Tag Archives: Religion

by | August 6, 2013 · 11:20 pm

Nugget the Brave

Little Dogs

What is it about little dogs? If our little dog, Nugget, weighed another 50 pounds he could take down an elephant. Honestly!

Tonight I took our little dogs out for their final walk of the night. Jack was on a leash because he would never come back, but Nugget was able, as always, to walk on his own. All of a sudden Nugget tore away like a streak of lightening, barking like mad.

It was dark behind our house and church, but just as Nugget got out of sight the moonlight illuminated the fur of four large, terrified deer! Somewhere in the grass was an 8 lb. chorkie threatening the lives of four 110 lb. wild animals! What was he thinking?!

Nugget the Brave

Nugget the Deer Chaser

“Hey!! Hey!! Hey!! Hey!! Heyyyyy!!”

“Hey you! My yard! My yard! My yard! STOP! so I can sniff you!”

“You’re not getting away this time, you over-sized cats! Come back here and feel my fangs chew your scrawny legs!”

“That’s right, RUN! Fear me! Fear me! Hey, hey, hey, HEY!”

“Dang it! Why can’t I jump the fence like that? Oh well, I’ll just use my wet feet to show my mommy how much I love her and her clean sheets.”

Little Children

On the other hand, maybe he was blessed with a little of what we ought to feel whenever we see giants in the night…

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. – Philippians 4:13 KJV

Fear not, for I [am] with you; Be not dismayed, for I [am] your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ – Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. – 1 John 4:4 NKJV

 Giants will flee as you go forth in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). Be brave!

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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.

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by | May 31, 2013 · 8:17 pm

Unpopular Me

I Have Followers

I don’t know where all my new followers are coming from, but it does amaze me. Is there some point in a blogger’s life where things just start to take off on their own? Seriously, it wasn’t long ago that I was trying to reach the 100-follower mark. Now I am getting several followers every day!

The amount of followers amazes me, but so does the type of people who are following. For example, it doesn’t shock me to see fellow believers subscribe to my blog, but what is the deal with all the Muslim, pagan, and atheist followers? Andrew Marburger must has a man-crush on me (ha!), but what about everyone else? What have I done to cause them to click here?

Seriously, I would love to hear from you. Why did you subscribe? Was it just to get me to visit your website, or are you legitimately interested in what this crazy Baptist preacher has to say? Was it Mr. Monkey that brought you here? I really want to know.

But I Will Follow

Regardless, I would like to make one thing absolutely clear – I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and for that I make no apology. I hope everything I write ultimately reflects that fact.

Many times people in the public eye are hesitant to take a stand or draw a line in the sand for fear of public opinion. And, if the truth be known, thanks to my critics, sometimes I have cowered. But this should not be. I should always speak with love and respect to all who may disagree with me, but I should never shy away from biblical truths, even if they are currently politically incorrect.

crossSo, I am glad to have a few followers, and I would love to have more, but I would gladly see them all go away before I deny my Lord and Savior. Jesus said (Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23) that anyone who would be his servant must “take up his cross” and follow.

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though no one join me, still I will follow;
Though no one join me, still I will follow;
Though no one join me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Sadhu Sundar Singh – Indian Christian missionary

Crosses are not fun, or popular … neither are the ones who carry them.

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by | March 14, 2013 · 9:25 pm

Choose Your Topic (Warning)

Warning: The following subject material may be offensive to some. Please be advised.

Choice of College

As a parent, I believe the choice of the college or university to which you plan to send your children is a critical choice to make. What they will learn there can have incalculable ramifications. That is why my daughter will not be attending many places deemed “the best,” including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (even though we live in Tennessee and are not Crimson Tide fans).

No, my two girls who still live at home will not being going to U.T., or any other school like it, as long as the money from tuition goes to fund things like Sex Week. If I am going to be giving any money to fund my daughters’ educations, it won’t be going to help teach young “adults” how to be more sexually expressive, especially with the same sex. Ain’t happening.

Held Hostage!

One young person (presumably a college student who now knows everything about being an adult) accused me of holding my daughters “hostage” for not spending my hard-earned dollars on the college of their choice. I was told that I was being a bad parent because I did not respect her right to do as she wished.

News Flash! It is a parent’s job to say “NO!” every once in a ….scratch that…. It’s a parent’s job to say “NO!” a whole LOT of times. As long as my children (and that is the operative word) are living in my house, eating my food, using my electricity, driving my cars, and dressing in clothing I paid for, by golly I have a say in where they go and what they do and who they do it with! I am a parent, for Christ’s sake (literally), not a best friend or “bud”!

Choice of Topics

What got me on this subject? It was a Fox News article detailing how student fees at UT are going to be funding the hosting of, among others, a lesbian bondage expert (Sinclair Sexsmith) during Sex Week. According to the info packet you can view HERE,  “getting laid” is “an urgently needed discussion” among the educated elite.

Evidently, the wisdom and insight of Sinclair Sexsmith, author of the Sugarbutch Chronicles and one “who studies critical feminist & gender theory, sexual freedom, social change activism, archetypes, and the tantric and buddhist spiritual systems,” is a voice that must be heard by our already over-sexed generation.

