Thinking Preacher

More Quotes

2010-05-02T22:29:00.001-07:00

I got a new Bible for Christmas (around the last time I posted something on this blog). It has a ton of lined pages in the back for taking notes. It’s the perfect place to write down quotes I hear during sermons. Here are a few of my favorites from the last couple months.

“Problems are not for solving, they are for growing.”

“We should want influence…not to be seen, but that Christ might be seen through us.” – Doug Fisher

“Influence is not what we are before people. Influence is what we are before God.” – Doug Fisher

“Confusion ensues when we forget what God has said about the matter.”

“Don’t give until it hurts. Give until it feels good.”

“The Gospel is only Good News for a lost person if it gets there on time.”

“Fear is a tool of the devil. Faith is a tool of God.” – Larry Smith

“Courage is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”

“Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.”

Which one is your favorite? Have you heard a good quote lately?

Giving Like God

2009-12-20T22:38:00.001-08:00

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This is probably the most familiar verse in all of the Bible. We are reminded by this verse, especially at Christmas time, of wonderful giving nature of God. The Bible also says in Romans 8:29 that God wants to conform us to the image of His Son. We are to pattern our lives after Christ as much as possible. One of the ways we can follow the example of Christ is to be a giver like He was.

I believe this verse shows us five characteristics of God-like giving. These are attributes that should characterize our giving as well.

Give with the Right Motive – “For God so loved…”

The ultimate motivation for God’s gift to mankind was His love. Love means to be pleased with something/someone or to regard something/someone with affection. Love should always be the primary motivation for our giving. Jesus said in Matthew 6:1, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them…” There were those in His day who did what they did strictly to be seen of men. People like that certainly exist today and, if we’re not careful, we can fall prey to that trap as well.

Give with a Specific Target in Mind – “…the world…”

Let’s face it. God can have a bigger target than we can. He had the ability to give a gift that could impact the entire world. Nonetheless, He had a target. There should always be a target of our giving as well. We can give time, energy or resources to God, people or causes. Make sure you have a specified target when you give.

Give Something of Value – “…he gave his only begotten Son…”

God gave the most precious thing He could give. He gave Himself. Our giving is God-like when we give something of value. The more you love something/someone, the more valuable your gifts for that thing/person will be. You can literally measure your love for God be measuring the value of what you give to Him. You can do the same for people or causes – like your church.

Give with No Strings Attached – “…that whosoever believeth…”

Aren’t you glad John 3:16 doesn’t say, “…that whosoever reads their Bible every day should not perish, but have everlasting life?” Or prays for five hours a day…never misses a church service…never misses a tithe…etc. Surely the gift of God will transform a life and cause someone to do things they’d never do in and of themselves (ie, serve God with a pure heart). But I’m glad God gave with no strings attached. God didn’t give with the goal of getting something in return and neither should we. Love produces giving, not bartering.

Give for the Benefit of Others – “…should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The benefit of a gift is directly related to it’s value. God’s gift could impact the world and provide salvation for a soul because of its tremendous value. Again, we have to pare down our expectations, but the principle remains. Does your giving benefit God, people or a cause?

Take inventory of your giving. Do these principles characterize your giving? If you’re a Christian, you should desire your giving to be God-like. The example is laid out for us in the most famous verse in all the Bible.

No Cell Phone?

2009-12-15T22:00:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking lately about a major change. I would like to go back to the good old days. Back when people couldn't get a hold of you whenever they wanted. I'm all for being accessible, I just don't want to be on a leash.

I remember when I was a kid and people had to call you at your house and leave a message on your answering machine. You could then respond to people at your leisure. People in today's culture couldn't imagine life without a cell phone. How could you possibly survive?! Keep in mind that the vast majority of the world survived just fine without a cell phone for all of human history up until the last 10-15 years. Not only would it free me from the digital leash, it would also save me $75-$100 a month. I'm also thinking about getting an iPod Touch to replace the calendar, tasks, email, etc. functions of my current Blackberry. The drawback is that I'd only be "connected" when I was within range of an open Wi-Fi network. In the end, I don't think that would be a big deal. Being "dis-connected" would be the point of getting rid of the cell phone.

Do you think you could function without a cell phone? Do you think I should give it a shot?

Creation According to the History Channel

2009-11-14T20:41:00.001-08:00

I just finished watching an episode of “The Universe” on the History Channel. I understand that the people who create these shows are surely people who discount the Bible. They consider my faith in that Book hilarity and can’t comprehend why I would believe such an outlandish idea as Creation. According to them, Genesis 1 is a fairytale that should be relegated to the dust pile of history. They mock my beliefs. I’m keeled over laughing at theirs.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I just wanted to show you the idiocy of modern “science.” The pictures are ones that I took of my TV while watching the show. Sorry for the flash reflected on some of them. I’ll put their corresponding statements in quotes. They may not be word for word, but they are very close. I’ll give my thoughts along the way. Get ready for the ride of your life…

First of all, this show should be rated “R.” Sorry, had to throw that one in there. Here’s what they had to say: “A billionth of a second after big bang, a bubble much smaller than a fraction of an atom forms.” What they’re asking you to believe is that all the material that makes up the universe today is contained inside a bubble much smaller than a fraction of an atom. No problem.

“This is the universe. It is unimaginably small and unimaginably hot.” Yet, somehow, they’ve imagined it. (Romans 1:21)

“The forces of nature (gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear forces) combine to create a super force. Gravity splits off as the universe expands. As the universe expands, it cools, which somehow sets off a burst of energy that fuels hyper-inflation.” Somehow?

“This inflation locks in the uniformity of the universe.” See, you have to understand that the even temperatures of the universe could not be explained otherwise. Of course, the Creation account in the Bible would explain this uniformity, but that would be ludicrous.

“The universe is still less than a second old when the super force decays into the four separate forces of nature.”

“Less than 3 minutes after the big bang, the temperature of the universe has dropped to a mere 1 billion degrees Fahrenheit…cool enough for atomic nuclei to form.” (Hydrogen and Helium)

I love this one! “380,000 years later…light travels through the universe. The burst of radiation that Penzias and Wilson found happens now.”

“1 billion years after Big Bang, stars take shape, producing heavier elements like Nitrogen, Oxygen and Carbon as Hoyle had predicted.”

“Roughly 9 billion years later, matter and gravity combine to create a perfectly typical star. A circumstellar disc of dust remains that eventually accrete into an entourage of planets and moons.”

“One of these lumps of star dust has temperatures warm enough to allow water to form in the atmosphere. Liquid water gathers on the surface. Underwater, mysterious chemical reactions ultimately form life.” Mysterious?

“13.7 billion years after the Big Bang our universe is now 156 billion light years across.” Keep in mind that nothing travels faster than light. How did the universe spread 78 billion light years in every direction in only 13.7 billion years? I don’t know, but that’s why they had to come up with “hyper-inflation” that was mentioned earlier.

“The third planet from the sun is covered in carbon based life forms. Some are discovering what infinitely small specks they are in the grand scheme of things.”

I didn’t really need the History Channel to tell me that I’m an infinitely small speck in the grand scheme of things. God told me that. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll stick with an idea that takes a little less faith. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth…”

I Love Being an American!

2009-10-16T12:25:00.001-07:00

The USS New York - 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center towers were used in the construction of this brand new warship.

Jesus - The New Testament

2009-10-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Matthew 26:38, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Jesus is the New Testament insomuch that He is the fulfillment of the Old. He fulfilled the Law when we never could. He was sinless when we were sinful. He paid the penalty of death for sin so we wouldn't have to.

Do You Mockingly Crown Jesus?

2009-10-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

John 19 is arguably the most sobering chapter in all of the Bible. A couple months ago, I read this chapter to the church while leading the Lord's Table. This portion of Scripture is a powerful reminder of God's love and judgment. I've been reading the book of John for my personal devotions that last several weeks. The Lord challenged me with a new thought as I read chapter 19 again the other day.

Verses 2 and 5 describe the items Christ's antagonizers put on Him. The first item was the crown of thorns. The other was the purple robe. Both of these items were specifically designed to mock His "kingship." As I read those verses, I got to thinking: Do we mockingly crown Jesus Christ?

I believe this is something that lost and saved people are capable of. Lost people do it more overtly. Saved people who aren't walking in the Spirit do it more subtly. Lost people openly blaspheme the name of Jesus. Carnal Christians say that Jesus is Lord, but don't truly live like it.

As I read the first part of John 19 a few times over, I began to see some distinct characteristics of one who mockingly crowns Jesus Christ.

People who mockingly crown Jesus...

cause Him pain. (vs. 1)
worship falsely and cheaply. (vs. 2)
think less of Him than He really is. (vs. 5)
are Pharisaical. (vs. 6-7)
lack real faith and confidence. (vs. 8-9)
think they're in charge. (vs. 10)

If one or more of these characteristics describes you, you might need to take inventory as to whether or not Jesus is truly the Lord of your life.

Social Networking

2009-08-21T21:54:00.001-07:00

Cary Schmidt is one of the assistant pastors at Lancaster Baptist Church. He is a tremendously spiritual and wise man. He has special wisdom when it comes to modern issues and technology. He has a great philosophy about life and ministry. He has written a couple of articles on his blog about social networking I think every blogging, facebooking, tweeting, RSS reading Christian needs to read.

You can find them here and here.

I agree wholeheartedly with a statement he made in the second post: “You might say these reasons apply to everything we do online—whether a blog, a website, or a twitter feed.”

I am still debating whether or not to jump in the Twitter bandwagon. I might do it to publish a verse I read that day or a praise or prayer request. Simply telling people what I’m doing sounds ridiculous. I’ll let you know if I start tweeting. By the time I do, that fad will be over.

Immature Christians

2009-08-10T20:33:00.001-07:00

“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

- 1 Peter 2:1-3

Peter is addressing Christians in his epistles to the “strangers scattered” (1 Peter 1:1) throughout Asia Minor. It would be easy to think that he is referring to unsaved people when listing the characteristics found in 1 Peter 2:1. He’s actually talking about attributes that can belong to immature Christians. He calls them “newborn babes” in vs. 2.

He lists five characteristics:

Malice – evil or wickedness

Guile – deceit or subtlety

Hypocrisies – acting a feigned part

Envies – jealousy

Evil Speakings – defamation or backbiting

Now, read the following five passages of Scripture:

Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Wickedness)

John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (Deceit)

2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (Acting a feigned part)

Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Jealousy)

Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Defamation)

These five passages are speaking of the devil and the characteristics they describe match exactly the characteristics Peter attributes to immature Christians.

Immature Christians can act just like the devil!

God wants us to grow and our churches need us to grow.

You Are Not Alone

2009-07-17T18:50:00.001-07:00

I’ve been teaching a series through Psalm 25 in my adult Bible class the last several weeks. The theme of the lesson is taken from verse 1 where David says, “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.” The main point of the series is that it is vital for victorious Christian living to offer our lives to God on a daily basis. We’ve been looking at the rest of the Psalm to learn some of the results of lifting up our soul to God.

The result I taught on last week is found in vs. 4-5 where David writes, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me…” The result of offering our life to God I see in these verses is a desire for God’s will. David was a man who sincerely desired to fulfill God’s plan for his life. Like the rest of us, he faltered from time to time, but it was a true desire of his heart nonetheless.

A study of some of the key words in this passage offered some very encouraging thoughts. The Hebrew word for the word “ways” in vs. 4 is derek. It literally means a road. It figuratively means a course of life. Of all the roads this life has to offer, the desire of the Christian ought to be to get and stay on the road God has for them. There is a path God wants us to travel in this life and we should desire to walk it.

The Hebrew word for “paths” in vs. 4 is orach which means a well trodden road or caravan. It caught my attention that David used two different English words in this verse that, on the surface, appear to have virtually the same meaning. A quick look at the Hebrew definitions reveal the difference. Every time a Christian takes the first step down the road God wants them to walk in this life, it is a giant step of faith. The encouraging truth I see in this verse is that when you start down that road, you will quickly find that you are not alone. The path of God’s will is a path that many have been on in the past and many are on now. It’s a well trodden road. You’re part of a caravan on that road.

There are certainly times when surrendering to God’s will is a nerve racking thing. Just encourage yourself with the thought that when you step on that road, you’ll be marching along side an army of people striving to serve God themselves.

T U "L" I P

2009-06-27T21:07:00.001-07:00

Calvinists and "Five-Pointers" who believe in God's arbitrary election regarding those who could possibly be saved are big on His Sovereignty. They don't want to limit God in any way...except for the saving power of the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

If there was one area I wouldn't limit God, that would be it.

1 John 2:2, "And he is the propitation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

The Constitution

2009-06-26T18:04:00.001-07:00

Article XIV Section 3(3): “At the option expressed in writing by the parents and guardians, religion shall be allowed to be taught to their children in public elementary and high schools within regular class hours by instructors designated or approved by religious authorization…”

That excerpt is found in the Philippine Constitution. Why is there nothing like that in ours?

I Think This is Funny...

2009-06-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

I like golf and I love basketball. This is a funny video.

Why Does God Judge Right?

2009-05-31T15:09:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I pointed out that every decision God makes is right. God never makes a wrong decision. That’s a pretty amazing concept. Why does God judge right?

Answer this question: What is Solomon known for asking God for?

If you said wisdom, you’re wrong. God gave him wisdom, but that’s not what he asked for.

1 Kings 3:9, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?”

Solomon asked for understanding. He asked for understanding because he’d have the difficult task of judging. He knew he’d have to make some tough decisions as the new king of Israel.

Knowledge, wisdom and understanding are all things the Bible tells us we should strive for. Knowledge is the what, wisdom is the how and understanding is the why. The reason God always judges right is because He is perfect in these three areas. God knows what to do in every situation. He knows how to do it. He also knows why it should be done.

The main reason we have trouble with some of the decisions God makes is because we are not perfect in those three areas. There are many times when we don’t know what to do or how to do it. Even if we do know those things, we don’t always know why. We must come to the place where we recognize that God is on the throne. He is in charge. He always makes right decisions.

We may not know why He does certain things, but we can be sure that He does.

God Judges Right

2009-05-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

“For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.” – Psalm 9:4

I’ve been reading through Psalms lately and this verse caught my attention the other night. It’s one thing to acknowledge that God is King (sitting on His throne) and Judge. It’s another thing to acknowledge that He judges right…always.

The last word of that verse could be translated rightly or righteously. Every judgment of God is right.

There is never a time where God makes a wrong judgment. Whenever God decides to do anything, it is always right. It’s right by default because He’s God. Next time you’re dealing with a tough circumstance or being chastised for disobedience, keep in mind that God always does things right. Next time God leads you and you have questions and doubts, don’t forget that God always does things right.

Happy Birthday to Kim!

2009-04-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

I just want to wish a happy 25th birthday to my awesome wife. You're the love of my life Kim!

5 Years!

2009-04-24T22:24:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say “I LOVE YOU” to my wife! Today is our 5 year wedding anniversary. So much has happened over those years, yet it seems like the time has flown by.

I remember we wanted to wait 4-5 years after we got married to have children. Somehow, we already have two!

Free Speech*

2009-04-21T23:32:00.001-07:00

I just can’t get enough of the fact that Liberals are all about free speech and expression of thought…unless the speech or the thought contradicts their beliefs. Such is the case with the Miss USA flap that is all over the news right now. Miss California simply stated that she believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. The backlash has been out of this world.

I have never been interested at all in the Miss America contest, but this twist has caught my attention. It’s really an example of a bigger issue.

I have read a few statements made by Miss CA’s attackers. By the way, be careful about going to the articles about this story on the web. Some of the pictures aren’t very modest, to say the least. Anyway, here are some of my favorite quotes:

(Before we get to the quotes…things like this are one of the main reasons my blog is entitled Thinking Preacher. I really wish people would think before they speak. Moving on…)

Shanna Moakler (former Miss USA and current Miss California director) said: “This is why we have judges at Miss USA, so we find the girl to rep us ALL.” This would be an impossibility. ALL the people in CA or the USA don’t see things the way Moakler does.

Moakler continued: “I don’t know how you can call a gay man or woman your friend and not want them [to] have the same joys as yourself. In my family we believe in equal rights for all…” Click here for a thoughtful explanation regarding the thoughtlessness of this statement.

A source close to Moakler’s team said: “People in California, more so than most states, are particularly passionate about overturning Prop 8 --especially those in the pageant/beauty world.” The last seven words of this quote are undoubtedly true. The first fifteen words are idiotic at worst and pathetic at best. If people in CA are so passionate about overturning Prop 8, why did it pass?

Kudos to Miss CA, Carrie Prejean, for saying what she believes.

Don’t Get Drawn Away

2009-04-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

Colossians 2:4, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.”

I’ve been teaching a series through the book of Colossians in my adult Bible class for the last few weeks. That epistle is packed with great and challenging truths. One of the main purposes Paul wrote this book was to make sure the Christians at Colosse were not drawn away from the sufficiency of Christ by worldly philosophers and deceivers. The theme of the book is: Christ is All. Paul reveals some of the desires he had for these believers in the first few verses of chapter 2 as he warns them about being drawn away from the faith.

Vs. 1-2, “For I would that he knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ…”

Paul expresses two desires for these believers. The first desire is that they would be comforted. He wanted them to be strengthened and encouraged as they faced not a physical battle, but a mental one. The threat was not bodily injury, it was enticing words. Discouraged Christians are easily drawn away. If you are discouraged, be careful. You are in dangerous territory.

The second desire Paul had for these Christians is that they would be knit together. He wanted them knit together in three ways: in love, unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, and to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. A tremendous lesson can be learned from each of these statements.

Paul wanted them knit together in love. Unity among the brethren is a subject that Paul brings up to every church he wrote to. Divided Christians are easily drawn away. Division in the church provides fertile ground for people to be enticed.

Paul desired that they be knit together unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding. Disoriented (for the lack of a better word that starts with “D”) Christians are easily drawn away. Understanding what Christ has done for you in salvation brings assurance. A believer who is assured of their position in Christ is almost impossible to entice.

The Apostle wanted them knit together to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. The mystery was “Christ in (them), the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). The Laodicean Christians had a tremendous problem in this area. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Jesus was standing at the door knocking, but they didn’t acknowledge Him. Distracted Christians are easily drawn away. If your focus is on something other than Jesus Christ, you have already taken the first step towards being drawn away.

These desires of the Apostle Paul challenged me and I believe they could be a great reminder and challenge to others. Don’t be drawn away!

The Touch of a Father

2009-04-11T16:53:00.001-07:00

A lady in our church wrote me a very kind email this week. You’d have to know her story to understand the true depth of what she said, but I believe the note will touch your heart either way. It read:

“Thank you for the little things I see you do for your kids. Holding your daughter is such a precious sight to me. I hope you never get "too busy" to hold her, stroke her hair or give her hugs as she grows up. Never stop holding her. Trust me, your touch gives love and security, strength and acceptance to Kim, Jacquelynn and any future little girls in your family. Receive this as from one who was very seldom touched by her father in an affirming way. HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!”

The note was a powerful reminder that I don’t ever want to do anything to hurt my kids. If my love is that strong, imagine how deep the Father’s love for us.

Oxymoron of the Week

2009-04-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

PCMag.com Article Title: Skype Comes to the iPhone
Article Subtitle: "Skype for the iPhone lets you easily and cheaply make free VoIP calls over Wi-Fi."

Are the calls cheap or free? I thought it was funny...

Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:31-32 and the Unpardonable Sin

2009-03-28T17:53:00.001-07:00

"None are excepted (from salvation) by name, nor any by description, but those only that blaspheme the Holy Ghost. This blasphemy is excepted, not for any defect of the mercy in God, or merit in Christ, but because it inevitably leaves the sinner in infidelity and impenitency. Those who fear they have committed this sin, give a good sign that they have not. Those therefore who blaspheme this dispensation of the Spirit, cannot possibly be brought to believe in Christ. This is such a stronghold of infidelity as a man can never be beaten out of, and is therefore unpardonable, because hereby repentance is hid from the sinner’s eyes. There is no cure for a sin so directly against the remedy."

I wish I could write like those guys used to.

Oxymoron of the Week

2009-03-18T21:38:00.001-07:00

"Faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe." -Governor Bill Richardson (NM)

Click here for more details on this story.

Catching Wild Pigs

2009-03-02T15:16:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine sent me a great email. It read as follows...

A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at th e professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to
that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.
Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut!

Keep your eyes on the newly elected politicians who are about to slam the gate on America .

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"

Thomas Jefferson

Mayor, Mayor

2009-01-23T16:50:00.001-08:00

Sam Adams, the new mayor of Portland, broke a major barrier when he took office. He become the first openly gay mayor of a major US city.

He recently held a press conference where he finally told the truth about a sexual relationship he had with a teenage ex-intern. This was a relationship he blatantly lied about a few months ago. You can catch up on this story by clicking here.

The sexual orientation of Mayor Adams doesn't really interest me. What bothers me about this situation is that anyone would even consider giving the mayor a pass on this issue. He should resign immediately. He shouldn't resign because he's gay. He should resign because he had sex with an 18 year old and lied about it.

Consider this: What if a 40-something single male mayor of another major city had a sexual relationship with an 18 year old girl and lied about it. If the truth about that relationship came out, people would be demanding his resignation...and rightly so.

Sam Adams has to go.

Liberals and Their Bumper Stickers

2009-01-13T00:00:00.001-08:00

I live in the Portland area. The picture of this car resonates with me. In fact, I've probably seen this car. If not, I've seen dozens like it. The typical liberal who just has to get their point across.

As I was driving down the road today, I got behind a car that had two bumper stickers on it. When I read them, I realized I had found the perfect example of someone who follows liberal logic and can't see the stupidity right before their eyes. I'm just going to tell you what the stickers said. You tell me if you see the oxymoron...and I can't emphasize "moron" enough.

One sticker said: "Respect humanity, vote progressive."

The sticker right above that said: "Keep abortion legal."

I'm speechless.

My Night as a Game Show Host

2009-01-02T19:27:00.001-08:00

That's me. As Jeff Unworthy...the host of Are You Smarter Than a Junior Church Kid. I even worked the southern accent the entire time. We played this Bible trivia game with our congregation in between preachers at our Watchnight Service. The game went great and it was a ton of fun.

Here are the panel of Junior Church kids the contestants could choose as partners. If you know the show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, then you basically know how we ran the game.

Here I am pestering one of the contestants. I also found some "You Might be a Baptist" jokes online that I used during the game. The whole thing was way too much fun.

My favorite joke: If you think the presence of God is strongest on the back three pews...you might be a Baptist!

My New Favorite Hymn

2008-12-29T11:40:00.001-08:00

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

How deep the fathers love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give his only son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Filtering Theology?

2008-12-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was over at a church members house yesterday and we started talking about a co-worker of theirs who was a Calvinist. Without getting in to the whole theological discussion here, I do not believe in the predestination that a Calvinist believes in.

Over the course of the conversation, Reformed Theology was mentioned. I've had quite a few conversations and read a lot of material from people who have made Reformed Theology a major part of their beliefs. If my perception of RT is correct, the main tenet is the Glory of God. I say Amen to that!

The Glory of God is the whole purpose of His entire Creation. He has and will be glorified in and through everything that has and will happen throughout all of time. He is glorified in the justification and sanctification of His people. He will be glorified in the final damnation of those who refuse His gift of eternal life. God is glorified in all whether we perceive it as good or bad.

As I said a moment ago, I do not believe in Calvinism...which is also a tenet of RT. A common thread I get while reading RT writers is that God receives more glory based on the Calvinist view of salvation rather than the Biblical doctrine of salvation. Let me stop here and explain that I believe the work of salvation has been entirely completed by God through His Son, Jesus. However, I don't believe that faith is a work. Faith is a gift from God that is imparted to us through exposure to His Word. It is a gift He desires to give to all.

Now, to the point of this post: I believe that many have used the tenet of glorifying God, rather than the Bible, as the filter for their doctrine. Since a Calvinist believes that God gets "more" glory under their theological system, that is what they believe. I do not filter my theology through my belief that the chief end of man is to bring glory to God. My theology comes from the Bible.

Biblical doctrine does not contradict the purpose of God's Creation. I believe strongly that God gets more glory when His Holy Spirit convicts a person of their sin and they choose out of their free will to receive His gift of eternal life. God doesn't get glory from robots who have no choice. He gets glory when people choose to worship Him. Like I said earlier, He even gets glory when people don't.

PS This post is not an invitation for debate on this subject...I've done enough of that with enough people. If you believe differently than I do, you won't convince me and I won't convince you. This is simply an observation of a thinking preacher.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:23:00.001-08:00

I just want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. Thank God for the awesome gift He gave us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I love the proclamation of the angels in Luke 2: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Tundra Ministry Commercial

2008-12-24T22:56:00.001-08:00

This video is a spoof commercial we created based on the big storm we just had in the Portland area. We're going to show it during our Watchnight Service on New Year's Eve. Enjoy!

Why Us? (Portland Storm of the Century)

2008-12-22T18:01:00.001-08:00

Two out of the last three winters we've been in a place that had the worst snow storm they've experienced in 40-50 years. We lived just north of Denver during the winter of 06-07. That year, they had a snow storm come through that dropped the most snow in 50 years. Denver International Airport was completely shut down for 4 days and we saw drifts of snow upwards of 8 feet tall. There was about 4 feet of snow in the flats.

Right now, we live in the Portland area and we just had the biggest snow storm this area has seen since 1968 over the weekend. We have about a foot and a half of snow on the ground at our house in Dundee. People in Oregon don't really know what to do with the snow. As soon as the first snowflake hit the windshield, people started driving in to each other and in to ditches.

Here are some photos I just took outside our house. Take a look at the carnage...

Our House

My Sisters PT Cruiser

Our Trash Cans

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T19:17:00.001-08:00

I'm glad that I have Someone to thank for all the blessings I enjoy in my life. Tell God about five things you are thankful to Him for. It will make your day better.

Here's a statement I have written in the front of my Bible that keeps me thankful: Forgetting where we came from is the first step to forgetting what God has done for us.

Don't forget. Be thankful.

1.20.09

2008-11-05T20:45:00.001-08:00

The Beginning of an Error

Bad Apple

2008-10-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that I have been a big fan of Apple computer products since about 2003. I have coveted owning a Macbook for quite a long time. Their products are good and they just work.

However, Apple made a very bad decision this week. They decided, as a company, to support the No on 8 campaign in the state of California. If you don't know, Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution and ban gay marriage in California. Apple, Inc. donated $100,000 to the campaign. Here is the statement they posted on their website:

"Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8."

Let me say very clearly: The gay marriage issue IS NOT a civil rights issue! Notice their proclamation that they were "among the first California companies to offer equal rights" to employees and their same-sex partners. The fact is: Everyone in America has the same marital rights! It is just as illegal for me to marry a man as it is for a gay man to marry a man. Every gay man in this country has the same right I do to marry a woman. We all have the same rights!

By calling this issue a civil rights issue, the proponents of gay marriage are (successfully) equating this battle with the battle for women's rights and racial equality. The problem is, when women or black people didn't have the right to vote, that was inequality. A white man had a right that a black man didn't. A male had a right that a female didn't.

Another tech company you might be familiar with, Google, also came out with their support of gay marriage. Co-founder Sergey Brin posted this on the official company blog:

"While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 -- we should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love."

Ah, the "love argument." Sergey is a genius in many ways, but a fool in this one. People who make this argument never think it all the way through. What if I said that I want to marry my sister because I love her? According to Sergey's logic, there's nothing that should stand in the way of that desire. What if I told you I love my dog and I wanted to marry her? What if I told you I love 3 women and I wanted to marry all of them? There are laws against all of these scenarios and, believe me, they'll be the next to go.

These are common arguments offered by those who support gay marriage. However, with just a little bit of logic, you see how easily these arguments crumble.

Let's just say that I have lost my appetite for an Apple.

Atheist Ads

2008-10-22T22:45:00.001-07:00

Please help me understand how this works. A group of atheists are organizing to place anti-God ads on buses in London. How do you place an ad against Someone you don't believe exists?

A hilarious part of the linked article states that there is "preferential treatment given to religion in British society." Wow. Seeing that Europe is one of the greatest bastions of secular liberalism in the world today, I find that very hard to believe.

Holiness

2008-09-26T21:29:00.001-07:00

I'm teaching a lesson in my adult Bible class this Sunday about passing on a heritage of holiness to our children. I'm going to make this statement:

I know holiness is unpopular in the world. It's always been that way. The day holiness becomes unpopular with God's people is a sad and dangerous day.

The thought seriously challenged me and I thought it might do the same for you.

Teaching My Son the Deity of Christ

2008-09-19T21:32:00.001-07:00

I was having a conversation with my 3 year old son the other night and I was trying to teach him the deity of Christ. I think he got a hold of that truth, but he got a little confused by another point. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "David, when we pray, who do we talk to?"

David: "Jesus!"

Me: "That's right! Did you know that Jesus is God?"

David: "Jesus is God?"

Me: "Yes! When you pray, you talk to Jesus and God because Jesus is God!"

David: "I talk to God, I talk to Jesus and I talk to Mary..."

Me: "No, you don't talk to Mary."

David: "You don't talk to Mary?"

Me: "No. Mary is a person, not God."

David: "Mary is a person?"

Me: "Yes. She's a person like Mommy."

David: "I can't talk to Mommy?"

Right-Wing Media Bias?

2008-09-08T19:45:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that I don't listen to a lot of left wing TV or radio. However, I've been giving myself a good laugh every now and then and checking it out. I don't know if this is a new charge (I've been told it isn't), but I've heard for the first time that the media is bias to the Right. Barack Obama made this charge in an interview recently.

This idiocy further proves that people on the far Left truly live in a fantasy world.

Having heard this charge, I figured I'd check to see if it was true. By the way, "truth" is a value the Left has no interest in. I went to several of the mainstream media web sites to see what headlines they had about Sarah Palin. She is the most popular figure on the Right at the moment, so I figured she'd be a good litmus test. Here is what my research uncovered:

Newsweek.com

Headline: Bristol's Choice
Tag Line: Republicans and the illusion of reproductive choice

CNN.com

Headline: Pastor: GOP Downplaying Palin's Pentecostal Past

New York Times

Headline: To Have (as a Running Mate), and to Hold (Politely)

MSNBC.com

Headline: McCain, Palin Criticize Obama on Earmarks
Tag Line: Palin's home state remains largest per-capita consumer of federal funds

Do you need any more examples? These are the headlines right now. I'm looking forward to see how the mainstream media "endorses" the Republican ticket over the next two months. When I listen to the Left make moronic claims like this, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. These people make up almost half my country! They are completely out of touch with reality and two of them are running to lead this nation. Scary.

Abraham's Obedience

2008-09-06T21:56:00.001-07:00

This is part of my lesson for my Adult Bible class tomorrow. It's actually part of a sermon I have preached before called "Faith Equals Obedience." It puts the obedience of Abraham found in Genesis 22 in an understandable and challenging way. I'll just cut and paste from the outline of my lesson. Think on these things...

The Timing of Abraham’s Obedience (vs. 3)
- He rose early the next day.
- God never told him when to do this.
- Abraham: “I know what God wants me to do, so I’m going to do it.”
- Abraham’s obedience was immediate.
- Delayed obedience is disobedience.
- If God has commanded, don’t sit around and wonder. Obey!
The Trust in Abraham’s Obedience (vs. 5, 7-8)
- Remember, God had asked him to do an unthinkable thing.
- vs. 5 “…I and the lad will go…and come again to you.”
- He knew what God had told him to do, but he believed God would deliver.
  - He may not have known how…we may not either.
- vs. 7-8
  - Others around you may start wondering.
  - Abraham believed God would provide.
The Totality of Abraham’s Obedience (vs. 9-10)
- No matter what, Abraham’s obedience would be complete.
- He believed God would provide, but he still built the altar, he still bound his son and he still raised the knife.
- When God gives you orders, decide from that start that you will follow through to the end.

Time to Panic?

2008-08-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure, but if there was ever a time to panic, this would be it. Do these people seem a little too calm?

A Few Good Pictures

2008-07-20T23:46:00.001-07:00

Here is the cutest baby in the world (with Grandma Lori):

Here is a typical Sunday afternoon at the Casillas home:

If Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, why does it wipe you out so bad?

Oregonian Irrationality

2008-07-15T22:54:00.001-07:00

In a letter to the editor of the Gresham Outlook, an individual that identifies themselves as C. K. Holton makes this statement about President Bush: "I do not know if he studied this king or Adolph Hitler, but the outcome is the same."

You can read his short letter by clicking here and scrolling down.

Over-the-top statements like this are commonplace among Leftists. Think...is the outcome of the Bush administration really the same as Hitler's dictatorship?

America has occupied a country, Hitler occupied a continent. Our enemy is evil, Hitler's enemies were largely innocent. Maybe tens of thousands have died as a result of the current war (one must consider the fact that nearly the same amount would have died had we never gone in to Iraq), 50 million died as a result of World War II.

I wish liberals would think before they speak.

Biblical Advice for Election 2008

2008-07-08T22:04:00.001-07:00

"...meddle not with them that are given to CHANGE: for their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?" - Proverbs 24:21-22

Wedding in Montana

2008-06-28T22:47:00.001-07:00

My sister and I made the 9 hour drive from Portland to Missoula yesterday. We had a good time and some good laughs. We stopped at a gas station/restaurant/truck repair shop (that should tell you everything you need to know about it) in Umatilla, Oregon. They had doughnuts on steroids for sale. Literally, the maple bar was almost a foot long. We saw a billboard that said, "When life sucks...there's hope." It then gave an 800 number to call. I thought: If I lived in Umatilla, I'd want an 800 number to call when life sucked. Too funny.

The purpose of this trip was to officiate my cousin's wedding on their family ranch in Stevensville, MT. Joe (my cousin) and Carrie did great and the ceremony went well. The sound guys turned my microphone off with the music at the beginning of the ceremony causing an annoying pause and one of them to come to the mic to get it going. I told the sound guys before the service that they would either be my best friends or my worst enemies. It turned out to be the latter. I also dropped Carrie's ring when the best man handed them to me. There's always something that goes wrong in a wedding. Those are the things that you remember. Here are some pictures from the ceremony and reception. Notice the natural backdrop that no church building could ever come close to matching.

The arch is where we stood during the ceremony. When I look at this picture, I think...postcard.

My sister Casey (on the right) and my cousin Molly.

A great picture my sister took after Carrie and her dad passed her as they walked down the aisle.

It was a great privilege for me to officiate the wedding.

Weddings are a great celebration. As I prepared for the ceremony, I was reminded of how marriage pictures Christ's relationship with the church (Ephesians 5). I believe that if both parties in Christian marriages just kept that fact in mind, there would be a lot less problems in those relationships.

I was also reminded that marriage was the first institution God gave to man (Genesis 2). Marriage came before the home (the union of a man and a woman is the foundation of the home), government, nations and even the local church. Obviously, God holds marriage in high regard. Too bad our culture doesn't really do the same. Satan knows that when he destroys marriage, he destroys the societal example of Christ's relationship with the church. It's another victory for him. He loves anything that keeps people from seeing Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Pray for Joe and Carrie as they start their new life together.

A Joke about Two Jewish Guys

2008-06-20T19:56:00.001-07:00

Already you're thinking: this is going to get Chris in trouble. I'm sorry if you find this offensive or blasphemous. I don't think a reasonable person will. Here goes:

Two Jewish men have been friends since childhood. Several times a week, they would go on a walk together at the end of the day. One would always ask, "How was your day?" The other replied, "Fine. How was yours?" The first said, "Fine."

One day, the first Jew asked, "How was your day?" The second replied, "Not so good." The first one asked, "Why?" The other said, "It's my son. I've raised him to be a good Jew, taken him to synagogue every week, taught him the law of God and all of the sudden he wants to become a Christian!"

The first Jew looked at the other and said, "Funny you should say that, my son too! I raised him to be a good Jew, took him to synagogue every week, taught him God's law and now he wants to become a Christian! What should we do?" The other Jew answered, "I don't know, let's go ask the Rabbi."

So, off they went to the synagogue and they told the Rabbi the situation. "Rabbi, Rabbi, it's our boys! We've raised our sons to be good Jews, you've seen us bring them to synagogue every week, we've taught them the law of God and all of the sudden they want to become Christians!"

