Changes

Worth Waiting For

Posted on September 8, 2012 by mcalmond

I emailed this to a Pastor friend in the Okanogan.

“A few weeks ago, I was in prayer when I saw a vision of a dam at the border of the Okanogan river valley (in Washington State) and Canada. That dam was holding back the blessings and a fresh outpouring of the Lord for the Okanogan river Valley. Hear this: this dam is about to break and there will be an overcoming of the whole of the Okanogan river Valley with the power, blessing and richness of the grace and wonder of God. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!”

This day has been a long time coming, eights years to be exact. No, not the word above, but the how of this and other recent words of the Lord.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Changes, Dependency, Divine Encounters, Dying to Self Will, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Grace, Growing in Faith, Pentecostal Theology, Prophecy, Prophetic Ministry, Spiritual Barreness, Waiting on the Lord, Word of God | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Dismantling

Posted on July 22, 2012 by mcalmond

Note: This is a personal post written by my daughter Dana Summers ***

I wanted to share with you that the Lord has been doing in my life over the last year and half.  This has been a trying year for us, as a couple, a family and for me personally.  The Lord began this year by revealing to me, by His mercy, what he was doing.  In January 2011, as I was sitting in a Bible study, I heard one word to start off my new year: “dismantling”.  “What?  I knew that this word was for me, however I hoped it was for someone else.  What does dismantling mean exactly?    The dictionary defines Dismantle as  1. to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc.: 2. to disassemble or pull down; take apart: 3. to divest of dress, covering.  He then gave me the rest:  Embrace the dismantling, Deal with fear of exposure, Remove walls of protection, Begin to see weakness as strength, Be thankful for the past, repent of regret & disappointment, Let go of expectations, Receive new directions, Receive new wisdom and  Restoration.

Apparently I had been holding on to some things and the Lord thought it was time to deal with them.  His timing is perfect, I had to remind myself of that over and over.  I am not going to lie, this has been a really difficult year/season for me.  The Lord didn’t have to let me in on what He was doing.  I am thankful that He did, but still do not have total understanding.  I have learned not to try to interpret what God is doing but to trust him in the unfolding, because it never looks like what I expected.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Accountability, Anointing, Being a PK, Being Built Up, Belief System, Breaking Forth, Changes, Character, Christian Maturity, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Divine Encounters, Encouragement, Family, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, Hearing The Lord, Honesty, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Misplaced Dependency, New Beginnings, Prayer, Presumptions, Timing, Transcendence, Victory, Work of God | 2 Comments

King James Only or ?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by mcalmond

(Note: this post has been further updated)

I have a great friend and brother in the Lord who belongs to a group believers who are very, very, KJV only oriented. As a result, we have had various friendly conversations on this issue and yes, I have learned a lot from him as we have over a couple of years discussed these things, off and on. It has been genuinely good for me to work through this, coming to see, by the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, and discern the true threat behind all of this innocent appearing issue.

Just recently, after not hearing from him on this subject for a good while,  he sent me a text message with a request that I listen to a “you tube” video called, “Whats the Big Deal about the KJV?”. You can find it here. When I listened to it I heard many things that didn’t register as true. Therefore, I was curious if anyone had presented a case to challenge this video and its claims. There is. You can find all five parts beginning  here. Both opposing presentations are insightful and very different, yet I genuinely believe that “KJV Onlyism” is genuinely standing on extremely weak ground. There is a very real deception related to King James Onlyism. Just to be clear, the King James Bible is not the bottom line, it is not The Standard by which all other Bibles are to be judged or evaluated.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Bible Translations, Bibles, Changes, Confidence, Elitism, God's Faithfulness, Hearing The Lord, Isolation, Man's Faith, Misplaced Dependency, religious idolatry, Word, Word of God, Work of God | 2 Comments

A Prophetic Word

Posted on July 6, 2012 by mcalmond

Below is a prophetic word that the Lord gave me quite some time ago. I ran across again today and it seemed to me and the Holy Spirit that I was to post it here on this blog. So here it is.

