tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26745702922023182742024-03-08T05:04:27.284-08:00dannywallaceministriesDanny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-13345791866762672472011-03-11T15:48:00.000-08:002011-03-11T15:51:59.537-08:00Wisdom Brings ChangeProverbs 29:8 <br />“<span style="font-weight:bold;">Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger</span>.”<br /><br /><br /> I have devoted my life and ministry to bringing hope, deliverance, and, yes, change to broken lives. Every article I write and each time I speak, it is the desire of my heart to reveal the truth behind certain strongholds that have remained unchanged (for the most part) in the 2000 year history of Christianity. At the top of this list looms the most polarizing argument before us today: “The Christian and the Homosexual”<br /><br /> I am frequently confronted by angry, evangelical Christians who suggest that it is “high time” for Christians to stand up against the massive movement infiltrating this nation among the organized, homosexual community that continues to push homosexuality into the same civil rights status that African-Americans demanded in the 1960’s to secure their civil liberties. I often ask if this outrage is over homosexuality in general or just among Christians who seek freedom from the homosexual stronghold? The response is most always the same. “There is no such thing as a Christian homosexual.”<br /><br /> That statement reminds me of the time I attended a mega-church in Atlanta where the pastor declared that he needed to clarify how his church handled requests from parishioners seeking financial assistance. He made it clear that “his” church had over 3,000 members (at the time), and therefore, could not assist “non-members” with such matters. He further explained that any “members” of the church who requested financial assistance would be subjected to a review of their tithing records. The church would not help those who did not tithe because the Bible makes it clear that they are under a curse – therefore, the church would not join itself with someone who was already under a curse by offering them financial assistance.<br /><br /> This puzzled me, especially since this same pastor loved to quote from the Book of Malachi regarding tithing and say, “Try the Lord, and see if He will not open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing so big you will not even be able to contain it.” My simple mind summed it up this way: Those who tithe are blessed to the point that they can’t even count all of their money, so obviously, they won’t be asking for your help. This would leave only those who do not tithe to ask for financial assistance (the same bunch you declare to be cursed), rendering them disqualified to receive help. He could have saved the sermon and summed it all up by simply saying, “We don’t help anybody.”<br /><br /> Likewise, if the religious man believes that there is no such thing as a Christian homosexual, why are these same people so angry and ready to argue with those involved in or who support homosexuality? Why would a lost person care whether he finds freedom from the stronghold of homosexuality or not? And better yet…why would we care as Christians? It seems to me, if one is lost and bound for Hell, his sexual identity is the least of his worries.<br /><br /> The fact that so very few people have found freedom from the stronghold <br />of homosexuality across the past 2,000 years is not the responsibility or accountability of the lost, the government, or the advocacy groups who have risen up to say, “No more!”, regarding the shame, humiliation and judgment suffered by those who identify themselves as homosexual. This movement has grown to a fever pitch as a result of a judgment that offers no true wisdom or plan for freedom from the stronghold. As Christians and Ambassadors of our Father’s heart, that responsibility is ours to bear. If these arguments had ever offered freedom from homosexuality, thousands would stand up in the church to shout praises for their deliverance today. The deafening silence testifies “loud and clear” to the futility of these arguments. This is the enemy’s finest work. While our “righteous indignation” provides the lock on the very door of Satan’s most cruel stronghold, the enemy kicks back to take a rest, content to watch us do the work for him. <br /><br /> I asked many people who follow me on Facebook to tune in to the OWN cable television network on March 8, 2011, at 10 o’clock p.m. EST to watch “Our America” with host Lisa Ling. The one-hour documentary was devoted to the question, “Can you pray the gay away?” Lisa interviewed Alan Chambers, the President of Exodus International, a Christian based organization dedicated to offering hope and support to those who seek freedom from the stronghold of homosexuality. She also spoke with various Christians who embrace their homosexuality – also visiting a Christian youth camp dedicated to helping Christian teens accept and love themselves as God loves them. The camp is led by a Lutheran minister who is homosexual.<br /><br /> Lisa Ling made a comment near the end of the documentary that I both understand and support. She said that although each group was taking a different path to get there, it appeared to her they were all seeking the same thing. I believe that “thing” is acceptance. I don’t think most people really care so much about whether or not someone accepts their personal choices, beliefs, or lifestyle, as much as they each long to be accepted as a person who was molded by the hands of God himself. In fact, I believe that is what each person who has ever lived or died desires. We each just need to know that we matter. One fact is certain: When a person is declared “worthless” long enough, he will likely join with others, like himself, and rise up to demand he be reckoned with. And in the end, I “reckon” each person deserves that much. <br /><br />Most evangelicals are as uneducated and uncaring regarding the issue of homosexuality as they have ever been. Our careless judgments have ignited a firestorm in this nation that will not be quenched any time soon. I say with confidence that if it is your passion to deny equal rights and eventual marriage rights to those who are secure and content in their homosexuality, you are about to be gravely disappointed. I only wish we had concerned ourselves as much with heterosexual relationships before Evangelical Christians reached the point of divorcing at a greater rate than any other group in this nation. If we had been this concerned with loving our spouses until death do us part, we would have closed the door to the stronghold of homosexuality long ago. Instead, we have left our children broken and plagued with feelings of abandonment, prime targets of the enemy for this particular stronghold. In the meantime, we have been duped into entering the useless arguments and judgments surrounding the “right or wrong” of homosexuality, while accepting no responsibility for leaving the door wide open by our own disobedience regarding the sanctity of our own marriages or the judgment of others. Yes, I reckon the firestorm is coming. I’m just wondering how long it will take Christians to realize that it is we who have poured the gas and thrown the match?<br /><br /> Do with this warning what you will. I speak it with much love, knowing the righteous anger will come, but that’s OK with me. I survived abuse beyond your wildest imagination to accept the mantle God has placed upon the remainder of my life. If these words will open the eyes of just one caring heart, many will be spared this terrible stronghold in the generations to come. This is the warning:<br /><br /> If we continue to point a finger of judgment at those bound in homosexuality and devote our time to the useless civil and religious arguments surrounding the pros and cons of this issue, there will be no freedom found from homosexuality. Likewise, if we men continue down the path of abandoning our heterosexual marriages and the responsibility we hold as fathers, teachers, and guardians over our wives and our precious children, we leave the door open for this stronghold to grow stronger and deeper than Sodom and Gomorrah ever witnessed in the generations to come. In fact, it will pale by comparison. And finally, if we don’t wake up and recognize what fools, hypocrites, and self-righteous judges the enemy has made of us in all that I stated above, the firestorm of homosexuality that is coming to our children and our children’s children is our responsibility. Government will not help us, arguing will not help us, and the horrors within the ultimate manifestation of this stronghold will be beyond anything we have ever witnessed in the history of this nation.<br /><br /> So what do we do? We begin by reducing the entire law of the Prophets, as well as our religious arguments to the wisdom our Lord gave us. We begin to treat ALL people the way we would like to be treated. It is a fool who continues to do the same things, expecting different results. Therefore, we begin immediately to educate ourselves and the church, regarding “how” the stronghold of homosexuality begins and “one-by-one” we move to close that door of opportunity in the young lives within our circumference of influence. It is an individual change that we need. People are changed “one person at a time.” Therefore, I suggest that we begin to truly love, embrace, and pray for homosexuals and reserve finger-pointing and judgment for ourselves. If each of us will take on this mantle of responsibility, the generations to come will not be burdened with the stronghold of homosexuality that “we” have participated in perfecting within our own. <br /><br />Arguments are for fools. Love heals a multitude of sins, homosexuality included. Continuing to garment ourselves in “immoveable” religiosity regarding this issue will only continue to enrage the arguments and cause a hurting world to believe that, “since we act like fools, we must follow one.” However, wisdom brings change, and I submit to you that “change” is exactly what we need.Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-1110717380008884502010-05-11T07:22:00.000-07:002010-05-11T07:23:41.220-07:00What Would I Say If I Had One More Day With My Dad?The major impact of my ministry over the last fifteen years has been the transparency of my life story of surviving childhood physical and sexual abuse at the hands of my Dad. To date, over 1.1 million copies of my testimony have been given way around the world absolutely FREE of charge, either in hard copy or internet download. However, my father passed away in June of 2008, leaving much unsaid between us.<br />Many who have heard me speak LIVE have heard how my Dad told me that he loved me during a 2007 trip back to the home where I grew up, and where my father still lived until the time of his death. What you may not have heard is that a few short weeks before he died, my Dad asked my younger brother to contact me with the terms of his last request. That request was made with my father knowing the end was near. His request was that I not attend his funeral, and no family member was to notify me of his passing. Although I was notified by my brother on the day of his death, I honored his dying request and did not attend his funeral service.<br /><br />I was asked a question recently that I had never given much thought to before. The question was simply, “What would you say to your father if you had just one more day with him on this earth?” After much thought in the days that have passed since the question was asked, I am certain I know the answer.<br /><br />I would tell my father how much I looked up to him as a small boy. From there I would simply add….<br /><br />“I was so very small and yet you were the biggest giant in the land! I thought you were so smart. You could take a few pieces of wood and turn them into the most beautiful pieces of furniture or cabinetry I had ever seen, while I couldn’t fashion a mud pie without it falling to pieces right before my eyes.