The Rabbi answered, "That's funny you should say that, my son too! I'm the Rabbi, I've brought him to synagogue with me every week, I've taught him everything I know about God's law, I've raised him to be a good Jew and now he wants to become a Christian!"

The two men asked the Rabbi, "What do we do?" The Rabbi replied, "Let's pray about it."

As they prayed, the whole synagogue started to shake and a loud voice spoke from Heaven, "Funny you should say that, my Son too!"

A Message for the Lakers

2008-06-08T21:35:00.001-07:00

Get a rebound. You're doing a good job forcing the Celtics to take long jumpers. Long jumpers equal long rebounds. The Celts are killing you on offensive boards and second chance opportunities. If a long jumper is taken, don't run under the basket and expect the ball to fall in your lap. Back up and block somebody out.

Rotate on pick and rolls. I'm going to lose my testimony if I see another Celtic guard beat an LA big man to the basket by about 10 minutes.

Unless some things change real quick, this is going to be a short series.

More Global Warming Please

2008-06-07T16:04:00.001-07:00

If I haven't already ticked off a liberal with something I've said on my blog, I just did with this post title. Seriously though, where is summer? I'm hearing of seasonable temperatures all over the country, but we're still in the dead of winter in the Portland area. I'm glad to see "Global Warming" is alive and well. Wait...I'm sorry...it's called "Climate Change" now. I would like the climate to change. We had one week of 90 degree weather a month ago and it's been in the 50's and raining ever since. I seriously thought it was going to snow the other day.

I am going to ask the question regardless of the cliche factor: How is the weather where you are?

Let Jesus Use Your Boat

2008-05-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

I taught a lesson in my adult Bible class this morning from Luke 5 on the call to be fishers of men. I brought out an encouraging thought that I wanted to share with you:

Luke 5:3 says, "And (Jesus) entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land."

This chapter tells the story of the day Peter met Jesus Christ. This event took place early on in the public ministry of Christ, but he had already garnered quite a following. Vs. 1 tells us that the crowd of people "pressed upon him to hear the word of God." He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to teach these people, but he couldn't address the whole crowd standing in the middle of them. He needed to get to a place where he could face the people and speak to all of them at once. Jesus looked over to the water and saw Peter's boat. He got in and asked if Peter would push away from the shore, giving Jesus a speakers position.

I'll ask you the same question I asked my class: Did Jesus need Peter's boat?

A familiar story can be found in Matthew 14. Vs. 25 says, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."

You see, that day that Jesus wanted to preach to the crowd, He could have just stepped out onto the water and had the same result. Rather then stepping on the water He stepped in the boat. Jesus made a choice to use what Peter had. He didn't have to, but He did. Peter could have thought that he didn't have much to offer Jesus, but he let Him use what he had.

Even if you believe you have very little to offer to God, let Him use it anyway. He doesn't need it, but He wants it.

Let Jesus use your boat.

Incomprehensible Lack of Intelligence Coming from the Left

2008-05-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Will Dudding put a very thought provoking post on his blog. You can read it here. We are in the middle of the political cycle so the fodder is readily available.

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the continual stupidity that flows from any source that leans to the Left. There seems to be no thought process involved in what they are saying. They never think through their positions or statements and consider the end of their thought. They simply spew things that sound good and make a partisan crowd cheer. Their views and statements are vapid at best and moronic at worst. Here is a recent example from Presidential hope-not, Barack Obama.

In response to statements made by President Bush (which weren't necessarily directed at Obama), Barack said that "tough talk" on the part of the Republicans isn't working in dealing with terrorists and their state sponsors. That statement begs the question: "Will weak talk work, Mr. Obama?" Obama also stated that Bush hasn't made America safer. This one really gets me! Since 9/11, America has not been attacked one time. How much safer could President Bush make our country in the last 7 years? He has a perfect record! 100% effectiveness in making us safe! Does Barack think about that before making statements like this? No. Why? Because he doesn't think very much. That much is clear.

Discipleship

2008-05-15T23:01:00.001-07:00

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." - Matthew 28:20

Becoming a disciple of Christ is a lifelong process. The word sounds like "discipline" because it comes from the same root word. Being a disciple of Christ means you are disciplined to follow His commandments. That's why He tells us to teach baptized believers to "observe" the things He has commanded us. Discipleship is doing what Christ wants you to do.

When is the process of discipleship complete? Not in this life. I believe it is complete when we see Him (1 John 3:2).

Building disciples should be the goal of everything a church does with believers. Worship and preaching services, classes, fellowship times...all of it should make a child of God a stronger disciple.

One of the ways our church disciples people is through a class that takes place during our mid-week service on Thursday nights. I am taking two couples through a book called 7 Steps to Joy. (It actually takes about 10 weeks to go through the course.) It is a simple book that covers eternal security, baptism and several practical aspects of the Christian life. One of the greatest feelings in ministry comes when you are teaching someone the Bible and "the light comes on." I love seeing the look in someone's eyes when they grasp a truth from God's Word. It's harder to see it when you're preaching because of the size of the crowd. In a small group, it's much easier to catch. I'm having a blast on Thursday nights. The 7 Steps book is pretty basic, but it's amazing the stuff we talk about based on questions the students ask. Tonight's topic was "the Church" and we ended up hitting on things like the Passover and communism in the book of Acts!

If you know anything about the Bible, make the effort to pass that knowledge on to someone else. It's the pinnacle of ministry and the culmination of the Great Commission.

What does your church do to build disciples?

God's First Work

2008-05-12T22:28:00.001-07:00

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." - Genesis 1:1-4

Here are a few things to think about from the awesome story of Creation:

1. When God created the heaven and the earth, He did NOT say it was good. He said the light was good.

2. When God created something apart from Himself, it was dark by default.

3. God's first work after letting light shine into His creation was dividing the light from the darkness.

Ponder these thoughts and you should be reminded of some foundational characteristics of God's character and work.

Knee Jerk?

2008-05-03T22:07:00.001-07:00

Let me start this post with a few disclaimers:

1. I haven't been saved very long (almost 12 years), let alone around fundamentalism very long.

2. I don't know all the "circles" within fundamentalism nor the individual men that make them up.

3. I may not be reading the right blogs.

What I'm trying to say is: I don't have an omnipresent, omniscient perspective when it comes to the subject I'm about to address. I'm only presenting my humble view and theory. So, here goes...

I've come across several blogs that are authored by people who have come out of "hyper-fundamentalism," "IFBxdom," "psuedo-fundamentalism" or any of the other little nicknames they create. To a degree, I understand what they're talking about. On the other hand, it seems a little over the top.

Dennis Prager (yes, I listen to him quite a bit) was talking about how people raise their kids and he brought up a great, but obviously not universal, point. He said that children who are brought up strict tend to raise their children more loosely, whereas children who are raised loosely tend to raise their children more strict. My first thought was: there will be a consistency if generations raised their children according to the Bible. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, it kind of made me think about the "fundamentalist" movement. As I read, it seems there has been an ebb and flow to the emphasis placed on certain aspects of Christian faith and practice. It's kind of like the parent who was raised in a strict home that raises their child loosely or vice versa. The parent wants to give their child something they feel they missed out on. If they missed out on liberty, they go over the top with giving their child liberty. If they missed out on direction and standards, they go over the top with rules.

To me, that's how fundamental Christianity has gone for the past few centuries.

