A Son Is Born

As I sit here in the hospital with my wonderful and beautiful wife waiting on the arrival of our child I am reminded of how life is beautiful and wonderful and how the gift of life, the gift of eternal life was given through God's Son. I am reminded of the wonderful story of Jesus birth, of the glory that was brought into this world that starry night, of what Mary and Joseph must have felt, the great awe of having a child and the wonder of the life that had been created.

Isaiah 9:6 says, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Today, hopefully, my son will be born and I know that God has a wonderful plan for him, He chose him before he was in the womb and He will do great things through him. I pray that my son will be an example for others of how to live, I pray that I will be an example for him of how to live, I pray that He will be a guiding force for him. Join me in the blessings that God has given us today. Peace and God Bless.

A Christmas Conundrum

I know, I know it's still October and I am talking about Christmas. But I work in retail currently and we have had Christmas set up for over two weeks, so it's been on my mind. And what's been on my mind is what we really treat Christmas as. Is it a holiday or is it a holy day?

I think the world at large has turned Christmas into a retail free for all. The world at large looks at trying to sell you things you think you really need. But do you really need a new XBox, PS3, Wii, bike or whatever else the retail giants try to make you think you need? Nope you don't really need those things. I know when I was a little kid I really wanted a nintendo, then I got it and all I asked for was new games for it. Not really a bad thing but I didn't really need those things. Even today there are a lot of things that I want but very few that I need. I want a new mountain bike, I want some new camping equipment, I want a new backpack with a nice laptop sleeve. I really only need food, shelter and minimal clothing and I have those. Plus I have the most important thing I could ever want or need, eternal life in Jesus.

This Christmas I want people to give to those less fortunate, to charities that are working for Christ. This Christmas lets remember what's most important. Let's remember that Christmas isn't a holiday, it's a holy day. It's Christ's birthday and He gave us the best gift of all. Peace and God Bless

The Number Game

We all deal with numbers. It's one of the first things we learn as child. We learn to count and add, subtract multiply as divide. As adults we deal with sales numbers, profit numbers, costs of things we want and need, the list goes on and on.

The Bible deals with numbers too, and I'm not just talking about chapter and verse numbers. The world was created in 7 days. There was 1 man and 1 woman created. Noah saved 2 of every kind of animal from the flood. There were 12 tribes of Israel and 12 disciples that Jesus called.

Maybe it's because we are a number driven society that we, as Christians, tend to think that it matters how many people we save. The numbers game. I think we get caught up in our number driven world and feel the need that in order to please God or in order to be a good Christian it matters how many people we personally lead to Christ. The numbers game.

I think that when we are thinking in numbers we start to lose sight of the greater purpose in front of us, honoring God and bringing glory to Him. That's what it's all about folks. Brining glory to God in whatever we do. God wants that from us, He desires that from us. We should give it all to Him, who created us. He gives all of us a purpose and we need to fulfill that purpose. When we get to heaven I doubt our merit will be based on the number of people we personally led to Christ. I don't think He will say, "John you led 155 people to Me so you get to come in but Jim over there didn't lead but 1 person to Me so nope he's out." I think it's so much more than a numbers game. Not saying we shouldn't witness and disciple just saying God's not interested in the number, just that we love Him and glorify Him and live according to His purpose for us. Peace and God Bless

The Mighty JC

I am better than you. I know this because, well, because I am. My nose is held high in the air. My clothes are better, my car is better, my house is better and my faith is better.

Now that I have your attention, NONE of the first statements are true. I not better than anyone else, my nose isn't high in the air, my clothes are just clothes, my car is a car and I live in an apartment. I am not better than you or anyone else. I am me, for better or worse and I am what I am.

Have you ever met someone who thinks they are better than you or even worse knows it in their own mind? I have. I think we all have. I am an avid reader of several Christian blogs. I like all of them equally. What struck me today was the fact that while each of them had a different message, each of them had comments from what I want to call the mighty JC...not the JC you are thinking about either. I am talking about the Judgmental Christian. The one that knows they are better than you, that their faith is stronger and that their belief is the right one. This troubled me greatly because what if a non Christian happened to stumble upon that blog today and see those comments.

