The Master's Touch

I know that I've posted a picture of my guitar before. But today, I got to thinking about it. This is a '65 Gibson LG-1. It was my dad's. I have some very fond memories of this instrument, of my brother and I putting on "shows" for mom and dad. I would "play" the guitar, and he would sing. I didn't actually know how to play yet, but it was all in good fun. Then, as a teenager, I decided to take some lessons. I remember that this guitar sounded absolutely awful. It was pretty beat up, scratched up and even in tune, it was still out of tune! But I learned the basics, and moved up to an electric guitar.

Then, last October, as I was on the phone with my uncle Mike, who is a master with all things guitar, he asked me if I wanted the old Gibson. My dad had given it to him some time earlier, and he did some fix-up work on it.

He brought to my house one Saturday and I've had ever since. I took that guitar out of the case, and it still looked the same as I had always remembered. But as I strummed the strings, I heard something from that instrument that I had never heard before-a beautiful sound. To look at the thing, it didn't look much different. It still had the same scratches that I remembered as a kid. It still had the same knicks in the body. But it had been in the care of a master, and it was evident with the first strum on it in over 16 years.

What's my point in writing all this? We aren't that dissimilar from the old guitar. Like that guitar, we came into the hands of our Master with our warped necks, deep gouges and unsightly scratches. We came with a bitter, out-of-tune sound that made others want to plug their ears and run. But, in the hands of the Lord, he has taken our broken lives and made something beautiful out of them. He has healed our hearts and hurts. He's taken our bitter attitudes and tuned them up. Like a warped, bent neck, he has used life's trials to force change to straighten us up. And when he is done with us, we sing with the most beautiful sound, because we have been touched by the hand of God, our Master Craftsman.

You know, that guitar still may be scratched up, with those same gouges that I surely helped put in it so many years ago. But there is no mistaking the sound- the master has been there. I may still have some scratches and gouges that show when people see me, but do they look past what they see, to hear what God has done?

Paul was a man who had endured much hardship in his lifetime. But I love what he shows us at the end of his life. He shows us a sweetness of spirit. He was gouged and scratched, but he rang out in beautiful praise to God. Just listen to the sweet words he says in 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

So, submit your life to hands of your Master in heaven, and let him bring that beautiful sound out of your life! God bless!

The Cost of Freedom

Well, today is the Fourth of July. I always look forward to this time of year. The annual parades, the fireworks displays, people proudly displaying their American flags. We in America here celebrate our independence from Great Britain on this day.

We must remember, however, that this freedom that we have and celebrate didn't come without cost. Many people paid the ultimate cost for the freedom that we enjoy. From the Revolutionary War to desert sands of Iraq and Afganistan, our soliders have fought for the cause of freedom, and many have given their lives for that cause.

It is a reminder of the sacrifice of Christ. He came from the glory of Heaven to stench of a sin-ridden earth to save us and set us free from cruel tyranny of sin. Let's hear what the Word of God has to say:

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

We have been freed by Christ from sin. Our freedom cost Him His life. The Bible says that Christ left the glory of Heaven, and took on a human body to die on the cross for our forgiveness. Friends, our deliverance came through Christ's sacrifice.

So, today as we remember the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, let us all the more remember the Lord Jesus' sacrifice that washed away our sins and has freed us from sin. God bless!

Psalm 73

Hey, everyone! I know it's been a while since I last blogged, but as you can imagine, things with a new baby and work and all have be bogged down. I do have one little nugget I can leave you with!

Sometime today, sit down and read Psalm 73. I did this morning. I did because I recently heard a sermon out of this chapter, and I will give the gist of it here. The Psalmist Asaph was writing here in a lament of how the wicked of this world seem to have it all going for them. They seem to have no problems. He talks about how it seems that they don't have the same troubles that we do. Maybe their kids don't get sick like ours do. Maybe they are in smooth financial waters. They don't seem to deal with illness. Perhaps you've felt that way. I know I have.

Then, something happened to the man of God who penned these words. He got into the presence of God and got His perspective. He realized that though things may seem to be smooth for these ungodly people, God is watching, and He will be just in dealings. Those who are ungodly and wicked will answer one day the the Great Judge of all mankind.

In the end, Asaph praised God. He looked and realized that even though his heart and flesh would fail, God would give his heart the strength he needed.

So, friends, in this short piece this afternoon, be encouraged in your storm. When you have questions as to whether God is really there, then do what Asaph finished his psalm with:

"It is good for me to draw near to God; I hav eput my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works" -vs.28

God bless!

Welcome to Jayden!

Well, he has arrived! May I introduce to to everyone Jayden Michael Richard! Less than a week early, and he weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz., and 19.7 inches long. He was born at 5:36 Tuesday morning. After a day in the Neonatal ICU, he is doing great and came home this afternoon. Pray for us as we try to get our home back to the normal flow.

Well, that's it for today! God bless!

Praying for the Saints

“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” Col. 1:3

This morning, as I made my way to work, I was thinking specifically about what I had read the previous night in my Bible study time. I read parts of chapter 1 of Ephesians, specifically verses 15-23, where the Apostle Paul prays for these believers.

This got me thinking today of the importance of praying for each other as believers. In several places in his letters to various congregations, Paul begins to not only pray for them, but to write out those prayers. Most of those prayers ring of a father lifting up his children in prayer. But in the book of Colossians, it is a little different.

The church in Colosse was not a church that Paul had planted. Rather, it seems that a convert to Christ, who came to the Lord through Paul’s ministry, had started this church. His name was Epaphras. He seems to have been the pastor of this church. Yet, the apostle found it necessary to write to this group of Christians, not only to encourage them in their relationship with the Lord, but to warn them of the threat of an infantile cult called Gnosticism, which seemed to claim that Christ was not divine as He Himself claimed to be. I won’t get into what Gnostics believed, but I will say that I have found it quite similar to Scientology, a cult heavily pushed by certain stars in Hollywood.

But, my focus today is that Paul prayed for them. He didn’t just write letters of instruction to the churches he ministered in and started. He got down to business in the secret place of prayer and lifted them up to God. He prayed for these Colossian believers, not as one who came and saw folks in the city saved because of his work there, but because he had a heart to practice what he preached, namely lifting up the saints of Christ in prayer (Eph. 6:18). He was driven to pray for the saints.

How much more should we? We live in a time where things seem to be going from bad to worse. Times are getting tough. Stress is mounting up. People are getting fearful of what might be coming down the road for them. If ever there was a time to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is now. I thank God for those that God has praying for me. I was blessed recently to find out from my good friend Pastor Henry, a fellow blogger, which he and his church are praying for me, as well as other ministers. They are praying for me all around, for my family, and my ministry. For others out there that are praying for me, thank you. You may never know just how your prayers have affected me until you make it home to Heaven. I am blessed!

Friends, isn’t this exactly what Jesus did? He prayed not just for his disciples, but for those who believe through their message. Look, that means Jesus prayed for me and you (John 17)! So, friends, let’s follow Paul’s, and really, Jesus’ example of prayer. Lift up those fellow believers that are all around you. While you are at it, toss one up for me, too! God bless!

Dressed for the Occasion

Well, it's been more than a week since my last blog. Sorry, but I haven't had too much to say lately. That changes today. Read on!

Maybe you are a sports fan. Right now, it is baseball season, and we are about a month away from the All-Star game on July 11th. Wow! Time flys, doesn't it? It's hard to believe that the season is almost half-over.

Imagine Barry Bonds, or another ball player, showing up to the game to play in a 3-piece suit. I know, it sounds silly, but just think about it for a minute. As a player and representive of San Fransico, he needs to wear the official uniform of his team. He can't show up however he wants, and simply decide that he will do his own thing.

It's the same thing with us as followers of Jesus Christ. We, in a kind of crude analogy, are on Christ's team. We are representatives of Christ, actually called his ambassadors in Scripture (2 Cor. 5:20). Hear what the Bible says in Philippians 1:27:

"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"

Also, Romans 13:13-14:

"Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts"


If you think about it, our conduct reveals what our character is. Jesus said it this way: "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". What our inside character is will be revealed by what we do outwardly. In a sense, our visible behaviors are kind of like our uniform: it's how people can see and recognize where our allegiance lies. That is why it is important to live a life that glorifies Christ. We may only have one chance to shine our light to someone, showing them our good works we do for Christ, so that they may see that there is substance to our profession of faith. I, for one, do not want to let some bad behavior be the thing that turns someone off to Jesus, because I was hypocritical and my claim to follow Christ didn't match my life. Both passages of scripture are saying the same thing, and the latter passgage in Romans literally uses the the Greek word for clothing oneself when it says to "put on" the Lord Jesus.

