A classic video

Ladies and gentlemen for your listening and viewing pleasure, may I present to you "Trifecta of Power"...

These guys really are hilarious and my favorite is Butner (I may be a little biased since he is my son)

Let's try that again

Here is the Documentfor you to read concerning the testimony of Steve Saint

God is sovereign!- God is sovereign!

Even when a Tsunami strikes
Check out this LINK as John Piper discusses the sovereignty of God even in a Tsunami.

Athanasius

As Christians we need to be more diligent in our reading about the early church fathers. If you have never read anything on Athanasius then may I recommend the following document . This by the way is the paper that I wrote for my church history class in seminary. Hope you enjoy getting to know Athanasisus.

Oops, let's try again - "The article on worship evangelism"

In my last post I wanted to reference you to an article by Sally Morgenthaler that she recently wrote on the subject of worship evangelism. I sent you to the incorrect link so let me try it again.
Here is the article I recommend the you read on worship evangelism.

Worship evangelism

One of the hottest topics in the American evangelical church is the subject of worship. In 1999 a book called "Worship Evangelism" by Sally Morgenthaler received a lot of attention. Since that time she has called into question some of the views she expressed in her own book. In this current article one of the profound comments that she makes is how the worship on Sunday seems to be disconnected from life that is lived out for most Christians during the week. In other words there has been a promotion of the worship experience on Sunday through music and emotion but it doesn't carry us through the rest of the week. This article reveals some of the mistakes that we have made over the past decade in our desire to be more customer friendly for those in the world and in the church.

Devotion time in Daniel 9

During my devotion time this morning I was especially moved by Daniel's prayer in Chapter 9. I keep a journal to write thoughts as I study, read and meditate over God's word. Here are some of my thoughts about this prayer:






1. It says that Daniel prayed and confessed - I thought about the need that I have on a regular basis to confess my sin before the Lord. How easy it is for me to see the sin in everyone around me but be so blind to my own sin.


2. In Daniel's prayer he lists a number of ways that we sin - rebellion, the scorning of God's commands, and refusing the listen to the words of the prophets.


3. The Lord is righteous in everything that He does.


4. The Lord is also very merciful and forgiving even though His people rebel. In the words of John Newton "I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior."


5. The people of Israel had to suffer curses and judgments because of their sin. It reminds me that sin always has a consequence in our lives.


6. The Lord rescued His people from Egypt to bring honor to His name.


7. I need to ask consistently for help from the Lord in every area of my life, not because I deserve God's help but because He is merciful.

As a last item for observation I wrote the question in my journal - "How are we to seek mercy from the Lord?" The answer is that we need to turn from sin (confess, confess, confess) and we are to recognize His truth!

Spoiling our "four legged" girls

From time to time we give our girls a treat and bring over Outback Dog Wash for a bath party!
Georgia, Snickers and Ruthie get spoiled as they are washed and dried in the truck you see in this picture. Normally the guy who owns the company puts on a pretty bandanna for the girls when he brings them into the house. Nancy and I figure now that our "two legged" children are out of the home we may as well spoil our "four legged" children!
Did you know that as Christians we can be bathed everyday in the word of God? It is a priviledge and a treat to be able to sit and think about the very thoughts of God. Why not treat your self this week and get washed in the word!

When selecting a church home

I recently read "Stop Dating the Church and fall in love with the family of God" by Josh Harris.
Here are some questions he listed in the book that a person or couple need to consider when selecting a church home.

Questions to Ask When Looking for a Church

1. Is this a church where God's Word is faithfully taught?

This must be our first and foremost question because if we as Christians believe the Bible is our only true absolute standard, then preachers and teachers who teach from experience and psychology and sociology, etc., apart from God's Word have nothing ultimately to offer us. Only God's Word can give us the words of life (John 6:68). Only God's Word can keep us from sin (Psalm 11:9-11), can give us the correct avenues to teach others (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and is a perfect testimony of God's grace in our lives (Psalm 19:7).

