On The Lighter Side!

Let Me Be Honest With You!

2012-01-03T14:31:00.003-05:00

Have you ever heard yourself, or someone else utter the words, "Let me be honest with you."? I thought of this the other day as I was listening to someone speak to me. I know I have used this phrase many times personally. Usually we use it to get someones attention. However, when I heard it the other day, I thought, "what are you being the rest of the time!"

In that statement is an admission that we are many times less than honest with those we are speaking with. Perhaps we are shading the truth. Perhaps we are simply telling them what we think they want to hear. Whatever the case, if we need to preface something important with the phrase, "Let me be honest with you" we had better take a good look at our conversation.

I know I may be making too much of this. I really intend it to be a humorous example of the things we often say without thinking. Nor do I believe that everyone lies all the time unless they tell you first they are telling the truth. Still, I do think we need to be so careful with the message of our words. How often to we spout out phrases without thinking? Probably too much! If you want to have fun tomorrow, wait for someone to say "let me be honest with you" or "honestly" or "to be honest with you", and then interrupt them and ask them if you are to assume that they have been lying to you up to that point. You will both get a laugh no doubt. At least you will!

One Down, One to Go!

2011-11-26T08:42:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving is over. Well...at least the official holiday is over. I hope that the act of thanksgiving is not over. Our family had a terrific thanksgiving. We went to my brother's house (which meant less clean-up for me) and there were 18 people altogether. That is my idea of a thanksgiving meal!

Now we are getting ready for Christmas. I was so proud of myself yesterday. I actually got motivated enough to go up into the attic and bring down the tree and other decorations. Last night our family decorated the tree together. We had a great time! We sang Christmas carols, and my three children put all the decorations on the bottom half of the tree! We won't win any prizes for the best looking tree, but it was fun for us.

So with just a few more weeks till Christmas I think we will make it just fine. Like many people, our budget is much smaller for presents this year. I think this has made us more thoughtful in our purchases. I challenged myself this year to do all of my shopping online. I believe I have made some very good buys, and so far I have paid nothing in shipping, and found many things less expensive than they were in the stores! My wife is going the traditional route of mingling with the masses.

It gets harder every year to keep Christ the center of Christmas. If we were not a Christian family, I imagine our children would not even know the meaning of Christmas! Secularism is everywhere. I encourage Christian parents not to give up. Teach your kids what Christmas is really all about. Teach them why we give gifts. Tell them whose birthday we are really celebrating.

I know there are some fine Christians who do not celebrate Christmas. I respect their view. I, however, do celebrate it and enjoy it. Over the next few weeks, don't get caught up in the rushing and shoving. Don't get stressed out if this year the stack of gifts are a little smaller under the tree. Remember that God's "unspeakable" gift is as big as ever and is available all year long! That is a gift worth getting excited about!

So enjoy the Christmas season. Sing the songs. decorate your tree. It's Christmas!

Its only Wednesday, and I'm Sick of Turkey Already!

2011-11-23T07:17:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I will probably eat my share when the day comes tomorrow. My weariness of turkey comes from the fallout of what I thought was going to be a simple, brilliant idea. As usual, none of my ideas are simple (though they may be brilliant!)

It all began when I had the idea to move our Wednesday night service to Tuesday the week of Thanksgiving, which is this week. In uncharacteristic form, I had actually been planning the service for months. Our church normally has a Thanksgiving banquet the Friday of the previous week, but I wanted to save our folks some time. I also thought it would be nice to let our ladies who are cooking the big meal have Wednesday night off to help with preparation. So we moved the service. No problem so far!

The next part of my idea what how we could make the service memorable. I decided it would be fun if, instead of a Thanksgiving banquet, we just had turkey sandwiches at the beginning of the service! Made with real roasted turkey of course. I got two ladies to agree to each cook a turkey, and then I decided to cook the other two turkeys in our brand new kitchen at the church. How hard can it be...right?

Tuesday morning came and I arrived early at the church to take the turkeys out of the refrigerator and pop them in the oven. Nope. The turkeys were still not quite thawed, even though they had been in the fridge for five days! Arggghhh! For the next 4 hours I had them in the double sink changing out cold water every 20 minutes until they were completely thawed. I can do this.

Next it was time to put them in the oven. Now, I have never actually cooked a turkey before, but how hard can it really be. They have that great little pop-up thingy that tells you when it is done, so no problem! The only thing I noticed when taking the turkeys out of the packaging was a white bag of gravy mix, which I also assumed must be the giblets as well. No one told me that there was a turkey next down in there!

Now, leaving the giblets and the turkey neck in the turkey is not the end of the world, but it does extend the time of the cooking since the turkey next was still frozen I am sure. I set the ovens on 325 degrees and inserted the turkeys and set the timer for 4 hours. Piece of cake!

Four hours later the little pop-up thingy had not popped, and I was beginning to get worried. This is where my A.d.d. begins to kick in. How long can it take? What if the pop-up doesn't work? How do you test a turkey when the pop-up thingy doesn't pop and you don't have a thermometer?

I called my wife, who was cooking one of the other turkeys at home, and she said that her turkey had only taken about 3 1/2 hours. I was now on 4 1/2. She recommended patience, so I settled in to wait about another hour. 5 minutes later I was back staring through the glass on the front o of the stove, and I could almost hear the turkeys mocking me.

My wife finally brought me a thermometer and I tested the turkey and it looked like it was done. the temperature was over 170 degrees. So out came the first turkey and onto the carving board. The only problem was that when i cut off the breast the bottom of it was still pink and bloody. The inside cavity, where I then found the turkey neck was also still a little bloody. This is not good. At this point, I fell back on my training as a man of God. I panicked! I stuck the breast back onto the turkey the best I could and wrapped it in foil, and placed it back inside the oven. I was having hallucinations about people dying from food poisoning, and wondering why I ever thought I could cook a turkey!

The turkeys finally finished cooking after 6 hours! I had now been working in this kitchen all day as well as setting up tables and chairs and the portable sound system. I pulled the turkeys out and began carving them, being thankful that there were at least two turkeys (the ones being cooked by the women) that would be usable.

Mine weren't really too bad. After I peeled of the top layer of dried out meat, they were edible. My only saving grace was the fact that the meat would be going onto sandwiches. Dry meat is not so noticeable when mixed with mustard or mayonnaise! I finished with literally minutes to spare before people would be arriving. I put on my jacket and tie, and a smile on my face, but something was wrong. I wasn't hungry for turkey!! I had spent all day with turkeys and now I didn't want to eat!

Lesson learned. Leave the turkeys to the experts.

This Thanksgiving I want to extend my profound thanks and admiration for the mothers and grandmothers who spend hours in the kitchen preparing the big meal. I feel that I have at least walked a mile in your shoes this year. We love and appreciate your hard work.

I think that I am going to order pizza next time!

Cheering for the Wrong Team!

2011-10-20T08:48:00.004-04:00

Last Monday a large group from my family went to watch my son's baseball game. It was a pretty slow game to start with. No one was really hitting the ball, and of course, I was soon distracted with conversation and not even watching the game.

Then it happened. One of the kids hit the ball and it went sailing into the outfield!!! Finally!! i started cheering and yelling for him to run to first base! Then I noticed that no one else on our side was yelling. I was cheering for the wrong team!! Boy was I embarrassed! I sure got some confused and irritated looks from the parents with children on our team.

Then I started thinking. This only happened because I wasn't paying attention. I didn't intend to cheer for the wrong team. It was an accident. Still, I did it.

I wonder how many times believers spend their time cheering for the wrong team because they are not paying attention to the game. We get distracted and then drawn into the world around us. We cheer for the worldliness around us without ever stopping to think that it is at odds with the Lord. I do not believe that Christians would intentionally seek to cheer for the enemies of Christ, yet many times by our actions we do that very thing.

Let's make sure that we are watching what is going on around us, and be sure we are pulling for God's team. Don't get caught cheering for the wrong team today!

Fun Family Conversation

2011-10-11T07:51:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had a less than enjoyable dinnertime experience? If you have young children, chances are that you have. It seems that dinnertime, instead of being a fun, enjoyable time when you talk about your day, can often turn into a stress filled, can't wait to push away from the table, time!

