Several years ago I knew a teenage boy who had just gotten his drivers license. One day this lad and his sister were on their way somewhere when he hit a patch of black ice. His car began to fishtail and being an inexperienced driver he over-corrected, went off the road and flipped his car into the side ditch. Fortunately he and his sister were not seriously injured but the vehicle was totaled.

Often new and old believers "over correct" in their spiritual walk and become legalistic in areas of their life. Legalism is a cancer that slowly dissolves the joy of being a follower of Christ and can suck the life out of a church. When our spirituality hinges on do's and dont's we have crossed the line of legalism. No one is spiritual by what they do or don't do. We are only spiritual because of Christ's redemption. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Galatians 3:3 reads, "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (ESV) Our spiritual maturity begins and continues only by the Spirit of God! Nothing I do adds to it. The claims of legalism, whether spoken or unspoken, are "I do such and such or I refrain from this and that therefore I am more spiritual than so and so." This thinking is full of pride and is godless.

There are some locations on earth that get little to no rain and it is nearly impossible to sustain life. I have traveled overseas to areas where one can see miles upon miles of dusty earth. I have returned to these same areas during the rain season and discovered them to be jungles and completely unrecognizable.

Water sustains life. Believers who drink of the bountiful spring of God's Word will attest to the fact that they can return over and over again to satisfy their spiritual thirst. God's Word is rich and satisfying. Its reservoirs are deep with eternal water that can quench the driest soul. O how many followers of Christ needlessly walk in a spiritual drought! Open the floodgates of God's Word. Meditate and call on the Spirit of God to teach you. Fill your mind and heart with the Scriptures that its waters might satisfy your every longing!

I was on the road this past weekend for a meeting about two hours from where I live. On my return trip I decided to play some worship music and put in a Chris Tomlin CD. As I drove home and listened to the lyrics of each song, my heart was filled with awe and much appreciation for the Lord and all that He has done for me.

As I pulled into my driveway, I looked at the home that the Lord has blessed me with and reflected on my loved ones who live inside of it. When I parked my car and walked into the house, I could hear my children laughing and playing. I smelled dinner cooking and heard my wife sewing on her sewing machine. I was home with my family. I praise the Lord for the family He has given me.

My children love our Family Devotion time. It is a time when I teach a Bible lesson, a new song, or a missionary story in the evenings before the go to bed. I believe that this teaching is critical for children to grow up in the nurture and admonition to the Lord. Parents must take the primary responsibility of discipling their children. The church's only role is to come along side parents and reinforce what their discipleship efforts.

If you are not having Family Devotions I would encourage you to begin to do so. You will be following the Lord's command and you and your children will reap eternal blessings from it.

In September of 2008 my son Ethan was diagnosed with Autism. Ethan is currently enrolled in the special education program through our local school system and is getting the help he needs. One of the challenges that parents with children who have Autism face is just when you begin to see momentum and progress made in the child's life, something can trigger a relapse and you must begin from square one. This cyclical pattern can be quite draining and daunting. It is critical for families with those who have special needs to get support and encouragement from others.

If you know a family with a child with Autism or some other special need, one of the greatest gifts you can give them is a listening ear and a heart that cares. Autism is an extremely complex neurological disorder and those who live with it deserve dignity, respect and compassion from all.

Keys to getting help:

Early diagnosis, appropriate services, parents must work with educators to provide a well rounded education for the child at home and at school, educate yourself on the subject of Autism, and find a support group.

This past weekend I posted an entry about praying for my seed and I would like to continue my thoughts on the subject. As a parent I have become keenly aware of how things can influence my children. It could be a person, something they saw on television, or something they heard.

My wife and I have been reading Night Light for Parents by Dr. James Dobson before we go to bed for some time now. Dobson points how crucial it is for parents to demonstrate appropriate attitudes and responses because there are little ones observing our lives. As I've pondered his words, it has made me more determined to live a life that would not impact my children's lives in a negative way. I want to be clear that I am not perfect and I have made a number of mistakes as a parent. Regrettable mistakes. As I have made the necessary adjustments in my life, the Lord has increased my burden to not only pray for my children to become godly people but my descendants as well.

Because I did not grow up in a Christian home, I want to do every thing possible to reset the course from the past to a direction that points to Christ. My prayer for my seed is that God would raise up godly people who fear Him, who walk with Him and who will impact the world for Jesus Christ. I am looking long term. Not just my grandchildren or great grand children but my bloodline for generations to come. I believe that God will honor my prayer. I challenge you to pray for your descendants as well.

As I type this entry I just put my kids down for the night. God has blessed me with great kids. Of my five children I have two boys. The Lord has been weighing in on my heart in the last year or two about the awesome responsibility I have as a father to raise those two boys to become men. And not just ordinary men, but men who fear nothing but the Lord. Men who love God and stand for biblical truth. Men who will be champions for Jesus Christ and men who will lead their households to serve the Lord. My wife does a lovely job with our girls. She is so godly and a true example of a Proverbs 31 woman. Our three daughters are blessed with such a meek and wonderful example. While my wife and I work as a team in parenting our children, we both play very different roles in raising our children.

I have been praying differently. I have always prayed for my children, but I believe that this can be short sighted. I have begun to pray for the lineage of my seed too. My prayers have been that the Lord would raise up godly people through my seed. I still pray for my children but I also feel so compelled to pray for the generations to come.

Some of you who are reading this may think that this is a bit too much but I have prayed with and counseled grandparents who mourn over their godless grown grandchildren. In their own words, "Pastor Ed I have failed. I thought that raising children in church was all that was necessary for them to grow up and love the Lord. I was wrong. They needed to be trained and discipled at home day in and day out.".

