Just Say it Already!

A friend of mine sent me this email today. Enjoy...

To All My Democrat Friends (few that there are):

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To All My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Pleasing People

As I was preparing this week to teach my young couples adult Bible class, a thought hit me about pleasing people. I am teaching a series on decision making and we looked at the story of Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 5. The point I made this morning was that it is foolish to make decisions with the goal of pleasing people. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to please the apostles and other members of the church by saying they brought the full amount of the sale of their land. The problem they had was that they desired to please people, but they didn't desire to please God. They did a good thing. What they were doing had the potential to please good people. Still, what they did was not good. Why? Because of their motive.

As I was looking over my lesson last night (I taught it this morning), a very succint and powerful thought came to me. Think about this:

A godly person who wants to please godly people need only worry about pleasing God.

Who are you trying to please?

Gen Y Worker Continued...Again

Click here to read another article I came across regarding the Gen Y worker. Recognition of this issue seems to be growing in the reporting world. I would be very interested to hear your take on the matter.

A Challenge to My Post About the Gen Y Worker

Let me start by saying that I shouldn't really be surprised about the article I mentioned in my last post. 2 Timothy 3 gives us an insight into the last days. The first thing it tells us will characterize men in that time is that they will be "lovers of their own selves." When I read the article, it simply stunk with that attitude.

I emailed my post to a couple people that I am close to. One responded with a challenge to my point of view. Their email went like this (I have edited the email to keep the individual anonymous):

"I disagree with you on this one. If an employer wants to attract and retain good employees, then he/they must offer more than your typical factory or fast food outlet will offer. And that does include current technology (try working for any length of time without it), flexibility (often valued by the employee more than a monetary increase), and mentoring (it BITES to not be able to get your message across to someone who can make a difference and if your supervisor is inept on any level, this can be a real problem). Trust me, I have been in the workplace for 35+ years and even though I am not Generation Y, even I appreciate the items listed in the magazine article. If an employee is a good one (there's the catch), it really is worth doing what you can as an employer to retain them. Retraining new hires is time consuming and very costly to any organization. Turnover has been proven to be one of the greatest avoidable costs to a company. Enough for now. Just offering a different opinion!"

I will admit, I really don't have a problem with any of the main points of the article. I believe it's great for a company or organization to provide mentoring, to allow autonomy, to embrace current technology and to be flexible. My point is that these things aren't provided for the satisfaction of the employee, they are provided for the growth and profit of the company. I would be the first one to say that I like having the tools to do what my employer wants me to do. However, my having the tools is not and never should be the ultimate goal of my employer. The ultimate goal should be that the job he has assigned me to do gets done.

The tone of the article indicated to me that Gen Y is all about them (which is mostly true). In my humble opinion, that is a dangerous premise to found your life upon.

The Generation Y Worker

While I was on a break at work the other day, I picked up a magazine called Oregon Business. As I flipped through the pages of a publication I didn't really want to read, I came across an article that caught my attention. The title went like this: "How to satisfy the Generation Y worker." That statement struck me as backwards so I began to read.

One of the first things I learned was that I am a member of Gen Y. According to the article, this is the generation born between the late 70's and 1990. I was born in 1980.

Please understand something, I know that a lot has changed from the generations of the World Wars to my generation. One of those things is character. My generation lacks it. What I didn't realize is the degree to which it is lacked and how proud Gen Y is about it. In fact, it is something that should be accepted and catered to by previous generations according to the article I read. Click here if you would like to read the article yourself, but be ready to fight the gag reflex.

The article refers our "high self-esteem" that "results from years of parental encouragement." The author warns companies that "club membership isn't enough for these workers; they need reasons to feel loyal to a company." A few tips are then provided to help businesses attract and retain Gen Y workers.

Here are the tips:
1. Provide mentoring
2. Allow autonomy
3. Embrace current technology
4. Be flexible

Here's my take: as I said earlier, the whole premise of the article is totally backwards. When I saw the title, the first question that came to my mind was, "Since when is it the responsibility of the employer to satisfy the employee?" Isn't it the duty of the employee to satisfy the employer? That's why the employer hired him/her, isn't it? I'll tell you the only thing that should be necessary to satisfy any worker: a paycheck. The nature of this article and how it reflected on my generation literally made me sick to my stomach.

I wonder what Gen Z will be like...

A Record Setting Knife

When I saw this record setting Swiss army knife, my first thought was: Simple is good. Have you ever felt like you had more tools than you really needed? For the record, this knife has 87 tools. I saw this picture, laughed and wanted to share it with you. What does it make you think of?

Coffee Creek Update

I just got home from the service at Coffee Creek Correctional facility. I have blogged previously about the ministry we have in the local ladies prison. God is still blessing in a tremendous way. There were 120 ladies in attendance tonight and 3 trusted Christ as their Saviour.

It is a huge blessing to be able to go in there each week and preach God's Word. The ladies are so appreciative of our willingness to come. They are also extremely receptive to preaching. I can't think of another group I'd rather speak to. Please pray that God will keep His hand on this unique ministry.

A Thought about Thinking

I am in the process of preparing to teach a class on preaching to a group of about a dozen men in our church. This Saturday, I am going to give the guys a lesson on the introduction of a message. When I was in Bible college, Dr. John Goestch taught us an outline for the introduction that he has used almost every time he has preached since he took homiletics at Maranatha.

Dr. Goetsch taught us that one of the key parts of the introduction comes in the form of a question. He calls this aspect of the introduction the propositional statement. Let's say you are preaching on the subject of the will of God, you might as a question like: "Do you know God's will for your life?" or "Are you seeking God's will for your life?" Dr. Goetsch taught us that questions make people think more than direct statements. I wholeheartedly agree.

As I was preparing for the preaching class, a succinct thought came to my mind. I don't know if I am the originator of this statement, but I know that I've never heard it put quite like this.

Think about this statement:

You can't make people change unless you can make them think.

It hit me as simply profound.

It's a Girl!

Perhaps you know that my wife is about 6 months pregnant. Well, she went to the doctor today for the ultrasound and we found out we're having a girl! If you don't know my son, you can get to know him here. Now that we'll have a boy and a girl, we might be done.

Here is something for you to pray about: choosing a name for our new baby. I think my wife and I will need marriage counseling before this is all over. I like the name Elena. She wants to name the baby Jocelyn. I'll keep you posted on the results of this fight...err...discussion.

Kim brought home some pictures from the ultrasound and one of them is absolutely hilarious. The way the machine took the picture makes our baby look like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then that means nothing to you. If you do know what I'm talking about (i.e. you are a Star Wars junkie), then you are laughing right now. As soon as I can scan that photo, I'll add it to this post. Stay tuned for that, you'll like it.

On the serious side, pray for my wife and I about having another child at home. When I told my pastor that Kim was pregnant, his first statement was this: "One is fun, but two is like twenty." We're excited about the new baby, but we also realize that the responsibility doesn't just add up, it multiplies.

Elevator Scare (Prank Wednesday)

Enjoy the video! All the man is doing is screaming as the elevator door is closing. Simple, but very effective.

DISCLAIMER: I can't speak Spanish. I don't know what the text says at the bottom of the screen, therefore I am not accountable for it. :)

(FYI: I'm thinking I might cut back to bi-weekly or once a month postings for Prank Wednesday. If I don't do it every week, I guess it won't be Prank Wednesday anymore. Anyway, I just don't want this to be the thrust of my blog. I just want to have a little fun.)

Milestone for Timberline Baptist Church

November 4th, 2007 will be a historical day for Timberline Baptist Church. Tomorrow morning, we will have our first Sunday services in our new building. God has blessed TBC in a powerful way in its first six years of existence. The church sits on 7 acres of land and will move in to a 2.8 million dollar, 20,000 square foot building tomorrow. We are truly entering a new chapter in our history. I'm glad to be a part of it.

Please pray that our church will continue to be a lighthouse for the Gospel in Sherwood and the surrounding areas. Also, pray for the final details on the building to be completed without problems over the next few weeks.

Japanese Crowd Prank (Prank Wednesday)

You may not have known this about me, but I LOVE a good practical joke. My favorite kind are the ones that scare people half to death. I'm starting something today that I want to continue as long as possible. Every Wednesday, I will post a practical joke video. There is admittedly and openly no spiritual or mental value to any of these posts. I am doing this for the sole purpose of getting my fix (and so you can get yours...you know you have one).

Here is my first practical joke video...enjoy!

Your Labor is Not in Vain

Whenever a Christian is busy serving God, it's very easy to convince yourself that what you are doing really isn't making any difference. When you start thinking this way, you need to remind yourself of the promise found in 1 Corinthians 15:58.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Like many promises found in the Bible, there is a condition. Your labour will not be in vain "in the Lord." If you are trying to serve God in the power of your flesh, you will not make an eternal difference. However, if you serve with God's power and blessing on your life, you can claim the promise of this verse. You may not see the results you wanted or thought you might see, but God promises your labour will not be in vain. In other words, your labour will not be empty or pointless. There will be fruit. God promises.

Years ago, a young man named Shawn was attending Bible college. He was coming home for one weekend and his pastor asked him to preach for the Sunday morning service. Shawn immediately got excited about the opportunity. You see, he had many unsaved relatives living in and around his hometown where the church was. He worked and prayed. God blessed his efforts tremendously. Many family members were in attendance that Sunday morning including his parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. All of them were unsaved.

Shawn stood and preached a powerful Gospel message from John 3. The title of the message was, "Ye Must Be Born Again." The desire of his heart was obvious. He desperately wanted his family members to get saved. When the sermon was over and the invitation was given, not a single one of his relatives responded to the message of Christ. Every one of them walked out of church that day as lost as when they came in. Understandably, Shawn left the service very discouraged.

What Shawn didn't know was that there was a 16 year old boy sitting on the front row in church that morning. That was the first time that boy had ever attended a Bible preaching church and it was the first time he ever heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the invitation was given that morning, that 16 year old boy left his chair to pray at the steps to the platform along with many others. The boy didn't even really know what he was praying. He just knew he needed what that young preacher was just talking about! A deacon from the church came and put his arm around the young man and asked him if he could pray with him. They went back to the pastor's office and a few minutes later, the boy received Jesus Christ as his Saviour.

The young man went on to get involved with the youth group. A few months later, God called the boy to preach. When he was 19, he went off to Bible college himself to train for the ministry. After graduation, God moved him to pastor a church in the Bay Area of California for 3 years. Recently, God moved that man and his family to Sherwood, OR to serve in a local church. Currently, that man is typing this blog post. That 16 year old boy was me!

Shawn preached that message from John 3 on June 9th, 1996 at Florence Baptist Church in Florence, MT. Even though he didn't see the results he wanted to see from his efforts, his labour was not in vain. God kept His promise. I'm eternally grateful for the fact that Shawn was faithful to preach God's Word. I'm glad he laboured.

Even when you don't see fruit for your labour, remember the promise of God. Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Computer Crash!

It has been a few weeks since I have posted a new entry on this blog. One of those weeks was not by choice. Let me give you a little piece of advice: don't download a duplicate file finder and let it do its thing without carefully checking which files it's going to delete. I made that mistake and the program proceeded to delete files that were vital to the livlihood of the Microsoft operating system. My computer was in the hands of the Geek Squad for 5 days.

My computer is back up and running great. Not a whole lot has happened in the last week or so. Our church is looking forward to moving in to our brand new building in just a few weeks. You can check out the progress at our website. God bless and thanks for reading!

Coffee Creek Baptist Church

Every Saturday night, about a dozen servants of God from Timberline Baptist Church hold a Bible preaching service at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, a women's prison in Wilsonville, OR. We affectionately refer to the weekly service as Coffee Creek Baptist Church. Of course, it's not an independent church. The Lord's Supper and baptisms take place under the authority of TBC. The ladies like having their own "church."

I got involved with this ministry the first Saturday after my family moved to Oregon. We like to warn prospective volunteers before they come to the service for the first time. The warning isn't about the danger of a riot or the possibility of a hostage situation. The warning is this: if you come, you'll be hooked. One visit to the service and you'll want to attend again and again.

I've heard of many churches that have prison ministries. I've never heard of one like this. A handful of volunteers started this ministry about 5 years ago. I think they started with less than 15 ladies in the first service. We now have over 100 ladies in attendance every week. The service is very exciting. The ladies are tremendously responsive to God's Word. Souls are saved every week. Many spend time in prayer during the invitation. The ladies greatly appreciate our willingness to come and hold the service. They love us and it's impossible not to love them back. There are people from every walk of life attending the services. The ages range from 18 to over 80. Pick a nationality and we have it.

When Saturday night comes around, I'm usually tired. The rest of the volunteers are as well. However, when we're done with the service, our hearts are always lifted. Please pray for the ladies at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. God is doing an unusual and powerful work in that place. It's awesome to be a part of it.

Suing God

This is very interesting. I don't even really know what to say. At least the man believes in God. Of course, my belief in God would make suing Him the last thing I'd ever do.

Bitterness

Bitterness is something that can destroy our lives very quickly. The Bible gives a warning about bitterness in Hebrews 12:15, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled..."

