Just inviting you over to visit the amazing forum of Sir Bryan Davis, prolific author of the Dragons In Our Midst books. He’s invited me to appear on one of the threads, much to my delight. Bryan’s forum is simply remarkable–it is truly a ministry tool. With a few hundred thousand hits over the past year alone (!!!) he uses it to reach youth all over the world. So you can imagine how humbled I was when he invited me over.

Not only that, but the members where posting four pages of exciting posts anticipating the arrival of the “secret guest author” long before I was able to write anything! (Hope I didn’t disappoint them!). So after a quick post around midnight, I finally wrote a tome this morning.

Please come on over and join us!

http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4685

Blessings!

CH

Since the comments to my last post pretty much surrounded the story about me at the forge, I thought I’d post a pic. Below is me and my buddy Matt Harris in his shop pounding out a 2,000 degree piece of steel. (Click to enlarge).

There is something tremendously virile about smashing a hammer onto a piece of red hot metal. I can’t help but think that we’re missing something as men in this country, most of us working inside little air conditioned cubicles, typing away on keyboards, when our forefathers were pounding out farm tools, horse shoes, armor and swords. As I was swinging that hammer I felt a connection to a bygone era, a lost art that few truly know, let alone understand.

Matt was trained by a blacksmith from Holland who has held to the strict Dutch legacy of doing things right because “that’s they way they’ve always been done.” I’m certainly one for innovation and modernization, both in the natural as well as the supernatural. But knowing that an art form has been molded and shaped by skilled men for thousands of years is pretty incredible.

You can visit Matt’s current site HERE. We had breakfast yesterday and I’m going to be helping him create a new site that incorporates a lot of modern technologies with his hand-made, ancient tradition of shaping metal. Will keep you posted.

CH

Jennifer and I are currently in Elkton, MD (right next to Newark, DE), ministering at Pleasant Hill Worship Center’s annual Youth Fest. I’ve been preaching each day to a dynamic group of youth from MD, DE, PA, TN and NY. And God has been in the house!

I started out the week talking about their birthright and not selling it for a bowl of soup (Gen. 25); examining what God actually has in store for them as an inheritance, but that they need to believe ALL of God’s word or risk loosing the opportunity to enter their promised land because of unbelief (Heb. 3); the great need around them, siting staggering statistics about their generation, and that souls are waiting on the other side of their obedience (Matt. 24, John 3; and finished things off last night by drawing up actual battle plans for each of their respective counties (Prov. 20:18).

For me personally, I was able to get some much needed time away with the Father during the week, as well as some “non kid” time with my wife (as the babies are with Grandpa & Grandma Nesbitt back in NY).

Today we have a day off and we’re headed Matt Harris’ amazing black smith shop where we’re going to participate in forging a group sculpture! Matt is a dear friend and an amazing artisan. Tomorrow I preach during the main Sunday service and then we head for home. Jason, Beth, William and Emily have been an exceptional team!

Jennifer will be editing a video journal re-cap of the trip next week so check back soon!

Thanks for reading!

CH

I’d love to see your comments on this one. Please post your thoughts at the end.

When my wife and I moved up to Clayton, NY two years ago, we were housed by a wonderful saint in our church while our house was being built. She had an ancient framed certificate hanging in the bathroom and it always startled me.

Today, she asked me to come by the house to look at some furniture as she is selling her house and moving to Florida. Just before I left, I peeked in the bathroom and noticed the plaque still hanging in the bathroom–it hadn’t been sold. I kindly asked her for it, to which she happily removed it and handed it to me.

What I wouldn’t give to see the Supreme Court, and the ACLU for that matter, make a public statement about this on national TV. And I’m not talking about a “skirt the issue” kind of political statement that they think we’re appeased with. I mean, yes or no, do you believe this? I am longing for the day where we return to straight talk–to looking someone in the eye and meaning what you say, saying what you mean. For my part, may I ever be held accountable to this ideal.

So, just for the sake us of those reading my blog today, may we never forget where we came from and what truly makes us the greatest nation in the world. (Yes, I’ve been to nearly all the other ones). There has never been a country that has offered so much freedom to so many people.

“Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to his extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.”

United States Supreme Court, 1892

Please post your comments!

CH