GLENN'S PODCASTS!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For all, especially in the U.S.:

In a rough economy, perhaps not having the one you wanted elected about to take office, wars in the world, inner-city needs and more and more layoffs, we really must take a moment to thank God for HIS presence and interaction in our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

For any sort of good health, for the freedom to pray, read our Bibles and worship daily and freely, for basic provision of food and housing, for ANY sort of paying job, for grace and mercy each new day in the face of our sins, blunders, slackness and at times spiritual apathy- GIVE THANKS to the Lord God!!

I am SO grateful for my wife, family, church-community (JPUSA), the Ev. Covenant denomination and so many friends and co-laborers all over the world who lift us up in prayer, help us financially, sponsor concerts, church services and other opportunities for ministry both here in Chicago among the poor, homeless, addicted and otherwise spiritually needy- as well as in various tours all over the planet.

God IS GOOD and I'm thankful for His grace.

Today myself and most of our family are off to a part-Thanksgiving time together, part-hunting (me) trip, part ministry-time in several places in Illinois and Missouri. I am BLESSED to be able to breathe and live and hopefully be a better reflection of my Lord Jesus.

May God give all reading this as well as the writer, grace to grow closer and be more of a living inspiration to a dark and hurting world. Jesus IS Lord! Jesus IS Savior, and not just for others, for me and all who follow Him.

Rejoice and give thanks!

With Love, -Glenn

GARBAGE

Yesterday was a rough day. Not really rough, but for me
it was less than smooth and peaceful.

After a great ministry
trip to a couple churches in west-central Illinois, Wendi and I came
home late night to Chicago. As I got our gear back in our room and
looked into our bathroom I remembered the two rather large (one is
truly gargantuan!) ferns that were 1. hanging on the shower curtain
rail over the bathtub and the HUGE one taking up (nokiddin') about 2/3rds
of the bathtub!

She left them there to be watered by our
daughter while we were out of town. They were safe, warm and... big
:)

But it was my job to carry them to our offices across the
street and of course I couldn't take a showeruntil l did. The trouble
was that they both had some brown leaves falling off of 'em as it's
autumn here. That meant the bathroom and tub had a small forest
underfoot until I cleaned it all up.

I've often said part of
any pastor or church leader's job somewhat entails taking out the
garbage. We deal with our own garbage as well as that of those in need
around us. Sometimes they don't see it, and sometimes we are able to
work with others in team fashion in order to help folks, but in the end
if they don't -want- their garbage touched, the mess
remains.

The problem with such messes in a marriage, family,
church or ministry family- and certainly in an intentional live-in
community such as Jesus People U.S.A.... is that such stuff can pile up
and therefore gets shared with those closest (and even some not so
close) to the individual in question.

I don't know if you've
ever experienced a garbage strike, but on occasion Chicago has had
various neighborhoods where the rubbish piles really high for a few
days. In a word, it stinks! But it's all part of life.

Nobody
is sinless. Not me, not you, none of us.

But those who "go
on strike" cause the trash to pile up. Rats are encouraged. Left
heaping and composting long enough, people pass disease around because
of it.

The fact is that all of us produce rubbish and from time
to time it must be dealt with, taken to the dumpster, spiritually or
otherwise.

I've recently been made aware of 3 different
individuals who have been Christians for some time each make horrible,
ungodly, self-centered choices. The load of trash and resulting misery
of their actions is widespread, as always, in greatest measure toward
those who love them most.

How it must break God's heart when
His children run away from Him rather than to Him! How the shared pain
of marriages, families and churches bring us either toward the Lord or
further away.

I suppose the few deeply hurtful experiences I've
had in life (my parent's divorce, my father-in-law's tragic backsliding
to name two of them) have impacted me most toward trusting God and
really fully throwing myself at His mercy for my choices, direction and
decisions. The other events were more my own doing, namely extreme drug
and sexual addiction. There came a point where it was absolutely
certain I hadn't a shred of hope for life unless I fully followed Jesus
Christ regardless of the pain involved. It was crystal-clear that if I
didn't the pain would be far worse.

I met several deeply
loving, deeplycommitted Christ-followers who helped clean up the mess
I'd made for several long years... and they truly hauled me up out of
my own mountain of garbage. By God's power and grace, by the fear of
the Lord and deep conviction of the Holy Spirit and yes, by the loving
commitment of these godly friends in tandem with my decision to not
only believe the Bible but live Jesus' words out in my daily life, the
mountain became a hill and finally only a small, manageable
heap.

I'm not finished yet- God has plenty more to do in and
with me, but Praise God there is far more growing than garbage and a
lot less misery being passed around to those who get close to
me.

I'd like to say I was totally happy to do the cleaning and
moving- but have to admit I grumbled about it for a bit
first.

I finally got the bathroom cleaned up and got all the
trash out.

What followed was one truly refreshing shower!

Glenn Solo Blues (and message) Concert Just Added!
Fri. Nov. 7th at 7pm (freewill offering)
Madison Ave. United Methodist Church
3201 NE Madison Ave. Peoria, IL
This is a Peoria Outreach Center Event
For more info.: 309.676.1100 / 309.360.8593