97 million!

That was not the amount of people that know at least 10 verses from the Bible (and use them appropriately, Nancy Pelosi). That's not the amount of evangelical Christians in the USA (that's only 79 million). And it's not how many Cokes I have drank in my life. No, that is the overwhelming number of people who voted on the David v. David battle for the American Idol title. I understand that the voting for this 'title' is not exactly the top notch voting that say the people of Florida are accustomed too, but this is crazy. Yes, people can vote more than once, but still, 97 million people had this number on their speed dial. I have no problem with some guys singing. And someone doing the American thing and make a buck off it, but I would hope that we could put this energy into something a little more necessary in life...like telling people about our King and Savior Jesus Christ. Have we made that many phone calls to people who need the rescue of their soul by Jesus? Have we had as many conversations around the 'water cooler' about what God has done in our life as we have about which David will become our idol for the year?

Then lets move on to what the Bible says about this...Exodus 20:1-6

1 Then God gave the people all these instructions
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Well, I didn't say it...don't yell at me. I don't know if I would want to be the one who stands before God (which we will) and explain to Him that our claim to fame was that we were someone's idol, or to even say that I voted for an idol and talked about this idol more than I did the One I stood before.

I know I will get some stirred up about this and some will tell me to get off my soap box, but I won't...My calling is to bring the Light into a dark world...and this seems dark. I will stand with His torch held high and my head held low in humility as I do what God has called me (us) to do, and I hope that some join me. The only glory that is to be given is to God!

"Are we there yet?" The four words that every parent dreads to hear as you drive your kids any distance. It could be a trip you have taken with them 50 times or a brand new route, but someone will always ask that question. There are times even as adults we feel that way. Hop into a taxi in a city, one bigger than Northport, and tell the cabbie that you haven't ever been here before and that you want to go to a certain address. He will certainly give you the scenic route and assure you that this is the fastest way there. The whole time you will be thinking, "are we there yet?" How about coming home from a long trip, when you are tired, miss your bed and want to get home. The one thing that goes through your mind as you travel the last few miles is...yes, you get the idea.

I was reading in Proverbs (one chapter for each day of the month) and came across this same scenario in our walks with God. It says several times throughout this book of wisdom, that God is the director of our paths. For example, in case you don't take my word for it, Proverbs 20:24 says, "A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?" Unfortunately, our ways aren't God's ways and our thoughts aren't as His. See, we come into this situation where we have to realize that our paths, our steps, our travels are directed by Him. We try and try to find reason for what we are going through. Or try and try to sort out what the next few days or years will look like. Or we try and try to figure out exactly what it is that God wants us to be doing (ouch that last one hurt) and all along we are the whining little kid in the back saying, "Are we there yet?" God asks for us to put our trust in Him, follow His paths (the ones that He directs for us) and not to keep asking those four silly words.

I found also in Proverbs, this time chapter 19 verse 23, what I believe is partly the answer to this. It says, "The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble." I think that when we sit back and cry out those four words to God, we are not very restful or content. The reason is, we aren't fearing God. Fear, in this case, is defined as what stimulates us into holy and righteous living (2 Corinthians 7:1). We don't trust God for the outcome. We are more concerned with how long until we get there than to be resting contently. If we are being touched by trouble, is it because our trust is somewhere else other than in the One who directs our paths?

I have always disliked the bumper sticker that says "God is my co-pilot". Dude, no wonder your life sucks! Let Him climb into the drivers seat and take over your life. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, don't lean on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all things you do and He will direct your path. Get rid of the things (namely sin) that slow you down. Focus your eyes on the cross. Let your life be one that is striving for holiness, which can only come when we let God control the steering wheel. Have a healthy fear of God, and stop asking, "Are we there yet?"

