Wealth All Around Us

We have many types of friends. There are new friends and old friends we have known all of our lives. We have work friends, church friends, recreational friends, and friends we seldom see, yet, they are such good friends when we do see them we carry on as though we’ve never been apart. There are friends that we don’t even like all that much. We have fair weather friends, maybe some friends whom we don’t speak to anymore. Of course there are those friends who have hurt us, and friends we have hurt. Some friends stand beside us no matter what disagreements we’ve had. What about those friends who have come along at exactly the right time to help us. Those we’ve never seen before and will never see again? Perhaps those “angels unaware friends”.

There are young friends, friends of friends, and  friends for a season. On and on through life’s cycle we make friends, people with whom we share the joys, the celebrations, the heartaches, anxieties and fears, times of waiting, and periods of sorrow. And we have friends who we will never see again, at least in this world. For them we mourn.  We are indeed people of great wealth if we have friends. Friends, gifts from God, who make this tough earthly journey more bearable and much more pleasant.

Who Will You Want To See First

There are people in our lives who have helped us at some point so much that we don’t know how we could ever repay them. These are people we love and want to be with. We call them friends, close friends. Over a lifetime there may have been many such friends. There are a few however, at least for Sherri and me, that not even the passing of time and hundreds of miles which separate can diminished that friendship. We met such special friends in 1983 in Ft. Worth Texas. Sherri and the girls and I had moved there, and we didn’t know anyone in that steamy hot land. In less than a week we were homesick for our Kentucky home. To make a long story short, which was a miracle from God, we went to a church we picked at random, and it was there we met our friends, the Stinson’s.

After three years we moved back to Kentucky leaving our friends who had loved us, ministered to us and helped us far more than we deserved. And to this day we have reminded close friends. We try to get together once a year. We visit either in Ft. Worth or wherever we might happen to be living. Sometimes we meet at other locations. This year we are planning on meeting in Denver Colorado. After a year of being apart our reunions are sweet and joyous. The anticipation of seeing each other grows as the time nears. Many people are scurrying about the airports where we meet, but our friends are the only ones we are excited to see.

What if on one of our trips to see each other our reaction was different? For instance, as Sherri and I approach the baggage claim where we usually meet our friends I happened to see one of my favorite Major League Baseball players from my childhood, let’s say Willie Mays. And instead of rushing to see Christi and David I ignored them and run in the opposite direction to see Willie. How do you think my friends would feel? I don’t think that would be what they expect, and they probably would be hurt.

When we die and go to heaven there will be many of our friends and relatives scurrying about heaven. Our parents, grandparents, children and dear friends may be there. As we anticipate going to heaven who is it that we can’t wait to see? Who do we look forward to seeing the most? I’m sure at the appropriate time we will have those reunions with those we knew pre-heaven. But when we enter the glory of heaven the One who will immediately get our attention is Jesus. His glory will far exceed and erase any anticipation of seeing mom, dad, our children or any friend.

So how does Jesus feel when on earth as we anticipate going to heaven our thoughts, our premier longings are always focused on first seeing our dearest loved ones? Our love for the One who died for us, who loves us far more that the love of a mom, a dad or anyone else, the One who saved us from sin and an eternity in hell, and who will be waiting with open arms as soon as we breathe our last breath here on earth, it is He whom our hearts should compel us to long to see. Our love for our Lord and our Savior must burn in our hearts so that our love for all others would pale in comparison. Yet our supreme love for Jesus will cause our love for all others to flourish beyond what our worldly hearts could ever achieve. Our extreme love for Jesus will put our anticipation for heaven on the proper perspective. As an old song boldly proclaims about our first moments in heaven, “As I enter that city of glory...I will say, ‘I want to see Jesus the One who died for me!” May these words crescendo in our hearts until that glorious day!

How Not to Celebrate a Wedding

Some common celebratory wedding practices used to include, and maybe still today, stringing tin cans to the back of the grooms car, jacking up the back of his car so that the wheels were barely off the ground, or painting the car windows with white shoe polish. Some of you may remember seeing the words, “Just Married” on the rear window of the newly weds car.

My coach, Bob Birdwhistell, and I went to a friend’s wedding many years ago. The wedding was way out in the country, a good distance from everything. We wished that we had thought to get a bottle of white shoe polish. About two miles from the old country church we noticed a small, run down country store that appeared to still be in business. We stopped and went in to see if they had white shoe polish. Behind the counter was an older man counting money. He never looked up, nor did he say a word to us. So Bob and I searched on our own, but couldn’t find what we wanted. Bob asked the old fellow, “You got any white shoe polish?”

Without looking up and continuing to count his dimes and quarters this store owner answered with a one word reply, “Maybe!”

I’ll never forget the look on coach’s face. He looked at me with a kind of puzzled, yet devilish smile and shook his head. As we made our way to the door coach said, “Well! Thank you! You’ve been very helpful!” The ole man replied, “No problem.”

Country folks used to celebrate a wedding with a custom called “Chivaree”. I never saw this, but I heard my parents and others tell about it. Back when my parents were young, few newly weds went away on a honeymoon. After the wedding and wedding reception, if there was one, they went home to enjoy being by themselves. After the couple had turned out the lights and had gone to bed to enjoy their first night together, a crowd of friends, many neighbors and kinfolks who had quietly gathered outside would begin whooping and hollering, banging on pans, and firing their shotguns in the air. Some would bang on the windows and doors while yelling “chivaree, chivaree, chivaree”. Some of the ruffians in the crowd might go inside, get the groom, bring him outside and rough him up a bit even if he didn’t have a stitch on.

