SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

(by A.W. Pink) 

It is greatly to be feared that there are

multitudes in Christendom who verily

imagine and sincerely believe that they

are among the saved, yet who are total

strangers to a work of divine grace in

their hearts. 

It is one thing to have clear intellectual

conceptions of God's truth, it is quite

another matter to have a personal, real

heart acquaintance with it. 

It is one thing to believe that sin is the

awful thing that the Bible says it is, but

it is quite another matter to have a holy

horror and hatred of it in the soul. 

It is one thing to know that God requires

repentance, it is quite another matter to

experimentally mourn and groan over our

vileness. 

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

only Savior for sinners, it is quite another

matter to really trust Him from the heart.

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

'sum of all excellency', it is quite another

matter to LOVE HIM above all others. 

It is one thing to believe that God is the

great and holy One, it is quite another

matter to truly reverence and fear Him. 

It is one thing to believe that salvation

is of the Lord, it is quite another matter

to become an actual partaker of it through

His gracious workings.

Altar-ed Call

I've set through a lot of altar calls in my life. Some of these altar calls were bad, in the baddest sense, others were worse, but none worse than the one I set through last night. It was actually three altar calls strung together over about an hour and a half.

Being raised in a typical “American church” I grew up with altar calls after every service. It was just how the service progressed: Singing, prayer, preaching, altar call with soft music, proclamations of salvation, leave. Of course, I use the “preaching” and the “prayer” in loose terms as they were both usually man-centered. But hey, it's all I knew as a child and I was a fine product of the “modern gospel” for 30 years, believing I was saved because of an altar call. I was “held over hell on a corn stalk” being told how terrible hell was, literally having the hell scared out of me and driving me right to the altar to say the prayer. It was just “how it was” and that's all I knew.

Thirty years later, when I actually had an encounter with God He began to show me things. I had returned to the church of my youth and had heard the same messages, seen the same methods, witnessed the same results. People flocked to the altars to “get saved” or “rededicate” their lives to Christ. The altar call trip when I was 8 was my only one, but I would say 50% of the other altar calls I set through I was praying that prayer all over again. As a mater of fact my prayer before going to bed each night usually had some form of, “God, if I'm not really saved, please forgive me and don't send me to hell”.

The extended altar call last night really struck bad to me. I had just enjoyed a great concert from a Christian band that I really like. I made my way to the merch table to pick up a t-shirt and have the band sign my CD cover before I left. The guest “evangelist” began to speak and they shut down everything, no sales, everyone stop and pay attention. I was told that, “We can't sell anything now, this is why we put this on tonight, right here”, with a head nod to the stage area. The “evangelist” started out making fun of how a few girls had laughed at other events that he had been a part of. I would say that if any of those girls had been there they would not have been very flattered by the words he was saying. He was after laughs and he received laughs. I guess this was his ice breaker routine to grab attention of everyone. It worked, because my attention was fixed on him, wondering why he would be squandering this opportunity to share Christ with the crowd before him. He did speak a little about the bible, told how God's sheep hear His voice and then the altar call commenced.

“Do you want to hear God's voice?”

“Do you want to go to heaven when you die?”

That's about it in several different forms. By this time a brief shower had started falling, so he was rushing to get to the altar call and rushing, somewhat to get to “the prayer”. He asked everyone to bow their heads, raise their hand if they wanted to be able to hear God's voice an commenced the text book “sinner's prayer”. He then did the next thing in the “Altar Calls 101” play book and asked those that said the prayer to stand up, “nobody's looking” after all. Then after a few had made it to their feet began to tell them, “OK, now don't be ashamed, come on forward.” Typical psychological manipulation. I would guess that about 35 kids went forward and were passed off to the events counselors at the side of the stage.

The rain had stopped, so the second altar call commenced. This time it was geared at those that “have heard God's voice, but now listen to the voice of the world instead”. He was giving the altar call for people to rededicate their lives. This was filled with a story about scaring girls when he was younger and was played into “don't be scared to live for God”. Not much of a reaction to this part of his extended altar call. He ended it with “prayer” and handed the mic to the promoter.

I was ready to buy my t-shirt and hit the road for the hour drive back home. But, alas, the promoter must not have thought that the second altar call was good enough. He began with the same “don't be scared” ploy. This was followed by “we have to do....”, “why aren't you.....” and “If you don't.....”. This man was filling these people's heads with works and trying to lay guilt trips on everyone. At one point he said, “If you are not out evangelizing then you are sending people to hell”. My head was about to explode because I had yet to hear anything, in the three altar calls, about God's holiness, God's requirements, man's sinfulness and rebellion, Christ's perfect atonement, the blood of Christ that takes away all of our sins, the grace of God in even allowing us to have a breath because of our rebellion. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. No Gospel. No call to repentance. Nothing of the true Gospel whatsoever. Only a emotional call and guilt trip to garner decisions. I prayed during all of this that God would save despite the false message. He saved me despite the false teachings I was sitting under, so I know He does it.

If I were a confrontational person I would have been in a serious discussion with the promoter and staff last night. If there ever was a time I wanted to confront someone it was last night. It was probably for the best that I did, at that time, not say anything. But, I will probably say something if I ever happen to be at another event that this guy puts on. I know that this false gospel is sending millions to hell. I also think that most of these people mean well, but also that the “road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Unless someone repents and is born again they will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus made it clear that you must follow Him, lay everything aside, even the love for your family is to seem like hate in comparison for your love for Him. The easy believism that permeates most “churches” and “Christian” events must be addressed and must be stopped. Then again, this may just be part of the judgment of God, giving man over to their own self centered desires and works mentality, trusting in themselves for salvation and not on Christ.

We must stand on the Word of God alone. We must not water down the Message of Christ. We must not tickle the ears of others and tell them what they want to hear in order to get them to commit to a decision. We must not play people's emotions and instead preach the full council of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in convicting them, God made it simple enough to trust in Him. Sell it all and follow Him. Do not give regard for the things of this life, but instead have the mind of a pilgrim, just passing through, making disciples, pointing to Christ in all that we do, exalting His Name, preaching the Gospel in season and out of season. Proclaiming The good News to this lost and dying world. Are you ready? Then Go!  

God's Amazing Grace

If I were to have started this blog today, instead of years ago I would probably have titled it “That Grace May Abound”. Not that I wasn't aware of God's grace(s) at that time, but He was showing me so much truth from His Word and about what I had been living for the bulk of my life. Today, my 44^th Birthday, as I reflect back over the past years of my life I see the signs and evidences of God's grace throughout. Yes, even when I was lost and in rebellion to my Lord, He was still pouring His grace and His love out in my life. Grace is often attributed as "unmerited favor" or a reprieve of guilt and with those I totally agree with, but it is also the natural extension of God's love to His children. 

I think about my childhood, about how He put me in a church, to learn the bible stories that showed His power and how He worked in people's lives like David, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Noah, Moses and many others in the Bible. I never really learned, though, why these stories were in the bible, that they all actually pointed to Christ, but nonetheless, they were laying groundwork in my life to point me to Him later in life. I think of my “rebellious” years, which were actually all my years until He saved me. But the ones that stick out are when I openly flung my fist in the air and said, “I'm doing this my way, I'll do what I want – when I want”. All the time thinking that I was saved because of a profession as an 8 year old in that same church's youth group.

