Now Your iPhone Is A Missionary, Preacher and Evangelist

I just did a search for “Christian iphone apps” and found out that there is actually a Christianiphoneapps.com. Who would’ve thunk it?

But anyways, one app caught my eye amongst all the Bibles and devotionals being shown. It was called, simply, iChristian. How original. So I took a gander at it in iTunes and was disturbed, but not really surprised at what it was. It is actually the same as most sermons across the USA on a daily basis.

Seems the app takes you pretty much through the 4 spiritual laws and has “THE” prayer listed in which you can say to become a Christian, er uh, American christian (small “c” because they only profess Christ with their lips on a single occasion and then live the same life as before, no changes, no repentance, no living for Christ. So they are following a false christ).

The app description touts that it contains “the minimal of required information to become a Christian”, but yet there is nothing of biblical repentance and denying everything and following Christ. Fully. In every facet. Forever. You can even register yourself as a Christian after you say the prayer. I think they will also give you a certificate proving that you are now a christian. So much for the fruits of the Spirit and actually living a repentant life, as the signs that the bible says will tell that a person has been truly converted.

This is just the next step in our culture to further blaspheme the Word of God. It takes certain verses (as most churches do) and uses them to make their point, which is actually teaching a false Christ. I was deceived for many years and sadly my wife and oldest son was too. Thankfully the Lord opened my eyes at a pivotal time in my walk with Him and soundly saved me, not through any prayer I said, but out of His loving grace for me. WOW! I still stand amazed that the Lord would save me, a person that claimed to know Him and yet defiled His precious name on a daily basis. How great is our God!

Michael Jackson Dead At Age 50

It has just been reported that Michael Jackson has died, ending a very controversial life. He has joined the ultimate statistic…. 1 out of 1 will die. He did not know that he was going to die at a young age of 50. He was actually planning a comeback tour that would have been very elaborate and probably very costly. But what about his soul? That is the most precious thing he had. In fact if Jackson did not repent of his sins he is now burning in the lake of fire.

It reminds me of the rich young ruler (king of pop). He had all the earthly desires he ever wanted, quite arguably at one point, one of the richest entertainers. He was successful by the terms of the world. But all of that doesn’t matter now. He is gone from this earth and all of his possessions have been left here, along with his lifeless body. His soul lives on, but where? As I said, if he had not repented before his death he is now in hell and has no chance to reconcile to the Lord.

So what about you? Have you repented of your sinful life, turned to the God that you hated? Have you acknowledged that Christ is Lord and laid down your own life in order that Christ may live through you? That’s the most important thing in a persons existence. Has God done such a work in you that your sins are now hated by you? Or are you your own god? Have you created a god that conforms to your ideas instead of you fitting His? Does your god turn a blind eye to sins? Does your god not care that your lifestyle doesn’t match what the Bible says it should? Or is your God the God of scripture that gave His Son on a cross for your sins and demands that you count yourself as dead so that He can live?

I beg you to seek the True God of the Bible. Not the watered down god prominently preached at most churches every Sunday morning. Be not deceived, God will not be mocked. He is Holy and we are commanded to be Holy as well. He is righteous; He is also just and must punish sin. Do not think of God as only love, that is only one facet of His Glory. Cry out to Him to show you Himself, cry out to begin a walk with Him to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. There is nothing that you can do to save yourself, no prayer, no walk down an aisle, not baptism, not a profession of faith. Only Chrsit the Lord can save you and all we can do is repent and believe in Him. Be aware that repentance is not sorrow. Sorrow is a part of repenting, but true repentance is turning from your sins. How? If God truly saves you will be a new creation and you will walk by His statutes, you will conform to the likeness of Christ, you will love His Word, you will love His people and you definitely won’t be the same.

I pray that Michael Jackson was saved. I will not cast judgment on him, but will say that he is like everyone else. He was a sinner and the wrath of God was on his head and unless he repented and turned from sin and to God, he is in hell.

The Ugly Duckling Syndrome or Always Chosen last

Just sitting here thinking back to my youth…. On the playground…… kickball, basketball, baseball, football, any other sport going on…. Thinking about how it was being the last one picked for a team or being the odd person out and not being picked at all. Things like that follow a person through their whole life and help shape them into the person they become.

Some people strive to become better at a chosen sport or activity in order that they will then not be left out or be embarrassed by being the last one chosen. Is there anything wrong with that? I guess it depends on the reasoning behind it. Do they want to fit in because they desire what someone else has, in this case a relationship with other people. Or are they actually trying to better themselves? In most cases it is probably to fit in, to not be left out, to not be ridiculed, to be liked, etc.

If it is to fit in then they are in affect trying to be something they aren’t in order to gain favor with a particular person or group of people. Is that a good thing? I would say not. My reasoning, because they would then be living a lie and emulating the others instead of being their own person.

So how does this have to do with Christianity, or better yet the church? Glad you asked. So many times people get side tracked into areas where they are trying to serve someone other than God. This could be a great mission, if it weren’t for the motives behind it. I have seen many people do things they did not want to do in order to make themselves look better, make someone else happy or not get a bad reputation for doing them. All of which are wrong reasons for doing anything within a Christian body of believers.

1 Cor. 3:11-15 lays this out for us. Any works that are not built upon Christ will be burned up. That means that if you do anything for selfish motivations, the Lord will disregard them. So all the people that are serving ministries out of duty, out of a desire to be noticed, out of a desire to make themselves shine, then they are doing it in vain. But going in the other direction a person may not be as capable of doing something in the most popular manner, but have a desire to please the Lord and no one else. They may not know the correct words to say, the right buttons to push or may not do things the way some people would have them done, but they are serving the Lord and not a selfish desire.

These are the humble and weak that follow the Lord with an inward zeal to glorify Him. They are the ones that are most often time left on the sidelines because they do not fit in, or chosen last because their skills may be lacking in some areas. These weaker vessels need to be discipled instead of cast off as useless, or shunned because they may be different than everyone else. After all, aren’t all Christians the outcasts of the world? Shouldn’t the outcasts of the world be pulling together instead of apart?

