Trinity Fellowship Blog

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Bllood N Fire Ministries

Where in the world is Randall Terry?

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Randall Terry, right-wing activist

Big Bang Theory

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Super-Smasher targets massive mystery

The Necessity for a Revolution

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:00:00 GMT

There are three things that must change if the world is to see the true expression of The Body of Christ. These three things cannot be ignored. They cannot merely be adjusted. There must be an all out revolution, a revolt against the things that do not and cannot bring the true. Where these three things are concerned, it cannot be ‘business as usual’. A revolt is a necessity!

The Church

The hood is up on the church. She is pulled over on the side of the road and the world is passing her by. The church needs an overhaul. Why? It is because she has refused to change with the generations. It is because she has issued an invitation to her culture to stay and remain in the staleness of the past. She celebrates her previous victories and refuses to assess the critical opportunities that are in front of her. Her leaders are great managers of success but they lack the gift of ‘forward’ thinking. Progress and advancement has given way to a maintenance mentality. For His kingdom to come, there must be a radical change in church philosophy. Nothing short of an all out revolution will usher in the purity of the kingdom of God.

The Family

It is no secret that the family has been under the relentless attack of the enemy. The importance of the family has been compromised. For husbands and wives, the attention has shifted from loving the other unconditionally to having their own personal needs met. And rather than learn how to meet their God-given mate’s needs, the focus has turned inward. Something has to change. There must be a revolution of devotion to the one whom the Father has given us. There must be a mutual re-commitment to the vows that were taken before God. Husbands and wives must get on the same page with the plan of God for their lives. They must come to an understanding that what each is called by God to do is impossible to complete without the wisdom and cooperation of the other. The ultimate kingdom partnership will develop when we do it His way.

The Individual

Selfishness has reached an all time high. It has become all about what we want to do with our lives and not what He has called us to do. While the sands of our own destiny drop through the hourglass we have become content with temporary and superficial satisfaction. We have grown comfortable in letting someone else carry out the will of the Father. We have used all the lame excuses for not putting our hand to the plow. The world has suffered because of it. Repentance and commitment must be given top priority. A revolution must come; something so radical that the world cannot help but notice. All glory and honor must go to Him.

For the true church to rise to its destiny, the family must be on the road to health, wholesomeness and holiness. And for the family to ever experience genuine and lasting health, the individual must really get right with God. Business as usual won’t cut it; it will take a revolution!

It Ain't Free...

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 05:00:00 GMT

I have always enjoyed the 4^th of July and the celebration that goes along with it here in rural, middle America. I still enjoy watching the fireworks as much as I did when I was a kid. It’s now more about my little eleven year old girl and the grandkids but I still enjoy it nonetheless. Just about everybody in Sayre, Oklahoma shows up at the city park about sundown. Several hundred people of all ages are lighting explosives of all sizes, entirely too close to onlookers. As far as I know there have not been casualties (No serious ones, anyway!). Gotta’ be a miracle! Then there’s the ‘big’ fireworks show that the volunteer fire department facilitates. It’s usually worth the wait. But, last night the fireworks display in our little town was different for me. Oh, I enjoyed it as usual but I started thinking in the midst of smoke bombs, sparklers, Roman candles, showering sparks from exploding ‘fountains’, firecrackers and those loud, booming ones that should only be lit by professionals (no pros around!); that in a forsaken country halfway around the world young men and women are being shot at in my behalf! The blasts there are not from Roman candles or Black Cats; they’re from RPG’s, roadside bombs, sniper’s rifles and suicide bombers. I’ve never been one to take my freedom for granted, at least not since I saw “Saving Private Ryan”, but last night I appreciated it more. I have sons that are professional bull riders. That’s pretty dangerous. They were six hundred miles away last night doing something dangerous. But they weren’t ten thousand miles away being shot at. For that, I’m grateful. As a parent, I can’t imagine it. No, last night made me grateful, more than ever before for the men and women who fight and die for the freedom of our country, my freedom. There’s nothing like freedom…..but it ain’t ever been free. Thanks!

Are WE the Problem?

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Do you know who Sam Harris is? If you don’t, chances are that you soon will. Sam Harris, an atheist, has written a couple of books; “The End of Faith”, and his most recent, “Letter to a Christian Nation”. I haven’t read either book, but I have read a dozen or so reviews by authors, professors and several other intellectual types. Harris has taken the position to inform all who would dare to read his work that Christian religion is the main cause of all that is wrong with the world. Both books, and Harris himself, are receiving broad acclaim throughout the non-Christian world. I think it would profit Christians to read his books. I probably will. Not for the education to decide whether or not to retreat from the true Kingdom to some incredibly lesser form of life, but to inspect the truth of what he’s written. Jesus said that we are to agree with our adversary while we are on the way. We might learn from some unexpected sources how the unsaved world sees the church. It could actually be productive for us.

