Wrapping up another year!

     This has been a wonderful and glorious year for HMA.  We preached all over the United States this year.  We started all kinds of on line programs.  Raised more money than ever before.  Pushed The Saving Place furniture thrift store into new areas.  Started carrying our own line of mattresses, appliances and furniture.  Added two new positions for the jobs program.  Were blessed to be involved with Pastor Lamb and the founding of a brand new church work in Kentucky, (the newest fully functioning HMA affiliate).  Saw some of our first addict converts turn thier fifth year clean.  Worked on a huge jobs program here at the very end of the year that netted over 100 homeless people off of the streets, (the last three of which were finalized today).  Met with some new pastors and church leaders just in the last few weeks already about projects for next year.  And it almost exhausts me just typing about it.  :))  
     This last year we have been able to work with and see God deliver many street drug addicts, more and more prescription drug addicts, serveral alcoholics, a couple homosexuals, a bisexual and a few proffessional thiefs and liars just out of the Tulsa homeless mission program.  This is not to mention at all the Jacob's Ladder progams, the children's programs or any of the affiliate projects. 
     Of course we all know that the ultimate goal here is not to just make them happier or give them a better life, but becasue we love them with the love of Christ, it is our ultimate intention to see thier eternity changed for the better.  God has blessed us here at HMA with an amazing group of people, (over 180 volunteer staff members nation wide).  These people understand the scriptural balance between reaching out with love and compassion and teaching sound doctrine and principles.  This very delicate balance is the difference between effective Christian outreach and it's not so effective counter parts, which are cultic discipleship or hate and segregation by denomination.
     We refuse to go along with the sweeping, watered down, charasmatic groups that only reach for numbers and basically teach "come to Jesus, he will make you happy, rich and get you a gorgeous mate", (it's not about you, it's about Him).  But at the same time, we also refuse to subscribe to the idea that being a Christian is such a tight, restricted set of values and rituals that there just aren't hardly any poeple left that can measure up to it.  God would like to and is plenty capable of saving every single person that you meet every day for the rest of your life.  Perhaps the only thing stopping Him is.......you.
     Well, there I go again.  It is very hard for a preacher to communicate without getting a little preachy.  Haha.  I just want to say a tremendous thank you on behalf of all that have been helped and all that have been saved.  From the one that got the blanket to the one the got the housing.  From the one that got the bowl of soup to the one that got delivered from meth.  From the one that got the coat and hat, to the one that got the bus ticket back home.  From the one that got the new job to the one that got the new God.  God bless all of our donors, workers, ministers, volunteer, drivers, cooks, fundraiser organizers and prayer warriors.  The longer these New Testament biblical outreach principles are spread and applied the more we change, not just the face of the "Christian" movement here in America, but the world.  One soul at a time.  God bless HMA in our up and coming 6th year functioning, 5th year incorporated.  Thank you for Loving the Least, the Last and the Lost.  MERRY CHRIST-mas!!!
your humble servant,

SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO DIE (AUDIO BY PASTOR DAVID LAMB)

SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO DIE

(AUDIO SERMON BY PASTOR DAVID LAMB)

(CLICK ON PICTURE TO LISTEN)

Depression has become an epidemic, even among Christians. 

It is especially prominent during the Christmas and winter season. 

The suicide rate skyrockets this time of year. 

I pray that this message about Elijah's Nervous Breakdown will encourage your heart!

To our HMA supporters: Updates on recent progress!

     To all of our wonderful sponsors, donors and workers:  Your giving, prayers and hard work of faith and love have surely paid large eternal dividends as of late.  We have been able to donate a full size school bus to help start a brand new childrens ministry that already has as many as sixty plus children in attendance on Sunday mornings.  This after the work has only been functioning for just over a month.  Praise God!  We are currently working on a project to donate a couple of 15 passenger vans to some outreaches.  We are meeting with two Pastors and a third minister this week about starting new outreaches with them.  The Thanksgiving for the homeless service and meal in Tulsa went wonderful and you can even watch it on our website under affiliates.  We have generated 50 jobs that will net 78 people off of the streets of Tulsa with our Christmas for the barely homeless program.  The Annual Christmas for the homeless service and meal sponsored by Bethany Outreach, South Heights Assembly of God, RESKU International, Harvest Church and many others will be this Sunday at 2:00pm and last year we had 465 in attendance.  Our Gospel Sing internet fundraiser with Covenant Holiness last week was amazing and if you missed it you can listen to it on flipzu.com/J R Smith or even watch it on our website under affiliates.  This coming Saturday our affiliate church in Richmond, Kentucky, Revival Tabernacle, is involved with another fundraiser concert that you can get the details for it on our website under events or on facebook.com/hmasocial.  And to top it all off, all of our other childrens, homeless, teenager, jail, drug addiction, jobs program are up, running and currently still paid for by the grace of God!!!  This coming year we will be preaching out more and starting to get out some of our new written material so watch, pray, fast, donate and work for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  God bless you.
your humble servant,

