Joel A. Barker

There was only one way I could reach the conclusion I've made concerning the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. It had to be through a long circuitous route from disapproval to disbelief to denial to disturbed acceptance. As much as I don't want to admit it, I may have to vote for Donald Trump.

Maybe I should've taken this stance all along. It's a sort of kicking-and-screaming realization that in order to keep Hillary Clinton out of office, I may have to check the name of a filthy-mouthed, womanizing, casino owner that has barely even spoken to the issues during his year-plus campaign. 

Out of the 16 people that ran for the Republican nomination, Trump would've been my very last choice. Literally, anyone else that ran, I would've voted for with no hesitation. Coincidentally, anyone else would likely be running away with this election given the awful prospect of Hillary Clinton becoming president. 

When a Muslim attacks a gay nightclub, you might expect there to be plenty of hot takes from Christians. Immediately following the worst mass shooting in America's history at Orlando, Florida's "hottest gay bar" The Pulse, early Sunday morning, the takes were hotter than any event the club could have ever boasted. 

From President Obama's failure to mention "radical Islam" to the rampant speculation that the democrats are going to come after our guns, the politics of the moment quickly became the primary focus while investigators were still identifying bodies and notifying the next of kin. 

People died. 50 precious souls that Jesus died to save, dropped into eternity in a matter of minutes.

Our hearts should break for those who identify as LGBT—a community that has been shunned by many of us for the most part. 

In this moment of unspeakable tragedy, "love the sinner, hate the sin" just doesn't cut it. Our love for the sinner should have us on our faces crying out to God for spiritual awakening in the LGBT community rather than prefacing every conversation about this massacre with that pithy little quote. 

What about the Muslim community? We get so mad at President Obama and our federal government because they won't use that extra adjective to describe this type of terrorism and we lash out at all Muslims.

Our hearts should break for the Muslim community—yet another people group that is completely blind to the Gospel. Given all the bloodshed at the hands of "radical jihadists" in recent years, many of us might just be inclined to let them all go to Hell. Judging by Facebook reactions, this seems to be the case more often than not. 

We've allowed both groups to become demonized and untouchable. 

The rhetoric following the massacre has been all too predictable. Barely 48 hours after the attack and we're all just yelling again. I believe it's time—past time, in fact—to stop yelling, stop fearing, and for heaven's sake stop taking your talking points from political candidates and actually be Jesus to the people who need Him most. 

Religious Right, 36, died suddenly Tuesday night, March 1. Mrs. Right, known for her standing with republican politicians on issues of life and morality, succumbed to heart failure due to ongoing issues from injuries initially sustained November 2008 and again in November 2012.

Born to the late Dr. Jerry Falwell in 1979, Mrs. Right was initially known as Moral Majority. She was credited with helping secure both of President Reagan’s terms in '80 and '84. She also assisted in George H.W. Bush’s election win in '88.

After eight years of condemning nearly every decision President Bill Clinton made, Mrs. Right came through in a pinch for George W. Bush in 2000. She, along with 9/11 memories helped to secure Bush’s win in 2004 as well.

When 2008 rolled around, however, her influence in the Republican Party began to dwindle. But she pressed on and backed moderate candidate Senator John McCain despite many misgivings. McCain’s ill-fated decision of adding conservative Alaska governor Sarah Palin to the ticket clinched the deal for Mrs. Right. Their loss to Senator Barack Obama caused Mrs. Right to experience episodes of paranoia resulting in numerous conspiracy theories that nearly decimated her credibility.

In 2012, Mrs. Right grasped onto Republican candidate Mitt Romney in a daring move that nearly cost her everything. Still, she was able to justify voting for the then recent convert to the pro-life, pro-family stance because of fear over the impending doom of a second Obama term. Her near complete forfeiture of the values she held dear, coupled with another loss to President Obama left her on life support for weeks.

She recovered, thanks to President Obama’s assault on life, religion, and the family from 2012-2015. Things were finally looking up as President Obama’s term was coming to a close. There were at least 10 candidates she could support without sacrificing multiple convictions. However, she decided to sacrifice nearly all of those convictions, casting her lot with a strip club owning, Planned Parenthood supporting, Democratic Party donor.

Her candidate, Republican frontrunner Donald J. Trump, swept nearly every state in the Bible Belt on Super Tuesday with her help.  The presumptive nominee’s wins in the south started a ripple effect, culminating in Mrs. Right's death shortly after Mr. Trump, in his victory press conference, extolled the virtues of Planned Parenthood mere months after undercover cameras caught the organization illegally selling organs from aborted babies. 

