houstonroberson

My Friend Tom Hunt

2011-10-31T14:44:00.000-04:00

While sitting with a couple of friends last evening at Outback Steak House, I asked a very telling question: "If our children were to stand to speak for us at our funeral, what do you think they would say?" One answer was, "It won't matter then because I won't be there to hear it." Another answer was, "I don't know."

Yesterday, I was privileged to listen to a young man and a young lady speak to the life of their Dad. Tom Hunt was one of the best friends I've ever known. He was a friend from 45 years ago, and two weeks ago, he succumbed to a physical illness that had haunted him for the past year.

I'm writing this today because I love Tom Hunt, and because I was so moved and impressed by what his kiddos had to say about him.

I first met Tom hunt when he was a brand new student at Cedartown High School. He and his family moved to our little north Georgia town in the summer before our sophomore year. As soon as I met Tom we became the best of friends. Tom was unique in that he seemed to always know what he wanted in life. He laid eyes on a pretty young blond haired freshman named Kathy and immediately set about to win her heart . . . which he did! Soon after high school they were married and stayed that way for the past 41 years. They were great together.

Tom drove the prettiest '55 Chevrolet I ever saw. It had black rolled and pleated interior and had a 327 c.i./350 h.p. engine, a 411 positive traction rear end and beautiful mag wheels. It would scream. Understand that Tom had that car (bought with his own money) at the age of 16. He was driving an incredible car at 16 and I was just out there bumming rides.

Tom gave me my first job. His step-dad was a Master Builder of homes in our town, and Tom hired me (remember he's just a kid himself) to clean up trash and tote lumber. Paid me the whopping sum of $10/day. I can distinctly remember carrying 2X10's 18 feet long and green (dripping with sap) during the summer and putting them up for Tom and Ray (his step-dad) to nail in place. Tom went on to become a Master Craftsman of personal custom built homes which is pretty awesome in a day of so much mass production. He took great pride in everything he did in those early days, and He saw to it that whatever he started . . . he completed!

Yesterday at the Celebration of Life Service, I was seated in the sanctuary of Celebration United Methodist Church along with 300 other folk when the family was ushered in to take their places. I saw about 20 family members make their way toward the front of the church, and I carefully examined every face only to realize that I didn't recognize many in the group. Remember now that I once knew them all well, but I struggled to put names with faces. I did recognize Kathy, the bride of 41 years, and I saw one or two others that were vaguely familiar, but after 45 years, the old memory was fading and everybody seemed to look a little different. It's kind of like going to your first high school reunion after 40 years and thinking, "Who are all these people?"

My point in this piece is this: Tom's children, Eric and Jessica intended to speak for their Daddy. Jessica went first. She blessed our hearts by allowing the 300 of us in attendance into this family's Sacred Place. On his death bed, Jessica heard her Daddy say to her, "I'll miss you every day, but I'll see you again." She told him, "Daddy, I would rather have had you for 29 years than any other man for 60." Gosh, my heart hurt for this sweet young lady.

but then . . .

It was Eric's turn. Eric stood to speak. He looked just like his Daddy. Same thick dark hair, same chiseled chin, same thick chest, same skin complexion. As he began to speak, I thought I was looking at Tom's clone. There he stood, a picture of his Daddy.

With much emotional difficulty, Eric began to relate to that massive throng his love for his Daddy, his best friend. Then he got to the meat of the message. He told us (with every Daddy in attendance gradually coming under conviction) his Daddy always told him he (Tom) had one mission in life, to teach him to be a man!

Hold the phone! Stop the presses!

How clear can it be? Tom had a goal and a purpose in everything he did in life, from building homes to building his son. This goal and purpose had found it's mark; his son's heart! From the day he picked up that boy the first time at Floyd Hospital in Rome, Georgia until the day he went home to be with the Lord, Tom had one purpose in Eric's life, namely to teach his son to be a man. Clearly, succinctly and very candidly, Tom's objective in raising Eric was to teach him to be a man! He wasn't so much interested in teaching Eric to get an education or to make lots of money. His objective was to teach his boy how to be a man! Gosh, is that not what our world needs today, Dad's teaching their sons to be real men? So often we teach our children how to get by or how to get along in life, but Tom wanted to make sure Eric knew how to be a man! What greater objective could one have?

Suddenly, I remembered that this was the same Tom with whom I grew up! He was always focused and clear about what he wanted. He was careful with all things having to do with life, but he lived his life to the fullest! Tom was one of the finest young men I've known!

Can I say that everything else he taught Eric seemed to find it's mark as well. He taught him about the importance of being true to your word, integrity, honesty, fairness, hard work and all the rest. But the one thing that caused this young man to be prepared to stand on firm footing in this ever changing world was, Son, here's how you can be a man!

I immediately asked myself this question: "Have I accomplished the same with my children?" I'm pretty sure other men in attendance thought the same thing.