In the 3rd Commandment, we are told not to take God's name in vain. What is really interesting is that in Hebrew, the language Moses wrote in, that word "take" is a deep word. There are many ways that word translates into english. One that I noticed from Strong's Bible Dictionary is that it can be translated as the word "wear". How about that? Perhaps in a sense, when we apply God's name to our lives, it's a little like getting dressed? When we claim to follow Christ, others will look at us, and they will look to see if our walk matches our talk.

A good example of this is King David, at a time when he should have been leading his army in battle. Instead, he stayed back, and got into some real trouble. He noticed a woman bathing on her roof (I guess they washed in the supposed privacy of a roof so no one on the ground could see them). But Davids roof was higher, and as he was out for a walk up there, he caught a sight of a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, and he began to lust after her. So he found out about her. She was married to Uriah the Hittite, one of David's warriors. That should have been enough to stop David in his tracks, but his lust was driving him now. He had her brought to his palace, and they committed adultery. He then found that she was pregnant from their fling, and he needed to cover his tracks. He had her husband called in from battle, to get him to go be with his wife, so everyone would think that they are expanding their family. It didn't work, as Uriah was too loyal to his fellow soldiers to enjoy a night at home with the Mrs. while they slept in foxholes.

David then tried getting him drunk, but that didn't work, either. Finally, David wrote a note to the commander, and told him to put Uriah at the front of the battle so that he would certainly be killed. He gave the note to Uriah to deliver to the commander. Look how low David's sin made him sink. Resorting to murder for hire, and sending the message by the victim's own hand! It worked. He got away with it, or so he thought.

One Person saw everything. That was God. he sent a prophet named Nathan to confront David about this. God said this to him:

"because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme..." (2 Sam. 12:14)

Eveyone knew that David loved God. Certainly, even his enemies, and the kings of surrounding countries knew of David's deovotion to God. But his actions not only brought a bad name to himself, but to God. He took, or "wore" God's name in vain. And he paid dearly for his sin.

Friends, I don't mean to lay such a heavy word on a Friday, but this is what is in my heart. Other people are watching us, and we may only have one chance to shine the light of the Gospel to them. Let's not turn them off by bad conduct.

God bless!

A Spiritual Meme

What's a spiritual meme? I have no idea, but I've been tagged by Pastor Henry to do one, so here goes.

1. What is your life verse?
I guess my life verse would be Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." I picked this verse because I believe that as followers of Christ, we just aren't adherants to a religion, but part of a life-giving relationship with our our Creator. If you want to cultivate any relationship, whether it's a marriage, or simply a good friendship, you must spend time together. To me, there is nothing greater than to spend time in God's presence, in prayer with just his Word and his Spirit.

2. Give a bit of your testimony
I grew up in a traditional Lutheran Church. That is where I heard the Gospel first preached, and I believed. I believe that I was called initially to ministry on the pews of that church. Then I ran from God. I don't know why, youthful rebellion, maybe. But I ran until I was almost 22 years old. I did some stuff I am not proud of during that time, which included a lot of alcohol. The funny thing is, even though I was far from God, I almost could hear his voice calling me back to him. Even when I was drunk, I knew that God had so much more for me. Finally, after being jolted by the loss of my grandmother that made sure I was in church as a kid (she often took me to church), I came back to the Lord Jesus. I also answered that call on my life as a minister of the Gospel of Christ.

3. Do you have a favorite preacher?
I'd have to say that first of all, I have a great pastor. He has poured into me personally, and I don't just mean from the pulpit. He has mentored me. He is a great preacher, as well. Another favorite of mine is an Assembly of God pastor from the Detroit area, Pastor Tim Dilena, founder and Senior Pastor of Revival Tabernacle Church. I don't know him personally,but he has a wonderful inner-city church and great ministries that operate within the church. He is a great preacher, too.

4. What is the best bible study you have ever done?
Recently, I did a study in John 12, the account of some Greek worshippers of God coming to Jesus to see him. They would have heard of his powerful miracles, which most recently was raising Lazarus from the dead. What I studied out was the phrase in the passage, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit" (vs.24). In this study, it is clear that only the person that dies to themselves, their desires, their ambitions and their comforts, and lives for God, will be most fruitful. I want to die to myself so I can make the biggest impact possible for the Kindom of God.

5. What do you feel God's calling is on your life?
I feel that God has called me to reach those unwanted by society at large, and even by many churches. I have a heart for the homeless, the addict, those in poverty. I feel that God has called me to the inner-city to be a shepherd to those who have no one. I believe that the Gospel of Christ changes lives. Through Christ, those in hopeless situations like I mentioned can find the hope and strength they need to make it. God has given me a big vision, and I believe that he will bring it to pass as I step out and get busy.

Well, that is my spiritual meme. I will now tag another blogger. I'd tag more, but Henry tagged them all first. I will tag Pastor Neil, who is in Kenya right now.

Well, I hope eveyone enjoyed my little story. God bless!

A Trip to the Zoo...

This weekend, we took the kids on a little trip to the Toledo Zoo. Knowing that in just a few short weeks or less, our new baby boy will be arriving on the scene, we thought it best to go now, since we will not be able to after his birth for some time. So, Sunday morning, we packed up some lunch, juice pouches and water in the cooler, and headed to the Zoo. We arrived shortly after noon and ate a quick lunch, and then we started our very hot journey through this very nice zoo.

The kids were enthralled by what they saw. They happily screeched when the saw their favorite animals, like the young elephant my daughter Machaela had been wanting to see all day. The saw the polar bears, which I thought would have been cooling off from the near 90 degree heat in the water, but paced back and forth in an intimidating manner, as if to say, “If you even try to cross that fence, you’re mine!”

Then, as I was headed into work this morning, I was hit upside the head with a thought. Of all God’s creation, animals are the ones that are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Think about that for a minute. Birds were created to fly, not to sit in some cage like the bald eagles on display at the zoo. Elephants were created to live in family groups, and that they do. There is a purpose for that huge trunk, from grabbing hard to reach leaves to sucking up water to drink and cool itself down. Animals do what they were made to do. We can even look beyond the animal world. The sun rises and sets at the appointed times. It has always risen in the east, and set in the west as God made it too. The seasons change when they are supposed to. God’s world functions the way that it’s supposed to.

We people, however, are a different story, aren’t we? Out of all of God’s creation, we are the only ones who don’t do what we were created to do. I know that we have something that the rest of the world doesn’t have, which is a free will, ability to reason. Animals simply exist, being animals. Yet there is something weird about seeing something that was created for a specific purpose not functioning in that purpose. I mentioned the bald eagles on display at the zoo. Such a majestic bird that soars to incredible heights, confined to a display that gives them 20 feet. Those eyes that can spot a field mouse from high altitudes are simply watching the people that stop by to look at them. I think about us people, created to praise and worship God, to honor him with our lives, simply sitting in our own little existence, oblivious to the greater calling and purpose given us as the crown of God’s creation.

God created this world, called it good, and commanded it to be fruitful. And it is. Yet all over the Bible, we are called on to praise and honor God. Here is one such command:

“O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard” Ps. 66:8

In the New Testament, Jesus told us that we are to “love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength” (see Mark 12:33). In fact, by doing what we are commanded, we are actually showing our love for the Lord (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3).

I got to thinking about this as I was reflecting on my weekend this morning. I did stuff that I was supposed to do, like cutting the grass, doing yard work, and taking out the garbage. But I got to thinking about the stuff I didn’t do. Mainly, I didn’t spend the time with God that I needed to. I neglected the time I need to spend one-on-one in God’s presence. I didn’t really read the Bible much. I didn’t take the time to get into prayer. I could have, but I was ashamedly too busy. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to paint a picture of someone slavishly trying to please God through daily religious ritual. But the call to worship and honor God is one in which we will answer to the Lord for. I want to live a life of obedience to him. I want to live a life that is pleasing to him.

Friends, just be encouraged today to get that time in with the Lord. Don’t let life keep you from doing what you were truly made for. God bless!

The True Light

Recently, my wife and I have been talking about a particular verse in John 1. It is the 9th verse. Here it is with verses 10 and 11:

"There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him."