Services will be held this July in Cleveland, Ohio with her nominee, Mr. Trump, likely presiding.

Flowers and condolences may be delivered to the offices of her brother Dr. Jerry Falwell Jr., and her spokesman Pastor Robert Jeffress.

It’s risky to wade into evangelical political waters—especially when those waters are teeming with fellow Christians who have a different opinion than your own. But I’ve come to the conclusion that you, Mr. or Mrs. Unbeliever, are worth the risk.

Donald J. Trump has caught the imagination of many on the political right. And, as you probably already know, my fellow evangelicals are known for voting republican more often than not. So naturally, Mr. Trump is experiencing some real momentum among values voters lately. But I want you to know, there are many of us evangelicals who will never support Mr. Trump.

We evangelicals are also known for using the Bible as the source of all godly wisdom and knowledge. Going to that source, I can find many reasons not to support Mr. Trump. There are multiple verses in Proverbs that seem to speak right to the situation. “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him” - Proverbs 29:20. Also, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” - Proverbs 29:11.

Then we go to the words of Jesus in Luke 6:45. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bears what is good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bears what is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is recorded as saying that His people should be salt and light. He wasn’t saying we should pour salt into open wounds while blinding people with a spotlight. What He is clearly talking about in that passage (Matthew 5:13-16) is the flavorful attractiveness that salt brings to the dish. And the light was a reference to shining a positive light in a dark place. There’s no way for me to bring attractiveness to the kingdom of salt and light while also supporting Donald Trump. His recklessness of speech is the antithesis of salt and light.

In Colossians 4:5-6, the Apostle Paul (whose writings comprise one-third of the entire New Testament) wrote, “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, wisely using the opportunity. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you should answer everyone.” Quite honestly, I cannot hold to that scripure passage while simultaneously supporting a man whose rhetoric has insulted and inflamed many of you.

I can’t vote for Donald Trump because I care about what the Bible says and because I care about what you think of the Gospel that I represent. We evangelicals have not always represented the sacred words of Scripture with the love and care that those words require. For that, I am sorry.

In case you missed it, Chattanooga, Tennessee has again been named the "Most Bible-Minded City in America" by Barna and the American Bible Society. Chattanooga owned the title three straight years from 2012-2014 before slipping to No. 2 behind Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2015. You may be thinking this makes life easy for ministers in across the city. Maybe you believe it's easy to evangelize in this modern-day Constantinople. Well, you'd be wrong. Ministry is never easy. In fact, I believe evangelizing the lost in our fine city is more difficult in some ways than many pre- or post-Christian cities–or as Barna puts it the "Least Bible-Minded Cities in America." Here are five reasons I've come to that conclusion.

1. Everybody has religion

Okay, so we don't have a large Atheist community as some cities in post-Christian regions do, but we do have a largely religiously inoculated base we are trying to reach. Many have just enough religion to deem themselves good enough. They may not cuss, chew, or hang with those who do, but in many cases they don't actively follow Jesus either. There's no relationship, just religion. They don't go to church at all. Many blame it on a distaste for organized religion, but they don't realize all they have is disorganized religion. It's a dangerous place to be spiritually.

2. Churchianity is still big

Statistics show cultural Christianity is dying quickly across our nation. Those who would identify as "Christian" in the past because of family background and cultural environment, are declaring themselves "nones." While that may be true nationally, it's not as true in Chattanooga. Belonging to a church body still offers societal advantages in the scenic city. Whether or not they've actually trusted Jesus for salvation is secondary to appearances. Churchianity never saved anyone.

3. False doctrine is pervasive

This is true anywhere. But in Chattanooga, it's at epidemic proportions. As a part of a ministerial team in the inner-city of Chattanooga, I can personally attest to the fact that some of the biggest alcoholics & drug dealers/addicts in the city are, in fact, "saved." It's not my intention to make light of the situation, but evangelizing some of these folks is like beating your head against a wall. They were "once-saved, always saved" as children but haven't repented or actively followed Jesus in many, many years. And no matter how messy their lives may be, it's extremely difficult to help them realize that the problem is their ongoing sinful lifestyles.

