prayer

A Prayer for Restoration

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

Nehemiah was an Israelite who loved God. He was heartbroken when he heard that his nation and the city of Jerusalem were broken and in distress. He spent many days mourning and fasting for his people. In the Bible, the book of Nehemiah is the story of how God heard and answered Nehemiah’s prayer.

In Nehemiah 1:5-11, we find Nehemiah’s prayer. Today I am going to borrow Nehemiah’s thoughts and adapt his prayer to fit the world we live in. This is my prayer.

Lord God in heaven, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. You are the great and wonderful God who keeps Your gracious promises to those who love You and keep your commands. But you are also a righteous God who allows us to suffer the consequences of disobedience. Please let Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear my cry as I lift my voice to You and pray for Your children and this hurting nation.

I confess the sins we have committed against You. Lord, we have been faithless and sinned. We have allowed entertainers to become advisors and given sports figures hero status. We have passively watched as many who were elected to serve this nation wrongfully establish themselves as our rulers. We have acted unfaithfully toward You and have not kept the commandments that You gave to us through Your servant Moses. Lord, we are an unholy people. We suffer as a result of our sinfulness.

Lord, I know that if we treasure sin in our hearts You will not hear our prayers. I know that you will not bless the life of the unrighteous man. But You have promised that if we your people, who are called by your name, will humble ourselves and pray, and if we turn from our wicked ways then You will hear from heaven and heal our land. I know Lord, that in this nation Your people indeed are few. However, You are not concerned with numbers but seek to honor the ones who have broken and contrite hearts.

God, we are Your servants and Your people. You have redeemed us by Your great power and strong hand. Please, Lord, let Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of all Your servants who delight in Your name. Give Your servants success today, and have compassion on us in the presence of evil men as we attempt to reclaim this land for Your Glory.

In the Power and Authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen

Douglas Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

Upside Down

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

In the first century, a handful of believers devoutly followed Christ. With the power of the Holy Spirit, this group of believers turned the world upside down. Their numbers grew, and with miraculous multiplication powers, they overcame all obstacles and infiltrated the world.

With a crescendo of Godly power, Christianity molded and shaped civilization. An honest study of history reveals that hospitals, orphanages, and all forms of charitable organizations are rooted in Christian ideals. You will find also that the legal structure of every civilized nation in the world is solidly based on the laws of God that were fulfilled in Christ.

But now we have come full circle. The influence of Christianity has evaporated. Once the worship of God brought about civility, now individual rights have been idolized and crudity reigns supreme. In the days of Christian influence, personal responsibility was admired, but now things of God are considered old-fashioned. No one is held accountable for their actions and personal irresponsibility is treated as a virtue. In this post-Christian world, the Robin Hood syndrome has become a perverted way of robbing from the hard workers and rewarding the lazy and undeserving.

In this era of social Christianity, we have surrendered our ability to impact the world. Instead of the church influencing the world, the world has infiltrated the church. Once upon a time, Godly men turned the world upside down. Now we are afraid to speak the truth because we might offend someone. For the sake of political correctness, we now call wrong right and accept the unacceptable. Once we bore the marks of Christ and had a preservative effect on the world. Now we have turned our eyes from Jesus and the marks we bear are the footprints of the world. Like salt that has lost its saltiness, we are fit only to be walked on.

What many in this world call progress, is actually the destruction of society. We are going the way of Rome, Greece and Babylon. Like these ancient civilizations we idolize gratuitous sex and we worship personal pleasure. And now we are in danger of disappearing into a haze of lunacy.

But it does not have to be this way. God’s children, the crème of His power and mercy can rise to the top again. We must humble ourselves, and in prayer turn from our wicked ways. If we do this, He has promised that He will hear our prayers. He is God and He keeps His promises. The question is will we humbly turn to Him in prayer? Will we do our part? We have to, for the sake of our grandchildren, we just have to.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

The Treasure of the Apostle Paul

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

Indiana Jones is a popular movie character. He is an archaeologist/professor/adventurer whose life is in constant peril. Going from crisis to crisis he is always seeking some elusive archeological treasure.

The dangers that Jones faces are many. He has escaped from rolling boulders, fires, plane crashes, and booby traps. He has faced Nazis, snakes, rats, and his own fears. He always comes out alive and he never loses his hat.

Indiana Jones is a heroic character, but he is a fictitious character. I want to tell you about a real hero and adventurer. He had a treasure that he lived to share. His name was Paul the Apostle and his treasure was the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul also was constantly in danger. He spent much time in jail and escaped from one city in a basket. Five times he was beaten with a whip. Three times he was beaten with rods and once he was stoned and left for dead.

Three times Paul was shipwrecked and once he was snake-bit. As he traveled, he faced dangers from rivers and robbers and friends and enemies. He found trouble in the cities, trouble in the open countryside, and trouble among people who pretended to be his friends. He spent many sleepless nights, hungry, cold, and thirsty. From his letters, we know that he often longed for the warmth of a coat and the companionship of a friend.