With sibling rivalry, broccoli, and gagging on rice, our dinnertime experience had been less than peaceful lately. In frustration and desperation, I called my Pastor and asked for some advice. He explained to me that I ought to target the dinner conversation on a specific topic and keep it going throughout the meal time. This topic can be anything, so long as it is education, motivational, or constructive. Sound easy?

Well I jumped right in and we had a blast. I decided the first night to challenge my children to give Bible character's name for every letter of the alphabet. Now some of those are easier than others! I have an eight year old, a four year old, and a two year old. We were having so much fun that my wife and I started taking turns as well! We did alright for a while. I was actually pleased and surprised at how many Bible names my children knew!

The trouble came when we arrived at the letter "y". We were all stumped. I could not think of one Bible character whose name started with "y". If you know of one please comment and let me know!

Well, we were just about to give up when my four year old son, who is in kindergarten and just learning his letters, piped up. "I know a name Dad! The Wise Men!" (Pronounced phonetically "Y'z men"! Pretty good for a kid huh! He searched his little brain for Bible names that started with Y and came up with Y'z men.

In the process of this game, my children had eaten their meal, and we had not had one argument or disagreement. Additionally we had expanded our Bible knowledge. It beat fighting!

I share this story because perhaps you are frustrated with your dinner time activity. Why not try giving the conversation a targeted subject and see where it goes? You could make it anything! The point is, it is purposeful conversation. We have enjoyed it. I would love to hear about your experiences as well!

You Must Mean An Adult Minute!

2011-10-01T19:18:00.003-04:00

Have you ever heard the phrase "Faster than a New York Minute"? That is a phrase which has come to mean a very short period of time. There is some disagreement on where this term came from, but the most common explanation sounds right to me. According to numerous websites I visited, a "New York Minute" is the amount of time it takes, when a light turns from red to green in New York City, before the person behind you begins honking their horn. In other words, the blink of an eye!!

My eight year old son has coined another term which he calls the "Adult Minute". Just the other day my wife was driving a van full of children home from school. She was multitasking. She is amazing how she can do more than one thing at a time. There she was pulling her hair out and driving simultaneously! HA HA! Somewhere during the trip home my oldest son Ethan asked her if he could do something. I don't know what, and it isn't really important to the story. My wife responded to his request with one of those reliable phrases we parents keep handy: "In a minute!"

Ordinarily this would pacify a youngster for at least that length of time, and if we are fortunate, a little longer. In this case, my wife happened to hear my son's response. It was something like this. "That must be an adult minute...adult minutes are looooong! Kid minutes are short! I wish it was a kid minute and not an adult minute!"

Don't you love the honesty of children? How many times have I felt like this while talking to my Heavenly Father. I ask Him for something and I want it right now! I want it before I ask for it! Do we respond like my son when God does not jump when we snap our fingers? If he delays (or at least seems to delay) and answer to our question, do we get impatient? I confess that I do sometimes. I hope that this little story about my son will help you to remember to be patient when God does not respond immediately in our time frame. Sometime a God minute is longer than a "kid" minute!

Podcasting Headaches

2011-09-12T14:06:00.005-04:00

I recently decided to start streaming our sermons through Itunes. It sounded like a great idea. How hard could it be? Lot's of churches are posting their sermons on the popular media program so I figured we would get in on it as well. That was my first mistake.

Did you know that Itunes does not actually host your media files? I think I spent nearly six hours working on things like generating a feed, linking files, testing the feed, etc. It was an educational experience!

I am very excited about the option of podcasting our sermons. It lends a little bit of professionalism to our online presence, and allows us to have a broader reach, since our sermons may come up while someone is searching for sermons by another preacher!

If you have a moment, why not check out both our page on Itunes and our blog page where you can download the sermons directly.

Or go directly to our blog sermon page

Civility of Discourse?

2011-01-25T13:21:00.002-05:00

Ok, I can't ignore this any longer. After the recent tragedy in Tuscon, things are predictably the same in Washington. By that I mean, that the code of "Never let a crisis go to waste" is being followed once again.

Now, I am not talking about the anti-gun crowd that comes out of the woodwork every time something like this happens. We expect, and I hope, ignore these ignorant, though possibly well meaning people to come forward and say that tighter gun laws would have stopped this massacre. I am not here to argue that issue.

Much more disturbing and at the same time laughable is this call to civil discourse. The idea that somehow we now need to "police" our words, so that we do not incite some "mentally imbalanced" person to commit a horrible crime. I have been listening to news anchors, talk radio hosts and politicians stumble over themselves in an effort to "neutralize" their language.

Words like "explosion, target, impact, kill, destroy etc, ad infinitum ad nauseum, have now been banned from all civilized language! Really?? This is the answer? When will it stop? Is it really possible that all words with negative meaning will be banned from our speech? Should I be afraid to tell someone that I beat my son at checkers for fear that someone will think I actually hit him? Should be ban the words "Shoot, or Shot" from a basketball games for fear one of the players will think we mean a gun and not the ball?

Not only is this laughable, but it is impossible!! As A Christian I would have to stop reading my Bible! Do you know how much negative language is in there? For example; we should probably stop quoting Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Some mentally imbalanced person might get the wrong idea!

Are the inmates running the asylum? When the possible action of the insane or disturbed starts to dictate what we say, then they are controlling us!

I am not in favor of incendiary language. I do not believe we should use our words to encourage anyone to do harm to another person. That being said, I refuse to scrub my language clean of any words which happen to have forceful definitions! I still like to see the underdog "clobber" the other team in a basketball game. I still think lazy employees should be "fired". I am not inciting to violence; I am using language that has been used for years to express emotion or outcome.

I for one am not going to go around tripping over my tongue in fear of saying something that could possibly be taken the wrong way. I don't want to say things that are inappropriate, and I want God to be honored with my conversation, but I will not allow the politicians in Washington, to tell me to remove certain words from my vocabulary in the name of "civil discourse" However, it sure is fun to watch them do so!

What Is That Smell?

2011-01-17T13:54:00.002-05:00

Today I spent the morning at the hospital with one of our dear church families. I don't know about your area, but our hospitals are a smoking free zone. As far as I know you are not even allowed to smoke anywhere on campus. Imagine my surprise then, when I got in my car to leave and smelled a faint odor of tobacco!!
I looked all around, but didn't see anyone smoking outside my car. I smelled my jacket, just to see if the smell was there, even though I had been around no one who was smoking that day. Finally I decided that the smell must have come in through the vents, so I opened the sun roof on my car, even though it was raining, hoping to suck the smell out. It only worked nominally.
Not long after returning home, I had to go out again to gas up the car for my wife. When I opened the car and got in, the same tobacco smell hit me right in the nose! I could not figure it out! I had not been smoking, neither had a smoker been in my car that I was aware of. I drove to the gas station rather irritated. I was mentally chewing out the new air freshener I had purchased, for not doing its job!
After getting gas, I opened the car door to get in and happened to look down on the floor mat. There on the mat was a quarter size pile of crushed up cigar! Somehow, I had stepped on someones discarded cigar and it had stuck to the bottom of my shoe and then transferred to the floor of my car. In less that ten seconds I had removed the offending pile and by the time I was home the smell was gone!! What a problem a little pile of tobacco made!

Then I began to think. Something I try not to do often!! Here I had been suffering from a smell that I knew I did not produce. Had I not discovered the source, anyone else who rode in my car would have been bothered the same way. They may have even wondered, "Now why does the Preacher's car smell like tobacco?" The answer to the problem was that I had picked up the odor from where I had been that day.

In much the same way, our lives take on the odor of where we have been. We smell like the people we hang around. I didn't have to smoke to smell like a smoker. I simply had to transfer some of their cigar to my vehicle. It was innocent enough, but the damage was done. Unfortunately sometimes the smell we pick up by being in the wrong places is not so easily removed. Ecclesiastes 7:1 ¶ A good name [is] better than precious ointment... Do you see here how a good reputation is better than perfume? I tried everything to mask the smell of that cigar, but it kept coming back. I could have put five air fresheners in my car, and the smell would not have gone away. I had to remove the offending pile of tobacco.