The years passed and I can honestly only think of only a single night that, as I lay down to sleep, I did not pray to the god I had created in my own mind. The reason? I dozed off drunk. I would always pray for forgiveness, for the same sins, for the life that I lived and for the multitude of sins I committed each day. God was still graceful to me, He kept me safe, He kept those around me safe, He still allowed me the days until I would finally and truly know Him.

I see the signs of God working my life through the years. Even though, at the time, I didn't realize it was Him. The things I prayed for that never came to pass, the things I did pray for that actually did. The staying of His wrath against me as I defiled His Name by professing to know Him, all the while living in open sin to and with those I was making the profession to. I know first hand the deception of a false convert, which is again by His grace. I attribute this to my “zeal” for truth. I just so greatly want others that live in deception to be awakened from their slumber and meet the One True God.

I have in my recent past, since God saved me, seen His grace in many ways. Today He has shown me that a lot of times His grace is shown through people He has put in my life. I think about people that for many different reasons should have had their anger heightened toward me, in my zeal (misdirected zeal) said and did things that I should have actually stopped to think about beforehand. But God in His richness of Grace allowed these people to react with the grace that I lacked. These occurrences have made a huge impact on me and I now see that these, too, were an act of God's grace in my life. God has used these people in many ways and without that grace shown I would not be where I am today. I still have the “zeal” for His truth, but also have a fresh zeal for His Grace. It is through His grace that I have a better understanding of how to interact with others better. Not perfectly by a long shot, but better.

In 2010, on my birthday, I set out on a year long journey on this blog titled “A Year In MY Life ThroughPictures”. It seemed like a good idea at first, but soon became somewhat tedious. I do not regret doing the series, but it did leave a sense of antipathy ($2 word alert) to me, I just didn't want to write any longer. I was burned out and I was spent. I needed a break. So, since finishing the year long series in 2011, on my birthday, I have been sporadic, at best, with my postings. A few things here and there have sparked me to bang something out, but no real inspiration. Until now. Why? I have no idea, but I feel the need to start posting again.

Let me say something again that I have said from the get-go on this blog. I AM NOT A WRITER. I hated English class in high school. I hated diagramming sentences. I can't spell. I do not properly punctuate. I make up words. I ramble on and on. I lack sentence structure. I lack any sense of writing ability that would characterize someone that anyone else would want to read. But I think of Moses, who had a speech impediment, whom God used anyway. I think of Jeremiah who tried to talk God into not using him:

Jeremiah 1:4-9 

4 The word of the Lord came to me: 5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6 But I protested, “Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.” 

7 Then the Lord said to me:

Do not say, “I am only a youth,”

for you will go to everyone I send you to

and speak whatever I tell you.

8 Do not be afraid of anyone,

for I will be with you to deliver you.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

9 Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and told me:

I have now filled your mouth with My words.

Not that I should be compared to Moses or Jeremiah, but God is still God and I am still feeble. Moses and Jeremiah tried to talk God out of using them and I have done that too. But I see that God can use whoever He pleases, however He pleases, whenever He pleases and I don't want to miss that. I want to be aware when He is using me and actually, willingly and openly be used of Him in whatever capacity that is. I don't want to miss God like I did 38 years of my life.

So I ask anyone who ventures upon this blog site to be graceful of my mistakes, I make them often. Please do not hesitate to correct me grammatically or if I have something wrong spiritually. I would actually prefer that you correct me, so I do not continue in error. But some things you may be in error in as well and I ask that you seek correction too. God is still graceful to the humble, but not the prideful. I have learned that the hard way, through my stubbornness and through my lack of grace to others. God has been very good to me and has corrected me through His grace and through His grace through others.

What better way to describe grace than this:

Ephesians 2:4-9

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

I'll Do Better...... Tomorrow

It seems I've fallen into a trap. A self placed trap of laziness, of procrastination. I have largely shucked my "duties" of keeping this blog active for any length of time, other than the "Year in my life through pictures" series that I started on my birthday in 2010 and completed on the day after my birthday in 2011. The "Year in my life" series started out as a great idea, to chronicle a year of my life from a personal level, one picture at a time. It is a great concept, on the idea level, but on the practical level it became very tedious to me and I felt it as a chore rather than something edifying. I would not change the fact that I did it, but in doing it I was kind of jaded at writing (attempting to write) a blog with any consistent pace. So, I stopped pretty much, except for the occasional post here or there to vent or if some world event was unfolding. I became something I really never have been, a procrastinator.

I've usually fared well with tasks at hand. Maybe that is why it became an issue, it was a task to write a post, so I just put it off until later. Sadly the "later" never really materialized and I became a blogger backslider and forsook the very site that I know God has used to His glory. It has to be His work, because I lack many things that are normally required of writers:
1.) Knowing how to actually write
2.) Knowing proper sentence structure
3.) Being entertaining
4.) Ability to spell words correctly
5.) Knowledge to share

See, the only thing I had going into this blog was the desire to see God glorified, to edify brothers and sisters in Christ, to challenge the lost and to vent on occasion to what I saw going on in my world around me. Through the blog I planned on chronicling the quest for a new church home that never really panned out because God saw fit to place my family in the perfect church family. Then over the years I got apathetic and clammed up for not any one reason or another. For that I am sorry, to anyone who has ever read a post here, to myself for stopping and mostly to God for developing a spirit of procrastination.

I am going to look at this "revelation" as another way for me to seek God. It seems like these seemingly "small" issues are what God uses in my life as catalysts to ready me for "bigger" things. I will seek Him for what to clunk out on the keyboard and when. I will seek to glorify Him in what I write. I will seek Him in all aspects of my life on a higher level. These "small" things need tending to in "big" ways. I simply want to tell of the love the Father has for me, for you and for the world. I want to see the false teachers silenced. I want to see sinners repent. I want to see God glorified above all, in all and through all I ever do.

So please partner with me in prayer as I seek the Lord on how to proceed. I know it will be with regular postings as that is a current burden, but other than that I will not speculate. Well, and a new look to the blog which is easier to read. I also ask that if I write anything that goes against the Word of God that you call me out on it, be Bereans and question me. I am nothing apart from Christ and I am probably the most fallible person in the blogosphere, so please help me if you see I need it. I will readily apologize if I am wrong and correct anything that is wrong. I have done this several times and have gained much from doing so.

I cherish your prayers. I cherish your opinions. I cherish your input. Please send them all my way. -Jeff

Whitney Houston Dead At 48

I am sure for the next few weeks we will be inundated with memorials to Whitney Houston. Her passing today made her part of the ultimate statistic - 1 in 1 will die. I am sure as she woke up this morning she had no idea that this would be the last day she would do so. As her day progressed she probably had no idea that today, this day, February 11th 2012 she would breath her last breath and step into eternity.

