Pastor Paul's Blog

Hidden Source of Visible Damage Pt 2 of 5

2012-02-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

Before I continue, I have to admit that I know nothing of identifing a pretender. In all my years of ministry, I can recognize damage and hurt a whole lot better than I can identify a pretender. My experience is that by the time you learn someone is "living life out in the open in a Christian way", yet they are involved in "secret sins while the doors are closed", usually you've already been stung.

Pretenders are generally pretty normal people who conduct outwardly upright lives. I have found them to be congenial, generous, easy to have trust in and socially well-adjusted. But they indulge in some sin which the eye of man has not yet detected. It would definetely change our opinion, our acceptance, our confidence and trust in them (the Penn State Jerry Sandusky type comes to mind). On the outside you think they have their 'A' game on but behind closed doors they're dealing with some lust or vice that has totally seduced them.

So, pretender, whatever it is, I want to say this to you. You are a fool for this one reason: your sin is not a secret, it is known, and it will one day be revealed; maybe very soon. But be aware that it probably won't be revealed till Satan is sure that it will cause the most irreparable damage possible to you and anyone around you, especially those you love.

Please know that your sin is not a secret for three very powerful reasons: 1) because Satan and his cohorts know and see it, they are the ones who have seduced you and drawn you deeper into a pleasureable dellusion; 2) you know it and feel its power over you 3) The eye of God, whose face you are sinning before, has seen it.

There is no secret chamber where you can hide. There is no dark cellar where you can conceal the damage done to your body,soul and spirit. If you were to dig a hole as deep as hell, there is not enough earth on this globe to cover your sin. If you were to lay it on the gound and cover it with a mountain, those mountains would tell the tale of what is buried underneath it. Cast that sin into the sea and a thousand babbling waves would tell the secret out. There is no hiding it from God.

This world that we live in is like the glass beehive we see when we go to Trax Farms; the bees and all they are doing is visible and revealed to those watching. You can look right in and see the bees doing their wonderful honey making process the same way our lives are transparent to God who sees our good and our evils.

It is a for-certain-fact that our eyes are weak. We cannot, as human beings, see into the darkness. We cannot see things that are unknown to us, but God's eyes can penetrate the blackness and read the thoughts of man. He sees those acts when we think ourself most concealed.

You may be saying within yourself, "Nobody knows". Well I am here to tell you that God's eyes are now looking through those concealing clouds and is even now starring right at you. Neither our visible acts or our secret innermost thoughts hidden from God. He knows them as well.

Pretender, get that hidden sin removed. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed to set you free from all sins, overt and covert.

Part 3 of 5 next week..."The Misery of Secret Sin"

Hidden Source of Visible Damage

2012-01-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have been around to see some pretty terrible and tragic events in life. Earthquakes come to my mind immediately; they can cause damage that I don't ever want to witness first-hand. Hurricanes push water with so much ease that you can find the evidence of it miles away from the coasts. Another thing that causes heart breaking damage, but not associated with nature, is when man made objects go bad. The airplane that goes down, the train that jumps the track, an electric box that shorts out and causes a home or business fire. These things cause horrible damage and people suffer tremendously from them.

But, I want to talk about a worse thing, human in its construction, that inflicts great damage. It leaves in its wake horrible visible damage and victims stunned and paralyzed by its occurarance. I am talking about people who have sins so known to themselves, but yet secret to others around them. Every once in a while we turn over a fair stone in the 'church's' lawn. It's surrounded by beautiful landscaping and lovely mulch, but underneath it, to our dismay, we find all kinds of filthy insects and loathsome critters. Then in disgust of their hypocrisy, we tend to think that 'all men are liars, that 'there isn't anybody that we can trust." It is not fair to say this of everyone; but really, the discoveries which are made of the insincerity of some of our fellow man is enough to make us despise the whole darn race.

It is to any of you who sin secretly and yet make a profession of faith that I am writing. You know, those who break God's covenants in the dark and wear a mask of godliness in the light......to you folks, who shut the doors and commit wickedness in secret, I write the next couple of blogs. Before we go on I pray that God would speak to you and help you pray this prayer, "Cleanse thou me from secret faults."

I would now ask of all pretenders to renounce, to detest, to hate, to abhor all your secret faults.
Next week in my blog I will talk to all of you about "The Folly of Secret Sins."

Tebow Time

2012-01-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Now Tebow talk has swept the nation.

•His against-all-odds heroics brought CBS a mind-blowing 25.9 overnight rating, the best for a wild card football game in almost 25 years.

By Barry Gutierrez, AP

U.S. Marines 'Tebow' before the start of the New York Jets and Denver Broncos' game on Nov. 17.

•Sports websites staggered under an onslaught of hits. NFL.com reported views of videos in the hour after the game up 385% over Wild Card Sunday last year.

•Tebow hit more than 1 million mentions on Twitter. Sunday night, the rate of tweets announcing the victory hit 9,420 per second. The all-time record was set last month when a TV screening of Japanese movie drew 25,088 tweets-per-second. But Tebow still beats the 8,868 tweets-per-second rate reached when Beyoncé announced her pregnancy during the 2011 MTV Music Awards.

•Both Tebow and his favorite Bible verse, John 3:16 (proclaiming Jesus' promise of salvation), were in the top three Google Trends throughout most of Monday. Many people noted he threw for exactly 316 yards, an unintentional allusion to the Bible verse he etched into his eye black while winning national championships at the University of Florida.

•NFL sales of Tebow's No. 15 Broncos jersey are second only to those for Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who won the Super Bowl last year.

But the Tebow wave was rolling well before Sunday says Cathy Grossman of USA Today. (I also want to thank contributing writters, Robert Klemko and Michael McCarthy for the above information.)

I'd like to also add to the above Tebow excitement. Since John 3:16 is Tebow's favorite Bible passage, note that his two bosses are both named John. John Fox is his coach and John Elway the Bronco's GM.
To add a little more fun sizzle to the Tebow mix, Tim's pass to Darious Thomas was interesting by Tebow's explanation. When Tim saw Thomas cut in front of the NFL's best shut down cornerback in the league, Ike Taylor, who literally shuts down the NFL's best pass receivers every game; Tebow saw there was no one else to stop him once he caught the ball, and at the second he threw the ball, his thought was 'thank you Lord,' and he began the race to the end zone to celebrate.
Oh yeah, that play was also the longest overtime playoff touchdown pass ever and it was also the shortest playoff overtime game for the NFL. One more thought, every team is to get at least one possession in a playoff game. There are only two ways the game can end without both teams getting a chance with the ball. 1) If the team who wins the coin toss is the first team to get the ball and scores a touchdown. But first you have to win the coin toss (the Steelers lost the toss). (Does anyone remember the Jerome Bettis call on the coin toss disaster a few years back). So the Bronco's and Tebow get the ball first and on that very first play, now known as 'the play' Tim Tebow gets the yardage necessary to finish the game with 316 yards, and I think that is so kool.
Kinda makes you realize that 'God is everywhere. Are your eyes open to it'? Is it a conincidence? Maybe. But maybe our Lord is using America's "new religion" (as they call it) to preach His same life changing message of salvation, only with His new pigskin passing pastor, in the new cathedrals, with a whole new congregation all dressed up in their brand spanking new Sunday-best-numbered going to the meeting clothes. Preaching to the masses in a totally new way. 92.5 million people now know John 3:16. Fascinating....All kind of fun stuff when you think about it.

Living among the Dead

2011-12-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Luke 24:5
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? (KJV)

Isn't that a meaningful question? "Why seek ye the living among the dead?"

There are so many people upset about stores (or politicians) not saying, "Merry Christmas", or for some of them not having a manger scene. The other day I heard on the evening news that a community in Nebraska wasn't "allowed" to put up a Manger scene this year, but the mayor told the courts they would put it up anyway because they had maintained a manger scene for 225 yrs and they wouldn't stop this year no matter what the courts said.
It's so sad that the world takes umbrage to the baby Jesus or to the cross of Christ - but, after all, this is an end time period for the church. (Unlike other "gods", they're afraid of Christ because there IS power in that Name!)
The above question takes on such meaning, "Why seek ye the living among the dead.' We who are saved and living in the knowledge and favor of God value the manger and the cross. Why? Because our spirits have been converted...and now, we are the living! We have had a Romans 12:2 experience. We are not conformed to this world, but have been transformed. In that transformation our thoughts and hearts have been regenerated to greater and better graces than our common neighbors.
We are the living, standing among the dead. The life and light of Christ dwells in us. Yet, we live in a world that is dead and filled with darkness. When we expect the world to hold dearly to Christmas or to Easter or to a Holy time along with us, we are really seeking the 'living among the dead'. It just isn't there! And it won't be until the "light of the world"....Jesus....illuminates them and the dead become living! That's our job - to tell them about "The Way, The Truth, and The LIFE"..the Child born in a manger, crucified on a cross and risen from the grave! Merry CHRISTmas.

One Title

2011-12-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

It is a sacred time of year. So powerful is Christmas that the world is drawn into the sense of the season. Of course the world acts differently than the church does because they are not celebrating the season for its' deeper spiritual meaning, but still, they do celebrate it and are pulled into its sense of awe. I believe there is a spiritual synergy around Christmas time that even wicked devils can't stop. It's as though there were two entirely different meanings (and that might be true to all of us this side of heaven) but to God there is only one meaning.
There is only one virgin birth for the redemption of mankind. There is only one time the Magi will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and present their personal gifts. There was only one star over Bethlehem and only one star leading those Wise men who followed it. Only one time did the shepherds leave their flocks and have the angels babysit their sheep. It will never happen again that the angels would sing over the manger. There is only one Prince of Peace who wears a crown fitted for His majestic head. There is only one Kingdom which has no end. There has never been and there will never be another messenger speak to Joseph about his only love being with child, even though never touched by any man. Only one time did God leave heaven and enter human flesh for the one and only sacrifice that had to be shed for mankind. Jesus is the only lamb slain to break the curse of sin and death. There was no other hand that held that horrible cup of suffering that this little baby had to endure to fulfill His once-only mission. There was only one time when the great 'I AM' turned His face from His only Son. And, as all of this has been done, there is only one title for that one and only Savior and it is: 'King of Kings and Lord of Lords,' and He shall reign for one time and one time only, 'forever and ever.'

Christmas Absence

2011-12-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

Karen and I enjoyed the recent warm spell last week (even getting a bike ride in!) We left the bedroom window slightly open while we slept, but what a difference it was from those high energy evenings of summer. In the summer the crickets play their ochestra of active legs, the birds sing till late night, the trees are full of leaves singing that so familiar rustling song as the night wind blows through them. Summer nights are full of life, but in the winter there is no noise. Its absence is so evident.
The Bible has a truth somewhat like our winter and summer night sounds. There are some things obviously missing and boy can you tell it. I think of the angel Gabriel. Have you ever noticed that we've had no further encounters with this awsome message carrying angel? His absence tell us that there is something greater. Mary and Joseph needed the angel to give them their message for direction, but for us today, we have everything we need in Christ and His provision for us. The absence of Gabriel reminds us that now we have the totally fulfilled word in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. We don't need the angel today.
Think about Moses. God said He would send a deliverer...well Moses certainly would be a great guy for that. He parted the sea, brought all those plagues to humble a nation, got water out of a rock more than once, destroyed the finest Army, tamed a desert, got God to send manna and quail, and he spent 40 days with God face to face. Man, the guy had a great resume. But Moses' time passed away. His absense is a sign that there is something greater.
Then there's Elijah, the greatest of prophets. He stopped the rain over Israel for 3 yrs, called fire down from heaven, destroyed hundreds of idol priests, was fed by ravens and prophesed the demise of a King and his wife Jezebeel. He raised a child from the dead, made oil to never run out, even after filling container after container, which assured a faithful prophet's wife of financial security and sustenance. Wouldn't he be the perfect person to be the deliverer?
Yet God allowed these powerful men of faith to pass thru history.
But think about it reader...would you rather have the law, or the love shone mankind through Jesus? The sight of Mt. Sinai is nothing but despair, God was revealed in flaming fire and bellowing thunders, but what was there to save the soul? Sinai brought judgment, vengence and punishment to the sinner..and will never surpass Calvary! Think of Elijah. He prayed and the false prophets were destroyed, but which of us would prefer a slayer of priests to the Savior of men?

You know, there are people who prefer the Moses and Elijah types. These people are like the people that Elijah exhorted, "If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him,"...they are stuck between a man and Jesus our Savior, still not able to clearly distinguish who to follow. I would like to remind you that there never was a door of salvation to enter into with Elijah. And Moses could part the sea only with the help of God.....they, and many like them, passed away because there was somone greater...Jesus. Merry Christmas.

Thanksgiving...at least for us!

2011-11-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

Heb 13:3 Don't forget about those in prison. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, as though you feel their pain in your own bodies. (NLT)

It's such a joyous time for those of us in America this week. We share such a bounty with our families and friends that it's sometimes hard to talk about difficult or sad things. In the middle of the turkey and stuffing and the pleasantries of this wonderful thanksgiving I am still going to throw a bit of a wrench to keep things in perspective. This week, I got my Voice of the Martyrs calender and it reminded me that we have so much to be thankful for here.

There is tremendous suffering going on in the world for many people of our faith. February has a family thrown out of their home for their faith, March shows a young women reading an illegal Bible to her children. May is so brutal because it shows a young women who suffered severe burns on 40% of her body and face because she wanted to worship Jesus. July tells of a terrified Christian family who was forced to flee their burning neighborhood in Pakistan. Muslims burned 57 homes in a Christian colony there. (And we are opening the doors for this faith here like they are bring heaps of love and pounds of goodness.)