Indiana Jones never lost his hat, but Paul never lost his faith. Paul ran a strong race and fought a good fight. He knew that he would be all right. He once said, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Jones faced danger for dead treasure. Paul gave his life for incorruptible glory

The Indiana Jones movies are mildly entertaining but the stories of Paul are awe-inspiring. Indiana Jones is make-believe, but Paul is real. May we all be like Paul who said “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes–. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith”. (Romans 1:16-17)

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

The Crime that Jesus Committed

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

Most of us know that Jesus is the only begotten Son Of God. We also know that He is the only truly righteous Man to ever live. His death on the cross was an atonement for our sins. He was bruised for our iniquities and chastised for our transgressions. It is by His stripes that we are saved.

However, for a couple of minutes, I want you to remove from your thoughts the fact of the Deity of Jesus. From a human point of view, I want you to know that Jesus was killed on the cross because He was guilty of committing a horrendous crime. It was a crime that mankind cannot tolerate. You can do almost anything and be forgiven, but not this. We do not forgive people for this crime. What was this horrendous crime? Jesus was guilty because He did not fit in. He stood out from the crowd. He did not do what they thought He should. He was guilty of being different, so they killed Him.

The Pharisees thought He should have conformed to their rules, but Jesus would not, so they pronounced Him guilty. Jesus would not do what the people wanted Him to do, so they called for Him to be crucified. Rome wanted Him to blend into the crowd, but Jesus would not so Pilate nailed Him to the cross. The Son of God was guilty of being a different kind of Messiah, so they killed Him.

Among all living breathing beings on earth, the most hated creature is the one who stands out from the crowd. And yet a famous preacher once said, “The sad thing about modern American Christians is that nobody wants to kill them anymore. Jesus tells us in John 15:18-19; “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

If you are a child of God, your purpose on earth is to glorify Him and make a difference in this world. You cannot honor God or impact the world if you will not stand out from the world. God’s people must not be tossed to and fro like a reed blowing in the wind. We must be influenced only by the Presence of God, led only by the Holy Spirit of God, and strive to be perfect like the Son of God. Stand out from the world and Jesus will stand up for you.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

The Man with No Name

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

His name was, well we don’t know if he even had a name. He is known as Bartimaeus, but that just means that his father was a man named Timaeus. The Bible says he was a blind man who sat by the road begging. Sometimes a person would feel sorry for him and throw a cheap coin in his lap. But mostly the world saw him as a person with no sight, no usefulness, and no hope. He was not even worth a name, so they just called him the son of Timaeus.

However, even blind people can hear and this man with no name had heard that Jesus could give hope to the hopeless, sight to the blind, and would even use useless people. When he heard that Jesus was close, he began to shout as loud as he could “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!” The people around him considered him a nuisance so they told him to be quiet. But he wouldn’t. He continued to loudly beg for mercy. He knew the people would not help him, but because of his faith and persistence, Jesus did.

Jesus was surrounded by people who had names. These people were irritated because of the loud noise coming from a man who was blind. They wanted him to be quiet. Jesus wanted him to be healed. Jesus said to the blind man, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” When the man received his sight, he followed Jesus, because Jesus is the Way. Once this man was blind and had no name but now he sees and his name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Do you have a name that is written in Glory? Jesus Christ is nearby, call loudly to Him, and don’t stop crying out until He hears you. He will answer and show you great and mighty things. If you have faith and are persistent, you will see like you have never seen and you will have a name that Jesus will never forget.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Just Isaac

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

He is most well known for being the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob. Some commentators have referred to him as a mediocre son of a great father and a mediocre father of a great son. I think this is unfair to Isaac. I believe he admirably fulfilled his place in history. He was not born to be an Abraham nor was he born to be a Jacob. He was just Isaac.

Everywhere you go you will find men with the spirit of Isaac. Most people unfairly consider them to be mediocre. For instance, you might see a man at the little league game in grimy clothes. His clothes are dirty because he came straight from work to watch his child or grandchild play. You might also see him in those grimy clothes at church on Wednesday night. He wants to be an example for his children and grandchildren so he also came there straight from work. He will probably never be great in the world’s eyes, but he loves his family, does his job, and worships Jesus. He will never be seen as a V.I.P. But neither was Isaac.

On Sunday a bi-vocational pastor will step into the pulpit to preach a message that God has given him. Many nights he has been up past midnight praying and laboring over the sermon. He pays the bills by working all day. He then rushes home, cleans up, and spends the evening visiting his small congregation. The members of his little church love him but the denominational leaders don’t know him. Although his sermons are better than most of the big-shot preachers, he will never be asked to preach to large crowds. He is just a simple man doing what God called him to do. Just like Isaac.

