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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

If we compared churches to different types of baked goods, what would we find?  It may seem a little silly, even irreverent to some, but since most claim to be representing the Bread of Life Himself, I feel it is appropriate.

So here for your (spiritual) dining pleasure is a list of the different offerings commonly available:

The Church of White Bread.

This bread is really bland. It has no nutritional value whatsoever because the main ingredient has been over-processed to the point that it is virtually unrecognizable from the original. It's main advantage is it comes pre-sliced, and prepackaged and can be purchased anywhere fairly cheaply.

The main ingredients in descending order are:

• Doctrines of Man.
• A Form of Godliness which denies the power thereof.
• Fear of Man.
• Legalism.
• Hypocrisy.

The Church Of The Donut

This church type actually has a myriad of different subtypes. The competition between the different bakeries over revenue and market share causes them to continually seek to outdo each other to come up with various toppings and additives. The product of some of the more extreme ends up being what can only be described by a nutritionist as Death on a Plate. Since there are so many subtypes, I'm only going to focus on three examples:

 The Glazed:

This is the foundational donut. All the others of this type are built upon this one. It is perhaps the most popular one. Even though the it contains the primary ingredient of White Bread, the Glazed has been sweetened to the point that Sugar has become the primary ingredient of this product. That, coupled with massive amounts of lard means that it has no nutritional value whatsoever.

The main ingredients in descending order are:

• Doctrines of Man.
• Seeker Sensitive.
• Greasy Grace.
• A Form of Godliness which denies the power thereof.
• Fear of Man.
• Legalism.
• Hypocrisy.

The Iced with Sprinkles

The I.W.S. is virtually indistinguishable from the Glazed variety nutritionally. Like the glazed it relies on sugar to attract customers. The main difference of course is the addition of the icing and sprinkles. Devotees claim that this product is far superior in every respect to the glazed, but the fact is that it is perhaps a little richer with far more empty calories. The ingredients are the same as the glazed so I'll just list the two additions:

• Iced with 'Your Best Life Now'.
• Sprinkled with a hard yoke and heavy burden.

The Donut Burger: (A.K.A.: The Abomination)

Words fail me. This thing is so revolting just looking at it makes you nauseous. This thing is popular among people who desire 'more'... of everything. They want things richer, with more sugar, more meat, more everything.The ability to eat one of these requires the consumer to suspend reasoning and ignore their conscience. They develop an almost cult like devotion to the baker, spending vast amounts of cash to enrich the baker while believing his claims that what is being offered is so rich, and tastes so good, that it must be from Heaven itself. Oddly enough while they claim to believe the bible, they love to misquote it and take it out of context.

The Abomination contains the same ingredients as the other two with the addition of:

• Pastor Worship (Touch not the Lords anointed).
• Greed (God's blessings are bought by your money)
• Prideful.
• Selfish.
• Manipulation.
• Control.
• Word of Faith (a.k.a. Name it & Claim it.)
• Noise (Evidently they believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit is measured in decibels).
• The Pastors Visions & Dreams that contradict the Bible.
• The Pastors personal 'Angelic Visitations'.
• 'Flaky' Prophecies.

Now that we've seen the range of th nutrition-less choices that range from the unwise to the deadly, lets examine what a church based on what the real Bread of Life would look like:

The Bread Of Life 

This type of church is packed with honest nutrients and flavor. Every ingredient is good for the consumer. There are no empty calories and will actually sustain life and promote health. The bakers of this Bread are careful follow the ancient recipes which allow for a marvelous range of ingredients that can be added or substituted. However the bakers of these loaves would never add man-made ingredients of any kind. The thought of pedaling an inferior product would horrify them.

The list of ingredients of this type are:

• Jesus Christ: who was crucified, died, resurrected, and seated at God's right hand. Who is coming again to judge the living and the dead.
• Love - for God 
• Love - for fellow partakers
• Full of the Spirit.
• Faithful
• Selfless.
• Hopeful. 
• Generous.
• Forgiving.
• Fruitful: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.
• Spirit-led.
• Practice the Gifts of the Spirit.
• Lives Transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Ancient Landmarks

This morning while reading the news I came across a NYT article at MSNBC titled Tsunami warnings, written in stone, saved some.

The article tells of an old stone marker in Japan, that was set at the point of the farthest reach of a tidal wave that hit Japan 600 years ago. The people at this village have always obeyed this warning from their ancestors and so they survived the latest tsunami.

The article goes on to say that these kinds of stones are common throughout Japan, many as far as 3 miles inland. Some of the locals have faithfully obeyed them through the generations. In other areas these ancient warnings have been ignored. It was considered inconvenient to have to commute so far to their fishing boats. I'm sure that like u many were drawn and enticed to live within the proscribed bounds because of the beauty as well as the availability of prime coastal property.