I think most of you get the picture that I am trying to paint. Tim Tebow, a Jesus-loving quarterback for the Denver Bronco's, is always tormented by the "worldly others" because he talks about Christ with such affection and warmth. There is so much to be thankful for if you are at peace right now - wherever you are. This Thursday, remember that in a world context, we are the very few who really enjoy religious freedom. There is a reason for that, I think it is called 'the founding fathers.' You know the ones who got the whole thanksgiving thing going in the first place.

sticks

2011-11-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

I King 17:10

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. (KJV) When Elijah came to this little town, the home of a Gentile women, there was no reason to even imagine that it would become the site of one of his great miracles. When he came through the gate, the woman was out gathering sticks in order to prepare a dinner for herself and her son. It would be a humble dinner and possibly their last dinner together because of the famine. All she needed was some kindling and sticks for the fire. Without those sticks there could be no fire, no last meal, no warmth, or light to enjoy some last simple comforts. She had to have those sticks. The fire and the sticks made everything else happen: dinner, heat, light, cooking.

Aren't we like the sticks this woman at Zarepath was gathering off the ground? In life we grow and become more proficient in things. We learn and acquire more talents and skills. These talents and gifts become our sticks. Then God comes into our life and finds us out working and doing things of self interest in the world. To Him and His purposes, we are just laying around outside the gates of life. He comes along like the women and gathers us up for His purpose, wanting to use our talents - our sticks. Just like her sticks are no good without the purpose of the fire, warmth, cooking or heat, so it is with us, God comes along and begins to pick us up, take our talents and skills - our sticks - and puts the fire of the Holy Ghost in us and we begin to burn for Him and His purposes. We become kingdom workers, evangelists, preachers, servants, lovers of God and are used by God to get something done. Go burn bright for Him!

Spiritual Visions....when alone!

2011-11-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

"This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn." Gen. 32:22-24 NLT
Jacob was all by himself. Alone to the world, alone in his fears, alone to family, alone to his thoughts. It was at this time of being alone that we find such an engaging situation with God; a time when God revealed himself to Jacob.
When Jesus took three disciples up onto the mountain they were....alone, (What was that word again?) it was in this time that He brought them into close communion with Himself. The disciples 'saw His glory'(Lu 9:32-33), and in Jacob's case, he wrestled with God. When did all this happen? When they were alone.
Ok, lets do more. Peter is in Joppa, he goes up to the roof top, alone, and God appears to him. One time Jesus took the disciples to Mt Herman but most of the time He spent time with them on those sacred slopes of Mt Olives, "alone together". Daniel had his "alone time" with God as he kneeled and prayed toward the East in his room amid the wicked living of idolatrous Babylon. Martin Luther found an "upper room" in Witternberg, a place that is still considered a sacred place today. The Apostle Paul found his upper room experience on the Street called Straight in Damascus. Ananias was in his place of meditation, alone, when the Lord visited him and told him to go take care of Paul and release him from his blindness.
In the book, "Streams in the Desert' Nov. 8th there is a reference to a man named Joseph Parker, who was an English Congregational preacher of the nineteenth century. He said "If we, as the church, do not get back to spiritual visions glimpses of heaven, and an awareness of a greater glory and life, we will lose our faith. Our altar will become nothing but cold, empty stone, never blessed with a visit from heaven." And this is the world's need today-people who have seen their Lord.
I want to urge all my bloggers and all my friends that we must seek a place to come close to God. Maybe He will take you to a mountaintop, or the rooftop, a sunroom, or perhaps by the fireplace, a porch can work and so does the kitchen table - they become our 'upper room'. He took Peter who was stubborn, James and John who were the 'sons of thunder, he met Jacob who was deceitful, a treacherous Jew named Paul.
There is no reason why He will not take you. They became available because they were in a spot where they were alone and they could hear him. Find your alone place....and find Him.

Can you do this?

2011-11-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

I want us to really be honest with ourselves today. I'm going to ask you to open up and allow the Lord to point out anything that might be hurtful or dangerous to your life. We're going to dig into the issue of unforgiveness.

Before we do, tho, I want to establish the baseline of God’s expectations. As Christians, we're given a high standard when it comes to relationships. Romans 12:18 (NLT) reveals God’s mandate, “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

Live in peace with EVERYONE? Gee, that doesn't give us much wiggle room.

There is no disclaimer, no exception clause, no loophole, and no escape hatch. I am to do everything possible to live in peace with everyone.

One day, Peter, that impetuous disciple, engaged Jesus in a conversation around the topic of forgiveness. He wanted to know where the boundary is. When has he met his obligation for mercy and forgiveness? So, he point-blank asks Jesus, “How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Now, Peter thinks he is being super-spiritual and going way past the call of duty to even suggest seven times.)

Jesus, the teacher that He is, comes right back at him with a shocking response, “not seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven.” And, then He launches into a story of timeless relevance about forgiveness.

But for us today I want to put it in a 21^st century context. Here we have the

story of a huge, multi-billion dollar corporation. One day the CEO, a very powerful and shrewd businessman gets a memo from the accounting department. One of their vendors has run up an enormous debt. The CEO wants to know why this wasn’t discovered earlier. Being the no-nonsense businessman that he is, he wants a meeting with this vendor, like yesterday! When the vendor gets word that the CEO has demanded a meeting, his heart sinks. He panics. What is he going to do? He doesn’t have a chance of even being able to pay back a fraction of the debt. He owes bu-ku bucks and his only chance is to plead for mercy. But CEO’s like this one don’t get where they are by showing mercy. Anyway, he goes to corporate where he is ushered into the big man’s office. He is immediately handed a folder detailing the run-up of his debt. The CEO lets him know that this note is due in full....NOW! No more messing around, no more cat and mousing, no more arrears, he wants it.....Today! Immediately!

The big boss man also lets him know that they plan to come after him with the full force of the law. They will seize all of his assets, liquidate his property and possessions. They will take him to the cleaners to recover as much as possible. And, then they will prosecute and have him sentenced to prison.

In desperation, the man falls on his knees before this powerful, corporate CEO and he begs for mercy, for more time. He promises to pay back every dime. And, then, the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the unbelieveable happens. The Big Cheese is moved with unexpected kindness. And in a moment of unbelievable compassion, he takes the file and tears up the debt. He doesn’t grant him more time, he grants him a complete pardon. I ask you....isn’t that wonderful. Yeah, your breathing easier and your smiling uncontrollably, Ok enough....You can stop clapping and sit down.

As the debtor walks away from the office, tears are streaming down his face. The stranglehold of his debt has been released. He has a new lease on life and he can start to make plans again.

But the story isn’t over. As he stops to get gas on the way home, he bumps into a client who has been avoiding him because he owes a few hundred dollars and hasn’t paid him back. So, that sense of relief and freedom of his canceled debt vanish and give way to resentment and anger. So, with a sense of righteous indignation he demands immediate pay back of the few hundred dollars. And, he demands it now! The client, caught off guard, begins to beg for more time and promises that he will pay back every dime. Sound familiar? This guy will hear none of it. He presses charges and has the client thrown in jail.

Now, that story sparks a sense of outrage in us. How could a man who had been forgiven so much not forgive someone who owes him so little? From this powerful story, I want to remind all of us that we enjoy two very powerful realities in our Christian faith.

First, we have been released from God’s judgment and

Secondly, we are to release others from our judgment. Someone has to break the cycle. Someone has to have the courage to say enough. All we are gaining is bitterness toward each other. It is time for some of you to say ‘ENOUGH.” To utter the words “I forgive you, I release you from my judgment.”

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and discover the prisoner was you!"

Speak Sweeter

2011-10-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

The mosquito has a long mouth called a proboscis. On the proboscis are sharp cutting tools called stylets. The stylets purpose is to cut open the victims skin. Then she pushes in her long mouth and injects saliva into the wound to increase the blood flow and sucks the victims blood. She leaves a small wound that starts to itch within two minutes which is an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva.
Our mouths can be even more hurtful than the mosquitoes. Our tongues can be very sharp and cut deep like a knife. The effects can last a lot longer than a mosquito bite and they can hurt much more.

There's a beautiful story of 'Speaking Sweetly,' found in Luke 13:10-17. The Bible says Jesus is teaching in the synagogue one day when He saw a woman sitting in the audience. She had been crippled and bent over for the last 18 years, and was unable to stand up straight. The eyes of Jesus locked with hers and his heart was moved with compassion so He called her forward and reached out to touch her. When He does, the Bible says, she was instantly healed. She stands up straight and begins praising God. What a wonderful moment. Yet, in the middle of all the excitement and praise, the leader of the synagogue steps forward and blasts Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. When Jesus defends his actions, he references the woman he had just healed, but this time when He speaks of that lady he doesn't call her "woman," this time Jesus calls her a "daughter of Abraham." He doesn't see her as an elderly, crippled, woman. He sees her as a child of the great patriarch of the Jewish people, Abraham.

I have this picture of her walking home that day...she is standing up straight, feels ten feet tall, and is seeing things she hasn't seen in years. Going through her thoughts, ringing like the sounds of a bell, are those life and value building words "daughter of Abraham." Those were sweet speaking, life-giving words, Jesus spoke of her.

Verbal grenades and shrapnel have left multitudes of scars on a lot of people, haven't they? They became like mosquito bites and caused us to hurt. You could still be scratching that irritation even now, maybe, huh?!

Jesus lesson in that story is so appropriate for all of us today. He spoke life-giving words to that woman and when He did; when He spoke sweetly, those words brought healing. Now go and do the same!

Someday

2011-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Maybe the most dangerous word in the English language is the word 'some day.' Many of us here suffer from the "Some day Syndrome." Some day I'll make things right with my mom or dad. Someday I'll take that trip. Someday I'll have more time for the kids. Someday I'll build or paint or make that whatever. Someday I'll talk to my friend about Jesus. Someday I'll go back to school. In fact, why don't you fill in the blank I have provided for you. Someday I will ___________________. Ok. I hear you. If you can't think of what you would do 'some day,' just ask a friend, or spouse to fill in the blank for you. What do you always say you will do some day? Maybe for years you have been living with the illusion of 'some day." You sincerely plan to get around to it. The problem with "some day," is that it can rob us of "this day."
We are all prone to procrastinate, aren't we? There is a web site called procrastination. If you type in the web address, when the site comes up, all that was there was a flashing sign that said, "coming soon." Well what can you expect from a site about procrastination?
Sometimes we have to live life with a little more urgency. Living with urgency doesn't mean living faster or busier. Frantic does not equal urgent! To live with a sense of urgency means to live with an awareness
that you aren't promised "some day." It means being alert to the fact that the clock is ticking. No matter how careful you are; no matter how good your car's safety equipment is; no matter how much you 'play it safe'" or 'cover your tracks', 'touch all the bases,' or 'dot the eyes and cross the t's', there is still no guarentee. You see, life is fragile, uncertain, and in so many ways, it is out of your control. We need to live for today because tomorrow is not promised to us. Think about it dear one, we asked Jesus into our heart to cover us from our past, (you know BC...Before Christ) and we have to have God's care and providence to cover our future. So, if our past is covered by God's grace and mercy and our future is covered by his care and providence where should we live life? We should live in the NOW. We should live in the present, because that is really all we can do anything about. So our challenge is not 'some day," our challenge is to 'embrace today,' to seize the gift of this day, to live for the moments, we need to spend every hour with a sense of full appreciation for the time that we have. And let us all turn the last page of our life and see that immortal fairytale phrase, "and they all lived happily ever after."

Unjustified Reaction

2011-10-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

The beautiful thing about the Bible is that it tells the story meant to be told whether it's good or bad, courageous or cowardly, charming or repulsive, gentle or violent.

Two brothers fight and one is murdered; a man rapes a sister and the brothers devise a scheme to kill all the men in the town; a King looks at a women and decides an indiscretion is better then self discipline; a whole army is destroyed in a sea, Samson is a womanizer, bears come out of the woods and tear apart naughty kids. It is the same in the New Testament, Herod bloodies some babies of Nazareth. A couple steals from the church and they are carried out dead. I would be remise if I left out the Apostle Peter and how he cut off Malchus’s ear. It was one of the most magnificent miracles of Jesus before His death. It was the last divine surgery performed by Jesus. The event concerning Malchus was the climax of a long series of beautiful and gracious healing miracles; but still it is a very troublesome text. An example of an unjustified reaction.

When Jesus did his first miracle at Cana, it was in the most joyous surroundings of a wedding but here in the garden of Gethsemane, this last miracle was done in the shadow of Calvary. It was a time and a place of sorrow, travail and anxiety of the soul.

Just like the comment made with his first miracle of turning the water into wine,(“every man at the beginning sets forth good wine, then that which is worse: but you have kept the good wine until now”, the same can be said about the miracles of Jesus. He kept the best miracle, until the last.

There are four(4) very nice lessons concerning this particular miracle I want you to consider.

First, when Peter drew his sword it was a violent response to a difficult situation. It was the wrong thing to do. Jesus never preached power through a sword!

Second, Peter made a huge mistake with that sword and Jesus had to repair the damage for that wrong. Jesus has been repairing the wrongs done by us, the church, ever since. We goof up and still today He is making reparations to manage the damage.

Thirdly, it was an example of Christian forgiveness. Now at the end of His ministry, Jesus gave a perfect example of how men ought to love their enemies. The heaviest burden you will ever carry is the burden of an unforgiving heart. When you have an unforgiving heart it is a burden to which you cannot ask God to help you with because it is so contrary to the Spirit of the Lord.

