Romancing the Stone - Part 4
Writer Author Jerry Lee Kay Sr.
Christian Article
:
Christian Living
- Fiction No
A great luxury liner was on fire, but no one knew it. Deep in the hold, near the engine room, hundreds of tons of coal were stored. Coal-powered ships used to carry the coal in a watered-down state. But this ship was new, and very big; bigger than any ship ever built, or had ever sailed. So even though the coal was watered for safety, the enormous amount meant that there were dry spots. A fire smoldered undiscovered deep in the coal supply, and when it was discovered, a fire-fighting crew was sent to quench it. They worked for days, even weeks, and couldn't put it out. It was determined that the coal stores were so huge that the fire would not deplete it, and was not a danger to the passengers or crew. So the ship put to sea with a fire-fighting crew sworn to secrecy, still fighting the stubborn fire in shifts around the clock.
The ship never made it to port. Crossing the Atlantic with more than 2,220 persons aboard, the ship sank. 1,513 persons perished, making the incident the worst maritime disaster in history. Safety standards of the time were obsolete, so there were enough lifeboats to comply with the law, but with only enough seats for half the passengers.The fire had no part in the disaster. It's hardly ever mentioned. Few people even know about it. Something else grabbed the headlines, upstaged it. The something else was an iceberg.The ship was the Titanic.
It was on fire when they boarded it. But who could tell? And who remembers it now? It's well-known for hitting an iceberg, and for sinking, and for having too few lifeboats. Some even remember that this was the first use of the Morse Code distress signal, SOS. But you have to do some research to find out that there was a fire in the hold, that was burning even before the ship sailed. In the Bible we find that the Spirit of God is often likened to a burning fire. The great preacher and evangelist John Wesley once wrote that "Christians should set ourselves on fire and invite people to watch us burn". When people come to the church any church there should be fire for them to see? Are we burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit? Or are we all just a burnt out pile of barely lit coals, or even ashes? I am here to tell you Beloved we must remember our history. And ask, what is the church known for today? Some say it is sinking from hitting the iceberg of modern society.....How many remember that there was a fire in the hold when it set sail?
There is nothing like the enthusiasm of a newbie. Watch the antics of a young kitten or puppy rolling and rollicking around its stretched-out parent, aggravating them at times to the breaking point. The one just beginning in life can't wait to explore every nook and cranny, investigate every piece of lint or tussle with every squeaky toy. Young Christians are like kittens and puppies,(not that they are animals) they are full of zeal and fire and they are known to aggravate some of the old mossbacks in the church almost to the breaking point. They are in Love!...."First Love"
I was called to minister for a church until they were able to get a permanent pastor, also to assist in finding one. The previous longtime pastor was a friend that went home to Glory without any warning. I preached revivals for them many times in the past. So I moved things around and accepted...This church was very receptive to the word and enjoyed my ministry so I wasn't in a hurry to put just any preacher in that sacred place of leadership. As receptive as they were I wanted the best for them and I know Abba Father well enough to know that He was preparing someone special for the job...Can you say Amen?...In the deal I inherited a song leader, and he was pretty good at it. After a few months he started being absent from time to time without notice. His wife and children were always there, when I asked where this brother was, they always said with a red face, he couldn't be here today. The last time he did so, he was out of pocket for two weeks. When he returned he expected things to go on as they always had in times past. Poppa never been called bashful, so I terminated him and got someone else to do the job. I found out later, he had a history of doing such. Hot and cold, hot and cold "He was afraid to turn loose!...Not sure he wanted to hold on!"...Can you say Amen? The book of Revelation 2nd chapter plainly states if you leave your "First Love" you are subject to have your candlestick removed. So Poppa handled that job for the Lord. Amen!
I could write a book about this guy, because of limited space I will shorten his story.....Praise God our Lord doesn't do that with all of us...Amen?