I can see why a honeymoon became something newly weds decided to do, even if the honeymoon meant getting a room in the next town over. My wife and I drove about 60 miles to Nashville Tennessee after our wedding in Glasgow Kentucky which was at my aunt and uncle's house, and stayed one night in the King of the Road hotel. It was all we could afford, but we thought it was nice. The next day we drove back to Bowling Green Kentucky to our used trailer we had bought. We were so happy!

What Do We Deserve

When I was born there was a curse on me, and so it has been with every single person born on this earth. The human race came into this world estranged from God because of the sin nature inherited from Adam. That means that holy God cannot associate with any person who is stained by that sin. Because of this the only thing that we deserve is death and a place in hell forever.

That’s not good news is it? But there is good news! This holy God who is to be feared is a God who has an incredible love for all humans. He does not want anyone to die and go to hell. So he came to earth as a human, the Son of the Father, in all of his deity, as a living sacrifice, to take our sins and the punishment we deserve so that we would become the righteousness of God and be called his children. Now, did we deserve to have Jesus take our punishment? No we did not! Did we deserve to be saved from our sins? No! We were saved only because of God’s Love, his mercy and his grace.

Today in our culture most people do not know anything about God. Most, if they believe in God at all, don’t take him seriously. Children and teens think he is like a mom and a dad whom they disrespect and expect to be given everything they want. They think they deserve whatever they want.

There are women who have had babies with two or three different men, and they don’t  know how to raise them. They can’t afford to clothe them and feed them. They can’t or don’t  work so they surmise that they deserve to draw money from the broken system that gives, gives, gives, and we the taxpayers are burdened to support these women and their children. The poor children, though must be cared for.

Thousands of able bodied men and women who are lazy and won’t work, pretend  to have health conditions that prevent them from having permanent jobs. They say, “We deserve to receive disability payments, and our utilities paid, and a cell phone, and anything else we can get for free.” And our brain dead politicians agree and write their checks every month. These women and men conclude that God would want them to freeload on society.

A woman wants an abortion. She says, “It’s my body. I can do anything I want with it. I deserve the right to abort my child.” This woman who wants an abortion figures God would agree that she should have an abortion. Those at Planned Parenthood don’t believe in God, but they think they deserve the millions of dollars from the government for the hundreds of murders they perform every year.

And now our borders are being overrun by thousands of people who have traveled many miles to come to America because they think they deserve to be taken in and that our country should take care of them. More than likely most of them think God would agree that they deserve this privilege.

Well now, what do I deserve? I don’t deserve anything from anybody or from God. Oh, I’m doing well. I thank God every day for saving me. I want to serve him because I love him. He has blessed me, not because I deserve to be blessed, but because of his grace. In fact he blesses everyone everyday. I don’t deserve anything I have. My wife and I actually had jobs and worked hard for what we have. God has blessed us with more than we deserve. Yes, we have had times when we struggled. During our seminary years there were times  when we didn’t know how we were going to pay the bills and even buy shoes for our daughters. There were times when we didn’t know how we were going to buy groceries. But we made it without asking the government or anybody to give us a dime. We did not deserve that help anyway.

What does God deserve? He deserves our love, our faithfulness, our praise, and our worship. He deserves our obedience. He deserves our truthfulness and our honesty. He deserves our service, our service to help those who are truly in need. God deserves our dedication to tell sinners like us how they can be forgiven. That is the most important thing we can give our sovereign God; to show the lost how they can know Jesus as Savior. God deserves our all.

God is all wise and all knowing. He is not like Santa Clause, or a mom or dad who give their children anything they want. He is not like the foolish politicians who are millionaires and billionaires and think they deserve to unwisely play with the lives of millions of people whom they are supposed to serve; those who think they can play God determining who will live and who will die. God is not like those who do not consider the ways of our Perfect, Sovereign, Almighty God,  and it doesn’t matter from which party they come. God is not like any of these, and he is not like any of us. No one is equal to God. When our nation understands, really understands, from the heart who God is in power, in majesty, and in perfection, she will realize that she doesn’t deserve anything from him, but will gratefully receive whatever he chooses to give. When our nation stops depending on God, and stops seeking him even in matters of how to govern we will be doomed. May God bless our nation by guiding us back to him.

My New Jewish Friends

Last night I attended a “get together” neighborhood event at our next door neighbor’s  house. Liz had invited three other couples, a single lady and her mother, and Sherri and me. Liz’s friend who is an outstanding pianist visiting from Philadelphia, was also there. Everyone except Sherri and me, and Liz’  friend have moved to Wake Forest from New York City and they are Jewish. Liz is a Baptist and her friend a Catholic. The reason I refer to our backgrounds is that two of the ladies are sisters and their mother who was there have a very close connection to the Holocaust. The sister’s dad and the mother’s husband was a survivor of the Holocaust.

One of the sisters, Susan, and her husband are actively involved in speaking out against the growing discrimination and prejudice against Jews in our nation. Surprisingly they have experienced some of that prejudice here in the Raleigh area as they have tried to schedule their very well done presentation. There are those who want to downplay the atrocities of the Holocaust comparing it to what the LGBTQ group has experienced. Some express doubt that the Holocaust even happened. Anti-Semitism is very real in universities such as Duke and the University of North Carolina. Susan shared some of what her dad went through. He watched as his dad was shot and killed. He saw the terrible things that the Germans did to his mother and sisters.