MULTIPLE MIRACLE MATT

     Meet Matt, (not his real name).  I am going to have to be alittle vague and not use real names here because of the high sensitivity of the content and the fact that I don't want to ruin or mark a young boy for life over the internet, but this story had to be told.
     When we here at HMA came across this situation, this is what we found.  A mother that was a drug addict, a mental basket case and a habitual liar.  She had sold almost everything they had to supply her drug habit.  The father figure was in jail and was also a drug user.  He had lost his job, was losing his house and admittedly wanted to lose his mate.  The children had been scattered to all different relatives, trying to keep them out of the problems in the home.  Matt was very young and was already seeing doctors for all kinds of issues that were being looked into.  Issues that had been pursued were mental problems, physical abuse and so on.  None of which were ever proven to the best of my knowledge. 
     Matt wasn't allowed to come home for quite a long time.  Months for sure, perhaps a couple of years.  The state had gotten involved with mom and dad and things weren't going well.  Probations were handed out, couseling was ordered, perscriptions were written etc, etc.  All of this for children and adult alike. 
     My wife and children and I took this case personal.  We fell in love with these people and couldn't stop trying to help them.  Many others got involved.  Days turned into weeks and weeks into months.  Finally the father figure broke.  He was a hard man; a proud man.  He came up tough but moral.  He knew better than to be where he was in life.  He prayed in jail and when he got out he went straight to church.  He worked hard to try to clean his life back up.  No, he wasn't perfect then and he still isn't now...but he's better.
     Mom became closer to us all than any of them.  She worked with us, came over to the house, had lots of medical problems that she needed us to get involved in and was desperate to see her children that she wasn't allowed to have.  She would come to HMA and do drugs right before or sometimes, I believe, even right during service.  Finally, she prayed, and oh what a difference it made.  Even after getting delivered she was still quite a case to handle but we had gotten a foot hold and we weren't backing down.
     Evenually mom and dad got married, got a new house after losing the other one, got a different car after selling the old one for drugs, dad got his old job back and the children have been able to re-enter the home.  Again, I am not painting a picture of rainbows and unicorns here.  It has been very hard and it is not over yet, but...
     Fast forward to today.  Today I saw Matt and his mom at the shoe store.  Matt was getting a new pair of tennis shoes for school.  Mom told me how dad still has his same old job and works hard everyday.  The same job that he lost over his addictions years ago. Mom just got a new job today.  Something that she could have never held down before.  Matt was being very polite and smiling and showing off his new shoes.  Nothing like the troubled little child that he was when I met him.  Going to doctors for counselling and being put on all kinds of meds for depression, hyperactivity and anger.  Today Matt is just your average third grader. 
     Matt doesn't have to go through life all jacked up on every single drug that they can prescribe, he doesn't have to wonder where his mom is.  Mom doesn't have to have no contact with her children and sit in a dark room all day waiting to die or trying to think up a new scam or lie to get another hit of meth.  Dad doesn't have to be single or shacked up or worse yet locked up.  He doesn't have to eat whatever they are serving in county jail and he doesn't have to be the disgraced of a great family.  No, he is a hard working family man. 
     To the best of my understanding and memory, mom and dad have been off of drugs, out of jail and away from that lifestyle for about four years now.  Glory to God!
     This all happened because you and I are doing our jobs.  We are in our places at the center of God's will.  HMA is working.  I could tell you of many many more.
     These are some of the things that I was thinking when Matt climbed up into his mom's car, waved at me and said, "I'll see you Sunday Brother Todd!"  See you Sunday Matt.
your humble servant,
    

Notes from Rev. Todd's desk

     I have traveled long and hard lately but God has allowed us to be fruitful.  The Christmas programs are going very well.  We are still just a little bit short of all the funds that we need to do everything that we wanted to do but we are still trusting the Lord to help us and we are not done trying yet. 
     The main reason that I am dropping this little blog in tonight is not to talk about all of the preaching that I have done lately but to talk just a little about the little preaching that I have heard lately.  I was reminded that a preacher needs to be preached to.
     I was able to hear and talk to a few preachers in the last few days that helped me trememdously.  Pastor Shuecraft and Sis. Helen Stewart to note just two.  I am reminded of the basics, to put first things first, to be careful not to major on minors or minor on majors, and that a preacher must act out his sermons every day.
     Your relationships are first and formost.  With your God, your spouse, your children and friends.  No amount of study, verbage, sophistication or hype can replace prayer, fasting and sincerity.  Living right still trumps being thought well of, and or being skillful.  And by all means, staying in the will of God is the life of a preacher.
One last note shared by Sister Shuecraft- CALL NO MAN WORTHLESS, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED.-Livingston...God bless you and God bless HMA!
your humble servant,

THE CHURCH THAT MURDERED WILLEM (AUDO) PASTOR DAVID LAMB

THE CHURCH THAT MURDERED WILLEM (AUDIO) 

PASTOR DAVID LAMB

(CLICK ON PICTURE TO LISTEN) 

BARREN ALTARS? PERHAPS IT WAS YOUR CHURCH THAT MURDERED WILLEM?

Repentance is more than turning from sin it is also a turning TO CHRIST! We must re-examine our thinking to make sure that we, like the Pharisees of old, do not shut the door of God's kingdom up against men! Christ (and Christ alone) is the door to heaven-let's not forget that!

WHY DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM THE SEA? (AUDIO) PASTOR DAVID LAMB

WHY DON'T YOU WALK 

AWAY FROM THE SEA? 

(AUDIO SERMON BY PASTOR DAVID LAMB)

(CLICK ON PICTURE TO LISTEN)

Does the enemy haunt you with your past? Are you having a hard time forgiving yourself? If so, you need to walk away from the sea.

HMA updates...Help us praise God!!!