From 16 to 60 Tom Hunt was the same. He was always a great man, a man of integrity, a gentle man, a man who loved his sweet bride, a great and faithful friend who would help anyone anytime and a man to be admired and respected. Tom Hunt stands in my heart and mind as a giant in a world so desperately in need of the same.

He's home now. Having accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, Tom is more alive today than he's ever been. He left us too early, but he left us with so much to savor.

By the way, the great tragedy of this story is that Tom and I only lived an hour and a half from one another. I'd searched for him on this venue, and I'd asked others about where he and Kathy were, but I didn't try hard enough to find him. My heart hurts now because I could have been there with him and for him . . . but I didn't make it my priority. Now, I regret this, and I wish I had.

Closing, I have 3 simple things to leave you with:

1) If you have friends you need to find, find them and don't wait. If you have love to express or hurts to mend, don't wait. Life is preciously short.

2) Make sure you have purpose in how you live your life (your kiddos are worth every bit of your undivided attention).

3) Don't be stupid and die without Jesus! He's the best friend you've ever had! Don't leave home without Him!

I wrote this to you because I love Tom Hunt, and I just had it on my heart!
chip

Love, Service and Investments!

2011-09-14T10:08:00.002-04:00

"USC scientists generate first detailed map of human neuroreceptor" was the headline in my in-box this morning. I must confess, as a Pharmacist, I was thrilled to go to the page and read how USC scientists have now mapped a neurotransmitter receptor site. The possibilities of that work has incredible consequences for those suffering with Alzheimer's and so many other neurological conditions.

Switching pages

Recently, as I was reading through my Bible, I ran across the following passage:

Romans 12:6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, EACH OF US IS TO EXERCISE THEM ACCORDINGLY: (emphasis added) if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 LET LOVE BE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY. (emphasis added) Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, SERVING THE LORD; (emphasis added) 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

OK, Chip, what's the point, right? Alright, alright, let me get there!

What if born-again believers (the true Church) were as diligent and as focused on living out the Scripture and discovery of ways to serve the Lord and His Church as those who research science? The scientist who made this discovery has spent more than twenty years endeavoring to see what is God's after thought. Think with me, PLEASE!!!

These guys have tried and failed, tried and failed again, but they continued to try until they figured the right way to crystallize these incredibly small neurotransmitters!

What if we (the church) focused all our brain power (now I know that wouldn't get much traction in most of us) and prayer time on creative ways to communicate the Gospel to those living around and among us! What would the difference be? What would happen if we loved the living Lord as much as the scientist loves his research? Now, don't just dismiss what I'm saying. Think about it!

The design of the human (and non-human) body is incredible, is it not? There's so much brilliance in the design of the average human body. It is amazing! For most of us the neurotransmitter is not even on our radar screen, but to the medical researcher it is huge!

To God, it's an afterthought! To the Master Designer, it's no big deal! "It's just the way I made it," the Lord might say!

But to the researcher, it's a huge breakthrough! A mega discovery! This team of scientist has spent more than 20 years and millions of dollars on making this happen.

When He designed the body, the Lord just said, "Let it be" and it was!

What if?

What if we focused our attention and our efforts AND our money on making sure our love was without hypocrisy? Please just think about that!

What if we focused our attention on discovering our spiritual gifts so that we could do everything the way the Master Designer made us (and by-the-way, you were no afterthought)? AND THEN WE SPENT THE MAJORITY OF OUR TIME EXERCISING OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTING, and stayed out of the way of others who are exercising their spiritual gifting!!!!!!! In other words, what if we all minded our own business! Whoa! That'll make you dizzy!!!

What if we worked as diligently and as precisely as a scientist who possibly doesn't even believe there is a Master Designer but likely believes (as do the lion's share of his scientific colleagues believe) that all this "just happened"! What if we spent the next 20 years and millions of God's dollars perfecting our love for AND SERVICE TO the Lord and one another!

WOW!

Holy Moley!

The time on earth for all of us is short! There's little doubt that the Lord is set to return soon. I can only imagine the scenes in heaven. Gabriel has likely picked up his trumpet and is in the process of licking his lips so he can get a good blast! The sweet and precious Lord Jesus is likely shifting His weight from the back to the front of His throne! He's slipping to the front in anticipation of being told by His Father to "go get my people"! Keep your eyes on Israel!!!

So the choice is ours individually and corporately! Why don't we prayerfully begin to focus our collective attention on love, prayer and service to one another with the same diligence as these other guys? Who knows, the Lord may choose to present a special award (crown) to us in that great ceremony known as The Judgment Seat of Christ! Would that not be a blessing?

I write this to you because I had it on my heart! I'll either see you here, there or in the air!
chip

Flesh vs. Spirit

2011-05-30T09:25:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but all too often I have found myself to be so pre-occupied by the things I see that I fail to recognize the significance of the Spirit. I know; I'm sure I'm the only one who struggles with the world in which we live as opposed to the spirit world in which God and all His angels life.