In some areas the stones have been neglected over time: The carved writing has weathered away. The stones have been covered with vegetation. The people couldn't be bothered to maintain or heed these warnings. When the wave came, they died.

Are We Ignoring Our Ancient Stones?

I am convinced that yes, we American Christians are largely ignoring the ancient stones, or landmarks as the bible calls them, that God has given to us. In Proverbs 22:28. it says 'Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.'

So what exactly are our landmarks? What warnings have been 'carved in stone' for us that are going unheeded? No, I'm not talking about the Ten Commandments, which in our country have been rendered into the 'Ten Suggestions' by many. After all, we Christians are no longer under the law a, which was fulfilled by Jesus b. We are under grace a.

The Bible goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” The context refers to the Children of Israel that were led out of Egypt by Moses. It warns us that the things that happened to them: How they rebelled, murmured, and complained; and how they were judged by the Lord and severely punished was to warn and instruct us not to act the way they did. Check it out for yourself. Read the 10'th chapter of 1 Corinthians for yourself.

Entrance to heaven is by faith in Christ alone, but both the New and Old Testaments make it abundantly clear that we were created to walk with God. We were created to live closely with Him, to hear Him, speak with Him, love Him, trust Him, please Him, and obey Him.

Simply put: pay attention to the 'warning stones', the landmarks God has given. Don't ignore them or allow them to fade with time. Your life depends on it. Don't allow yourself to be deceived into thinking that just because 'the wave' has never reached where you are now, that it never will.

a. Romans 6:14 ( ESV) “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

b. Mathew 5:17 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

A Side of Quail?

While praying today God reminded me of Psalm 78 :25 – 31. It retells the story written by Moses in Numbers 19. It's the famous story of God feeding His people, Israel, quail in the desert.

The Israelites had been delivered from slavery in Egypt by many awesome signs and wonders. God himself went to war against their enemy, the Egyptians. The land of Egypt was laid waste. Their economy was ruined. Death had taken their eldest children, and God destroyed their military. Moses then led them out into the Sinai desert through the wilderness on their way to the promised land.

Now God had already performed great miracles for them He had more than amply proved His love for them and that He would lead them and take care of them,

The Book of Numbers relates the fact that it didn't take long for the people to become dissatisfied with the way things were going. God provided them with manna, Psalm 78:25 calls it 'the bread of the angels. He gave it to them abundantly every day to meet their needs. It was a magnificent example of His mighty power and love. It tells how the 'rabble' among them started craving all the really good things that they had to eat when they were slaves in Egypt, and now all they had was this boring manna stuff.

The complaining and discontent of the rabble spread like a virus through the nation. Soon everyone was griping about the lack of any decent food. 'If only we had meat to eat!' they whined, then we'd be happy and content.

What an incredible insult to the Lord Our God! They rejected His loving bounty, and demanded to have what they craved, lusted after, and desired. Psalm 78 says God became so full of wrath that it is described as a fire kindled against Jacob.

Next God opened up the 'windows of heaven' and gave them manna just Like He always did. Then he caused a wind to drive vast numbers of quail into the camp in such a way that they could be easily captured.

If we'd been there and had become part of the 'rabble' no doubt we'd be exulting and praising God for finally meeting our needs. We'd have gotten the charcoal and barbecue sauce and had a great cookout! Oh sure we'd have used the manna too, maybe as breading for the 'main dish'. We'd have tore into the feast with gusto! We'd have stuffed our mouths so full of quail we couldn't talk. And then right as the full juicy and delectable savor of our meal filled our mouths: We'd have choked.... to death.

Whoa! What's going on? The people only wanted a little meat, just a side of quail. What's the big deal?

It's simple, really. God provided for every need that they had. When they complained about not having meat to eat they inferred that they knew better than God, that if He really cared, He would give them what they wanted. Psalms Chapter 78:22 (ESV) says what happened to them was: “because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.”

Do we have food? Are we clothed? Do we have shelter? Are we content with what god has given us? Or are we always craving more? Maybe 'Your best life now' is best achieved by skipping the side of quail.

Paul said it this way in 1 Timothy 6: 6-8 'A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.' (The Message)

MURDERED SHEEP

I woke up the morning of July 5'th after having had the following vivid dream which I believe was from God.

I was on a rugged mountainside. I was armed with a rifle, dressed in a black S.W.A.T. style uniform. In front of me on the ground was a dead wild mountain sheep that I had just killed.. I was feeling very excited and happy over my successful hunt.

I became aware of other hunters all around me; hundreds of them. I didn't recognize any of them. They were all dressed in black & armed as I was and each was next to a fresh kill. Some were covered in blood as they knelt to field-dress their prey. Everywhere I looked I saw the same and I became horrified when I realized that I couldn't see any living sheep anywhere.

