dennis j adams

When I consider my past and what God has done for me I feel really honored. With the present promises being fulfilled and the promises I have for the future I can say that the fight of faith is a good one. I am thankful for the promise in Philippians 1:6 that He will perform the work in me until the Day of Lord.  Yes, that brings real confidence to me in all the struggles to bring compassion and care to the hurting. 

I am glad to know that He is running the show and not me! He is the strength of all that I do and ever hope to do! When I was not serving Him it was me who was running the show, at least I thought that way. What an honor it is to be called by His Name and be able to call Jesus my Lord and my Brother. In all that I do and all that we do, He is honored to be called our God. Take today and give it up for Jesus and the rest of the heavenly family.

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

Right now, as you read this, I am in a “What If” moment.  You could also say it is a “Can The” moment.  What if there were no denominations? What if the Church of God was not a centralized form of government? What if we could exist without all the “stuff” that denominations persist on pushing on all its members. What if we had leaders that led and were not wealthy land owners? What if we really were building the Kingdom of God instead  holding on to land too say we have a church in that town.  What if we were able to see that “dead” and “broken” churches may not come back to where they “were”?  Can the people survive without an attachment to the denomination? Can the leaders come to the conclusion that we are really frustrated with being addressed as though we do not get it? Can the pastors throughout America continue in ministry outside the Church of God? Can the leaders really turn the “pyramid” paradigm upside down?  Can the General Assembly make a difference in the local church anymore?

What if I decided to just turn in my membership and just pastor? Can the people I lead understand my decision?

This is quite a post and I realize it! When I look at what is reaching to me in the need of the poor and the disenfranchised and I see that my hand is empty…I wonder if I should just move on and seek help in another area?  I do agree to a degree with Jonathan Stones’ blog The Futurist referring to “the church that just won’t die”.  We need to come to the conclusion that change does not mean that we have really changed!

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

Man, it is really hard lately to even embrace all the “change” that is going on! What I mean by this is that one must be careful not to embrace falsehood.  The enemy can counter with really good stuff that sounds good.  He tried that with Jesus in the desert, remember? This kind of change comes when people become really frustrated or even weary trying to accomplish what is believed to be “Godly” desires.  Often they are, but, the darkness begins to act like light and BAM, oops there it is, loss and failure.  Yes, failure to continue in what your goal was! Just keep a knee bent and a heart lifted to Him who can show you the tomorrow before it comes.

God wants success for His people (Church) not failure! I know that stages come through out life that offer perfect platforms to perform on.  The question is this: Does He want you to perform on that platform or is there another just for you?  His voice and His text is the ruling factor in every decision for change.  Listen for Him, He is calling to all of us! These stages will pass! I hope and pray that we all will be ready for the next ones.

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

Yep, that is what the title states. Ever since Jesus took off in the sky we have been trying to tweak Christianity. Trying somehow to make it better than when Jesus was here. Kind of weird I think! Jesus twisted the Pharisees one day by stating:

“‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”” (Matthew 15:8-9, NKJV)

Letting them know that all their precepts and laws that they had created were causing difficulty in worshiping God.  And that truly is what has been happening throughout the history of the Church.  Even today as we look at the different movements and associations that are birthed in this pot-modern society. All these new ideas and quite frankly really bad ideas they are, are making it difficult for people to even get to know the real Jesus. Sometimes I just want to shout out, “Will the real Jesus please stand up and tell everyone again that their hearts are far from Him.  I just want everyone to stop tweaking what does not need to be tweaked.  Individuals should tweak there own thoughts about their relationship with God.  Working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  You cannot make better what God has already made perfect.  The goal is to mature into the fullness of Christ.  Not tweak this relationship so that there really is not a relationship but a translucent image of some surrealistic Jesus that cannot be reached because the relationship “thing” is not tweaked enough.  Right now I feel like playing Pink Floyd’s Wish You were Here at full decimal sound with my head stuck inside the speaker!

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

All Scripture used in this blog are from the The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

For a moment I would ask that the two stories in the Bible, The Good Samaritan and the The Prodigal Son be compared.  There is an essence in the comparative that is deeply spiritual and rich in truth.  There is a decent from character to a healing in character.  There is a moment of decision in mind that affects the heart of many.  There is an approach from a distance that entails the embrace of the moment.

