Rightly Dividing the Word

Pastor Neil brought a great message this morning. The mystery of God's sovereignty. Not even the atheist can claim that he has rejected God. It was God's sovereign choice to harden the heart just like it was God's sovereign choice to open the heart unto salvation. God is so awesome in that no one believer or unbeliever can boast. News flash - God is in control and there is nothing you can do about it. Thank God!

House cont.

New fridge, check! New stove, check! Ready to rip out half of the kitchen, um, no! I have to get a new breaker panel and rewire the half of the kitchen that the stove and fridge is going on too. So, Melissa is dying to use the new stove. I have to admit, we have never had appliances this nice or neat! I told her to get what she wanted and she did. Even though it's gonna be a lot of work I look forward to getting them installed for her.

The Love Wins heresy

Maybe you've seen the bumper or window stickers that say Love Wins and thought oh that's nice, I want one because in the end Love does win and never saw the danger behind have it on your car. Well, the theology behind Love Wins is heretical and is being promoted in our generation by the heretic "pastor" by the name of Rob Bell. Bell's new book by the title "Love Wins" spins a mighty web of deceit and says that God would never send people to hell and that Jesus isn't the only way to heaven. Bell is a Universalist which believes all people end up in heaven no matter what they have placed their faith in. Bell claims that he has a new way to think about salvation and hell and that the "old way" is incorrect. So let me get this straight, according to Bell, Jesus, the Bible, and almost every biblical theologian for almost the last 2000 years has been wrong? My advice is to stay as far away from Love Wins as possible, why? Because the Bible instructs us to flee from the world and the flesh, and so I would flee! Pray that God will open the heart of Rob Bell and lead him unto salvation because right now he is denying the only person who can save him and that is Jesus. Also, pray protection of the many Christians who might suffer to read this book and be misled, pray that God would restore those who are pulled away by this false teacher.

Project 764

Just got back from our annual outreach trip to the Appalachian trail. Had another great time this year. The team was great, the food was great and the fellowship was great. What a unique way to share the love of Christ with a unique group of people. We served close to 150 hot dogs to hikers again this year. Dispite the snags getting this trip off the ground God turned it into a great time that glorified Him. Thanks to all those who went on the trip and look forward to doing this again next year.

Funeral for a man of God

This is the first time I can say that I have been to a funeral and it was awesome. As I watched his three grown children talk about him I could see and feel their pain. My heart was broken for them as I know what it is like to lose your father. I could also see the joy through their tears that they knew just as he knew, his last breath here would be his first breath in the presence of his Savior Jesus Christ. My limited exposure to this man did not prohibit me from knowing where he stood. He radiated the grace and love that he only received from the One who saved him. From the amount of people that filed through the funeral home showing their respect to the amount of people who attended the funeral service you can tell that this wonderful man of God affected many lives. Knowing his children and that all of them are men and women of God there is little doubt that this man, their father was good steward of what God entrusted to him. By chance if any of his children read this, I love you, and now I know why you are so easy to love. I am praying for you all. May the God your father loved and you love heap upon you comfort and peace during this time of grieving.

Don't you just love it

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. God worked me over the past few days but only because He had to. So thankful that I have a loving wife, a loving pastor who, even though I wear him thin, has yet to give up on me. More important than those two, a God and Savior who loves me enough to not leave me the way I am. That is the thing a lot of people miss. God does love us and take us the way we are, but, and its a big but, He loves us too much to allow us to stay that way. I learn things the hard way in that I have to be taken to the wood shed in order to learn. God has had me out there at the shed for a while now and finally my friend was invited and held me down while I took the spanking. Just what my God ordered! God disciplines those He loves and sometimes He goes through our brothers and sisters in Christ to discipline us. Looking forward to tomorrow, nice change.

um.....

BROKEN..................

Can't win for losing

Have you ever been in one of those situations where no matter what you do you lose? Well that's where I found myself today. It seems like lately I can't even tell someone hello without offending someone else. My only prayer is that I will learn whatever lesson God is trying to teach me so tat I will not have to go through this again. Many of you know me well enough to know that I have been in the wrong before but rarely have I been in the position that no matter what I do it seems to be wrong. I can't even stand for the right thing, uphold right principles without doing that wrong. Okay, I will admit, I think I am officially throwing myself a pity party. I would like to thank that person who told me that my blog has helped them, you know who you are. I love you and your family and hope to see you guys get everything straightened out. I am praying for you! It is uplifting to hear that even in our troubles we can help people. I think the trouble with a lot of believers is that we feel that we have to put on the good face for people all them time like we never have troubles. I have a problem with faking it. I am not good at it. A dear lady whom I love very much asked last wednesday how I was doing, I told her great. She knew I was lying and called me on it. I am just not good at it anymore. Are we not called to share one another's burdens? Is it even possible to share your burdens without the gossip train firing up? Or how about someone who does the exact thing they accuse you of doing, only you are wrong for getting upset with them? I need your prayers! I am seriously under attack here. I am fighting th battle of depression at a time when I should be rejoicing. This shows I have some priorities out of whack. I have discovered one of my problems is that I have spent so much time looking outside myself that I have forgotten to look inside myself. Because of this I have let a few things creep into my heart that need to be reconciled. 

