As I was reading the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke, I was struck by what an amazing moment it was when the angel Gabriel announces God’s plan to Mary.

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

Keep in mind, Mary was probably a young teenager and a virgin. As far as we know she had never seen or spoken to an angel previously. Suddenly, one of God’s chief messengers appears to this young girl and tells her she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God and bear His son and His kingdom will have no end. What thoughts must have raced through her mind? Is this really true?

Did this really happen? What will Joseph do? What will my family and all the people say?

I would imagine a mix of panic and almost uncontainable joy raced through her being simultaneously.

Is this not in a way akin to our own salvation experience. When I was saved I realized the awesome fact that God was speaking to me by His love through conviction. I too questioned whether this was real or just my emotions. I thought about others and what they would say and do if I allowed this re-birth to transpire. Would I agree to His Son living in me?

Mary’s ultimate response to God was, “be it done to me according to your word.” In receiving Christ through the salvation experience we too are saying, “Thy will be done.”

My point in proposing the similarity of these experiences is not to draw some particular parallel between the Virgin Mary and ourselves, but rather to ask the question, has God spoken to us so profoundly and specifically recently?

All through scripture God speaks to people, often in amazing ways. God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden. God spoke to Abram and gave him instructions where to live and later in His old age spoke the promise of a child and an inheritance. God told Noah to build a boat. He spoke to Moses in a burning bush. Isaiah overheard God speaking and as a result asked to be sent. Many heard God say, “Thou are my son…” when Jesus was baptized by John. Peter, James and John heard God on the mount of transfiguration. Saul heard God on the road to Damascus. On and on we could go. Down through centuries and up to today many testify of hearing God’s voice.

If you’re like me sometimes you wish you could have one of those burning bush conversations so you could be absolutely sure, due to the supernatural circumstances, that it must be God.

Do you need for God to speak to you now? I do.

January 1st will mark forty years of ministry for me. To quote from one of my songs:

It’s been a lot of years
Been a lot of tears
Every now and then
There’s been some pain

Forty years is a significant number in God’s economy. Moses was trained for forty years in the desert, tending sheep before he was ready for God’s main objective, to lead His “people” out of Egypt in to the Promised Land.

I too have a sense that all that has thus transpired is only preparation for that which lies ahead. And I have something much
better than a burning bush…so do you!

We have God’s complete revealed Word. Everything God wants us to know, historically, doctrinally and specifically in regards to all aspects of our lives, past, present and future are addressed in that book, the Bible.

We have an advocate; Him who sits at the right hand of the Father, always making intercession on our behalf; the risen Christ to whom has been given all authority in Heaven and on earth.

And we have an intercessor, the Holy Spirit who searches our innermost being and prays at levels we couldn’t articulate.

How we often wish we could have the experiences of some of those previously mentioned. But don’t you see how they longed for and by faith waited for that which was to them yet ahead in the future though now possessed by us through Christ?

In days gone by only certain priests at certain times could even approach God but now He invites us all to come even boldly into His presence and make all our requests known.

Perhaps God speaks to us in direct proportion to how much we speak to Him. I’m going to speak more to God and listen with a more sensitive ear. I will pray for you as I know you too need to hear Him in regard to the next season of your life. Please pray for Linda and me as we seek God for His plans and purposes for our lives and ministry in this coming year. To complete a portion of the song I referenced earlier:

Though sometimes I’ve failed
When the storms prevailed
He has always stayed the same

I still love Jesus
He’s my dearest friend
Faithful till the end
I still love Jesus
And He still loves me

(I Still Love Jesus)
Dallas Holm

God will always be found faithful. If we hear and obey His voice, we will have a testimony of faithfulness as well; Lord speak!

The statement “The End Is Near,” encourages an image of some poor soul on a street corner in a major city like New York. Long messy hair, unshaven, a long wool coat worn on a hot summer day, gloves without fingers and the exposed fingers pointing to the sandwich board sign hung around this street person’s neck proclaiming the stark prediction. Passersby shake their heads in disbelief, more at the appearance of the person than the content of his message

Conclusion: The person looks like some kind of kook so his message must be kooky also, right?