So, if you choose to attend one of the lectures being offered during the first week of April (fools?), you might be able to hear her, along with several other “urgently needed” topics of discussion. Speakers and topics include…

  •  Reid Mihalko – Getting Laid (Rape Culture); Hook-Up Culture on
    College Campuses; Personal Motivational Speech on
    Sexuality
  •  Sinclair Sexsmith – Messing Around with Gender; Literary Workshop
  • Charlie Glickman – Sex Positivity; Queer as a Verb; The Performance of Masculinity
  • Shanna Katz – Disability and Sex; Body Image
  • The Mayhems – Sexual Consent/Communication; Non-monogamy

Conclusion?

How do I conclude a post like this? How do I prepare for the onslaught of comments (don’t I wish, right?)?

What will I be called? Hmmm, probably a ____ of a ____ and a ____ who doesn’t know my ___ from a hole in the ground. Of course, if parents respond, and not a bunch of morally relativistic twenty-somethings who know how to rule the world with anarchy, other words may be used. Words like, “Amen, brother!”

Seriously, if you think that your offspring have not learned enough about sexual perversion from movies, music, MTV, and the internet, not to mention their friends, go with them to events like this. You’re paying for it, so you might as well learn something, right?

God help us.

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38

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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 19, 2013 · 1:29 pm

We’re Easy Targets

Old Accusations

If I have heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times: “Christians are hateful, dangerous, bigoted, right-wing warmongers who are responsible for all the wars and violence in the world.” At least that’s the long version.

Sure, there are the occasional fruitcakes and fringe kooks that give ordinary Christians a bad name, such as the Westboro Baptists. But for the most part, Christians believe what they believe without harming others. We try to convince others that what we believe is true, but what is wrong with that? Aren’t atheists trying to do the same thing?

In general, Christians are the most harmless bunch of people you will ever meet. That is why it is fun for certain people to attack, make fun of, and offend them. Case in point: NBC and Saturday Night Live.

“Djesus Uncrossed”

A fake movie trailer aired this week on SNL. It pictured Jesus running around with guns blazing, killing people, and even chopping their heads off. One line in the parody had the announcer saying, “I never knew how much Jesus used the N-word.”

Now, do you think it ever crossed anyone’s mind that a true follower of Jesus Christ might get offended? Get real! Of course it did, but nobody at NBC cared. What are Christians going to do, boycott? Ooooo! Scary!

What happened to painting Christians out to be so dangerous, at least in America? Maybe, just maybe, the really dangerous people aren’t Christians.

Do Another Parody

I think that the people at NBC and SNL are a bunch of cowards. If they are not just singling out Christianity, and if Christians are dangerous, yet they still air something as vile as “Djesus Uncrossed,” why not do a parody with Mohammed?

I think Todd Starnes at Fox News put it very well when he said…

“It’s open season on those who profess personal faith in Jesus Christ and pattern their lives by biblical morality,” he said. “Evangelical Christians are treated with contempt and targeted for ridicule.”

We’ve seen the networks and national news publications denigrate the Christian faith with great flair — from the “Good Christian B****es” of ABC to Newsweek’s Christmas essay about the “The Myths of Jesus.”

I find it interesting that the networks always mock and ridicule Christianity – but they give other religions a pass.

Why aren’t the writers at SNL churning out weekly skits about Islam – or the Prophet Mohammed? Where’s the mock movie trailer for “Jihad Undetonated?” Where’s the television show called “Good Muslim B****es?” Or the magazine essay about “The Myths of Mohammed?”

I suspect we all know the answer to why.

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” – John 15:18-19 NLT

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/02/19/nbc-declares-war-on-christians/#ixzz2LN2Upjqu

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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 23, 2013 · 12:10 am

Just the Sound of BB’s

I thought I had said enough about the horrors of abortion in yesterday’s post, but then I found this on Facebook (thanks to Joel Garner).

The attached video is not graphic, but should be terribly disturbing. It is not gross and disgusting, only sobering.

Please listen to the sound of BB’s in a tin can.

I agree with the author of this video – God help us!

Here is another video you should watch. It is of an abortion survivor. Very powerful.

But you know what, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that there is hope for those who have had abortions. Watch and listen to my friends (who I used to play bass guitar with), Adam and Kathy Glover. This was from a few years ago. We were at their home when this aired, and you should have seen the emails that flooded Kathy’s computer.

Kathy had abortions, but God has brought healing. Now they devote most of their time reaching out to those who struggle with the guilt of past and hidden sin.

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by | December 15, 2012 · 3:39 pm

Leaving? Where Will You Go?

Jesus asked Peter, “Are you going to leave, also?”  Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.” – John 6:67-68

In times of great trial many of us are tempted to walk away from our faith, but Peter realized that there was nowhere to go, at least nowhere that offered the “words of eternal life.”

Today is no exception. With so much going on in the news, many who once claimed to follow Christ are turning their backs on Him. But where will they go? To nothing? To self? To mankind that is becoming less trustworthy every day? To other gods?

Back in the early days of Israel, many were tempted to follow after other gods, even after all that had taken place since crossing the Jordan. In response to those were thinking about leaving, Joshua said the following…

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15 ESV

And that is where I stand. Even when tragedy strikes…even when my dreams are destroyed…even when it seems like God is nowhere to be found…”as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” His thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and His ways beyond my knowing. Therefore, I will say as Job of old said, “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Come On Let’s Go!

Check out the stories of people who are saying, “Come on let’s go!” Maybe you can relate to Bernie, the Sony Records executive, or Jose, the cocaine dealer.

comeonletsgo

The God I serve is a good God, and He can change lives. He can make a difference in your life, just like those above. When He does, you will understand what Peter meant when he said, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.”

Already gone? Why not come home?

Leaving? Don’t!

 

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