4 Worms In Church

4 Worms in church Four worms and a lesson to be learned!!!! A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a container of alcohol. The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil. At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results: The first worm in alcohol...Dead. The second worm in cigarette smoke...Dead. Third worm in chocolate syrup...Dead. Fourth worm in good clean soil...Alive . So the Minister asked the congregation, "What did you learn from this demonstration?" Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said, 'As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!' That pretty much ended the service!                 .

What's In a Name?

I was looking for something I'd written several years ago, and I ran across this entry, and thought it was worthy of sharing again.

15 May, 2006

Tonight was a weird night. I was called out to the church twice to deal with the alarm system going off. It has stormed all evening and aparently that somehow triggered the alarm both times. After the second time, one of the police officers and I stayed at the church for about 30 minutes to make sure it was not going to go off again, and we stood and talked about the crazy night. Over his radio we were hearing some really off the wall calls that the police were responding to. Trust me, they themselves would make a great blog entry, but I will save that for another day. I want to focus on one particular part of our conversation that has been running over and over in my mind for the past 3 hours since we talked.

As we were laughing about a certain situation that another officer was responding to, out of the blue this man asked me if I knew a certain man who lives in the county where I live. I told him that I had met him once, but I could not say that I really knew the man, but that I had heard a lot about him. He said to me, "It is a shame you never got to hear the good stuff, before he became like he is now." I didn't say anything, but he began to tell me how this man and his family had been so respected but that because of some poor choices and actions his name and his family's name was just trashed. He went into a lot of detail that I would not repeat, but the gist of his entire conversation was that this fellow had trashed his name and reputation, as well as that of his entire family, and that he would never trust him again.

I have found myself thinking about this now for hours and thinking what a shame this is. One bad decision that led to another, and before you know it, this man is not only no longer trusted, but a family name that was once so well respected is now tarnished not only for this man, but for the entire family.
Proverbs 22:1 says: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches; and loving favor rather than silver or gold.
It is something for us to think about. I know that the Lord is well able to forgive and to restore, but there will always be some who will never get beyond our moments of weakness. We can argue that this would be their problem if they cannot get over it, but the truth is, we must do all we can to safe guard our name and our integrity. This is one thing that is very difficult to get back once it is gone.

Tell Me, Who's Being Intolerant

Today I went out for a bit and had lunch and then went decided to just knock around for a bit and I went to a pawn shop. I do that from time to time, just browsing to see what kind of bargains might be lurking. I was just about ready to leave the pawn shop, when someone said, "Excuse me, aren't you a pastor?" I turned around and acknowledged that I was. I did not recognize the young man or the man with him at all, so I stuck out my hand and introduced myself. He ignored the gesture and said, "I want to ask you a question; do you think I'm going to Hell because I'm gay?" I told him that was a loaded question if I ever heard one. He very angrily said that it was not a difficult question, that all he wanted was a simple yes or no. I responded that was exactly why it was an unfair and loaded question, because he was simply looking for a fight. He snapped back, "See, can't answer a simple question because you are afraid to be upfront with me."  I told him that I'd love to answer him, but that I really needed more than a "yes or no" to answer, and that I also needed to ask him some questions. 
"Like what? I've told you that I'm gay. Am I going to Hell or not? Don't give me a f-ing tap dance. Just answer the question a..hole."

I have to admit that at this point I just wanted to walk out, but somehow, I stayed composed and calm. I mean really, I knew this person was not a Christian by the way he was behaving, but if I gave an answer without an explanation, he was going to use it against me. 

I said to him, "Look, what I'd like to know is your answers to these questions: Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe he died on a cross for our sins? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you and and to come into your heart?"
He unleashed a string of profanity and yelled, "I did not ask you for a f-ing sermon. I just want to know if you think I'm going to Hell or not."
I told him that my answer was determined by what his answer was to those questions and...

He cut me off in mid-sentence and said, "Answer the damn question! I just want to know if you think I am going to hell because I am gay."
I told him again that he was trying to trap me into a response just to argue, and I was trying to give him a real answer, if he'd just answer my questions that I could answer him. I told him I was not interested in anything other than had he asked Jesus into his heart.

He snapped back with venom in his voice, "F- you. I don't go to f-ing church and I don't want to hear all your f-ing mumbo jumbo. I just want to know if you think I'm going to hell!"

I said, "Well, based on the picture of you I'm getting, I'd have to say that if you died today, then yes, you are probably going to Hell."
He pushed the guy with him slightly and said, "didn't I tell you! He's an intolerant homophobe!"

I interrupted, "Excuse me, I did not say a thing about you being gay."
"Yes you did! You said I'm going to Hell because I'm a fag!"