So many Christians spend just a little time dabbling in the world and walk away with a stench. We hang on to just one of our favorite sins, and it sours our smell. I have often met a man who I thought I should have liked, but there was just something "wrong" about him. Later I would find out that it was some little thing that was giving off that "smell".

Now I didn't pick up that tobacco on purpose, but that didn't stop it from smelling. We must daily seek the Lord to cleanse us from anything we have picked up on our feet throughout the day. Consider this verse. John 13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash [his] feet, but is clean every whit... As a saved man, I am clean through the blood of Christ. However, as I walk through life I get my feet dirty in the filth and refuse of this world. Failure to recognize and remove this filth will affect the way I smell. Years ago I heard a song. I don't remember the author, but the lyrics went like this,

"Wash my feet Lord,
I got them dirty today,
As I walked on the sand,
and on the clay.
Though I'm clean all over,
You made me that way.
It's just my feet Lord,
I got them dirty today."

Have you taken time to look at the bottom of your spiritual shoes? Why not do it now before someone asks, "What is that smell?"

There Is No Substitute for Salt!!!

2011-01-13T16:25:00.003-05:00

Not long ago I started looking into cutting down on my salt intake. I love salt. I have read somewhere that once a person gets used to the taste of sodium on their food, it is difficult to break the habit. I think that's true. I love salt...have I said that already?

Anyway, first I tried to quit cold turkey...uh, not a good idea. I love salt. Okay: focus! When the cold turkey thing didn't work out I decided to look for a good salt substitute. I tried a couple of things. I saw one website that recommended using celery seeds. Just in case you are wondering; they don't taste anything like salt!

I have finally come to a painful conclusion. There is not substitute for salt. It may be a killer in large doses, but I love it. Oh yes! Pass the salt please.

Then I started thinking. I thought, "Hey, as a Christian I am supposed to be salt!" No wonder I love it. We are related! Actually I am not supposed to be salt. I am salt. Matthew 5:13 ¶ "Ye are the salt of the earth:..." It's not a choice. It is what I am! If you are a Christian, it is what you are as well!

Here is my point. Just as in my food I could not find a suitable substitute for salt; there is also no substitute for the salt of Christianity. Look at what has happened as men have looked for a substitute? They have even convinced themselves that Christianity is a problem. Even worse, are the Christians who are desperately trying to bill themselves as a substitute for good old fashioned Christianity!!! You can't do that. There is not substitute for salt!

Why don't we stop trying to invent new ways to reach the world, and try the ones Jesus gave us? Why don't we stop hiding our saltiness. We are the salt of the earth. Whether they like it or not, we are here for their good! It's time we stop being ashamed and start letting people know again that there is no substitute for salt. Be a Christian. You have a job to do that cannot be substituted.

Are you behaving as salt? If not, you are not being true to what you are. You are the salt of the earth. Act like it. Be a voice for Bible morals. Stand up for truth. Don't be pushed aside as if your opinion doesn't matter. Actually your opinion doesn't matter. The TRUTH does!! Get out of the salt shaker and go salt something! Do the people at work know you are salt? Why not give them a taste of Christianity tomorrow?

In the mean time, while you are considering what I have said...can you please pass the salt?

2010-12-26T16:38:00.002-05:00

So it is the day after Christmas....enough said? Actually this Christmas has been full of adventure! I brought my wife and kids to see my in-laws. They live in Maine, so we thought we had a pretty good chance of having a white Christmas. We were not disappointed. The snow has been nice, and aside from sliding off the road into a ditch and tearing up my front fender, I have enjoyed it as well. This is the land of my nativity, and for me, it holds a sort of magic.

There is nothing better than coming back to the place where you grew up. Everywhere you look there are memories. I like memories. They are a gift from God, that allows us to remember the days gone by.

I am sitting at the dining room table in my in-law's house and it is Sunday afternoon. All is pretty quiet. I tried to take a nap, which is not something usually in my Sunday afternoon schedule. It wasn't in my schedule today either. Oh well!

This Christmas I am thirty years old. This is the age when Christ started his earthly ministry following his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. I wonder how many years my ministry will go on from here? When I think of all that Jesus accomplished in the three and a half years of his ministry I am keenly aware that time is not the enemy. It is not a lack of time that affects what we can accomplish for God. Rather, it is a lack of God. I mean a lack of Holy Spirit power.

As I look toward the New Year, I wonder what I will allow God to do through me in the next twelve months. I wonder where I will be sitting, and what I will be writing, next Christmas? Will it be regret for wasted time? Will it be memories of the goodness of our Lord? Somehow, I think the answer will be up to me. God is willing. HE is still looking for men to use. I hope He finds one of them in me!

Merry Christmas!!!

Daddy...You Don't Have Nothing, Cause You Got a Hug!

2010-11-23T09:50:00.002-05:00

The other night I took my family to Cici's Pizza. I love that place. The price is great and the pizza isn't bad either.

I had been very busy the previous four or five days and had not been home much at all. There had been a few of those days when I was gone before the family was up, and home after they were in bed. As it was on this day, I had been gone most of the day, and my wife was going to meet me in town with the kids.

As I left a meeting I had a few minutes before my family was to meet up with me, so I stopped in to Cracker Barrel and went shopping. I bought each member of the family a small gift. Not a lot of money, but just something special.

After we had eaten, I pulled the gifts out of the bag and gave them to each of the family. My oldest boy asked where mine was. I told him there wasn't anything in the bag for me, but that these gifts were because I had been so busy lately and I wanted to thank them for being such a great family! Just a few moments later, my oldest son said, "Daddy, you don't have nothing. You got something, cause you get a hug!" He reached over and put his arms around my neck and hugged me. Do you know how special that was? I just melted on the inside.

I wonder how many other parents forget how much we have, when we have a hug? There are rough days, when a hug from one of my children, seems to erase all the burden from the day. Parents, let's don't forget that! Go home tonight, or the first chance you get and hug those kids. They love you. They want you to know that.

I know this is not a humorous story, but it is a true story. Hopefully it will bless your heart.

Putting Jesus First in the Second Hour

2010-09-21T09:57:00.003-04:00

Just the other day I was listening to a radio program as I was driving home. I had no specific reason for listening, other than that it was late, and I was bored, and well...you get the picture.

Anyway...as I was listening the host of the program mentioned that he was going to be discussing some very important topics. One of these topics got my attention. He said he would be discussing the subject of putting Jesus first in our lives. That sounded important. Then, without a break he said, "Yes, tonight we are going to be talking about putting Jesus first. We will probably discuss this in the second hour of the show." WAIT!!!!! I couldn't believe what I just heard. I couldn't help but laugh out loud! Putting Jesus first in the second hour! LOL!!! This was a two hour show, and he was putting Jesus first in the last hour!

After I got done laughing my head off, I started thinking. Isn't this just exactly what so many of us do every day? We claim that putting Jesus first is the most important thing to a Christian, but we only squeeze him in if we have time. How many of us are putting Jesus first in the last hour. He deserves the first hour. He deserves the best of our time.

I am thankful that I heard that radio program. It gave me a good laugh, and also caused me to think seriously about the position of Christ in my own life. Think about it.

"I've Just Had a Bad Experience"

2010-03-31T15:13:00.005-04:00

How often have you heard this statement? "I don't go to church anymore because I had a bad experience!" If I had a nickel for every time....well...you know the saying. I was speaking with a Pastor friend of mine today and he told me about a couple that had asked him to perform their wedding. In the course of meeting with them to discuss the possibility he discovered that they were both unsaved. Praise the Lord that not long after, they both received Christ while sitting in his office!

He continued to relate the story to me, and happened to mention that they did not have any desire to go to church. When I asked why, he replied, "They said they had had a bad experience with church." I could just scream every time I hear this! It is really quite funny when you realize that this couple who was seeking to get married had previously been married to someone else and had gotten a divorce! WAIT JUST A COTTON PICKIN' MINUTE!!!!!

