Have You Ever Meant What You Said, But Didn't Say What You Meant?

For most of us in our dealings with others, our speech can be interpreted closely to what the speaker was intending to say. Some people slur some things, like consonants, especially in geographic regions where the dialect can be a little tricky. But generally you can figure out what they are trying to convey to you.
Look at the picture above. Can you tell what the actual message is?
Annual Egg Hunt, April 12 @ 10AM, Free Family Event.
Now, whoever posted this at the Lakewood Springs Homeowners Assoc knew the message that they were trying to get across. Most of you reading this should have recognized the meaning the minute you saw it. A few probably laughed, a few probably went ewwwwww and a few Proctologists are possibly making copies to hang in their office right about now. :-)
I can be a little OCD at times, and when I'm reading someone's words online I find myself wanting to correct them. Online versions of news stories are the worst (where are they hiring these guys from?), with people's spellings on Facebook coming in at a close second.
But sometimes even I have to sit back and cackle at the things that are posted. The evolution of the internet age has brought about a lot changes in how we communicate, and "spell check" doesn't always catch every typo. But the problems with poor communication have always been around. Sometimes it is the sender that screws up the message, and sometimes it is the receiver.
God's word is like the latter portion of that statement. The sender never messed it up one time. God had it right from the beginning. The spelling was right, the diction was right, everything was right. Then man got ahold of the message and things went awry from there.
From early on in the Old Testament, prophecy was given that told of a Messiah coming, and the Jews of Israel looked excitedly for him each year, yet each year always ended in disappointment. They thought they had someone who would come and sit on a throne and rule the world and make the rest of the world pay for how they had been treated for 1000's of years. Yet the prophecy clearly stated that there would be a different set of events, such as is laid out on this site http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible  and many others that can be found online. Everyone read the same words, yet only some of the people got the correct meaning. That is why many recognized Jesus as being the Messiah, even the woman at the well who was the morally loose woman of the neighborhood. His disciples knew in an instant that Jesus was The One.
Yet, many more would not accept that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy. Because of that, Jesus was "tried" in a court, sentenced to death, and hung on a cross. Then 3 days later he arose and proved them wrong. He WAS who He said he was. We just finished celebrating this event which we call Easter. (FYI: "Easter" is derived from Eastre, or Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of spring and dawn. So the term actually has no scriptural background, just a name for a pagan celebration.)
There are many people who try to twist the words of God to fit into their own lives. They do not want to accept what the disciples and followers already knew to be true and would be willing to die to uphold those values. Instead, many people want to change the words and preach to people their "interpretations" of the word of God that makes the idea of being a Christian more "palatable." (To answer your question, I'm not a KJV only believer. I just don't like hearing pastors turn the gospel into something that it isn't.) Watered-down, "It's a Wonderful Life" sermons are given in churches all across the globe. Why? It's easier to pack the pews when people don't have to feel guilty of how they live their lives and their non-service to God.
Christianity will never be easy. It was never meant to be. God wants servants who will put effort into what they are doing. Anyone can claim to serve yet never spend any time serving. This never gets results, no matter who/what you are serving.
For this week I want you to take some time and decide if what you're reading and hearing is actually what was intended, both in your bible study and in your daily livings. Are you really understanding what is being said? Or do you take everything at face (or maybe posterior in this case) value? Are you connecting with people through speech and writing, making sure that they understand what you're saying? Finally, are you listening to God and grasping what His words mean for you?
I pray that you will slow down and consider your communications, not only this week but for many weeks/months/years to come. And if anyone ever invents SpellCheck for signs, let me know.

For The Love of God ....

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

How many of us have used that statement when we were exasperated with someone? I have used it in times where I had used all my patience and it would only be the love of God that I didn't take them and whoop their butts.

I remember singing a song when I was a young child in church: “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the bible tells me so.” I can't think of many people today who haven't heard John 3:16 (NIV). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Verse 17 (NIV) continues to dig even deeper into why Jesus came to this earth: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

As Easter approaches Christians will be thinking about the cross and what it means to us when we consider the importance of Jesus dying on a cross, hung like a guilty man between two thieves. In churches we've been taught that Jesus died for our sins, rose again on the 3^rd day, and he will come back for us one day, when God the Father gives the signal. 

Have you ever wondered this? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...” But didn't Jesus rise again after 3 days and return to his Father after spending the next 40 with his followers on earth? Sounds more like he loaned him out for a while and then got him back 33 years later. What is the big deal about that? Life on earth didn't really change for those living then, and it sure isn't getting any better for our generations now that inhabit the earth. Where is the love? Where is the gift?

Let me tackle that last question first. The gift is that once and for all a sacrifice was given. After Adam and Eve really messed things up and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, God required that a sacrifice should be made to him, and that requirement of the Jews continued even through the time that Jesus walked the earth. As a matter of a fact, the first sacrifice that we read about in Genesis started the proof that man could not even get something as simple as this right. Genesis 4: 1-15 tells the story of how something that wasn't so difficult destroyed lives. There were times when people in the bible were obedient to God, such as Abraham and his son Isaac. A human sacrifice was required, yet in the end, a ram was exchanged and given to sacrifice. There are other incidences of sacrifice that stand out, but we will move on and cover this subject another time.

As mentioned earlier, Jesus was finally sent down as a final sacrifice for man's sins. Things had grown so chaotic that there was simply no way man could atone for his sins with the blood of an animal, or anything else for that matter. But for many people, it is still hard to grasp. Why did someone who supposedly lived a perfect life while on this earth die in such a cruel manner? I don't understand how God was able to complete it, but somehow he placed every sin that would occur from that day forward, including every one that we hadn't done yet as we weren't born, and all those who are still yet to be born this day on his son Jesus. Jesus said that through these events, we would no longer have to make a sacrifice for our sins. The game had changed now. We just had to go to God in prayer and ask forgiveness. A lot easier for many to do and a lot less animals to be slaughtered.

