CAMPFIRE MESSAGES from Pastors & Ministers of ICCAN

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Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 8, 2012 at 9:38pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

Gettin' bucked off don't make you less of a man, and gettin' back up don't make you more of a man.  It's the gettin' back ON that makes you a better man.  Thank you almighty God for your provision, your guidance, your protection, and most of all, for your forgiveness.  ~Walker

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 8, 2012 at 10:15am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 8
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Don't hide what's inside you
Let it shine before men
They must see your Father
Before time comes to an end

So use your days wisely
To win all you can
Because soon we will give an account
And before his throne, we will stand

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 8, 2012 at 10:13am

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: The source of Abundant Joy

I really enjoy going to see a good rodeo. Like everyone else, I enjoy the excitement and the thrill that happens every time one of those cowboys nods his head and that chute flies open; especially during the bull riding!! The bull riding is so exciting because you have the added element of increased danger. Not saying that riding broncs isn't dangerous, but bulls....well, that just takes it to a new and higher level.

I will certainly never forget my own first bull ride at a high school rodeo. It was early spring and a very cold night. You know when it's cold like that and you jump down off of a fence, it sometimes makes your ankles have a sharp pain. I remember that happening to me that night behind the chutes before I rode my bull and thinking, “man, it's sure gonna hurt my feet when I dismount off that bull tonight!!” Well, that was something I didn't really have to worry about that night because about two seconds after I nodded my head, that old bull threw me off right on top of my head!! The force of my head first landing drove my brand new “Hoss Cartwright” cowboy hat completely down over my ears AND my eyes!!! While the crowd was having a good laugh, I was on my knees trying to get that hat up off of my eyes when the thought suddenly came to me, “Where is that BULL??” Thank God for the clowns!!

Getting on a huge animal that weighs around ¾ of a ton or more and many times with a good set of horns and a nasty disposition to boot, usually strikes fear in the heart of the average person, but to the experienced bull riding cowboy it produces a tremendous thrill. Let's apply this analogy to our own lives as Christians. The things we try to avoid and fight against-trouble, suffering, and persecution- are the very things that produce abundant Joy in the life of a Christian. “We are more that conquerors through Him” “IN all of these things”; not in spite of them, but right in the smack dab middle of them!! A Christian doesn't know the the Joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, “I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4)

That radiant look that you see in the eyes a Christian, which is the result of Joy, is not built on anything passing. It is built on the everlasting Love of God that NOTHING can ever change!! And the every day life experiences that we encounter whether boring or terrifying have no power what soever to “separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39)

Not matter what you are facing, my prayer for you today is that you will remember that NOTHING can ever separate you from the Love of God and to “fear not” for He “is always with you”. I pray that you will realize that all the troubles and problems of this world are temporary and that true JOY comes only “through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Well....it's time to give life the nod of your head and open the chute of life!! May the JOY of the Lord be your strength, ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 7, 2012 at 5:49pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: As everyday, you have some choices to make today. Are you stubbornly going to plod through the day under your own power, or are you going to follow the Lord Jesus with humble steps of dependance?? Your decision making process becomes more critical depending on just how difficult the day becomes. In other words, God's strength and power in your life is directly proportional to your weakness and difficulties plus just how much you rely (TRUST) on Him. So, "consider it all JOY whenever you are enveloped in various trials" (James 1:2-3). These "gifts" are from God to remind you to rely on HIM and Him alone!! ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 7, 2012 at 10:41am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 7
Matthew 4:17
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Jesus is closer
Than he has ever been before
If you have a listening ear
You will hear him at the door

He's saying time is getting shorter
The end is drawing nigh
Repent while there's still time
I'm soon coming back from on high

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 6, 2012 at 4:52pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: There is one who goes ahead of you, opening up the way and yet, He is also alongside of you at the same time. He is ahead of you, urging you to follow him and at the same time is holding your hand and will NEVER let go. How can this be? Because He is not limited by time or space and all things are possible with Him. He is everywhere at the same time and He never stops working on your behalf. This is why it is best that you get to Know Him, Trust Him, and Live your life as close to Him as you can get. His name is JESUS!! (Hebrews 7:25) (Psalms 37:3-4) ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 6, 2012 at 10:47am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 6
Matthew 4:16
"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."

