Ring the Bells

Grace, peace, and mercy from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The Lord has led me out to Pennsylvania, where I have been spending some time with some Godly people. I left Connecticut on Tuesday and traveled to south central Pennsylvania, not too far from Harrisburg. On my journey, I could just sense the very presence of God as he began to calm my heart and prepare me for what lay ahead. After five hours on the road, I was ready to hear what God wanted to speak into my life.

I reached my first destination where I met a former deacon in my former church (lots of formers) and his wife. As I walked into their new home, I could sense the peace of God. Their house was not just a home, but a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. I spent two days with them, sharing with each other about the goodness of the Lord. We even visited a Christian theater company, which certainly caught my interest. When people honor God, their very words can bring sweet renewal and their presence can breathe life into your being. I certainly left their home renewed and vivacious.

The next part of my journey brought me to Philadelphia. The drive east to Philadelphia was an amazing one. God spoke some very personal things to my heart. We laughed together too - God definitely has a sense of humor. I asked God to remove from my heart the desire that I have to smoke cigarettes. I feel that He has - I have not had one since Tuesday morning.

I arrived in Philadelphia and visited the Liberty Bell right away. There is something about that bell that I love. It symbolizes the freedom that Americans so deeply value. The Liberty Bell historically rang for several reasons. For example, the bell may have sounded to call a meeting or to call the militia to prepare for battle. It may also have rung to celebrate freedom or a victory. And like the Liberty Bell, the resurrection of Jesus is the key to the gates of freedom for Christians. Like the bell sounded for victory, the resurrection was the victory over death. And as the bell called soldiers to assemble and prepare for battle, the resurrection has resulted in Godly warriors who battle temptation and the enemy on a daily basis.

After my visit to the Liberty Bell, I walked a few blocks to visit the surrounding areas. I visited some shops, walked through some parks, and ate a true Philadelphia lunch (Philly cheese steak). After lunch, I head over to the National Constitution Center and took a self-guided walking tour. I took some time to learn about the founding fathers of our country. American students are required to learn about our wonderful history that resulted in liberty. Yet, how many Christians really know about the founding fathers of our faith? I know that I do not know nearly as much as I would like. I urge us all to learn about the founding fathers and the Founding Father of our faith. History books teach us about political and economical freedom and we are required to read them. Yet the Word teaches us about our freedom from sin and death - how much do we know about that book?

I left Philadelphia and traveled to a nearby town to visit a friend of mine from my former church. His parents are missionaries and he spent quite some time in South America in the early years of his life as his parents responded to God's call on their lives. It had been about four years since we had last spoken and we spent time catching up with each other. We have spent our time sharing what God is doing in our lives and what has happened to us over the past years. It has been very refreshing. I am writing this post to you at his apartment. I leave tomorrow to continue my journey to visit a good friend of mine in New Jersey.

I write these things because I am excited to share what the Lord is doing and in hopes that these words may encourage you. Brothers and sisters, God is alive. He is the same personal God today just as He was to the founding fathers of our faith. Ring the Liberty Bell, sound the trumpets, hear the praises of the angels, the Lord God Almighty reigns!