Our little 2 year old taught me a great lesson the other day. He was out jumping in mud puddles, running through the mud and giggling the whole time. Not a care in the world. How did I learn a lesson from that you ask. Easy...It's time for me to act like a kid. God's kid. We agree to being a child of God, but then we decide to try and act all stuffy. When our little man was out jumping in the mud, I could see the joy in him by being a kid, doing kid things. I was standing there not wanting to get muddy or wet because, well that not what grown ups do. I don't mean we should continue to act immature and not grow up, I mean that we need to live in the full freedom of being The Kings kids. It's ok for us to laugh and play...get muddy and wet...giggle like little girls (sorry girls) and enjoy being a child of the Most High God! The Pharisees tried this whole living by the law thing (not too mention making up a few of their own) and Jesus rebuked them for it. We still try the same thing by saying we have to do church this way not that way, getting hung up on meaningless arguments, and making tradition more important than the mission. Jesus said that He came to bring us life and life to the fullest (or more abundantly), so how dare we sit back and not want to live that life to the fullest. I want to restate a point I made earlier...this does NOT excuse us from becoming more mature in Christ. Paul talks about that so clearly in each of his letters that we need to grow up in maturity, leaving childish things behind...to stop only drinking milk when you should be eating steak. But it is ok for us to be kids who can have fun in our walk with The Father. It brings Him joy when we can live in the freedom that His Son gave to us. Well, I would write more, but I have some mud puddles to go jump in!

Wow! We have snow this year. Not your little dusting every once in a while. Not your snow hard and then melt in a day. Not your snow hard and then freeze into solid ice. No, I mean real snow. Like a over 6 feet so far this year! With about 3 feet still on the ground. Man, this is good. My mind is constantly drawn back toward something God wants to teach me through whatever is going on around me. And, with this snow, it is no different. As this beautiful white stuff piles ever so deeper around me, I can't help but think of the other things that 'pile' up around me. Some not nearly as pleasant as the snow. I think of the unfinished jobs from fall. The ever increasing list of people to call. The constantly growing mountian of papers and packets of papers on my desk, in my files, on the floor, etc. I think of the people who seemingly pile up around me that are so desperate for something else in life. If you never have never looked beyond the eyes, beyond the superficial smile, beyond the small talk of those around you, start. I have really been seeing the hurt in people lately. A hurt that they won't just talk about. Not a hurt arm, head or whatever...a hurt of the heart. Too often they don't even know what it is. It is explained as... A drinking problem... A drug problem... A habit of pornography... I just want to be left alone... I was just born this grumpy way... My kids are driving me nuts... My spouse is not right for me anymore... I feel empty... or a mental illness. Here's the thing, Jesus came to heal the broken, bind up the infirmed and to set free the captive! As followers of this miracle worker, we need to have our eyes opened to the people who are pilling up around us. Maybe it's a friend, co-worker, child, spouse, or someone in the body of Christ. I believe that the people that you and I see every day are not just accidentally placed in front of us. I believe that we should work while it is day, make the most of every opportunity and love those around us like Jesus did. See, it is very simple to do. Start with a smile. Give your friend a real hug. Tell your spouse or your kid, "I love you." Reach out with Jesus to those around you, just like you would want to be reached out to if you were the one piling up around them.

As many of you know, Jesus has commissioned His followers with a very serious task, one that should not be taken lightly and one that takes effort. Jesus told His disciples just before He left earth to go and make disciples of all peoples, teaching them His ways and baptizing them. He then a little later said how His disciples would be able to do this seemingly overwhelming task. In Acts chapter 1, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will come upon them and they will have power to be His witnesses’ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world. What is great is that same power of the Holy Spirit is available for us today, just as it was available for those followers a couple thousand years ago! That power comes for us to share the hope and healing of Jesus Christ with a world that doesn’t follow Him. The principle of this statement is to start at home and move out from there. God has given me the great opportunity to do that very thing. I have, and continue to do so, share Jesus with my family daily. I have been able to share the hope of Jesus with the town of Northport and surrounding area. In the last 3 years I have had chances to share Jesus with my fellow Americans in several different churches and many different states. Now I have a great opportunity to take His love to even further places…the rest of the world.

