Coming Up Short!

This past Memorial Day weekeend saw two really good races. The one was the Indy 500 at Indianapolis and the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte. The type of cars are different and the speeds they run are significantly different. They have similiar runs where one driver is leading then has to pit so someone eslse takes the lead. This happens constantly throughout the race. Then the white flag comes out signifying the final lap. This year both races saw the leaders out front with a comfortable margin. That is until turn four. Both races saw the leader go into turn four and lose the race. Hidlebrand hit the wall and finished second while Dale Jr (Earnhardt)ran out of gas and coasted to seventh place finish. Both were so close yet didn't win.

I watched both races and was amazed how the races ended. Neither driver expected to lose the race like they did. They raced their hearts out and did a nice job putting themselves in a position to win the race. The problem is that they didn't have enough to win the race and bring home the trophy. I often wonder about my spiritual race that I am running and how I am doing. We need to watch ourselves and be careful lest we come up short in our race. We are admonished in Scripture to abide in Christ. We are the branches and He is the vine. We only bear fruit when we are connected to Jesus. We have to be obedient to His will and calling for our lives if we want to finish the race and win. When we try to do it on our own strength we will fall back and fail to finish. The amazing thing about some races is one driver could dominate all race long then fail to lead the only lap that counts. The final lap! The only lap a driver has to lead in a race to win it is the last one. The other laps don't really mean anything once the white flag drops. The drivers all know that means they have one last chance to take the lead and win the race. We know that we are in race that is coming down to the final laps. We need to keep striving to win the race and not blow up, hit the wall and wreck or run out of gas. There are many things that can cause us to lose the race.

Don't ever forget that we have Jesus as our Crew Chief and He knows how to win the race. If we follow Him and do what he wants, we will come across the finish line and win the trophy. What trophy? The crown of life that every beleiver is promised. The best thing about getting the crown is we get to lay it at the feet of Jesus because He is the true Victor!

Life is Fragile! Handle with Prayer!

Yesterday I received a call from my real good friend and he told me that his wife wasn't expected to live out the night. She had been battling cancer and her body was finally too tired to fight anymore. He told me that he and his wife always appreciated the calls checking up on them and seeing if I could do anything for them. He expressed his gratitude and I told him I wish I could do more than just pray. I was reminded that prayer isn't the last resort or just another "little thing" we can do when we have no other options. Prayer is the greatest thing we can do for anyone.

We often want so desperately to help people who are hurting and facing tragedy or a crisis. We try to think about ways to help and things to share with them. The problem often lies in we think we are comforting folks with our "great words of wisdom" when in fact most of the time we are not really doing very much for them. Most people who are going through a tragedy can't listen anyway so our words fall on deaf ears. It is not because they don't care but because they are not in a position to hear because of their grief. What they really need is to know we care about them and are there for them should they need us. I was taught by my pastoral ministry professor a very important pastoral tool. That tool is the "ministry of presence". They simply appreciate when people just sit with them and give them a shoulder to cry on or an arm to lean on during the rough times. I have experienced this from both the giving and the receiving side. I understand the gratitude you feel when people are there for you when you are hurting. I also know how I feel when people thank me for just being a friend and sitting with them as they go through the experience. If you want to know how not to minister to someone who is hurting , read Job's account of his trials. Satan was allowed by God to test him and eventually took everything from Job but his life. His three friends did what a lot of people do when people suffer. They assume the one suffering deserves it. His friends all did until God set them straight. We should never presuppose that we understand why things happen. We generally have no clue. I prefer to let God be God and then sit back and marvel at what He does and not be too concerned with the why's.

As we go through life we all face hurts and loss of loved ones. We face these things because of sin in the world. We will continue doing so until Christ returns to take his people home and we leave this earth. In the meantime we need to remember that we need to love and encourage one another as we go through life. Just remember that life is fragile and we need to handle it with Prayer!

The Consequences of Choices

I turned the news on this morning as I usally do to hear the weather and of course the news. Today the news was on about Governor Schwarznegger and his maritial infidelity against his wife. The reporter talked about the relationship he had with a staffer. They talked about how he then had a "love child" to her. The story went on to talk about how this whole thing was tough on everyone involved. The Governor stated that he loved his wife and family and that he was going to try to get through this situation. I was disturbed when he claimed love for his wife and family. I believe that if a person loves his or her spouse and family they would stay faithful to them.

