Last night at the rescue mission was exceptional.

Adrianna Paoletta and I were the counselors and Adrianna gave the devotion. Everyone was thoroughly impressed with the scriptures Adrianna chose for last night as they led us into a deep and meaningfull life application of encouragement and knowledge about the ways of God in the life of a believer.

We got to bed about midnight as there was quite a bit of “post lights-out” counseling.

I am confident that God worked last night to strengthen many of the newest member of the family of God.

Keep the folks in your prayers as they struggle, and the ministers as we work to help them get back on their feet. There are many needs of work, homes, and for us, strength to keep moving forward for the cause of Christ.

Blessings and Peace,

John

Posted under WASSSUP!

Let me start by saying, WOW! God has really been putting things together lately for ministry. Me and the rest of the crew have been on the move in some awesome ways. Lots of work being accomplished and most-importantly, lots of lives being changed for the Kingdom.

This Sunday we had 9 men baptized who have come to Christ through God’s work at the rescue mission. Somebody wanna shout about that? WOOO!

With all the time I’ve been at the mission, it seems a little weird to say, This week is my church’s week to staff. I am really wired-up about that and the staff is all lined up and ready to go for the week.

I’m going to add Sunday night to my rescue schedule because at 7am Monday morning the crew loads up in the motor-home towing the bikes to Daytona for a week of ministry to bikers. That is going to be a draining event. Not much sleep and heavy encounters. We’re ready though. Hey, these bodies can sleep when we’re dead!

I am thinking this may be the last post until March 10th unless I get some time in Daytona to post updates. In case this is my last communication, please remember the crew in your prayers;

• Russ McLamb
• Richard Mills
• Barbara Mills
• Robbie Cagle
• Yours truly, John Galloway
• all the other ministers taking on bike week this year.

Thanks for youir prayers and support.

John

Posted under WASSSUP!

Last night I had dinner with a good friend of mine from South Carolina. I love it when we get together because it isn’t that often and catching up is great for both of us. I think we both go home with cool new insights as to how God works in and through the lives of people.

Last night we talked about a lot of things. It was one of those dinners where the waitress started to come around and ask if we’re SURE we didn’t need anything else. A lot of our talk was on fear and depression and the things that cripple us – at least for a while – on our journey through life.

Although we have not lived close to each other, Cesar and I have sort of grown up together in a lot of ways. As we talked about today things, those old days things kept coming up. It was very evident as we talked that a picture of faith was unfolding in front of us and the foundation of the growth and strength we have gained was always uncertainty, pain, and even crisis.

Let’s face it, if we had a sign pop up in front of us every time we were about to go through a hard spot in life, we’d spend our whole life trying to find the easiest way around our obstacle instead of learning to just trust in God to see us through it. What I mean is, if God kept struggles away from us all the time, we would remain the same as we have always been. We would always trust ourselves and never learn to let go and let God do the work he began in us when we chose to believe.

To be a Child of God is believing, but on a deeper level, to place our faith in Jesus and not ourselves. If we will remember our lives before being saved, all we did was of our own power. We made our decisions and we lived according to what we chose. If we place our faith in Christ, why would we continue to be ruler of our lives?

So why do believers seem to go through so much muck when we are children of the King of kings and Lord of lords?

I think the answer is simple and just what I’m talking about here. Why did God have the Jews in the wilderness for 40 years? The Jews were slaves in Egypt, nothing more than free labor. When they were set free and led out by Moses, what did they do when times got hard? They complained and mourned for Egypt. They seemed to forget that they were slaves and they just remembered that they had food there. God gave them manna and they complained about it because it was unfamiliar to them!

The wilderness, and your wilderness today is not a place of punnishment, but a place of learning and refuge. Where did Moses go when he was being chased for killing an Egyptian? He went to the wilderness. David hid in the wilderness to flee from a King that was chasing him. The Jews were kept in the wilderness for 40 years so that God might test them, grow them, prove himself to them and allow them to prove their faith so that they would be ready to enter into His promise for them. Without that time, they would not have been ready.

You and I don’t yet know what God has prepared for us in our near future. All I know is, I must not be ready for it yet because I am still in the wilderness being led toward that day. THAT IS A GOOD THING. I’ve complained. I’ve looked back to Egypt when I had lots of money, alcohol, drugs, women or whatever else Egypt used to offer me for comfort or pleasure. I have also come beyond that and can see now that the wilderness has been a great place of growth and a refuge from those things. Thank God for the wilderness that shapes and molds me into who God wants me to be and not who I tend to be.

