Dear God,
Help me to not make You look bad today.
Amen.
Where Will You Praise Him?
“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” – Psalm 111:1
Are you imitating the words of King David in Psalm 111:1?
You can’t do it in front of a television while watching your favorite preacher.
You can’t do it at the ball field watching your favorite child.
You can’t do it sitting in your boat waiting for a bite.
You can’t do it while doing laundry.
You can’t do it reading a devotional while drinking your morning coffee.
You can’t do it while listening to the radio as you make pancakes.
You can’t do it in a hotel room while on vacation.
You can’t do it taking a morning run.
You can’t do it out in the forest while waiting for a 10-point buck to walk by.
You can’t do it in your bed on your only day off.
So, how does one imitate the words of David in Psalm 111:1?
Simple. You go to church.
Hope to see you there!
Giving Solomon Advice
Proverbs 21:19
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”
1000 Women
Has anyone noticed that this is the second time Solomon has said something about angry women? It was only ten verses ago that he said it was better to “dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house (verse 9).” Do you think that Solomon could have been having marriage problems?
One of the great ironies in history is that the wisest man to ever live had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3)! One would think that with so much wisdom a man might have figured out a thing or two about the nature of women, but evidently he was either deficient in this one area, or a glutton for punishment. I am not as wise as Solomon, but even I could tell you that having more than one wife might be a bad idea, especially when you’re intending on sharing your life with a thousand! Good grief!
Solomon had a weakness for the opposite sex and all the money in the world to support his habit. 1 Kings 11:3 even says that his wives “turned away his heart” from God. In order to keep them happy, he built altars to other gods. As wise as he was, women were his downfall.
1000 Tempers
I tend to wonder what kind of “man cave” Solomon had. With all those wives and concubines, can you imagine how many tempers were constantly flaring? Can you imagine how many grudges were being held? When 2 or 3 women go to the ladies room together, rumor has it that they talk about us men. Can you imagine what emotional issues a harem full of women could talk about? And don’t you think they constantly blamed Solomon for everything?
It should come as no surprise that both times Solomon mentions women in this chapter he references emotion. After nearly 20 years of marriage and three daughters to my credit, I can speak from experience that women know how to get angry and stay angry. Women are different than men (duh!). It takes a wife that is filled with the Spirit to overcome her tendency to seethe over something stupid her husband did 10-15 years ago.
Advice for Solomon
It may be a little late, but if I could go back in time I would give Solomon a bit of humble advice. I would say to him, “King Solomon, sir, I have a few suggestions that could help you maintain peace in your palace, should you choose, in your wise and awesome wisdomness, to listen.”
- Find that ruby of a woman and make her a solitaire. One rare one is far better than a chest full of imported cubic zirconia.
- Treat your wife with humility, love, and respect. An unloved and disrespected woman is an angry woman.
- Money is great, but time is priceless. Spend time with your wife doing things she wants to do. A lonely woman is a bitter woman.
- Worship the True God with your wife, not the idols of the world. Don’t marry outside the faith expecting to change her. Find a woman that loves the Lord and love Him with her. A woman at odds with you is a contentious woman.
Then I would say, “Choose to do otherwise, dear king, and you might as well go live in the wilderness.”
The above post may also be found at ProverbialThought.com.
Filed under Bible Study, Christian Maturity, Marriage
A Proverbial Reminder
Some of you may be new, so it would be good for me to remind everyone that this is not the only blog I publish. The other one I regularly publish is Proverbial Thought (Proverbialthought.com).
I would encourage you to check it out and consider it something to add to your quite time – at least from time to time. Go to the site and read the “About” page for a clear explanation of the site.
Here’s the link to the blog…Proverbial Thought: Your Daily Word of Wisdom from Proverbs.
Crimson-Colored Mercy
Don’t ask me why He loved me so; I’ll never understand.
He picked me up and held me close with a gentle nail-scarred hand.
He suffered what was meant for me and after all I put Him through,
Told His Father I was “worth the nails“!
It’s amazing, but it’s true!
With crimson-colored mercy He washed away my shame.
Worthless and unworthy, a broken life He made brand new.
But before He changed a think, He loved me anyway!
It’s amazing, but it’s true!
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
– adapted from “It’s Amazing, But It’s True,” by Anthony C. Baker
Filed under Christianity, Faith, God, Love of God
Blogger’s Bed and Breakfast
Bed & Breakfast
Once again the Blogger’s Bed & Breakfast (well, more like Blogger’s Inflatable & Breakfast) was pleased to entertain guests from far-off lands. As a matter of fact, those who came to visit were from way out in Missouriland, a place up in the northern territory.
