by | July 11, 2013 · 3:17 pm

1000th Subscriber

1000 FollowersWoo Hoo!

Guess what, everybody? Just the other day this blog reached a major milestone – 1000 subscribers! Isn’t that cool?

It wasn’t that long ago – actually it was in October of 2011 – that I was doing all I could to come up with 100 subscribers. Can you believe that was the beginning of Mr. Monkey and the Monday Monkey segments?

Meet Muriel

Say hello to Muriel Debroy! Miss 1000!

This lovely Canadian real estate agent and food expert became my 1000th subscriber, and I am so proud to introduce her.

Muriel DebroyI talked with Muriel, today. She was kind enough to allow me to publish her picture and say a bunch of great stuff about her. The sad part is that I was about to go into a meeting when she returned my call, so I couldn’t talk long. But, even though we didn’t get to talk long, I found out that…

  1. She can call me cheaper than I can call her. International calls can get expensive!
  2. She deals with real estate, and Canada has a lot of that.
  3. People don’t know how to cook, but she’s the go-to woman for that problem. Sorry guys, she’s married.

Make sure you check out her website. I’m know she’ll appreciate it.

Blessed

Seriously, I want to thank all of my subscribers. Each one of you is a blessing, including the ones of whom I have no blooming idea why you read this blog (and you know who you are).

I hope all of you understand that I appreciate you and care about you. That is why I write what I write. May you be encouraged, challenged, strengthened, enlightened, and ultimately pointed towards a greater understanding of what it means to live a life of grace.

It’s only 1000 subscribers, not 10,000 or a million, but I’m still blessed.

To God be the glory; great things He has done.

19 Comments

Filed under blogging, Monday Monkey

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | July 9, 2013 · 5:26 pm

Another Marriage Prerequisite

Weddings

I do weddings.

But let me be honest, weddings aren’t always fun, and they are most certainly never easy. I do weddings, but I don’t always want to.

weddingWhy don’t I want to do weddings every time I am asked? Because so many know so little about what marriage is, where it came from, what it means, or what it will take to make it work. For crying out loud, most people that say they want to get married don’t even know the person to whom they are about to commit.

I do weddings, yes, but I require pre-marital counseling. Period.

Counseling

I have several things that I require a couple to go through before I will consent to marry them. Aside from the basic questions that must be asked, a while back I decided to require anyone I marry to watch 2 movies:

  1. Fireproof
  2. Courageous

You see, I figure it this way – if you really want to get married, then you should be able to watch a couple of movies and then talk about them. If you can’t do that, or if you’re just too rushed, then you don’t need to get married; you are already starting off on the wrong foot.

Additional Requirement

Now I have a new requirement. On top of Fireproof and Courageous, I have another video to watch before anyone hears, “I now pronounce you man and wife.” My daughter recently showed me a video she watched at camp. The first time I watched it I cried. I was forced to admit I have not been the godly husband I need to be.

I have been preaching through the book of Ephesians on Sunday nights. This past Sunday night we came to the part in chapter five that deals with “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord,” and “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church…” (Eph. 5:22, 25). It is a touchy section in this day and age, but it shouldn’t be, at least not with those who understand the meaning of marriage and the “mystery” of the church (Eph. 5:32). Too many come to the “submit” part and stop. They fail to understand that “submission” in marriage goes both ways; that marriage is to be a reflection of Christ and the church; and that the wife’s “submission” and husband’s “love” are supposed to work in conjunction.

However you want to argue it, though, if the husband would love his wife like Jesus loved us, then there would be a lot more happy wives out there, not to mention healthy families and lasting marriages.

What we need, ladies and gentlemen, is a “Crucifixion Type Love.“

Watch the video.

3 Comments

Filed under Christian Living, Christian Maturity, Defining Marriage, Divorce, Life Lessons, Relationships and Family

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | July 8, 2013 · 10:40 am

Pipes and Pulpits

For the record, I think pipe organs are awesome. Even though I love praise and worship music played on a ’71 Les Paul, bluegrass gospel on a Martin D28 (if you have to ask…), and Amazing Grace on bag pipes, a well-played pipe organ can make you think you’re in the throne room of heaven.

pipe organ preacher

This is not a picture of me behind my pulpit. This is not a picture of me in the church I pastor. But this is a picture of what my church could look like if only our building committee would raise a few million dollars (I don’t know what’s taking them so long).