4. Legalist attitudes have turned many sinners off to the Gospel

Look, all it takes to be saved is turning from sin to Jesus. That's it. Following Him is the supernatural progression that should take place afterward. But many churches have decided that behavior modification equals or is greater than the Gospel. Placing behavioral change before the Gospel is legalism. Many sinners believe they'll never be good enough because of this approach. While it's true that none of us are or ever will be good enough to deserve God's grace, we must continually reach out as imperfect people pointing other imperfect people to a perfect Saviour.

5. Church-hurt is a major issue

"Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." - Ephesians 6:10-13

Mere words cannot accurately portray what I felt Thursday as the news began to present a clearer picture of exactly what happened just a few miles down the road from my place of employment. The words "Chattanooga" and "terrorist attack" just don't go together. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined my city undergoing such an horrific event.

Chattanooga, the city that I've called home my entire life (even though I've lived on the tip of northwest Georgia about a mile from Chattanooga for most of my 33 years), is not supposed to experience this type of thing. A cocktail of emotions like shock, grief, pain, fear, and anger was suddenly thrust upon the city that I love. 

As I sit here still trying to process the reality of what took place in my hometown, nearly 24 hours after the cowardly attack that killed four U.S. Marine soldiers, my mind turns to the scripture at the opening of this blog post. 

We're going to hear plenty of flesh & blood reactions in the coming hours and days. The investigation will likely reveal more things that make us cringe. There will likely be a massive politicization of the events that took place on 7/16/15. Folks will blame everything from gun laws to Obama to all Muslims. But I will never forget the response of the Church in my city on this day. 

I've never been prouder to be a part of the body of Christ in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There were prayer vigils, old fashioned pentecostal prayer meetings, and worship services across the city just hours after the gunman opened fire in two separate parts of our fine city. 

The Church rallied together and said "not in our city." And really, that's the biggest story of the day for me. I've been a part of the Church in Chattanooga my whole life. I know many Church leaders in our fine city who lead strong, vibrant churches. There are countless men and women who I have always counted on to get a hold of God. Chattanooga is home to many prayer warrirors. So it's with that background that I understand Thursday's attack as more than simply a terrorist attack by what appears to be a young Islamic radical. 

Thursday's attack was not just a strike on our military. It was an attack on a city with a thriving body of Christ. It was an attack on a city that was recently named as one of the most bible conscious cities in America for the second straight year (Barna Group). And we, the Church in Chattanooga, will not take it lying down. 

The Church, one writer of Scripture called it "the pillar and foundation of the truth". The Church, strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. The Church, this army of prayer warriors who go to battle not with weapons and ammunition, but who fight on our knees pushing back against the evil forces that influence those who pull the trigger. The Church, this triumphant band of men and women who take a stand in this evil day. The Church, this entity that will not allow our citizens to be overrun with fear and intimidation. 

We grieve with those who grieve. We mourn the loss of these incredible soldiers and we pray for the continued recovery of the injured like Chattanooga Police Sergeant Dennis Pedigo who's heroic actions on Thursday likely saved many more lives.

But please understand this, the Church of Jesus Christ is activated and ready for a fight. The enemy will not take Chattanooga. His cohorts will not cause fear and terror to reign in our streets. Chattanooga belongs to Jesus and we, the Church, will go to battle on our knees to ensure it stays that way.

I'm not really sure what to say about the undercover video of a Planned Parenthood senior director discussing the selling of body parts and tissues from aborted babies in between bites of salad and sips of wine.

The only thing that comes to the surface after watching that horrific video is grief. 

I'm grieved that a human being would utter these words in such a nonchalant manner. I'm grieved that our President has lauded the efforts of such a barbaric organization in the past. I am grieved over the U.S. national media's non-existent response to the story nearly 24 hours after the video surfaced. 

I'm grieved that there are still some Christians, ministers even, who will not speak out about this issue. I'm grieved that there are still some who believe this is more of a political problem rather than a spiritual problem. 

I'm grieved that taxpayer dollars support an organization whose founder, Margaret Sanger, once wrote, "We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members."

I'm grieved that anyone with a working brain would defend the barbaric practice of selling any body part or organ of an aborted child for profit. 

I'm grieved that this culture has so quickly fallen into such wicked and selfish behavior. I am grieved over the fact that some still believe electing a Republican for president in 2016 will suddenly fix everything that ills this once great nation. 

I am grieved over the lack of revival in our churches. I am grieved that church attendance has been reduced to 45 minutes to an hour, once a week for many American congregations. 