     Our God is so wonderful and so worthy to be praised.  I wish everyone that reads this would stop for just a minute and help us praise and worship Him.
     We just had Thanksgiving for the homeless in the Tulsa area with Bethany Outreach, Bethany Holiness Church, RESKU International, South Heights Assembly of God and several other ministry friends; and the homeless and the hurting were helped, fed, be-freinded, preached to, prayed for and prayed with.  171 were in attendance.
     On the exact same night, one of our affiliate churches in Richmond, KY fed a thanksgiving dinner to the poor in the community and had between 350 and 400 served.  Today they had a puppet ministry group for the children out of the poorer projects in thier town.  Sixty some children were brought and loved and ministered to.
     Today we broke our goal in our Christmas fundraiser for the barely homeless.  We hoped to raise 10,000.00 by November 15th and we went just a few days over but we raised a total of 10,347.00.
     My wife and I closed out revival in Catlett, VA last night and I have preached for several Brothers in Virginia and Maryland the last couple of weeks including, Pastor Jim Childress, Pastor Keith Powers, Pastor Sammy Finnley and Pastor Tyronne Gheen.  Every where we went we had good crowds, good services and great altar calls.
     We are preaching for Pastor Buzzy Deane tomorrow night and then flying back to Oklahoma for thanksgiving.  I will be preaching during the missions conference in Donna, TX next week. Coming up on December 11th, Bethany Outreach is having thier annual Christmas for the homeless service and several of our affiliates will be helping with that.  Also, on December the 10th, our affiliate church in Leesburg, FL will be involved in an effort to give away coats and new shoes that were donated by CROCS, to the homeless and needy in thier area.
     We have two of our affiliates that are involved in fundraisers that you can listen to over the internet coming up in December.  Saturday December 3rd Covenant Holiness Church in Leesburg, FL and many ministry friends are having a Sing-a-Thon concert to raise money for HMA.  You can go to the concert if you are in the greater Orlando area or you can listen to it live on the internet.  You can donate in person at the concert or give online.  One week later on Saturday December 10th, Revival Tabernacle is involved in "The heart of Christmas" annual benefit singing in Richmond, KY.  They will be raising money for local area needs.  You can see details on both of these fundraiser concerts on our website.
     Several more have been saved in Kentucky this past couple of weeks, I cannot tell how many prayed in the Thanksgiving for the homeless service and we have helped 13 more men get jobs in Tulsa through the Christmas for the barely homeless project.  Now didn't I tell you that our God deserves praise!!!
     The Lord has helped me very much lately, I have been lead and enabled to preach much on marriage, the family, divorce, adultery, hypocrisy, church traditions and politics...and of course drug abuse.  I would like to add that we are about to release our year end newsletter, so everyone be watching for it.
     Christmas time is very hard work and very expensive for our group, as well it should be, no complaints here; please just remember us through the rest of this year.  Prayers, support and helping hands are more important now than ever.
     If you wish you could help, but live some where else, feel free to contact us and we will give you all kinds of ideas on how to affect the kingdom of heaven by Loving the Least the Last and the Lost.  Remember we have affiliates and friends that are doing similar works as ours in Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Idaho and other parts of Oklahoma.  We even have people doing special works for HMA in states that we don't have ministries in yet.
     God bless you and be careful and be prayerful this Holinday Season!
your humble servant,
    
   

DON'T YOU HAVE SOMETHING BETTER TO LOOK AT? (PASTOR DAVID LAMB AUDIO SERMON)

(CLICK PICTURE TO LISTEN!)

DON'T YOU HAVE SOMETHING 

BETTER TO LOOK AT?

(PASTOR DAVID LAMB AUDIO SERMON)

We are commanded to examine ourselves to make sure that we walk in the faith of Jesus Christ. But the facts of it are, God is a jealous God. There comes a point in our Christian walk that we must divert our attention from our fallible selves, placing it upon something greater. Yes! We certainly have something better to look at!

Coats For Christ

Coats for Christ

Coat and Blanket Drive

Holiness Missions to America

“Reaching the Least the Last and the Lost”

This winter we are asking for donation of clean used or new Coats and Blankets

So we can provide warmth for someone this winter

Many are experiencing hard times so the work of outreach is in demand  

if you can please help us help someone this winter

Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Drop off  At The Saving Place Furniture Thrift Store

Located 619 E. Dewey Sapulpa Ok 74066

Contact: Pastor Earl Wayne @918-698-2321

UPDATES

Hello friends,
     All is well at HMA!  I am currently in Virginia.  We had a revival in Front Royal and it went very well.  The Lord came by and helped us.  We had bigger and bigger crowds each night. Lots of visitors came from area churches and even as far away as Maryland.  We had a wonderful family from Ukraine that had 5 little children and they sang "bringing in the sheeves" in Ukrainian.  It was beautiful.  I even got it on video.
     We will be preaching around the area this and next week, mostly in churches that I have never been before.  Pray that the Lord will help me.  Also remember my precious wife as she has to  hold the fort without me for two weeks right after I was just gone for two weeks prior. 
     HMA Tulsa, Bethany Outreach, South Heights Assembly of God, RESKU International and several other ministry partners are getting together this coming saturday the 19th for our fourth annual "Thanksgiving for the Homeless".  They will be running multiple busses and vans to down town Tulsa and bringing in groups of homeless and ultra poor people to have a very special church service and dinner with them.  Rev. Robbie Reed will be preaching.  We are expecting between 4 and 5 hundred in attendance this year.
Our groups in Florida, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma that I have spoken to this week are all doing very well and continuing to work toward our goal of reaching the least, the last and the lost.  Each group is trying to do something special for the Holiday season as well.  Please pray for HMA minsitries as we approach CHRIST-mas.  It is a bitter sweet time to work with the ultra poor in America.
     Please remember to give if you can to our "Christmas for the Barely Homeless".  Our  goal is well over half met but we are quickly running out of time.  This fund is set up to try to help a few dozen families that are living on the streets and in shelters in Tulsa that have lost thier homes and jobs lately.  They are not the common drug addicts, alcoholics or mental patients like we are used to dealing with.  Theses people are regular, sober, hard working folks that lived barely off of the streets and the economy finally got them down.  They are married, they have children, they have jobs and they are going to church.  Most of them live in shelters right now.  A few of them actually live under bridges and one family is actually living in the woods.  You can donate right here on line at our blog or website, or you can mail checks to HMA PO box 12 Sapulpa, OK 74067.  All donations are always tax deductible.
     Thank you so much for all of your prayers, support and friendship.  Our many ministries need and appreciate you.  God bless!
your humble servant,
   

How Broken Is America?

     I want to share with you an account of something that happened to me just the other day. I went to a new eye doctor, because mine had retired. The sole purpose of my visit was to get an eye exam for new glasses and contacts. While examining my eyes, the doctor determined that everything was normal and the same as before and he wrote me a new script for glasses and contacts. Before leaving the exam room the doctor informed me that he had discovered that I had a little discharge in the very inner corner of my eyes, probably due to the season change, accordinng to him. We always called it "eye boogers". 

     OK, now follow me here. He then told me that he could write me a script for that. I asked about it and he replied that it was a little tube of drops that you put in your eyes twice a day for a few weeks. He then preceeded to inform me that if I had insurance, then they could just bill my insurance....are you ready?...$90.00!!! But, (it gets better), when I informed him that I do not have insurance, he then let me know that he was allowed to give me a discount and I would only pay $60.00. When I told him, "No thanks", he then GAVE it to me.