Let me remind you what the Word of God says:
1 Corinthians 12:20-26 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Wow! That is exactly what the church does not do. Instead these weaker parts are cast by the wayside. They look in at what the others are doing in their little cliques and wonder why they are on the outside when all they want to do is work with the other hand, the other eye, the foot, the little finger or the mouth and glorify God, build the Lords kingdom and be a member of the body instead of being a cast off. After all would you cut your feet off because your belly was big, because your feet did not run around enough to burn enough calories for weight loss? Or would you nurture your feet and see how they could work with the whole body toward the same goal?

So next time think about the “little people” that are looking into your circle of friends and invite them in. These people could be the missing puzzle piece… er uh, body part that could complete the goal that has been set forth. Even if their skills may be lacking, they may be a little slower than you or they may need some coaching (discipleship) they may be the body part that God wants to use to His glory.

Also don’t forget he story of the ugly duckling. Not a biblical story per se, but goes right along with the 1Cor.12 quote above. The “duckling” was seen as ugly because it did not fit in, there fore shunned by its brothers and sisters. Only until they saw the “duckling” in its true state as a beautiful swan could they appreciate it in how its beauty glorified Gods work. The same could be as the outcast duckling in your church, they could be waiting for the Lord to show you His glory through them and when He does….. it will be more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

Abide In Me and I In You

John 15:4
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.

All of us who are truly believers have heard the clarion call, “Come unto Me!” The Holy Spirit as the Royal Ambassador of Heaven has granted that invitation to your heart. Oh, what a great invitation this is – to come and to know Christ! It is so wonderful, so awesome, that there is hardly even anything to compare it to. Why, the very call, the very invitation to know Christ is not just an invitation to come, but that invitation has the ability to enact within you a desire to come and empower you to do so.

When you remember seeing the Beloved for the very first time, how exhilarating, how powerful, how life-changing that invitation, “Come unto Me,” was! Today’s text, however, speaks of another call from our Lord. It is just as inviting as the invitation to come. It is equally clear, powerful, and attractive. It is the call, “Abide in Me.” ........

This is one of the "essential" manuscripts/ sermons of the Real Truth Matters ministry. Please take a moment and visit the Real Truth Matters Homepage and/ or the blog. At either you will find resources that glorify the Lord, teach the converted and make the Lord's call to the lost. There are many messages for free download in MP3 format and several have been laboriously typed into manuscript form.

To God be the glory!

Real Truth Matters

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)

A Night At The Dove Awards

Last night my wife and I had the honor of attending the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards. This was a very good time in that we got to see some live performances by some artists that we really like. It was really cool to see the set changes during commercials and how they must have worked on the choreography for many hours so that the needed equipment and props would be ready in a matter of minutes. I was impressed.

The night did have a few notable moments. One being Carrie Prejean’s introduction of Mercy Me. She received sustained applause for her recent answer during the 2009 Miss USA Pageant. The pageant judge, Perez Hilton whom is gay, asked her about her opinion on states permitting gay marriage. Also a notable moment for me was the performance by The Blind Boys of Alabama with Mac Powel. This was a great performance by one of today’s top Christian artists and a legendary gospel group.

One thing that was highly noticeable was the attire of some those attending, or lack thereof. This was a Christian event, but if you stood the attendees next to those that attend any other awards show – you wouldn’t be able to tell some of them apart. It really makes me wonder if this same revealing attire is worn to these people’s church services. I constantly had to turn my head to avoid being shocked by what the person heading my way was wearing. I had to alter my route back to my car so I would not be walking behind this one young lady that looked like she had taken the dress off of her Barbie doll and put it on herself. It was so high cut that it would have been short on a toddler. Sadly that is the state of what “Christian America” looks like and shows a lot of their values and blindness to what is acceptable and what is not.

I had already read that Paducah native, Steven Curtis Chapman, was going to perform his song “Cinderella”. This was because the song received increase airplay as it took on new meaning after the untimely death of his daughter. This song I have always had issues with being played on Christian radio. This is in the same vein as “Butterfly Kisses” and “Letters From War”, they are NOT Christian songs, they may be meaningful songs but they do not belong on Christian radio that should be playing music that exalts the Lord. That is a big issue with me, so much that if I am listening to the radio and that kind of song comes on I will change the station or switch to a CD. My wife, who is well versed on my stance to these kinds of songs, said “Ha! Now you HAVE to listen to it.” What a joker she is. Admittedly it was a touching performance and I did get a little soggy eyed. But it still is not a Christian song; I am just compassionate about the Chapman’s situation and cannot imagine what they have gone through.

There was one moment that really put a screeching halt to the evening for me. It was when GRITS and AJ Styles came out to present the Short Form Music Video. I have heard of Styles, but honestly did not know that he was a Christian. GRITS on the other hand I knew professed Christ and had seen them during Shoutfest one year. I had some red flags thrown back then during their performance and last night was more or less the final nail in the coffin. The lead rapper (is that a real term?), Coffee, made an off color remark, no pun intended. Styles was acting as if he could not get he envelope open when Bonafide (the second in charge of droppin’ a rhyme) took the envelope to open it. Coffee then said “Once again – black man savin’ a white man – shout out to Obama.” He had previously told Styles “You black by association man, you black by association” as a joke about the way Styles was talking. First of all these were very racist remarks. I was very taken back that a professing Christian makes a race division, especially a former backup dancer (GRITS were former dancers) for dcTalk, the Christian group that really broke down barriers. The Obama remark just really put the exclamation point on his words. I wonder what part of Obama’s values he holds closest to. Killing babies in the womb or those that have made it through the birth canal and are then brutally murdered out of convenience? Or maybe it’s the fact that Obama himself attended a racist church for 20+ years and he feels a special kinship with him. Or maybe it was just a vain attempt for Coffee to reach out for an invitation to the White House. Who knows? I just know that politics and racism hold no place in a Christian event.

