So, I'm watching The Church Channel, owned by TBN, watching my favorite evangelist...Billy Graham. I marvel at how Graham was able to lead so many people to Christ. After he went off, a show that I have never heard of comes on called "Behind The Scenes" with Paul Crouch and his son. His son spent a great deal of time building up and edifying the old guy, Crouch. I thought it was pretty funny but I guess that's what sons do for dads. They spent a great deal of time bragging about how many stations they are on now and about how they have grown but I didn't hear them mention God's grace in that process at all. Crouch warned viewers against becoming a "public persona" because then folks will attack you and he reminisced about the first time a stranger came up to him and recognized him during his early days on TV/radio in the 70's.
Then Paul Crouch begins to teach out of the book of Joshua and he got to the subject of Rahab. He began to talk about Rahab's assitance of the Israelites in their conquest of Jherico. Rahab, of course, was a harlot or a prostitute and every time Crouch said this, his son chuckled. He made an error in saying that Rahab was King David's grandmother (Proper interpretation of geneaologies). That can be excused because many commentators have also made the same mistake. It sounded fishy to me which is why I researched it. I had never heard that and a little research showed that it was indeed not true. Crouch was ill prepared to "teach" or "preach". Crouch is getting up in years and he stumbled over his words and thoughts. I am not here to make fun of his speech nor am I in any way trying to offend the senior population but it is clear that Paul Crouch's lucidity is fading in his old age.
What was funny was the connection that Crouch used to "evangelize" as his son called it. He used Rahab as a model sinner and a model of God's forgiveness. Since she was included in Christ's line, his reasoning was that if God could forgive a prostitute and include her in the lineage of Christ, then there is nothing that you or I could do that God wouldn't forgive. This is absolutely true. God is as forgiving as the day is long, but Crouch's formula was the death knell for his "sermonette" and classic TBN foolery. He said, "God will forgive you, Jesus will forgive you...all you have to do is 'fess up and tell him you're sorry." I want to let this marinate with you for a minute and you determine if Crouch has just planted a land mine for some unsuspecting viewer.
Crouch said that confession followed by an apology is all that is necessary for forgiveness. That is totally not true. Confession yes, sorrow over sin yes, but Paul Crouch left out the key action of every believer as it pretains to sin..repentance! See, at TBN, telling God that you're sorry gets you off the hook. There was no encouragement of repentance at all because at TBN repentance is not expected. Many of the people responsible for the network, many of the preachers that are on the network and even Paul Crouch himself are living actively in sin. This network loves scandal more than a hog loves slop.
Being sorry is one thing but being sorry and repenting (Greek, metanoia i.e. a change of mind towards sin) is what brings forgiveness (2 Cor 7:10). John the Baptist preached repentance (Luke 3:3), Jesus came right behind him and preached the exact same thing...repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:14)! Repentance is essential to have a salvific relationship with Jesus (Acts 2:38). In Luke 14:27 Jesus says that if we are to follow Him and be his disciple we are to carry our own crosses and forsake everything else...including our old lives dedicated to sin. That's repentance. Turning from sin and towards God. No, we won't be perfect overnight but our discipleship is predicated on repentance and acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior. If He is Lord or our lives, then we no longer live actively in sin. We may sin because of our mortality and our flesh but we do not actively pursue sin as a way of life. That is a counterfeit witness.
Interestingly enough, Crouch also discussed hell. He was relating a story of a visit to the Carlsbad caverns and how they went into a particular cave that was pitch black and he thought..."this is what hell may be like." I have no doubt that hell will be dark, stinky, hot and utterly devoid of the presence of God. Forgiveness of sin is guaranteed to all believers which in turn delivers us from the penalty of sin which is death (physical and spiritual). If anyone follows Crouch's formula for forgiveness and does not repent of sin but simply confesses it and says "I'm sorry", that will not be enough. Those will be the ones that Jesus says "depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you." That is not something that I want to hear on the last day and it is something that I would not wish on my worst enemy. Join me in prayer for Mr. Crouch that he repents of his sins and that he comes to a true knowledge of Christ. I hope that he simply misspoke but watching Billy Graham earlier, repentance is the FIRST thing that he mentioned must happen to form a relationship with Christ. Mr. Crouch said he began TBN around 1971 which is over 40 years ago. Surely he has listened to Pastor Graham at some point and heard him preach repentance. He has a degree in theology and THREE honorary doctorate degrees as well! I pray that it was his advanced years causing him to misspeak but the track record of TBN and those associated with the network is NOT good. Telling God that you're sorry is simply not enough...that's what I like to call a toilet bowl confession. Repentance says to God, I am truly sorry and I am turning from the thing that is separating us! It is hilarious to think that we can live in sin and call ourselves believers but it is less hilarious to know that the people that think that way are destined for eternal torment. There will be no laughing in that day.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
The God Particle
Physicists have to be the most stubborn and hard headed people on the planet. They are constantly searching for the origin of the universe when it is right under their noses. Recently, scientists in Geneva, Switzerland at the "world's biggest atom smasher" have concluded that they have gathered enough evidence to prove that the Higgs boson, which is a partilcle first proposed in the 60's, actually exists. The article is here (God particle?). Supposedly this particle is one that gives other subatomic particles like protons, neutrons and electrons their mass. They are hesitant to say outright that they have discovered this particle and will only say that they have seen its footprints.