This morning I read a startling statement in the book of Isaiah and thought I'd just share that with you.

The date of the text (Isaiah 31:3) is approximately 750 B.C. Assyria is threatening to drop down on and devour Israel like a lion on an innocent defenseless sheep. Isaiah is the Lord's Prophet speaking (or attempting to speak) the Word of the Lord to the people.

The leadership of Israel recognizes the threat and is caucusing over what steps ought to be followed to insure Israel's survival in the event Assyria follows through on it's threat! I'm sure the king and his court are seriously wringing their hands as they ponder what to do.

Someone has the idea (and suggests it to the king) that we ought to partner with Egypt and get them to send in their army to help us.

We all know nothing comes without a price. The king and his court knows this assistance will not come apart from a great price!

God prompts His prophet to warn Israel's leadership to not go to Egypt, but to turn to Him. Look to God in your time of difficulty! Don't look to that bank! Don't trust in the market! Ask God for His help.

So Isaiah has his message and brings it to the king. Here's what he has to say:

"The Egyptians are men and not God. And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the Lord will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble. And he who is helped will fall. And all of them will come to an end together." (Isaiah 31:3)

Their horses are flesh and not spirit!

In the end, here's what actually happened.

Isaiah 36 - Hezekiah is in his 14th year as king and Sennacherib king of Assyria comes against Judah.

Sennacherib sends his henchman Rabshakeh to taunt the people of God. He laughs, he scorns and he challenges the promises of God! He basically says, I've surrounded Jerusalem and I'm ready to destroy it!!!!

Does that sound familiar children? Does that sound at all like the news in our day? Holy Moley!

The people of God are scared to death, but the Word of the Lord is true! And . . . true to His Word, during the night God sends ONE OF HIS ANGELS to the camp of Assyria!

HE DOESN'T SEND A LEGION OF ANGELS . . . HE SENDS "THE ANGEL OF THE LORD"!

Now let's see what happens:

Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelec and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

That will teach him to taunt God!

Now, back to our text. Isaiah 31:3b "their horses are flesh and not spirit".

Our God is Spirit and not flesh. EVIDENTLY, THE SPIRIT IS STRONGER THAN THE FLESH.

I suppose that's where Paul is coming from when he says, "If God is for, us who can be against us!"

Hallelujah! What a Savior!!!

Thanks for going along with me on this wonderful journey called "The Christian Life"!

Chip

Did Heaven Grieve?

2011-04-12T09:07:00.003-04:00

I wonder if we can muse over the day two thousand years ago when reality hit the Lord, and He stood up and wrapped Himself in baby's flesh and placed Himself into the virgin womb of Mary? One must contemplate His full range of emotions felt by Him as the day began to unfold itself. From Eternity past this day had to be on God's calendar.

Humor me! If you are a parent, place yourself in the Father's place.

The price would have to be paid . . . He knew that!

There was no one in the Universe who could pay such a steep price . . . He knew that, too!

Angels couldn't! Angels are a little lower than God and of a different order than man. So angels couldn't die for man.

Man could die for man . . . if he were perfect or sinless!

Well, let's see now, who is there in all the Universe who's a perfect man . . . uh oh! There's not one perfect man in all the Universe.

What does this mean?

Excuse me, what does this mean?

Angels can't do it!

Mankind can't do it!

That leaves only One!

God would have to come and pay the price to redeem His lover who had gone astray. WOW! What great love! Love would have to come and lay down His life to bridge the breech between heaven and earth. Only one could do it!

Amazingly, when the sweet Lord Jesus placed Himself into that virgin's body, He had to weave her DNA with His. Wait a minute. Are you saying God has DNA? Naw! But Jesus had DNA! If He didn't He wasn't fully man!!! Ever think about that?

Somehow, in the process of entering that sacred position, God wove Himself in with the DNA of Mary and became the God/Man!

So, back to the original question. When the day finally came and this entire process took place, did the Father grieve?

You can bet He did. I imagine all heaven grieved when Heaven's Darling stepped out of glory to become His task, heaven grieved!

How do you know that, Chip?

Because when my precious baby threw her back pack over her shoulders and picked up her carry on bag and with great courage got in line to have her things inspected, her Mom, her brother and her Dad's hearts broke. Fighting tears and all the raw emotions that come with such an incident, these three Robersons remained silent as the most courageous among us walked away.

Let me assure you that like heaven before us, we will count the days until that child will reverse her walk and return to us having accomplished her assigned task. In a couple of years (they will seem like eons) we will grin as that lady walks back into the arms of her Mom, brother and Dad.

Like heaven before us, we grieve today, but that day we'll shout with joy as our baby returns home. When that day arrives, this old man will gladly cry, "WELCOME HOME, MY CHILD! WELCOME HOME!"