“Okay, I am with you so far,” you say, but you still don't get how this proves any of God's love for us. Here is where I want to get to the meat of this subject. (pardon the pun) For many the thought of the Trinity is hard to understand. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The word trinity means that they are connected, in ways that we can't understand, but they are. I talked about in a much earlier blog how we are something like a trinity ourselves. There is us, our body, our spirit. There is the parent part of us, and there is the child portion of us. You have a spirit, you are someone's son/daughter, and for most of us, you are someone's father or mother. Yet you are still in one piece as you walk this earth. God still has 3 pieces to him, but like us, he has the spirit, the son portion, and the father portion. Stay with me here, I'm still working on the back-story to get to the point I want to make.

For all of you parents out there, think on this. When a child is hurting, doesn't it make you hurt inside also? Whether someone physically or emotionally hurt them, or they fell while doing something, or their carelessness led to an injury, you still feel a pain inside when you see them experiencing a pain. And for the child it was quite a pain for them too, especially if the hurt could have been avoided.

And for you adults, how about that time you tried to help someone and instead they used your actions against you? You tried to do good, and somehow they turned it to bad? Or when you are constantly doing something for someone who you want to like/love you, yet they never acknowledge you or what you've done, not even taking the time to say thank you.

That sucks, doesn't it. You want to cry, you're all bottled up inside because you don't want them to know that they've hurt you. Yet the hurt is still there. Painful and almost crippling emotionally in everything that happens between you and this person, though chances are, you still strive to somehow receive that recognition that you desire.

Now imagine if someone you love so dearly is hurt by everyone that you know. Although they did no wrong, somehow the whole world has turned their back on them and you're watching and listening as they cry out to you, knowing that through this there will be a growth and a learning experience for all those involved. Now imagine that multiplied by quadrillion billions of trillions. Now you have a small piece of what God had to have felt. 

The disciples had run and tucked their tails, with even Peter, who was the one who swore that he loved Jesus the most, denying that he was a disciple of Jesus for 3 times before the next morning. Jesus was abandoned. Very few stuck by Jesus and accepted without denying who he was. His mother was one of the few, which isn't surprising to me. Watch any show or news broadcast. Who is the one person that they are interviewing who says that their son/daughter was a good person and would never hurt anyone? It's their mother. That's just the way they are. Fiercely loyal, loving, and most of all forgiving.

So God is sitting in Heaven, knowing all of this was going to play out, and having to watch it actually happen to his kid. Yet he couldn't do anything about it or the whole plan would be ruined, and Jesus would have been crucified for nothing. Me, I would have been so P.O.'d that I would have destroyed the world right then and there, so there would be no more worries about anyone else needing to sacrifice anything. You can mess with me all you want, and plenty of people have. But DO NOT TOUCH MY FAMILY OR I WILL WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THIS EARTH! Okay, I had my rant.

But God isn't like that. 

There have been plenty of people in my life who have went out of their way to hurt me for many reasons. Recently I have dealt with the pain that 2 certain people caused me that was destroying me and leaving a dark cloud over my life and my spirit. I am done with them, now they have to deal with God on it. It can never drag me down again. And I have vowed to never deal with them again, thus opening the door again to that kind of pain.

God isn't like that though. Could you blame him if he said, “Okay you little turds, I took care of your biggest problem and in return, all I ask is that you come to me for forgiveness. That way when you die, you can have a clear conscience.” Who could blame him? Not me! Lord knows I do not deserve even that much from him.

But get this. Not only does he send his Son to die on the cross, but God is going to do something else one day. He is going to send him back. What??????? Mankind killed him off the first time he was here! Is God stupid? You know we'll do it again. Mankind always repeats his mistakes!

And the answer is ….. (drum roll) …... NOPE, he isn't stupid. This time we won't get the chance as humans to make that choice again. Those of us who have called on the name of Jesus, asked forgiveness of our sins, confessed with our mouths that he is the Son of God who was crucified and rose again for our sins will be given the final reward for those actions. Whether you are alive or already dead, Jesus is going to cause us all to rise in the air and return with him to Heaven. All of those who have refused to accept Jesus, who would still crucify him if given the chance again will perish in one of the worst possible times in history. Horrible atrocities will happen across all of the earth, culminating with everyone that was left when the rapture (as it is called) happened and spent a part or all of the remaining years on earth through the tribulation to be called to stand before God and then cast into a lake of fire that will never quit burning, relief from the fire will never be given, and their stupidity for not accepting Jesus when they had a chance will cost them dearly.

But the Christians will get to live in Heaven forever, worshiping God and living in a city that, though it is described in the bible with fairly good detail, is still unfathomable to most. And it is this detail that shows me that God truly does love me.

I was once a sinner, a screw-up, someone who was hated by many, loved by few, and who had spiraled to a point where no one wanted anything to do with me. But God still loved me, knew I would need him, and went through everything that I have described above.

Here is the proof that he loves me: God will send his Son back for me! Even though, because of me and all the others who have or will ever roam this earth, he had to watch his Son suffer humiliation and pain that we can only begin to try to understand the depth of. Yes, when I wouldn't go back with my human flesh and mind and want to have anything to do with those that have hurt me greatly, God is willing to do that and then live with me forever. That just blows my mind! Now that is LOVE! No other term could possibly describe it. L-O-V-E. LOVE. Wowser. When I was singing that song as a child, I never really understood what I was saying. It was just a cute song that made me feel good. Now I want to sing it lovingly to everyone, and as a tribute to God for all that he has done.