<br /> You taught me so many things that are still so deeply entrenched in my character and personality. Things like…never being late, and never losing sight of a goal until it had been reached. You taught me that hard work was no shame and no man was to ever be judged as less than myself.<br /><br />Even though I was not invited to your funeral service, I had a quiet time alone to remember you…and I cried when I heard that you were gone. I think I cried more for the wonderful times we could have had, and the lost relationship between a father and his first born son that was not destined to happen for us."<br /><br />But I wouldn’t be able to let our final day together pass without adding these words….<br /><br />“On the morning I received the call from my brother to say he had stopped by to check on you before heading to work and had found you staring lifeless out the window that overlooked the place where you grew up as a small boy…I prayed that in those brief seconds it took for you to walk from the couch and sit in the chair where you died, that you gave your heart to Jesus.<br /><br />It was never going to be important whether or not I attended your funeral. Across the span of our lifetimes, you and I had crossed many troubled waters. Along a troubled path that nearly destroyed any remnant of who I was created to be, sweet Mercy crossed the road and gave me a reason to live again. A little farther up that road of life I made the choice to forgive you of all that had transpired between us. I discovered quickly that only when our cup of forgiveness is poured out for others, can we truly be free and whole again. So rather than allow my cup to fill up again with unforgiveness over your decision to exclude me from your funeral…I chose to remain steadfast in my love and forgiveness for you, while hoping so very much that Mercy had reached out to touch you before you took your final breath that day.<br /><br />I don’t share our story to disrespect you or to glorify the events of our life together. I share our story in hope that other fathers and sons can be free before the end, and never have to wonder… What Would I Say If I Had One More Day With My Dad?”Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-11847038867123429782010-05-11T07:20:00.000-07:002010-05-11T07:21:53.275-07:00Death Voice Of The ReligiousThere is no greater hatred or verbal violence to be encountered in life than through the death voice of the religious. I preface by saying, “Never confuse the praise and encouragement of Christianity with the hate filled rhetoric of the religious. They have similar language and phrases, but it’s a different ballgame altogether.<br />This is what the religious crowd said about Jesus. In Matthew Chapter 9 they said he was a “keeper of bad company.” In the book of Mark he was said to be of “poor common stock, a laborer and possessed of Beelzebub”…just to name a few. The gospel of John records the religious saying that Jesus was from the wrong neighborhood, a deceiver and a hypocrite, unlearned, had a persecution complex, was demon possessed – full of the devil and a divider of the people. John goes on to record their further accusation that Jesus was not recommended by rulers, unrecognized by religious leaders, and furthermore…he was said to be a "liar, false prophet, a bastard, ungodly, insane and a blasphemer.” The high and holy really do have a way with words.<br /><br />By the way, if it was the religious who wanted Jesus falsely accused and eventually crucified, would you like to know who scripture says defended his innocence? You might be amazed. They were as follows: Pilate (Matthew 27:24), Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19), Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:4), The thief on the cross (Luke 23:41), and the Roman soldiers (Mark 15:39). The religious leaders lied about Jesus and wanted him dead, gone and out of their sight forever. The ungodly ruler, his wife, the betrayer, a sentenced to die thief and the soldier who arrested him and nailed him to a tree…all declared he was innocent and most likely the Son of God. <br /><br />The way of the religious man’s heart has always been to either wound or destroy those he disagrees with by means of slander, innuendo and sometimes even outright lies. Jesus felt the full force of their verbal arsenal. Nothing much has changed in the past two thousand years. We have only fine tuned the art with the added asset of today’s media and social messaging outlets at our disposal to assist in spreading hatred in the name of godliness. <br /><br />I was fortunate enough to be living when the United States of America decided that unless the government forced the integration of public schools, we would likely remain a segregated and elitist society until the return of Jesus. The religious however, decided that such a move was only proof that the Lord was soon returning. The fact that the government forced us to treat other people fairly and equally was surely proof of His soon return! I mean…what else could it mean? (BTW…the religious of today love to pull that “Jesus has to return now” card out of their back pocket whenever things don’t go their way. If that doesn’t work…the communist card is soon to follow.)<br /><br />Speaking of the communist card, I was also around during the days when every religious group in the nation was hauling people into skating rinks, gymnasiums, churches and any other place that would accommodate a screen and a projector for the showing of David Wilkerson’s prophet film…”If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horsemen Do?” During those little amateur film festivals the crowd was worked into fear and outrage over the communist mantra to one day see American streets filled with the blood of every Christian whose throat had been slit by the soon to arrive horsemen.<br /><br />You of course know the outcome. The Soviet Union fell, the Berlin wall crumbled…and the religious have moved on to more lucrative exploits for their ongoing campaign involving the voice of death.<br /><br />Today’s religious voice has its own agenda, coupled with a new platform of people they take issue with. But the rhetoric is just the same. Words of slander and death are still used as their weapon of choice against anyone who would dare to walk to the beat of any drum beating different to their own. If you remember nothing else, remember this. Whether printed or spoken, words of slander and death hurled about at will from the list of religious critics, reveal far more about the one speaking than the one to which the words are directed. Remember this…and you will avoid the evil, and never-ending trap surrounding the voice of death.<br /><br />There is no need for fear. The loud and vindictive voice of the religious man is as worthless and powerless as it was in the day of Jesus. Sure, the indignation and the false accusations against Jesus resulted in his ultimate crucifixion, but let’s not forget…”that was the plan all along.” God used the Pharisees to accomplish His wondrous salvation plan that would reach out to include even the repentant Pharisee. The Pharisees did what they did best. They spoke in hate and anger, using words that brought spiritual and emotional death. Jesus did what He does best. He stood silent, speaking not a word in defense of their hatred. Then He topped it all with his personal best. He died and rose again to bring to us the greatest miracle gift of love the world has ever known.<br /><br />When Jesus was resurrected, He was resurrected in LIFE! Jesus Christ, and all who follow him, (Christians) speak life. Christians simply have a different heart than the religious. Their eyes are set on a higher calling. Their lips are heard speaking praise and encouragement wherever they go, and in whatever situation they are found. When they can find no good…they stand silent. The popular phrase used by the religious is, “We have to stand up for what is right!”<br /><br />The shout of Christians is simply, “Praises be to the name of Jesus!” Christians know something the religious will never quite grasp. It is simply that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! The name of pet programs, politicians, celebrities or religious leaders will not suffice. It is at spoken name of Jesus where everything changes.<br /><br />Christians don’t have time to be drawn into the stupidity of “he said / she said.” Christians don’t have precious time to waste on debating the holiness of one American political party over another, or one man-made religious denomination over another. Christians have always known that their power is not found within the confines of the political process, nor is it found in the charisma of their latest celebrity or religious icon. Our power is found in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone.<br /><br />In the end, Christians would never use the “Jesus is coming soon” card as a slap in someone’s face with whom we disagree. Christians have ALWAYS known that Jesus is coming again. We know this because, “Jesus Christ himself…said it.” So what’s all the fuss? If something within the realm of disagreement with the religious crowd has instigated the soon return of Jesus to redeem us all to our eternal reward, I say, “Come quickly Lord Jesus. We’ve all anticipated this day!”<br /><br />Whether this earth stands for one day, one week or for one million years, the religious will continue with the only game they know. They will clothe themselves in the false piety of their religious robes and continue to slander and verbally abuse anyone in their path with whom they disagree. To the religious, it will always be “my way or the highway.”<br /><br />But across that same stretch of time, Christians will be speaking life and invoking the blood of Jesus Christ into a lost and hurting world. But we might as well get used to it. Right up until the very end, with a vigilant attempt to drown out the praise and joy of the children of God, you will clearly hear the noise and frustrations within…The Death Voice Of The Religious.Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-4917657498997168802009-04-29T14:14:00.000-07:002009-04-29T14:16:42.943-07:00MothersMother's Day is just around the corner. A time when everyone across the country pauses to reflect on what their mothers have meant to them.<br /><br /><br />Odd, that we take only one day to do that. <br /><br /><br /><br />Most days, mothers around the world are cooking, cleaning and providing in-house laundry service to a family that hardly ever notices. Husbands are busy with their careers during the week, or sitting in a deer stand, perched at a ball field, race track...or whatever sport strokes their fancy on the week-end.<br /><br /><br /><br />Children are running wild, playing computer games, talking endlessly on the phone...while mom is steady at the helm of the ship, carefully watching for storms on the horizon. Maybe this is why Hallmark came up with the ridiculous saying, "God couldn't be everywhere, so He created mothers."<br /><br /><br /><br />Actually, God IS everywhere, and the simple truth is, "Mothers can't be...try as they may."<br /><br /><br /><br />It's no wonder that mothers often fall into the enemy's trap of believing that the qualities of being a good mother are found within the confines of the daily chores, unnoticed provisions, and endless errands provided on a non-stop basis by seemingly, "GOOD MOTHERS" all around the world.<br /><br /><br /><br />These tasks are pretty important, no doubt. Let's face it, most fathers aren't going to get off their southern-most region long enough to see that they get done Without the endless provision of mothers, homes around the world would drown in their own filth in a matter of months. However, none of these things makes a woman a good mother.<br /><br /><br /><br />A good mother is more than just a resident reminder service to a group of mindless dwellers. She is more than a cook, cleaning lady, and laundress. A good mother is a launching pad with a soft lap; hardheaded about discipline (compared with everyone else's mother) and soft-hearted about everything else. <br /><br /><br /><br />She motivates her children to help them reach their full potential and praises them whenever she catches them doing something right.