I think I understood correctly that Susan’s and her sister Cheryl’s dad was a part of Steven Spielberg’s documentary on the Holocaust. As Susan was telling us about her dad’s experience in one of Hitler’s prison camps I noticed her mother as she listened with tears in her eyes. I thought about the warning from wise men who say that we must remember the terrible things of the past or we will see history repeating itself. Americans must be careful. We have a Muslim representative in our congress who has made light of what happened on 9/11. There are many who even now are trying to limit what people of faith in Jesus Christ can do to express what they believe about their Lord.

Christians are being made out to be nothing more than bigoted heretics who worship a God who doesn’t exist. Could there be a day in the future of America when Christians are denied the right to express their faith? Might our children and grandchildren be put in prison for telling others about Jesus? Does the future of evangelical Christians hold for us persecution and even death? There are still many of us who seek the ways of our sovereign God. We must wake up and band together in the power of the Holy Spirit and vote against those who would pass legislation that would keep us from proclaiming the teachings of God's Holy Word. If we don’t stand up against those who hate us and hate Christ our grandchildren could experience something very much like what the Jewish people experienced during the Holocaust.

Read the book Hitler’s Cross which tells how America is moving in that direction.

King of the Mountain

My Aunt Ruth and Uncle Bob lived less than a mile from us when I was a kid. They didn’t have a farm like we did, but they did have a very large lot. On that lot down next to the Stuart Smotherman Road, a little country road, there was a huge pile of dirt. I guess it had been there forever. My recollection of that pile of dirt is from that of a small child’s mind. I’m thinking it must have been at least ten feet tall, maybe more, and it extended probably fifteen feet away from the road. It had been packed hard from years of natures hot sun and rain; it was an idea place for kids to play.

My cousins, Bill and Diane, and the neighborhood kids, enjoyed climbing on what we called the mountain. That mountain was frightening to me, a kid only seven or eight years old. Most of the other kids were older than me. They let me play although I really didn’t do much climbing until I was eight or nine, but even then that mountain scared me to death. It had very little slope, almost straight up, I thought. We were only able to climb the mountain because my cousins had dug hand and foot holds all over it from top to bottom which supported us as we climbed. We would put our hands and feet inside those holes and work our way up and around until we achieved our goal.

Making it to the top was hard. But that feat was even more difficult when playing a game my cousins created. The game was called King of the Mountain. All the participants tried to be the first to reach the top. Anything was allowed to prevent the others from being first—pushing, shoving, grabbing a leg, whatever gave the advantage. Just when someone was about to become King of the Mountain they often found themselves sliding or falling all the way to the bottom. Sliding down that mountain while watching the pinnacle move further and further away was disheartening, and the feeling I felt in my stomach was eerily disturbing. It was like being on one of those spinning rides at the county fair.

I don’t  think I ever won that game, but I enjoyed it anyway despite the many skinned knees and elbows and other minor injuries. The important thing about that game that I learned as I got older was to choose carefully the way up the mountain. Some of those climbing holes were closer together and gave a more direct path to the top. Others were spread out and would lead to a point which made the climb almost impossible. I realized too late that that path up the mountain would take me nowhere.

Finding out too late that we have worked and climbed our way through life and have gone nowhere is extremely disturbing. Taking the easy path, or being lead astray by the wrong persons, the wrong life choices, and treading the dangerous slippery slopes of life will take us to places we don’t want to go. Jeremiah 29:11 gives us something we should always remember, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It we take the path God has laid out for us we will avoid a lot of those scratches and bruises and disappointments that the wrong path provides. Following the ways of the world will never give us what we need and what we should want. Chose carefully the path you will take. Pray and listen to the voice of God. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide and you will reach the top of the Kings Mountain.

After We Die

A statement was made by our pastor on Easter Sunday that I liked very much. He said, “The resurrection of Jesus should shape my life. It should shape my life because it frames my death.” You and I are going to die. When we die there will be a reckoning for each of us before Jesus. The verdict will be read. We will either be condemned for eternity or saved for eternity. There will be life after death for all. We will spend the afterlife in hell or in heaven.

All I know about life after death is from what I have read in the Bible. I know many people will disagree with me, but I cannot believe that anyone has died, gone to heaven, or hell for that matter, and has returned to earth. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.”

If I am wrong I guess there are a few people who know something about what the afterlife is like. Otherwise who can advise others about what is happening to us after we die? A doctor can tell us about our bodies before we die, but they cannot dissect our corpse, find our spirit and tell our loved ones what our afterlife experience is like. A good detective may be able to investigate our past and give a pretty accurate account of  what we did while we were living, but he cannot conclude anything about where we are in the afterlife or what we are doing. It seems that people try to find these afterlife answers from some liberal philosopher, some egghead professor in a university or find a medium to contact their dearly departed. Who are we going to call on to tell us about the afterlife? Maybe Jesus would be our best bet.

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” John 11:25

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

   
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:18   

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:45

All we need to know is that for God so loved us that he gave us Jesus. All we need to know is that if we believe in him we will not perish into a devil’s hell. All we need to know is that because of our belief in him we will have eternal life. All we need to know is that he is the only way and our only hope. Yes the resurrection of Jesus has shaped my life and your life, and it will frame our death. “Therefore the resurrection should affect everything we do everyday.” Dr. David Hogg, Pastor Christ Baptist Church

Give Easter A Chance

Yesterday all over the world Christians celebrated Easter. Families gathered for lunch after worshiping the risen Lord, the conquering King, at their churches. They made pictures to post on Facebook, and they looked so nice in their new Easter clothes. Everyone had a great time doing whatever their family Easter tradition happened to be. For these, Resurrection Sunday was a glorious day.