I heard a talk show discussing the topic. They said about politicians having affairs, actors' marriages ending in divorce and men in sports being womanizers. They said Arnold was doomed since he was involved in all three. I felt sad that he was just another statistic now. He made a choice to break his vows with his wife and engaged in a relationship that never should have happened. He is now facing the consequences for choosing to do the wrong thing. Just as Tiger Woods faced the same thing and paid a dear price for his unfaithfulness, Arnold is now experiencing the same consequences. What saddens me most is that the family is already under attack from a lot of different fronts. The enemy is out to destroy the family and he is doing that by spouses cheating and hurting each other. Sometimes he uses domestic issues to break the family apart. What really breaks God's heart is when Christians fail and commit adultery that leads to the marriage ending in divorce. Christians are divorcing almost at the same rate as non-Christians. The only thing that will save the family is for us as beleivers to make Christ the focal point of our lives and marriages. When we love Christ we can love others including our spouses and family members. We need Him to hold our marriages together and thereby keeping the family in tact. As the family goes, so goes the church. We need to be faithful to Him and each other.

The media talks about Arnold's "love child" which is an oxymoron. If he really loved his wife the only children he would have would be to her. A "love child" is not really a love child but the consequence of a bad choice. I certainly hope that this child does not bear the shame of the two people who brought him into this world. Lets choose to love our husbands or wivws as Christ loves us and gave Himself for us!

Yes Stephen Hawkings ! God Does Exist!

Yesterday while checking my email I saw an article on the web about Stephen Hawking, the well known physist, that said there was no heaven and that God is no longer needed. We have science! He declared that Heaven is a fairy story and that God is not needed. He believes that when you die you just cease to exist. Sound familiar? Remember our friend from the Last Post? He believed the same way. He has now learned the real truth. There is life after death and a judgement that follows. Hawkings believes that everything that exists does so without God's help. I would challenge him to prove that the world exists today and came from nothing with noone's help.

I know many folks who hold that Creation was not an act of God but a chance happening that just ocurred. One illustration that has stuck with me over the years is the one about the watch parts. The professor who was giving the lecture about creation took a watch and took all the workings from inside of it and placed them in the bag. He then placed the body of the watch in the bag as well. He started to shake the bag as he was giving us the information he wanted to share. He said that those who believe in things just coming into existence by sheer chance were way off the path. After having shaken the bag for a couple of minutes he poured out the contents onto the table. The parts all fell out loose and unassembled. He said that maybe he didn't give the bag shaking long enough. He put the parts back in the bag then went back to shaking the bag. He continued on about how God took nothing and made everything that is in existence. He continued talking for 20 more minutes and once again dumped out the bag. The same results so he picked up the pieces once more and started to shake the bag. He finshed up he presentation and dumped the bag out one last time. Still there was no watch only parts. He stated that he or anyone could shake the bag for all eternity and still never get the watch together. It takes a watchmaker to know the parts and be able to assemble in a certain order so that not only would it look like a watch but also run. It is simply the fact that creation itself shows a designer. That Designer is God Himself.

When the speaker finished his presentation, he asked how many were concentrating on the bag and wondering if the watch would somehow come together by shaking the bag. Many raised their hands. He left us with this thought. You were so busy wondering if the watch would come together but in reality the whole point is the fact the parts had to be made first by someone before they could even be put in the bag. Yes Stephen Hawkings God does exist as does heaven and one day you will meet Him. Meet Him as your Savior not as your Judge!

The Day is Coming

Heidie and I were listening to WJTL radio and heard them sharing about some people overseas that were Christians. They were not only Christians but they were willing to die for their faith. The one young lady became a Christian and her family and friends tried to get her to renounce her faith. This young woman refused to give her faith up and was killed as a result. She knew her belief in Christ was eternal while her life here was only temporal. She chose that which was eternal. I have heard some Christians in this country complain about being persecuted for their faith. I would say to these folks that they have no clue what persecution is. Yet!