His friend said, "No he didn't. You are not paying any attention to him."  The first guy unleashed a tirade of profane comments at his friend, until I said, "Excuse me, but you started this conversation, and from the beginning, you've tried to put words in my mouth. If you will calm down, I'll tell you exactly what I said and why."  Now he turned his assault on me, where in the midst, he again called me an "intolerant homophobic S.O.B."


His friend said, "You're the one being intolerant. You won't even listen to what the man has to say. You afraid or what?"  He again started lashing out at his friend with an unbelievable string of profanities and insults that would have made a sailor blush.  I again interrupted, saying that if he wanted to hear my answer, I'd be glad to talk to him, but if not that I was going to leave.  He told me to go on, and I said, "What I said was if you have not confessed your sin and asked Jesus into..."
He cut me off again... "Who the hell do you think you are to call me a sinner? What gives you the right to judge whether or not being gay is a sin?" Turning toward his friend he said, "I told you he's intolerant. All these f-ing Christians are!"

I said, "Again, I said nothing about being gay. You are right, God is the judge and he says that all have sinned and fallen short of God's standard. But if you put your faith and life in Jesus..."


Again he cut me off and screamed, "I don't need your f-ing Jesus. Go to hell."


I said, "And THAT is why I said you are most likely going to Hell."
Then I turned and walked out the door.
His friend followed me out the door and said, "I think you are right by the way."


It amazes me how that people like this only hear what they want to hear.

Whew!!!

Man, did I ever open a can of worm with my last blog entry. I've had phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages and posts, arguments on discussion boards and even and unsigned letter left for me in my mailbox that ripped me to shreds and telling me that it was time for me to find a new church to pastor because I am not wanted here anymore. (By the way, I think people who leave unsigned letters are spineless cowards and pay them no attention. I have quite a collection of them I've saved from over the years. lol)
And for the record... I'm not leaving. You may need to look for a new place if you are that unhappy.

Funny, I received literally dozens of messages and comments from pastors who agreed completely with my last blog, and several of them thanked me for writing what many of them really wanted to say.  I also received some pretty testy comments and emails from ministers who said that no true man of God would ever say such a thing. Some challenged my theological beliefs. Sorry, but I refuse to believe that we are nothing more than puppets on the stage of life and God dictates every decision we make. If he did, would we ever sin? To believe what you people are saying would make our God out to be some sort of monster, for you are implying that God willfully caused men to fly planes into the Twin Towers, or that he caused men like Wayne Gacy and Charles Manson to do the things they did. Your theology changes when it is not convenient for you.

I also had some one person accuse me of slandering my church people. I'm sorry, but I don't see how my saying that I was disappointed in the low attendance slandered anyone. I stated a fact. End of story. But people are funny like that. We talked about this tonight in Bible Study, how when Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hid their sin, to cover up, and then played the blame game. Man is just like that.

I never expected the response this blog has generated. By far and away, I have received more feedback from this entry than anything else I've written in the last 6 years, when I started writing the Dawghowse. I really wish that all the responses where shared on here so everyone could read them. It would make for some interesting discussion. lol

It's the Same Old Thing

After a busy and emotionally draining weekend of taking Ashley off to college then church, I have to confess that I was sorely disappointed at the number of people who were missing from church on Sunday. I try not to let the number have any effect on me, but it does. No since denying that fact. One of my "spiritual fathers," W.C. Ratchford had a great way of illustrating this. He would say that it is like a mother who spends a week preparing for a day in which her children were all coming home to be together under her roof again. She plans out a great meal, goes shopping to find all the pieces of that meal, and then spends hours preparing and cooking the meal, sets the table and lays out all the food... only to find that half the family says, "no thanks, I'm not hungry" and won't even come to the table. 

That is precisely the discouragement and pain that the pastor feels when he prays, seeking the face of God, studies and prepares the message for his family... only to find that a part of the family simply did not come to the table. I know, most people in our churches will simply get defensive about that statement and present their litany of excuses, but those excuses do not in any way negate the pain and disappointment. This is clearly expressed in the Word of God where the writer of Hebrews penned the words, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24,25)  The thing is, very few will ever consider the Pastor  when reading or discussing this verse.  I have a private messaging board where most of my members are pastors, and just about every week, there is one or more pastors come on the board, a safe  place, where members cannot see or read their pain, and express their frustration and heart break about how so many of their people did not come on any given Sunday. No one seems to really comprehend the hurt that comes when you have spent literally 10-15 hours in prayer and study to prepare a "meal" only to find that a huge portion of the church simply did not come. They are too busy with life, and rather than come to the table, they will hit up a fast food drive through, by turning on the TV and watching the TV preacher instead. Selfishly, they feel content in the knowledge that at least they were fed somewhere, but they do not consider that their own pastor has been wounded by their rejection. Paul said to "consider one another," yet few ever consider the pastor.  They fail to even think about how it must feel when time after time, week after week, anywhere from 15-35% of the "family" fails to come for  Bible study or worship. They use the justification that they can pray, study and worship at home... but that is totally "self" focused and not considering the pastor or the other members of the body who recognize that part of the body is missing. Yes, it hurts the other members when part of the family is gone. Ever been to a family gathering and some of the family were not to make it? It's just not the same.   I was chatting online last night with a friend who is a pastor and discussing this. He shared with me how that at his church they have around 80 in Sunday school every week, but about 20 of his people leave before the worship begins and that another 10-15 leave after worship, including some of his praise team. He said, "this is the ultimate slap in the face, as they come to do their thing, but walk out just as he is about to preach." Again, they only focus on self, not considering others. I wonder, have they ever thought about how that makes the pastor or the others that they are walking out on feel? Probably not, as this is pretty common in churches from my talking with pastors.

