Tag Archives: God

by | September 15, 2013 · 9:45 am

Atoned

Yom Kippur

On Friday and Saturday many observed Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). “For devout Jews,” said a Fox News article, “Yom Kippur is the most solemn day on the calendar where according to tradition, God weighs people’s deeds and decides their fate for the next year.” (italics added)

However, I am thankful that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 53, bore the cross that should have been mine, and decided my fate for eternity.

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight…” Colossians 1:20-22 KJV

A Missionary’s List

Many years ago Rosalind Goforth (1864-1942) was a missionary to China who battled feelings of guilt. Even though she faithfully served the Lord, along with her husband, Jonathan, she always “felt guilty and dirty, nursing an inward sense of spiritual failure.” That is when she compiled this list of seventeen truths: What God Does with Our Sins.

What God Does with Our Sins

1.   He lays them on his Son—Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:6

2.   Christ takes them away. John 1:29

3.   They are removed an immeasurable distance—as far as East is from West. Psalm 123:12

4.   When sought for, they are not found. Jeremiah 50:20

5.   The Lord forgives them. Ephesians 1:7

6.   He cleanses them ALL away by the blood of his son. 1 John 1:7

7.   He cleanses them as white as snow or wool. Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7

8.   He abundantly pardons them. Isaiah 55:7

9.   He tramples them under foot. Micah 7:19 (RV)

10. He remembers them no more. Hebrews 10:17

11. He casts them behind his back. Isaiah 38:17

12. He casts them into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

13. He will not impute us with sins. Romans 4:8

14. He covers them. Romans 4:7

15. He blots them out. Isaiah 43:25

16. He blots them out as a thick cloud. Isaiah 44:22

17. He blots out even the proof against us, nailing it to His Son’s Cross. Colossians 2:14[1]

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

[1] Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), 364–365.

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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.

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by | June 5, 2013 · 1:23 am

Tent Makers Unite!

In February of 2012 my wife and I decided to attend a special retreat for bivocational ministers and their wives. The retreat was held in Pigeon Forge, TN, at the Music Road Hotel and Convention Center.

We had a great time.

Bi-Vocational

Just in case the above term is unfamiliar to you, a bivocational minister is one who performs the duties expected of a full-time minister/pastor, while also having to maintain other (secular) employment. The size of their church or congregation (or how much they are compensated) has no bearing on their abilities or calling. They are only serving where God has sent them.

Unfortunately, bivocational pastors are often stigmatized as “second-rate” leaders. Some people think that if they were more qualified, more gifted, or better speakers they would pastor larger churches. The fact is that most churches, especially in my denomination, are led by men who are more than qualified to maintain a “higher station.” However, the real issue is that most congregations are smaller (35-100) and cannot afford to pay a full-time pastor.

Tent Makers

So, bivocational pastors carry on in the tradition of the Apostle Paul. Although Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:14 that it is perfectly acceptable for “those who preach the Good News [to] be supported by those who benefit from it (NLT),” he chose to continue to make tents (Acts 18:1-3). But unlike Paul, many of today’s bivocational pastors have to work another job in order to survive. Some do it by choice, but most do it out of necessity, especially those with families.

Now, it may sound bad, but there is an upside to being bivocational: we know what it is like to live in the real world. We have to deal with employers and employees. We know what it’s like to have problems at work, then go to church. We have schedules to juggle, bills to pay, etc. We are just like the people to which we minister. We don’t live in ivory towers.

Extra Tough

But one of the real downsides to being a bivocational pastor is the loneliness. Many don’t understand that we have the same demands, if not more, as pastors of larger churches – yet, with no staff. On top of that, we don’t have time to go on ministry retreats, sabbaticals, or attend conferences during the week. We can’t even get together with other pastors for breakfast to “talk shop” like full-time ministers do – because we’re usually at work. And because of all of this, we get lonely. We get discouraged. We get tired. But it doesn’t have to be that way all the time.

Bivocational Pastors and Wives Retreat

I’ve said a lot to say this: even though it is hard to make the time, sometimes we have to make the time, regardless. That is why, even though it was inconvenient, my wife and I went to the retreat in Pigeon Forge. We needed the encouragement. We needed to be around others in the same boat, on the same sea.