There were a few winners that did truly glorify God in their acceptance speeches, one being Steven Curtis Chapman for the Artist of the Year. He said (paraphrase alert) that his family were thrown into a situation they never would have signed up for, but has been an opportunity to share their hope in Christ to many more people than would have been possible otherwise. It was very well handled and I appreciated the fact that he did glorify God through his words and through this tragedy.

Overall it was a good time, all except the drive back and getting up at 5:30 this morning for work. God was good today and allowed me to not feel tired and have an eventless day at work. God is so good and I deserve it so little, actually I do not deserve any of His grace, but He saw fit to extend that saving grace upon me. Please pray for the people that claim to be Christian but live like the world, dress like the world and hold the world closer than they do their relationship with Christ. I was reminded of that large piece of the population last night. Please pray that God will open their eyes to what a real relationship with Him is and not this false hope they have in a savior they created in their own image.

Just messin' around

I was just playing around with some photo editing and made up this pic.

"Christian" Singers Covering Secular Songs

One topic that has really stuck with me over the past week or two is “Christian” artists covering secular songs. Be it on a CD or in concert, it doesn’t really matter. I guess I was first exposed to this with DC Talk doing “Jesus is Still Alright”, an extension and not really a cover of “Jesus is Just Alright” by the Doobie Brothers and the Byrds. More recently while attending an unnamed traveling Christian Concert Tour, I saw DecemberRadio do a cover of Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son” and EleventySeven do a cover of “The Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way”. The later was done purely for comedic value (and was quite funny), but a cover nonetheless.

The question is….. Is this acceptable? Does this glorify God? Is this edifying to Christians? To those questions I would have to give it a big “NO”. Admittedly, my ears did perk a bit when I heard DecemberRadio plug in to a Kansas song. Why? Because at the time I had spent 30sumodd years of my life listening to that kind of music, (I even saw Kansas in concert in the early 80’s) as well as a lot of heavier artists and none glorified God. So when I got home I had to look into Kansas a little further. Come to find out a couple of the guys are/ were professing Christians and even released some Christian CD’s at one point.

I also did a quick search of other Christian artists that have covered secular songs. One that came to mind before my search was Third Day covering U2’s “With Or Without You” during the medley on their “Offerings II” release. (I’ll just firmly state without apology that U2 is NOT a Christian band, and until they denounce their ecumenical beliefs there is not much hope in me seeing them any differently, and no I am not a Pharisee, just a Bible believing Christian that happens to BELIEVE what the bible says and not the mainstream… sorry for that PSA). If you go here there is a list of some songs that have been covered by “Christian” artists.

Personally I frown heavily on someone that calls his or her self a Christian and sings a Beatles’ song. I mean, what’s the process like? Do you just think “Oh, that will be cool to sing” or do you look past all the worldliness and sinfulness of that type of artist and think that you might be able to draw a person to Christ using a song by somebody they have heard before? Let me emphatically point out that it is the Father that draws people to the Son John 6:44 – not a cheesy cover song. One song that really popped off of the list was “Crazy Train” covered by Jars Of Clay in concert. Who would have thunk it? JOC is a favorite of mine, Ozzy Osborne used to be, back in my sinful life. In fact I was introduced to Ozzy at Youth Camp at my former church. Now how’s that for irony? But an Ozzy song? A Beatles song?

It's also increasingly alarming that secular songs are making it to “worship” services as well. In fact see below for a “worship” band at New Spring Church covering AC/DC’s Highway To Hell on Easter Morning. Does the word Blasphemy come to mind to anyone but me? From what I see on the web, this is a common thing to do now. Maybe not at this shocking level, but Coldplay is a name that keeps coming up. So it’s a downward spiral (and no I’m not quoting Nine Inch Nails) into the pit, or toilet. It is getting progressively worse as one “church” sees what another is doing and they then push it a little further. All the while the “pastor” sits back and bangs his head as the congregation becomes larger and his numbers get bigger. That is typical as well in that most modern pastors will do or say whatever it takes to fill his pews. They have even come up with a different gospel. I think scripture says a lot on that subject. Galatians 1:6-9 hits it dead center and says that who does this will be cursed. Yikes. I’m really not up to being cursed by God. Actually the Greek word from the original text is anathema, which means doomed or more bluntly let them be damned. Double yikes! Just look at all the false gospels that have proliferated our times and I will not go into detail in this posting, but just check out my other posts for details.

So what is my point? To sum it up in a few words, DON’T DO IT! DON’T CONDONE IT! God has been really gracious to me and opened my eyes to a lot that I had been deceived about. In my false conversion state (not Kentucky) I thought it was perfectly okay for me to listen to the secular artists that these “Christian” bands are covering. I also thought it was okay for me to drink, smoke, fornicate, look at porn, cuss, lie, steal pens from my employer and a million other things. But as the Lord opened my eyes that I was sinning against Him, that I had created a god in my image that accepted my sins and that I had made many false professions through my years that I needed to repent (stop doing these things and turn to God) and trust in Him and His Word. When I did that I began to see things a lot differently, you might say that I became a new creature 2 Cor. 5:17.

Just seek the Lord in this area. I did. You know what else? As I did He began to show me that some professing Christian artist might not be. I am cutting down my listening of a few certain groups. These claiming to be Christians and they do not glorify God in their craft, they sing about the same things the groups on secular stations sing about. So be ready for a little pruning if you seek His council.

In the mean time, look at this perversion of a pulpit area at New Spring Church and pray that these people will see how Holy and Righteous God is and pray that they will come to know God and not just about Him, that they will put away their god that allows this type of sin the penetrate a church building.

My Easter Blog Post (Kinda)

While reading Matthew’s account of Christ’s crucifixion in chapters 26-28 this morning a particular part seemed to jump off of the page at me. It was in Matt. 27:3-5, when Judas saw the consequences for what he had done to the Lord. His betrayal.