Had it on my heart,
chip

Grace, Grace, God's Grace! Hallelujah!!! What A SAVIOR!

2011-03-28T12:19:00.002-04:00

Have you come to that place in your spiritual life where you've literally consumed and bathed in the grace of God; that place where you've blown it, you know you've blown it and know in your soul what you've done has to be unforgivable in the sight of God and man?

Then, as an example of His marvelous grace, He (Holy Spirit) reminds you of Romans 3:23 ". . . all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," and Romans 6:23 ". . . the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," and Ephesians 2:8ff ". . . by grace have you been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

O' the marvelous grace of our wonderful God.

When one reads of the grace of God and then experiences that incredible blessing, one suddenly comes to the realization that it really isn't dependent on oneself, but totally on Him.

The great man Moses had blown it. In Exodus 34 he really threw a tantrum!

The Father had summoned the great leader to the top of Sinai where the two of them met in intimacy for 40 days. The Father warned Moses of what Israel had done by urging Aaron to fashion for them the golden calf. Yet, when Moses descended from the Mountain of God into the midst of the camp of Israel, and he saw what these had been up to for these days, He exploded! In a fit of anger, Moses literally threw a tantrum. He flung the tablets of stone to the ground and literally broke the Ten Commandments or the promises of God; the very covenant (agreement) established by God that would guide Israel's way in the future. In other words, his fit became his failure.

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever found yourself in the position of "blowing it". Maybe you did so with your wife or your kiddos. Maybe you blew it with your job or your in-laws. Maybe you allowed yourself certain liberties into areas where you knew better, and now, you are facing the consequences over what you've done.

As a result of your failures, you now face the consequences of your failure. What in this world will you possibly do? You have disappointed those closest to you AND YOU KNOW IT!

What do you do? How in the world do you face failure? How do you move on?

Moses faced the exact same struggle. He had allowed his temper to get the best of him and he slung the covenant of God to the ground thus destroying that which God had provided.

Please take the time to read Exodus 34:6-7. Here's what the text says:

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

GOOD NEWS!!! GOOD NEWS!!!! GOOD NEWS!!!!

There are three principles to glean from this declaration:
1) When one errs, To Whom Ought He Look For Redemption?

Notice first how God identifies Himself to Moses:
"The Lord, the Lord God . . .

The word "Lord" clearly heads this segment. The word "Lord" in the original text is transliterated from the Hebrew word, Jehovah. All Jews understood that the word Jehovah is the name God uses to describe Himself as the Redeemer. It's true from Genesis to Malachi. When God speaks of Himself as "Lord", He is speaking of His redeemer character.

What Moses needed as this time is One who would be willing to redeem the one who had sinned.

When someone blows it, what they need more than anything else is to be redeemed; bought back!

I find it interesting that God begins His very own introduction of Himself with the word, Redeemer. He proclaimed to the failed leader, "I am your Redeemer!"

Notice His next designation:
"I am the Lord God".

Not only am I the Redeemer, but I'm the Jehovah Elohim!" If Jehovah is the Redeemer name of God what in the world does the name Elohim mean?

If one searches through the Old Testament one will discover the word Elohim is used in Genesis 1:1 where God is performing His creative work. The name Elohim describes the great power of God. For in the name Elohim one discovers Him speaking and all the worlds in the Universe coming into being. From nothing, Elohim spoke and everything that is came forth. Elohim is the name for God's creative Person.

In this introduction God says, I Am the Redeemer, and I have the power to support that claim.

Do you realize that when you've blown it (if you haven't you will), God comes alongside you and declares, "I Am your Redeemer, and I have the power to support that claim!"

2) When one blows it, What Qualities Ought his/her Redeemer Demonstrate?

"compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;"

Those first three characteristics are certainly enough. I'll allow the reader to waller in those for a season, but I'd really like to camp on the final two characteristics if I may.

He says He "abounds in lovingkindness and truth."

The Hebrew word used here translating the thought of "to abound" literally describes a super-abundance; more than enough. God is saying that these final two qualities are in a large enough supply to handle all Moses and the people of God will ever need.

So what are these two:

"Lovingkindness and truth"

Three English words are helpful to describe "lovingkindness", and they are goodness, kindness, faithfulness.

When the believer blows it, His God is the Redeemer who is plenty-able to take care of His need (failure), because He is good (none are good except God) and kind, and faithful.

When you aren't faithful, He is! That's good news.

He is also "The Truth". I think that is self explanatory from the Gospel of John.

Finally, when the believer blows it, What Past and Present Actions Ought His Redeemer to Demonstrate?

Well, the Lord answers this Himself. Note the final portion of the text:

"who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin."

He abounds in lovingkindness, but check out this final action. He forgives 3 kinds of failure.

Iniquity, transgression and sin!