Not all Christians spent Easter yesterday in such a manner. In Sri Lanka Christians gathered in their churches and lost their lives for doing so. Many of them were hurt badly and are now fighting for their lives. They did not enjoy Resurrection Sunday, but still many of them could rejoice because they found hope in the One who defeated death. They know that their loved ones who were murdered in that cowardly act are with Jesus.

And there were others who got out of their beds, and it never crossed their minds how the first Resurrection Sunday changed the world and could change their lives. Unfortunately, a lot of these people are Christians or claim to be. But Easter Sunday was just another day for them.

The last two paragraphs are very sad. Perhaps the last one is the most tragic. Yesterday we should have had our minds focused on a King, the one who is the King of kings, King Jesus. We are to worship him and him alone. There was a time when I worshiped another king. I worshiped king John Paul. Those who treat Easter Sunday like any other day are worshiping king who ever their name happens to be, King Sam, King John, King Mary, King Sally.

How did I worship king John Paul? I stopped going to church, and therefore I was not joining with other believers to worship King Jesus. I had been hurt unfairly by some of those believers. I was their pastor. They were wrong to hurt King John Paul. How dare them! I spent several years making excuses for not doing any of the things that would keep me close to the real King. I did not give King Jesus a Chance.

So, what about you? Do you give King Jesus a chance? Do you make excuses because you have been hurt? Do you worship with other believers? Do you stay home and miss hearing the word proclaimed and taught? Are you serving alongside members of the body of Christ?  Are you using your spiritual gifts for His glory. You say, “I can do all of those thing from my home!” No you can’t!

If that’s your excuse wait until you tell Jesus how badly you were hurt.  “Jesus I stopped going to church because some bad people hurt my feelings.” Will that be good enough?  He might say, "Was there not but one church body you could have attended?" He may may show you his scars. He might take you back to witness the cruel things that were done to him at Calvary. He might show you the pain, and suffering of thousands of Christians who sacrificed, and died and dedicated their lives to serve him, King Jesus.

Today King Jesus might tell you to ask Christians who regularly attend church and serve and worship and sacrifice with their time, their gifts, and their money, ask them, “Why are you doing this?” Their answer,  “Because I love my King, King Jesus. He loves me. He suffered more than I will ever know. He died for me. What else can I do? I cannot make any excuse for not giving my Lord, my King everything I have. No matter what happens to me I will always give King Jesus my all.”

The Reason For Easter Sunday

Luke 24:1, 3-8 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.

These things happened not so that we could have "the good life"--not to get a great job so that we can buy things to make our lives more comfortable--not so our children can have their pictures made with the cute Easter bunny or hunt colored eggs-- not so that we can make ourselves feel better by attending an Easter service and then go home to eat the Easter ham--not so that we can maintain some family tradition or local church tradition.

Why did Easter happen? It happened so that Jesus could bear the heavy weight of all of our sin--so that we might be forgiven and made right with God--so that we can become like Jesus and receive a servants heart-- so that we can have eternal life and live with Him forever. It happened so that you and I can tell the world that Jesus Christ has risen from the grave and he Lives!

Today we are remembering that.He is risen! Praise God, He is Risen!

“IT”

Remember those projects you have done, and you wondered if you would ever finish? You worked extremely hard, and often you were worn out physically and mentally by the end of the day. Unfortunately, you knew that when you got up the next morning you would be right back at it again. Then finally, one day, the project was completed, and with a sigh of relief you said, “It is finished.”

Those are the very words Jesus said as he breathed his last. What did he mean when he said, “it is finished”?  He did not mean the “It” was the end of his existence. If that had been the case we would not be looking forward to the glorious celebration of his resurrection tomorrow on Easter Sunday. What was the “It”? Like any project that you finish, “it” for Jesus was his redemptive work on earth. “It” was his obedient act for his Father, which was to die on the cross to save man from his sins. “It” was his love being poured out through suffering as he took our sins upon himself thus separating himself  from his Father. A song our choir sang last night had a very descriptive line which explains so well what happened when Jesus took our sins. It was when “God (Jesus) was estranged from God”. Think about it “God estranged from God”.

“It is finished”, but our salvation began. “It” did not keep Jesus in the grave. “It” became the power of the resurrection. “It” was the work that redeemed you and me. “It” means that because of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, we will live forever if we believe in him. “It” gives us assurance that if we believe in the name of Jesus Christ, though we die, we will live again. The resurrection power becomes ours. “It” had to happen so that the resurrection would occur.  “It” and the resurrection is the reason for celebration on Resurrection Sunday.

If you truly belong to Jesus the only place you should be tomorrow, on Easter Sunday, is with other Christians to join with them in praise and worship of the One who gave his life, his all, to save you from hell.

Tears For Tears Lost

There was a man many years ago who found the answer to the question, “What should a person seek in her or his life?” Here is what he declared. “One thing I ask from my Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord to seek him in his temple.” I found this in Psalm 27:4.

What does this mean for us? How could we possibly go and live in a church all the days of our lives? I doubt if we would be allowed to do that even if we should want to. How can we gaze upon the beauty of someone we cannot see? Impossible, huh? None of us living today has ever seen the beauty of the Lord, even in church or a temple. What in the world was King David talking about?

I had an experience last night that I think explains this great passage. Sherri and I have been meeting with a young lady whose husband has decided that he no longer believes in God. The two of them moved to Wake Forest a few years ago to enter seminary for the purpose of preparing for ministry. Her husband wanted to be a preacher and become a pastor or a missionary.  She will be graduating at the end of this semester, and her husband is no longer attending seminary. There is a fear that her dream to serve with her husband as a pastor’s wife or work alongside him on the mission field is lost forever.