Where is the "consider one another" in this approach to church life?

I was thinking on this earlier this morning when one of my Facebook friends posted the above mentioned scripture... and it hit me. Whoever the writer of Hebrews was, expressed very early on in the history of the church that the same issue was happening way back then. It is not a "new" trend at all... It's just people being people. I pray that at some point people begin to consider others. Evidently the Father had some strong thoughts on this topic, for He included it in the Bible as a warning and instruction to His church.

It's Time

The day I have dreaded has come. I've tried to ignore it or act like it is nothing... but it is killing me. In just a few hours I will load my daughters belongings into my van and she will move away. I'm so excited for her, but my heart is breaking. This is my precious jewel and I'm going to miss her more than I could ever put into words. Even now, tears are streaming down my face as I try to write these words. Life will never be the same again. After today, my little girl is gone.

It seems like only yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time and kissed her tiny forehead. In my mind it was only days ago when I left that hospital to buy her an outfit to come home in and came back with a bag filled with frilly socks. I just could not decided on one pair for my new love. The nights rocking her to sleep were never a drudgery to me, I loved the time holding her and singing to her our own special song, "Close your eyes and go to sleep, dream a dream with me." In fact often when she'd drift off to sleep, I'd just stay right there in that chair, watching her as she slept.  As she grew, we had our daily routine. When she awakened, daddy had to go back to bed so that she come come lay in bed with me for awhile. She'd rub my face and if I had not shaved yet, she'd say, "Daddy, you need to scrape."  Every morning it was the same thing; we'd play piggy toes, squiggly wigglies, gum drop nose and so on. Next I had to play musical Ashley, and I'd play her like she was a piano, a drum, a trombone, a saxophone, a guitar, a stand up bass, bongos... everyday, without fail, we went through our routine. Until one day, she just tired of it.

I could write forever of precious memories as she grew over the years, and the special bond that grew between a daddy and his little girl. But I know, that what I am doing is putting off getting with the task of packing her up. She's still asleep, and I'm dreading going in to wake her. I just want to savor seeing her lay there sleeping for just a few more minutes. It pains me that this is the last morning she will wake under my roof. Oh, I know she'll come home, and it will be special... but it will never be the same. Life changes today. In reality, that's a good thing. But my heart is breaking.

For Ashley... 
Like the sun in the night
You'll always be with me baby, in my soul.
You'll always be with me, where ever I go.

I love you little one.
Time to spread your wings and fly!

The Parable of the Brownies... Again.

Once again, I find that need to post the Parable of the Brownies. Why is it some people just insist on tolerating things that they ought not?

Two teenagers asked their father if they could attend the latest and greatest revival that was all the rage. After reading some material about this revival event on the internet, he denied their request.

"Aw dad, why not?" they complained. "It's really great! Everyone is excited about it"
They say the music and worship is just awesome!

Dad replied: "Because that event contains a lot of things that are questionable at best, and possibly outright deception, and I don't want you exposed to that."

"But dad, those are just very small parts of the event! That's what our friends who've been there have told us. The event is hours long each evening and those things that concern you are just a few minutes of the total event!
It's basically truth, and there are so many testimonies of people being blessed and even healed. They say over 20 have been raised from the dead!"

"My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and worship and pray together. But you will not go to that event. End of discussion."

The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go after all."

The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies which he offered to his kids. They each took one.
Then their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much."

The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening.

"That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and the finest chocolate."

The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech.

"But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think."

"Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?"

"Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it."
"Come on, dad, just tell us what that ingredient is."

"Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients."

"Dad!"

"Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic...dog poop."

Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.

"DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!"

"Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients.
You won't even taste it.
It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!"

"No, Dad...NEVER!"

