The Vlog

Baggage

2012-01-21T10:21:00.005-06:00

"...and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

(Luke 8:1-3)

(Please Check out the Trailer "Bella" after you read)

I’ve always loved the story of the lady who came to the Pharisee’s house & used her tears & hair to wash Jesus’ feet, then anoints His feet with alabaster oil. The lady is described as a “sinner” in the story, a “sinner” that the Pharisees condemned & Jesus forgave. But the neat thing for me is the short section in the next chapter, verses 1-3, it tells of others that followed Jesus, specifically some of the women. It says, “…also some women who had been healed of evil spirits & infirmities”. It mentions by name Mary, called Magdalene, tells that she had been freed from not one but seven demons. Joanna, she was the wife of the household manager for Herod, who was one evil dude. You didn’t get a position in his house without having to do some twisted things.

I’ve always thought it would be cool to see a list of names of the people that Jesus allowed to follow him has He traveled around. A list of names & out beside of them, the things that they had done in their lives. Not to judge them, but to see who Jesus truly was & who he traveled with. I mean today, we would consider these women that were named her to have what some might call baggage…baggage that we often in the church have a problem with. Jesus, He had no problem with baggage…unless it was carry-on. Jesus encouraged us to leave our baggage behind. Check it at the gate & skip baggage clams…book it on another flight…lose it…let it go.

You don’t need that baggage when on the journey with Jesus…there’s nothing in them that you need. You don’t need those old regrets, mistakes, past troubles or lusts. No need to pack those broken promises, broken hearts, bad memories or grudges. Leave them behind. Did these ladies have baggage? Yes! Do we? Yes, all of us.

When on journey with Jesus all we need to take is our map & our one-way ticket…good thing is He purchased them for us. Yep, it’s a free trip & He will provide all you need to make it to your destination. So drop the bags & join Him. Leave your past behind you & set out on an unbelievable trip with Jesus.

Vern

The Small Things

2012-01-14T12:26:00.005-06:00

“Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the everyday things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.”

(Booker T. Washington)

Was talking at a coffee shop with a good friend the other night, he was bubbling & glowing when he spoke about his marriage. He told me how he had gotten home early & fixed dinner for his wife one evening…not planned, just did it. Her reaction, the look on her face & the heartfelt thank you was worth it. He followed that story up with a time when he was very sick, had come in from work & just crashed in his recliner & fell asleep. He awoke to his wife removing his shoes. She knew he was worn out & sick & wanted to make him comfortable. Then he looked at me with excitement & said, “It’s the little things”.

It is the little things. The things we often overlook. The things that we say don’t mean a whole lot; the things that make us smile bigger than a new house or car. The things that money can’t buy, but often purchase memories that last forever. The things that can build or destroy a relationship are little things that really should be the big ones.

After he said that, I scanned the room with that thought in mind. Saw a young couple sitting side by side, he had his laptop checking out the comments he just got from his “too funny” post on his favorite networking site…while his date rested her head on her hand with the look in her eyes like she was at a 3 hour soil conservation lecture. What a great time for the small things to have shown up.

While scanning, I saw another couple, both gazing into their phones like they were watching the return of Jesus on YouTube. Don’t think they ever looked up unless they were taking a sip of their Grande Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel drizzle, they also both drank with their pinkies out. Yep you guessed it, another good place for the small things.

Then I saw a couple come in, they sat down with their favorite drink in one hand & each other’s hand, in the other. No electronic devices present, no recognition of a funny wall post or a cute tweet or even that the place was packed…but a lot of verbal communication & eye contact, as well as a whole lot of small things.

Vern

Give It Again

2012-01-07T10:04:00.003-06:00

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9)

(Check-out new movie trailer below)

Yea…you’ve don’t it…admit it. You’ve received a gift on a birthday or at Christmas, most of the time it’s at Christmas. You have a party to attend that night & oops, you forgot to buy a gift…“Hey what about that tie that Uncle Bill gave me; you know the one with the fishing Santa” or “What about that make-up kit that Aunt Sally gave me, yea the Tammy Faye starter kit”. You take it, rewrap it, re-transport it to the next sucker…I mean loved one, then you do the unthinkable…yea that’s right, you re-gift it. COME ON!!!! YES YOU HAVE TOO!!!

But, if you are one of those really good people, a Mother Teresa type, who have never re-gifted, I pray that you have or will re-gift in the area that it is totally acceptable & totally expected by Christ, the area of sharing the good news of Jesus, the gift of God. The great thing about this re-gift is that it is priceless. I mean, who re-gifts something that is priceless? It’s not a glow-in-the -dark Garden Gnome, a Shrek Chia Pet or a gift certificate to the newest diet craze…it’s the Way, the Truth & the Life. It’s wisdom, the bread of life, the living water, the light of the world, the rock, the King of king & Lord of lords, a refuge from the storm & our salvation…this gift of God…it is Jesus. So re-gift away.

Vern

Holes

2011-12-27T12:50:00.007-06:00

“I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity.”

(Ecclesiastes 2:1)

(After reading check out new video below)

When you look through chapter two you see that Solomon wasn’t seeking God, but self-fulfillment. The first five words of verse two tell it all, “I said in my heart…” There may be no “I” in “Team”, but there sure is one big “I” in chapter two…Solomon. He had decided to take his riches & power & indulge himself with everything, good or bad, that he could think of, to fulfill his life, the same as we often do.

A businessman becomes a workaholic to fill the hole of pride. A girl finds only guys who want empty sexual relationships, while trying to fill the hole of love never received from an absent father. A drug addict gets high to fill the hole of low self-esteem; a spouse cheats to fill the hole of loneliness. A church member takes on the straw that “strains” the camel's back to fill the hole of self-righteousness. A drink to relax, one more tattoo to stand out, a nicer car to hang with the Jones', another surgery to look younger, a pill to make you happy, social networking to feel needed, staying busy to forget, revealing clothing for attention, trying it once to fit in...AHHHH!!! It's enough to drive you crazy.

When we do things to fill the holes of emptiness in our lives, good or bad, instead of turning to God for the filling…we will always come to the same conclusion Solomon did…it is all “vanity”, it doesn’t last. So we find ourselves having to continue to do those things trying to get self-fulfillment & all they bring is more of the same: harder work, more addictions, emptier loneliness, never giving satisfaction, but always giving more of the same…emptiness.

God wants to work through the hard times in your life. He wants you to allow Him to solve your problems. He wants you to stop trying to solve them yourself & fall back into His arms, His care, His peace. Let Him fill those empty holes & stop trying to distract yourself with the things of this world. Real fulfillment will only come through a life sold out to Jesus. A life that says “Here I am Lord, send me”. Not that it will be a bed of roses or without storms, but the holes…He will fill everyone. Turn to Him, He’s waiting on you.

Vern

Vanishing Vern

2011-11-12T11:26:00.003-06:00

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
(John 3:30)

It’s more often than not that I seek God to work in an area of my life, turning that situation “totally” over to Him…& still try to fix it myself. But what can I say, I’m a man…we love to fix things. We want to take care of our problems. It maybe that we don’t think that God is doing this just right or maybe He’s not doing it fast enough for our tastes or whatever the case, we often want something fixed so bad, that we will do all we can to fix it…even if we are making it worse. It’s like standing in quicksand and being told to be still, that help is on its way, but instead of being still we fight trying to get ourselves out & end up speeding up the process of sinking to our death.

I was reading a verse the other day that really stuck out to me because of a tough time that I am in right now. The verse is actually one where John the Baptist is sharing with his disciples that Jesus was the Christ, not himself & went on to say that “He must increase, but I must decrease”, though John was speaking about himself & his ministry & how it was about Jesus not himself, God has brought me back to this verse & said. “Vern”, He calls me Vern too… “Vern please let me handle this situation that I have allowed into your life for a very distinct reason that I know, but have not revealed to you. One that I will be glorified in & not you, it will be for my kingdoms purpose & not the happiness of the little kingdom of Vern. But it will cause you & everyone around you to want to draw near to me…if you would just be still, quiet, humble & allow Me to work.” In other words God said that, “He must increase” & “I must decrease” in the fix-it department.

A. B. Simpson once stated, “If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will.”

Vern

Shakin' It Up

2011-11-05T18:01:00.004-05:00

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat..."
(Luke 22:31)

Satan's plans for Simon Peter were to destroy him, to break him down, to wear him out. He demanded, some say requested, to have the opportunity to sift Peter like wheat. To most of us that sounds terrible, even more so when we check out what Jesus said in Luke 22:31. He didn't say, "He asked but I stood up & said no way, no way your laying a hand on my boy Peter". No, Jesus said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." WHAT???? I've prayed for you? Are you kidding?? When you have turned again?? What are you saying? You're going to let him go through this? What happened to, “You are my strong tower refuge when I'm weak and all that??

It does sound horrible, but Jesus knew what He was doing. He knew that as bad as what Peter was about to suffer, He knew that on the other side, although Simon couldn’t see it for the cloud of fear, that glorious things were looming on the horizon. I’m sure as Simon Peter lay crying in a pool of tears outside of the house of the high priest, after hearing the third crow of the rooster & realizing that he had betrayed Jesus, just as he was told he would. I’m sure he could not see himself standing before thousands of people proclaiming that the Jesus that he betrayed was the messiah & in that, see three thousand come to accept Jesus as savior. But Jesus did. Jesus saw it all.

What Satan wanted to do was to take Peter & shake the good out of him, just like when they would sift wheat. But evidently he didn’t think about what part is kept after the sifting. When wheat is sifted, the bad is thrown away & the good is used. God allowed Peter to be sifted, so as to make him into a man of God. To sift away the unusable and keep the useable. Often times God allows things into our lives as Christians to sift us. To shake us up, to separate the good from the bad. But we have to be willing to be sifted, to follow Him no matter how painful at times it may be. To say though everyone abandons me, I will still have faith in my God. If we get to that point, then nothing but glorious things will be looming in our unseen horizons.

Vern

What No Tears?

2011-10-29T11:36:00.003-05:00

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 6:23)

(After reading, check out movie trailer below for "October Baby")

Through the years of ministry that God has allowed me to be involved in, I’ve seen several styles of witnessing, some effective & some not so much. Some from a heart of compassion & love, some from a “holier than thou” heart & some from what seemed like a heart that wanted that person to go to Hell if they didn’t accept Christ. Now as a Bible believing Christian I fully understand that if a person dies without accepting Christ, he or she will spend an eternity in Hell. But I do not understand a person, who would call themselves a follower of Jesus Christ that would be happy that someone would enter into an eternity without God, with the attitude “If they turn down God, then that’s what they get, good riddance”.

D.L. Moody said that "When we preach on Hell, we might at least do it with tears in our eyes." C. H. Surgeon said "If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for." Moody & Spurgeon some of the greatest pastors to ever live, had the heart for the lost that we all should have. They not only prayed for their conversion, but they wept at the thought of someone missing out on experiencing an eternity with God. Their hearts were as stern about Hell as Christ’s, but also as tender as Christ’s on the thought of someone’s death without salvation. It makes me sick to see someone with the attitude of “well that’s what they get”.

We have to remember that non-believers are lost sheep, lost sheep to be lead to Christ, not driven like cattle. We do not need to ever reveal to someone that “…the wages of sin is death…” & never reveal that “…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We need to…we have to share that the wages of sin is death, but what use is it to even share that fact without backing it up with the most important & the whole reason for that verse…that the gift of God, the grace that we don’t deserve, Jesus Christ, is eternal life.

Have a heart for those you witness to, or do not witness at all.

Truth From The Pit

2011-10-25T21:01:00.008-05:00

"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
(2 Corinthians 11:14)

(After this blog, check out new video below)

Warning do not try this at home...I'm not a professional!!!!!

While getting ready for work this morning I was in search of the deodorant, but quickly realized that both sticks were gone. My wife had taken one when she went out of town & my son had the other at the beach, which left me scrambling for a backup. While running from bathroom to bathroom I noticed, what looked like the deodorant container that we had received while in the hospital many years ago, (we throw nothing away). So I shook up the roll-on deo & coated the pits quickly, I was running late & had to make some coffee for the road.

I ran into the kitchen & started the coffee when I realized that my arm pits felt like I had walked on crutches for seventy miles…they were burning & felt raw. The pain was almost unbearable…it felt like some kind of Vietnam torture was going on in the axilla area of my body. Almost in tears I rushed into the bathroom, grabbed the hospital deodorant to see if there was some sort of expiration date or side effects that could cause such agony, when I realized, to my utter amazement, that the container that I had rolled up under my arm to keep me fresh, was Bio-Freeze. I don’t know what you know about Bio-Freeze, but it is for sore muscles, kind of a liquefied, very, very, did I mention very strong acting Ben-gay. I also found out that you can not wash it off & whatever amount of water you put on it to stop the burning is equivalent to putting out a fire with a bucket of gasoline.

As weird as it is, while walking around with my arms over my head praying for the pain to go away, I was reminded of how Satan deceives. In 2 Corinthians we see that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light". In some cases we find ourselves following after him in search of our needs & end up with nothing but trouble with our spiritual arms over our head praying for help. We were deceived...still our fault...but none the less deceived.

I can't blame the Bio-Freeze, it just looked like what I needed, I didn't check it out, I just grabbed it up & used it. Many times we can't blame anyone but ourselves, not even Satan, for sin coming into our lives. James 1 says "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." It tells us that it is our fault, then goes on to say, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change". Notice the difference in James 1 & First Corinthians 11, James states "The Father of lights" then in First Corinthians its says "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light", Satan disguises himself...he is not light, God is, Satan has to pretend to be light in order to deceive us. He can't do it when he is himself...only when he is disquised. We just have to be on the watch & ready at all times.

By the way, using Bio-Freeze is very, very painful...but the best deodorant that I've ever used. It's a man's deodorant, not for the weak.

Vern

Needs Salt

2011-05-07T11:30:00.005-05:00

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
Matthew 5:13

What an odd statement for Jesus to make, “You are the salt of the earth”, so what…do we burn peoples cuts, do we go good on watermelon…or maybe we give people high blood pressure, what could Jesus possibly mean by “salt of the earth”? Let’s take a look at it from what that time period used salt for.

1) Maybe He meant we are worth something. Ever heard that someone was not worth their salt? During the days of the Roman Empire, the soldiers would often be paid in salt. Wow, those Romans really like to salt their food…but that wasn’t it, the power to control a population's salt supply was power over life and death due to the preservative qualities of salt. The soldier could use the salt for his family’s food supply, or sell it for money either way, salt was valuable.

2) We as Christians are to be the preservers of the culture. Think about this, what would the world be like today if there were no spirit filled believers in Jesus Christ…now I’m not talking about people who just go to church or call themselves Christians…but those who truly are…what would this world be like without them, without the Holy Spirit, without the word of God? Christianity contributed much to the world in the way of Science, human freedom, morality, healthcare, ect… so what would the world be like without true, spirit filled Christians…checkout the book of Revelations. When there is no more Christian influence, there will be no more moral restraint.

Salt also had healing powers…ever got salt on a cut or went swimming in the ocean & the next day your acne was way better? Salt burns when it touches a wound…we at times have to speak out against things that make people angry or uncomfortable. But that’s what it often takes to preserve a culture for Christ. People who are willing to stand up & speak out against sin.

3) We need to be the flavor & zest of life. Ever ate a hamburger that wasn’t seasoned with salt…not very tasty, salt just makes it taste better.
With all the bad that is happening in the world today, it’s easy for people to become depressed & lacking in hope. We as Christians should be those who find hope in the worst of times, those who can direct the way to true lasting hope & joy. Often people think Christian, they think of someone who can’t have fun & look as though they keep a dip of pickle slices between their cheek & gum, always uptight always sour. But that’s not at all what Jesus was like. Do you see children running up to a sour, grumbling, irritable man? No…Jesus was a real man, one that was serious when needed to be, but more than loving and compassionate, so much so that people were drawn to Him. We are to be filled with hope, hope that bubbles over & makes an impact on others. People should want to be around us, they should want what we have…Jesus.

The world looks hopeless, but Christians living a solid Christian life, makes life look palatable.

4) To go along with number 3…we should be like popcorn. Huh??? You know like movie popcorn…not outrageously priced but so salty, that we make people thirsty. When you go to the movies and buy the $10 small, $20 med or the “put my home up for collateral” large…it is always very salty, why? So you will need to buy a “give up my first born child” mega drink. It’s to make you thirsty!!! We also as Christians should make people thirst for Jesus Christ. We should live our lives in such a way that people see what we have in Jesus & they thirst for Him.

All in all, salt was the best way to describe what we need to be in this world as Christians. Understanding that Jesus said that He makes us worth something & by that we need to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to help preserve the culture, make life palatable & draw people to Jesus.

Vern

Crisis of Darkness

2011-01-24T19:13:00.003-06:00

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

(John 12:46)

On November 4th 1979 52 citizens of the U.S. were held hostage for 444 days, in what was known as the Iran Hostage Crisis, I was about 8 or 9 when I remember seeing the news footage of the hostages being lead outside of the U.S. Embassy in Iran blindfolded. It’s been thirty years since & watching the reunion of the captives & seeing the old footage brings back memories, for me it was what Star Wars figure I wanted next, but for Barry Rosen, one of the 52, there was a much different, more terrifying memory of intense interrogation and pain. His quote was “For 2 months we didn’t see any light at all. We were absolutely in total darkness.” Can you imagine being in total darkness for 2 months? No sunshine, no beautiful candlelight…just darkness.

Total darkness is a place that a lot of people today, if they are honest, are smack dab in the middle of , it may be the darkness caused by problems in a Christians life that they have no control over, like an unwanted divorce, money trouble, loss of a job, loss of a loved one or a teen gone haywire. The darkness maybe from never placing their faith in Jesus, but whatever the cause…it’s not a fun place to be. Some may disguise it well…a Christian may put on a mask to go to church so everyone will think things are great & an unbeliever may search for happiness by partying…either way they are both in a form of darkness & despite the outward appearance…they are hurting.

In John 12:46 Jesus said that He had “come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” We can come out of the darkness…but we won’t do it alone…allow Jesus to guide you out. If you’re a Christian get with God & ask Him to guide you through this & get with another believer & ask for prayer & allow them to counsel with you. If you’re lost…come to Jesus now…don’t put it off any longer…the darkness only gets darker…but there is hope...hope in Christ.

Vern

Automatic Love Service

2011-01-15T12:39:00.004-06:00

“…for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
(Luke 10:42)

When Jesus sat down in Martha & Mary’s house, so did Mary…right at Jesus feet. She was intently listening to His every word, not noticing that she had left her sister Martha to do all the work…but Martha noticed. Her words to Jesus were, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” Jesus told Martha that she was worried about too many things…but Mary was showing her love for Jesus, with her worship. Her heart was solely on Christ & His words, He said that “Mary has chosen the good part…” and that it would not be taken from her.

When it comes to a decision between love & service Jesus wants our love much more than anything else & often our service can get in the way of our love for Him. Charles H. Spurgeon once said “Give us a church that loves Jesus Christ much. You will have mighty prayer-meetings; you will have a holy membership; you will have liberal giving to the cause of Christ; you will have hearty praising of his name; you will have careful walking before the world; you will have earnest endeavors for the conversion of sinners. Missions at home and abroad will be set on foot when love is fervent.” When people truly love God, there will be no problem in getting them to serve, it will be automatic. But service for service sake…is not service done out of love.

Vern

The Vegetable Church

2011-01-11T20:42:00.007-06:00

"He is also head of the body, the church"
(Clossians 1:18)

I had actually felt God leading me to write this several months ago, I was reluctant to put it out after I wrote it...but feel as though I should now.

The American church today is like a body that has been paralyzed from the neck down. A body who's head is fine...in fact the church's head is perfectly fine, but its the body that isn't functioning correctly. Its the body that will not follow & take guidance from the head. For the body to be paralyzed there has to be a problem between the Body & the head...our problem is our sin.

There is no life in the church today. I'm not talking about the Benny Hinn crap of slapping you in the head & making you twitch on the floor, But real, true life...life that only comes from the Son...the head of the church. We are told in God's word, and I blogged about it last time, that, "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12). Our churches do not need another "Great Awakening"...no we are too far passed that in our American churches...no we need a great reviving. We are not asleep in America...we are DEAD! You've been to funerals where people always say about the deceased, "They look good" or "They look so natural...like they're just asleep." Death is not natural...dead is dead & you can't look natural dead. We need to be revived...not a half week preaching with some good music & food, but to be revived...brought back to life or back to the Life, we need to individually search our own hearts before God & make a decision to repent & follow Him, whole heartedly in selfless devotion. God doesn't want our churchiness, He doesn't want our good works or our fancy church buildings...He wants our hearts!

When Jesus went to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead, He said "Remove the stone" from the tomb. But Mary, Lazarus' sister said, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days"...But I'm telling you that the church in America has been dead way longer than four days & we stink to high Heaven...we are a stench in the nostrils of God.

It is time that we are revived, raised from the dead! But are we too far gone? No, Jesus also said to Mary the sister of Lazarus, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" We are to believe that God can still revive this church in America & I believe He has already started...He has been putting us in the place we need to be...on our knees. He has showed us that we are not to depend on the economy or anything else other than Him. We can not function without Him. We have tried for too long to run the body without the head, but no matter how much make-up we put on it, how natural we try to make it look...we are still dead & the body can't work that way.

When Jesus raised Lazarus He cried out, "Lazarus come forth!" God is crying out to us the American church to "COME FORTH! Come Forth & Live! Be Revived!" But how much longer will He call?
Vern

Live Trees?

2011-01-08T11:23:00.004-06:00

He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
(1 John 5:12)

When Christmas time rolls around and you want a real tree you go down to the lot to pick one up. When you pull up you see the sign that they have out in front of the lot that reads “Live Trees”, but truth be known…those trees are not alive. They have been cut off from their source of life. Now they still look alive, you take them home & decorate them up real pretty & all, but they are slowly dying, they are in a state of decay. It want be long until you can see the decay. You can leave your decorations on it to try and help it look alive, but…it’s dead.

Much like that tree, unbelievers & Christians often try to live away from their source of nutrients & life. They try to live without Jesus altogether or not spending time with Him daily. They may attend church & often do…they even come in all dressed up in their “Christian” decorations, trying to cover up the decay. But sooner or later, their decay will start to show.

