Oh, hallelujah! I woke up a little while ago with my face burning and itching. But the waking up led to me checking my phone, and long story short, discovering this song and this group.
I have a new favorite song and a new favorite group!
Go ahead, watch and listen if you want to get blessed. THIS is good stuff.
“There Is a God,” by Mountain Faith
Remember, dear believer, if your pastor is a “gift” to your congregation (Ephesians 4:11), how you treat him says a lot about your relationship to the Giver. – A. Baker
It may come as no surprise to you that I have some pretty unique students who ride my school bus. I’m sure the same could be said for any school bus.
However, today, following a conversation in which a middle school girl was laughing about some creepy things she’d done, like stabbing her stuffed frog, I posed a question to the students surrounding her.
“Of the following,” I asked, “which of these two things would surprise you more if you found out they were true about (the girl)? First, that she had a bedroom full of unicorns and rainbows, and that she wrote poetry about flowers… Or, secondly, that in her bedroom she had a black pot, under which sat a burner…and that she used the pot to boil water, into which she would put the severed extremities of creatures she gathered from outside after midnight while her parents slept?”
“Unicorns and rainbows,” replied the other students. A creepy cackle of approval came from the seat behind me. Then she added, “But the poetry could have been about dark, magical flowers that kill.”
Uh, yeah.
Anyway, this got me to thinking. What would surprise you more, if you heard it about me?
How about this?
Now, try these on for size. Which would surprise you more?
You see, how we answer these questions reveal our perceptions of people. So, here’s one more. Which would surprise you more if you learned it to be true about me?
I hope you picked #1 on that one (read John 15:18-20). Otherwise, I need to reevaluate what I’m doing.
Why not give it some thought and ask others some questions about yourself? You might be surprised with their answers.
Filed under Christian Living, Christianity, General Observations, Life Lessons, Uncategorized
Never forget that the arguments, the hurt feelings, the illnesses, the stresses, and the pains that hit seemingly out of the blue are not coincidence when tomorrow is Sunday. – A. Baker
Filed under Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Life Lessons, ministry, Preaching, Relationships and Family
It’s not often I post a video of me preaching, but I hope this one is a blessing. A couple of weeks ago I was invited back to Mile Straight Baptist Church to preach for the evening service. It’s always an honor when Dr. Tom Goss extends the invitation.
That night I felt led to preach a sermon based on one of my personal ministry objectives. The title of the sermon was “How Do You Want to be Known?”
So, if you’ve ever wondered what I looked like preaching, this is me…who needs to lose a little weight.
Filed under Preaching, Southern Baptist
A while back I asked the Lord to make me a “characteristic example of a life centered on God.” But as soon as I prayed that prayer, another thought came into my mind…
Maybe being “God-centered” is not enough.
You may be asking, “What is wrong with that?” Well, there is nothing wrong with living a God-centered life, generally speaking. On the other hand, there is more to being a Christian than being “God-centered.”
“Outrageous!” “That’s blasphemy,” you say. Well, is it? Stop and think about it for just a moment. Start with thinking about what being “God-centered” actually means.
Does someone have to be a true Christian in order to live a God-centered life? You may think so, at first, but there may be a few church folk fooling themselves. Don’t believe me? Read what Paul wrote to the Church…
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” – 2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
Why would the Apostle tell church people to “examine” and “prove” whether or not they were in the faith? Could it be that there were some who were going through all the motions, but were never converted, never born anew? Could it have been possible that there were some doing all the right things, for the right reasons, but not right with God? He says that the answer to the test will be whether or not “Jesus Christ is in you.”
Can people live God-centered lives and still be lost? To help answer this question, consider the following people (names are fictitious). Do their actions guarantee salvation?
If these people were to examine themselves, as Paul asked, what might be missing? Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Is it not possible that someone could do everything for God’s glory (live a God-centered life), but still die without Christ?
What are your thoughts?
Have you “proven” whether you “be in the faith?”
Do you know of Scripture that supports a “God-centered” life being proof of salvation?
