The Rhyme of the Modern Parishioner

The Rhyme of the Modern Parishioner

Filed under Creative Expressions, The Kingdom of God on
November 3rd, 2009 by Michael L. Brown



It happened in the vestibule
At ten one Sunday morn;
A haggard-looking church-goer
Sat plaintive and forlorn.

Then suddenly he rose and found
A hungry-looking Christian;
He took his hand, took him aside,
And asked him a straight question:

“You’ve read the Word; you know the Book;
The promises are clear.
But have you seen the living God?
Have you found Him here?

Have you experienced holy fire
The Spirit in His power,
A mighty wave, a rushing wind,
A flame that does devour?

Is there something more you’re seeking,
So high, so wide, so deep?
Do you find yourself frustrated?
Is church putting you to sleep?

Then listen well, your heart is ripe;
My tale I will tell.
This story is your story too,
And it’s your tale as well.

For thirty years I’ve been in church,
It seemed like a good show.
But now I’ve got to meet with God –
Do you know where to go?

I’m trapped in mundane worship times,
The praises have grown cold;
The preaching’s dry and dusty,
The teaching stale like mold!

Each service feels like a rerun,
The songs all sound the same;
The prophecies are so hollow —
Not worthy of the name!

Words, more words — they’re everywhere,
But oh there is a stink!
Words, more words — they’re everywhere,
But none to make us think!

We lack the heavenly Presence,
It’s clear we’re in a rut;
I’m desperate for revival –
It burns within my gut!

I’m love-sick for my Jesus,
So hungry for my Lord;
Just longing for my Savior;
God knows that I’m so bored!

Is there someone who can help me,
Who’s touched the real thing?
A man who’s heard from heaven —
With a word from God to bring?

Are there prophets burning with fire,
Servants who are ablaze?
Anointed and overflowing,
Appointed for these days?

Do they carry the Spirit’s burden,
And breathe the Lord God’s breath?
Are they set apart and holy,
Obedient to death?

I hear the words of the Master,
‘Come follow Me,’ He said.
If some Christians go their own way;
I’ll go with Him instead!

Oh please, don’t do as I have done,
And waste so many years.
Don’t wait and wait for endless months;
Move on! Outgrow your fears!

Forget the twelve step programs;
A seminar won’t do.
You need a touch from heaven,
To fill you through and through.

There must be change in your life —
A work of God that’s real.
Don’t fool yourself with worn clichés —
Don’t let the devil steal!

Don’t miss out on God’s presence
Or let these hours pass;
Don’t stop your soul from hungering;
Get out of the morass!

Dear friend, you are not crazy;
Dear saint, you are not mad;
There really is a problem,
It’s true, you have been had!

There’s more! There’s more! Believe it!
There is that place in God.
There are holy visitations,
New paths that must be trod.

Will you get up like old Pilgrim,
And seek that better way?
Will you go forth on that journey
No matter what men say?

Will you go out now and meet Him,
And leave the crowd behind,
Forsaking dead traditions,
If Jesus you will find?

It’s not in another meeting,
A nicely packaged hour;
Another harmless service,
Devoid of heaven’s power.

It’s not in another teaching,
Three points to fill your head.
The Word is always vibrant;
But this stuff is so dead!

We need God to send His Spirit,
To fully take control,
To transform every member,
To come and make them whole!

Enough with man’s religion;
Enough with earthly plans;
Enough with our new programs;
Produced by fleshly hands.”

Just then in strode the pastor
His calling to fulfill;
Just doing his weekly duty –
Then he became frozen still.

For astir was that parishioner
He grasped the preacher’s clothes,
And grasped the preacher’s soul as well —
And in that grasp he froze.

“Oh pastor, enter the prayer room
And shut yourself inside.
Be emptied of competition,
And crucify your pride!

Pray for holy visitations,
Caught up alone with Him,
Consumed with heavenly vision –
That’s where you must begin!

You won’t find Him in a textbook,
Buried on page twenty-two.
He is the living God who acts –
He wants to move in you!

It’s not only the ‘apostles’
He’ll bless and send and use;
He will saturate your own soul,
If you will not refuse.

So arise, get up, pursue Him,
Jesus your true best Friend!
He is worthy of devotion,
He’s faithful to the end!

Why should you starve on crusty bread,
And crawl along the ground?
Your Savior is your source of life,
Seek Him, let joy abound!

Renew your life, refresh your heart,
Press in, take hold, pray through.
Put first things first, make God your goal;
What else have you to do?

Your Bible schooling stole your zeal,
Church life has drained you dry;
You used to have such childlike faith,
Now budgets have your eye!

You used to be so passionate,
So innocent and free
Now you’ve become professional;
You’ll preach for a good fee!

Oh, set your sights on higher goals
And not on dollar bills.
Live in the light of Judgment Day;
Ambition always kills!

Let Jesus be your daily Guide,
Put Him where He belongs;
And soon His presence will arrive;
His praise will fill your songs!

Simplicity will be your style,
Devotion your new goal;
Communion will become your aim,
God’s life will flood your soul!

Oh, take your eyes off numbers,
Church growth can be a trap!
Go out and make disciples.
Go out and bridge the gap!