1 John 5:12 tells us that if we have Jesus we have life, it’s when you do not accept that life or you neglect that life that you die. Now a Christian will not lose their salvation, but they will spiritually dry up…with no sign of a spiritual life & become plagued with trouble through bad decisions. They will also become a stumbling block for new & weak believers as well as non-believers. Their life will give no glory to God, but will only hinder the Christian witness.

If you are in this state & are reading this blog…take the time to evaluate your life. Do you feel that God is convicting you of the life you have been living? Do you feel that you need to accept Him, ask Him to come into your life & turn it over to Him? Or do you know that you are saved, but that you have been trying to live without being totally attached to your spiritual food source of a time with God daily? Whatever the case, all you have to do is come to Jesus & tell Him the problem…He wants you to be saved & His will is for you to walk with Him. He’s just waiting on you. He will never give up on you…but He will not make you, so it’s up to you. Is He calling you? Are you listening? Take this new year & become the new person Jesus wants you to be.

Vern

It Is Greener On The Other Side

2010-12-07T20:18:00.005-06:00

"I will get up and go to my father..."
(Luke 15:18)

Standing ankle deep in mud at work one day, a thought came to mind...it must have looked so much better on the outside of that pig pen, than it did for the prodigal son on the inside. He had wished his father dead, taken his inheritance, blew it all on wild living...now broke & friendless he found himself ankle deep in mud, and neck deep in hopelessness & despair.

The only thing that could save him from this mess was getting up out of that pen, out of the mud, out of the mindset that there is no way out, no forgiveness & head back to his father. We as Christians often find ourselves in situations where we have left our Father...where we have walked away from His side out from under His protective wing, in search of what we think is better or more satisfying...only to find out that we have traded precious jewels for miry clay. What's so sad is, that often it takes so long for some to notice the mess that they are in, until it is hard to tell that they are a son & not a pig.

We have to make a decision that when we fall, we don't wallow in our self pity, but we "get up and go to" our Father, realizing that nothing is better or more satisfying than being in the presents & the favor of our loving God. So is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Always...that is, when you are standing in pig crap.

Vern

All Bark and No Bite

2010-11-27T12:36:00.007-06:00

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
(1 Peter 2:11)

Someone once said, “If you were not strangers in this world, the hounds of Hell would not bark at you.” This is so true…when you stand out like a stranger, not strange as in weird & goofy, but as someone who doesn’t belong to this world, then the hounds will bark. But don’t be afraid…their bark is much worse than their bite.

When my son was about 8 or 9 we lived three houses down from one of the most ferocious looking dogs I had ever seen. He looked like a cross between a Rottweiler and a pit bull. Large, white & looked like he was on steroids & his bark was very deep & very loud & very often. I instructed my son to watch out for this dog & if he was out playing and saw the dog roaming the neighborhood, to make sure that he came inside immediately.

One day I was inside & my son was out playing in the front yard, I looked out the window to check on him…to my freaked-out surprise he was standing face to face with this deranged, evil, monstrous dog and was holding a piece of rawhide while the dog chewed on it! I bolted out of the door like Cam Newton through an offensive line, except when we played Alabama & made a mad dash to save my son from being mauled by this savage beast. I yelled at him to get away from the dog & heard the neighbors older son say, “Don’t worry, he’s harmless”. About that time my son let go of the rawhide & the dog tried to hold onto it as it slithered out of his mouth. “He hasn’t got a tooth in his mouth”, yelled the neighbors son. I watched as the dog tried to pick up the rawhide. When he did, it once again slid right out of his mouth. He was as toothless as a newborn baby. I sat & laughed…the vicious man eater was a toothless rawhide smacker.

The hounds of Hell are much like this old dog…they look mean & sound bad, but truth be known…they have no bite, no power whatsoever. Their bark is much worse than their bite. So when they bark, when they make fun, when they joke about the way you live to honor God, count it as a blessing…that you are seen as a stranger in this world.

Vern

Bernie...Crucified with Him

2010-09-19T00:55:00.003-05:00

“Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin…” (Romans 6:6-7)

There was a movie back in the late 80’s called “Weekend at Bernie’s”; it was a story about a couple of young insurance executives who discover their boss is deceased. Believing that they are responsible for his death and that a hit man won't kill them if Bernie is around, they attempt to convince people that he is still alive. Throughout the movie they take Bernie with them everywhere. They have him dressed up & they go as far as to tie his legs & arms to theirs to make it look like he is walking with them.

Romans 6:6-7 reminds me a lot of Bernie, we after we are saved, often find ourselves trying to hang out with our old self, that same old self that was crucified with Christ, see when we accept Christ, our old self is crucified, dead & buried…but was never resurrected. So in order for it to be with us, we have to drag it along. The thing is, it’s just like Bernie…dead, lifeless & we will only grow tired & look ridicules lugging it around. It will also keep us held back from being able to accomplish what plans God has for us. Lay that old self to rest…God has much better things for you.
Vern

Depends Diapers and Wisdom

2010-08-24T12:48:00.008-05:00

“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”
(1 Corinthians 2:13)

Sunday our study was on Proverbs 1 & we were talking about where wisdom today can be found. Our study gave us a list of places that you could or could not find godly wisdom & when I went through it with the youth they answered like this:

“As I call out these items, let me know if godly wisdom can be found in them”.

“Movies?”, “Depends” they replied.

“What about church?”, again they said “Depends”.

“TV?”, “Depends”… “Parents?”, “Depends”…“The guy behind you in English class?”, “Depends”.

“What about the Bible?” They said with no hesitation, “Of course you can!”

I still went on, “Your youth minister or leaders?”…they went right back to “Depends”.

“What about books or yourself?”…& again “Depends & Depends”.

Everything on that list, even churches, depended on what type it was, in whether or not you could find godly wisdom in them…except for the Bible, God’s Word.

The answer they were giving reminded me of something. They continually answered “Depends” & for some strange reason whether it be my 14 year old brain or the subliminal influence of years of TV commercials, my mind went straight to diapers…Weird Huh?

All of those things from Movies, to TV, to books or even churches, depended on one thing… were they godly? But like a Depends diapers, they could be full of it, or they could be clean. They could be good or they could be bad. But in all these places you have to be very careful in looking for godly wisdom, we know, without a doubt that we can go to the Bible, God’s Holy Word for a never ending source of truth & wisdom…never to be lead astray.

Our youth know that, do you? How much time do you spend in God’s word? Is it something that you share with your family? Is it the main place you seek your source of wisdom? If not, God wants to lavish you with wisdom. He wants you to overflow with the wisdom that only He can give. Is wisdom calling out to you?

“Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.”
(Proverbs 1:20-23)

Vern

A Fixer Upper

2010-08-15T20:59:00.006-05:00

"You were bought at a price."
(1 Corinthians 6:20)

When a person purchases what they often call a "fixer upper" house, they expect to have to do a good bit of renovations. A lot of scraping paint, caulking, removing old lumber & replacing it with new, ripping out old carpet, replacing sheetrock, remove old light fixtures, install new trim, a lot of repainting, heck They may have to totally gut the whole house & start over to renovate the purchased home...just depends on how bad off it is. But even through all of that, the owner doesn't want to destroy that house, but to make that house something of worth, something of value, their intent is not to destroy the house, but to restore it to its former glory or better. They see the potential in what most people would give up on & mow down.

When God purchases us, He may have to pull off some old boards, He may have to scrape off some old paint, He even may have to totally gut out our lives, to renovate us, but He doesn't want to destroy us...His intentions are for us to become someone who will glorify His name to make us someone of spiritual value, someone of spiritual worth.

This came to me during a fundraiser for a friend's ministry that God has placed on his heart. The ministry is called Renovation Ministries, please take the time to check out the website & follow God in how He may want you to get involved in helping them renovate the lives of those who God loves & most have given up on.

Vern

Insane Tire Repair

2010-08-12T15:39:00.004-05:00

“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion…”

(Proverbs 1:1-4)

There was a man who had a flat right in front of an insane asylum. He got out & started working on changing the tire, while an inmate quietly watched his every move from inside the gated yard of the asylum. While changing the tire the man would place all his lug nuts in the hubcap he removed from his flat tire, so not to misplace them. But when he was struggling to place the spare on the car he stepped on the hubcap, slinging the lug nuts onto the road, where all five rolled through the grate of the drainage ditch. The man became angry & started talking to himself, “What now…what now…UHHGG!” as he paced back & forth wondering how he would get those lug nuts out.

The inmate that had been quietly watching throughout this whole ordeal spoke up. “Why don’t you take one lug nut off of each one of the other wheels & place them on that spare. Then drive down to the closest gas station & buy a new set?” The man stood there in amazement at the inmate’s words then responded, “That’s a great idea, but what are you doing in that asylum…I thought you were crazy?”

The inmate replied, “I may be crazy, but I ain’t stupid!”

In the first chapter, verses 1-4, we see what the book of Proverbs was written for, to know wisdom. This is even more important for us as Christians; in 1 Corinthians 1:30 we see what or who that wisdom is…Jesus Christ. This is exactly where wisdom or knowledge truly begin (Proverbs 9:10).

You can attend all of the schools of higher learning & obtain all the degrees you want & have all the PHD’s, MA’s, MSED’s, DVD’s, CD’s, MSNBC’s, ect…& still have zip in the way of true wisdom. The Book of Proverbs is about how to obtain that true wisdom & how to rightly use that wisdom. The younger a person starts in this book the better. But without knowing Christ as Savior & Lord, this book will do you no good, until you do. Again He is the key…He is true wisdom, & knowing Him as well as following the truths in Proverbs will keep you from being as the inmate said earlier…“stupid”.

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)

Vern

Checker's of Light

2010-07-30T15:57:00.008-05:00

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
(Matthew 5:14)

We were taking one of our kin folks to the airport on a Saturday night, had to be there an hour early for the flight. They are an hour ahead so we thought that we were doing good & had left in plenty of time. But due to a road name change, my bad sense of direction & the fact that we would be late even if we would have left the day before. We were just that…late, only by 5 minutes, but never the less…late. And you guessed it; they had given her seat away, weird how they did it within 5 minutes but it takes them an eternity to reserve you one. She made new reservations for 6am the following morning, which means it will actually be 5am…they are an hour ahead.

We rise & shine & leave the house by 2am, being sure to get her there on time… & we do. She is there in plenty of time to make her flight & we headed back. As we drive out of the airport I notice something, shining like a lighthouse on the rockiest, deadliest sea. Like a shining star in the darkest night, there it stood with all its grand excellence, in all its majesty…“Checker's”! Now I don’t know about you, but when I get up out of bed no matter the time, I’m hungry & when I saw “Checker's” my mouth started watering. I was excited…I couldn’t believe it was open…it was 4am…did you hear me? F.O.U.R. A.M.! I know that’s what I said!

I couldn’t help but pull in & get something to eat, I mean God bless em’ they were working fast food at 4am. I got up to the speaker & saw that there was no breakfast only burgers…even better!! A burger, fries & a sweet tea for breakfast…number one! It was great…& that sweet tea… it kept me awake all the way home.

In Matthew 5:14 Jesus tells us that we are “the light of the world” we are like a city on a hill that can’t be hidden. During those days when it got dark, it got dark. If you were out in the fields watching the sheep, you could see a city on a hill for miles; you couldn’t help but see it.

Jesus wants us to be that way. He wants to shine through us in such a way that we can’t be looked over or missed. That people see what we have & they want what we’ve got. A lot like “Checker's”, I couldn’t help but see it, it was really lit up. They had just what I needed to fill my empty tummy & to help me make it home safely. We have what the whole world needs. We have the only thing, the only One that will fill their emptiness & get them home safely. Be that light…that can’t be hidden.

Vern

Iron City Blues: Sites Can Be Deceiving

2010-07-27T12:33:00.019-05:00

“My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior from violent men you save me.”
(2 Samuel 22:3)

It all started with an idea that stemmed from us guys at work getting together for a weekly Bible study & a time to hold each other accountable for how we were living our lives. We got to talking one day about planning a camping trip just a time to goof off & fellowship…that turned into a decision to take an overnight canoeing/kayaking trip. During the planning I was nominated to find a place that would accommodate our plans. The plan was to take our camping supplies with us on the canoe & camp out on a sandbar then finish up the next morning. I searched the net for just such a place. It wasn’t long till I found one in another state & from the looks of the pictures on the site, it was awesome. Beautiful mountains, clear cool water & a few small rapids. That was the place! I called & made reservations & the trip was planned…or what we now like to refer to it as…“Vern’s stupid place he picked that could have cost us our lives but by the grace of God we lived to tell about it, trip"…a little long & wordy, but it works.

We all piled in a 4 door truck with our junk in the back & headed out early one morning for Tennessee. It was a good trip, everybody was cracking on each other as normal & Map quest was handling the directions. But as we got into the Tennessee town…Map quest wasn’t much of a help. Where Map quest ended…our destination was not, so we stopped to ask directions from the only person we saw, a little old man sitting on the front porch of an old store front, that may have been condemned if it were in any other town. I rolled down my window & asked if he knew where we could find our location, his words were just what I expected, “Turn right, right here, head on straight…you’ll see it unless you miss it”.

As we headed down that road the cab of the truck started to get very quiet. If I said that this place looked just like the place the dudes went canoeing, in the movie “Deliverance”…I wouldn’t be exaggerating…it was freaky. We got to the place & it was one of those old gas stations with gas pumps out front that didn’t work…someone had hand-painted, with a very shaky hand, I might add, a sign on the side of the building, we were there…whether we wanted to be or not.

Not a lot of customers, handful of locals…who stared…a lot. We walked in & looked around. It was a rough lookin’ place with some rough lookin’ people. They had that "Our parents were 1st cousins" look…they didn’t seem happy to see the business. There was one very normal looking person there…she was working behind the counter, very attractive girl, I approached her & said that we were there for the overnight canoe trip. She just looked at me for a second & said…in her deep southern tone… "Ye are?”. That kind of set me back, the look on her face was a very puzzled one, but I said "Yes, it was listed on your website". I told her that we were going to go about halfway & then camp on a sand bar. She looked very disturbed & said, “People round here don’t like people on their land.” But she said we could stay at the campground about half way down. Sounds good I thought, it wasn’t far past the store there & we could just leave our stuff in the truck & get it when we get back from our first run.

I went to the restroom before we left & just before going in, I saw a movie poster hanging on the wall…yep, you guessed it…“Deliverance”, with the caption, “This is the weekend they didn‘t play golf.” I yelled at the others & told them to look. Needless to say…we all were feeling as though we fit the part, but my plans were to be Burt Reynolds & no way was I gonna squeal like a pig...sorry bout that reference. But anyway...we hurried outside to wait on the drivers that would take us up river.

It was hot & we were becoming kind of uncomfortable as we waited on our drivers. I thanked the Lord when they finally showed up…until I saw them get out…two boys about 16 or so with cigs hanging out of their mouths & very red eyes…they giggled a lot too. They were in an old, white, rust spotted, 12 passenger van, with about 16 passengers & pulling a trailer of canoes & kayaks. We loaded up & I quietly prayed for a safe trip to the drop off & away we went. If they weren’t doing 70 to 80 up the winding hills of Tennessee, the Pope’s a Baptist.

We got to the drop off point which was behind someones house, & as we piled out, I wanted to kiss the ground. But we had to hurry & get a canoe & follow the dude that showed us where to put in. Did I mention that he had a Mohawk & a large tattoo on his back of a skull & crossbones? But in place of the crossbones there were paddles & over the top of it so beautifully etched into this dudes back was, “Paddle or Die”. Well we felt as though we were in good hands…but glad it wasn’t for long. When we hit the water we went guideless, two canoes & one kayak & we paddled as fast as we could to put distance between us, the “Paddle or Die” guy & his motley crew of drunken buddies.

When we got on down the creek, we slowed down. Man, was it beautiful. There were places with high mountain cliffs on either side, all kinds of plant life & the water was awesome. But paddling along we ran into several people who frankly…made me go back in my mind to that poster in the store. We passed one guy who was up against a high bank in his beat up, flat bottm boat. He was facing out toward the creek with his dog sitting beside him. He was kind of in the bushes but visible. Chris, one of the guys with us called over to him, “Catching anything?” His reply was… “I ain’t fishin” with a sour look & a scruffy cigarette smoking voice. So we paddled a little faster. We came across a couple of intoxicated parents, trying to give away their child & some old guys in lawn chairs in the middle of the creek with a strong smell of pot in the air. Of course Chris feels the need to strike up a conversation with these guys too. When one of them asked if it was going to stop raining…Chris told him, “It has to start raining, before it can stop” …it hadn’t rained the whole time we were there.

We had a good time until we finally got to the take out point for the camp out. The take out point was in the middle of the rapids…go figure. When we finally got out, we tiresomely pulled our canoes up on the bank & started looking around for the campground. We didn't see it...because there wasn't one! We found that out when we asked the old man with a glass eye, who was loading up our canoes. We asked him where we could camp, he said, as he looked around, as if he was looking for a place, "Well, guess you could go down there somebody's been burning stuff down there". We were standing in a small field beside some type of old factory that was very loud. The field looked like it was a city park, about two hundred years ago with old rusty swings & stuff.... I think one of the swings read, "George Washington swung here"...sorry that was bad.

We walked around that park debating with each other, "were we staying or going?", we made up our minds when the young kids...like very young kids, came riding by on four wheelers with cases of beer strapped to the front...& drinking one as well. We decided that one day in that town was enough. We remembered Davey Crockett State Park that we passed on the way, the decision was made...camping at the Crockett it is.

We returned to the canoe place to ask if they would refund half of our money since we were only staying one day. I told the girl that there was nowhere to camp. She graciously gave back the money & looked very relieved...kind of like she was on our side...I almost wanted to ask her if she was being held against her will. While she was refunding our money, there was a guy behind us, he was a short balding guy with suspenders & a super tight Star Trek t-shirt that didn't quite cover his belly, he informed us that we could camp on down river. He said "It gets really nice down there. There are waterfalls & rainbows..." We just said live long and prosper & pretty much ran out, jumped in the truck & headed for the state park.

We spent the night camping in a safe beautiful area...at that time we did not know, that we had just survived the most notorious city in the south, we didn't know they had no type of law enforcement. We didn't know that there was a blues song about this Tennessee town. These things we didn't know until we returned home & looked up the site that started it all. I noticed a video that I missed the first time. I watched it, then yelled for all the others to come in & watch it...we all were shocked. You can watch it too & see why I can no longer pick the place for our get togethers.

Click here to see the video

Vern

I'm A Finger

2010-07-23T14:00:00.003-05:00

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
(John 10:27-28)

Dr. J Vernon McGee tells of a dear little lady, who talking about the assurance of her salvation, she once said, “Nobody can take me out of His hand.” Someone replied, “Well, you might slip through His fingers.” And she said, “Oh my no, I couldn’t slip through His fingers; I am one of His fingers”.

Some do not give God much credit when it comes to being able to secure someone eternally. “I mean yea He can create the world from nothing in six days , take the dust of the earth, breathe a breath of life into it & make man, He is King of kings & Lord of lords, but save someone & keep them saved…come on.” But that is the way some think. Look God is God & what else do you need to know. Jesus said in John 10, that those that His Father gives Him will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of His hand. We my friend, if you have accepted Christ as Lord & Savior, are saved & saved forever. You did nothing to earn or deserve your salvation & you can do nothing to keep it or lose it. God gave it to you, you accepted it & he sealed you with the Holy Spirit to guarantee your salvation: “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Remember what the lady said, “I couldn’t slip through His fingers; I am one of His fingers”, when we accept Christ, we not only are saved from the wrath that is to come…the Lake of Fire & total separation from God, but we become part of the body of Christ (Romans 12:5), & our eternal security lies totally with Him.

Are you a part of the Body of Christ? If not you can be today…repent & turn to Jesus Christ for salvation, make your life secure, let death, be a thing of the past…death is no worry, when you know that you or your loved one will live on (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus wants us to know that we are saved, not hope that we are, not wish that we are, but know…“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13) & in knowing, is true freedom to live for God & follow His will.

Vern

Hands-On Temptation

2010-07-16T09:10:00.002-05:00

“But each one is tempted when he is carried
away and enticed by his own lust.”
(James 1:14)

Little Billy was told not to eat any sweets before supper, so his mom was furious when she found him in the pantry on a stool with his hand in the cookie jar. “Billy! What are you doing?” his mom shouted. Billy just looked back sheepishly & said, “Fightin’ temptation”.

We often find ourselves “fightin’ temptation” with our hand in the cookie jar. We try to get as close as we can to sin…without sinning. But we also mistake temptation for sin itself & when we mistake temptation for sin…when we are tempted, we feel as though we have already sinned, so why not act on it, I mean we have to ask forgiveness for it anyway…right? But actually temptation is not sin at all.

In James 1, it tells us that we are all “…carried away & enticed by our own lust”, kind of destroys that “the Devil made me do it” argument, huh? But this being “carried away & enticed” is not sin. We often forget that Jesus was taken out & tempted by Satan himself & did not sin.

James goes on to tell us that, “…when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin”. In other words, when we act on that lust, that is when we sin or that is when that sin is birthed. If a bad thought crosses my mind & I am tempted by it, that’s not the sin, but when I take part in it, then that’s sin. For example, let’s say that I am tempted to lie; now that isn’t a sin…until I do it.

So if we are just being tempted by that cookie, we can overcome it through Christ without sinning. But if we go stickin’ our hand in the jar…it’s time to repent.

Vern

To the Potter's Pleasing

2010-06-26T09:54:00.002-05:00

"But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make."
(Jeremiah 18:4)

In Jeremiah 18 God sends Jeremiah to the local potter’s house to help him get a visual on what He was going to do with the “house of Israel”. Israel had been wandering away from God for sometime & had turned to false god’s & immorality. God had planned to discipline them but was willing as always to give them a chance to turn back to Him.

Reading about Jeremiah’s trip to the potter’s house got me interested in seeing a potter at work for myself…I mean the only time that I’ve seen a potter at work is in the movie “Ghost” & that wasn’t quite what I was looking for, for an illustration. But I did watch one online from start to finish, & noticed how amazing it was to see this lady take a slab of gunk & make a beautiful vase out of it. It reminded me of what God wanted to do with Israel & what He wants to do with you & me & how we need to be willing to be formed.