If you are a bivocational minister, you need to seek out and maintain friendships with other men you can trust, especially men in the same kind of ministry. It is so important that you don’t try to do things alone. Likewise, there are probably other men out there who could use your friendship.

Churches, do your pastor and yourselves a favor: plan to send your pastor and his wife on a retreat. Both of you will benefit from the encouragement. He will be strengthened, and his burden will be lightened.

Towards the end of our retreat, a beautiful time of prayer took place. It was a little impractical for us to wash each other’s feet, but we did do something special. Scripture says “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,” but sometimes those feet don’t feel so beautiful, or loved. I wish all of you could have heard the weeping and seen the tears as grown men, God’s men, got on their knees and humbly prayed over the feet of their brothers. I felt like I was in a room full of heroes.

One member came up to me the Sunday after the retreat and asked, “Something happened to you last week when you were gone, didn’t it?”

I said, “Sure did…“

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by | April 21, 2013 · 8:53 pm

Yokey Dokey

(Guest post by Nick Welford)

What do you think of most during a day? What thoughts capture your mind when you are otherwise unoccupied? Whatever it is there’s a good chance that is what you are yoked to, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Matthew 11: 28-30 ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

I love the imagery that Jesus conjures here. A yoke (as pictured) is a device that holds two or more oxen together while they pull their plough. The interesting thing is that an older more experienced Ox would be yoked to a young rookie. When the youngest got a bit carried away and tried to speed off and finish the job more quickly, the older Ox would pull him back in line, keeping the plough straight. When the young Ox got tired, the strength and experience of the old Ox would keep him on track. Why was this so important? Because one day the young Ox would become an old Ox himself, and on that day, when he’d learned all there was to know about ploughing a field, he would be yoked to a young rookie Ox.

In Jesus day a yoke was also another name of an interpretation of the scriptures. One Rabbi might read the Old Testament and conclude that sacrifice was the most important thing, his yoke would be sacrifice, another Rabbi might conclude love was the main message, and his yoke would be love. What is interesting is that Jesus claims His yoke is easy, but isn’t this the same Jesus that bids daily take up our crosses? That tells us to gain life we must lose ours? Hardly seems like the easiest of yokes does it? How can Jesus justify calling His yoke easy?

The key, I think, comes when we compare Jesus yoke to all the other yokes around Him. All the other yokes will let you down, none of the other yokes can cope with you! If you yoke yourself to a teaching or a theory what happens when you get headstrong? When you make a mistake? An ideal cannot forgive you, it cannot pick you up, dust you off and walk the road with you. In short words cannot teach you to plough. Yoke yourself to Jesus though, and he will teach you how to live.

In our day and age we may not yoke ourselves to Rabbi’s teachings, but the world provides plenty of other ideals to attract our devotion. Consumerism, individualism, money, sex, power. All of these and more bid for our loyalty, and yoke ourselves we do. But when we stumble and fall these things have no compassion, no pity. They cannot love us, or provide for us. All they can do is spit in our faces and laugh at us, and we take it all, thinking that is all there is to life. Yoke ourselves to Jesus though, and He will pick us up every time we fall, He will give us rest from the constant demands of the things we use to yoke ourselves to. Yoke ourselves to Jesus and He will teach us to be more like Him, so we can show others too.

 

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by | March 12, 2013 · 3:21 pm

A “Perfect” Role Model

Sermon Prep

Not long ago I was doing some research for a sermon on Jonah. In the process I came across a Muslim website that made an interesting observation (and I will paraphrase), “The Bible proves it is not true because God would not allow the prophets’ reputations to be smeared.”

It went on to say (paraphrasing, again), “What kind of role model would a prophet be if we read of him making mistakes?”

What kind of role model? That’s a good question! Was the Muslim author trying to say that role models had to be perfect in order to be real? Here’s a shocker – in one way or another, everybody is a role model.

If the defining characteristic of a role model is “perfection,” that would rule out King David, Solomon, Moses, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Peter, Paul, Sarah, Mary (all of them), the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, and many, many others…

…especially Jonah.