After I picked myself up off the floor where I had been laughing my guts out, I sat down to write this post. I don't know if you smell a rat, but I sure did. This "bad experience" line is a favorite of the Devil, and he has managed to spread it around the world! Just try and follow me here.

Church attendance is one of the only activities which we avoid because of a "bad experience". I once had a bad experience at McDonald's. Guess what? I didn't stop going to McDonalds. I may not have gone back to that same McDonalds, but I certainly didn't avoid them altogether! I have had bad experiences driving cars, but I didn't stop driving them. I have had bad experiences in grocery stores, but I didn't stop shopping for groceries. I have had bad experiences watching television, but I didn't stop watching it. I have even had a bad experience when I got out of bed, but I didn't stop getting out of bed!!!! I think you get the picture. :) Now this couple was even more hypocritical because they were seeking to be remarried after getting a divorce. Isn't getting a divorce what you would call a bad experience in marriage? If they were going to be ethical and consistent, they would stop going to church and they would never get married. After all, a bad experience is the kicker, right? Once you have a bad experience, then that is all there is! No more of that activity!

When are we going to stop letting people get away with using this transparent, hypocritical excuse for why they don't go to church? You don't avoid church because you had a bad experience. I guarantee that there is another reason. Try rebellion, laziness, worldliness, lostness, bitterness, disobedience, and the list goes on and on.

Add to that the fact that church attendance is not optional for the Christian. It is required: not to go to Heaven, but to be pleasing to the Father!

Stop feeling sorry for those who use this excuse. I know you can't do it without hurting feelings, but if you could point out the inconsistency of this statement in relation to the rest of the way they live their life, you would strip away the lie and get to the truth.

Do people have bad experiences in church? Sure they do! I have had them. You have probably had them. Whenever you deal with people you are likely to have a bad experience. Does that give us grounds to quit going to church? NOPE!!!

Okay, I feel better now. I will just leave you with this verse. Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

"Oh Thou That Teachest Another!"

2010-03-15T20:11:00.002-04:00

You know something? Life is full of learning opportunities. Most often I find that I am my best teacher. If I will take the time to listen and watch myself I will learn a myriad of things about life that can help me. I don't even have to watch other people! Though truthfully, that is far more enjoyable. :) Let me illustrate my point.

Last week my wife and I were on vacation. Now my wife is one of the greatest people I know. She keeps me humble. (And that is no easy task!) She has a way of pointing out my errors in a way that slap me upside the head while smiling very sweetly the whole time. We all need someone like that. However, as a Pastor, there are not many people who will be so brutally honest with me. That is why God gave me my wife. She is my help meet. When I need it, she helps me meet up with the not so nice of me, and I love her for it...most of the time. Now let me get back to my point.

We were enjoying our vacation, and had had a wonderful day of sightseeing. On the way back to the hotel, we were discussing various people and topics. I know, you never talk about people, but as a Pastor, people are my life, so I was just talking about life. Eh hem...now let me continue. We were discussing a certain individual and I was waxing eloquent and generally solving all of this person's problems. As we were pulling into the hotel parking lot it was raining. Remember that because it is important. As I was looking for a place to park, I summed up my conversation something like this. "The problem with so-and-so" I said. "is that they don't pay attention to the little things. The little nice gestures that make a difference. The little things that show respect."

I was feeling quite proud of myself for this brilliant observation, and was just about to pull into the parking spot which I had found, when my wife very sweetly said, "You mean little things like letting your wife out under the car port when it is raining instead of making her walk through the rain?" Have you ever been slapped so hard it made your eyes water? Well just then I would have preferred that slap to the way I felt! Here I had been talking about someone else who didn't think about the little things, and I was overlooking what should have been the obvious little things that any husband should do.

Well, once I got over the pain, I began to think about this again. I realized how often many people do this...oops...there I go again! I mean how often I do this. Maybe you do it to. We are masters of knowing what is wrong with someone else. Are we as quick too spot the shortcomings in our own lives? What is our reaction when someone points them out to us? I didn't need to discuss that other person. I had all I could do to handle me! The truth is, that you and I make enough mistakes on a daily basis to keep us busy for a long time!

Here is an idea. Why not sit down today and write down at least one thing you did or said that could have been done or said differently. Then look at yourself in the mirror and criticize yourself. Just be careful that no one sees you talking to yourself in the mirror! Give yourself the critical advice that you would give to someone else if they had committed the same offense. It might help us not to be so quick to criticize when we can see the same shortcomings in our own lives.

Even if this doesn't apply to you, perhaps you can get a good laugh at my expense!

"I Don't Believe in the Easter Bunny!"

2010-03-01T18:34:00.004-05:00

There is no shortage of fictional characters in this world. There is Superman, Spiderman, Santa Clause, Leprechauns, the Tooth Fairy, the Fairy Godmother, the Easter Bunny, Frosty the Snowman, and on an on and on. Most of these fictional characters have provided hours of enjoyment when we were children. I mean, what little boy has not wrapped a towel around his neck to make a cape and jumped...er...flown from the couch to the coffee table? We have all benefited financially from the Tooth Fairy, and more than a few children have stayed away on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa Clause to bring them gifts.

Though we had a great time with these Characters when we were children, as we grew older we came to understand that these Characters were fictional. You know what I have found? I do not get mad at people who believe in fictional characters like the Easter bunny. I mean, take away the fact that I do not like the fact that the Easter Bunny takes away from the real meaning of Easter, and I do not mind people believing in the Easter Bunny. You know why? The reason is because I know they don't exist. I don't get angry when someone mentions leprechauns. You know why? They don't exist! I refuse to get angry about something that does not exist. You ma be wondering where I am going with this.

Here we go. I have often gotten into debates and arguments with people who call them themselves atheists. Webster's dictionary defines an atheist as one who disbelieves in the existence of God, or a Supreme Being. Now very often when I have dealt with atheists, I have noticed that they have a tendency to be somewhat hostile toward a belief in God. Though I am sure it is not all atheists, many get angry when you speak to them about God, and make it their mission in life to destroy any reference to God in the public square. They say this offends them because they do not believe in God, and don't want to have that belief pushed on them.

Well then, do they believe in Santa Clause, or the Easter Bunny? Do they believe that there are actually little green men who grant wishes and have a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Certainly they do not believe in these Characters? Why then are they not angry with those who espouse belief in such "beings"? The atheist might say, "Ah, but we object to belief in God because it is a lie, and it forces a system of behavior on people that they may not wish or agree with." Would it not also be true to say that the belief in Santa Clause does the same thing? How many parents have used the fictional belief in Santa Clause to "scare" there children into being good? "If you are not good, then Santa won't bring you any presents for Christmas!" What if the child doesn't want to be good? What if he doesn't believe in your definition of "good". Who are you to force your morals onto another human being? How dare you use a fictional character to coerce the simple minded masses to behave in a manner you decide is acceptable! Why, I have even heard of parents who encourage their children to write letters to Santa, and tell him what they want for Christmas. Outrageous!! To ask a child to believe in someone they have never seen, and write a letter to someone (which is eerily like praying) all in the hope of getting something. After all, we are all alone in this world and there is no Santa Clause, and the sooner we wake up to it, the sooner we can provide for ourselves instead of clinging to the hope that there is a jolly fat man somewhere with the power to bring us gifts for Christmas!

Of course I am being sarcastic. However, I do think there is ripe hypocrisy on the part of the atheist in this matter. Now why do they really get so angry when you talk about God? The truth is, that they are angry because they know God exists. The book of Romans tells us that God has placed within every man the knowledge that there is a God. The reason God angers atheists is because they are in rebellion against Him. You can put up a sign telling me that Santa Clause is watching me, but I know better. The atheist can proclaim loudly that God does not exist, but they know better. However, if they admit that he exists, then they must also admit that they may be accountable to Him, and that they may have to answer for their sin, and that is something they do not want to do. Therefore, they simply say, "He does not exist." How well the Bible says, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." Only a fool would deny the truth of something that he knows in his heart to be true.