I am not an expert on the life of Whitney Houston. I know she was a very popular singer and acted in The Bodyguard, was married to Bobby Brown for a while and had a child together. Other than that I couldn’t really tell you, other than her erratic behavior and drug abuse. I have no idea if she was a Christian or even professed faith in God, which is a sign that she did not actively proclaim Christ.

The Grammy Awards will be telecast tomorrow night, in which we will hear many accolades to Ms. Houston. I am also fairly certain we will even hear how she is “with God now” or “in the arms of angels” or people bidding her to “rest in peace”. Thing is, by all accounts she is probably not doing any of those things. From the little research I did this evening Houston was raised in a Baptist home, later attended a Pentecostal church and went to a Catholic school. She sometimes talked about her “faith” but I could find no account of what that “faith” was. Her life was full of drug use, rehab stays and behavior that makes faith in Christ seem to be the farthest thing from the truth. This is not to say that Christians cannot fall into these evils, but they will definitely not stay there. I caution everyone to be really careful about preaching Whitney Houston into heaven. Professing faith does not really mean a lot. And just because she was famous and had an obvious God given talent does not mean that she was a Christian, it just means she wasted her God given talent on selfish ambitions.

So, what to do? Use this as a springboard, a reason to talk to people about death. Explain to them that we are all going to die one day, maybe even today. Don’t scare them into saying a prayer or anything, but make sure they know that today is the day of salvation and that we are not promised another breath on this earth. Make sure they know the true gospel of scripture and are not placing their faith anywhere except on Christ. Not in a prayer, not in church membership or attendance, not on being proclaimed saved by a pastor, not on how good they have lived - only repenting of their sin and trusting in Jesus Christ and His merit can save them. Point them to resources such as Real Truth Matters , www.needgod.com or any other biblically based ministry’s website. Pursue a relationship with them, disciple those that you talk to, show them where your faith lies.

Use this tragic end to a tumultuous life as a way to share the Gospel. Never waste the opportunity to tell someone how they too can know God.

Occupy Wall Street And Christianity Are A Match?

I'm sitting here in my hotel room, 800 miles from home and my loved ones, fending off sleep since I woke up at 3:15 this morning for the red-eye out of Paducah. So, what is a guy to do? Well, this guy decided to check out the broo-ha over the Occupy Wall Street movement going on across the U.S.
I've heard about this “movement” for a couple of weeks now, but admittedly haven't paid it much attention. Downtime away from home seems to allow for things done that I normally do not do, like search for information on “movements” of a worldly nature. “Why?” You may ask. Because I wanted to make an informed decision on my thoughts of what this is all about.

After looking at a few websites, even those that say they are “part” of the movement, I still don't know a lot about what these folks are trying to accomplish. Well, that is not exactly true, as they seem to be “for” being against a lot of things with “corporate greed” as a main focus. The first web-page I encountered was a demonstration that happened to have a video embedded within the page, so I indulged and watched it. I soon discovered what a “People's Microphone” is and also quickly discovered that the majority (99%) of those that I saw in the video and in several photos appeared to be modern hippies. I also saw that the “majority” in their open voting at the location liked to silence anyone that was outside of their “99%” mentality.

Let me explain the “99%” mentality. It is simply their assumption that 1% of America's richest run everything, while the other 99% have to deal with the repercussions. Alright, sounds good on the surface, but what about the meat of what this movement stands for. What exactly are the people involved in this trying to accomplish/ what are they against? Let me take a deep breath and list a few things for you:
Raise taxes on the rich
Raise taxes on corporations
End “corporate welfare”
Support of trade unions
“Protection” of Social Security/ Medicare in their current forms
Audit or elimination of the Federal Reserve
Affordable health care
Ending all wars
Elimination of student loan repayment
Peace (?)
And a unlimited number of other “issues”

Now, while I do agree with some of those demands, I do not agree with their thinking behind them. It appears to me, and many others, that this movement is made up of liberal freeloaders that want the government to be a socialized mess taking care of them indefinitely. Really? The way I see it is that the majority of those that I saw on the news sites, videos and pictures are of the younger age bracket that has been raised with entitlements ingrained into them. This is nothing new, but we are now seeing how the past several decades of government welfare has molded upcoming generations. I would say that it is no stretch to say that the majority of those involved are part of the 50% of Americans that pay 0 in income taxes and actually receive back more than they have paid in, thanks to our faulty tax codes (that is another issue).

One ironic side of this whole debacle is endorsements by the likes of Kanye West, Michael Moore, Roseanne Barr, Susan Surandon and Russel Simmons. All of these are multi-millionaires, by the way, with Simmons owning a debit card company that is one of the major industries behind “corporate greed”. Hmm.

So, what does this have to do with me? Why am I writing about this on this Christian blog? Because it seems that a group called “The Protest Chaplains” has jumped into the fray, claiming to be Christians and thereby saying that they represent the Body of Christ. With this I take offense and if you are a Christian so should you. I invite you to check out their website and to read their “What We've Learned So Far” list. This list is actually a set of guidelines for people to participate as “chaplains”, but as acting as chaplains they are to totally set aside their Christian faith and stand opposed to Jesus Christ and the Bible. Among these guidelines are; Interfaith “spirituality”, learn from the Occupy Wall Street movement instead of the movement learning from Christianity, Don't defend your religion because it is not your job to, practice nonviolent communication and active listening, do not proselytize (evangelize because it is obnoxious and detrimental to the movement), be a resource (do, do, do, work, work, work), encourage YOGA, meditation, Muslim prayers and let what happens happen and the ever popular “uncreate division”.

Whew, that sounds an awful lot like Christianity, huh? Not! It is the exact polar opposite and stands contrary to everything in scripture. So, yeah! I am offended because this group of “chaplains” that claim faith in Christ, trying to pass themselves off as members of His Body, want Christians to endorse other religions, learn from a worldly movement and totally ignore the great commission and shun evangelizing these lost and perverted members of society. Why must groups like this bring Christ into this ungodly movement centered in worldliness? Why try to say that Jesus would want us to accept what is going on?

What I see with these misguided people, is that they do not understand Christianity and do not truly know Jesus Christ. They have a very distorted view of the Word of God and sadly have fallen into an ecumenical mindset that believes all roads lead to God. Why take principles of scripture and try to relate them to this mammon driven movement? Why take the “golden calf” of Wall Street and use it to say that Jesus has compassion on these people that are actually guilty of idolatry as well, saying how much they deserve the money over Wall Street and Corporate America. Just “spread the wealth” instead of it going to the companies that are making the money. I can't stand the entitlement/ victim mentality that seems to have attached itself to all those involved in this movement.

I am not part of what they call the 99%. I am not part of the 1% that they say runs the U.S. I am a middle class American that works hard, pays my taxes, pays my bills, loves Jesus and wants everyone else to come to a saving faith in Christ. That all flows from my relationship with Jesus and I will not compromise any of that because of any movement. Scripture paints it clear that if you deny Christ that He will deny you. If you compromise the Gospel, enter into interfaith communion and think Christians can learn from a misguided movement of liberals then you are very far gone and need to seriously examine your faith. I will say, without a doubt, that if you are following the guidelines of the “Protest Chaplains” you are not a true Christian. If you disagree show me scripture that supports the things I quoted from their website. If you can I will give a humble apology and write a retraction. I am 100% certain you can not find anything, in context to support the things they stand for/ against. But I am always willing to be proven wrong.