Seriously, if you have never heard a real pipe organ played by someone who knows what he/she is doing, you probably don’t know what goose bumps are, either.

I wonder how a banjo-mandolin-pipe organ trio would sound?

Hey! Did I mention I got a new mandolin?

Anyway, I have work to do, so have a great Monday!

7 Comments

Filed under General Observations, music, worship

Tagged as , , , ,

by | July 5, 2013 · 8:15 pm

He Forgave. So Can We.

1N3

Not long ago I had the chance to go to an outdoor music festival in Chattanooga. It was there at JFest that I met an incredible couple, Tiki and Tom Finlayson, with a powerful story to tell.

You see…

van writingOn July 31, 2011, a young man was hit head on by a drunk driver. On July 1 Kevin “Sunshine” Yates died from the injuries he received in the crash. The tragic loss of a son could have driven his parents crazy, but instead of living with hate and bitterness, they decided to do something radical – the decided to forgive.

I would encourage you to go check out the website for 1N3, the ministry that Kevin’s mother and brother (Derek Yates) founded to increase awareness of the tragedy of drunk driving. There you can read the whole story of what happened, about Kevin, and about the lives that have been saved through organ donation. But for now, I would just like to share with you what Tom, Kevin’s dad, told me as we stood looking at the van Kevin was driving.

“Who Am I…?”

I know people who have a hard time forgiving others for wrongs done. Others I know have a hard time getting past the death of a loved one; always grieving, always mourning the loss. The Yates and Finlaysons are not that way. All it takes is one look at the smiles on their faces to see that hope and love have drowned hate and bitterness.

Tiki and Me

Tiki Finlayson and me. They carry the van around to show what happens when people drive intoxicated. The picture is of Kevin Yates, her son.

As we stood there talking, Tom Finlayson told me how that they had truly forgiven the lady that had hit Kevin. As a matter of fact, they have reached out to help her. Believe it or not, she is even scheduled to help in their ministry upon her release from prison.

Tom talking

Tom Finlayson telling the story.

Tom told me, “You know, we’re all murderers…we are all responsible for the death of God’s Son, Jesus…we killed Him…and if God can forgive me for killing his Son, then who am I not to forgive her?”

What more is there to say? 

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32

3 Comments

Filed under Alcohol, Christian Maturity, Life Lessons, Relationships and Family

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | July 4, 2013 · 2:18 pm

God SAVE America!

Happy 4th of July!

flagIt has been 237 years since the colonies declared their independence. It was not an easy decision to make, however, and many of the signers paid a heavy price. But John Adams, in a letter to Abigail Adams, said he was “well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it [would] cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States.”

So, happy birthday, America! Your birth was a hard and costly one, but well worth the pain.

God Bless America?

Now, each year about this time we sing of our love for America. Irving Berlin wrote a song with a title that is repeated every time one of our presidents closes a speech: God Bless America!

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Last night, however, in a sermon to my congregation, I said,

“Maybe we should stop asking God to bless America. Maybe we should, on the other hand, be saying, begging, ‘God spare America…God have mercy on America!’ We have already been blessed by God more than any nation deserves, yet what are we doing with those blessings? Where is our thanks to the God who blesses? We are rapidly going down as a nation, so before God completely abandons this nation to the trash heap of fallen empires, we had better be praying God REVIVE America…God SAVE America!…God have MERCY on America!”

Franklin’s Suggestion

Benjamin_Franklin_by_Jean-Baptiste_GreuzeIn 1787, not long after the war with England, representatives sent by the people met in Philadelphia to hammer out what was to be the Constitution of the United States of America. Tensions were high, arguing was accomplishing nothing, and the whole Continental Congress was in danger of falling apart. That was when the great Benjamin Franklin offered the following words…

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.” Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments be Human Wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of the City be requested to officiate in that service. – Source

We are “groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us.”

We are “divided.”

We are “confounded.”

We are becoming a “reproach and a bye word to future ages.”

And what is worse, mankind is leaving the forming of new governments to “chance, war, and conquest.”

We should be “imploring the assistance of Heaven” before Heaven becomes deaf to our prayers.

Related articles

5 Comments

Filed under America, Countries, Culture Wars, current events, God, politics, voting

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | June 27, 2013 · 11:52 pm

Date Night

I have been thinking about what to write.