I have many friends that are not Christians and many that are. When I have asked some of my non Christian friends what they liked least about Christians many have said The Mighty JC (judgmental christians). When I have asked some of my Christian friends what is the one stumbling block in witnessing to non Christians that you would like to change, the answer is again The Mighty JC.

I think that we as Christians need to think before we speak or comment in these cases. We are all guilty of being the mighty JC at one time or another and many of us don't mean to and some don't realize that they are. We have to be conscious of what we are saying and how we are living because we have to be the example. What example are you portraying? Are you a mighty JC or does the real mighty JC, Jesus Christ, live through you? Peace and God Bless

Where did the good go bad?

Genesis 1:31 says, "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." The first chapter of Genesis is very familiar to most of us. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Through each of the days He created light, darkness, water, every living creature and man. And after He created these things He said they were good. In the end He said it was very good.

Fast forward to the scene where Adam and Eve eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of God and Evil. This is where it starts to go wrong. That was the only tree that God specifically said was off limits. But temptation is great and they partake of the fruit. This is the first sin we hear of in the Bible. Just like a child touching a hot stove, Adam and Eve were curious. And their curiosity cost them the Garden of Eden.

God created this world to be good. He created it to have fellowship with is as humans. But when we disobeyed Him, the world started to unravel. It's not much later when we see Cain murder Abel. Then Cain lies to God and says he doesn't know where Abel is. See how this is progressively getting worse. You can keep reading and see that sin continues forever.

There is a redeeming grace though. God sent His Son to die for us so that we could be saved.

We are here on this earth to bring glory to God, to sing His praises, to change the world as best as we can so that more and more people are living for Him. Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world. Gandhi wasn't a Christian but his words ring true for us as Christians. We have to be the change in the world. We have to live for God and bring about a fundamental shift back towards the Lord. Be that change today. Peace and God Bless

Ask, Seek and Knock

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7, 8 NIV)

Just because we ask God for something does that mean that we are going to get it? Probably not. But God does answer our prayers, even if we don't think that He does. God will give us what we ask for when it is part of the plan and it has meaning for our lives. If God gave us everything we asked for we would all be millionaires and very few of us would go to work. God answers prayers in His time as well. He doesn't follow our time.

When we seek the glory of God, however that manifests itself to us, we will receive the glory of God. In everything we do we should seek His glory and if we do we will find it.

When we knock on the door of God it will always be opened. God always has time for us. He will always listen and He will always comfort us.

If we ask for His glory, seek His glory and knock on His door, we will be given His glory, we will always find His glory and His door will always be opened. Peace and God Bless.

I would rather...

I would rather die in Christ than live in this world.

I would rather see a sermon than hear a sermon.

I would rather walk the narrow road than the one paved in gold.

I would rather sing His praises than sing my own praises.

I would rather pray for others to be healed than to pray for myself to be healed.

I would rather live with nothing and know I am saved than live with everything and not know Him.

I would rather be loud in my faith than be quiet in the corner.

I would rather carry my cross than let someone else carry it for me.

I would rather walk uphill to my reward than be given it without work.

I would rather love than hate.

I would rather have peace in my God than be lost without Him.

What would you rather be or do or see or hear today? Peace and God Bless.

Walking in the light

It is wonderful to walk in the light of day and see all the beauty that God has made, the trees, the sky, the people. 1 John 1:6-7 says "If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." Walking in the light, walking in God can be a hard thing. If we want to walk in the light we have to love our brothers. If we say we walk in the light but harbor hatred to our brothers then we are really walking in darkness. Being in the light is a great feeling. I love the sunshine, I love seeing all that God made. Walking in the light of God though is the greatest feeling in the world. God is light, God is love and His love is so amazing. His light is so amazing. In Him there is no darkness. Will you walk in the light of God today? Peace and God Bless.

Stumbling on the path of Righteousness

"Father please forgive me for I cannot compose the fear that lives within me or that rate at which it grows. If struggle has a purpose on the narrow road you carved why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar. Do they see the fear in my eyes? Are they so revealing? This time I cannot disguise all the doubt I'm feeling. What if I stumble? What if I fall? What if I lose my way and I make fools of us all? Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl? What if I stumble, and what if I fall?"- What if I Stumble by DC Talk.