Alarmed, I dropped my weapon and called out: “We have to stop this or soon there wont be any more sheep left!”. All of the other hunters looked at me as if I were insane and laughed and proceeded to butcher their kills. Then I woke up with the understanding that the hunters were all shepherds of God's flock that were murdering the sheep that they were supposed to care for and that God was really, really angry.

My wife wife Helen & I have been committed Christians for nearly forty years. We recently resigned as elders & members from the church we had attended for the last three years. We didn't resign because of scandal or 'issues' with any of the other leaders or members; but because God spoke to us and told us to. It's been a month and the only answer we had to give anyone was that “God said so”. But now I believe God is providing us with a clearer understanding of why He told us to step down & leave. For the record: we were not salaried staff and I can think of no specific instance where either Helen or I did anything to anyone that we or anyone else at our local body would consider abusive. We left on good terms with love and honor from our former church pastor and fellow members.

So what exactly is God trying to show me? What is His specific gripe with the leaders of His church that has Him so angry? We're still praying through that. But He has shown me that the way we 'do church' here in the United States at least, is largely ineffective at reaching the lost and making disciples for Jesus. It has become bloated and unwieldy, dependent on money and numbers of seats filled to maintain the ever increasing expense of paying salaries & benefits, maintaining buildings & programs, and acquiring the cash to accomplish that and do more of the same. Church was never intended to be a business. The Church is a body. Specifically the Body of Jesus Christ. We are His physical manifestation on the earth to be used by the Holy Spirit to reach the lost and make disciples of Jesus. Sadly, we seem to have abandoned discipleship in favor of success measured by body count and bank balance.

Biblically, elders are responsible to God to shepherd His sheep. His flock. We're supposed to lead the people under our care to good spiritual food and pure spiritual water. We're to protect the sheep from threats and abuse. As elders at our church we did our best to be obedient and faithful stewards of God's household. Along with our fellow elders and leaders we tried to build up the church the way it is 'supposed' to be done according to our understanding. I feel that God has showed me is that in spite of our best intentions and desires, that instead of doing what we're called to do, to serve and protect God's flock, we are actually destroying it. What we are doing is effectively feeding ourselves and consuming the flock instead of protecting & nurturing it. The survival and growth of 'The Ministry' has become the objective. If we manage to do that we pat ourselves on the back, pleased with our measurable success. In the meantime the people of God are largely un-discipled, un-transformed, and lacking in any real fruit.

I believe God is saying He isn't pleased at all with the way we're going about the Kingdom's work. God wants the elders to stop the butchery of his sheep. Now.

Journey

Why is it that just when I'm comfortable, just when I'm 'in the groove', just when I think that I've got it all together, that the Lord always seems to step in and shake things up? I've been pondering this a lot lately because the Lord has once again intervened in the course of my life. It's happened many times and you would think that I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not.

As a youth I found myself driven to leave the comfort of my home & family to join the Army. I traveled the world, became a disciple of Jesus, & met my future wife, Helen. It was exciting and scary at times, (no I never saw combat). Along the way I learned discipline,  respect, & most importantly: that I could rely on the Holy Spirit.

As a young man & newly married, I became We, & we went out as missionaries. Not to some far flung corner of the earth but a remote place just the same. East Tennessee can be as wild as the jungles of Kalimantan, except they have wonderful country ham biscuits and easy interstate highway access. I learned that truly the ways of God our not my ways. I learned that often the plans that I have for me, are not the plans He has for me. I also learned that the people of God there, the real sold out for Jesus types, are amazingly kind & wonderful.

When the Lord determined our time there was done we moved to Northern Virginia & I joined the corporate world of IBM. For the next 18 years I steadily moved up the corporate ladder acquiring houses, lands, & possessions: ' the American Dream'. It was all so hollow. I felt like I was losing my soul at times, and perhaps I was.

One of the brightest spots at that time was in 1986 when we became the proud parents of our daughter Elizabeth. We adopted a beautiful bi-racial baby girl who has grown up to be a wonderful person. A loving wife & mother; who has found her calling in life as an EMT.

EATING GRASS
As we were building our life, acquiring the 'things of this world', spiritually we were treading water. The problem with treading water of course is that you tire eventually and go under. We never forsook the Lord but there were times that we lived more for this life than the next.

God had to get my attention somehow; and so he smacked me right upside the head with a big ol' 2x4 called MS. Multiple Sclerosis. Now don't get all 'preachy' and theological on me. I know God is not the author of evil. And yet if all things happen for the good of those who love Him and are called by Him, and if He Himself by His own purpose and power allowed His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, the very Author of Life, to be tortured and horrifically murdered for us to bring about the miracle of salvation by which we all become adopted into His family, maybe our understanding of what is evil and what is not is imperfect.

