Hello COTR! I hope all is well. I have just returned from a weekend of Sabbatical stuff. First, let me say that I heard
that Sunday Celebration was AWESOME. Thanks
to Pastor Billy Griffin for sharing the word and the many others
who have been ministering in my abscence. I also heard
that VBS got off to a rockin start last night! Bring
more kids the next 3 nights and see there lives changed.This past Friday, Lisa and I traveled to Boone N.C. to the mountains, what a beuatiful place. We visited granfather mountain, crossed the swinging bridge (what a view!), drove down
the blue ridge parkway and attended the Outdoor Drama “The Horn in the West.” What an inspirtional story about regulators who fled Alamance County during the 1760’s because they felt oprressed by the English taxes and were fighting the government. It was there that they met up with the legendary Daniel Boone and settled there in the montains. After almost ten years, the word came that the founding fathers had signed the Declaration of Independence and they were entering into war against England. These men and women joined the cause for fereedom that birthed this great nation we now live in. More and more, I believe God is calling the church back to that same spirit were we stand as the hope for spiritual freedom for those around us. Yesterday, My family went to Kings Dominion and what a great time we had! The park was not very crowded and we stayed until they kicked us out at 10:00pm. As I seek God during this sabbatical, I am trying to committ myself fresh and new to the day to day, hour to hour seeking of and fellowshipping with God through the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons for the success and fruitfulness of COTR is teaching people to cook on the high side of medium, and live in the inner courts of God with access to the Holy of Holies. This is important for pentacostol churches, because we can tend to fall into the trap of “Red Bull Christianity.” We come on Sinday ( or should I say one-two Sundays a month in some cases!) and we get “jacked up” on the annointing and then we crash about 5-6 hours later, only to struggle through the door again down the road to repeat the same process! There isa better way. Don’t get me wrong, there is specail spriritual realm we move into when God’ people come together. I miss so much the special love and power of the COTR worship. By the way, I have been atending church some while away on this sabbatical as I know I need to be wiht God’s people, even on this sabbatical. But, we want the corporate gatherings to explode out of the overflow of what is happening one on one bewteen us and God away from the church. Well, that is all for now, pray for us and we will see you soon.
Pastor Richard and Family