Fourth, in the book of John, Jesus tells his disciples that he was to drink of, 'the cup of His Father'. In other words, Jesus would do only what His Father's will was. If He would have picked up that sword it would have been His own will and not the heart of God.

So we see that Jesus had a choice to make didn't he? What did He do? Jesus healed the soldier's ear and continued on in the permissive will of His Father to the cross.

Which do you choose to use in response to things that happen in your life? A sword or a cup?

Beginning to Sink

2011-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Matt 14:30 But when he(Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, "Lord, save me". (KJV)

There is nothing in this world as tragic as someone who has sunk. Someone with a world of promise and yet is a public mess, someone with pockets full of finances and yet they're are broke, someone with a body full of talent and yet is it spent. It's one of the greatest tragedies. You cannot hide the fact that you have sunk. Everyone knows you are at the bottom. Your clothes are soaked, you have seaweed in your hair, minnows wiggling in your pockets and you couldn’t hide it if you wanted.

But my blog is not about people in total despair, my blog is about people who are in the "process" of sinking. They might be a working buddy or a treadmill girl friend. They could be on the song team at church or the boy scout camping committee. College level or 20 years as a CPA, stock broker or local laborer it doesn’t make any difference, they are sinking. A person sinking is very difficult to identify and yet they may be very dear or near to us. Their shoes are soaked, their stockings may be wet and yet we fail to even notice that in life, or faith, that very near person is sinking.

In the above scripture, at least Peter was smart enough to yell to Jesus, ‘Save me, Lord.’ There are some interesting factors about Peter and how he started sinking that may help you or someone you love.

First. Peter began to sink b/c of his personality... like most of us,he had some personality traits that weren’t always an asset to him. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:2 that we are to be humble and make allowances for each others faults because of our love.

Second, Peter began to sink in familiar settings....He knew the lake, the surroundings, the people, and he knew his boat, but still the water was rising. Make sure you look around at those most familiar to you and lend them some love if they are struggling.

Third, Peter was on a permitted path...Jesus was the One who told him to come. Yeah, people sinking are not always rebels. They may be 20 years on their chosen career, their dream job or favorite position. They may have 37 anniversaries behind them. It is the path they took yet they are sinking.

Fourth, Peter began to sink because of fear. Fear is crippling, paralyzing. If you see someone in a battle with fear take them to the side, help them.
Fifth, Peter was a loyal disciple and he still began to sink. Rookies or veterans alike can sink. There was no doubt of Peter’s great love and loyalty to the Lord. He was no beginner. He had done yeomen’s service to the Lord and yet, there he was slipping under.

Last, this one really gets me - Peter sank while his friends were near. Yep! There he was right near his buddies, 11 of them in a boat. There is not one mention in the scriptures that indicate that any of them began to help him when he started to slip into the water.

So, keep a sharp eye out for your friends and buddies or your other partners and pals. Some of them may be sinking.

Might

2011-09-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage all of you in your faith to day. There are so many detrimental factors slapping at our faith and love of God. In Ephesians it tells us to 'be strong in the Lord and the power of His might'. It doesn't say be strong in yourself, or be strong financially. There is no hint of positioning yourselves in the economy through your mutual funds or to go to the gym and exercise your body for the strength you will need to face the stresses of this world. It really is quite simple what the Good Book is telling us to be strong in. Not yourself, but, 'be strong in the Lord'
You are to block out all the things in your life that would replace God as your leaning post. God is the one that your strength is to be found in. When you nurture your love of God, when you know and understand the power of His Word, when you can say "yes and amen" to His promises and know they are sure and when you can claim the blood of Jesus and all it benefits.....that is the strength you are to have. Only the Lord can provide that.
Only God can foresee the future and prepare you for it. Only God can carry the weight of worldly news and concern. Every other type of strength will collapse. Dollars collapse to financial rumors, bodies fall to sickness and diseases, minds collapse to worry and fear, automobiles collapse to rust and ruin and under the right conditions everything in this world that we hold dear for security will fail us. But God's strength, praise the Lord, gets stronger as the leaning on it gets heavier. (Psalms 49 is an awesome chapter about what to trust in and what NOT to trust in.)
It says the 'power of His might'. To me that is really an awesome statement. How much power is in God's might? If you told me God has might I would say that is enough to keep me. Yes, He is mighty, Amen...but the Bible adds this adjective - 'power' - to the phrase. That helps you realize the full force of His might...and that's a powerful thought.

Borrowing Stuff From God

2011-08-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

John 14:12-17
12 "The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father.
14 Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!
15 {Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit--} "If you love me, obey my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.
17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.(NLT)

Sorry to make the word of God so small.( I feel a bit funny when God's Word is little and what I'm writing is in bigger print!) There are three things in the above verses that I want to blog about, but since the scripture is considerable for a blog, I had to use a smaller font.
I titled this 'Borrowing Stuff From God' and I mean it. Really!

In this wonderful chapter in the book of John, our apostle explains that we borrow from God Himself three very powerful things. You might want to look at it another way and say, God lends us stuff to empower our faith levels. Whatever way you think of it, there are three wonderful things.

The First is v.12, we borrow God's Divine providence so that he can work through us...I call it borrowed activity. God himself will work through us to do his will here on earth and more specifically his work in our familiar circle of life.

The Second, thing that we borrow, or God lends us, is "Borrowed Authority" v.13-14. A Christian's true efforts and work is never his own, it is God working in and through him/her. When we begin to think it's our own, we basically defeat every opportunity of success and sabotage the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Third thing we borrow from the Lord us is a 'Borrowed Presence'. The Lord lives in us. The apostle Paul said 'filled unto the goodness of God,' in Eph 3:19. The one who does this is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. The Bible tells us that He will be "another Counselor." I like the old translation better, the word is 'Comforter', but we should understand it in its original meaning. It comes from the word fortis, that is, "to make strong,' and com means 'with.' someone who stands with you and makes you strong.
So there, you can read the verses on your own, think on these three points and be blessed by God's Word.
As a Christian, the things we borrow from the LORD bring Him glory and fulfil our heart's desire to be used by Him. Awesome, huh?

Vaccum Cleaner

2011-08-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

I got home from doing some chores and Karen said the vaccum cleaner was not working. Now if you know Karen she isn't crippled or mostly feeling uninclined when it come to fixin things. she will give it the once over then the, going over then the parts catalog, say a prayer, then a more meaningful prayer, then she will say a desperate prayer then start rebuking the devil for trying to steal our money by breaking our stuff, then when she has gone through all the binding and loosing she will just plain get on the Lords back and tell him to get it working. But today the prayer loosed not mechanical motion, the Lord wasn't in it and the vac lay still on the floor motionless. Karen said there is something wrong with the cleaner. I don't know what it is it was fine the other day. So I pugged the lifeless dirt sucker in. I hit the button and it went on then off. I checked the plug and hit the button and it went on and off again. I hit the button and took some of its parts apart and then hit the button but there was no life in our vac. We tallked about how many years we had the cleaner and what a job it had done for us. I hit the button thinking the compliment would surely draw a performing response...nothing! We sat there for a minute and I took the bag out.... again, I took the filter off....again, then I turned it upside down and spun the thing that goes around under there and it was free as the wind...the wire was not loose and the plug was still in and there lay are lifeless hoover.....Tornadoless and ruined. Karen said I shook it and I got it to work, so I gave it a little shake nothing. Livi didn't think I did it right so she came over and showed me how she did it and we gave it a real hard shake...and on came the Hoover like it was Jesus coming out of the Tomb... I turned it off and then I came back and turned it on and it fired right up. Karen turned it on and on it went sucking dirt and crumbs from off the floor. We turned it off and came up stairs and then we snuck down stairs and snuck up on the cleaner and I hit the on button and....Wa la.... it came back on again and it is still working since we gave it that great big shake.
Sometimes life and church is like that...We work better after we have been given a good shaken.
The Vac was dead. We were ready to send it to the big junk yard in the sky.
Sometimes things just need a good shaking!

Rest

2011-08-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Rest and relaxation are so important that God put them in the Ten Commandments. God tells us to rest every seventh day. If you’re not taking a day off every week, you’re breaking one of the Ten Commandments – and you won’t be as effective as you could be in ministry (or anything else you do).

Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:27 that the command to take a Sabbath is for our own benefit: “Man was not given for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was given for man.” God gave us the Sabbath to help us to rest and restore. Our bodies need it.

Jesus modeled this in His own ministry, and we need to model it in our ministries.

*Relaxation: We need to take time to enjoy life.

Mark 6:31-32 says, “Because so many people were coming and going that they didn’t even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, `Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (NIV). In other words, Jesus said, “Fellows, you deserve a break today. Come to the desert and we’re going to rest.”

Jesus modeled this God-created need to rest and relax. I’m more and more convinced of the importance of balance in ministry. All areas of our lives need to be balanced. There is an ebb and flow in ministry, a time when you give out and a time when you receive, a time when you work and a time when you rest. Ecclesiastes says, “There’s a time for everything in life” – to laugh, to cry, to build up, and to tear down.

The Bible says in Matthew 11:19 that Jesus came enjoying life (Phillips). You don’t hear many theologians talking about that verse. They talk about Jesus the old sourpuss. Have you noticed on TV that the media always shows Jesus with a sour, dour, very serious face? But the Bible says, Jesus came enjoying life. He survived stress by enjoying life.

God wants you to do that. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:17, “God richly gives us everything to enjoy” (NCV). As we use it for His glory, we also get to enjoy it at the same time.

Balance is a key to stress management. I constantly remind myself to --

* Divert daily – Take a mini-vacation every day to recharge. Catch ur breath

* Withdraw weekly – Take a day off every week. you gotta chill.
* Abandon annually – Take an extended period of time off every year. Campfire here I come.

Jesus rested regularly because he knew God designed us to need rest, but also because he was being obedient to the commands of God.
*passing along a note from Rick Warren to the pastors, maybe it will help you.

Hurting or Helping Others?

2011-07-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

The church today is under more of an attack than at any time in its history. Its a different kind of attack, though, because we don't see the enemy like they did in years past. David saw Goliath, Paul saw the "preaching of the church" during his time as an enemy of Christ. William Tyndale had the leaders of the big mega churches of his time....Knox had human enemies that Satan worked through. They were physical beings with a devil's agenda but still it was seen through the hand of a human enemy.
Today we don't see Satan's attacks through human beings all the time. We see many attacks against us through internet, cable or smart phones, etc....but the attacks are just as ugly, just as real.
It really doesn't matter how an attack comes, it is how we handle that attack that is important.
Many times we don't handle them well at all. When this takes place we have wounded warriors.
There are some things that we should never do, like never outwardly celebrate someone's error/problem, mistake/sin....never help pass that person's fall around, or never add to the gossip of that error. When a person falls, our response as Christians is not to make telephone calls to tell everyone around you. Our job is not to get on facebook and make leading statements that hint to trouble and continue to stir the hurt. Our job is very clearly stated in the book of Galatians 6:1...We are to do everything we can in a proper and dignified way to bring a brother or sister to a healthy healing. This involves much love, many hugs and the necessary steps to make a total and complete restoration.
Gal 6:1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. (NLT)

Safe?

2011-07-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Being safe. Yeah, every one of us wants to be safe. We have codes on our computers, ADP for our homes, secret numbers to our phones, the list goes on and on and on. We are all trying to have a bunch of everything - but having all this stuff is killing us trying to keep it from being stolen. I have a book at home with all the codes & passwords I need in order to open different accounts/items/stuff. (You should have seen K and I trying to remember the combination number to open the bike lock connecting our bikes while on vacation!!!!)
Being safe is a big issue in today's society.
In C.S.Lewis classic tale, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver tell the children about Aslan, a mighty lion who serves as a type of Christ-figure. Feeling somewhat leery of a lion they ask, "Then he isn't safe?" SAFE? Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe....But he is good!
Today our churches are so focused on God's goodness that we've forgotten He's a lion. ?Do any of you know a lion that is safe? He is not safe... not safe at all.
We have made God comfortable in order to make Him acceptable to as many people as we can. This is not necessarily a good thing. God demands much of us and throws down the gauntlet to the fatal disease of complacency that infects us. As Christians, we must be reminded that we are a people of faith and that we really are to live our lives in compliance with the will of God. Sometimes that "will of God" forces us out into the scary fields of discomfort and risk.

Symptoms of complacency abound in the lives of those who claim to follow Jesus. Church attendance continues to decline. Sharing our faith has become rare. Prayer has all but faded out of the daily practice of most Christians. The ethical and moral behavior of Christians doesn't stray too far from that of unbelievers in general, whether we look at divorce rates, pornography consumption, or premarital sex. Churches struggle to get enough members to serve in Sunday school and other ministries.

Worst of all, we've grown comfortable with this. Its become the norm for the Christian life. We love God, but not passionately. We change, but with little convictions. We give, but not sacrificially. And sadly, we have relied so heavily on being saved by grace that we've forgotten we're 'saved to do good works'. And most people think that God rejoices to have us on these terms. God is good. But he is not safe, and only at our peril do we think of God as a tame lion.*

Jesus came with a radical agenda: 'Transform the world - one soul at a time'. Our job is to meet every sinner around us and infect them with the call of the gospel. And that is not safe!

*excerpts taken from "Not a Safe God" by Tim Riter (want to read this terrific book? We have it, just ask when at "The SUB".)