My question now is … Would you? Could you? Have you ever loved someone that much? Better yet, do you think that it is possible that someone could love you that much? Maybe you are someone who has lived your life so unappreciative of anything that was ever done for you. You probably even told yourself that no one has ever done anything for you, therefore you can try to justify not having to do anything for anyone else. Well, I just shot that out of the water. Before you were born, before you could have done or not done anything for anyone, someone did something for you. BECAUSE HE LOVED YOU. Isn't that why as parents we do things for our kids? Isn't that why you keep trying to gain the favor of someone, no matter if they never acknowledge your actions? We were made by God, and we are taken care of in the end by God. It doesn't matter what our actions are our entire life, the person who created us is the person who deals with us at the end of our life. God never leaves, nor forsakes you. He was there in the beginning, he is there in the end. All it will cost you to enjoy what great things God wants for you to have is to simply ask for forgiveness, acknowledge what he has already done for you, and live your life in a way that will be pleasing to God so that he will continue to want to give you many blessings on this earth and beyond.

Is it really that difficult to acknowledge the only True Love that you will ever know? Earthly “true love” will be fallible, as we are all sinners and screw-ups, but Gods love will always be true.

So it is time for you to ask yourself, “For the love of God …... what are you going to do about it?”

Ode to Stokie Lee Brown

"You're just a little Stokie, you know that?"
I can't tell you how many times my mama told me that. You can find in my testimony about how my dad left when I was one year old, and my mom moved me and her into her mom and dad's house. So as a young boy, it was my grandfather who wound up doing things that a father would do. He taught me how to throw a ball. He showed me how to use the carpentry tools that he loved to fool with, and from that I grew up with a love of working with wood. He was always doing something to make me laugh. He had a tattoo of a woman on his arm that would wiggle in suggestive places when he flexed his muscle. He taught me my first off color joke.
But he taught me some other things also. He taught me to love people no matter what. He was raised in an environment where people were "sympathetic" to the Klan, though at that time, the Klan were more of a moral police than a hatred group that they are known for now.
He had to leave school at the age of 7 to help his family work in the fields. He never learned to read until he married my grandmother and they attended church. He would follow along in his bible as the pastor read from his.
He believed in hard work. He ran the "dope wagon" in the textile mill just was just a few blocks over from the house. (if you don't know what the dope wagon did, google it, I'm sure it will be an eye opener.)
He also had mom or nana (my g-mother) read the bible and a devotional each day while we sat at the breakfast table before we started the day.
But the thing I remember most about him is how important people would come around and sit with him and talk. I've seen the owner of Greenwood Mills, SC Senate/House members and many pastors of large churches come to our house and sit and talk with him. I didn't really realize just how much he was respected until he passed away and there was so much security around because of all of the dignitaries that attended his funeral, and talked with the family afterwards. Any one he had ever come into contact with held him in high regard, and he never had a blemish on his name.
Me, on the other hand, did everything I could to ruin my name. Maybe out of rebellion, maybe out of ignorance, but I was the one who was always in trouble, especially once I got out of HS. It wasn't until years later that I realized what a terrible path I was on and decided to get my life together.
I have finally accomplished that, but it was a long road.
I still love to work with wood. I still love a good joke and a prank. And now I love Jesus as much as my grandfather did. And though I don't have all these important people beating down my door, I do find that people come to me for guidance now and counseling.
So finally, I am wondering, am I still a "little Stokie"? Have I obtained anything that nearly resembles him? I miss my grandfather dearly and I wish there was a way he could be around to counsel me now.
So my wish today is two-fold: I want to draw closer to Jesus and become more Christ-like, and I want to be more like Stokie, in that I can be a man who possibly makes a difference in the world.
So to my grandfather, whom I called Papa (Pah-Pah), if you can read this from heaven, just know that I miss you, I love you, and I can't wait to see you again one day!

In Memory of Stokie Lee Brown

3/1/11 - 1/15/80

Christmas WIth Skyler

I absolutely love Christmas. There, I said it. I love everything about Christmas.
Yes, I know Christmas has been commercialized. Yes, I agree that most people have forgotten what it means to celebrate Christmas.
No, despite everyone else ignoring the true meaning, that is not going to stop me from celebrating Christmas.
It is the day that God loved ME and YOU enough to send His Son down to our earth, to be born in HORRID conditions, yet become the greatest man that ever or will ever walk this earth.
If that isn't enough to celebrate, email me, we need to talk!
I also love seeing the decorations. True, I think starting in October to put out Christmas items is a bit early, though I must admit to getting the itch by the end of the month to bring the stuff down from the attic myself.
I also love the colder weather and the possibility of snow. Now, down here in the Southeast, we really do not get much for snow. (Waaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!  :-(  .... LOL) (had to get one good cry from that statement!)
Last year as my family sat down on Christmas Day for our dinner, it started to snow, and it snowed most of the evening. ahhhhhhhh ..... that was the first time in almost 50 years that had happened .... (personal plea God, don't let it be another 50!)
I also love watching kids get a magical treat from all of the hubbub. Their eyes become as bright as the lights on the decorations, and they jump for joy at the sight of Santa. (personally, I see nothing wrong with Santa. It gets them used to the idea that you can get something from someone who otherwise owes you nothing. It is a perfect intro when they grow up into the idea that God gave us His Son, even when we didn't deserve it to die on the cross for our sins! AND TRUST ME, ME AND YOU DIDN'T DESERVE IT!!!!! But He did it anyway, and I love Him and praise Him for it!
So I digress.
One of my favorite things each year is to go to McAdenville, NC Christmas Town USA to see the lights. I never had the opportunity to be there for the opening ceremony where the light switch is flipped for the first time that season.
This year my wife worked it out where she could be off that day and we went. We took our dog Abby with us and sat up folding chairs and placed her between us.
We weren't there long when a child walked up with her mom and asked if she could pet the dog. I told her yes (our boxer is a big baby) and so she started to ask questions about the dog and us. It wasn't long until she asked if she could sit in my lap. I told her to ask her mom, and she said yes, so I put her on my lap. Her name was Skyler and she was 4 years old. She wanted to sit on my right knee where she could also pet the dog. Best of both worlds, I guess.
So we sat there, and as any 4 year old  would do, she had lots of questions. Fairly smart ones too. As the ceremonies started, she would watch some, ask questions some, fidget some, typical 4 yr old things.
And as she did so, I watched her excitement grow as it neared time to turn on the lights. She was so focused on that one aspect of the evening that I'm not sure if she really paid too much attention to anything else.
There were speakers, singers, a children's choir and an  unveiling of a Thomas Kinkade painting that was done of the town.
But Skyler wanted to watch the sun go down, as she knew it would signal time for the lights to turn on. Periodically she would hop down to go visit some of her friends, then she would climb back on my lap and we would watch the sky slowly get darker.
Finally, it was time to turn the lights on. Everyone counted, 10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.....
BAM! Lights everywhere. The whole town lights up at once. The wide eyed child on my lap brought a big smile to my face. We sat there for a few moments, then she hopped down to go see Santa who had arrived and was perched in his sleigh.
Driving back home last night, I couldn't help but think.
Shouldn't we be like Skyler? Shouldn't we watch in anticipation, waiting on when we see Jesus returning in His glory? Granted, we should pay more attention to the events going on around us, and we should involve ourselves more deeply, but we should never lose sight of the ultimate goal in our life. To be with Jesus for eternity.
We shouldn't worry about what we'll get this season, or who we'll see, or who we'll spend time with, or how our house will look for the guests who arrive each year. Sure you'll enjoy the presents, you'll stealthily throw out the fruitcake, and you'll get one too many kisses from Auntie. Enjoy the time and the experience. But don't forget that we're celebrating the start of what we are looking to finish one day. Christ is coming once again, this time it won't be in a manger, but on a much grander scale. This time no one will be traveling to Bethlehem. We'll be traveling to Heaven to spend eternity with the one who loves us the most.
So as you look around at the sights and listen to the sounds of the season, watch and listen for His coming. We know not the day nor the hour, but we need to be ready for whenever He comes again. And let's do it with that gleam in our eye, just like little Skyler did!