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

As one enters into each day there are many choices to make. Such as, go to the office, go to the bank, get up out of bed, pray, worship, eat, go back to sleep, pay bills, study, fix the car, mow the lawn, call a friend, be a friend, write a letter, read a book and many more….

The one choice that I like to make each day is to be a good Samaritan in some way and “lean” into someones life and make a different through a compassionate action. I have found through my many years of helping people that touching a life will make a difference in that person and others who witness the care I share. I never do anything for people to say…”look at what he did…” I do it because I just cannot walk by.

I am so glad that Jesus did not walk by me even though there were many times that I walked by Him. I am sure that there have been countless people walk by me and never cared to reach into my life and share the love of Christ. The uniqueness of a relationship with Christ is that you become like Him if you spend time with Him in prayer. I know that because of the incredible sense of compassion I have for mankind and the future of our social culture in this world.

So each day I just want to find someone lying there, left for dead, and lift them up to bring them to the “inn” where they can find comfort and rest. Of all choices, this is the one that I choose first. Try “leaning” into a life and see how Jesus will bring healing and joy to their weary and pained soul.

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

Many years have past and many have stop worshiping in the manner that was right to them. Now a new gen of worshipers have emerged with concepts that focus more on the one worshiped than the worshiper. (I know that this sounds a bit peculiar!) However, a certain cause and effect which is marvelous is happening around the post-modern Church in America. Sort of a spiritual awakening that is causing a “realism” in worship not an emotionalism.

As many have shook, rattled, and rolled for years and built congregations on the fact of how many people were slain in the (S)spirit (or man) the question arises today: Just what was accomplished in the Pentecostal circles of faith? Have we spent all these years in emotionalism and shallow spiritualism not realizing that there is a depth to the realism in our relationship with Him? Have we turned from our roots of Pentecostal Worship, per say, to a more approachable and inviting style that would attract a younger gen of people?

Here is what I believe… We spent years “having” a time in the House of God but never preparing for the presence of God which has come now in this hour of harvest. We should have spent years “releasing” what He had given us and that was His love and wisdom. We did shake, when others were pursuing an avenue of approach that would reach this gen without hesitation. We spent our time in emotional atmospheres that were most of the time man centered and not God centered. We learned so well on how to shout and dance that we never learned how to be real in the midst of this 21st century gen that is seeking a relationship with Jesus not an emotional time in a church! The tide is turning and the winds are blowing toward what is true and attainable. The heart of this gen is asking questions about “life” and the future of their own soul. They have wild appearances and some have tattoos and piercings. Others are just clean cut college students and university professors searching for an answer that has validity to it! The way to choose today is not how it is acted out but how real is the relationship when presented in a manner that can be understood. The approach of giving an attainable oratorical display that will bring results to the Kingdom of God and to the receiver of such a privilege is tantamount in its reception.

The answer is no longer about a man who may speak well or even administrate well. The answer they want is only found in the simplicity of the realism of Christ Jesus. I truly believe that Jesus wants us to market the realism of love not the emotionalism which it may bring.

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

I was just ready to call it a day when I felt a desire to blog this statement: God is really cool!

My Heart To Yours

Dennis

Watch this video in reference to my post on “Taking Elephant Steps”. It answers a question that may have been a thought of humor or not!

Consider this in reference to the above mentioned post.

Dennis

For several months I have been listening and reading all sorts of blogs and material about what is going on in the “Church” world.  It seems to me that we are all over the map on what would be called a “theme” for change. This really makes my spiritual DNA shake and quake a bunch.

What I am concerned about though is put into this scenario: When the mouse shows up the elephant “freaks out” and starts taking huge steps to get out of the way of the mouse, crushing everything in its way.  I am wondering if all this is the elephant stage and some how the mouse is going to enter in uninvited and catch the “elephant” unaware.

In other words,  everything is in the elephant stage of progress: big,  and rough looking and not ready for quick movement or ability to rest in a small simple place.  In turn the mouse has this uncanny power over this infancy of application and can really cause a trampling of hearts and perspectives.  Seems to be a moment of reflection for the “Church of God” ministry and constituency.

My Heart To Yours

Dennis