The Recovering Legalist

by Anthony Baker | July 30, 2012 · 12:30 am

Monday Monkey “Olympic Hopeful” (Episode 26)

Olympic Connection

To start off this post, I just want to say how happy I am to see that my alma mater was represented to the world this week.

If you missed it, Amber Charles, a senior at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, TN, was one of the torchbearers who lit the Olympic cauldron in London. Amber is the captain of the ladies basket ball team. Both she and the coach, incidentally, are from London.

Monkey Connection

One of the best over-the-counter teas is non other than PG Tips. According to their advertising, PG Tips is England’s #1 tea, and they have a puppet monkey to prove it.

Our family loves PG Tips, and we have a world-famous puppet monkey in our house. Coincidence?

Athlete Connection

London, Monkeys, Tea…and athletics. What many don’t know is that Mr. Monkey can pole vault. Give him a little duct tape and he can really impress with bamboo pole.

I don’t know when the next Olympic trial will be held, but someone should give us a call. Do they have three-legged racing?

Monday Monkey “Jumping On the Bed” (Episode 25) (therecoveringlegalist.com)
Olympic cauldron lit in Hyde Park (itv.com)

3 Comments

Filed under Humor, Monday Monkey

Tagged as animal, Christianity, England, faith, London, Monkey, Olympic, Olympic Flame, PG Tips, Tennessee Temple University

by Anthony Baker | July 29, 2012 · 1:00 am

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Island Hopping

One day I would like to island hop through the Caribbean. There are so many beautiful places to see, including the tiny island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. No surprise, in 2011 it was named one of the top 5 places to visit in the Caribbean by Travel and Leisure.

If I were Superman, all I would have to do would be to jump really hard from the coast of Florida, sneer down at Castro as I flew over Cuba, and land just short of Grenada and Venezuela. If I did that, I would probably land in Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

However, if I were a pirate (or at least a man who played one on TV), I could head to SVG to film a movie with Jack Sparrow. Believe it or not, this is where The Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed.

More Views Wanted

I have had only one registered view from this little country, but I’d like to have more. Considering that I have a decent relationship with a few people in England, and since SVG’s head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, we should get along. For crying out loud, I even like one of their main exports, bananas.

Pray

Say a prayer for the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. They have been hit with a lot of tragedy over the last few years, much of which has hurt their fragile economy. Storms and volcanic eruptions have adversely affected their plantations. Right now unemployment is just short of 20%.

Remember, too, that even though much of this country is considered Protestant, many in the interior still need Christ. Pray that God will raise up indigenous pastors to lead in those areas.

1 Comment

Filed under ministry, World View

Tagged as Caribbean, Elizabeth II, faith, Grenadines, Jack Sparrow, Kingstown, Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

by Anthony Baker | July 28, 2012 · 2:17 pm

Don’t Feel Like a Failure

Depressing Motivation

I have been reading a great, classic book on leadership by John C. Maxwell, Developing the Leader Within You. The book is excellent (click here for a summary), but one part really made me question the author’s intentions. Was he trying to depress me?

In the 10th chapter, “Staff Development,” Maxwell decided to share with us a time when he took stock of his life. He went on to list what he was doing by the time he’d reached the ripe old age of 40 (I guess that’s because life’s about over by then?).

“When I turned forty,” Maxwell said, “I began to review my life. I made a list of all the things I was doing at that time.” Get that! At “that” time! Not what he had accomplished in his whole life, but what he was doing “at that time.” His list included (and I quote):

senior pastor of a congregation of 3,500 attenders;
oversight and development of thirteen pastors;
president of Injoy, Inc., a company that develops resource materials for thousands of people;
a national and internaional speaking schedule with over four hundred engagements annually;
producing a monthly leadership tape for Injoy Life Club subscribers;
writing a book every eighteen months;
working on another education degree;
and most important – taking enough time for my wife, Margaret, and our two children, Elizabeth and Joel Porter. – Dr. John C. Maxwell, 179-180

Give me a break! Are you kidding me? I’m nearly 45 and I’ve never had an international speaking schedule or even written one book! Good grief, John!

Bigger and Better

Today’s culture is all about “bigger and better.” Many people even think about churches in that way, too – the bigger the better. But is that really the case? Is bigger always better?

It may be news to some of you, but pastors sometimes get discouraged when they compare the sizes of their ministries to those of people like Dr. Maxwell. Instead of 3,500 attendees, most pastors lead churches with only 35 in attendance (1/100th). Does that make them failures? Of course not.