The responsibility of discipling, training, teaching and rearing children for Christ is serious business and should not to be taken lightly. I am far from perfect and I am still learning to parent. But I am teachable and long with all my heart to invest in my children's spiritual lives.

God has given these five children to me and my wife. By God's grace and with His help, we will do our very best to raise, train, teach and disciple our children for the glory of God.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about prayer meetings and the lack of participation from church members in most churches. I have read stories about what God is doing at the Brooklyn Tabernacle and prayer is the driving force behind its ministry. I have heard testimonies from God's people who have attended prayer meetings at the Tabernacle. Every story and testimony that I have heard all speak of how powerful the Brooklyn Tabernacles prayer meetings are.

Pastor John Franklin, author of And the Place was Shaken, offers great insights into the Scriptures on leading prayer meetings. Franklin writes, "Personal prayer lives alone will not result in the working of God to the degree needed for spiritual transformation in our lives, our churches, our cities, or our nation. God in his sovereignty, has determined that something happens when we pray together that transcends praying separately. His working increases exponentially. I am not trying to minimize the role of our personal prayer life. In fact, private and corporate prayer are like two wings of an airplane. Which one would you rather do with out? The absence of either would be fatal. If we don't pray together, we will continue losing our country. If we do pray together God's way, we can expect a revolution of our society."

If you announce that there will be a pot lock supper you can expect a pretty decent crowd. If announce that a well known Christian music artist will be performing, you can expect even greater attendance. What kind of attendance would you expect if a special prayer meeting was being organized? Can you see where I am going with this? Could it be that a couple of reasons why prayer meetings are so poorly attended is because prayer takes work and there usually is no immediate gratification from it? If this is the case, then there are deeper spiritual issues that need to be addressed.

I have heard in recent years that God is moving among his people in the Korean peninsula. The statistics now reveal that there are more Korean believers being sent as missionaries overseas than American believers per capita. What is the secret you may ask? The Church in South Korea is taking prayer meeting serious, VERY serious. Many of God's people meet early in the morning just to assemble and pray. I have been told that it is not uncommon to go to the city of Seoul and find churches open in the early morning hours for prayer meetings.

May their example and the teachings of Scripture move God's people in America to making meeting for prayer a priority. If this nation has any chance of recovery, it will only happen when God's people follow 2 Chronicles 7:14.

One of my roles as a pastor is to provide biblical counsel for those who need guidance. There is a passage of Scripture that the Lord has used to help me over the years when I need to make decisions. The passage of Scripture that I am talking about is Philippians 4:6,7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (NKJV)

It is easy to become anxious when you do not know what to do when facing a difficult situation. Thankfully, the Lord has given us a plan to help us.

First of all, do not allow yourself to become anxious. You must decide that you will allow the Lord to rule in what you are about to face. Next you must bring this concern before the Lord with a heart that is thankful for being in the situation that you are in. God is using this to draw you to Him. When God uses difficulty to draw us we still need to give thanks. Thirdly, we must bring our request before the Lord. God desires that we pour our hearts out to Him. He desires that we empty our frustrations, our emotions, our worries and our cares to Him.

As we follow this process, the Lord will provide peace that passes all understanding. And that peace will guard our hearts and minds as we prayerfully decide what to do. When you make your decision, do not second guess yourself. Trust the Lord and He will honor your faith in Him.

Father, give us faith to move mountains. Helps us to trust you with all our hearts. Help us to not lean on our own understanding. May we acknowledge Your Hand in our lives. We trust that you will direct our paths. In Christ's name . . . Amen.

Well the holidays are now over and it is time to get back to work, school etc. I had a very enjoyable holiday season with family and friends. I even performed a wedding for a wonderful couple.

I spent the last week out of commission due to illness but I am feeling much better now. I am exciting about what the Lord has in store for 2010. We have several events and opportunities lined up for our church folks. I am eager to announce some of the things that we have lined up for them.

With a new year and decade before us it is fitting to be reminded that the Lord has a unique task for each of us. He desires that we carry out that task, regardless of what it is, for His glory. Scripture teaches that our labor for the Lord is not in vain. God desires that we be faithful in the little things. Sometimes those little things may seem insignificant to us. God sees it quite differently. The Lord is looking at our heart and He desires that we serve Him with a joyful spirit.

While our current circumstances and situation may not be the most favorable, Scripture teaches us that in whatever state we are in that we are to be content. It is possible that the Lord has allowed these circumstances in our life just for the very reason of molding us into the person He desires us to be. The reason He molds us is because He is not finished with us.

My wife and I along with our two children spent the final minutes of 2009 in front of our television watching the crowd in Time Square last night. As we sat on our couch, I could not help but reflect on the past year as well as the past decade.

I have never been one to make New Year's resolutions but I felt very compelled to make some life and ministry decisions that I believe are very timely.

There are so many things that I wish that I could do over both on a personal and professional level. Since I can't, I will choose to learn from my mistakes and make wiser choices. I am thankful that the Lord has taught me so much over the years and that He works in spite of me.

Many people make resolutions and never follow through with them. I believe that most of these folks had very good intentions when they began their journey. Yet for some reason those good intentions became unfulfilled resolutions.

I believe the key to fulfilling resolutions is to make them achievable. I'm ready to go. I am praying that this year and this decade will be monumental in every aspect of my life. I am exciting about what the Lord has in store for the future. Until then I will keep pressing forward. Happy New Year to you! Philippians 3:13,14