Mark Buckley 5/4/20 Mark Buckley 5/4/20

He Reveals Deep and Hidden Things

by Mark Buckley, Founding Pastor
Mark Buckley Ministries

A few years ago, I was greeting people in the lobby of Living Streams when I saw a tall, handsome young man. One of our members introduced us and said he was a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals. I played football in high school and I have been a fan since I was a kid going to 49er games. The Cardinals were in pre-season at the time, with many coaching decisions being made. I immediately told the young guy how much I liked the team and what I felt about their coach, and about a situation they were facing.
       He looked straight at me with an expression I have never forgotten. His puzzled face said, “You are a pastor, not a football analyst. You don’t know what you are talking about.”
It did not surprise me that he did not stay with our church.
       I’ve been told by friends that I speak with as much authority about sports and business as I do about the Bible. These comments are not compliments. I have not played football in fifty years. I’ve been out of full-time business for forty-five years. I’m a fan who studies these things in newspapers and on TV. I like to share my opinions, but I have no real expertise.
       In late 1999, Bill Ford, a humble man with a ministry of intercessory prayer, made an appointment to meet with me. Bill sat down in my office and explained to me that he had been a farmer in Texas. In the early 1990’s, there was a drought and the farmers were struggling to make a living. While he was praying, the Lord spoke to Bill and told him to plow his field into large chunks when he prepared the ground to plant his crops. Bill knew crops could not grow in that soil unless the ground was broken into small pieces. Nevertheless, because it seemed the Lord was persistent, Bill plowed his soil into large chunks.
       Not long after he had plowed, there was a huge storm. The intense rain broke up Bill’s soil from large chunks into small pieces which were perfect for planting. Many of his neighbors who had plowed their soil into small pieces lost their soil to erosion when the rain fell so violently. Bill had tried to warn his neighbors and explain to them what God had shown him in advance, but they thought he was crazy.
       Bill then explained to me that the Lord had shown him we were going to have a major correction in the stock market. He told me many companies would be wiped out. I did not doubt Bill’s story about the warning the Lord gave him when he was farming. However, the stock market was booming, and I did not think Bill knew what he was talking about. Like his doubting neighbors, I discounted his warning completely.
Four months later, in March of 2000, the dot com bubble burst. I lost most of the money we had in the stock market, because I had moved it into high tech mutual funds. Then, in 2007, Bill gave me another warning about what he saw coming, which I ignored. I told myself I would listen and obey if Bill ever warned me about our situation again. I learned it is not easy to obey a word from the Lord that comes through someone else.
Two years ago, Bill sent me another warning about what he saw coming to America. I tucked this word into my heart. I felt the bubble of our debt-fueled prosperity would burst. We would be called to account for our pride, prejudice and pornography—among other issues. When I first tried to warn some of my business friends about the length and depth of the struggles we are now facing, they treated me the way I treated Bill in 2000. “I respect you, brother, but you are out of your depth on this issue.”
I have no more earned the right to speak as an authority on our economy than I have earned the right to speak to a sports professional about his team, or doctors about their medical practices. With one caveat:
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.(Daniel 2:22)
Sometimes, to reveal His glory, God shows his servants things beyond their pay grade.

Guest User 5/1/20 Guest User 5/1/20

Go Horizontal

No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute.

by Alan Heller, Personal Life Coach and Counselor
alan@walkandtalk.org

ISAIAH 58:6-9 (TLB)

No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help. If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply.
–Isaiah 58:6-9 (TLB)
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
–MMatthew 25:35-36 (NIV)

God tells us we should minister in practical ways to hungry people, unclothed people, unprotected people, prisoners, widows, and orphans. We’re to share our food, our homes, our clothing, and our abundance with those in need. As we do these things to others, it is as if we are doing them for Jesus Himself.

There are so many who need encouragement during this time. It should not be hard to find those who you could give to today. First responders, those in your neighborhood who are high risk that need someone to just ask, “How are you doing? Can I pray for you ? Can I get something at the store for you?”

QUESTION:

How can you be involved in serving the Lord, by serving others in the ways mentioned in these verses? Who are the widows, prisoners, orphans you can give to today? Who are poor in spirit that you can write, call, Zoom etc. ?

PRAYER:

May You shed Your glorious light upon me. May You heal me. May You lead me forward in Your ways, and protect me from behind. May your goodness be a shield for me. May I call and You quickly reply. Help me pour out Your abundant blessings on others.

ACTION:

Listen to God and take action. Go! And do what He tells you to do. No matter how small an action.

Guest User 4/28/20 Guest User 4/28/20

Good Reads

We asked our pastors and staff what they are reading while confined at home. We thought we’d share some of their answers with you:

Looking for something to read? We asked our pastors and staff what books they’d like to recommend.

David Stockton:

Song of Albion trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead:
The Paradise War
The Silver Hand
The Endless Knot
Fiction. A more grown up Narnia-type series. Super well-written, has Christian undertones, and is a fun mental break during this time.

Morgan Breitling:

Boundaries by John Townsend and Henry Cloud
The Wounded Healer by Henri J. M. Nouwen
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Debbie Becker:

Fervent by Priscilla Shirer
Head in the Clouds, Feet on the Ground by Ryan Romeo

He Reveals Deep and Hidden Things

Go Horizontal

Good Reads

David Stockton:

Mark Buckley:

Jay Murphy:

Faith Cummings:

Kurt Cotter:

Eddie Morales:

Tammy Valdez:

Arthur Le:

Jeremy Thompson:

Isaiah Gomez:

Sharon Welch:

Cleiton Oliveira:

Jenn Taylor:

Morgan Breitling:

Debbie Becker: