God is still God -- end of story

I got this from a friend of mine named John Tiner. This is written by a pastor friend of his named William Miller, and I was so impressed when I read it. I hope you will be too. It goes something like this:

Who says God was taken out of schools?

I have heard my whole life how God was taken out of schools. How the Christians allowed it to happen. Well this is what I say to that!

• My God is the King of Kings
• He is the great redeemer
• He is the great healer
• He is the great warrior
• He is the great creator
• He is all powerful
• He is all knowing
• He is omnipotent
• He is omnipresent
• He is the God of the universe!

And you think Man has the power to take him of of government? You think man has power to take Him out of the military? You think man has the power to take my God out of the schools? 

Think again! My God has always been and will always be! Ain't no man powerful enough to take my God out of anything not even the local bar or brothel! The problem this country has is not where God is because God is everywhere! The problem is people have not allowed Him into their hearts, and Christians are not spreading the gospel of Jesus. I believe that people saying things like taking God out of school is a lazy way for Christians to pass the buck for us not doing our part by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The only thing that will bring true change is a change of heart! That is only done by the Blood of Jesus!

Priorities

A preacher named T.F. Tenney once said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” And what I've seen around me in recent times (especially in 2012) has done a pretty good job of convincing me that many of my fellow Christians and followers of Christ are not doing a very good job of following Bishop Tenney's idea. And I think I've finally gotten fed up enough to blog, so hold on to your hats.

I think the short version of what Bishop Tenney said is one word: priorities. And I think we need to examine ours.

• Playing the blame game does not help. Sitting around moaning about how everything has gone downhill since the Supreme Court banned prayer and Bible-reading in schools in the early 1960s is a cop-out. For one thing, all it banned was state-sponsored prayer and Bible-reading. If students want to pray silently, they can (and many probably do, come test time). And it did not ban prayer and Bible-reading in the home. Most work places do not open with prayer. Most college classes don't. And yet we hear no one complain about that. We need to take a much deeper look at what's wrong in the world instead of just fussing because we don't have teachers leading their first-hour classes in prayer.
• Quit fussing about little stuff, folks. Quit looking at people who say “Merry Xmas” and “Happy Holidays” like they're a bunch of God-haters and heathens. For one thing, I say it. Xmas is just a short way of saying Christmas, and as for saying Happy Holidays, not everybody celebrates Christmas. And where in the Bible does it command us to disrespect those who disagree with us?
• Quit making big things out of smaller things. People are dying lost without Christ in their lives every day in this country, and too many in the church are worried about whether the liberals are going to ban assault weapons. If the government does ban assault weapons, the world isn't going to end and Big Brother isn't going to drag you into Room 101. Worry about what's important, not what isn't.
• America is not New Israel. Don't get me wrong – I'm thankful for the freedom we have, especially the freedom to worship God. But I feel like the church has made a mistake by diving as hard into politics as it has. Max Lucado once said, “Love is only love if (it is) chosen.” But today, Christians are worried more about making people choose what's right than they are about letting them do it voluntarily. I think one of the biggest reasons that people, and especially younger people, are turning off to Christianity is that we're spending too much time trying to legislate morality than we are shining the light of Jesus Christ. It's like I told one of my best friends just a bit ago, “I think too many Christians are more worried about guns and gay marriage than they are (about) spreading the Gospel.”

I think James said it best more than 1,900 years ago. He simply said, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:22-27, NKJV)

Pharisee Christianity

This is a sermon I preached to Lighthouse at the Clubhouse recently. Some strong medicine, have a read!

II Timothy 3:5 – Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Mark 7:6-9 – He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men – the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.”

“Pharisee Christianity”

Back when Jesus Christ was walking the earth, there were a lot of different religious groups in the world of that time. One of them was a group called the Pharisees. By the time of the Gospels, they had become somewhat part of the religious establishment. And as such, they resisted the teachings of Jesus Christ. They were more worried about keeping the letter of the law than the spirit of it. They were more concerned with putting on a good front than being righteous. They were almost like Billy Crystal’s Fernando on Saturday Night Live, who said, “It’s better to look good than to feel good.” In Matthew 23:24, Jesus accused them of gagging on a gnat but swallowing a camel. In verse 28, He added, “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

A real sorry bunch. But how different are we today? How are most Christians different from the world? When you look at divorce rates, premarital sex rates, attitudes, etc., where is the difference? And are we getting ourselves all worked up about little things and neglecting what is important?