"And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go to that revival.
You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little strange fire in your worship and devotion?
How can you in good conscience partake of something that will introduce adulterated ingredients into your spirit?
Why would you guard what you put into your body more carefully than you guard what you put into your spirit?"

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

Why?

This kinda explains why this country is 14 trillion dollars in debt, don't ya think?

What is wrong with us?

How they vote in the United Nations:
Below are the actual voting records of various Islamic States which are recorded in both the US State Department and United Nations records:

Kuwait votes against the United States 67% of the time

Qatar votes against the United States 67% of the time

Morocco votes against the United States 70% of the time

United Arab Emirates votes against the U. S. 70% of the time.

Jordan votes against the United States 71% of the time.

Tunisia votes against the United States 71% of the time.

Saudi Arabia votes against the United States 73% of the time.

Yemen votes against the United States 74% of the time.

Algeria votes against the United States 74% of the time.

Oman votes against the United States 74% of the time.

Sudan votes against the United States 75% of the time.

Pakistan votes against the United States 75% of the time.

Libya votes against the United States 76% of the time.

Egypt votes against the United States 79% of the time.

Lebanon votes against the United States 80% of the time.

India votes against the United States 81% of the time.

Syria votes against the United States 84% of the time.

Mauritania votes against the United States 87% of the time.

So, what about US Foreign Aid to those that hate us?

Egypt, for example, after voting 79% of the time against the United States,

still receives $2 billion annually in US Foreign Aid.

Jordan votes 71% against the United States and receives $192,814,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Pakistan votes 75% against the United States yet receives $6,721,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

India votes 81% against the United States and receives $143,699,000 annually.

So... the questions begs to be answered.... WHY?
WHO IN THE HECK STARTED THIS AND WHY?

THEY ACTUALLY BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM.

Perhaps it is time for the United States to get out of the UN and give the tax savings back to the American workers who are having to skimp and sacrifice to pay the taxes that is sent to these countries.

Here you go

Someone asked me tonight if I would find an old post and re-post it so that they could read it. So, here is something I wrote in Debember 2009. Think I'm going to link this to some other friends who need to hear this as well.

A Few Moments of Reflection

Earlier this week I was having a conversation with someone who has been struggling, and who had fallen out of church. (I hate that terminology, because no one "falls" out, they walk out... but that's for another blog.)
Anyway, this person was talking about the need to make some changes in their life, but said that they just could not seem to figure out how to make those changes.
This got me to start thinking about how I make real changes in my own life.
Not just any change, but the kind that changes my life, that really change me.
As I reflect back on my life, I realize that whenever I have made changes that really took, I have had to change what i believe.
One thing that I have learned is that just repeating concepts that other people have written about or spoke of has never worked to change what I think, because it doesn't change what i believe.
News Flash: You and I just can't talk ourselves into accepting a thought that we have no basis for believing.

Those that have known me longest know that toward the end of the 70's and into the early 80's, when I was teen going into my early adult years I had some serious meltdowns. The truth is, I never had much confidence in myself and as a product of my insecurity and lack of self worth, I had never really learned to relate with others. I found my confidence in a bottle of Southern Comfort or Vodka, smoking pot, and various other drugs I used as my problem grew deeper.
I reached the place that I could not even function in life without chemical "assistance." In high school I always had a bottle in my locker, another in my car, stashed in my room, at work (I worked at Pizza Hut while in school) and always had plenty of pot stashed as well. Few of my friends new just how much I was drinking. Some actually saw me do a pinch hitter sitting in the back corner of the class room or bathroom, but they saw it as my being funny or trying to draw attention... I don't think anyone saw the dependence.

A really strange pattern developed in my life in my teen years. It's really weird. I never had any sense of self worth, so I was always seeking for approval of someone else. I constantly had to have a girl friend, because that meant I was accepted. I know, many folks do that. Where it really got weird was that I never would let anyone get too close to me. For one, if someone got too close, they might really discover just how much I was drinking, smoking and popping pills.
Another thing was that after losing my parents and my brother at a young age, I made up my mind that I just would not let anyone get inside of me. It hurt too much when they were gone, so I pushed them away.I hurt a lot of people over the years because I'd let someone get just so close to me and then abruptly end a relationship for absolutely no reason that they could see.
A really strange twist was that if the young lady ended the relationship with me, I would feel so rejected that I would have an absolute meltdown and frequently became suicidal.

Ironically, I grew up in church, and come from a family with a strong relationship with Christ. Several times over the years I would pray and ask Jesus into my
life. My thinking was that because I asked Jesus into my life that things would change all by themselves. I found out that this is not how things work.
I got to the place that church and religion was a place to go and appease my guilty conscience and make me feel better for awhile, before I slipped right back into my "normal" way of doing life.
This became a regular pattern for me, running back to God every now and then when I was suffering another of my meltdowns, until finally I began to feel that God was rejecting me too.
This was primarily because my image of God was that of a God who was really pissed off at the world (and me) most of the time. God was a God who would "get you" if you did not serve Him.
I now know that I never really wanted to know God, but in fact, most of the times I had come to an altar to pray, it was usually because some one had preached a message on Hell and once again, how God was ticked off and was going to punish me.