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“I do not know why there is this surge of the Lord’s calling forth, the calling forth of a revealing of the things of the spirit, of sights, sounds, visions and revelations and workings of the ministering spirits of the Lord concerning his saints. However, there is and yet shall be even more. There is an awakening that is being called forth, Awaken, Awaken, yes, Awaken oh people of God, Awaken and see and behold all that the Lord would have you to see, to hear, and to know and understand for these days that are upon us and yet coming.

There is a cry going forth and a rising up. The cry to Awaken, Awaken oh mighty people of the living God, Awaken. Awaken and see! Awaken and hear! Awaken and know! But Awaken in spirit and truth!

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Accountability, Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Body of Christ, Changes, Dependency, Empowerment, Exhortation, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, Hearing The Lord, illumination, Prophetic, Prophetic Worship, Readiness, Witness | 8 Comments

What In The World Are We Doing?

Posted on April 19, 2012 by mcalmond

Proverbs 25:2 (ESV) It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

There is a very real need to inquire that seems essential for each one of us. Need simply refers to that which is essential for life. We are strongly encouraged in scripture to seek that we might find, to search out that which is hidden with the assurance that as we seek and search we will find, in Christ Jesus. We are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God that all we seek after in and of God’s Kingdom may then be added to us. The problem is that there are far too many who want to do it all for us, simply because they see us as just too ignorant or lazy to do it for ourselves. Then having created this dependency, us on them, they turn around and criticize us for not doing or learning to do for ourselves.

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Categories: Authenticity, Belief System, Bible Translations, Body of Christ, Calling, Changes, Christian Maturity, Church, Core Values, Death, Elitism, Fear of God, Holy Ghost Burdens, Misplaced Dependency, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Suffering, Theology, Wrestling | 3 Comments

Thoughts About Age and Changes

Posted on April 14, 2012 by mcalmond

Change comes hard for most of us and as we get older, change seems to become even more difficult. It may simply be because of our age or it is simply because when you have spent a life time moving through one change after another, change just gets harder, more difficult and seems to require more of you than ever before. The motivation, energy and drive required for these changes seems to wane and not be as sufficient as it once was, to see you through these seemingly essential changes.

The truth is however, that true change is hard, risky and is always stressful whatever its ultimate fruit and our age at the time.

As a pastor or one who has spent the majority of his life in the ministry in one form or another, I find myself in such a season of life. The real question arises for me, regarding my need for change, is simply, is it worth the effort, difficulty, stress, etc? I have experienced a lot of changes in my life, from one move after another, from one church or ministry organization after another, from one home to another, one state to another, from one ministry crisis to another and even from one job after another. So, yes, the question arises, is this change worth all of the effort, stress and hardship it requires of us to accomplish this change and the promises that these changes hopefully contain?

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Absolute Dependency, Being Built Up, Breaking Forth, Changes, Christian Maturity, Dying to Self Will, Fear of God, Genuineness, Grace, Hearing The Lord, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Jobs, Mentoring/Discipleship, Ministry Motivation, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Timing, Word of God, Work | Leave a comment

Recognition Isn’t As Simple As Seeing

Posted on March 26, 2012 by mcalmond

Luke 24:15-16 (ESV) While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

There is just something about Luke 24 as a passage of scripture that I have always been drawn to. It speaks to me often and I have therefore gained from it at important times in my life. So, every now and then I revisit this text to refresh myself in what the Lord has taught me there and to see what else I might get to see.

Today as I was reading it again, I noticed again something I had seen before and it is the title of this article, He whom they had known, had been familiar with over a period of years, they no longer recognized.

Why? Why did they not recognize their Lord and Savior anymore? What had changed? Was it them who had changed or was it the Lord Jesus? I think it was most definitely the Lord who had changed. He was, in so many ways, not who he was in the natural. He had been crucified, died, had been buried and now had been resurrected. He was now, more than ever, their Savior, Lord, God and King. He was, in every sense of the word a glorified new creation of God, transformed in and through the Power of the Lord God Almighty’s Resurrection of him from death.