Iniquity is wickedness. This is as bad as it gets! Iniquity is described as perversity, depravity, iniquity and guilt. This is willful sin; disobedience or sinning with a high hand. One does it knowing full and well it's wrong, but he does it anyway. Iniquity is bad. God says, "even when you shake your rebellious fist in my face and declare you're your own man and you'll do whatever you please, even that He will forgive. WOAH! That's pretty good.

Well then, what's transgression? If iniquity is high-handed sin, what in the world is transgression?

Transgression is raw rebellion. When folk get in their heart to "do their own thing" regardless of the heart of God, that is transgression.

Have you ever just "done your own thing?" I certainly have.

Finally . . . (whew, this was too long), "sin". One reference I read said the basic meaning of the root is to miss a mark or a way."

You were doing your best, but you just missed the mark.

Holey Moley, what a great God we serve. When we blow it, He loves us and is willing to forgive us and redeem us from all unrighteousness.

Read 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."

Have you blown it? I certainly have.

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart. Thanks for reading along!
chip

How Are Your Eyes?

2011-01-20T10:36:00.003-05:00

If the CEO of a major corporation were interviewing you for a position on his/her staff, and part of that interview asked if you knew of any personal struggles, how would you answer? For instance:

1) Do you struggle with the proper appropriation of your time? Yes___; No___
2) Do you find yourself more attracted to work than your family? Yes___; No___
3) Do you struggle with the success your best friend enjoys? Yes___; No___

Very often these kinds of questions are never asked. We go through our lives never realizing that we have allowed other things to slip themselves into our lives preventing the true joy the Lord has intended. For instance.

Number 1 - Time is so critical to each of us. Yet each one receives the very same 24 hours each day.
Number 2 - Too often we discover so much intrigue in the work we do that we allow our passion to slip into the place of primacy that God intends our family to hold!
Number 3 is the reason I'm writing this today. Do you struggle with the success your friend enjoys? O' so subtle a sin; O' the true nature of our sin; O' the true revelation of our sinfulness!

Honestly, I believe envy and jealousy must be the most virulent and subtle of the sins the believer faces. I came across that fact today as I was reading Matthew 20:1-16. We know the passage so very well, yet the sweet Lord Jesus makes His address in the midst of those infected with the virus; those who are seething with envy and those who are so very jealous of one another . . . the 12 . . . the disciples . . . the future Apostles! You know, it was James and John's Mom who would ask the Lord to allow them to be on His right and left in His Kingdom!

What evidence to you have of this, Chip?

If you'll continue reading right down the page in your Bible in Matthew 20 you'll encounter that very truth. Look briefly at Matthew 20:21 And He said to her,

“What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” 24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers."

Notice these brothers were more than willing to "drink from the Lord's cup" which clearly shows they were in agreement with Mom, but why did the 10 become indignant with the 2 brothers? Maybe it was because they didn't asked the same thing! Who knows?

What I do know is this, the Lord Jesus Himself is standing in the midst of those who want to rule and run the kingdom; those who long to lord it over others; those who hope to rise to the top of their profession. Envy and jealousy abounds even in the midst of the Lord's wonderful kingdom.

If the 12 struggle with these things and they are living in the presence of God, how much more must I struggle with envying the success of my brother? I really do enjoy what Dr. Rick Warren has noted about this subject. He has said, "Envy is resenting God's goodness to others and ignoring God's goodness to me."

In the parable of the "Laborers in the Vineyard" our Lord makes so many intriguing points, but He drives the proverbial nail deep as He concludes this parable in verse 15. Let's see what He asks:

Matthew 20:15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’

Whoa! Wait! Holy Moley!

Are you envious because I am generous?

In other words, "I've chosen to bless these who came last by paying them the same amount as I've paid you! You and I have agreed to the amount I am to pay you, but these last folk weren't promised anything. I simply told them to go into the vineyard. You had a contract; they had hope! Now that I've paid you what our contract called for, you ought to be satisfied. I've paid them purely by my generosity."

We live in a world where some rise to the top while others remain in the middle of the pack (the desires of James and John). For those who are in the midst of their peers (which by-the-way happens to be most of us) all-the-while watching their friends rise to the top, life presents a tough choice. You can rejoice or you can be envious!

The men in the parable were jealous and envious because their friends got the same paycheck as they! Yet the choice to bless was the Landowner's (a.k.a. God) choice. Whom He blesses is His decision, not ours. He could have given the early workers more, but He chose to bless those who came last. In other words, His grace was wonderful for all.

A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals the relative importance of subjective attitudes over and above objective circumstances. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here's why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren't satisfied with silver; bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all, so they were just as happy to be on the medal stand.

I believe it was Leonard Bernstein who spoke to this very same sentiment when he was asked, "What is the hardest instrument to play?"

Without a moment's hesitation he replied, "Second fiddle. I can always get plenty of first violinists. But to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm, or second French horn, or second flute, now that's a problem! And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony."