<br /><br /><br /><br />A good mother gives her children more than a balanced diet and a roof over their heads. She teaches them how to feed their souls and gives them a spiritual foundation on which to build. She directs them into the right paths and prays for them when they occasionally wander off onto others.<br /><br /><br /><br />A good mother cares how her children turn out. She doesn't wait for them to GET OUT!<br /><br /><br /><br />Maybe God actually created mothers because He needed someone to keep every generation reminded of His presence and His eternal glory. Good mothers have been doing that for thousands of years.Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-69252714370860715592009-03-31T19:20:00.000-07:002009-03-31T19:24:01.503-07:00The Buzzard, The Bat...and The Bumblebee!<span style="font-style:italic;">THE BUZZARD<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>:<br /><br />If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">THE BAT<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>:<br /><br />The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">THE BUMBLEBEE<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>:<br /><br />A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">PEOPLE<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>:<br /><br />In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up.<br />Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!<br /><br />Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-2584555505224538092009-03-12T16:33:00.001-07:002009-03-12T16:33:59.437-07:00The Music of Shan Wallace<span style="font-weight:bold;">Visit www.myspace.com/shanwallacemusic and listen to the phenomenal music of my oldest son, SHAN!<br /><br />A fantastic Praise and Worship leader, and the best son a man could ask for. <br /><br />BE BLESSED BY HIS MUSIC!</span>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-26674783094170763672009-03-11T13:51:00.000-07:002009-03-11T13:53:00.028-07:00...taken from Danny's new book, "Forgive & Remember"I am asked almost every week of my life this one question. “How do you forgive and forget?”<br /><br />To which I always respond, “That’s easy to answer. You don’t.”<br /><br />The greatest misconception among Christians regarding forgiveness is the mistaken idea that somehow, to truly forgive someone for something that has been done against us in the past, we must forget all about it. Otherwise, we are told that we have not truly forgiven.<br /><br />Forgiveness does not involve lapsing into some spiritual state of amnesia. The reason most people struggle with forgiveness and hold on to the past with such fierceness is the simple fact we have received much misinformation within the church regarding what true forgiveness really involves.<br /><br />First, let me state emphatically that forgiveness has nothing to do with forgetting. It has everything however, to do with remembering. <br /><br />You might be asking yourself right about now, “What in the world is he talking about? How does remembering the offense of the one who has harmed me so deeply, link with true forgiveness?”<br /><br />The best analogy to true forgiveness I can give you is this.<br /><br />Forgiveness is a dry bridge that God has built above the raging waters of hatred and unforgiveness that once had you drowning. That bridge is a place of safety above the waters that once held you captive. You can still see the waters below, except now….the bridge of forgiveness places you above the situation of your past unforgiveness. <br /><br />Forgive and remember… simply means that we are to “ forgive and remember”, how God has forgiven us for the things we have done, and most likely still do. It is so much easier to forgive from a place of understanding than from a place of condemnation. If we pause to remember the many things we have been forgiven of through God’s great mercy, it is easier to forgive the transgressions of those who have hurt us so deeply.<br /><br />You must also have the ability to remember what you have forgiven, and what you have been forgiven, to be of assistance to others who are struggling with their own inability to forgive unspeakable circumstances. If your memory were suddenly wiped away in the moment you extend forgiveness, how would this profit others to find freedom from their own struggles with the same?<br /><br />The truth of the matter is that often times, the forgetting part that people encourage us to undertake is nothing more than the classic, “Sweep it under the rug”, theology that most in the church have lived and taught for decades. People are encouraged to hide behind their well crafted masks and live under the grand illusion that, “Out of sight, out of mind”, is the way to forgiveness.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the problem only grows worse. These people become bitter and develop a clear and present inability to relate well to others. They are often viewed as troublemakers, when all they really are is someone who has never truly offered forgiveness, either to the one who has hurt them, or most importantly…to themselves.<br /><br />Along with the question about how can we forgive and forget, I also get the comments from people regarding how they just don’t “feel” forgiveness. They have prayed and waited for the feeling to arrive, to only be disappointed when that moment doesn’t come.<br /><br />Forgiveness, like love…is a choice. We choose to forgive. If you are waiting until you feel like forgiving someone, especially those who have hurt you deeply, you’ll be waiting until Hell freezes over. The feeling will most likely never come.<br /><br />In the same regard, you will hear many divorced people explain that they divorced because they eventually fell out of love with the person they once loved so deeply. This, is a misconception and outright lie from the enemy to promote divorce.<br /><br />We don’t “fall out of love”, any more than we, “fall into it.” We choose to love someone. Love is a commitment. It is a vow, and a promise to remain with someone and choose to love them through the good times and the bad. Through sickness, and in health, until death do us part…we pledge to love the person we pledge our love to. Unfortunately, in today’s society, a vow is nothing more than a series of words spoken with a hidden addendum tucked away safely in our back pocket, just in case we ever need it.<br /><br />Forgiveness is a choice. We don’t offer forgiveness because we feel like it. We offer forgiveness because God has clearly stated that we must forgive to be forgiven. (CHAPTER AND VERSE) <br /><br />If we refuse to forgive, we sentence ourselves to the punishment of resentment, anger, bitterness and strife, from which God so desperately wants to free us. Unforgiveness is nothing less than a prison with unseen bars that holds us captive. In the realm of our warfare against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in high places, we are not the only ones held captive by our refusal to forgive. Sadly, the person we refuse to forgive is unknowingly held under the same bondage. <br /><br />God is a great and honorable father. He is truly the example for all fathers to live by. As earthly fathers, we are always teaching our children by word and example, and then stepping aside to give them the opportunity to make choices that shape their own individual destiny.<br /><br />God commands us to forgive, knowing full well that the feeling to do so is absent. God is teaching us to walk by the faith of His instruction, rather than the evidence of our feeling. What person would argue with doing what they feel like doing? <br /><br />I had a friend tell me once that he would stop his three pack a day cigarette habit after God took the desire away from him. He said he had prayed repeatedly for the desire to leave him, and so far it had not. He took this to mean that God was obviously fine and dandy with his nasty habit.<br /><br />By that logic, we are all nothing more than robots to the New Age God of “Feel Good.” <br /><br />You know the scenario. “If it feels good, do it”<br /><br />Well, we’ve been living by that old philosophy since the time of Adam and Eve. I am now prompted to ask the obvious question, “How’s that been working for us lately?” Not so good.<br /><br />Everyone will do automatically what they feel like doing. If they feel like praying, they pray. If they feel like eating, they eat. If someone feels like sleeping, he goes to bed. The list is unending. The mindset, as it applies to anything God has asked us to do, is stupid. You don’t really have to be a college graduate to figure out that people never have a problem doing what they feel like doing. <br /><br />Just as a good father instructs his children on what is good for them and what to avoid that will be detrimental, God tells us what we should do because he knows best how to bring true freedom to our heart and soul. After all, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He has already walked where He is asking us to walk. He knows exactly what lies beyond the next curve in the road. Most days we don’t have the good sense to understand what is right in front of us, much less, predict the future outcome of our actions.<br /><br />There is a lot of wisdom in “Trust and Obey”.<br /><br />The doorway called, “Forgiveness”, is just ahead. Just inside the door, as you stand in the center of the room called, “Freedom”, you will find the Holy Spirit waiting to bestow upon you the feeling you have been waiting for to lead you to the doorway of forgiveness. <br /><br />Now you know that turning the knob on the door comes first. The feeling will soon follow.Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-82718728769382030292009-03-06T07:31:00.000-08:002009-03-06T07:34:00.562-08:00House Without A Door<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />John 14: 1-7<br /><br />1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God]; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.4You know the way to the place where I am going."<br /><br /> 5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"<br /> 6Jesus answered, "I am the way (the door) and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>.<br /><br />All over the world the name, “God” is acceptable. The word standing alone means different things to different people. “Higher Power”, to some…”Energy Within Us All”, to others.<br /><br />If you watch the Oprah shows on spirituality you will discover that “God” has found a comfortable place in discussions ranging from, cosmic energy to, discovering the real YOU…who is One with the Universe. <br /><br />Yes, God is a gleaming house set on a high hill. Never actually reached, the subject of speculation and deep discussion and therefore, never entered into by the common man. Something never entered and only viewed with wonder and amazement from the exterior, is always a topic of comfortable discussion, no matter the backgrounds or religious beliefs of the examiners. In short, this…”God”, is nothing more than a house without a door.<br /><br />It could be thought of like this. Fort Knox is a place that is legendary. It has been written about in books, and has been the subject of various television documentaries. Yet, for most of the world it is simply a place of awe, relegated to the discussions and imaginations of inquiring minds. For you see…Fort Knox is completely inaccessible to the public. No one is even allowed to drive on the vast property which houses much of the gold reserve for the United States.<br /><br />So the question of, “What is inside Fort Knox”, is not nearly as important as, “How does one get inside Fort Knox?” The contents are unimportant without knowledge of the door that gets you in.