     OK. I don't even know where to start here. Obviously this whole situation is a multi-layered corporate\government\medical science scam, where every body and thier best friends dog gets a piece of the action. No body in the corporate world GIVES ANYTHING AWAY FOR FREE! There is always a hook. In this case what was probably going on, is the chemical company that puts out the drops is under pressure from the federal government to get thier product out and prove its longevity and use ability so the chemical company gives the doctor a quick little 30 second training on how and when to disperse the drops. The doctor gets a small kick back for every bottle he gets to the public, a little bigger kick back for the bottles that he sells for the $60.00, which already has calculated into the price for about how many they are going to give away, and an even bigger kick back for the ones that he gets billed to the insurance companies. So realistically, the bottle of drops costs about $5.00 to produce and should cost around 35 or 40 bucks on the market in order for all the middle men to get thier fair share.

     But instead of free market trade, supply and demand and all that crazy, radical stuff that America was founded on, we have...The Fed in bed with the chemical company who inturn gets in bed with the doctors who inturn try to use the patients to get in bed with the insurance companies who are already in bed with The Fed.

      So instead of shacking up with any of them to help destroy what's left of this once great nation, I simply said, "I always just do this doc, and it takes care of it". I said that while I was using the side of my fore-finger to wipe the little bit of goop out of the corner of my eye. It's cheaper, it's faster and it help protect America from idiots. Besides, some times when I don't notice the goop myself, my wife will come over and get it for me. And I'll take any reason I can to get her that close to me. :)

     One more major probblem with this little scenario. It makes broke, whinning, sniveling wimps out of our next generation. Stupid things like $90.00 eye drops so that you won't have to wipe your own goop out of your eye is killing our young people. They think that every car window needs tinted, every electronic needs upgraded, every truck needs lifted, every purse should say coach, every shirt should say under armour....uh oh. Listen, there is nothing wrong with any of these things necessrily. Not in the right context. But let me tell you what the wrong context is. Need!!!!!! Need is the wrong contect. None of these things are needs. When we raise a generation that believes that every little pleasure, upgrade and fancy this and that, are things that must be had, then we are setting them up for failure.

     These "drops" represent one more thing trying to break the backs of our great way of life. This poor next generation thinks they must have perscription sunglasses, lasik surgery, teeth whiters, teeth straighteners, skin tone darkeners...We are going to end up raising a bunch of hypochondriac, weak, scared, dependent sissys. What are we going to do as time wraps up and things get tighter and uglier. What if you do have to have the mark of the beast to buy and sell. Are you going to take it over your teeth whiteners, or you lift kit? Of course not you say! Well then we must be careful how we prioritize our lives now, so that our belief system will still make sense then. I know, I know, Brother Todd is sooooo radical. Just some thoughts off of the top of my head. People please, don't go along with every stupid thing in society just because someone that is supposed to know something says so, if I have taught my four children nothing else. I hope I taught them three things.

 Fear God, love and respect your spouse and for crying out loud...think for yourself!

your humble servant'

When God takes away your Farm. (Audio)

When God takes away your Farm.

When God Says, "That's My Child" (Audio)

When God Says, "That's My Child"

(Click on the above link to listen)

UPDATES and COMMENTS ABOUT "FACEBOOK EVANGELISM"