Judas had a worldly sorrow; this was after seeing Jesus bound before Pilate at His trial. Judas had planned this all out, perhaps thinking that Jesus would perform a miracle and escape from the Romans clutches. See Judas believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but He did not trust in that. Judas’ sorrow extended only to the point of his situation at that moment, he was sorry that Jesus was on trial, he was sorry that Jesus may die. Matt. 27:3 says that Judas “repented himself”, does that mean that he had an inwardly sorrow, a worldly sorrow, but not a God centered sorrow? Did Judas repent and then believe UPON the Son? Apparently not, as he then ran out and hung himself, committing yet another sin against God. Godly sorrow will not lead to self-destruction; it is yet just another form of self-centeredness, albeit an irreversible one.

How often these days do people have this fleeting type of sorrow? Much too often in my estimation. In my area people claim to be Christians, because of one particular moment in their life (most often childhood), they made a profession of faith, said a prayer, heard a powerful message and were temporarily sorry for there sins. The only problem, which is huge, is that they did not repent of their sins, they did not believe UPON the Son of God. They too threw down their silver, stormed out of the church and continued to kill themselves with their sinful lifestyle. Sin brings death and these poor souls that are deceived are slowly killing themselves, all the while thinking that they once “came to Christ”.

What they came to is a false assurance by a “pastor”, youth leader or other professing Christian. They were declared saved because they looked sorry, felt sorry and jumped through the hoops of saying a prayer and standing before the church with tears in their eyes (a sure sign of salvation?). So what’s missing there? Repentance and trust! These people are still lost; they return to their lifestyle without hesitation because they were declared saved and now live under the grace of God and are eternally secure because of the momentary sorrow they felt. But their hope is salvation from hell only, not their sinful lifestyle as well. They did not get the gospel presented to them of Christ’s atoning work on the cross for THEIR sins. They missed the part on sanctification and only heard “there are angels singing in heaven as this dear brother accepted Christ as his personal savior”. They were deemed saved by a slick preacher that’s only concern is bigger numbers, larger attendance or more offerings. My heart cries out to these deceived people, because I was one of them for much of my life.

So what is the resurrection story? It is the greatest “story” (for lack of better terms) in mans existence. That the God that created everything, paid the ultimate price for mankind’s sins on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago. He shed His precious blood for me, for you and for any that trust UPON Him. That KNOW that He is the Son, that KNOW that He shed His blood for their sins, that REPENT of those sins and turn to God for everything, that turn from their sinful life, that count themselves dead to this world and alive to Gods desires, the God they hated 2 minutes before is now everything to them, they see their sins as vile works and fall upon their knees in total trust in the God that can and will deliver them. They do not continue to put Christ on the cross as they continue to live life centered on themselves and the lusts of this world. The God that saved them would not allow it, He sanctifies! Praise Him for that. How much power do they think that God has? Do they not think that God, which spoke the universe into existence, cannot change their heart? Change their desires? Do they doubt God’s ability to do such things? Sadly many do think that way and continue to live in sin, in a self-justifying manner that excuses their sins, because God “loves them” and “accepts them” as they are. That is a true statement, but must be continued like this – “The God that loves me, that accepts me as I am - then justifies me by the blood of His sinless Son Jesus Christ, He will continue His perfect work in me and sanctify me through His grace and mercy and forgiveness as He changes me to become more like His Son every day. The sin I loved I will hate and the Lord of all I hated I will now love with all that I am and all that I ever will be.

Is that how you see God’s salvation of a sinner? Do you hold precious Christ and His blood? Do you forsake this world and turn to God daily for His Word, His Truth and His Righteousness? Or do you hold on to a fleeting prayer many years ago? Do you think your words saved you? That a momentary sorrow is what saved you? That a preacher or another person’s declaration saved you? That being baptized, saying penance or sitting in a pew every Sunday save you? That your parents are Christians, so that makes you one too? That the USA is considered (until recently) to be a Christian Nation, so that makes you a Christian?

Search your heart, examine your motives and your beliefs as to why you believe yourself to be a Christian, then seek Him in His Word and see if it lines up with Scripture. Nothing but the grace of God will save someone, not a prayer or profession. Where does your trust lie? In your own words or in God?

Praise God For Smoking? (Let me explain......)

I would just like to publicly thank God for allowing me to smoke for 24 years. I started when I was 14 and when God truly converted me just a few years ago, He took that away from me. I tried several times to no avail and could not do it on my own. Kind of like my conversion too - I said "the prayer" countless times through my life and only until He saved me was it real.

So why am I praising God for allowing me to smoke for those 24 years? Because it gave me a common ground to be able to share my faith in God tonight. See, even though I may ramble on in my writings, in person I have a tendency to be somewhat quiet, well o.k. REALLY quiet. So when God opened my mouth this evening to witness to a group of teens at an area rally for teens, it was really breathtaking. There was a young lady smoking while sitting on a bench outside of the "Christian" event. In fact there were a lot of teens smoking outside of this event. A few of us were handing out tracts and Scott and Bobby are truly gifted in the area of street evangelism, me not so much. My heart is there, but my mouth doesn't seem to cooperate very much. I am normally there for spiritual support (which is needed), so when God saw fit to put me in contact with this group of teens, give me an "in", something I could relate to them with, it was awesome. Did I stumble on my words? You bet ya I did. But God was glorified, I did share the gospel and God did use me in a way I have been praying for - for a looooooooong time now.

Please pray for me as the Lord continues to mold me and shape me. Also please pray for the groups that go out from my home church to be empowered as we go out to spread the Word of God in the coming weeks. Please pray specifically that when God puts specific people in our path that we realize who they are, that we will look to the cross for His strength and that He is glorified. We are just spreading seeds and the Lord will water and harvest.

Praise the Lord for allowing me to smoke for 24 years, that it may work for Him to be able to spread His glory to others. Wow! I am speechless. God is good.

A Call To Question Christian Retailers

I have noticed recently an influx in heretical books into the market place. The list includes the much heralded “The Shack” (which turns the Father and Holy Spirit into 2 females) Velvet Elvis, Blue Like Jazz, actually any book by Rob Bell, Brian Mclaren, or anything else labeled as “emergent” or challenging someone to “re-think” the Christian faith.