When we think all hope is gone
We could not be more mistaken
For when we're at our lowest point
We are not forsaken

The darker things become
Closer comes the light
And if we will but lift our eyes
Jesus will be in sight

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 6, 2012 at 12:00am

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: Are you angry at God for the problems and troubles in your life today? Maybe you don't know or have forgotten the scripture about "....all things work together for good to them that Love God..." (Romans 8:28) If you choose to Love and Trust God, He will take every problem in your life and teach you something. Only God can take your troubles and use them to transform you little by little into the person He created you to be. If you choose not to Love God and you react with distrust and defiance, that same problem will become something to trip you up and cause you to fall. In this life there will always be problems and trouble so you will contantly have to choose whether to Trust God or Defy Him. Is there any doubt about which is the best choice??? ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 5, 2012 at 11:59pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

THE MARRIAGE PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus we come to you with Thanksgiving for all the things that you have created.   Thank you Lord for creating us as man and woman and also for the great institution of Marriage.  Lord, we lift up all married couples to you this day and pray for your will to be done in all of our marriages.  We ask that you provide everything that we need to have a Loving and Strong marriage.  We pray  that the Love in our marriages will grow stronger and stronger as time goes by.   Lord, we ask you for forgiveness for all the wrongs that we have done to our spouses, and we ask that you help us to forgive each other.  Please guide us Lord to treat each other with Love and Respect, and Protect us from being unfaithful, and being thoughtless and selfish concerning the needs of our partners.  Thank you Lord for giving us Loving Relationships as man and wife that are second only to our Relationship with you.   Only by your Loving mind and by your unlimited Power could something as Glorious as the Loving Relationship of marriage between a man and woman be created.  We give you Praise in the name of Jesus.  AMEN!!!

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 5, 2012 at 5:31am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 5
"...It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proccedeth out of the mouth of God."

Bread alone, all by itself
Will never see us through
The darkness of this lonely world
Closing in on you

We must have bread from heaven
And that bread is Jesus
For when we hunger after him
He surely feeds us

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 4, 2012 at 4:13pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." What does this scripture mean?? It means if you are a child of God and call yourself a Christian, then sacrifice some of your precious time; HUMBLE yourself before God, and PRAY, and SEEK His Face, and REPENT (This is more than saying "I'm sorry". This means to "turn away" and STOP doing those things that you know are wrong). THEN, God is Faithful to LISTEN to you all the way from His throne in Heaven, and He will FORGIVE all of your sins, and He will HEAL your land and everything in it!!! It is not hard to "get it" as far as the Revelation from this scripture. God has said what He means and He means what He says. We better get after this one!! ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 4, 2012 at 3:12am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 4
1 Peter 5:5
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another; and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

Submit, Submit, Submit
The sweetest word I know
By giving up we win the war
And gain the victory over our foe

It sounds a little upside down
 And backward, that's a fact
But if you take this keen advice
You'll thwart off this attack

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 3, 2012 at 1:49pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: Have you ever done anything wrong and you KNEW it was wrong when you did it??   You listened to the wrong voice, didn't you??  There are many voices that try to control your mind when you sit in silence.  You must discern which of those voices is the voice of God and obey only that voice.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you that descernment.   If you listen to all the voices trying to influence you, your life will be one of confusion and defeat.  Confusion and the illusion of defeat are two of Satan's greatest tools, so do not fall into that trap.  Walk close with the Lord and listen to his instructions every moment so you can have Clarity and Victory in your life.  Who do you belong to anyway; Satan or God??  Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice and follow me wherever I lead"  (John 10:4)  ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 3, 2012 at 10:25am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 3
2 Peter 2:9
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations..."

If you've fallen in a trap
Of which you cannot break free
Run to the Lord with all your might
Make known your urgent plea

He will in no wise
Cast you away
But surely deliver you
This very day

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 2, 2012 at 10:47am

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCHJUST FOR TODAY: All true and lasting LIFE comes from Jesus Christ. So many times we chase after life in all the wrong places; pleasures, possessions, wealth, even trying to stay young and deny the inevitable effects of growing older. All the the while, Jesus is freely offering abundant life to all who will turn to him. He said, "come unto me and take my yoke upon you..." (Matthew 11:28) He will then fill you with His own Life. Living in you is the way the Lord chooses to live in this world and accomplish His purposes. It is also the way that he blesses your life with "Joy unspeakable and full of Glory" (1 Peter 1:8-9). The Joy is His, and the Glory is His, too. But He is more than willing to give them to you if you will only live in His Presence. If you have not already done so, please invite Jesus to Live fully in you....TODAY!! I Love all of you and Hope you have a wonderful day, ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 2, 2012 at 9:40am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

March 2
2 Peter 2:19
"...For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."