People in certain generations look back at the generation that raised them and say, "My parents (figuratively speaking) didn't give me...fill in the blank." As a result, they go over the top with whatever they feel they missed. I see a lot of bloggers who seem to have this attitude. I see blog titles and sub-titles like "Ichabod" and "encouragement for those longing to break free." I read of the terror of KJV-onlyism and ruthless, overbearing pastors. Our church only uses the KJV. Our pastor leads our church. I love it that my church would just be lumped in with the "IFBxers." Don't bother asking why we use the KJV or how my pastor leads. It must be tyranny. (By the way, I've been serving at my church for almost a year and I've never heard my preacher rant about or even mention the KJV in a message. Also, I know that he loves our people more than anything but God. And...he graduated from Hyles Anderson.)

I really don't know what these people have experienced, but I don't feel like I'm in prison! If it wasn't for a "fill in the nickname" church, I wouldn't be saved today! It just bothers me that I see very little gratitude for the heritage people have been given. Are those that gave the heritage perfect? No. But neither are you.

Here's my prediction: those that are "reforming" and moving away from some of the emphasis of their fathers are going to raise a generation that sees weaknesses in them and that will "reform" back to be like the original generation. For example: one generation emphasizes passion, another emphasizes doctrine. The doctrine generation produces the passion generation. The passion generation produces the doctrine generation.

Is there anything wrong with that? Not necessarily. Would it be better if there wasn't so much criticism and more gratitude for heritage handed down? I think so. Would it be great if we could find a balance and stop the "swings?" Absolutely.

As long as sinners are handing down the heritage, there will always be weaknesses in the heritage. Just don't have a knee jerk reaction.

Numbers

2008-04-12T14:07:00.001-07:00

I think I've come to a conclusion about an issue that really isn't important. (Aren't Baptists really good at that?) Every now and then I hear or read about somebody criticizing someone else because that someone else "only cares about numbers." Usually they're talking about a pastor or ministry that has expressed some kind of passion for reaching more people with the Gospel or growing numerically. I've heard it said about such men as Paul Chappell or Jack Schaap. Dr. Schaap just released a very compelling book called Where are We Going? In a nutshell, the book chronicles the decline of fundamental Baptist influence in America over the last 30 years. This is the kind of book that draws the criticism I'm talking about here.

Here's my take: I think criticism about this issue is pointless and ignorant. Is the ministry all about numbers? More people in the pews? More people saved and baptized? Of course not. However, I don't think that emphasizing numerical growth is unbiblical or carnal. It can be, but we can't judge another man's heart in that respect.

Jesus did say to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." 1 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." There are over 6 billion people on planet earth. God wants every one of them to be saved. Why is it wrong for us to emphasize greater numbers when God doesn't want us to miss even one?

Of course, a Calvinist or one who believes in sovereign election will have a hard time with this. I don't believe in arbitrary election by God regarding who will be saved and who won't...but that's for another post.

If numbers are your god or your measure for success in life and ministry, then there's a problem. However, there is nothing wrong with having and expressing a passion to reach more people with the message of the Gospel. God Himself has given us a numerical goal...the whole world!

Thank You...Thank You Very Much

2008-04-09T18:27:00.001-07:00

Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor

Please take 11 minutes and watch President Bush present Michael's parents with the Medal of Honor given to their son posthumously. You can see that video by clicking here. Thank you again, Michael.

Spirituality vs. Religion

2008-04-08T18:49:00.001-07:00

Dennis Prager was discussing a very interesting subject on his syndicated radio show today. If you don't know who Dennis is, you can find out more about him at his website. He is a very conservative, religious Jew. He has very strong morals. I agree with about 95% of what he says. The areas I usually disagree with him on have something to do with the Bible or religion. By the way, he knows the Torah inside and out. I don't believe he understands it, but he knows it. If he understood it, he'd see the obvious types of Christ found in it.

Anyway, the subject he covered during the Ultimate Issues hour today was: Spirituality vs. Religion. He argues strongly for being involved in some kind of organized religion. One of his points is that any substantive spirituality must come from a source. Jews get theirs from the Old Testament. Christians get theirs from the Bible. Muslims get theirs from the Quran, etc. As I listened to people call in about their "spirituality," a thought occurred to me. People are OK with being "spiritual" as long as they aren't accountable to anyone or anything (a pastor, church, holy text or especially God). They want to be "spiritual" on their terms.

Many people like this who called in referred to "god" or a "higher power." The funny things is, if God exists or if there is some "higher power," that means He is in charge! They reference this "higher power" but they don't submit to it. They want to be in charge. That is the ultimate sign of pride in man.

You see, if you want to worship God, you have to do it His way. Jesus said in John 4:23, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." In essence, religion is man's understanding of how God wants them to worship Him. That said, man certainly isn't right about this all the time. In fact, he's wrong about this most of the time. That is why there are so many false religions in the world today.

The way I see it, there are three kinds of religions:

1. A religion that worships a false god.

2. A religion that worships the true God the wrong way.

3. A religion that worships the true God the right way.

God is only pleased with option number 3.

Religion is certainly better than spirituality. Why? Because religion is worshiping God and that is the highest form of spirituality. The key is having the right religion. When you worship God, you'd better be sure you're doing it the way He wants you to.

Making a Difference

2008-04-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

Her name is Michell. I didn't spell that wrong, there is no "e" on the end of her name. She is one of the most faithful attendees of our Saturday night service at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. She is one of 100+ ladies who lovingly refer to that service as "church." We sing, we preach and we grow together in the Lord. Ladies trust Christ as Saviour every week. It is definitely church.

Michell also cuts hair in the salon inside the prison. I thought that was strange at first, but it is just one of the many life skills that can be learned while in prison that can be used productively on the "outside." She cut my hair this morning and she did a great job.

Michell was interviewed for an article that appeared in the Wilsonville Spokesman (the local paper). The article was about religious services in the prison. It was a great blessing to me and the other volunteers to read the testimony of a life that was changed. You can read that article by clicking here. Let it bless you and encourage you to keep serving the Lord and making a difference.

Quotes That Made Me Think

2008-03-25T22:19:00.001-07:00

Every now and then, when I'm listening to a sermon, I'll hear the preacher make a statement that is "inside-of-my-Bible-flap-worthy." In other words, there are a few blank pages at the front and back of my Bible. Over time, those pages have been covered with quotes from sermons I've heard. Here are a few of the really good ones:

"Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, they reject it because it contradicts them."

"The twentieth century never saw a revival." - Dr. John Goetsch

"If God took the power of the Holy Spirit out of this world, most of what Christians would do would keep on going and nobody would know the difference." - Evangelist Dave McCracken

"If you don't want to fall, stand." - A preacher who fell

"All of my problems are equally infinitesimal in the sight of God."

"Why would the devil waste his resources on you when he knows you can't even get the victory over your own flesh?"

"Don't ever lose sight of the One who is unseen."

"Somewhere, sometime, someone is going to come along who really believes the Bible and they'll embarrass us all." - R. B. Oullette

"The entire world is against what we're doing for God, but all of Heaven is for us."

"Holiness is more important than happiness, but you can have both." - John Bishop

"You're going to have problems with or without Jesus, I'd rather have Jesus."

"The supernatural realm is God's natural realm." - Sidney Stone

Have you heard a great quote lately?

Time for Celebration?