So many Christians get fired up as to whether there should be prayer in the classroom and before football games (by the way, why is it so important to pray before football games but not before other sporting events?) But will prayer in the classroom help if there is no prayer at home?

People often go to church on Sunday, but how do they live Monday through Saturday? And on that subject, grace is not a license to sin. Just because you’ve been saved doesn’t mean you can live like a devil and still expect to spend eternity with the Lord (Matthew 7:21-23, Romans 11:20-22)

We hear so much about how America has such a great Christian heritage, but we have had many dark chapters in our history too. Slavery, robber barons, oppression of labor – pre-1900 especially, racism (call it what you may, Jim Crow was nothing less than American Apartheid), Japanese internment camps in World War II, prejudice toward immigrants, civil war, etc. Going to church and saying you’re a Christian does not make it okay to sin.

Politics won’t save us. Becoming an arch-conservative and legislating morality won’t get it. Revival will get it. A move of the Holy Spirit will get it. Jesus Christ will get it.

All verses are NKJV

Baseball, love and dating

In baseball, if you go up to the dish and you strike out, there’s a pretty good chance that you may have ran up against a tough pitcher. But if you strike out 20 times in a row, then it’s time to take a long hard look at your swing and your batting stance and see what you’re doing wrong – instead of accusing all the hurlers of scuffing the baseball.

What applies in baseball also applies in this case with life and love.

I see so many bad relationships that it’s almost turned the whole concept of dating and love into one bad reality show. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

While bad taste in dating and romance is an equal-opportunity problem (anyone who knows me well enough knows I’ve crushed on some quarky women, to say the least), it seems that it’s the girls who have almost made chasing jerks an art form. Not all of you ladies are guilty, but it’s still way too common.

So here a few random thoughts:

• Quit blaming the opposite sex for your bad taste. We males are not all jerks. Women are not all jerks. As a male, I know that it’s NOT cool to treat women as objects and engage in other forms of disrespect towards them. Cheating on a woman and treating her as a sex toy is not kosher. And I know other guys who feel the same way. So ladies, quit branding all of us as bad. All males are not jerks – just the ones you chase. And that goes for us guys who have chased bad women.
• Don’t underestimate yourself. It’s good to be humble. In fact, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ you’re supposed to be. But don’t underestimate yourself, if nothing else because other people don’t underestimate you. Too many times, women are very critical of their looks – their boobs aren’t big enough, their butt is too big, their abs aren’t flat enough, etc. – and they’re blind to the fact that they’re quite attractive. But let me tell you, us guys aren’t blind to it. And the bad guys for sure aren’t. So remember that.

Anyway, that’s my $0.02…

Italian Sausage Soup recipe

I made this for Lighthouse at the Clubhouse (our midweek church service we hold at Three Rivers College). Hope you enjoy it! :)

1 pound of Italian sausage, browned and drained

2 bell peppers, chopped and seeded

2 medium-sized potatoes, chopped or diced or sliced

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) of cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

2/3 cup water

2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook time: approximately 2-1/2 hours. Serves: 8. Calories per serving: approximately 240

Combine Italian sausage, bell peppers, potatoes, cream of mushroom and water in a crock pot and stir occasionally. About two hours in, stir in cheese and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with corn chips or bread.

Sermon notes: This Is War!

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints …

Life isn’t easy. Winning victories isn’t easy. Being a Christian isn’t easy. Even Jesus told us that. Matthew 5:45 says that it rains on the just and the unjust– meaning that some things come under the heading of “c’est la vie,” or that’s life.

Sylvester Stallone summed it up quite well in the movie Rocky Balboa:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!

In other words, life is sometimes just plain hard.