When the lady started, she started with just a messy lump of clay. If it would have been set to the side, it would have just been a blob of worthless mud, useful for nothing. You couldn’t just stick some flowers in it & make it beautiful, you couldn’t drink out of it & you sure didn’t want to eat off of it. It had to be molded, shaped, worked into a useful form by the potter…& this lady was the one to do it. She took that slab of goop & plopped it down on the wheel & then put her hands on it & made sure that it was centered. Then as the wheel turned, she carefully formed that clay into a vase. Now there was only one thing that could have kept her from making this clay into what she wanted it to be, & that was the consistency of the clay. The clay had to be moldable, she did all the work, the clay just allowed her to do it.

When we first come to God we are no more than a mess of useless clay. Like that clay we can’t make something out of ourselves & we are not good for anything without the potter’s forming. But when we accept Christ, God puts us on His potter’s wheel & through salvation He centers us by indwelling us with the Holy Spirit, & when we are at the right consistency He starts to form us. Getting to the right consistency is probably the hardest part of this whole process…we have to come to the place where we realize that we are nothing & only God can make us something. Adrian Rogers said it best, “The only thing God makes something out of is nothing, so if you will become nothing, He will make something out of you”.

As we allow God to work on us, we become who & what He wants us to be. We become useful for His work…what once was formless & useful for nothing…becomes beautiful & able to accomplish God’s plans. But there was one other thing that the lady did to this clay to make it into that beautiful vase. She placed it in a hot oven & baked it…or cured it. God often allows things to come into our lives to test us…to cure us…& like that clay, to strengthen us. The heat made that clay able to hold it’s useful shape.

If you do not know Christ today, accept Him as your Lord & Savior. If you have done this, then allow God to work on you, to form you into what is pleasing to Him & be at the right consistency for Him to be able to form you, through spending time with Him in daily Bible study & prayer…in a relationship with Him. Also, be willing to keep your eyes on Him when troubles or persecutions come & see it as no matter what happens, God is still in control & through all of this, you will allow God to make you into the person…the beautiful person, that He wants you to be & you will be able through Him to accomplish His will for your life.

Vern

Sin Against Love

2010-06-19T12:11:00.002-05:00

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)

James was all out of ideas since the economy went south. Out of money, lost his job & on the brink of insanity wandering how he would pay his bills, he came to his ill thought out plan…a robbery. James thought “It wouldn’t be right but it would work…I mean times are bad, people have to do something to survive”. But there was one thing holding him back…Mrs. Parker. She was a little old, widowed lady with not a lot of money, but what she did have she gave willingly to anyone who needed it. She new James from church when he uses to attend, before he lost his wife & his job & every so often she would send a check for $5 to James about once a month, with a note that read “God loves you & so do I, trust in him” . The thought of her good deed was a passing one as he confirmed in his heart that robbery was the only way.

So he decided to rob the convenience store two towns over…hey, it was one he never shopped in anyway, no one would know him there. The day came & James had mustered up enough courage or stupidity to go in to the store with gun drawn. The lady behind the counter started crying for him not to hurt her as he yelled at her to give him all the money in the register. While he was screaming at the girl, someone grabbed James’ arm, it freaked him out so bad that he spun around with the gun & pulled the trigger. As the body fell to the floor James turned pail white… “I never wanted anyone to get hurt!” James dropped to his knees & cradled Mrs. Parker in his arms. She had just stopped by the store to pick up some bread for her grandson who was attending the local college in town. “James” she said, “God still loves you & so do I”, the last words that James would her from Mrs. Parker, but words that would last forever in his mind. The robbery was bad enough, but living with the knowledge that you really hurt someone who truly loved you, no matter what, was almost unbearable.

God’s love toward us is great, Romans 5:8 tells us that He loved us & died for us, even when we didn’t care about Him. I often find myself, after falling to sin, cringing for the fact that I sinned against a God who truly loves me. I sinned against love…that is the worst sin that you can commit…a sin against love.

Vern

Memphis Blues

2010-06-15T19:13:00.004-05:00

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

(John 1:29)

I was with our youth on the annual "Street Reach" mission trip, sitting doing a morning quiet time outside the church on the streets of Memphis. While just sitting & being quiet, I heard a door open across the street on a little run down house that was surrounded by a 5 to 6 foot chain link fence with a big sign on the gate that read "Beware of Dog". A little old man waddled out the door with a bag of trash in his hand, he opened the lock on his fence that was attached to a large chain, he hurried out the gate threw away the trash went back in, locking it behind him. Three large dogs came up to him he patted each one on the head & then went back inside & locked his door.

The next morning in the same place, I watched an older white man walking down the street, he looked up saw a young black man walking toward him, he immediately crossed to the other side with a frightened look on his face.

While working with the children on our site we witnessed a man standing outside a car beating a man in the car & cussing him very loudly. I was between the kids & the fight, I yelled at them & told them to stop that there were kids around, but they he didn't listen. I looked back at the kids & saw fear...there were some that it didn't bother, but those that could see it well seemed scared. All of these situations made me feel that this city was hopeless...I can understand why this city is well known for the blues.

All of this got me thinking about how sin brings nothing but fear & imprisonment. The kids surrounded by violence, the old man crossing the street & the little old man who locked himself away in his own house, all of them fear the sin that lives around them. I was thinking about how our sin doesn't just effect us, but everyone we come in contact with. Memphis is a place that after dark & even during the day, you wouldn't want to walk the streets...all because of people who choose to live in sin. If only they would choose to accept the only one who could set them all free from sin & the Memphis blues. There is hope & it is Jesus.

Please be in prayer for Memphis, Brinkley Heights Church & their ministry Street Reach. Pray that they make a difference daily & that God would protect them & give them great success in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the children & adults of Memphis.

Vern

Armor All

2010-06-04T17:52:00.005-05:00

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground”
(Ephesians 6:13)

They say that the Battle of Saratoga may have very well been the turning point of the Revolutionary war, due to a group of men called Morgan’s Rifles, lead by Daniel Morgan a man who by all means was a great sharp shooter. It’s said that they did not miss what their sights were focused on.

During that battle Morgan & his men were fighting the British when it’s said that Morgan gave an odd command:

“Forget the poor fellow that fights for six pence a day, and concentrate your fire on the epaulets”.

An Epaulet is the shoulder decorations that the British commanders would normally wear on their jackets. What Morgan was saying was…take out the leaders. That’s what made the difference in the Battle of Saratoga & may have made the turn in the Revolutionary War…the loss of too many commanders. Now I find that to be a good thing & I am by no means comparing Daniel Morgan to Satan, but what was done in that battle is exactly what Satan does to the Church…focuses his fire on the leaders, the ones who take a stand, the ones who are doing something for Christ. Satan says, “We can’t shoot at all of them…shoot at the leaders, hit those who are taking a stand, those who are making a difference.”

There’s a saying that “The ferocity of Satan’s attacks on you are in direct proportion to your potential usefulness for Jesus Christ”. Are you leading, are you making a difference? Are Satan’s attacks becoming ferocious?

I was listening to a pastor the other day, who gave some tips on how to protect you from those attacks, by every day putting on the Full Armor of God that is listed in Ephesians 6.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…” We are told first to put on the armor of God, so that when Satan comes, we will be ready. What good would it do, to wait until your enemy got in your face for battle, to put on your armor? Don’t wait, put it on ever morning, be ready & stand firm.

Put on the “belt of truth”, this belt holds the whole thing together. Without it, the breast plate would flop around & there would be no place to hang your sword. When you put on the belt, say, “Lord only truth today, no deceit”. God wants us to be truthful. Live your life without lies, often it seems the easy way out of a tough situation that Satan brings your way, but Satan himself is called “The father of lies”. We need to live upright & honest.

Next put on “breastplate of righteousness”, this protects your vital organs…mainly your heart. Without it on a battle field, you would not last long. In putting it on every morning say, “Lord only what is pure today”. Only put into your mind that which is pure. Be careful what you take in…keep focused on what’s pure. David left off his righteousness for a day & fell hard with a lady named Bathsheba. If you go into battle with one piece missing, that will be were Satan will strike, your weakest point.

Then put on the sandals of “the gospel of peace”. These sandals are not your everyday flip flops with a strap. They were more like a wrap around shoe type sandal with cleats on the bottom, a lot like football cleats. If an offensive lineman had on slick bottom leather loafers while trying to block a defensive lineman from killing his quarterback, he would be pushed all over…the cleats help stabilize his stance. They were made to help the soldier to stand his ground. That’s exactly what the gospel does for us; it gives us the stability we need to stand on. The Holy Spirit living in me gives me the peace I need through troubling times in my life that Satan may throw at me. So in putting on the sandals of the “gospel of peace” say, “Lord only your peace today, not my worry”, let His peace guard your life.

The next item is the “shield of faith”. Roman soldier’s shields were almost as long as the soldier who carried it, it was a full body shield. During the wars they fought, they would often encounter flaming arrows. They were arrows that had been coated on the end with a flammable substance, set a blaze & shot at the enemy, this arrow would cause terrible damage to whoever it landed on. But the shields that the soldiers had protected them from these attacks, our shield of Faith will protect us as well. Just like the shield helped the soldier not to fear those flaming arrows, we have no need to fear the arrows that Satan shoots our way, we can rest in our faith in God. When you take up the shield of Faith say this, “Lord, only faith today not fear”, have faith in God, He loves you & will protect you.

Now take the “helmet of salvation”, the helmet in battle was a very important part of the armor, without it you could loose your mind…literally. To battle Satan, you must be in your right mind; the only way to do that is to be in Christ & have the mind of Christ…you must be saved. Salvation is the only way to be in your right mind. When putting on the “helmet of salvation” say this, “Only the cross no other power”, there is no other power that will work or that we need other than the power that Christ provided from the cross & resurrection.

The last piece of the armor the “sword of the Spirit” the Word of God…the Bible, is very important, it is the only offensive part that you have, the rest is to defend with. But it is the most neglected part of the armor in today’s society. J. Vernon McGee said that almost every home in America has a copy of the Bible, if you don’t have one, you can ask & someone will give you one. In most “Christian’s” homes there are at least four or more Bible…but who is reading them? We can not neglect God’s word & make it through this battle of life. We can put on all the armor we want, but when it comes time to fight…we will be seen as unarmed, when our enemy comes fully loaded, if we do not have our “sword of the Spirit”. When Jesus encountered Satan in the wilderness, He used God’s word to defeat him, we do too.

Without knowing God’s word we can get pulled into all sorts of false teachings. I had a guy send me a video the other day & that was trying to prove that Jesus was not God. In the video they used the book of Jude, written by the brother of Jesus, to say that he was warning about a group of people who had infiltrated the group of believers & these infiltrators had been teaching that Jesus was God & that Jude knowing Jesus so well was saying that Jesus was not God. Now this is the verse they used Jude 4 & this is how they quoted it, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality.” The Guy who was asking the question said, “Now I’m a Christian, but all they showed is really good evidence that Jesus was not God. How do I defend that?” I thought to myself, are you kidding me…lets actually look at what Jude 4 truly says, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality...” It does say that, but read the rest, “…and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” If the guy would have picked up his Bible & actually read it, he would have had no reason to ask the question he did…he would have seen the attack of Satan & fended it off with God’s Word. When you are taking up the “sword of the Spirit” say this, “Lord, only what you say, not my feelings”, the guy asking the question about Jesus being God was going on how that video made him feel, not by God’s Word.

Now that we have on the “Full Armor of God”, it goes on to tell us, “…pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”, be in pray at all times. Prayer meetings & things like that are fine, but we often feel as though when we leave one, that we are through praying. We need to be a people of prayer, people who pray at anytime & any place. We need to stay in constant contact with God. The soldier could put on the armor & hold his sword, but if he didn’t train, it would all be for nothing, much like trying to live the Christian life without prayer.

When asked, a Roman commander said that one of the reasons that Rome fell was due to laziness. Rome got comfortable & lazy, they stopped the military drills & the soldiers petitioned Cesar asking to be able to not wear the heavy, bulky armor. They hadn’t kept in shape, they hadn’t trained…they were weak & they couldn’t handle the extra weight of the armor. When they went to battle the Goths, without their protective armor…they were defeated. The sad part is that no one stood up & said, “Put the armor back on!”

When we face Satan day in & day out, without God’s armor…we too will be defeated. The Full Armor of God is one of the main things we are lacking in the church, so I’m saying now…”Put the armor back on!”

Print off the portion below & keep it with you, tape it in your Bible, put it in your wallet or purse & daily put on the armor of God:

“Lord only truth today, no deceit”
“Lord only what is pure today”
“Lord only your peace today, not my worry”
“Lord, only faith today not fear”
“Only the cross no other power”
“Lord, only what you say, not my feelings”
Pray at all times

Vern

Eye-Catching Love

2010-05-22T11:56:00.004-05:00

“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another…”
(1 Thessalonians 4:9)

“Love one another” is used in the New Testament about 12 times. Jesus tells us that it is very important that we love one another, so important that He commands it. He says that the way others will know that we are His disciples is by the way we love one another.

When we look in 1 Thessalonians 4 we see where Paul was speaking with the church of the Thessalonians, in verse 9-10 he tells them that they need to keep on doing what they are doing in loving their brothers throughout Macedonia, Paul says that they are doing such a good job at it & there is no need to write them about loving one another, because they were “…taught by God to love one another”. What does that mean? How did God teach them to do that? Two words…Holy Spirit.

God plainly tells us in 1 John 3:10 that, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother”. God tells us that if we do not love our brothers in Christ that we are not His at all. These Thessalonians loved their brothers in Christ, because the Holy Spirit that lived within them loved their brothers in Christ.

Do you love your brother? If not, there are only two things that could be wrong:
1) you are saved & away from God, which makes it very easy to find fault in your brothers. I saw a sign in a church parking lot yesterday that read, “Faults are thick…when love is thin”.
2) You are not saved at all. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, then you will not be able to help loving your Brother in Christ. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20).

In conclusion, all of this is concerning brothers or sisters in Christ, it’s how the world sees us in the Church (the family of God), that will often draw them to or turn them away from God, we…when we love one another as Christians…will then turn our love outwardly as well. In the twilight years of the Roman Empire In the middle of corrupt persecution and massive misunderstanding, and in an age when serving others was thought to be undignified, Christians, instead of fleeing disease and death, went around ministering to the sick and helping the poor, the widowed, the crippled, the blind, the orphaned and the aged. The people of the Roman Empire were forced to admire their works and dedication. “Look how they love one another,” was heard on the streets. How great would it be, if in today’s time, it could be heard of us…“Look how they love one another”. Many people came to Christ because of the love they saw from those Christians.

Are people interested in who God is based on what they see in your life, the way you love your brothers & sisters in Christ? If not do something about it…let’s live our lives to honor God, so the world can see.

Vern

Heart Scan

2010-04-23T14:31:00.003-05:00

This is a Journal entry from our Church website…

“I’m going to write on something other than our reading today. I’m sitting here in my office, drinking a cup of coffee and reading my Bible. At the same time my heart is hurting for this church. It is during tough times that you see the character of a person. When things go well, we tend to have good attitudes; however, when things are difficult our true colors will shine through. I want to point us to a part of scripture that Paul talks about his time of weakness. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 he writes, “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” What Paul is saying is that he is strongest when he’s at his weakest because he is relying on God’s strength, not his own.”

“Don’t you think that should be our attitude as well? Rejoice in budget cuts? YES!!!! Rejoice in having no pastor? YES!!!!! Rejoice in people leaving the church? YES!!!! Do I believe that at this moment our church is boasting in our weaknesses? No I don’t. Why can Paul do it and we can’t? The truth is we can do exactly what Paul is doing. Our attitude can be the same as Paul’s. The reason it’s not is because we don’t believe God’s grace is sufficient. For the most part we are a church who can talk about God, but we have no idea who He is. We are a people who wallow in our weakness instead of a people who rejoice in it. We have become people who pray because we are in trouble, but we failed to seek God when things were going well. I’ve heard a number of people say that “we need God to intervene so that we can get back to where we used to be.” MAYBE GOD ALREADY INTERVENED BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT US TO BE WHAT WE USED TO BE…Just maybe God wants us to be weak…. Maybe God wants our weakness so that we no longer rely on our own strength in abilities, but instead Christ’s power rests on us.”

“Do we want to be a strong, healthy church? I do. If so, we need to embrace the fact that we are weak, because when we are weak, we are strong. If people want to leave because of hardships, God bless them, God has something in store for those who stick it out, those of us who aren’t ashamed of our inability, but who are confident in God’s ability. We do need God to rescue us as a church, but it’s not from finances or anything else. We need God to rescue us from ourselves. When we move out of God’s way we will see amazing things happen. We are seeing amazing things happen now in certain areas of this church. We have potential of being a great church. I don’t mean a big church or a wealthy church, but a great church. Great churches are churches who are focused on God and God alone, who are constantly in the community serving those around them, who are humble enough to admit their inadequacies and allow God’s power to carry them. Do we want to be that? I hope so.” (From “Daily Connection Journal” Shane Collins)

I do have one problem with this journal entry…I didn’t write it.
May God bless Grace & allow us to be worthy of His blessings.

Vern

Running

2010-04-14T13:12:00.002-05:00

(Question) “Is it a common thing to have a passive Christian that knows what he needs to do, he knows he needs to fight the good fight of faith against the devil but he doesn’t fight enough because he becomes passive lazy? I find myself fighting passivity on a regular basis.”

I wish it wasn’t, but it is very common. It happens to a lot of Christians. It’s cool you brought up “fighting the good fight” a well known quote of Paul, a man who though he was a strong apostle he had his times of struggle as in Romans 7, like all Christians do. But Paul also told us how to stay strong in our faith & how not to grow weary & lazy in doing good. “…run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Paul tells us to run to win. Often we just run with no true goal in mind…we’re just out there running. I found out once that running is not my thing; I was a random runner & also realized that if you run a mile away from the house, it’s also a mile back. Who knew? But we often accept Christ like that, & then we get lazy in what it takes to grow & see it as being hard & loose focus on that prize.

Now Paul goes on to tell us that, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training”. Look at it this way, when a person is training for a race, he has to eat right & exercise, if he didn’t eat well & he gorged out on junk food & didn’t exercise at all or just half way did it when he did, then he would feel bad physically & would feel more like laying around watch TV than running a race. It’s the same thing with us spiritually. When we don’t read our Bible & spend time in pray or maybe we do but half way do it, then we get spiritually lazy, which in turn often causes us to get physically lazy as well. As Christians we have to be strict in our training, to run the race of the Christian life.

So it often comes down to us having to get with God, & like David, ask Him to search our hearts & show us where we are & then get back to where we need to be with Him to be able to run that race properly. It takes Bible study & prayer for us to grow…the closer we get to God, the more He will teach us, the more He will use us & the more we will be able to run this race through Him & win.

Vern

Jim's Truck

2010-04-12T09:19:00.001-05:00

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Jim had an old beat up truck that he worked on constantly…it seemed like he worked on it more than he drove it. Jim had this truck for years, it was old & worn out when he got it, & seemed destined to stay that way, no matter how much time he poured into it. Jim took this old truck touched it up with some paint, put new seat covers on the old ripped up seats, replaced the tires & rims…but the motor was shot & Jim just didn’t have the money to replace it. No matter how much Jim fixed it up on the outside, the truck was still a problem & he had to keep on spending his Saturdays as a shade tree mechanic.

One Saturday morning Jim woke up to find his truck under the shade tree where he had left it the day before, planning to do some more patch work on the motor, but today the truck had some other parts sticking out from underneath the front end…it was the legs of his father who had just finished installing the new motor that Jim couldn’t afford to buy.
“Dad, I’m going to do everything I can to pay you back for that motor.” Jim said. His father just smiled & said, “Son I didn’t purchase this motor expecting you to pay me back, I purchased this motor as a gift because I love you & I because I could.” Jim hopped in the truck started it up & he & his father took her for a test drive, the truck was just like new.

When we come to Christ, we can’t fix & repair our old nature…but it does become just that…our old nature. No matter how much we fix ourselves up on the outside we can’t be new until our spirit, is replaced with a new one, the Holy Spirit, then & only then can we become a “new creature” in Jesus Christ.
It’s not improving on the old nature, but living in the new one.

Vern

The Whistle

2010-03-08T14:57:00.002-06:00

“…those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
(Hebrews 9:15)

In the neighborhood where I grew up, I had anywhere from five to ten friends who at any given moment were ready to roam the neighborhood in search of fun. Whether we were playing baseball, riding bikes or working on our ninja skills, pretty much everyone of us knew that no matter where we were or what we were doing, that when one of our fathers called…it was time to go. My dad had this loud whistle that could be heard for miles, but if I was too far away to hear it, I was too far from home. It seems like all my friends had a father who had a distinct whistle or yell, but whichever they used, it was a clear signal that we best be on our way…you didn’t want to hear it again, unless you were close enough to yell “I’m coming” & yell it loud enough for the calling father to hear…or it could get messy.

Whether or not your earthly father ever called you while you were out playing…you have heard or you will hear your Heavenly Father’s call at some point in your life…you may even be hearing it now. What does He sound like? You know… you know God’s calling as well as I knew my fathers whistle…it’s that longing to fill an empty space in your life, that you’ve desperately tried to fill with everything material, and nothing at all satisfies. It’s that hunger for true peace for your weary mind. You know it & to ignore it would be senseless. When my father whistled, I didn’t worry about what my friends thought, I took off. I knew when he called it was time. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says “Behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION”. Not later, but now.

Hebrews 9:15 tells us that those who are “called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance”…all will be called…but will all listen? In this world there are only two kinds of people, the “whosoever wills”…and the “whosoever won’ts”…make yourself a “whosoever will”… today (John 3:16-18).

Vern

Get Off the Bank and Into the Boat

2010-02-23T15:55:00.003-06:00

“And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

(Matthew 4:19)

At any hint of warm weather the banks of the river near where we live start to fill with old & young looking to entice a fish to the bait they have just thrown out. They all set along the shore intently watching to see if their bobber even slightly moves & when it goes under…BOOM! They set the hook! But more often than not, they are there to hang out with friends or maybe family, they sit on the bank talking, eating & drinking, enjoying the day not really caring whether they catch a fish or not & living by the rule, that you don’t fish in the rain. It’s been said by one of the great Greek philosophers that “A bad day fishing is a million times better than a good day at work”, okay maybe it wasn’t a Greek philosopher, but I’m sure one heck of a philosopher had to have come up with it.

I was thinking the other day as I watched the men fishing, that we as the church are a lot like the fishermen on the shore. We go to church to hang out & visit with our friends & family, to just fellowship & enjoy the get-togethers, ever once in a while throwing out some bait to try & lure some non-believers to church & often only “fishing” for a certain kind of fish. Some decide to stay home at the drop of rain.