     Just a note to let everyone know how things are going here at HMA headquarters.  We have been very busy lately traveling, preaching, running the homeless programs, working on new drug programs and preparing to help everyone that we can with the big holiday rush coming. 
     I was in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Tenesee and Arkansas the last two weeks.  I preached for Pastor Scott Loper in Gilbertown, AL (very sorry that I didn't get to be with our friends at Brother Jaimie Norman's church while I was there), Pastor Phillip Deane in Cantonement, FL and Pastor Helen Stewart in Frog Hollar, AL last week.  I was also very priveledged to be in a community worship service with Pastor Cox and many others in Bay Minette, AL. 
     I have been back at headquarters in Sapulpa, OK for the past few days and I am getting ready to go to Washington DC, Virginia and Marylad for two weeks starting this friday.
     Since being home we have had plenty of things to deal with.  The Saving Place, our furniture thrift store that is owned by the mission group has picked up some lately.  We have several volunteers from the homeless program working there now.  We have gotten jobs, housing, medical benefits, ID's and schooling for several lately that we have been working with.  We are actually working this week and next on a video of some of the workings of the mission group and it will have some clips I think of some of the people that have been helped lately.  The video will be posted and or linked on our website at www.holinessmissionstoamerica.com. Ozark Bible Institute sent a mission team to do a church service for our local homeless group and they ministered to about 75 homeless people and did a great job.  Some of the men from Revival Tabernacle in Richmond, KY came out last weekend and recieved a school bus that we had donated to them, and last but not least, our ministry had two fifteen passenger vans and a sixty passenger bus go down on us last week.  So far,as best I know, one of the vans is all the way fixed and the bus is partially fixed.
     I have struggled a lot lately with our new facebook presence.  We are basically using my page as a way to gain lots of friends and shower them with access to my blog, our flipzu sermons, random thoughts and activities we have and our website.  We also have HMA social page, which is an interactive page used for sharing thoughts, ideas, questions and answers about Christian outreach.  The problem I am having is that there are quite a few "facebook evangelists", as I call them, that could use one of my outreach ministry classes before they continue.  It is almost like deja vu.  Let me explain...
     When I first came to the Tulsa area many years ago, almost every ministry that had a presence on the streets of down town Tulsa did pretty much the same thing.  They stood on street corners and picked out people that "looked like" they were sinners and reminded them that they are sinners and told them that they were going to hell.  THIS WAS MINISTRY!?  There were a couple of guys that did things a little different.  They would go out on the streets amongst the drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes and gangmembers and basically "debate" doctrine with them.  You know, stuff that really mattered to gangmembers and alcoholics like, the pros of trinitarianism or the cons of "once saved, always saved".  Now before I go any farther, I want to admit that there was one group of people that I always thought were doing things out of sincerity and the love of God and that was Pastor Wayne Holcomb's group.  Pastor Holcomb is a man that I admire and respect to this day.  But the rest of them were genearally causing raucuss mayhem that made it very hard to decipher if it was truley helping or hurting the kingdom of heaven.
     I'm sure by now that someone is taking this too personally.  I assure you I am not thinking of any one person or group of people but I am discussing the big picture for the sake of my point about "facebook evangelism".
     Any way, here we are now close to a decade later and we have a huge presence on the streets of Tulsa.  We have brought thousands to church, seen hundreds pray, had dozens and dozens to get help, get saved, get healed and get delivered.  And minstries are literally using us all across the country to find out how to go about reaching the masses the way that God has helped us to.  To God be the glory for eveything!
     The only reason that I tell this story is not to glorify self, (there are a couple hundred other people that I would have to share the glory with any way even if we took God out of the equation), but to liken it to facebook. 
     There are quite a few people that are using facebook as there own personal evangelizing tool.  Once again, I myself am one of them.  It is a very tricky place to operate.  You should take several things into consideration when using it.  #1 Am I saying things that could be controversial on my page, or someone elses?  If you know me very well, you know that I do not shy away from the controversial, but I generally speak about such things when I am asked, invited or when I "own the venue".  I would never have a problem with someone being controversial, because I am all the time.  But to just interject your disgust and or disdane or harsh correction into someone elses life...look at it this way.  I know most of you guys.  You wouldn't have the audacity or the stupidity to just barge into your neighbors cook out and start lining people out.  But behind the computer screen, a hundred miles away, you are not only a little bolder but perhaps a little less understanding.  I know what you are thinking, "brother Todd is going soft on us".  HAHA, not hardly.  But use some common sense.  You would be offended if someone through a bunch of junk up on your page that you disagreed with.  What's the difference.
     #2 This is a HUGE one.  When reading words that are sent electronically, by e-mail, text or what have you.  NO BODY CAN TELL FOR SURE WHAT SPIRIT YOU HAD SENT THEM IN!!!  Your tone of voice cannot be heard, your words cannot be emphasized.  You were being funny, they thought you were mad.  You were being sarcastic, they thought you were serious.  You can do a lot of damage and never even mean to.  I am sharing "facebook evangelism" the same way that I share "street evangelism"...by experience. 
     #3 Probably the most important.  When I started working the streets I realized right away that there was a problem.  Preachers were "blasting" people, "lining them out", "tuning" people up.  They were getting a sense of pride for what they had done.  They could share with others what they had done and said and seem big for it.  Let me tell you something from a man that has made a lot of mistakes in ministry over the past fifteen years.  A man the has been broken over and over again and yet seen God have his handy work after all.  Ministry, especially evangelistic ministry is HUMBLING if you do it correctly.  It can be almost degrading at times, especially if you aren't fully submitted to the will of God.  But rarely is it boasting.  If you are doing what you are doing to "feel good about yourself".  You are probably causing God a lot of problems.
     While  I'm out here in deep water, let me tackle one more little subject.  This subject that keeps coming up about "if God hates sinners or not".  Again, don't any body take this too personal.  It has come up serveral different ways lately.  I must admit at different times I have come down on different sides of the issue.  And it is a lot like the end of time, I know some great men that dissagree on it.  But here is my point.  As far as you are concerned...IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!  Wheather you think that God hates sinners or not, one thing is clear.  You are not supposed to!  Some have scriptures that they use to "prove" that God hated sinners, others have verses to "prove" that God couldn't hate sinners.  I have my opinion, but if I put it down here, then someone would just come along and debate it.  Here is all I am saying...some body give me the chapter and the verse that says that we WE CAN HATE SINNERS. 
     If you are aggressively trying to help and win souls to Christ, fight for truth and morality, I am 100% for you.  But if you are just out to "prove" yourself right or someone else wrong...what have you done?  What have you accomplished?
     One last point about that.  And please, please believe me, I am not upset or mad or pushing back or anything like that.  I love all my friend and readers and everyone else for that matter.  I want to help not hinder.  But please think things through before you post on my page.  I'll tell you why.  I have amassed about 1,200 friends in the last few weeks.  They come from every walk of life.  Almost every single one of them are attached to my ministry in some form or another.  They are alcoholics, tramps, drug addicts, preachers, drug dealers, baptist, nazarenes, church of God, holiness, assembly of God, pentecostal, homeless and on and on.  You have no idea how long I have been working with them or what thier past or back ground is or what they know or don't know.  If you just jump in there and start "fixing them good", you may be stabbing me in the back and tearing down what little we have managed to build up.
    One last time I say, I am saying all of this out of the love of my leart and true concern for souls.  God bless you and remember to pray for us at HMA.
     If you can please help us finish raising our Christmas money for the homeless project.  You can donate here online or send to HMA PO box 12 Sapulpa, OK 74067.
Your humble servant,

Earthquakes in divers places

     Thanks to all who have been calling, texting, emailing and facebooking to check on us. In the last two days we have been in the largest and the third largest earthquakes ever recorded in the state of Oklahoma. We actualy preached this morning very near the epicenter of both quakes.

      All is well with the Sloggett`s, HMA headquarters and HMA Tulsa. I do not know of any one who was even hurt and as of right now I know of very little damage to any structures belonging to any of our staff or affiliates.

      We did have two fifteen passenger vans and a sixty passenger bus go down on us though, all in the last few days. Both vans need radiators and the bus needs a new, very expensive, tire. Pray that God will continue to breath on our work and give us the means and the wisdom to reach the least, the last and the lost.

      Check out all of the information and interaction on www.holinessmissionstoamerica.com and like us on facebook at HMA social. Also further down on this blog you can see what your current donations will go to by reading the blog about the "Barely Homeless". God bless!

your humble servant,

Surprise at Wal-Mart!