Books such as these are really not new though. Take for example any of the Gnostic gospels; the apocrypha books in some bibles and the Quran. All have found notoriety in some form or another, but more prominently the Quran. What they do hold common with the books mentioned above is their denial of the true God of Scripture.

I did not really want to concentrate on the mirade of titles to choose from, but instead speak out against the retailers that are peddling these goods on unsuspecting people. The placement on a Lifeway Christian Store shelf, in itself is condoning such material. Lifesway does place a disclaimer on it’s shelf with some of these books, but I say that if it needs a “please read with discernment” placard on it, then it should not be sold by a Christian bookstore.

I recently have been in an email conversation with Jim Shull of Lifeway. He respectfully took my concerns, but did not address them. He did say that “we consistently do not carry as much as 20% or more of the best-selling books in the Christian market because of
unbiblical theology or other reasons”. My question back to him was, then why condone other, heretical books? Or was it simply that Lifeway could increase their profit margin by selling these works.

Today I came across a story at Christian Worldview that talks about Paul Young, author of The Shack, appearing at the upcoming Gaither Family Fest. If you are not familiar with the Gaither name then you probably have never heard Christian song classics such as “He Touched Me”, “Because He Lives” or “There’s Something About That Name”. The Gaither name packs a lot of punch in Christian circles, so an endorsement of appearing at the Gaither Family Fest could add a lot of fuel to an already out of control fire. It is still unclear to me what role Young will have at this event, but I am sure his goods will be up for sale there.

Lifeway is not the only “Christian” retailer that sells these questionable books and materials. Family Christian Stores, christianbook.com, bookschristian.com and Parable carry these questionable/ heretical materials as well. So what is a discerning Christian to do? First off, pray! Pray for these retailers and their decision makers that they will seek God in matters such as this. Then contact them and tell them how concerned you are that they would choose to sell and thereby condone such items. These are businesses after all, they are there for their customers and if their customers show concerns for what they see on the shelves they will have no choice but to remove these items.

If you have been hearing a lot of things about The Shack and are contemplating reading the book, I highly suggest you too seek God in this. Also reading this review at reformata.com may help you see some of the ant-Christ themes of the book.

Take heed to Paul’s inspired words to Galatia:
Galatians 1:6-9 6 I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

It doesn’t get much plainer than that. But then again, American Christianity has been so distorted over the past 150 years, that heresy like these books; videos and teachings are gobbled up as fast as they are being produced. The man-centered messages blaring from pulpits across the nation are this perversion of the gospel of Christ. The “what can God do for you” theology made famous by word of faith teachings and the “just say this prayer” form of salvation are sending millions to hell. Seek God, repent of your sins and trust in Christ. Now that is true biblical Christianity.

Just Knowing

Do you know how to read? Of course you do or all of this would look like a bunch of letters placed randomly across the computer screen. So do you remember how you first learned to read? Do you remember or do you “just know” how to read and it comes natural to you? Do you look at a string of letters and have to think back and remember what sound each letter makes in conjunction with the other letters or do you “just know” that W-O-R-D spells word?

What about mathematics? To add 2+2 do you have to free up your hands count out 1-2 on each index and middle finger, place your hands side by side and then count 1-2-3-4 and come up with the sum of 4 as the answer? Or do you “just know” that it equals 4? How about 10+10? Do you have to take off your shoes and socks, count all of your toes and then all of your fingers and then come up with 20? Or do you just know that you have 20 appendages hanging from your limbs?

These are things that you may have learned along the way down life’s roads, but they have also become second nature to you. They are engrained into your being so deeply that you do not even have to think about them to “just know” how to read (unless it’s a word like “Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” which is the longest word in the English language). You “just know” how to put all of the letters together to form words.

Now let’s try to apply this to the spiritual realm. What do you “just know”? As humans we stand apart from animals in that we have a thought process and do not rely on instinct in order to live. We are unique creatures that were given reign over all things of the Earth (Genesis 1:26). We have also been given a conscience to “just know” what is right from what is wrong (Romans 2:14-15, Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Cor. 3:2-3, Psalm 119:11). I am not undermining the sanctification process, but some things a person will “just know” after their conversion. A person will be born anew (John 3:7) by the Spirit and the Spirit will bare witness in their heart (Romans 8:16, Acts 18:5, Gal. 4:6) when they do start following a path or series of motions that are not in accordance with the Lord and will “just know” they must turn from that particular sin. All of the talk that a Christian can be carnal or in a continual state of backslidingness (I just made that word up) is gibberish and heretical and sends millions of souls to hell every year. A true convert no longer has the sin nature and instead has been given a new nature that the Father changes, not the individual.

So with the new nature that God Himself transformed in a person there are a lot of things that the person will “just know”. They will have new desires, they will strive to please the Lord and obey Him. Not because they must perform to be saved (or possibly lose their salvation) but because their new nature desires to please the Lord in every way. Just as a child fears their parents in love, not a fear that is afraid of a spanking but a fear that doesn’t want to disappoint or go against what their parents say. We desire to please the God that created and saw fit to save our souls, which in affect saves us from the painful life of sin. Wow! That’s good. God saves us continually from ourselves and our original fallen nature, by replacing that with His nature. Not that we can’t sin, but we can’t continually live a life of sin.

Easy believism is prevalent these days. Probably because each generation changes the Word and trades it for more lies (Rom. 1:25 all of Jude). You see this more and more with books such as Blue Like Jazz, Velvet Elvis and more recently The Shack that have taken professing Christians by storm into a new belief system. The likes of Rob Bell, Brian McLaren and Erwin McManus are the larger voices of the postmodernism movement that claim Christianity as their beliefs. This is not to even mention the church of Oprah, which is ecumenical, new age and all inclusive. They say that no one religion is correct and that all roads lead to God. This is in direct opposition to what the Word of God says. Jesus said Himself in John 3:18 and John 14:6 that He is the only Way (and then throughout other scriptures Acts 4:12, 1 John 2:23, Romans 5:21, 1 John 5:11. A strong word of caution, if anyone claims to know Christ and is in blatant disregard for what the Word say’s then they are a liar and are not a Christian. If a person says they are a Christian and support abortion, they are in denial of much of scripture. This is the same with someone that lives a life of lies, promiscuity, drunkenness and so on. God’s Word is clear that these people are deceived and are in danger of hellfire. But this is prevalent in theology these days, that all you have to do is make a decision, walk an aisle or say a prayer and BAM! You’re in. I will say that there will be a BAM when God saves you and it will be your heart being recreated to love the Lord instead of living a life of sin. You will “just know” that God has done a work in you that you can not change. Imagine jumping off the Empire State building and having an encounter with the ground. Could you change the fact that you were changed on impact? Not at all. Could you change the fact that you hit the ground and splattered? Nope. So how could and encounter with the God that created everything be changed by you? It can’t be changed.