That said, don’t lose hope. 1 Peter 4:12-13 tells us, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” If we suffer with Him, we will also reign with Him.

But wait there’s more. There’s victory.

Jesus said in Luke 18:27, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." So even in the darkest times, there is hope.

How do we overcome? First Jesus said, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”So the first thing to do is don’t give up. Fight on even when it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Do your best – God will do the rest.

Another thing to do is to have faith. Jesus told us, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) Maybe that’s why Leviticus 26:8 says, “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.” Amazing!

And along the lines of that last verse, team up! Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” An example of that is in I Samuel 14:6-7, where it states, “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.’ So his armorbearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.’” (italics mine) As a result, the nation of Israel won a smashing victory over the Philistines, so much that in verses 21-23 it says, “Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.”

Finally, let God fight for you! II Chronicles 20:15 says, “And he said, ‘Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.”’” Before the nation of Judah went into that battle, they sent the singers and the worshippers out before the army – and before the army took the field, God defeated their enemies! Verse 22 says, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” Let God fight for you – trust Him, seek Him and worship Him – and the victory will come!

All verses are NKJV

This one's (mostly) for the ladies...

As some of you know, I’m on a diet. I just turned 38 and I can whip any NFL nose tackle in the weight department – not a good combination for either my health or a few other things.

With the dawn of a new year, I’m not alone on the dieting front. And it’s got me thinking – how many of us struggle with loving the skin we’re in? Like I said, I need to lose weight – my physique bears too much of a resemblance to Jabba the Hutt for my own good. But what about other people? In a society that seems to idealize women with waists the size of pencils and breasts the size of volleyballs (or bigger), it isn’t hard for most women to feel like their looks just aren’t good enough.

I guess it’s little wonder so many women have such low self-esteem. And as a result, too many women just don’t love themselves like they should. And when you don’t love yourself like you should, you tend to keep out those who will and go for those who don’t. Maybe that is one reason why there seems to be a proliferation of bad relationships and women throwing themselves away on jerks.

So ladies, what is the answer? Well let me start off by telling you what is not the answer. You do not need to diet yourself into anorexia or spend thousands of dollars on breast implants and plastic surgery. Now I’m not saying all diets are bad – but there is often too much of a good thing these days. You just need to keep a few things in mind:

God loves you just the way you are. You don’t have to have the perfect physique to be loved by the One who is love. Whether you’re skinny or fat, tall or short, or whatever else, He loves you. And that’s what matters more than anything.

Don’t sell yourself short. In all likelihood, you’re way more attractive than you give yourself credit for. No matter what society tells us, there is not just one standard of beauty. Some guys prefer curvy, full-figured women. Some like thin, athletic women. Some prefer brunettes and some prefer redheads. So if you’re not blonde, tan, pencil-thin, fitness-model toned and built like Dolly Parton, don’t fret. You don’t have to look like that.

Everyone deserves respect. Period. End of story. If a guy is not satisfied with your looks, he probably doesn’t love you. Sex and love are not identical. If all he cares about is sex and outward appearance, he just wants a slut. Don’t let him treat you like one. You deserve better.

Anyway, that’s my two cents for today…

Tonight's message at Lighthouse at the Clubhouse: Walking by faith

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
II Corinthians 5:7 – For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Shut your eyes. Try walking to the bathroom with your eyes shut. It’s no fun trying to something when you can’t see. You might bump into something. You might trip over something. You may run into a wall. You may step on someone.

But that’s how we walk through life. We don’t know what’s going to happen in life. James 4:14 says, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” We don’t know what tomorrow holds. It might be something great. Or it might hold a serious car wreck. Or bad news from the doctor. We simply don’t know.

But there is good news. The psalmist told us that God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:25-34 to not worry because God takes care of it all. And Paul said that we walk by faith, not sight. 

And it’s hard. It’s hard to walk a path when all you can see is just in front of your feet. It’s sometimes hard to trust in Someone that you can’t see with your eyes. But it’s way better than walking blind. God knows how the story ends before it even starts. He said that He would never leave nor forsake us. He is faithful. Romans 8:28 said that if we love the Lord, everything is working for our good. So trust Him. He has our backs and everything in front of us.