So there you have it. Finding one who longs to play 2nd fiddle with all the enthusiasm one would have playing 1st violin is nearly an impossible task.

Let me close by saying this. Only one can stand at the top of the heap. In God's Kingdom, that must be God. When I envy my brother/sister who's rank in life is just a bit more than mine, I'm really complaining to God that I don't like what He's decided. I'm really guilty of "resenting God's goodness to others and ignoring God's goodness to me. After all, is that not what got Lucifer kicked out of heaven?

WOW! Now that's important, I wrote this to you because I had it on my own heart!

chip

The Heavenly Hesitancy

2011-01-18T06:27:00.002-05:00

We all readily acknowledge that we live in a society that demands "immediacy". As a Pharmacist who works with the public, I can assure you that those most demanding are those who pay nothing, and having served as a Pastor for 25 years, I can assure you that those who are quick to complain in the church are those who "pay nothing" for the services rendered. That's another complaint for another day. We live in a society that wants everything done "right now"!

But have you ever experienced the hesitation of God?" Have you ever realized that the Father doesn't accept "right now" demands? As a matter of fact, do you know that heaven often presents itself as somewhat reluctant to respond?

What are you talking about, Chip????

As I was reading Genesis 19 this morning for the umpteenth time I came across the text that talks of the 2 angels going into Sodom where Lot lived. You'll remember that Lot had chosen to move he and his family into the carnal and sinful place known as Sodom, because the place was home to much worldly success. Lot had moved himself there and had found his way into the leadership (town council) of the city. We know this because when the angels came into the city, Lot was "sitting in the gate of Sodom". This is important because those who were highly thought of sat "in the gate". This was like the city counsel chambers in our modern day language. It was "in the gate" that important decisions were made by the elders and leaders of those towns.

One ought to expect Lot to be in that place, because, after all, he was an extremely rich man and in a carnal society (church or any other enterprise) rich people get top billing.

Now on this particular day, Lot was sitting in the gate alongside all his new friends when he looked up and saw the two angels walking toward the gate. They were about to enter into the city and Lot (even though he had become carnal) recognized them as being the angels of God (I believe Abraham and Lot recognized the original 3 as being the Lord and 2 of His angels because of their careful treatment of these individuals).

When he saw them and recognized them for who they were, he immediately "rose up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, "Now behold my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and spend the night and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." They said however, "No, but we shall spend the night in the square." (Genesis 19:1b-2)

Let me ask you a pertinent question: "Do you think these 2 angels actually intended to spend that night in the square?" Why do you think they resisted Lot's offer? Why were they hesitant in accepting Lot's request?

From a purely speculative opinion I believe it is the nature of God to do just exactly that!

What in the world are you talking about Chip?

I believe God is a Gentleman and chooses to not insert Himself in places where He's not absolutely welcomed and invited by those with whom He is working. (Now, let me quickly add that there are often times when God pushes Himself in places where He has not been invited because those with whom He is working are oblivious to spiritual matters, and if He doesn't assert Himself all will be lost.) But in those cases where the believer is spiritually mature, and should know enough to interact intelligently with Him, God will not push His presence.

Let me give you 3 biblical incidences where this is demonstrated:

In the text before us we see that these angels hesitate. Why do they hesitate? Is it because they are testing Lot?

In Mark 6:48 we read of our Lord walking on the water. He'd just fed the 5000 men on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and His disciples were attempting to row themselves to the other side of the Lake when they were accosted by an incredible tempest. The text tells us vs. 48 "seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them." Why in the world did the Lord Jesus "intend to pass by them?" Could it be that He was testing his disciples?

The final instance (and there are a bunch more in Scripture) the Lord has been crucified and rumored to have been resurrected from the dead. In Luke 24:28 we read, "And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him . . ."

Why did the resurrected Savior and Lord of these 2 "act as though He were going farther"? Was He testing them?

Let me close by saying, "Heaven hasn't changed anymore than God has changed. In the appropriate time the Lord meets with His people. He spends the appropriate amount of time with them so they'll know it's Him. Then He will move on if He's not invited to go farther with those with whom He is walking. Why does He do this?

I have a couple of possibilities:

1) You are a spiritual babe and God has to look after you as a mother looks after her baby! Little is expected of a baby in arms. They are incapable of making grown up decisions. God's children are that way as well. We are "born-again" and become brand new born babes in Christ. Our spiritual education has just begun. We aren't expected to stay in the spiritual bassinet for the rest of our lives, but we are expected to grow up in the fulness and grace of our sweet Lord!

2) You are just spiritually indolent or one who is oblivious to the fact that we are spiritual creatures expected to live spiritual lives. You've been saved long enough to understand spiritual matters, but for whatever reason, you have chosen the lesser route.

Could it be that you will encounter the Lord or His angel in the days immediately before you, and you will have the opportunity to invite Him to go on forward with you? Please be spiritual minded and when you discover heaven's presence, invite Him to go on with you!