Amazingly, our guests had no problem adapting to our civilized ways. They socialized without insulting our genteel sensibilities even once (I mean, you never know how Yankees will react to Southern hospitality)!
Actually, we were pleased to have Everett, Heather, and Emerson Mertens stay with us last night. They were on there way to Florida (Southern Yankee territory) and it just made sense for them to stop here for a spell in Chattanooga.
Me, Everett, Nugget, Valerie (my wife), Heather, Katie (my daughter), Emmy, and Haley (my daughter)
Bloggers
Heather Mertens is a blogger that I met online several years ago, and I had the chance to meet them for lunch when they passed through once before. But what an awesome, fun time it was this time around to have them come have dinner with us, stay overnight, and then eat breakfast before heading back out.
Like I’ve written before, bloggers are real people; it’s wonderful when we can actually meet in person, set aside the keyboards, and talk face-to-face. And in this case, it was our whole families sitting around the table, sharing a couple of meals, and fellowshipping like Christians everywhere should do… over food 😉
There’s always an invitation!
Filed under blogging, Christian Unity, Food, Relationships and Family
The Day After
The celebrations are over; the children aren’t quite as nice as they were yesterday; the cards have been opened; all the masculine gifts now sit unwrapped…
It’s the day after Father’s Day.
Now, go be the kind of dad described in those cards.
Filed under Christian Maturity, Parenting, Relationships and Family
Ten Ways to Fail As a Father
Happy Father’s Day!
There is a portrait of my family hanging in our living room with the following verse written below it.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. – Joshua 24:15 KJV
There is a lot to be said about a father who will say such things. There’s a lot to be said about a father who won’t.
Tuff Stuff
I want to share with you a list I found in a sermon by a Wesleyan pastor, Bruce Howell. I don’t know if he came up with it or if he found it somewhere else. All I know is that it is convicting.
There will be a lot of people talking about how to be a better dad, but if you want to know how to fail, here are 10 sure-fire ways to screw up.
Ten Ways to Fail As a Father
1. Have fights in front of your children. Then when guests come, turn around and act affectionate toward one another.
2. Stifle your children’squestions by saying, “Don’t bother me now; I’m busy.”
3. Take no interest in your children’s friends. Let them run around with whomever they choose.
4. Never discipline your children; try to use psychology instead.
5. Nag them about their schoolwork; never compliment them on their achievements.
6. Demonstrate your love for them with material things. Give them everything their little hearts desire.
7. Never discuss the facts of life with them. Instead, let them learn about sex from their friends, public school, or pornographic literature.
8. Set a bad example so the children will not want to grow up to be like you.
9. Absolutely refuse to believe it if you are told that your children have done something wrong.
10. Let your children make their own choices in the matter of religion. Be careful not to influence them in any way.
Help us, Father God, to be more like you.
22 Years With the “Good Thing”
It has been twenty-two years since Valerie and I said, “I do.” I’m glad I did.
Since then we have had our share of good days and bad days, great days and hellacious ones. Yet, through it all, we’ve stayed together in a holy union, a relationship bound together by the Holy Spirit. Even through the worst of times our love for each other has grown, making every day a “good” day.
When God said, “It is not good that man should be alone,” I think He was thinking of me more than Adam. He knew that I would have been a pitiful mess apart from the “good thing” He allowed me to find (Prov. 18:22).
We are not as young as we used to be, which should be obvious. We don’t move as quickly, and when we do move it’s often with pain. Yet, our hearts are still young. That is why people who are truly in love can always find Proverbs 5:18 applicable: “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”
This morning, before we got out of bed, Valerie asked me, “Would you do it again, especially knowing what you know now?” I immediately replied with a “Yes!” Oh, I could hear the regrets in her question, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. But when I started to address the question the bigger picture of God’s providence and grace came into view.
I said, “Yes, I would do it again, but I would do some things differently after the fact.” Yet, when she asked what I would do differently, hardly anything would come to mind.
“Well, first of all, I would…wait…” You see, even when I look back on the things we did wrong I see the mighty, sovereign hand of God at work. Where would I be had I not made those mistakes? Where would I be had I not been young and foolish? If we had done everything perfectly, where would we be today? Oh, I’m not advocating screwing up, but it has been through our brokenness, our failures, and our mistakes that God has been able to work in the lives of others.