FYI – Saying that I am a left-wing, conservative, Fox News watching, Rush Limbaugh listening Pharisee is not proving anything except you are childish.

God Made Me This Way......

I wrote the following article a couple of years ago and remembered it the other day while talking to a friend. I don't think I have ever shared it here, but may have on Myspace, back in the day.

It is fairly self explanatory, but I suggest reading straight through it and then back through the first part again afterwards. Feel free to share, but I would appreciate a link back to this sight.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
My name is James Heldon. Please read my story, as I believe it will help you to gain some insight on people like me. We are often misunderstood.

As a child I knew I was always different. I didn’t fit in with the other kids, never had the same interests, sports were boring, cars didn’t catch my eye, nothing that the other guys liked. As far back as I could remember all the other kids made fun of me, because I dressed different than they did, listened to different kinds of music and was usually quiet and to myself.

That all changed, when I turned 18 and moved out of my parent’s home. My dad was never okay with how I was, what I did and what I found interesting. My mom, on the other hand, was very understanding and helped me to cope with some of the rejection I felt as I grew up. I had a few very close friends that I confided in as well, they never judged me or anything, but they always seemed to be trying to talk me out of having the thoughts I did.

I had a lot of people tell me I was twisted, an abomination, evil and I shouldn’t be allowed to walk the streets. I knew that was just how they saw me though, I knew I was different than they were but I also knew in my heart that God had made me how I was. How could I be the way I was on my own choosing? I didn’t like some of the thoughts that went through my head, I couldn’t control the anger I felt when others would judge me.

I prayed all the time for the God I heard about from my dad to change me, but He never did. I still cry sometimes and point my finger in disgust at the sky when I feel like people are looking at me because of my lifestyle. They say it’s a choice, they even say I should be locked up away from everyone else. Now, is that fair? After all I did not choose to be the way I am, do the things I do or be born with these thoughts. I was born this way, God did this to me, so it must be right.

I am currently attending church services. They tell me that God loves me, but I can tell some of these people look at me with disgust. Some won’t even look me in the eyes. My mom doesn’t even come see me any longer, my dad just sends the occasional letter and tells me that I need to repent of my sinfulness and turn to God in faith, to trust in Him. I try so hard to, but I know that his God made me this way, so it can’t be a sin. I have found others where I am now that are like me, they seem to accept me but even they seem to judge me sometimes for what I’ve done to all those guys. They say I was excessive, but I never felt that way.

It felt right when I would hold them before I left them alone in their homes. Some were married, some were single, some had children others had high paying jobs and others had no jobs at all. It didn’t really matter to me as long as they felt like the one at that time. There was one that was different. He actually talked to me before I left. He was crying really hard and was telling me about the same God my dad always did. I don’t really know why he chose to tell me that, but he did. So I had to leave, even before the night was complete. He brought back so many memories of my dad, so I couldn’t carry through with it that night. He actually was the reason I ended up where I am now. Maybe I should thank him; maybe I should curse him.

I don’t think anything will change me. After all I was born this way.


James Lee Heldon
Kentucky State Penitentiary
Death Row
1st Degree Murder X 15 – Serial Killer

James Lee Heldon is one of the most heinous serial killers that Kentucky has ever seen. He stands by the fact that God made him the way he is. He claims to be a Christian even though he says he still desires to kill more people and would if released. He says that his mother would allow him to decapitate neighborhood cats and dogs and would lie for him to cover the deaths when neighbors were looking for their missing pets. His dad never knew the full extent of his son’s sickness, but often times talked to him about repentance and faith in Christ for deliverance from sin. According to James, he always felt like his father was judging him, even though he says that he always told him he loved him and wanted to guide him to know Christ, not just about Christ.

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The preceding story was fictional. Most when reading this story will think that James was a homosexual. That was done on purpose to show that sin is sin, it does not matter if it is sexual sin, murder, lying, stealing or blasphemy. The God of scripture is a Holy God. He demands perfection, which we cannot attain on our own. Most, often try to justify their sins, say they were born the way they are and try to place blame on that Holy God. But we all are born that way. We are all born in the mire of sin, we do not want God – we do not seek after Him – we can’t stand His Holiness and would rather walk down the wide road to hell. We are all born dead in sin, spiritually dead. There is no way that we can resuscitate ourselves, or would even want to. Can a physically dead person want to be alive? Can a dead man tell someone that they want to be alive? Does a dead man seek after someone that can raise them from death? No to all of these. But, this is what Paul says we are spiritually – DEAD- Ephesians 2 lays it out for us saying we are born spiritually dead, followed the ways of this world and it prince, only wanting our pleasures. But God gives saving faith through Grace. Even King David says in Psalms 51:5 that he was conceived sinful.

So how are we made alive spiritually? It’s all by grace, through faith in Christ. God resuscitates us with the blood of Jesus. He washes away our sins, our sin nature. It’s not about making a decision for Christ, filling a God shaped hole in your heart, walking the aisle or saying a prayer. It is all about Jesus, God does it all. There is nothing that we can do to merit His forgiveness, there is nothing we can do to bring ourselves to life. Remember we are dead. All we can do is humbly cry out to Him, repent and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 2nd in the Trinity, fully God and fully man, came to Earth, lived a sinless life, was tempted in every fashion that we are but remained pure. Willingly gave His life, shed His blood, took upon Himself the full wrath of God for me, because He loves me. He bore our sins on the cross of Calvary, died a horrible and painful death, was buried in a tomb and 3 days later was the resurrected. Jesus was the first fruits from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father as His children’s advocate.

I humbly ask that you cry out to God and seek Him. He promised that those that seek Him will find Him Jeremiah 29:13, Deut 4:29. But, it is all about Him, if you are seeking Him it is because He is drawing you John 6:44, Jeremiah 31:3John 6:65, John 12:32. So if you feel the draw, then praise Him that draws you for loving you, for being His.

Let's Go Down To The River

Day 359 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I journeyed down to the riverfront this evening taking part in the "Live On Broadway" festivities. This is the local free, live entertainment outlet that me and some friends use to frequent to evangelize, pass out tracts and talk to others about Christ. We haven't done this in a while, so this was actually the first time I have attended in a while, maybe once or twice in the time span between is not going as a group. I had to avert my eyes several times, to say the least. To be a "good clean fun" place to go, advertised as "family fun" it was not very clean and not very family friendly. I did pass out a few tracts and listened to a gospel group too that were very good.

My pictures is on the river side of the flood wall and if you read any of my postings during the flood you know how high the water got. This picture shows you the levels embedded into the concrete wall. It is really neat to see the different spacing between levels, which I assume is reflective of the quickness of the water rising or falling. Anyway it got really high and would have been up to my chest whee I was standing taking this picture.

