I have been too lazy to blog about Jamaica. Or Germany and N. Ireland. But the latest round of false prophecies concerning the presidential election have roused me out of my MySpace slumber.

At this critical juncture of time, why would so many relaible Christian ministers and ministries resort to trying to pass-off soulish wishes as prophetic words from the Lord? Specifically, all of these 'prophecies' regarding McCain winning (he didn't) and words which bear false witness against Obama (I think there's a commandment about that somewhere!) really greive me.

This blog isn't about politics. Or candidates. This blog is about the Body's predelection to add 'thus sayeth the Lord' to their soulish desires and call it prophecy. I suggest that we: 1) 'man up' about the political climate of the times, 2) that we begin to pray prayers that agree with the Word over Obama, McCain, America, the nations and each other, and 3) stop slandering people and blaspheming God with our 'prophecies'. Prophecy is a gift -- not a weapon.

http://news.aol.com/article/glitch-shuts-down-biggest-atom-smasher/180085

Besides, Stephen Hawking says that any micro black holes this thing might inadvertently create will instantly evaporate.  And he's usually right... right??

I left Abuquerque on July 29th to spend the next two weeks in Spokane, WA, doing some revival meetings with Don Pirozok -- fully expecting to come back and vent -- I mean, blog -- about the spiritual situation there.  Maybe I still will, but for now, pray for Don and the other wonderful brothers and sisters there who badly need Holy Ghost blessings.

BUT

Not more than 10 minutes after returning home from that trip (at around midnight on Tuesday nite/Wednesday morning, August 12/13), I received a call from my mother-in-law Jessica saying that Eric, my father-in-law, was sick and to come quickly. I jumped in my mini-van (thinking it was roomy if I had to take him to emergency), and set out. I called Jessica back to say that I was now on my cell, and to ask if she had called 911 or not. She said that she did, and that she thought he was dead. Faith man Wyatt replied, 'He shall live and not die', and sped up a little more. I called Claudia, who was picking up Brus (doing the A/V at the upcoming GAP Conference) to get to her parents' house as soon as she could.

We arrived at the same time, and the police and emergency rescue team were already there. I walked to the bedroom door, and they were working furiously over Eric -- which they did for the next 20 minutes or so. We all prayed in tongues and spoke life to him. But to no avail -- he was long gone. After EMTs left, I continued to pray for resurrection power (I've seen the dead raised once before, you know...), but no spark whatsoever. It took Eric about 3 labored breaths to go from perfectly fit and healthy to outta here, and he wasn't coming  back.

My own personal sob-story: I got back home at 6 am, but was awakened a few hours later by the barking of our dog, Ty. When I went out, he was in great pain and couldn't move. I called Mary to ask for her vet's number, and she said he had been hitting his head on the ground all morning, 'cos of the pain of his arthritis, which had apparantly gotten much worse while I was in Spokane. He calmed down and was very happy I was with him, but he couldn't get up. At all. I had said to myself that the day he couldn't move was the day he would have to be put to sleep. So I carried him to the car, carried him into the vet, and stayed with him until the vet came in. Nuff said, except that this was the 'straw', so to speak, that turned me into an emotional wreck for the rest of the day. 

Here's the obit I wrote for him later that afternoon: http://obits.abqjournal.com/obits/2008/8/18

We interplaced our duties at Glorybound's GAP Conference 2008 (which was great -- maybe I'll tell you about it sometime) with being pre-occupied with Eric, who we all depended on for so much, and with being part of making final arrangements for him. There were the usual family emotions (everyone got at least one yellow card...), and some genuine meanness (red card, voted off of the island, etc.) on the part of a few of those family members. But other family members really stepped up (especially Leanna, my personal MVP and MIP nominee).  My daughter Shannon and grandson Jeremy arrived from Germany on Thursday nite (8/14), and that made a big difference for me.

Everyone said that the viewing on Monday, the funeral at Glorybound on Tuesday morning, the burial and reception that afternoon were a great tribute to Eric. Lots of emotional moments in all of that, too. We began to look into their personal affairs yesterday, and Jessica will be OK. She's been really good during this whole time. Proud of her.

So today, we (Claudia, Jessica, my mom and dad, Shannon, Jeremy and I) had breakfast together before putting Shannon and Jeremy on the plane back to Germany. I had a long nap, a nice dinner out with Claudia, and now we're ready to try to go back to life as normal at the office tomorrow. I haven't been normal since July 28th.

So, maybe later I'll tell you about Spokane and GAP 2008. Let's see how my attempted return to normal goes. 