This pattern, this vicious cycle continued on and on, with each cycle taking me deeper into depression, anxiety, feeling useless and the drinking and drug use escalated, pulling me more and more into a pit of despair.
I began looking for new highs and rushes in my life, and my exploration took me into a life of crime. I really did not need the money as I had a good job and was making a lot more dealing drugs to my co-workers. It was simply the "rush" that I felt when I stuck a gun in someones face and demanded their money or whatever.

Everything in my life began to unravel on December 17, 1980 when I was arrested on murder charges along with a host of others. In the course of the legal wrangling, it was found that I had not been involved in the murder, but a "friend" who I had brought into my criminal ways, had gotten out of control and killed a woman and then told the police that I had done it. By the time they finished with him, the detectives had enough evidence against me on other charges that I was facing a long, long time in prison. I became more suicidal at that time than ever before, and nearly killed myself several times between December 1980 and June 1981.


Oh yeah, I tried the "religion" angle during that time too, but I was looking for a way out of my trouble, not a change of life.

Then, on June 12, 1981, I had a real, personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
I have to admit, even then I thought things would change by themselves.
It still did not happen. My circumstances did not automatically get better.
In fact, I went to prison.
But being born again made me a new creature on the inside.
What I discovered is that my new birth gave me a brand new nature, and gave me access to everything God is and has.
But being born again didn't automatically change my mind, the part of me that connects to this world. It took me awhile, but I discovered that my mind wasn't the part of me that was born again.

The bible says in several places to put on the new man, made in the image of God.
It took me some time to grasp why that is necessary, and how that is done.
Like so many new believers, I thought changes would just take me over.
But the mind has to be renewed before the changes are evident.

In the book of James it is described like a man who looks at himself in a mirror, and then goes away and forgets what he looks like. The man who continues to renew his mind with the Word of God is like a man who continually looks into a mirror, sees the image of God there, and begins to believe that that is what he looks like too.

The key that began a life long change took place laying in a hospital room in Menard Penitentiary in January 1982, when a priest challenged me to forget everything I had ever heard about God, church, religion and the Bible, and to read the Bible for myself and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the true nature of God to me.
I was so tired of stumbling in the dark, and I accepted his challenge.
I asked the Holy Spirit to be my teacher, and He lead me to a scripture that launched me into many changes ever since that time.

1 John 4:16, “and we have known and believed the love that God hath to us …”

It was like the light came on!
It was not that God was pissed off or angry with me... God loved me!
Some of you are going, "Duh!?!"
But this was brand new to me! It changed me... and it will change you!

I now know God loves me.
Understand this... I KNOW... I BELIEVE that God loves me... and it is NOT because i feel like He loves me, because to be quite honest, there are times when I don't FEEL like He is even paying attention, let alone that he loves me.
But I KNOW that He loves me, and my friends... knowledge is power!

My faith is built on what I know the Word says, which never changes.
My feelings are the reactions of everything I think, experience, and believe.It is easier to walk on water than to build on my feelings!
Why? Because they are always changing!

So when I saw this verse, I knew what to do. I had to begin to choose to believe. Understand, NOT just believe whatever sounded good, or whatever people told me. I had to choose to believe what God was telling me.He reveals what His Word is saying to my heart, and I choose to believe it.
Then I stand on it and speak it to myself – the same way people do when they're worrying about something and continually say what they're afraid is going to happen.

I began to apply this to all the scriptures that describe who and what i am in Christ. And you know what?
I began to renew my mind!And as my mind was renewed, I began to walk in newness of life.It was like being a warrior, and finally beginning to put on my armor.It was like being a child of the King, and finally holding my head up, not because of who I am, but because of whose I am.

You know, the fact is that in the 28 years since I met Jesus, this world hasn't changed, except maybe to have gotten worse. There will always be things to contend with. There will be difficult people who will hurt me. There will be losses, pain and yes, there will be storms.But I have changed.I will still make mistakes, and sometimes do the wrong thing out of anger.
I still have many changes to make.
But these things, and the world, don't tell me who I am anymore.
I know who I am.
At times I still do struggle with having a personal identity, but I know I am a man who is in covenant with God. Today, I really know Who I am in covenant with and that makes me strong.
I wont be having anymore meltdowns.
Thank you Jesus!