Pour your life out for broken lives —
Let God your heart break too.
Take up the cross, deny yourself;
Just live His will to do!

Wake up, be brave, be honest;
Today — oh hear His voice!
Be ruthless with your schedule;
Seek GOD. Make that your choice.

You won’t find Him in your planner,
No committee has the key.
You’ll find Him when your soul cries out,
‘There must be more for me!’

‘There must be more than building funds,
And sessions past midnight,
And endless talks with leadership,
Disputing who is right.

Somehow I know I’ve been misled;
The model doesn’t work.
I’m not called as an executive,
Nor should I be a clerk.

I’m called to be a man of God,
A man who’s Spirit led,
A healer of the sick and lame
Someday to raise the dead!’

And with that cry new life will rise,
Your heart will be revived;
Heaven’s light will flood your soul –
You will not be denied!”

The parishioner then turned his gaze
Away from flesh and blood:
He looked to Him who sends the showers,
To Him who sends the flood.

“Today, O Lord, do hear our voice,
And pour Your Spirit out.
Saturate the thirsty ground.
End this spiritual drought!

Revive us with Your Presence,
Renew us from above;
Touch the flock called by Your name;
Come fill us with Your love!

Do greater works in our day,
Than that which You have done.
Bring the fullness of Your rains,
And glorify Your Son!”

That old church-goer spoke no more.
Another voice was heard.
Yet not the voice of flesh and blood:
It was our Father’s word.

And if you listen closely,
Beyond this little rhyme,
You’ll hear Him speaking clearly:
“My children, it is time.”

Inconvenienced

Are you inconvenienced by Holiness?

Maybe you say I want to be a man or a woman of God but you have a few inconsistencies in your character and are maybe lacking in your integrity. Maybe you are one of those who negotiate with God saying "I will go this far and no further!" You may even have a heart for God and just keep slipping up here and there. Let me encourage you that you can achieve Holiness! The word of God admonishes us to " ...Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16

I was counseling a young woman one time and she had an excuse for everything and she said to me "I am not perfect!" I opened my Bible to Matthew 5:48 and read " So than, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." I went on to encourage her that though we may feel like it is impossible and that we are be expected to much of, God gives us the Grace to pursue after holiness, because holiness is perfection!

When I say "Pursue Holiness" you may think in your mind...Abstaining from sin, cleaning house so to speak, watching what we see, hear, say and do, etc.. Maybe to you being a good person is good enough. Let me bring something to light for you...It is not the act of holiness that is our pursuit, but the holy one Himself!

Jesus is the Holy one and He is our holy pursuit! Our love for Him must drive us to holiness! If you truly love with a pure unadulterated love, whole heartedly the one who loved you first, than holiness becomes a drive inside of you! A facet of who you are! You become like Him! My favorite verse in the Word is Psalm 17:15 " As for me, I will see your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness!"

Maybe Holiness is not a priority to you now and it use to be. Let me encourage you to return to your first love! In Revelation 2:4 Jesus is speaking to the church of Ephesus and basically says I see all the good that you have done but ," ...I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love." To that person, do you remember the feeling of being in love with him and enjoying his presence? There are benefits to holiness! Holiness = No guilt! When you are right with God and you know that you are forgiven and clean, No Enemy or lie can tell you otherwise! True freedom is holiness! Praise God for His everlasting Love and Mercy that gives us the Grace to be Holy!

Please friend don't be inconvenienced by holiness. That unsurpassed love is always going to be far and above your wildest expectations and the only way to attain it is through your personal pursuit of Holiness!

How does this happen?

I faced a situation that really put things in perspective for me. I received a call from a friend that is very close to me. She first befriended me at Brownsville. She cried for two hours on the phone telling me about her present circumstances. My heart was moved for her and I asked my husband to allow me to go to her and just be there for her. I couldn't do much and I didn't necessarily "hear from God" to go, but I knew I had to. When I got there we just hung out for a while and then returned to her home. While we sat there talking I was overwhelmed with the urge to lay hands on her and pray. When I did she broke before the Lord and began to confess, repent, and renounce her own sin and backsliding. I had no idea that day that I was going to witness a God moment, but this was Awesome! This is the perspective change that I was speaking of. The point that I want to make is that this woman was the last person on the earth you would expect to backslide. My eyes are opened to the fact that (and I hate to say this) backsliding seems to be an epidemic among those who have tasted "The God" in our cherished and beloved days of Revival.