I urge you to read Gods Word daily. Meditate on what you read and “just know” what it says. Let it permeate your being and allow it to be a part of your new nature. If you know God then you will desire to know more about Him. You will desire to be a part of a body of believers, you will “just know” that you are not complete by yourself and need the rest of the body to survive, to give support and to receive support.

Trust And Obey, For There’s No Other Way…

I may need to change the title of my blog to “That Trust May Abound”. God has seen fit to allow another trial for my family and myself. This one will have some major implications as well as the last one that I mentioned a few blogs back. Thankfully the Lord has been preparing me for this for a while now in so many ways that are becoming evident to me every day. I cannot stress enough the importance of a strong; Christ centered church family and how they minister to someone in need. I have experienced this first hand over the time that I have been at Oak Grove Baptist Church. All I can say is praise the Lord for his gracious ways and allowing me to be lead to this wonderful family.

My current trial is more in depth and requires me to once again place my total trust in the Lord. This is very hard for me to do, because I want to try and do all I can to work this one out. I do feel like I am just adding to the issue when I do try, so out of recently gained wisdom I have given control to the Lord. Actually I have realized I never had control in the first place and just acknowledged that fact. God is in control of everything. Period. If He weren’t, then and only then would I really need to worry. So I have gone to a deeper place of trust in the Lord, which is good. I know that He is in control and I know that what happens will be right for me. After all, I am His child. What Earthly parent would do something that wasn’t for the best of their child? So why would I think that the God of all would be trying to hurt me or punish me in some way? He’s not and I don’t blame Him for anything.

I know that my Father is in control. I may not understand why this is happening totally, but I can see (or I can speculate) as to why. I do trust in Him and in that I am obeying His Word, not because I feel that it is something I should be doing, but it is all I can do. I am perfectly content as to whatever direction the Lord has in store for me. There are 3 different outcomes and I am content with any He has chosen for me in His sovereignty. Through this I am also confident in knowledge that God will be glorified. He is being glorified already and He will continue to be glorified throughout this trial and beyond. God has shown more grace to me than I could ever have hoped for. Even on my worst day God is still gracious in not giving me what I deserve and instead gives me love, grace and forgiveness.

I am doing as Psalm 46:10 says – Being still and knowing that He is God. I am not pushing any issues, I am not trying to persuade anyone to do anything, I am only doing what I should be and trusting. Not that I have not realized some things I was doing wrong and made corrections, but I am trusting totally in Gods wisdom of the outcome of this. I will not waver from His Word and I will not compromise. Ephesians 6:10 says to be strong in the Lord… and I am. He is my strength and my refuge through it all and I praise Him for His goodness to me.

Some verses shared with me by a good friend have helped me, not with the situation itself, but in strengthening my relationship with the Lord. Please if you are going through a trial, take comfort in these verses as well. If you are not, then you may want to bookmark this page for future reference, because a trial is just around the corner. I will divulge in the future about this trial in its entirety, to show how God is working through it and what I have learned and gained from it. I will not speculate at the outcome or what I think may happen, but I will once again say God will be glorified.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Hebrews 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxiouse) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.
Isaiah 43:1-4 But now thus says the LORD that created you, O Jacob, and he that formed you, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you aret mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior: I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved you: therefore will I give men for you, and people for your life.
Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalms 27:3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.
Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried You answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul.
Psalms 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me: You shall stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand shall save me.
Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Proverbs 16:1-3 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weighs the spirits. Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:20 He that handles a matter wisely shall find good: and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

Internet At Home.... Finally.

Hi everyone. Thank you all once again for hanging in there and checking back periodically. Guess what. No, I'm not giving up the blog. I finally have the internet restored at my house. So the official count was 14 days without electricity, 25 days without the internet, 4 days without cell phone service and now our home phone has been out for about a week even after lasting through the whole ice storm and its immediate effects.

Just wanted to fill you in that I will definitely have a new blog posting up in the next day or 2. The Lord has seen fit to begin a new trial in my life that has really moved me into a further level of trusting in Him for everything. I thought I was, but this latest happening has shown me that I haven't been. I know the Lord is in control of my life, I am His child and I know that He is allowing this to show me a lot of things and I am learning so much through it. One thing is that He lead me to a wonderful church home with the greatest church family that have been wonderful through everything my family has been through recently. I know that if it wasn't for my family at Oak Grove Baptist Church that I would not be able to handle these tests. God brought me to where He knew I needed in order to draw strength and support from each and every person in the OGBC body. He was gracious enough to put me there before these things came about and I am so very thankful for God's goodness, which I in no way deserve.

The passage of scripture that really plays through my head these days is Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me. Especially with the content part - God supplies everything I need, He gives and He takes away - He is good and He loves me through it all - He doesn't give me what I deserve - He shows His grace and mercy to me daily - for I am His child and I am resting in His loving arms and it is good.

Ice Storms and Loss of Power

Broken Limbs - This is what every tree in Paducah looks like.

Hi all. Just a quick update on the ice sorm aftermath. it is Saturday Feb 7 and still without power at the house. I am sitting in the McCracken County library parking lot checking emails and posting this.

We are still on generator power at the house, which is getting kinda pricey after 12 days. It takes about 1/2 gallon of gas an hour, so it's about a dollar an hour to run, but hey it's wortj it to keep the famil warm and have a hot shower. I plan on writing a real blog post up soon and get that posted. Thanks to everyone for still checking back from time to time. Thank you all foryour prayers through this situation. It's a definitely an experience I will not soon forget. Waking up at 3:00 AM to put gas in a generator has a way of sticking in your mind. Especially when it's 12 degrees outside.