<br /><br />The same is true of what God has become in the minds of men and women around the world. Entertainers are careful to give thanks to God for the awards given to them for performances ranging from great dramatic roles to half nude renditions of profane lyrics that make the top of music charts around the world. God is that comfortable, unapproachable…”House on the hill”, that is easily recognized and embraced, for it is the belief that no one has entered therein. It is simply a, “House Without A Door.”<br /><br />If it is decided that there actually is a door leading into this elusive house, surely we must accept that every house has a different door. Some houses have stained glass doors, while others have wooden doors of simple design. Some houses have double doors and others have single access. Therefore…one could easily argue that there can never be just ONE door leading into the house of God.<br /><br />However, though there are many different doors for different houses, each house has but ONE main entrance to receive all who enter inside to see the wonder beyond the walls. Each house has ONE door. The same is true for the house of God.<br /><br />The world is comfortable tossing the name of God around at will because most see it as a house without a door. Those who believe you can actually enter in are convinced there are different doors for different people. <br /><br />Silly when you think about it. It is somewhat reminiscent of the days when whites walked in the front doors of the great southern plantations and blacks stood at the back door to receive whatever handout was coming to them. If the house of God has many entrances, depending on our station in life or, worse yet…”How we see it or believe it to be”, then this God we toss about so easily is surely the most racist and divisive of all. This “Higher Power” we so comfortably refer to would be no different from the lower ways of creation across the pages of history.<br /><br />The truth is, “There is a door.” All who enter into the wonderful house of God are free to enter in the very same door. Blacks, whites, poor and rich…all are received through the main doorway.. <br /><br />Jesus is the door. There is the problem for the universal mind.<br /><br />Suddenly, the Oprah discussions on spirituality, along with the trite acceptance speeches of the previously mentioned entertainers, are rendered silent at the mere mention of the name. God is so universal, and yet…”Jesus”, the doorway, is so specific. The universal religion of man grows immediately uncomfortable with specifics. <br /><br />This great religion of man can deal with vagueness, psychobabble, and grand illusive houses that remain universally recognized, yet….”Unapproachable”. But this inferior religion governed by mankind’s inferior trinity of Me…Myself…and I, cannot tolerate, speak of, or deal with a specific doorway into the confusion it has built as the greatest cult of them all. “The House Without A Door.”<br /> <br />Therefore, the door leading into the house of God has been removed, and the house stands silent and quite ominous on a far away hill. There are many passersby and many who pause to acknowledge this house, but that’s all it is…”A house without a door.” <br /><br />It’s really quite astounding when you think about it. <br /><br />This simple door…this, “Jesus”, renders the world utterly speechless. The fact that is most confusing is the fact that this simple door has caused such a rumble that most are unable to acknowledge his name. The simple door shakes the foundations of the earth some two thousand years after it was first spoken.<br /><br />“Jesus”…so simple, so humble…so specific, so easily removed from the language of man, thereby…closing the door that gains him access to the riches of God. Yes, it is really quite astounding when you think about it.<br /><br />While the great minds of man easily toss about the awesome name of, “God”, who remains reclusive behind the walls of man’s imaginary, <span style="font-weight:bold;">“House Without A Door."</span>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-5286824213557406262009-02-17T12:47:00.000-08:002009-02-17T12:48:49.537-08:00Tony Sutherland MinistriesI just want to take a moment to encourage you to visit the website for Tony Sutherland Ministries at;<br /><br />www.tonysutherland.com<br /><br />Quite possibly the most gifted an anointed Praise and Worship leader in the church at large today! You will be blessed by his music, his dedication to true Praise and Worship, and the inspired writing God brings through this man.<br /><br />DON'T MISS IT!Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-69705540057106641502009-02-17T12:33:00.001-08:002009-02-17T12:33:51.928-08:00Forgive & RememberForgive & Remember<br /><br />A couple of years ago my friend, Tony Sutherland and I wrote a song called, "Forgive and Remember." A portion of the lyrics and the idea for the concept of the song were Tony's original idea. <br /><br />I had just shared my life story "LIVE" at the church we attended together where Tony was the Worship Pastor.<br /><br />He called me to say that he had an idea for a song and thought of me and my testimony when the idea came to mind. He asked if I would take a look at it and participate in finishing the song. I did, then recorded it on my LEGACY acoustic project, and the rest is history.<br /><br />Every time I speak LIVE, or someone listens to my NO HARM DONE testimony CD, I get tons of questions regarding forgiveness. It seems that across the church for many years the idea of forgiveness in regard to the way Jesus would have us offer it is simply, "Forgive and Forget". Actually Tony said his main inspiration behind the Chorus of the song was due to the fact that he had heard people say all of his life, "Just forgive and forget."<br /><br />After finding it impossible to do, (the forgetting part, that is). many grew despondent and lost faith that they had really ever forgiven at all.<br /><br />I spoke with a friend of mine just yesterday who Pastors the Andrews Church of God in Andrews, NC where I just shared my life story last week-end. He said that several people had asked him how to forgive and forget. Many were even of the idea that it was best to leave the past in the past and not dig it up for any reason. Not even to share in your testimony. I think some may have felt that telling of what they had walked through in the past would only open old wounds that had long been locked away in a solitude, and secret place.<br /><br />I completely understand the theory behind this thinking. Many hurts, sins and disappointments of our lives are just too painful to face. Facing them means that we either pick them up as a banner of hatred and unforgiveness, or we are forced to deal with those same issues and offer much forgiveness, not only to the one who hurt us the most, but also to ourselves.<br /><br />Let me explain forgiveness to you this way. It is like a dry bridge now erected over the dangerous waters below that once held us captive. We can stand on that bridge of forgiveness and clearly remember when once there was no such bridge. It is easy to look over the edge of that bridge and still see the waters below us. Once, we were all drowning in the raging waters of hatred, bitterness and the inability to forgive the ones who had hurt us so deeply.<br /><br />However, forgiveness builds a strong bridge over those rough waters of the past, bringing us to a place of safety and remembrance. A remembrance of just how much we have been forgiven. It is ridiculous to think that we have forgotten the hurts or sins of our past. We really NEED to remember the past. Without a memory of what God has brought us through and delivered us from, there is no testimony offering freedom to others, now drowning in their own rough waters of life.<br /><br />Many are waiting to offer forgiveness and walk into the light of God's truth about their sins and bitterness until they FEEL it. As I've said many times before, "You'll be waiting until Hell freezes over." That feeling you so long for will only come by way of the precious Holy Spirit AFTER you have taken the plunge into a commitment of forgiveness for your transgressor.<br /><br />If you plan on staying married as long as you feel like it, and divorcing when you don't...I can guarantee you divorce is in your future. There are just days when you don't FEEL like you're in love anymore. Thankfully, love is not a feeling. It is a choice and a solemn vow.<br /><br />Forgiveness is no different. It is not offered when we feel like it. It is offered by choice. The freedom that follows is God's reward for the right choice over your own destiny.<br /><br />Forgive and forget? IMPOSSIBLE!<br /><br />Forgive and Remember...just how God has forgiven you?<br /><br />It is the doorway to your FREEDOM!Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-5035496299894708772009-02-04T13:39:00.000-08:002009-02-05T04:54:48.274-08:00Old Eagles Drop Fresh Kill<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">This is a great story courtesy of my dear friend, Pastor Chris Williams at Woodleaf Baptist Church in Woodleaf, NC. (Chris refers to me as an...."Old Eagle")</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">The Eagle is the most majestic bird in the sky, but something happens to all Eagles at least once in their lifetime. They molt. <br /><br />In the life of every Eagle, they will go through a molting process that can bring with it a great depression. This is a wilderness time that all eagles will face. Certain eagles live for about 30 years or more but then they begin to lose their feathers, Their beak and claws begin to alter as well.</span><br /></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">The experts tell us that during this time, the eagle will walk like a turkey and they have no strength at all to fly. The molting eagle finds himself in the valley, unable to fly, with his feathers falling out. They lose their ability to see as before with their vision weakening during this time. Calcium builds up on their beaks and they can't hold their heads up. Now this is so traumatic to the proud majestic birds that Eagles truly are. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">They lose their desire to eat. They only eat fresh meat and they have no strength to hunt. It is during this time another phenomenon takes place. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">When the molting eagle gets in this last state, often times they will begin to peck on each other, occasionally killing another molting eagle, as they gather together in one place. Now listen to this.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">At this time they will choose some area of a mountain range where the sun can shine directly on them, and they will lie on a rock and bathe in the sun. During this time some have observed other eagles coming and dropping food to the ones going through this "molting" stage. Yet its never the younger eagles that are dropping the food, it is always the older eagles that have survived this experience and know what the "molting" eagle is going through. One writer, with knowledge of these things states...<br /> <br /> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">"It is a most pathetic sight to see. Four or five eagles molting in the valley, where they once would only soar over to look for fresh kill. Now, If they don't renew, they will die. "They grow weaker and weaker. Suddenly there comes a sound from the sky over the valley. Screaming loudly, another group of eagles fly overhead and drop fresh meat over the dying birds. The screaming is encouragement. That's what they reckon; the screaming is encouragement from other Eagles who have already gone through this same molting process.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Some eat and recover, but others roll over and die. Don't you think all of this speaks of something in our Christian lives as well? There is a time in the life of The Christian believer when it looks as though, and it seems as though, they've been stripped down to nothing, Lets look at some of the marks of this molting process the Eagle bird goes through..