2. Is this a church where sound doctrine matters?

Sound doctrine does matter!!! It matters because false teaching continually infiltrates the church (see Galatians 1). If we do not care for sound doctrine (and sound doctrine is only God's Word exposited faithfully), then we will only want those things which will sound good to our "itching ears," a dangerous event since our hearts are inclined to want things apart from Christ (2 Timothy 4:3-4). And without sound doctrine, we might end up believing a different Gospel, what Paul calls an anathema to Christ.

3. Is this a church in which the GOSPEL (justification by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone) is cherished and clearly proclaimed?

Paul tells the Corinthian church, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3). A church that makes the core Gospel secondary does a disservice to the Scriptures, and really a church where the Gospel is not cherished is a church that has lost perhaps its greatest power.

4 Is this a church committed to reaching non-Christians with the Gospel?

If the Gospel then is the central core of the church, then it makes sense that the local church would want others, especially those who do not know the Gospel, to know that Gospel. In this way, the church should be gracious to those who desperately need the Gospel, and therefore, people of all walks of life could enter that place to see God's grace exemplified.

5. Is this a church whose leaders are characterized by humility and integrity?

If the leadership of the church is led by an agenda and even doctrine apart from grace and humility, one must wonder whether the church truly understands the fullness of the Gospel. Obviously, you are not looking for perfection in Christian leadership. To do so only propagates a proud attitude and such a person would never truly know humility to begin with. But if the church is Gospel-centered, you will find the leadership to be honest with the reality of their own sinfulness, and therefore gracious to others in spite of others' sinfulness.

6. Is this a church where people strive to live by God's Word?

A church not only needs to hear the Word (Q1), but they need to be doers of the Word. What good is Bible study if there is no intent to apply God's Word, to hide it in our hearts so that we do not sin against God (Psalm 119:9-11)? People should be referring to God's Word regularly, interacting with others through the Scriptures not with boasting, but with a deep sense of brokenness before God's perfect standard.

7. Is this a church where I can find and cultivate godly relationships?

Notice that the idea is not to cultivate any relationships, it is not to find a good sports ministry, but rather the goal is to have God-centered relationships because ultimately, that will satisfy your soul and give you God's peace.

8. Is this a church where members are challenged to serve?

Serving the church is beautiful when it flows from a passion for the Gospel. In this way, people will serve sacrificially but joyfully. But beware when you see a church cluttered with programs and think that something is happening. The previous questions need to be dealt with first and then service will be a truly joyful matter.

9. Is this a church that is willing to kick me out?

If the church is more concerned with having large numbers than having large numbers of souls who are transformed by Christ, then this question would not make sense. However, 1 Corinthians 5 teaches us that there are times when the sin is so great that the church must be willing to kick a person out of the church SO THAT that person might be saved. The end goal is actually restoration and not punishment and therefore hopefully your church/my church would be willing to do this.

10. Is this a church I'm willing to join "as is" with enthusiasm and faith in God?

Too many people join a church thinking they are God's answer for the church. That is, they can 'fix' what is wrong. Others join a church and then think, "Uh oh, I have made a mistake," and then they are gone in a few months. What a terrible sin of pride and lack of commitment. The reality is that people assume that it's their way or no way. Instead, when you find a church, and you are excited about it, allow your faith in Christ to give you a burden of humility and grace for your church. Don't let your complaints and grumbling undermine the very reason you joined that church in the first place. By doing so, you, your family, and the church, along with the casualties of possibly many others, will do a grave disservice to the kingdom of God and will feel the full affect spiritually of having a heart of pride. Do not flag in your zeal for the church.

11. Is this a church that has a passion to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth?

It makes sense that you would want your church to reach all nations since Jesus' promise is that when the Gospel does this, He will return (Matthew 24:14). Can there be anything greater to look forward to than that?

Blessings

If you wonder where "we" have gone

If you are wondering where Nancy went
















If you are wondering where Bert went

Train up a child...