A Donkey's Tale

This is a story that I wrote back in the 90's and it was on the web and located at the old geocities personal websites that were sponsored by yahoo. I have received a lot of emails over the years of people who would log onto the site and read the story to the family. Well, for those who made it their tradition, and hopefully for those will start this year to begin one, I humbly present to you:

A Donkey's Tale

It is a story of the donkey that was owned by and ridden by Mary, the mother of Jesus. While the story of the donkey is not portrayed in the bible (when you read it, you'll understand), the major events of the story did happen as depicted. And I believe, as magical of a night as it had to have been, if God had wanted that donkey to talk, this is what he would have said:

Hello, I am a donkey that helped make history a long time ago. You see, there was a man and a woman that loved each other very much. They were engaged to be married but something happened to them that blew all their plans apart.
Joseph had been looking forward to his wedding day, celebrating with all his friends and family. Mary, his one and only love, had finally agreed to marry him. And she was happily going about her duties trying to get everything just right.
But an unexpected visitor showed up in the middle of everything. (Don't you just hate it when company drops by and the house is a wreck?) But this visitor was an angel of the Lord and he told Mary that she was going to have a baby. (Just imagine having to tell that one to Mom and Dad!) But Mary didn't argue with him, which is unbelievable because women are given to argue, especially when they know they haven't done anything wrong. And the Angel had a busy schedule too, so he was glad also since he had yet to talk it over with Joseph. But he took no chances so he appeared in Joseph's dream and told him not to worry, that he should go to his new wife and support her in this ordeal. Joseph did what the angel told him to do even though he had some misgivings at first. But in order to give him time to get used to it all, Mary went to see her dear old cousin named Elisabeth and her husband, Zacharias.
And guess who took her there? You guessed it, yours truly. Anyway, Elisabeth was pregnant too and she was really happy because she was "over the hill" and so was Zacharias. But when Mary walked in you should have seen what happened next. Elisabeth's tummy began to move in really funny directions because John was jumping up and down inside. John knew that his cousin was no ordinary baby. For he would someday get to baptize his cousin, the one and only Jesus. So all three of them got to rejoicing and celebrating the two new babies who would be born soon. Mary decided to stay about three months and catch up on all the news and gossip plus help out her cousin. Also Zacharias had lost his voice right before Elisabeth got pregnant. And it would probably be sometime (at least three months) before he got it back. (I bet Elisabeth was glad that she didn't have to listen to his nagging for a while.)
So Mary returned to her hubby, Joseph, piggyback on me of course, and boy was he happy. I was too, for I got to rest a while again. It was a good thing too because little did I know that I would need all the strength I could get later on.
Well, right before it was time for Mary to give birth and this ruler Caesar Augustus decided he wanted to get a head count of everyone and that he wanted everyone to go back to their hometown to do it. The problem was that Joseph's hometown was 70 miles south of where we were at the time. So Joseph asked me if I would carry Mary for him (note: she sure was a lot heavier than before) since I had done such a good job earlier. I agreed as long as I didn't have to tote him too. He said don't worry; that he needed to walk since Mary's cooking had put a few pounds on him. So we take off from Nazareth and go to Bethlehem to be counted and pay our dues. Poor Joseph was having to put up with a pregnant woman and having to pay to have her along and they had as yet to enjoy any marital bliss because the Lord said "NO" until the baby was born.
Well, we finally get to our destination but guess what? Someone forgot to call ahead to tell them we were coming. I mean the least they could've done was to call 1-800-IMTIRED and book us a room (poolside of course). So here we are listening to the desk clerk tell us that the only place to rest was IN A BARN. I was hot and sweaty from all this and now not only do I have to carry them around, I have to share my bedroom too. Oh well it could be worse, I thought. (The barn could've been full, too). So we crashed out for a few days.
But then one night I heard this awful crying and carrying on and when I looked up there was this bundled up body with two hands just a flailing and two eyes a crying and one gigantic mouth wide open emitting sounds like I never heard before. When I looked again it was Jesus wrapped in a blanket and laying in my plate, uh manger for you others that never have been in a barn. But he soon quieted down.
And then it got really bright inside. At first I thought someone had turned the 3-way bulb up to high but then I realized it was this star in the East shining through the hole in the roof that someone had forgot to fix. No wonder it was so cold before that. I just thought someone had turned down the thermostat to 68 degrees to save energy. You know, I've never been in a hotel room that the air conditioner wasn't running wide open so that you became an ice cube when you walked through the door. Anyway, back to the story. My nose got to itching real bad and about that time this bunch of Shepherds showed up (they left their sheep outside, of course) and just as we got rid of them (I thought we never would get rid of them) these wisemen showed up. They weren't so bad because they brought some stuff that we could use, like to go out and get baby bottles and stuff plus get us a hamburger or something like that to eat.
But wait! This is the scary part. Those wise men who showed up had stopped at Herod's palace to get directions. (Makes sense, if you're hunting for the King of Kings, you would normally go to a palace. But the King got really mad when he heard who was born in his land, since he was a wimp who thought his title was on the line. He wanted the wisemen to find the baby and come back and tell him, supposedly so he could see him too. But Herod was one bad dude and he actually wanted to kill him. So the angel of the Lord told the wise men to go another route and not to tell Herod nothing. They did as they were told (they were wise, not stupid-remember) and then the angel of the Lord showed up at our place and told us to skedaddle too. So Joseph put Mary and Jesus on my back and we took off again to another land to wait till Herod croaked. And so it was that I got to have my place in history along with a lot of other famous people, too. And thus was my contribution to the life of the one whom you all call: JESUS CHRIST
Copyright 1990 Rev. Keith A Moreland