Don’t misunderstand, if a congregation is small because it refuses to follow God’s will, then that’s one thing. However, most churches are not mega-churches with coffee shops and book stores. As a matter of fact, most congregations average 100 or less. And that’s OK.

Little Flocks

I am encouraged by a little-talked-about Greek word, poimnion(ποίμνιον). Jesus used it when he spoke to the disciples in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock (poimnion); for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Paul used it when he said to the elders of the church in Ephesus, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock (poimnion), over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers…” (Acts 20:28). In both instances the idea was not that of a mega-church, but of small groups of believers.

Pastor, God knows where you are. He has you right where He wants you. Don’t get discouraged when you see larger congregations. The King has need of shepherds He can trust to watch over the “little flocks” in His fields.

Do you ever get discouraged? Do you ever feel life has passed you by? There’s still time to make a difference. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13).

John C. Maxwell – Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently (henkjanvanderklis.nl)
Mega-Church Downsizes – Cuts Non-Essential Members (markconner.typepad.com)

Leave a comment

Filed under book review, Christian Maturity, ministry, Preaching, Uncategorized

Tagged as Church, faith, injoy inc, John C. Maxwell, Leadership, Megachurch, Pastor, Religion, Religion and Spirituality

by Anthony Baker | July 26, 2012 · 10:12 am

“What Must I Do…?”

The Philippian jailer (Acts 16:30) asked Paul and Silas a question that is still asked today, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” In response that question, I have written the following, simple post and included it in a permanent page, Eternal Life. Please, take the time to read it, then consider what you read. This is what I believe, and I’ve staked my eternity on it.

“Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won’t last forever. We must take it or leave it.” – C. S. Lewis

My Story

One day, when I was a boy, I took the chance. I placed all my eggs in one basket. The fate of my eternal soul, as much as I could grasp the idea, was place in the control of a Man I had never seen in person, nor had heard with my ear, but I believed loved me and died for me.

Today, as a man, I can use words I never knew back then, such as justification, atonement, and propitiation. But the simple truth that led me to surrender my heart and soul to this Man can still be explained with simple words…words written thousands of years ago… “For God so love the world, that He gave…”

What did God give?

Do you know what a gift is? Sure you do. It is something you give to another when you care. It is something you give with no expectation of payment in return. It is best when it is something that required some sacrifice, but it was a joy to purchase. It means even more when you know the gift was something needed, but unexpected.

A gift is something that is received. I have a friend that has no more family, so for Christmas he goes out and buys things for his self, wraps them, and places them under a Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, all alone, he opens them. How sad is that? Those are not real gifts – he bought them!

According to God, as written in His Word, the Bible, eternal life is a gift. That’s right, a gift. In the letter to the Romans we read that the “gift of God is eternal life…” (Romans 6:23). God is offering it to you for the taking. He is offering it to you for free! But it wasn’t cheep. It cost Him a whole lot – it cost him his Son.

“God loved the world so much, that He gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). Why did God give his Son? Well, so that you and I could be rescued from the eternal penalty we owe for our sins – our breaking of God’s laws. Our lies, our lusts, our broken promises, you name it: all of these things are sins. Each one deserved separation from a holy God. But God “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever [puts his whole faith] in Him, would not perish (be separated from God), but have eternal life.”

Why did He give it?

All men and women have broken God’s laws. And even though you may have not actually committed murder, or robbed a bank, or abused a child, James 2:10 (RSV) says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” So, you see, we need a Savior. We need the Gift that God is offering. Won’t you accept it?

The whole verse in Romans (6:23) goes like this: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is why C.S. Lewis said those words above. Eternal life is a gift, but it will not be offered indefinitely. You see, all of us will die, one day. Hebrews 9:27 says that it “is appointed unto man once to die; but after this, the judgment.” One day we must either give an account for our lawbreaking, or rest in the fact that our account has already been settled by putting our faith in Jesus.

“From death to life”

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24 NIV).

Jesus also said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36 NIV). And to those that put their faith in Jesus, he said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28 NIV).

The Apostle John wrote, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12 NIV).

The Invitation

What can I say about the greatest gift ever, especially in a thousand words or less? I can’t cover all the bases, answer every question, or defend every point – but I can offer you Jesus.