The analogy of the root God uses here is a great one (all of God's analogy's are great ones). He describes bitterness as a root that springs up in our life. Bitterness starts on the inside. Like a seed in the ground, you can't see bitterness in its early stages. At first, it's possible nobody around you will be able to tell what's going on in your heart. However, that seed begins to grow and it breaks through the ground and everybody sees it.

When we think of bitterness, we almost always think of a time in our lives when someone hurt us. Bitterness is certainly a possibility when someone hurts us. I've heard Hebrews 12:5 quoted many times in a message when the preacher was warning us about the dangers of bitterness.

Just like any other powerful verse of Scripture, it's wise to take the verse in context. Like I said, bitterness can easily creep into our hearts when another person hurts us. However, that is not the context of Hebrews 12:5.

Notice these other verses in Hebrews 12...

Vs. 5, "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him..."

Vs. 11, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

The true context of Hebrews 12:5 is the chastening of the Lord. The author of Hebrews is warning us of the greatest kind of bitterness...bitterness towards God Himself. When we sin, God loves us enough to punish us. Hebrews 12:6, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Through His chastening in our lives, He is trying to show us the dangers of our sin and how badly He wants a close fellowship with us. Bitterness towards other people is obviously very dangerous. However, bitterness towards God is even more dangerous. When God chastens you, make sure you don't get bitter about whatever consequences you are facing. Remember that God is simply proving His love towards you with His actions.

University of Vermont Adds 'Gender Neutral' Bathrooms

When I read this article, I didn't know whether to scream or cry. The University of Vermont has added, as a part of recent renovations, bathrooms for transgendered individuals. Let me start out by saying that the blending of the sexes in any society is a sin against our Creator. (He is your Creator, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.) It is also a tremendous mistake when branches of the government (a state college) or other parts of society begin to accommodate such behavior.

My favorite part of the story is the quote from Annie Stevens. She is the assistant vice president for student and campus life at UVM. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she's a liberal. I know it's a reach, but I think I nailed this one.

Here is her brilliant statement: "It's about inclusivity and accessibility and the importance of meeting all people's needs, not just a few."

Keep in mind, we're talking about the need for 'gender neutral' bathrooms, not just bathrooms for men and women. Here's my question: What percentage of society is transgender? Is it 1%? 2%? I think 5% would be a ridiculously high estimation. In any case, that means at least 95% of the American population is NOT transgender. Yet Ms. Stevens believes that having separate bathrooms for men and women only meets the needs of "a few." Brilliant.

I am in awe of the lack of intelligence among those whose task it is to offer "higher education."

----------

Addition:

I was discussing this article with my mom and she made a great point. Ms. Stevens implied that these 'gender neutral' bathrooms were a necessity to "meeting all people's needs." My mom pointed out that having male and female bathrooms actually does meet all people's needs. Everyone is either male or female...even if they haven't figured out which one they are.

Great Post on Justification vs. Sanctification

Pastor McEntire is the author of a blog entitled Fully Persuaded Baptist. I read this blog on a regular basis. Pastor McEntire writes in a way that is extremely understandable, thorough and Biblical. He recently posted an article on the difference between the doctrines of justification and sanctification. He also comments on how these doctrines are misrepresented in mainline Christianity today. You can find this post here. Take a moment to read it. You will be edified and challenged.

A Fundamental Difference

I just read an article on Yahoo news about CNN's upcoming six-part documentary on religious fundamentalists. The documentary covers Jews, Muslims and Christians. Obviously, you can't stereotype each group by the examples studied in the documentary, but you probably will get an idea of the differences.

Personally, I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in a CNN documentary on religion. The lady overseeing the project is apparently a well known and well respected journalist. Her name is Christiane Amanpour.

You might ask why I doubt the integrity of this documentary. The answer lies in a question from Amanpour referred to in the aforementioned Yahoo news article. When interviewing a fundamental Christian, she noted that young ladies received encouragement to wear long dresses. She then asked how they were any different from the Taliban. (Of course, strict Muslims have strong dress codes for women.)

You have no idea how bad I wish Amanpour would have asked me that question. Here is the answer: Fundamental Christians don't send suicide bombers to kill masses of innocent people.

I totally understand how she could miss that one. Anyway, that kind of unintelligent question is the reason for my lack of faith in this documentary.

No Accountability

If you follow sports at all, then you've probably heard about NBA referee Tim Donaghy. He has plead guilty to gambling on and fixing NBA games. Of course, this kind of activity totally compromises the integrity of the sport. Fans who watch the game simply assume they are watching two teams play as hard as they can with the same rules applying to everyone on the court. The team that plays better wins if everything is on the level. This scandal puts doubts in the minds of fans about how level the playing field really is.

The whole situation is sickening to me as a basketball fan. However, I read a statement from Donaghy on Foxsports.com that sickened me more. He said, "I'm very sorry about what happened..." At first glance that sounds good. He's sorry. He's contrite. He wishes he never did what he did. I don't think so. If he was really sorry, he would have said, "I'm sorry for what I did." This kind of attitude is prevalent in our society. There is no accountability for his actions.

I'm sorry for what happened too, but he should be sorry on a different level. He was the one who was gambling! He was the one who was fixing games! I know that in the scope of eternity, this situation has almost no bearing at all. I just view it as a microcosm of our society.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I recently started a new job here in Oregon and one of my responsibilities is to drive to construction sites all over the west side of Portland to pick up concrete samples. While driving through Beaverton today, I drove past this sign in front of a "church." When I saw it, I had to pull over to take a picture.

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. It is a church made of Lutherans and Catholics...and they are proud of it! I don't agree with every thing Luther taught, but I have a feeling he'd roll over in his grave if he knew about this "church." Notice that they have a "Father" and a "Pastor."

You can find their website here. Here is an excerpt from their homepage: "Mission of the Atonement is a community of Roman Catholics and Lutherans. We are a single community of two traditions, with each maintaining its own identity. We respect our two traditions, while at the same time we celebrate our unity in Christ." What these people don't understand is that you can't sacrifice truth for unity. Since neither Lutherans or Catholics preach truth, I guess it's easy to see how they'd decide to just hold hands. You can also find information about a "covenant" they made with a local Islamic mosque after 9-11. It all sounds good on the surface, but understanding Bible teaching regarding end times and the False Prophet really makes this whole situation a little scary.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

If I had a dime for every time someone said I looked familiar to them, I'd be a very rich man. I guess there is someone who looks like me in every city in America. People say I look like their uncle. They say they've seen me at a Bible conference I've never been to. People confuse me with someone they know all the time.