I am grieved that this wake-up call may only last a few days before we go back to business as usual. 

Yes, I am grieved. But I'm not hopeless. 

Even in my grief, I see the hand of God moving. Even in my grief, I still expect a mighty outpouring of the Spirit on my generation. Even in my grief, I see God raising up prophetic voices to proclaim His name among the heathen. 

With the expected, yet somewhat surprising Supreme Court decision allowing for same-sex marriages in all 50 states, the normal "news dump" Friday turned into a headline-making free-for-all. Opinions flowed like milk and honey. Some were good. Some were bad. Some were just flat out mean. And I'll admit, I had to hit the delete button a couple of times myself. It's real easy to get in the flesh over matters such as this one. For me, the immediate reaction was that of shock. I really thought, based on Justice Kennedy's remarks during testimony a few weeks ago, that the court would not rule this way. After the shock gave way, a mood of semi-despair settled in. After I had some time to reflect on the landmark decision, however, my shock and near despair turned into hope. As I began to read the scriptures and seek the face of God, one word kept coming to mind "opportunity." With the Holy Spirit's guidance, I quickly penned down some takeaways that the American Church can utilize going forward.

1. We can stop being surprised at the sheer blindness of humanity

Maybe I'm the only one that seems surprised that rational human beings, even in their lostness, can be so wrong about a subject like uniting two people of the same sex in "holy matrimony." It's as if the definition of up was changed to down and left was changed to right seemingly overnight. In my study of Jonah today, I read where God told the prophet, "should I not be concerned about Ninevah, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 people who don't know their right hand from their left?" (Jonah 4:10) There are way more than 120,000 people in America who fit that description. If God was concerned, rather than surprised at the wickedness of the city of Ninevah, the Church should focus on the lostness of sinful humanity rather than try to reason with the unreasonable.

2. We can finally come to grips with the fact that America is a pagan nation

This is a hard pill to swallow. The good old U.S. of A. was founded as a Christian nation. America has long been at the top of the list of missionary-sending countries in the world. We have the Bible-belt. Not to mention the substantial Christian-right political machine that has been responsible for getting Republicans elected for decades now. With this decision, we American Christians should be free to forget the idea that the restoration of America will come via some evangelo-political solution. We are now free take on a similar posture to that of the early Church who "turned the world upside" amidst a hostile, hedonistic culture.

3. It's time to stand on Kingdom principles rather than place any hope in the Constitution

In case you haven't noticed, our government no longer regards the singular document upon which this nation was to be ruled. The Supreme Court no longer interprets the law, rather it has become a legislative force that even the finest of legal minds cannot contend with. If you are looking to the Constitution for hope or help, forget it. Stand on the God's Word. Nothing more. Nothing less.

4. The light shines better when the darkness is pervasive

"The light shines in darkness, but has not overcome it." - John 1:5 MEV It's dark. Really dark. But we have the light. In fact, we are the light. As the body of Christ, our light can not be overcome by the dark. It's impossible. In other words, opportunity is everywhere! We Christians are about to stick out like a sore thumb. In light of that fact, now is the time to understand what a decision of this magnitude means. Now is the time to understand the Kingdom principles I mentioned in point No. 3. Now is the time to allow God to break your heart for the very same people who spent Friday, June 26 celebrating. "Always be ready to give an answer to every man who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and fear." - 1 Peter 3:15 MEV

5. If you have no sense of urgency right now, wake up

In recent months, I have searched out every resource I can find to help me better articulate what I believe. I read books and commentaries from the greatest of theological minds. As a lifelong student of the Word, I feel like I can answer just about anyone. Boy, was I wrong. I came to that realization when I came across a tweet that floored me, recently. I re-tweeted it and added my own commentary on the subject. Here, it's self-explanatory.

Stop the madness RT @RNS: “My son wears princess dresses,” A Christian mom on raising her gender nonconforming child" http://t.co/AEq5ILuabf — Joel Barker (@joelabarker) January 16, 2015

This is where I found out just how ready I was to give an answer on a subject that many in the Christian community wish would just go away. I quickly found myself in multiple debates about everything from the gender non-conformity of a four year old child to LGBT equality. It was probably my subsequent tweet that lit the fire.