When Sherri and I meet with our young friend we try to encourage her and give her good counsel. I told her last night to hang on to her dream, that God still has a wonderful plan for both she and her husband. To give her an example to still hope for her dream,  I told her a story about my situation, almost twenty years ago. I had reached a point several years prior to that I did not want anything to do with God. In my opinion, he was dead to me. For several years I did not go to church, pray, read my Bible and even distanced myself from my Christian friends. I made a big mess of my life and in doing so I hurt the people who I loved most. But God had not given up on me. He still had plans for me to minister for him. The week of 9/11/2001 God got my attention, showing me in a powerful, loving way that he did exist.

At lunch, on that terrible day when so many lives were taken from our nation, as I entered in on the conversation going on in the teacher’s lounge, I asked, “How could anyone have so much hate inside them that they would do something so evil and cruel?” Almost immediately I had heard the Holy Spirit speak to me about what was inside me. I heard him say that the hate and bitterness I had held in my heart for so many years toward the people who had hurt me, was the same hate and bitterness those terrorist had in their hearts and that it came from the pit of hell.  As I indicated above, that got my attention. Finally, in that teacher’s lounge my heart was broken, and I wanted more than anything to seek my Lord, to experience his presence and to gaze upon the beautiful things that he wanted to give me each day of my life. I went home and I did seek Him. I prayed, but I did not sense His presence. I cried out to Him to forgive me, but still no word from Him. I fearfully and earnestly prayed the next day, still nothing.

Our church was having a prayer service, like other churches around America, to seek hope from God, and to mourn what had happened to our great nation. I took the day off and went to that service. On the drive over to the church I asked God to give me some assurance of His presence and I prayed, “Lord, just send me someone, a friend, who can help me.” As I pulled into the large parking lot I noticed a truck coming across the lot from the other direction. The driver pulled into the space next to mine. When we got out of our vehicles I saw that it was a very good Christian friend who I had not seen in two or three years. We were glad to see each other. We walked to the chapel and sat down. People were gathering and finding their places. The piano began playing softly, and suddenly tears began running down my cheeks. Then I began to sob uncontrollably. My friend put his arm around me and a lady, who I had never seen before, began patting my knee and handing me tissues. In that moment the heavy burden on my heart began to lift, and somehow I knew that the arm around me was the arm of my Savior. The hand patting my knee was His tender loving touch.

As I told this story to the young lady last night, tears began to fill my eyes, and then a couple of them ran down my cheek. My voice cracked and my heart once again was filled with joy as I was reliving that day when I discovered that my God whom I thought I had been lost to me, had not been lost at all. He had loved me always and had never given up on me. You may ask, why this was such an emotional moment for me? Until that moment that I was telling our friend that story, I had lost my ability to cry. I had not shed a tear for many years. I had prayed that God would restore my ability to cry once again. The doctor that is managing my depression medication said that one of the side effects of the medication I’ve been taking is emotional blunting. So my ability to cry may have been lost because of my medication for my depression. That medication has been cut back so maybe that is the reason for my tears last night, but just maybe God has finally answered my prayer so that when I weep I can better gaze upon His glorious beauty as I daily seek His lovely face.

Not the Time For the Sword

I find it almost unbelievable that the disciples were not able to figure out that Judas was the one who was going to betray Jesus. I’m not sure when they figured it out. It might have been when they saw the large mob that came to arrest Jesus. Jesus had finished praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he came and spoke to the disciples, “Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

Note the situation if you will.  There was Jesus with his disciple going straight to those who were going to kill him. There was one disciple missing, and then they saw him, Judas, with the crowd that had come to bring Jesus to justice. This was a large crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. Jesus had no sword, no club. The disciples had no weapons except for Peter. Remember, Jesus had just said, “Here comes the betrayer.” Judas shows up. Now who might the betrayer be? Peter has the only sword among the eleven. What was he thinking? One man against maybe fifty, seventy armed men. Yet, Peter takes his sword and swings it at the Malacus, the servant of the high priest. Why Malacus? Why not go after Judas? He would have been my choice.

As we know, Peter missed his target cutting off an ear instead of a head. Immediately Jesus, according to John 18, said, “Peter, put away the sword! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Another gospel says that Jesus healed the wound of Malacus by reattaching his ear. Jesus had had his eyes on that cross for many years. Day by day he drew closer to that for which he had been born. His time had come, and he bravely began that night to offer himself as the sacrificial lamb that John the Baptist had mentioned. “Peter, I am the one who must drink the cup of death. Put away your sword! This is not your fight. This is not the time to draw your sword.”

We, like Peter, often run to a fight, draw our weapons in anger trying to put someone in their place. Claiming to know the Lord, some use their tongues like sharp swords to  cut another to the heart because of that person’s faithfulness and dedication to worship and serve the Lord. They are quick to applaud the failures or the sins of those who have done so much for the cause of Christ. When a church or a great denomination comes under scrutiny for some social faux pas, some misappropriation or an unfortunate, misguided act that leaves a black eye, many are quick to spread the word gleefully condemning those who were at fault. Let them draw their swords of persecution. but as for us we must heed Jesus' command to Peter, “Put your little weak, useless sword away.” We who are truly God’s Children need to keep our swords in our sheaths. Now is not our time to fight. But one day soon when Jesus appears in the clouds, and the church is called home, swords will be drawn. We will stand with The Lord, The Lion, the One who comes to judge Satan, his demons and all who have made fun of the church and who have tried to destroy her. The fight will be swift, and final. The enemy of God will be the ones destroyed, and they will forever reside with Satan in the fires of hell.