Billions of dollars have been poured into this research. Entire countries could have eaten well with the money spent trying to find this elusive particle that some physicists and atheists are hoping disproves the existence of God. They have even give the particle the name of God. That is blasphemous in itself. Jews won't even put the o in G_d and yet this particle that began as a concept in the mind of physicist Peter Higgs, a finite particle that can be created, is given the name of the infinite God that has no creator! God says in Isaiah 43:10 that there was NO god formed before Him and after Him there will be none. God's claim to exclusivity is His right, he did actually create everything! We know that there will none after Him because He is eternal and has no end.
This brings me to the eternal question. Scientists willingly admit that this is not really a "discovery" but they are close. They admit that the universe had a beginning which they are seeking to ascribe to this particle. However, there is a fundamental question that no one has even dared to tread on...who created the "God particle"? Where is its origin? Did this particle simply materialize out of nothingness? OR, does it actually have a Creator? Now, the physicists will scoff at this question but even the "God particle" must have come from a "pre-God particle" which had to come from a "pre-pre-God particle" which had to come from a "pre-pre-pre-God particle"! You see, this is an endless search for the origin of the universe that will never end until these people admit that there HAD TO BE A CREATOR! In their stubborness, they will not admit that if the God particle came out of nothing then the second law of thermodynamics has been violated.
To many, these types of discoveries push them even further into the depths of atheism. The name of the particle says volumes about the character of these people. They want a God that they can create. They are smashing protons into one another and hoping that out of the collision and the energy released that they will find the source of the proton. If they find this particle, this Higgs boson, then they can rest in their conclusion that there is no God. Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, the late Christopher Hitchens, Ricky Gervais and other atheists will leap for joy if this particle is discovered only to find out that their joy will be short lived when they have to answer to the Great Creator, the One without Whom nothing was made, the One who upholds all things by the word of His power! Colossians 1:16-17 says everything that these physicists are searching for. Two verses out of thousands of verses of scripture give them the answer that they seek, yet they will disown scripture as a fairy tale. Colossians 1:16-17 "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together(emphasis added)." William Dembski's take on creation and how Christ was active in creation is crystal clear- John says "in the beginning was the Word (Logos) and the Word was with God and the Word was God..." Genesis says "and the LORD spoke and said let there be light and there was light..." So Christ, the divine Logos, the divine Word was spoken at creation by the Father thereby making him coequal-creator with the Father and the essence of all things created. Christ is the creative power and the creative force of God. You want your God particle, He is sitting at the right hand of the Father and He is coming back to judge the world!
Even if they do discover this particle, it will mean nothing to Christians that know the origin of all things. It is a noble effort but at the same time such a fleeting discovery for such an exorbitant cost seems to be a lopsided victory. A bible for $10 bucks could answer the very question that they have spent billions on. Sure, they will write this off as mumbo jumbo but to those of us that believe God, it is the power of God! It is the foolishness that the world writes off as nothing of which God says, I will use this very same "foolishness" to demonstrate my power! I will use the weak things to shame the mighty and the foolish things to shame the wise. I don't need to understand everything all I need to know is that there is a God sitting on His throne that is sovereign over the entire universe, and IF the "God particle" exists, he's even sovereign over that.
Billions of dollars have been poured into this research. Entire countries could have eaten well with the money spent trying to find this elusive particle that some physicists and atheists are hoping disproves the existence of God. They have even give the particle the name of God. That is blasphemous in itself. Jews won't even put the o in G_d and yet this particle that began as a concept in the mind of physicist Peter Higgs, a finite particle that can be created, is given the name of the infinite God that has no creator! God says in Isaiah 43:10 that there was NO god formed before Him and after Him there will be none. God's claim to exclusivity is His right, he did actually create everything! We know that there will none after Him because He is eternal and has no end.
This brings me to the eternal question. Scientists willingly admit that this is not really a "discovery" but they are close. They admit that the universe had a beginning which they are seeking to ascribe to this particle. However, there is a fundamental question that no one has even dared to tread on...who created the "God particle"? Where is its origin? Did this particle simply materialize out of nothingness? OR, does it actually have a Creator? Now, the physicists will scoff at this question but even the "God particle" must have come from a "pre-God particle" which had to come from a "pre-pre-God particle" which had to come from a "pre-pre-pre-God particle"! You see, this is an endless search for the origin of the universe that will never end until these people admit that there HAD TO BE A CREATOR! In their stubborness, they will not admit that if the God particle came out of nothing then the second law of thermodynamics has been violated.