For seven years, like Nebuchadnezzar, I 'ate grass'. I lost everything of myself that I had come to rely on, everything in which I took pride, except my wife and daughter. I wont say any more about that time except to say that it was bad. And dark. Very, very, very bad, and very, very, very dark.

Then in a sovereign act, according to His purpose and power, Jesus healed me and I have remained free of MS since 2004! You can read that story here. Why do I describe it as a sovereign act? No I didn't 'stand in faith', I couldn't stand. No I didn't 'pray through until I had my miracle'. No I didn't memorize and recite the 'healing' verses; my memory was shot. No I didn't 'have faith in my faith', I had precious little. No 'super saint' prayed for me. No friend stood in faith for me. No miracle revivals, no TV preachers, and no  '$eed faith offering'.  Two strangers who knew nothing about me heard Jesus command them to pray for me. And without knowing why, or even that I was sick, they obeyed. I was healed.

NEED A MIRACLE?
So if you need a miracle, my advice is to throw away your 'faith' books, tapes, CD's, & DVD's.  It's not at all about what you know, what you can say, or what you can give. You can't manipulate or buy God's favor or obligate Him to do something for you in any way,  It's only about Who you know. If you know Him that's all you need to know.

Then God told us to sell our house in North Carolina and move. All we knew was that we were heading for Virginia. Where and for how long we had no idea. Crazy? Yeah, maybe. But when God heals you of an incurable illness and then tells you to do something, you're inclined to obey.

We spent a year at the ministry where I was healed. It was a year of preparation for our next assignment. It was a year for us to finish healing. You see, we needed healing from our emotional & spiritual wounds. MS & IBM & the world had worked us over pretty completely.

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF...LIFE?
So again, we packed up what was left of our possessions and came here to The Valley. Once again based on a command from God we abandoned the comfortable and the familiar and launched out into the unknown. Before we moved the Lord told me: "If you move to this land that I will give you, I will bless and prosper you, I will make you shine as lights in Crimora." So we did. I remember asking Him: "OK God, we're here, now what?

We live very humbly, very disconnected from everything the world values, disconnected from everything the modern materialistic church values. We live in a trailer owned by someone else rent free except for the lot rent. We have one functioning ten year old auto. Don't own  a TV (don't want one either). Our furniture has seen far better days. I'm building a shed made from recycled pallets . Our possessions are few. And yet we are living LIFE more abundantly than ever before! If any preacher ever tries to tell you the abundant life consists of the things you can possess, that man is a deceiver and false prophet. Check out Luke 12:15 & then tear up that check you wrote as a '$eed Faith' offering to bribe God with and give the money to the poor.


DESTINY
In 2007 we visited a little church in Stuarts Draft, Destiny Family Center. Helen visited first on a Wednesday night when one of my nephews was baptized. While there she heard the Lord tell her "This is a revolving congregation" and she had a mental image of a revolving door with people leaving as fast as they were coming in. We both have pondered and wondered about this ever since, especially since it has proved to be scarily accurate.

We both started attending it and found the people and pastor to be really wonderful people who seriously loved Jesus and wanted to see the Kingdom advance. We found Pastor Chuck Balsamo's preaching to be  filled with the Spirit, prophetic, and challenging. We prayed and felt that God directed us to become members there, which was surprising because we consider ourselves to be 'out of the box' believers.

Over the years we have formed friendships with many wonderful people, became elders, and saw God move in mighty and often mysterious ways. We have shared in the joys and sorrows of DFC as a whole and of many of the people individually.

WHAT! AGAIN GOD?
Once again we heard God tell us to leave. This time we're leaving a wonderful body of believers, Destiny Family Center. It's heartbreaking. It's scary. Maybe a little crazy. But like I said before, when God heals you of an incurable disease, you're inclined to obey. Over the past week we have cried, prayed, and cried some more. We consulted Godly men and women who have spoken into our lives over the last 33 years, some of whom are apostles, all of whom hear the voice of God clearly.

So we are being faithful and obedient to what God wants us to do even though it breaks our hearts to do so. We know that even though we're not physically leaving the area we will lose touch with many of our friends at DFC. That is the nature of this life, relationships are often like the tides which rise and recede. But we are confident and hopeful that we all will be reunited forever together with Jesus, and  that we can maintain many of our friendships at DFC.

We feel God is calling us into the 'simple church' movement, organic Christianity, a church without walls. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about get 'The Jesus Manifesto' and the other outstanding books by Frank Viola.

To our friends at DFC: Keep us in your prayers, we love you folks.

To anyone else: Hi! my name is Dave & this is my wife Helen, we want to tell you about this friend of ours who did something really amazing in our life..........

Hillsong - He Is Lord - With Subtitles/Lyrics