A Seat of Honor For You

The Last Supper—we’ve all seen Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of Jesus and his disciples sitting behind that long dinner table, posed in a way that each of them might be seen and identified. In our minds, when we think of that solemn meal which marked the beginning of several horrible episodes leading to the crucifixion of Jesus, we picture da Vinci’s rendering of this event that is chronicled in all four gospels.

But that painting does not show the true picture. The table was u-shaped just a few inches off the floor. Jesus was reclining in the center, and as the scripture progresses, we know John had to be next to Jesus on his right. With John on Jesus’ right who would have been at his left side. In the scripture, the gospel of John chapter 13, Jesus announces to the disciples, “One of you is going to betray me.” The disciples were shocked! Hurt and confused each of them began asking, “Lord, is it I?” They wondered which of them could it possibly be. Then Jesus tells them, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. This indicates that Judas must have been at Jesus’ left. As soon as Jesus had dipped his bread in the dish he gave it to Judas, and when he took the bread and dipped it in the dish Satan entered him.

The seating arrangement is important. Whoever is given the honor of sitting on the left of a king or the one who has the seat of greatest importance, that person is considered to hold the position of the second highest distinction. Judas, on the night of betrayal, was honored by Jesus. Later, when Judas led the mob to the place where they arrested Jesus, we see the Love that Jesus still had for his betrayer, “Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Jesus called Judas friend and had given him the seat of honor despite the cowardly act Judas had agreed to do for just thirty pieces of silver.

Why is this important to us?  If Jesus could love a man like Judas the betrayer, the one who Jesus called the son of perdition, son of a wasted life, and if he would give him the seat of honor could he not love and honor us. Maybe you feel that you have wasted your life. Perhaps you have given up on yourself thinking you have made a mess of everything you do. You don’t feel important, or worthy. You don’t measure up to others. Your sin is too great, you think. You feel that there is no hope for you. Let me say as one who has been there, Jesus is not the one putting those thoughts in your mind. He loves you. He has already prepared for you a seat, an honorable seat, where he is inviting you to sit. Jesus has prepared a place for you in heaven where you can be with him forever. Believe in the name of the One who loves you so much that he died for you taking all your sin upon himself. That’s why this story is so important for us.

A Foolish Act Of Worship

Everything that was about to happen that day would seem to be the most foolish, most wasteful act that could possibly take place. Those who witnessed it thought the whole thing was inappropriate. A woman showed up at a dinner, a men’s only dinner. But that didn’t stop her. She was driven by an incredible sense of love and gratitude. She came because of one man. This man had been invited not because the host cared anything about him, nor did he have any reason to reward him for anything he had done. In fact, the host, Simon, considered this man to be a heretic, even an enemy. The invitation was given so that Jesus might be embarrassed and scorned or perhaps catch him doing or saying something that might bring reason to have him arrested.

Mary knelt at the feet of Jesus, something she had done before many times. She had brought the most valuable of her possessions, an alabaster jar filled with an expensive perfume. The men watched as Mary broke open the jar and poured that sweet smelling nard on the head of Jesus. It ran down from his head to his feet. In sincere humility Mary began wiping Jesus’ feet with her long hair. She did not cease kissing his feet as the tears flowed from her eyes. Mary knew that this man she called Master, the one who had raised her brother from the dead, would very soon himself die. Mary anointed her Lord with her expensive oil, all of it, not just a few drops. She gave Him all she had.

In disbelief these men, the Pharisees, the disciples, watched what Mary had done. Finally, one of them spoke up saying, “What a waste! That perfume was worth a whole year’s wages. It could have been sold and given to take care of the  poor.” Surprisingly, the one making the remark was Judas, a disciple. What he had said seemed very logical. But Jesus rebuked him saying, “Leave her alone...She has done a beautiful thing to me...She has done what she could do; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.” How appropriate it was for Judas to say that Mary had wasted that expensive perfume. Later Jesus would call Judas the son of perdition. In that context the word perdition means “waste”. Judas, according to Jesus, was the son of waste. It was to be proven to the world that Judas had truly wasted his life.

What Mary did that day remains a testament to this day as to her deep love for Jesus. Her “foolish act” was an example of how one who follows Jesus should worship their Savior. Mary anointed the head of Jesus not only with oil, but more accurately with worship. Her worship filled the room, and the lovely aroma rose all the way to heaven. She anointed His head with worship. She anointed him with thanksgiving. Her love for Jesus led her to a place she didn’t belong, where she was not welcomed, doing something that would bring her shame and embarrassment in a culture where women were considered just a little better than a dog. Yet, Mary didn’t care what others thought. She didn’t care what others thought was proper or socially acceptable. Mary was driven to worship her Lord, her Savior, her  Master and nothing stood in her way.

As we march toward Easter Sunday let us consider Mary’s foolish act of worship, and do whatever we need to do to personally anoint our Lord with worship.

“Anoint the Lord With Worship” is a song written by Pepper Choplin and is one of the songs we sang from the his Easter cantata, The Body Of Christ, of which Sherri and I participated. Our choir joined several other choirs to be a part of a 238 voice choir last Sunday evening.

When Grown Ups Act Like Children

I taught middle school students for 27 years. These students are coming out of grade school, entering puberty, and they are not really sure where they fit in. I remember several, mostly boys, being shocked when they found out they no longer would be getting recess. Some students at the ages of 12 to 14 reached a point where they thought they were adults; others were content to remain children.

At what age does a person reach maturity? When do we get our diploma that verifies that we are grown ups? It has been my experience that some of my middle school students acted more grown up than their parents. Go to a baseball game or a basketball game and you will see what I’m talking about. If we are looking for an age of “grown upness” we are considering the wrong measuring stick.