Where are you today in your wilderness journey? God has a great and wonderful promise for you and he will deliver in good time. For so many, the wilderness journey is one they are not willing to travel. Will you find your own way out of the wilderness or will you follow God and let him bring you out at the destination he has set for you?

Are you complaining and questioning God about your journey? That should show you where you are in it. Have you backslidden on God? A backslidden believer is merely one who has been unwilling to make the required and necessary journey through the wilderness. Either way, you can come back and continue with God. You can stop complaining and looking back and make the conscious decision to allow God to prove himself to you by letting God work in your life and lead you.

Maybe you have said no to the wilderness journey and returned to Egypt and what you know. Do not be deceived. You may know where your meal comes from but when you get up every morning, you are still a slave with no power in your life. God will bring you out again if you will let him but you must be willing to travel. Prepare your heart to make the journey this time and never look back, trust in God and he will lead you to what he has prepared for you.

 John

Posted under FROM THE HEART

I’ve held off voicing my opinion reagrding recent news but I just can’t stand it any longer. I have the right to complain and I am going to because what is being imposed on we the people is utterly disgusting and outrageous.

I believe God is in control and always takes care of his children. However, we are caught up in the wake created by a government who is driven by greed and selfishness at the cost of those of us who work and keep the wheels turning.

We have leaders planning our health care systems who do not use the systems because they have a better plan for themselves.

These leaders decide Social Security but will never themselves have to make ends meet on that plan because they have a sweet retirement plan for themselves.

As long as we pay our taxes and business owners cover two or three positions ourselves to be able to afford all the payroll expenses, we can continue to keep our doors open. Meanwhile, our leaders have the option of not paying their taxes and hiring illegal immigrants with no payroll expenses. 

As Banks, Corporate Giants and big Insurance firms go broke burning through money throwing multi-million-dollar parties and Corporate retreats or making foolish investments that even a novice investor would shun, WE THE PEOPLE are forced to work harder to bail out these fools. THEN when we bail them out, they waste half the money on more parties and huge bonuses for their executives! What fantasy land is this? In my world, when I fail to do my job so miserably that the company goes bankrupt, I GET FIRED. WHY WOULD I EVER GET A 3 MILLION DOLLAR BONUS FOR THAT PERFORMANCE?

With the state of our economy something needs to happen to turn it around and FAST! The current plan being offered by OBAMAPALOSI is insane! Hey, I like pork as much as anyone but give me a break. The word STIMULUS should not even be allowed in the same book as this blan. It is just more spending, bonuses, paybacks, and palm-greasing for the friends of these leaders. Almost nothing in the plan will help our economy and what would is more than cancelled by all the fat that is in it.

I sincerely hoped for the best that OBAMA would stand up and be the Patriot he claimed to be during the election. The great man of the people who pulled himself up from nothing to be President. I have never been so disappointed in a person. It just proves that Obama did not pull himself up by his bootstraps, he got where he is like the rest of them, by taking from the people and rubbing shoulders with those that had the power to move him ahead. That is how they all get where they are in my opinion. SOME POLITICIAN PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG AND SHOW ME WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THE PEOPLE LATELY.

OBAMA has a new name in my house and it is OBAMAPALOSI. He hasn’t got the stones to stand up to that crooked-faced tycoon and his priorities are totally messed-up. With the state of the economy and jobs being eliminated by the thousands OBAMAPALOSI dug right in on things that matter and did not waste a day doing it. On his first day in office he signed 2 orders. The first was to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay that holds terrorist and enemy combatants. Very nice. Forget the fact that we will now have to move these terrorists onto our soil, That order eliminated many military jobs! What a fool. The second most important thing on the Obama to-do list was to sign an order that would re-establish that our tax dollars would be available for any entity that promotes or performs abortions. There you go champ, more spending to promote your agenda. Maybe Obama is working on population control angle to help the economy? Less jobs so less people will fix it.

I could go on forever on this. I am very angry at how irresponsible our leadership is right now. We are the people and we need to be heard. I’m getting real tired of being asked to pay more and more to support this type of waste. I know the small business community is suffering terribly. Pray hard and don’t continue being quiet about it. If our leaders won’t lead, let’s make them follow.

Posted under RANTS & RAVES