I actually had a single purpose in going down this evening as a brother and sister from church's son was playing at one of the locations along Broadway. I wanted to show support of this young brother and let him know that he had some fans from church. He is a very good guitarist and I was impressed. It made me want to take up trying to play the guitar again, something I tried when I was in my teenage years. I quickly became frustrated as it is a lot harder than it looks, having to put your fingers in certain places all the time and stuff to make it sound right . So, I am always very impressed with giftings of playing musical instruments, especially the guitar.

This young man happens to have also just surrendered his life to music ministry, wherever that takes Him. I really need to pray for this young man often as God works in his life, that He will place people in his path to guide him in honoring God through his music.

I also have to make a confession. Somehow I got off on my blog day numbers, so I have started changing all of the past "Day In My Life" days. I thought I was being careful, but apparently I wasn't and I noticed tonight when I started typing. Since it is within of my birthday no I knew that if I wrote until my birthday this year it would actually be 366 days. I messed up and I wanted to publicly confess I made a mistake.

Vacation = Oh Yeah!

Day 356 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Only one more day of work until I start my vacation. With the 4th of July falling on a Monday I will also get that off, extending my vacation out another day, 10 days in a row. Yes! I love it when that happens. I normally take my birthday week off every year, sort of out of tradition, because we haven't actually gone anywhere in a few years. This year we will not be going anywhere over this vacation time either, well, maybe one day so I can use my freebie Genghis Grill meal coupon they emailed me for my birthday.

I've been at my job for over 15 years now, a really long time. With the 15th year came another week of vacation, putting me at 4 weeks off per year, or a full month. I really like my job, but I do realize it is just the means that God uses to support my family. I would be upset if I did lose my job, but I do know that God is in control. I am not anticipating losing my job, just saying "if". God is my source, not my job, so I know He will take care of us in the right way.

Also, my job is a mission field. There are a lot of people that work there and the majority are not saved. Unfortunately I do not get to interact with everyone, seeing how we work 3 shifts/ 24 hours a day. Also I work most of the time on a computer in the office, so interaction with most guys on my shift even is limited. I know I fail miserably when talking with these guys. While I do talk about my faith, it is not enough. It's as if I don't really believe they will one day be in hell if they do not repent and turn to God. I laugh and joke with them, work hard side by side, but yet do not warn them of the horror that is their future. Some say they are Christians, some say they are atheists and one even says he was raised a Jehovah's Witness, but I can count on one hand those that I believe to be converted, not that I judge their hearts, but their fruit is ever present before me on a daily basis.

I need to be seeking God more during my working hours, so He can use me more. I know that I need to be casting the seeds of the Gospel often and broad, tilling the hard grounds, allowing God to water where He wishes. After all, that is what we are commanded to do, along with making disciples. I pray that God allows my co-workers the grace needed to believe, that they will see themselves in the state they are in before the Holy God. May they repent and cry out for forgiveness and place all faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

Please pray for me that I will be a obedient servant to the Lord.

Scanning The Globe

Day 355 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

These things are really cool. They are QR Codes that can be scanned with your smart phone that can do any number of things. Scan this one to see what it says. First person to reply what it says gets...... absolutely nothing. Sorry, I have a tight budget on this side of the keyboard.

Technology is amazing. To see how far things have come since just my youth have been amazing. Although we didn't have to crank up the phonograph with a handle to listen to music, I have lived over several different types of music players. When I was young we only had a record player, then we added a console stereo unit that had an 8-Track player. While we still had that unit cassettes came out, in which I had to get a cassette adapter to play them in the 8-Track slot. Then came the walkman and car stereos with cassette players, which were the top of the line when I got my drivers license. Next up were CDs when I was about 20 years old, but were too expensive to put a CD player in my car, so I recorded them to cassette for portability. Now we have made the jump to iPods, MP3 players, jump drives and SD/ Micro SD cards that can hold many CDs worth of music on them. It has been amazing. I can even remember telling my son, when he was young, that when he got older he would probably have something about the size of a stamp that he would slide into a stereo for music, so I was right about the memory card.

I wonder what the next 20 years will hold technologically wise. I can only imagine that TVs will be paper thin and you will be able to roll it out on whatever wall you choose. Video games have already advanced to no controllers needed with the XBOX 360, so where those go will baffle me no matter what advancements are made. Wireless seems to be the newest thing, which I was told by the DirecTV installer to be ready for wireless Satellite TV in the next 5 years, no wires and the signal would be broadcast wirelessly through your house.

No time in history has the ability to reach everyone on the planet been able. Satellites and computers can take the Gospel anywhere across the globe. This could very well be the "end of days" as the Lord returns for His bride. I will not set dates, but will say that Day will probably be soon. I am ready, are you? Do you know the true God of the Bible? Have you seen your utter sinfulness before the Holy God of the Universe? Do you realize that just one little lie is enough to damn you for eternity? We are wretched people and in need of a Savior, because we are sinful through and through. We can't make a payment for our sins no matter how hard we try. We can never be good enough to deserve forgiveness. We can never do enough good works to buy our way to forgiveness. We can't do anything except see our state before God and cry out to Him for mercy. Repent and turn from your sinful life and turn to Him. See the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary as the payment for your sins and trust in Him. Only the blood of Jesus can pay for your sins. It is a legal transaction in which Christ takes everything you did on Himself, even though He never once sinned. No prayer will save you. No walk down an aisle will save you. No affirmation by a evangelist or preacher will save you. Only Christ can. Turn to Him. Repent and believe.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I can help you find a solid bible teaching church in your area to start learning what the bible really says about you and me and more importantly what it says about Christ.

Memories Of My Dad

Day 351 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I found this picture of my dad today - he's the second from the right on the bottom row. I was blown away at how much my older brother resembled him at about that same age. So, I guess that means as my brother gets older he will start to look like our dad did later in his life.

I really miss my dad. I was just really getting to know him better when he passed away a little over 6 years ago. It's not that we had a bad relationship or anything, but I never really knew him as a person until later in life. I knew him as Daddy and that he was the lawn mower, mechanic, car driver, bread winning, auction going man of the house when growing up. He and my mom divorced when I was 18(ish). I think they waited until my brother and I had both graduated high school, for whatever reason. I know it was a rough time on him (and my mom too), but I never placed blame on either one of them and still do not. I know it was a mutual thing that their marriage did not work out.

Six years later, after his death, I really wish I would have talked more spiritually with him. At the time I was still lost and still looking at my prayer as an 8 year old as my reason for salvation and not to Christ. There is no telling what I would have said to him anyway, probably that he needed to pray a prayer or something, which is all I ever knew at the time. It was, however, the time in my life that God was really starting to work on me, starting to open my eyes to a lot of the false things I had been taught throughout my childhood that carried on into adulthood.

My wife was kind during the time that my dad was in the hospital following the stroke he had just prior to his passing. She allowed me to stay with him for hours every day, foregoing my duties as a husband and dad and for that I am thankful, that I was able to spend time with him. He wasn't able to speak during that time, but he was awake. I remember looking into his eyes and seeing the pain from not being able to control his body any longer because of the damages of the stroke. I could see also that he was scared and probably knew he would never be the same. He never was the same and his health started to deteriorate fairly quickly. He was forced out of the hospital and into a nursing home where he died a day or two later, with my aunt by his side. Oh how I miss him now.