Shopping carts and the church

I never paid much attention to blog sites up until several months ago. But not only do I now enjoy them but I have my own. Sometimes you read the comments on a site and you say to yourself - "I wish I had written that." Well here is one of those times and one of those sites.

It is amazing how a stray shopping cart can so illustrate the church today!

meditation on shopping carts

My wife and I are empty nesters and enjoy every minute we can find to be together. That includes a weekly trip to the grocery store. The other day, as we drove into the lot, we saw them -- shopping carts left here and there, nudged up against trees and against parking barriers. Shopping carts here and there. Simultaneously, we both exclaimed, "Look at that!" and then . . .

we realized that here was a Gospel illustration. Yes, in shopping carts.

First, here was the doctrine of sin in living color. What is so significant about shopping carts left all over the lot? Well, it is simple -- people will not walk the extra twenty feet to put them where they belong. Why? They are in a hurry. Their time is too valuable. That's what the store clerks are for. They will put it where it is safe but who says they have to go back into those little shopping cart corrals?

That, in the simplest, terms is a revelation of the pride, laziness, self-serving nature of our hearts. It is the doctrine of sin lived out. Its just a piece of fruit on a tree and I am hungry -- who is God to tell me I cannot eat it? Its just incense offered to God. I will come up with my own formula for incense that I life -- I will express myself in worship in a way that shows the true me. It's the ark of the covenant and the oxen stumbled -- I had to touch it to keep it safe. Surely God will understand. It's just a shopping cart -- surely you exaggerate the meaning of people not putting it away? No, I do not. All of the incidents I mentioned other than the shopping cart seem minor too -- and the perpetrators all died. Sin is sin.

Second, it reveals self-righteousness. That's what my wife and I heard in our comments -- "How can people be so lazy?", meaning, "I am not lazy and they are." The truth is that I am just as lazy but I am also self-righteous. I judge others and condemn myself for doing the same things.

Third, all that points to the need for a Savior. Our selfishness and arrogance show up everywhere. I am too important to have to take 32 seconds to return a shopping cart. Serve me, slave! Don't ask me to serve you. If sin is so pervasive in my soul, then surely a savior is required. I cannot save myself if my deepest and first instinct is to serve myself, not serve others. But Jesus came not to be served, but to serve -- he took no thought of himself though he was/is God. he laid down his life for us and would not even lay down our 30 seconds to return a shopping cart

A typical Saturday

It is normally a day of prayer, study and planning for Sunday. During the last 4 years it has always been so exciting to make final preparations on Saturday and then share the word of God on Sunday mornings.

Tonight Nancy and I had sweet potato chips with blue cheese and then calamari with cocktail sauce. Then we had a quiet evening by watching a movie, hanging out with the pooches. Since this is the pre-season for the NFL then we will probably watch a little football before going to sleep.

A time for everything...

This morning I am comforted by what the Bible says about the various seasons in life. Each season has its lesson and each season is important. I am thankful to my Father in heaven for the different seasons in my life.

Eccl. 3:1 ¶ There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
Eccl. 3:2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
Eccl. 3:3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
Eccl. 3:4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
Eccl. 3:5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
Eccl. 3:6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
Eccl. 3:7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
Eccl. 3:8 A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

God's timing for the season is always perfect timing

When you commit to lay your life down for Jesus in ministry…

These are the quotes from the gospels from the Lord Jesus Himself:

John 16:33 - “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Matthew 7:13-14 - “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

John 15:20 - “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

Luke 6:22 - “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

Luke 9:24 - “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

Matthew 24:9 - “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Luke 14:26 - “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:28 - “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

Luke 14:33 - So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

"Salvation is free but it will cost you everything you have"

Blessings

Ruthie was chosen!