      This morning I was in line at the local Wal-Mart pharmacy and a man approached me and said, "You probably don't remember me Brother Todd, but I went to Earl Wayne's homeless church and heard you preach one time."  He preceded to tell me about how he had been homeless and addicted to chemicals.  He said that he had tried all different ways to get "free" but that since he had gone to church and prayed and been making better decisions that he is finally feeling the chains break free.  He lives in a local sobriety house with several other men. 

     He was awarded a special grant because he is a war veteran of Iraq and he is currently back in school.  He just obtained a car and we talked about him driving himself to church tomorrow.  He shook my hand real strong when we were done conversing and he said, "God bless you brother and thanks again for everything."  He walked away and I stood there for several minutes in awe of my God. 

     Some churches talk about changing lives, ours just does it!

Your humble servant,

Benefit Sing for the "Barely Homeless"

Benefit Sing for the "Barely Homeless".

December 3rd.  4pm - 8pm

Hosted LIVE on the Internet from

Covenant Holiness Church

Leesburg, Fl.

Listen Live:

www.flipzu.com/jrsmith

About the Barely Homeless.... (Rev. Todd Sloggett)...

  This year things are very different on the streets of America.  Normally, our church services, rides, meals, clothing banks, food banks, job training programs etc. are the best things that we can do outside of love, prayer, correction and instruction.  But for the past several months I have found a brand new group of people on the streets that we have never worked with before.  I call them the "barely homeless".  They are not the run of the mill drunks, drug addicts, prostitutes and gang members that we are used to working with.  These people had houses, cars and jobs just a few months ago.  As a matter of fact, most of them still do have jobs.

     You see, what has happened, is as the economy shrinks then it knocks everyone down a notch or two.  If you were a multi-millionaire, now maybe you are just a millionaire.  If you were living high one the hog, maybe now you are just comfortable.  If you used to be just comfortable, perhaps now you have had to tighten the belt.  You see my point.  Well, the people that were some of the poorest of the regular Joes amongst us have been knocked down a notch as well.  And now, they are barely homeless.

     Most of these people are couples with children.  A lot of them had their house foreclosed and they spent every dime trying to stop it from happening and now they are trying to live in a shelter or under a bridge for just a few months to make enough money to get an apartment.  Lots of them actually have jobs waiting for them.  I know a man that has a job making $14.10 an hour waiting for him.  The job is over two hundred miles away and he has no way of getting to it.  

     I know several who have jobs waiting for them and all they need is a $10.00 identification card or a $45.00 certificate.  You may be saying, "then why don't you help them?"  We are as fast as we can.  Just last week we got four more identification cards and two more certificates.  The problem is, right now I am working with twenty six of these guys and we find more every week.  If all each one needed was an I.D. that would still be $260.00.  But oh, it would be worth it.  

     The average person in the barely homeless category that I am working with needs about $75.00 to get a chance at putting their life back together.  Of course our government will spend an average of $8,500.00 a piece on them, of our money, and it will take them way to long and by that time a lot of them WILL be alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes and gang members.  For this CHRIST-mas season we are going to try a brand new approach.  We are going to specifically target the ones that are in this condition and try to bump them back up into society.  What greater CHRIST-mas gift could we give these people than another chance at having their entire lives back.

     We will be posting the link to listen to the Sing LIVE, right here on this Blog, on our Website and on Facebook.  So keep watching and praying.   

    All donations from this event will go to help the "Barely Homeless" project in Tulsa, Ok.   

     Please get involved... together we can reach the Least, the Last and the Lost. 

 (Pastor J.R. Smith)

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

     Pastor Jeff Owen just found a copy of Brother Bill Mathews` testimmony. Bill was known by all as "The meanest man in Tulsa". He had served multiple stints in state prison, robbed homes and stores, dealt and took drugs for three decades and was an all around menace to society. Gang members, drug dealers, fighters and cops all feared him. He got saved on the streets of Tulsa three years ago and instantly became the model Christian.

      Bill traveled the country with me and talked to churches, government entities and random groups in public places, giving his testimony and displaying a true conversion. He was only able to serve God on this earth for a little over a year and a half and then the Lord took him home to glory.

     His story was so amazing that we are hoping to put out a track of his life soon. But this awesome new find will help introduce him to many people that never had the priveledge of meeting him in person. It will also be a special treat for those of us that did know him. As soon as I get my hands on this recording I will release it here first. The recording is actually of Brother Bill as the guest speaker at the first ever Jacob`s Ladder meth awareness meeting in Perryton, TX.

     We have several other surprises coming soon, not the least of which is the re-release of one of the original recordings of your humble servant preaching the message "Beyond too farmiliar", AKA "Tropenkohller". But this special recording of the late Bill Mathews, that also includes a testimony form Sister Sara Kerr, will be worth hearing!

You're in the Battle, but this is not your fight!!

You're in the Battle, but this is not your fight.

(Click on the above link to listen)

Crystal Meth Speaks

Crystal Meth Speaks!!

(Click on the Above Link to Listen)

FOUR CREEPS THAT COULD REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR CHURCH (AUDIO) - PASTOR DAVID LAMB

FOUR CREEPS THAT COULD REVOLUTIONIZE 

YOUR CHURCH 

(AUDIO) - PASTOR DAVID LAMB

 (CLICK ON PICTURE TO LISTEN)

The Heart of Christmas

WILL YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOME CHILD'S LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON? JOIN US FOR:

THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

(CLICK PICTURE TO VIEW INVITATION!)

"The Heart of Christmas" is an annual benefit singing founded by Bro. Joe Saylor in December of 2010. All proceeds raised will go to blessing the underprivileged of our community-with a heavy emphasis on the children-during this Christmas holiday and winter season. There will be professional singing, a hilarious puppet ministry, a powerful Christmas sermon and the best fellowship in the world.