From January 30^th through February 12^th, 2008, I am going to be going to Southern India on a mission trip. I and 3 other members of the Xtreme Team are going with Luis Palau and the Next Generation Alliance. We will be participating in outreaches and community work each day. The Next Generation Alliance has been to this area of India many times in the past, so they know the area, the people and the culture. They have had tremendous success in sharing the gospel in the past and with no doubt, this time will be the same. As for the Xtreme Team, we have not been to India before, but have been to many other countries around the world and have a good working reputation with each church we have worked with.

This area of India desperately needs the hope and healing of Jesus Christ presented to them. One of the towns we are going to, Renipet, is one of the world’s most polluted cities. There is not much hope when everyone around you is sick and dying. Most of India, this area included, is made up primarily of the Hindu religion, and so need the presentation of the Truth.

As with any endeavor, missions related or not, it takes lots of prayer, planning and monies. At the end of my blog, you will find a prayer schedule that is laid out from now until the day we leave. Now, that doesn’t mean we want you to stop praying then! This schedule is just to help you to know how to pray for us before we go, but many of the topics will be very important to continue in prayer while we are gone. One of my biggest prayer needs during my preparation time, as well as when I’m gone, is my family. My wife and children will need the covering of the presence of God when I’m gone - spiritually, physically and emotionally. So, will you please make a commitment to pray for me, my family and our team during this time?

The next area that I need help with is the finances. This trip will cost each team member approximately $3000. I have had chances in my past to help out in the contributing to other people’s mission trips. I usually just want to go with them, but realize that I can’t. So instead, I have been able to give financially. I can tell you that it is a terrific blessing to help someone go and walk in obedience to the Word of God. I have helped people all around the world hear about Jesus, without actually going. So, I would ask that you would prayerfully consider a financial gift to help me in my chance to “be My witness to the ends of the earth.”

At the bottom of this letter you will find two addresses. You can send your financial support to either one. The one address is mine, and the other is the leader of the Xtreme Team, Rick Willison. Just make the checks payable to Team Jesus Ministries and have it marked for Eldon’s India trip. You will also notice some other information: emails, websites and phone numbers. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us so we can answer them.

I wanted to close with a piece of scripture from Ephesians 6:19,20. The apostle Paul says, “Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. … Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.” So, would you please pray this for me and the team as we are able to be His witnesses in India?

Pastor Eldon Kelley Rick Willison
PO Box 415 T.E.A.M. Jesus Ministries, Inc.
Northport, WA 99157 1523 Scarlett Drive
509-675-6533 Anderson, IN 46013
pastor.eldon@gmail.com 765-610-6600
www.historchbearer.blogspot.com Website: www.radicallysaved.com

Luis Palau’s Next Generation Alliance website: www.ngateam.com

(Search for Rick Willison under member evangelists)

Prayer Calendar

Dec 22 - Financial needs for each team member to go - $3000 each

Dec 23 - Peace for my wife as I prepare to serve.

Dec 24 - Peace for my kids as I prepare to serve.

Dec 25 - For those God is preparing to hear the Gospel Message in India.

Dec 26 - For my personal walk with Jesus to strengthen.

Dec 27 - For my strength and endurance.

Dec 28 - Brad Butcher and his family as they prepare our way.

Dec 29 - For Michael Gray as he prepares to lead the way in India.

Dec 30 - For Don Johnson as he prepares for his festival in India.

Dec 31 - For our pilots, co-pilots, flight attendants.

Jan 1 - For God to keep me on our toes to share the Gospel with all those we meet.

Jan 2 - The people on the outskirts of the cities we will be in can find a way to make it.

Jan 3 - For clarity in the message.

Jan 4 - For my personal preparation - Am I ready to give the reason for my hope?

Jan 5 - For us to be fearless as we step into the playground of the devil.

Jan 6 - For the Gospel to break through the ways of the Hindu religion.

Jan 7 - For the Pastors of Renipet.

Jan 8 - For our safety as we fly.

Jan 9 - For our safety as we are driven throughout India.

Jan 10 - For our message to reach millions of ears. (Happy B-Day T-Dawg).

Jan 11 - For all the people who are preparing for us to come.

Jan 12 - For favor with all those we deal with in India.