Posted by Darrell at Friday, December 11, 2009

ACLU is at it Again

I received the following email from the ACLU today. Tell me, am I missing something? How is requiring and ID to vote "anti-Democratic"? How is this designed to keep African American voters or those who are disabled or students, or elderly from voting? Is there a reason that those in these particular people groups are unable to obtain proper identification? Seems to me, they should already have it, UNLESS they are illegal aliens, OR they are trying to be fraudulent. They have to have an ID to drive, rent a house, cash a check or a dozen other activities. So, why could they not produce one to vote?  No, this is pretty obvious, they see the loopholes which allowed voter fraud closing, and that scares them to death. I say it is high time that the law is "NO ID, NO VOTE."

It is a truly malicious scheme. All across the country, a wave of anti-democratic voter suppression laws are being passed — designed to keep huge numbers of voters who are African-American, elderly, students, or voters with disabilities away from the polls in 2012.

Discouraging people from voting — by passing laws designed to keep certain voters away — is as cynical and underhanded as it gets. But that is exactly what's happening in the 18 states that either passed or threatened to pass restrictive voter ID bills this session. This targeted wave of legislation could block the votes of more than 21 million Americans.

But in some states, if Attorney General Holder determines that these laws violate the Voting Rights Act, he can deny the approval needed before they can take effect.

Urge Attorney General Holder to uphold the Voting Rights Act and take a strong stand against outrageous targeted efforts at voter suppression.
 

It's bad enough when isolated efforts to intimidate and suppress voting surface. But this is even worse — a widespread, carefully coordinated effort by governors and state legislators to erect barriers aimed at the millions of voters who don't have photo IDs. (emphasis mine)

The ACLU is opposed to any form of voter ID  (again, emphasis mine)— its application can be used to arbitrarily keep certain populations away from the polls. In Texas, for example, the new law accepts concealed handgun certificates as proof of identification, but not student IDs. (Maybe because anyone with a computer and access to a laminating machine can produce one?)

Tens of thousands of ACLU supporters — people deeply offended by this outright attack on the right to vote — have already taken action by writing to the attorney general. But we need to keep the pressure on, and you can help do that by adding your name today.

Stay Alert and Pray!

There is something stirring in the heavenlies today... something major. I woke up crying all morning I've just had this keen awareness that there is war going on in the heavenlies and that this day is of great significance in the Kingdom of God. I have no idea what that means, but the church needs to be in prayer today. Not just prayer... warfare prayer!

God Loves You So Much More Than You Can Imagine

Twice in the past week I have had friends comment to me about how God was punishing them, causing them to walk through loneliness and depression. One was questioning God altogether, wondering if they were wrong in even believing that God existed. They other commented how that God had decided to make sure that nothing worked out for them. If those two friends happen to read this, I want to assure you that I'm not sitting in judgment of you at all, but rather that I feel your pain. I could be the first one to stand and say, "Been there, done that!" No, I'm not judging you... but I do want to share what I have learned in walking out this journey of life. Not that I have all the answers, but in this area, I do have something to share. I've been to the wall and felt that God (and all others) had forsaken me. I've been in the pit of depression where all seemed hopeless and useless and I've even tried to take my own life many times. I thank God that He was watching over me in those times and He rescued me so that I can tell the tale. 

First and foremost, let me say it clearly, God loves YOU so much more than you could ever imagine. He would never give you a beat down. That's not God. It's odd that we simply cannot see it when we are in that place, but there is an enemy of our lives and souls and it is Satan who is giving us the smack down. But in the midst of our beat down, it is as if we have blinders on and we don't see the one kicking our butt... but we see right past him and we see God, the one who is reaching out to us in love and compassion, and we recoil, somehow in our minds thinking those loving hands are the ones inflicting the pain. It's one of the greatest deceptive tools of the enemy. God is NOT the one hurting you! It's kind of like the wounded animal that bites the hands of the one trying to administer healing to those wounds. Still and quiet your soul... stop flailing toiling... and see the hands of love and mercy that have come to pick you up and bring healing in your time of distress and turmoil. That "stilling and quieting" thing is difficult for us to do.

I have to say this... much of our pain is of our own doing. Not always... not even most of the time... but sometimes. For example: recently I was talking with a single mom who was in this "woe is me, God must be mad at me" phase. As we talked, one of her things was her car. She was complaining how GOD had given her two flat tires, how GOD had caused her brakes to go out, how GOD had caused the transmission to break down. (And it went on and on.) I commented how that was a lot to go wrong with a car at one time, and she said, "Yeah, for several months, I'd come out and the tires would be low, and I'd drive up to the gas station and put air in the tires."  I asked about the transmission, and she said, "the check engine light has been on for almost a year." She told me that she had a friend check it out and he told her that the transmission fluid was dirty and needed to be changed. So I asked, "How is God to blame for you not having the tires repaired or the fluid in your transmission changed?"  She absolutely refused to see that the warning signs were there, and she had ignored them, and now two tires and a transmission were ruined.  Folks, we do this sort of thing in life all the time! It may not be in our cars... but God is sending us glimpses and signs... telling us, "deal with this NOW or something bigger and much more devastating and costly is coming!"  We have a check in our spirit, and we know not to do something, go somewhere... not to get involved... but we charge right through the yellow flashing lights and then there is a crash! And what do we do? We blame God! 

