Ok...expect this NOT to be one of my typical newsletters. I'm not going to tell you about the dates we're doing or where we're going. I'm not going to talk about the radio single or even give you the link to write ENLIGHTEN AND REQUEST TAKE A STAND (ok..couldn't pass that one up). This is a different kind of newsletter.

I'm sick. I'm sick beyond belief about some things that are going on around me. I'm sick of how many artists and ministers that I personally know who are under attack at their core. I'm sick that people I care about are being torn apart in their home lives, their work lives, their personal lives, all because they are committed to carrying a message of hope and grace. I'm sick of the outright spiritual warfare that is being waged on believers around this world. And finally, I'm sick of all the apathy that exists in the Christian community where some care more about who's sitting in 'their' pew than who is going to hell!

Over the past several months I've been a personal witness to several episodes of attack against artists that we work with or know well. This has come in a variety of forms, everything from attacks aganst their health and finances, to direct attacks against their lives (remember the bus bombing). I've seen their families attacked...their marriages, their ministries...all come under fire because of their determination to take a stand and live what they know to be truth. I'm sick of these attacks!

You see...I really believe we're living in a place where these things are just going to get worse. The more we work for the Kingdom of God...the more we're going to face adversity. The more steps of boldness we take, the more satan will come against us to bring us down. As artists and ministries...we often are so consumed with carrying the message and making a difference that we protect our fronts, but leave our flanks exposed. This happens most often when we're in the mode of constant 'giving out' and not taking in enough. We've all done it..I've been there. We get so busy we don't take time for personal ministry. We get so involved in what we've got going that we don't take time for the word. That leaves us exposed...and open for attack. And most of the time that attack comes in so quickly and without warning that we're totally caught off guard and often staggered by the force of the impact. It's enough to bring some ministries to a grinding halt, especially if they don't have a good core support system of family and friends, but also of other artists.

Being on the road and in ministry is not all it's cracked up to be. Most folks see the travelling around on a nice bus and looking all pretty in our stage clothes...and they feel like they know the life we're leading, and that it's a really cool deal. IT IS. But that's only a small part of the real life. They don't see all the long hours, little sleep and loads of work that go on behind everything. They don't see the struggles and the worries that accompany this vocation just like any secular position. Artists need artists to survive. We need to have people around us that know what it's like and know how we feel. They are the ones to call in the middle of the night and say...I'm hurting. I'm down...I've got a problem. We need to be able to reach out to trusted individuals and say "pray for me...I'm having a bad time". Now we need to be able to do that without fear of it showing up in a press release the next morning...but that's a different rant. I would encourage EVERY artist to build that relationship with others so that you have someone to call. Somebody said...well you should just pray, God is there. Well of course He is. But sometimes you need someone on the other end of the phone, or sitting across from you...that'll just reach out and slap you if needed. Now God has done that to me in the past...but sometimes having that physical smack can get your attention more quickly.

As ministries continue to reach out to the lost, we need people who will stand "in the gap" for us. I never really understood that saying for a while..what gap? Cumberland gap? Now I get it...there's a divide that we sometimes face when we're out there pushing a message and a ministry. The attacks are sure to come...but if we've got people standing behind us, praying for our peace...our sanity, for the favor of God in our lives. That helps to fill that chasm that gets created in our spiritual foundation. That doesn't excuse our lacking in any way...we still need to be on our guard and be prepared. But when the battles been raging and we're weak, having someone there to hold up our arms so that we can fight on is crucial. If you know personally some folks that are in ministry..whether evangelistic by travelling around all over or your local pastors and ministry teams, adopt them. Reach out to them...let them know that you're supporting them with your prayers. Then do it. Pray for them...lots. Lift them up at all times during the day...send them notes of encouragement, anything. Support them financially..they (we) need it. Do something...anything...to further the message of grace.

If you stop for 10 seconds you can name a dozen people that you personally know who are lost. Do it...count them. When was the last time you spent 10 seconds praying for them? I'm not trying to be preachy...but we've got a problem in the 'church' today. We've focused on so much organization and structure that we've completely forgotten about allowing God to move in the way HE needs to move. Some churches we visit have things some timed and programmed that even if God showed up, they wouldn't let Him on the schedule of service events. We've spent so much time as a church drinking the milk without really getting in to the meat. We've spent too much time being 'seeker friendly' that we left out who we're supposed to be seeking. We hold revivals in our churches that amount in some cases to little more than a feel good get together. We'd accomplish the same thing if we had a church cookout and a good softball game. A real revival is whats needed in the church...one where people are drawn into services by the overwhelming presence of God. We need a revival where people can simply be in the same area as we are and know that we're Christians. Not by the clever T-shirts or religious symbols on jewelry, but by a saturation of the manifestation of God. People were healed by shadows when Jesus walked the earth...what's your shadow gonna do except provide a little shade? It's time to get off our butts and get on our knees...back to what is really important about a relationship with God. I'm not against church social activities...I don't even mind the 'holy grounds' coffee bar in some of the bigger churches around. But aside from building big numbers with attractive activities, how are we building an army to fight for the lost?

Yes...this has been a different sort of newsletter for me. But I've gotten 1 too many calls about another attack against people that I care about and respect. It's time for Christians to rise and take a stand. It's not just a good set of lyrics..it's a call to battle. Before I ask if you're answering the call...let me ask you this; are you even hearing the call to action? Sadly a lot of Christians have become so accepting of the world and what it gives, that we're deaf to the cries of those who are lost and going to hell. Listen...can you hear it?

Take A Stand...