Have you been searching for meaning, for hope, for unconditional love, for eternal life? Give your heart to Jesus. Make Him the Boss of your life. Confess your sins to Him, repent of the things that caused Him to have to die so that you could have life, and cross over “from death to life.” For “whosoever shall call upon the name [Jesus] of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

You could even pray a prayer, in your own words, similar to this: “Dear Jesus, I believe you are God’s Son, and that you died for me, and rose again, that I might have eternal life. I know I have sinned, and I confess. I also confess that I cannot earn heaven on my own. I need You! Please take my life. I give freely give it to you. Be my Lord, and my God. Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, honestly, and from your heart, then I would love to hear about it! I am sure many others would love to hear about it, too! If you accepted God’s gift of eternal life, let the world know in the comment section below.

If you would like to talk with someone, there is a phone line open 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-NEED-HIM (1-800-633-3446). Someone will be happy to show you how to be sure you have eternal life. Don’t wait.

Leave a comment

Filed under God, salvation, Witnessing

Tagged as C. S. Lewis, Christianity, Epistle to the Romans, Eternal Life, faith, John 3:16, paul and silas, Religion

by Anthony Baker | July 24, 2012 · 10:10 am

Anthony’s Appetite #8 (Café on the Corner)

It has been over a year since I did a food or restaurant review. But after my wife and I went to lunch yesterday, I figured it was a good time to revive a favorite series…

Anthony’s Appetite! Woo Hoo!

Not long ago my wife started a new job (praise the Lord) on Lookout Mountain (where you go to See Rock City). At the suggestion of one of her co-workers, we visited a little place called Café on the Corner.

Hidden Treasures

It is amazing how there are so many places that we drive by everyday without ever taking notice. I had seen this little cafe many times, but never stopped to check it out. Let this be a lesson to be more attentive.

The front of Café on the Corner is not very audacious. It blends into the surrounding area pretty well. It is very classy, as a matter of fact, with a nice little sitting area outside.The outside, however, did not prepare me for the upscale atmosphere that welcomed us inside.

As Valerie and I walked in, we were greeted by Brittany, who not only seated us, but served us. The Café opens as 11 a.m., so when we got there we were about the first to be seated. That gave me a great opportunity to photograph the interior without offending any patrons.

Money and Time

We were on a budget, so Valerie and I passed on any appetizers. We ordered our usual drinks (Coke for her, coffee for me), placed our orders, and then took a few minutes to enjoy some conversation over white table cloths. Some of the conversation included, “Can we afford this today?…Should we split something?…How long is this going to take?…That lady’s dress looks expensive… I like bare brick…this is going to be a long lunch…etc.”

Café on the Corner is not the place to eat if you are on a McDonald’s budget. It is also not the place to eat if you are in a hurry and you arrive when the place is just opening. On the other hand, it IS the place to eat if you enjoy laid back fine dining with an aristocratic Southern flair.

For my main course I ordered the special of the day (which only cost around $8). It was a Philly Wrap with pasta salad. My wife got a hamburger (she’s not the adventurous type).

Oh, the Food!

Let me tell you, the Philly wrap was wonderful. Inside the wrap was extremely tender pork tenderloin, grilled onions, a few peppers and mushrooms, and the most delicious smoked Gouda cheese sauce. My first bite simultaneously brought chills and feelings of cuddly warmth. I nearly shed a tear of taste bud joy.

If you have read this blog for very long, you know I love my coffee and tea. When it comes to eating dessert, nothing compliments it better than a good cup of black coffee. In this case I was able to have the best of both worlds.

Valerie and I selected (to share) the Cafe’s signature caramel cake with vanilla ice cream. Oh my gosh it was good! But what’s more, Brittany told me that their coffee was especially blended to pair with their desserts. Amazing!

Overall, I highly recommend the Café on the Corner. My only suggestions would be don’t eat the cake if you are a diabetic; don’t dress like a Wal-Martian when you visit; and bring a little extra cash if you’re not used to sharing.

For further information, Click HERE to go to their website.

2 Comments

Filed under Food

Tagged as critic, Eating, faith, Food, Gouda, Lookout Mountain

by Anthony Baker | July 22, 2012 · 12:05 am

Give Me Samoa

Population

As best I can tell, I have gotten only one visit from someone in Samoa. But if I were to compare Samoa to the United States, then person-for-person, that one visit would be worth at least 20,000 views in the States! Of course Samoa is tiny compared to the U.S.A., and only has a population of 196,000. But who’s counting?