Jan 13 - For wisdom as we enter into the country of India.

Jan 14 - For health while I prepare to go.

Jan 15 - For health while I am in India.

Jan 16 - For safety for my family while I am in India.

Jan 17 - For everything to go well at home and the church while I am in India.

Jan 18 - For my strength to be at it's peak while I am in India.

Jan 19 - For all the team's bags, boxes, and etc. to get through customs in India.

Jan 20 - For God to protect my stomach while I am in India.

Jan 21 - For my personal finances as we prepare to be gone for 3 weeks.

Jan 22 - For blessings to be showered on us as we show the love of Jesus to India.

Jan 23 - For all our things to be safe (not stolen) while I am in India.

Jan 24 - For enough space to be comfortable as we fly (we're big guys).

Jan 25 - For our finances - that we would be thankful for all that God has given us to go.

Jan 26 - For my wife. She is preparing to be without me for 3 weeks with six kids! Bless her.

Jan 27 - For my children. They are preparing to be without me for 3 weeks.

Jan 28 - For God to remind me of what I need to bring so I don't forget anything!

Jan 29 - For God to put His hand on all my transportation and keep me safe.

Jan 30 - For boldness as I leave and travel.

Jan 31 - For the officials of India to be open to the gospel, and not persecute us as we minister.

Please don't stop praying for me, my family, our team, and the people of India!

All of us will leave something behind in life. For some, it will just be the garbage that is thrown away each day, but for others it will be a lot more than that. For some that knew my dad, you may be able to think of some of the things left behind by him...some good, some not. I think we can all say that about our own lives if we were truly honest. One thing my dad left for me was his love for singing. Now, I don't mean good singing, just singing. He would sing around the house, in the car and even louder at church. Me...well it's just the same. In fact, I love to sing the songs that I remember him singing. Old ones. Ones that you don't hear very often anymore. Even ones that are made up during the moment. As I grew up and had my own kids, I remember him singing to them as he held them. What a sweet thing to see and experience. I learned to do that and still do with my kids. We sing the 'oldies' around the house and in the car. I don't get to hold my kids in my arms as they fall asleep anymore, because they are so big. I did get the chance to hold, and sing to, a little baby the other night as he was having a hard time sleeping. I was able to sing...'sweet Jesus, sweet Jesus. What a wonder you are. You are brighter than the morning star. You're fairer, much fairer than the lily that grows by the wayside. Precious, more precious than gold.' And I got to sing...'Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.' And...'Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand." This was a young boy who may never hear about the love of Jesus unless I tell him now. This is a young boy who has had a troubled life, one that I don't think any of us should ever have to go through, and can't sleep well sometimes. But I found that my dad left me something that I can use to impact this little guy's life. What are you leaving behind? Is it anything that you want carried on from generation to generation? Choose today what you are going to leave for your family...Thanks Dad, for what you left for me, my kids, and even the kids that may only get to hear about Jesus once. Your legacy has touched many lives.

Static electricity. I don’t know why, but I’m plagued with it. Not as much as my wife I might add, but still plagued none the less. It is almost too painful to shut the car door any more. I keep thinking that I’m going to blow my finger off or start a small forest fire from the spark. In fact, I think the street lights dimmed the other night as this happen to me once again. Here’s the funny thing though, that little shock, it only last a split second. It hurts. It even might change what you do for a moment. But it is for a short time. See, our lives with Christ are too often this way. A small shock to the system, a great time at camp or the alter at church, but it only changes us for a moment. I had a friend when I was a kid who grabbed a hold of a power line while he was climbing a tree. He lost toes, felt intense pain, spent time in the hospital and was changed forever. This is what I want in my walk with Jesus. I don’t want just a little static electricity shock, I want the life changing power of the Holy Spirit to radically change who I am forever! Here is the awesome part of this…I now how to grab a hold of that power. How to grab that life changing power line that’s charged with God’s power. In Acts chapter 2, Jesus is getting ready to head to heaven and He tells His followers to how to grab a hold of this power that He has been talking about His whole ministry. He tells them to linger…to wait on God. Joshua, in the Old Testament, he knew how to do this too. He used to linger in the tent of meeting long after Moses left. Joshua’s life was characterized by power. I know that too often I rush through my daily times with God, or even find other things to do. Life is busy, no doubt. But guy’s, let’s not settle for the spark…let’s take time to linger, to wait, to spend time in God’s presence…and know the life changing effect of that Power Line!

