IRMA I was meditating downstairs in the first morning hour when Hurricane Irma came into my mind, along with the following prayer. “Flood over me Holy Spirit, as Irma flooded over Florida. Wipe out the buildings of my self that I erected over a lifetime and give me new structures made from your hand.”
MY FATHER’S BUSINESS I like the King James Version of Luke 2:49: “I must be about my Father’s business.” That’s what Jesus said to Mary and Joseph when they finally found him after a long search in Jerusalem following the Feast of Passover. As I’m sitting in my office chair and typing this message, I […]
MINNEAPOLIS ADULT AND TEEN CHALLENGE The hand of the Lord was upon me yesterday as I delivered a message to 350 male and female residents at the main campus of Adult and Teen Challenge in Minneapolis. I had a script of what I wanted to cover, but on the way there from Buffalo, the Holy […]
GETTING UNTANGLED Do you ever find yourself not taking time to spend with God because you’re so busy with other things? A child of God who wants to please God keeps his or her priorities straight and refuses to do things that could distract him from what is really important. In order to grow closer […]
OBSERVATIONS FROM A COURTROOM BENCH Last Monday afternoon, I sat in the Wright County Courthouse for two hours at Joe’s hearing, a young man I’m mentoring who resides in a county jail. You can read about that part of the story in the last blog. Today I want to make some general observations about my […]
FOR THOSE WHO BOW DOWN BEFORE HIM Do you remember Joe, who stormed out of a meeting at the jail after I told him I couldn’t help him because he hadn’t turned his life over to God in all aspects. He’s the one who called me “Ridiculous Pat.” Well, I visited him yesterday, and he […]
TWO WORLDS There is a natural world and a spiritual world. There are natural men and women and spiritual men and women. The message of the cross is a spiritual one that has to do with eternity. Jesus’ message to His followers is that there will be suffering and death in this world, but He […]
PRAYING SCRIPTURE Lately I have been in the habit of not only reading Scripture but also praying it. Let me give you an example. Because I live you also will live. John 14:19 Lord Jesus, what a profound truth this is! Where else would I put my trust but in You? I may be stricken […]
THE SHERBURNE COUNTY JAIL I gave my How to Stay Out of Jail presentation six times at the Sherburne County Jail this past Monday and Tuesday. This facility houses some of the toughest of the tough, including men awaiting deportation. The setting was so menacing that I had to wear a device that would send […]
I BELIEVE I believe in God my Father; I believe in Christ His Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit; I believe that the three are One. I believe in the love of Jesus; I believe that He died for me. I believe in His resurrection; I believe in eternity. I believe in the truth […]