Location

Located half-way between New Zealand and Hawaii, this little island country is a literal paradise. Up until now the only thing that I could associate with Samoa was big wrestlers and Girl Scout cookies. But now that I have seen the pictures…and read the history…I want to go there! You can keep the cookies.

Make My Reservation

The thing that most amazes me is this little country’s blatant, uncompromising, unashamed acceptance of Christianity in daily life. Unlike so many in the rest of the Western world, Samoa makes no apology for the faith that plays a major role in its society. As a matter of fact, just check out this quote from the Samoa Tourism Authority:

Christianity has been one of the few western influences that has been accepted into Fa’a Samoa.

John Williams from the London Missionary Society arrived in Savaii in 1830 with eight Tahitian and Rarotongan teachers to spread the word. Today the motto on Samoa’s crest reads, Fa’avae I Le Atua Samoa – Samoa is founded on God, and found in every village are churches of various denominations. Samoans are devote Christians and Sunday is a day of worship and spending time with family and no physical work is done (emphasis added).

I may be going out on a limb, here, but my guess is that the ACLU isn’t very big in Samoa. Can you imagine if something like that was written on an official American tourism website? You have to admire these people.

Read Samoa

I could go on and on repeating what I have read, but why don’t you check it out for yourself. Go read about the Samoan Way. Read about a people who aren’t ashamed of their heritage. Read about a little country that could be an example for the rest of us to follow. Ever wonder how to deal with gang crime, illiteracy, the break down of the family? Samoa might have some suggestions.

A Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for the people of Samoa. Thank you for their unashamed proclamation of faith in Christ. Thank you for the missionaries who bravely went to share with these people back in the 1830’s. Thank you that there is still a place in the world where family is not defined and re-defined on a whim.

God, bless this little nation. Keep them safe. May they grow in grace and be a beacon of light in a dark world. – Amen.

Samoa’s 50th Independence Day (maryannepale.com)

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Living, Countries, Relationships and Family

Tagged as Christianity, Fa'a Samoa, London Missionary Society, Samoa, Samoa Tourism Authority, Samoan, Savai'i

by Anthony Baker | July 21, 2012 · 1:07 am

Behind the Scenes @ WFLI

Every other week, or so, I am on the radio for about 15 minutes.

This week I took my daughter Katie with me to the radio station in order to film me recording a broadcast. It was a little distracting, but it was fun to have her there.

It is not easy to preach to a clock and a microphone. I prefer real people. It is also hard to preach like I normally would when I have only 14 minutes. Trying to imagine people listening to me while I sit there watching the clock tends to make me nervous.

Anyway, since I am not a big-name preacher with a full-time staff editing and mixing my recordings, you will hear less professionalism on this broadcast. The “uhs” and the “ums” will not be edited out this time. But, if you want to send in your life savings, I will make sure to use some of it to hire people with technical know-how and computer software.

Old Radios? (i4daily.wordpress.com)

Leave a comment

Filed under Preaching

Tagged as faith, Medium wave, preaching, Radio, Radio broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

by Anthony Baker | July 17, 2012 · 12:24 am

Monday Monkey “Jumping On the Bed” (Episode 25)

**Check it out! Our 25th Monday Monkey!**

This is a very special episode of Monday (yes, I know it’s Tuesday) Monkey. Mr. Monkey (a.k.a. Buddy) had an accident while jumping on the bed. He fell off and bumped his head.

Actually, I had to take my wife to the emergency room this morning (for real). Being a good steward of God’s money (what He let’s me have of it), I figured I would take advantage of having thousands of dollars of medical equipment at my disposal, at least when the doctors weren’t looking.

Do you have any idea how much it would have cost to do this video if I had wanted to use an actual hospital? Oh, wait…it is costing a lot.

Here are three life lessons to learn from this episode of Monday Monkey…

When your momma tells you to stop jumping on the bed, do it. If you don’t, you might fall off and bump your head.
Doctors can think of thousands of reasons for conducting tests that have nothing to do with your actual complaint.
Always carry a monkey with you wherever you go. Life can be the best movie set.

“Jumping On the Bed”

Monday Monkey “At the Zoo” (Episode 22) (therecoveringlegalist.com)

4 Comments

Filed under Humor, Monday Monkey

Tagged as Adventure, Buddy, Comedy, faith, funny, God, Hospital, Humor, Medical equipment, Monday Monkey, Monkey, television

by Anthony Baker | July 15, 2012 · 3:32 pm

Lesotho

Recognizing the World

It is almost too incredible to believe, yet it is taken for granted by almost every blogger. We rarely think of it, and when we do it is normally just another statistic. It is something that just a few short years ago would have been unthinkable. What is it that we take for granted?