Finding Hope in times of Grief

2011-06-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

*The funeral is over....the people who temporarily turned aside to grieve with you, to honor your deceased love one...they are all gone. The flowers have faded, and perhaps pots of dried up stems and leaves sit beside your trash can...

The meals that friends brought have stopped and now even the phone doesn't ring quite so much anymore.

The cards don't fill the mailbox the way they once did either-just the usual bills and junk mail, and maybe, painfully, a piece of mail now and then addressed to the one whose absence saps your strength virtually every moment of every day....and no matter how you feel about it, mornings still come and night still falls over and over and over again, with everyone and everything around you saying, "You'll just have to move on," While everything within you undeniably groans, "But nothing is the same." What are you supposed to do with this massive load of experience and emotion that has landed on you an now weiths on every aspect of your being?

Are you just supposed to "get over it"?
Are you just supposed to "move on"?
Are you just supposed to resign yourself to the idea, expressed in the words of the Bibles' book of Job:
Man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7)
Simply put, can you ever begin to feel better and to see this event that has befallen you assume a place of purpose and value in your life and in the lives of others?
The answer, according to God's Word, the Bible, is a resounding, Yes!!!! there is hope.
Hope is not wishful thinking, or whatever pleasant illusion we may conjure up. It isn't some fantasy on which we fixate, in order to mystically influence events or, at least, to make ourselves feel better.
True hope is settled confidence based on objective fact and enduring truth. True hope does not give in to despair. It is based on expected and needed grace from God. It patiently waits and confidently expects good from God-here and now, and for eternity-regarless of the severity of one's personal storm.
God based hope goes hand in hand with joy because it depends on the constancy of the One who holds us in his hand rather than on our own tired, tethered and fickled emotions. In God's word we have a promise we can embrace and draw strength from the promise that God Himself spoke to His people through the prophet Jeremiah: "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope'" (Jer 29:11)
God is telling us that if we turn to Him We can count on the risen, living Christ to make blessing and not grief the ultimate summation of our lives.
This article is taken from the book, FINDING HOPE IN TIMES OF GRIEF, by Preston and Glenda Parrish Authors,

God Questions

2011-06-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Many people ask me how to daily follow the Lord or how to live for Christ on a daily basis.
I've heard a lot of interesting responses. I've also heard a lot of hard and difficult answers. And...a lot of the books some of the authors write to help us in a general sense, don't necessarily make it easier either!
All of us hear God speak to us in very manifest ways at times in our lives...but it's the normal times that makes it tough to hear God.
Some people say you should fast, or go to a quiet place and wait to hear God. Yes, sometimes you do hear God that way, but how do you hear God on a regular basis? It really isn't as difficult as people try to make it...sometimes it's right in your head.
Here are some things "I" do to hear God......I just try to keep my eyes on Jesus at all times....I always ask a lot of questions when I am doing regular life. I will ask the Lord, ?'Is this what You want Lord?' I will ask the Lord, ?'Is this your will Lord.' If it is something I am going to do I really do ask in my mind, ?'Can you bless this Lord.' I don't want to sound paranoid but I really try to keep a 'God consciousness,' a sense that God is where I am, right beside me in the midst of my real life experiences.
For me, I believe that that most of the distresses, messes and goof's in life come after little decisions have gone bad. My calamities are rarely the result of a disasterous "big time" decision failure. My stuff is usually cumulative, low-tier, obscure decisions that somehow blow up into "really bad scrums".
So I have learned to ask God some of the questions that I wrote above. I continually ask questions. I do not usually hear some kind of voice or anything like that. What I usually hear is something on the line of a virtue go through my head. Like, is that honest? Or, is that kind? Or, would you like that to happen to you? Many times a Bible story or a character will come to my mind as an answer to the question I asked in my thoughts. A lot of times I will hear the Ten Commandments as an answer. And lastly, I have learned that doubt plays a big role in my decisions. Sometimes I don't hear the above but I WILL have a doubt about certain decisions. I understand doubt and I know doubt when it happens to me, so I rarely if ever miss doubt when that signal goes off.
When this happens I always practice one rule that has served me well: 'When in doubt throw it out.' Yeah, if one of the above takes place in my questioning system, if there is a shadow cast over something I am trying to dicipher, if I doubt something, I discard it. I do not ever try to talk myself into something. It is too easy for my 'I wants' to override the 'I wouldn'ts'. Generally if I do the questions, listen for virtue or one of the Ten Commandments and discard the doubts and don't try to talk myself into something, I usually get it right....

Race Car Introductions

2011-06-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

It may surprise some sports fans to learn that successful race car drivers are among the world's highest income-earning athletes. Yes, baseball and basketball superstars earn millions, but their incomes do not eclipse those of big-name race car drivers. Formula One race car drivers Kimi-Matias Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher have both made the list of the top ten highest income-earning athletes. Nascar drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson are just a few of the drivers who've compiled millions of dollars in the motorsport BIG MONEY fields.

But think of this. All those guys in the high income race car driving sport would have to be extremely grateful to the person who introduced them to race car driving. Somebody took them by the side and pumped them up with the idea that they could be a successful Motor Sport Champion. That they could win a trophy, survive over 200 mile an hour laps around an oval, or successfully negotiate an Indy car track and not only live to do it again but that they could actually make a buck at it! Someone was willing to take the risk and help them get started. After all, that introduction started them on the road to fame and fortune.

In the first century, four fishermen - Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, and John were introduced to an exciting life of following Jesus. They became His full-time disciples. Unlike high-income race car drivers, they did not become rich, nor were they surrounded by millions of adoring fans. But they helped change countless lives and also the course of history. Someone took the time to tell them the story - the plan - and they jumped on board.

Today, some of the people we will encounter along our life of influence, will be people who don't know the story.....introduce them to it....to Jesus! Who knows what will happen after that! But it sure may be interesting to watch them on the track!!

Tomato transplants

2011-06-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Karen and I were transplanting our newly growing tomato plants. We were overdue to get those plants from the seed peat pods into clay pots which would allow them room to shoot up to the size that we need to put in the gound. K and I got all the pots out, got some really great bio-dirt, miracle grow, tools and we had a great sunny morning. We could get these things done in about 40 minutes and then get on to the next project for the day. As we approached the morning project one of our kids needed us to watch their two little darlings and of course being in love with those two little people we agreed, figuring they could help us do the tomatoes and other work around the house.

Have you ever noticed that nothing makes a project move more slowly than having little people "help" you perform it? Our project turned from something simple into two million heart-stopping, hose running on the floor, spilled dirt, squeezed to death, broken plant occurances. One of the kids even tried to eat one of the peppers to see if the plant itself tasted like a pepper.

On one of those two million heart stopping moments, we had a fatality when the little one successfuly placed a very strong plant in the clay pot. While showing "Nanny" the good job that she had done, she lifted it up only to have it drop out upside down, crushed on the table. The life of a hardy vigorous tomato plant can be short lived in the hands of an excited youngster. It wasn't too long before things got out of control and we had to come up with something else to do quick or risk losing our entire tomato crop.

Then I remembered how I was taught to work when I was little. I always loved to work with my dad. He would always give me a single task to do. I didn't have to cut the wood and sand the wood and measure the wood. Maybe all he would have me do was to pull the nails, or hand him the tools he needed. I didn't do much but I did my part and felt like I was helping my dad. This built my confidence and encouraged me to learn how to work and be attentive. I could honestly claim to have helped make that project work because of this.

When we put our hands to God's plow, we certainly can make a mess of some of the things He wants us to do for Him when we "try" to help. Yet, when we are willing to perform small specific duties according to our abilities, our Father can bring about great results.

Centuries ago, when the members of the church in Antioch heard of a coming famine, they wanted to help those affected by it. Luke records in Acts 11:29 that , "the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide for the brothers in Judea." They helped the Lord by doing their part with their specific abilities and gift mix. Every day we have the opportunity to "help" our Father with His work throughout our own world of influence. Cooperatively, as we each give of ourselves according to our abilities, and according to the need at the time, we have the satisfaction of sharing in a job well done.

The End of the World.....LOL

2011-05-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I knew right away that the world wasn't coming to an end Saturday at 6PM. Even if the Pope and President and all the major denominational leaders of the world said so. I'm not using doctrinal or even theological data to base my opinions on, but I do have sound reasoning. I mean if a man wants to predict when the world is coming to an end and splash it all over the media, then I think the least we can do before we all disappear is to state our opinion on the matter...you know, put what we think out on the table. I mean why not be as bold in my opinion as he was in his. On top of that, I think my reason for the world not coming to an end on Saturday at 6pm is stronger than that guy's own reason for the world to come to an end. Ok, thats enough of that.

My reason....first and only, and with this I lay my whole rebuttal and all my integrity as a Pastor on this one sole reason. Its my granny. Yeah my Granny! She provided me with the reason. You say, "Pastor your granny is gone". I know she is but she left me with some great sound and infallible reasonings. My Granny always taught me (and she was adamant about it) that after you're done eating, you are to rest and allow your dinner to settle. She would never let us kids cut grass, weed the garden, paint or do a lot of hard or even moderate work right after we ate. We were to rest and allow our food to settle. Sure enough, when I heard the prediction of 6pm I knew right there it wasn't happening because from 4 oclock to 6 pm it's the dinner hour. God isn't going to do some major heavy duty work right after we eat. Right after dinner....is not practical. He would be setting a very bad example. True, it would be a precedent, but God is more predictable than He is precedent setting when it comes to His teaching us.

You might say, 'hey bucko, you're really reaching". I don't think so. Take for example when the Lord gave manna to his children out in the desert...they didn't go to battle or build the tabernacle, or cross the sea right after dinner. No they had a nice peaceful evening enjoying the miracle that they would experience for 40 years till they crossed over the Jordan and camped at Gilgal with Joshua. Jesus fed 5,000 people and again 4,000 people and not once did they go for a big evening event. He fed them all - every one of them and that was that. There was no big sha-bang after the meal.

Look at the big dinner event after Jesus resurrection, Peter and the guys go fishing, they catch nothing and they are hungry. He tells them to have something to eat. Right after they bust a gut pulling in a record 153 fish catch, He feeds them. The LORD doesn't say to them, "I'm going to destroy the world, Jerusalem or at least beat up Herod coz he hurt my feelings - go get your swords. Nope nothing comes of it, nothing, coz Jesus is enjoying his meal too.

Who wants to do something hard right after dinner? I don't! What about you? I think God might feel the same way to. Even at the Last Supper when Jesus knew He was about to be crucified, He didn't get all fired up after the dinner hour....no way, in fact where do we find him after dinner? In the garden praying.

You don't get all fired up after dinner, it's a time to rest and reflect and rub your belly and say "thanks God for today's sustenance". That guy should have read his Bible!! Or have talked to his granny. He would have know better.
Even in the Old Testament, Gideon was found hiding in the threshing floor trying to whittle out a dinner...God finds him there and He tells him what he wants him to do...but he doesn't say.... now
buddy...get going....get a wiggle on it....and he doesn't say right after your done eating, no sir, thats not how God works. When you have a full stomach that is not the time to do hard work!
Come on people....try tying your shoes right after dinner. When do you loosen your belt the most...right after dinner...?when do you watch the evening news....you got it, right after dinner...when do you feel slumber or a nap coming on? Yeah...right after dinner!!!!! When is your dogs hair around his face the dirtiest?....Yep. Do you clean old faithful fiddo up at that point? Of course not...you sit down and let your meal settle, then fiddo goes over in his corner. All you can hear him do for the next hour is lick his face till it's clean.
Ever see one of those pictures of a big lion in Africa, holding his head up in a statley fashion? His eyes are bright and his mane is flowing in the African breeze. He is peacful and at rest... Well look under his paw...what do you see...a big juicy carcass...that big smile he is wearing is right after dinner? the only time a lion smiles is right after dinner.

Well that's my reasoning...my Granny learned me right, and I know she was right cause we're still here. Oh yeah...and when will the end of the world come? In the context of my article, I think the end of the world is going to come when God is really fed up with all that is going on down here and He's hungry...not only can he hear all these people belly aching but his belly is aching.....and that may NOT be very long off!!

Get Up and Go Tell Others!

2011-05-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

In today's world, our answer for the nations and their Godless conditions is to send x-millions and billions of economic aide to them. It's the world's answer to keeping a nation in its borders. If they are poor give them money, don't transform them. If they are politically riotous, give them advise, advisors, and prop them up with diplomatic visits. If they are suffering calamities, send them cash, volunteers, big time aide. If they are in war, send them NATO or U.S. technologies, air space coverage or military advisors. If they have famine send them agricultural aide, equipment, AG specialists. The politics of the West always have something to send.
The problem is we are sending the wrong stuff.
The plight of nations will never be satisfied by money, diplomacy, aide, advisors or the good will of nations wishing to help them. No nation has the cure to another nations misery outside of fixing what is the root cause of that misery. They may have a temporary fix but not the answer.
The reason is that most nations problems are rooted in their avariance to God, contrasted with trying to help them by fixing what seems to ail them. The ailments that we send so much money to fix are more the outcroping of faulty diplomatic philosophy's of those nations. They have been deliberate to make treaties with sympathetic nations but lack the one political connection that can rescue them - that is to have representation in the 'House of God..
Most of the nations of the world are in ignorance of the blessings of God. They are rebels serving idols. They have no favor with God, they have no ear to the Divine. The evidences of the struggles are economic hardship, moral depravity, godless societal programs, hatred, thievery, murder, war, famine (both earthly and spiritual) and heart breaking misery amongst its people.