These words struck a note with me tonight as I was listening to them on the drive home.  So much so that I put the song on repeat and probably heard it 8 or 9 times on my drive.  I think that this is a great concern to all Christians...What if I stumble or fall on the path of righteousness?  What if I lose my way in this crazy world? And why am I so afraid of the struggle that might lie on the path that God has set out for me? 

On the topic of fear, there are several verses in the Bible about conquering fear.  Psalm 23:4 says "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff they comfort me." Isaiah 41:13 says "For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."  Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you."  Psalm 21:7 says "The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?"  Hebrews 13:6 says "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Also, every time an angel came and appeared or the voice of God spoke to someone it always started with "Fear not" or "Do not be afraid."  There are more than 300 verses in the Bible that deal with fear and in one simple phrase they say, "Do not be afraid."  God is there for us and He will never leave us so with God we should have no fear.  But we are human, and as humans we do have fear.

So what happens when we stumble and fall?  God is there to catch us.  We will constantly fall, as babies do when they first learn to walk because we are human, we are sinners and we have all fallen short of the glory of God.  But when we fall we have to get right back up and keep going.  The path is narrow, the path is difficult, it's not lined with gold and the going will never be easy but...we will keep going, we will persevere, we will be victorious and we will praise God with every breathe we take.  When we stumble, pray.  When we fall, pray.  When we fear, pray. And God will listen, comfort and guide us down the narrow road he carved.  Peace and God Bless.

What instrument do you play?

Psalm 100:1 says "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth."  God wants us to praise Him, God wants us to make joyful noise to Him.  This noise doesn't have to be a singing because not everyone can or wants to sing, and it doesn't have to be with a musical instrument because not all of us can play a musical instrument.  God just wants us to make joyful noise, that can be through spoken word or a poem or even through prayer.  I know someone who can't carry a tune in a bucket but get that person talking and the noise for God is amazing.  God wants to use us to be instruments for Him.  Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed you in the the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."  Before God formed us He chose us, for a special purpose, for a special reason.  God wants to use us for something special, if we will let Him.  Not everyone chooses to believe in God and chooses to follow the will of God for themselves.  Some people live by their own rules, make their own way and that hurts God because God wants us to make this world a better place for Him.  God created this world and we, as humans, messed it up.  But there is redemption.  We can change this world.  We can make this world great again if we let God use us as instruments for His glory.  If we choose to live by God and let God live in us and through us then He will help us make a joyful noise in this world to Him.  It doesn't matter what instrument you play because you have to be the instrument that God uses.  You the person...so what instrument will you play today? Peace and God Bless

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?

I think many people today know who Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is.  He played football at University of Miami, was "The Rock" in the WWE and went on to a successful career in acting.  But this isn't The Rock I'm talking about.  The Rock I'm talking about is God.  In 2 Samuel 22:2-4 David sings this song of praise to the Rock after he is delivered from his enemies and the hands of Saul.  "He said: The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior; you have saved me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies." Have you ever sang this song to God, the Rock, when you have been saved from your enemies? Have you ever asked God to save you from your enemies?  Do you know who your enemies are?  Maybe your enemies are less like those that David faced in his time.  Maybe your enemy isn't a giant Philistine or a jealous king, but maybe it's an addiction or a lack of faith or crimes you have committed or really anything that doesn't bring glory to God.  I have prayed to God to help deliver me from my enemies, and sometimes God has, and sometimes God hasn't or at least didn't in the time that I thought He should.  See God works in His own time and not on our schedule.  When God cooks, sometimes its quick in the microwave and sometimes it's a slow process over a small flame.  If you have smelled what God is cooking, eternal life, beauty and wonderful praises, it smells like nothing you could ever bring words to describe.  I have smelled what God is cooking and I still smell it right now.  God's blessings are wonderful but you have to believe and you have to smell.  Do you smell what God the Rock is cooking? Peace and God Bless.