Perhaps we've wondered about how such an awesome God, full of mercy, grace and love can put on human skin and come to this world and be so rejected and despised. Aside from the Biblical knowledge that Christ has to be rejected by the world, it seems strange to me that we as humankind could treat our Creator so cruely. Yet we did. Simply reading verse 9, it seems like such a nice thought. Jesus, the True Light, shining his light into our hearts. Well, to those of us who love him, we want that light to shine. But he came to a world that did not accept him. He came even to his own people, Israel, and found rejection. Think about that. These were the people called out by God and separated for his purposes. They saw God's miracle power. The Word of God came through them. They had the prophecies. Yet, when Jesus the Messiah did appear, the Bible says the rejected him. One would wonder why.

Here's my take on it. Let's read a passage from John 3:18-20:

"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

The people of Israel were a very religious people. As I said already, these were the people God chose as his people. And beyond the common man, there were the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priests and teachers of the Law of Moses. In short, these people thought they were the real picture of righteousness. Think of a comfortable, old pair of white shoes. You may love those shoes, and think that they are great. Then you compare them to a brand new pair. What a contrast. That is kind of what happened when Jesus interrupted the religious folks idea of righteousness. Some "whiter" than them showed up, to use the white shoe terminology. Simply, as the True Light, Jesus shined into the dark hearts of these people, and they hated the light. Their "deeds were evil", as the above quoted verse says.

It is said that cockroaches will scatter when the light is turned on. I haven't experienced that, I don't let my house get so dirty that roaches would be comfortable. Those bugs hate the light. But those who love Christ will always come to him. Even if it means that dark areas, hidden from the view of others, but unhidden from the Light of Christ. Friends, let's not be like those that ran from the light that was meant to expose their darkness, so that they could be made truly righteous. Come to Jesus. Read his word. Let his Spirit mold you into his likeness. He wants to make us all like him. May God bless you all today!

Just Like Him

Hey, all, it has been a few days since my last post. I don't have too much to talk about this morning. I was scheduled for an appointment this morning that had to be rescheduled for this afternoon. So, me and the Mrs. decided to hit the local library. Kind of boring.

I have been thinking today about the Lord Jesus. You know, not only did he come to this earth to die for the sins of mankind, but while he was walking this planet for 3 1/2 years, he was also giving us an example of true ministry. Jesus displayed a selfless, giving love for us. The Bible tells us in Philippians 2 that Jesus didn't look out for his own interests, but for ours, for the worlds. Let's read:

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, {and} being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." -Philippians 2:5-8

In other words, the Apostle Paul is telling us that Christ is our example. I mentioned in Monday's blog that Christ came from the Glories of Heaven to a poor existence on this earth. Let me speak on that. Paul told us in 1 Timothy 3:16 that "God was manifest (revealed) in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." You see, the Lord Jesus wasn't just some good teacher and prophet, and he never claimed to be simply some good teacher. He claimed that he was God, and proved it by the miracles he performed. Jesus was divine, he was and is God. I say that to kind of combat what the popular book, and now today just released as a film, The Davinci Code, says, but I digress. Jesus left the Glorious Heavens and was born into a smelly, filthy stable. He was surrounded by dirty animals. He was raised in poverty. He learned a trade from his earthly guardian, Joseph, namely, carpentry. Think about this, folks. All the glory, all the splendor, the angels constantly praising him, and he left it to come to this little planet! He endured a hard life, worked with his own two hands, and hung on a cruel cross for us. The Bible tells us that he endured that torturous death for the joy of bringing us to a right relationship with him.

And so he is our example. The next time you pick up your Bible, and you read the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament, study the example of Christ. Ask him to help you be more like him. That's all, folks. God bless!

Are You Dogmatic?

We live today in an age that would be defined as “tolerant”. It is an age of supposed open-mindedness in which various worldviews are viewed as on par with each other, each one supposedly as true as the next. Or so goes the theory. The problem with those who hold such a “tolerant” view is that most are not truly tolerant of those views that are in opposition to their own. In fact, the word “tolerant”, or “tolerate”, has changed considerably in definition to when even I was a child 25 years ago. To my mom and dad, to be tolerant meant that they were only going to put up with so much of my junk until the spanking came. It meant that their patience was being tried, and punishment would soon be coming. My, how that word has been redefined nowadays.

Today, I was listening to a message preached by Pastor Tim Dilena of Revival Tabernacle Church. He spoke about living and dying for Christ, and that either option is a good one. Whether we are living in our bodies here, able to preach the Gospel, or whether it is our time to die and be with Christ, it is a good thing, as the apostle Paul said in Phil. 1:21-24. But in this message, he made this statement: “The spirit of this age is unfriendly to dogmatic theology”. I can tell already that for some readers, the sirens in your mind started blaring just from reading that word, “dogmatic”. That word has had so much negative junk attached to it that it isn’t even funny. What does the word mean? I like how Pastor Tim defines it: “To believe in principles that are incontrovertibly true”. In other words, there is no use fighting it, this thing is true. Hot is always hot, and cold is always cold. Up is always up, and down is always down. It is also defined as "something held as an established opinion". I guess it could even be said that those who are opposed to anything dogmatic, are themselves quite dogmatic in their viewpoint!

Those today that are the most intolerant are those claiming that they are tolerant. They are tolerant up to the point that someone is claims their viewpoint is wrong. They are intolerant of dogmatic people that believe in absolute truth, and believe in an absolute God with holy standards who will one day judge every person that has ever walked on the face of this planet. So, am I a dogmatic person? You bet I am! I have to be dogmatic in what I know to be true. I have to be dogmatic in knowing that Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords that will one day judge this world. I am firm in my convictions that he came to this earth, from the glory of heaven to the stench of a stable to grow up in abject poverty and face a rugged cross for my sins and yours! I’m adamant and unyielding about my belief that no one can make heaven without him! I won’t budge from my position that he was God in the flesh, and proved it by miracles seen by eyewitnesses and disproved by no one! I am absolutely convinced that he topped it all off by raising from the dead on the third day after the cross, and his subsequent ascension 40 days later. Yes, I am dogmatic about what I know to be true!

Even those who would be offended by what I have written here have things that they are dogmatic about. Who wouldn’t dogmatically exclaim to their little child that to touch a burning stove will result in a burn? Who would say that to play on the stairs can mean a painful tumble down? We don’t have a problem being dogmatic, friends. The question is, what are you dogmatic about?

Are there some things I just don’t know? Sure. I can’t explain God’s existence from eternity past. I can’t explain how God has always been around. I can’t explain how the blood that Christ shed on that cross 2,000 years ago is sufficient to cleanse the sins of humanity. I can’t explain the Trinity. But, friends, when it comes to the things I know and am certain of, I can’t be silent.

Pastor Tim quoted a verse from the Old Testament that really speaks to this topic today. Here it is:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” -Deut. 29:29

In other words, there are things that only God knows, and we must leave those things to him. But the stuff that he has revealed to us, they are ours, and must hold to them. Again, I will declare those things that I know to be true. May God bless you today!

Into The Ground and Die

One thing I enjoy doing is gardening. But there is a problem-I’m not really good at it. I have in the past attempted to plant seeds in the garden, follow the instructions on the back of the seed package, and keep them moist, only to never see that seed sprout. So, I thank God for the half grown plants that I can buy from Lowe’s or Home Depot! Someone else better at it than me, under the proper conditions planted those seeds that did sprout, and became a young, healthy plant, ready to be transplanted into my garden.

I say this because for the past couple of days, there has been one scripture on my heart, John 12:24:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

First of all, it’s important to realize the context in which Jesus spoke these words. It was during a feast time, when many Jews from around the known world flooded to Jerusalem to celebrate what God has done for them. In addition to the Jews, there were also Greek converts to Judaism that came to worship God as well. So, the city was extra busy at this time. Jesus had quite recently performed one of his greatest miracles, raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. He also had just triumphantly entered the city, with scores of people praising him, and spreading out palm branches and clothing for him to ride over on the donkey in the city. Well, some of the Greeks in town to worship at the feast caught word of Jesus and the great things he did, and decided to come see him one day. They came to Phillip, and asked if they could see the Lord. Phillip then told Andrew about them, and they both went to Jesus, and told him that these Greeks wanted to see him. With that, Jesus began to speak about the grain (or seed) of wheat that falls into the ground and dying. He spoke of our need to deny ourselves, to hate our natural, sinful life, only to gain eternal life from him. He spoke of us as his servants following him wherever he goes. “Where I am, there my servant will be also” (vs. 26). Then, he clarified where he was going a few verses later:

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself”- vs. 32

Everyone around him listening understood what he meant. He was going to the cross. And if Jesus had a cross to bear, friends, so do we. He even said in Luke 9:23 that we must take up our cross daily and follow him. Our cross may not be a physical one, but we have a cross to bear nonetheless. The cross was where people died. It was where crime was punished by the criminal’s life being taken. It was there that Jesus took our sins upon him, the sinless dying in place of sinful humankind, so that we could be forgiven, and have a relationship with God through Christ. It was his sacrifice on the cross, and his dying that abundant fruit came forth as you and me, and all who have come to Christ through the centuries. He died, and he bore much fruit.

