The Spirit is Alive & Kicking ~ Open Range Cowboy Church

July 6, 2014

Dear Readers,

I never thought I would see the day when a pastor changed his mind about his sermon and just spoke from his heart allowing the Holy Spirit to move. Well, that happened today. The Spirit is alive and kicking!!

The drive to church was pleasant ~ actually pretty uneventful other than the fact that we were so excited about being announced as new members of The Open Range Cowboy Church. I had posted on Facebook that I felt this was going to be an amazing day and, so far, it has certainly turned out to be just that.

When we got to church, we made our usual rounds of hellos and tried to find seats close to the front. I don't know how many times we were told that so and so ALWAYS sits in a particular place and to not sit "there." Since I am petite and have a hard time seeing over those cowboys with hats on, I get frustrated when I am unable to see what's going on. I am there to worship and don't like to miss a thing.  Front and center is perfect for me!!

Anyway, we plopped ourselves down in some chairs in time to start toe tapping with the band. As usual, the music was great and the announcements, and prayer requests made ~ all a part of the normal agenda. Elder Rick told a story about a preacher, a judge, and a convict ... a touching story of God's grace. It's at that moment that the tide turned and worship took on a whole new meaning. The band played and sang some patriotic songs including Dixie. It wasn't long before there was a whole lot of sniffling going on and the room became on fire with the Holy Spirit. It had many a year since I'd experienced that amount of energy in one room.

Okay, where am I going with this? When it came time for Dr. Dudley to speak, he put the Bible reading for today's sermon up on the screen and said, "Never mind." Today's sermon became passe and a message of truth, light, and conviction took it's place. We got a taste of one of those old fashioned come to Jesus meetings. It got mighty quiet in that church and there was an anointing and a message so rich that my body got cold and hot at the same time. The family in front of me stood, all joining hands, tears flowing. Last week, Dr. Dudley said, "This church is not about cowboys, it's about Jesus Christ!" Holy cow! After today's service, I believe him. I, so badly, wanted to dig out my camera to photograph the moment but I couldn't. To do that would have been sacrilegious and an interruption of what the Spirit was doing inside of me.

Over the years, I have read books by famous theologians and have wondered if the pastors in America have read them too. Favorites have been those written by Jim Cymbala. I have wondered if sermons have become so rehearsed that they have stifled the power of the Holy Spirit in their delivery. What seems right to man may not be what is right to God at all. (Proverbs 16:25) So many are afraid to offend. They must be politically correct or their members will leave their church and go to another church that is more comfortable and entertaining.

I like people who are honest and who are willing to take a stand. Even if I don't agree with them, at least I know where their heart and head is. There are too many people who are wonderful orators ... the wolves in sheep's clothing who are masterful at manipulation. Once they get what they want, the real person emerges. What?? Why? Because we are a microwave society we don't take time to think for ourselves and we want quick fixes.

In the 1980's, I went through a Word & Witness class at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Plano, TX. It was a 2 year commitment. I also went through a year long training class to be a Stephen's Minister. Another huge commitment. There was time to savor what I was learning. There was no rush to the finish line. I am a soaker ... whether it's taking a bath or a class, I like to have time to really think about what I am taking in. I have often been described as a thinker and I would agree. Don't rush me or I become stubborn like a mule planting my feet in the ground, refusing to move. Since I am like that, I wondered why I would make snap decisions in one particular area of my life but that's another story for another time...

The Open Range Cowboy Church in Whitney is a huge church and I am soaking in all the blessings it is affording me. I am learning a Bible verse each week (this week Ps 23:1), attending a women's Bible study, and am back in the saddle reading the Word of God. I want to serve giving of my time, talent, and resources. I am on track with my finances and life ... 10% to God, 10% savings, 10% giving away. If I give you the sum of what I earn, you would wonder if I'd lost my mind but I'd rather live God's way. Maybe the $10 I gave the church from the Farmer's Market money I brought in isn't much BUT I know what God did with a couple fish and 5 loaves of bread and He can perform miracles.. (see story in the Bible, John 6)

Readers, I don't know where God is taking me. I do know that it is some not so small miracle that I was planted there at this church in this season of life. I am a city girl who misses the neon lights and yep even the traffic. I am also obedient and I know when God is speaking to me and lighting my path. (Psalm 119:105) I think God has been prepping me one year at a time since the 1980's. I have come to love Dixie Land where, in so many ways, I was (re)born. I am drawn to the country way of life where a man's word is his bond ... my hand moves over the soft muzzle of a beautiful horse and I am filled with the strength of the animal beneath my hand.

I don't know where this road is taking me. What I do know is that I am (finally) on the right road and in the right place. I have this peace in knowing that in my transparency and my willingness to be truthful and upfront, I am God's ambassador. I've always prayed that God would put me on the front lines as a warrior and He has. There is comfort in knowing that he equips me with full armor. I don't need to know the outcome, I just need to trust...

Miss Dottie

Dear God, I want to thank you for this day and the opportunity to witness the unveiling of the power of the Holy Spirit and a man of God who was willing to stand up and speak your message of repentance, grace, and hope. I pray that my Readers would be filled in knowing who you are and how they can move forward. When we know you, we want to be like you. Change (no matter how difficult) is something we want rather than what we dread. Help us all to be teachable ~ You are the great I AM ... you are the beginning and the end. We've taken you out of our daily lives for fear of offending. We bend our beliefs to walk in today's world ... today's morals ... today's sense of right and wrong. Yes, Father, we've become milk toast in the hands of the manipulator. Today, I sat next to a doctor, a lawyer, a preacher, a mother/grandmother, a criminal just out of jail, an alcoholic, a city slicker, a cowboy, and a drug addict. We prayed together and raised holy hands in worship. By the grace of God, I am who I am and I claim victory! May the ripple of the stone skipping across the water tossed today reach the far ends of the earth. Jesus you are alive and your Spirit is alive and kicking. Amen!





































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