Take care everyone. I'll be back as soon as power and internet are restored at the homestead. In the mean time please check out www.realtruthmatters.com and all the free resources available through that God centered ministry.

Slip Slidin' Away

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that my home is part of the mass power outages due to the ice storm that passed through our region last week. I currently still am without power or internet connection at my home and have limited access to email and some internet sites via my work computer. Usually the firewall blocks the blogger page, but it looks like today it isn't for some reason.

Please keep the people of my area in your prayers. Their safety and that power will be restored soon. It is a big inconvenience, but it also helps one to appreciate the Lord even more. God is good, during the good times in life and during the difficult times. I praised the Lord when the storm was occuring and I praised Him when I saw the large limb sticking through my bathroom ceiling caused by the ice. He is good and even at the lowest points in our lives we receive much more than we deserve.

As sinners we deserve the Gods wrath and judgment and instead He offers us forigiveness and love. What a wonderful Maker we have. To God be the glory FOREVER and EVER!

Father Forgive Them .......

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Wow, the Lord just opened my eyes to a wonderful verse that I have read and heard quoted thousands of times. It is Luke 23:34 in which the Lord Jesus asks The Father to “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

I have always thought of this verse speaking of the Roman soldiers that were nailing Christ to the cross, or the Jews that allowed Barabbas’ freedom over the Spotless Lamb. But last night the reality set in to me. He was talking about me. He was talking about the sinful humanity in each of us. Our sins put Jesus on the cross at Calvary. Yes, the soldiers did strike the spikes with the hammers, yes Pilate passed the judgment, but we put Him there.

I have known that my sins were why Christ died, but I did not relate that verse to it. I was thinking of the things I mentioned above, soldiers, Jews, Pilate, etc. But I don’t guess I ever realized that I was in the Bible and I am spoken of by name in the word “them”. I have heard the saying “When Jesus was on the cross, you were on His mind” before and if ever there was a scripture to back that up it is this. I can’t imagine the pain and anguish our Savior went through on the cross for us. I know that a small cut on my hand hurts a great deal sometimes, but the piercing of your hands, a large spike being driven through your flesh. Blood gushing, skin tearing. The thoughts are unbearable to me, not to even mention the ridicule, beatings, stoning, scourging and being spat on that day leading up to the cross. The movie “The Passion of The Christ” does not even come close to what Jesus went through that day. It does not show the weight He carried of all of our sins, the humiliation a man would have endured, the pain…. Oh the pain.

But the first Word recorded of Christ on the cross were what? “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Imagine the pain He was in physically, imagine the shock to His body as His weight pulled at the spikes in His hands, the joints being stretched and he did not utter a complaint, but a prayer to the Father of forgiveness. What an act of mercy shown on the cross as Christ took the brunt of our sins and was even then our Advocate to the Father. My heart breaks at my sins now even more, I praise God for His sacrifice for me, for you for the World.

I’d like to say that if you have not known the forgiveness of the Lord, knowing that Christ died so you might live. If you have been living a life that is full of religion and void of the Lord, there is real Hope. If you have made a “decision” at some point in your life, but have lived like the World since, spitting on the work of the cross, there is still Hope. The Hope is Christ and you need to call out to Him to save you, because nothing you can do can do it, no works will save you, no prayer, no walk down an aisle, no proclamation by a pastor, on God can change your heart. Only God can transform your sinful pride into a love so dear for Him that you will be in constant awe of Him. You can’t do it, only He can. Please seek His Face, seek out a truly God centered church, with God focused people that can help and disciple you to a real relationship with Christ and not the decision based form of religion the world embraces. Please for the sake of your eternal soul, for the Glory of God.

The Audacity To Hope In A Person

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteous;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

It seems like a lot of talk of “hope” is being heard these days. I would say it has a lot to do with, now President, Barack Obama and his rhetoric of hope for many things, the title of his book “Audacity of Hope” and his campaign memorabilia emblazoned with the word hope.

I still haven’t quite figured out what the “hope bandwagon” is all about. What exactly is everyone hoping for and why do they believe Obama is the one that will usher in their dreams of hope? Maybe it is because President Obama is a great speaker and everyone hopes that he will come through with his promises. I for one do not hope that at all. My hope is that Obama will soon see his sinful, worldly ways and repent and become truly converted and actually believe what the Word of God says instead of making a mockery of it. See below for a video that explains that statement.


If anyone’s hope lies in any man, then they are painfully looking in the wrong direction. The only hope you or I have is in Christ and what He did on the cross for us. Anything other than that is inconsequential.
Psalms 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Every Christian needs to earnestly pray for Obama’s salvation. He is very deceived and has compromised the Word of God, justifies murdering babies, twists and mocks scripture, keeps company with questionable “pastors”, not to mention is in cahoots with the queen of the world, Oprah. What Obama needs is the repent and trust in the Lord as any other worldly person does. Oh how that would glorify the Lord if Obama would make a speech and say, “I was wrong. Abortion is truly murder, and I have lied to each and every one of you. I am sorry and I have repented unto the Lord.” Now, will that happen? It could, but he is heavily mired in the sins of his flesh and is only getting deeper. Oh yes, the Lord can save him as well as He can anyone, but Obama’s presidency may just be a judgment on our society as it was in the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah.

Please pray for Obama and his staff and even your local elected officials. God has put them there for a reason, even if they do not follow Him.

Obama Mocks God and The Bible

And Such Was I

One of the most powerful verses in the bible, to me at least, is delivered by Paul, to the Corinthians. If you have been truly converted then this verse will really pop to you and shows how good God is, how He reached from the Holiest of places to save me, to save you, to save us all from not only the torments of hell but also from the sinful lives that we once loved so much.