Jonah

Now, Jonah wasn’t exactly the type of person after which I would want to pattern my life, but he was a prophet of God. He had some serious character flaws, though. He was angry, disobedient, and was a racist who constantly talked suicide. He even spouted off to the Lord for being too forgiving!

No, Jonah’s not the type of person I would want to emulate. But hold the whale puke! I am more like him than I thought!

  • I have run from God.
  • I have harbored racism at times, as much as I am ashamed to admit.
  • I have been angry and disobedient.
  • I have wondered if life was worth living.
  • I have even wanted to see whole cities destroyed, innocent people and all, after September 11, 2001.

I have been more like Jonah more than I care to admit.

The Encouraging Part

The fact is that the Bible is not only full of role models, but models of the people we already are. Flawed, broken, and human. But here is the encouraging part: even when we are not perfect, God can still use us – and change us.

  • Jonah ran from God, but God pursued.
  • Jonah disobeyed God, but it didn’t derail God’s plan.
  • Jonah got angry with God, but God responded to him with the understanding kindness of a wise Father.
  • Jonah even wanted to die, but God never belittled him. He only focused Jonah’s attention on the bigger picture: 120,000 souls, not to mention animals, whose lives were spared (Jonah 4).

I thank God that the Bible doesn’t white-wash humanity. There are so many examples of how people, just like me, can find hope, even when we’re not perfect.

The Perfect One

It is not hard to come to the conclusion that there were some really dysfunctional people in the Bible. But you know what? That’s what adds to the authenticity of Scripture. There are no “perfect” role models in the Bible, except for one – Jesus.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” – 1 Peter 2:21-22 ESV

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV

I want to be more like HIM!

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by | March 6, 2013 · 2:29 am

I’ve Been Sick

It may be news to you, but I have been a little under the weather. To put it another way, I have been sick. But who hasn’t, right?

It can get depressing.

However, I have also been experiencing some unexplained pain in my chest. After a couple of trips to the E.R. and a few visits to doctors, I am still no closer to a diagnosis. All I know is that nothing shows up as a heart attack.

I didn’t want to tell many people, though. The last thing I wanted was worried people calling me all day and night asking how I felt. I feel OK, other than that nagging little pain.

Don’t Pray?

It was only a couple of years ago that I had a cancer scare. I was told that a mass in my chest might be a tumor. When people began finding out about the potential diagnosis, I had to say something. I said, “Don’t you dare pray that I be healed! If you pray anything, pray that God gets the glory through whatever He is leading me through.”The same message holds true this time.

Now, if you are an atheist like Andrew Marburger (my most prolific antagonist), then withholding your prayers for my healing shouldn’t be a problem. But if you are a Christ-follower, then you may be tempted to pray that God heal me and take away my pain. I wouldn’t blame you, for I believe that God is fully capable of doing just that. However, what I desire most is to be full of the Holy Spirit and yielded to the will of my Savior.

Just think, it might be His will for me to take the love of Christ to a nurse who is searching for hope. Maybe God wants me to look into the eyes of a surgeon and say, “I know in Whom I have believed?” You see, sometimes, when those in the hospital won’t go to church, the Lord puts the Church in the hospital.

It Is Well

140 years ago, in 1873, Horatio G. Spafford lost his four daughters to the icy Atlantic when a ship they and his wife were on sank in only 12 minutes. Only a short time before he had lost his only son, a 4-year old, to illness. Then he lost most all his wealth to the Chicago fire. It is hard to imagine the grief he must have been going through.

But it was during his mourning, while sailing to meet his grieving wife who survived the sinking, that Spafford looked over the rails into the waves where his daughters had drowned and wrote the following words…

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

If you want to pray for me, then by all means, pray! Just let it be, “SOLI DEO GLORIA!” (To God alone be the glory!).

It is well with my soul.

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by | February 14, 2013 · 11:04 am

God’s Not Dead

Nietzsche said it, so it must be true. Right? 

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. —Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125

I disagree.

IMG_8606The News Boys have been around a long time. When Michael Tate became the lead singer, their sound changed a little, but not the message in their music. That’s why I really like this song.