When our daughter Anna was a senior in high school we decided to get her a puppy (silver lab, yes I said a silver lab) for a present. The only problem was she was going off to school and the puppy ended up staying home with us. Well what we thought was initially was a problem (up at night, house training, chewing on everything) has turned out to be a real blessing for our whole family. Nancy and I have often reflected, that of all the puppies in the litter we picked her. In other words "Ruthie" was chosen.
When you read the words "you were chosen" in the Bible that infers at least two things. There is the One who does the choosing (active) and the one who is chosen (passive). It is God who does the choosing and it is us who are chosen. Wow! The next thought that comes to mind is on what basis was I chosen. The answer from Scripture is that I was not chosen because I deserved it, merited it nor earned it but that it was simply the grace of God. If you could ask our “Ruthie” why was she chosen she would probably say something about grace.

Indigenous principle vs. pilgrim principle

During the last 5 weeks I have been preaching on the gospel-centered life. The statement that I have repeated over and over is this:
"If you know what the Bible says and you are not practicing it then though the gospel make be clear to you it still isn't real."

Last Sunday I preached on "The tension in gospel-centered living." I owe a debt of appreciation to Andrew Walls and Dr. Piper for allowing me to borrow liberally from their writing, teaching and preaching.

During the last month we have been focusing on the “cross-centered life”

1. Understanding the gospel
2. Preaching the gospel
3. Living the gospel

Last week we looked at Philippines Chapter 1 which can be outlined in the following way:

➢ Make the gospel the priority of fellowship with other believers
➢ Make the gospel the priority of our prayer life
➢ Make the gospel the priority in all life circumstances especially in suffering
➢ Make the gospel the priority in our self denial ministry to others

The word fellowship actually means partnership, which could be defined as conformity to a vision that involves self-sacrifice.

If you know what to do practically like:
Financial giving and doing all things without grumbling and complaining
But you don’t live this way
Then the gospel may be clear to you but it’s not real

Illustration – a woman asked a question about her boss who was treating her with abuse emotionally and verbally she said that her gifts were teaching and exhortation and not mercy so how do you have mercy for people like her boss.

Answer – meditate consistently on how merciful God was to you at the cross
In other words mercy distributed to others is never greater than our embracing mercy received from God at the cross.

Another question is from someone who asks about the sins we commit after we become Christians and how are we to understand that God is on our side and for us instead of being mad at us.

Answer – Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
If God can do the very hardest thing then He can do the easier thing

But here again if you know what to do and how to live and yet that is not happening in your life then the gospel may be clear but it’s not real.

And that is what these messages have been designed to do and that is transform you not next week but right there as you sit in your seat


Understanding and living within the tension of the gospel-centered life

Andrew Walls in his book “Missionary Movement in Church History” describes two principles that are found in the Bible. They are called:

1. The indigenous principle
2. The pilgrim principle

The indigenous principle – the gospel must put on the garment of the culture in order to fit the size, shape, style and form of those who are in the process of receiving it. And therefore we have missionaries that go and learn the language and like Jim Elliott go out to live among a certain type of people.

The pilgrim principle – as soon as the gospel puts on the garment of the culture it starts to indict, criticize and transform the culture making the person or group an alien that lives at home in the culture.

Illustrations and Scripture

Christians are to be in the world but they are not to be part of the world.
Within that statement (John 17:15) you have both principles at work.

In the world – indigenous
Not of the world – pilgrim

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world - “conformed” is the verb which means to be molded into a pattern, like a jello mold that you pour in a pattern and put in the refrigerator.

But then Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 9:22 - To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

1 Corinthians 10:32-33 - Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

Conclusion – we need to be like the world to win as many as we can (indigenous)
But we don’t need to be conformed to this world (pilgrim)

There needs to be SEPERATION
2 Corinthians 6:17 - Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;

And yet there also needs to be PARTICIPATION
1 Corinthians 5:9-10 - I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

Christians are to associate with non-believers who sleep around but not Christians who sleep around.

There needs to be ADAPTION
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 - and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
Interpretation; - fit in and do not make any trouble for others in the way you live

1 Timothy 2:1-2 - First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
Interpretation; - lead a peaceful and quiet life and don’t make any waves

There needs to be CONFRONTATION
Ephesians 5:6-11 - Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Therefore do not be partakers with them;
for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

This will not make you popular in your neighbor hood or local Rotary Club when you start talking about the problems with abortion, homosexuality, and radical prejudice in our society.