To many, these types of discoveries push them even further into the depths of atheism. The name of the particle says volumes about the character of these people. They want a God that they can create. They are smashing protons into one another and hoping that out of the collision and the energy released that they will find the source of the proton. If they find this particle, this Higgs boson, then they can rest in their conclusion that there is no God. Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, the late Christopher Hitchens, Ricky Gervais and other atheists will leap for joy if this particle is discovered only to find out that their joy will be short lived when they have to answer to the Great Creator, the One without Whom nothing was made, the One who upholds all things by the word of His power! Colossians 1:16-17 says everything that these physicists are searching for. Two verses out of thousands of verses of scripture give them the answer that they seek, yet they will disown scripture as a fairy tale. Colossians 1:16-17 "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together(emphasis added)." William Dembski's take on creation and how Christ was active in creation is crystal clear- John says "in the beginning was the Word (Logos) and the Word was with God and the Word was God..." Genesis says "and the LORD spoke and said let there be light and there was light..." So Christ, the divine Logos, the divine Word was spoken at creation by the Father thereby making him coequal-creator with the Father and the essence of all things created. Christ is the creative power and the creative force of God. You want your God particle, He is sitting at the right hand of the Father and He is coming back to judge the world!
Even if they do discover this particle, it will mean nothing to Christians that know the origin of all things. It is a noble effort but at the same time such a fleeting discovery for such an exorbitant cost seems to be a lopsided victory. A bible for $10 bucks could answer the very question that they have spent billions on. Sure, they will write this off as mumbo jumbo but to those of us that believe God, it is the power of God! It is the foolishness that the world writes off as nothing of which God says, I will use this very same "foolishness" to demonstrate my power! I will use the weak things to shame the mighty and the foolish things to shame the wise. I don't need to understand everything all I need to know is that there is a God sitting on His throne that is sovereign over the entire universe, and IF the "God particle" exists, he's even sovereign over that.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Morning After
Sometimes, seeing the sun come up is the most beautiful thing. When it has been a hard night, it can be quite refreshing to see the sunrise. I see the sunrise as God's mercies being renewed for yet another day. Today is the first day on the road to recovery for my wife. She underwent a major surgery on yesterday to remove cancer from her breast. Today is bittersweet because everything yesterday was very smooth- but today the pain of recovery begins. Yesterday was a time of great adulation because God had answered so many petitions! Today, we begin a journey together back to wholeness and towards healing.
To say that God works in mysterious ways is a bit of an understatement. We have no clue what God is doing sometimes. He tells us in Isaiah 55 that His ways are higher than out ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I am a firm believer in that. His ways, his decrees, his thoughts toward us, his love, his grace, his mercy, his longsuffering, his beauty...all of his attributes are truly incomprehensible. Our finite minds are not equipped to fully understand God. But, God is so merciful that he will allow us glimpses at his awesomeness, especially during a trial.
Yesterday, I saw the love of God on display. The pastor (Mike Wilkinson) from Grace Presbyterian church came out to pray with us before Danielle was wheeled back into surgery. That's not so grand in and of itself, she's his physician and they have a very good repoire, but while he was praying, the nurses and the anesthetists joined in. They stopped what they were doing to pray also. His deacon, Ken Moore, who also has a heart of gold, drove him here. He said they would be here at 7:15AM. I happened to look at my phone at 7:13AM and by the time I put the phone down, they were both walking through the door. Love is what love does.
There is this tall, slender, cocoa skinned lady at our church that usually handles the CD production. She was drafted into service in the Audio ministry by another sister who has been faithful over the years that I have been there. Her name is Lameka and she is a breast cancer survivor. I had never held a conversation with her, until yesterday when she showed up here at 6:15AM to support Danielle through her surgery and to offer encouragement for the days ahead. Lameka showed me that there are some very strong, Christian people that do not necessarily live lives in the spotlight. She's very quiet and unaassuming but she is also the type of person that can be the glue that holds entire families together. Love is what love does.
I had already hinted to my own pastor, Edward J. Nettles of Freewill Baptist Church, that I understood his schedule and his prayers were enough. He has been battling his own illness and I know that early morning hospital visits can take a toll on him. My words to him were, "your prayers will be enough." I did not want to trouble him when I know that his health has not been the best in recent times. When they relocated us to the lobby, who pops in to make sure that everything is ok? Pastor Nettles. He could have stayed in his bed but he decided to come and check on us. Love is what love does.