<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><br /><b>1. It takes place in a valley</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">You know, there are valley experiences in our Christian lives. It’s not always on the mountain top. It's not always soaring in the heavens. Peter, James & John were privileged to join The Lord Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red">Mark 9:2<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />Now, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain.</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">And what a time this was. What an experience! But they didn't stay up there. They had to come down and they were brought into a valley. That is a reflection of our state as well sometimes in life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">There will be times when we feel we are in a valley / a wilderness maybe… but I love to read Genesis 26:19 because it talks about Isaac being brought into a valley. We are told that he had to dig there and when he dug, he found a well of fresh running water.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When the Eagle is like this…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">2. They lose their desire to eat</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">They should be eating. They need to be eating now more than ever before, but they lose all desire for food. Isn't the same true of us sometimes as well? In the state we find ourselves in, we lose even the desire for the food of God's word. You know this is true.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Then there is another thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">3. Their vision goes</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">That sublime vision that we talked about a few weeks ago that is so awesome, so inspiring, the Eagle could spot a rabbit miles away… It has vision like no other bird, but while it is in this state of molting we are told that vision is lost. You know if you lose your vision in God, you've lost everything.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red">Proverbs 29:18<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">When I came into the Christian ministry, there was a song that my friend Keith Barry sung called, "Broken Hearted Warriors.” The lyrics go on to say, “ On the battle field of lives, lose yourselves Jesus." And there is a line in it that says…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue">"Don't let them cloud your vision…"</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">That has always meant so much to me, right up to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue">A. Hurts can cloud your vision<br />B. People can do the same<br />C. Church life can with it’s bickering and squabbling </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Then something else happens to the Eagle at the time of molting..<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">4. Calcium builds up on it’s beak, and they find themselves looking downward.</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">This is self explanatory. Brothers and sisters, I've got a little advice for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue">Turn your eyes upon Jesus<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />Look full in His wonderful face<br />And things of earth will grow strangely dim<br />In the light of His glory and grace…</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"><br />But then they tell us…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">5. The Eagle begins to help himself out of <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>this state of trial and depression.</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">They scratch at their own claws until they are down to nothing and soon grow new ones.They will knock beaks until the calcium that has been weighing them down falls off. Brothers and Sisters, the truth is this. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Some will not be content to sit and die, they will do something to help themselves. I said something a few weeks ago that I still believe <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>to be true. “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">This is not scripture. It is simply good common sense. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we make the effort, God will respond to that effort in the fullness of His glory.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sitting around moping is not the thing to do. The greatest thing of all the Eagle does to benefit himself while <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>in this state of molting is to choose a spot were the sun can shine directly on him. The experts tell us they will find a rock and they will lay on it. They will do so as they bathe in the presence of the sun. They will let the sun beam down on them. Listen to me, they will wait there, and it is here that they begin to be renewed. Listen to the word of God again..<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red">Isaiah 40:31<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />But those who wait on the LORD<br />Shall renew their strength;<br />They shall mount up with wings like eagles,<br />They shall run and not be weary,<br />They shall walk and not faint.</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-61891447708986579402009-01-21T17:01:00.001-08:002009-01-21T17:02:43.339-08:00Radio Interview LIVE Internet Feed......<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:11px;">An interview with Danny Wallace will be aired during the morning drive show with Daniel Britt at Joy FM out of Winston-Salem NC on Thursday and Friday Jan. 22nd and 23rd. <br /><br />This is the link to their LIVE internet feed.<a href="http://www.barnabasroad.com/station=wxri-fm2.html" onmousedown="UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this), "638edf5e600213ebf03e8ac3f33df8f6", event)" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; "><span>http://www.barnabasroad.co</span><wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; margin-left: -10px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></span>m/station=wxri-fm2.html</a></span>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-38543754397817606882009-01-20T15:27:00.001-08:002009-01-20T15:41:16.494-08:00The World Is WatchingThe tone and implications of the words spoken by professing Christians reveal more than we could ever imagine. The world is watching and listening closely. <div><br /></div><div>Those who profess to be followers of Christ should take this into account when writing, ranting and posting across the internet, careless and judgmental comments about the 44th President of the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is okay to openly admit that you didn't vote for someone. It is okay to admit that you have concerns. Even if most of those concerns are based upon unfounded, slanderous gossip. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, it is never okay to slander and make childish remarks about anyone. It matters not whether that someone is lost or saved, democrat or republican. Jesus would caution us to listen more and speak less. Especially when most of what we say is divisive and destructive in nature.</div><div><br /></div><div>The world is watching. So far, what they are learning from us for the most part, is that we're not all that different from them. We love our own kind, and speak ill of those who are different. We are quick to judge and slow to forgive. Easily angered and delayed in our repentance.</div><div><br /></div><div>My grandfather once said, "If you don't have anything good to say...say nothing at all." </div><div><br /></div><div>From most of the postings I've seen from professing Christians regarding our new President, I'd say we would be served well by my grandfather's advice.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you watch a man long enough and listen to his words closely enough...sooner or later, both will betray his heart, to the good and the bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>May we be mindful of what we are revealing. Be very mindful.</div><div><br /></div><div>"The World Is Watching."</div>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-37808278020780277572009-01-13T13:14:00.000-08:002009-01-13T13:28:22.024-08:00Upcoming "LIVE" Dates in North Carolina For Danny Wallace<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, January 24th 2009</span></div><div>Dunn's Mountain Baptist Church</div><div>1350 Old Stone House Road</div><div>Salisbury, NC 28146</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7:00 P.M.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Sunday, January 25th 2009</span><br /></div><div>SOUTH CHINA GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH</div><div>501 Haney Street</div><div>China Grove, NC 28023</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">11 A.M & 6 P.M.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, February 1st 2009</span></div><div>Woodleaf Baptist Church</div><div>7790 Woodleaf Road</div><div>Woodleaf, NC 27054</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">11 A.M & 6 P.M.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, February 14th 2009</span></div><div>Andrews Church Of God</div><div>190 Valley Street</div><div>Andrews, NC 28901</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7:00 P.M.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, February 15th 2009</span></div><div>190 Valley Street</div><div>Andrews, NC 28901</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">11 A.M.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-48800627130080360762009-01-13T12:51:00.000-08:002009-01-13T12:53:46.746-08:00Can We Be Reached?<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" style="width:100.0%;mso-cellspacing:0in;background:#B1D0F0;mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in"> <tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes"> <td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in"> <p class="blogsubject"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Those of us who are in full time ministry have been called of God to reach the world in a variety of different ways. Although the ways are vastly different, the cause is the same. That all should come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. That all may walk in freedom over sin and bondage of the past. This is our mission. "GO into all the world and tell the good news!"O</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">The question in twenty first century </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> is not so much whether or not the lost and huring can be reached, but rather.."Can WE, who have been called of God himself be reached?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">I was in a conference several years ago with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Peter J. Daniels</span> as he spoke to a group of over 400 pastors from around the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> He told of leaving his home in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Australia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> to speak in the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> for a two week series of engagements and leaving a task for his personal assistant to perform. The task was simple. Mr. Daniels had written a check for $250,000 dollars and signed his name at the bottom. The only thing missing from the check was the name of the payee.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Mr. Daniels handed his assistant a list of 200 American churches of various Protestant denominations. Some were small, some medium and some fell in the category of the mega chruch. He told his assistant to begin calling the list while he was away. He then said, "The very first Pastor you actually get to speak to on the phone..tell him you're calling on behalf of Peter J. Daniels in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Australia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> and fill in the Pastor's church name to receive the $250,000.