Had we done everything perfectly, the only people we would be able to minister to would be perfect people; we wouldn’t have been able to understand anyone else. Our heavenly Father knew this; that’s why He let us fall…into His arms of grace.
So, yes, even 22 years in, I’d do it all over again. The only things I do wish I could have done differently is pray more often for wisdom, spend more time in God’s Word, and save when the times were good.
Happy anniversary, Valerie. You’re the best “good thing” ever!
Filed under Defining Marriage, Life Lessons, Relationships and Family
There’s a Need! You Can Help
Getting Revived
Most of you are probably aware of calls for revival in our churches and our nation. God knows we need it. However, when have you last heard of a pastor needing revival?
Believe it or not, preachers and pastors need to be revived and recharged from time to time. Doing the same thing over and over, week after week, with all the regular issues that are never-ending, will wear a rut in the road of life. That is why I decided to accept an open door to preach in Zimbabwe – to get off the well-rutted path.
I need revival.
Back Story
A couple of months ago I impulsively, in a tongue-in-cheek way, posted a statement on my wall which read something like, “Now accepting speaking engagements around the world. Call now before my schedule is full.” Almost immediately Dr. Eddie Rushing, the Associational Missionary (Director of Missions) with the Northwest Georgia Baptist Association messaged me. He wrote, “Do you want to go to Zimbabwe?” “Are you serious,” was my response. He then asked, “Are you?”
Good question. And yes, I was. I just really didn’t think I’d get a response…at least not that quickly.
I considered it a God thing.
The Current Story
Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe is a small city in the central, northwest area of the country. The local association of churches in that area have scheduled revival meetings in six different churches and want American pastors to come preach. I am one of those pastors! The meetings will be conducted simultaneously across the city in the evenings.
During the daytime, we will be going door-to-door and speaking with people in the streets. Unlike here in America, people there are very open to having people visit. However, I am not so naïve to believe there will be no opposition, so your prayers will be very welcome.
This is something I’ve been desperately in need of. I need to be refreshed and reignited…revived. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone, going to a totally different environment, and witnessing many things now alien to Christianity in this country. If nothing else, I will be able to preach longer without people getting upset 😉
The Need
Here’s the deal, and I’m going to lay it out for you as honestly as possible. I don’t have the money for this trip, so I need help.
I mean, seriously, committing to go on this trip could not have happened at a worse time, financially speaking. Among other things, this is the summer and I am not driving a school bus. That means a large portion of my income is gone for three (3) months. The summer months are very, very tight.
So, as you will see in the attached letter below – one that some of you may have received in the mail – the need is great, and there’s not a lot of time to spare. If you can help in any way, your gift to help fund this trip will be tax-deductible (if that matters to you) and will help make a huge difference in this preacher and the church I pastor.
We all need revival.
Below is a copy of the text from a support letter sent out by the Northwest Georgia and Lookout Valley Baptist Associations on my behalf.
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you on behalf of Anthony Baker. Anthony has signed up to go on a mission trip to Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, August 8 – 19. This will be a life changing experience for him. Our association takes trips somewhere in the world every year. Many people have been saved as a result of these trips and all who have gone have come back fired up about supporting missions around the world.
This trip will cost somewhere around $2500. Anthony has some of his support but needs to raise a good part of it. Will you please consider sending a donation to help pay for the cost of this trip? If you are unable to help financially, we understand; but, we ask that you pray for him related to this. If you can help, please make you check payable to the Northwest Georgia Baptist Association and send it to us at the above address. Please mark your check designated for Anthony Baker’s mission trip. All contributions are tax deductible.
While there, Anthony will be speaking in churches and doing door-to-door and street evangelism. Our work will be among a people that are very open to the gospel and who desperately need someone to come and share the good news.
Thanks for your consideration of this and may God richly bless you.
In His Service,
Eddy Rushing
Associational Missionary
P S: The deadline for this need is July 15, 2016.
Contact Information
Northwest Georgia and Lookout Valley Baptist Associations
63 Pin Oak Drive, Rock Spring, Georgia 30739
Phone: 706-764-1941
Fax: 706-764-1959
Now, would you please pray for this need? Even if you can’t afford to help financially, would you at least pray? I want to see great things happen not only in Zimbabwe, but in my own spiritual life. You can help by praying for me.
Filed under Christianity, Countries, ministry, places, Preaching
The Recovering Legalist 