We will also be broadcasting it live over the internet giving the entire world an opportunity to listen and donate via paypal. Revival Tabernacle (Joe's home church) will be hosting it at the Daniel Boone Elementary School in Richmond, KY. on December 10th at 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

REVIVAL TABERNACLE IS AN HMA AFFILIATE

FUND RAISER FOR THE "BARELY" HOMELESS FOR CHRISTMAS

     We here at HMA have many programs that we do year round for the ultra poor in America.  Around the holidays we do some special things just for November and December.  We always have a Thanksgiving for the homeless dinner and service, a Christmas for the homeless dinner and service and special blanket and coat drives as well as other things.  Note: just to give you an idea, last year we had 465 people in our Christmas for the homeless service.
     This year things are very different on the streets of America.  Normally, our church services, rides, meals, clothing banks, food banks, job training programs etc. are the best things that we can do outside of love, prayer, correction and instruction.  But for the past several months I have found a brand new group of people on the streets that we have never worked with before.  I call them the "barely homeless".  They are not the run of the mill drunks, drug addicts, prostitutes and gang members that we are used to working with.  These people had houses, cars and jobs just a few months ago.  As a matter of fact, most of them still do have jobs.
     You see, what has happened, is as the economy shrinks then it knocks everyone down a notch or two.  If you were a multi-millionaire, now maybe you are just a millionaire.  If you were living high one the hog, maybe now you are just comfortable.  If you used to be just comfortable, perhaps now you have had to tighten the belt.  You see my point.  Well, the people that were some of the poorest of the regular Joes amongst us have been knocked down a notch as well.  And now, they are barely homeless.
     Most of these people are couples with children.  A lot of them had their house foreclosed and they spent every dime trying to stop it from happening and now they are trying to live in a shelter or under a bridge for just a few months to make enough money to get an apartment.  Lots of them actually have jobs waiting for them.  I know a man that has a job making $14.10 an hour waiting for him.  The job is over two hundred miles away and he has no way of getting to it.  I know several who have jobs waiting for them and all they need is a $10.00 identification card or a $45.00 certificate.  You may be saying, "then why don't you help them?"  We are as fast as we can.  Just last week we got four more identification cards and two more certificates.  The problem is, right now I am working with twenty six of these guys and we find more every week.  If all each one needed was an I.D. that would still be $260.00.  But oh, it would be worth it. 
     The average person in the barely homeless category that I am working with needs about $75.00 to get a chance at putting their life back together.  Of course our government will spend an average of $8,500.00 a piece on them, of our money, and it will take them way to long and by that time a lot of them WILL be alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes and gang members.  For this CHRIST-mas season we are going to try a brand new approach.  We are going to specifically target the ones that are in this condition and try to bump them back up into society.  What greater CHRIST-mas gift could we give these people than another chance at having their entire lives back.
     We are not talking about just randomly picking people off the street either.  We are talking about picking out the ones that are working or trying to work, going to church, putting forth real effort, have children, etc. 
     I am sure that we are going to do much of the things for the holidays that we have done in the past, but my office is specifically going to target as many of these people as we can,  I personally know of more than one hundred people that fit this group just in the greater Tulsa area alone.  I think last year we raised, all together, around seven to eight thousand dollars that was spent on new coats, hats, gloves, bibles, etc.  But besides everything that we are already doing, we are going to try to "save some early".  I believe that this is one way for sure to show a lot of people that the Love of Christ is real, functioning and applicable to their lives. 
     My goal is to raise around $10,000.00 and use it between the dates of November 15th and December 15th.  I already have between 3 and 4 thousand dollars promised.  If you can give please do.  If you know someone who might give, please ask them on our behalf.  Your spouse, parents, grandparents, friends, co-workers, bosses, local businesses, churches.  Don't be ashamed to send in any amount.  Remember, just $10.00 could make all the difference in the world for one.  If we all stick together and give what we can, it will change lives!  We are a 501c3 federal non-profit, all gifts are tax deductible and we are a corporation, with a staff, a board of directors and we are subject to regular audits.  If you don't know us please check our website and call around and check up on us.
     You may share this blog electronically, on paper, verbally anyway you so choose as much as possible for the next few weeks, as a matter of fact I encourage you too. Can you imagine if you were one of these. Let's see if we can make a difference. With God's help, I know we can.
     You can mail donations to HMA PO box 12 Sapulpa, OK 74067, or you can donate online by clicking the donate button at the top of my blog or at the top of our website's home page.  If you send in a check you can write the words "save some early" in the memo notes and all online donations will go to this project at least until November 15th.  Thank you and God bless.
Your humble servant,
Todd Sloggett

WHAT!?! GOD DOESN'T REMEMBER EVERYTHING? (AUDIO) - PASTOR DAVID LAMB

WHAT!?! GOD DOESN'T REMEMBER EVERYTHING? 

(AUDIO) - PASTOR DAVID LAMB

(CLICK ABOVE PICTURE TO LISTEN)

Attention! Look! YES YOU!!!

     Check out all of the new changes and uploads to holinessmissionstoamerica.com!  We are adding info every day about our affiliates around the country, our schedules and where I will be preaching.  New pictures, new sermons and much more.  There is even a new Face Book page called HMA Social where you can chit chat with all of the different HMA staff members.  Give it a look and search around, click links, see what all you can find.  We are even adding old newsletters that can be read and downloaded.  Some time in the near future there will be an extra big surprise for you Holiness sermon junkies too.  Let us hear from you.  Thanks and God bless.
your humble servant

THE SHOCKING, UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH THAT NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU (AUDIO) - PASTOR DAVID LAMB

THE SHOCKING, UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH THAT 

NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU (AUDIO) 

- PASTOR DAVID LAMB

"CHURCH, POLITICS AND PARTISANSHIP" Do Not Read This if you Have A Weak Heart

   

     The church of today has become far too partisan than it should have ever been and far less political that it should have ever been.  Now I am using the words political and partisan in the sense of their real definitions.  So if you cannot think of these words except through the perverted prism of modern media then this idea will not only not make any sense to you but it will probably also infuriate you.  I understand.

     The actual definition of politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions based on the understanding, desires and influences of the group.  The church should be involved in politics.  This has nothing to do with the idea that our founding fathers had in America of the so called separation of church and state.  Does anyone actually believe that the founding fathers really wanted the church to sit still and be quiet and have no say what so ever in the laws that would so govern them.  If you do, then you are a far left leaning partisan.