My family recently started serving at Timberline Baptist Church in Sherwood, OR. One of the assistant pastors is a young man by the name of Jared Rhodes. He is three months older than I am. Several people have asked me if I am his brother. We both have sons who are a little more than 2 years old. My son has walked up to Jared and tried to hold his hand thinking he was me. Just this morning, Jared's son Dillon wrapped his arms around my leg only to look up and realize I wasn't his dad. It's all a case of mistaken identity. People think I am someone I am not.

To be honest, these kind of situations are getting kind of old to me. I think I'm just going to start messing with people from now on and tell them I am the person they think I am. That should be fun.

When I think about it, every Christian should experience a kind of mistaken identity.

Acts 11:26 says, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." They were called Christians because they acted so much like Christ. People saw Christ in them.

Romans 8:29 says, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son..." God's desire for his children is that He could constantly be conforming us more and more into the image of His Son. Of course, as long as we're in this body of sin, we'll never be exactly like Him. 1 John 3:2 gives us that promise that "when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

The fact is that if we are surrendered to God and He is doing the work in our lives that He wants to do, people should be mistaking us for Somebody else all the time. That Somebody is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are You Sure You Have Something Up There?

You really HAVE to read this article! It's one of the funniest things I've seen in a while that's actually real. The picture to the left is an MRI of a man's brain. At first glance, you would think that the dark part in the middle is his brain. In fact, the gray matter pushed to the edges of the skull is his brain. The dark area is actually water. The man almost has no brain!

There is just too much room for joking here. I'm sure you're thinking of somebody you know who might have this condition (it's called the Dandy Walker complex...I'm sure Dandy Walker is really proud of that). Anyway, read the article and check out the symptoms. Are you sure you have a brain?

Appreciating the Faithful Man

For the last three years, I pastored the Mission Peak Baptist Church in Fremont, CA. Just recently, my family moved to Sherwood, OR to serve at Timberline Baptist Church. For the time being, I am working a secular job. It is the first time in over four years that I have drawn income from anything other than a ministry position.

Here is something I have learned having been back in the "regular" work force for the last two weeks: We should praise the Lord for faithful men!

Let me start by saying that the ministry is work. Hard work. The preacher doesn't just work on Sunday and play golf the rest of the week. He usually puts in 50-60 hours a week and is basically on-call 24/7. Be sure to show your appreciation for a faithful pastor.

Having pastored for three years and now going back to working a secular job, I know how valuable faithful men are to the church. There are a lot of things demanding my time right now. Even though I'm tired, there are places I need to be on certain nights of the week. I'm an ordained minister, so serving passionately and regularly kind of comes with the territory. What amazes me is how faithfully some laymen in the church serve.

There have been men like this in every church I've been a member of. They go to work five days a week. They give their Saturday to spread the gospel by going door to door. They volunteer for a prison ministry service that takes place on Saturday night. They're always there for the mid-week Bible study on Wednesday or Thursday (whenever your church might have it). They even stay after the Bible study service to pray with other men (we have our men's prayer time at 9 PM).

The men that do these things weekly never went to Bible college. They have never been called to preach or been ordained to the gospel ministry. They're just faithful men. They're leading their families in a way that glorifies God. They're doing the same for the church. The truth is, no church can survive without faithful men. I don't care who the pastor is or how structured the programs are, the church won't go forward without faithful men.

I praise God for many faithful men I have known in my Christian life. They're not perfect. Their families aren't perfect. The churches they are members of aren't perfect. Nevertheless, God is using them. Praise God for faithful men.

Dr. R-ism

or










Dr. Mark Rasmussen is the Vice President of West Coast Baptist College (my alma mater) in Lancaster, CA. He is known for his very funny one liners. He came to our church in Sherwood, OR last night with the singing tour group from the college and before he started preaching, he delivered one of the best "Dr. R-ism's" I've ever heard.

He said: "Lancaster looks a lot like Sherwood...if Sherwood was hit by an atomic bomb."

If you've never been to either place, you'll find a picture of Lancaster and Sherwood above. I was still chuckling ten minutes after he said it.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everybody has a great 4th of July. Blow some things up. Spend time with friends and family. Eat some good barbecue. Most of all, don't forget to thank God for the privilege of living in the greatest country on earth.

Great Post on Prayer

Trey Morgan put a fantastic post about prayer on his blog. Click here if you want your prayer life to be challenged.

The Gospel Changes People

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Anybody who has trusted Jesus Christ as their Saviour knows that He truly makes a change in your life. Last week, I saw an example of that like I've never seen before. My pastor was out of town on Sunday, so he asked me to preach the Sunday morning service. A lady in our church had led her boss to Christ on Wednesday and had invited her to church on Sunday. The sad part was that this newly saved lady was planning on moving to Phoenix the following weekend. This would be her only opportunity to attend our church!

Well, she came to the service and absolutely loved it! She told her co-worker (our church member) that she had changed her mind about moving to Phoenix and that she wanted to stay here in Sherwood, OR and become a member of our church! Keep in mind, she had only been saved for four days!

It was an awesome thing to see God work in the life of such a new believer and witness her desire for God's Word and fellowship with God's people. The Gospel will change people's lives!

Is It Worth Dying For?

If you know that you could be executed because you do something in particular, it will probably cause you to think twice about doing it. That sounds like common sense, right? Well, apparently a group of professors from the University of Colorado had to do a study to come to this conclusion. I found an article on Foxnews.com with this headline: Death Penalty Discourages Crime.

Well, imagine that!

There are actually some very interesting statistics in the article about how even 1 execution can save more than a dozen lives. Of course, the executed murderer won't strike again. But that execution also discourages other would be murders from committing that horrible crime. I'm not sure, but I think that is the whole purpose of any penal system...to discourage crime! The simple fact is that the harsher the punishment for a crime, the less likely people will commit that crime. I don't think these brilliant professors had to do a study to come up with that. All they needed was common sense.

I am a proponent of the death penalty. I believe that punishment absolutely fits certain crimes. If a person brutally murders one person, that murderer has simply forfieted their own right to life. They are no longer fit for society. There has been a lot of hoopla about the cruel and unusual punishment involved with the "faulty" lethal injection system used by many states today. My opinion is, if the murderer dies because of the injection, there's nothing faulty about it at all. I wish these people crying for the "humane treatment" of these criminals were around when the killer slaughtered their victim. I think a little discomfort before dying is pretty fair in comparison to what the murdered person suffered through.

Out of Town

It's been a while since I've posted anything on this blog. I was out of town for the last week. I went to California for my grandmother's funeral. It was a sad time for obvious reasons, but it was also really fun to see A LOT of family I had either never seen or hadn't seen in a long time. The picture on the left is all of my dad's brothers and sisters (minus 1 who had already left and 3 who have passed away). Needless to say, I have a big family. My grandmother had over 30 grandchildren.