When Jesus called the disciples to become “fishers of men”, they knew exactly what He meant, for most of them fishing was a way of life. They knew fishing was hard work. They knew the heartache of a bad day without a single fish & the joy of a good day when their nets were full. These guys didn’t sit on the shore; they got in the boat, sailed out in search of the fish, threw out nets & pulled in all kinds. Often the waters were rough & dangerous, but they still went fishing.

When God called you to be a “fisher of men” he called you to the boat, He called you to weep for the lost & to rejoice when they are saved, to go out & cast out the net & trust Him to fill it…but He never called you to just sit on the pew & every once in awhile, casting out your bait & watching your bobber hoping someone might come to church, heck He didn’t even call us to invite people to church. He called us to make disciples…to share the gospel. Do you want people to come to church? Share Jesus with them. Get off the bank & into the boat…we may not have much longer to fish.

Vern

Attitude Adjustment

2010-02-12T13:37:00.002-06:00

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 2:5)

Through out church history churches have split over the silliest things from the color of the carpet to the difference in the styles of music to who should be in charge of cooking the fried chicken for the yearly singing & “dinner on the ground”, I mean Betty’s chicken is always to dry & that Annie Mae I tell ya, bless her heart, her chicken is way to grease it’s like your chewin’ on a bottle of Wesson Oil…any way, there is a church in Louisiana whose roof is green on one side and red on the other. This was done because some members of the church stubbornly wanted green and other members unyieldingly wanted red. The disagreement was so intense that the church was going to split because of it. Fortunately, a compromise was reached and the church did not split. Unfortunately, the red and green roof is a monument to the surrounding community of the disunity within the body of Christ. Church splits are an awful thing, something that should never happen, but often do because of one thing, we forget who our attitudes should be like, we forget in whom our unity lies.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that we as the church should be "...like-minded, having the same love...” what "same love" is it referring to? Is it just, love for each other or being people who love their community? No, it’s nothing like that; this verse is speaking of Christ. What always causes petty arguments inside the body of the church, is when we forget our true love, our reason for being in the body...the one who saved us. When we are all focused on Christ & His will, we don't have time to sit around & find petty things to gripe about, nor do we want to. We become "...one in spirit and purpose", because we are concerned about the will of God instead of will of self.

When we forget about self & put others first, we take on the most important thing that will heal any rift in a troubled church…we take on the attitude of Christ.

Vern

When the Wheels Fall Off

2010-01-26T13:39:00.003-06:00

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
(Philippians 4:6)

There's a story that is told about the Architect of the Panama Canal, Ferdinand Lesseps, the story says that one day while at his desk in the study of his houseboat just off shore, pouring over the plans for the Panama Canal & submerged in his work, his son was playing with a toy wagon at his feet. The little boy was pushing the wagon all around the floor & around his father’s feet, when all of a sudden one of the wheels on his wagon came off & rolled across the room. The little boy chased down the runaway wheel & he immediately took the broken toy to his busy father, who stopped his very important work, took the toy & in one twist of the wrist, popped the wagon wheel back on to its miniature axle. Ferdinand returned the wagon to his waiting son & the son returned to his play.

Philippians 4 tells us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In laymen’s terms, “Don't worry about nothin', but pray about everything”. It goes on to tell us that when we do that "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." God's peace will be with us, we can have peace in any trouble. Paul, the man who wrote this should know better than anybody, that God's peace "surpasses all comprehension"(2 Corinthians 11:23-33).

Also notice that Ferdinand's son didn't look at his problem & say, "This just isn't a big enough problem to take to my Father." No he just took it. His father also didn't look down at Junior & say, "Look son I'm busy with an important project, I just don't have time right now." He just stops everything & fixes the problem...nothing his son could ever bring to him would be too small of a problem, if it bothered his son that he loved. Nothing is ever too small of a problem to take to your heavenly Father. When the wheels fall off, where do you turn, where do you go when everything seems to be falling apart? Ferdinand's son didn't thing twice, he took his wagon & wheel straight to the only one he knew that could repair it...straight to his father.

Is God your Father? Is He your savior? He can be...go to the top of this page on the right hand side, you can click to see what the plan of salvation is, as well as how to accept that Plan. Or feel free to email me at vernmason1@gmail.com.

Vern

To Teach or Not To Teach...That Was The Question

2010-01-19T14:27:00.004-06:00

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” (James 3:1)

This is a question that I received online:

“Will teachers of the word of God be held to a higher standard than others? I’ve been feeling called to teach, but have heard that the Bible says that teachers would be held more accountable than others. I really want to make sure that I make the right decision.”

Yes, in James 3:1 the Bible says, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren…” James is warning against becoming a teacher of God’s word. Why? He goes on to give us the reason, “knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” He encourages his fellow Christians to not become Teachers of God’s word because of the higher level of accountability a teacher will be held to by God. God takes His word seriously, because many can be, have been & will be lead astray by false teachers...this is the main reason that it is truly important to read, study & know the Bible for yourself, instead of just listening to someone else tell you what it says.

Now is that all that James is saying here, for Christians not to be teachers? No, he is just giving a strong warning against taking the calling of a teacher lightly. I’m afraid that many people today do take the teaching of God’s word way to lightly; they sometimes become teachers for the wrong reasons. It might be that they felt pressured into it by their church; maybe there were not enough teachers so they just took the job. It may have been that they just wanted to try it out. Maybe their mom told them that they would make a good teach. Whatever the reason, if it's not a call from God, they shouldn't teach. Some who teach may not pick up the word & study until the night before they teach & may never go to God in prayer about how to or what to teach. Either way, if a person is not called by God to teach, again, they should never do it, God WILL judge teachers more strictly.

We do however need to remember that God does call people to teach, it is one of the gifts God gives (Ephesians 4:11). If God calls you to teach, there is no need to fear that calling. But you should be more than dedicated to the task that God has given you & remain an instrument in His hands & devote yourself to the study of His word.

Vern

A Fool and His Money

2010-01-13T12:37:00.001-06:00

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?”
(Luke 12:20)

A very wealthy man passed away & his sons, daughters, grandchildren, cousins, ect… all gathered in the grand study of his lavish estate, greedily awaiting their reward for being kin to this wealthy man. The lawyer entered the study with the will in hand, “How much did he leave!” the family asked with excitement. The lawyer smugly answered, “Everything…he left it all.”

Someone once said that there are no pockets in a shroud & you never see a hearse towing a U-Haul, those are all very true & Jesus states it here, In Luke 12. In these verses Jesus gave a story of a very wealthy man whom He labeled as a fool. But notice what kind of man this guy appears to be. On the outside he seemed to be an upstanding citizen, a good neighbor & a great family man. He was very successful & lived in a very nice part of town. He wasn’t crooked; he wasn’t mixed up in shady business deals, he wasn’t an alcoholic or keeping a lady on the side, but Jesus still calls him a fool. Why?

By what he says & does, he put all his thought on himself & he’s covetous…he was storing up for himself. He wasn’t concerned with the needs of the poor, but with the needs of himself. Boy does that sound like us today. We…& notice I’m using “we”, because I’m apart of it…We have become a people more worried about what we have & what we want than what others may truly need. Now don’t get me wrong, Jesus isn’t saying don’t save for a rainy day, God does give us the example of the ant (Proverbs 6:6-8). He is saying, don’t hoard up for yourself. This guy in the story was putting up more than he could ever use, while people around him may have been in dire need. Jesus called him a fool for that, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” This guy had collected all these earthly treasures, but had not laid anything away in Heaven.

This epitaph fits well here:
“Here lies john Racket, in his wooden jacket. He kept neither horses nor mules. He lived like a hog. He died like a dog, and left all his money to fools.”

Again this man stored up riches for himself & stored nothing up in Heaven. He was living as though this life was it, you know the “Eat, drink & be merry…for tomorrow we die” mentality. It wasn’t that this guy was outwardly bad & awful, but inwardly he hadn’t done a thing. He was focused on himself & his wants instead of the wants of Jesus & he was called a fool.

I sat in the living room of a man who lived in our town, he was a very wealthy man, had land & a great business. While there I shared Jesus with him. I asked him “If you died today, would you go to heaven?” he said, “I don’t need that stuff, I’ve got all I need.” About a year or so later, I heard that he passed away; it broke my heart, because I heard that others who shared with him heard the same reply. I drive by his home daily & every time I do, I think of that night in his living room & I wonder now if he would change his mind. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34)

Vern

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2009-12-23T13:18:00.001-06:00

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
(2 Corinthians 9:15)

I had some time to kill last night, my wife was at the Atlanta airport shipping our niece back home to spend Christmas with her mom, so I took the time to get some things done that I have fallen behind on since I had been sick for most of last week. My agenda was to deliver gifts for Christmas.

My first stop took me up into a very rough part of town, not a good place for me to get lost, but I did. I drove around for about 30 minutes, I was going to ask the cop that I saw, but then he had his hands full as he slammed this upstanding young, wanna be “gangst” to the ground, so I just decided to call the homeowner who guided me to her home. She met me at the door; I had an arm full of Angel Tree presents for her two grandchildren. She was a small elderly black lady in her late 80’s (but looked like she was less than 60), with a heart for the Lord. I had a great visit with her & left there spiritually pumped. My next stop was to the county jail to make a request visit for a friend of mine.

When I arrived they set me in a small room at a table, then brought the friend of mine in that I was there to see & locked the door. He sat & talked about why he was there & how foolish it was that he did what he did to return back to jail. We also talked about life growing up in our hometown & how simple life was when we were young. We talked about growing up in church & even then both ending up living sinful lives, falling into some of the same sins. But there is where our lives started to differ, so we started talking about what at that time made us different. What was it, we went to the same school, lived in the same town, grew up in about the same type of family…so what made it to where he was sitting in orange & white stripped PJ’s & I was there as a minister? It was only one thing…Jesus. He said that he wanted the confidence that I had in where I would spend eternity. So I told him about 1 John 5:13, where we are told that we can know that we have eternal life & then we discussed the gospel & how he could be sure & without a doubt of his salvation. Long story short, he accepted Christ…I also left there spiritually pumped.

Last night God allowed me to deliver Christmas gifts, some that would last about as long as a toy could in the hands & care of a 9 & 1 year old. But He also allowed me to deliver a Christmas gift that would last forever, because of whose hands & care that it was left in…Jesus Christ. As cousin Eddy would say, “Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving”.
When you’re giving out gifts this Christmas, don’t forget the gift of all gifts, the King of kings & Lord of lords, the gift that no one will want to return & everyone deeply needs.

Vern

Bird or Rat?

2009-12-11T10:02:00.003-06:00

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
(John 3:19)

It has been reported that Thomas Alvin Edison failed over 6,000 times before perfecting the way to make me cringe & scream in the morning. Nothing is more fingernails on the chalkboard irritating, than when you are dead asleep with your head on a drool drenched pillow & someone flips on one of T.E.’s little inventions. My dad was the worlds worst about this. He would also throw in the “RISE & SHINE” as he maliciously brought me from the land of slumber to the mind numbing highly illuminated morning…but I do now find that to be fun as I do the same to my son.

In John, whom I like to call the brightest of the four gospels…seeing how he utilizes the word “light” more than the others, he says that Jesus was the light that came into the world, but instead of men embracing the light, they embraced the darkness. Why? It says because their deeds were evil. They were up to no good. People love light, a sunny day, a well lit room, ect… but when we want to do something that we don’t want anyone to see, we often slither back into the dark. Darkness hides our evil ways to the public, but it doesn’t to God.

I got to thinking, the only time I’ve ever really hated the light was when I was doing wrong or…when I was asleep. I truly believe that the majority of the church is asleep. I believe that we need a “RISE & SHINE” great awakening. We need to quit cringing because of the light & embrace it. Let Him light our path & illuminate our hearts. What will help with this is if the pastors shine the light of the word of God evry time they preach. A pastor should always shine the light of God’s word onto the congregation when he stands in the pulpit. But what if people get mad? What if people don’t like what is said? If it’s from the word of God & God has told him to say it, then it should be said…no matter who doesn’t like it.

J. Vernon McGee tells the story of when he was young & would have to go out at night to the old barn to feed their horse or the cow, he would take along a lantern. When he opened up the barn door & walked in with that lantern the rats on the floor would run for cover as the lantern illuminated the barn, but the birds that roosted on the rafters would start singing. When your pastor speaks the word of God from your pulpit Sunday morning, will you be a rat that loves the darkness…or a bird that can’t help but sing when they see the glorious light of their Father? Think about it.

Vern

God Is Snow Good

2009-12-08T13:07:00.003-06:00

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
(Psalm 51:7)

“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” These were the words that we were singing when it really hit me hard, that Jesus made my sins white as snow, a sight that I was fortunate enough to see Saturday morning when I walked out of my cabin in Mentone while on a youth retreat prior to that nights worship service.

The snow had covered the roof tops, the cars, dusted the ground, but what I noticed most was the old treated lumber benches that were right in the middle of the camp around the campfire. They were covered in about a half inch of snow. They looked like they were brand new, beautifully white with not one blemish, like they had been refinished with a solid white covering. The night before they were dirty, weathered & obviously used, but that morning they look brand spanking new. I thought of that as I sang “Jesus Paid It All” & man it brought me to my knees, because so often I forget what God really did for me when He saved me.

There were two friends of mine on this trip as counselors who had attended youth trips with me when we were in the youth together at this same church we attend today; I really started to think about what & who I was as a youth. I wasn’t saved; I was a punk, with a bad attitude. I went on youth trips & could have cared less about God or the price He paid for my soul. But even then Jesus died for me, He changed my life completely, He made me new, He washed me white as snow…or as the scripture states…“Whiter than snow”…God is good. Hopefully this will remind you of how good He has been to you, the way He reminded me with a song & a little frozen precipitation.

Vern

49ers for Jesus

2009-11-27T09:21:00.002-06:00

“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.”

(Proverbs 3:13-14)

The New York Herald Printed news of the discovery of gold in August 1848 & the rush for gold accelerated into a stampede. When the news of the discovery spread, it resulted in some 300,000 men, women, & children coming to California from the rest of the United States & abroad. Gold seekers traveled overland across the mountains to California, some took the round-about sea routes, either to Panama or around Cape Horn & then up the Pacific coast to San Francisco. In their quest for unguaranteed fortune, the 49ers as they came to be known, risked life limb & sometimes family, as they traveled through often unsettled lands to quench their thirst for gold.

How great it would be if men & women would crave wisdom today as much as the 49ers did gold back in the 1800’s. Proverbs says that the man who finds wisdom is gaining something way more precious than Gold & Silver. But often we ask what true wisdom really is. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 we are told that Jesus Christ “…became to us wisdom from God…” Jesus is true wisdom, & in James we are told “…if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” The search for true wisdom, (Jesus Christ), is more profitable than anything anyone on earth could ever gain & it can be gained when we seek Him, but unlike the Gold Rush of 1849 finding this fortune is 100% guaranteed.

Vern

The Gospel from a Sicko

2009-11-19T15:11:00.003-06:00

“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

(Matthew 9:12)

As I sat in a packed waiting room at a local doctor’s office with my head felling like someone stuffed a bag of cotton balls up my nose, I couldn’t help but think about the time when Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees while at Matthew’s house, about why He was eating with tax collectors & sinners. Now my first question to them would have been, “Why are you guys here? Aren’t you hanging out with the same people?” I mean they were at Matthew’s house. But Jesus didn’t say that, He is much deeper than me…thank goodness. Jesus said "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” This became I guess really evident to me as I sat in that waiting room. I started to notice that there wasn’t a well person there...except for this one guy, but he was there to bring his sick son to the doctor.

Some that were there, looked very sick, some didn’t. Some came at the first sign of their sickness, others like me, tried to take care of it themselves first & when it didn’t work then they came. The little boy that was there was swearing that he wasn’t sick at all. Never the less we were all there seeking the doctor for a cure no matter how we got there.

When we look at it we all need the Great Physician, we all need to be cured. Some understand that & have already come. Others are trying to handle it themselves & still some are denying that they have a problem at all. We all have to come to Jesus for the cure & when we are cured, we can bring others who are sick, so that they too can receive the purifying cure that Jesus, the Great Physician has for us all. Jesus is the only one that has ever been able to & will ever be able to truly furnish “universal healthcare”.

Vern

Dark Sanctuary

2009-11-12T15:12:00.002-06:00

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:1)

A few days ago during the storm “Ida” created, I was on my way home from work & had a real urge to drop by the church to just sit in the sanctuary & read my Bible & pray, it has to be the most calming place, I really enjoy just sitting there in the quiet.

When I got there it was dark out & just a few people were at the church, none were in the sanctuary which was very dark. As I entered I flipped on a light switch right outside the sanctuary in the hallway just before you go through the door. The light is for our baptistery & it only aluminates the sanctuary slightly, just enough to read by & still hang on to that cozy, quiet, calming feeling. I sat down on the steps of the stage & just talked to God for a little while, when all of a sudden someone turned off the light. I could hear a few people in the hallway, they were headed out & turning off the lights as they went. I thought about turning it back on but there was a little light coming through the stained-glass windows, not enough to read by, but I felt that God wanted me just to “be still”, so I just decided to sit & be quiet…plus I didn’t want to give those ladies who were leaving a heart attack when they didn’t know I was there in the first place.

As I was sitting there I could hear the wind whipping around outside & the heavy rain being blown up against the building, it made me realize God’s true power & how secure I felt inside that sanctuary, even though there was a rough storm going on all around me. I started to find it hard to pray…I didn’t know why, just couldn’t focus on it. But then Psalm 46:10 came to mind…now I didn’t remember that it was Psalm 46 at the time, but I did remember the verse, “Cease striving and know that I am God” or as most of us have heard it, “Be still & know that I am God”. For the next 20 minutes, I just sat there, listening to the storm & God. At that time I understood why God decided that I needed to come to the sanctuary…I needed to seek His protection…to understand that in all the storms of life, He is my sanctuary. That no matter what happens in this world, no matter where I go or what happens to me, if I am in Him, He is my “refuge & strength, a very present help in trouble.” I really needed that time in God’s sanctuary & didn’t even know it…good thing He did.

Vern

Satisfied Saint

2009-10-28T14:59:00.003-05:00

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"

Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him stay. Everyone was very happy at the farmer’s good luck. “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

In Philippians 4 Paul speaks of being content in whatever situation comes your way. At the time Paul was in prison. Paul was often in bad situations, hard work, frequently in prison, been severely flogged, been exposed to death again and again, five times he received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one…thanks for that “minus one”, three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was shipwrecked & spent a night and a day in the open sea. He was constantly on the move, he has been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from his own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. He labored and toiled and often went without sleep, he has known hunger and thirst and has often gone without food…I’m writing this while eating a yeast roll & I’m not even hungry. He has been cold and naked, now I do have clothes on. Besides all else, he faced daily the pressure of his deep concern for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). In short…well not really in short…Paul knew a bad situation when he saw one. But in all that he went through, he was content & truly lived Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. In our days to come, we need to remember those words, no matter what comes our way.

Vern

Power

2009-10-07T16:24:00.002-05:00

“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…”
(Ephesians 3:16)

Dreaming that I was a big movie star with the paparazzi flashing photos of me as I ran out of my favorite restaurant quickly went away when a loud boom of thunder along with more flashes of lightning woke me up last night. I woke up just in time to see my digital alarm clock’s numbers disappear into the darkness & the ceiling fan slowly coming to a stop…yep, my power was out. I got up & stumbled through the darkness looking for the flashlight that I keep somewhere in the house for just these type of emergencies. I finally found it, then found my cell phone, called the power company, then set the alarm on my phone & went back to bed.

As I was lying there I started thinking about how dark & quiet it was, everything was almost lifeless, well all except for the nervous Toy Poodle that had nudged right up against me shaking like he was swallowing razor blades, but other than that the house seemed dead. The only life it seemed was outside. The booming thunder, the flashing lightning, the pouring rain & gusts of wind made me realize that God is so unbelievably powerful.

In Ephesians 3:16, Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit who dwells inside all believers…is God & His power. Lying in bed I thought of what an unsaved person must feel like: No God, no power, just dark & lifeless inside, only seeing the power of God…but never experiencing it.

The next thing I knew I was waking up to my phone alarm, I got up flipped on the light & oh yea…power! Not just outside, but inside as well. That’s what happens when we wake up & accept Jesus; we are filled with His power & illuminated with his wonderful light.
Is your power on? If not, check out the links to the top right of this page, He’ll leave the light on for you.

Vern

When Pigs Fly

2009-10-06T11:03:00.004-05:00

“Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.”
(Mark 5:16-17)

I was asked a question the other day, “What is the significance of `swine` being the animal the demons were cast into?” I believe Biblically there is no actual reason or hidden meaning behind the swine being the recipients of the demons, or at least the Bible does not tell us of one. But it does show us that Jesus was more concerned with the welfare of the man than with the welfare of the pigs. Now the people of the surrounding town that came back with the pig herders didn’t give a rip about the man or his soul, they only cared about what happened to their pigs. The man that had been a longtime tormented with these evil spirits was now free, they all saw & noticed that he was clothed & in his right mind, a man that they had tried to tie up & contain but couldn’t. But even with that, all they cared about was their pigs…their pigs. They even wanted Jesus gone from their area. They wanted to trade the security, comfort, peace, love, and joy… everything that they would ever need for an abundant life…for nasty, smelly swine. They loved those pigs more than Jesus, they were scared of Him…but so were the demons. But notice that the man who was freed from his torment wasn’t afraid; he wanted to be around Jesus more.

Maybe that is the meaning of this ordeal…so often we would rather have our nasty, smelly, rotten sin in place of Jesus. We see Jesus as restrictive, as no fun…we see our sin as freeing, & fun, when in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. Sin is always what binds us, what holds us captive. Just like the demon possessed man was held captive by the demons within him, Jesus was the only one who could totally free him & when Jesus truly frees you…you want to be with Him, the closer the better, the closer the more free you are.

I also have often thought that when these people couldn’t control this man or cure him, they just gave up on him…left him to live naked among the dead in the graveyard. I can see this one guy who lived in the town saying to another as they watched this wild man off in the distance screaming & cutting himself with stones, “That crazy nut will get better…when pigs fly!” Now that’s not Biblical, that’s just a little “Vernology”. But that day swine flew...no pun intended...okay maybe a little.