I know that stuff like this is a juicy worm wrapped around a hook, just hanging there for you atheists to chomp. But please, don’t think of it as bait; it’s not, really. It is just a great video proclaiming what many others, beside myself, believe to be true.

God’s NOT dead.

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by | January 29, 2013 · 9:09 pm

Sunday School – Something Has to Change!

 This week I was given a discussion question. I was asked to “present a list of diagnostic questions that can be used to evaluate the theological foundations of the discipleship program of a local church.” At least three of the diagnostic questions needed to address God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in response, I prepared several evaluation questions aimed at discovering how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are being presented to our youth, including questions aimed at discovering the level of understanding regarding the importance of teaching theology on an applicable level.

Questions to Evaluate the Theological Foundations of a Youth Discipleship Program

In The Teaching Ministry of the Church Octavio J. Esqueda defined the word theology as “the study of God,” which comes from the Greek words theos (God) and logos (speech, reason, word). Then he went on to say, “To do theology is to reflect on God. Our theology, or the lack of it, affects the way we think and live.”[1] So, the first question is…

“What are we teaching our youth about God that will not only inform them of his nature, but will cause them to live differently than they are taught in the world?”

How we think about God should affect how we live, but even though many may learn about God’s attributes, they rarely learn to appropriate the truth that He is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful in their lives. The problem that many churches face, including ours, is scores of children who learn enough about God to describe him intellectually, but know little of him from an experiential perspective. Do they fear Him? Have they ever made the personal connection that what God did to his Son should have been done to them? Do they know that how they live outside of church is more important than their Sunday school attendance? How they really understand God as a real person will affect how they think and live outside of the classroom. They need to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) in the world, not just church.

In two different places (Matt. 16:13; Mk. 8:27) we read how Jesus asked, “Who do men say that I am?” Who do our youth say that Jesus is? Is He a perpetual baby wrapped in swaddling clothes? Is He just the namesake of the club (the church) they were forced by their parents to join? Do they think of Him as God, or as a moral teacher akin to the founders of other “great” religions? Michael J. Anthony wrote in A Theology for Christian Education that being able to articulate one’s understanding of the deity, humanity, earthly ministry, and work of Christ is essential to one’s spiritual maturity.[2] Are we turning out “mature” young adults when they leave our youth department? The second question is…

“How are we teaching who Jesus Christ is, and in what ways can we determine what we are teaching is effective?”

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, Baptists are typically scared to death. They are more likely to talk about fried chicken than the “fire” of the Holy Ghost. However, Jesus spoke very clearly when he said that he would send another Comforter to abide with us (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit is not only critical to our ability to teach, but to understand the Bible, the core of our curriculum. Do we ever teach our young people about the indwelling power of the Spirit which enables them to deal with peer pressure and temptation? Do they know about His ability to help them understand the “bronze-aged” document their atheist professors routinely ridicule? Therefore, the third question is…

“What are we teaching our youth about the Holy Spirit?”

The sad truth is that many youth programs, if not the majority, lack quality teaching, and we are sending our youth into the unbelieving world unprepared. Just take the word school in “Sunday school” – it’s a misnomer – it doesn’t exist. If it does exist, then most youth programs are the equivalent of a high school that sends students to college without ever teaching them how to read!

Something drastic has to be done, that is for sure. Regular teachers in regular schools try to prepare students to deal with life once they graduate. They teach with a goal in mind. They have lesson plans. They are forced to show that their students are learning. What are we doing in the church? Are our children any more prepared for the world than when they first started coming? Will their faith endure or fall apart once they reach college?

We have such a narrow window through which to teach our youth how to be Christians, not just wear a label. They spend eight hours a day in a school that teaches them how to “gain the world,” but what will if profit them, or us, if they lose their soul (Mark 8:36) due to one hour a week of poor Christian education? Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The reason so many are departing is not because the proverb is false; it’s because they have never been taught.

God help us. One day we will give an account.

[1] William R. Yount. The Teaching Ministry of the Church. 2nd edition. (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2008), 32.

[2] James R. Estep, Jr., Michael J. Anthony, and Gregg R. Allison. A Theology for Christian Education. (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2008), 125.

