Books by Pastor Al

As I consider the story of a boy confronting a lion and a bear to defend his sheep, I can’t help but be in awe. To have the audacity and bravery to grab a lion by its beard, kill it with a sword, and rescue a lamb out of its jaws is the work of a seasoned warrior, not a shepherd boy. David was faithful before God in private before he was esteemed by God publicly.

The lion and the bear represent things that we overcome in obscurity before we earn the right to face and defeat our Goliath in the public arena. If we cannot overcome our lion and bear, we will never be able to defeat our giant. When God anoints us with His Holy Spirit, He endows us to overcome and be faithful in the private arena as well as the public. The Spirit’s power is not just for the pulpit, but for the private. His Spirit empowers us to be faithful NOT just with the sacred (church stuff) but for the secular (holding a steady job).

 In the lonely hills surrounding the small village of Bethlehem, David faithfully shepherded his father’s sheep. When the prophet Samuel was sent to Jesse the Bethlehemite to anoint one of his sons as the future king of Israel, David, being the youngest of eight sons, was not even invited to the sacrifice and feast. Someone had to watch the sheep in the wilderness and it might as well be the runt of the litter (1 Sam. 16:1-13). When David was finally brought before the Prophet, the Lord spoke to Samuel and told him to pour the anointing oil on him, for he is the one (Ex. 30:22-33). The holy anointing oil found its way to a young teenager, in an out-of-the-way place, and on unremarkable lonely hills. Isn’t this the way of God; to bypass pedigree and outward appearance to call whom He chooses?  (1 Cor. 1:26-31) When the enabling power of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you are changed into a new person. With the Holy Spirit comes the spirit of faith (2 Cor. 4:13). All things are now possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). When the kingly anointing comes upon you, there is an infusion of nobility, courage and integrity. From among the ewe lambs arises a lion. From the youngest of eight sons arises a king. To think that this same Holy Spirit that empowered kings, priests and mighty prophets of the Old Testament, indwells, New Testament believers (John 14:15-18). God has truly made us Kings and Priests to the Most High God (1 Pet. 2:9, Rev. 1:6, 5:10). 

All proceeds go to the building project.