So we must die to ourselves, to our sin, our ambitions and our desires. As we die to ourselves and live for Christ, we will find the true eternal life that Jesus spoke of. Paul put it like this:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”- Gal. 2:20

And also said this in Colossians 3:5:

“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry”

We are to consider our sinful nature dead. We have been crucified with Christ. But as Paul says, when we die to ourselves, and live for Christ, others who we minister to will benefit from it (see 2 Cor. 2:14-16). The only way for the Lord to use us and receive the glory from our ministry is when we “fall into the ground and die”. We must die to ourselves and to our wants and comforts in this life to really make an impact for God’s Kingdom. Paul even looked upon the past achievements in his own life and said, “It’s all nothing but a pile of rubbish!” (see Phil. 3:4-14). At the end of that passage, he then encourages us to be like-minded (vs. 15).

Friends, if you love the Lord today, then you certainly want to please him, and do great things for him. But only workers in his field that realize the task at hand of bringing in the harvest of souls will do. We can’t be double-minded in the work of the Lord, and in our relationship with him, for that matter. So be encouraged to set your sites on heavenly concerns (Col. 3:1-2), for it is only the heavenly things and the mind of Christ that will push us through to being the man or woman of God that he has called us to be. God bless you today!

The Love of Jesus

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready for church, I was reading the eleventh chapter of John. I came across something that really stood out to me. Here is the passage in some context:

“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” John 11:1-6 (emphasis mine)

Now, let me just say before going any further, that I believe every word of the Bible is God-inspired and placed in its spot for a reason. The passage I quoted above is no different. What jumped off the page into my spirit are what verses 5 and 6 say- Jesus loved them, so he decided to stay a couple extra days. If he loved them so much, why would he let such a good friend die, and put his sisters through such an agonizing time? Many critics of Christ and his message would surely look at such action and try to smear the Lord. Yet, they don’t know that God has a purpose in everything we encounter in life.

Jesus decided to head to the town of Bethany, where his friends lived, and couple days after his friend died. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days! When Martha came running to Jesus, she said, “Lord, if you were here, my brother would not have died!” (see vs. 21) Jesus told her that her brother would most certainly rise again. Martha thought he was speaking of the final resurrection, but Jesus let her know that he was the Resurrection and the life. In other words, Jesus didn’t have to wait for that last day to raise Lazarus up, he had the power to do it then. It seems that these sisters had the faith to believe that one day, Jesus would raise them up, but what they needed to know was that the resurrection power of Christ was not just a “someday” power, but present in Christ as he walked this earth.

So, why did Christ let Lazarus die? To build up the faith of these 2 sisters! He had to let them get to this point so that he could increase their faith. In short, just as verses 5 and 6 say, he did it because he loved them! In that love, he needed them to have greater faith in him. What on it’s surface seemed so final, so impossible, Jesus used for their greater good.

He does the same for us too. In a time when the westernized church wants to preach peace and good times to all who follow Christ, the truth is that not all will go smooth for the Christian. Jesus himself said that in this world, we will have trouble. No one gets a pass. If anyone has led you to believe that your problems fade away when you have Christ has lied to you. There are storms and fires and floods that we will go through. But, praise God, we don’t go through these alone! Just listen to what Isaiah says:

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.” Isaiah 43:2

So, if you sometimes wonder why a God that is so loving would let you go through such trying times of pain, even sickness and death, realize that he is making you stronger! Let those times of hardship build your faith up. Paul wrote in Romans 5 that our troubles work out endurance in our lives, which in turn builds up hope. And hope in the Bible is an expectation. In other words, as we endure such battles, and face such floods and fires, we get stronger, knowing that Christ is with us! As new battles begin to mount up, we can take comfort in knowing that if he was with us then, he’ll be with us now! It’s because of the great love God has for you that he lets you endure such times.

Remember what Romans 8:28 says, and it’s with this verse that I leave you:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

God bless today, my friends!

Screaming Eagles

Why do I have a picture of my girl Machaela next to a guy in a big eagle suit? Good question. This picture was taken Sunday at Eastern Michigan University's Graduation. The school mascot is this eagle. They call him the Swoop the Screamin' Eagle. He may look victorious, but this eagle can't soar. I guess it's accurate to call him a screaming eagle, because EMU sports teams usually go away screaming in defeat!

Thank God that real eagles don't go down easily. In fact, in the Bible, God sometimes talks about his people as being like the eagle. Let's read this familar verse from Isaiah 40:

But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. -vs.31

When we think of the eagle, we think of strength. That is what God was trying to tell his people in this chapter. God spent a lot of time giving his credentials in this chapter. We read about how great, how powerful, and how wonderful God is. Let's read a bit of what this chapter tells up about God:

"Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed out the mountains and the hills? -vs. 12

"Has the Lord ever needed anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good or what is best? No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales. He picks up the islands as though they had no weight at all." -vs. 14-15

"To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.
Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away." -vs. 25-26

Why does God find it necessary to brag on himself? These people were having some real trouble. It seems that somewhere along the way, they forgot just how powerful God really is. In fact, in the 27th verse, God asks them this question:

"O Israel, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case?"

He was telling them that nothing gets past him. He could see the trouble they are in, and this immeasurable God who flung this universe into being was able to give them the strength they needed! Friends, whatever you are going through today, be encouraged that God not only sees you, but he will give you the strength to make it through!

Well, that is all for me today. I pray that this message has blessed you. God bless!

**Scipture taken from the New Living Translation

You're Being Watched

Yesterday my wife finally graduated! She now has a Bachelor's degree and is certified to teach. At the Commencement at EMU's Convocation Center, where the basketball team plays, they had two huge video screens, and as the procession of graduates started, they were broadcasting them for all to see. It was humorous, because as the camera would focus in on people, they would suddenly notice themselves on the screen. It was funny to watch how they reacted to seeing themselves, and to the fact that everyone else was now watching them. Talk about the potential for an embarrassing moment. Good thing no one was picking their nose or anything!

Do we really understand that we also are being watched in our daily lives? We talk about the all-knowing, all-seeing God, but many of us take that knowledge for granted. The Lord Jesus is watching us constantly. And he isn't watching from a distance, no matter what Bette Midler sings. Psalm 139 is a passage of scripture that talks a lot about the all-seeing God. Basically, there isn't anything that we say, think or do that God does not see, good or bad. He saw us when we were yet in utero, and he sees us now. Let's look at a couple of verses from this Psalm:

"You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways"-vs. 3

"Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all."-vs. 4

"If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,' Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You." vs. 11-12

This can be both wonderful news, or frightening news to us. It's good because God sees us as we seek to truly honor him with our conduct. But it's frightening because he sees what we do when no one else is looking. He sees what we do in the dark, as verses 11 and 12 tell us. He's sees the things we watch, he sees the websites we visit. He knows the thoughts we think (vs. 2). It really doesn't matter what others say about you. You could have a good reputation as a godly person. But reputation and character are two different things. Reputation is what people think about you. Character is who you are when no one is around. It's who you are in the dark. But God sees you in the dark just as easily as in the light (vs. 12).

Whether we like or not, we are being watched. Don't let yourself ultimately be taken by surprise, like those graduates on the video screen. Honor the Lord with your life, not just when people are around, because the camera doesn't stop rolling when everyone goes away. Let you attitude be the same as David in this psalm. I will leave you today with his inspired words:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way."-vs. 23-24

God bless!

ARRRRGH!!!