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by | January 26, 2013 · 12:58 am

“As Isaac”

The Band

as isaacIt is not often that I take such a liking to a group, but As Isaac is a band that has really made an impact on me.

Not long ago my daughter told me of some kids that went with her to Precept Ministries. She told me they had a band and were going to have a concert celebrating the release of a their first CD. She asked, “Daddy, can we go?”

Well, the great thing was that they were performing at their home church just a few miles away over Lookout Mountain. We went, not knowing what to expect, but left knowing we had heard some seriously talented, humble tools of the Lord.

The Music

One song, written and sung by Rachel Kelly, brought chills the first time I heard it. The name of the song is Speak Lord. So, as you could imagine, I was totally thrilled to find out that the band had come out with a video.

Let me just tell you something that really impresses me about these guys (and girls)…it’s the lyrics. Beside being wonderful musicians, the words of the songs these young people sing show evidence of a deep walk with Christ. These aren’t kids who write fluff just so they can get on stage and rock the house. These are deep, spiritual young men and women of God who have experienced a real walk with their Creator.

Do me and yourself a favor – watch this video. Then, go check out their website and order their music. You will not be disappointed, believe me.

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by | January 1, 2013 · 11:57 pm

13 Things (I Don’t Want to Do)

Year-End Sermon

On Sunday night, December 30, 2012, I preached the final sermon of the year at Riverside Baptist Church. It was an honor to stand before the congregation and deliver a word from the Lord. So, what was the message I chose to encourage and motivate us all as we faced the new year?

Forgetting the past and reaching toward the things before has been preached countless times. Beginning again has been covered, as well as how to have a prosperous new year. Therefore, this year I decided to do something a little different. Instead of talking about resolutions or remembering, I simply listed 13 things I do not want to do in 2013.

I Don’t Want to…

1. Believe another politician. Why did I ever? I won’t do it this year, that’s for sure. Even if he/she is telling the truth, how would I know? Let God be true, and every man a liar, especially those running for office (Romans 3:4).

2. Eat more in one sitting than the average family in Africa eats in a week. (Prov. 23:21; 21:17)

3. Lie, cheat, or steal, even when it’s socially acceptable. This is especially important during tax season, but there are many times we lie to each other, deprive each other, and take what isn’t ours. Have you ever told someone you were “fine” when you actually weren’t? You lied. Used two coupons instead of one, just because the cashier didn’t notice? You stole.

4. Be angry.  Anger rarely solves anything. Angry people are miserable and always finding fault. Angry people turn a leisurely drive into a demolition derby. “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

5. Whine or complain. What do I have to complain about? Really?

6. Tell people how stupid they are. I don’t understand why some people act the way they do, but I need to be a little more understanding of idiots, morons, ignoramuses, and bone-headed nincompoops. They must answer to God, not me, for their actions (Rom 14).

7. Add another x to my large. I can’t afford any more clothing. Even now I must wear Hawaiian shirts year-round because nothing will stay tucked in. I mean, seriously! The last thing I need is to expand the “temple.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

8. Lose another favorite sock. I can’t figure out how it happens, but something has to be done.

9. Waste time.  Today I listened to my two girls play with a new ukulele. They laughed and sang.  Soon they will be grown, and there will be no more music, games, or bedtime stories. “Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away” (Psalm 144:4).

10. Get a divorce.  Many do it because the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. They don’t realize the unnatural stuff has a nasty aftertaste. I want to stay with the woman God gave me. Who could be better than a gift from God?  “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth” (Proverbs 5:18).

11. Give one more dollar to a guy on the street….without offering the gospel as a condition. If he wants a dollar, then fine. I’ll give him $5 if he lets me tell him about Jesus.

12. Be on a reality TV show. So many people say, “Anthony, your family would make a great reality show.” I say, “Yes, I know.” However, it ain’t gonna happen. The world isn’t ready for it.

13. Forget to pray. I don’t pray enough. More is better. What I need is to follow David’s example and pray morning, noon, and evening (Psalm 55:17). I shudder to think how much I’ve given up by forgetting to spend time with God.

James 4:17  “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

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