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0-zapmPNcw

I had a minister friend some years back that was fond of quoting Backslidden King Solomon who said "Money Answereth All Things"

 We would get in pretty tense disagreements about that verse, He felt it was the answer to * EVERYTHING*

He would preach it from his pulpit several times a month. Encouraging the young people to pursue money as it was the solution to EVERYTHING!

But everytime he would start down that road, I could only think of another verse in the Bible....... 

 "WHAT SHALL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL?"

 Thank God for the Blood Of Jesus FREELY SHED for such a horrible lost and dying world!

Sometimes I wonder out loud if Pentecost in many ways has not strayed from the very fundemental issue of our faith ,,,, The preaching of the CROSS in a rush to get people into the water or speaking in tongues.

 Oh for a return to the sentiments of the song that says

 "At the Cross, At the Cross , Where I FIRST saw the Light and the Burdens of my heart rolled away! It was THERE BY FAITH I received my sight, And NOW I am HAPPY all the DAY!"

  

 What do The United States, Canada, The United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Latvia, Russia, Austria, Rumania, The Ukraine, Bolivia, Ecuador, Japan, Norway, and Germany have in common???

 Well it will probably surprise you as much as it surprises me , but with virtually no other promotion than going on Twitter and saying "CHECK OUT MY BLOG" I am pulling readers from all those countries and MORE! It is simply amazing!

 Can you imagine the opportunities to MAXIMIZE ourselves and put forth the concepts of the New Covenant for men EVERYWHERE to see with virtually NO COST AT ALL????

 As a missionary that is thrilling to me! Already in OUR church here in Germany we have brought Italians, Germans, Jordanians, Puerto Ricans, Nigerians, Bulgarians, Sierra Leonians, etc etc into the TRUTH that saves mens souls! The ability to reach even FARTHER challenges me incredibly!

 I'll bet there are MANY great ideas out there on how we can use this to reach the going on SEVEN BILLION LOST MEN WOMEN BOYS AND GIRLS in OUR world! Please feel free to share them with us!

This week I am trying to get several blogs off the ground, One in Arabic, One in German and One a Missions Newsletter type blog for This ministry. I wish I was more technologically inclined! The possibilities are ENDLESS!!!!!!

Combatting Islam in Europe the ONLY WAY that Works!

 If you read the papers, if you listen to the radio, if you just LOOK AROUND YOU, you will notice that everywhere you read, everywhere you look MUSLIMS seem to be taking over everything! Here in Europe, there in the Middle East, now you can't even go to a Walmart in Conway, Arkansas without seeing them.....MUSLIMS!!!!!! They want to bring THEIR way of life to you, THEIR belief system to you SHARIAA LAW to YOU!  People sit around and worry and say WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREVENT ISLAM FROM DOMINATING THE WORLD WE LIVE IN??? WHAT CAN WE DO?????


 The answer of course is very simple....WIN THEM TO GOD!!!!!!!!!!! (This is one of those "Duh" moments!)

 IT'S TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO DOMINATE THE WORLD WE LIVE IN !!!!

 Some people look and see the "enemy" all around them, while others look and  see A FIELD RIPE UNTO HARVEST!!!!!

 Last Sunday a Muslim man walked in the door of Apostolic Lighthouse here in Augsburg, Germany. He had never been in an Apostolic Church before! BUT NOW he was sitting in the fastest growing Jesus Name Church in Bavaria!

 As we began to preach the goodness of God that leads to repentance and the ONE plan of salvation,  he came, repented and asked to be Baptized in Jesus Name!  This morning Praise God , We were so happy to baptize Brother Mootea in the Saving Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins!!!!!

 It seems like every week God is adding some new souls to our assembly here. Russians, Bulgarians, Germans, Turks, Jordanians, Italians, Nigerians, Sierra Leonians, A WHOLE wonderful representation of the makeup of this great city of Augsburg!

 There is only one way to preserve a Christian America my friends, WIN THE LOST!

My Dear Brother upon the confession of YOUR faith in the death burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I now....



Baptize you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Remission of sins and you SHALL receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!



WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!!

I'm Gettin' Worrieder and Worrieder!!!!!

 Don't even know if Worrieder is a word but it describes exactly how this following story made me feel!

  I looked on the Yahoo News page today and saw this story about a high school football player sitting out the game because the opposing team had a  problem with them playing. Evidently the idea of a male football player like say a quarter back or a line backer brutally seeking to physically stop a female player from making any advances on the playing field is still uncomfortable to some young men. THEY refused to play if they had to be put in such a situation. I think what actually bothers me even more than the story itself are the comments posted after it! It seems that many feel this is perfectly acceptable and that the young MEN had the problem not the idea being a problem itself!