That's an interesting title today, isn't? It's fitting, because that is how I feel. Frustrated. Discontent. Restless. Do you ever feel this way? I’ve been doing some reading on other minister’s blogs and websites, and one thing I’ve read about is a theatre church. Not that I want to make church a theatrical production, but they seem to make great meeting spots. Reading about this has once again stoked the pioneering flame inside of me. The result from my admittedly poor vantage point has me in a place of discontent, and frustration. I want so bad to jump out and do what I feel God has called me to do, but I just don’t know where to start. There are so many questions I have, so many details to work out, that my mind is simply baffled.

For a long time, I have had the sense that God is preparing me for something a lot bigger than me. I know at least in part, that is a church. The funny thing is though, that I immediately begin scanning and researching different areas, different cities, and I just am baffled as to what city to even try something like this in. As a minister in the Church of God, headquartered in Cleveland, TN, I ideally want to have a ministry where no COG presence is. I have several cities nearby my home that do not have that presence.

I am full of questions. In fact, I could probably ask so many questions about this that I would not get to the actual work itself! I admit, I’m fearful about this. What if I fail? What if I launch something, only to have to shut it down some time later because no one supported it? Can I get people to come along who catch the same vision, and help lead? How do I get those people? You see, I have lots of questions and worries. I know that I shouldn’t be fearful about this. But perhaps I feel a lot like the spies Moses sent over to check out the Promised Land, excited about the land, but fearful of the opposition.

The Bible tells us that “eye has not seen, nor ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for that love him" (1 Cor.2:9). It also tells us in Ephesians 3:20 that God is “able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us”. God is more than able to see his call and vision through, using even an inexperienced punk like me. I guess at the heart of this blog today is a simple request to pray for me. I want to move in God’s will for us. Thanks, friends. Have a great weekend!

It's Not About The Tangibles

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.’” John
4:21

When I bought my house a couple years back, I learned pretty quickly how to maneuver around in the dark. I’m talking “can’t see my hand in front of my face” dark. At times I had to get up and help the kids as they tried to get downstairs for a midnight potty trip, or to comfort them when they were frightened about something. Though I could make my way around without hitting a wall or stubbing a toe, I never knew what might lie on the floor in total darkness that could be a tripping hazard, and some toy left on the floor that would hurt to step on (it hurt’s, believe me!). Sure, I can get around, but I much prefer some light. I want to tangibly see what’s around me or in my path before I step on it.

The verse I pulled out of the fourth chapter of John focuses on a Samaritan woman who was centered on tangibles as well. At her encounter with Jesus, she had a tough time grasping onto anything spiritual. First it was the water to quench a raging thirst, but the water Jesus spoke of was spiritual. The spiritually dry can’t quench that thirst using natural means. That’s why folks today try everything to get the satisfaction they need with things like work, education, money, sex or drugs. It’s kind of like trying to power an electric appliance by pouring gasoline on it. It just doesn’t do the trick.

Then, once the lady found out that Jesus was a man of God, she started talking about worship. Perhaps she was on the right track, but she was still thinking of the tangible. “We Samaritans think we should worship on this mountain, you Jewish people say we need to worship in Jerusalem”. In other words, worship is about physical location. Jesus corrected her ignorant notion of what real worship is. That is my focus for today.

As I quoted the text at the beginning, Jesus let this poor soul know that it isn’t about the locale. Worship is a spiritual thing. All too much, we make this same mistake. We attribute God’s blessings to certain places. A few years ago, during the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida, people would come from all over the country, and even the world, to experience what God was doing there. It was a glorious time. And pastors would go, see how they operated, and said, “If I only do this, and move the keyboard here, and preach like this, God will show up like at Brownsville”. But worship isn’t about how the drums and keyboards are set up. Some people feel that we aren’t truly worshipping unless their favorite music is played, and their favorite preacher preaches. Some say they can’t worship unless the service is traditional, others say it has to be contemporary for them to worship. So now many churches try to appease everyone by having multiple services that cater to everyone’s tastes. While I won’t really speak to that, I think that we are missing the point of true worship. Worship isn’t about the tangible things. Jesus said that we must worship God in spirit and in truth. It is a spiritual thing, done according to the truth of God.

Also, we must realize that worship isn’t simply an event. Biblical worship is a lifestyle. To worship is to express to God just how much he means to us, to declare to him his worth. That isn’t just done verbally and in song on Sunday morning. It’s done in our lives. It’s done through living a life that is pleasing to God. Things like being a person of integrity. It’s done through having a consistent, godly character. It’s done through loving others as Christ loves us. We worship the Lord with our very lives. That’s why Jesus said to “love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength”.

It’s no wonder this woman kept zeroing in on the tangible things. She needed to be born again. She needed to be confronted in her sin. She was an adulteress, and only after the Lord called her sin out, did she start to have her spiritual eyes opened. Paul said that natural, unregenerate man can’t understand spiritual truths (1 Cor. 2:14). She was what we would say is a “carnal” person. That’s why it’s so disheartening to see God’s people operating in that kind of attitude.

So, that is my study for today. I pray that you are blessed by it. God bless, friends!

Relax!

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 from the KJV and NASB versions of the Bible.

If we are to be honest with ourselves, there have been times when we seemed to get tossed through stormy periods in our lives like a helpless fishing boat on a raging sea. I’ve written about before, we will go through tough times of trial and testing. Why do we have to go through such times? I believe that God uses such “furnaces” in our lives to purify us, to get rid of everything that is unlike him, and to cause us to grow in faith. It was James who exhorted us to, “count it all joy when you go through various trials, knowing the trying of your faith produces endurance and steadfastness” (my paraphrase of James 1:2-3). Friends, one thing I’ve come to realize is that God most certainly has a purpose for you trial, whatever it is.

The Psalmist here in the 46th Psalm is writing about a trying period in Israel’s history. They seemed to have been under the threat of foreign countries, and were obviously distraught over it. The Psalmist has a refrain that he can’t seem to get away from: the LORD is our refuge. Think about that. What is a refuge? It’s a place of safety and shelter. He was reminded his countrymen that God would take care of them, even if the outcome would seem to be hugely against them! How encouraging this must have been for these weary and frightened people, to know that God is on their side!

Yet, I know that my nature is one of problem-solving. I think that most of us guys are like this. These people must have been trying to figure out how they could come against these foreign kings and their armies, and fretting over it. I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of Christians-microscope Christians and telescope Christians. These people were looking at a problem, and, like a microscope taking something very small and magnifying it to look much bigger than it is, so they made the problem bigger, even bigger than God. They should have, and the writer tried to encourage them, to look at God and realize that he is big enough to handle the problem. Like a telescope that helps us to see planets and the moon as the really are, huge! God was big enough to handle their storm. The writer spends nine verses proclaiming that God is able to help them, but then, it is almost as I God tells him to step aside so he can personally deliver a message. The speaker changes to God, as he himself tells us that we need to “Be still”! I love the meaning of the Hebrew word here. It means, as the NASB translated it, “Cease striving”. It means to relax. God personally assured his people that they can relax, because he is going to handle the problem!

Friends, whatever trial you are enduring right now, let the Word of God encourage you. Relax! Stop trying to do what only God can do. The mountain is to high, the storm is too strong, but God is bigger! So, I will close out today with the NASB version of the verse:

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

God bless!

He Gave

My thanks to Pastor Tim Dilena for his inspiring sermon, "From Thee Comes My Praise", which sparked my blog today.

I love getting gifts. Who doesn’t? Birthdays or Christmas or Father’s day, I’m not partial. I love to get gifts. And I am grateful for the gifts I receive. But just as I love to get gifts, I can honestly say that I love to give just as much. I don’t say this to brag, because it hasn’t always been this way. God has made me a giver. Whether it’s time, money or other resources, I am blessed to be able to give.

Let’s think about this for a minute. Doesn’t it make perfect sense have such a desire to give? After all, God’s plan for each of us is to make more like him (Gal. 4:19). He tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that he is changing us into the image of Christ. Of all that makes up God’s nature, one attribute that we absolutely can’t deny is that God is a giver. “For God so loved the world that he gave…” If God is such a giver, friends, then it only make sense that he is making us givers, too.

Abraham was a very blessed man. Back before God changed his name, when he was called Abram, he was called by God to leave everything dear to him and simply follow God. So, he did. And what God promised Abram is something we still hang onto today. Let’s read it:

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3

This is a passage of scripture that we love to quote nowadays. We love the fact that God promises to take care of us. Yet how much attention do we give to one little part of this passage, “I will bless you, and you shall be a blessing”? You see, God didn’t intend that his blessings for us would simply remain with us. God blesses us to be a blessing to other around us. And Abram most certainly was a blessing to those around him.