Was Chicken Little Little?

There was a famous story years ago with a small chicken running around hollering "The sky is falling, the sky is falling" when she believed her world was literally crashing around her. (just because something fell on her head.) Well, turns out she was wrong. The sky didn't fall. At least not yet.
So she runs around and her friends enquire as to what is going on. She tells them, and they believe her. Finally, they run into a fox, who convinces the group that he can help them in their destination, only to have the sky really fall on the fox.
When that happened, they just went home. Decided that there was nothing else to do. Never mind that more of the sky could have fallen.
I worry that our economy is going to be just like this if our actions do not change. And I worry about the spiritual and economic state of our union if people do not change their ways.
Something fell on chicken little (US). It is called 'the sky.' (debt ceiling) So chicken little starts running around telling everyone that we were about to be crushed (unable to pay the US bills). So the US runs around telling everyone that the sky is falling. Nothing is done to find out why or how it can be actually prevented, other than 'raising the ceiling.' (the sky) Everyone runs around exclaiming what is happening, but no one knows where they are going. (politicians blaming politicians.) Nothing is being done. The fox steps in (Obama?, Boehner? As Yet Unknown?) and tells the people that they can get them to the destination, yet they secretly try to lure them into where harm can be done. The sky really does fall, the fox is crushed (many people have speculated as to the fall of the US) and everyone goes home, defeated.
Look at today's economic scenario. Europe is in terrible shape with some nations being on the verge of bankruptcy. The US is basically in the same shape. What is it that drives every nation? Money. Currency.
What if one man stepped up to the plate, showed the world how to pull itself together, if only they would follow his path?
Sound familiar? The anti-christ. People wonder when they read or hear about the anti-christ how someone could take control of the world. Well, this certainly lends a way for it to happen.
And if you are a bible believer, you recognize that this would be a sign of the "end times."
Christians, I'm not saying the world is about to end. I'm not forecasting that Jesus will come back in the next day or two (although He could and can if He wants to!) I am saying that we need to be vigilent in our work for Him. I know you're worried about paying your bills, or your government check coming on time. I understand that. But Our God will supply our needs according to His riches in glory as the bible has promised. We need to be focused on the salvation of so many people that we care deeply about.
What if you're wrong Reverend Moreland? What if this is like the Great Depression and we come out of it?
Well, Hallelujah I Say!!! I look forward to better times. But either way, I'm going to be serious about winning people to the Lord, and for winning back the ones whom the church has run off from their grounds.
That way, He will be able to say to me one day, "Well done my good and faithful servant."
Thanks and have a blessed day.

If you've never read the story, here it is:
http://www.rickwalton.com/funstuff/skyfall.htm

(5) Never in its entire 100-year history has one of its pastors had to buy any meat or vegetables.

(5) Never in its entire 100-year history has one of its pastors had

to buy any meat or vegetables.

I can remember growing up when the pastor would come to our house to visit. It was guaranteed to be one of the times when meat appeared at the table. The pastor was always served first, grownups next, then the kids last if any was left over. Usually fried chicken, pork chops, ham or roast beef was the entrée with vegetables that were freshly picked that day or had been canned the past summer. You always knew you would eat good when the pastor showed up.

I can also remember my grandmother telling about a kid up the street when my mom was young. His father was very abusive and he often times threw him out of the house, even in the winter. Nana, my name for my grandmother, would see him and call for him to come to the house. There he would sit with the others and have a hot meal in a safe warm house, and a lot of times he slept on the couch until time to go to school the next day, or try to go to his house and see if his father would let him in.

My mom and her parents were good people and I think this is just one example of many that I was taught that showed their true Christian heart.

Too bad we don’t have more people like this. We hear about a family losing their home (foreclosure rates here in the United States are at an all time high right now) and we go, “Oh too bad, I’ll pray for them that they will be alright.” Or, “God will take care of them, so they will be alright.”