When you see the atheists filing lawsuits to remove religious symbols from the public square just remember this: they are not worried about separation of Church and State. They merely want to avoid being reminded of the truth that they have been trying so hard to ignore. They are not angry because they believe it is a lie. They are angry because they know it is true!

"Cole, That Means No."

2010-02-26T18:57:00.002-05:00

I don't know if you realize this, but our kids are smarter than we think they are. They are able to understand what we mean, even when we don't say what we mean. This was illustrated to me once again a couple of weeks ago. We were in a hurry trying to get loaded into the van to get to our Valentine's Banquet. We were not exactly late, but we are starting to be pressed for time. I had already loaded our baby daughter, and my oldest was getting buckled in the back seat. I was helping our second son to get buckled in his car seat. As I was trying to hurry and finish buckling him so that I could help my wife load the food into the van, my second son asked me if he could bring his package of gum. Now was not the time. I am a one track mind kind of guy. He asked me again.
"Daddy"
"What?"
"Can I bring my gum with me to church?"
"We'll see."
I said this last statement as I was finishing and closing the van door. Just before I closed the door, I heard my oldest son say, "Cole, that means no."
How do they do that? How do they learn us so well. I had said "we'll see" to avoid the argument that I new would ensue if I said no. Evidently my oldest had heard that often enough that he knew what I meant. Thanks Ethan!

Later, as I was thinking about it, I realized that this is not always a good thing. I realized that it was not so much what I said, but the actions that went along with my words. My son had watched my actions often enough to know what was going to happen. Words have meaning, but not always the meaning we intend to convey. I wondered about some other statements we make often, and what our children have come to know we mean. Let me give you some examples.

First there is the statement, "Not right now." Sometimes it is simply "Later". We often utter these statements when our children ask us to spend time with them, and we are busy doing something else. Sometimes what we are doing is important, and sometimes what we are doing is not so important. The point is, that both of these statements, by definition, lead one to believe that there will be a time when we can do what is being asked of us. How often does that not happen? When we say, "Not right now" or "Later" do our kids say, "That means never."?

Mom and Dad, I know that sometimes we cannot stop what we are doing when our kids want our attention. Truthfully, I do not think the children should be the ones running the house. I think children should bend to the wishes of the parents, and not the other way around. Far too many homes, in my opinion, are run by the children. Things like children are to be seen and not heard have gone by the wayside. Children are served first at the dinner table while the adults act more like maids and butlers, then masters of their house. Parents cannot schedule activities of their own, because it will interfere with little Johnny's soccer practice. I am not against kids playing sports, but I do think when the children are running the schedule, things are out of order.

All that being said, if we tell our children we will do something later, we need to be sure to make the time to do it later. Otherwise they will soon figure out, that when Daddy says "not right now" he means never. Actions really do speak louder than words, and our children are listening to our actions loud and clear. The are forming their word definitions, by the actions they see associated with the words. Lets make sure we are showing them the right definitions!

So The Sign Said....

2009-10-29T21:31:00.002-04:00

Okay, it has been a little while since I posted. Actually it has been weeks. However, since I am not even sure anyone reads these posts, it is not a big deal. I anyone actually does read them, it would be nice to hear from you so I can know whether to continue posting or not. ANYWAY......

It struck me the other day how powerful our words are. Specifically our written or typed words. The potential for misunderstanding is great. Let me give you the example that got me thinking about this.

I was recently in a gas station early in the morning getting my cup of coffee. If you are like me, you desperately need that cup of liquid energy. Now I know I am assuming a lot there. Actually I am sure there is no one like me. Probably no one that wants to be like me. Even the ones who drink coffee don't want to be like me! Whoa, did I just get distracted. ANYWAY....

So in the process of getting my coffee, and stirring in my sugar and half-n-half I noticed a sign on the front of the coffee bean grinder. Now, this was not a professional sign. It was obviously one of those signs that was printed on the office computer, and done in a hurry. While looking at the sign it became obvious to me that this store had a problem. Even though I had only been in this store once or twice before, I knew what had been happening. From time to time some well meaning, or perhaps impatient customer, had noticed that the coffee was a little stale. Maybe it wasn't stale. Maybe it was just not there. Now there is nothing worse then stopping in at a gas station for a little pick-me-up, only to find out that the coffee is stale or that someone in front of you has just poured the last bit of that precious liquid into their cup and headed for the register. If that happens you are left with only two alternatives, as I see it. You can either tackle that person and take there coffee or you can try to get the employee behind the counter to make some fresh coffee. Now, since you are far too dignified to tackle the old lady who just took the last cup of coffee, and since you know how long you are going to have to wait before you can get that person behind the register to make some more coffee ( especially since that little old lady with the last cup is now fumbling in her purse for the nickle she knows she has there but can't seem to find, but doesn't want to use that ten bucks in her hand because she hates to carry all that change!!!) you decide to use that nifty bean grinder there on the counter and do everyone a favor and brew your own coffee.

Now all of this take only a few minutes to accomplish, even though it just took me ten minutes to type it. The problem arises from the fact that the manager of that gas station doesn't like people pushing the buttons on his bean grinder and brewing their own coffee. After all, this is a convenience store, and everyone knows it is inconvenient to brew your own coffee!!!! ANYWAY......

So that is what had been happening I am sure. Now, back to that sign. Someone, probably the manager, who, thought you are not supposed to judge people by their appearances, probably has a better grasp of Arabic than English, goes to his computer and hastily types a sign telling people to keep their hands off his coffee bean grinder. All of that just to tell you what the sign said. (But hey, if I didn't fill in all those good details, this post wouldn't be this long, and you might feel like you had wasted your time stopping by.)

The sign said, "DO NOT TOUCH ONLY EMPLOYEES" . That is it. There were no commas or for that matter any punctuation at all. Now as I was looking at that sign I knew what it meant. However, knowing what it meant and know what it said were two different things. Was it saying that if I were to start touching people that I had to include everyone? In the first place, why would I want to start touching the employees at all, unless they didn't get over there and make me some fresh coffee? And how would all those people respond to being touched by me anyway?

Of course I know that is not what the sign meant. I know that it meant that only employees were allowed to used the coffee grinder. I could not, however, pass by the fact that it is so easy to be misunderstood. Simply leave out a comma, or misplace one of your modifiers and boy can you be in trouble!

Now the simple truth is, that whoever typed that sign was assuming that whoever read it would understand what they meant, and overlook any error in grammar. (Much like the author of this post is doing!) I left that store that day thinking about something that I wrote this entire post to tell you. Here it is. Ready? Okay, here goes. Why can't we treat our everyday acquaintances with the same courtesy. Often times we get into arguments over obvious mistakes in communication. Someone doesn't say it the right way. Someone doesn't put the punctuation in the right place. In most cases, you know what they meant. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Even if they say something to you, or you hear of something they said about you, why not just give them the benefit of assuming they meant to say something else.

Often times we get all bent out of shape over a statement relayed to us by a third party. I've done it, and probably so have you. If I can look past the error in the sign at that gas station and know the intent, even without knowing the one who wrote it, then why can't you give your friend or loved one, or co-worker the same benefit of the doubt. You've probably heard the old phrase, "I say what I mean and I mean what I say." Well let me tell you a knew one. "People don't always say things the way they mean them, and they don't mean to say half the things they do say." I know its not as catchy, but its true. Show a little mercy. You may have them on a technicality, but lets be bigger than that. I for one, would appreciate it, and I know you would to.

Pushing Me Past My Quit

2009-10-01T18:50:00.002-04:00

Okay, so this is the second post about quitting. Hopefully it will be the last for a while. So, what does the title refer to. Let me tell you. I have been going to the gym for about 2 1/2 years. Now I know that looking at me that is hard to believe, but it is true. One of my goals is to keep in shape. As a full time Pastor, I do not find myself doing the kind of physical work which would naturally keep my in good physical condition. This should be fairly obvious, if you have ever noticed how many preachers were out of shape! I mean, personally I think it is a shame that so many preachers are just plain fat! I am not trying to be disrespectful to my fellow preacher brethren, but c'mon, it just doesn't make sense that so many preachers should be fat!! I'll probably be in trouble for saying this, but it is true.