 Is this REALLY where we are heading in the 21st century? First we had the emasculation of men trend and now we have the defeminization of women trend. Do women in the secular world REALLY want to lose the last vestiges of respect and gentleness show to their gender? I mean I find it VERY DIFFICULT to see how that young men whose subliminal tendency to show the opposite gender some deference and respect has to be over ridden, I find it VERY HARD to see that this will not result down the road in an even greater surge of Physically Abusive Behaviour by men against women.  AND VICE VERSA! (I was surprised years ago to see that the ratio of men physcally assaulting women was LESS than the ratio of women physically assaulting men.) The respect between the sexes has throughout history been a ground that the devil has sought to eliminate. Am I the only one having a problem with this story?

 Following is the story!

Thu Oct 13 09:09am EDT

Girl football player sits out game after foe threatens forfeit

By Jonathan Wall

Like the rest of her Southampton (Va.) Academy teammates, Mina Johnson was supposed to be getting ready for a junior varsity football game on Thursday night against Lasker (N.C.) Northeast Academy. The 5-foot-2, 170-pound defensive stalwart may have been the first girl to play football for the academy, but when she got on the field, she was just one of the guys.

As the Tidewater News reported, Johnson recorded four sacks in a recent game against Rocky Mount, and was gaining a reputation in the league as a standout junior varsity player. It all seemed to be going right for the eighth-grader -- until she suddenly decided to sit out her team's most recent game against Northeast.
Why? It wasn't due to injury. Rather, Johnson decided not to play in the game after the opposition threatened to forfeit if Johnson was allowed to play. Apparently, Northeast had a problem with its boys playing football against a girl. So instead of making a fuss about the whole situation, Johnson sat on the sidelines for her team's 60-0 victory.
"There is nothing in the rule books for junior varsity football in North Carolina or Virginia that says a girl can't play," the teen's mother, Mona Johnson, told the Tidewater News. "No one is breaking any rules by allowing her to play."
Northeast isn't the only upcoming opponent considering a forfeit if Johnson doesn't sit out. Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy is also reportedly considering a forfeit as well; the two schools are scheduled to play a game on Oct. 27.
The fact that Word of God may follow Northeast's lead isn't a coincidence. As the Tidewater News noted, both schools have something in common: They play in the same athletic association.

Both teams belong to the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association. According to the league website, participation by boys in girls' sports and vice-versa is prohibited.

Regardless of what Word of God decides to do, the move to force Johnson to sit out and miss playing a game is beyond wrong. While Northeast's athletic association may say one thing, the school could have looked past the rule and played the junior varsity game anyway.
Not to discount JV football, but teams' records don't mean a thing at the end of the season. Most players are just happy to be on the field, playing the game they love. That was certainly true of Mina Johnson, who enjoyed playing for the love of the game, and the chance to play with her teammates.
Unsurprisingly, playing football has instilled a whole new level of confidence in the teenage ... and pride among her teammates.
"This is something you can't take away, ever, and it's me doing it," Johnson told the Tidewater News. "My first game, I took down a 6-foot quarterback."

To deprive a high school sophomore of the ability to play the sport she loves is simply wrong. As we've seen in years past, plenty of female athletes have competed on the football field -- and succeeded.
Even if Northeast Academy's junior varsity football team avoided getting beat by a girl, they still suffered another mild embarrassment as a result: They got trounced, 60-0, by a team motivated to beat them to honor their teammate on the sideline while that entire team was decked out in pink paraphernalia to honor Johnson and breast cancer month.

Saran Wrap Saved My Life!!!!

Saran Wrap Saved My Life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 Okay, No it really didn't BUT IT TRIED!!!!! You know one of the great things about being a foreign missionary is you genuinely DO get to have many many adventures and hair raising experiences! (At least I WISH they were hair raising because by now I am closing in on being as bald as a cue ball!)

 Having been a missionary in the Middle East since the Late 1980's  I have lived through the Intifada, Numerous Suicide Bombers, The Gulf War I and The Gulf War II The Lebanese Civil War and just so many FUN TIMES!!!  One of the scariest yet even as it was unfolding HILARIOUS times was during the end of the Gulf War I President Clinton had threatened to bomb Iraq again.

 President Saddam Hussein responded by saying that if President Clinton Bombed Iraq that HE  would then bomb Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with NERVE GAS!!!!!!

 Well Jordan is situated directly BETWEEN Iraq and Israel and its army is similar to the old Keystone Kops! If we were ever invaded they surely would have thrown their weapons down and bravely ran away!

 BUT we weren't being threatened with invasion but the church in Al Fuheis (where I lived) was only about twenty miles from Jerusalem and if even ONE of those nerve gas missiles went awry we were all DONE FER!

 So there was a panic that grew by the hour in Jordan as the situation worsened, people didn't know WHAT to do! There was no where to go and the country bordered on HYSTERIA!

 About four in the afternoon at the height of the panic the Jordanian Propaganda Machine kicked in to calm the people down!

 "There is absolutely NOTHING to worry about!" The radio blared in both English and Arabic. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!.....Everyone can easily protect themselves from the effects of a nerve gas attack!"  As we listened wanting to believe that we hung on every word wondering out loud .... HOW?????!!!!