God's answer to the world of nations which are lost and suffering is to send men and women who He (God) has placed a picture of their desperate condition on their heart. They have a passion, a burden for that nation and a spiritual strength to rescue it from its own depravity. The answer to every nations misery is men and women of God. They put the trumpet of God to their lips and sound the divine call of action to rescue that country from its divine bankruptcy.
Our Lord has the answers to the needs of the nations. The Holy Spirit responds to the men and prophets He has called and to those He wants to send. He gave us a Scriptural mandate to carry the message of redemption to all men everywhere... With the message of redemption and the changes it accomplishes on mens heart comes 'redemptive lift'. The lift is what happens when mens hearts are in line with Gods' purposes.....Matt 28:19-20, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

When He says "Go," He means "Go!" When He says "Go YE," he means "Go YE." When He says "INTO ALL THE WORLD," He means "ALL THE WORLD!" When He says "PREACH The GOSPEL," He means 'PREACH THE GOSPEL!" Surely God means what He says!

God clearly tells us how to influence and save nations....The command is, "Go and make disciples of all nations." The promise (and it is a beautiful one) is "Lo, I am with you."

Does anyone have the right to leapfrog the command and then hug the promise? It is time for the church to rouse up from its complacency. God will be with you! Go save the nations! Find a larger canvas, catch a wider vision. Dare bolder programs. God will be with You! Go save the nations! Rouse up and go forth to conquer for Christ, even to the uttermost parts and the isles of the sea."

Heathens will be bombing the world forever till we replace the godless, darkened teachings of devil warriors with the transforming message of the love of Jesus Christ. They don't just need aide, they need preaching, and teaching from anointed servants of God. + We must place love and hope in their hearts and begin to compete in their clouded minds for their thoughts, dreams, ideals and their hearts. No devil or witch doctor, Iman or monk can compete with the powerful, positive life changing message of the Gospel. It will turn the world upside down. We need to pray for and send men and women to go and do it...NOW! Go ye!!

Osama bin Laden

2011-05-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Most of us in America have gladly received the news of this man's death. Much of the world sees him as a hero but those closely alied to the West see him as a tyrant.....I would like to say something concerning this man as to the way I see him and his demise.
Osama bin Laden is the by-product of really bad U.S. policy's. He is a casualty of those failed and uncalculated policy's. Chavez of Venezeula is another man caught in the web of badly botched U.S. policy. Cambodia is an example of a sovereign country that got caught in the vaccuum of failed American policies. The list really goes on and on and on. Our government has failed in its leadership and foreign policies and today many existing leaders and emerging future leaders are now afraid to embrace American policies because they are so unstable. That being said, I want to focus these next few lines on the death of the world's most recognised terrorist.......Osama bin Laden.
First, I applaud our Armed Forces...they are always so spectacular, whether it's as visible as OBL or any of our troops doing their everyday work on a base in planet earth ...they all in some way contribute to US success.
Secondly, I do not look at Osama bin Laden's death as something in the form of revenge. This man was a murderer. Worse than that, he would kill women, children, elderly or the young in the prime of life, with no remorse. I am not happy that Osama is dead in the sense of a person being killed or shot to death. I don't think as a Christian I am thrilled about anyone being killed. It is a sad thing whether it is a terrorist, a public enemy number one, or a person gone berserk who the police have to take down to defend the public; it is a sad thing that someone has to extinguish that persons' life. GOD HAD MUCH MORE FOR THAT PERSON. They were not, nor ever meant to be, the resting place for a piece of lead.
Please do not include me in those who cry for revenge. I simply wish to see justice, and justice only, to be served. Osama was a man on the run, not because the U.S. was looking for revenge, because if that was the case then those who love Osama will be ready to get their piece of revenge to feel justified. No the U.S.A. was simply carrying out the fulfilling of justice. This individual committed crimes against Muslims, Americans, and the brainwashed "minds" of men destroyed before their bodies meant their end. The U.S. simply executed a warrant against this man for crimes. Legitimate crimes against human kind. With his death it is over. There is nothing more that anybody should do. The crimes' punishment has been fulfilled. Justice has been served, it is finished. Anything more is revenge and another crime and that person or government committing it should be held responsible for that occurance as a separate offense, and that offense will bear its own punishment. Justice completes and closes out a crime, that is called satisfied justice. Revenge is evil, and selfishly continues a crime with an illegal and unsatisfiable perpetuity. It just goes on and on. The World doesn't need that.
It is a shame that Osama's death has so polarized the world. His death can do nothing for them or us. Yet in the spiritual darkness of the world, Christ died for all mankind to wash away their sins and remove the reproach off of their lives. Yet many in the world still do not know what Christ has done for them.
It is time to put away the guns and send missionaries...let's start conquering hearts instead of nations. The British did it and it worked....the sun never went down on the British Empire....They sent missionaries through the London Missionary Society. Read about Tahiti...no guns, just the mouth of a missionary and the whole murderous island and later all the surrounding islands came to peace!

Building Relationships

2011-04-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

A person may ask what is the most important word in our lagauage. A Romantic might whisper, ‘love’. A politician might bellow, ‘votes’. A banker may staunchly say, ‘money’. Each one has a reason for their word, but I would venture to say the most important word in our language is ‘relationship’. Every one of us is in the school of relationships.

One of the biggest revelations in my life was when I realized how intentional I have to be in relationships. Karen and I have four sons & daughter-in-laws and numerous grand children and I have come to understand how purposeful and intentional I have to be to build relationships with them. I have found that I have to be intentional to get into their lives. If I do not, I will know them and I will intersect in life with them but I will not have the influence with them that I really desire.

A couple of summers ago the whole clan went to the beach. We staked out a nice place for the chairs and set up the umbrellas. Then some of us grabbed our boogie boards and out we headed to the water. It was so awesome for all of us to just enjoy the little swells, talking and chatting in the sun. We probably floated around out there about ten minutes when one of us looked up and said, ‘Where are the chairs and umbrellas? We had floated down away from our site and it took forever to swim and paddle back to our stuff because the current was so strong against us.

I thought to myself, "Wow, this is a picture of my life isn’t it God"? Because unless I’m intentional, the current of culture, of life, of the busyness of life, will carry me away from where I want to be. It was nice to relax, but in reality, life doesn’t allow us to relax without some effect on us. If I do nothing, I’m gone, I’m down stream, down the strand, I’ve drifted away from my site. If I do nothing for a day or a week in my relationships, then I’ve drifted. I’m not in the same place anymore. It takes consciously, intentionally choosing those relationships every day. That has been a big surprise yet also an amazing help once I figured it out. Now, I can put it into practice.

If you want to have a better relationship with God you have to be intentional. If you want to get through to your wife, kids, husband, children, etc, you need to not just "be there", but be intentional and purposely get to know them. Don’t try to tell them how to live, or how their music stinks or how to whatever......try to intentionally find what and who they are and then intentionally get to know them, build a relationship with them. Great relationships are based on effort - they don’t just happen.

2011-04-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

God has a purpose behind every problem.
He uses circumstances to develop our character. In fact, he depends more on circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible. The reason is obvious: You face circumstances twenty-four hours a day.
Jesus warned us that we would have problems in the world. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free. Life is s a series of challenges. Just about the time you deal with one quandray there is another one stepping right in there to take its place. Not all of them are big, but all of them are significant in God's growth process for you. Peter assures us that problems are normal, saying 'Don't be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you."
God uses problems to draw you closer to himself.
Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days-when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when your're out of options, when the pain is great-and you turn to God alone. It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers. When we're in pain, we don't have the energy for superficial prayers.
God could have kept Joseph out of jail, He could have kept Daniel out of the lion's den, He could have kept Jeremiah from being tossed into a slimy pit, and the apostle Paul from being shipwrecked three times. God could have kept the three Hebrew young men from being thrown into the blazing furnace and to keep them from all of their calamities--But He didn't! He let every one of those problems happen and every one of those persons was drawn closer to God as a result.
Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves. If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed......But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest! Your focus will determine your feelings.

Who Are You?

2011-04-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church, reminds all of us, ‘It’s Not About You.” Rick tells us that the purpose of our life is far greater that our own personal fulfillment, our peace of mind, or even our happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.

The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. Why? The reason is because we usually begin at the wrong point-"ourselves".

We ask self-centered questions like. "What do I want to be?" "What should I do with my life?" "What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future?"

But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. The Bible says in Job 12:10 that, “It is God who directs the lives of His creatures; everyone’s life is in His power.”

Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for!

Rick tells us of a time out in the woods when he got lost. He stopped for help at a campsite and they told him, “you can’t get there from here, you gotta start from the other side of the mountain.” In the same way, you cannot arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God - and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, identity, purpose, significance, and our destiny. All other paths lead to a dead end.

The Crisis

2011-03-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Most of us have experienced something from the crisis of the local tornado that brutally slapped us around last week. Some of you directly, others as a crisis responder, some as a shoulder for someone to lean on, or as a prayer warrior for those who are hurting.
I am sure there are some people who haven't really done something for the crisis but many people have sore muscles, ripped clothes, wind burn, dirty tools, you know all the things that come with throwing in for a good cause.
In the book of John, Jesus said, "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my father and remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
Notice that Jesus expects us to do only what He did with his Dad. His relationship with His Father is the model for our friendship with Him. Jesus did whatever the Father asked Him to do; it brought Jesus joy doing those things. You want joy? This is one way of getting it.
Often we will be challenged to do "great things' for God. There have been some very great heroic men and women who have been called out of regular life to accomplish great things. But these great heroes really aren't the norm. Actually, God is pleased when people do great things but he is also pleased when we do small things for him out of loving obedience. They may be unnoticed by others, but God notices them and considers them acts of worship.
Great opportunities may come once in a lifetime, but small opportunities surround us every day. Just simple things like telling the truth, looking away when your eyes shouldn't see something, being kind, cutting someones fallen tree or checking in on someone sick. This is the stuff that God smiles at. God treasures simple acts of obedience. Those of you who helped at Storehouse of God, that is smile stuff; Crisis Response Work, that is smile stuff, visiting the sick, yea, more smile stuff. Helping here at the church, someone sick, someone in need, someone you don't like, someone at work, doing something extra for someone, you got it, more smile stuff.
All of you at the 'T SUB' look at this verse. When God calls your number to do something for him it is probably going to be an anonymous act of kindness....if you obey and do it, look at what this verse says in....John 15:14 "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you," (KJV). Let's all keep the friendship going and for some of you, isn't it time to make Jesus your friend?

John 15:14
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (KJV)

March Madness

2011-03-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've been watching two frequent news makers the past month. One is the NCAA and the other is the famed and highly idolatrized NFL lockout. If you are watching any of the news channels, both share the limelight of this month’s sporting headlines. From basketball “bracketology” and school bragging rights to collective-bargaining and contract negotiations to millionaire moguls to controversial cover ups to student-scholar amateurs to pre-madonna professional athletes...

At first glance, both organizations and their respective players are seemingly at polar opposites of the sporting spectrum and their associated missions. Yet, given further scrutiny, in reality, their worlds are much closer in nature than originally led to believe. Both are big, big, big business with billion-dollar dividends distributed annually.

In short, both are fashioned by finances, molded by money, and corrupted by cash. Whether it’s the revenue-seeking recruits feeling entitled to “$100 dollar handshakes” or egocentric athletes seeking greater affluence in an ever-adoring sports society, the financial chasm between collegiate athletics and professional sports is quickly closing, and is in fact connected.

The argument isn’t whether players should be paid for their services—regardless of level—the point I’m trying to make is that all of the corruption and chaos witnessed time and again in sports is in large part fueled by the LOVE of money.
The Bible clearly states that money, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing—as it is indeed a necessity of life. But what is really the truth of the matter is that society is mimicking sports—openly coveting, embracing, and idolizing money—making it an end-all—and it's that that is the root of all evil. Jesus was not silient concerning the powerful and misguided place money can have in a persons' life.
It is my prayer that we each take to heart a lesson from the book of Philippians 4:11-12, it says:
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need…regardless of money. Remember, you're to keep focused on the LORD, not on your cash flow.

Mt climbing

2011-03-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Matt 5:1
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: (KJV)
There was a multitude. The key word here is, 'was'. Look clearly at the verse. It says there was a multitude. Then it explains that Jesus went up away from them into the mountain. He left them. But He didn't just leave them, He didn't just take off.... He climbed up a mountain to get away from them. Crowds always collect around events, individuals or gatherings of people that cause a stir or arouse someones' attention and curiosity. Jesus would surely qualify as that. He could really draw a crowd. But Jesus knew that crowds could be unpredictable and capricous. On this day, He was preaching and a large crowd gathered, so He climbed a hillside.
What happened next is what the Lord was working His way to all along. Those who were sincere disciples, those who truly were seeking the depth, the transformation, the meaning of His messages; those listeners climbed the mountain with Him. The mulitudes didn't climb the mountain. The scriptrue says, 'his disciples came unto him.' I wonder, 'where did the crowd go'? They just seemed to fade away. It was too difficult to climb the mountain so they left Him.
James Ryle in his teaching guide for men's groups, says "It is not about crowds. It's about climbing partners. It's about men who are committed to Christ, and to one another".
The scripture tells us that we are "partakers of a heavenly calling" (Heb.3:1). It is "the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:14). It is the call of God upon our lives that makes mediocrity unacceptable. The word mediocrity literally means "halfway up a mountain."
Are you going to settle for only following Christ halfway? I didn't think so

What is Lent

2011-03-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

“WHAT IS LENT?” Luke 18:9-14

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” the man says.
“But sir, you’ve just been in a terrible car accident. You’re bleeding and have some deep bruises. There may be internal damage!”
“There’s nothing wrong with me!”
“At least have a doctor check you out, sir. We have an ambulance right here – it wouldn’t take very long..”
“I told you, there’s nothing wrong with me!”
“But sir.”
Then the man walks away from the car accident. His wife picks him up and drives him home. Later he dies from internal bleeding.