Now shut your eyes and try walking to the bathroom. But this time take someone’s hand. And let them lead you. You won’t be able to move fast. But if you follow them, you’ll make it. That’s how walking by faith works!

All verses are NKJV

What Every College Student Should Know

Hey y'all, these are my notes from a sermon I delivered last month to Lighthouse at the Clubhouse, our church's college ministry. Have a read and enjoy!

Mark 12:28-31 – Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NKJV)

Love God. Love the One who created the universe, holds tomorrow in His hands and can do absolutely anything, but loves each of us enough that He came to earth, robed Himself in flesh, lived liked we did, put up with what we put up with, then despite never doing anything wrong, died for our sins like a criminal – and died in a most painful way. All so that we can have life and have it more abundantly.

Love others. When we love others, we treat people with respect. And when we treat others with respect, we don’t hurt them. Also, Jesus Christ said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. And I’ve learned that from experience as well. When you give to others, you end up giving back to yourself. This is just my two cents, but in this holiday season, if you get a chance to volunteer, go for it. Ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Help serve Christmas dinner to those who can’t go home or don’t have a home to go to.

Love yourself. In this day and age, that can be hard. But love yourself and respect yourself – because if you don’t, who will? Ladies, don’t throw yourselves away on players. They may be romantic and charming, but the “bad boy with a heart of gold” is rarer than a total solar eclipse. And if the idea of getting used and played doesn’t bother you, ask yourself this: what kind of a dad will he be? I had a relative recently say how she didn’t like whitebread guys – and her guy certainly isn’t that. But he hasn’t been there much for his kids either. In fact his future son-in-law once said that he didn’t know whether to shake his hand or hit him when they first met. Too many kids have grown up without their dads being around much – I’m one of them – and we are the worse for it. So love yourself enough to not throw yourself away.

Last and certainly not least, follow Jesus Christ. College can be stressful – many of you are stressing over finals right now. Life can be stressful. And life hurts like being burned with a white-hot flame sometimes. But Jesus is the answer. Like I said earlier, He loves you with an amazing love. And He will guide your feet and hold your hand if you will let Him. So if you haven’t done so already, take that first step into the Kingdom. Ask God to forgive your sins. Give your life fully to Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Then keep walking on – get baptized, let God fill you up with His Holy Spirit and grow in grace – take root and bear fruit.

A little rant from 2008

Hey gang...I just found this and since I'm starting a new blog, I thought I'd re-post it here. So read and enjoy...

After having a couple of "those" days, I feel like venting a little. So you better hold on to your hats gang, because I'm not going to pull my punches a lot on this one. Without further ado, here goes:

The more I hear about some relationship trends, the more I wonder if being single is really all that bad. Don't get me wrong -- I do want a relationship -- but I want it to be right, not the ways I often see around me.

1) I was reading a men's fitness magazine and it made me wonder if these people think relationships are all superficial and physical -- in other words, little more than just hooking up with one person exclusively. Excuse me, I thought a good relationship was an emotional bond between two people who love each other and enjoy each other's company. It's no wonder that so many people are unfulfilled and the divorce rate is so high if the former is all relationships have come to. Love will get you through the storms, lust won't.

2) I have heard people complain about the lack of quality singles, yet the only places they go to meet them are places where the order of the day is fun and short-term, not deep and long-term. If you really want love, look in the right places.

3) Why do people stay in one-sided relationships? I don't get it. I know that it's hard to walk away, but if the other person does not respect you enough to treat you right and does not appreciate you, find someone who will. As a Christian, I know how forgiving love can be, but you can forgive them without letting yourself be pulled through the ringer. You deserve better...

4) If you're not friends with your significant other, then why are you with them? You'd enjoy a friend's company a lot better...

5) Ladies, we males aren't all players. There are some of us (a lot of us actually) that value a what a woman has inside more than what she has outside, can enjoy her company without being all over her and know how to actually love her as opposed to lusting after her...

Sorry if I offended anyone. I was a little blunter than usual. Still, maybe y'all will like it...and as usual, comment to your heart's content :)