Our friend Don Pirozok has been helping us conduct "Open Heavens Revival" meetings at Glorybound since Friday nite. We wanted to do these meetings ti co-incide with Bob Jones' prophetic word about the Holy Ghost pouring out power beginning June 22nd, adn it just so happened that Don could join us on his way between home in Washington and his particiption in the Lakeland Outpouring.

We called them open heavens meetings because we all agreed that the heavens were indeed open as we began them -- and they have been! Miracles, healings, anointings, impartations, and good preaching (angelic activity, raising the dead -- you know, the stuff you don't hear about just anywhere!). These meetings have been both deep and accessible -- a great combination. People have been turning out, too!  We might extend them, depending mostly on what Don needs to do about getting back to Lakeland. But, to be sure -- there's a Spirit of revival in the land, and it hasn't passed us by in Albuquerque!

Complete change of subject here, but my heartfelt compassion and sympathy to the family, crew, friends (even tho they joked that Cory Mac was the only friend he had!) and fans of Scott Kalitta, and to the drag racing community at large. Scott was killed in a funny car accident while qualifying Saturday at Raceway Park in NJ. It appeared to be a one-in-a-million, yet still unsafe element of the track configuration that was the ultimate factor in his death. Fix it! I love racing, but I hate that part of it. Death has got to go! He was the son of legend Connie Kalitta (Shirley Muldowney's rival and boyfriend in the movie "Heart Like a Wheel") and Scott was a two-time NHRA top fuel champ. He was a for-real-bad-a** racer, a razor-sharp competitor, a real champion, veteran and icon of the sport, a husband and dad of two boys. He was 46. See ya in heaven, Scotty.

Got back from Las Cruces a couple of hours ago. Great meeting at Women's Aglow! They wanted the fire, and we got to give it out! Everyone was really hungry for more, and they were really eager to receive! Music was fun -- thank you, Pastor Tony Lay, for drumming today. Great job! Claudia did a particularly great job, preaching on "receiving". She can be so provocative, and at the same time, so effective at getting "sensitive" points across! Mary did her usual great job prophesying -- they really love her in LC! We had a healing line, utilizing the Body to do the ministering, then a "fire" line. Soooooo good!

Some church leaders in LC came against us and the meeting today because they don't like Todd, or something about him, and they heard we had been to Lakeland (we were actually invited to the WA meeting to impart the fire!) but it didn't seem to have any adverse affect on the attendence, or certainly no affect on God's desire and ability to bless! We didn't mention a thing at the meeting about it, and I don't want to get too much into it here. Either you perceive and recognize the Holy Ghost -- or you don't...

I'm home from church, watching the Florida Outpouring. Still so powerful! Some of our church folks are there tonite. (We're making plans for some revival of our own at GMC!)

Great church servcie tonite! I wrote another new song last night ("Let It Be Me" -- kinda came to me just as I went to bed, so I had to get up and write it down), and it worked nice. A newcomer got healed (ed:) from pain and discomfort following recent heart surgery during P&W, and CJ did a great job preaching on healing. Claudia, Mary, Santi, Theresa B., Ethan and Lala went to the Frontier after church tonite for some world-class OJ & a 2. On the way there, we saw Will Farrell being filmed from a film truck while riding a dirt-bike-looking-bike going down Menaul -- the police were running interferrence for them, but we saw him from about half-a-block away and followed for awhile. As I tell this, I feel like his character in "A Night at the Roxbury" -- HEY EMILIO! I kid you not...  Lotsa movies being filmed in Albuquerque nowdays!

I bought a Rain Song carbon-fiber guitar this week. Learning how to play. Also bought a Fender '62 Precision re-issue/hybrid bass on eBay a few weeks ago, much like my first-ever nice bass (which I never should have sold -- it's worth maybe $5,000.00 now). It's sweet!

We go to Las Cruces this coming Wednesday and Thursday to bring 'em some at the Women's Aglow meeting. That'll be fun!

Had a really great and anointed church service today! (Watch the webcasts live at www.gloryboundministries.com )  Watched the last half of the Indy 500 (I was kinda hoping Danica would punch stupid Ryan Briscoe -- and Roger Penske for hiring him!), am watching the Monaco Grand Prix (about the only F1 race you don't know who the winner will be by the first turn), and will switch to the CocaCola 600 at Charlotte when this is over.

Now, that's a great day!