“There’s nothing wrong with me” can be a dangerous thing to say. Spiritually, it is probably the worst thing a person could say. For a person to stand before God and say, “There’s nothing wrong with me” – is incompatible with Christianity and unacceptable to God. What is the opposite of “there’s nothing wrong with me”? Wouldn’t it be “there’s everything wrong with me”?

A Christian is someone who saw that he has a nature that is sinful; and that when he does things wrong it is because of that nature. The sin is evidence that something in him is wrong. When he heard the mesage of Jesus Christ - that through Jesus' death on the cross at Calvary that nature could be removed, destroyed and the sin washed away - He was willing to accept that grace and to overcome that old "sin nature".

What is Lent? Lent is being that man who stood in the back of the temple, and looked down at the ground, and prayed to God, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Lent is a time for us to be like that man. A time to give up our sinful habits and attitudes, and to stand before God and thank Him for forgiveness, for washing our sins away, and giving us the grace, through the empowering Holy Spirit, to be able to turn away from our sinful past and to live new lives that are dedicated to God.

Brian

2011-02-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

She considered herself to be pretty self suffiecient, the independent type, and comfortable in her role as a business executive. Fed up with the hurried, hectic lifestlyle of the city she decided to take a day trip to enjoy the peace and quiet of the country life. She hit the pike, got off at Cranberry, dropped down the roof on her Audi, and just enjoyed the thrill of no work, no calls and the cool country air rushing through her hair. Cruising north toward the big falls at Niagara she was going to enjoy her day out of the rat race.

After enjoying the sites she turned her machine around and was bent on enjoying the often-spoken-of sunset outside the little town of Northeast, which sits on Lake Erie. That sunset is famous and she was going to take it in. Cruising down the freeway she realized she had a major headache. The flopping of a flat tire would force her to pull over.

Head in hands wondering what to do and evening dead on, she looked up to see a late model truck pull over. In a second a young man with heavily-worked, dirty jeans got out of the truck and was heading to her car. In a cheery voice he asked, "Could you use some help?'

After he had changed her tire, the lady asked him what his name was? "Brian", he said, "folks around here just call me Brian." Well Brian, she said,"How much do I owe you?" "Nothing, Ma'am, just do something nice for someone else when you get a chance."

It was getting dark, so the gal thanked him and drove off. With a few miles of asphalt behind her, she pulled into a little restaurant to get something to eat. After being seated a waitress approached her table. It was evident that she was going to be a mother before to long. "When are you due?' she asked. "In about a month," she replied."Is this your first child?'

"Yes. I'm working to help my husband pay the doctor bills. He's had a hard time finding good work but we are still so excited." The women paid her check with a hundred dollar bill. When the waitress returned with the change, the lady was gone. On top of that when she cleaned off her table she found four one-hundred dollar bills under her plate as a tip.

At closing time the waitress headed home, and slowly climbed the stairs to bed. She saw that her husband was asleep, so she kissed him good night and said, "Somebody did something nice for me today. I'll tell you all about in the morning, Brian"

Eccl 11:1 Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. (NLT)

persecution

2011-02-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

She and her family were Christians in a place where Christ followers are considered profane. Islamic law says these traitors to the Muslim faith can be killed. Shafia and her family were known for their Christian faith. Her brother, Rafi, stood up for some Christian girls in their village. For doing this he was murdered in the night by Muslim's. The men who did this crime were never brought to justice.
With Rafi's death, the family lost their spiritual leader. Life only got worse for them from his death on. A Muslim man in Shafia's village tried to trick her into marrying him. When she refused, he kidnapped her at gunpoint.
For four months, Shafia was locked in a small, upstairs room. Each night the man raped her. He tried to force her to accept Islam. She refused, and he then started to beat her as well. Every night for four months the cycle repeated. Shafia's only solace was the memorized psalms she repeated as she was beaten. Shafia's kidnapping nightmare ended when she found the door to her crude prison unlocked. She immediately ran home to her family. She thought she was finally safe. But just as the nightmare ended another one began. Shafia's family had borrowed money from a local businessman to file charges against the kidnapper. To pay back their debt, they were forced to work as slave labor in a brick kiln.
Shafia and 11 family members shared a tiny mud room at the brick kiln with no kitchen and no bathroom. Every day the family made mud bricks for 12 hours a day. They earned just $3 for every 1,000 bricks. Only faith in God sustained Shafia. Each evening she prayed with her family and read scripture. Each Thursday night, they attended a nearby prayer meeting.
The Voice of the Martyrs heard about the family and paid their debt to the brick kiln owner. "Surely this is an answer to our prayers," she thought.
Since the horrible incidents the family now operates a taxi business and Shafia's family now hosts a prayer meeting for friends and neighbors in their home. They continue to let their faith in Jesus Christ shine in Pakistan. The risks have not changed. But neither has God.
This month Suburban Community Church is raising money and praying for the persecuted Church. These are our unnamed brothers and sisters in Christ, in area's of the world were Christ is not welcome but yet his light is shining. Please join us in praying for those under intense persecution and compassionately remember those whose faith can't be diminished by torture, abuse and suffering.

No weapon

2011-01-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Isa 54:17
'But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed.' (NLT)

Let's look at one of the most dynamic promises given to us "warriors of Christ" in the Bible; Isaiah 54:17. I think we should really use this verse all the time for our well being. It's more than a verse in the Bible, it's also an assurance - no weapon that can be formed against us will prosper.
It doesn't say that there won't be any weapons formed against us, as a matter of fact, Isaiah is saying that most assuredly there will be things formed against us with the intention to do us harm. This verse doesn't say that our enemies won't forge or form a weapon that can be used against us to cause us hurt; they most assuredly will be formed and put in motion by satan to harm us. We can be sure that at times we will experience attacks in our life. They will show up, they may even startle us for a time, quite possibly a weapon, or as Ephesions calls them, 'fiery darts' may knock us off our feet or they may have a degree of success during their duration till we figure out we are under attack and neutralize it.
This verse also tells us that we have an enemy. As if life isn't tough enough already, there are bullies out there trying to make our lives difficult. Only an enemy forms devices that he can use to do us harm.
I do want to remind each of my bloggers that for every weapon formed against us, Jesus Christ gives us the antidote for that weapon. 2Cor 10:3 reminds us that, 'We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods [guns, knives, fingernails, etc]. 4 We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons to knock down the Devil's strongholds.
The Old Testament puts it nicely also...Gen 50 :20 says, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good." It's time to stand in faith on the Word. When your situation comes, and it surely will if it hasn't already, remind yourself that God will bring you through.

Do you know what time it is?

2011-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

You hear it everyday - you hear it in most any place you find a person. "What time is it?"

For most of us it's simply a way of getting our bearings as to how much longer we are at work, or how long till the game, or how long till the snow arrives, or how long till our kids come home from school.

As I look around the country and the world around me, 'What time is it?' becomes a very powerful thought. In the times that we live in, most people say that they are glad that they don't have to raise kids

in todays' society....and most of them really mean it! Why? Because they know what time it is...it is a time of wickedness and they recognized this. One man said to me that "today sin and evil is so easy to catch up with you". He explained that back in his day you had to kinda go out of the way a little to get into big trouble but today it is right there in your living room. I think he meant his computer, smart phone and television, right at our fingertips.

I do believe that evil or trouble is very accessible in the lives of most people today - more than ever. Why? Because of 'What time it is". We can see our society breaking apart....it is evidenced by the breakdown in the family, social collapse, open lewdness, bold and brazen sins, the lack of shame, and nore and more crime. It is all because of 'What time it is.' Sin is easy because easy sin catches more people...I believe sin is more accessible because more accessible sin catches easy prey...I believe sex, sexual sins, lusts and sensual pleasures are easy today because they strike at man's nature and they are easy bait for a wise predator we call the devil. Why is this stuff so easy.....it is because of 'What time it is.'

Well then 'What time is it?'....It is not time for the bread to be done, it is not time for the game to come on or the snow to arrive...it is also not time to fall into these sins because IT IS - time for Jesus to come back. The signs are becoming more and more apparent.

Now is the time to dump the stuff and hook on with the Word of God, find an anointed pastor, a holy congregation, and men and women of God that can tell you what time it really is.....

Start over

2011-01-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Jer 18:4-6
4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again.

I appreciate this potter. He had put much work into his creation but it wasn't right. He recognised that it wasn't what he wanted. He had mixed the clay, added the necessary water, stirred and kneaded it to make a fine base, but after he had put it on the wheel and put much effort into it, he realized it wasn't what he was looking for. So he started over again! He destroyed it, got another big lump and started working it to make it what he wanted it to look like.

I know I'm not talking to all of you, but I am sure I will be speaking to some. It is time you look at what is going on in your life and it is time for you to start over again. The potter shows us that it's ok to start over again. He shows us it is not proper to keep pressing on when you know it is not really the way you want it to go.

In Jeremiah, it was the Lord that took him down to see the potter...to see this message of God to the people of Israel as told through the ordinary working practice of a potter. You see, God took Jeremiah down there. God had the potter doing the job. God had Jeremiah's eyes' and heart open to receive the truth.
Think about it now, right now. In your own life you may know it's just not going well. You know something needs to be done. You know you are in the slide and that you are just headed for a crash and burn. Why not 'start over'? God is in 'starting over".
Read the next, scripture...

5 Then the LORD gave me this message:
6 "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand." (NLT)

If you'll be willing to 'start over,' can't God do for you what He said He would do for Israel? He will take you in His hands and He will shape you for the good He wants to see in you.....just ask Him.

Resolutions or Solutions

2010-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well the Holidays are over and all is done. I can now put the grate back where it belongs over by the fireplace and I can go outside and bring in some of the wood I split this year and start a nice comfy evening fire. I don't have to worry about blocking Santas' path into my house...or burning his ruby red britches while he's coming down the chimney if he does it too slow. Everything is Osha approved again.

I hope your Christmas was as sweet as Karen and I's. We had a lovely service and good times with our kids and grandchilren and we have our health. I hope this is the same with you.

Today everyone is focusing on the upcoming New Years Eve reveling, which is a big part of some peoples' December 31st evening. Another big-time New Years event is the resolution business. That comes from people who want to start over fresh in something or want to make themselves a better person in the upcoming year. A New Year's resolution is kind of a personal home improvement project. It's even more like a home construction project because of the similarity of both...think of it....we get half or three quarters of the way through, lose interest and the project sits undone for months. For some people who lose interest, years.

Resolutions are a lot like that, we lose interest in months, sometimes days and almost always in sweat. Yeah, I mean sweat. If something is to hard, requires a lot of work, a lot of effort, it is usually abandoned pretty fast.

My proof on that is in the rankings of America's top five New Year resolutions:
No.5 is to get a new hobby
#4 is to make more money
#3 is visit the foks
#2 is to quit smoking and
#1 is............you take a guess....yeah, lose weight. It seems like everybody on the planet has made or quit this resolution. Thats why it is number one..we keep bringing it up and we keep abandoning it. Over and over we recycle the resolution and over and over we drop it.
Well that's the way with resolutions. They go in one year and out the other. What we really need in our lives is not resolutions we need solutions. And not just solutions we need God's solutions.
This year don't listen to the piping in your mind. Cut the miror talk. Cap the vanity. Ask God what or where you really need to improve. He will give you home improvements that He can help you with. Improvements that really work and are custom fitted to you. Go ahead....ask....I dare you...

Christmas

2010-12-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

All through the Christmas stories we find one beautiful thread, and that is the thread of worship.
The angels worshipped the Savior in the fields outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds were told to go and see the Savior and they were so amazed they went out to tell everyone, the Magi came and gave their gifts in worship. Even the Star that guide the Magi did what was asked of it to guide our eastern wise men as they traveled. Latter in life we see the people at the temple praising God when they held the baby or saw the Christ child. One man said that it would be ok to die now that he had seen the Messiah. All of these events and many more did one thing to mankind, they caused him to worship God.
Worship is contact with God - it's no wonder why we have so many fights on our way to church! The enemy wants to rob & distract you from Him! Worship is our expression & connection with God & His presence. When God's people come together - He shows up! He inhabits our praise.

When we worship, we establish a throne for the King to come, rule & reign. When we worship, things happen in our lives for His good!! There are times when God is quiet, but He's not left you. There are sovereign times in the silence - God is still moving in your midst.

Worship is just as much for me as it is for Him!! It's not just all talk, it's sharing your heart with your Papa God, Father & Creator. David is an example of what a true-worshipper is. He worshipped with all his heart, spirit and soul. When we come to the Christmas Story, the child in a manger, remember it is not about our gifts to others, it is about our gift of worship to God that is improtant.
Some of this blog was from Pastor Zane Anderson, my sisters Pastor out in Tucson, Az. I think alot of him and his ministry so I thought it would be good to pass some of his very real words on to you.
Merry Christmas to all of you who have been reading my blog and God richly bless you.