If I have one thing I am sorry about it is that I never was able to share the gospel with him. As I said, at the time God was working on me and I did talk to him about God and about salvation, but was always to intimidated to go further than I did. Why? I have no idea, but I do know that I would now. I would give him the fullness of the gospel, no holds barred, not withholding any of the greatness of our Savior from his ears. I would make sure that he knew his standing before God and that he needed a Savior to stand as his Advocate. Now, I can't do that. I am left without knowing if my dad was a Christian or not. I do not know if my frail words or anyone else shared with him while he was in the hospital and if he truly trusted in Christ as his only hope for salvation. I pray that he did, in his way, as he lay there without being able to talk or communicate.

God actually uses this situation for His glory. He uses it to show me that everyone needs Christ and that a lot of Christians are intimidated in some way in telling their families about Christ, for whatever reason. I am not here to pass judgment on any of them in any way. This is what fuels me and has given me a stronger love for evangelism, because everyone has someone they love that is not saved. My hope and my prayer is that God uses me to reach the lost of this world in whatever way He sees fit. I may never know, until I reach Heaven, what impact God allowed me to have for the Kingdom.

I close this post with a request to each and every reader. Please talk to your loved ones. Seek God and ask Him to speak through you, without fear, to your family and friends. May the Lord use you in the process of the salvation of your family. Just be faithful and speak up, tell of His goodness, His Grace, His sacrifice, His patience and His love. Also don;t leave out His holiness and His hatred for sin first as they will not realize their need of saving if they do not know their true state before God. Sow the seeds of the gospel and allow God to water them.

The Heat Of The Battle

Day 340 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

"Is it hot enough for ya?" That's a common question these day around here in Paducah and I would also assume across much of the United States. Temperatures have been above 90 since May 29 here, which is about 10 degrees higher than "average". Of course Al Gore is looking pretty good to some people right now, but then again he claimed that the below average temperatures and increased snowfall this past winter were caused by Global Warming as well. Go figure.

The forecast has us remaining in the 90s at least until next Thursday, with the exception of 2 days that they are saying will be a chilling 88 and 89. All I can say is, "I'm glad I have a job that lands me in front of a computer the majority of my work day." I have, however, worked in the heat like this on my works factory floor and it is rather warm, especially with all of the welding that takes place. Many steps have been taken to alleviate the heat for the workers, extra fans, extended break times, free Gatorade, etc. are all beneficial to my co-workers, but it is still hot any way you slice it.

It does seem that we are having a lot of "strange" weather. Maybe strange is not the correct word to use, maybe "extreme" would be a better adjective. We have seen numerous tornadoes rip across the U.S., my area of the country is still recovering from the worst flooding in almost 100 years, the North East saw a rare tornado in their region over the past few day. This is not to mention the earthquakes and volcanic activity lately too. I stop short of saying it is of "biblical proportions" because I know that God is still holding nature at bay and is still long-suffering. The Earth is showing its pangs as Romans 8:22 tells us.

The coming of the Lord is eminent and many people are eluding to that fact. Many say it, but don't really believe it though. They say, "You better get right with God, because He's coming back soon. Just look at the weather". Which may very well be true, but most that say this are not "right with God" in the first place. They are "right with" their false theology and easy believism mentality. If we truly believed Christ's Earthly return was upon us, any day now, would we be so lax in our evangelism? Would we sit idly by knowing that our friends, family members and co-workers are headed to hell? Would we remain silent and hope that someone else tells them the true Gospel? I think not. It just shows the state of the Church today. We have fallen asleep and become lukewarm. Does that sound familiar?

I pray that I, foremost, along with the rest of the Body of Christ awaken from the slumber. May God grant us revival in our hearts so that we can be faithful and true witnesses for Him. May He be gracious to us, even though we do not deserve it so we can bring glory to Him and magnify His Name above all. How awesome it would be if the Church would actually be the Church instead of being quiet in slumber, allowing the junk that passes for Christianity to run rampant, without so much as a peep from anyone except "judge not lest thou be judged". I say that if we remain silent and allow heresy and blasphemy that has defined the modern "church" we are part of it ourselves and stand in the judgment of God. We need to take Proverbs 17:15 to heart:
Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

So where do you stand in these last days? For the Lord or for the harlot that passes itself off as the Bride of Christ? I stand for Christ and by His grace I will glorify His Name. How about you?

Flooding The Community In Other Ways

Day 314 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Our church, Oak Grove Baptist, here in Paducah today announced that we will be hosting an informational meeting tomorrow evening for those impacted by the local flooding. There will be electrical inspectors and the electric company representatives there to tell the process of getting power restored to a home and to also answer any questions.

This will actually begin a community outreach for anyone that has been impacted by the flood this year. OGBC will be starting a dinner each night for a while to give residents a good hot meal while they work to restore and repair their homes. Without electricity they will not have a lot of options without either going hungry or bringing cold cuts. This will give an opportunity to show the love of Christ to those that have suffered loss through the flood. On their way out of the Oaks Road area, after working hard all day/ evening people will be invited to stop for a little something to eat and for some fellowship. Nothing will be asked for, it's a gift to the community and if you pay for it it is no longer a gift.

Of course the main goal is to glorify the Father, the One whom all blessings flow. We will not push anyone for anything, but we will be sharing Christ in Word and in deed. A lot of these people will be coming in dirty, after working in a muddied house all day, which is fine by everyone. Mud cleans up. As one brother put it tonight that really resounded to me "this gives us an opportunity to wash their feet". Wow! That said a lot. We may not literally wash their muddied feet, but we do have a great chance to serve them without desire of anything in return. We simply want to serve and to show Christ to a community in need.

There are great ideas for this outreach, but we are not inflexible and eagerly await what God is going to do. He has already supplied from some dear brothers and sisters an hour and a half away many cases of bottled water. This was without even sharing a need with them. The Lord laid it on their hearts to do this. I guess this is what Hudson Taylor meant by, "God's work, done it God's time, will never lack God's supply." How very true that is. God will see to it that anything He starts will accomplish what He designed it for, which is always, ultimately His glory.

What an awesome God we serve to take this natural disaster and turn it into a witnessing opportunity. A chance to spread seed and to cultivate hearts to show people just how blessed the children of God are. We love because He first loved us.

Hidden Amongst The Busch

If you saw my post from yesterday in my "Year in my life through pictures" series you saw a picture of the beer aisle at Wal Mart. What you may not have seen was a Million Dollar Bill tract that I left on top of the Natural Light cases. Have another look at yesterday's picture, then look at the picture from this post where I cropped where the MDB tract is.

I highly recommend that everyone get at least a small supply of solid gospel tracts to hand out and to pass out. I have written several times on the great ministry of using tracts to witness to people. Me, being of a quiet disposition, really appreciates the door opening nature (or ice breaker as Way of the Master calls it) that tracts afford. I keep a constant supply of money themed tracts, because they catch attention very quickly. I leave these everywhere, and I mean everywhere, from the gas pumps, to the beer aisle at Wal Mart, to the restroom, to leaving with a tip at a restaurant, I look for opportunities to leave these.