So we made plans to go to these meetings in Pasadena, mainly to see what might happen if the Lakeland "anointing" sparked a similar fire there.  We really got fought circumstantially as we got closer to departure, but it's not like that's never happened before...  When we got there, we felt the same hunger and zeal from the Body that we had seen in FL.  The miracles in the first meetings happened as Mel had everyone lay hands and pray over their neighbors.  David T. did a great job of bringing the Lakeland fire, and by the time Todd ministered on Friday night, it was all there.  And, I got the fire -- again!  Could it mean something that I am one of no more than a half-a-dozen people in the world who has gone to both coasts to "get some" of this fire??  :))

I don't know if any extended meetings are planned there, but there seems to be an acute hunger for revival ready to explode.  Maybe everywhere.  If this hunger can grow, and combine with some specific angel/Spirit activity, I think it could break out all over.  I want it.  I'm feelin' it.  I went to be on KCHF this morning, and it's all I could talk about.  Todd has said that since he's been in revival he never knew how carnal he had been (or something like that).  I kinda know what he means -- not sinful, mindful -- but carnal.  Things of this world.  They can even be cool sometimes, but nothing compares with the Spirit, and revival keeps you in the Spirit.  There's really nothing like soaking in Him, whether it is in praise, prayer, revival, Bible College, Christian conference, music in the house -- whatever!

Let's see what we can cook up here in Albuquerque at Glorybound... I have an idea or two!

I've got some blogging to catch up on, so here goes Installment One:

We began simulcasting the Florida Outpouring on Sunday, April 27th, as it was evident that something really special was going on.  Many of our ministry friends and aquaintences that have come to Glorybound to minister (Don Pirozok, Paul Cain, Sharnael Wolverton, Bob Jones, Bobby Conner, Keith Miller, Heather Clark, Patricia King, and others in addition to Todd Bentley) have been involved with these meetings, so we felt that we were already heavily invested here Spiritually.  We quickly decided that, in spite of the power of the simulcasts (where we've seen several folks born again at Glorybound during their altar calls), we needed to "go get some".  So we made quick travel arrangements.

We arrived in Orlando on Monday, May 5th (our fares to Orlando were lower than what we found to Tampa -- that's not always the case, tho...), and the airport and car rental agency (cars are def cheaper in ORL) were full of folks going and coming to the meetings.  Got a nice upgrade at Thrifty, and made it to our hotel in Lakeland at about 4:30 pm.  Just so happens that the day I made hotel arrangements, nobody knew where the meetings would be held the week of the 5th, just that they'd be somewhere beteween ORL and TAM.  So I went to Hotwire, found an unnamed 3 star hotel in Lakeland for $59 a night, and booked it.  Turns out it was the Hyatt Place adjacent to the Lakeland Convention Center -- FAVOR!

Got in line for the meeting, and met our friend Pastor Dan Dunn from Tampa there.  No disappointments!  Great Presence, hunger, worship (from both Roy Fields and Heather Clark), miracles and anointings.  We went 1) to get some (hands-laid-on transference on Mon and Thurs), and 2) to get some for Claudia.  That happened on Thursday -- a lady sitting in front of us got healed in her knees, came back and laid hands on Claudia, and her pain relented and her knees moved better than ever.  (That good work He has begun, He will see to completion!)  We went on the platform to testify, and got some more -- specifically for Albuquerque!

Sad to go, but eager to come back and share -- which we did in the following church services (drunken brawls, really!) that next weekend.  But we had heard that David Tomberlin was having a conference in Pasadena CA the next week with our buddy Mel Tari, and that Todd would be there for at least one meeting.  "I wonder," we wondered, "would the Lakeland 'anointing' transfer?"

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Tonite I participated in my first "Faster Pastor" event at Sandia Motorsports Park. What a great time! Thank you, Mario Rico, for dragging me out. After all, you must remember that this racing deal is a temptation I have resisted for more than 30 years! And, although I have a major-league fan resume, I have never, never ever driven any kind of a race car on any closed-course in all my life. Kinda like watching Brett Farve on TV for years, and then expecting to catch a pass from him during an NFL game!

After classroom instruction, we were set to practice in randomly-selected mini-stock division racecars.  I got the blue 31, a newly-built Acura regularly driven by A.J. Davis (thanks for the help getting me strapped-in and settled-in, A.J.!).  I ran the first practice session, and I could tell during warm-ups that this was a fast car.  We did at least 15 laps under green, and I found a speedy line (even tho I did get a little ragged going into turn one a little low a couple of times!). During that session, I passed every car, and all but two cars twice. Now, that felt good!