Hey Christian parents, let's be culture non-conforming. Loving & graceful, but smart enough to recognize Satanic influence. — Joel Barker (@joelabarker) January 16, 2015

I make no bones about the fact that I believe 100-percent what the Word of God says about homosexual practice. I can fully articulate what and why I believe that, but how in the world do you respond to this?

@joelabarker Not forcing our kids to fit in specific boxes or otherwise shaming 'non-conforming' behavior is hardly satanic influence — carrie (@Cali8083) January 16, 2015

Before long I found myself in conversations with dozens of LGBT supporting "Christians." Even the mother of the four year child from the interview conversed with me via Twitter. I was called out by the writer of the article.

If you're a straight "pastor" saying a 4 year old boy wearing a dress is "satanic": YOU are the one doing the harm. — ELIEL CRUZ (@elielcruz) January 17, 2015

And the mother was quick to try and clarify her point.

@joelabarker @elielcruz Exactly what we're doing! We don't even know if he's NGC; we're just letting him know it's okay if he is. — Lisa Bohn (@lisa_bohn) January 17, 2015

I still don't understand how a rationally thinking human being can say that a boy playing with girls toys and wearing princess garb is an LGBT issue (the story was published on the writer's blog titled Faithfully LGBT). I have seen many little boys clog around the church in his mother's high heels. Does that make an innocent child predisposed to gender non-conformity or a homosexual lifestyle? Of course not. While part of me wants to lash out and go all Romans 1 on everyone involved, that would do very little to actually address the issue. These folks know the scriptures. Many in the LGBT "Christian" community have learned to twist or dismiss every scripture regarding homosexuality in the Word. Yet, they're still a people who God wants us to love. They are still a people for whom Christ died. We cannot simply leave it at "that's an abomination" or even my preferred response "that's a demonic spirit." We can't just leave it there and actually reach the people. For at least four hours over two days, I found myself simultaneously defending God's Word and attempting to reach out with love and understanding to a handful of people from the LGBT community via Twitter. The writer of the article later tweeted something that brought a sobering reality to light.

I started the GSA at AU only 4 years ago. I've dealt with about 7 LGBT students who attempted suicide. People are dying. #FaithfullyLGBT — ELIEL CRUZ (@elielcruz) January 17, 2015

He wasn’t coerced, manipulated, bribed, or threatened to leave his lofty throne and live among a bunch of peasants.

This wasn’t some slapdash, haphazard, last minute plan to save humanity. There was no plan B, no alternate ending.

Our Immanuel was not the victim of some cosmic bait & switch in which He would unwittingly become a reluctant sacrifice for all sin. Nor was He some shrewd operator who was promised Universal Kinghood in exchange for His blood.

He was not a Heavenly escapee who would eventually be executed by a vengeful God for His crime.

Israel’s Messiah was not some imitator whose lofty words & claims couldn’t be substantiated.

He didn’t shed His Godhood as a prerequisite for His demotion to earth.

There was nothing spectacular about His earthly parents, His place of birth, or His upbringing.

There was no person, palace, or playground worthy of His presence.

Yet, He came.

In His Heavenly role, there were no restrictions of time and space. On earth, a suit of flesh physically limited His comings and goings.

He was the embodiment of the Word of God¬ spoken from eternity past–ageless, pre-existent, eternal in nature.

He was present at creation.

He walked with Adam, spoke face-to-face with Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, and had conversations with Moses.

He encouraged Joshua; spoke to Job out of a whirlwind, and walked in the midst of a fiery furnace with three Hebrew boys.

However, it was His ministry as the God-man that changed the course of human history.

That was the plan all along.

An angelic host, a handful of shepherds, and some wise men from a far country lauded his incarnation. His very presence threatened governments, religion, and evil.

His adolescence and early adult life are never spoken of, but the world could not contain the amount of books chronicling every event of His final three years of life.

Many celebrated his death, but His resurrection over 2,000 years ago is still the hope of the entire world.

The story didn’t start in a manger. And it didn’t end with an empty tomb.

This Saviour-Messiah’s story is far from finished.

Just as they waited for His first appearance, so we wait with bated breath for the encore.

The next time around, He won’t come to a stable. He won’t be an adorable baby lying in a feeding trough. It won’t take angels, shepherds, or wise men to publicize the event.

The first time He came as Immanuel. The next time we see Him, He’ll be King.

This Christmas, keep Him central. Tell His story. Celebrate His first coming.

The culture of death has never been so visible. It's every where you look today. The sanctity of life has lost all meaning.