Myoshi Mumfield is a person that God has blessed with the gift of giving. She would give you the shirt off of her back. When the kids' stomachs started growling because they had been awake for several hours without breakfast, she whisked them away to McDonald's to get something to eat. She stayed with us ALL day and gave her own day up. She kept us laughing and was a great presence in the lobby. Love is what love does.
When all of the company had left and I was in the room alone with my wife, the nurse, Ms. Juanita comes in and says to me, "Son, you need to eat. Come with me." She escorted me to the cafeteria and bought my dinner using her points on her employee ID. Love is what love does.
All of the text messages and the calls and the prayers of the righteous let me know that I was not laboring in prayer alone. Love is what love does. To all of you that thought enough to call or text, thank you.
My family showed up, Danielle's family showed up but when people show up that don't have to show up and when people do things that they don't have to do expecting nothing in return...that's love. Love is an action word. Yesterday was a day that God proved his words that he would never leave us nor forsake us. So, what about the morning after? I have NO DOUBT that those words still ring true. God hasn't moved off his throne since yesterday and he will not forsake us today or forever. There are some painful days ahead. There are some tears ahead...but there is also hope ahead. The hard days will be handled in faith, not in fear. The tears will eventually be turned into joy. God will get the glory from all of this. God will get the praise from all of this. And we will move on to face more days and mornings after when God's mercies are renewed. Thank you God for showing yourself mighty and thank you for being here in the midst of the storm. If you are in the middle of your own storm, God is right there. Jesus is standing on the bow of the boat talking to the winds and the waves. Rest in the understanding that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. He will be there for you in the day of trouble but He will also be there the morning after.
To say that God works in mysterious ways is a bit of an understatement. We have no clue what God is doing sometimes. He tells us in Isaiah 55 that His ways are higher than out ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I am a firm believer in that. His ways, his decrees, his thoughts toward us, his love, his grace, his mercy, his longsuffering, his beauty...all of his attributes are truly incomprehensible. Our finite minds are not equipped to fully understand God. But, God is so merciful that he will allow us glimpses at his awesomeness, especially during a trial.
Yesterday, I saw the love of God on display. The pastor (Mike Wilkinson) from Grace Presbyterian church came out to pray with us before Danielle was wheeled back into surgery. That's not so grand in and of itself, she's his physician and they have a very good repoire, but while he was praying, the nurses and the anesthetists joined in. They stopped what they were doing to pray also. His deacon, Ken Moore, who also has a heart of gold, drove him here. He said they would be here at 7:15AM. I happened to look at my phone at 7:13AM and by the time I put the phone down, they were both walking through the door. Love is what love does.
There is this tall, slender, cocoa skinned lady at our church that usually handles the CD production. She was drafted into service in the Audio ministry by another sister who has been faithful over the years that I have been there. Her name is Lameka and she is a breast cancer survivor. I had never held a conversation with her, until yesterday when she showed up here at 6:15AM to support Danielle through her surgery and to offer encouragement for the days ahead. Lameka showed me that there are some very strong, Christian people that do not necessarily live lives in the spotlight. She's very quiet and unaassuming but she is also the type of person that can be the glue that holds entire families together. Love is what love does.
I had already hinted to my own pastor, Edward J. Nettles of Freewill Baptist Church, that I understood his schedule and his prayers were enough. He has been battling his own illness and I know that early morning hospital visits can take a toll on him. My words to him were, "your prayers will be enough." I did not want to trouble him when I know that his health has not been the best in recent times. When they relocated us to the lobby, who pops in to make sure that everything is ok? Pastor Nettles. He could have stayed in his bed but he decided to come and check on us. Love is what love does.
Myoshi Mumfield is a person that God has blessed with the gift of giving. She would give you the shirt off of her back. When the kids' stomachs started growling because they had been awake for several hours without breakfast, she whisked them away to McDonald's to get something to eat. She stayed with us ALL day and gave her own day up. She kept us laughing and was a great presence in the lobby. Love is what love does.
When all of the company had left and I was in the room alone with my wife, the nurse, Ms. Juanita comes in and says to me, "Son, you need to eat. Come with me." She escorted me to the cafeteria and bought my dinner using her points on her employee ID. Love is what love does.
All of the text messages and the calls and the prayers of the righteous let me know that I was not laboring in prayer alone. Love is what love does. To all of you that thought enough to call or text, thank you.