Several people came and told me he was spreading word around town he was going to give that preacher a good thrashing (meaning me), What did you do Poppa? was ye skeeered? The answer is, I committed it to God and went on about my business. He was known to be a man of his word. He was red headed and had a temper to match. So I never thought he was blowing smoke! However, God nor Momma raised me to be a milque toast, sissified preacher boy, and there ain't no feminine part about me, except for the fact that I love Jesus and His church as much as any lady ever did!
A few weeks went by and his family was faithful to the church, in fact his son, an 18 year old, followed me around like a puppy and was on fire for the Lord. Well, the time finally arrived, and he came to the church one day while I was there alone in the study. He burst through the door ranting and raving about how I had embarrassed him in front of his family and the town! His face was as red as a sugar beet, and he was fired up to the exploding stage.
I let him carry on until he started toward my desk, I never raised my voice, I stood up and said, my brother my name is not Jesus, it is Jerry. And I have no intentions of taking a whipping from you, I will turn the other cheek as far as forgiving you for your error, and will even pray with you, immediately after I put knots all over your head!
Much to my surprise that brother burst out in tears and started crying so hard he was almost in convulsions, shouting between sobs, "Poppa I didn't come here to fight you!, I came here to ask you to help me!" He sunk to his knees with his arms raised high and his hands opened towards heaven, crying, "Jesus! Jesus! Give me relief from this thing that is tormenting me"...And God spoke to my heart...this problem is not just a Poppa problem, this problem is much deeper than a personality conflict thingy, it certainly was more than just a surface issue. God in one sweep of His mighty hand took all of the fight and proud spirit from this brother. Suddenly he was as a little lamb and I heard the Holy Spirit say, "This is what I have been waiting for"!
Poppa had to spend many hours with that family, but I am very happy to report all is well, and that was over 30 years ago. This man had lost his "First Love" for his wife, his children, and his God. He admitted he never spent time romancing his wife, and even went days and weeks without talking to her, (she gained three pounds), he spent more time criticizing his children than giving them encouragement (they developed a mind of their own). He was angry with his church,( they striped the parking lot without giving him a special place). In short, he lost his "first love" and did nothing to gain it back. My recollection of the man from times past was a sweet, kind gentle soul for Jesus, family, and church, and loved being the minister of music. He told me he never spent quality time with the Holy Spirit, therefore he opened the door for a negative spirit to come in and it almost destroyed him!
Are moonlight and roses merely melodic memories? Will I never again cross "moon river" in style? Have I slipped beyond the entrapping spell of "that old black magic?" Will no one ever again "play Misty for me?" Will I never be "as helpless as a kitten up a tree ... unable to tell my right foot from my left ... my hat from my glove?" Don't have that faraway look in your eyes, indicating that you are in a world of your own. 'Why don't we do that anymore?'" Sounds like some old married couples right?..Sometimes we let this business of "romance" slip through our fingers through thoughtless inattention. Love became buried under a mountain of collected neglects ... words not spoken ... adventures not planned ... flowers not bestowed ... simple ceremonies left untended ... and rich memories carelessly trampled. Without realizing we were doing so, we offered the best of our time and energy to everybody else ... meaning that the "one at hand" always got second best, simply because it is easy to overlook people who are always "at hand."
Part of what brings us to worship is the need to have our lives reopened to the Spirit of God, whether we imagine It as a dove that descends upon our lives, or as a presence we feel in the early evening as we walk along the beach with the sun falling into the distant horizon, or as dynamic forces of power, and we wonder why we haven't felt that way in a while.
Have I slipped beyond the entrapping spell of "that Holy Fire Anointing?" Will no one ever again play "Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know for me?" Will I never be walking in the clouds again? They say, Poppa sometimes gets that faraway look in his eyes, indicating that I am in a world of my own, and I can hear my family whispering, "He is somewhere else, thinking of his days on the Evangelist trail or somewhere in a brush arbor on the mission field. Let him alone with his memories of days gone by, days when he was locked in battle with the forces of hell and preaching revival to folks that needed to feel the kiss of the Master. He spent his entire life building fires, now let him rest and dream of those powerhouse days.".... Well I have a confession to make!