Another black teenager dies in a drive-by and we just flip the newspaper page because it happened in the same section of town that last week's shooting occurred. And oh, by the way, he was in a gang. "That's just life in the inner city", we say. 

A man is arrested for shooting his wife in a fit of rage and we shrug because there was a history of domestic abuse and no one cared enough to intervene before things got out of control.

New abortion statistics are released and we grieve for a minute, decide to send $15 to our favorite pro-life candidate's campaign, and we don't think about it again until the next major election.

A terminally-ill cancer patient moves to a state where euthanasia is legal and we cry for a minute that she decided to take her own life but we do little to address the real issue. 

We hear the stories about countless Mexican lives being lost due to their country's ever-thriving drug industry and the only concern we have is "guard our borders better so they don't come here."

Christians lose their lives by the hundreds in Iraq and we pray for them before chalking it up to radical Islam doing what radical Islam does. 

Ebola kills thousands of men, women, and children in West Africa and we irrationally freak out about the minuscule possibility that a handful of American kids on a mission trip on the other side of the same continent will bring the disease back home with them. 

Where's the concern? Why aren't Kingdom people taking a stand for life? 

In this Advent season, we celebrate the Kingdom coming near. The celebration of God sending his own essence in the person of Jesus to this condemned world to redeem all of humankind is what this season is all about. Yet, even though Christ came and raised up a Church and taught it to be actively involved in all matters of life and death, it decides to stay in the periphery, paying politicians to deal with the issues rather than tackling them head-on. 

Life matters. Every single person made in the image of God matters to God and thus should matter to us, His people. 

Black, white, red, brown, yellow, illegal, elderly, diseased, unborn, mentally-ill, homeless, incapacitated, criminal--they all matter to God. 

Where are the Kingdom people at times like this? Sure, there are ministries helping the hurting. In most cases, however, you have to look with a high-powered microscope to find Kingdom people. 

The Kingdom is strong enough, viable enough, and populous enough to be extremely visible in these tumultuous times. Kingdom always starts small. It all started with a baby in a manger. 30 years later it was Jesus plus the twelve. A few years later, 120 people carried the Kingdom mandate into the Upper Room. Soon thereafter, that 120 turned into 3,000. And it kept multiplying from there. 2,000-plus years later it should be much more than what we see. 

Life and death is a Kingdom matter. Do what you can, where you can. Reach out. Do not be polarizing in a time when we should be incarnational. 

Stand with the oppressed minority. Pray for the sick. Minister to the homeless. Serve the weak, downtrodden, and lonely. Reach into the ghetto. Help the illegal. 

Everyone has had a moment or two where seemingly everything changed. Speaking naturally that moment could be graduating, your wedding, the birth of a child, and so on.

Spiritually, the moment you were saved or baptized in the Spirit would classify as a life changing time in your personal history. 

I've experienced all the above. Those were all times of great transition in my life.

Recently, I had another life-changing, ministry-changing moment.

Ruach 2014, the vision of my friend and local pastor Kevin Wallace, held in Chattanooga, TN during the last week of October was nothing short of transformational for me. 

I did my best to update the daily happenings of the conference until I fell asleep due to exhaustion in the middle my day two recap. Having a few days to decompress and really understand what I learned in the conference has given me a new perspective on the sheer magnitude of the event. 

I'm in a unique place in ministry. I have the call and I have some clarity on what God desires for me to tackle in the days ahead. However, I find myself in a "between-phase" of ministry. 

That between phase has me balancing what God is doing in me now and what God wants me to do later. Maybe we're all there at some point or another, but I have always had a difficult time balancing now versus later. 

So, when the conference kicked off with a Worship session taught by Ricardo Sanchez, I was hit squarely between the eyes with the realities of the now-phase. 

I learned about things I was not doing very well in my current ministry as a worship pastor. God used this time of worship & training to engage my heart in the now. 

Daniel Kolenda's session on Day Two brought an even greater awareness to my now and not yet dichotomy when he addressed ambition versus having a heart that desires God. It's too easy in today's all-encompassing ministry atmosphere to get our eyes on the work of God rather than the God of the work. 

God used the first day and a half of the conference to really systematically dismantle some devices of that the enemy was using against me in my spiritual walk. 

It was only after the experience of having some of these mental constructs broken down that He could breathe fresh life into me. 