I beleive that the time is coming when even in this nation people will begin to persecute those who truly follow Christ. The fist century believers knew what persecution was and epxperienenced it in so many ways. There were many martyrs in the early church. They suffered gruesome deaths but still held to their faith. Many over the years have taken a stand for Jesus and sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Gospel. Peter and Paul both died in Rome executed for their faith. All the other apostles also laid their lives down as martyrs. John was the only one who died of old age and that was because God had plans for John. There are believers even today facing death and imprisonment for the gospel's sake. We have not yet experienced true persecutiuon. Have we been ridiculed? Have we been put down in the media and called all sorts of things? Have we even been brought to court over our biblical beliefs? Absolutely we have! But persecuted? Not yet but the time will come should the Lord tarry we may! Look at how the country is turning its back on its godly heritage and foundations. What was once taboo and considered to be offensive is being spouted as just another freedom. You can fill in what that is. Many things fall into that category. You don't have to think too hard as to what things would fit. One day will be called radicals and face persecution as a result.

As I thought about the persecution and what that will mean to us as believers, I count myself to be among some very worthwhile company. Remember Jesus Himself was persecuted and killed. Don't forget that when Jesus rose from the dead He won our victory over death as well. Some day they may be able to kill our bodies but never our spirit! Remember that Paul tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord! I want to be a radical for Jesus Christ!

There is More to Life Than Death

Today I came across a blog called the Last Post. It was written by a man in Canada. His name was Derek and he had been blogging about his life and his cancer. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and died as a result of the cancer. He shared about how he was dealing with the cancer as well as being very open about what he was going through. He wrote in the last post that he was not afraid of dying because when he died Derek would simply become a corpse and he would just cease to exist. When I read that, my heart broke because actually death is not the end but only the beginning of eternity.

From the time of Adam to now, people that have been born in this world will face one certain event. Death is something that comes to everybody. The question is how long is the dash between our date of birth and date of death. Some folks live a long life and die at a ripe old age. There are others that leave this earth quickly and do not walk in this world very long. I have known people that lived to be 95 years old and longer and I know some that only were here for 4 months. The only thing they share in common is they both went the way of all the earth and died. Lazarus even went through death a second time after Jesus raised him from the dead. The question that each of us faces is where will we spend our eternity. Osama Bin Laden went into eternity just as my friend Courtney did a couple of years ago. The difference is that Courtney went on to a heavenly reward while Osama left here without hope. Death is not simply just a ceasation of life. It is stepping into eternity either with or without Christ. I know that Christ heart breaks everytime someone leaves this earth without Him as their Lord. Those, like Derek, who think that life ceases and they just stop existing are deceived by Satan. Satan wants people to die without Christ so they will spend their eternity in hell. But Christ died for each person so we don't have to die without knowing Him and His love.

Have you given any thought about your life and where you would go if you were to cease to live? Do not think like Derek but realize that the time will come for each of us to go into eternity either through death or when Christ comes back for His own! I really hope to see you there! Today is the Day of Salvation!

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow!

Today my wife Heidie starts a new job with a different company. She had been at her old job for 10 years. She felt she needed to have a change because of the situation at her old job. She liked the people but the job environment kept getting worse. She did not let her frustration keep her from doing her job and doing it well. She now is doing what she loves to do once again. But the enemy Satan started putting the "what if" and "maybe I should have" thoughts in her mind and heart. I reminded her that God is still the one on the throne and He has everything under control.

There are many times in our lives that we face changes and uncertain futures. Heidie told me that she doesn't like change. I totally agree. I do not like change myself. I have seen many changes over my lifetime. As we all know if we have been around for a while, some changes are good and others are bad. Some can be painful while others are enjoyable to experince such as getting married or having a child. Well having a child can be both a joy and a painful experince! When a family experiences the birth of a baby, the home gets turned upside down because of the child but noone ever complains. The child makes all the activity worth it. There are other times where a person might get sick that changes not only their lives but the lives of those around them as well. I think of my mother when she was diagnosed with MS. That radically changed our family and what we would face as a family. Many know the pain of Alzheimer and how it affects not just the person but all family members. Today many have felt the pain of being laid off as a result of the economy. It can be difficult to find work in some areas. Some folks have given up while others are still trying to gain employment. Whatever the situation you face, never forget that God is not caught unaware of your situation but knows His plans for you and that He loves you dearly. Hold on to the faith that He has given you because He still rules and reigns from Heaven. We can't see down the road but He can and He will see you through. He promises in His Word that "all things work together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose". He can use every change in our lives for His glory and our betterment.

