The stuff that I am about to share may sound a bit radical, but I think there is great wisdom in it and I will be sharing much more as time passes.

I sense it is a time of preparation for the people of God. Matt 25:1-13 is the parable of the ten virgins. 5 who were wise and prepared by having oil in their lamps and 5 who were not prepared and were locked out of the wedding feast.

There are many areas of life we need to be prepared in. I will focus on a few in this series of posts.

First and foremost we need to be prepared Spiritually. Thinking back to the virgins – they had oil in their lamps. A modern day spiritual analogy is having the oil of the Holy Spirit full in our lives- lighting the fire of Christ within us that we can be a light to others who remain in darkness.

So my first question for you is – Are you right with God?

Have you made a decision to turn your life over to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? If not, the days ahead will be rough for you and eternity even rougher!

The bible prophetically speaks of a season in the life of humanity called “The End Times” that will usher in the return of Christ. I am not sure if that is today, tomorrow, next year, or 10, 50, or 100 years from now yet the bible tells us there will be signs. Birth pains. The season we have been in is one of grace, the season we are entering into is one of Judgement. Signs abound today that are described in the bible – natural disasters, wars, famines, economic collapses, strange weather patterns, people sinning without repentance, and generations of people who have turned from GOD.

There is only one way to escape this coming judgement – it is by salvation in Christ by the covering of His blood which was shed on Calvary that we might have life. Is there a guarantee of escaping it in a rapture kind of since? I’ll be honest. I am not 100% sure. I would love to believe that all who are believers will “Escape” this difficult season in this fashion, but there are many smart people who differ.

So the best protection? Be prepared spiritually. Have your life right with God. Put Him first in all you do as if you do whether you are raptured, whether Christ comes – pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib your faith in Christ will get you through it.

Thanks for listening – if you are exploring your faith – visit http://journeychurch.org and come to one of our services either in person or online to find out more about what living this Christian life is all about.

In my next post I will begin to describe what I feel will be perilous financial times ahead!

AS I open this post I must admit that I am not the most cultured guy in the world, but Mary Jo and I did step out in faith this year to by season tickets to the Thrasher Horne Center of the performing Arts. The season opened up last night with a Dixieland Jazz group – The Dukes of Dixieland.

We were blessed to have attended the show with some great friends Joel and Natalie Barzack.

It’s not something we would normally do, but it was amazing. We had an incredible time. Got to sit in the second row dead center. The musicians were amazing. I particularly tripped out when the drummer and Bass Guitar dude teamed up the drummer was actually playing a song on the strings of the bass guitar. It was a trip.

Clay County is not necessarily known for it’s cultural experiences, but the Thrasher Horne is starting to change that. If you haven’t gone there for a show yet, I highly encourage you to check it out.

Be sure to meet Kathryn Wills when your there. She is the Marketing Director, she is incredibly nice and makes everyone feel welcomed. Mary Jo loves her. Plus she says she will never get married! I just believe she has to meet the right Christian guy.  Just kidding Kathryn – Your awesome!

So come out and support them!

Well, this is my first post since returning from vacation. It took me a little while to get back up to speed and actually have a moment to sit down at the keyboard.

Tonight was pretty amazing. I was blessed to get a back stage tour of Jacksonville’s Promise Keepers "Unleashed" by Patrick McKinney, Promise Keepers, Event Volunteer Director. He is a man who’s heart beats with mine. Volunteerism/Christian service is something that just makes my heart beat. I love nothing more than seeing people use their God given gifts to make a difference in the lives of others. Patrick must have done a great job of coordinating as he was kind enough to spend 45 minutes leading up to the start of the conference with me. I genuinely thank him for spending the time with me. Those few minutes gave me tons of ideas as we prepare for Easter at the arena. We have much to learn.

The conference opened with PK7 (aka the Promise Keepers Worship Band) cranking it up with some really hot worship, followed up by Reggie Dabbs firing up the crowd to usher in Bob Reccord who preached an incredible message out of Luke 14 that inspired many, many men to give their lives to the Lord.

I must admit, in recent years I have not been as fired up when thinking about PK, crowds have diminished, and I thought it had lost some of the luster from the "Good Old Days". But after visiting it, hearing Patrick’s passion for the future of the confrences, and seeing the Altar call. I think it really has a place to play in the body of Christ by encouraging men to live their lives for God.

I’m all for it and will do whatever possible to help promo future events. May God Bless PK.