Vern

Jesus Is In the Jelly?

2009-09-29T16:11:00.005-05:00

“For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds.”

(Psalm 57:10)

J. Vernon McGee once told the story of a teacher who asked her young Sunday school class, what the difference was between “kindness” & “lovingkindness”. A six year old little girl raised her hand & said, “Kindness, is when I ask my mommy for a piece of toast & she gives me it to me. Lovingkindness, is when I ask my mommy for a piece of toast & she adds jelly without me even asking”. Now that’s a great description of what lovingkindness truly is, it may even be the best description, next to Romans 5:8-9. See, we didn’t have to ask God to make a way for us…He just did it. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Romans 5:8-9).

Because of His great love for us, not just us as in church people, or just white people or just Black people. Not just the Jewish people or any other group, but the whole world…“For God so loved the world”. Have you ever really sat & thought about that, “…the world”? Could God have meant the whole human race? Yes, while we were sinners, he died for us, not because we were good folk, but while we were rotten & filthy, with our backs turned to Him. God’s love was given to us, while we were sinners, without us even having to ask. Now that’s lovingkindness.

Vern

Stop Hitting the Bottle

2009-09-19T09:05:00.008-05:00

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”
(Hebrews 6:1)

A group of tourists were traveling through Europe visiting historical sites. They were impressed that so many small villages were the birthplaces of great artiest, poets, composers & political leaders. While the group was walking through a particularly beautiful village, one of the tourists approached an old man who was sitting in front of a building & asked, “Excuse me, but…were any great men or women born in this village?”
The old man thought for a moment & replied, “No, only great babies!”

When we accept Christ we are “born again” as “babes in Christ”. Paul said,

“I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able…” (1 Corinthians 3:2)

Paul was talking to adults…like they were infants.

Hebrews tells us that though we are infants in Christ when we first accept Him…we can’t stay babies forever, no more than we can physically.

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity…” (Hebrews 6:1)

We have to grow up spiritually & mature. Imagine a church full of physical babies, crying for their needs to be met, crying for attention…or just crying to cry. Now imagine one man, the pastor, trying to take care of a whole church full of physical babies. It would be almost impossible & even if he was to satisfied them all, nothing would ever get done…the babies can’t do anything but worry about themselves & the pastor can’t do anything for trying to comfort them. I honestly believe that the major problem with the majority of churches today, is that they are filled with milk drinking, bottle babies. God wants us to mature, to move on from the “elementary teachings” & on to solid food, digging deeper in His word & becoming someone who is more worried about reaching this world for Christ, than pacifying their own desires. Get off the bottle & onto the Bread.

Vern

My

2009-08-11T14:36:00.005-05:00

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
(Psalm 23:1)

I Goggled Psalm 23, seven hundred & eighty seven results, everything from posters to a cute video of some little kid quoting the Psalm to some play called “Bat Boy”…don’t know how that got in the mix, but it seems that everyone loves to use this chapter or some of the verses in it. They love to put it on Jewelry, bumper stickers, tattoos, signs at a sporting event, on a Myspace page, ect...

Psalm 23 is full of awesome verses that would help people through out there life, like: “I shall not want.”, “He restores my soul”, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil”, “My cup overflows”, “Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life”, theses verses look great on the posters & tattoos, but they are not for everyone. What???? They're not for everyone? That’s ridicules, they're not for everyone! Well they're not. See you have to get by the first part of the first verse of Psalm 23, before the rest will apply to you.

“The LORD is my shepherd…” catch that, “The Lord is MY shepherd…” see by the capital “M” & “Y”, that I’m emphasizing the word “My”. If He, being Jesus, is not your shepherd, then He is none of the other to you. That sounds mean, but it’s not meant to be, it’s just truth.

Jesus in John 10:14 says “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me…” Jesus says that His sheep, His people will know Him & He knows them, He knows & you know whether or not you are His own. I can look at your fruit, but only you & Jesus know for sure if you are saved or not. But people can look at your life & see what you believe. On down in verse 27, Jesus goes on to say, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…” Jesus’ true sheep follow Him. Are you following Jesus today? Is He your shepherd? When He becomes your shepherd, Psalm 23 becomes so simple & so sweet…it will be a chapter of pure comfort. I heard a pastor once say that this chapter was short & to the point, it was “Sublimely simple & simply sublime”. It means so much when Jesus is truly your good shepherd. Make Him yours today.

Vern

Paul's Rags

2009-08-07T09:36:00.004-05:00

“…but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 3:13-14)

Once there was a beggar who lived near the king's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king's face. "You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.

"You are now eligible to attend the king's banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags. One day as he lay dying, the king visited him.

The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince's words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. And the king wept with him. (Unknown Author)

Imagine Paul who once was called “Saul” of Tarsus a man who had held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen. The Bible describes Stephen as “…a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 6:5, “…full of grace and power” in verse 8, Paul helped & gave his approval of the stoning of this man of God (Acts 22:20). As I said, imagine when Paul looked back into his past while writing this letter to the Philippians, imagine what he saw. He saw a man who had tried to destroy the church, a man who had put to death men & women for being Christians…he saw an evil man, one he was ashamed of I’m sure...he saw himself. But it was a memory that he would have to leave behind to move forward. He would have to leave behind his filthy rags. Paul also saw a man who also at that time was a Jewish religious leader who thought that his works & religious rituals would earn him a way into Heaven. Paul knew filthy rags & he knew that you had to leave them behind to move forward.

We too have to leave behind our filthy rags, whether it is the filthy rags of living a bad life or trying to live a good one to get into Heaven…we have to understand that not only are we not good enough, nor can we ever be to enter heaven, we must also remember that only Christ is & when He saved us, He made us new…no more worrying about the past, but looking & living for the future. Don’t apologize for who you were, if you are in Christ, you are no longer that person. Let go of the past & reach forward to what lies ahead, “…press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Vern

Worldwide Tug-of-War

2009-07-27T15:27:00.004-05:00

An old man was sitting & watching a little boy play in a vacant lot. The little boy was pulling on a large weed growing right up in the middle of the lot. The little boy would pull on one side, then on the other, pulling as hard as he could. This show went on for about 15 minutes or so, when all of a sudden with a might hard pull & a loud grunt the weed gave way root & all, the man watched the little boy do a back flip & then said to him, “Son that sure was a mighty big pull” The little boy replied, “Well, the whole world was pullin’ against me!”

Do you ever fell like this little boy? Do you ever feel like the whole world is pulling against you? Sometimes I do. But when I do I think about what Jesus said to His disciples. Jesus told them that they may believe now, but later on they would run into to some troubles, truly worse troubles than we can even imagine, but listen to what Jesus told them (in John 16:3), He said…“In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” I’m not a big fan of the NIV, but I do like the way that it Phrases this verse…“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus said that we are going to have troubles…be prepared for that, but don’t worry about it…He’s already got it handled. Let Him handle your weeds.

Vern

A Circus Elephant's Zero Ego

2009-07-20T14:13:00.001-05:00

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
(2 Peter 1:4)

I once heard that the reason that an adult circus elephant can be held in place by a small stake & piece of rope tied around his leg, without worry of him escaping, is because they defeated his will when he was young. They take a baby elephant place a chain around his leg & fasten it to a very sturdy post, one that the baby elephant could not possibly escape from. As the young elephant grows weary of trying to free himself from his bondage, he looses all hope & just flat out gives up. Before long as he grows older, they can tie a small rope around his leg & attach it to a wooden stake that is driven into the ground. At any time this monster of an animal could easily rip the weak restraints & escape, but in his heart…he does not believe that he can.

When we first accept Christ, God gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us. That Holy Spirit is our new nature, a divine nature. He will help us to live the life that God has set out for us. But so often new Christians get in this rut, believing that they can’t live the way that God wants, so they live defeated lives, ever wondered why we see so many people who claim to be Christians, struggling with sin? Now I know that there are many who are simply not saved, they are just Christians by mouth. But there are those who have truly accepted Christ that struggle. They think that they are not as good as someone else, that they can’t live up to God’s standards. But truth be known, they are not “partaking of the divine nature” that God has given them. They are not taking part in that new nature, they are still thinking of themselves as cursed. But we, when we come to Christ are no longer cursed…but we have been crowned…crowned with His righteousness, made new, with a new nature. The Bible tells us that a dog will return to his vomit & that a pig, after being cleaned up, will return to the mud…that’s their nature. When we accept Christ, we are no dog or pig. We have a new nature…so take hold of it, let God lead you by His word & prayer time…set aside a time daily to get with him & see that you are new & useful to God. Break Satan’s rope & stake.

Vern

Sow Corn...Get Corn

2009-07-09T14:34:00.003-05:00

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
(Galatians 6:7)

Jezebel who was queen of Israel, the “classy” wife picked by King Ahab & a woman who holds the most unpopular baby name for centuries is a great example of this very verse…at least the bad side of it. She was a queen who was the one truly in charge…her husband allowed her to do as she pleased. She was from an idolatrous family & was a very outspoken woman. She lorded over her husband & Ahab coward down to her desires. 1 Kings 16 tells us that Ahab, “…did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” & Jezebel helped in that. They put God’s prophets to death & worshipped & served the false god Baal, so much so that verse 33 states that “Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.” These were two bad farmers sowing their seeds. But just like an old farmer once simply said…“If you sow corn…you’re gonna get corn”.

Theses two did a lot of sick, pathetic things but one finally brought on the total judgment of God. There was a man named Naboth, who lived beside the palace who had a very nice vineyard. The Bible says that Ahab coveted the vineyard & went over to the guy & asked for him to sell it to him but the man told him that he couldn’t sell it; it had been passed down from his forefathers. Ahab went home & pouting like a 5 year old, the Bible says that he “lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food”. This is a grown man; acting like a spoiled brat…makes me want to punch him…I know that sounds un-Christian, but I’m just being honest. His manly wife Jezzy sees that he is upset & asks why, he tells her that the mean ol’ guy next door won’t give him his land…wawawawaw!!!!! So she goes & has this man falsely accused, condemned & then stoned to death. Then she goes in & tells Ahab to go over & take the land. This woman is evil.

Now when Ahab goes to take the land, God sends Elijah to tell Ahab what his & Jezzy’s end result will be. God spoke through Elijah & said, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.” He also said about Jezzy, “Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, 'The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.” Now that shocked Ahab & he became repentant & humble before God & God decided that He would not bring evil against his house until after his death, but in 1 Kings 22:34-38 it tells of Ahab’s death & how, as they washed the blood out of his chariot, the dogs were licking it up in the same place that Naboth’s blood was spilt. In 2 Kings 9:33 we hear about how Jezzy died, she was thrown out a window & then stomped on. The dude who killed her then went into the palace & started eating their food. While eating he told his servants to go bury her & when they went out, all that was left of her was her skull, feet & palms of her hands…the dogs had gnawed down on Jezzy.

God will not be mocked…sow corn…reap corn.

But that verse also holds true for those who sow to the spirit & not the flesh. Abraham believed & followed God & through him came the savior of the world. People Like Daniel, Joseph, David, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, James, John, Paul, ect… the list goes on, these people though not perfect sowed seeds that reaped eternal life, they did not loose heart (Galatians 6:8-9). They followed God & abided by His will, by faith they trusted in Him & received eternal salvation.

How are you today, are you reaping what you sow? Remember, “Sow corn…get corn”.

Vern

Believe It or Not

2009-06-25T11:59:00.002-05:00

“So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
(Galatians 3:9)

What actually saves us? The first step to true salvation, is understanding what true salvation is.
In Galatians 3 Paul gives us an accurate explanation of what truly saves. He uses Abraham as his example.

Back in Genesis 15, God informs Abram that He was going to make a great nation out of him. He took Abram outside & said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them’ And He said to him, ‘so shall your descendants be."
The next verse is the key, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” God “reckoned” him or believed him to be righteous or justified before God. In other words, he was okay with God…God gave him a stamp of approval. But why does it say that God called him righteous? It says, because he “believed in the LORD.” His belief in what God told him was what saved him. Hebrews 11:1-2 says “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval”. Paul tells us that God saves us the same way.

In Galatians 3:8 it says, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." God knew that this promise to Abram would be the way that Gentiles & Jews, would be saved. God made a promise to all of us, just as He did to Abram, & like Abram…we are found righteous when we believe.

Wait! That’s too simple…that’s dangerously too simple…what if people think that all they have to do to be saved is…believe? Well, true salvation will make you free…free from the law & if someone teaches anything other than salvation through faith alone…they are not teaching true salvation. But with that said, I guess Calvin said it best, “Faith alone saves…but saving faith is never alone”. This is what James was speaking of when he said, “Faith without works is dead”. Now isn’t that in conflict with what Paul is talking about here? Not at all, Paul is speaking about the root of salvation…James is speaking about the fruit of salvation. Paul is speaking on how to be saved…James is speaking on the evidence of true salvation.

When a person truly believes that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, realizing that they are sinners & repent, turning to God for salvation is the only way to be saved…then that person is indwelled with the Holy Spirit & that person’s life will be changed. If there is no evidence of salvation…there is no salvation. We worry so much about whether someone truly accepted Christ, so much so that we try to put restrictions on them accepting Christ in the first place. We sometimes turn it into a works process; you have to do these certain things to be saved. But we need to remember that to truly be saved we need to purely believe, believe the promise that God gave us in His Son Jesus Christ, that He is our only hope & salvation, there is no other way.

I use to love this show called “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” They would show all kinds of bizarre things & most were very hard to believe…at the end of each clip & Jack Palance was the best at this, in his tough, raspy voice, he would look into the camera & say “Believe it or not”. God made us a promise…one that seems a little bizzare…one that seems too good to be true…one that is very hard to believe…that He would give His one & only Son to pay the debt for those who contually turn from Him & mock His name…for those He knows will outright reject His more than generouse offer. But still He holds out His gift to you & me & says…“Believe it or not”.

Vern

Street Reach

2009-06-20T08:31:00.006-05:00

“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
(Isaiah 58:12-Street Reach mission verse)

Last week I was able to return to Tennessee with our church youth group for our annual mission trip. We work with a small church in the middle of some of the worst streets in Memphis. This church, Brinkley Heights, has been one that started with a church building that was, for the most part falling in. The small congregation some of whom were homeless themselves, wanted nothing more than to reach out to their community by feeding & clothing those in need...but they didn’t have any money themselves…how would they help? They did have one thing…their strong, childlike faith in God. This church had crack houses around it that have now been shut down & they were able to purchase them, repair them & use them to serve the community with the love of God.

Our youth have been serving with this ministry for the last four years; I have been with them for the last three. The first year that I went with them, the thing that stuck in my mind the most was that when they decided to build a new church building, they didn’t build a church…they built a community center…& as strange as it sounds…they built it for the surrounding community to use daily. When you walk up to this modest building, you don’t see a gaudy, overpriced facility, with stained glass & a huge sanctuary with a “family life center” & gym…no, you see, as I said before, a small community center. Inside there is a gym, nothing fancy, but the people in the community love to be there & it doubles as there sanctuary. Down the halls they have a few classrooms where they have a few classes, mostly elementary if I’m right. Everything they do is to show the love of God & to serve & better educate their community.

Last year they started on a new school on their lot that will run from kindergarten through 12th grade. When we were there last year the “Carpenters for Christ” crew was there building it. They are waiting on financing now so that they can finish it. Another cool thing is that they aren’t going into debt to pay for this stuff, they wait until they have the money & then they build…weird concept huh?

The program that they us to reach the community & children, is called “Street Reach”, during the mornings our youth would work sites where they conducted Backyard Bible clubs & in the evening they would either visit a nursing home, clean up streets, cut grass or go to a local community center & play with the children…some even helped with a block party for another church. It was really cool how all those churches in that area worked together to reach Memphis.

During some of the backyard Bible clubs there were many children saved, by hearing & accepting the gospel that was brought to them by some of our very own youth. Something else I enjoyed was seeing how much love the youth showed those children. The majority of these kids…sorry Mrs. Villia…I meant children, Mrs. Villia was a black lady from the nursing home that while I was speaking with her quickly corrected me when I asked her if she have any “kids”…she looked dead at me through her 80 plus year old eyes & said, “No…but I do have several children…I ain’t no goat.” So let me rephrase that before I get in trouble…the majority of those children, come from homes where love is by no means readily shown, if at all. But when they received it from the youth, they soaked it up like a “Sham wow”…they just couldn’t get enough. Our whole trip was basically built on showing the children & the community, true unconditional love. We wanted the people of that community to associate love with the name of Jesus. Those children at least on our site, looked daily across the street at closed businesses & a liquor store, which seemed to be the hub of that area. There were all kinds of adults sitting around all day long most drunk, yelling across the street to each other, drug deals here & there, people bumming a few bucks for more alcohol.
This little park area in front of this run down trailer park, smack dab in the middle of a run down neighborhood, that seemed as though the hope had been just sucked out of it… this small park…will be a place where Jesus will be throughout the summer, showing true Agape, unconditional love. The children can look around them & see what the world has to offer, then look at the “Street Reach” team & see the love & hope that only Jesus can provide.

I walked over one morning to where some of the men sat everyday under & drank in the shade of a large oak tree. I sat down on one of their milk crates before they arrived, kicked some of the beer cans & liquor bottles out of my way & just imagined what they were feeling & think while looking out into that community…my heart sank. It was depressing, hopeless & it seemed there was no way out. But then I heard a child's laughter, I turned & watched as the children of Leahy’s Trailer Park arrived with smiles on there faces, looking for another big dose of the love of Jesus & I saw hope, I saw a way out…through the hearts & minds of those children…not “kids”, but children. This is the vision of “Street Reach” & a little church called Brinkley Heights…keep them in your prayers.

Vern

Free Bird

2009-05-29T13:00:00.001-05:00

A pastor by the name of S.T. Gordon from Boston had placed an empty birdcage next to his pulpit. Everyone became very curious…what’s an empty birdcage doing in a church? One man finally spoke up & asked Pastor Gordon about the empty cage. Pastor Gordon explained, “Well, I was out walking yesterday & came across some young boys playing with these wild birds in the alley, they were kind of torturing them, they were plucking at their feathers. So I went up to them & said, what are you doing? ‘We’re just playing with these birds’ they said. I asked them, what are you going to do with those birds when you’re done playing with them? The boys said, ‘probably just feed em’ to the cats…their no good’.

I said, ‘How much do you want for those birds?’ ‘You don’t want these birds,’ the boys said, ‘They’ll bite you, ignore you…you don’t want these birds, their useless!’
‘How much do you want?’ I said. ‘Two dollars.’ Said the one.
I paid them two dollars, took the cage & went on my way…then I released the birds.”

S.T. Gordon went on to say that once upon a time there was a similar exchange between the Devil & Jesus. Jesus said, “How much do you want for my people?” & Satan said, “You don’t want these people. They’ll spit on you, ignore you…you don’t want these people…they’re no good…they’re worthless.” Jesus said, “How much do you want for them?” Satan replied, “All of your blood & all of your tears…that’s the price.” So Jesus took the cage, paid the price & opened the door.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)

Vern

Nick At Night

2009-05-25T21:36:00.001-05:00

“Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night…”
(John 19:39a)

It’s pretty cool that the verse above is stated the way it is, seeing how I honestly believe that Nicodemus truly came to Jesus that night. This man, who was a member of the Pharisees & a leader of the Jews, came to Jesus at night to speak to him about maybe joining with them to overthrow the Roman government. He came to Jesus in the name of the Pharisees, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God…” we? Where did he get we, wasn’t he alone? He was speaking to Jesus as if he was there as an ambassador for the Pharisees. See the Pharisees were waiting on a messiah that would as I said above, lead them in over-throwing the government that had long suppressed them & the Jewish people. They saw Jesus as a leader that the people were drawn to & thought that he didn’t know how to handle the politicians like they did, but if He would only join up with them…then what they had been long waiting for could be soon to come. But you know…I don’t think that Nick was prepared for what Jesus was about to say.

Jesus sort of said, lets cut to the chase, lets stop messing around or as some of our older Alabama paw paws would say, stop Hee Hawin’ around & let’s get to what you really need…Nick…“you must be born again”. Nick was shocked, he had no idea what Jesus meant by this statement, he thought that he meant physical birth…but he soon was to find out that Jesus meant spiritual. Jesus went own to tell Nick that He had come to save the world, not to condemn it. He also shared with Nick what has become the most known Bible verse in the world…John 3:16…“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” I would imagine that at this time the light went on in Nick’s head & heart. He had just had the gospel shared with him by the one the gospel was all about. He heard the good news of Jesus Christ…straight from the lips of Jesus himself.

It isn’t until later in John that we see why I believe that Nick’s life was changed forever. In John 7:50-51, Nick takes a stand for Jesus, a stand that would bring him persecution & reticule from his Pharisee peers. Jesus is speaking in Galilee during the Feast of the Jews, crowds were split, some believed Him & debated whether or not He was from God, while others wanted to arrest Him. The Pharisees were highly outraged & sent officers to arrest Jesus, but even the officers were overtaken with the words Jesus spoke & they returned to the Pharisees without making an arrest. The Pharisees then started talking about all the people & the officers being lead astray & they said “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? ‘But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” Then Nick spoke up, “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” Then the Pharisees turned on him, mocked him & I would think that he wasn’t welcome with them any longer. Nick took a stand for Jesus against the very men who would soon put Jesus to death. But this isn’t the only place that Nick is mentioned.

In John 19 we see Nick again. Jesus is pronounced dead on the cross, a man named Joseph of Arimathea a rich man who had a tomb & was a secret follower of Jesus came & asked for the body of Jesus so that he could properly bury Him. Along with Joseph came Nick who brought a mixture of Myrrh & aloes about a hundred pounds it says to help prepare the body. A real cool thing here is that when the Jews prepared a body for burial they used half the body weight in spices to do it. They used one hundred pounds, meaning that Jesus probably weighed at or around two hundred pounds…that’s just a note for those trivia folks. The important thing here is that Nick evidently had a change the night he met with Jesus, he stood up for him when no one else would & he came out very publicly at his death, when all of Jesus disciples were hiding in fear.
When I read all of this I thought that we just don’t give Nick enough credit for his transformation, a man in a very difficult situation & still willing to stand for Jesus…I pray I can be as bold.

Ask yourself this question: Are you a secret follower… at work, school, around your friends? Heck we at this time don’t have to worry about being stoned to death or being nailed to a cross…but we often stay silent. Why? Have you really met Jesus, as Nick did?