It may be some time until I post again. My family is moving to Oregon to start a new ministry position. Pray that the move and the transition goes well. Take care everybody and thanks for reading!

Thanks

I promised myself I would do my best not to get involved in character assassination on this blog. All I have to say is: Thank you David Stern for the worst ending to an NBA season I've seen in my 20+ years as an avid basketball fan. You and your man Stu have completely ruined the integrity of these playoffs. If this is the direction the NBA is heading, I am deeply saddened.

I don't say this as a Suns fan who feels cheated, I say it as a basketball fan who feels cheated. Once again, thanks.

Education?

Brokeback Mountain is truly one of the most wicked movies to ever hit the mainstream. The story of homosexual cowboys was an obvious attack on the family and morals in general by the liberal movie makers in Hollywood. If you look on the bottom of the picture, you'll see this tag line for the movie: "Love is a force of nature." A homosexual relationship is not love, it's sin. However, that tag might be very appropriate, considering sin is the nature of fallen man. Enough about the movie.

An article on Foxnews.com tells the story about the family of a 12 year old girl who is suing the Chicago Board of Educators because a substitute teacher showed this movie to her class. When I was 12, my teacher showed the Little Mermaid. How stupid can people involved in public education actually be? I guess it never occurred to this sub that a movie theater wouldn't let a 12 year old in to watch an R-rated movie. Apparently, this teacher didn't want these children to be deprived of the "entertainment," so she decided to bring it to them. Stories of wickedness and stupidity from the public school cease to amaze me. It's no wonder the average young person in America is as warped as they are. With this kind of indoctrination, what more could you expect?

What Did He Say?

Ayman al-Zawahri (pictured here) is al-Qaeda's second in command. An article on Foxnews.com quotes this man saying some of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. The article references Zawahri's mockery of a Congressional bill that would set a date for the pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq. Zawahri said (prepare to laugh...hard), "This bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap." He went on to say that they are asking Allah to allow the troops to stay until 200,000 to 300,000 are killed.

Fact check:

1. al-Qaeda did not set a trap for us in Iraq.
2. Destroying the American forces in Iraq is an impossibility for the terrorists.

Does anybody else find these statements comical? It sounds to me like a little bit of reverse psychology. I get it Mr. Zawahri, pretend like you're against the troop pull out, then maybe the West will be for it. Sorry, I don't buy it.

Let me put it in perspective here. Just over 3000 U.S. soldiers have been killed since March 2003 when we went into Iraq. I don't count that as a trivial thing at all. God bless their sacrifice and their families. This means we have lost about 750 troops per year in Iraq. At the current rate, that would mean we would have to stay in Iraq for the next 262 years in order for Zawarhi to get his wish of 200,000 (that was the low figure) U.S. casualties. If he really wanted the high figure (300,000 U.S. casualties), that would mean we'd have to stay for another 396 years. Do you think Zawahri and his buddies really want that? I don't think so. He is truly a raving lunatic.

Meet Hiasl

That's pronounced "HEE-zul." This is the animal at the center of an effort being made by activists in Austria to pronounce the chimp a person. If that doesn't cause your jaw to drop the moment you hear that, you have some serious issues. Click here to read the article about Hiasl for yourself. I looked at Dictionary.com to find the definition for the word "person." The first definition goes like this: a human being, whether man, woman, or child. The second definition goes like this: a human being as distinguished from an animal or a thing. There, that settles it. The chimp is not a person. Hiasl may be an extremely smart animal, but he is not a person.

The "activists" who are fighting on Hiasl's behalf are a part of the human race who have some of the most twisted philosophies on life and morals that you will ever find. They speak of the animal's rights to life, not to be tortured and freedom. Most civilized societies have laws protecting animals from pointless torture. What these "activists" don't realize is that there are millions of people around the world who don't have these rights...and they're fighting for a chimp! Most of the arguments they use to "prove" that Hiasl is a "person" could apply to my old dog. However, it would be quite ridiculous to argue that my dog was a "person."

The part of the article that really fires me up is when it refers to the Seattle-based international initiative called the Great Ape Project. Their goal is to extend "fundamental moral and legal protections" to apes. Isn't it funny how liberals can develop morals so quickly when we're talking about protecting apes. The irony is that we live in a country that doesn't extend "fundamental moral and legal protection" to unborn human beings. We're talking about calling an ape a person before we call an unborn baby a person. Again, if this whole situation doesn't cause your jaw to drop, you've got some serious issues.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him..." - Genesis 2:27

John Phillips on the Sovereignty of God

I have enjoyed reading John Phillips commentary on Galatians. I'm working on an adult Sunday school series on Galatians and Phillips' commentary has been a help so far. It is the deepest commentary I've read from him to this point. I've learned a great deal about the history of the Galatian region and the origins of the Hebrew Talmud. Those were things I didn't expect to learn about, but I should have known there'd be a few surprises in a 224 page commentary on a book of the Bible that only has 6 short chapters. I wanted to note something here that he wrote regarding the sovereignty of God from Galatians 1:15:

"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace..."

John Phillips wrote:

"At no time, however, did this overruling will of God infringe on Paul's personal sovereignty and accountability as a moral human being. God persuades, but he does not push. He convicts, but He does not coerce. He does not arbitrarily impose His will on the human will. Yet, at the same time, He never loses control of human affairs. His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience enable Him to gather events into His hands with the greatest ease. From our perspective, events take place in a time sequence because we live in a time sequence, but God transcends time. He lives in the eternal present tense of time. He is the I AM. From God's standpoint, all of the events of time take place simultaneously. God can call the things that are not as though they are, because He does not have to wait for the future to reveal the end of a sequence of events nor wait for a specific moment of time to come before imposing His will upon that moment."

I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Phillips. A Calvinist would choke at these statements and, quite frankly, that's fine. I have been reading many arguments regarding Calvinism lately and I find that the more I read their arguments the more I am settled on the fact that I disagree with that theological system. The most interesting thing I found regarding Dr. Phillips' statements is that I have been thinking about this same thing for a long time. He mentioned that God "lives in the eternal present tense of time." If a Calvinist would grasp that and apply that to the Bible, all of the verses they use to argue God's sovereignty in salvation would suddenly have quite a different meaning. I've been working on a thesis, of sorts, regarding Calvinism to post on this blog. I was going to mention something in that post nearly identical to what Dr. Phillips wrote here.

As I have looked at both sides of the argument I have learned a great deal, especially where I should stand on the matter. Stay tuned for that post. Until then, ponder this thought.

The Passing of a Great Man

Dr. Lee Roberson passed away on Sunday. I had the privilege of hearing him preach one time while I was in college at WCBC. God certainly used this man in a great way. Several mightily used men of God have died in the last few years and it's a reminder to me that my generation must pick up the torch. I'm also reminded that I don't have forever to serve the Lord.