So here is the tension that we are living with in our gospel centered lives:
In the world but not of the world
Separate from but participate in
Adapt to but confront
Put on the garment of the culture and live like it lives (indigenous) and then indict, criticize and transform the culture in the way you live (pilgrim)


And if you ask the question where is this all rooted there are at least 4 answers:
Creation
Conversion
Kingdom
Christ

Paul is writing to Corinth where they sold meat in the market place and hung it up and it did not have any labels on it like:
Clean or dirty
Sacrificed or not sacrificed

The Christians there wondered what do we do?
And Paul’s answer to them is eat whatever is sold
1 Corinthians 10:25-26 - Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.

You are a child of the King and the King owns everything so eat whatever you want
The Doctrine of Creation

But
Romans 8:20 says - For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

We live in a world that is:
Groaning
Broken
Fallen
Haywire

And because of that we have conditions that now exist where the eating of meat impacts the conscience and potential weaknesses of other brothers and sisters

Before the fall God owns it all and I eat whatever I want but now there is a semi-colon and not a period because we now must deal with the doctrine of redemption and not only the doctrine of creation

Marriage and Singleness
Genesis 2:18 said that it was not good for man to be alone and so the conclusion we get from that is that everyone should be married. Also added to that is the command in Genesis 1:28 that we should be fruitful and multiply and obviously that is to be within the context of marriage.

But then we get over into the epistles where our doctrine is flushed out and in 1 Corinthians Chapter 7 the apostle Paul says that it is better to be single like he is than it is to be married.

Paul understands that he couldn’t be married to a wife and be in jail every other weekend.

So in a perfect world before the fall where sin entered into the picture everyone gets married and has kids and populates the world.
However not that sin has entered we are not only dealing with creation issues we are now dealing with redemption issues.

It may be that some marry and no kids, while other marry and have many kids and some may not marry at all and have no kids but these are to be thought of in terms of redemption.


Christ
The indigenous and pilgrim principle are rooted within who Christ is:

1. Christ came into the world and took on human flesh basically saying that I am one of you and so you go and be one of me in every community and culture (indigenous)
2. But Christ was so good, holy, perfect, meek and loving that we killed Him because though like us He was so unlike us (pilgrim principle)
John 1:11 - He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

So how do we navigate as a church through these type of tensions that are deeply rooted in the Scripture:
Be in the world but not of the world
Be separate from but yet participate in
Be adapting to but confronting of

There is only one way and that is to become a gospel-centered people of God in which:

➢ Make the gospel the priority of fellowship with other believers
➢ Make the gospel the priority of our prayer life
➢ Make the gospel the priority in all life circumstances especially in suffering
➢ Make the gospel the priority in our self denial ministry to others

From the mountains to the ocean

Here is a look at some mountain property at a place called Echota. Could you imagine a sunrise or sunset on the porch? The mountains as well as all creation is constantly displaying the glory of God!

The "Big One" that didn't get away

I was do a little fishing with Taylor Hawkes this summer and as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Problem solved!

Hey folks for years as a pastor and someone in full time ministry I have gotten lots of critical feedback. People have sent emails, made phone calls or even said in person that I am stubborn, hard headed or as they say in the south "thick." Let's stop beating around the bush here and just shuck the corn all the way down to the cob. Basically people have been telling me that I have a head problem. But guess what they are wrong--- I don't have a head problem at all I have a foot problem. And today my sweetie pie of over 30 years I might add is going to get me the "Strassburg Sock." Let me illustrate my problem for you via this picture:
Therefore contrary to earlier reports "pastor B" does not have a head problem but he does have a foot problem. According to a study done patients using the Strassburg sock were completely cured in a little over 18 days!