Please hear my heart, this blog is not to condemn anyone. I just want to poke at the underlying embers of a flame that is either waning or is already gone out. In Revival we didn't go there and just meet good friends, nor did we go to just get a good word! We didn't even go to change our lives, but that happened because we met a Real God! Out of that awesome meeting we began the ride of our lives- a relationship with Him! We were men and women of God and we served Him well! We were disciplined, we turned our back on sin, and we embraced holiness because all we wanted to do was please Him! We wanted to be close to Him! That feeling of being right with God and just being in His Presence day-in and day-out has left us with a longing deep inside that will not be silenced! I myself and others have faced the waning of passion, the "pleasure of sin", the lure of the world, and the anger at the past and present. I can't really speak for others but I have learned a hard lesson. Sin Kills! It kills hopes, dreams, belief, desire, and passion for the things of God. Before I knew my husband I began to question my standard and try and lower the bar and play games with God and it almost caused me to loose the very thing I had been dreaming of all my life: a man of God that will go with me into my destiny and be my covering for the rest of my life! I repented once I felt the bottom falling out and Graciously the Lord restored me and kept my standard High! I tell you it is so much easier to throw in the towel than it is to be a man or a woman of God! His Grace is enough and wasn't His death on the Cross worth it? If we don't get right we die! A spiritual death is separation from God! "SIN- SEPARATES!" Think if you had no more opportunity to get right- That's It! We are not promised our next breath!

Listen, from the second I shook your hand, introduced myself, met you, and knew you in that moment I made a commitment to you to love you as my friend for as long as I am kickin! What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't tell you the truth and encourage you to not turn your back on the Real God that once moved so mightily in your life! My heart breaks for those I love! If you are fine and you are right with God and going strong – Burn Hot and don't loose Heart (Galatians 6:9)! And please stand up for righteousness and speak up too! If you need some encouragement to repent of some things and get right with God, than please hear the heart of someone who desperately loves you and is praying for you! If you are discouraged about the way your life has played out or maybe you were doing fine and got tired of waiting on heaven and earth to move and so gave up, let me be the one to tell you God has a plan and he is not through with you yet! Please turn your heart back to him! With all my love!



- Rebekah Barberree

Supernatural Childbirth!

Well, To begin, On Mine and Kevin’s honeymoon we met a young Couple and she told me to contact her when I get pregnant that she had a book that I would be interested in. She went on to tell me that the title of the book was "Supernatural Childbirth". I thought maybe it was just a little motivational book of encouragement or something but it turned out to be the word of God in action! Jakie Mize (www.terrymizeministries.org) shares of how not only did the Lord heal her of barrenness but also allowed her to have 3 of her 4 children pain free! After the first child that was a miracle Baby, She was inspired by Kenneth Copland who announced from the pulpit during a conference, "There is a woman expecting a child in the audience and if you will believe the word of the Lord than you will have your baby without pain!". Never hearing of this before she wanted to know exactly what the Word had to say about it! So she jumped in with both feet! (to save space I will let you read the details for yourself from their web page!) When I found out that I was pregnant I got the book and was tremendously encouraged and decided to apply my faith in this area! Then I found out I was having TWINS!!! "Wow, Is this going to change things?" I thought.Thinking it was impossible I then was given the report that most twins are born premature with very low birth weights and being that I was so small my babies would for sure be early. Well, we were thrown negative after negative and I was not going to receive any of it! So, If I am going to believe for one part to work out lets just go all out and believe for it all!!! Our predicted due date was Feb 26, which would be 40 weeks. 37 weeks is considered full term for twins. So, we agreed in prayer that the twins would be born after Feb 1st and both weigh at least 6lbs each, and on top of that that we would have a pain free birth!!!Well, at 27 weeks I was given the report that my cervix was opening to soon and that I would have to go on strict bed rest in order to prevent early labor. At 31 wks I was rushed to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola with painless contractions 3 minutes apart and 1cm dilated. They were able to stop labor and all of the nurses and the Doctor on call were very disturbed that I would not receive the pain meds they insisted that I needed! I continued there in my room 360 for the next 6 wks!!! I had my tightening contractions regularly but no pain. Well, they were able to stop me from having labor all the way to Feb 1st and on the 1st I had an ultrasound scheduled. I had been getting so large that I was sure I had 10lb babies but I went in and said to the tech "If the words seven or eight come from your mouth I am walking out!" Well, she did the ultrasound and both girls were 6 1/2 lbs so our prayers were answered on that one!Two days later I found myself in labor again and was dilated 6cm and then 8! At 8cm the Doctor that would be delivering the girls came in and said "She is too comfortable, shes not in labor." and he walked out! I was a little unnerved by that, but he returned about 20mins later to find me and the nurses laughing and cracking jokes! He resulted to break my water with a remark " I am going to ruin your day!". I have never felt such a relief! When he broke my water I said "That felt so good!!!" The pressure had been building for so long and Wheeewh!!!Well, I was not dilating past 8cm so thought that he would try again to make me miserable, he gave me the meds to induce labor and said " That ought to get the contractions cranking, your going to hate me now!". After another 20 or 30 mins he decided to just go on with the process and had me start pushing. You are suppose to wait until you have a contraction to push but the problem was that after he gave me the meds to induce I actually stopped feeling my contractions. The nurse had to tell me when to push!!! After pushing with no pain for one and a half hours Liberty began to crown and I did feel a slight tearing sensation but it felt more like a little scrape and she was born. Mercy popped right out 24 min later with no problems!!! TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY FOR ALL THAT HE HAS DONE!!!Me and my Babies are so healthy that all of the nurses and doctors involved were amazed! They are well over 20lbs now and almost 2 years of age! We are doing Great! My Jesus is true to his word and I Love Him with all of my heart!!!