When we submit our members
To a dastardly deed
In order to overcome
Miraculous help we will need

For once, Satan snares you
You cannot free yourself
Supernatural intervention
Can provide the only help

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 1, 2012 at 11:31pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: Have you had any thoughts or circumstances that have caused you stress today? I'd bet there are a lot of "yes" answers to that question!! If so, bring those things to the Lord and talk with him about it. Give him your prayers and petitions with Thanksgiving. I can just hear you now, " Well, that's just plain dumb to be "Thankful" for things that stress me out!!" God does not expect you to be Thankful for your problems; what He expects you to be thankful for is that you can bring them to Him with complete Trust and He will help you to get through and overcome anything this world throws at you. You will come to find that the amount of Peace in your life is directly proportional to the amount of Trust that you put in Jesus!! I believe I would rather have the Peace than the Stress. How about you? ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on March 1, 2012 at 2:59pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Get dressed and eat your breakfast!!

     I can still hear my mother's words ringing in my ears, “get dressed and get in here; breakfast is almost ready”.  When I heard those words, you know it didn't take me long to get around.  I'm kind of a morning person anyway and I always wake up hungry.  Imagine that!?! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and my mother always made, every day, exactly what I wanted....BISCUITS & GRAVY!!!  Yes siree; my mother always made those big ole homemade cat-head biscuits and and the best gravy you ever lapped a lip on.  Add to that some form of hog meat and a country boy's day started off just right.  My mother had an old Missouri word she used to describe her breakfast; It was Laripin!!  That's pronounced Lair-u-pun and it means Delicious with a capital “D”!!  I'm here to tell ya, the “breakfast of champions” did NOT come in a bowl of cereal!!

    You may not be a morning person and you may not even like breakfast, but most people do start their day by clothing themselves and partaking of some sort of nutrition to get themselves going.  We leave our homes in the morning fully dressed and nourish our physical bodies because we know that's what we need to do to have a successful day. And yet many times we start our day with our mind naked and our Spirit starving.  I wish folks would learn that their Spiritual life controls their Emotional and Physical life.  Our lives would be so much better if we would start our day by seeking the face of Jesus. This practice allows us to “clothe” our mind and “wear” Jesus all day long.  The sooner you put Jesus on by communicating with Him, the better that your day is going to go.

    To “wear Jesus” basically means to have His mind and to be thinking HIS thoughts.  We also need to ask the Holy Spirit to feed our starving mind and control our thinking.  This is what Paul was talking about when he spoke of being transformed and renewed from within.  This process will make you well equipped to be able to handle anything that people or circumstances may bring your way. Clothing your mind with Jesus and Feeding your Soul with His Holy Spirit is the best preparation you can have to start your day.  This discipline will not only bring PEACE and JOY into your life, but also into the lives of those around you.

   My prayer for you today is that you will always start your day communicating with Jesus; clothing your mind with His Presence and His thoughts.  I pray you will have a wonderful Spiritual breakfast and feed your Soul with His “laripin” HOLY SPIRIT!!   If you start your day in this manner, you will surely find that God will guide and protect your footsteps all the day long.  Praise the Lord and please pass the biscuits!!!  ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on March 1, 2012 at 6:02am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

 

March 1
1 John 2:16-17
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world, and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

The bright lights of the world
They tend to entice
But given free rein
They will but, lead to vice

But if we follow Jesus
His reward is so much better
For we will be in hearven
With him, forever and ever

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on February 29, 2012 at 11:34pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

I have a good friend who has smoked for 40 years.  He sent me a prayer request asking me to pray for God to help him quit smoking.  I know there are many of you out there that need and want to quit smoking, so I am going to share my reply to him with all of you:

     Thank you for sharing your prayer request with me.  I will be praying for you to have great success in your endevor to quit smoking.  I suggest you get a bright royal blue piece of yarn and make yourself a sanctification bracelet.  Put it on and don't take it off until you are sure you will never smoke another cigarette (I wore mine for almost two years).  Don't quit for yourself; sanctify yourself and do it for the Lord.  Every time you want to light up, grab that bracelet and spin it around your wrist while you pray for strength.  Don't try to "cut back" and don't try any gimmicks; Just set yourself aside for the Lord and put your TRUST in HIM and QUIT!!!  God is faithful and will help you and heal you of this addiction.  You might also want to get some antibacterial ointment to put on the rope burns that you will have around your wrist.  I went through this about five years ago myself.  Now you couldn't put a .44 magnum to my head and MAKE me smoke one those nasty things!!!

    Also, if you "fall off the wagon", don't give up and call yourself a failure.  We serve a God of second chances.....third chances.......fourth chances and so on and so on.  God Loves you and He will never leave you or foresake you.  Just pray about it, repent about it, and then continue on to VICTORY!!!   ~Pastor Lynn

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