Intentional

2010-12-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Gal 4:4
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (KJV)
One of the ways we know God and can understand Him is in the way we see Him work. How God does things helps us know how we can or should do things. God not only had good intentions but he acted intentionally. We can see this in Genesis where He put the world together in a planned order. We can also see it in His plan of Salvation for mankind. God did everything intentionally, on purpose, with a plan. No one was ever more intentional than our Savior. Jesus knew exactly why he came to earth and that His mission of love was to reach a lost and dying world that was separated from God. He was never sidetracked, purposeless or confused about his mission. We would say today that Jesus was very 'focused.'
The scripture above says that God sent His son 'in the fulness of time' He was not sent to soon and He didn't come to late, he came at just the right time. It was intentional, for the purpose of making it possible for us and God to have meaningful relationships together. Gods love was for healing all of us of a sickness called sin. If God was intentional so he could build and make relationships with us then we should be intentional also. The highest goal we can have this side of heaven is to have a love like Jesus love.
This Holiday Season could be a real good time to intentionally begin the process of healing a relationship gone sour. It could be a good time to reach out to someone you would like to get to know. This Christmas may be a good time to call, write, stop in, or email, a certain someone and strike up some love. Shalom.

Names

2010-12-08T08:14:00.001-08:00

God’s heart is for us to know Him. God shows us who He is through His nature and His character. One of the ways we determine the nature of God is in His names found in the Old Testament that describe His nature. The reason this is important is because it tells you what He’s like and what He does.

In Exodus 15:26 we find God is Jehovah Rapha; the Lord our Healer. This scripture unveils to me one of the expressions of His nature. It is His very nature to heal us. That’s why I don’t believe that healing stopped at the end of the New Testament because The New Testament hasn’t stopped.
Jehovah Nissi means the Lord is our banner. He’s our covering; He’s our refuge; He’s our guard. The word banner was always used in the context of warfare and battle so that tells me God will go with me into the battle. I don’t have to fight the adversary alone.
Jehovah Shalom: the Lord is my peace; He’s the One that brings me peace and comfort.
Jehovah Rah: the Lord is my Shepherd; He guides and directs.
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord is my provider. In these hard economic times I need to remember to do everything I can do. But the bottom line is, God promised to provide for me.
Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is with us; the Lord is present.
El Shaddai: The all sufficient One.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

2010-12-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

Luke 2:4-5 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the lineage of David:) (KJV)

In terms of history, Bethlehem is a pretty busy place. Not mentioning all the times it played a role in times past, I would like to focus on three important times history put its cursor on this little town south of Jerusalem.

The trip that Joseph and Mary took to bring forth the Christ child is really the third “all-important trip” made to Bethlehem.

The first great journey starts hundreds of years before that in the book of Ruth (a quick read consisting of only four chapters). A man named Elimelech leaves Bethlehem with his wife Naomi, because there is no bread there. [Basically what it means to you and I today is that he was unable to find a good job... you know, ‘no bread’.] After Elimelech relocates, he finds nothing but misery and struggle and he and his two sons pass away leaving Naomi with two daughters-in law. Naomi and Ruth stay together and go back to Bethlehem. Now this is important because Ruth, through a couple turns in life, marries a man named Boaz. They have a son who has another funny-named kid that everyone will laugh at in school, named Obed. This funny-named man, Obed, has a son whose name is Jesse, who becomes the father of a really special guy who finally has a real name (David) that you can make a reservation with at a nice restaurant.

This takes us to the second great journey to Bethlehem - when Samuel the prophet goes there. This is, by the way, more really great reading (See 1 Sam. 16). Anyway, God has removed His divine anointing from Saul, the king of Israel, because of his sinful ways. God sends Samuel to the house of Obed’s son, Jesse, to ultimately anoint his little ruddy son David to be the King. Where did all this happen? You got it, in Bethlehem! God promises that through David, the Messiah would come.
So that brings us to the Third great Journey to this little town of Bethlehem. That is when Joseph, who can trace his birth line to David, is told by an angel to take a virgin named Mary to be his wife. And just like life for most of us, that is when all the problems start. You know after the ring. So to get to the conclusion of this story they have to go to Bethlehem since Joseph is of the linage (ancestry) of David. He takes his very pregnant wife with him. Getting to Bethlehem would fulfill the prophecies concerning the birth of the Christ. So in Bethlehem when our Savior was born to Mary and Joseph, it finishes what was begun with Ruth and Naomi

Lets talk Snow (Pt2 of 2)

2010-12-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

I mentioned there were two things about the snow from last winter that I enjoyed. The First being the depth of all the white stuff. The second thing about the heavy accumulation was how much I forgot was under the snow. Our yard was so beautiful with all that fluff, that it made me forget that I left the big ugly red oil container and the greasy dirty blue funnel that I use to change oil out along the stone wall near the strawberry patch. For two months they were lost to the snow cover....I couldn’t find it anywhere.....I was just warming up to the idea that one of the guys borrowed them and didn’t bring them back, you know the excuse, it really works if you want to blame shift. The deep snow also helped me forget how unsightly the Clematis looks when it is out of season, just a bunch of brown stringy runners and leaves...Hey can you remember how awful the Hostas’s can look when the frost finally knocks those huge leaves to the ground, thank you Mr. Snow man. I couldn’t remember where a really kool, handsomely painted Rooster that we put out in the flower bed among the white Alyssum was until the snow finally melted down and we found our kroner in a million colorful pieces. When the snow finally did leave us I found a lot of things that were buried and ruined, from the weight of the snow.

Winter snows can bury a lot of things in our yards and gardens and the snows of life can cover us with a blanket of struggles and sorrows as well. Sometimes we have seasons of struggles where the weight and harshness of life seem to overwhelm us. But if we can learn to trust God we will see that out of those troubles comes a special grace that will build our faith as beautifully as the purplish smiles of the crocuses patch welcomes us after the hard winter storms.

I want to close on this note found in 2 Cor. 12:9 it says that "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. (NLT

Lets Talk Snow

2010-11-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

Let’s Talk Snow (Pt#1 of 2)

Some people may think it is early but once you get up to or past Thanksgiving the possibility of snow becomes a very real factor to be considered in your daily planning. I know that I am in the minority when I say this, but I really enjoyed this past winter. So many years we have had to endure the dreadful brown, soaked, worn out earth look from January to April. Last winter it seemed everyday was filled with snow, shoveling and coming precipitation. By the end of February I will admit I was tired and pretty set on the hopes of spring and at least a nine month break from the white stuff. Still, the winter of twenty-ten went fast for me because there was so much to do and often so much to do in a short period of time.

Two things stand out about all of last year’s accumulation: First, the depth of the snow. Karen and I could watch the snow form a pristine white top-hat on our BBQ grill just outside the family room door. It really was an historic winter for me. I can’t remember a winter when the snow made so many visits and like an uncaring guest stayed so long....I will remember the depth of the 2010 winter forever.

I doubt any body wants a repeat of last year’s blizzard like conditions. But I must confess I would love to have it.

I always liked the deep snows even if they were a lot of work. Oh yea a disclaimer may be due on the subject, “The author of this article only speaks for himself and in no way represents the opinion of this communication engine or the snow shoveling public. He does understand the road bound public wants the white stuff only for Christmas and he respects that view.”

But the deep snow really gets me going.

It says about God in Rom 8:38-39,

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What a promise that scripture is to be to all of us. Nothing can separate a Child of God from His love. On top of that there will never be a time when those who don’t know or even care to know the Lord will not be able to reach out to him for his love if they so chose. That is a guaranteed provision necessary for all of us, ‘the love of our God.’

Now that is deep!

Awkward and a Facebook Fast challenge

2010-11-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

No other love risked more awkwardness than Christ’s.

?Can you imagine God becoming man? ?How awkward is that? Not only must it have been awkward for God to put on human flesh, but think how awkward it must have been for Him throughout his life.

· I wonder what He felt when He went to His dad’s funeral knowing He had raised others from the dead.

· I often wonder what He felt or thought when He went to the Synagogue and listened to the Rabbi’s trying to "explain the Bible".......you know....the One He wrote.

· How did He feel when He became a victim of the very people that He created... talk about awkward.

· How awkward it must have been to be teaching love to a society that was built on brutality.

His love teaches us that we will also have to risk awkwardness in our relationships with others. Sometimes a relationship will require a major overhaul or more personal attention. It may need propped up with a pinch of love, or maintained with a splash of encouragement, it may need forgiveness received or pardon given. The virtues that are needed in life situations can make you feel very awkward. There is a risk when we step out like that. Every relational breakthrough that I have ever had in my life included the risk of awkwardness to bring about the desired results. Awkward comes in many ways, bashful, uncomfortable, unsure, risking looking silly, having to take the first step and apologize, etc.

Risking awkwardness isn’t something you can do on Facebook or Twitter. You can’t bring healing over the internet, or put your hand on someone's shoulder through email. You can be an acquaintance, but not a true blue friend, that comes from personal face-to-face relationships. You can’t have ‘through thick or thin loyalty', twittering. It is not possible to abate loneliness on a social network through electronic mail.

To create relationships that are built on love, and to have a 'Love That Lasts’ you have to be personal, be there, not be a number, not an e-address.

Today I am going to ask you to take my ‘LOVE THAT LASTS CHALLENGE’ and participate in a "Facebook Fast". [Don't do Facebook? It also applies to computer/TV/Sports overload/Anything time stealing.

I’m not bashing Facebook. I use it, I blog once a week, I email and I text frequently. Social media is great so long as it doesn’t become a substitute for really connecting in a deep and personal way with people.

In fact, I want to spread the 'Facebook Fast' to all my facebook friends.

One day a week I would like you to fast from chatting or gaming on facebook (or any of the above mentioned "time stealers") to get face to face with a friend, spouse, a someone or a loved one. It may be having coffee or lunch with them, sitting down and writing a letter, card or making a personal call; maybe its someone hurting and just waiting for someone - you - to strike up a friendship with them.

Take the time that you are abstaining during your 'facebook fast' and put a real live person in its place.......?Starting today and ending on Thursday, January 5th, would you join the 'LOVE THAT LASTS, FACEBOOK CHALLENGE', with all of us here at The SUB. Let's start a relational revolution!

loving

2010-11-13T16:57:00.000-08:00

We've been talking about love the past three Sundays at ‘The SUB’ and, what can I say, I know that some of you are in some very tough patches. I just want to remind you that when you start to reach out, or start loving, or re-energize yourself to continue loving someone, and see very little results... it is discouraging and sometimes very hard to take.

One of the things I love to do is to garden...just seem to be wired that way...I like to grow stuff. Anyway, there's a plant called the Chinese bamboo. It's really emblematic of the way things sometimes go with us. To grow this thing, you plant the cutting in the ground, water it, fertilize it, but you see no growth... nothing for the first year. Then you do the same the second year and so on and so forth for sometimes as long as 6 yrs. Think about it. You do all that work and put forth a tremendous effort and you see nothing for five or six years, even tho all this time you're weeding, watering, fertilizing and protecting it. Finally, somewhere around the fifth or sixth year, "Bam"....it sprouts. The World Book Encyclopedia records that in a single six week period this Chinese Bamboo plant can grow as high as ninety feet and that it can grow three feet in a single twenty-four hour period. It seems incredible that a plant that lies dormant for that many years can suddenly explode with that kind of growth.

That's the way it is when we start to reach out. Sometimes the results will be slow, but God has you there to be His hands and heart and to be an Ambassador of Himself. As you reach out and love, the Holy Spirit will give you strength to see you through your assignment.

Focus on fulfilling the purposes of your love. Don’t be deterred or distracted. Keep watering, fertilizing, cultivating, weeding and pruning. God will take your love and place it where He wants it, at the rate He wants for those you are reaching out too.

God may allow you to labor for years with little visible results. Don’t be discouraged! Underneath the surface things are happening that you can’t see. Roots are growing down and out, repairing, and convicting, for what is ahead. Even when you may not see the wisdom of what God is doing, you must trust God. Learn to live with the assurance that He knows what he is doing and that His love for this person runs deep. Remember Proverbs 19:21:”Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Garbage

2010-11-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Standing on the deck and looking down on my driveway, I see a beautiful neighborhood, a lovely gigantic pine and an oak tree filled with acorns. What a site! It's from these lovely trees that our beautiful feathered friends from our community fly into and eat their munchies during the winter months. What a sight they are against the foliage and later the snow (eww - enough of that for now!) Anyway, while admiring those little critters I look down at the driveway and see a huge mess of "stuff". Deciding to investigate closer, I went down the steps and saw all the shells from the bird feeders. This junk is everywhere - and lots of it!! -sunflower shells and all kinds of leftover millet. Those little birds are eating all the goodies and leaving me the waste. Every couple of weeks I have to clean what the rain and wind won't wash away - which is 90% of it. My little chickadee is cute but not very tidy, the sparrows are downright messy. At least the blue Jays take the seeds up into the trees. I guess they figure leaving the garbage after dinner for me to clean up isn't too much to do considering the entertainment they provide. That's a bunch of garbage too, but from a birdies' perspective, I guess.
I turned my computer on to figure out how to make a squirrel feeder and I have to sit through fifty advertisements about how to find available singles, cheap car insurance rates or the newest political poll about Obamanomics. Geez just get me the details about the feeder will ya & cut out the garbage....sorry. When its a computer, its spam. The phone rings and its some guy speaking in broken English I can't understand named Lopiano, who's in Pakistan doing a survey about plastic recyclables for a company in Monroeville...it's another nuisance call...and...of course...more garbage. I think garbage is filling the earth...its everywhere and in every shape and form...you can't even listen to the neighbering kids because some of them rattle off expletives in multiples so fast they can't even stop to breathe. It is a shame that there is nothing but garbage coming out of their mouths. If you turn your TV on, the word garbage is now a synonym for ABC, SPIKE, WE, NBC,CBS,FOX, ESPN, etc,etc,etc. The TV is entertainment garbage. Some of it is pure fiction so you can expect it to be trash and should end up in the "sin bin" but what about the politicians... they are dead serious about what they are saying and it is still garbage. What a shame. Much of what they promise ends up in the waste dump too and these people are trying to be serious.
It makes me think of Isaiah 57:20 'But the wicked are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud' (NAU)
Let's bring this to us... In a world full of garbage, as Christians, we should be the real deal. The virtue of God should be exhibited in us......let's remove the garbage and......... "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matt 5:16 (NKJ)

Taking the stone away

2010-10-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

At the magnificent miracle of the raising of the dead man Lazarus, (John 11:39) Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Before the great and mighty miracle was to take place, Jesus needed someone to move the stone guarding the tomb away.