When Animals Attack: Bible Edition

When Animals Attack....what a great show that was.  For those not familiar they would show clips of animals attacking humans...ok, so maybe it wasn't a great show, maybe it was kinda morbid.  Did you know that When Animals Attack originated in the Bible?! Yep, it did.  In Exodus, God sends plagues of locusts and frogs on the people in Egypt because Pharaoh won't let the Israelites out of slavery.  But today I want to look at a verse that many have probably not read in a while.  Today's blog is brought to you by the youth of Woodhaven Baptist Church because we read this verse last night.  2 Kings 2:23-25 "Now Elisha went up to Bethel; and while he was going up some boys came out of the city and jeered him, saying 'Go away baldhead! Go away, baldhead!' When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty two of the boys. From there he went to Mount Carmel, and then returned to Samaria." Okay, so first things first, who is Elisha? Elisha was Elijah's right hand man. He was a disciple of Elijah and traveled with him.  When Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha became the accepted leader of the prophets in Israel and according to 2 Kings 5:8 was the "prophet of Israel."   Okay now that we know that Elisha was a prophet and a man of God, what can this verse teach us? One, it's not nice to jeer and mock someone, especially a prophet of God.  Two, bald people can have great power. Three, God doesn't like it when we jeer other people, as witnessed by forty two of the boys who were mocking Elisha as they were mauled by bears.  Four, God is awesome (seeing as how he sent out two bears as a curse on the boys.)  To summarize, Never mock a bald man of God or else he might curse you in the name of God and you could get eaten by a bear.  So remember be nice to bald people, or get eaten.  Peace and God Bless.

What does Love look like?

Love can be defined as an intense feeling of deep affection; a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another; a feeling of warm personal attachment as toward a friend, child, spouse or family member.  Love is the thing that helps you overcome fear and turns your dreams into reality.  Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.  Love never ends."  What is interesting is the word that Paul uses for love...Agape.  God's love. This isn't a sappy romantic love, this is a powerful, never ending love that God has for all people because all of us are created in His image and all of us are children of God.  Love looks like God, love is God and God is love.  Therefore we are called to love others as God has loved us.  God was willing to let His Son die on the cross, the ultimate sign of love, and He wants us to love the same way.  What Paul is saying in Corinthians is that God's love is patient, as God is patient; God's love is kind and not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude, just as God.  It does not insist on its own way and neither does God.  God gives us the freedom to choose the things we want.  Do we want niceness and goodness? Are we out just for ourselves and we want fame and fortune? Do we wish to serve God and let God live through us?  If God wanted to He could pull the strings on the marionette that we call earth and this thing we call life but that's not what God wants.  God wants a personal, intimate, loving relationship with all of us, if we are willing and if we want the same thing.  Love looks like the wonder and power and loving relationship with our Lord.  At least that's what love looks like to me.  What does love look like to you? Peace and God Bless.

What does Faith look like?

Faith can be defined as complete trust or confidence in someone or something; allegiance to a duty or a person; loyalty; a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion.  Faith is what we have in something we can't physically touch.  Faith is the foundation, the roots, of our being.  Faith is what keeps up going when things are bleak, when there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  Faith is the thing that lets us take the first step.  Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  In Matthew 17 a man brings his son who suffers from epilepsy to the disciples and asks them to heal him.  The disciples cannot and Jesus asks for the boy to be brought to him and rebukes the demon and the boy is cured.  The disciples ask Jesus why they could not cast out the demon.  "He said to them, 'Because of your little faith.  For truly I tell you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move and nothing will be impossible to you," (Matthew 17:20).  Do you have any idea how big a mustard seed is?  Well its tiny.  What Jesus is saying is that with even a little faith you can move mountains and nothing is impossible.  With the smallest of faith in God, you can slay a giant, you can part a sea, you can be delivered from the sins of this world and given eternal life in Jesus.  There is a man who is in prison because of his faith.  His name is Youcef Nadarkhani and he may be executed in Iran for being a Christian and registering his church.  For him faith is more real than anything imaginable.  He has faith, he has hope, he has the love of Christ flowing through him.  What does faith look like?  It looks like Youcef Nadarkhani.  Does it look like you? Peace and God Bless.