My family showed up, Danielle's family showed up but when people show up that don't have to show up and when people do things that they don't have to do expecting nothing in return...that's love. Love is an action word. Yesterday was a day that God proved his words that he would never leave us nor forsake us. So, what about the morning after? I have NO DOUBT that those words still ring true. God hasn't moved off his throne since yesterday and he will not forsake us today or forever. There are some painful days ahead. There are some tears ahead...but there is also hope ahead. The hard days will be handled in faith, not in fear. The tears will eventually be turned into joy. God will get the glory from all of this. God will get the praise from all of this. And we will move on to face more days and mornings after when God's mercies are renewed. Thank you God for showing yourself mighty and thank you for being here in the midst of the storm. If you are in the middle of your own storm, God is right there. Jesus is standing on the bow of the boat talking to the winds and the waves. Rest in the understanding that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. He will be there for you in the day of trouble but He will also be there the morning after.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Usable
I have been using the Bible app by YouVersion for my Android and it is safe to say that I LOVE IT! Today, I began a three day study of humility. Humility is a quality that is best shown and not talked about. 1 Peter 5:6 tells all Christians to humble themselves under God's mighty hand and when it is time for us to be exalted, God will exalt us. If there has ever been a contrast between what God desires and something that God hates, it is the contrast between humility and pride. Pride says simply, "I can do this without God." Humility, on the other hand, says, "I can't do anything without God." The study today gave three scriptures which I have listed below:
Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth."
2 Samuel 7:18 "Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?"
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
These three scriptures give us a glimpse of who God uses and what God desires. God uses those that are humble. The one that does not think that God owes them but simply counts it a blessing for their name to be called by God. The one that does not feel qualified but understands that God calls and qualifies. The one that does not think that they are special but understands that God is the one that bestows favor and gifts. These are the characteristics of a person that is humble. Paul says in Galatians that if anyone thinks that they are something when they are nothing is deceiving themselves.
The proud person, on the other hand, looks at God as if God owes them something. They feel that they deserve every blessing and should be exempt from every trial. They feel as if God needs them. Acts 17:24,25 says clearly that God does not need anything from anybody. We are not "helping God out" rather we are agents of HIS will and He does as He pleases. A proud person is headed for destruction because when we live in pride, we forget that there is God in heaven that not only created us but demands our obedience. Pride causes us to obey ourselves rather than obey God.
Can God use a proud person? Absolutely. A proud person can be used to be made an example, as Nebuchadnezzar was, as Balaam was, as Ahab was and as Eli was. Nebuchadnezzar built his golden image and was later made to eat grass like a cow because of his lifted up heart. Balaam had to be saved by his donkey because of his pride and his manipulativeness. Ahab caused the entire land of Israel to live under drought because of his pride and that of his wife Jezebel. Eli thought that he could let his sons defile the priesthood and never pay the consequences.
A proud person can also be broken, as the apostle Paul was or even the apostle Peter. Both men were full of themselves, however Peter just happened to be a disciple whereas Paul was a Pharisee that was converted to Christ. Jesus said that a time would come where people would kill the disciples and think that they were offering service to God. Does this not describe Paul to the letter? His zeal for Judaism caused him to beat Christians, be complicit in their murder (see Acts 7 with Stephen's stoning) and throw Christians into prison with glee. Paul even had a letter to imprison Christians when he was headed to Damascus; but he met Jesus and his life changed. He was broken. He was given a thorn in the side that God would not remove. Peter thought he had it all figured out until he stepped onto the sifter. He said with his proud mouth that he would follow Jesus to the cross and yet he watched from a safe distance. He even denied being a follower of Jesus to the most insignificant people in society at the time, servants. He too had to be broken and his denial and trial (see Luke 22) was the medicine that Peter needed to heal him of his pridefulness.
Jesus gave us the best example. He washed his disciples' feet. He performed this gesture not to show that he was less than than them, but that they too must humble themselves in the same way that He did. He said to all that labored to come to Him and learn from Him because he was meek and lowly in spirit. Jesus even humbled himself to die the death of a criminal although he was innocent of sin AND He was God in the flesh- yet he didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He who knew no sin became sin for our sakes so that we might become the righteousness of God through Christ. He is our model, Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the Alpha and the Omega. He displayed humility all of his human life, never once succumbing to the sin of pride. Let us learn from Him and live lives submitted in humility to the Creator, Almighty God.
Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth."
2 Samuel 7:18 "Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?"
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
These three scriptures give us a glimpse of who God uses and what God desires. God uses those that are humble. The one that does not think that God owes them but simply counts it a blessing for their name to be called by God. The one that does not feel qualified but understands that God calls and qualifies. The one that does not think that they are special but understands that God is the one that bestows favor and gifts. These are the characteristics of a person that is humble. Paul says in Galatians that if anyone thinks that they are something when they are nothing is deceiving themselves.
The proud person, on the other hand, looks at God as if God owes them something. They feel that they deserve every blessing and should be exempt from every trial. They feel as if God needs them. Acts 17:24,25 says clearly that God does not need anything from anybody. We are not "helping God out" rather we are agents of HIS will and He does as He pleases. A proud person is headed for destruction because when we live in pride, we forget that there is God in heaven that not only created us but demands our obedience. Pride causes us to obey ourselves rather than obey God.