Now I will get back to the point of the post. During my regular workout ,a few weeks ago, I met a personal trainer named Will. He was one of those personal trainers that "looked" like he knew what he was talking about. I mean, I have seen some at my gym that didn't look like they had any business teaching other people how to get in shape! Nuff said? Anyway, Will and I started talking one day and he asked me what my goals were. I told him that I just wanted to stay in shape. I said that I used to want to build muscle mass, but had long since given up being successful. I blamed it on my high metabolism and skinny frame. Will said he could help if I was interested. I figured I was in pretty good shape, and thought it would not be so bad.

The following Thursday morning at 8 a.m. I arrived at the gym. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I got, let me tell you. I won't bore you with the details of the workout, but I will tell you the important part. About 20 minutes into the workout I hit my wall. I felt that I had no physical strength left. However, Will was right there informing me that I had two more sets of the given exercise to do. I started shaking my head, and saying I couldn't do it. He said, "Yes you can, come on."

I said, "I don't feel like I can."

He said, "Yep, now get ready."

I won't tell you it was easy, but I found out something that day. I could do more than I thought and felt that I could.

Since that first workout with Will I have had two more sessions. Each one was equally painful, and equally as difficult. When someone asked my why I paid someone to do that to me I wasn't really sure what to answer. Then it hit me. I looked at them and said, "He pushes me past my 'quit'". After I said it, I knew it was right. That is what I had needed. Working out my myself I would often go till I could not go anymore. It is not unusual for me to push myself until it doesn't feel like I have anything left. That is where I stop. That, however, is where Will begins.

Did you know that it is the same thing in the Christian life. Sometimes we just need someone to push us past our "quit". We need someone to push us to do the things we don't think we have strength to do. Until you push yourself physically you will not get stronger. Many Christians stopped growing in strength because they would not push themselves, and neither will they allow themselves to be pushed.

Are you at a breaking point? Do you feel that when it comes to service for Christ, there is nothing more you have to give. You can't do one more thing? Why not find a Christian who is stronger than you, and give them permission to push you past your quit. It might be your Mom or Dad. It might be your Preacher, or maybe your Sunday school Teacher. Either way, you need someone who has paid the price and done the work, so that they can push you when you feel like quitting. I wonder how many Christians quit at the same point each time. They never push themselves.

If you want to grow in the Lord, and develop some spiritual muscle, then heed this advice. Let someone push you past your "quit". It will hurt, and it may be difficult for a while. I can tell you this for sure. When you finish, you will have a sense of accomplishment, that you did something you have never done before.

"I Quit!!! Until Morning"

2009-09-27T16:17:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had one of those days? Those of you who have don't need for me to describe it to you. For those that haven't, you might want to crawl out from under the bedsheets and face the world for a change! Well, I had on of those days on Wednesday. I won't go into all the details, but it involved, malfunctioning office equipment, a sprained ankle, and not having the ability to be in three places at once!

The point of the matter is that what started out to be a very good day, ended up as one of those days. To make it worse I allowed it to get the best of me. Now, none of us are exempt from having a bad day. It also shouldn't have been any worse for me just because I am a Pastor. However, the fact that I am a Pastor made it worse because I had recently taught a lesson on dealing with a bad day, and here I was not dealing with it. It was dealing with me.

Then, totally uninvited, the Holy Spirit showed up! He began reminding me that I was not responding in the right way. I was snapping at the kids, and just generally being a miserable person. If I had only had a dog nearby I would have kicked it! It seemed the more I thought about the day the more I got upset.

Finally I had a solution. I would quit! I would quit my job! Brilliant!!! So, I went and found my wife and made my announcement. I said, "Erika, I quit." Then I added, "Until morning." You see, I never intended to quit. I was raised not to be a quitter, and I have never found quitting to be an answer to anything. The times in my life when I have quit have made the problems worse. Still, it was a good feeling, to quit for a few hours. You may laugh, but I bet some of you have felt this way before.

Now I am not saying you should quit. Heaven forbid. I am merely telling you what I did. My problem, upon reflection, was one of my own making. Let me explain. I didn't cause the office equipment to malfunction. I didn't push my wife down and cause her to sprain her ankle. I did not plan for those things to happen while my secretary was on vacation, and unable to help with he office stuff while I was at the Urgent Care with my wife. None of those things were caused by me, yet the frustration was of my own doing. Here are the things I learned.

1. Sometimes things just don't go the way we plan. Isn't that deep? I bet you didn't know that.

2. When things happen that are out of your control, it is because they are out of your control. Duh!!! It wouldn't have happened if it was in your control.

3. Since it was out of my control, I had no right blaming myself for something that wasn't my fault.

4. Only my pride would cause me to get so angry that so many things had happened out of my control.

You know what I found out? I found out that when I woke up the next morning, the world had not fallen apart. There were still things that needed fixing, but we weren't facing global hysteria like we were the night before. I learned that you have to work hard not to let those days ruin the rest of the day.

Look, Dad, if you go home tonight and you have had one of those days, why not just quit. (Don't actually tell your boss!) Enjoy the evening with your family, and don't ruin it like I did. Then, in the morning, go back and face the day. Mom, if you have had one of those days, then after the kids are in bed, just quit...until tomorrow.

Better yet, prepare yourself with the knowledge that everything won't always be perfect. Allow for the bad days. They really don't come along as often as we say. Most of them are pretty good, so one shouldn't ruin the game!

Memorize some Scripture verses about rejoicing in tribulation. Better do it when things are going good though, because you won't want to when that day comes along.

Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that when you feel things spinning out of your control, that He is still in control, and then take a big breath.

I don't really want you to quit, and neither does the Lord. You don't really want to quit either. Just think about that today.

The Sky Needs to Be Yellow

2009-09-18T10:09:00.002-04:00

Have you ever enjoyed being the parent of a toddler? That's not as strange a question as you might think. It is tough raising young kids sometimes isn't it. (I'm not sure if the is a declarative sentence or an interrogative sentence. LOL) Yet, for all it's trials, some of the greatest life lessons can be learned from our little ones. So is the case in the short story I am going to share with you.

This story involves my second son Cole. He is two years old, and just about the funniest kid I know. He has an outlook on life that is surprising and comical sometimes. What I am about to relate was told to me second hand by one of the ladies in our church that had done some babysitting for us recently. She had the opportunity to spend an entire day with Cole. That is itself is an achievement!

During the course of the day, this lady had taken Cole to the park to play. As they were having a conversation Cole remarked that the day was "wonderful". That was his word. He is two years old, three in October, and he comes out with "this day is wonderful". That was cute enough, but then he made a statement that I thought was just great. The lady mentioned how blue the sky was on this wonderful day. Cole's response was that he thought the sky just needed to be yellow. Why yellow? Yellow is Cole's favorite color. Ever since he started learning his colors he has love the color "lellow". That is the way he pronounces it.

That made me smile when I heard it. The only thing that the day needed to be perfect was if the sky could somehow be turned to "lellow". How easily his day could be made. I smiled as I tried to put myself inside the mind of this little man; which is not as hard as you might think. He was enjoying the park. He was swinging on the swing set. He was talking with a friend. It was a wonderful day.

Sometimes I wish I could be like a two year old. I know my wife would say that often that is exactly what I am like!!! But really, just to be satisfied with the simple things. A swing in the park. A conversation with friends. A blue sky, even if we wish it was "lellow" or purple, or whatever. How often does God give us all the ingredients of a great day, and yet we ruin it with our discontented attitude? How often do we miss the little opportunities just to say, "this is a wonderful day!"?

As you read this post, consider the following Scriptures.

1Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Psalms 118:24 This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Hebrews 13:5 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Look around you right now. Are you at work? If you are, then its a wonderful day! Many people wish they had a job to go to. Are you at home? If you are, then its a wonderful day! Many are homeless. Are one vacation? Great! Are you reading it with your own eyes? Lucky you! Sometimes we need to go to the park with a two year old to be reminded of the simple things that make life so wonderful.