NO! We did that! You can't even blame Satan for that one... you did it yourself!

I find myself talking to the alcoholic who loses their sobriety, and they will say something like, "I wasn't going to drink, I only wanted to go in and see my old friends." Duh? Who would ever think you might drink if you go hang out in a bar with friends who all drink? That's a tough one to figure out! God did not fail this person... they failed themselves!

But what about those times through seemingly no fault of our own, we find ourselves with our back against the wall, or isolated, all alone? What about those times when the doctor's report is bad? What about those times when parents have turned their backs on us and thrown us under the bus? What about the times when it seems there is not a friend to be found? What about the times when there is not a job to be found? Not enough money to pay the bills? (Insert your own situation here)  What about those times?

Guess what?

There is a Satan. He is real. And the Bible tells us that he has come to steal, kill and destroy. He has a plan for your life... and it is to beat you down inch by inch, step by step, until you are ready to curse God and die. Poverty, disease, sickness, pain, abandonment, conflict with parents, marital problems, death.... these are not of God. They come about from Satan... the one who wants to destroy you and rob you of any confidence in God. Again... that is not God. Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly."  God says he has plans for your good, not to harm you, but to prosper you. When you are in these times of loneliness, pain, sorrow and suffering... you need to still yourself and ask this simple question: "Whose plan is right now being made manifest in my life?"  If it is not good, if it is not peace, if it is not prospering.. THAT is not God, and we need to determine what needs to be done to get us back on the right course, the right plan for our lives.  Sounds overly simple... but this is it. If it is chaos and confusion in our life that we are witnessing... then it is time to examine our lives and ask, "where did I get off course?"  This is not God's plan for my life.  Stop barking, growling and biting long enough to know that the Face of God that you see is not the one inflicting the beat down... He is there to rescue you out of it.

Pursue Knowledge

The following is from Jerry Savelle:

What if I told you the biggest key to your success or failure was knowledge? Have you ever made a bad or embarrassing decision just because you didn't know any better? I know I have. When you lack knowledge about something, it is very easy to make bad choices. 

Look at this warning from Hosea:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 (KJV) 

Notice how it doesn't say a lack of finances. It doesn't say people are destroyed for a lack of talent or time or family relationships. It says the "lack of knowledge" – but having the knowledge of God operating in your life can produce supernatural results in your life. 

Many people are praying for money when they need to pray for knowledge. With the knowledge of God, you can turn $25 into $25,000.

Likewise, many people are praying for breakthroughs and deliverance when they really need God's knowledge about what to do. When you KNOW the truth, it will set you free! 

The knowledge of God should be the primary pursuit in your life. God is not withholding His knowledge from you. He gave you the Bible to reveal His knowledge to you.

Look at Paul's prayer for the believers in Colossae:

…We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding…and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. Colossians 1:9-10 (NLT) 

That is my prayer for you today. I'm praying that you will have complete knowledge of God and His will for you, and that it will cause you to produce good fruit in every area of your life.

Can You Give a Guy A Hand?

This morning I had a message from a friend suggesting that I enter this photo in a contest put on by American Eagle Outfitters. So, I entered it this morning and I have been UNBELIEVABLY surprised to find out how few of my friends will take 10-15 seconds to vote for me. Since putting it up, I voted, my friend who suggested it voted, my son voted and I know of 5 others... and of the hundreds of Facebook friends I have, in 4 hours I've managed to get 7 other people to vote. Even at this, I am already in 45th place, so if I could get just SOME of my friends to vote, it would springboard me to the top!  So I am asking you all, would you take a few seconds to click on the link at the end of this post, WAIT until the picture comes up (it does take it about 5-8 seconds, and then click on vote.  If some of you would help share the link with your friends, I could win this one easily, netting $3000 and possibly putting Ashley in a commercial.  How about it?
http://on.ae.com/r0YMNX

Bad News Cannot Shake Us

This is from my devotional today and I thought it needed to be shared.  The emphasis and highlights/color are added by myself. The "race" of life is a marathon, not a 50 yard dash. God's not impressed with those who come flying out of the gate in a flash of glory... only to fizzle when the bad news, set backs and trials come their way. It's kind of like the tortoise and the hare story. It is he who perseveres who wins. Far too many of those on God's team are great starters but lousy at the persevering part. The winds and storms come to all of us. It is how we face those things that makes or breaks us.