There seems to be a rise to prominence of atheistic values in America. There have been a few recent debates between Christians and atheists on some of the national news networks. Debates between Christians and atheists always end up making me mad. The Christians always come across as holier than thou, prideful and condescending toward the atheists. I could never understand how or why you would try to convince someone with Biblical truth who doesn’t believe in God to begin with. It doesn’t at all make sense to me. These debates usually end up frustrating me with the Christians more than the atheists. At any rate there’s a challenge ahead. We must embrace what I believe to be the only two things that will win the atheists over to our Heavenly Father; supernatural signs and wonders and unconditional love. These two things will bring the staunchest unbelievers to a place where biblical truth actually means something.

Kingdom Identity

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:00:00 GMT

There is a phrase that has been surfacing in my spirit lately that I believe is from the Lord. The phrase is, “kingdom identity”. As far as I know I haven’t heard this phrase from anyone else although I guess there is the possibility that I may have subconsciously picked it up somewhere. At any rate I believe that it’s a God phrase and I think it means a lot to us. Finding our true identity in life is a major expedition for most of us. We have to struggle through who we think we want to be, who others expect us to be and then hopefully somewhere along the way we evolve into who He says we are. Through that whole process we arrive at different intersections in life and find ourselves to be the product of who we thought we wanted to be, or who others expect us to be only to find that we really don’t like ourselves much and who we have become. To get stalled out in that process could mean missing who we really are, from His perspective, and in turn missing our destiny.

The pinnacle of contentment, I believe, only comes from knowing who we are, who He says that we are! My opinion is that it goes beyond ‘knowing who you are in Christ’. I can find out who I am in Christ by reading the Word and understanding that, with our salvation comes a new identity. My kingdom identity, however, is more specific, more defined and it only comes through intimacy with the Father. When I become aware of my ‘kingdom identity’ I am then able to cooperate in, and complete the story that He’s written about me!

The Church in America is TOO CHURCHY!

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:00:00 GMT

The church in America is too churchy! We are so entrenched in our religious mentality and we use so much religious language that the world cannot understand us. It has put us in a place culturally where our influence has been crippled. Some would read this and argue that we are not to be conformed to the world. What I am talking about is not being conformed into the world at all, but thinking and acting in such a way that the world seeks us out and doing what we do in such a way that the world can at least understand what we’re talking about. Jesus was a ‘friend’ to those in the world. Sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes searched until they found Jesus! Not so with the church of today. Many of that company are looking for a way out but they seem to look elsewhere. In most cases the church is not a considered option. The American church is too churchy! We have become irrelevant for our generation. Something has to change.

What Happened to Ted Haggard?

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:00:00 GMT

I was extremely grieved when I first heard the news of Ted Haggard’s calamity. He was a very credible and trusted man of God who founded and headed up one of the most influential evangelical churches in America. At first I, flat out, didn’t believe it! My first thought was that this was a vicious and false accusation. My second thought was that if it is true, (and at least some of it has turned out to be) it is more evidence of the calculated conspiracy of the enemy to bring down those that God has elevated to places of influence.

What has happened to Ted Haggard has affected us all. When one member of the body hurts, the whole body hurts with it. Our credibility is again in question just like it was in the days of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker. We all are suspect again. The world is again watching us closer to see if there is any genuine substance to us. It may not be fair but I say it’s a good thing. It will help to keep us humble. It will help to remind us again of our total weakness without God’s continual support. Because in all reality, if Ted Haggard can fall, so can I. I am at risk. It’s a reminder for me to keep my focus and my dependency on God and not on myself.

The Poor in Atlanta

ctdesigns@trinity1org — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:00:00 GMT

I’m in Atlanta again with my friend David VanCronkhite who founded and operates an inner city ministry known as Blood n’ Fire, and once more I am reminded of the incredible plight of the poor. The relentless process urban renewal is forcing the Blood n’ Fire ministry to relocate from downtown Atlanta. The condition of the poor is not a priority for the city leaders of Atlanta or for any other city for that matter. And the crusaders who cry out for justice for the poor are few and far between and face an almost impossible, uphill battle. We have all had plenty of bad days, days when things were extremely hard but it is different for the homeless. There is no hope! On top of that there is no hope for ever having hope. The constant reality of not knowing whether or not you are going to eat, or where you will finally lay down at night, magnified by the fact that nobody cares; This is a day in the life of the homeless. The poor and homeless are a constant focus of our Heavenly Father. They should occupy at least some of our concern, our prayer and our provision. What can we do in our own environment to relieve the incredible pain of the poor and homeless?