A Relaxing Break

May 30, 2010    Vacation Break

I am sitting at the Pine Mountain State Park Lodge in Kentucky.  It is one of my favorite places to go to relax.  We’re here with Brad, Chantielle, Arthur and Virginia (Kim’s parents).  Came over this morning and spent some time visiting family I haven’t seen in some time.  Had a chance to see some of the old home places and visit the cemetary’s where Kim’s grandparents and great grandparents are buried.  I have had an awesome time just visiting and relaxing with family.  Seeing the old homestead place just brought back a lot of memories.  Very good memories I might add.

I joined the Hensley clan by virtue of becoming Kim’s husband.  This is an awesome family that I have grown to love and appreciate.  I lost my grandparents on my side early and so taking on Kim’s grandparents as “mine” meant a great deal to me.  I remember both granddaddy and grandmother and the Godly lives they lived.  I remember the mega family meals we used to have a the home place.  I remember grandmother getting up extremely early and banging pots and pans.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner almost all back to back.  No sooner than one meal was finished and the kitchen was clean…they would start another one.   Sitting on the front porch drinking iced tea and waving at virtually everyone who drove by was a favorite past time.  I thought I had found heaven on earth.   Godly people who modeled serving Christ relatively easy.

I remember that at grandmothers one Thanksgiving we were gathered in the house.  We were going around the room, at grandmother’s request, sharing something we were thankful for.  Before long the Holy Spirit settled into the room and we were having a camp meeting service!  It was in that meeting I first experienced the Holy Spirit using me in one of the nine gifts of the Spirit.  It was an awesome life changing experience I will never forget.  It was over thirty years ago and this family is still going on loving Jesus and most of all loving one another. 

I remember granddaddy sharing testimonies as he sat in his Lazy Boy recliner.  He would tremble in the presence of God.  The anointing was so powerful in the room.  If you didn’t know Jesus – you couldn’t blame this family.  

Driving away from the Hensley home place today brought  challenge to me.  As I sat and listened to grand daddy Hensley I was reminded of my dad’s father.  Oscar Teague was his name.   A self-educated man for the most part he couldn’t read anything proper but the Bible.  He was a finish carpenter by vocation.   I remember grand daddy praying.  I remember grand daddy quoting scripture.  I remember that he too would tremble in the presence of the Lord.  I remember sitting on the front porch of their home in Johnson City, TN.  I remember eating at the oversized kitchen table.  I remember so much about grand daddy.  Grandmother passed when I was very young but I remember grand daddy well.

The challenge?  Several things crossed my mind.  First, I want my children and my children’s children to “see” the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life as we did both sets grandparents.  I also want my two son’s to know that their dad loves God and that there is nothing “sissy” about demonstrating the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.  My dad’s dad was a strong man.  Kim’s grand daddy was a strong man.  There was nothing passive about either one of these men and they left a legacy of manhood.  The legacy?  Don’t be afraid to demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life.  Trembling under the anointing is a good thing.

Paul the apostle was transparent when he wrote to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2.4 and mentioned his life “demonstrating” the work and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Real men aren’t afraid of the Holy Spirit.  Real men aren’t afraid to let others see how the Holy Spirit moves them.  Real men aren’t afraid to let the Holy Spirit “demonstrate” Himself through them – even to the point of them trembling physically.  Real men….absolutely real men.

I want my family, my son’s and their families to know that their father was not afraid to show forth the anointing of the Holy Spirit in his life.  For too long we have seen men take a back seat to expressing themselves in worship, praise and simply letting the Holy Spirit demonstrate Himself through them.  I can’t for the life of me figure out why except that we have created a culture of anti-feminism to the degree that men are inhibited in their spiritual lives. 

I want my son’s to know that there is an anointing in the Holy Spirit.  I want them to know…like I knew of my dad’s dad and my father in law’s dad – that the Holy Spirit is alive and well.  I want them to know by watching me that the Holy Spirit will demonstrate Himself through us – and its OK to let it happen.  It takes a man to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit.   It takes mere passivity to deny Him the opportunity.  In the kingdom there is no room for passive Christian men.  Absolutely no room at all.  Man up guys and let the Holy Spirit demonstrate Himself in your lives on a daily basis. 

By the way…thanks to grand daddy Teague and grand daddy Hensley for the example.  Your life impacted mine and many, many more.  To God be the glory.  Thanks for being Godly men. Thanks for being aggressive men of God.  I can only pray I will pass it on.