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart! I love you and Him,
chip

Where's God?

2011-01-17T09:22:00.003-05:00

Have you ever found yourself confounded by life's circumstances; stumped by those things which have been thrown at you?

There was a day in the life of our Lord's disciples when they were literally stumped by what they saw. They looked around them and discovered a huge crowd of folks who had followed the Lord Jesus for many days. From the look in their eyes, it was clear these folks needed rest and food. The distance to the local Chick-fil-A was farther than most of these haggard folk could walk. What to do?

Peter looked at John his eyes asking what they should do. They turned to Matthew, the accountant, asking him what they should do. He turned to his brother with inquisitive eyes. Suddenly, someone said, "let's take inventory." Maybe there's enough in these folks bags that we can feed them. After all, they hadn't eaten in a while themselves.

And what did they find?

One lad had a couple of fish and a few small loaves of bread left from the bag his mom packed. That was it! There was no more. If anyone had brought food, they'd managed to devour it along the way.

Now what?

Have you been there?

Confused . . . perplexed . . . out of suggestions? You just don't know where to turn!

Here's where the story finds real traction in our lives.

After they had exhausted their efforts to find enough food to at least feed the weakest and infirm, they finally turned to Jesus.

Now the rubber really meets the proverbial road here, does it not?

After they had exhausted their efforts . . .

The same can be said of most of us. We go through our lives and one day we realize we really are in need of something vital to life. Our Doctor informs us, "it's melanoma," Our accountant tells us, "you owe more than you have," your boss sends you the message, "we're cutting back on staff," and you are in a pickle. You have run through your savings, or you do everything in your personal power to alleviate the strain. You've exhausted it all . . . Now what do you do?

These men find themselves in the same situation. They've already taken inventory of the entire crowd. All the food they have in the stadium sized crowd is 5 little loaves and 2 small fishes. What is that in the midst of a crowd so large?

Finally, they do what they should have done at the very beginning. They come to Jesus. They tell the Master of the Universe, "Hey, you better send the crowds away. 'This place is so desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves'" (Matthew 14:15).

Do you find comfort in the fact that these "chosen men" come to the same conclusion most of us would? They tell God to send them to take care of themselves.

Send them away? Can you imagine?

May I briefly pause?

Why do you think God, the Holy Spirit, included this story in Scripture? Was He bragging on Himself?

Absolutely not!

God wants you and me to understand HE ALWAYS CARES ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF HIS CHILD! HE CARES ABOUT YOU!!!

The story is this:

When life throws us a biting curve, turn to Jesus!

When there's no place to turn, turn to Jesus!

When everyone in your world walks away and leaves you alone, turn to Jesus!

He never leaves nor forsakes us. As a matter-of-fact, not only does He care for you, but if you have no place to turn, and your life has exploded, listen . . . that still small voice you hear is His. He not only cares for you, it's actually Him Who's come searching for you! He IS the good Shepherd, and you are His sheep!

ALWAYS REMEMBER, He leaves the ninety-nine and walks through the howling winds and the broken glass of life, and He's looking for you!

He doesn't just provide food, He provides ______ why don't you fill in the blank! What ever you need, He provides what you need!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now that's good news!

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart! Gosh, I love the Lord; don't you?
chip

Your Worth To God and His Kingdom

2011-01-15T11:09:00.003-05:00

This morning I was reading the Gospel of Matthew 13:44ff when I came across these verses:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."

In thinking about these verses the thought naturally occurred to me, "what is the hidden treasure and what is the pearl of great value"?

Honestly, for most of my Christian life, I've heard that these represent salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ. All Scripture must be interpreted in light of the totality of Scripture, because no one verse ever contradicts any other verse. If that's true (and it is by-the-way), then let's take a wee bit different look at the preceding verses.

In doing so, I'd like to propose several wee different thoughts about them. First, let's make a couple of principled observations:

1) To whom does the kingdom of heaven belong? Obviously the kingdom belongs to God!
2) Who is "the man" in these parables? I've always thought the man was us . . . mankind! Is that the case? Well, let us look farther.
3) How does the man "obtain" the field and the pearl?

I believe this is where the entire parable turns on it's axis. "What?" you ask.

For too long, we've interpreted this parable as the man (us) finding salvation (the field and the pearl) and selling all we have so we can PURCHASE that salvation! Honestly, This is not what the Scripture teaches . . . does it? I believe the Word of God teaches that salvation is free to who-so-ever will. Man neither earns nor does he purchase anything. Anything man gets from God is by grace through faith. Remember that Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

If salvation is given and not bought, then can our parable, properly interpreted, mean what we have traditionally thought? Does the parable teach that we (as the man) discover salvation or the Lord Jesus (the treasure and the pearl) and sell all we have and purchase the kingdom?

I don't think so! What, then, does this parable mean?

Let me attempt to re-interpret this for us.