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Changes, Crucifixion, Divine Encounters, Election, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Listening, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, In Spirit and In Truth, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Regeneration, Resurrection Life, Work of God | 2 Comments

Life Is All About Growing Forward

Posted on March 20, 2012 by mcalmond

Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

The word “vision”, can be translated revelation, the illumination of the Word of God, God given directives that come to us prophetically by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I have come to see both the truth of not having God’s prophetic revelation in ones life and the fruit of having the Lord grant us this revelation. Let me share with you a critical time where His prophetic revelation made it possible to turn a very significant corner in my life.

There was a time after the Lord had delivered me from an almost certain car wreck on the freeway at night while on drugs, saved me from an overdose death a little later, and various other significant steps of getting my attention and helping to turn me back towards the Lord Jesus in my life. I wasn’t yet married but I had finally become desperate enough to want to get cleaned up and straightened out with my heart, life and relationship with the Lord Jesus. But I discovered early on that it wouldn’t be a quick and easy road to restoration. I had heard how the Lord had done this almost instant deliverance from drugs, etc. for others, but for me, well it was another matter. I would have to learn to walk a different path, a much slower path, a path that was conquered one little step at a time and from revelation to revelation.

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Being Built Up, Benefits, Changes, Confidence, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, God's Love, Holy Spirit Hearing, Open Ears, Prophetic Revelation, The Power of God, Work of God | 4 Comments

Christmas, Santa And A Tree

Posted on December 22, 2011 by mcalmond

Part Two

Now as Christianity continued to expand, grow and thus celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus (Christmas, Epiphany, the Feast of the Nativity), His Baptism and obviously His death and Resurrection (Easter), the different cultures added their own marks upon these celebrations. It is these cultural adaptations, which most often incorporated some aspect of their local celebrations or local context into the celebration experience of the Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and yes, even of what we call Easter. Now, again, taking the more positive road on this, I believe this was all done for the same purposes as we have already stated in Part One, to replace what was previously observed or worshiped, with the true worship and celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ. How successfully this was always done, I am not always so sure.

The point of all of this is simply that the celebration of what we call Christmas is indeed the celebration of Christ’s birth and this has been in the church, in various forms, from very early on. The celebration of what we call Easter, the celebration of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, has also been a vital part of the church from its very beginning. In fact, it was seen for a very long time as the greatest of the Christian celebrations or remembrances. I believe that Easter should still be our most important celebration. However, this of course is my humble opinion.

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Categories: A Compilation of Sources, Body of Christ, Celebration, Changes, Christmas, Church, Church Forms, Church History, Churches, Confidence, History, Hope, Humility, Questions, Remembrances, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Timing, Witness | 2 Comments

Crossing A Point of No Return

Posted on December 10, 2011 by mcalmond

How does one cross a point of no return? First of all, one would need to know that there was such a point and where that point was. I was confronted with just this reality for myself on a Saturday evening, May 5th, 2007, when I was fellowshipping with other believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, while in Scotland. The Lord had spoken so clearly to me about the weeks of ministry ahead in Scotland prior to my coming and shortly after my arrival. Right after I had  arrived in this wonderful nation, the Lord Jesus revealed to me my first insight for which I was to be ready for. It was simply this: He showed me that I would come to a point, a line, in which I would have to make a decision, a decision that carried the weight of crossing over a point of no return.

I had no clear idea when, where, how or at what point this moment of decision would come across my path. All I knew was that this would in deed take place, that it was important. Therefore I needed to be ready for it. Immediately I began praying into this forth coming event in my life.

In His timing, this point of decision did come to pass. The Lord Jesus, in a way I could not have imagined, brought things together, with such clarity, power and yet such subtly, that I knew I was at His specific place, time and moment, the moment of my decision. Would I cross over, or would I choose to play it safe, staying where I already was?

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Being Built Up, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Changes, Confidence, Divine Encounters, Following Through, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God's Love, Grace, Growing in Faith, New Beginnings | Leave a comment

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