Today we celebrated the Lord's Supper. I think today was one of the first days that I ever approached it rightly thanks to a message that I heard this past week. I don't remember who it was by but I didn't want to pass it off like it was mine. I used to approach the Lord's Supper thinking that I was okay to receive it if I had inspected my heart and life and repented of my sins and ask forgiveness of those sins that I had done and yet was unaware of them. We are instructed by Paul to not take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Our question should be, just when are we ever worthy to approach the Lord's table? The answer is never. Not even after we have repented and no amount of prayer makes us worthy. Only when we find ourselves resting in HIS mercy and grace can we rely on His worthiness. You see, by praying and repenting, thinking we are clean, we are still relying on our worthiness, which is nothing but filth. I heard this and a shutter of fear ran through my soul. Just how many time have I courted judgment by approaching the Lord's table in the wrong way. Paul warns that "this is why many of you are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep." Wow and this was me and many if not all of you. Do you realize how we have been flirting with death? Only by realizing that we are not and never will be worthy of His table can we truly rely on His worthiness. Stop right now and thank God for His mercy. We have really depended upon it in this matter. Praise God for He is good!

God and Japan

When we see things like what has happened in Japan many will ask, "If God is good and loves mankind why does he allow things like this to happen?" To ask this question is to really not have a good view of who God is. We must always remember that He is sovereign, just and working things out according to His will. Japan is a very secular pagan society, how best to give Christians an opportunity to show exactly who God is and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bring hope to the hopeless than something like this? "Well what about all those innocent people who died?" To ask this question is to have a wrong view of man. There is no one who is innocent. God would still be just if he took us all out. If he did we would be getting what we deserved, just punishment for our sins. What an awesome opportunity the church now has in Japan to show the love of Christ and to share the Gospel of Christ. So why does God allow things like this to happen? The answer isn't as difficult as you might think, quite simply, to bring glory to Himself.

Just when I thought it was over

Apparently I am not ready to shake off the funk. I thought I was over it but here it comes again. No, I am not sick, physically anyways. Just down in the dumps. Just how does one deal with not wanting to be around those you care about the most? How does one not criticize when things are wrong that should be right? I am open for criticism. As a matter of fact I need it. Please feel free to let me have it, in fact it will be the greatest show of love for me short of dying for me. Does anyone love me enough to tell me where I am wrong and have overstepped my bounds? I think I crave for someone to tell me these things. I think it is a greater injustice to not tell me and let me continue than it is to stay silent and let me continue. Are we not brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we not commanded to rebuke? I can't seem to see around this beam in my eye to get a good look at myself in the mirror so will you look for me? I hate feeling this way, it just isn't right to have everything and yet feel like you have nothing. I am not throwing a pity party, woe is me, I am simply venting and putting it out there in hopes that it will aid another and second by getting it out of me it will leave. Let me know what you think........

I have been away and so have you!

Well, the move is complete and we have been in the "new" house for a week now. The starting gun has just sounded though as now everyday I will be working on some aspect of this house. Getting caught up on school and desperately trying to finish one of my classes that ends tomorrow night. After that I will only have three classes to worry about. Doing these classes which are required for my degree but I could care less about are going to be the death of me. Why is is so difficult to work on things which I have no interest in? My mood is improving as I rise from the ashes of the mullygrubs I was mired in. Wasn't it called the Slew of Despond in Pilgram's Progress? Something like that anyways. It sure is liberating to slip back out of that miry clay. Thank you Jesus for always being there when I get over myself. As one of the Monty Python gang use to sing, "Always look on the bright side of life!" Now stop whistling the tune! NOOOOOOOOOOone expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Do you like it?

Do you like seeing the real me? The not always pretending everything is ok? This is the life of a sinner struggling with hating his sin.  Are you gonna pray for me or gossip about me? In a brother or sister's time of testing this is when true colors will be shown. Not during the smooth sailing, oh no, that's where the mistakes are made and then the testing comes. A good friend of mine calls this the mullygrubs, and boy do I love them. This is when I either grow or fail and then grow, either way God is going to grow me. Why put it out there for all to see? Maybe someone will see my trouble walking and it will grow them without having to go through it.