Throughout the final day and a half, The Spirit used some mighty men and women of God to really speak into my life--some on a face to face basis, others through confirmation of the Word spoken in the conference setting--that really dealt with my later.

After a jam-packed month of ministry, Ruach was such a wonderful time of refreshing and refilling for me. 

I am so thankful to have experienced Ruach 2014. Everything from the speakers, to the breakout sessions, to the hospitality & selflessness of the volunteers really blessed me. 

Beyond all that, the timing of Ruach was perfect for me. 

Ultimately, I received a renewed purpose and a refreshed spirit that will help carry me from now to later.

When I first heard about the Ruach Conference some months ago, I knew it would be a can't-miss event for spirit-filled believers everywhere. And let me tell you, day one of the conference certainly lived up to those lofty expectations. After a brief time of worship, the conference began with a greeting from the pastor of the Redemption Point Church, Kevin Wallace. Pastor Kevin noted that he felt a burden to host the Ruach Conference after hearing about another conference which existed only to shut-out and shut-up spiritual gifts and the moving of the Holy Spirit in today's church. He didn't call-out that conference by name, but I can only assume he was talking about last year's Strange Fire Conference hosted by John MacArthur in California. I posted a response to MacArthur's rhetoric right here at joelabarker.com–a post that has been my most-viewed and commented-on to date. I don't believe Pastor Kevin's vision for Ruach was for the conference to be the "Anti-Strange Fire" conference. Rather, the heart of this conference seems to be just what it's branded and billed to be–breathing fresh life into the spirit-filled church. For this worship pastor, Ruach's vision became reality in the two sessions I attended with the incredibly anointed Ricardo Sanchez. The Grammy award winning worship artist said some things during those two hours that made me uncomfortable and downright convicted in my heart. It's really easy to become complacent in ministry. That's especially true when you feel called in multiple areas, as I am. Sometimes you get lost in the shuffle between where you are now and where God is calling you to go. I'm not making excuses, I'm just telling you the truth. Truth is exactly what Sanchez shared. Among the first noteworthy comments he shared was this little gem, "the presence of God will always come where the presence of God is invited." Well, yeah. I've said it many times. I've proclaimed that very fact on my fair share of stages. I'm just not sure I've really believed it every time I've said it. Today, I believed it. Sanchez continued, "when God's presence comes, the Kingdom comes with Him." Now, that I've never heard. But man, did that open up my heart right off the bat. Think about that for a minute. When we experience Him in worship, we are experiencing the presence of the Kingdom of God. I recently had a few moments like this in worship. Leading worship at my home church's Fall Campmeeting just two short weeks ago, we reached a different dimension than I've ever experienced. I began flowing in prophetic worship and it was like God literally sat down among His people in that church. His Kingdom broke through and that experience has changed the way I view worship. And of course, Ruach happens at the perfect time to reinforce and confirm what God began two weeks ago in my heart. There were many more quotes and topics I could share from our time with Ricardo Sanchez, but the time of worship we had with him toward the end of the session deserves a mention here. It only lasted five or six minutes, but our small group of about 25 worship leaders experienced a shift in the spiritual atmosphere as Ricardo led a medley of worship songs before our time was up. He was touched. We were all touched in just a brief few moments. Further driving home his point that God shows up when He's invited. Dan Reiland's leadership talk followed the worship breakout session. I was excited to hear from Reiland. He's a can't-miss interview on multiple podcasts that I subscribe to–including the 200 Churches podcast where he's a monthly guest. Learning some of the ins-and-outs of leadership from someone of his stature in the Kingdom was a treat. I discovered that I'm mostly a "learned-leader" with some qualities of a "natural leader." I think I also discovered why I battle the aforementioned complacency issue as well. The treat of day one, however, was the evening service with Reinhard Bonnke–a true giant of the faith. The short video prior to his taking the stage was enough to make a Presbyterian shout. Bonnke claims 74 Million people have been saved from Hell through his ministry via the simple proclamation of the Gospel across the globe. That's just an astounding number. And watching his videos through the years, I believe the reports. Bonnke talked a bit about his age and the successor to his ministry, Daniel Kolenda (Tuesday speaker). There were moments in the message where Bonnke's heart was revealed in such a way that you could feel his burden for souls. Not just souls on other continents either. His emphatic statement, "America shall be saved" brought much of the near-capacity crowd to their feet.

Bonnke continued, "Africa has given me incurable faith for America."