Heidie is experiencing a change but God has prepared her for the change and will bless her as she stays faithful to Him. I was asked once if I could go back and change what my family went through because of the pain it caused. I responded "Absolutely not!" Why? Because God used it to make me who and what I am today. If I wouldn't have had to face those changes, I cannot be sure if I would even be a beleiver today yet alone have spent years ministering to kids! How about you? What changes have you or are facing today? The only person who does not change is God! He is the same Yesterday, today and forver! Let Him mold you into His Son's image!

A Wedding Invitation

On April 29th of 2011 there was an event that took place that the world was exicted about! That's right! I turned 53! Oops! Never mind! The world could care less that I celebrated another birthday. The world seemed to be excited about the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate. Many got up early to watch the wedding and see them tie the knot. There were many who were invited to the wedding while millions of others were not! I know I didn't get my invitation. But neither did President Obama so I don't feel so bad! But there have been other weddings that I wasn't invited to so no big deal. But I know one wedding I do not want to miss and everyone is invited to attend.

There is a day coming where God will tell His Son to go and get His bride. When He comes, He will take His bride to go be with Him for eternity. So just who is His bride? It is the church. But when I say the church, I do not mean buildings but the people who attand those churches. The problem we have is this. Not everyone who attends a church will be a part of the true church. The church is actually made up of people who believe that Jesus came to this earth as a baby, lived as a man, died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead in victory over death. They live for Jesus and are watching for His return. The Bible talks about the wedding feast that those who are with Him will enjoy. You talk about a Royal Wedding! This is true royalty! After all, we are sons and daughters of the King. He has given us everything we could possibly ever want and invites us to be with Him for all time. What an awesome thought! God loves us so much that He gave us His own Son to die so we might attend the wedding feast of all time. The only inviatation nessary is for us to have Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Not only that, we also don't have to worry about what to wear to the wedding! He will give us the garments to wear! They will be spotless with spot or wrinkle! Never needs ironed or washed!

I may not have been to Diana and Charles or William and Kate's weddings but I will be waiting for my invitation to go to Jesus' wedding! Are you excited about that wedding or are you one of those who may get left out? It will never be too late to have your invitation until Jesus comes back and takes His Bride home. Don't miss out but ask Him to be Lord and Savior! Remember that He wants everyone to be in attendance!

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

This morning when I turned on the news I heard that a Navy Seal team had gone in to a compound in Pakistan after a helicopter attack and took out Osama Bin Laden. They shot and killed him and took his body for identification. The reports said that his body was buried at sea within 24 hours after his death according to Muslim beliefs. People all over celebrated when the news was made known about his death. A lot of people cheered and chanted USA USA! I lost a friend in the 9/11 attack. I am glad that the criminal behind the attack has been taken out but my heart has also been reminded about another fact of this terrorist's death.

I had mixed emotions when I heard that he was killed in an attack against the compound where he was hiding. I was glad but I was also saddened at the same time. I am sure there are those who would ask me why I would be sad that he was dead. The reason is simply this. Over 2000 years ago Jesus came to this earth to die for the sins of mankind. He suffered and died that we might have forgiveness of sin and have eternal life. Jesus didn't die for just some people. He died once for all people. He died for you and I but He also died for Bin laden and every other Muslim and every person no matter what their religious belief. We are sinners in need of salvation or we face the reality of hell. Unfortunately, Bin Laden went to his death and now faces eternal separation from God. Jesus died for him but he never knew the truth or refused to accept the truth about Jesus. The fact is Jesus loved Bin Laden as He loves all people. Now the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for Bin Laden will do nothing for Bin Laden. It states in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed for man to die once then the judgment. God does not want any to perish but all to come to eternal life. Sadly, Bin Laden will never realize how much God loved him. The thing that should break each of our hearts is that Bin Laden will not be the only one who will die apart from Christ. We need to spread the good news to those who are pershing.

Was justice served with Bin Laden's death? We would all probably say yes. Does his death bring back may friend or the others who died that day? No but it does bring a sense of closure for us in regards to 9/11. But still my heart or even better yet, God's heart, is broken because someone Jesus died for died in his sins and will spend eternity in hell. What about you? What does your heart speak to you?

I want to also take this time to say thank you to all the service men and women who have served and are serving this country and have even given their lives for us. Those who have continued the fight against terrorism may God bless you and keep you safe in the battles you face!