So all afternoon, I was the "fast new guy". It was flattering, as some of the quick guys who had done this before were saying that if I got the same car in the race (which was not guaranteed), and if I started up front 'cos I was new, that I'd be gone by the time they came thru traffic. Just what I was hoping for! But as racetime neared, I still didn't have a car, and the owner of the 31 had two of his other cars crash or fail during the heat races. Finally, they offered me another car, and as I was walking to it, they gave me the 31 again. I was set!

Before the feature race, we did parade laps carrying kids from the stands for ride-arounds. That was fun! But now it's showtime. Time to get gone! They started me inside the 2nd row. The polesitter, directly in front of me, was a quick truck with a slow (woman pastor) driver. I remembered her from my practice session. Next to her was the guy who had won the past two pastor races, in the car he won them with (09).  I knew that if I was to have a chance at him, I'd have to get around the car in front of me post haste. So when the green flag dropped, I quickly went below and around the polesitter at the start line. I was 2nd, but too low going into turn 1 to be at maximum velocity. On the backstretch, the 09 was six lengths in front of me, but I cut that down to 3 by the end of lap 1.

We raced that way for 5 or 6 laps, neither gaining on each other, but pulling away from everybody else until we caught the end of the field to start lapping traffic. Stacy (McDermott, not Compton) and Mario (Rico, not Andretti) were racing each other so nasty that they were hard to pass! That was probably the most fun I had, racing with them. I'll bet we were a sight! As I finally got around Mario, I saw the 1 car coming on my low side, challenging me for 2nd in traffic. But now that I had cleared Mario, I knew I could get back with my groove and try again for the 09.  Just then, going into turn 3, I heard and felt a rattle and chatter in the left front of the car. I backed off a little, and when I felt it get worse, not better, I knew it was a tire (the LF -- the tire which gets the least amount of wear on a left-turn oval track!) going down. After all, this was a new car, and A.J. had earlier blown a RF tire during his regular heat race. By turns one and two, I knew I'd had it, so I pulled to the high side of the track, stuck my hand out, and limped the 'ol 31 into the pits, undamaged but for the tire.

My race, my night, maybe my entire racing career was over. DNF. Last place. Hero to zero. Even the lady in the truck outfinished me. But, boy did I have fun! And what a run! Could I have caught and passed the 09? Probably not, not tonite. Would the 1 have gotten me for 2nd? Probably not. I was a hot rod. You should have seen me.

And that's the feeing I take away with me tonite. After 30+ years of wondering, I know that I am a racer at heart. I always thought so, but now I know. So now, more than ever, my most profound Spiritual question remains: I know there will be racing in heaven, but can I ever beat Jesus? (That is, if I don't blow another tire!)

Just got back from our little trip moments ago, so I turned on the Channel 11 Telethon (which I completely missed out on by being out of town!) and am watching Randy somebody (who used to be a part of the "Brownsville Revival") talk about the way church is going to evolve -- he's talking about Glorybound!  Some folks won't care for it, and some just plain won't get it.  But it makes me happy!  Come on, Holy Ghost!

We're also following with great interest the developments in Todd Bentley's meetings currently being held in Lakeland FL -- a new level of outpouring in signs and wonders seems to have emerged there.  He's a MySpace friend, so go to his site and check things out.

My rehab has begun after being a tax accountant since mid-January.  Right now I'm vegging watching TMA Wrestling while Claudia puts finishing touches on tomorrow's message.  We went to dinner tonite -- our 28th anniversary.  Tomorrow we leave for an undisclosed location to really veg for awhile.  Then I'll be ready to be human again.

I'm bored doing taxes tonite, so I'll blog a little.  I'm listening to Sheryl Crow's new album, and I like it, but I'm concerned that she might be a little too unhappy these days.  At least she has a son named Wyatt.

Sharnael Wolverton is here at GB this weekend.  We like her.  She had a women's meeting/lunch today, but I didn't go.  I was doing tax returns, and besides, I'm not a woman.  Em did the P&W 'cos she's here from ENMU this weekend.  All on the webcast.

Had a nice dinner with Claudia at Landry's.  We usually don't go out on Saturday nites, but she's not preaching tomorrow, so we had a little time tonite. 

Daytona is one week away. YAY!

I'm thinking about buying a new 4-string bass.  Fender Precision Highway One (like my old '71 Precision that I never should have sold) or a black Fender Aerodyne Precision?  Whaddya think?  I'd really like to find a nice Reverend Rumblefish bass, but none on E-Bay at present.

How's that for unabashed rambleness??