Another dream

I dreamed that I was holding a small cardboard box, and a dangerous snake came out of it. I tried to stuff the snake back into the box, but it kept trying to get out. I thought that this would be really dangerous if it escaped. So I got a larger box, and put the snake and smaller box into it, and
close it, and everything was fine then.

Louise says I have lots of dreams about snakes.

A great week for New Jersey

Two good things just happened here. The first was that we got rid of an incompetent, tax-raising, larger government governor, Jon Corzine. We desperately need a change here in this state, and some new approaches to government other than "let's just raise the taxes." Corzine was also pushing gay marriage, which may be still approved here in the lame-duck session. Christie can only do better.

The other good thing was that the Yankees won the World Series. As a loyal Yankee fan all my life, it was a great and deserved victory.

The world looks good this week.

More love, more power

Praying and walking through our local Freehold Mall on a recent rainy day, I could not believe the song I heard on the mall musak. It was the instrumental version of the Vineyard classic "More Love, More Power." How this slipped in to the secular playlist , I have no idea. I wonder if anyone other than me in the mall at the time recognized it. But maybe it will make- or marks- a change in the mall's spiritual atmosphere.

Baltimore conference

Several people asked me about the "The voice of the apostles" conference I attended last week. It was super-charismatic, kind of a continuation of the Toronto revival movement. Bill Johnson spoke on the supernatural- amazing stuff. Heidi Baker, who has been responsible for starting 10,000 churches in Mozambique over about 15 years, also spoke. And several others you have heard of spoke, along with about 3000 participants who were present.

Two things really struck me. First, there is a hunger for God among our youth, many of whom are in alternative training programs (like my son Andrew currently is). Second, there is a hunger for the supernatural here in America which means that we will see amazing things here in the future.

I am optimistic about the future of the church in America.

Good eating at church

When I first started in the ministry I wondered why many pastors are really overweight. Here's why- church events provide ample opportunities to eat well. Where there are people, there tends to be lots of food.

Saturday was a good example. It started with a women's breakfast. Our women provide an incredible huge banquet of food, beautifully arranged. But many of them are continually dieting, and can't eat much. So others have to help. Then at noon there was a missions committee meeting with food, though much simpler. And again at night we hosted a building informational meeting with an incredible dessert spread.

Several people were at all three events, and noted that they did not have to eat at home all day. The church fed them!

Heaven will be a banquet.

Indian worship in Covered Bridge

What a weird spiritual experience I had this morning! I was prayer-walking in Covered Bridge, a huge (about 900 home) senior condo development in Manalapan mostly populated by Jewish people who have moved from Brooklyn and Queens. While walking before one building on Amberly Drive, a tall Indian man walked out the door near me carrying a large shiny copper vase. (This was unusual in itself, as I have never seen any Asian person in this development, and he looked younger than the senior requirement.) He turned towards the sun (later I realized that this was east) and held the vase above his head in an act of worship. After a little time he slowly poured out a brown liquid onto the sidewalk until the vase was empty. He stood for a bit in an ecstatic worship pose, holding the vase above his head and gazing at the sun.

I prayed to cancel out whatever worship of any false god happpened, as I was praying for blessing on the development.

Does anyone know what he might have been celebrating?

Bumper sticker

Seen on the NJ Turnpike-

YOU CAN TRUST THE GOVERNMENT
TO KEEP ITS PROMISES---
JUST ASK INDIANS ABOUT TREATIES