Can God use a proud person? Absolutely. A proud person can be used to be made an example, as Nebuchadnezzar was, as Balaam was, as Ahab was and as Eli was. Nebuchadnezzar built his golden image and was later made to eat grass like a cow because of his lifted up heart. Balaam had to be saved by his donkey because of his pride and his manipulativeness. Ahab caused the entire land of Israel to live under drought because of his pride and that of his wife Jezebel. Eli thought that he could let his sons defile the priesthood and never pay the consequences.
A proud person can also be broken, as the apostle Paul was or even the apostle Peter. Both men were full of themselves, however Peter just happened to be a disciple whereas Paul was a Pharisee that was converted to Christ. Jesus said that a time would come where people would kill the disciples and think that they were offering service to God. Does this not describe Paul to the letter? His zeal for Judaism caused him to beat Christians, be complicit in their murder (see Acts 7 with Stephen's stoning) and throw Christians into prison with glee. Paul even had a letter to imprison Christians when he was headed to Damascus; but he met Jesus and his life changed. He was broken. He was given a thorn in the side that God would not remove. Peter thought he had it all figured out until he stepped onto the sifter. He said with his proud mouth that he would follow Jesus to the cross and yet he watched from a safe distance. He even denied being a follower of Jesus to the most insignificant people in society at the time, servants. He too had to be broken and his denial and trial (see Luke 22) was the medicine that Peter needed to heal him of his pridefulness.
Jesus gave us the best example. He washed his disciples' feet. He performed this gesture not to show that he was less than than them, but that they too must humble themselves in the same way that He did. He said to all that labored to come to Him and learn from Him because he was meek and lowly in spirit. Jesus even humbled himself to die the death of a criminal although he was innocent of sin AND He was God in the flesh- yet he didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He who knew no sin became sin for our sakes so that we might become the righteousness of God through Christ. He is our model, Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the Alpha and the Omega. He displayed humility all of his human life, never once succumbing to the sin of pride. Let us learn from Him and live lives submitted in humility to the Creator, Almighty God.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Are You Kidding Me?
The climate in the country towards "entitlements" has been hostile to say the least. The hostility mainly results from the belief that Blacks are the main recipients of these "entitlements" or "handouts" or "social programs". The right has come up with so many euphemisms for programs designed to help those that are less fortunate that they have almost exhausted the thesaurus. They have held on to those code words that they like to use to retain some semblance of political correctness.
So I'm browsing the news on my phone and I run across this article about the bus monitor that was bullied, Karen Klien. I haven't watched the video because I think that it is reprehensible for anyone to abuse an elderly person. That shows a total lack of respect. I think that the kids should be severely punished and their parents need to make them do community service for their dirty deeds.
The purpose of this article is not to lambast the young men. They did something very stupid and in today's instant video culture, it got onto YouTube and went viral. What I want to bring attention to is the fact that someone set up a website for Mrs. Klien and began accepting donations for her to "take the vacation of a lifetime." The article is here (Karen Klien Trust Fund). The fund is up to $700K and to top it off, the primary source for the article is none other than FOX News!
This is the same network that has been the most vociferous against "entitlements" and yet they see nothing wrong with this "entitlement" here. That's odd. This woman has said that she plans to buy cars for her grandkids with this money and yet the pundits at Fox say nothing...but if a single mother collects an assistance check to buy food for their child, that's an entitlement. Maybe Desmond Hatchett should start a website and take donations (for those that do not know, Desmond Hatchett has 30 kids by 11 women and is seeking assistance from the state of Tennessee for child support).
I think that it was a very nice gesture for the Canadian man to set up this website but I don't really see the need for taking donations up for Ms. Klien. Yes she makes a very small salary but there are folks in inner cities making equal or less that she makes and they are the enemy of the right wing because they are seen as a liability. I think that Ms. Klien should donate all of the money to charity or at least what is left of it after she takes her vacation. It's funny because, and this is only my opinion, if the person was in dire need of funds and asking for money to pay a bill or something like that...they would probably get lambasted for looking for handouts. Fox, as usual, sits in the place of the hypocrite but you won't hear them admit that.
So I'm browsing the news on my phone and I run across this article about the bus monitor that was bullied, Karen Klien. I haven't watched the video because I think that it is reprehensible for anyone to abuse an elderly person. That shows a total lack of respect. I think that the kids should be severely punished and their parents need to make them do community service for their dirty deeds.
The purpose of this article is not to lambast the young men. They did something very stupid and in today's instant video culture, it got onto YouTube and went viral. What I want to bring attention to is the fact that someone set up a website for Mrs. Klien and began accepting donations for her to "take the vacation of a lifetime." The article is here (Karen Klien Trust Fund). The fund is up to $700K and to top it off, the primary source for the article is none other than FOX News!