We hear all the time about how people self-medicate. We shake our heads and say that it is a shame that they can't deal with whatever the hurt is in their life in a more appropriate manner. Why is it that it is so easy to turn to something else when the hurt is so bad. "Well, if I do this activity, then the pain from the last activity will be diminished." What incredible, logical thinking that is! What is strange (ok, sad) is the amount of self-medicating Christians that there are. Now I'm not talking about taking drugs, alcohol, food or sex to self-medicate. What I'm talking about is the abandonment of the body when you get hurt. We fall into a false belief that we can teach our self at home and all will be ok. The hurt will go away if I just run away. I can't imagine trying to heal the hurt by trying to teach yourself. This is the same confused logic of taking a drug to make past hurts go away! Satan has been good at convincing us that we can abandon public teachings and the family of God, and still stay healthy in our walk with Christ. See, there is a strength in numbers. There is a healing that can only take place if we stick with each other. In Deuteronomy 32:30, which is usually taken out of context, it says that one can put 1,000 to flight and two 10,000 to flight. This is a statement of what the enemy can do to us when we do not have the power of God in our lives! It doesn't take as much work for the enemy to scatter us if we are trying to walk in our own power. And guess what, we walk in our own power when we run from the body of Christ and ignore public teachings. Yes, you can argue that we can use the TV, internet or CD's, but how easy is it to drift toward the teachings that 'tickle our ear'? Ephesian chapter 4, as well as other areas, talk about the importance of unity in the body. And to have true unity, we must actually be together. Teaching yourself only, or self-medicating, will not accomplish the unity that the body of Christ is suppose to have. And, if you have been so hurt by the family of God, and unfortunately it happens, that you can't go back to that part of the family...then go somewhere! But complete isolation or self-medicating is not healthy. Just as we would tell others that it is not safe to cover up their hurt with harmful substances or actions, I believe God is saying the same thing to us a followers of His Son, Jesus.

Well, it is October now, and guess what...we are having to build fires in the fireplace. I don't mind really. I like fire. Ok, I'm not an arsonist...I just love fire. The beauty of the flames...the heat that it produces...the things that it does to the wood. All of it. I just love fire. Today, as I was building one, I noticed something about myself. I had made a perfect prefire setup. Paper wadded up not too tight and not too loose. Small, skinny, dry pieces of kindling stacked back and forth like a Tic-Tac-Toe board. A little bit bigger pieces of wood on top of that in the same pattern. Man, I was ready. I grabbed the lighter and did my thing. I lit the paper. And as it slowly started to burn, I grabbed the bellows and started puffing away. 'Come on fire! Burn, burn, burn!' When it didn't take right away, I puffed even harder. It finally started to go. So I closed the door a little and walked away. Satisfied. I looked back at it a few minutes latter, and the dumb thing wasn't burning like I thought it should be. So I got back down there with the bellows again, and started puffing away. Then it hit me...what is my stinkin' hurry! I constantly talk about how life is a process and it all takes time, and here I am rushing something that I know takes time itself. Too often in my life I think I do the same thing. 'Ok God, You prepared the perfect setup, You have a desired outcome...now out of my way and let me puff this thing into reality." I think the problem is that I used to use Coleman fuel to help start bon fires years ago, and now I expect the same result in my home fireplace. Instant, big fire! But even using Coleman fuel was not a great answer...the fire would flare up fast but not really catch anything on fire. I know I don't really want this for my life, not to mention that is also not God's plan for my life. He wants to build the perfect 'prefire' set up in my life, then light it, and let it burn at the right speed. See, God knows that good fires take time. He doesn't need my help. He doesn't want a big fast fire that doesn't actually burn anything. He wants a fire that burns deep. One that produces His outcome. So, I think I will just let Him do that. Produce that long lasting, deep fire that is not easily put out. I will leave the fire of my life to the Ultimate Firestarter!