The apostle Paul in the New Testament illustrates this truth for us. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul is talking about giving. Then he says in the eighth verse, from the NLT, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” I love that version. It stresses the fact that God gives so we can give.

But it’s not just people that we are to give to. We must remember to give thanks to God for the gracious blessings he has poured out on us. God isn’t obligated to give, as if under some contractual agreement. Plain and simple, he is good, and he loves to bless his children. So, when he blesses us with another day, breath in our lungs, and the means to support our families, friends, we need to bless him! How do we bless the God who already owns everything? We praise him! David understood this. In the 103rd Psalm, verses 1 through 3, we read this:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me,[bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

When David tells us to bless God, it can be translated as praising God. Look at what David is praising God for. He is praising him for his benefits! God forgives us, he heals us, and he’s redeemed us from destruction. He is merciful and gracious to us. We need to give him praise!

So, today, don’t just look for someone bless on a human level. God is a gracious and good God who is worthy to be praised. I’ve heard it said that praise is simply vocalized compliments to God. So take the time today give God some compliments. After all, he has been so good to us, when we don’t even deserve it. God bless, friends!

Thorns and Weeds

Hey, all! I seem to have slacked off on this blogging thing, haven't I? It's been several days, and I realize the need to keep blogging because though not to many comments are left, I know quite a few out there in blogland are reading. It's a vehicle to minister to those who are reading. So, I don't want to lose you! Here is another little devotion that I pray will bless you.

I was going to write on our responsibility to live our lives in such a way as to give God glory and honor through our good conduct. Really, it is based in the fourth commandment, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain", Ex. 20:7. That will be for another day, now, because I sense the need to write on something different. Perhaps I can pick up on the fourth commandment next time.

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment. I found out that my blood pressure is somewhat high. I wasn't stressed out about anything, so I knew that wasn't part of it. I got to thinking about my lifestyle and eating habits lately, and I believe that I have found the culprit-me!

I'm a busy guy. Between my now good-sized family, work and ministy, I am pretty much going nonstop. To help make ends meet, I have a second job that I work a few nights of the week delivering pizza. Being around all that food is tempting, and yes, I have given in, taking advantage of my employee discount! Not to mention the salty junk food, and a lot of coffee lately, it's no wonder I am having some issues physically. Of course, as the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. I have to make some changes in my eating and lifestyle habits to bring my health back where it should be. I am starting today. I have a half a chicken breast that I grilled last night left over, and a salad, sliced pepper and some baby cucumbers. I need to start eating better. Now, if I can only beat myself into a regular exercise routine!

We do the same thing spiritually. We allow junk to take the place of the most substantial spiritual meal we can eat, God's word. We'd rather read a newspaper or a good book than take the time to read the Bible. There isn't anything wrong with recreational reading, but if it takes the place of the Word of Almighty God, I think we are stuffing our spirits with spiritual potato chips. We allow anything and everything to crowd out our study time and prayer time.

We live in a time of distraction like never before. We have digital cable and satellite TV, the internet and radio. We keep busy with our jobs, our hobbies. And we choke out the most important stuff. I'm reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus in the Parable of the Sower:

"He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful" Matt. 13:22

(For a good study in this parable, see Pastor Henry's blog, as he has been writing about it lately.) Jesus in his explantion of this parable, said that seed sown is God's word, and that the ground it's sown into is our hearts. So, that tells me that nowadays, we seem to have very thorny hearts. The cares of life, the pursuit of "the good life", the American dream, has choked out our desire to grow in the grace of the Lord. We are an unfruitful lot. Friends, God didn't call us so we can sit pretty in our big houses and drive our fancy cars and look "blessed". I know that seems to run contrary to the message many of the TV preachers seem to preach. But didn't Jesus call us to forsake all and follow him? He had a conversation with a young man one day that was actually quite thorny himself. The guy wanted to know how to have eternal life. He had tried to honor the commandments of God. Yet, Jesus told him that he still lacked one thing. He said to "go and sell all you have, give the money to poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me." The Bible then says that the man went away sorrowful, because he had great wealth.(See Matt. 19:16-22) His heart was full of thorns so that he could not allow the Word of God to grow and flourish through the junk he held onto.

Friends, we are allowing our spiritual health to fail. And just as my body won't fuction the way it should when I stuff it with junk, so spiritually we can't be fruitful and function the way God intends. So, let me encourage you, start weeding your garden. Get the weeds and thorns out of your life. Cultivate your life with the Word of God, with prayer and relationship with the Lord Jesus. Spend time in worship and praise, not just in a church setting, but in your personal time with the Lord. I pray that this devotion has sparked a desire in your life for more of the Lord. God bless, friends!

Weighted Down

Hello, there everyone! Man, it's been a while since I last blogged anything. On Saturday, I dropped the kids off at my parent's house. I was greeted by my step dad, Don, saying, "You're falling behind, Jeffrey! You haven't blogged since Tuesday!" It isn't that I haven't had anything to say, but I have been busy. Sometimes, no matter how much we want to sit down to do something we love, as I do writing, that other things at times wrestle into that spot. Of course, I think what Pastor Darrell said on his blog the other day is certainly true: the arrival of spring weather leads us to do other things. For me, it is playing with the kids outside, or starting in some much needed yard work. That reminds me, I need to get some yard waste bags on the way home!

We have a habit of allowing "stuff" to hinder us. Look. we all have important stuff that needs to get done, and sometimes it requires our immediate attention. I guess what I am talking about is the pursuit of things that don't really have any lasting value. I want to keep my yard looking good and healthy, but I don't want to do that at the expense of never spending the time needed with my kids. In fact, I'm struggling with this even as I write. I was outside Saturday with my kids in the backyard, and they we're playing and wanting me to push them on the swing watch them go down the slide, throw the tee balls and tennis balls around with them. While I was spending that time with them, I had one eye on the ground, looking at all the sticks that the annoying cottonwood tree drops all over the yard. I knew that soon I'd have to pick them up before cutting the grass for the first time this year. So, I had an idea. "Hey kids, I've got a fun game we can play! It's called, 'Pick up sticks!' My very wise 6-year old then said to me from her favorite swing, "That's not a game, Daddy!" To my shame, put in place by a little kid!

We do the same thing with the Lord. We allow "stuff" to weigh us down and keep us from drawing close to him. I guess I am continuing in my seemingly scattered series in prayer, now that I've been writing for awhile. We let things distract us, and keep us from the only true life-giving time we have, that is time alone with the Life-Giver! The early church had this problem, too. Only, they were worried that their faith in Christ would cost them their lives, and were considering renouncing faith in Jesus and going back to the Old Covenant system of Judaism. The "stuff" that weighed them down were the fears of losing their lives. And that "stuff" kept them from their life in Christ, which is a life trust and prayer with the Lord. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews had this to say to them:

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" Heb. 12:1

The point today is to remind us all that the most important relationship we as Christians have isn't with a spouse or a child or a parent. It is with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he who made us, he who saved us from our sin, he who forgave us, and he who is working out the process of making us more like him on a daily basis. By the way, this "stuff" or weight doesn't have to be some secular pursuit like video games or golf. It can be church work or ministry of various sorts. I think that some of us have equated our relationship with God with the work we do for him. It's simply untrue. It's because of my relationship with the Lord that I want to serve him, to work for him. Here's an analogy: I'd have a pretty sad relationship with my kids if it were defined by them cleaning their rooms and picking up toys to make me happy. I am happy when they cling to me and say, "I want you, Daddy!" In fact, last night before the Easter Cantata, all three kids were doing that! Talk about being a happy guy!

So, don't let "stuff" weigh you down and keep you from the time you need with the Lord Jesus. Well, that's all for now. God bless, friends!

A Royal Priesthood

*Picture above is a replica of the High Priest's Ephod and Breast Plate.

Today I am going to continue with the theme of prayer. Yesterday, I spoke of the need to live lives of prayer. Today, I will start to focus on different types of prayer.

I am a parent. What that means is that I spend a lot of time praying for my kids. This is what is called intercessory prayer, or praying for the needs of someone other than you. I have on a couple different occasions had to pray for the health of my kids. Two of my three kids have asthma problems. Both have been hospitalized for it. It’s a frightening thing to see you child struggling for a breath, and being put in the back of an ambulance. It’s hard to see them lying in a hospital bed. It drove me to prayer. This is the type of prayer I am talking about today.

