Wednesday, August 14, 2013

BURDENED

Burdened
I am a pastor and have been my entire married life in one role or another. 
I started in 1989 and now it is 2013. I started as a youth pastor in FL and now 
I am a senior Pastor in Florida. Things have changed. When I started Christians attended church services and functions as their regular routine to be with other believers, now if it fits into their agenda they will try to make it. When I started if there was a missionary, special guest or revival services people showed up excited, expecting , now you have to convince people why they should change their schedule for something beyond the regular services. When I started people wanted to pray and enjoyed praying; now very few will pray with others and hardly any tears are ever shed.
   When I started drug addicts were those who purchased them illegally from the drug dealers, now drug addicts are those hooked from their doctor’s prescriptions. When I started teenagers played outside, liked to go do stuff with the youth group and now if they have nothing better to do they might attend a youth function. When I started out
children and teens came with their parents, now grandparents try to bring their grandchildren if their parents will let them. When I started destroying your secular rock and roll records and cassettes was a sign of coming out of the world, not following the latest secular groups is considered the cool thing to do in the world.
      When I started people brought their bibles to church, now they leave them home. 
When I started people enjoyed small groups, now many avoid them. When I started
accountability meant letting someone know why you would not be at church, now accountabilty is none of your business. When I started sex outside of marriage was sin, now living with anyone is acceptable. When I started homosexuality was a shameful way to live, not it’s just another way to live. The culture has shifted, the church in American has 
declined but the Hope of Good News remains the same, but I am burdened.
I hope you identify more with how it was then how it is. If so, Praise the Lord, if not, then I'm burdened for you. I am burdened for our country, our culture and our churches.
I am burdened for our children, young parents and our communities. We need each other, we need to pray, we need we to repent and we need revival.
"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will healtheir land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 

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