Dr. Roberson influenced me through his influence on others. I wish I would have had the opportunity to be mentored by him in a greater way. I'm thankful to God for the testimony and service of this dear man.

Seeing is Believing

Well, maybe not. But seeing a replica of Noah's Ark sure might cause a few people to rethink their doubt regarding God's Word and the history of the world. Click here to read an article about a new "exhibit" that opened in the Netherlands this week. A man has built a full scale model of Noah's Ark and opened it as a public attraction. Notice in the picture how truly massive it is. It took the man about 2 years to build it. He built the vessel to the exact Biblical measurements of 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide.

I know the Bible says that "faith is the substance of things hoped for" and "the evidence of things not seen," but it's really kind of cool to see what the Ark might have actually looked like. If I ever go to the Netherlands, I know what I'm going to go see!

The Power of the Blog

As I have journeyed further into the world of the blogosphere, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I like having a place to put my thoughts where they might have the chance to influence someone else. The blog greatly enhances your circle of influence.

I also like being influenced by the writing and thoughts of others. I love reading blogs authored by people who see things the way I do. What really surprises me is how much I like reading the blogs of those who see things differently than I do. I am not afraid at all of hearing the arguments behind philosophies or beliefs that I might disagree with. If someone can prove to me that I'm wrong about something, I have no problem with that. I want to know where I am wrong. Blogs are shaping everything from the way people get news to the way people understand theology to the way people view government. I like to see my views supported by some bloggers and I like to see my views challenged by others. Either way, I grow. I sure don't mind learning more about why I believe what I believe. I also like being challenged about my beliefs. If I can't defend what I believe, then what are those beliefs really worth?

I've also enjoyed the opportunity to get to know people I would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. Everybody I've met so far has a great attitude about what they write and comment about. Even people I disagree with are almost always nice about it.

If you don't read blogs, I'd challenge you to start. (Of course, you are reading this blog right now...I mean if you don't read them regularly.) I would give you one word of caution: if you don't know what you believe and why you believe it, be careful about what you read. You will find some good arguments for things that are untrue. Also, if you don't have a blog, start one. The same word of caution applies there too. Don't start putting things on the internet for all to read unless you are sure about them.

The blog has great influence and I'm enjoying it so far.

Guns and the VT Massacre

I never did write anything on this blog about the Virginia Tech massacre. It was an absolutely horrible and tragic event. I was waiting for the gun control crowd to go on a rampage after the fact and they certainly have. Common sense is rarely involved when the liberal left rants about issues like this. I personally own a Glock 19, one of the same weapons used in the VT massacre. I like my gun! I am also thankful that I live in a country where I can legally own a firearm. Here is a post regarding gun control that brings common sense back into the picture in a hilarious way. It's funny because liberal minds can't grasp simple truths like these.

Spiritual Authority by Watchman Nee

I have never read anything by Watchman Nee before I started reading this book. It was recommended to me by a pastor who has been in the ministry for over 40 years. He said it was the best book on authority he had ever read. That was enough for me to pick it up and take a look. I have only read the first two chapters. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy the writing of this author. The reading is fairly easy, yet very intense. You can immediately tell this man was serious about his walk with God and the ministry. It seems like every paragraph is loaded with profound truth. Any preacher would find the book worthwile simply for its quotability. Here are some of the quotes that really jumped out at me as I read. Remember, these are all from just the first two chapters.

"Please take note that Satan is not afraid of our preaching the word of Christ, yet how very much he is in fear of our being in subject to Christ."

"We preach the gospel in order to bring men into God's authority..."

"We do not obey man but God's authority in that man."

"Before a man can subject himself to God's delegated authority he must first meet God's inherent authority."

"To overthrow God's authority is to overthrow God."

"The work of redemption is to bring us back to the place where we will now find our right and wrong in God."

I Will Build My Church

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:13-18

This is certainly a very powerful and well known passage of Scripture. It contains great truth and great doctrine. I honestly can't remember ever hearing a message preached from this passage directly, but I know I have heard it referenced many times in sermons throughout the years.

The most common thoughts I hear regarding this passage is how the Catholic church has twisted this passage to make Peter out to be the first pope of the church. I've never personally heard a Catholic refer to this passage when talking about the origins of the papacy, but I know how many other doctrines they've twisted, so I wouldn't put something like that past them for a moment. Every Baptist preacher I've ever heard mention this passage in that way always refers to the fact that Peter was the "little stone" and that he is not the foundation for the church. The next statement is usually something along the lines of Jesus speaking of Himself when talking about the rock on which He would build His church. I'm pretty sure I've made these statements before in a message that I've preached. I don't have any problem with them at all.

A thought came to my mind tonight as I heard these statements made again in a message. I don't believe it's wrong to say that Jesus was pointing to Himself and making it obvious to His listeners that He was the rock on which the church would be built. The fact is, we simply don't know that's the case. Again, there's nothing wrong with assuming something like that. That assumption wouldn't contradict the Bible in any way. Ephesians 2:20 speaks of "...Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone..." of the church. He is certainly the foundation of the church.

My thought was this: rather than assume something that we can't know for sure, why not look at the actual context of the passage and see if we can determine what Jesus is talking about. In vs. 13, Jesus asks His disciples who other people say that He is. They give him the list in vs. 14. Jesus then asks His disciples who they think He is in vs. 15. Of course, Peter is the one to speak up and he gives the perfect answer. He tells Jesus that He is the Christ and the Son of God in vs. 16. Jesus obviously approves of the answer and tells Peter that God had revealed that to him. That makes sense because nobody recognizes Jesus for who He really is unless the Father reveals it to Him.

It is in the context of this conversation, and specifically this truth, that Jesus speaks of the rock on which He will build His church. Is it possible that He was not speaking of Himself as the rock, but rather the truth that He is the Christ and the Son of the living God? Think about it.

NBA Playoffs!

It's the best time of the year! The NBA playoffs started today! The last week or so has been kind of boring as teams like the Mavs and Suns had already locked up their seeding. Now I don't have to watch baseball or playoff hockey! There will be basketball on every day! I'm taking the next several weeks off from playing golf because of a bad habit I've developed in my swing. The timing is perfect. I can take the next few weeks to watch basketball.

I'll root for the Suns or the Mavs. If it comes down to those two teams in the Western Conference finals, I'll have to root for the Suns. First of all, the Mavs got their shot last year. Secondly, the Mavs have a better chance of getting back to the finals after this year. Steve Nash isn't getting any younger. This is the Suns year. It better be, because they may not have another one.