As I was reading from Exodus 28 this morning, I came to a passage that deals with the clothing and accessories (if I can call them that) that the High Priest was to wear while doing his job. Part of the outfit included shoulder pieces, upon which two onyx stones were to be placed. Engraved into the stones were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, six to a stone, as it says in verse twelve:

"You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.”

Next, he was to wear what is called the “Breastplate of Judgment”. It was a special piece worn on his chest, in which twelve precious stones were fitted, four rows of three stones each, laid out in a square pattern. All sides were equal. What that means to me is that God sees his people as being equal. No one person is greater than another. Or, as we like to put in New Testament times, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. The stones making up the breastplate were “according to the twelve tribes of Israel”. In other words, there was one stone for each tribe. Really, what the passage is describing are the clothing worn by the High Priest when he was performing the duties of his office, that of a “go-between”, or a mediator between man and God. Really, in the presence of God, he was literally bearing up his fellow Israelites before God, on his shoulders, and on his chest.

You see, part of the job of the priesthood was to be an intercessor for the rest of Israel. In the era of the Church, in these New Testament times, we who are followers of Christ have now been called by the Lord himself a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). Simply as Christians, we have been declared by God to be priests, or those who are “go-betweens” and advocates for our fellow believers, as well as those who don’t yet know the Lord. We pray for them, we bear them up before God, asking that he touch those that we pray for. The Apostle Paul uses language that describes a priestly duty:

“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” Romans 15:1

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

It is our duty to come alongside our brothers and sisters, and help strengthen them in times of weakness. Literally, to “bear their burden” means to come alongside them and uphold them, to support them. We must come to their aid in prayer, interceding for them to God himself. A word of caution however, is to be mindful that if a brother or sister is weak, or has fallen, does not mean they aren’t as good as us who haven’t fallen. Remember the breast plate, it was a square, all sides being equal. That’s why the Bible says in the Galatians passage quoted above to consider ourselves as we are praying for a fallen brother, and working to see restoration, lest we also be tempted and fall. We were all condemned to hell before Christ saved us, and we all can fall just as easily.

There are times I have sensed in my spirit that God was telling me to stop whatever I was doing and pray for someone in particular. It’s important with being an intercessor to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit of God, as at times he will lead you to pray for certain people and circumstances.

Of course, we need to remember that we have the greatest intercessor of all on our side. The Bible tells us that Jesus “ever lives to make intercession” for us. (Heb. 7:25) The Bible tells us that Jesus is the one Mediator now between God and man. (1 Tim. 2:5) He is on our side. He is going to bat for us at the Father’s Throne. That isn’t something that Jesus is only doing this side of Calvary, but even as he walked this earth, he prayed for his disciples, and even all who would come after. (see John 17) He interceded for Peter: “I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not”. (see Luke 22:31-32) You see, Jesus is our prime example of a prayer warrior.

So, let’s follow Christ’s example. Begin to pray for those around you. Watch God begin to move in their lives. And while you’re at, friends, pray for me! God bless, and I am praying for you!

Let's Talk Prayer!

Let’s talk about prayer today. When you think of prayer, of praying, what is it that you think of? Some may think of saying prayers before bedtime, or mealtime, as perhaps as children their parents taught them to say their prayers. Some maybe think of prayer as something that is done corporately in a church service, praying in unison along with the preacher. Some think of prayer as quiet, private and personal, not something to be shared with others. Some may think of prayer as an archaic religious practice with no real benefit for us in the 21st century.

I think we tend to compartmentalize spiritual disciplines. We place going to church in a box, Bible study in a box, so on and so forth. Prayer is no different. We even have a term for it- Prayer life. I am of the view that we shouldn’t have a little box that we call our “prayer life”, but that our lives should be saturated with prayer. I believe the Apostle Paul said it best in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 when he said “Pray with out ceasing”. Not that we live our lives on our knees, always trying to think of stuff to say to God, but that we keep in communion and fellowship with the Lord.

Both the Old and New Testaments give us vivid pictures of praying people, and I believe that it provides us a wonderful example of lives of prayer. From the very beginning when people began to “call upon the name of the LORD”, Gen. 4:26, to John the Revelator in the Spirit on the Lord’s day while imprisoned on the isle of Patmos (Rev. 1:9-10), the Bible as a whole is the great textbook for the life that prays.

But prayer isn’t simply talking to God, or reciting prayers from memory. Those may have a place in the life of prayer, but prayer is so much more. Prayer isn’t a monologue, but it is a dialogue. It’s between God and me when I pray. Sure, I talk, I bring my questions, my fears, and my petitions to my Father in heaven, but I am learning that he also desires to speak to me. He may give me direction; he may speak to me through the Bible, as I have found it important to bring his Word into his Presence. He may simply speak a comforting word into my spirit in a time of distress. I remember one time a couple years ago, I had some car trouble. I didn’t have any money to repair it, but God provided for the repair, which was to be done later that week. When the car was inspected a couple days before the scheduled repair, it was found that much more was wrong than I realized. On my way home, I was worried sick. I was saying, “God, you heard the repair guy. How can I get this car fixed? I can’t afford it!” I sensed the Lord speak gently to my spirit, “You weren’t worried when you thought the problem was small; don’t you think I knew about these other problems, too?” I almost started weeping right there in the car! I sensed that peace that passes all understanding envelope me. Yes, friends, let this be a testimony that God does indeed speak to his children!

But do you know that prayer can be wordless? Sometimes, the most invigorating times of prayer for me are the times that neither I nor the Lord says anything. I’m simply basking in his presence, as he ministers to me by his Spirit. I liken it to riding in the car with my wife. Though I enjoy talking with her, there are times when we don’t have to say anything, but we just enjoy each other’s presence. David was a man that enjoyed the presence of God. Just read through the Psalms of David. He so desired to be with God.

Ps. 23:6- “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever”

Ps. 26:8- “LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth”

Ps. 27:4-5- “One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock”

Ps. 63:1- “O God, thou [art] my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is”

Ps. 84:2- “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God”

We are told in the New Testament that we need to shut ourselves away with the Lord. Jesus told us in Matthew 6 that when we pray, we need to go into our inner chamber. That means a solitary place, a place where we can be alone and undistracted. Don’t laugh, but for me, one such place is actually the bathroom! Not using it for its intended purpose, but as a quiet place to shut out the noise and distraction of life. Paul tells us in his writings that we have been given access to God. As a teenager, I would go to NASCAR races with my family. My step dad was a season ticket holder at Michigan International Speedway. But in addition to the great seats, we also had pit passes. These special passes gave us access to the pit area, where you would often see the drivers signing autographs before race time. In the same way, Christ has given us access to the throne of Grace. In fact, the book of Hebrews says it like this:

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Vs. 19-22)


You see, friends, there is no reason for us to simply hang around God’s presence like it’s a swimming pool, simply dangling you toes in water on the deck. We have been given the go-ahead to dive in headlong in the presence of God! That’s what true prayer is. It’s getting alone with the Lord and enjoying that precious fellowship with him, praising him and worshipping him. It’s my prayer for you today that you, the reader, whoever you are, that you today will dive into the presence of God for an exciting life of prayer-communion with God Almighty! God bless!

My Favorite Guitar

Hey, all. The picture is of my favorite guitar of the two that I have. It is a 1965 Gibson LG-1. It was my dad's, and it's the guitar I learned to play on. He gave it eventually to my uncle, and he did some modifications to it, like the pickup. He then gave it me, when hearing that I didn't have a decent guitar. Kind of indirectly, it ultimately went from father to son.

We love to receive gifts, don't we? Whether it's Christmas time or a birthday, we love getting presents. But it's not just our earthly parents and others that give, most importantly, we have Father in heaven who loves to give. He demonstrated that in the giving of the greatest gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In fact, we will be celebrating that gift next week as we remember Christ's sacrifice upon the Cross, and his subsequent resurrection 3 days after. God's nature is to give. In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus said, "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" Also, in James 1:17 it says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." Clearly, God loves to give.

I don't want to turn this into a lopsided message that focuses only on what we can get from God, but the truth is that God desires to bless his children. So, if you have put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you too are a child of God. Be encouraged that God desires to bless you! That is all for today, friends. God bless!

