Revolution

The following is an excerpt from Revolution, by George Barna, renowned pollster. While I can't honestly say that I fit this description 100%, it describes where I/we are at in our journey of faith. Some of you are struggling with the why's and how's of faith and spirituality, and you are wondering why you don't "fit in". Some of you out there have "peculiar" friends, and you don't understand whats going on with them. Before you castigate them and shun them for "not going to church", backsliding or whatever the excuse is, consider picking up a copy of Barna's book - it may help to shed some light on the situation.



I am a Revolutionary in the service of God Almighty. My life is not my own; I exist as a free person but have voluntarily become a slave to God. My role on earth is to live as a Revolutionary, committed to love, holiness, and advancing God's Kingdom. My life is not about me and my natural desires; it is all about knowing, loving, and serving God with all my heart, mind, and soul. Therefore, I acknowledge the following:
- I am a sinner; broken by my disobedience but restored by Jesus Christ in order to participate in good works that please God's eyes, and the Holy Spirit leads me toward greater holiness.
- God created me for His purposes. My desire as a Revolutionary is to fulfill those ends, and those ends alone. When I get out of bed each day, I do so for one purpose: to love, obey, and serve God and His people.
- Every breath I take is a declaration of war against Satan and a commitment to opposing him.
- God does not need me to fight His fight, but He invites me to allow Him to fight through me. It is my privilege to serve Him in that manner. I anticipate and will gladly endure various hardships as I serve; for this is the price of participation in winning the spiritual war.
- I do not need to save the world; Jesus Christ has already done that. I cannot transform the world, but I can allow God to use me to transform some part of it.
- My commitment to the Revolution of faith is sealed by my complete surrender to God's ways and His will. I will gratefully do what He asks of me simply because He loves me enough to ask. I gain my security, success, and significance through my surrender to Him.
- I am not called to attend or join a church. I am called to BE the Church.
- Worship is not an event I attend or a process I observe; it is the lifestyle I lead.
- I do not give away 10 percent of my resources. I surrender100 percent.
- God has given me natural abilities and supernatural abilities, all intended to advance His Kingdom. I will deploy those abilities for that purpose.
- The proof of my status as a Revolutionary is the love I show to God and people.
- There is strength in relationships; I am bound at a heart and soul level to other Revolutionaries, and I will bless believers whenever I have the chance.
- To achieve victory in the spiritual war in which we are immersed, there is nothing I must accomplish; I must simply follow Christ with everything I have.
- There is no greater calling than to know and serve God.
- The world is desperately seeking meaning and purpose. I will respond to that need with the Good News and meaningful service.
- Absolute moral and spiritual truth exists, is knowable, and is intended for my life; its is accessible through the Bible.
- I want nothing more that to hear God say to me, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."

Thank you, Lord God, for loving me, for saving me, for refining me, for blessing me, and for including me in the work of your Kingdom. My life is Yours to use as You please. I love You.

Good stuff happening!

    I know its been a while, and there is no excuse.  Unfortunately, this is not going to be part of the "saga", rather just a quick update on what is happening.  But then....maybe this IS part of the saga.
    Life here is more or less the same.  Patrols, eat, sleep...repeat.  We have been able to get to know a few of the people in our AO (Area of Operation), most of them teenager boys.  Some of them are beginning to speak a bit of English, so it is fun to talk to them.  Personally, I'm not able to have as much contact as I would like, as I sit in a gunners turret the whole time, but I am still able to interact with a few of them.  While there are still bad people around, the locals seem to be responding to postive pressure (and a few contract dollars) by cleaning up the area and making it safer.  For  them, and for us.
    Inside the wire, I have had the priviledge of facilitating two small groups that have the potential to be life changing.  The first one is about sanctification, righteousness, and just plain getting rid of the stuff in our lives that shouldn't be there.  Each one of the three of us have been in the "hot seat", dealing with the stuff that the Holy Spirit indicates needs to go.  It is not a comfortable place to be, but it is so freeing.  The second group is more recent, but also deals with freedom - FINANCIAL.  About six of us started going thru Dave Ramseys Financial Peace University.  Helen and I went thru the series several years ago, but as I sat thru the first session, I was convicted.  I know this stuff, and God has blessed us beyond measure, but I am not using it to its potential.  So, here I am - back in the hot-seat, repenting for not being a faithful servant and good steward.  Although, Dave is a Christian, and uses scripture as a basis for a lot of his teaching, he is NOT a bible-thumper, which would turn off most of the guys here.  Being over here with quite a few financial benefits, this is a great opportunity for all of us, and our families, to get established in healthy financial habits.  I am hoping that I will be able to present it to all of the guys in my patrol set, as it is such a vital part of life, and most of us DON'T HAVE A CLUE!!!

    That's it for now, but I hope to get back to the "other" stuff soon.