They are all full of baloney, Poppa has yet to hear the Lord say, "I am putting you out to pasture!" That far away look I get is, "I am looking towards heaven for my next assignment, and they cannot hear what I hear. Nearly 60 years ago I heard Him say, " Thou, Son of man open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. But dear friend His word when it hit my belly is like as a fire and like a hammer that breaketh the rocks in pieces and in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I cannot not stay. If God so deems and I must go into a nursing home, and cannot speak a word, as long as I can lift my hand, I will be making the sign of the cross....Sweet as honey in my mouth, but a raging fire deep into the core of me!...I started out with a fire in the hold, and will go down with a fire still burning deep inside of me. Amen!...I was talking love talk to Jesus just a minute ago, telling Him how Sweet He is,..Glory to God!..
I was talking to the Master last evening and He told me, "Son you go down there and tell those folks that I haven't changed one little bit. Tell them I am as deeply in love with them as I was at the beginning. Tell them these flames can be rekindled, for everyone who has lost "that lovin' feeling," Tell them,..."I saw you last night and got that old feeling." And I could care less about technique, techniques of romance are secondary to a desire for romance. Do we want it? Are we hungry for it? Are we yearning after it?....... O' Me!.. Poppa gotta stop and shout and do the Holy Ghost shuffle...be right back.
Well, why don't we do that anymore? Sometimes I worry about people. Some, because they are so young. Others, because they are so immature. But the ones it hurts to see the most are the ones who lack joy in life and....Joy in the Holy Spirit....Joy while "Romancing the One that gave His Life so that we might live", "The Lover of our Souls"."...."The Foundation Stone of our Hope and Faith"....Can you say Amen?
Obviously, something akin to romance once existed, I have yet to find a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia that has even a single listing under the word "romance." We can trace at least one biblical courtship pattern where feelings and emotions must have run high. For we are told that romance tended to flourish around wells. Wells were places. If you were looking for a woman, you would go look by a well. Isaac met Rebekah at a well. Jacob met Rachel at a well. Moses met Zipporah at a well. Young men hung out at wells, knowing that mothers would send their daughters to fetch water in the evening. The courting scene followed a predictable formula. The man waited by the well, scouting the prospects. The woman came to fetch water, scouting the scouts. The man asked for a drink. If the woman was interested in pursuing the matter further, she gave him one. Violins were heard off stage. And the couple walked off together, with or without the water bucket.
Where did we lose it ... this thing called romance? Some put romance on the back burner while they concentrate on meeting the needs of their children. What they forget is that children need to be taught, not only the nature of parental love, but the nature of Jesus love. Probably the best lesson we can convey to a son or daughter is how to properly love and worship the Lord. Some that wasn't raised right will criticize folks that really get into their worship, I can remember my old daddy getting in the Spirit and dancing for an hour, my momma would get happy in the Spirit and shout till her hair would fall from the bun on back of her head, and that wasn't down at the church house, it was at home. All you had to do was start humming some old gospel song. As in "I'll Fly Away"...They both taught me, and my Fathers final words to me was, " Son don't hang out by cisterns, Stay by the Well." ...Whew!!! Poppa feels like he fixin to be raptured oughta here!...Can you say Glory to God?
They say, "You don't miss your water till the well goes dry, and you don't miss your honey till she says bye-bye" Poppa gonna show you how to rekindle the flame by pouring water on it! Glory!Glory!...You say, Old man you don't know what your talkin bout! ..Everybody knows if you pour water on a fire you'll put it out!... Dear neighbor I hate to be the one to tell you, but you are thinking with the carnal mind, you are using the wrong kind of water!...you are using cistern water, and not the water from the well that Jesus said to drink from!...My!My!My!, Poppa feels like preachin the unsearchable riches of the kingdom of God!..Will you say Amen?.....Continued
God Bless You
Poppa
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About the Writer Author
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Texas
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United States
Email:
jerryleekay@suddenlink.net
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www.jerryleekay.net
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