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">The asistant, looking perplexed, told Mr Daniels he would be finished with the tast before he ever boarded his plane for the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> To which Peter responded, "Don't be so sure."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Upon returning from his two week speaking engagement, Mr. Daniels found his assistant frustrated, and in a state of disbelief at his inability to deliver the funds. The reason? Not one of the churches contacted produced a person to person phone conversation with the Pastor of a church. The assistant explained that he talked to secretaries, assistants, minions, and answering machines. However, not one Pastor answered the phone or returned a phone call.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">The assistant confessed that he had actually cheated toward the end and explained to some of the churches that he represented Peter J. Daniels, an Australian billionaire, and simply wanted to deliver a check for $250,000 to their church. All he needed to do was speak to the Pastor himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">No phone call returned.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Surprised? I'm not. Twenty first century American church religion is not about being reached. It is about being reclusive, important, and protected. It is about being "successful", as determined by the new brand of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">FEEL GOOD, PROSPERITY</span> gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Don't think this piece is intended to slam Pastors. Quite the contrary. I believe Pastors have one, if not, "THE", most difficult calling unto God. Try walking a mile in their shoes and report back on just how you think it's going for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">No, this piece is about all of our responsibilities as ministers of the great commission from Christ. It is about caring beyond our small circle of self importance and opening the doors wide enough that those so desperately seeking redemption, healing, and freedom from sin can touch the hem of His garment. It is about taking a moment to remember where the greatest minister who ever walked the face of the earth was found the day before His crucifiction.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">On his hands and knees, with a basin of water...washing the feet of his disciples. Refusing to stop until he had washed the very feet of the one who would betray Him. That's leadership. That's our example. That...is our goal!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">By the way, Peter Daniels closed that particular message with this comment. He said, "I own forty corportions completely debt free. My net worth exceeds five billion dollars. Today, if you call my office...you will get one or two responses. Either "I" will answer this phone and say that this is Peter J. Daniels, how may I help you? Or, you will get my answering machine saying that this is Peter J. Daniels, leave a message and "I" will call you back within 24 hours."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">He ended by saying, "If I can accomplish this with all I have on my plate, exactly who do you think you are, and what exactly is it you think you have been called to achieve in your ministry?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">It's time we stop spending so many hours cultivating "OUR MINISTRY." When the truth is, we don't have a ministry at all. All we have been called to do is extend "HIS" ministry. It's time to stop worrying so much about our name, and our fame, and spend time tearing down the walls that isolate us from those who need a touch from God the most.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">The question today is not, "Can we reach the world?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">The question is..."<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can We Be Reached</span>?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-21729056923748979362009-01-12T12:36:00.000-08:002009-01-12T12:38:43.649-08:00Touching Lives<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 19px;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">I was going through old files in my office today to make room for more, when I came across an old file of correspondence. The file was filled with cards, letters and notes from people who had written me across the span of the past eleven or twelve years.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">Some of the notes just simply said, "<em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">Thank you for sharing your life story. It</span></b></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">has changed my life forever</span></b></em>." Others were small notes, handed to me at a venue where I might have spoken across the years to say..."<em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">We love you</span></b></em>."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">Still, there were others that were long, heart-wrenching letters from people who felt the need to share THEIR story with me, after having heard my testimony via tape, CD or spoken "Live" at a venue they had attended.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">As I sat and read these letters, one after the other...I found myself moved to tears by the mercies our God extends to us all. He so lovingly uses the simple things to open hearts that have been bound for far too long. I found that to be the case with my simple story as I read the stories of so many who had found forgiveness and freedom by the inspiration of what God had extended through my simple testimony. So, they took the time to write and share with me,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">all of</span></b></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">the things our Lord has done for them.</span></b></em><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">What a blessing! Some of the letters I remembered. Others I had forgotten. It is so hard to keep track of all the stories across the years by letter and/or email that I have received. They run into the thousands by now. I truly do remember more than you might imagine, however...I must be honest and say that some of the more precious ones I read today had been long erased from my memory.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">So today</span></b></em><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">...I took the time to read them again and remember.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">Then, God prompted me to sit and write each and every one of them and tell them what a blessing their letter from long ago had been to me today. I thanked them all over again for taking the time so many years ago to write me. Little did they know that, "<em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">What was spoken so far in the past</span></b></em>", would be such a blessing to me today.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">You know...today I feel so blessed and honored of God for a number of reasons. For one, "He has forgiven me of so much, and all of those things...so undeserved."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">He has blessed me with the opportunity to travel and share my life story in places I would have never dreamed possible. Others have read my book and still thousands more have my testimony CD and continue to pass it along to those who are so desperately bound in the shadowy stronghold of the enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">I have a wife and family who love me deeply. That is especially precious, because you see..."<em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">They know me the best</span></b></em>." They see the Danny many of you don't get to see, and yet...they love me most. What a gift! Yes...I have so many things to be thankful for today.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">However, TODAY...I am most thankful for the letters God allowed me to find while thinking I was on a simple mission of cleaning out old files. I'm thankful for each and every life and family represented by each address and signature across those pages. I write today to say to them (in case they follow this ministry), what a blessing you have been to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">Ministry is not about having a big name or standing on stages and passing out CDs or books. It is not about having websites, booking agents, or being known or unknown.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">Ministry is not about the denomination we associate with, or the history of our family and the breeding we take great pride in. It is not found in our astounding knowledge of the Bible or our ability to quote verse after verse without benefit of notes or reminders. No...that's not what real ministry is about at all. It is about what those old letters brought to my doorstep this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:black">It is all about..."<em><b><span style="font-family:Verdana">Touching Lives</span></b></em>."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-48634436325255811582009-01-12T12:28:00.000-08:002009-01-12T12:29:32.547-08:00Homosexuality: Behind The Mask<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><p><img src="http://agchurches.org/Sitefiles/Default/RSS/National%20Youth%20Ministries/oncourse/features/CD_Danny%20Wallace%20Testimony.jpg" alt="Danny Wallace Testimony CD" width="200" height="201" style="margin-top: 1px; margin-right: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 1px; float: right; padding-left: 5px; " />To understand the truth surrounding anything, one must first define exactly what that thing is. Homosexuality is viewed by those in the church as simply sin. It is viewed by the secular media and the world at large as an alternative lifestyle, scripted at birth. The truth behind the mask goes far deeper.</p><p>Homosexuality is a stronghold of the enemy, formed early in childhood to both derail the called of God and distort future identity and sexuality. Homosexuality never begins in the teen years or in adulthood. The root always traces back much earlier. The deception begins during a child's defenseless, formative years --- not in the womb. However, the origin is so early in childhood that most all who struggle under its oppression soon grow to believe that they were "born gay."</p><p>The term gay --- also meaning, and formerly commonly used to mean, happy --- is part of the rewriting of the language to justify the homosexual-at-birth position. To find acceptance for a situation much too horrible to face straight up, we must first redefine the language surrounding the issue. But as someone who has lived the life I can tell you that it is anything but happy.</p><p>Let me just get it out of the way and say that in its final form, homosexuality is nothing more than the cycle of emotional and physical sodomy. Nothing sweet or happy about that!</p><p>I know well the pain of homosexuality. I have lived behind the mask and heard every argument known to man surrounding the issue. Most who speak of the issue are either seeking to find acceptance of the lifestyle or speaking from a religious platform having little to do with redemption or healing.</p><p>Satan's cruelty doesn't get much worse than in the deception of homosexuality, taking hold on a person when he is too young to understand it. Not all homosexual men come from a childhood of physical and sexual abuse, as I did. However, you will never find a homosexual man brought up under equally strong male and female role models in the form of two loving, nurturing and stable parents. Even though you think you can point to such examples, trust me when I say, you weren't there behind closed doors.