Vern

American Democracy or Not

2009-05-15T21:57:00.003-05:00

I usually try to stay away from the political side of things when I’m writing for my blog…but there is really something that is bothering me.

The last two times that I went over my son’s history study sheets with him I noticed something…it doesn’t seem as though the school system is teaching our children that America is a republic. The questions all refer to our country as a democracy. I know right now that many of you are saying, who cares…what does that matter. Well to our Founding Fathers, it meant a great deal & should to us.

"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths." James Madison

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams

"The experience of all former ages had shown that of all human governments, democracy was the most unstable, fluctuating and short-lived." John Quincy Adams

"Pure democracy cannot subsist long nor be carried far into the departments of state, it is very subject to caprice and the madness of popular rage." John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration

“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Thomas Jefferson

Our founding fathers called a democracy a “mobocracy”. Why? In a democracy style of government the mob rules. A pure democracy operates by direct majority vote of the people, whether those people are good or bad, they still rule, & as Karl Marx the father of communism, once stated “Democracy is the road to socialism” any government that follows a democracy style government will end up sooner or later a socialist or even worse a communist government.

In America we have gone from this…

“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Thomas Jefferson

to this…

“I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. And when we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics.” Barack Obama

But, what’s so amazing is that it’s not only Obama that believes that we are a democracy, but so did Bush Jr., Clinton & many other men who have held the office of President. They must not have known their history, this coming from a guy who would rather have watched grass grow or gouged out my own eyeballs with a spork than have sit through a history or social studies class. But I have learned the importance of knowing our history…it will be key to America’s survival.

Now, lets look at a republic. A republic is ruled by law, not a majority. A republic differs in that the general population elects representatives who then pass laws to govern the nation. So if the source of law for a democracy is the popular feeling of the people, then what is the source of law for the American republic? According to Founder Noah Webster:

“Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.”

Are you starting to see why we are having this drift from the use of the word “republic”? The inspirational values of Biblical natural law were the foundation of the American republic. Think about the stability this provides: in our republic, murder will always be a crime, for it is always a crime according to the Word of God. But, in a democracy, if majority of the people decide that murder is no longer a crime, murder will no longer be a crime.

America's absolute principles of right and wrong were not based on the ever changing feelings and emotions of the people but rather on what Baron de Montesquieu identified as the "principles that do not change." Benjamin Rush stated that “Where there is no law, there is no liberty; and nothing deserves the name of law but that which is certain and universal in its operation upon all the members of the community.” The Founders understood that Biblical values formed the basis of the republic and that the republic would be destroyed if the people's knowledge of those values should ever be lost. Now the question is… Are we loosing our Biblical values? Look around, if you can’t see it your blind. We have not only lost our values, but those who are still holding on to them of the most part are not teaching them to their children, hence my frustration about my sons study sheet.
I have included a video that will more clearly explain this blog, check it out below & remember, we can either do something about our decline or just try & enjoy the short ride to the hard rocky bottom of the end of our republic & freedom as we know it.

Vern

Is He Safe?

2009-05-09T10:15:00.003-05:00

In “The Lion Witch & the Wardrobe”, Susan & Lucy ask Mr. & Mrs. Beaver to describe Aslan. They ask if Aslan is a man. Mrs. Beaver replies.

“Aslan a man? Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood & the song of the great Emperor-beyond-the-sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion…the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he…quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, & make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?” Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

In C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan represents Jesus Christ. He is described as the great lion, the king of wild beasts, who is anything but “safe.” But, it’s added that he is good.

What do you think about Jesus? Is He safe & non-threatening to you & the way you want to live your life? If your vision of Jesus is the meek & mild Jesus that makes no demands on you…I want to tell you that you’ve got the wrong Jesus. Nothing makes me sicker, than to see the pictures of Jesus, the ones with the pasty white skin, the big puppy dog eyes & pouty lips…you know the one that looks like a sissy. Christianity is not a religion of sissies, nor was or is Jesus one. I believe that we need to mentally do away with this “sissy” Jesus view, He was anything but a sissy anything but weak, anything but safe & we should tremble at His presents…He is the Creator of everything, the Law Giver & Judge…He is the Great I Am. But when we are living in His will, we have no need to fear His wrath…He is good.

"A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3:8)

Vern

Fashion Faux Pas

2009-05-01T15:40:00.006-05:00

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
(Galatians 3:27)

My wife & I years ago were invited to a friend’s wedding party…my first question to them was “what is the dress for that night?” They said that it was shorts & a nice “polo” type shirt. The party was being held at a Doctor’s home & I new that my friend’s family & a lot of their friends would be dressed up; most of them are very well off. Now me, you say shorts & I’m in, but in back of my mind, I couldn’t help but see everyone there in khakis & a nice shirt, & myself all goofy strutting around in shorts, looking like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation.

I know this situation shouldn’t have bothered me… but it did. I told my wife on the way, that I would probably be the only one there wearing shorts & that I was going to look stupid & sure enough as soon as we pulled up to the end of the drive, everyone was outside dressed up & waiting on Cousin Eddie. Again, it shouldn’t have bothered me…but…it did. I got out slowly, feeling everyone looking at me (even though, I don’t think they were) I strolled over toward the sitting area where our friends were. Man did I feel like a real goof…but what I saw next made everything that I felt go away…walking out of the house was my friends dad, who at that time I referred to a savior…yes, you guessed it, he was in shorts…Hallelujah!!!! I felt so much better, I was no longer worried about my clothes…this sounds so stupid, but I felt like I fit in…see, told yea it sounded stupid…but that’s the way I felt. I felt like I fit in, no longer an outcast, no longer the shorts wearing leper shunned to the outermost parts of the doc’s yard…it, in the immortal words of William Wallace was pure “FREEDOM”! I belonged.

That night as we all stood around talking, a thought came to my mind “What does a person, who doesn’t have nice clothes like suits, ties & such, feel like when they come & visit the church I attend?” I though about that for a while, do they feel like they fit in? Do they want to come back? Did they get starred at or receive a snotty look?

The more I though about it the more I realized that dressing up at church isn’t always good. Now don’t get me wrong, if someone wants to were a suit & tie there is nothing at all wrong with that…but in the same instance, I don’t believe it is at all wrong for someone to wear shorts & flip flops. As most know I’m a minister at the county jail & have been for about eight years. I thought about some of those men or women who may be released from jail & maybe they don’t have a lot, but they want to come to church & when they walk in they feel very uncomfortable, everyone they see is all dressed up, so they feel like they don’t belong…but wait, there’s a guy over there in a t-shirt & blue jeans…they think to themselves…I do fit in. Some would say, “They should come to worship God, not worry about how everyone is dressed!” But usually the one that would make that statement would be the first to look down their noses at someone who came in, in ragged clothes.

In James 2, we are told not to show favoritism to people because they seem to be well off. It talks about a well-dressed man entering your church & you walk with him up to the front & show him the best seat. Then the man who comes in wearing ragged clothing or maybe underdressed, well you just tell him to find a seat in the back or sit at your feet, or in our day you just look at him funny, like you don’t approve of his meager attire.

So the question is “Should you dress up for church?” Well, that I can’t answer for you, that’s between you & God. I don’t believe that God is as concerned about the clothes we were to church as He is about whom we clothe ourselves with.

“My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.”
(James 2:1)

Vern

Dr Christian

2009-04-27T14:35:00.008-05:00

Growing up, nothing would get me off our red leather couch & send me dancing around the room in my favorite pair of Rustler, bellbottom jeans, like the greatest jingle in commercial history “Be a Pepper”, You know “I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, we're a Pepper, Would not you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper ~ Drink Dr Pepper” COME ON!! BE A PEPPER, DRINK___ DR PEPPER…uh sorry, got a little over excited there.

When I remember this commercial, it makes me think of how most Christians look at sharing the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. You know like… “I’m a Christian, he’s a Christian, she’s a Christian, we’re Christians. Wouldn’t you like to be a Christian, too?” Some look at it as more of inviting friends to join a club kind of deal. Do you realize that 70 to 80% of Americans claim to be Christian, when we share the gospel in this way, heck anybody can be a Christian. Be a Christian, because I’m a Christian…this isn’t Biblical witnessing.

There’s also another commercial that reminds me of how some go about witnessing. “Billy Mays here for…” is usually how they start. This dude sales everything from Oxi-Clean to health insurance…& does it all screaming. I often wonder if he goes home & talks like that, “HONEY, I’M HOME…DINNER WAS GREAT TONIGHT…SURE I’LL SING THE BABY TO SLEEP, ROCKABY BABY ON THE TREE TOPS…
WAHHHHHHHHH…SORRY HONEY, BUT I DON’T THINK THE BABY IS SLEEPY!”

Sometimes we can be very harsh & very pushy, when sharing the good news, often offending people & embarrassing them. “BILLY MAYS HERE FOR, HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN!!!!” This witnessing is also not Biblical.

When we come to others in a harsh, “better than thou” way, they are usually turned off quickly. If we go at it in a “come on, join my club” way, we haven’t truly lead them to Christ.

Witnessing isn’t just something that you practice doing, it’s what overflows from the Holy Spirit living in you. When Peter in Acts 2, spoke to the “Men of Israel” what he was saying was flowing from the Holy Spirit. He didn’t save those people, God did, and Peter was just an instrument by which God spoke to them. He didn’t belittle them or raise himself up to be something great. He even called them “brothers”. Did he step on some toes? Yes, pretty much stomped them with words like this, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” He told them that they killed Jesus, but he did it in a caring way, he was sincere. When he was speaking, they could see & hear the love he had for them & the need they had. See we first need to realize that everyone has that need of salvation, that hunger to be made new…we have what they need.

It breaks my heart to walk out of the jail on Thursdays, knowing that there are those who haven’t accepted Christ, those who are still lonely, hurting & carrying the heavy load of their sins. But when I leave there, I always want to know that I shared with them out of my love for them & their need of Christ. I stand in the middle of convicted drug dealers, drug addicts, child molesters, rapists, con-men & often times murders, I can’t love them…humanly I can’t…but through the Holy Spirit I can & I do. I want those guys to see & hear the love that God has for them, as well as the broken heart he has for their sin. They also need to know that my love for them is through Christ & that I love them unconditionally…I don’t okay their sin, or think or say that they should not be in jail, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them & caring for them.

I also need to be that way daily, with everyone I meet. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t live a life daily the way I should. Actually there shouldn’t be a day that goes by that I don’t share the gospel with at least one person…but I often don’t...& I find myself missing out on sharing Jesus daily, as I should. But that is something that every believer needs to do daily. Imagine for a moment, if all believers shared Jesus every day…it would change this world in an instant.

We also need not look at those who are not Christians & expect them to live like Christians. So often we would rather whine & complain about the actions of others than share Christ with them, which would change their lives & morals.

“Dr. Christian” or “Billy Mays Christian” which are you, or do you just not share at all? Let’s make it a point today, to start building relationships with those who need Christ & look for a way to share the greatest news in the history of the world with all those that we come in contact with & do it through the strength of the Holy Spirit, with a heart of love & compassion.

Vern

Josephcoaster

2009-04-17T14:31:00.003-05:00

“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:8)

I’m not a big fan of Six Flags…I could live the rest of my life, never darkening the gates of Six Flags again & on my death bed say that I’ve lived a wonderful & fulfilled life…but I have a wife who loves that place. She loves the roller coasters…me, I have a problem with them, as I do with planes, a problem of trusting a man made machine with my life. But there is one roller coaster that I love to ride…the “Mindbender” or now I think it’s “the Joker”. I like this roller coaster because it is attached to the rails, it has a rap around wheel system that seems more secure, and more like it can’t come off the tracks than lets say the “Scream Machine” where with every hill you come out of your seat.

Joseph, back in Genesis knew a lot about roller coasters, he lived on one. Joseph’s life was anything but normal & talking about a dysfunctional family…Joseph’s family was messed up. His dad Jacob had several wives (all at one time) & by those wives had several sons, next to the youngest was Joseph, his father’s favorite & his father showed that, which made Joseph’s brothers hate him. His brother’s hated him so bad that when he came out to check on them where they were watching the sheep, they decided to throw him in a pit & kill him. Now I had an older brother & he may have at times wished he could throw me in a pit, but I know he never wanted to kill me.

Joseph’s brothers were stopped from killing him by the convicted heart of his brother Reuben, instead they sold him to some slave traders…now I know without a doubt that if my brother could have sold me he would have. May be at trade day or somewhere. But what they were meaning to be bad for Joseph, God meant for his good & the good of many others.

After Joseph’s brothers put him on their version of “e-bay”, he wound up in Egypt in the house of a man named Potiphar, who was head of all of Pharaoh’s bodyguards. Now Potiphar saw something in Joseph that he didn’t in the other servants, so he put him in charge of his other servants & when he decided to go on a trip, he put him in charge of his whole house hold while he was gone.
Long story short, & I will probably write a blog on this later, Joseph was propositioned & almost raped by Potiphar’s wife. But he ran away from her (very smart move), she yelled rape & Joseph was now in prison.

While in prison, Joseph has the opportunity to interpret a dream for two cellmates & later Pharaoh had a dream that he wanted to know the meaning of & hears that Joseph is the man to see. Joseph seeks God for the answer & he sees that there will be a great famine in the land & God shows him how to handle it so that the people of the land will survive. Pharaoh just like Potiphar, sees something in Joseph, & is so pleased with him that he places Joseph second in command of all of Egypt.

The famine that came to that land also helped to bring Joseph’s brothers, to have to stand before him in search of food. Now of course they had no idea that the man that would hold their life in his hand would be the very brother that they sold, but Joseph didn’t seek revenge, but reconciliation. This brought his father Jacob & little brother Benjamin who he had longed to see & even wondered if they were still alive to Egypt to live with him, where the Israelites would grow into a great nation & the place that Moses would be born. Later to return to the land of Canaan to posses it as their own, but during their time in Egypt, the idolatrous people of Canaan would be given 400 plus years to turn to God.

The roller coaster ride of the life of Joseph had plenty of ups & downs, as well as man sharp curves & upside down situations, but just like “The Joker”, it was right on track. He was in the will of God, because he stayed devoted to God through it all & through his life many were saved.
Going through some tough times, ups, downs, curves & loops? Stay close to God & count it as an adventure in His will…& you will be right on track.

Vern

Caught Cheating and Almost Stoned

2009-04-15T15:28:00.004-05:00

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
(John 8:7)

I’ve always said that you could stop a lot of the violence over in the Middle East, if someone would just pick up all the rocks…you always see the news clips where some guys are snatching up rocks & giving them a whirl…those guys will sail a stone in a heartbeat.

In John 8, we are told of a group of scribes & Pharisees who dragged a young lady into the temple, claiming to have caught her in the act of adultery. They wanted to see if Jesus would condemn her or forgive her. They were more than shock at what he did do…instead of condemning her to death by stoning, as the Law commanded, Jesus turned the tables on the accusers…why?

Jesus knew that they were trying to trick Him, they were using the life of this woman to do it. They also were not honestly seeking justice, these men didn’t care anything about this broken women before them or the law…they just wanted a reason to discredit Jesus. See the “Law” that they were speaking of, Jesus knew very well, it was the Law of God given to Moses. But the actual Law reads a little different than these foolish men were quoting. They said, I quote, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women…” Now, the actual Law in Leviticus 20:10 reads, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Let’s see…they only brought in the woman…Hmmm? These guys weren’t looking to uphold the perfect, pure law of God…& Jesus knew that. So He stooped down & started writing…what was he writing? No one truly knows, but Jeremiah 17:13 say something interesting, “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame those who turn away on earth will be written down...” I often wonder if Jesus may have written the name of a woman that the oldest Pharisee, (seeing how he left first) was having an affair with or maybe the number of the Commandment that the Pharisees were breaking like the number “9”.Who knows, but we do know without the a doubt the words that Jesus spoke to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”. Maybe the oldest Pharisee caught a glimpse of what Jesus wrote in the dirt, heard His words, dropped the stone & went home, followed by the others.

The Pharisees…what a legalistic bunch, huh! How about you? I know there are times when I find myself as legalistic as theses guys…we all do at times as Christians. It usually comes when we are away from God & in sin. We feel better when we can bring someone else down, lower than we are. See, sin can steal our assurance, our “joy of His salvation” (Psalms 5:12). In other words, we fall into sin & we start feeling that we may not be saved & instead of coming to God in repentance, we try to fix it ourselves by making someone else look worse off than we are. Though this was not the true agenda of the Pharisees in this verse, we do tend to do this in our lives when we start casting stones.

We are not called by God to overlook wrong in the world, or stay silent about evil, we are called by God to deal in mercy, grace & love…the world needs to know the God of justice & grace…we need to live a life that leads others to that God.

You notice that Jesus didn’t condemn her, but He didn’t approve of what she did either. He called her actions, sin & told her not to live that way any longer. When we come to Christ, He tells us the same “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When we come to Christ, He forgives our sins & no longer condemns us, we are free from the penalty & bondage of sin, & free to live…yep, you guessed it…free.

Vern

In My Days It Was Tough

2009-04-11T10:57:00.019-05:00

Strutt’s…what can I say, I love to eat at Strutt’s. It’s always fun to go there with friends & just eat & goof off. We were there last night & started discussing what we could tell our children & grandchildren about our days growing up…you know like when your dad or granddad would say things like, “In our days life was tough…” & they’d go on to say things like, “We lived through the Great Depression when people struggled to survive”, “We walked five miles to & from school in the knee deep snow, up hills both ways”, “We played baseball with chert rocks, usin' sawmill slabs for bats”, “We had to play with homemade wooden toys, we didn’t have all these fancy store bought stuff”, “we didn’t get a lot for Christmas, all we got was a couple of oranges & an umbrella & we were mighty happy to get that”. See what I mean…what kind of tales, will my generation have to show our children how tough we had it. We talked about it & come up with a few, how about:

“In our days it was tough, you had to stick your finger in a whole in the phone, turn the dial & wait about four seconds, before you could dial another number. It took every bit of thirty seconds for me to dial up a friend.”

“In our days it was tough, we didn’t have remotes for our television…I was the remote & we only had two channels & “Lawrence Welk” or “Hee Haw” was usually on one of them at all times.”

“In our days it was tough, I had to ride the bus about 5 miles to school & if it snowed even an inch…school was closed.”

“In my days it was tough, we didn’t have these Playstation 3’s or X-Boxes, all we had was “Pong”, two sticks on the screen & one square ball, you played tennis (doubles or singles) or you didn’t play anything.”

“In my days it was tough, all we could have in a car was an 8 track player. No 6 CD changers, no repeat button for your favorite song. No…you listened to your favorite song & waited a week to hear it again.”

“In my days it was tough, we didn’t have I-pods, and if we wanted to carry music around with us…we had to memorize it.”

“In our days it was tough, we didn’t have ‘texting’, if you wanted to type your friend a message, you had to put it in an envelope, slap a stamp on it & throw it in the mailbox. You wouldn’t get a return message for about a week or more.”

“In our days it was tough, we didn’t have DVD players & a store that was filled with all the new releases for rent or a ‘Netflix’, we had a VCR that opened from the top with big ‘Flintstone’ sized VHS or Beta tapes that could only be rented at one single quick-rip mart in town & they only had two movies, ‘Gone with the Wind’ & ‘The Ten Commandments’ & if they weren’t returned on time…the cops would come to your house.”

“In our days it was tough, we didn’t have laptop computers, if we would’ve put a computer in our lap it would have paralyzed us from the waste down. In our days it was tough, we didn’t have Myspace, Facebook or Twitter…heck if you had a home computer…there might not be anyone else you knew that had one.”

“In our days it was tough, we didn’t get to sit inside all day & text & play video games…our moms ran us outside to play.”

Man, we sure did have it good. But we can’t let our kids know that.

Vern

why does it take time for God to grant your wishes?

2009-04-10T09:10:00.003-05:00

I received this question the other day & thought others might have the same question: “why does it take time for god to grant your wishes? Is it because god’s angels take the message up to god and then wait for him to answer and then they would get back to us, is that the long process or is it something else?”
(Female 18-30 yrs old - Europe)
I sensed a little sarcasm here, I may be wrong, but here’s my answer:

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
(James 4:3)

Some often see God as a genie; they just rub the Holy Bible & poof, out pops God, all blue & singing, “You ain’t never had a friend like me” & granting their every wish. They usually use verses like John 15:7, in this verse Jesus says that we can ask for whatever we wish & the Father will give it to us…but most people who quote this verse do not quote the whole thing, like: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish…” Jesus is saying the same as He does throughout Gods word, as in 1 John 3:22, “and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” When we are in Christ & His word is in us & we are obeying His commandments, we will be in His will, we will not be asking for selfish things, we will be concerned with what concerns Him. We will ask according to 1 John 5:14 which tells us that God hears what is according to his will, so when we live by God’s will, then & only then will He answer our prayers.

Now God tells us in James 4:3 that the reason at times we do not receive an answer for our requests, is because we ask from selfish motives, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Those who ask from God & they are out of His will, are asking from wrong motives, they want for themselves.

God always hears the prayers of those who are His. He always answers their prayers, with a yes, no or wait, but either way He always answers, we just often are not looking for the answer in any other way than the way we want the answer to come.

Timing wise, God knows what & when we need something. If we are in His will, He will provide for our needs, it may be in the moment we ask, it may be a year later, but whatever the timeline, if it’s in the will of God, then it will come in the time God sees as best.

To sum it all up, God only hears the prayers of the righteous, as stated in Proverbs 15:29 “The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” The only prayer that God will hear from the wicked, is the prayer of repentance.

Vern

Stop and Smell the Roses...all of them.

2009-04-05T23:07:00.002-05:00

“Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:

He bustles about, but only in vain…”
(Psalm 39:6)

I was going in Wal-Mart the other day; just behind a lady who was evidently in a big hurry & extremely busy. She was in her business suit, with her phone to her ear & was dragging a little girl behind her. She was the cutest little girl who was… I guess about 6, dressed in her softball uniform with a visor. As the mom pulled her along through the automatic doors & past the greeter without speaking, she let go of the little girl’s hand to grab a buggy, the girl was skipping hurriedly behind… her mom still on the phone & walking faster.

They passed a hug display of flowers on their right, that the mom didn’t notice was even there, but the little girl, stopped in mid-skip, turned around hopped over to the display of flowers, that dwarfed her in size, & stuck her whole face in a gigantic bouquet of roses. I thought she was going to inhaul the whole bouquet, then she raised up with the biggest smile on her face & skipped away to catch up with her mother who hadn’t even turned around or stopped her phone conversation.