2008-03-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

A wedding ceremony is an obvious cause for celebration. Two people are starting a brand new life together. Two families become one. Dreams are big. Joy is everywhere. A wedding is an exciting event for all involved. Marriage was God's idea. It's His institution and He has something to say about it.

Genesis 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

Matthew 19:6, "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

As far as our culture is wandering from God and His Word, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this piece of news. Things are bad when we're celebrating the demise of God's plan.

Duh

2008-03-13T22:54:00.001-07:00

Only a Harvard University economist could come up with this. It actually took two of them!

The Replacement Principle

2008-03-09T23:25:00.001-07:00

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." -Psalm 1:1-3

I think it would be safe to assume that most Christians would want to be like that fruitful, prosperous tree described in verse 3. They want God's hand of power and blessing on their life. There's certainly nothing wrong with desiring those things.

The problem comes when we only apply part of the formula described here to get those results. There are a lot of Christians who pride themselves in applying the principle found in verse 1. (I know I've been guilty of this at times!) They are separated from the world and it's philosophies. They truly shun influence from people who want nothing to do with God. These are good things, but they're only part of the formula!

This is where the Replacement Principle comes in. God doesn't just want certain things to be removed from your life. There are also things He wants put in. The Christian life is not just about abstaining or separating from certain influences. It's about filling that void with something that glorifies God.

The first part of the formula is found in verse 1. The second part is found in verse 2. It's not all about despising the world, it's also about delighting in His Word. It's not just about removing something from your life, it's also about adding something to it. If you're seeking the blessing of God on your life, make sure you're applying the whole formula to it. If you don't you'll just end up being a frustrated, unusable vessel.

Here's a convicting question that will tell you where you're really at with this: Do you delight in the Word as much as you despise the world?

The truth is, our delight in God's Word should be greater than our disdain for the world.

God Have Mercy on America

2008-03-01T22:25:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday morning, Dr. David Gibbs III preached for our Sunday morning service. His sermon was a testimony/message wrapped around the Terri Schiavo case. Dr. Gibbs is an attorney for the Christian Law Association. He was the lead attorney for Terri's parents as they fought to preserve her life. What we heard last Sunday was beyond powerful. I've never heard a message that made me so burdened about the state of our country. I strongly suggest taking 35-40 minutes and listening to it. Click here and find the Sunday morning sermon from February 24th. The title is "Fighting for Dear Life."

Pray for our country.

Jacquelynn Marie Casillas

2008-02-11T10:54:00.001-08:00

It's official, we have a baby girl! Jacquelynn was born at 8:41 last night. She was 21 inches long and weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces. She's actually a little heftier than her brother was. Here are some first pictures of the little beauty.

Here she is sleeping soundly. She's a pretty good sleeper.

Jacquelynn with a proud Grandma Knutsen.

I'm a pretty proud dad too!

It was a good day. Kim was in labor for about six hours after being induced at 11:30 AM. The night wasn't over after everyone left the hospital. My sister, Casey, was taking my son home in my car and she got side swiped at an intersection. I was on the scene of the accident at midnight. That wasn't exactly the first thing I wanted to do after being in the hospital all day. Casey and David are fine. The front bumper of my car is tied on with vinyl twine.

I really only wanted to remember February 10th for one reason, but now there's two. Thanks for all your prayers!

Characteristics of Great Faith

2008-01-23T23:09:00.001-08:00

Matthew 8 tells a story that, I believe, contains one of the most powerful verses in all of the Bible. In vs. 10, Jesus says, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." The faith of the centurion He met in this chapter was greater than any faith He'd ever come across. He hadn't even found someone with faith like this among God's people.

As I looked at this passage the other day, I started wondering what it was about the faith of this man that impressed Jesus so much. We don't have a lot of Scripture dealing with this man, but we do have a little and a few characteristics jumped out at me.

1. Great faith knows Who to turn to (vs. 5). The faith of this centurion caused him to turn to Jesus when he was in need.

2. Great faith understands the need (vs. 6). Strong faith gives us the eyes to see the needs of people around us.

3. Great faith causes compassion for others (vs. 6). The man was obviously moved by the condition of his servant. He told Jesus that the servant was "grievously tormented."

4. Great faith causes humility (vs. 8). The centurion said he wasn't worthy for Jesus to come to his house. Faith will make us humble before God as well. By nature, faith is the reaction to our understanding that we can't.

5. Great faith recognizes the power of God (vs. 8). The centurion told Jesus to simply speak and his servant would be healed.

6. Great faith knows who is in charge (vs. 9). The military man understood a chain of command. He also understood that God is always ultimately in charge.

Obviously, these thoughts could be elaborated on greatly, but I hope they at least get you thinking about your faith. Do you see any of these characteristics in your life?

TBC Grand Opening

2008-01-22T21:16:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry it's taken over a week to give a report on the Grand Opening service that took place on the 13th. It's been busy.

God blessed the service in a great way. At least 350 people were in attendance. Over 30 families were there visiting for the first time. At least 2 people trusted Christ as their Saviour. It was a great event to be a part of. We have a lot of work to do following up on all the visitors. We're praying that many of them will find a place to grow in Christ right here at Timberline Baptist.

Another thing: Click here for an extremely powerful blog post by Trey Morgan. It's a thought you've probably never thought of before and it will make you very grateful for God's grace.

Another thing, again: Kim is due in less than 2 weeks! I'm going to have a baby girl! We're very excited. Pray that Jacqueline is healthy and happy.

Grand Opening Tomorrow!

2008-01-12T19:28:00.001-08:00

It's been a very busy week at Timberline Baptist Church. We just got done with an awesome Revival Meeting with Dr. John Goetsch. God moved in our church in a powerful way. Click here and listen to the Sunday night sermon called "God's Use of the Broken." If you aren't challenged by that message, I don't know if it's possible for you to be challenged.

Tomorrow afternoon is our Grand Opening service for our new building. We have invited the mayor of Sherwood, contractors who worked on the building, friends, family and coworkers. We also mailed a postcard to 35,000 homes in the area. We're not really sure what's going to happen. God knows what we can handle. I'll give a report on the day tomorrow afternoon. Keep us in your prayers!

The Pursuit

2008-01-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about our Declaration of Independence this morning and specifically about the famous statement: "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." As the differences between Republicans and Democrats are made blatantly obvious during this election season, a thought came to me. Liberal philosophies and politics has a tendency to feed a great character flaw in our society. That character flaw is the attitude of entitlement.

Nobody that I know would say we don't have the right to life, liberty and happiness. However, the welfare mentality that is prevelent on the Left has removed the idea of pursuing happiness. Our founding fathers were extremely wise. They understood that happiness is a right, but that it also takes work to achieve. We live in a day where more and more people want their retirement, health care, education, groceries, etc. taken care of for them. We are entitled to it after all. Our culture needs to regain the character trait of pursuing the happiness they have the God given right to enjoy.

Off subject: why is "Brit Stripped of Custody Rights" the 3rd of 3 major headlines on Foxnews.com right now? Do that many people really care? Sad.

Just Say it Already!

2007-12-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-10T18:10:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-21T22:44:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-17T22:23:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-14T23:50:00.001-08:00

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!

2007-11-10T23:16:00.000-08:00

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)

2007-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-03T21:00:00.001-07:00

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)

2007-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-26T21:08:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

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."

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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

2007-08-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-17T18:48:00.001-07:00

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?

2007-08-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-07-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

"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?

2007-06-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-18T21:38:00.001-07:00

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?

2007-05-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

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?