 The radio commentator (on the English Station a female with a soft and gently calming voice) gleefully advised us to go to our local market and buy ROLLS OF SARAN WRAP! "You see" she said "You simply have to find a room in your house that you all will go into during the Nerve Gas Attack, and TAPE SARAN WRAP OVER THE WINDOWS AND THE DOORS and YOU WILL BE SAVED!!!!!!"

 Needless to say it was like the Calgary Stampede as every market in the Capital of Amman was swamped with tens of thousands of Arabs demanding SARAN WRAP! I MUST HAVE SARAN WRAP!!!!!

 The price of a roll of Saran Wrap shot up from just about a dollar to Twenty and Thirty Dollars a roll!!!!! And SIMPLY COULD NOT BE FOUND ON THE SHELVES within minutes of that brilliant announcement!

 As I joined the crowds (Who says I am not easily led????) there at the Amman Safeway looking for the all powerful Saran Wrap IT HIT ME!!!!  (to Quote one of the worlds greatest philosophers and deepest thinkers BUGS BUNNY) "WHAT A MAROON!!!!!" Because in that rush to buy Saran Wrap to save me from Biological Warfare I had forgotten that I have a refuge in Jesus of Nazareth that no amount of Saran Wrap can begin to duplicate!  As the wave of panic grew and grew throughout the country I could only ask God to forgive my momentary going along with it, forgetting that deep inside me there really was a PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING!  Some men trust in Saran Wrap I think I  will continue to trust in THE LORD!

Some more lovely Spanish Gospel for this Wonderful Sunday!

Here is an old old collection from a classic singing duo "MARIA Y MARTHA" and a few other "OLD TIMERS"  these songs just incredibly peaceful and sweet. I miss this kind of music. Not just the style but the spirit and approach of it.

 But all things go in cycles and I can only hope to see this kind of singing again someday. Not hype, lots of amplification and drum beats (I LOVE THAT KIND OF MUSIC AS WELL) but to *ME* there is just something so wonderful in this simple simple music.

 Song One.) Un Grano de Arena ( Just a Grain of Sand) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weXvbbxFmT0&feature=related

 Song Two.) Que Lindo es mi Cristo! (How Beautiful is my Jesus!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BFiiNxiXtQ&feature=related

 Song Three.) Cuando Alla Se Pase Lista (When the Roll is Called Up Yonder ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs-0zqrM_UM

Song Four .) Siguire a mi Jesus (Following my Jesus an old Apostolic Baptism song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxQkJt7wY50&feature=related

 Song Five.) El Mundo Neccesitas Cristo (The world needs Jesus.... How can you live without a burden for the lost? SUPERB! In both English and Spanish)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkAzB8G6BhE&feature=related

Number 6.) Here is a clip from Peru. It thrills me to know that ALL OVER THE WORLD TODAY men and women have embraced the saving name of Jesus Christ in Water Baptism! Amazing how this message has spread to the mountains, valleys, villages and major metropolitan areas of the world! I dedicate this one to Brother Jarron! Dios te Bendiga hermano!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBJLDrzDGYM&feature=related

IT'S FOR YOUR CHILDREN! AND THEIR CHILDREN TOO!!!!!!

I marvel at how GOOD God is! Last night at Brother Caleb Adams church they hosted a BACK TO SCHOOL RALLY!

 Brother and Sister Brian Shell and their two kids were so excited to drive three hours each way JUST TO BE THERE!

 Brother and Sister Shell are in the process of leaving their nets to answer Gods call and had gone to the service for two reasons, One to establish more contacts with men of God who have a missionary concern and Two JUST TO HAVE CHURCH!!!!!!!!

 Brother Shell called me at SIX AM my time to tell me how great the service was, How Brother Adams had so kindly invited them to join the "BIG SHOTS" (MY term NOT his) at South of the  Border after church and also that HIS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER KAELYN HAD RECEIVED THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST in that service!!!!!

 PRAISE GOD! I don't think there is ANYTHING....***ANY THING*** sweeter than watching Jesus Baptize CHILDREN with the Holy Ghost. NOTHING AT ALL!

 Sister Kaelyn is just a precious extension of this wonderful family! In school the teachers are so impressed with her nature! They call her "THE LITTLE MOTHER" always kind and going out of her way to befriend new students, help the other kids with anything they need help with,, she promises to be such an incredibly important part of this Missionary Families outreach to SAVE THE LOST AT ANY COST AND BRING BACK THOSE WHO'VE GONE ASTRAY!

 Congratulations Sister Kaelyn!!!! I have no doubt that there are so many wonderful adventures and great exploits for Jesus Christ ahead of YOU! Oh yeah and THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING SUCH A KIND AND COMPASSIONATE GOD WHO TAKES NOTE OF LITTLE CHILDREN! WE LOVE YOU!

 Bro. Joseph in Germany