God is in Charge of the Weather

"But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" - Matthew 8:27

We are having a revival meeting with Dr. Joe Mark here at Elmwood Baptist Church this week. Most revival meetings these days only go through Wednesday. This particular meeting was scheduled through Friday. Earlier this week, we saw on the weather report that we were supposed to get snow going into the weekend. About twenty-four hours ago, the forecast called for 6-10 inches of snow in our area. A little bit of snow wouldn't have been a big deal, but half a foot or more could really put a damper on the final night of the revival meeting. We began to pray.

We had a few skiffs of light snow yesterday afternoon and this morning. There wasn't enough snow to stick to your windshield, let alone the ground. Local newscasters are literally apologizing and saying that "somehow" this major storm that was coming from the northwest was pushed south of us overnight.

I'm glad we serve the same God who calmed the wind and the sea when He was in the boat with His disciples. We have seen God answer prayer in a powerful way. Praise Him!

Thinking Highly of Man

"And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"
-1 Corinthians 4:6-7

I have only been saved for a little less than 11 years. I did not grow up in a Bible preaching church, let alone an Independent, Baptist church. I got saved after hearing the Gospel for the first time when I was sixteen years old. I have only had three pastors in my Christian life. I was the pastor for the last 3 years. My first pastor was Gary Randall at Florence Baptist Church in Florence, MT. My youth pastor, Tim Johnson, took the pastorate at FBC when Pastor Randall left in 1999. When I went to Bible college, Paul Chappell was my pastor at Lancaster Baptist Church. Pastor Randall is my pastor again here in Brighton, CO.

As I have gotten to know many Christians from many "camps" in the IFB circles, I have noticed a sad truth. Many Christians seem to be having a knee jerk reaction to an experience with an overbearing pastor. I have heard many call into question the authority of their pastor because of something that happened in the past. I have to be honest, I cannot relate with these people in any way. All three of my pastors were wonderful men of God who loved me and the people they served. I have no idea what people are feeling who have been "burned" by a preacher. I am not trying to judge them in this post, I'm just trying to state my concern regarding their reaction.

When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul had to deal with man-worship. This seems to be the root of the problem in churches today according to some of the hurting Christians I know. Paul dealt with this problem in 1 Corinthians 1:12, "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ." This was certainly an issue that Paul had to address. There is no room in the church for man-worship or the forming of camps within a local church around a specific man. The church is to be a unified camp built on none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

This truth is obvious, but it makes what Paul said in the opening passage to this post very interesting. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, the Bible tells us that we should "...learn in us not to think of men above that which is written..." In other words, it is written that we should think highly of certain men. We are simply warned not to think too highly of them. Here is a balance that I think some Christians are swinging to the opposite end of after being hurt by a preacher.

The simple fact is that human beings don't like authority in any form. Hebrews 13:18, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." Friend, that is speaking of those that God has placed in a position of spiritual authority over you. The President of the United States will not give account for your soul. The Governor of your state will not give account for your soul. The Mayor of your city will not give account for your soul. God is speaking of spiritual leadership there. We are to think highly of them and follow their leadership. Paul challenged the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:28, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." These elders were charged with the oversight and the feeding of the flock. Again, human nature is to resist those that are "over" us. The truth is that there are people that God has placed over us and we are to think highly of them.

Now, I have no doubt in my mind that there are people in positions of authority in churches across this country who constantly take advantage of and twist that authority. They have missed the truth of 1 Corinthians 4:7, "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" They have failed to remember that it was God who placed them in that position of authority, not they themselves. If a person in this position comes to the place where they believe they arrived there on their own merit or because they deserved it, the end result will be that they conclude they are accountable to no one. This is extremely detrimental to that individual and the church in which they serve.

I am sorry if you have truly had a bad experience with a rogue pastor. However, I do want to remind you to submit to those that God has placed over you. Simply follow the advice God gave to the church at Corinth. "Learn...not to think of men above that which is written."

Today's News

It's painfully obvious that most national news sources are angled left of center. It's nearly impossible to find Christianity or a conservative politician painted in a good light. I have three news websites in my "News" folder on my bookmark bar for Firefox. Those three are: Yahoo News, CNN and Fox News. Fox is obviously the more balanced of the three. There are times when I read Yahoo and CNN that I feel like I'm reading leftist propaganda. It's fine, I've just learned to read it with a grain of salt.

The most sickening thing I find today is what actually passes for "news." I was eating dinner tonight at a restaurant that had TV's with sports and news on. The headline that dominated the news station (95% of air time) was: "Larry Birkhead is the father of Anna Nicole's baby." Who cares?! I praise God that it wasn't one of the three major headlines on the Yahoo or Fox News websites. CNN had it as their main/photo headline story. I knew I could count on CNN. If I wanted to read the tabloids, I would just pick up The Star at my local Safeway.

94 at Saddleback

I went golfing this afternoon again at Saddleback golf course. It's hard to believe how nice it was after seeing freezing temperatures and snow for the last three days. I was able to salvage a 94. I was driving, chipping and putting very well. I've had major problems with my irons the last week or so. I need to get to the driving range and work out that problem. I was actually two over after five holes, but things went downhill pretty quick from there. I made a 25 foot putt for par on the 9th hole, but didn't get another par the rest of the day. Yahoo handicap tracker has me rated at 21.7 now. If I can get my irons working again, the scores would definitely be back in the 80's.

The Nativity Story

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 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 house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."
- Luke 2:1-7

Happy Easter everybody! I know the verses above tell the Christmas story, but I had to mention them since my wife and I just watched The Nativity Story last night. If you know me at all, then you know I'm not one to jump on the latest pop-Christian bandwagon or fad. I did watch Passion of the Christ, but that wasn't until it was out on DVD for months. I simply want to recommend The Nativity Story to anyone who reads this blog. The movie was very well done and Biblically accurate (Mary and the other leading ladies weren't dressed up like nuns...the Catholic church can thank Mel Gibson for that plug). There were a few things added to the story that could have happened but aren't necessarily in the Bible account. Also be ready for the three wise men to provide the comic relief. That was kind of unexpected, yet enjoyable. If you watch the TV show 24, you'll have to block from your mind that terrorists play Elizabeth and the angel who speaks to Joseph and Mary. Overall, I was very impressed with the quality and accuracy of the movie.

Church for Men?

Click here to read this article on Foxnews.com. If you have any respect for God's Word, it might make you sick. Church for men? Last I checked, the church was for everybody. I understand the necessity of reaching out to people and trying to connect with them, but I really doubt this is what Jesus had in mind for His church! I'm guessing the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the services and obviously the Bible isn't too high on the priority list.