</p><p>Most parents have good intentions. But children form perceptions about acceptance and affirmation. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV). A child's perception that he is not accepted or doesn't measure up will open the door to anything or anyone else that he might use to fill that void. Most can't even remember how they got so far away from home. Time has passed, puberty has happened, secrets have been kept and masks have been formed for survival in a world too cruel to care, surrounded by a church in America offering no real options for healing and deliverance.</p><p>So, is homosexuality in the DNA or is it a choice? Neither one, really. No one is born to be something that God later declares an abomination in His sight nor does anyone choose to live a life of scorn, pain, secrets and exclusion from family, friends and popular opinion.</p><p>While adults are ultimately responsible for every choice they make, a child is virtually powerless against the lies of the enemy when he first works his way into the child's life. All the child wants is to matter, to be accepted, loved and affirmed. Later, during the puberty years, confusion surrounding the need crosses over into sexual, physical desire.</p><p>As adults, those trapped within the confines of this cruel stronghold have become "master manipulators," carefully crafting masks to guard their hidden secret and survive to find further acceptance from those who just wouldn't understand --- because they themselves don't even understand. But the door that leads into the room, darkened by the cloud of homosexuality, is same door that leads to freedom. The fog just needs to be cleared to reveal the door.</p><p>We must be careful within the church today to take several steps to truly reach out with the message of Jesus' saving love to those trapped in a life of homosexuality. We must love as Christ loved. Jesus told us to come as we are and He would take care of the rest. If we are to ever have a true impact, we have to understand the deception, love people unconditionally --- despite the lifestyle --- and offer real hope, healing and change.</p><p>We can start by taking a couple of steps down from the peak of religious platitudes and take the stance that Jesus took the night before He was crucified. He was found on His hands and knees, washing the feet of His disciples, never stopping until He had washed the feet of the one who would betray Him.</p><p>We need to throw out our religious clichés and rhetoric and replace them with a humble offering of love through the blood of Jesus. People trapped in homosexuality are masters of disguise and manipulation. They can spot a fake a mile away. They will easily recognize those who truly love and care for them as opposed to those who serve up a bunch of empty religious piety.</p><p>Homosexuality is one of the most difficult strongholds to break, but all things are possible with God. It begins with a desire to be free, followed by an honest look into the past to find out what may have opened the door to their lifestyle. Diligence in the first two steps is the beginning of breaking free. Skip searching the past and facing the pain, and the vicious cycle of old habits, frustrations and life behind the mask is likely to continue.</p><p>However, hope is where it has always been --- in the healing and saving blood of Jesus. It is found in the promise of the Father we have all searched for at one time or another, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5, NIV).</p><p>To all of those struggling under the pain of homosexuality let me tell you, "Home is a real place, and Jesus has left the porch light on for your return."</p><p>To the church let me say, "Let us be found leading the lost children home."</p><p>For more from Danny Wallace, read "<a href="http://oncourse.ag.org/features/index.cfm?targetBay=06d52a80-8681-49b2-871b-a4e5dc1c7708&ModID=2&Process=DisplayArticle&RSS_RSSContentID=8937&RSS_OriginatingChannelID=1202&RSS_OriginatingRSSFeedID=3459&RSS_Source=" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 0); ">Behind the Veil of Homosexuality</a>."</p><p> </p><p>Need help breaking free from homosexuality, or just want more info? Visit the ministry of <a href="http://www.exodus-international.org/" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 0); ">Exodus International</a> for resources, counseling and local support.</p><p> </p><p><em>Danny Wallace is head of Danny Wallace Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an author (most recently of his autobiography entitled,</em> MASKquerade: The Autobiography of Danny Wallace<em>), speaker and currently regarded as one of the leading authorities on the issue of homosexuality as it affects the church today. Visit<a href="http://www.dannywallace.org/" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 0); ">www.dannywallace.org</a> for more information on this ministry, the man and the story.</em></p><p> </p></span></div>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-6756100532042859832009-01-12T12:24:00.000-08:002009-01-12T12:26:19.185-08:00Behind The Veil Of Homosexuality<h2 style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></h2> <h6 style="margin-top:0in"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial; color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></h6> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">I have spent the better part of the past 11 years traveling the nation and sharing my story of survival from childhood physical and sexual abuse, deliverance from homosexuality and, most recently, my healing from AIDS in 2003. Over 700,000 copies of my testimony CD,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-family:Arial">No Harm Done</span></em>, have either been given away free in hard copy or downloaded to CD directly from the Internet at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.dannywallace.org/"><span style="color:#CC3300">www.dannywallace.org</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">If I were going to pray for a testimony, I would have loved to have it be that I was set free from a three-pack-a-day smoking addiction. I could have really worked with that one. I know my circle of close friends would have been much larger. However, those aren't the cards I was dealt. I've learned that God expects us to stand firm in the midst of our circumstances and point the way to redemption for all who pass the road we have previously traveled, lest they find the bridge out with no warning.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Without going into my entire life story, I will simply say that I was the victim of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of my father from the time I was 5 until I married, at 17, my wife of 36 years, </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Lynn</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">. Not only was I raped and tortured emotionally and physically by my father, but I was sold to other men for their pleasure.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Needless to say, I entered adulthood as a confused young man, both sexually and emotionally. Nevertheless, I had survived. For me, that was a victory.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">I can vividly remember getting on the school bus at the age of 6 or 7, having missed a couple of days of school because my father had beat me, to be greeted with much concern and warmth from a young man who drove my school bus. During that time high school seniors often earned the right to drive the bus.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">This young man had curly blonde hair, a dazzling smile and blue eyes that looked as if they were painted to match the sky. At least, that's the way this little 6-year-old boy saw it. I can still remember the smell of his cologne, should I happen to run across it, even to this day. He woul<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>d often put his arm around me and say, "We sure missed you the last couple of days Danny. Have you been sick? Sure hope you're feeling better."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">I remember distinctly just how good it felt that someone looked into my eyes and cared about me. Was it a sexual feeling? Of course not; I was 6. It was a feeling that all humanity craves and needs --- to know that we matter. I had never really felt that before.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Those feelings would later transcend needing to matter to needing to be affirmed, touched and held by someone, anyone, who appeared to want me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Such is the stronghold of homosexuality. It is a vile, vicious and cruel spirit of the enemy that enters a life while it is much too young and vulnerable to comprehend the nature of the truth behind the lie. You will never meet someone who woke up one day at 18 or 25 and said, "Wow, this heterosexual thing has been great! I think I'll try that homosexual gig for a change." It simply does not happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">The core of homosexuality enters a life in the early developmental years when it isn't about sex at all. It is about filling the emotional void the enemy recognizes as an open door to gain entrance and stronghold over a life destined to bring greatness to the </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-size:9.0pt; font-family:Arial;color:black">kingdom</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"> of </span><st1:placename><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">God</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">For far too long the church has simply looked the other way in disdain and condemnation, while the world has stepped up to change the language surrounding the issue. What was once simply sodomy has turned into a civil rights issue over what is now pronounced to be a birth orientation. The church has been quick to condemn while presenting no way of real redemption, deliverance and recovery from the deception behind the lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">I have often said --- and written, "The same door which leads you into a room is the very same door that leads you out." Even though a certain room you enter may fill up with a fog so thick that you can no longer see the doorway, it doesn't mean the door has suddenly been walled in, leaving no possible way of escape.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">It doesn't have to be homosexuality. It can be anything that we hide behind - the many MASKS we contrive in life to survive and find acceptance. However, with homosexuality, the first step to freedom is in realizing that the door which led you into the room so long ago is the same door that will lead you out. You simply must be educated on this fact and find the door.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Most homosexual men have grown to truly believe that they were born into their sexual orientation. They have tried to suppress the feelings and change their behavior time and again, only to find themselves right back in the same pattern of behavior. The church today takes the stance, "This is your choice and you just need to stop it."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">But homosexuality is not an individual's original choice. Certainly we are all accountable and responsible for the choices we continue to make as adults. However, the attack first begins and the stronghold of the enemy takes root when the individual is too young to understand or fight back. This explains the common early feelings of not being quite like everyone else.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">God does not create us to be something and then tell us that this thing He has created us to be is an abomination in His sight. That's like telling me that I would have gotten into heaven, except that all Caucasian men are an abomination in His sight. On the same note, the idea of homosexual birth holds no logic.