The most obvious topic on which I would like to spend some time is the utter stupidity of the whole gay marriage thing, especially the ironic symbol of the rainbow. On the other hand, if I were to dwell on that topic for very long, given how long of a day it has been, I might puke. Unfortunately, if I did throw up, it would not come close to a regurgitation of all the vile that has been hurled at Christians over the last 48 hours.

So, for now I am going to avoid dealing with the Supreme Court’s insanity. I will save that for another day. Instead, let’s talk about movies.

Walking Out

It has been several years since I last walked out of a movie in a theater. The last time was when I demanded my money back (and got it) after I was duped into watching Happy Feet – an anti-human propaganda piece. This time it was a movie called The Big Wedding. I don’t feel that it is necessary for me to go into detail and provide you with an expert commentary. All you need to know is that what I endured of it was completely immoral and was void of any redeeming qualities. Enough said.

You see, my wife and I had the rare privilege of being alone, so we decided to go to a movie together. It’s not like we could afford it, but we needed the time with each other. Valerie just said, “I have watched a lot of other kinds of movies with you, so now it’s time to see a ‘chick flick’ with me.”

Well, anyway, it actually felt refreshing to simply get up out our seats, turn our backs to the screen, and walk out. We said “NO” to the trash that was being thrown at us, particularly the anti-Christian, anti-virginity, and anti-marriage messages. It actually felt spiritually empowering.

Caloric Refund

Hot Dogs and a Banana Split

Hot Dogs and a Banana Split to Share

After we got our money back (which, incidentally, was suggested by the manager who hated the movie, too), my wife and I decided to go to Kay’s Kastle in Soddy-Daisy (just north of Chattanooga). They have great ice cream and some unique hot dogs – and they’re cheap.

So, our date went from being disgusted with movie garbage, to filling our faces with caloric garbage. The food may have clogged an artery, but at least it didn’t sear our consciences.

Heart damage is easier to deal with than soul damage.

Related articles

3 Comments

Filed under Chili, current events, Food

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | June 25, 2013 · 1:29 am

Objective Reality

Resumé Review

Recently, after having to look at other people’s resumés, I thought it would be a good idea to review my own. Even though I am not actively seeking another pastorate, information does change from time to time. So, after a quick glance, I noticed some areas needed tweaking.

For example, I earned my Masters, so that needed to be added. Also, puppets are no longer considered valid references, so Mr. Monkey’s name had to be deleted.

However, one part of my resumé did not need changing. When I read the “Ministry Objectives” section, my heart was convicted. Were my objectives being met? What am I doing to reach them?

Ministry Objectives

Some people take a sentence or two, or even a paragraph, to describe their ministry objectives. I decided to divide mine into five points and put them right up front for everyone, including myself, to read.

My desire is…

I.    To bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ in all that I do (Ps 19:14) and go through (1Pet 1:7).

bibleII.   To “give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim 4:13) and “to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).

III. To be known as a humble and consistent husband and father whose household serves the Lord (Josh 24:15; 1 Cor 15:58); a forgiven sinner who understands grace (1 Tim 1:15); and a fearless soldier of the Cross (Mark 8:34) who never compromises the truth (1 Tim 4:16).

IV. To affect future generations yet to come as children are grounded, parents become responsible, singles are emboldened, and the aged get a second wind (Josh 4:21-24; Pro 22:6).

V.  To promote the preaching and teaching of the Gospel in every part of the world (Acts 1:8).

Dear Heavenly Father, make them more than objectives… make them reality.

Related articles

7 Comments

Filed under Christian Living, Christian Maturity, ministry, Preaching

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 22, 2013 · 8:38 pm

Global Influence of “Playing” On the Computer

Thanks to Rob Stroud’s post on Mere Inkling, I had an idea…

They say,

  • “I don’t know why you do that blogging stuff. It seems like such a waste of time.”
  • “Don’t you have anything better to do than play on your computer?”
  • “Don’t call that ministry; knocking on doors is the way to get out the word.”
  • “Nonsense! I haven’t got any use for computers. They should just take ’em all out and burn ’em.”
  • “Why do you spend so much time on that silly blog? Who reads it, anyway?”

I say,

  • At the time of this writing, The Recovering Legalist has nearly 900 subscribers. That’s more regular attendees than 90% of churches have total members. Numbers aren’t everything, but every number represents a soul.
  • If the computer was created for anything, reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ should be the ultimate goal.
  • Real people in real need sit in front of computer screens, so every time a person reads my blog it’s like I was invited into his or her home.
  • This blog has been up and going for over three years. But since February of 2012, not even a year and a half, The Recovering Legalist has been read in at least 135 countries. Some of those countries would never let a Christian missionary cross their borders.
World influence map

Global influence of The Recovering Legalist

“And [Jesus] said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15 KJV

 Christian bloggers are media missionaries. That is why I spend so much time “playing on the computer.”