It is interesting to me that the Savior who has the power to raise a man from the dead has to have someone move a stone away from the grave. I'm sure that if Jesus wanted to, He could have spoken the words and that stone would have been cleared out of there. Later in the chapter he tells Lazarus to "come forth". Then He asks the men around him to ‘loosen him and let him go'. The disciples didn't only take away the stone, but they also unwrapped Lazarus.

It's apparent to me that God is showing us that we play a very important role with Him. I doubt that there's a man alive on this earth who has ever been converted without the Lord using us "human instruments" in some way to help Him get the job done.

God could easily convert men without us; but that's not His way, He actually wants to use us, to involve us in the work He does.
Like the tomb, though, there's another stone that must be rolled away before any great work of God can be brought about. That's the stone of indifference. There are a lot of Christians out there who just don’t care. DON'T BE ONE OF THEM!! Let Jesus involve you.

The flashlight

2010-10-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

I mean it, sometimes it takes more activity to accomplish a simple job than a job should take. This week I wanted to change the oil in the car. It was a bad idea right from the start. First, I couldn't even find the filter.....is there anyone out there with a Chevy Cavelier who knows what I am talking about? I looked all around the engine, then on top of the engine and finally under the engine till I finally found the thing only visable from underneath the car. It was totally unreachable by hand. The devil himself must have engineered the place for that oil filter. Anyway, I get under the car and then realize I can't see, so now I need a flashlight. I got up from underneath the car to go get a flashlight and, of course, the batteries were dead, bringing to mind the little ditti that says, "a flashlight is a great place to store dead batteries". I cannot change the oil filter if I don't have new batteries so I start checking every drawer in the house for two 'C' batteries and am pathetically reduced to stealing the batteries from one of the Grandkids toys to make the stupid light come on. Finally getting my act together, I get back under the car to unscrew the filter and find out that I can't get it out without a special tool. Thank goodness I put the Jeep out on the street before I jacked the car up to do this oil change. I head over to Auto Zone and the man at the counter gives me a special wrench just for my car. I go back home, get underneath the car and find out that it doesn't fit the existing filter that is now on the car. Why me Lord! Why Me! I finally took the car to Radford's and left it with Bill.
There really is a good lesson to this sorry episode......well, beside the fact that I know I'm no mechanic. My point is that after all the work it took to get that flashlight working, it still only helped me to see. It did nothing to get the job done. It only solves a vision problem, it does not fix what is broken. As I thought on this (and the steam and humiliation subsided) I found a spiritual truth in it for me. The other day when I was reading my Bible, I came to Rom 7:7, "The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "Do not covet." (NLT)
There are places in the Bible that also help me to see; things like the 10 commandments, the Beatitudes, parts of the book of Galatians and so on, they are there to help me see. When I read certain portions of the Bible it tells me not to do some things. We call those things sin. The Bible tells us not to do them. If God doesn't tell us what is proper behavior we would never know how we are to act. When I agree that I'm to act in a certain way and I don't, I experience guilt. It's because of the guilt that I realize the great forgiveness of God. It is the heavy guilt that calls my attention (shines the light), Helps me to see the wonderful grace of God. The guilt becomes my flashlight it doesn't fix the problem.....it only shows me that I have one. The solution is for us to ask the "guilt-remover", Savior, Healer, God of Mercy, Jesus Christ, to come and "fix the problem". Ahhhh..........

Faith

2010-09-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

We just came back from a ‘STM’ this weekend. A ‘STM’ is a short-term mission trip. This one is near Morgantown, WV. It's a great place to work for the Lord outside of our normal Christian area of influence.

I am so grateful that we have this place to minister at. We can go out for a day and do work for the Lord and still be home in time to work around their house. We have seen our teens attend every single trip that we have gone on and most of them have contributed on a very productive level.

For most Christians it is sometimes difficult to find a place to exercise our ‘faith works’. We have our church but nothing else. We find ourselves comfortable inside the four walls and that's our entire sphere of influence. Short-term missions helps all of us get outside these walls and into the streets where the power of God works in ways unseen in the sanctuary.

God understood the comfy-coziness of our faith inside the church. He knew that we would find it easier to exercise our faith inside our comfort zone than to have to believe and trust outside our walls. Listen to what He says in James 2:14-18:

14 Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone. 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16 and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"-- but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-- it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." I say, "I can't see your faith if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds." (NLT)

I want to thank the Lord for all of you in the body of Christ, and to those at "The SUB" that work in our Homeless Ministry and those of you who help in the Storehouse of God operations and those ministering in the Crisis Response Support Team, those involved with the Fire Department…or those who visit those in the Hospital or Nursing Homes..Let all of us at the ‘SUB’ be a people that shows their love through faith by our deeds. God Bless.

Sand Castle memories

2010-09-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Elijah and Steve are digging in the sand together for the better part of a couple hours. Deep trenches and well engineered water routes were factored into the construction plans for their father and son sand castle. Up out of the plain old sandy beach a royal homestead was being made. After hours of work it was time to close out the project so off they went to get some shells to put in the main towers and wa-la it was complete! As we stood back, someone asked, 'How do you get into it, there's no gate, door or entrance'. Before you knew it, there was a little gate with a roadway to it.

We all celebrated their castle! It had everything a castle could have & the job was done; smiles, imagination, father-son bonding, and new construction..it truly was a pleasant site on the plain, flat ordinary beach. We made a "Kodak moment" and took pictures, hugged and finally got Steve to get off the castle and get ready to join us playing football....BUT - as we all stood there still looking at it, the first wave came up to the end of the new road, within seconds the second wave came within inches of the new gate, then came a huge wave that almost swept the whole castle away......need I say more?

The next day we came down to swim and you couldn't even tell that any father or son had played there the day before...you would never think that some wonderful family memories were ever fashioned on that spot. It was too bad, all we had were some pictures and, for those of us without a camera.....just the memory. Three waves were all it took, just three waves and it was gone....If you look at that section of the beach today there's nothing. But thank you Kodak because the camera captured the castle, the shells, Elijah and Steve and all of us watching. It has the memories, even though the waves mercilessly erased the art form.

In Isaiah 43:26 it says 'Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case (NKJ)'

God is telling us here to 'remind Him', (not like He ever forgets or anything like that) but to just remind Him of the things that through His Word, the Bible, He has promised us. Life gets like the beach to us and the waves of everyday work, worry, problems, struggle and activities kinda have a way of washing away our little castle of security or comfort. Maybe some of you have seen your health castle being washed away. Someone else may have their peace castle bowled over by bully waves, or your job has been flattened. That's when it's a good time to sit down with your Bible, look up some of God's wonderful promises and remind Him what His Word says....His Word to you!!!

NO PARKING!!

2010-09-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is the story of one man's patience-shattering experiences in finding a parking place. It was so bad it was almost comical.

The first time, I headed into Irwin to an appointment (well, yes, I was running late) but to my delight there was a parking place just near - so very near- to where I needed to go. I pulled up to position myself to park, and what to my disgusted wondering eyes did I see, but a big bright red cone staring at me! Head down, hands firmly grasping the wheel (well more like wanting to rip the wheel off the car) I moved on, finally ending up 4.25678 million miles away...honest!!

Later in the day, I was doing some work and thought I would stop by and say "hello" to someone. I pulled in only to see an "Insurance Agency Customer Parking Only" sign. If that isn't enough, the sign told me that if I dare park there and can't prove that I'm a customer in good standing, they will tow my car away and I will have to pay the costs...I swear I'll never buy their insurance! They have no compassion for a poor guy trying to drop his anchor so he can visit someone.

It only got worse from there. Karen asked me to pick up something at Target, so up the rows I head, looking for a close parking place. I spot one just ahead, but there was a car in front of me and I figured he would take it. He doesn't!! I'm thinking this is my lucky day and I pull happily in - only to see a "Parking for Expectant Mothers" sign. Now I'm looking in the Jeep for a volleyball. None to be found! I have to pull out...and just where do I end up?? Down at Eat'n'Park!! Well, now that I'm here, I'll grab a cup of Joe and a piece of pie, read some stuff and head home. I turn the corner and head for a nice little space left just for me. Life is good. I get the truck nicely stuffed between the lines, check the position of the car, hit the key, get out, press auto lock, put my keys in my pocket and look over only to see a "Take Out Customers Only" sign sternly and faithfully guarding the site.

?Have you ever thought of how much asphalt there is in North Huntingdon (or wherever you call home) that we are not allowed to park our tired, road-weary Goodyears on? Go to the Hospital and it says, "Emergency Vehicle Only". Stop at the township office and it says, "Commish Pal Move It". One spot in town, this kills me... someone with a nasty streak in them put a sign up that says, "No Parking between 8 and 5PM". That's so cruel. Why would I ever need that spot other than those hours?? I think they should be sho...never mind!

I even stopped at my own loving, caring nutritionist's office to pick up the vitamins that keep my little engine going, and when I pull in next to the door, what do I see but a "No Parking Bio Waste Pick Up" sign...GEEZ!~!

Hey, all kidding aside, there really are a lot of places that for courtesy, practicality, or good reason, we can't park. It is the same way in our Christian life. Think over your upcoming day...maybe there are some places you DON'T NEED to stop by and park in. If you're moving into the space of jealousy, anger, bitterness, impatience, sneaky, spite, etc...back out and don't park there!!

Get It Done!.....002

2010-08-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

Eccl 10:7, “I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.” (KJV)
Do you have the haunting notion that you should paint a picture, make a butterfly collection or do that certain thing that’s always on your mind? Do you wish you would just take a walk or a bike ride?..build the deck furniture, make a tree house with your grandson or doll house for your daughter? (You add the next one because only you know what it is.) You’ve been busy with so many things, unfortunately, not satisfying things.
If you put it into perspective using the above Scripture verse, your talent, your notion, that haunting desire is walking in the dust; and your unnecessary time wasters are riding on the horse.
Let’s think of it in terms of people...you got caught up in an office fray and just because you opened your “big” mouth, you’re at odds with someone and you don’t even want to be. Well, friendship and goodness is pulling the horse, and misunderstanding, gossip, maybe even manipulation and old-fashioned-stinky-office-politics is riding on the horse. I’ll do another one for you...Do you know someone who needs your call, visit, help or companionship? You know they do, but you’re too preoccupied with lesser stuff and it robs the time you would use to bless them. You experience the uneasiness every night about 10:00 pm when you try to relax, but you feel guilty because you didn’t do it again today either.....Well peace, service, love, ministry, contentment, inner satisfaction they are all walking in the dust. Something has displaced the quality virtues with lesser notions. The lesser values are enjoying a ride while quality virtues are walking in the dust and dirt.

Maybe it’s time, today, right now, don’t wait, to get on your computer and schedule that “notion” in, get your appointment book out and leave Thursday, 4:30pm open or make Tuesday, 6:30pm available. You probably need to take your cursor and scroll down your calendar and point at all those “time and goodness wasters” and press delete.

Forget the gym, do the notion and have peace…

How does God c u?

2010-08-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Judges 6:12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!" (NLT)
Have you ever heard the voice from heaven? Elijah heard the voice from heaven in his cave while hiding. Jesus heard the voice from heaven when He was baptised, and those that travelled with Paul heard a voice from heaven but they couldn't see what Paul was seeing...Did you ever wonder what that voice would sound like if it was talking to you or have you ever wished that God would speak to you...Well He does speak to us and He does it in many ways. One way is through His written Word...Here in Judges God is speaking to me...I love what it's saying to me and I love how it speaks to me.
Gideon was hiding in a wine press trying to get some food from some wheat he was able to gather....hungry, hiding like a coward, totally alone, God finds him and through an Angel God speaks to him and says, "Mighty Hero, the LORD is with you'....
The Angel addressed Gideon as a 'Mighty Hero,' God saw Gideon not as he was (a coward hiding in a wine press scratching out a meager ration of some leftover wheat)He saw him as the hero he was going to make out of him. Did you get that, not what he was but what God was going to make of him....Victorious and a Hero. You have to have a battle to have a victory.. and you have to win to be the Hero! Gideon couldn't see any of this but God could. This tells me that God has a position of blessing for me and he will move me to it and it tells me that God sees me totally different then how I'm viewed by others or seen by myself.
When you read the Word, God will speak to you with promises like he did to Gideon. He will make your tomorrow a Victory and he will make you in your part of the world his 'Hero'.
God bless ya dear one. If this ministers or witnesses to you just say 'Amen.'

Tuesday, August 24th-My first post

2010-08-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Just setting up my blog and want to see how it goes. Checking the system out and will post something tomorow.
I want to say "hello" welcome to my site. Since this is really, just simple today, tomorrow I'll have something meaningful.
Check in with a "hi" back to me and tell me you stopped by.