A word picture for the life of a typical American

We need to take heed to these words from Psalm 146:10
"Be still and know that I am God"

Cruzing the Carribean

Here is the whole family on a cruise for the first time. It was a great experience and am hoping someday we can do it again!

The Downgrade Controversy

Charles Spurgeon was known as the "prince of preachers." But did you know that the last 4 years of his life were embroiled with what has been called the Downgrade Controversy. It seems that Spurgeon got a bee in his bonnet so to speak about three specific areas of the church. They were:
1. The evangelical church was not able to defend doctrinal issues precisely. Refer to my previous blog on Doctrine-Doctrine-Doctrine and why this is so important.
2. The bible was no longer the rule of faith and practice. Trust me on this the evangelical church talks as though they are orthodox and they live like they are neo-orthodox. Just a clarification of these terms, orthodox means that one thinks the Bible is the word of God whereas a neo-orthodox person would say that the Bible becomes the word of God. The basic difference is huge. In the case of the orthodox believer we are constantly trying to understand what the author meant by what he wrote. The neo-orthodox person is trying to understand what the Bible means to them through their belief system.
3. The evangelical pastors settled for pragmatism rather than preaching the truth.

Keep in mind this controversy was going on in 1887 but as a pastor this information from Spurgeon is so relevant to our church problems today.

You can read more on this in detail in John MacArthur's book "Ashamed of the Gospel."

Preparing for worship on Sunday

Did you know that preparing for worship on Sunday needs to begin before you get to church? Many times we are so frantic and in a hurry before we ever get to church. The kids can't find their Bibles, and mom needs to finish her makeup while dad is still looking for the car keys. Often when we enter the sanctuary on Sunday morning we are more in the mood for war than for worship. Not long ago I read a pastor's prayer for his congregation the night before a worship service.

As all of us prepare our hearts and minds for worship tomorrow, my prayer is that we go expecting to encounter the glory of God, his powerful presence, first and foremost. I pray that, as we sleep, God would expand our want to sing of who he is and hear of what he’s done. I pray that we go ready and willing to feel the grief of our sin so that we can feel the glory of his salvation. I pray that we go, in other words, to see God on display, not preachers or musicians. A worship service is not the place to showcase human talent. It’s the place for God to showcase his Divine treasure. A worship service that contains the power to change us (even us preachers) is a worship service that leaves us with grand impressions of Divine personality, not grand impressions of human personality. Isaiah did not leave the temple in Isaiah 6 thinking, “What great music, what a great building, what a great preacher.” He left thinking, “What a great God.”

Perhaps John Stott's words will be used to grow our love for the great Gospel we will encounter tomorrow: “The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be.” Amen!

Remember: we gather for worship not to escape the real world, but to be reminded that this world is not all there is. For the Christian, the best is yet to come. So worship humbly and hard tomorrow. You need it!

Doctrine-Doctrine-Doctrine

Many people in the church get intimidated when they hear the word doctrine. They often think that the study of doctrine is for theologians, pastors or elders only. But the word doctrine can be defined as what the whole Bible has to say about any particular subject. For example there are 8 major doctrines that Christians we need to study and be able to discuss with others. They are as follows:
1. The Doctrine of God
2. The Doctrine of the Word
3. The Doctrine of man
4. The Doctrine of Christ
5. The Doctrine of the Spirit
6. The Doctrine of the Church
7. The Doctrine of Salvation
8. The Doctrine of End Times

If you are interested in studying more about these doctrines may I point you to Wayne Grudem's book called Bible Doctrine as one of the best resources available. For those who want to go even deeper into these doctrines Dr. Grudem has another book called Systematic Theology that is used by many of the evangelical seminaries.

A sound study of Bible doctrine will help you develop healthy categories as you read through the Scriptures. The things that you behold in your mind are what you eventually become in your life. When one studies doctrine correctly and consistently then one can understand how "right thinking" leads a person to "right doing."

Get to know your Bible doctrine and you will get to know your God in a much more intense and intimate way!

NFL - let the season begin!