I was in a hurry that day, had a lot on my mind…but not after that…by the way those roses did smell good.

“Be still, and know that I am God”
(Psalm 46:10)

Vern

Rainy Complaining

2009-04-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”
(1 Timothy 6:6)

“I wish this rain would stop!” is what I heard loudly, as I was walking through a local store a few days ago, the conversation continued with the other man replying, “Well, when summer hits & it’s hot & dry, we’ll be grumblin’ about there not being enough rain…we ain’t never satisfied.” How true that conversation was, I catch myself complaining about all the wet weather as I watch my weeds grow higher than my knees & every time I do, I remember how I whined about the heat & dryness during our drought last summer.

In Exodus we see ourselves in the words of the Israelites. God continually blessed them with their needs & all they could do was grumble. When they were thirsty: “So the people grumbled at Moses, saying what shall we drink?” When they were hungry: “The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses & Aaron in the wilderness.” When they were tired of Manna & wanted meat: “…the Lord hears your grumbling which you grumble against Him.” No matter what God did for them, it wasn’t enough, they, instead of coming to Moses & requesting these things, they would grumble amongst themselves, until it became grumbling & complaining to Moses. I often wonder if Moses was bald. I can see it now; some guy started whining to a couple of his buddies (we’ve all done this, so stop thinking of someone else, this might be about you) about being thirsty. Those two buddies started whining to their wives, their wives to there mothers & friends, & as the old shampoo commercial once said, “You tell two friend…& they’ll tell two friends & so on & so on & so on & so on…” until Moses has a problem on his hands. If he wasn’t bald he was receding.

It’s very true that we will grumble no matter the situation, but if we want to be truly godly, we will learn to be content. God knows that we need the rain, he knows at all times what we need when we need it, lets do our best to live our lives coming before God with praise as well as our needs, without the grumbling (this one was for me).

Vern

The Great Bean Caper

2009-03-30T21:42:00.006-05:00

“A righteous man who walks in his integrity, how blessed are his sons after him.” (Proverbs 20:7)

Growing up is a tough job, but now that I am raising a child of my own, I believe that helping a child to grow up is much tougher. I thought that discipline was harder when I was on the receiving end also, but I understand now that discipline is much more than thoughtless spanking or grounding…it takes wisdom to know what to do & when to do it…as in the case of “The Great Bean Caper”.

When I was a small tyke, about knee high to a grasshopper…whatever that means, my dad would take my brother & me to “Moore King Hardware” in our hometown of Oxford. My brother & I loved going to the hardware store. It was one of those old stores, that had the wood floors that creaked with ever step & it had a distinct smell, kind of a light musty smell, I guess a nostalgic smell, because to this day if that scent hits me, it takes me back to that store or my granddad’s shed, both kind of smelled the same. While dad shopped for…whatever he shopped for, my brother & I would play in the beans. There were five gallon buckets down the middle of the store filled with all different kinds of dried beans, you could scoop out the amount that you needed & they’d weigh them out. I always liked to just stick my hands down in a bucket & pick up a hand full & just let them filter through my fingers back into the bucket…why…I don’t know…I guess it’s because we didn’t have video games when I was that age. Now the story of “The Great Bean Caper” was a little before my time, but every time I saw those beans, I remembered the story & it has stuck with me throughout my life.

The caper took place before I was born or just around that time. My older brother had accompanied my dad to this hardware store where he of course stopped to play with the beans while my dad picked up the items he needed. After checking out, my dad & brother returned home, but not long after arriving & walking inside, my brother pulled out a hand full of dried beans from his coat pocket, beans that my dad knew they had not paid for. It all came down to a game my brother had learned at school or somewhere called…oddly enough…“beans”. Though my brother was young & had no idea that he had just pulled off the crime of the century for that small hardware store, my dad did something that would remain in his mind & mine forever. My dad took the beans & little “sticky fingers” Mason back to “Moore King”, where my brother would have to go in, give back the “hot” beans & apologize for the class 4 misdemeanor that he had committed…all of which he did with my dad standing right beside him. For my brother I’m sure it was embarrassing, but a very good lesson, that would shape & mold not only him, but myself as well, forever.

To this day I have never seen my dad take advantage of another person. I’ve seen him taken advantage of, not foolishly like he had no idea it was happening, but willingly, in order to keep the peace. I may have been rebellious & at times seemed as though I didn’t soak up
anything my dad said, truth be known, what I didn’t soak up from his words of wisdom, I was overfilled with as I viewed & still do view his actions, & have been blessed for it.

“The best way to teach character is to have it around the house”

(unknown)

Vern

You Can’t Please Everyone

2009-03-25T15:09:00.002-05:00

An ancient story is told about a father & his son who were walking along a road one day with their donkey. Soon they met a man who told them how foolish they were to walk when they had a donkey that could be ridden. So the father & son hopped on.

They hadn’t gone far when another man criticized them for both riding on the donkey. They were too heavy for it, he contended, & were being inhumane. So the boy got off.

It wasn’t long before a third traveler accused the father of being inconsiderate because he made his son walk while he rode, so the two switched places.

Soon they met another person who charged that the son was not being thoughtful of his father, who was so much older than he.

When last seen, the two were trudging down the road carrying the donkey.

We often find ourselves in bad situations, when we try to please everyone. We find ourselves frustrated when we try to put a smile on everyone’s face. There are times when some, no matter what you do, will be upset with you.
There was a song years ago call “Garden Party” by Rick Nelson. In the song he states that “You can’t please everyone, so you gotta please yourself”. The statement has a little truth to it. There is no way to please everyone, but you can please the main One & be just fine, that main “One”, not being “yourself”…but God.

Paul wrote “For me, to live is Christ!” He was more concerned with pleasing Christ than just living life, he knew that truly enjoying & living life could only be accomplished in a life devoted to Christ & His will. He knew that we were ultimately accountable to God, “We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

Vern

Peepsology

2009-03-24T15:52:00.003-05:00

“O taste and see that the LORD is good…”
(Psalm 34:8)

I truly enjoy springtime, green grass, blooming trees, baseball, people out in their yards sprucing up & most importantly Easter. I love Easter...a time to remember what God did for the world, when He gave His Son. I also love Easter for another reason…nowhere near as important as the death, burial & resurrection of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, but it still warms my heart…the return of “Peeps”. I stinkin’ love Peeps! You what? You don’t know what a Peep is? It’s only the best candy that has ever been made…the fresher the better. Peeps are sugar covered marshmallow nuggets of amazing wonder. Peeps are great, not only do they taste great, but they come in different Easter colors like pink & yellow (yellow holding the best in the flavor category). They also come in two different shapes, a bunny & a chick…which looks more like a blob than it does a chick, but no matter, they are heaven sent.

I remember when I was young & my brother & I would get our Easter baskets early in the morning before heading to church & just after opening them, the trading would begin. The best trade that took place every year was his Peeps, for my fruit filled, chocolate egg. UHGGGGG… I hated the fruit filled chocolate egg! I don’t know who made them, but fruit & chocolate just don’t go together, but I was lucky, I had a big brother who would eat anything & he loved those nasty eggs & he wasn’t too fond of Peeps (he got that from my mom, she says they are like eating marshmallows covered in sand). This trade always resulted in an over abundance of Peeps for me…which usually left me nauseous during Sunday school.

Now I may not know much, but I know my Peeps & if someone came up to me while I was enjoying a fresh, delicious pack of Peeps & said, “There is no such thing as a Peep, Peeps aren’t real, I don’t believe in Peeps & if there was such a thing as a Peep…it wouldn’t be any good.” I would have to beg to differ with them. I just tasted them; the proof of their existence is inside me. I can vouch for the Peep, not only are they real…but they are in the words of “Tony the Tiger” “Their GGGGGGreat!

No matter how hard you argue against Christ, I know He’s real, Acts 5:32 says that “we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." I know that salvation isn’t just a fuzzy feeling, but I know that the Holy Spirit is real because He lives in me. I’ve experienced God’s goodness; I have tasted & seen that He is good. The proof…is in me.

Learn More About Peeps!

Vern

"Slippery Conscious"

2009-03-16T15:21:00.001-05:00

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”
(Romans 3:20)

Sitting in one of our local restaurants Saturday evening, with a hand full of peanuts waiting on a table to become available, we watched customers walking in & out of the lobby. They were all sorts of people, short tall, large, thin, young, old, hungry & full. Some were dressed-up others were dressed down, some came in, in groups, others were alone. There were all different races & genders; there were families & friends…even some that didn’t get along. Some people were working, others were there to relax. No matter what they were there for, who they were or even how they were dressed, they all had the same problem… walking in or out of the front door.

It had been raining all day & just inside the lobby it was very wet, which made it very slick, the peanut hulls that I was throwing on the floor didn’t help the matter at all. But everyone who walked in slipped, they were all just trying to get in or out of the door, but all would hit that slick spot & they would start to dance, kind of a “James Brown” sort of dance.

While watching these people, I noticed a “Caution, floors are wet” sign folded up in the corner, back behind the door. I told my son to go get it & put it up in the lobby before someone breaks their neck. I realized that something happened when people saw that sign. If they were coming in or going out, no matter who they were, they became very cautious & kind of shuffled their feet over the wet floors in an attempt to not fall down. It made them more cautious & made me think of Romans 3. In the 20th verse it states that through the Law or the Ten Commandments, we become conscious of our sin. I believe in our land today that we are seeing the effects of a world that is becoming less & less conscious of its sin. Just like those people who were not conscious of the wet floor & needed a sign to show them how to walk, we too need a “sign” a law to show us what sin is or to show us the danger ahead.

We do need to realize that the Law can not save us, I heard a pastor once say, that the Ten Commandments is like a bathroom mirror, it shows us that smug on our face, but it can’t wash it away, only the sink below can do that. But once we see our sin through God’s law, then we can come to Him for cleansing, by accepting Christ as Savior & Lord.

Have you accepted Christ, as your Lord & Savior? If not, Click on the links to the top right of this page & find out about God’s plan of salvation & what it means to have a relationship with Him.

Vern

"Limited Liberty"

2009-03-13T07:12:00.004-05:00

“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.”
(1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

After I accepted Christ at age 20, I struggled with smoking for a few years after. Is smoking wrong? You know the Bible doesn’t say that smoking is wrong, it does tell us in 1 Corinthians 6:19, that we are the “temple” of the Holy Spirit, but it doesn’t say that we can’t smoke or use tobacco. To go a little farther I was listening to Rick & Bubba the other day & Rick made a statement that the Bible doesn’t say that Drinking is wrong it says that drunkenness is. He went on to say that for some, who are of age, when they drink if they do not come to the point of drunkenness then they are not breaking the worldly law & are not Biblically wrong. But if they go into drunkenness, they are breaking both.

Back to my smoking story, I struggled with smoking after I accepted Christ, wondering if it was okay for me or was I in conflict with God. I felt convicted & did read the verses above, but as a new Christian, I remembered seeing one thing that made me really confused…I remember some deacons that I looked up to & thought of as men of God, that while I was growing up, they would be standing out front of the church smoking. Now I’m not saying that this wasn’t something that they were struggling with or that they weren’t right with God, that’s something that I couldn’t know…I’m not God. But the image was burned into my mind & made me, in my struggle, again, very confused.

I did stop smoking, but I started using tobacco in other forms, like dipping & chewing. This is where the verses 23 & 24 of 1 Corinthians really came to play a huge part in my life. I dipped & chewed for about three years after I quite smoking. During that time I helped teach the Royal Ambassadors at our church, that is the 1st thru 6th grade boys, it’s kind of a Christian Boy Scouts, where we taught missions. We would have class for about 30 minutes & then allow them to go outside & play for the last 30. While I was out with them one Wednesday evening, of course with a pinch between my cheek & gum, the Lord slapped an image in my head that broke my heart. I knew that dipping & chewing was very unhealthy, heck I watched a dude who had lost some of his bottom jaw & chin & had nothing but a small pile of skin sown in it’s place. He was giving a speech about the dangers of tobacco use…& he could barley talk. The image God placed in my mind was of me…in the place of those puffing deacons & one of those kids in the place of that dude who lost his chin & some of his bottom jaw. This verse at that point & time came to mind. Even if the use of tobacco was Biblically okay (I’m not at all convinced that it is, the addiction & health risks show that), I was by my actions leading those kids to believe that dipping was fine. I’m nothing great, but I still know that some of those boys looked up to me, if for nothing else other than me being an adult. I thought, what if one of those boys starts doing this filthy habit that I wish I could quite & ends up with cancer or dead. I stopped & never looked back.

There are things that I believe are in the gray area. Now I’m not talking about things like abortion, homosexuality, drunkenness, lying, gossiping, ect…these things are said to be wrong point blank. But when you look at things like smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, ect… things that Biblically are not spread out in plain English as being wrong or okayed. But does that mean that they are right? I’m not writing today to say I know without a doubt, but I do know one thing… “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”

Romans 14:21 goes a little farther to say that, “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.” Now your brother would be another Christian, he maybe a new Christian or maybe a weaker one. We want to be careful not to be a stumbling block for anyone, especially our brothers in Christ.

But why should I have to rearrange my life because others have a problem with it? “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.” God’s word tells me to do that very thing, put others before myself. I’m not talking about those who are just out there looking to cause a problem, the ones that would pitch a fit if you didn’t pick your nose just right. But those who would be devastated & may even be lead astray if they saw you doing something in question. For example, I teach 9th grade boys Sunday school, am a deacon & speak at an occasional youth event. Let’s say that I’m out to eat & decide to have a beer. Now, let’s say that this is the only time I ever drink & it’s just one, I don’t even plan on having one for another year. But while I’m sitting there with my drink in hand, one of the youth that I teach walks in & from across the restaurant notices me with a beer in my hand, now the next time that he is out with his buddies & he is offered a beer, where do you think his mind will go…that’s right straight to Ol’ Vern with a beer in his hand… “Is it okay to drink?” he’ll think sure, my Sunday school teacher was & he’s following God. See the problem?
I don’t have to have a beer, so I don’t. If I’m drinking it for the taste, tea or Coke is much better.

With all this I’m not trying to come in & lay down a burden of law on us, we are no longer under law, but we do have a responsibility to live in a way that glorifies God & helps others to follow Him. We need to be leaving stepping stones behind everywhere we go…not stumbling blocks. But again these things are between you & God, I have no doubt that if you ask Him to show you what to keep & what to let go of, that He will give you clarity in what you should do.

Vern

Love "Reality" Style

2009-03-09T12:52:00.004-05:00

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
(Revelation 2:4)

Struggling with my manly side last week while watching the Blahhhhchelor, I found myself excited about the last rose, & when he handed it to the little black headed girl that looked like Beaver Cleaver in the face, I stood up & did a little victory dance in the living room…I didn’t like the blonde, she seemed like she would be the high maintenance type & snotty…does my actions disturb only me?
I promised myself after last year’s show that I wasn’t going to get into this years show…but I did. I mean, it’s really a goofy show, anyone can feel happy, romantic & in love hanging out in the places & doing the things that they get to do. It’s only when they get back to the real world that they see the “reality” show, ain’t so real.

In the case of the bachelor in this seasons show, he seemed to have found out this little nugget of knowledge. Of course you already know that he picked Theodore Cleaver & proposed, but then when the show was over they had another show called “The Bachelor ‘After the Final Rose”, were they usually bring out the happy couple & show you how they are doing together, but this time it was more like an episode of Jerry Springer. The bachelor came out & told this girl (Beaver Cleaver), that he was wrong when he thought that he was in love with her. Then after she stormed off, they brought on the other girl that he dumped on the regular show & he told her that he was wrong when he thought that he didn’t love her & now he loves her…confusing huh? In all this confusion, I really came to realize something…people seem to have no understanding of real LOVE. Love for most is an “all about me” thing. It’s just a funny, butterfly feeling in their stomach when they really like someone. But what happens when that feeling isn’t there, when times are tough & there’s no tropical beach to run on or room service & limos? What happens? Just exactly what happened on that show, they start believing that they fell out of love & at times end up in divorce, adultery or both.

Jesus told the church in Ephesus that they had done good things in their actions, but there was one problem, one thing that he had against them…that they had forgotten their first or most important love, their love for Him. This was going to make all the good deeds worthless, if they didn’t have a love for Christ, the kind of love that makes you want to spend time with Him, learn more about Him & live for Him. I’m afraid that in our society, we are trying to “love” God as they do on the “reality” shows, love Him only when things are going good & we feel as though we are up on the mountaintop.

This last Sunday we had a few guest speakers, one missionary & two young men from the Sudan, who are here now attending college, with plans to take their education back to the Sudan & start a Christian school. Long story short, one of the young men told a story of their worship services in the Sudan. He told how they would dig foxholes around where they would meet, because of the Islamic/Muslim soldiers who would flyover & drop bombs on the area during their services. When they would hear the planes, they would all climb into the foxholes. When the bombing was over, they would all climb back out & continue with their worship service & praising God for his protection. The whole time he was speaking, he had this wonderful glowing smile on his face…you couldn’t help but see that he love God.

During the time that he was sharing about the joy they had in Christ, in the midst of all that war & plain terror, I couldn’t help but think of how I laid out of Church the Sunday before…because it was snowing. Not a travel advisory, impassable roads snowing, but Alabama snowing, an inch or two during the morning & melted away that evening. They worshiped during bombings & the fear of death. I skipped because of laziness & the thought that most churches might call it off today.

I’ve come to realize that love, is much more than what we say & what we feel, it truly is a lifestyle, an honest “Agape” kind of love…the only true love.

“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD…” (Luke 10:27)

Vern

P.S.

Thought I was just kidding didn't you? Could be brother & sister.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

2009-02-28T22:35:00.008-06:00

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

(1 Corinthians 1:10)

Nothing looks worse to a non-believer than believers who act like non-believers & nothing in a church looks more like non-believers than those who can’t get along.

The word used for “divisions” in this verse is the word, schisma; it means that there should be no open break, no fracture of the church. Division is caused by things like gossip, backbiting, bitterness, jealousy, ect… These things cause great divisions, divisions that sometimes are never repaired, which leads to church splits & fruitlessness.

I once wrote a letter to all the Baptist churches in Calhoun County…there were about 87 to 95 Baptist churches alone. I looked up the number of churches in Calhoun County, not just Baptist, but all…do you want to know the number listed? Two hundred & eighty six, now I’m by no means saying that all the churches listed were Christian, there were three I know of that were no where near Biblically Christian, but the other two hundred & eighty three, very well maybe. Think about it, two hundred & eighty three churches in this 612 square mile county…& we still aren’t affecting this county for Jesus, why? When the non-believers look to the church for something different than what they have…they normally only see more of what they have… strife. They see people that can’t get along to the point that they can’t even attend church in the same building or even work together for the same cause. So why would they want to know Jesus…if it looks as though He hasn’t done any good for those who call themselves by His name?

Philippians 2 tells us to, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” This “attitude”…He emptied Himself of who He was, was humble, became like a bond-servant & was obedient, even unto death…death on a cross.

What would happen in a county that had two hundred some odd churches that were filled with men & women who strived to honestly seek the mind of Christ every day of their lives? Why don’t we live it, and see.

Vern

No Smoking in the Temple

2009-02-25T21:34:00.002-06:00

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
(1 Corinthians 3:16)

I was flipping around the ol’ telly, that’s British for Television, & ran across a church service where the pastor said something that really caught me & stuck with me…this was about two weeks ago & I’ve thought about it ever since.

He was speaking to a congregation of several thousand, & he said this, “If there is anyone here today that smokes, I know there has to be some here who smoke…feel free to take one out & light it up.” As he looked around he saw no one lighting up, so he continued, “No one’s gonna light up? Why? Let me answer that for you. If you are here & you smoke…you probably have too much respect for the house of God to light one up in here.” When he said that people were mumbling “Yes, that’s right” & “Amen”, but then he said, “If that is the fact…then why, when you walk out of this building, do you light one up? Why do you inhale that smoke into your body? Don’t you know that you are a temple of God?” He went on to include not only smoking, but gossip, cussing, porn, backbiting, drinking, drugs, lying, lust, ect… or as God calls it… SIN…at that point even the Amen’s stopped & it got silent.

If you feel funny doing something because you are in a church building, that we call God’s house…if you are a Christian never forget that you are a house of God, that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Treat yourself the way God sees you, if you are truly indwelled with the Holy Spirit, that is if you have been saved, God says “…you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION…” (1 Peter 2:9)

Are you a house of God, if not check out the links to the top right of this page, they will show you what God’s plan is & what a relationship with Him means.

Vern

Feeling Froggy

2009-02-23T15:23:00.003-06:00

A farmer came into town & asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs.

The restaurant owner was shocked & asked the man where he could get so many frogs legs! The farmer replied, “There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs millions of them. They croak all during the night & are about to drive me crazy.

So the restaurant owner & the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant five hundred at a time, for the next several weeks.
The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, “Well…where are all the frogs?”

The farmer said, “I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!”

You ever had something on your mind, something that kept you up at night, a worry that was so massive that it seemed like there was no way out? Me too, but it usually isn’t as big a problem as I thought it was, & it certainly wasn’t worth staying awake for. Once, when I was worrying about a problem I had, someone tell me that it seems big now…but five years from now you’ll look back on it & wonder what the big deal was…they were right. Jesus is right too…big surprise there…He said “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)

In other words…why worry? It’s all in God’s hands anyway & in His hands…all worries are just a couple of scrawny frogs. That is...if you leave it in His hands.

Vern

Never Empty

2009-02-17T23:43:00.004-06:00

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth,
it will not return to Me empty, without
accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding
in the matter for which I sent it.”
(Isaiah 55:11)

A few Thursdays ago, I found myself in what I’d have to say was my most nerve racking night that I have ever experienced in the last eight years of jail ministry. Let me set the scene for you, during the months of December & January I was in the section that most ministers dread, the Pink section. The Pink section is the lock down section, the section where the rowdiest inmates are housed. Some are in there because they couldn’t get along with other inmates, but the majority are in there for murder. I myself have grown to love ministering in this section, because these guys are at about the lowest place that you can go inside the jail. It’s a place where hope seems to be non-existent. These guys are in there cells which usually measure about 7 feet by 10 feet, for 23 hours a day. They are allowed out of there cell for 1 hour a day inside the cellblock, some haven’t seen sunlight other than what comes through their about 6 foot by 10 inch back window. The doors are solid steel with a small 1 foot square steel screen window, where you can see the inmates that are listening to the sermon standing & looking out.

