One Year Down - Happy 1st To Me

Today, May 24th is the 1 year anniversary of my blog. I look back on the past 365 days and stand in awe of what the Lord has done in my life, in the lives of my family members and in my friends and church families lives.

When I first started my blog it was to pretty much document my journey in finding a new church home. God took care of that really quick, so the blog went in a different direction. Mostly as just a rant of what the Lord was showing me as He was opening my eyes to a lot of things. Praise Him that He did not leave me believing the false gospel that I was hearing at each church service. It was actually a very dangerous message, as it had enough truth to sound solid but the 10% man centered message was enough to make a difference. Imaging you had a glass of water and put 10% poison into it. Would you drink it? Would you reject it? So why would a sermon or a preacher be any different? It should actually be held to a stiffer standard than that, seeing how it sends countless millions to hell.

One thing that I would like to say, I AM NOT A WRITER. That is very evident if you have read some of my posts. I am just a regular person, that enjoys venting on the internet. Thankfully I have never been confronted about my writing ability, or lack thereof. I have seen God use this blog for things I never though possible. He has used it to show me that His Word does not go out void. This has also been a great study help for me, as I look up scriptures and verify that I am not using a scripture out of context. I pray that I haven’t and won’t at any time. The Lord was also good in allowing a great family in the area to read my blog and in that bringing the m to Oak Grove Baptist. This family has been a major blessing in my families life and in the church family as well. God is good and this is proof.

The past year has also been full of a lot of trials for me. I have gone through my mom’s house being broken into, my son being in trouble with the law, a huge marital issue and a close call at work that could have landed me jobless. But through this God has been there. I have seen His hand at work in each circumstance and have gloried in His work. I have come to a place where I know I must trust His Word and trust in Him to be my sustainer. So many time have I tried to fix things myself, the mentioned issues included, only to fall. I have learned that I must place everything at the feet of God and trust Him to take care of the situations and me. God doesn’t want His children to suffer; He wants them to depend on Him for everything and it is sad that I had to go through things like this to get me to the point of where I am today. I should have put everything in His hands when they first came about.

One thing I have tried to do in my blog posts is appeal to the lost. This includes those that know they are lost as well as those that think they are okay. The hit tracker on the left of the page shows search terms, so I have seen a lot of Todd Bentley hits to this blog. I saw that as an opportunity to tailor some postings to draw those search results to this page so those people would get a clearer picture of where they were spiritually. Todd Bentley came and went fairly quickly, but he is poising himself for a comeback, so it won’t be long before I revisit some Bentley postings. I just have not had the stomach to sit through the videos of him and fellow heretic Rick Joyner, so until then I will not be writing any Bentley posts.

I would like to thank anyone that has set through my ramblings. It is amazing to me that people from countries I have never heard of have visited my li’l old blog. I am also amazed that people continue to come, some on a regular basis, to read my bad excuse for blogging. God has been good and He will continue to be exalted here and I will leave it open to Him what appears here. This is for His glory, I have no hidden agendas or underlying motives in what I post. I want to glorify my Savior an pray that He will use me for that purpose. One thing exciting to me is that you can now type in www.thattruthmayabound.com and reach this blog. I am in prayer as to what God wants for this blog and website. Who knows? I never thought that all the things that have taken place over the past year would come to be, I can only stand in awe of what comes about over the next year.

To God be the glory! Great things He has done.

My Hometown Is Becomming The World

Yesterday in my hometown the city commission approved an ordinance that will allow a "cafe" atmosphere in our downtown area, allowing the drinking of alcohol lining the public sidewalks. I also just sent an email to each commission member, the mayor and the city manager telling them of my objection to their decision.

The commission is made up of professing Christians that are showing their friendship with the world, their lack of morals and total disregard for a family environment all in the name of greed. This latest decision is just the extra kick to the recent allowance of alcohol sales on Sundays.

I remember as a child in Paducah KY when you were hard pressed to even find a store open on a Sunday. But that was a different time, when there were actual morals and family values left. Now it seems that what the mighty dollar wants, the mighty dollar gets. Paducah is slowly becoming a very worldly influence on its inhabitants. Any sin that can be thought of can be had in Paducah. Maybe I am a little naive, but I don't think it has always been this way.