It's raining here today! Some may say that is good, and yet some may say that is bad. Rain has advantages and disadvantages. Good and bad. Just like anything in life. Often times we only get wrapped up in the bad and forget to look at the circumstance that we are in and try to find good. You know, life is like a big knife. A knife can be useful if you pick it up by the handle. However, if it is picked up by the blade it can be painful. Too often we continue to hold on the blade and bleed and cry because of the pain, when all we need to do is turn the knife around, grab the handle and use it for good. It's your choice. Continue to bleed or say enough...I'm going to use this circumstance in life for good. See, Satan wants you to focus on the pain and lie to you and say that it will never get better. But that's not true. God can take the bad and use it for something good. It is our choice though of whether we are going to let Him or not. So, your choice...blade or handle?

"You must be ready for everything life can throw at you." What a stupid, unfair expectation to place on people. There is no way that you can truly do this, so why stress yourself out. However, there are somethings you can be ready for. Be prepared, be prepared (you know, the little goat on Hoodwinked). I'm leaving tomorrow for Jal, New Mexico with the Xtreme Team. (www.radicallysaved.com) We have a week of teaching, preaching, training, equipping, and breaking. As always, I'm very excited to get to share my Jesus with people, but I have to be ready. I always work out harder on my BowFlex before I go. I always pray harder before I go. I always find out a little something about the town I'm going to, before I go. We know we are going into a battle this next week. Satan doesn't want anyone else to give the control of their life to Jesus, so he is going to fight hard. As followers of Jesus Christ, we all should know that we are in a battle everyday. Just as I prepare before a week of ministry, we should prepare ourselves daily for the battle that we are going to face. Start now. Pick up your Bible. It's that book over there...the one with the dust...under the newspaper...good job. Start reading. Right now we, friends and I, are reading through 1 and 2 Samuel. Reading the Bible will help prepare you for what you will face. Now pray. Yes, I know you like to talk. Just try talking to God. It is simpler than dialing the phone. Point is...prepare yourself. Don't wait till you are neck deep in trouble before you cry out to God. I went once to an outreach totally unprepared (didn't touch weights at all) and nothing broke, popped, or ripped like it should have. I wasn't prepared. So, prepare yourself for the things you know are coming up...like spiritual battle. Just like it is not all muscle that breaks things when we do what we do, it is being prepared with God's Power...just gritting your teeth and holding on won't take you through these battle either. Trust in the LORD with all your heart...through Christ who gives me strength...for those who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will shine upon you and you will receive healing and will leap like a calf released from the stall.

Oh man! I almost forgot...to enjoy summer that is. I can't believe that the calendar says that it is September already. If only I had....oh, never mind. I can't live in the past, right? Instead, as the leaves and the temperature change, I need to also. I have found that the only, yes only, constant in life is Jesus Christ. You can get out of taxes, and death...well just one word...rapture! So, the only constant is Jesus/God. The Bible says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Um, that means He doesn't change. It, the Bible, also states that He doesn't change like shifting shadows. Again, He doesn't change. However, He expects us to change. Whoa, you say. That's not fair. He doesn't have to change and I do. Well, yes. See we have to change to His image, His likeness. We were, after all, created in His image. We have just made the choice to cloud that image to the rest of the world. So, we have to change. Just like the leaves on the trees, we have to change. And it must be visible. The reason leaves change color is because of a wonderful process called death. For us to change into the likeness of Christ we have to also go through the death process. Not physically. I'm not advocating suicide! I mean spiritually. Jesus says that we must pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Crosses meant death back when they used them. Jesus also made it clear that nothing else in life, including family, jobs, money, clothes, etc., should mean as much to us as He does. To change into the likeness of Christ, to regain that clearer image of Him...we must die. I challenge you. Die this week. Let those leaves of your life start changing color. Let the people around you start to see that there is something going on in your life.