When contemplated what I had asked of God (to make me characterized by a God-centered life), the mental picture of a wheel came to mind. It was the picture of a wheel with a center hub and spokes, much like a bicycle or wagon wheel. As I thought about this, however, something seemed wrong. Something seemed almost selfish.
You see, when you look at a wheel, especially the kind with spokes and a hub, it may not be obvious at first, but there are parts. In such a wheel I can distinguish the spokes from the hub, and the rim from the spokes. I can even see that there are spaces in between the spokes that are empty and not attatched or filled with anything – just empty. If God is supposed to be represented by the hub, the center of the wheel, then the wheel is not really all about the hub, but the wheel itself.
The Apostle Paul told the Athenians (Acts 17:28) that in Jesus we “live, and move, and have our being.” In a letter to the Galatians he said “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). It would seem to me that Jesus should be more than our “hub.” He should be our “ALL.”
That is when I thought of a different picture. This time I imagined a solid circle – a disk. Unlike the other picture where God was the center of everything, yet separate, here was a picture of wholeness. In this picture, if my life is this type of wheel, people won’t notice anything about me, just Christ.
All of the spokes (my life, my dreams, my habits and hobbies, my talents, and my desires); the empty spaces (the areas of my life that seem irrelevant); and the rim (the total expanse of who I am – my identity, my sphere of influence); each part is now inseparable from the life and power of Christ who lives within me.
So, I no longer want to be characterized as a man with a God-centered life. I want to be a man characterized by the life of Christ. When people look at me, I don’t want them to say, “Hey, that guy really knows how to serve God,” or “Hey, that guy really loves the Lord.” Even though there is nothing wrong with those things, how much better would it be if they could say, “Hey, I met this guy… at first I thought he was that man they call Jesus.”
Remember, it was to the Church at Corinth that Paul said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” There must have been some hearing this letter read who were deceived. Don’t be like them. Make sure your life is in Christ, and He is in you.
May your activities be “God-centered;” but your life “Christ-filled.” May the world see Jesus in you.
For Discussion:
Can you distinguish between a God-centered and a Christ-filled life? What characteristics would you expect to see?
Do you think someone could live a God-centered life and still be unsaved?
Your comments would be appreciated.
Filed under Christian Living, Christianity, God, Jesus, Theology
“Normalcy” is that ever-elusive goal sought by those who refuse to accept the here-and-now as their normal.
– A. Baker
Filed under General Observations, Life Lessons, Struggles and Trials
Regardless the success of his contemporaries, no man is a failure whose life is a positive reflection of Jesus Christ. – A. Baker
Filed under Christian Living, Christianity, Depression, Jesus, self-worth, Struggles and Trials
Life is only a “journey” when there’s a destination; without one the aimless can do nothing but wander. – A. Baker
Filed under wisdom
Not long ago I shared a list which one of my beautiful daughters sent to me. It was a list describing the qualities that must be present in the man who might be interested in relating with her.
Click HERE to read the previous post.
This morning she texted me a “sub-list” to the previous list, and I think it is worth sharing. If some young man does strike her fancy, he’d better not be a pajama boy.
“You know that list that I made for my qualifications for a special male friend??? Well the sub-list is as follows:
1. Cleans up after the dog.
2. Washes the dishes.
3. Cleans out the fridge.
4. Rids all windows of spiders.
5. Rids house of spiders.
6. Rids garage of spiders.
7. Rids shed of spiders.
8. Comes to my aid when he does not fully complete his assignment of ridding said places of said eight-legged creature, regardless of the time or what he is tasking himself with upon the call.”
I’ve got a feeling she must have had a Monday-morning run-in with a dorm-dwelling arachnid. Notice both the spider and the list have eight points.
So, to sum up both lists, the guy must be a godly Christian who cooks, cleans, rubs feet, and kills spiders. Seems she might be looking for a bi-vocational super-spiritual minister who’s done everything from restaurant work to pest control.
Hah! Isn’t that sweet? She wants a man just like her daddy! 😉
Except I hate rubbing feet. Just saying.
Filed under Marriage, Parenting, Relationships and Family
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The Recovering Legalist 