HOW ABOUT:

“I have a spare room(s) that they can stay in instead of having to live in their car or a shelter. The pantry is full and the freezer needs to be emptied, so tell me how I can get in touch with them.”

Yes, God is capable of taking care of them. But don’t you think that He can use you to accomplish that task? He could make a house “magically” appear if He wanted to for them to step right into, or He can use you to learn how to give and give joyfully. Life is always going to be about helping others. If we don’t help others, why should someone help you?

And how about let’s start helping at home. Like I’ve said before, I’m not against helping others in other places. But let’s start making sure our own people are taken care of too. Quit worrying about some child that may or may not be starving in some other country and make sure the kid in the street has some clothes and food to eat. Once we take care of our own and our people are blessed, blessings will be overflowing and can be given as needed to far away places.

Notice that Jesus always fed those around Him. He never sent someone with monies or food to another land or place to be taken care of. If He is going to be our example, shouldn’t we follow in His footsteps. Take care of those around us first, then let the blessings flow from there.

(4) A member requests to be buried in his truck because ...

(4) A member requests to be buried in his truck

because, "I ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get me out of."

I used to have several trucks, and I had one that could pull anything out of a hole. It was a 1974 El Camino that had a Straight 6 with a Posi-Trac rear end, and Gabriel Hi-Jackers with very oversized tires (I forget the exact size 30 something inch I think). I would go “mud-bogging” with other friends, some who had 4x4’s and a few of them would become stuck in a mud hole. I would back my truck down in the mud, hook up the chains, and it would pull them and me out of the hole where I could unhook from their truck and drive away. I miss that truck. I was rear-ended and it cracked the frame in half, otherwise I would still be driving that truck today!

Okay, back to the subject, (pardon my reminiscing.)

I have met some people who believe in reincarnation. I haven't found anything to actually support this theory. And even if I were not a Christian and looking forward to where I will spend eternity, I certainly would not want to have to live this life over again, whether it be as a human or a critter!

Consider this:

John 20:1-10 (NIV)

The Empty Tomb

 ¹ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

 ³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

A lot of people believe that grave robbers, for whatever reason, stole Jesus’ body from the tomb and stashed it somewhere. The non-Messianic Jews believe that Jesus was a prophet, but not the Messiah, since He is nowhere to be seen now, not even his body (plus some other reasons that I won’t cover right now.) But the idea that someone would steal a body from a grave, leave the linen and cloths in place and carry a naked dead body around is really preposterous. Not to mention some of the other things that happened.

Now if Jesus escaped the grave and now lives in Heaven (if you’re a Christian, you should automatically believe this, otherwise you’re just worshipping some poor dead sap whose body no one can find), don’t you think that you will be taken from the grave and whisked to Heaven too? No truck will be needed. No 4x4’s will be needed. Only your salvation will be needed.

Salvation? What is that? And what from?

Hell. Being kept from living through eternity in some of the most horrid and painful conditions imaginable. (no, I take that back, I don’t think we can really conjure up what it will be like.) That is why Jesus died on the cross. That is why the sacrifice was made, and we no longer have to sacrifice burnt offerings as were required in the B.C. days.

It is so easy to do. To believe. To accept Jesus as your Savior. Why do people make it so hard? I wonder if it’s because of a phrase that we’ve been taught all our lives, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” For a lot of things in life, this holds true. But these things are usually revealed as scams before long when the truth actually comes out. For Christians, we’ve decided that the burial/resurrection is not a scam. For God to be a hoax, Jesus to be a scam, and the Holy Ghost just to be a Halloween nightmare is not a possibility for me. Too many things have happened to me (read the first blogs) that are not explainable by man. Only a being greater than any human could have ever pulled these things off.

No scam, no hoax, and He doesn’t need my help to try to do something that He has already said He would do. I can only pray that more people will see God as I see Him before it is too late.

(1) The Call to Worship is, "Y’all come on in!"

You might be in a country church if:

(1) The Call to Worship is, "Y’all come on in!"

One of my favorite shows to watch years ago when I was in a wheelchair and had to stay home all day was “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker as the host. Rob Roddy was the person who did the announcing and his phrase was “(first name, last name), Come On Down, you’re the next contestant on The Price is Right.” That person would jump up from their seat, the camera would swing and follow them as they made their way to the front where the contestants were lined up.

SO, when I read this first part of the joke, I put 2 and 2 together (well, actually, I guess it was 1 and 1, LOL) and had a brainstorm. (yep, smoke is still whishing out of my ears).

Call to Worship. I was raised in a Baptist church and this was generally the first thing that was done when the service started. It entailed standing up and singing a generally rousing hymn to get things going. I’m still not sure who was calling whom to worship (I’ve already covered this subject, so I won’t go into it again) but the service was started and generally proved to be a way to shut everyone up who had been in the sanctuary talking.

I think we should have a “Call to Worship” before we have the “Call to Worship” and combine the two things from above.

Have you ever been walking from your car to the church entrance and seen someone that you know drive by and you knew that they were not on their way to another church? They were possibly on their way to shop or to the lake for a day of fishing and boating. Next time that happens, wave to them enthusiastically and say, "(insert name), Y’all come on in!"

When they look at you strange, probably like you’ve lost your mind, tell them that you want them to come join you that morning. There will be the normal excuses of, “I’m/We’re not dressed for the occasion” or “We’ve got somewhere to go right now,” but tell them it doesn’t matter how they are dressed, (if it does, YOU may have a problem) and you want them to come in and find out how to get to Heaven, the most important destination in their lives.

Some people may look at you strange, some people will drive off in a huff, but you never know when that someone may take you up on your offer, and possibly make a change in their lives.

Then when the Holy Spirit calls them by name and says, “(insert name), Come on down,” then hopefully they will give their heart to God and be saved.