This is the same network that has been the most vociferous against "entitlements" and yet they see nothing wrong with this "entitlement" here. That's odd. This woman has said that she plans to buy cars for her grandkids with this money and yet the pundits at Fox say nothing...but if a single mother collects an assistance check to buy food for their child, that's an entitlement. Maybe Desmond Hatchett should start a website and take donations (for those that do not know, Desmond Hatchett has 30 kids by 11 women and is seeking assistance from the state of Tennessee for child support).
I think that it was a very nice gesture for the Canadian man to set up this website but I don't really see the need for taking donations up for Ms. Klien. Yes she makes a very small salary but there are folks in inner cities making equal or less that she makes and they are the enemy of the right wing because they are seen as a liability. I think that Ms. Klien should donate all of the money to charity or at least what is left of it after she takes her vacation. It's funny because, and this is only my opinion, if the person was in dire need of funds and asking for money to pay a bill or something like that...they would probably get lambasted for looking for handouts. Fox, as usual, sits in the place of the hypocrite but you won't hear them admit that.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The God of a Second Chance
Wow, it does not seem like it's been two weeks since I last posted anything but it has. I have a legitimate excuse however, I've been on vacation. My wife took the entire family to Hawaii. She saw an advertisement for a medical conference in Hawaii at a new Disney resort and it was on from there. All she has to see is Disney and we are booked before you can say Mickey.
Hawaii is a beautiful place. Mountains jutting up out of the sea, blue skies and crystal clear water as far as the eye can see. I couldn't help but be in awe of the breathtaking scenery and the lush vegetation. The grass seemed greener, the trees a little healthier and the flowers a little perkier. Let's just say that if the cost of living was not so exorbitant we would pack up and move there immediately.
Disney's resort, Aulani, was beyond excellent. If there is one thing Disney does well, it is customer service. If you can think of it, they have already thought of it and have it available to you. Condensed milk on top of shaved ice, done. Warm towels at poolside, done. Lifeguards every 10 feet along the Lazy River...done. Greeters/rovers to come and check on you while you bask in the sunny Hawaii climate...done. The atmosphere is the closest thing to perfection that is earthly possible. That's why it costs so much! The high cost aside, you will be hard pressed to find a company that caters to its customers more than Disney.
En route to the resort, I had the opportunity to witness to several people. On the flight from Atlanta to Phoneix, I met a young man and his sister and had a chance to witness to the young man about Christ. On the flight from Phoenix to Hawaii, I sat next to a former youth minister and had a chance to witness to him as well. I didn't really ask him why he wasn't a youth minister anymore, I was simply trying to plant seeds. Most of my mornings at the resort were spent lounging in a chair under an umbrella reading my bible and praying. Because of this, I met several interesting people, namely, a gentleman from Cleveland who had recently lost his wife. He spoke to me on one morning that I was reading and we hit it off from there. We spent the next few days chatting about life and taking turns making sure that the kids that were with us were ok, taking them on the water slide and watching them swim. There were others that I had a chance to interact with and it was awesome. We are constantly told that there are not many Christians in the world and that the world has become increasingly atheistic but what I realized is that there are a lot of people that believe in God, they just don't necessarily know how to get to him.
We even had a chance to attend church while we were there. Makakilo Baptist Church was a great place and the love of God was on display. A couple invited us for coffee after church and they had never seen us before! They simply wanted to show love to the visitors. The message was excellent from Pastor Jon and I was geared up for bible study on Tuesday night but something came up.
All of this leads me to my main point. Why am I talking so much about witnessing? Shouldn't this be about uploading pictures and about eating pineapples? Well it would be if I didn't want to share a deeper message here. My trip to Hawaii was a second chance. A chance at redemption because I had failed miserably at being an effective witness for Christ shortly before we left to go on our trip. I was giving a seminar at Alabama State to incoming freshmen and I was talking to them about their spiritual welfare. I had a slide in my powerpoint that talked about the only way to have a future is with Christ. Well, when I got to that slide, which was one or two slides from the end of the talk, I skipped it. I talked to the students about going to church, praying, reading the bible, etc. but when I got to the slide about Christ, I skipped it. Witnessing MUST be about Christ since He is the essence of the gospel message. Why would I do such a thing? Honestly, I don't have an answer for it, but afterwards, I felt like I had failed God. I was quite distraught.
I prayed and asked for forgiveness and what did God do? He opened the door for ministry with just about everyone that I met on my trip! It was totally amazing and I would not have seen that unless I had reflected on my mistake, my prayer for forgivenss and my prayer for a second chance. God granted me that second chance because of His grace and His love. To anyone reading this that has screwed up something, anything, and you feel like you have failed God, there is a second chance waiting for you too. God is slow to anger, abounding in love and ready to forgive us when we repent of our mistakes and turn back to Him. He gave Peter a second chance even after Peter denied Christ three times and would, only from a distance, watch Christ be riduculed and mocked before he was ultimately crucified. Although Peter failed miserably as a disciple, and even DURING his ministry had some issues with being free in Christ (Galatians 2), God did not simply hang Peter out to dry. That is good news for those of us that are striving to be a good witness for Christ, those of us that struggle with finding the right moments to witness and those of us that want to serve God with everything in us. I prayed for God to open a door for ministry (Colossians 4:3) and He did. I prayed for a second chance and God gave it. He will do the same for you as well. Grace and Peace.