While in this section there were 2 men who didn’t want to hear what was being said, the rest of the men were eagerly listening although they could hardly hear me. Now a lot of the men in this section have accepted Christ & are going through our Bible study courses & doing well. But this night God had laid it on my heart to speak about being ready for the return of Christ & how it will be as it was in Noah’s time when Jesus returns. The two men who didn’t want to listen started banging on their doors which echoed to the point it was almost deafening. One on the bottom row was hitting his door so hard that it was moving & appeared as though it would be knocked out of its track. The two were calling me all kinds of profane names, one yelled 666 over & over while the other screamed “There is no God” & both would through some form of liquid out of their window aimed at me, liquid that I’m pretty sure came from the toilet, but I just stepped back & kept preaching…believe me after this 9th grade boys Sunday School doesn’t seem that bad. During this time some of the other men were yelling at them to stop.

For the first time in the jail I was very nervous, a little afraid & felt as if I was wasting my time, I even asked God if I should just leave. But at that time God placed a peace on my heart & as clear as a bell He told me to stay & continue to say exactly what He wanted me to say… so I did. I was still nervous & a little scared but, I could see that the ones who wanted to hear God’s word were standing & listening at their window. I finished & decided to go to each cell & pray for the ones that wanted prayer, which were all but those two. I was kind of leery about getting close to those two cells because I was afraid that I would get doused with Lord only knows what. But I prayed with each cell, even one of the guys that caused trouble all night. He prayed with me with tears in his eyes, (I found out that he had just come off suicide watch). The other "666 yelling guy" asked me to pray for him, but he didn’t want me to pray for him there, “just pray for me when you get back to your church”, he said as he sat in the floor looking out of the crack between his cell door & the white block wall.

I left that night distraught & miserable, I felt as if it was all for nothing, my throat hurt from trying to talk over all the noise & I thought that there was no way that anything could ever come from this service…but I guess I underestimated God.

About a week later I received a letter from the guys in the Pink section, I thought I’d share it with you:

Shawn,

Hey, sorry about the situation that you walked into today, but I’m glad you came on in, it showed a lot of respect for your faith & the strength of God's work. We’re going to miss you, you inspired us all & we love you. I know it’s hard to tell with the way we carried on today but there is more than one way to show love. We’re proud that you stayed & didn’t walk out because we needed to see some strength other than ours. God’s work is not easy & you blessed today not saying you didn’t before, but today was great & you won our hearts forever.
Keep up the good work, because God is watching.

Love,
Pink section

P.S.
We send you our blessing so you will keep on blessing others with God’s word. We love you all (the CCJM), thanks for everything.

Needless to say, after I received this letter, Isaiah 55:11 came to mind, where it states “it will not return to me empty”. What I thought was a waste of time… God was using to teach a lesson to these men... & to me. That no matter the place or situation, no matter how bleak life at times can appear, He is still in control, His plan is always in action & He can work through anyone...even me.

Vern

Jehoshaphat cat

2009-02-11T22:14:00.004-06:00

“The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David's earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. So the LORD established the kingdom in his control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.
He took great pride in the ways of the LORD and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah. Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. Now the dread of the LORD was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.”
(2 Chronicles 17:3-10)

True revival, doesn’t come from a man or a church gathering. It can only come, when people turn back to God & His Word. But like Jehoshaphat, if you want revival to happen within the body of Christ, go into your room, put a chair in the middle of the floor, sit in that chair & pray for everything that is sitting in that chair. If you want to see true revival, it starts with you, Jehoshaphat understood that. He also understood that the word of God is the key to unlocking true revival. No honest revival of God has ever started with anything other than God’s Word. People have to be called back to the Bible, to the standard that God gives us to live by, to the salvation that He provided through Jesus Christ, without this kind of true revival, there will be no revival at all.

There are generations of people now who do not know or even study God’s word, many attend churches around our nation weekly. But they don’t make the Bible a priority during the week. That’s what happened in Judah, the people had gotten away from God & His Word & had fallen into idolatry, we see that when Jehoshaphat “removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah” The High places or the Hebrew noun BAMAH meaning, “back, high place.” the place where they worshipped false gods like the Asherim or Asherah which was a fertility goddess, the mother of Baal. Also notice in the word BAMAH, the first four letters BAMAH, this is where they worship Nick, just another reason to be an Auburn fan (just kidding... that’s vernmason1@aol.com).

Jehoshaphat saw the need for teaching God’s word, “having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.” When the priest went out they went out with God’s law in hand & ready to teach it to the people.

We need to have more teaching of God’s word in our churches, there are tons of preachers, but we need more teachers of God’s word. Jehoshaphat knew that, for the people to turn from God as they have, they didn’t know God’s word, preaching, though it is needed, will not teach people God’s word. We have a dire need for Bible Study groups, for parents to teach their children at home as well as bring them to church & for people to study there Bible in a daily quiet time alone with God. If the Bible is unknown to the people... God is unknown to the people. If the people are not taught in the ways that God wants us to live…how will they know?

“Now the dread of the LORD was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.” Another awesome thing happens when we turn back to God, we have peace with Him & the comfort of His protection. Throughout the Bible when cities or nations turned to God, He protected them & they prospered, away from God they would crumble & fall. What our nation needs isn’t a better government, a more elaborate, effective school system or even a stronger economy, no what our nation needs is a true revival, a great awakening…a turning back to God & His word.

“The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.”

D. L. Moody

Vern

"It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom"

2009-02-07T09:28:00.001-06:00

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

(Matthew 16:26)

Yesterday evening I was surfing the channels on the cable box, when I ran across what I must say is my most favorite movie…“Braveheart”, the movie that allowed me to see that men in kilts, can kick your butt. It also made me love the sound of bagpipes. But even more than those two things, it leaves you with some pretty good quotes from Mel Gibson’s Character William Wallace, if you ever have to fight England or are just looking for freedom.
Quotes like:

“There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.”

“Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.”

“I came back home to raise crops, and God willing, a family. If I can live in peace, I will.”

“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!”

“Go back to England and tell them there that Scotland's daughters and her sons are yours no more. Tell them Scotland is free.”

“Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don't follow titles, they follow courage. Now our people know you. Noble, and common, they respect you. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they'd follow you. And so would I.”

“Every man dies, not every man really lives.”

“We all end up dead, it's just a question of how and why.”

But what I believe to be the greatest quote in this whole movie, was when William was going to meet with the soon to be queen & his closest friend tells him that he is worried that it may be a trap. He tells William that he doesn’t want to be a “martyr”, William replies “And neither do I! I want to have a wife, children & a home, I want to live! But it's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.”

Matthew 16:26 teaches us the same thing, if we marry, have children, a nice home, a great job, a sharp car, money, money & more money… “It’s all for nothing, if you don’t have freedom”, freedom provided by Jesus. Often we think that material possessions will make us free, but they usually just make us a slave to making or accumulating more. But Jesus said, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed”. Now that is a good quote.

Does James 1:13 really mean that God does not tempt anyone?

2009-02-06T09:49:00.003-06:00

Does James 1:13 really mean that God does not tempt anyone? We read in the Bible that God sometimes tempts/tests the believer. Should Christians be tempted?

People often say that God is testing them when it's not God at all. God cannot be tempted with evil nor does He tempt with evil. In verse 12 it states that God is trying us as Christians, it proves us, verses 13-14 show that God in no way tempts us to do evil.

Often man wants to blame God for the problems/tragedies that happen in their lives such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes; etc… people usually shout " God did this to us!" When really it is our own fault. We build next to a river for example. We build there for the beauty, the recreation or whatever, then when a natural occurrence come & the heavy rains fall, the water rises & overflows, flooding homes & businesses people get angry at God. When we ourselves maybe shouldn't have built so close to the river, same with hurricanes & the beach house. This kind of thinking has been around since Adam & Eve. They were tempted by Satan to disobey God. They did it & Adam says, "… The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” " The woman whom You gave to be with me…" He blamed God for Satan's temptation that he fell into.

Jesus could not sin, Why then, was He tempted? In Matthew 4:7 Jesus said: "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'" God wants to save from sin, & He does not tempt men to sin. He wants to deliver men. He never uses sin as a test, but He will permit it, as we will see. Jesus had no sin in Him, "…the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." The reason He was tempted was to prove that there was nothing in Him. After Jesus had been on earth for thirty some odd years, Satan came in with temptation that appealed to man's total personality …physical side, mental & spiritual side of man. Jesus could not fall. The testing was given to demonstrate that He could not fall.

Vernon McGee gives a great story of a time when he was young growing up in Texas. He lived near a branch of the Brazos River & in the summertime there wasn't enough water in the river to rust a shingle nail, but in the wintertime, you could almost float a battleship on it. One year a flood washed out the wooden bridge on which the Santa Fe Railroad crossed the river. They replaced it with a steel bridge & when they completed it, they brought in two locomotives stopped them on top of the bridge & tied down the whistles. All of the people in the little town knew for sure that something was happening; so they ran down to see what it was. When they got there one of the braver citizens asked the engineer, "What are you doing?" The engineer replied, "Well, we built this bridge, & we are testing it." The man asked, "Why? Do you think it's going to fall down?" That engineer drew himself up to his full height & said, "Of course it will not fall down! We are proving it won't fall down." Jesus was tested for the same reason. God cannot be tempted with sin & He will not tempt us with sin.

God does permit us to be tempted with sin. 2 Samuel 24:1 reads "And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, & He moved David against them to say, go, number Israel & Judah." Really that was sinful. So did God tempt David with evil? To understand the Bible you have to get the full story.
In 2 Samuel you have man's viewpoint of the events recorded. Man sees it as God was angry with Israel & He just had David do this. But if you check out 1 Chronicles you're told God's viewpoint. "And Satan stood up against Israel, & provoked David to number Israel". Who provoked David to sin? It was Satan. Not God. God permitted Satan to do it because God was angry with Israel & their sin. God never tempts man to do evil.

What causes us to be tempted & sin? Look at James 1:14, "But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust & enticed." God does test us as Christians, but He will never tempt us to sin, that blame lies on Satan & us.

Vern

When in Rome...

2009-02-05T10:19:00.002-06:00

Gibbon an English historian (1737 - 1794), said that there were 5 reasons that lead to the decline & fall of Rome:

1) The undermining of the dignity & sanctity of the home. Which is the basis of human society.

2) Higher & higher taxes, the spending of public money for free bread & circuses for the populous.

3) The mad craze for pleasure. Sports becoming every year more exciting, more brutal, more immoral.

4) The building of great armaments. When the great enemy was within, the decay of individual responsibility.

5) The decay of religion. Fading into mere form, loosing touch with life, loosing power to guide the people.

I believe in America we are at, or may be way past number 5. Back in the 60’s we started undermining the home, if not earlier. Taxes seem to continue to rise, paying for everything from a photographer to create “art” by taking a picture of a crucifix in a glass of urine, to wool research. Thought we knew all you could know about wool? Guess not.Wasteful spending goes from the city government all the way through the federal government. Our politicians have lost sight of “who’s” money it truly is.

A look at the UFC & (even though it’s fake) the WWE & you can see the level of violence in our society, all for our pleasure. Not to mention the fleshly pleasures that people take part in, from drugs & immoral sex to immoral movies & music, our society is becoming more & more depraved in the way of pleasure & becoming “mad crazed” about it.

Do you know that San Francisco is about to vote, or may already have voted, on legalizing prostitution? On AOL news a few months ago, they put out a poll that had two questions 1) Do you think San Francisco should decriminalize prostitution? Out of 29,208 people: 62% said yes only, 33% said no & God bless em’ 5% didn’t know. 2) Do you think prostitution is a victimless crime? Out of 38,204 people: 54% said yes only 39% said no & again, God bless em’ 7% said I don’t know. I think the 7% of the “I don’t know people” scare me more than the “yes people”.

Though we do have enemies outside our country that we must defend ourselves from, we more than overlook the enemy we have here within. I’m not speaking of some terrorist cell, but decaying morality & ungodliness. God’s hand has been on this nation, because of it’s Christian roots & the true Christians that pray for it, but as of now, God may be removing & may have already removed His hand from us.

"The decay of religion", we are passed this stage. We have watered down Christianity & the worship of God so much that people can claim to be believers & live however they want without guilt. We have made it a bad thing to feel guilty for doing wrong. We have candy coated the gospel & God’s Word to the extent that it hasn’t the effect it should on wayward believers & unbelievers. We are terrified of speaking about hell & sin afraid that we may offend someone. We won’t even use the word lie anymore; it’s now stretching the truth. A person who is hooked on alcohol isn’t in sin they have a disease. If someone committees a heinous crime, their not guilty, it’s their environment’s fault or their parents are to blame.

If a politician lies, cheats or steals no big deal, that’s just the way they are, or we take up for them because of our party affiliation. Abortion is just being pro-choice & homosexuality is called an alternative lifestyle. It’s all good with us, it’s all gray. No more black & white, night & day, right or wrong, we are riding the fence, we are lukewarm.

You open the paper or turn on the news & it’s, there was a murder here, a robbery over there, yesterday someone was raped, a drug deal happened up the street, there was a shooting in a school, ect… but you never hear the word Sin. We don’t have anything in this country more than a SIN problem. We can call it what we want, but our nation is turning away from God & falling deeper into sin. We are no better than Israel, God’s chosen people. He disciplines them, & He will discipline us as well.

All throughout history any nation or people who turned against God or would not turn to God, that nation or people were destroyed by their own sin, or removed by God. George Bernard Shaw said it best, “We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.” It’s a very sad thing that we as Americans have been handed a nation by God through the faith of our forefathers who understood what they had & now we have. Unless we are total fools we can look back at our American history & see the hand of God. We hear it from the lips of our founders:

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible" President George Washington, September 17th, 1796

"Without a humble imitation of the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, we can never hope to be a happy nation."
President George Washington

"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being, who rules over the universe, who presides in the council of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States.." "...Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency" From President George Washington's Inaugural Address, April 30th, 1789, addressed to both Houses of Congress.

"I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- God Governs in the Affairs of Men, And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, Is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?" Benjamin Franklin

"Let the children...be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education. The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effectual means of extirpating [removing] Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools." Benjamin Rush

We also hear it from the lips of some of our greatest presidents & citizens:

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior (Jesus) of the world is communicated to us through this book. President Abraham Lincoln

"The only assurance of our nation's safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion." President Abraham Lincoln.

"Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty" President Abraham Lincoln.

"The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." President Calvin Coolidge

"The secret of my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible, 'In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." George Washington Carver.

The list & quotes can go on & on, we my friend have lost something from the times of the pilgrims landing till now & that something can not be regained without God. We have lost our knowledge of history. History has taken a backseat to the other school studies & Christianity has all but been removed from the history books. Abraham Lincoln said, "The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." We are seeing this first hand.
Hopefully you are now thinking about our nation & how it would be without it. Hopefully you are thinking about the future of your children & what we will leave them. Hopefully you will get off of your backside & help in changing things. We need to start by praying, seeking God in our everyday lives. He is the only one who can stop us from forgetting history & becoming history.

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
George Santayana

Vern

Wii Old

2009-02-04T09:42:00.004-06:00

“The glory of young men is their strength & the honor of old men is their gray hair”
(Proverbs 20:29)

While sitting at home Monday night on the computer, as my wife soaked up another glorious night of the “Blahhhchelor, sorry I just threw up in my mouth a little…my son yelled at me to come & play a video game with him, this usually means that he has been practicing & wants to humiliate me with his mad gaming skills…but I went anyway. He brought out the video game “Wii Sports”, now I don’t know about you but this “Wii” deal takes way too much energy, I mean, if I’m going to play a video game I want the character to do all the work.

We started off bowling, which he killed me in, then we moved on to boxing where I had him for a few rounds, but then all I remember is hearing the 10 count as I got a close look at the quality of the canvas.

After he refused to play golf, seeing that he would take a beating there, he moved onto the fitness test part of the game. The fitness test takes you through several different activities, like batting, bowling, tennis & boxing, all done back to back as fast as you can. At the end of the test, it rates you on your fitness level, by showing what age you should be. Let’s say you did well, then your age would be younger, the worse you did the older you would be. Have I mentioned that I scored at age 72?

After a game like that & the gray hairs that keep popping up in my goatee, the verse above really hits home, but the meaning here is not a bad one. As I’m now about Mid-way between puberty & retirement, I can see the benefit of both youth & old age.

How many times have you heard an older person say something like this, “Those young people sure do have a lot of energy, I’d love to have just half that much”. Young people have a lot to offer, their strength & vitality will be what keeps the older generation going. From their material production, to their service to our country, young people & their energy have a great value. But on the other hand so do the older people, the wisdom that they have gained over the years & their sacrifices through out their lives, whether work or military related have allowed a place where the youth can be free to spend their energy. This can be seen clearly at our church. The youth have stepped up & began to see what it truly means to walk with God & honor Him. They come together & worship on Sunday mornings, Wednesdays & now thanks to some of the youth, they have started a service on Friday or Saturday nights called “The Garage”. There are a large number of them who are really standing out for Christ & displaying that in church, whether they are singing in the choir or leading in the standing to honor God’s Word when it is read during service. The main point is that they are living out 1 Timothy 4:12 & that is a thing to be respected & honored. There is also another side to that. They are able to have a place to worship, because of the sacrifice & hard work of the ones that came before them, those who started out in that church when it was held in a tent. Though they are now gray headed, some have even gone on to be with the Lord, they once were young. They followed God, sacrificed & labored to provide a place of worship for those who would come after them. They are full of knowledge & most importantly godly wisdom, wisdom that needs to be shared.

In both sides, young & old, there are great benefits. So neither should be envied or looked down upon, for one without the other, would be total ruin.
In this getting older thing, I’ve learned that though I may not do so well in the realm of Wii fitness & my son may overshadow me there…he still has to go to bed at 9:00 & I can stay up as late as I want… MUAHAHAHAH… MUAHAHAHAH! This aging thing isn’t that bad.

Vern

A Son Like Bart

2009-02-02T13:52:00.003-06:00

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3:6-9)

I've always wondered what would have happened if Adam would have told his wife, no. Would it have stopped there? Would it have made a difference if he would have said, "look God told us not to touch that fruit, let's go to Him right now and handle this". I'm sure that I maybe way off on this, I'm not saying that it would have changed anything, but that's just a little Vern theology, kind of some "V-eology", which you may not even want to taken with a grain of salt.

I've noticed that when Eve took the first bite, nothing happened…but when Adam took it, then it says, "The eyes of them both were opened". Now ladies don't hear me wrong, I don't believe for one second that you are insignificant or not a person to be considered. I just see that God placed the man at the head…hold on now, don't lynch me yet…I believe that God wants us as men to be the head of our homes, not to be slave drivers or kings, but to love & take care of our wives & children. To love our wives as Christ does the church, enough to die for her. I believe that men should take a stand in their marriages, a stand for the Lord & lead their families in a walk with Christ.

I think that there are way too many "Good Ol' Boys" out there that think that a night out with the guys is more important than time spent with family. Now I'm not saying that men can't do things with their friends, but if it takes away from the family then, yea it's wrong.

I was on a trip a while back, it was mostly guys, but it seemed that nothing could be done without beer. It was like a bunch of teenagers who got away from mom & dad for a little while. How old am I? LOOK!!! IT WASN'T COOL WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER & GUESS WHAT, IT AIN'T COOL NOW. I thought it was, but I also thought that I was smarter than my dad & that I wanted a life like one of these burnt out rockers on behind the music...heck I thought Georgia Championship Wrestling was real.

We need, as men in America, to grow up & act like real men. I'm not saying in any way that I am some great, "never sin or mess up" kind of guy, but we need to strive to be like Christ, not Homer Simpson. What we do now as fathers will affect our children for life. If you strive to live a Godly life, expect a son who strives to live a Godly life. If we strive to live like Homer, expect a son like Bart. I am in no way saying that your child will do everything perfect & never mess up, but I can promise you this...I am not perfect either, but unless I expect my son to do well, he probably won't. It for sure will be a more Difficult road for him if he can't respect his on father.

I hope that we can start teaching boys from a young age to be morally responsible. Show them how to treat women with respect, how to speak without cussing, how to keep your cool in any situation, how to live a life without alcohol, etc… We start that and you'll see a world change. If boys will learn to become true men of God, the ladies will follow their lead.

If you are not happy with the way your life has gone so far, the best time to make a change is right now!

Vern

If there’s anybody out there, I can save you I can save everybody

2009-01-31T11:33:00.003-06:00

When I sit & reflect on what Christ has done in my life, as I often do when God allows me to share His Word publicly, my thoughts often go to a hill just outside of Jerusalem called Calvary…Golgotha or "the place of the skull". A place where criminals of Rome… thieves, murders, traders & revolutionaries, lost there lives for the lives they lived. Where mothers sobbed at the bleeding feet of their children, where fathers watched as their dreams for their little boys suffocated from the weight of their own bodies, a place of anguish, cruelty, suffering & loss, a place of…hope? Yes a place of hope, a place of, the Hope.

Just like the miraculous birth of the Lord of lords & King of kings, in a smelly, cold stable, in a small meaningless town like Bethlehem. The same is like hope from Golgotha. The place where hope flees, would become the place where the world would run for hope & salvation.

In the movie "I am Legend", a movie that I recently watched again on DVD, Will Smith’s character stated that “I can save everybody". In the movie Robert Neville, played by Will Smith, is a virologist, who thinks that he is the last surviving human on earth that is not infected with a vicious man-made virus. He works to create a cure while living in a city inhabited by mutant victims of the airborne virus. During the movie Dr. Neville finds the cure in the blood of one of the virus victims that he has captured in order to try & find that cure. Though this movie was a tad bit more troubling than I thought it’d be, you couldn’t help but noticed the message that was hidden at the end of the movie…the cure…was in the blood. Not that this was a Christian movie or that it was written by a Christian, but it was cool how that’s where he found it…the same place we find the cure for the man-made virus that all of us are infected with…sin. This virus we all share started back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam was infected. We all like to blame it on Eve, but it wasn’t until Adam took that bite, that sin entered the world & made mutants of us all. Mutants who need a cure, found in the blood of Jesus who died on Golgotha. "The place of the skull"? No…now the place of hope, a place where Jesus "can save everybody".

"WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." (Romans 10:13)

Vern