Growing up is a lifelong process. Age has very little to do with whether or not a person has reached a level of maturity. Jesus gave this command, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” What is it that you don't like that others do to you? It doesn't take a genius to figure this out. How do you know if you are grown up?

You don't intentionally hurt others. Remember this one when you post some of your political rants.

You admit when you are wrong,

You know when to bite your lip and keep your mouth shut.

You are quick to say, “I'm sorry.”

You consider the feelings of others over your own.

You sacrifice to help others.

You don't act out of anger.

You show compassion for all people.

And you realize that you don't always have to be right, especially when you are wrong. I am learning this one from my wife.

The Crimsom or Scarlett Worm

I believe a list of the top 5 living creatures in the world that we would not want to be, the worm would be one of those creatures. Most people, especially women, think they are disgusting. However, Jesus referred to himself as a worm. Many think that the worm that he identified himself with was the Crimson Worm. I thought the following article was very interesting:

Psalm 22 (sometimes called the Psalm of the Cross) is a great chapter of the Bible that tells about the suffering and death of Christ 1,000 years before he actually gave his life upon the cross. Verse 1 says, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? …” In the gospels of Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, Jesus cried out the same words while hanging on the cross. This was the only time Jesus called God anything but Father. The reason was that taking our sin upon himself he had been separated from God. That’s what sin does, it separates us from God our Father. In verse 6 of Psalm 22, Jesus says something odd: “But I am a worm, and no man.” What did he mean by saying “I am a worm”?

Usually in the Bible, the Hebrew word for a worm is “rimmah”, which means a maggot – but the Hebrew word Jesus used here for worm, is TOLA’ATH, which means “Crimson worm” or “Scarlet worm”. Both scarlet and crimson are the colors of blood – deep red.

The Crimson worm is a very special worm that looks more like a grub than a worm. When it is time for the female or mother Crimson worm to have babies (which she does only one time in her life), she finds the trunk of a tree, or a branch. She then attaches her body to that wood and makes a hard crimson shell.  She is so strongly and permanently stuck to the wood that the shell can never be removed without tearing her body completely apart and killing her.

The Crimson worm then lays her eggs under her body and the protective shell. When the baby worms hatch, they stay under the shell. Not only does the mother’s body give protection for her babies, but it also provides them with food – the babies feed on the LIVING body of the mother!

After just a few days, when the young worms grow to the point that they are able to take care of themselves, the mother dies. As the mother Crimson worm dies, she oozes a crimson or scarlet red dye which not only stains the wood she is attached to, but also her young children. They are colored scarlet red for the rest of their lives.

After three days, the dead mother Crimson worm’s body loses its crimson color and turns into a white wax which falls to the ground like snow. So what did Jesus mean by saying “I am a worm”? There are a lot of ideas what Jesus might have meant, but nobody really knows for sure. However, it is very interesting that, just like the Crimson worm, Jesus sacrificed or gave up his life on a tree so that his children might be washed with his crimson blood and their sins cleaned white as snow. He died for us, that we might live through him!

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Posted by Alpha Omega Institute on Nov 20, 2011 in Kid's Think & Believe Too!

Unwanted Hair

Everyone over fifty years of age suffers from a very common problem; however, no one likes to talk about it. The plague that I’m referring to is unwanted hair. Our hair follicles betray us and we end up with hair in places that hair has never grown before. Women struggle to stop the growth of unsightly chin hair or that hideous mustache. Men have hair growing out of their ears, on their ear lobes or massive growths of hair coming out their noses. The eyebrows pose another problem for both men and women. It is amazing the way hair grows in that location. There are always those rebellious hairs that refuse to conform to the growth pattern of all the other eyebrow hairs. They run amok by corkscrewing, twisting this way and that, and of course there are those gray ones that grow faster and longer and more coarse than the others. Actually, the eyebrow dilemma is the reason that I address this unwanted hair issue.

Before I get into this I want to offer an apology to all of my jock buddies. I am about to mention something I have done that may make you throw the yellow flag on me for unmanly-like conduct. You may say that I’ve stepped out of bounds by revealing more of my feminine side than you care to hear. For this I am sorry, but before you disqualify me completely I want you to realize that what you are about to read may save you from great pain and anguish someday.

A couple of years ago my wife suggested that I go have my hair styled at the place where she got her hair done. I balked at first, but finally agreed to go. She got me an appointment with a real cute young lady named Dana. I was given the same treatment that all of Dana’s customers got. She took me back to a room where I was told to lie down on a padded table. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was that it was dimly lit with the sound of beautiful soft oriental music. My head rested comfortably over a sink where Dana began the shampooing process, massaging my head the whole time until finally warm water rinsed away all the suds. I’ll have to admit it was a very relaxing experience. We then went back to Dana’s chair where she cut and styled my hair. I was surprised to be taken back for another shampoo and then came an absolute first for me. Dana began spraying something from a bottle that fell as a soothing mist covering my face -- something that smelled so good. Then she began rubbing my forehead, my cheeks, my chin, and all over my face. I thought, “man this feels great!” I can look forward to something like this! When Dana finished she laid a hot towel over my face, and I just relaxed for a while almost dozing off. Finally it was time to go back to her chair where my hair was blown dry, combed and jelled leaving my hair looking like it had never looked before. It really looked good and the whole experience was fantastic.