Hawaii is a beautiful place. Mountains jutting up out of the sea, blue skies and crystal clear water as far as the eye can see. I couldn't help but be in awe of the breathtaking scenery and the lush vegetation. The grass seemed greener, the trees a little healthier and the flowers a little perkier. Let's just say that if the cost of living was not so exorbitant we would pack up and move there immediately.
Disney's resort, Aulani, was beyond excellent. If there is one thing Disney does well, it is customer service. If you can think of it, they have already thought of it and have it available to you. Condensed milk on top of shaved ice, done. Warm towels at poolside, done. Lifeguards every 10 feet along the Lazy River...done. Greeters/rovers to come and check on you while you bask in the sunny Hawaii climate...done. The atmosphere is the closest thing to perfection that is earthly possible. That's why it costs so much! The high cost aside, you will be hard pressed to find a company that caters to its customers more than Disney.
En route to the resort, I had the opportunity to witness to several people. On the flight from Atlanta to Phoneix, I met a young man and his sister and had a chance to witness to the young man about Christ. On the flight from Phoenix to Hawaii, I sat next to a former youth minister and had a chance to witness to him as well. I didn't really ask him why he wasn't a youth minister anymore, I was simply trying to plant seeds. Most of my mornings at the resort were spent lounging in a chair under an umbrella reading my bible and praying. Because of this, I met several interesting people, namely, a gentleman from Cleveland who had recently lost his wife. He spoke to me on one morning that I was reading and we hit it off from there. We spent the next few days chatting about life and taking turns making sure that the kids that were with us were ok, taking them on the water slide and watching them swim. There were others that I had a chance to interact with and it was awesome. We are constantly told that there are not many Christians in the world and that the world has become increasingly atheistic but what I realized is that there are a lot of people that believe in God, they just don't necessarily know how to get to him.
We even had a chance to attend church while we were there. Makakilo Baptist Church was a great place and the love of God was on display. A couple invited us for coffee after church and they had never seen us before! They simply wanted to show love to the visitors. The message was excellent from Pastor Jon and I was geared up for bible study on Tuesday night but something came up.
All of this leads me to my main point. Why am I talking so much about witnessing? Shouldn't this be about uploading pictures and about eating pineapples? Well it would be if I didn't want to share a deeper message here. My trip to Hawaii was a second chance. A chance at redemption because I had failed miserably at being an effective witness for Christ shortly before we left to go on our trip. I was giving a seminar at Alabama State to incoming freshmen and I was talking to them about their spiritual welfare. I had a slide in my powerpoint that talked about the only way to have a future is with Christ. Well, when I got to that slide, which was one or two slides from the end of the talk, I skipped it. I talked to the students about going to church, praying, reading the bible, etc. but when I got to the slide about Christ, I skipped it. Witnessing MUST be about Christ since He is the essence of the gospel message. Why would I do such a thing? Honestly, I don't have an answer for it, but afterwards, I felt like I had failed God. I was quite distraught.
I prayed and asked for forgiveness and what did God do? He opened the door for ministry with just about everyone that I met on my trip! It was totally amazing and I would not have seen that unless I had reflected on my mistake, my prayer for forgivenss and my prayer for a second chance. God granted me that second chance because of His grace and His love. To anyone reading this that has screwed up something, anything, and you feel like you have failed God, there is a second chance waiting for you too. God is slow to anger, abounding in love and ready to forgive us when we repent of our mistakes and turn back to Him. He gave Peter a second chance even after Peter denied Christ three times and would, only from a distance, watch Christ be riduculed and mocked before he was ultimately crucified. Although Peter failed miserably as a disciple, and even DURING his ministry had some issues with being free in Christ (Galatians 2), God did not simply hang Peter out to dry. That is good news for those of us that are striving to be a good witness for Christ, those of us that struggle with finding the right moments to witness and those of us that want to serve God with everything in us. I prayed for God to open a door for ministry (Colossians 4:3) and He did. I prayed for a second chance and God gave it. He will do the same for you as well. Grace and Peace.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Molly and Dan by Genesis Russell (my 6 year old daughter)
Hi! I'm Molly and I have a friend named Dan. Today went to go get ice cream. The next day went to the park. After that we had cheese sandwiches. Mom made them. Then we went to the movies and had popcorn. And then I went back home and went to bed.
NOTE: I only edited for punctuation, not for spelling- she spelled all of her own words. :)
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