Throughout history, a handful of great men have done great things for God, and we all know their names. However, the Bible teaches that in Heaven the first shall be last and the last shall be first. By far the men who have done the most for the Kingdom of Heaven are the simple men whose names are not known. On earth, they never hear the applause of men, but in Heaven, a great cloud of witnesses will greet them with a standing ovation. With dirty hands and calloused knees, they are simple but faithful servants who do their jobs well. Just like Isaac.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

Old Walls and a Crumbling Society

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

As I was hunting, I found the remains of an ancient rock wall. I could tell that it had once stretched along a ridge overlooking a small creek. Long ago these stones formed a strong barrier, but now they had been reclaimed by the earth.

Looking at these rocks, I wondered about their story. Whose calloused hands had gathered and stacked them? When was this wall built and for what purpose? What was happening in the world when these stones were being lifted into place? Was this the combined effort of a husband and wife building a life together, along with this rock wall?

These rocks can’t talk and their story is lost forever. But they have the power to speak to us about our crumbling society. You see, the strong old wall consisted of many rocks stacked together, but without proper maintenance, it fell apart. In the same way, our society is crumbling due to the lack of spiritual and moral maintenance.

God instituted three major types of building blocks for the construction of a healthy society. The first is family, which begins with the marriage of one man and one woman for life. The second is government, which to be effective must be simple and small. The third is the church, the Bride of Christ whose doctrine must come only from the Word of God.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of spiritual and moral maintenance, these building blocks have succumbed to a wicked world. The family is being destroyed by rampant divorce and the stupidity of same-sex marriage. The government has become large, uncontrollable, and insanely corrupt. Meanwhile, religious denominations are being led by people who listen to worldly opinions and not the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the only foundation stone for a civilized society. He created all things and in Him is the consistency of all things. He holds everything together. Without Him, nothing is built and nothing will last. So, let’s pray, and call out to Jesus because He is the only hope for this crumbling society.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

The Chosen Ones

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

Jesus personally called the men He wanted to be His disciples. These men were Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot. Now we know that Jesus walked this earth as a man, but He was The Great I Am. Therefore, He knew all there was to know about these men He wanted to be His disciples.

Judas was a thief who would sell his soul for thirty pieces of silver. Thomas doubted that Jesus could rise from the dead. James and John were called the Sons of Thunder, probably because they had violent tempers. Peter well, we all know that Peter denied he even knew Jesus. When Jesus called these men, He knew about their past. He understood their current actions and He knew what they would do in the future. Yet He called them anyway because these were the ones, He wanted.

The disciples were all chosen by Jesus despite their sins and failures. The Bible teaches that there is a way that seems right to men, but the ways of men always end with death. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When Jesus called the disciples, they all repented and followed Him for eternal life. All except for Judas, who chose the way that seemed right to men and lost his soul.

There is good news for you and I. Jesus is still the Great I Am. He knows about your past, your future, and what you are doing now. And yet He still chose you. Jesus has called out to us because we are the ones that He wants. You and I are chosen despite our sins and failures. He does not call us because we are good or holy. He doesn’t call us because we are righteous and just. He calls us because we are sinners in need of a Savior and He is that Savior. So now you have a choice to make. Will you choose the way that seems right to men or will you choose to follow Him?

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com

A Gentle Old Soul

/ Pavement Ends Ministry / Leave a comment

A gentle old soul walked into the shop the other day and called out, “Is anybody at home”. I looked up to see a precious friend of mine and almost everyone in the community. I asked, “can I help you?” By the way he answered, I recognized he was lost in the fog of Alzheimer’s disease. He told me he was looking for his wife and I knew she was probably frantically looking for him.

Putting my hand on his shoulder, I walked with him to where his family was. As he shuffled along he talked about things that only he understood. He kept telling me he had something for me and that he was going to take care of me. I wish I could have made him understand that truly he was giving me something very precious. You see, Alzheimer’s had taken my daddy and as I walked with this gentle old soul, I felt as if I was walking with my own daddy once again.

In Genesis there is a story of a man named Enoch. The story goes that Enoch walked with God everyday. But one day Enoch could not be found, because that day God took him home to heaven. Now I think that like Enoch, those who suffer from Alzheimer’s walk close to God in ways you and I cannot understand. As these gentle old souls shuffle along on their last journey, I think that God walks with them. He listens to their jumbled words and untangles their confused thoughts. Then one day they are no longer here, their journey has ended. God has taken them home.

These gentle old souls with Alzheimer’s have much to give as they walk their last mile. It is easy for us who are mere mortals to be impatient and misunderstanding in their presence. But if we listen to their rambling stories, we might hear a conversation with God. If we put a hand on their shoulder and walk with them, we might find ourselves walking with The Father. Myself, I truly believe that God sent this gentle old soul into the shop the other day so I could walk with my daddy one more time.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

Pavement Ends Ministry