My favorite part is the "shot clock" for the preacher's sermon. He better be done before the buzzer sounds! This is man-centered ministry at its finest.

Ye Which Are Spiritual

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
- Galatians 6:1-2

Over the last year or so, I have heard quite a bit about two high profile collapses in the ranks of Christendom. Sometime last year, I got the news that Bob Gray from Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL had been living in denial of gross sin for decades. Not too long ago, the nationally recognized case of Ted Haggard's sexual and addictive sins was flashed all across the news stations and papers. I am not surprised at all by the fact that I would hear about these things, and even be constantly reminded about them, by the wordly news companies. The unregenerate have every reason to desire to hurt the testimony of Christ and His followers.

What truly saddens me is how much I hear about the situations from "mature" Christians. In no way am I excusing these men by making the points I am in this post. However, the Bible is very clear how we are to respond to the sin of brothers and sisters in Christ. It sickens me to see the gross details of the situations plastered all over Christian "news" sites and blogs. I had "mature" Christians coming to me repeatedly to "talk" about the Bob Gray ordeal and to use that as a reason to attack that camp of Independent, Fundamental Baptists. The truth is, you can find failure like this in any "camp" or flavor of Christianity (and I use that term loosely). The reason for that is that there are people in every camp. People will make mistakes! There are a lot of things I don't agree with about the Neo-Evangelical crowd. I don't like a lot of their philosophies or methods. However, you will never hear me say, "I can't stand the Neo crowd because of sickos like Ted Haggard!" All of that talk and character assasination is the most irresponsible and immature response to those kind of situations.

Galatians 6 clearly teaches that those of us who are spiritual are to restore the one who has fallen, not gossip about them and kick them while they're down. If you aren't involved in the situation, then you obviously can't help restore the individual. If you can't restore the individual, you shouldn't concern yourself with the situation in any way.

If you want to tell me that Bob Gray or Ted Haggard or whoever sinned and they can no longer be in the ministry, that's fine. After that, I don't want to hear about it! I don't need to hear about it. I'm not mad at those men, nor has there ever been a moment where I hated them for what they did. My only response is sorrow. I'm sorry that the cause of Christ was hurt and I'm sorry they did this to themselves. I'm sorry they will have to face the consequences of their sin.

Galatians 6 tells us to restore these Christians in meekness, considering ourselves, lest we should be tempted. The way I see some Christians attack people like this is a sure sign of pride. We all know what comes after pride! (Proverbs 16:18) Our response to these situations determines whether we fulfill the "law of Christ." I see far too many Christians failing to fulfill that law. If you find yourself wanting to make sure everybody knows all the details of these moral failures or if you want to attack someones "camp" because of their individual sin, you need to grow up! You are not spiritual, you are carnal!

Top 10 Ways to Encourage Your Preacher

Last week, I posted a link to a blog post that gave 10 ways to get your preacher to quit. Click here to find 10 ways to encourage your preacher. Like I said about the last list, every Christian should read this. If you hesitate for a second on any of these suggestions, you have some serious issues. I wouldn't worry too much about "hurting" your preacher by doing anything suggested in this post.

A Discerning Preacher

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." - 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

I believe that Paul was a Spirit led preacher. When he preached God's Word, He was preaching exactly what God wanted him to preach and how God wanted Him to preach it. That is truly the goal for any preacher.

I've heard people criticize preachers for not preaching the "meat" of the Word. I am not saying that there is never any room for criticism like that, but I am saying that there are circumstances where that criticism carries no weight. Paul found himself in that position in Corinth.

Paul was speaking to Christians. He called them "brethren" in vs. 1. He spoke of the time he had invested preaching to them in vs. 2 where he said, "I have fed you with milk..." It's kind of nice to know that everybody Paul preached to didn't mature into super Christians after just a week or two of ministry. Paul was dealing with people just like preachers today deal with people. The spiritual maturity process takes time.

Paul had already preached to them the "milk" of the Word and he says at the end of vs. 2 that they still weren't ready for the "meat." Just because somebody has tasted the "milk," doesn't mean they're ready for the "meat." Paul literally said he "could not speak" to them as "spiritual" in vs. 1. But hadn't they already heard the milk? Yes, but that didn't mean they were spiritual. When Paul said that he "could not speak" to them as mature Christians, that does not refer to his inability to do so. He was perfectly capable of preaching to them the "meat" of God's Word through the power of the Spirit. That statement referred to the fact that the Spirit would not let him. Like I said before, Paul was most definitely a Spirit led preacher. I'm afraid that some Christians I know would have criticized Paul for not preaching the "meat" of the Word to these believers.

Believe me, there is such a thing as lazy preachers. Studying for messages is one of the hardest things I've ever done. There is a temptation to slack in that area. Every preacher is tempted in that area. Pray for your preacher.

The truth is that, to a certain degree, we determine what we're going to get from the preaching of God's Word. God knows if we need the "milk" or the "meat." God knows if we are "spiritual" or "carnal." Instead of criticizing a preacher for the content of his message or your perceived lack thereof, why not ask yourself if God gave him that message because of your spiritual condition? It's possible that He is Spirit led in his preaching, even though you may think he's not.

A Close Call...Way Too Close

" For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." - Psalm 5:12

I have no righteousness in and of myself. Nobody does. If anybody has any righteousness, it is because of their faith in the Saviour, Jesus Christ. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 That verse states one of the most powerful and awesome truths ever revealed to mankind.

God will truly bless the righteous. He is truly a shield to me as His child. I am thankful for the protection He provides in my life and in the lives of those I love.

Here at my in-laws house, they have a drainage pipe of some sort in their unfinished basement. The pipe is about one and a half feet across at the opening. It goes straight down about one and a half feet and after that it is filled with water. I don't know how deep it is beyond that. There is a lid covering the opening that appears to be very heavy and possibly even screwed onto the pipe. It turns out that is not the case. The lid weighs about as much as a frisbee and isn't attached in any way to the hole.

This morning, at about 8 AM, my 20 month old son fell into that hole by accident. Nobody was down there with him when he fell, so we don't really know how it happened. My mother-in-law heard him yell from the main floor and she said she knew immediately what had happened. I was still laying in bed and Kim had just got up when her mom yelled up the stairs that the baby had fallen. By the time I put some clothes on and was heading downstairs, Kim already had David in her arms and was carrying him upstairs for a bath. He was about 1.5 feet underground and about waist deep in water. If he had fallen in head first, things could have turned out very differently.

Needless to say, I'm learning more and more how a parent feels when their child is in danger. When I look into that hole and think of my baby being down their, it just makes me sick. I thank God that David fell feet first. I also thank God that David hadn't fallen in their some other time when he went downstairs without anybody knowing.

Thank God for His watchful eye!