From that day on Dana became my personal “barber”. She most likely would not want to be called a barber. Her place is nothing like the barber shops where I used to go for a haircut. No spittoons, no hair all over the floor, no Field and Stream magazines laying around, no dirty jokes being told by some old man just passing the time of day, nothing at all that looks like the places I usually went for a haircut. Dana’s place is nicely decorated, clean, pleasant, a place not only to get a haircut, but a place for a pedicure or manicure, a full body massage, and I’m sure things for which I have no idea.

Recently I was getting ready to go to Dana’s to get my haircut and enjoy the usual relaxing treatment that I had on my first visit and each of the times I’ve been since. Just as I was walking out the door my wife said, “Tell Dana to do your eyebrows.”

Men, remember this phrase, “Do the eyebrows”. I can tell you now I did not know what that meant.

I was aware that my eyebrows needed attention. I would try to grab some of those wild gray hairs and pull them out, but unfortunately, those wild hairs had gotten away from me. My eyebrows were taking over my forehead. I knew I had problems because every time I went outside small birds hovered over my head waiting for a chance to nest in that thick bush above my eyes. When my wife said, “Have Dana do your eyebrows”, I thought she would just take the old clippers and thin them out and trim them up. Simple enough, I thought.

So when I sat down in her chair I said, “Dana, could you do my eyebrows?”

That was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. Everything started out just as always. Nice shampoo, back to the chair for the haircut, back to the dimly lit room, nice music, padded table, another shampoo, good smelling mist in the face, massage the face, hot towel, heaven all over again. Then, all hell broke loose! The towel was removed. I lay there relaxed, on the verge of dream land, and I feel this sharp pain just above my eyes. Dana was plucking my eyebrows. Not a pleasant thing, but I could take it. I should have expected that. There was a lot of plucking and I was relieved when it was over. I was ready to get up when Dana started rubbing my face again. I thought, I can certainly handle some more of this, especially after the pain from the plucking. The rubbing felt good and in the right place too. She was rubbing right between my eyes. That felt wonderful, yet kind of strange. Then the rubbing felt more like a pressing.

“What is she doing? She’s never done this before.”

I’m not sure what happened next. There was a deafening sound; a ripping sound that I’m sure was heard all over the shopping area. I may be exaggerating, but one thing I can say for certain, I was in great pain -- no, it was excruciating! I was relieved that my vision was still in tact; no damage to my eyes. She had ripped about two layers of skin from between my eyes. No warning -- no one, two, three, go. There was no, “this may sting a bit”. No piece of wood to grip between my teeth. No, I had just learned what, “Doing the eyebrows means”. I had just experienced my first and last unibrow waxing.

I was fully recovered in about a week. For three or four days I displayed what appeared to be a misplaced bindi between my eyes and I‘m certainly not an Indian woman.

Someone would say, “What’s wrong with your head?’

“Just a little rash”, I said, preferring not to discuss it.

At least my eyebrows looked nice. Actually, I think nice looking eyebrows are overrated. One thing is for sure. I will never again say, “Dana, would you do my eyebrows?”

　

Praying For Our Pastor’s Son

Two days ago I asked my my readers to pray for our pastor’s son Thomas. There have been over three hundred responses to that request. Thank you so much for your outpouring of love and concern. The last forty eight hours have been very hard for Thomas and his family. The reason the new kidney failed was due to several blood clots that formed, thus preventing adequate blood flow to to the kidney to keep it working. Thomas had to have two emergency surgeries that night. The problem as of last night was that Thomas was experiencing more blood clots in one of his legs. The reason for this was a mystery to the doctors. So we continue to pray for Thomas that this dangerous condition will be fixed. This will obviously be necessary before they another kidney can transplant.

A call went out to the members of our church, Christ Baptist, to come together to pray for Thomas, his mom, who is continuing treatments for breast cancer, and his dad. We normally have around six hundred in our Sunday morning service. Last night there were between 350 and 400 members of our church lifting up prayers for this dear family. This past Sunday morning our pastor's, Dr. David Hogg, sermon was about the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a man who was brought each day and laid at the gate outside the rich man’s home. He was hungry and very ill. The dogs came up to him and licked his sores. Everyday the rich man passed by Lazarus and never did anything to help him. He completely ignored Lazarus.

Dr. Hogg spoke of the rich man’s lack of compassion toward Lazarus, and pointed out that the rich man was so caught up in his busy life that perhaps it never crossed his mind to do anything about Lazarus’ condition. We were challenged to pay attention to ways we can help others in need. Dr. Hogg asked two questions. First, he said, “What can we do to help others with our money?” Secondly, “What can we do to help others without our money?”  Perhaps it is easier for us to help people by giving a little money to a cause. There is nothing wrong with that. We should give our money to help those less fortunate. But I think it is a bit harder to do something for others that costs us our time.

Last night I thought about those questions that our church was asked by our pastor. I looked around at the large crowd that had come to pray for this family we love so much. I thought about the hundreds of people all over the world who were praying, some sending emails that they would be praying at the time the church gathered to pray. One family in an Asian country said in a message that they would get up in the early morning to pray while we were praying. I thought about those of you who had agreed to take time to pray for a young man that you don’t even know. Probably most of people who are praying for Thomas are not members of our church, yet we are all joined together because of our faith in Jesus who gave his life for the Church of which he is the head, the Cornerstone. We are all asking our God who loves us, who desires the best for us, and who knows better than we what his perfect plan is for us to heal Thomas. We, the Church, cry out to the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of the Son our Savior in one accord to heal our brother, Thomas Hogg. Jesus has put it in our hearts to love Thomas and his parents and to love those we don’t know.

What can we all do to help others without our money? We can love each other and we can earnestly pray for one another when life is tough. Thank you for praying for Thomas and his family. Please continue to lift this young man up to our Heavenly Father.