A good, solid, Biblically based tract is a very good tool to quickly convey the gospel. Even when a person may not want to talk to you, they will take something handed to them and possibly read later. Will it lead to their conversion? Who knows but the Lord, but you have sown a seed. I would recommend any one of the fine organizations below to get tracts from. Bezeugen Tract Club is a great way to break into handing tracts out as well. They will send you monthly 30 tracts for you to pass out, one per day, for FREE. Yes, FREE. They have an awesome ministry and I encourage you to partner with them in the distribution of tracts. They also have tracts available for purchase, which the money goes back into the ministry to help fund the free tracts sent out. Please check out the following websites and pray about which tract God will have you to use. Who knows, you may feel guidance to get a pack of each. Also, Real Truth Matters can design tracts for you and have them professionally printed or take your design and have them printed, with your organization's contact information.

Bezeugen Tract Club
Way of the Master/ Living Waters
One Million Tracts
Custom Tract Source
Real Truth Matters

Also, the guys at Custom Tract Source have written a great little article detailing "why" Christians should use tracts and many ways to pass them out.

Yes, That Is Redundantly Repetitive

Day 277 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

What is that in my picture today? Yes, it is a yummy Diet Coke, but do you think it is a 2 Liter? How about a 20 oz? Nope to both, take another look at the label. It's a 12oz bottle, which is the same contents as a can. For some reason they have started selling the 12 oz. bottles and all I can think of is that they might one day phase out the 12 oz. cans. No huge deal on the surface of the issue, but it would take a lot of aluminum out of the market place, since Coke and Diet Coke are now reported as the #1 and #2 choices. But what would a choice like that do to our landfills? Our environment?

Do I rally know why the Coca Cola Company chose to make this redundant, repeated size? Not at all, but I say the more the merrier. Diet Coke is my favorite thing to drink, even though I've heard it can mess with your memory. I also know that they charge more money for these little rascals. It may seem like a better price, but they do mark them up higher than the cans. I am really a stickler for how much I will pay for my drinks too. I will no longer buy the 20 oz. bottles because they cost more than a 2 liter. I will only buy a 2 liter if it is $1.25 or less and I will not pay over $300 for a 12 pack of cans. And I have been a loyal Diet Coke drinker since I was 14, which was 28 years ago. But enough is enough with the price increases.

It does seem like everything is getting higher priced. Gas is at an all time high, approaching $4 a gallon. This in turn drives the transportation costs up, which then raises the price of the products. I do know who is in control of everything though. This may all be part of the push towards a single world currency, which would then make way for a single global government. Who knows except the Lord right now? All I know is the days are getting closer to an end. This should make Christians more diligent about telling others about our Savior. We should be telling everyone we meet about the Lord and His grace. We should be broadcasting the seeds of His Word far and wide and leaving the results up to Him. Just GO! Do what each and every Christian is called to do and that is share the gospel with every creature.

We are all missionaries to this dying world. We are His Body and we have our directives. Now let's all do what we know we need to do. He has allowed us to partner with Him in spreading His Gospel and we should take that serious. I do not enough and so I am preaching to myself as well. Let's all seek God's guidance and will for our own path. Ask that He opens our eyes to the opportunities that He has already given us and take them to tell of our God. After all, that's what we should be doing anyway.

Tater Day 2011 - 168 Years Of Taters And Counting

Day 274 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

This Monday will be the 168th Annual Tater Day Celebration in a little town called Benton Kentucky, just about 20 miles from here. I have attended every year that I can remember either on Tater Day Monday or the weekend preceding. When I was young I went with my parents and it was a big deal to me then. Now, not so much and I pretty much just go out of tradition and to check out the flea market.

Tater Day started as a day that farmers would bring their sweet potatoes to town to sell them. It has evolved over the years into what it is today - a parade and a city wide flea market and carnival. The most noted part of the event now (and also infamous part) is the flying of Confederate flags by many attendees. To me it means nothing, it is a small country area that folks seem to have latched onto the Confederate flag as their own, but to some it is seen as a symbol of hate. This is due to the slavery and the Confederate States condoning of the practice. Not sure how much that plays into the minds of the attendees, but to those that do not attend they see it as racially motivated. I'll not choose sides and don't care to step into that debate. People fly the flags, people don't like it, arguments ensue. Who's right? Who's wrong? Not my call.

I do know that any gathering with this many people in attendance is call for sharing the gospel. I suggest that any time you have the opportunity to pass out tracts or do a little street preaching at an event like this to do so. Handing out tracts is great, especially if you have some available that seem to fit the theme of the event. This year Custom Tract Source happen to have released a Confederate $500 bill Tract just in time to order them and get them in hand. Since Tater Day holds the stigma of the Confederate Flog these bills were perfect. I showed them to a brother and he thought they would be great as well, so there ya go. 500 tracts were purchased and many people will have the gospel in hand. I know if they are like other money tracts people will hold on to them for as long as they can and will also show them to their friends as a novelty. So, these tracts have the potential to reach many with the truth of the Word.

I would ask you to pray that these tracts bare much fruit for the Kingdom. Also pray that God will show you the opportunities to share with others and to show you events that you could pass tracts out at. If you have a themed event coming up in your area send me a message and I will help you find tracts to match. If we can't find any the staff of Real Truth Matters can possibly get some made tailored to your event. This is a sideline for RTM, but we have had some great looking designs and products made.

Take any opportunity God gives you to share His Word. Share what He has done for you and let them know the hope that lies inside of you. God's goodness is too great to not share, especially with your loved ones, family and friends.

Braggin' Dragon And Days Gone By

Day 269 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I came across the shirt pictured today. I had purchased it from ebay a year or so ago, but was too big to wear it then. It is a size Large Tall, so it should fit a little different than a regular large shirt, but I am probably still too large myself to wear it.

In case you don't recognize the emblem it is a dragon, from the Sears line of clothing from the 80s. These were released back then when Izod Lacoste and Ralph Lauren's Polo brands were making headway like gangbusters. These were Sear's attempt to make a little money in the "look at what brand I'm wearing" war. Only thing is, they were from Sears and like today the "preppy" look does not usually come from Sears. The one I have still happens to have all of the original tags on it and still in its original plastic bag. Maybe that means it's worth a little more, maybe it doesn't. I do know that these pop up on ebay every now and then and sell in the $30+ range in worn condition, so this may be worth in the $50-$75 range.

I guess the reason I wanted one of these shirts was to try and regain some of the days from yesteryear. After all, I'm not getting any younger. That's something a lot of people try to do and why so many toys and things from our youth go for a lot of money now. We didn;t think of keeping stuff back then, so those that did happen to stick something away for 20-30 years is sitting on a small fortune. Everyone wants something to remind them of their youth, to take them back to days gone by.

The shirt happens to come from the time period that I was learning a lot about the world, first hand. I wanted to fit in really bad, but couldn't afford the high dollar brands that all the "popular" kids were wearing, so we got either plain clothes or the cheaper priced alternatives like the Dragon brand. Also during this time I started learning a lot about sin and it was no imposter, it was the full fledged sinning and I was diving in head first.