People are not just going to come into a church these days without being asked, especially if they are unsaved. We have to make the effort to get people in the church. If the way seems a little bit different, (as Christians, aren’t we supposed to be different?!?), then find a way to get comfortable with being different and let’s start to reach others for Jesus. Get people into a place where the word of God is taught so that lives can be changed and the world (at least the world around us) can become a better place.

You can't get blood from a Tulip

From a Previous Post:

Jesus Jar: pass out glass jars for people to put their change in regularly. This does not take the place of tithes. This is offerings. Decide on what the money should be spent on (building fund/missions) and at least semi-annually or annually disperse the funds to the appropriate people/agency. Collect the monies monthly in a large container. Many banks have a machine that will count the change for you. Also, many churches have a Christmas tree in their sanctuary or somewhere in a prominent place. Have them bring “gifts” of money to put under the tree during a service that will be used for a predetermined fund of the church. This is great to use to bless a family in need at Christmas. Doesn’t have to be a church family. If there is not a need in the church, then anyone in the community should be eligible to receive aid.

If pastors dread one thing, it is preaching on tithing. That is a sore spot for many people. Problem being is that they don’t understand one basic and simple concept. You Can’t Outgive God. Period.

Psalms 50: 1-11

 ¹The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

 ²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

 ³Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

 ⁴He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

 ⁵Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

 ⁶And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

 ⁷Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

 ⁸I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

 ⁹I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

 ¹⁰For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

 ¹¹I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

God owns it all. He created it from the beginning. It was His to begin with. He gave it to us.

Some people are too scared to give their money to the church, fearful that they will go lacking for something. If God is as powerful as you say He is, why would he leave you out in the cold for giving to Him? God gave you your gifts that you use to create an income for yourself and your family. He just wants 10 percent back. You still get to keep 90%. That is a better deal than most governments will give you. Yet I bet you pay your taxes. (well, most of you). And when you are blessed with extra monies, do you tithe from that? Do you realize that you have some left over that you can give also? That is offerings. Sometimes it is hard to part with money that is in excess of your tithing amount. That is one reason why I like the concept of the “Jesus Jar.” You simply put the change from your pocket/purse into the jar, and turn it into the collection area designated at your church. You never really miss those few cents, and they add up quickly when the whole church comes together and gives. I’ve seen churches that couldn’t pay their bills because of the economy around them or low attendance that could suddenly pay that insurance bill that came due.

Some churches have specific needs that they are saving for. New roof, New HVAC system or anything else that is a major repair. Sometimes that is hard to take the money from the budgeted tithes and spend towards that. This helps to alleviate the problem by providing an extra source of income for the church. A hundred people bringing several dollars of change a month adds up quickly when the church acts as a collective group.

So the next time the upcoming expenses look daunting, consider having this in place to help with the budgeting. It is relatively painless and easy for the members to do. And everyone has a jar sitting around somewhere, even the mayonnaise jar that is almost empty in the fridge. Start the program now so that the funds will be available later.

Starting Over

On a recent trip I met someone who I hit it off with immediately. We were talking about churches and he mentioned about starting a church, and some of the local denominations. His next sentence caught my ears. “Why not start over? It has to be better than what we have now.”

Wow, what a statement. Starting over. That tells us a lot about how denominations are perceived. And also one other thing. Long established churches. It is not uncommon to wind up with a lot of clic’s and groups that can quickly make anyone start to feel like an outsider if they are new. I addressed this in a previous blog, so I won’t go into this again.

But I do want to address the idea of starting over. Starting over in many ways can be a path to a better life.

Christianity. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you start a new life (hopefully), leaving behind the things that caused you to stumble in your life. Some people try to pin down exactly what actions are a sin. The bible is explicit on a few, but in a world that is rapidly changing, the list can grow quite quickly. So here is the simplest way to decide if you are in doubt.

(1) If you do something that makes other people look at you as a non-believer

(2) If you say something that makes other people look at you as a non-believer

(3) If you do something that makes you feel guilty

(4) If you do or say something that makes you wonder if it is right or wrong

Well, then it’s wrong.

Problem comes in what a lot of people do next, they listen to the words of an old popular song:

“If it feels good, do it.”

You cannot always substitute the “feel good” into the above to determine if it is the right thing to do. The only checkpoint for that is the bible. There are so many things that tell you what to do and how to do in the bible.

What? You don’t know what those are? Read the bible.

“But it’s too hard. I don’t understand it.” This day and age you can find all kinds of versions of the bible. Some versions stray from the original content, but the King James Version, New King James Version, and the New International Version are the ones who track the closest to the original document.

“But Keith, you just listed the King James as a version.” Yes, it is a translation, so it is a version. It is not the original document. Unless you are fluent in Greek and Hebrew, the documents that we have from that age would be “greek” to you. (haha, I couldn’t resist!). I personally prefer the NIV translation. The writers have gone back to the original document and they have tried to keep the translation current to the meaning of the language of today.

Find a version that you can read and start reading. Some of the items that are mentioned are hard to understand, especially in the Old Testament. My suggestion is to start with the New Testament and read one of the gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the first four books that start off the New Testament. Pick one and read it, then skip to Acts and read until you get to Revelations. Stop. Go back to the Old Testament and read it carefully. If you don’t understand a term, go to Wikipedia.org or go to www.biblegateway.com and look it up. These two sites are free, and they have a ton of resources for you to read. I use both of them for my biblical studies. Plus, if you cannot afford a bible or another translation of a bible, biblegateway has many different translations for you to read. Then go back and read the rest of the gospels, and finally Revelations. Revelations can be a tricky book to read and grasp. I highly recommend a study series by Dr. David Jeremiah, “Escape The Coming Night”, which will help you understand Revelations, as well as apply it to modern times. I have attended several of his seminars, and listened to him on the radio, and he is “spot on” with his teachings and preaching.

So start over in your life.

Start over by reading the bible.