When I read this verse:
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
All I can think about is “Praise you Lord for saving me, you didn’t have to, but You did and You are worthy of my praise to You, You are more worthy than I could ever say.” Now if you back up a little earlier in chapter 6 you will see what the “such were” were that Paul was addressing. You have a whole gamut of sins listed – fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves, alcoholics and extortionist. And such was I. Paul took the title of “Chief of Sinners”, but in my wretchedness I was pretty low myself until the Lord saw fit to save me from that sinful life. God is so good to have pulled me from the mire of my sin and wash me clean.

This verse is a wake up call and God used it to show me of how judgmental I can be, not of brothers and sisters, but of sinners. I would somehow expect the lost people at work to conform to what God was so gracious in showing me. They don’t. They won’t. That is until the Lord saves them as well. I realized that a sinner sins, they care nothing of the Spirit and what He is about. They care nothing for pleasing the Lord, but only themselves. And such was I. One of the worst things a true believer can do is tell a non believer that they shouldn’t do a particular sin. “Hey Jimbo, you shouldn’t be living with your girlfriend or cheating on your taxes.” That would be like telling a Christian “Hey Bubby, you need to be reading your Bible and praying every day.” They both come natural to either of them. The true Christian walks with God, the non-believer walks in the world. You can’t tell a dog he now needs to purr like a cat, but if God changed the dog into a cat, it would be natural for it to purr then.

Sorry for getting off subject. Now back to the blog already in progress. We were all a “such were” at one point in our life, if you can not see that then you may want to go over a book to 2 Corinthians 13:5 and do as Paul exhorts there to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Then read 1John and the Gospels, Acts, Romans and then the rest of the bible. If you never saw how filthy and wretched you were, how much you hated God and how you could do nothing but call out to Him, then you may have a huge problem. If you think you have your ticket, that you took care of things a long time ago, that all you have to do is ask to be forgiven of your sinful life and use Christ’s work on the cross as a get out of hell free card, then you are still on the “such were” category. You would actually be called a “so are”. If your heart does not break for sinning against God, then I beg you to seek God out with all that you are and all that you can so that He can save you too, that He will keep you from hell, that you will lead a God centered life, that all you will want to do is try to bring glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is indeed worthy, more worthy than anything we could ever offer.

Praise the Lord for opening my eyes to my sinfulness. Thank You God for showing me that sinner’s sin and I can’t change them. Please Lord give me the grace to share Your Word with them in a loving, but true way to them. God please make me not compromise your Word for any reason but to reflect Your Light. Open my mouth to speak Your Word that many will come to repentance. Thank you Lord for all that you do. Amen

From The Highest Mountains To The Lowest Valleys

Mountains in Washington, recent trip by my wife and I

The depths of a valley are often defined by how high the mountains are surrounding them. You may be driving your car and just go down to a lower point than the surrounding area, while you can still see everything that you could before, just from a different perspective or angle. Other times you could end up in a deep valley with the mountains jutting upward and you can’t see anything except the side of a mountain. If you've ever driven in the mountains, you know that going up is a lot harder than when you're coming down. Coming down also builds speed as you try to slow down and pump the brakes of your car.

But through both of these what you do see is the higher ground. You know that the valley is temporary and it’s just a matter of time before you will be out of the valley, possibly even on top of the mountains, looking downward toward where you came from, what you went through that brought you to the higher ground. You pause for a moment and just soak in the beauty of what is before you.

Isn’t life a lot like that? Right now my family is in the deepest valley it has ever experienced and it was a downhill plunge in a matter of seconds. We are all affected by what is going on and it will have affects for the rest of our lives here on this earth. It is a difficult place to be, it is not easy and it is not without worry. Don’t get me wrong though, the worry is because we do not know the outcome, it is not because we do not trust who is in charge of this. Worry can be a cancer and destroy a person, but this worry is the kind that pushes you toward the only One that can remedy. This is in God’s hands and the valley may seem deep at this moment, but you know what? I see the mountains. I see the One that created the mountains and I have put my trust in Him to see us all through this, in His way.

Is it easy? No, not by a long shot, but knowing that the Lord is in control does ease things a lot. I gave up control about 2 seconds after this situation came about, which is about 2 seconds longer than I should have. But I know through this trial that God is ever present and will keep us from harm and will be glorified. He already has been as His power to transcend this situation with His peace and with the family of believers He has been so gracious in putting us into. This has brought me closer to God and also is strengthening my family and bringing them closer to Him as well, which glorifies His working in our lives. To God be the glory, for everything!

Please do keep my family in your prayers for His peace to transcend through this, especially to my son, my mom, my wife, the other 2 boys and myself: as well as the extended family members. Please leave a comment of any verse that may have come to mind for you or anything else that you might think could encourage us through this difficult time.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Psalms 57:1-3 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Happy New Year - 2009

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone and their families a Happy New Year. Start out the year right with humbling yourself to the Lord and asking Him to cleanse your life of all possible sins, make it a point to pray constantly, be in constant communion with the Lord. Ask that He be ever present in your thoughts and life and that you think of Him before you do anything.

Also on a personal note: My family is in the midst of a very difficult situation. I will not go into detail, but say that my son is in a lot of trouble with the law. This is after years of issues with him, he has finally gotten caught and must now pay. I tried for a long time to change him, praying the whole time that "I" could say the right words, that "I" could do the right things, that "I" could make him see what he was doing was destructive, that "I" could just make him understand. God showed me that "I" couldn't do anything except show him love and tell him the truth and leave the rest up to the Lord. That's what I did about 2 years ago, my son has done things that he should have never gotten away with (and did get away with) and now he got caught and it is serious to the law and has devastating implications for my whole family.

I know the Lord is in control and I gave up control of my son to Him a long time ago. I know I still pray for my son and I know that God will be definitely glorified through all of this. This may be the bottom of the barrel - where my son finally sees God and how he sins against Him, the Creator of all. Please pray for my son that God will open his mind and heart to Him, please pray for my family during this storm of life. I gave up control of this situation to God a few moments after the initial shock of what has happened and am resting perfectly in His Bosom. Jehovah Shalom, You are with me,
To supply all my needs.