I had not really lived a sheltered life, but a life that really didn't see a lot of sin. It was the 70s and 80s, so we weren't exposed to as much as kids these days, but I soon learned that I wanted as much sin as I could get. I also "knew" at the time that all I had to do was ask for forgiveness and I was ok. That's what I was taught in church, by professional men, who wore the real deal Polo shirts. They made a lot of money, so they had to know what they were talking about. Right?

I didn't have a reason to question anything back then. I was really liking my sin and I was really liking the fact that I could sin as much as I wanted to and still go to heaven. I wasn't interested in holiness and really didn't know what it was anyway. All I know is I was doing what I wanted to do and I was happy with me. This train of thought carried on until God truly converted me and saved me at the age of 38. 30 years of living for me, but believing I was "good" and heading to heaven. Maybe not as many crowns, but at least I wasn't going to hell.

I still wonder why God chose me to grant His grace on. Why He chose to love me and send Christ to die for me. It is a mystery and I'm sure one that will take the first 1,000 years in eternity to explain. What I do realize is that there are countless millions living in deception as I did. These poor souls are living a "good" life in the eyes of the world and maybe even attend church or are deacons or even pastors, but they do not know the God of scripture, the Creator of the Universe. They were lied to as kids and lied to throughout life. They live in deception and will one day say," Lord, Lord haven't I...".

So, what to do about this. All it seems can be done is to pray that God opens their eyes like He did mine. Pray that He uses me and my testimony to open the eyes of others that live in the same deceptive realm as I did for 30 years. These folks are on the way to Hell. Why can't the true children of God comprehend this and proclaim to these people their true state before God? That would be the most loving thing anyone could do for their friends, family, acquaintances or just someone on the street. We must not compromise the Word of God to make someone feel good about themselves. They must see their utter state of vileness in the sight of God. That is love and that is laying your life down for someone. Telling them without thought of your own self and faithfully proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and not the watered down "gospel" that is prevalent today.

Please be bold. Please proclaim the truth of the Word. Please do as God has commanded every believer and GO! Make disciples!

Officially A Hockey Fan Now

Day 268 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I'm taking a little liberty with my rules on this picture of the day. Reason being is we didn't get home until after midnight this morning and I want to include this memory in this series.


Chandra, the boys, their Boy Scout troop a few parents and I ventured to Nashville yesterday. Reason? So the boys could play a couple games of laser tag and then off to a Nashville Predators NHL hockey game. They were playing the Dallas Stars and ended up winning 4-2. The main picture is of the first of two goals of the evening by Mike Fisher (aka Mr. Carrie Underwood). The second is the actual view of the rink from our seats.

As a bonus, the section we were sitting in had unlimited food and drinks included in the ticket price. This was a "good deal" in that we would have had to spend a ton of money on just drinks alone. Bad news? They had Diet Pepsi and not Diet Coke.

This was the first hockey game I have ever been to and only the second professional sporting event of my life. I saw the St. Louis Cardinals play back when I was 12 or so, back when Ozzy Smith was still playing because about all I remember is him doing his backflip onto the field. I actually had a good time watching the game, even though I am not 100% on the rules, except you make a point by getting the puck in the goal.

I do not interact with the Boy Scouts very much as it's the boys dad's activity he has for them. But, I am going to pray that God opens the door so that I may be able to speak to the pack some time about God and share my testimony. They are based in a Episcopal Church's basement (and sponsored by the church), so I'm not sure if they would allow someone outside their congregation to speak to them. I know God is able to open doors and tear down any barriers that I could see. Biggest barrier would be me though and not the ok to speak to them. I am no speaker, but I really feel that I should be allowing God to use me in that capacity. It would be dramatic proof that it was all God, at least to me. I would definitely make it one of my points in my talk that God is where my strength was flowing and not from me.

Prayerfully He will tear down the obstacles in my own mind and then work on the others that I have imagined. I have no idea the spiritual standing of any of the pack leaders or the boys in the pack, but do know that God is able to save anyone. He can even save those that were "saved" when hey were a 8 year old that lived in deception for 30 years. God is mighty to save and mighty to show His grace and power if we only make ourselves available. I have done so in other area and He is using me in ways I know are not from my sheer willpower, but by His power.

I've always said, "God just wants you to make yourself willingly available and He will take care of the rest". That is a truth that I have lived first hand.

Right On Tract

Day 251 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

The guys over at Custom Tract Source have just came out with a really cool looking tract. It is actually perfect for an area local festival that heavily leans on the Confederate history in its festivities. Well, not really the festivities as much as the ones that attend like to wave Confederate flags and such. This makes this festival perfect for these tracts, or vice-versa in that these tracts are perfect for the festival.

The festival? Tater Day. The place? Benton KY. The time? First Monday in April, along with the weekend before. How many times I have been? Almost every year that I can remember, but mostly and lately the weekend before and not the actual Monday of Tater Day. Reason for going? The flea market now, to run around like a heathen when I was younger. So, I am really familiar with what is there, what happens there and what type of people attend the happenings. This is how I know that these tracts are a perfect fit and that, prayerfully, they will be used to further the Kingdom and glorify God. The hopes are to be able to use these tracts as ice breakers to share what God has done in our lives and to share the Gospel with as many people as possible. Of course, the message on the reverse of the tract is not going to be that well received by the majority, but in being obedient we know that God will use this time to glorify Himself.

As Sons of God we are commanded to share the Gospel and to make disciples. Are we doing this as a body? I would say not as we should be. We, as Christians, need to start following out he great commission in our hometown, our local area, our state and this world. We barely, if ever, even share the gospel within the confines of our own home or at our job. Why is that? Do we think someone else is supposed to be doing this, or that all we need to do is invite people to go to church with us? Never sharing what God has done for us, too ashamed to bow our head before our meal at work, not bat an eyelash when someone uses the Name of God as a curse word and then expect everyone to just kind of assimilate what we "believe"? That's not how it operates, my friends. As God is our Lord, we are to follow His commands, striving for His acceptance and not the false acceptance of those around us. We should not give second thought about someone being offended at our proclamation of Jesus IS Lord.

I do understand that this mentality is not readily accepted and goes against the teaching of most churches. They say accept everyone, never be offensive, always "love" the sinner and hate the sin. Hog wash! (To use a Tater Day term). Show me in the Word where we are to do any of those things and I will happily apologize and recant my words here. We are to be salt and light to this dark and dying world, not just happy-go-lucky people walking around with smiles and t-shirts with ICHTHUS on them. The most loving thing you could ever do to a person is tell them their need of the Savior. Explain to them their sinful and wretched sate before the Holy God and then tell them the grace of God through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. That is and should be the message of EVERY Christian and if it is not then you may seriously need to examine your own standing before God. If the Gospel doesn't resonate in your heart then God does not know you and has not converted you. You, my friend, still have the wrath of God on your head. Turn to Him, turn from your sin, cry out to God to save you not because of what you have done but only for what Christ has done. Repent and believe is all you can do and pray for the mercy of God to be bestowed on you. Until God changes you into a new creation, then you are still on the path of destruction and not on the narrow path to His Kingdom.