As a young boy I followed the NFL. My dad went to Georgia Tech and it was not unusual for us to make trips to Grant Field every Saturday that the Yellow Jackets played in Atlanta. It only made sense that the next day I would also be glued to the NFL game on TV. I must admit this, I could give up TV but the very last thing and the hardest for me would be the NFL. It brings back all good childhood memories, being with my mom and dad along with the sights, sounds and smells of the fall. Well with that as an introduction - let the season begin...

Resentment

It is easy to be resentful. Last week was a tough week. We had a congregational meeting on Sunday and my leadership ability was called into question, my honesty was impugned, and a member of the church delivered some insulting remarks after the meeting and those were the positives.

Someone once said "resentment is letting someone else live in your head rent free."

When diaster strikes

Since we are into the hurricane season there is much attention on these storms that bring so much damage and also many deaths.

As a pastor it is not uncommon to get the question "where is God" in times of disaster like the collapse of the bridge in Minnesota, the recent earthquake in Peru, tsunami's and yes even hurricanes.

John Piper was interviewed on National Public Radio about this and gives a Biblical perspective on "where God is" during a disaster.

A personal testimony from Mike Huckabee running for President of the United States

Keep fighting the good fight...

Reading for life

I was able to do some "hard core" reading this summer and here are some recommendations:
A great book on marriage
A great book on the church
A great book on living the Christian life
A great book on the most important decision of your life

There is no difference between those who can't read and those who don't read both groups are functionally illiterate.

The children that didn't leave home

This is my first day blogging and you can tell already that I am having fun. Nancy and I are empty nester's of the two legged variety but not the four legged variety. I thought it might be good to introduce you to the whole family:

Are these not the most beautiful "four legged" girls you have every seen? When people come to visit we say you don't come to our home but rather to our kennel.

The "tension" in living the gospel centered life

During the last month I have been preaching on the "gospel-centered" life. I have broken this series down into three main sections:
1. Understanding the gospel
2. Preaching the gospel
3. Living the gospel

This morning I was studying the two different principles that you pick up in the writing of the apostle Paul as to living out the gospel.

The first principle can be seen in one of my favorite verses in Scripture which is Romans 12:2 - "And do not be conformed to this world..."
And now look at the second principle in 1 Corinthians 9:22 - To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

Just think about this for a minute - how are we not to be conformed to the world and yet at the same time become all things to all men?

That is exactly the tension that I am talking about in trying to live the gospel-centered life.

When we read the Bible there are certain categories that must be established in our minds. Thanks to Andrew Walls and his book The Missionary Movement in Christian History
we can better understand this Biblical tension. Walls writes about two impulses that we find throughout the Scripture which he calls "the indigenous principle" and "the pilgrim principle."

• The indigenous principle says that we are to make the gospel at home in every tribe, tongue and nation. The gospel must wear the garment of the culture and be at home there.
• The pilgrim principle means as soon as the gospel puts on the garment of the culture then it starts to criticize, indict and transform the culture

We as believers often make the following statement: "We as Christians are in the world but we are not of the world." Do you see that both of these principles come in to play within this statement? The indigenous principle - "in the world" and the pilgrim principle - "not of the world."

Christians are called to be separate from the world as in 2 Corinthians 6:17 - “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;

But also Christians are called to participate in the world as in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 - I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

So do you see the tension that exists as we live out the gospel-centered life?

We are in the world but we are not of the world
We are indigenous to the culture but we are to be pilgrims in the culture
We are to separate from the world and we are to participate in the world

So how are we to navigate between these two principles that are clearly stated all through the Scriptures?

Stayed tuned to this blog for further details...

Here we go...

Well after years of posting my thoughts, devotions and life experiences I have finally decided to blog. This is a new world for me and am hoping to keep these thoughts within a small community of friends.

On the political side of things - the next President of the United States "Mike Huckabee"


And on the professional sports side of things - check the comments of Senator Robert Byrd regarding Michael Vick


Hopefully we off to a rousing start!