Using or Abusing our Gifts

2009-09-10T14:41:00.002-04:00

It's happened to all of us as parents. There have been times when we wanted to pull our hair out! Sometimes you want to pull your kid's hair out!!! I have three children. They are each as different as can be. Have you ever wondered why? I mean about your kids, not mine. Have you ever wondered how kids from the same gene pool can be so totally different? Then amongst the different ones there is that one. Do you have that one? I don't even have to give them a name. You know who I am talking about. Yep, that one on your mind right now. It seems that every family has that one. Let me describe them.

This one I am talking about seems to be the focal point of all the problems in the home. Oh, the other children misbehave, but not like this. This one seems to know all the right buttons to push, and seems to push them with little or no visible effort. This is the one that has kept you up nights. This is the one that you warn the teachers about. Sounding familiar?

With all of that said, this is the one that is somewhat of an enigma. This is the one that drives you insane, yet often gets praised for their good behavior around others! Sometimes after church my wife is completely frustrated with my oldest son. I have been in the pulpit waxing eloquent for the past thirty minutes while she has been slowly reaching the boiling point. Then just as church gets over and she is about to activate her "destroy" sequence, a visitor will compliment her on how well behaved our son was in church! Well behaved? Compared to what? Maybe compared to a band of wild monkeys who have never been in a cage before. WELL BEHAVED???? Sounding familiar?

The truth is, even this one, is not like all the other "ones" in other homes. Let me break it down. Usually the problem with this child revolves around a certain personality trait that is unusually strong and seemingly out of control. My oldest son is a very sensitive child. He is emotional. My second son is nothing like that. If my oldest son picks up a frog and holds it, my second son picks on the frog and then steps on it!! My oldest son's sensitivity causes him to be a little weepy. Okay, it causes him to be very weepy. He is extremely sensitive to the moods around him. Not all the "ones" are this way. Some families struggle with a child that has a stubborn streak. Their child is so strong willed that they cause unknown frustration and heartache to the ones in authority over them. Then there are some "ones" who seem to be obsessive compulsive, and if everything is not exactly in order they are miserable. This may be the child who won't put his/her shoes on until the seam in the toe of the sock is perfectly straight.

The truth of the matter is, that all of us were made by an Almighty, All-knowing God. He placed within each of us a personality gift. Just as he made us each with different physical attributes, he made us each with different personality attributes. These attributes are a gift from God and are part of His plan for us. We were given these as part of God's plan to uniquely enable us to fulfill his plan for our lives. Most of have at least one of these attributes that are more prevalent than others. It is this feature hat usually causes the trouble. All of us get in trouble when we take that which was given to us as a gift from God and misuse it.

Let me illustrate this again, so you will see what I mean. God gives a young man a bigger body than others in his family or in his class. That boy didn't decide to have a bigger body. He had no control over it, yet if nothing is done to avert it, that bigger boy will often turn into a bully. He will use his size and pick on kids who were not created as large as he was. Then there may be a young man with the gift of humor. There are some who just naturally seem to understand humor and are gifted in it's use. If left unchecked, this one will develop this gift and use it to hurt others around them. They will use their quick wit to cut down and make fun of others. They may use it to disrupt their class. This is the quintessential class clown. Of course there are others who have an adventurous nature. They don't seem to be afraid of anything. They challenge the status quo and make your heart jump into your throat while you watch them jump off the top stair with a "Whee" and a smile! They usually don't like school, and chafe at rules and regulations.

There are many other types but these will do to make the point. What is the point? The point is, that as parents our job is not to remove these God-given gifts, but to help them to recognize them and find the purpose for their gifts. Let's go back to the bully. Here is a child who is naturally bigger. The problem with a bully is that no one ever took the time to teach him why God made him bigger. God did not make him bigger so that he could beat up the other kids. God made him strong so that he could protect the weak. For this child it is essential for him to realize that he is not large because of anything he did. God made him that way and God has a purpose for his size and strength.

That humorous child need some guidance as well. The Bible says that a "merry heart doeth good like a medicine". If that is true then a child with the gift of humor has a great opportunity in life. I say gift of humor, because I believe it is a gift. Not everyone can tell a joke. Not everyone can see the humor in life. One of the greatest joys in life is bringing a smile to a face and laughter to a mouth. I think this is the great tragedy of secular comedians today. They use their God given gift to tell vile, filthy jokes. That is not why God gave them that gift. God didn't give your child the gift of humor so that he could belittle, but so that he could help to heal the brokenhearted. He didn't give him humor to hurt, but to help.

That adventurous child has a great gift. God is in need of adventurous Christians. Those men and women who will launch out into the deep, ignore the safe and status quo and attempt great things for God. Men like Hudson Taylor, and George Muller. These are the fearless leaders to whom we look for inspiration. They do the things many of us are afraid to do. They are the giants. That is unless someone neglects to point that adventurous spirit in the right direction.

All of these things I have mentioned, and more, can be used for good or bad. Chances are, your child does not know why they are the way they are. Try this. Go home tonight and ask that problem child how they believe God made them unique. What strengths did He give them? I'll wager you they won't have any idea!!! You see, unless we as parents spend time teaching and training our children to recognize their strengths and utilize them in the way God would be pleased with, they will grow up misusing their strength which will result in great heartache for them and you.

Parents, study your children. Do you know what their strengths are? It's probably the thing about them that irritates you the most. Instead of just throwing up your hands and walking away, why not be parents? Why not take time to help our children develop their gifts. Give them opportunities to use them. Praise them when they use them right, and point out when they are abusing them. You can't do this sitting in front of the television. You can't do this without eating dinner together around the table and having conversation. There is nothing more dangerous than a power tool in the hands of a child, or adult that does not know how to use it. Your child's gift is powerful. Teach them how to use it. Teach them when not to use it. Get proactive. God gave them to you, and he gave them gifts that you as the parent are to help them develop. Now, GET TO WORK!!! And have fun!

What Body Part Could You Do Without Today?

2009-09-08T16:00:00.002-04:00

Imagine what kind of life this would be if our body parts could function at their own discretion, and independent of our desire or the good of the body. Now that I see that statement typed out, I think my mouth does that far too often!!!! Of course I am not talking about our internal organs. Thank goodness our heart keeps beating without my conscious thought. I am glad my liver does its job without my consent, and where would I be without my kidneys!

Just imagine getting up in the morning and finding out your that one of your ears was mysteriously missing. What if on of your eyeballs decided to go on hiatus? Suppose you have a job that keeps you in front of a computer. How much would you get accomplished if your fingers didn't show up to work when you did?

Since we are doing all this imagining, then let go a little farther and imagine that your different body parts could talk. Suppose that afternoon you got back from the office (after all, how long to you think your boss would keep a secretary with no fingers, one eye and who was missing an ear?) to find your fingers in front of the couch watching the television. (Humor me) Suppose when you ask them why they didn't go to work they told you that they had something more important to do. "After all," they say, "I really wanted to catch up on my rest." Suppose when you find your ear and eye and question them on their absence they say, "We didn't think our presence was important. It's not like you don't have another ear and eye to see and hear with."
Now I know what your thinking. Your thinking that ears, eyes, and fingers can't talk. You say that, but you have been talking to yourself for years!!

Of course I am just being fictitious. However, I think we can see the problem. The body does not function when it is missing parts. Whether by accident, in our case, imagination, the body needs all it's parts to function correctly. The fingers would be selfish if they put their interests before the interest of the body they are a part of. The eye has no right to decide that one eye is sufficient. All the parts are necessary. Don't even get me started on the less comely parts, like the bladder, and intestines!!!

Now, apart from my seeming propensity to talk foolishness, there is a point to this post. Here it is.

It seems that it is an increasing problem among Churches, that body parts are not showing up for work! That's right, I mean every week there are parts of the body that just don't show up! They are not there. Oh, they have various reasons, but reasons don't excuse their absence. The truth of the matter is, that the church body is made up of the people. That building you meet in is not the Church. The church is body, and body is made up of members, and the members are people.