“But I’ve read it already.” Well, I don’t doubt you, but did you absorb anything that you read? Read it this time, even a chapter at a time, and then ask God to reveal to you what He wants you to learn from it.

Start over by being a “new you.”

Be someone that even you wouldn’t recognize. When you get to church and the same group gathers to start their gossip. Stand up and tell them they shouldn’t. If they still continue, walk away. Leave the room. Make a statement by doing so that you won’t be a part that does not fit with the Christian lifestyle.

Start worshipping while in church. (I’ve covered quite a bit about this in previous blogs)

Quit checking out who is doing what in the sanctuary. Shut your eyes and start your private prayer time. Start by asking God to work in your life. Ask God to help you clear your mind of everything else that is going on around you, and start praying for yourself, your family, your friends, the people who are currently in your church, the people who can’t be in your church, and the people who should be in your church.

Start to be a new employee/manager/owner

If you’re employed, go to work and be different. No gossiping. No backbiting. Start by telling someone thank you when they help, help someone when they need it, and start to be someone that others come up to you wanting to know what is different about you. PERFECT opportunity to be a witness for God in this situation.

If you do wind up in a place where you can’t be the Christian that you’re supposed to be, find a place where you can. Not all churches are Christian, though the name or denomination on the sign might indicate differently. If they need another book in addition to the bible, nope, not a Christian group. Resources that help you to understand what the bible is telling you are wonderful. But if someone wants you to study something instead of the bible, RUN FORREST RUN! Not all employers welcome a Christian environment. Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion. Just be the example, and pray for God to change their hearts.

Start to be the spouse/(g)(b)friend that you need to be. If your “significant other” isn’t a Christian, rethink your relationship.

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

I’ll go more into this in a later blog series where I tackle relationships.

Be the “S O” that you need to be. Show them that you love them. Kiss them, hold their hands, do special things that cause you to have to go out of the way for them. Guys, hold the doors for the girls. And guys and girls, initiate bible study together. Have devotional time. There are plenty of resources for different types of devotions, based on what you enjoying doing and reading.

Start over in your mind. Quit being negative. God is not negative. Start to believe in what you pray for, and in what you do in your daily life so that others can be reached for Christ.

In other words, START OVER!

One Thing I Don't Understand

Will someone explain this to me?

Tell people Osama is dead without proof or a body and they celebrate. Tell people Jesus died and rose again with an empty tomb and eyewitnesses and they speculate!

As always, comments are welcome!

Order! I want order in this house!

I talked about worship in blogs before this one. Now I want to continue to talk about worship, only as commanded by God.

God has never been about chaos. There has always been dominion over everything. When there was nothing, God ruled in Heaven. Then He created the universe. He still ruled. Then he created earth, and created man. He gave dominion (rule) over everything on earth to man. He even gave man the opportunity to name each animal. (see Genesis for details.)

God always laid out how worship and sacrifice was to be practiced in the Old Testament. But when Jesus came to earth and then died on the cross for our sins, the old ways were no longer necessary. We no longer had to sacrifice animals. Jesus was our sacrifice. So God would not leave us hanging either on how to continue our worship. He used Paul to give us instructions on how the church should continue after Jesus went back to Heaven.

1 Corinthians 14: 26-40 NIV

Good Order in Worship

 ²⁶ What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come

together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a

revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. ²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸ If there is no interpreter, the

speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

 ²⁹ Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. ³⁰ And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

vs. 33-35 omitted on purpose (I'll tackle that one later in another blog)

 ³⁶ Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? ³⁷ If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸ But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.^[h]

 ³⁹ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

Note verse 40. EVERYTHING should be done in a fitting and orderly way. God’s way. Orderly.

In an earlier blog, I talked about my first experience in an Assembly of God church. There was a lot of talking in tongues, and it caused confusion for me, and I’m sure others. I want to point out something.

²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸ If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

Note what it says in the middle of the 27^th verse. One At A Time. How many times have you ever been to a church where unknown tongues are spoken, and there are multiple people carrying on. Have you ever wondered if this was of God? Well, next time it happens, now you know. And notice something else. “Someone must interpret, or shut up!” (paraphrased) It doesn’t get any plainer than that. See, I’m not against speaking in tongues. I believe in it. I’ve done it. But don’t try to be heard (and maybe seen) when you should stay in the background. (Read the whole chapter for a lot more about speaking in tongues)

Next, things that happen in church and we wonder why:

 ²⁶ What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

Hymns. See, songs are the first things mentioned. Now, does that mean it’s the most important? No, but it is important.

Next, “a word of instruction” is mentioned. What is that? We use the word “sermon” nowadays to indicate the same thing. But I like the phrase “word of instruction” better. Know why? Because a lot sermons are just a bunch of words. Everyone walks out of the service and no one understands how to use the words that the preacher spoke for any part of their life. It was like that for me growing up. Remember when I said growing up it seemed like a history lesson? (see much earlier blog) It’s because that was what it was. The (teacher, preacher, evangelist) told what happened, and then you were told to believe in Jesus and be saved or go to hell. So read the bible, believe in Jesus or go to hell. That is why you can’t tell the Christians from the Pagans in the world today. Christians have not tried to become “Christ-like” as we are to be.

Preachers, teachers, and evangelists! Start instructing. Quit teaching a history lesson, and teach us how to be a part of history. People talk about the great revival of the early 1900’s.  What about the Great Revival that we NEED to happen NOW?

Churches are suffering some of the lowest levels of attendance and membership in the history of the church. The way we’ve taken Christianity and made it the church only lends to make this trend continue. Let’s reverse the trend. Let’s turn the church upside down, shake out all of what is not biblical, and insert GOD and CHRISTIANITY back into our lives. Let’s start to worship, and quit meeting to be a part of a clic, or to clear our conscience. Let’s give instruction so that people can start to be Christ Like!

Next blog I’ll look at “revelations” and how they can happen now, and not just be a part of the end of the bible.