I can see Paducah changing, or at least God has opened my eyes to things that have been going on for a while. There is something seriously wrong with things when a person can stand in the parking lot of any bar and ask people if they are Christians and get a 99% yes count. This is from people that are on their way into an establishment, under cover of the night, to engage in all manners of sinfulness..... and they blaspheme the Name of God as they do this.

It's time for true Christians to wake up and stop electing officials that are going to further the worlds agenda. But then again, most are like the 99% that answer yes to being a Christian, but are actually the world and products of the modern "christian" message proclaimed in churches across this country. The one that has no sanctification or regeneration. They teach nothing of the new birth in Christ, but say they are "born again", even though they still live just as sinful as they did before they got their ticket.

Sadly these poor souls are travelling down the wrong road. They go arm in arm with each other down a very wide path. The narrow way (Matt 7:13-14)is just that - NARROW. You come by yourself, with no baggage because it won't fit through the narrow gate. If you want to pack all your sin along, then you are on the wrong path and I plead you to seek the Holy God that can save you and in turn take your yoke of baggage.

As for the city leaders of Paducah. Pray for those that voted for this ordinance and are schmoozing with the world, that they may meet the True God of the bible. Also pray for the 2 lone commissioners that voted against this and that they will continue to vote in accordance with their beliefs.

Proverbs 20:1 (KJV) Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

I first came up with the title of this blog and then a couple different thoughts popped into my head. Do I rant about my wife and how she relies on me as her alarm clock on the weekends or do I rant about the poor souls that are sleepwalking through life thinking they are on their way to heaven.

I then decided….. neither. If you read my past blogs, I am quite straightforward about the professing Christians and I am fairly sure if you come back in a few days I will have written something else about them as well. That is where my convictions are, because that is where I was for 30+ years of my life. I was “okay”. I had my “ticket” and I was on my way to heaven, even though I lived like the devil.

I did decide to write about my wife, but not rant. My wife is in the midst of a wonderful walk with the Lord. It is very exciting to see her growing in faith, by putting her trust in God. She is a very strong willed person and I really admire that, but it does sometimes hinder growth. That she is learning first hand and though it is painful at times for her, it is also great to hear her say, “God is good, I totally gave Him my problems and He deals with them and I am at peace”. In effect, she has done what Matt 11:28-30 says to do – give your burdens to the Lord, His burden is light.

She recently was faced with a really heavy trial, one that I had actually prayed to come about. Now before you get out the whip on me, it was something that was impeding her family life with the boys and me. I gave it to the Lord after voicing my opinion to her on one too many occasions. She became agitated with me for voicing my concerns about this and my stubborn self finally did what I should have done a long time ago as well – put my trust in God. I prayed in accordance with the Word of God, what He laid out for family life, but in that it was also a prayer to change her outlook as well. Guess what? It wasn’t any time until God had turned her 180 degrees and she was walking closer to Him and in turn with me.

Isn’t God amazing when you do what you know should be doing, instead of what comes natural? God is so patient and good to His children. Especially when we come to Him in all confidence with a request, which is in accord with His Word. Some times it takes us too long to get to that point, but as I grow in His Word and as I walk more with Him I find it much more conducive to give it all to the Lord. Not just problems, but everything. What Father would hurt their child or do something that is not for the betterment of them? Our God is good and he pleasures in us, especially when we are in communion with Him. Because when we trust in Him, He can be glorified in what He does for us and through us.

I urge you to place everything at the feet of the Lord and allow Him to direct your path. Believe me, that is the real meaning of trust and obey, because if you do trust the obeying part comes natural.

So what about the blog title and waking my wife up? I decided that it was I that had the issues, not my wife. I was being selfish and expecting her to know that she needed to get up with the sun like I do. That’s not to say that on a Saturday that there is something we planned to do I won’t be prodding her to get up, but what does it hurt for her to sleep in longer than I do? Nothing. Maybe I need to sleep in a little longer myself from time to time.

Carrie Prejean, a Christian? In a Biblical sense? Really?

It seems like Carrie Prejean, Miss California, is doing a lot of explaining these days. She is taking a lot of flack from Perez Hilton, self-described “queen” of all media. (Just a side question, who digs these judges up out the cesspool anyway? Oh wait; Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant so there ya go.)