Sometimes you may feel that no one will notice if you are not in Church. You don't think it affects anything if you skip one service. You couldn't be more wrong! If the church is the "assembly" of baptized believers, then the face of the church changes based on who is there or not. Believe me, your church is different when you are not there. One of these weeks when you don't go to Church you ought to show up just to see what it looks like when your not there. (I'll let you think about that for a while!! :^)

Consider the following Scriptures...

Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Colossians 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

1Corinthians 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Here is an idea. This week, when it is time for the Church to assemble, why not make sure that you are not a missing body part. Trust me, the body suffers when you are not there. No matter how small a part you make up, the body needs you to be complete.

Social Networking...for the anti-social in all of us.

2009-09-05T18:59:00.004-04:00

So it used to be email. Do you remember email? That was that old fashioned way of communicating electronically where you would type a few lines or more in an Electronic-mail and then send it off. Though I think many people still use this archaic means of communication (I think it can take whole minutes to arrive in the other person's inbox!!!) many people today have gone on to faster and more instant methods. Now we have "instant" messaging. You know, that is where you can type and hit "enter" and what you typed is instantly on the other person's screen. Now, I'm not sure this is so great, because half the time the conversation is disjointed and backwards. It might look something like this...

Dick: Hey Jane

Jane: Hey there

Dick: How are you?

Jane:Fine

At this point both think of something they want to ask, and that is where the fun starts.

Dick: How is your Mother?
Jane: So How is work?
Jane: She is fine.
Dick: Not so good.
Jane: What's not so good?
Dick: My job. How is your trouble with headaches?
(At this point Dick gets impatient with Jane's longer than instant reply, and types another question before Jane can answer the first.)
Dick: How are the kids?
Jane: Not so good..they seem to get worse all the time.
Dick: Have you tried time outs?
Jane: For headaches?
Dick: For kids.
Jane: Oh sorry, didn't see that last question.

On and on it goes. Now if this were an actual real life conversation, we would be irritated for sure, but on IM this seems to be acceptable!!!

Then there is the all exciting "Social Networking". I guess we should also include what is called "Micro-Social Networking" like Twitter. These sites are great for telling people things that they haven't cared about for years! It used to be sitting in the doctors office was a drudgery. Not anymore. Now it is an "UPDATE"!!!!
We can tell people when we are sad, angry, irritated, happy, or whatever. In case you're interested, I can even Tweet you while brushing my teeth. Didn't you want to know that. Oh, incidentally, I am drinking a glass of tropical fruit juice right now. Aren't you glad?

The point of all these things is to get us more socially connected. The problem is, that is seems we have become more socially disconnected than ever. Go to the mall. Not now, right now I want you to read this, but later, go to the mall! Or maybe go to a restaurant. Watch how many families spend time texting, IM'ing, and updating, people they are not with, while all the time ignoring the people they are with! Now as soon as they leave those people and go join the ones they were just texting, they stop talking to the ones they were texting and start texting the ones they weren't talking to while they were texting the people they are currently with.

Most of us have experimented with this at one time or another. The point is, that electronic communication has eliminated the need for face to face conversation. As a result we have created an environment in which relationships are not as strong, and in many cases we have misunderstandings about our typed messages. You know this is true. I have heard countless times about people who got upset by a text from someone that they mistakenly took the wrong way. Maybe this has happened to you? Unfortunately, the texted word lacks the emotion of the spoken and even the written word. I know we are all thankful for those little smiley faces called Emoticons, but even those can get you in trouble if you don't choose the right one.

Now I have a theory. It think the problem with all this "instant" communication is the fact that in many cases our fingers type faster than our brains can think. We hit send before stopping to consider the impact of what we just typed. It never has been, and never will be, a good idea to speak without thinking, but that is just what much of this instant communication is. Typing without thinking. Let me remind you of a couple of Bible verses.

James 1:19 ¶ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Maybe if James was writing this today, he would have included, "Slow to type". I am not referring to those of us who are "peckers" on the keyboard. James is saying, "Don't be too quick to respond. Take your time and think about it."

Proverbs 25:11 ¶ A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Again, in this electronic age, we might say, "A word fitly texted".

I am not coming out against these electronic communication tools. I use many of them myself. I simply want to implore that we take time to think about what we are saying. Then sometimes, pay attention to the ones we are with. For example, I am going to stop typing now, and spend some time with my wife. Want an update. Not on your life!!!!!

Why Blog? Why Now?

2009-09-02T10:11:00.002-04:00

I have resisted the idea of starting a blog for quite some time. I was not sure, and am still not sure that I want to take the time to keep one up. After all, when you start blogging, hopefully people will read what you write. Then if they read what you write, they might like it. Then if they like it, they might want to read more. Then if they want to read more, you have to write more, which entails thinking and time. The last thing I want is to be the prisoner of a blog!!!

So then why am I going to do it anyway? Well, the reason is simple. Okay, maybe not simple but here it is. When you endeavor to be an old fashioned Bible preacher, sometimes you have to preach a little harder than you would like to. Sometimes you make people mad. Sometimes people think you are mean! I can't believe anyone would think I am mean!! To know me is to love me! But seriously, I wanted to have an avenue in which to express myself a little less seriously. While the purpose for this blog is still a spiritual one, I hope to present things, even the serious things, on the lighter side. There is humor in everyday life experiences. Even in those which we don't always find humorous at the time. Therefore, it is my goal to share thoughts and experiences which will bring a smile to your face, while at the same time get you to think a little. If you like it, great! If you don't, then soon I won't have to blog anymore!

Right now I don't have any specific time to update this blog so feel free to become a follower or a friend, and keep checking back. In the mean time, have a great day!

Pastor Foster

SPIRITUAL OBESITY

2009-08-31T20:27:00.000-04:00

HEADLINE!!!! - "Obesity continues to be a public health concern in the United States and throughout the world.

So says the Center for Disease Control in an article published November 2007. Have you noticed lately? America's BOTTOM line is certainly expanding!!! I wonder sometimes if someone has bothered to tell we Americans this?(I also wonder if that was grammatically correct?) I can't imagine that right now would be a good time to be in the mirror business, unless it is those "slimming" mirrors that I used see in the carnival fun houses!

Now I know that this is a hot button issue for some folks. I would say that it is like the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about, but since elephants are a little on the heavy side themselves, perhaps I should choose a different metaphor. Maybe now would be a good time to tell a joke, but the most appropriate joke for this topic would only get me in more trouble!

Now I know you are asking, "What in the world is this all about?" Or maybe you are not asking that. Maybe you are wondering why you are even reading this. Maybe you are already dialing the number for the funny farm to have them come pick me up!!! Man, did my mind just wander for a minute there.

As Hard as it may be to believe, I do have a purpose for bringing up this topic. As the problem of obesity in America becomes more obvious, there is an equally dangerous problem in our churches that is not always so easy to notice. I am talking about spiritual "obesity". Yep, you read that right. Go back and read it again just to be sure. I'll eat a few more Oreo cookies while you do!

Consider if you will the following verses:

Psalms 119:70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

Psalms 17:10 They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Now the C.D.C. has some suggestions on the causes of physical obesity. I think perhaps we could see some spiritual correlation.

1. An increase in calories and a decrease in physical activity. What that means is you are taking in more than you are putting out! Does that sound like the average Baptist Church?

2. Individuals are eating out of the home more often. The best food used to be served up at the dinner table. The food you eat at that fast food restaurant is not as good for you as Momma's cookin'! We are seeing Christians today who are spiritually overweight because they are not eating at home! In case you wondered, I mean the Church!!! We have never had more religion and less Christianity! Christians filled up with knowledge, and never in Church!

The C.D.C. also has a warning concerning the dangers of obesity!

1. The danger of heart disease. Can I tell you when a Christian has trouble spiritually with their heart? They have a hard heart and heart disease spiritually when they are spiritually obese.

2. The general danger of mortality. What that means is that obesity can kill you! Hey, maybe the reason we have so many Christians who are "dead" spiritually is because of spiritual obesity.

So what can we do?

Exercise they self rather unto godliness. 1Timothy 4:7 ........and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness.

Eat at Home more often. Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.