Gradually Growing

Think about some of the great gospel songs through the years. Many of the songs written were heaven-themed songs. One such song, I borrowed the tune from for the Chinese food song I posted Friday, called, “I’m Getting Ready to Leave This World”. Songs that look forward to the glory of heaven are good, because one day life on earth will end for each and every one of us, and heaven is the place to be. Through the years, many of have often thought of the wonder and glory of that blessed place as a reminder that the temporary pain of trial and trouble will give way to the to a joy that we simply could never understand on this earth. Even the scriptures bear witness to this. It was the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us”, in Romans 8:18. Heaven is indeed going to be a wonderful place.

One of the pictures people use to give us a type of heaven is that of the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, into which God led his people Israel, under the leadership of Joshua. In fact, one of my favorite gospel songs is called, “What a Day That will Be”, in which the lyrics say, “…when he takes me by the hand, and leads to the Promised Land, what a day, glorious day that will be”. The problem is, though, that the typology isn’t theologically accurate. The land of Canaan wasn’t a type of heaven. Heaven is a place of rest, a place of peace and joy. The land of Canaan, now Israel, was eventually the place where the Israelites would settle down, but not before facing battles. They were to go in and battle for the land that God was giving them. Gradually, over a period of time, God gave them the land, clearing out the land of the inhabitants, like the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Hittites. There were people in that area, giants of Goliath-like stature, which needed to be removed. When I get to heaven, friends, the only giant I’ll be looking at is the Giant of my salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ!

In Exodus 23, God began to tell them how he was going to give the land to them. Let us read in verses 28-30:

“I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.”

The way God was going to clean up the land was to do little by little. If he had cleared them out all at once, the animals of the land would then multiply and move into the areas people inhabited, and pose a danger to the people of Israel. God does the same thing with us, doesn’t he?

When we were born again, we began this relationship with the Lord, and in that relationship, God began to lead us into his plan and purpose for us. He began the work of sanctification, or setting us apart for his holy purposes. The Holy Spirit began to convict us of sin in our lives; he began to lead us to study the Bible, to pray, and to worship. And gradually, as we look back over our lives, we can see where God has been working.

But he leads us one battle at a time. I know from my own experience, that it is easy to get prideful when I seem to have “mastered” a certain area of my life, be it a persistent sin or priding myself in doing what I ought, like making sure I am studying the Bible consistently. The Bible does warn us, in relation to the examples of the Israelite people, to beware, “if any man thinks he stand, lest he fall”, 1 Cor. 10:12. That fall may be pride, or some other sin coming in like wild animals would have come into Israel had the land been cleared to quickly. God knows how to lead us.

So, let’s sum up the message today. Don’t get rushed. Don’t let yourself get ahead of God. Allow him to do the work he needs to do inside you. I know how frustrating it can be when it seems that the process isn’t moving along quickly enough, but God knows what it is we need. To cap off this devotion to, I can think of no better Bible verse than Philippians 1:6, which tells us that “He who began a good work in you will perfect (complete) it until the day of Christ Jesus”. God bless!

An Original Song by Jeff

OK, it's a parody, set to the tune of "I'm Gettin' Ready To Leave This World", an old Gospel song. I hope no one is offended that I chose a gospel song for the tune, but the flow of the music works perfectly for the song. So, I hope you all enjoy! I've gotten positive feedback from some preacher friends at another message board that we all post on occasionally. So, I leave you for the weekend on a (hopefully) funny note!

Look over the menu at the China Moon
Try to find a lunch deal that will get here soon
"Curry beef with white rice, extra spicy please?"
I'm getting ready to eat chinese!

I'm gettin' ready, to eat chinese
I'm gettin' ready, for stir-fried snow peas!
Spicy, but not too hot
Fried rice is all you've got?
Oh, I'm getting ready to eat chinese!

No need for me to eat that lone spring roll
After the main course, you know I'm feeling full
The spice made my nose runny, keep the Puffs handy
Oh, I just finished eating all of my chinese!

Repeat chorus

For now, I'm happy in a full contented mode
But tonight I will by sorry while on the commode
Next time not that spicy, friend, if you will please
I wasn't ready, for that chinese

Repeat chorus

Late yesterday afternoon, I was outside working on the lawn. I had put down some fresh grass seed in that bare spots over the weekend, and knowing that rain was coming last night, I rushed home from work and pulled out the fertilizer. I got the front and side yards all done. I'm not too worried about the backyard, that always looks good in warm weather.

I decided I wanted to put some seed alongside the fence out back. It was matted down with leaves, so I began to rake them, and I noticed the weeds! I snapped this picture while I still had daylight. From the looks above ground, these weeds, which are all along the fence, are dead. But I know enough about plant life to know that though it indeed appears dead to my eye, just below the surface, it's a whole other story. These weeds can't just be mowed down, or broken off at the ground, there are roots that need to be pulled up. As any good gardener will tell you, if you don't get the whole root, you didn't get the weed. It will be back.

It's the same way spiritually. Oftentimes we are quick to take note of the obvious sins in our lives, while not noticing that there is a root. Just because we can't see it doen't mean it isn't there. We may look at the sin we find ourselves committing outwardly, such as lying, or cussing, or viewing pornography, and do our best to end the outward behavior. Yet how many times do we humans fall back into the same trap again? We weep over our sin, and we cry out to God for forgiveness. And he grants us that forgiveness. But I believe we are simply mowing down a weed that comes back. There is a root to get rid of. I like what David said:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me- Psalm 51:10

The occasion behind this Psalm was David's adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and his subsequent hit he put out on Uriah's life, having him killed. David had sunk to an amazing low, all because of a lust for Bathsheba that had taken root in his heart. Instead of turning to God for deliverance, he ran to his sin. Bathsheba became pregnant as a result of their affair, and it wasn't until the baby was about to be born that God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David. When we read Psalm 51, we are reading David's prayer of repentence to God.

So, when David asks God to create in him a clean heart, he wasn't asking God to forgive him, he already had done that in verses 2 and 7. What David was doing was asking God to give him a new heart. That word for create means to make something out of nothing, as when God created the universe. He wanted a life in which there were no roots of sin.

The good news for us today is that we are works in progress. If you are a born-again Christian, your faith in Christ alone, then he is working on you. Philippians 1:6 says, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus". God has promised that he will finish the work he started when you repented of you r sin and put your trust in Christ Jesus. So, let the Lord continue to work on you, and get all the roots of sin out! God bless, friends!

This is an older picture of my girls. That's Machaela on the left, and Gabbie on the right. Notice the goofy pose Machaela strikes, showing us all her foot.

I decided to post this because I had described it to Libby Garrett on her blog of old time style photos of her kids. So here they are, Libby!

God bless!

I've Got e-Sword!

Hey, all, I finally have some good Bible study software. I downloaded a copy of the e-Sword Bible software over the weekend, after my good friend Pastor Henry plugged it on the Truth Ablaze Message Board. All I can say is that it rocks! And, the price is right (FREE!). I downloaded several different versions of the Bible besides the King James Version that comes with the initial download. I put on what is called the MKJV, NASB (a nominal fee for that version), ASV, and a couple more I can' think of. I loaded on several commentaries, as well as Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias. It even lets you download several classic works from people such as A.W. Tozer, John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon. As Pastor Henry told me, you can get a good library on your PC in no time.

We in western society are blessed to have such an abundance of Bible versions and Bible study materials at our fingertips, aren't we? I would venture to guess that most homes in America have at least one Bible somewhere hidden on a shelf, possibly dust covered. We have cable and satellite TV where we can tune in to Christian broadcasting. We have access to computers and the internet where we can find a mass of information about the Bible. We have churches on every corner. Yet, we are so Biblically illiterate it's saddening.

My wife and I receive a short magazine every month from an organization dedicated to helping the persecuted Christians in other countries, called The Voice of the Martyrs. You can visit them on the web here. Oftentimes, I read about these precious believers love for the Bible. Yet, many of these people can't get Bibles. They consider themselves blessed to have maybe a book or two between a whole congregation, members each having a page here or there. And they rejoice over it! These folks would love to have even a simple pocket New Testament. Yet, we are up to our eyeballs in Bibles, and we never read it!

I know I've written recently about our need to dive into the Bible, and draw close to the Lord through studying his Word, but with the addition of the e-Sword on my computer, it has made me think about just how precious God's Word really is. Friends, I implore you, don't neglect the Word of God. Read it. Soak in it. Eat it up. Prayerfully study it. Let God speak to you through it. James 4:8 tells us that when we draw near to God, he will draw near to us. One way we draw near to God is through his Word, the Bible. So, I encourage you today to pull that Bible off the bookcase, dust off the cover, and dig in! God bless!