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, Prejean was asked a question by Hilton during the Miss USA contest last month. The question was for her opinion on gay marriage, in which she said “I believe a marriage should be between a man and a woman”. Honestly I did not see the contest and have only read about things until today when I watched the clip of what she said. She did offer up a bit of an apology when she was answering Hilton’s question saying “No offense to anyone out there, but that’s how I was raised…”

While I will not join the throngs of people on the “diss the miss” bandwagon, I will say that I do question a person’s fruit if they call themselves a Christian. I do this because scripture say’s I need to do so (Matt 7:17, 20, 24 - 1 Corinthians 6:3-4 – Eph 5:11). If you examine what Prejean has done (the beauty contests that glamorize beauty (conceit) or that make gawking objects for men to look at on TV in their bikinis and low cut dresses), she tries to justify it by “that’s what I do, I am a beauty contestant”. Well, could a murderer claim to be a Christian and continue to kill people with the same flippant “that’s what I do, I kill people but I am a Christian”?

But, to me that’s not really the big issue, that is quite common place these days and thank God that He has allowed me to see through these deceitful lies from professing Christians. Ms. Prejean has created a God that fits her lifestyle. She has done the exact same thing as the majority of “Christian America” has done. She is in the same ranks now as Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Rob Bell, Oprah, Todd Bentley and just about everyone that appears on godtv. I know she is being praised for her answer during the pageant, I know she received an extended standing ovation at the Dove awards (I was there, see last post), I know she claims to be a Christian, but I can not find her testimony or conversion story anywhere. (If someone does please send me a link.) I would really like to hear how God transformed her from her sinfulness into a slave for Christ. I do respect the fact that she stood up for what the bible says marriage is, but I also know that one does not have to be a Christian to have those same values. I have lost friends at work that also hold the same convictions concerning what marriage is, but that does not make them a Christian.

It does seem that Carrie is in a pickle about the photos that have recently surfaced (oh, that explains the picture above). On one hand she claims that she was 17 when these were taken (which also brings in question her parents salvation for allowing this) and on the other she is making excuses of why they were taken. It seems that no matter what your chosen profession now, it is o.k. to call yourself a Christian and still live a life of sin. I work with people that do the same thing – they claim to be Christians but they still live a sinful lifestyle filled with drugs, alcohol, lying, cursing God, living in sin with their girlfriends, etc. These people are breaking every commandment, especially having created a god in their own image that turns his head at their sins. They are cheapening Christ’s bloodshed on Calvary for us. This is a tragedy and I will not be party to it. If anything, the Miss California debacle has made me a little bolder in talking to people I come in contact with.

I will not cheapen the work of our Savior. I will not condone this and I pray that anyone reading this will do the same. I will not close my eyes to people that say they can do whatever they want and still be a Christian, because that’s one thing we are saved from – a sinful lifestyle that does not glorify God. If a person is born again that means A-G-A-I-N, that their old life is gone and instead they are born anew in the Spirit, they do not want to sin, they detest it and in no way will a true Christian justify their sins as Prejean and millions of others do. These poor deceived souls are walking down the broad road to damnation with all their friends and baggage in tow. The narrow path is… well narrow. It does not allow you to bring all the baggage with you, you have to leave it at the turnstile and enter by yourself, totally exposed. If you haven’t and you are trying to bring the world along with you I beg you to examine your choice to do so. Are you justifying the music you listen to or the TV shows that you watch? Is a white lie o.k. to you? Is getting drunk just entertainment to you? How about gambling, the lottery, cussing constantly? If so then you are in the same boat, or on the same road as Carrie Prejean and all the professing Christians that have created a god to suit them, one in their own image that isn’t strong enough to sanctify them or one that doesn’t care what his children do. Do you want a powerless god like that? I do not and that is why my God is the God of the Bible that sanctifies and carries out the work that He begins. My God is stronger than my past sinful life and re-birthed me by His Spirit anew and doesn’t allow me to rest in my sin. Oh, praise Him for that. I praise Hi that He did not only save me from hell, but from my sinful life that mocked His Holy Name.

So choose this day whom you will follow – the God of scripture or the god of your own making. (My paraphrase of 1 Kings 18:21)

(P.S. It took me a little while to locate a photo that I could use of Prejean. Seems like a crop is needed on any photo on the internet to make it acceptable, be it for a bikini shot or a low cut top shot. That seems like that's all that's out there. Not very scriptural according to 1 Timothy 2:9)