John the baptizer must have looked and seemed pretty strange with his fur garments and his insect diet. He was certainly not politically correct in calling government officials “snakes”. Yet his announcement of one coming whose sandals he was not worthy to untie was spot on.

How about Isaiah walking about naked for three and a half years prophesying against Egypt and Ethiopia? Many, including Isaiah, probably would have been thrilled to have him wear the sandwich board sign, yet he remains as one of the greatest prophets who spoke God’s word and it came to pass.

If it’s possible to be called by God and look so strange yet speak so true, is it then possible to not be called by God, look terrific, but speak falsely?

You may think this is a strange journey I’ve embarked on and what can possibly be its destination.

I believe the end is near, Christ’s return is sooner than we can imagine and we are living in one of the greatest end time signs, yet failing to discern it.

I Timothy 4:1 says, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will fall away from the faith…”

I have often heard through the years many teachings on the apostasy or the great end time falling away. I used to think it would be a very visible event as thousands upon thousands simply left the faith, backslid, turned their back on God and just plain quit! I think I saw it happening as somehow more outside the church or away from the church.

Sadly, I believe it’s happening within the Church.

In Paul’s last epistle he warns Timothy, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant….holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power…always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.”

Recently I saw on a Christian TV program three self proclaimed prophets boasting in their successes, sharing the new revelations that only they had been given to enlighten us thereby releasing us into our destiny if we would release to them our money. You’ve probably seen something similar. It’s not my intent or purpose to expose some as I have mentioned here who are at least, in my opinion, misguided and often in error.

My purpose is however to point out that Christianity and the church here in America are taking a big hit from without and within. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 pastors a month are leaving the ministry. Approximately 7,000 churches a year close their doors, being replaced by about 4,500. Sixty nine percent of our young people leave the church upon graduation from high school. Sunday night church services are mostly a thing of the past as well as mid-week prayer meetings being usually the least attended service.

Our president announces we are not a Christian nation. Muslims are given special prayer rooms in schools and businesses but Christians are given lawsuits for the most minimal expression of our faith. Need I go on?

Who is to blame? Or, as I wrote in a song years ago,

Whose fault is it anyway
Who assumes the blame
Is it those who know You well
But are afraid to speak
Claiming to be strong in You
But in the end are weak.

(This Breath of Life – Words and Music by Dallas Holm)

There is a weakness, an anemia, especially in church leadership these days. Preaching has often degenerated into motivational speeches with more emphasis on lifting ourselves up than dying to ourselves and lifting Him up.
Youth groups are too often more about fun and games than discipleship with a goal to build a strong scriptural foundation upon which our kids can live their lives.

Christian media often seems to promote the latest “prophet”, best-selling author or Christian artist whose communications are sometimes not even scripturally sound nor backed by lives of integrity and brokenness before a holy God.
Do I sound a little upset? Perhaps. I’m just tired of the packaging of the prominent, the marketing of the mediocre and the showcasing of the shallow.

We live at the threshold of His coming where we need to be nourished at the table of His bounty but often seem to be content to grab a bite at some person’s new fast food drive-thru.

I believe we are living in the time of Paul’s warning to Timothy (by the Spirit):

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

II Timothy 4:3-4

May I encourage you to read Ezekiel 34:1-11.

Lest you think I’ve become as one of those who rails against everything and everyone, let me assure you, I have not.

God has a people. He has a church and He has many wonderful shepherds and leadership throughout His body. I know this and I rejoice in it. But remember, we know as the Day draws near, many will grow cold and Satan will do his best to distract us from the faith often by using some who seem to be within our own ranks.

Stay in His Word and on your knees! Use discernment, try the spirits and measure any and all messages against God’s unfailing Word.

As an old hymn says:

In times like these
You need a Savior
In times like these
You need an anchor
Be very sure Be very sure
Your anchor holds
And grips the solid rock
The end is near so let us look up and rejoice for our redemption draweth nigh!

As always, thank you for your prayers and support. He is honored and we are blessed by your commitment to help this ministry.