Second Timothy 2:15 says: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (NASB).

This is a day-by-day effort requiring deep-rooted confidence and commitment. As Christians, we must constantly strive to live in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. We must continually walk circumspectly before God.

We are not suppose to just look great for the 50-yard dash and then fall apart, but one who continues like a marathon runner, mile after mile.

The truly diligent person is one who digs deep and lays a solid foundation upon God's Word. 

Notice what Jesus said about that man, "...when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock" (Luke 6:48 NKJV).

The deeper we dig the stronger our foundation becomes. We are to let our roots reach deep into the rock—Jesus Christ. Then Satan cannot move us. Bad news does not shake us. Whatever "flood" the enemy tries to bring against us does not overwhelm us. We are stable and consistent because our foundations are solid.

In Hebrews 12:1-3, the writer uses a race as a powerful example of how to finish as a winner: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls" (NKJV).

Running was one of the most popular games of the Olympics at that time. The race was conducted in a stadium approximately 600 feet in length. The starting point was at the entrance of the stadium, and at the opposite end was the goal where the judge sat holding the prize in his hand. The eyes of each competitor were fixed on the judge. They could see the prize they were striving to win which inspired them to run toward the finish line with all their might.

There is a great cloud of witnesses who surround us as we run our race (see Hebrew 11). Each witness testifies to the fact that God is faithful to His Word. These are great people of faith who, though they may have made mistakes and experienced setbacks, found that God responded to their faith and obedience to His Word. They witness to us the fact that simple faith and consistent action on God's Word will bring powerful results.

It Is High Time to Awake!

I have not slept well lately. OK, truth is I seldom sleep well, but lately, it had been far worse. Last night, I was so exhausted, and I actually slept a little over 7 hours which is really good for me, but when I awakened, I felt more tired than ever. Ever notice that when you sleep more than normal, you actually wake up more tired than usual? Weird phenomena there. Anyway... I came down stairs, put on some coffee and I came into the office and noticed that I had a couple of missed phone calls and an unusually high number of messages left for me on Facebook. Turns out that while I slept, one of my members was taken to the ER and admitted to the hospital, and another man, the father of a one of my daughter's friends had died in the middle of the night, and still another person was going through a bit of a crisis and needed someone to talk with and pray. I realize there was nothing that I really could have done and I needed the sleep; still it still bothers me greatly that I was not available when I was needed.

All this got my mind to rolling, and I thought back to the blog entry I wrote last week about being asleep in the night. The more I thought about it, I was reminded of a verse that Paul wrote in Romans 13:11, "And that, knowing the time, tat now it is high time to awake out of the sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than  when we believed."  It's as if Paul was looking forward in time and writing the the church today.  If you know anything about your Bible and end time prophecy, you will easily notice that things are rapidly unfolding before our eyes that tells us, time is growing short before the Lord's return.  But do we? Do we see it? If we do, why are we not acting on this knowledge? I believe it is because we have been lulled to sleep, and in our comfortable slumber, we are not fully aware of what is happening around us. Just as when I awakened this morning, I found that there were people in need, and in my sleep, I missed it; the church is asleep in the light and we are missing opportunity after opportunity to exercise our faith in showing Christ to a dieing world. As Paul said, "It is high time to awake of of sleep!"


Let me ask you a question: "Do you realize what time it is?"
It is harvest time! Yet while it is time to be bringing in the harvest, many are asleep.
Sleeping during the harvest hours is a characteristic of the slothful servant. Solomon said, "He that gathers crops in summer is a wise son,  but he who sleeps in harvest is a son that causes shame."  Which are you? Are you bringing in the harvest? If not... well, read it. You bring shame to the Father!  Here we are in a season where the fields are white  and ready for for the laborers to bring in the harvest... but where are the laborers? The are snoring on, enjoying their rest. "Church," to them is all about, make me feel good, give me a word, tickle me some more...  and they fail to realize that if we are not bringing in the harvest, we are bringing shame to the Father.  When Jesus talked about the laborers being few, he was not implying that the Christians were few... only that the workers are few! That, my friends is the church today. The Christians are asleep in their comfort zone and not willing to arise and get out into the fields and do the work of the harvester. Bringing in the harvest is hard work! Ask yourself, "am I working? Am I actively bringing in the harvest? If the answer to that question is "no" and it is harvest time, then you MUST concede that you are the "son who causes shame."  

What can you do about that? Well, you can either get mad about it and roll over in search of more sleep... or you can look at your spiritual watch and tell yourself, "It is high time to awaken" and get to work!