     The word partisan is actually a military term and it means a fervent, generally militant supporter of a party, cause, faction or person.  A member of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory; a guerrilla.  Saddam Hussein was a partisan, Muammar Ghadaffi was a partisan.  They were professionals at inspiring people to slant, tilt and twist the truth until it appeared to support their way of thinking and then use it to attack and crush all of those who appeared to not see things correctly or not see things their version of correct.  Thus we get the term political correctness.  Which means, correctness according to our twisted version of correctness. 

     Now according to the true definition of these terms, when people complain about “church politics” they are actually complaining about church “partisanship”.  To the church that is afraid to get involved in helping the community group to make wise decisions for the greater good with some influence from Godly men and women, then I must say, look around, you are getting exactly what you deserve.  The church should have members that are city council men, sheriffs, mayors and so forth.  It only makes sense.

     The problem is that “church politics” is so distorted and disgustingly influenced by partisanship that now the church acts like the only way that it can influence community politics is with partisanship. 

     Let us look at church politics.  Don’t be stupid and try to pretend like they don’t exist or even try to pretend like they are not even supposed to exist.  God has a way for church politics to exist.  I’m not going to choose sides here a slit my own throat all together, but let’s say that you believe in organized church government.  Almost every, if not every, organized church government has eventually fallen prey to partisanship.  One man or a group of men that have tremendous influence over each other eventually make their way to the top and everyone beneath them has to become partisan or suffer a guerilla attack from the partisans.  Completely un-Christ like and very un-biblical.  So the answer, some would say, is for each church to be autonomous one from each other.  Sounds good on paper, but so does communism.  The problem here, is the weaker churches are exploited by the stronger churches and the weaker ministers are exploited by the stronger ministers, and a pretend, fake, hypocritical shadow government is kind of, sort of, but not really, setup.  Then once again, the only information that really gets out is the partisan information and anyone who does not follow it is attacked and harassed, especially if they are in “occupied territory”.  Look at the definition of partisan again.  If you get a preacher in a church that the NON-organized organization has some influence over, and said preacher will not toe the partisan line.  Well this is unacceptable.  But is this spiritual or just partisan?

     So, while the church is learning to be disgustingly partisan instead of appropriately political and then the national, regional and local governments turn so anti-church as they have in modern times, the church does not have the tools or the training to fight back with.  The church is used to following partisan hacks.  Guerillas and butchers.  So when they turn to public policy they end up following people like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh who are just guerillas and butchers of a different color.  The sad thing is that every time one of these partisans says something that we like we all run to their side, then when they say or do something stupid, we defend them.  What?  Where did we learn this?....Oh yeah, the church.

     Just like when good men taught and preached that we should dress modest, shun the world and pray and fast.  Then somewhere down the line they said something about coke and Pepsi being bad for a spiritual person and in the middle of a sermon they brought up punching, hating and killing homosexuals and one time they made a doctrine out of an actual hairstyle or if you do or do not ride roller coasters….uh oh.  Now what do we do?  Defend the person, or stick to the ideas of Christianity?

     If someone tries to see things level and clear headed about every single subject, they will eventually be attacked when they don’t toe some partisan line.  Whether it is in politics or in church. 

     Look at the tremendous and cult like following of some men like Sean Hannity, Alan Combs, Michael Moore, Bill Maher, Rush Limbaugh or Jon Stewart.  These guys all make mistakes in facts and mistakes in judgment almost every day.  But some of you already wish you could beat me to a bloody pulp right now just for mentioning them.  Does that make you political or partisan?  Does that make you an organizer, a pillar of the community, a Ronald Reagan,  a Martin Luther King Jr, or does it make you a guerilla, a follower of men like Hussein and Ghadaffi.  (figurative not literal)

     Now turn it to the church.  The church has men like this too.  Who are the outspoken leaders of our groups?  What are the great ideas that they had?  What are the stupid things that they did?  Who do you blindly follow?  Who do you owe your allegiance to?  And why?  Because it is helping the greater good or because it is easy, lazy, and the best way not to get shot at?  Hussein and Ghadaffi both ended up hiding in a hole somewhere with their supporters scattered to the four winds.  This is always what happens to people that use God and His precepts and principles to attack and harass others with.  To try to create a coalition to crush those who disagree.

     I heard a man say that “I agree with almost every single thing that Sean Hannity believes”, but if George W Bush was found at 2 o’clock in the morning, stumbling drunk outside the white house, stark naked with two young women, Sean Hannity would make some calls, throw some bombs, have a TV special, give a speech and eventually convince millions of Americans to blame it on Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reed, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.” Wow, isn’t it true?  If you don’t believe that then you are a far right leaning partisan.

     Listen, President Bush was a great guy.  He did some wonderful things.  But he made some huge mistakes too.  And there have been some great leaders of our churches that have been used tremendously by God but that doesn’t mean we need to build a modern day Pentecostal cult following around them. It stunts growth, it compromises thought and it hurts our ability to win souls!

     The bottom line is this, weak people follow men and become partisan hacks, and strong people follow ideas and become political activists.  Let me ask you this, why does the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have a single man that leads their party at a time, but the Tea Party has no singular figure?  Because the Republican Party, as good as it was in the 1980’s, and Democratic Party, as good as it was in the 1950’s, have become about men, but the Tea Party is about ideas.  Which one do you think is stronger?  Is your “faith” about men or is it about biblical ideas???

     Ok, so Bill Clinton was not Satan himself and George Bush was not the savior of the world.  Just the same, some great church leaders did some awesome things in the Lord, but that doesn’t make them infallible.  And, some preacher somewhere that prays and preaches and tries to live good and help people, should not be demonized because some more “important” preachers don’t like him.  If all was fair and Christ like, we would defend the good and praise God for it and we would stand against the wrong, no matter who was doing it.  But we would do both in charity and sincerity.

     I know that there is not a direct comparison between politics and churches on all sides, but for the sake of this one glimpse into some of our problems, I think that it makes for a good comparison. 

My humble opinion,