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">And, on the other hand, who would<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-family:Arial">choose</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to be ostracized by church and family and be the brunt of cruel jokes, forcing them to design mask after mask to survive their double lifestyle, until they eventually find themselves exclusively in the homosexual community for pure acceptance and survival?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">As someone who has lived on both sides of the issue, I can speak on it with confidence and open frankness. I once owned a mask collection that would stagger the imagination, to find acceptance and hold onto a personal survival I had fought so desperately to obtain. I know the truth of how the door to homosexuality is opened. I also know the truth to the way out. No political movement, church opinion or rewriting of the American language to soften the reality of that truth matters to the person so desperately s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>eeking hope and freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Sadly, in some cases the Church is so busy looking down on the homosexual community that they tend to fall short in reaching out in love, offering real redemption, deliverance, hope and healing. However, the power for real change is right where it has always been. It is in the blood of the sacrificed Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His promise, "I am the Father who will never leave or forsake you."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">And, yes, it is found in the church leadership and body that care more about the transformation of man than the building of earthly reputation, fame and financial security. Through our hands, our hearts and our understanding of the stronghold of homosexuality, those lost in the lifestyle will finally find their way home. He whom the Lord has set free is --- FREE INDEED!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">For more on the topic of homosexuality, read "<a href="http://oncourse.ag.org/help/index.cfm?targetBay=24b28860-fb44-4e27-92a1-a2fe92076e8b&ModID=2&Process=DisplayArticle&RSS_RSSContentID=9123&RSS_OriginatingChannelID=1202&RSS_OriginatingRSSFeedID=3859&RSS_Source="><span style="color:#CC3300">Homosexuality: Behind the Mask</span></a>," also by Danny Wallace.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Need help breaking free from homosexuality, or just want more info? Visit the ministry of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.exodus-international.org/"><span style="color:#CC3300">Exodus International</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>for resources, counseling and local support.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><em><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Danny Wallace is a speaker, recording artist and author of an autobiography entitled</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">MASKquerade: The Autobiography of Danny Wallace.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674570292202318274.post-68395247823744664732009-01-12T12:07:00.000-08:002009-01-12T12:08:36.943-08:00House Without A Door<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">All over the world the name, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">God</b>” is acceptable. The word standing alone means different things to different people. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Higher Power</i>”, to some…”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Energy Within Us All</i>”, to others.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">If you watch the Oprah shows on spirituality you will discover that “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">God</b>” has found a comfortable place in discussions ranging from, cosmic energy to, discovering the real <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">YOU</b>…who is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">One</i> with the Universe. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Yes, God is a gleaming house set on a high hill. Never actually reached, the subject of speculation and deep discussion and therefore, never entered into by the common man. Something never entered and only viewed with wonder and amazement from the exterior, is always a topic of comfortable discussion, no matter the backgrounds or religious beliefs of the examiners. In short, this…”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">God</b>”, is nothing more than a house without a door.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">It could be thought of like this. </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Fort</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Knox</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> is a place that is legendary. It has been written about in books, and has been the subject of various television documentaries. Yet, for most of the world it is simply a place of awe, relegated to the discussions and imaginations of inquiring minds. For you see…</span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Fort</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-size: 11.0pt"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Knox</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> is completely inaccessible to the public. No one is even allowed to drive on the vast property which houses much of the gold reserve for the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt">United States</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size:11.0pt">.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">So the question of, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">What is inside Fort Knox</i>”, is not nearly as important as, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">How does one get</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">inside </i></span><st1:place><st1:placetype><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Fort</span></i></st1:placetype><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span></i><st1:placename><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Knox</span></i></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-size:11.0pt">?” The contents are unimportant without knowledge of the door that gets you in.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The same is true of what God has become in the minds of men and women around the world. Entertainers are careful to give thanks to God for the awards given to them for performances ranging from great dramatic roles to half nude renditions of profane lyrics that make the top of music charts around the world. God is that comfortable, unapproachable…”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">House on the hill</i>”, that is easily recognized and embraced, for it is the belief that no one has entered therein. It is simply a, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">House Without A Door</b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">If it is decided that there actually is a door leading into this elusive house, surely we must accept that every house has a different door. Some houses have stained glass doors, while others have wooden doors of simple design. Some houses have double doors and others have single access. Therefore…one could easily argue that there can never be just <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">ONE</b> door leading into the house of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">However, though there are many different doors for different houses, each house has but <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">ONE</b> main entrance to receive all who enter inside to see the wonder beyond the walls. Each house has <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">ONE</b> door. The same is true for the house of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The world is comfortable tossing the name of God around at will because most see it as a house without a door. Those who believe you can actually enter in are convinced there are different doors for different people. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Silly when you think about it. It is somewhat reminiscent of the days when whites walked in the front doors of the great southern plantations and blacks stood at the back door to receive whatever handout was coming to them. If the house of God has many entrances, depending on our station in life or, worse yet…”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">How we see it or believe it to be</i>”, then this God we toss about so easily is surely the most racist and divisive of all. This “Higher Power” we so comfortably refer to would be no different from the lower ways of creation across the pages of history.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The truth is, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">There is a door</b>.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All who enter into the wonderful house of God are free to enter in the very same door. Blacks, whites, poor and rich…all are received through the main doorway.. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Jesus is the door</span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt">. There is the problem for the universal mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Suddenly, the Oprah discussions on spirituality, along with the trite acceptance speeches of the previously mentioned entertainers, are rendered silent at the mere mention of the name. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">God</i> is so universal, and yet…”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Jesus</i>”, the doorway, is so specific. The universal religion of man grows immediately uncomfortable with specifics. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">This great religion of man can deal with vagueness, psychobabble, and grand illusive houses that remain universally recognized, yet….”Unapproachable”. But this inferior religion governed by mankind’s inferior trinity of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Me</b>…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Myself</b>…and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">I</b>, cannot tolerate, speak of, or deal with a specific doorway into the confusion it has built as the greatest cult of them all. “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">The House</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Without A Door</b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Therefore, the door leading into the house of God has been removed, and the house stands silent and quite ominous on a far away hill. There are many passersby and many who pause to acknowledge this house, but that’s all it is…”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A house without a door</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">It’s really quite astounding when you think about it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">This simple door…this, “Jesus”, renders the world utterly speechless. The fact that is most confusing is the fact that this simple door has caused such a rumble that most are unable to acknowledge his name. The simple door shakes the foundations of the earth some two thousand years after it was first spoken.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">“Jesus”…so simple, so humble…so specific, so easily removed from the language of man, thereby…closing the door that gains him access to the riches of God. Yes, it is really quite astounding when you think about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">While the great minds of man easily toss about the awesome name of, “God”, who remains reclusive behind the walls of man’s imaginary, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">House Without A Door</b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>Danny Wallace Ministrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10473953722584102751noreply@blogger.com0