5/10/12 Took a fall yesterday, Lord. I was running ... well ... really ... just jogging a little faster than a quick paced walk ... with my good friend and coworker in urban ministry, Keith. We were talking, laughing, just having a good time exercising, talking over ministry, sharing our thoughts about You, when, out of no where this rock appears, pops up, stuck in the pavement on this nice smooth school track, and all I remember was my toe hitting the rock, and then my hands being six inches from the ground. No time to react. No time to think. It happened way too quickly, so I caught myself with my hands, scraping them up, bloodying my knee, jamming my elbow into a state of stiffness and swollenness that made it pretty useless all day.

When I realized what I had done, I just sat still. Didn't move. Keith consoled, asked if I was ok. I knew it was best to take a moment to reflect on my condition. To see how bad the injury was, and what my next move was to be.

The swirl of life around me, lately, Lord, has included a number of difficulties, struggles, that Satan wants to use to cause a fall. I know he only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I also know that the reason Jesus came was to destroy the Devil's work.

5/2/12 It was really simple today. She came in yesterday asking for a dry erase marker for a project she was working on at one of the shelters. She came out today having received a permanent mark in her soul by way of water in the form of a seal called the Holy Spirit.

Sins erased, filled with Your presence, a child of Yours now and forever. Pretty cool, huh, Lord?

He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2Corinthians 1:21-22, NIV

4/23/12 She came in late last Thursday afternoon. She had spoken with Chase over two weeks ago, and some since, about getting her life right with You.  Chase, who came as an apprentice, but certainly has learned to become the evangelist he's never been before. Lord, You seem to have a way of awakening the desire to set seeking souls free, if we would but only let You.

I came out of a meeting to help Chase take her to the River City Church baptistry, and when we got in the car, I just asked her, "So what brought you to this point today? What led you to want to surrender your life to Jesus today?"

"Well, I've had some troubles, lost my job, a good one, and so my rent can't be paid. I was upset, needed help, so a friend, said, 'I know where you need to go. Let's go to RCM and pray with the guys there."

She thought for a second, "And, my friend, you know she's a prostitute ..."

Lord, I know that prostitute. I've prayed with her, and for her, many times. I've spoken to You about my desire to have the healing power of the Holy Spirit and the saving blood of Jesus Christ make her into a resurrected new woman set on glorifying You. Help me to become the evangelist I've never been before—one who always sees You in the soul of every human being You bring my way.

For John came to you show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Matthew21:32, NIV

4/16/12 Lord, it started early yesterday morning. Early is about 9:00am, or later, in the inner city. Chase and I went to RCM, bringing along our grills for a RCM cookout that the Riverside church of Gassville would provide later in the day. We dropped off the grills when Billy came up, "I need your help bro. Anthony, now, today. Will you help me?"

Billy. You know him Lord. He was immersed three years ago, or so, but before Billy was immersed I told him, as a sign of his repentance, that he needed to get rid of his porn collection. It was a big garbage bag full of ... well, and I'm sad to say this, but You know what was in the bag.

Yesterday morning, though, Billy had a problem. He leaned over and whispered, "I've got an STD, you know, it burns when I ..." So, I asked him, "What about that problem you had, that we took care of when you were baptized, you know the porn stuff?" He smiled, "I ain't doing that no more," sticking out his chest a bit, "that's out of my life."

"Sooooo, what about this STD, and this girl you're with?" I was thinking, no more porn problem, ok, but sex outside marriage, and a disease to boot. There's certainly a commitment disconnect somewhere here.