The ability to reach the world.

Yesterday I shared with my wife the names of countries that have viewed my The Recovering Legalist. Believe it or not, the last count was 81! Isn’t that amazing? Many of the countries had names we had never heard before. Most are countries I will never see in my lifetime.

Well, that got me to thinking, why not take Sunday as an opportunity to recognize and thank each country for visiting? At the same time, why not use it as an opportunity to say a pray for the people in that country? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I tend to forget that I am not the only person in the world.

Lesotho

The green dot is Lesotho.

Lesotho will be our first country. I have to say that until this week I had never heard of this little land-locked country right in the middle of South Africa.

99.7% of the population in Lesotho is Sotho. Their official languages are Sesotho and English.

The predominant religion in Lesotho is Christianity (80%). I am not sure how they practice Christianity, however. The statistic, nevertheless, is interesting.

The thing that stood out to me the most, however, is that (according to the Central Intelligence Agency) in a country with a population of just under 2 million, at least 26% of the people have HIV (Aids)! That is incredibly tragic, don’t you think? It is heartbreaking to think that 1 in 4 people in a country have an incurable, deadly disease.

Thank You and Prayer

So, thank you so much, Lesotho, for visiting this blog. I hope you will visit again. In the meantime, Let me lead in a prayer for your people.

Dear Lord God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to bring hope to a hurting and dying world. Without Him we would be lost without hope, both in this world and the one to come. Lord, the people of Lesotho need to be reminded that you love them, and though they be small in number, they are not forgotten.

Lord, we pray for the monarchy and government of the Kingdom of Lesotho. May they seek you and your Wisdom, not the wisdom of man. Raise up future generations who will lead their people with integrity and righteousness.

Lesotho prime minister’s party wins vote (sacbee.com)
Lesotho: Food security goes from bad to worse (crofsblogs.typepad.com)
Lesotho – Kingdom in the Sky (turcanin.wordpress.com)
Lesotho: Veteran Opposition Leader to Be Premier (abcnews.go.com)
London 2012: Lesotho’s athletes hope Olympics will put kingdom on the map (guardian.co.uk)

Leave a comment

Filed under Countries, Uncategorized

Tagged as Africa, Christianity, faith, HIV, Kingdom of Lesotho, Lesotho, Sotho people, South Africa

by Anthony Baker | July 14, 2012 · 12:20 am

Evil Pants

The Old Days

Do you remember the old days? No, I’m not talking about when there were only three channels on TV, or when telephones were anything but mobile. I am not even talking about the old days when cartoons were reserved for Saturday morning, providing a distinct break between school day and weekend. I’m talking about…

…when it was forbidden for women to wear pants.

What? You don’t remember those days? Well I certainly do! I remember them very well. I even remember culottes (which is a memory I try to drown with anything short of alcohol – because I don’t want to die and go to H.E. Double Hockey Sticks).

Must be Liberal

I remember the old days when one could easily determine who was spiritual, and who wasn’t. There use to be a day when a godly man could look at a woman (without lusting, of course) and know right off the bat if she was a God-fearing, fundamentalist catch. Now it’s getting hard to judge by appearances.

Once, when our pastor gave us the freedom to visit another church (it was a special occasion – we were visiting family), we went to what we thought was a very conservative Independent Baptist church. I was only a young boy at the time, but I can still remember the words my daddy said as we looked down from the balcony, “Evidently, this church has gone liberal…look there…isn’t that sad?…the pastor’s wife is wearing pants.”

The Uniform

Seriously, I am a firm believer in modesty. And if it is your honest, heart-felt, full-of-faith conviction that a woman should only wear dresses, then hallelujah! However, I am not going to make my little girl wear a dress as she learns how to kick the you-know-what out of the first boy who tries to touch her.

How many black belts (or sashes) have you ever seen wearing a dress instead of a traditional uniform? I’ve never seen one. Oh well. I guess that may pose a problem for some that are still living in the old days.

But on a different note, a Wing Chun uniform isn’t exactly a white shirt and polyester pants, either. So, you guys (especially the one in the video with the long hair) might ought to consider what you are wearing (insert winking smiley face, which is meant to inform the reader that the last comment was in fun).