5 Comments

Filed under Countries, ministry, Preaching, Witnessing

by | June 18, 2013 · 12:11 am

19th on the 18th

Our Anniversary!

Last year I wrote a post celebrating 18 years of marriage to the most beautiful woman in the world, my wife. Now that another year has come and gone, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate again. I’m so glad Valerie and I are still together, which is a blessing and a miracle. I don’t deserve such a gift.

Valerie has asked me several times in the past, “If you could do it over again, would you still marry me?” To be honest, there were times when answering that question was difficult, especially back around 1999-2001. During those days I was going through the lowest time of my life, but she stood by me.

If Valerie was to ask me that question today, however, the answer would be a resounding “YES!”

It takes time!

So many people get divorced after a few years of marriage, never staying in it long enough to work through the hard times. In doing so, they miss out on the treasures that years of faithfulness bring. Because they give up too early, they uproot seeds before they have time to germinate, never being able to experience the fruit of a life-long relationship taking root.

The past year has brought with it many heartaches and sorrows. Valerie has had to endure much physical pain which has tested our faith and pushed us to the limits; the loss of income has been terribly stressful; and crisis after crisis has taken an emotional toll on us all. Yet, after 19 years we are more in love, more in faith, and more in God’s will than ever before. How is that possible? “It’s not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord.

I love you, Valerie. Happy anniversary!

As I said last year, it’s been a bumpy but wonderful ride. Thank you for staying in the car with me. I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip!

5 Comments

Filed under Christian Living, Defending Traditional Marriage, Defining Marriage, Divorce, Life Lessons, Relationships and Family, the future

Tagged as , , , ,

by | June 13, 2013 · 11:21 pm

Wel Come

The Sign

I was being a good son this evening. My mother needed help replacing an air conditioning window unit in her bedroom, so I had been up at her house on the mountain. On the way back I stopped by a gas station to keep from having to walk home.

Wel ComeAs soon as I parked next to a fuel pump, a scrolling sign caught my attention. My little girl, Haley, even though she is dyslexic, said, “Daddy, what is wrong with that sign?”

Honestly, I don’t think anything was wrong with the sign; all the lights worked perfectly. There must have been something the owner of the store was trying to say.

Interpretation

What could it mean? What is Mr. Patel trying to say? This might be a good time to break out my old hermeneutics text book. Or, on the other hand, I could forget the obvious possibilities and think of some more unusual possibilities.

What is meant by “Wel Come“? Here are some ideas.

  • The “L” is missing. In reality, the store owner wanted some privacy to enjoy his collection of beer and nachos, but patrons insisted on wanting to buy things. Therefore, out of frustration, he gave in to their demands to enter and put up a sign meant to say, “Well, just come in, if you insist.”
  • Mr. Patel is praying for a well so that he can keep from buying fuel from the Saudis.
  • It could be an attempt to tell passersby to comb their hair.
  • Maybe it is a Hindu prayer for health?

All I know is that despite the spelling differences, and despite the context, the sign in the window could not mean what we think it means – that’s too obvious. Surely it does not simply mean, welcome.

Too Obvious

This reminds me of verses of scripture that are so obvious, yet people refuse to accept them at face value. They claim textual variances, human writers, and all sorts of things as reasons the Bible could not mean what it says. For example, many people, even so-called Christians, have read “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6) and come to the conclusion that it has to mean something, but NOT that Jesus is the “only way.”

Many atheists look at the obvious “design” of the universe and come to the conclusion that even though it looks like a finely-tuned machine, there can’t be a Designer. They come up with every possible solution to the question of origins, no matter how remote, in order to discount the obvious. They say, “Show me the evidence,” then attempt to discredit any given to them.

Welcome

The most logical meaning of the sign in the window, based on every other sign in windows I have seen in my lifetime, is that the store owner was saying, “Welcome!” He may have misaspelicated, but the meaning was obvious.

Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV). What’s so hard to understand?

You are WELCOME.

 

Related articles

Leave a comment

Filed under Faith, General Observations, translations, World View

Tagged as , , , ,