Could the meaning of the Lord's parable possibly mean the searching and buying man mentioned is God (Him, the Lord Jesus Himself), the treasure and the pearl are you and me, and the price He paid for us was the ultimate price . . . His death on the cross.

Could it be that the pearl of great price is that one who was lost in his trespasses and sins, and the man (God) was seeking fine pearls and came upon you and me (the priceless pearl and the treasure) and He bankrupted heaven so that He (God) could own you and me?

Holey Moley! What value each of us must have to Him!

John of Kronstadt . . . was a nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox priest at the time when alcohol abuse in Russia was rampant. None of the priests ventured out of their churches to help the people. They waited for the people to come to them. John, compelled by love, went out into the streets. People said he would lift the hungover, foul-smelling people from the gutter, cradle them in his arms, and say to them, "This is beneath your dignity. You were meant to house the fullness of God."

Like John of Kronstadt, I'd like to say to you, those who are broken, "Your brokenness does not define you. You are one in whom Christ dwells. You were meant to house the fullness of God."

God loves you so much that He bankrupted heaven in order to purchase you. If you've received His offer of saving grace, you are His pearl of great price. You are the valuable treasure He discovered in the field. You are worth more to God and His Kingdom than you can ever know.

As the King's kid, let's see ourselves as He sees us. Blessed! Let us live our lives before this broken world as He would have us. Let us let Him live His life in us through us so that those around us can see Him in us. Once they see Him in us, they'll want what we have . . . Him!

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart
Your friend,
chip

How Then Should We Live . . .

2010-12-24T11:28:00.001-05:00

One of the great heroes of the Scriptures is the great king of Israel, David. He knew success that was so very far reaching. He enjoyed the blessing of the Lord unlike any before him in the nation of Israel. He was "a man after God's own heart” (1 Samuel 12:13).

Everyone who has been in church for any period of time at all knows of the victories and the tragedies of the great king. We know of his encounter with Goliath and his constant besting of the Philistines. We know of his great love for the Lord's Word and the Lord of the Word as well.

We all know of his great failings; that day in the spring "when kings go out to battle" but David stayed back and had his encounter with Bathsheba.

Who could have imagined the great king of Israel, the lover of God and the man after God's own heart as he brought the sword into his own family. Who would or could have ever imagined the breaking of the great king's heart in the days to come?

His children would rape and murder one another. His own son would plot to not only overthrow his father's reign and replace it with his own. And if that's not enough, his favorite son, Absalom would sign off on a plan to sneak up and kill his very own father.

What in the world would cause such tragedy to come on a man who’s life is seen as that one blessed of the Lord?

On that spring day when David was walking on the roof of his mansion and saw Bathsheba bathing in her courtyard below, his life would, from this point on, change forevermore. The decisions made by the king on this day would set off a series of tragedies the like of which no one could imagine, except God alone. David’s relationship with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband would cost David everything!

Some may venture to point out, “where sin increases, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20b).

While this is true, never-the-less, one must contemplate the ultimate truth of this statement. Grace comes from God. He is a wonderful and incredible Person who, according to the Scriptures, gives grace and more grace. As the statement clearly points out, where man’s sin flourishes, God’s willingness and ability to forgive that sin flourishes even more. One cannot out sin the grace of our God.

So what about the mess before us? If the Romans statement is true, what about David and the mess he’s in?

Well, unfortunately, as wonderfully as grace is, it doesn’t reverse a larger principle found in the Word of God . . . .

“Excuse me,” you say?

There is a life principle out there that trumps the grace principle in the lives of believers.

It is true that grace changes our future, and grace even changes our present, but grace doesn’t uproot the seeds already planted in the ground of life. You see, in Galatians 6 Paul writes, 7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

In time seeds sown become fruit bearing. Every seed sown into the soil of life WILL BEAR FRUIT IN ITS OWN TIME!

So what about the grace of God in David’s life? Well, if you go to 2 Samuel 12:13ff we’ll discover the answer to that question. Here it is; take a quick look and see for yourself!

2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14 “However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.”

Did you see that? David owned up to his sin, God’s grace abounded all-the-more because David said the same thing that heaven was saying. That’s what confession is all about. David confessed his sin, and God’s grace abounded . . . so God didn’t kill David as He had planned. That’s grace!

Notice, the seeds David sowed were not uprooted. Rather, they were allowed to grow and develop as they naturally would. Ultimately, they became what they were genetically designed to be.

If you sow to the flesh, you will reap corruption!

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
chip

"It Must Be Christmas" part three (I don't know what the other word is)

2010-12-09T09:06:00.003-05:00

So when was the Lord Jesus actually born? This is a great question. Let me see if I can adequately address it:

We all know that man established the calendar we currently use.

Historically, we know that Herod died in 4 b.c. If Herod died in 4 b.c., and the Lord Jesus was born in the "days of Herod", then, the human record is off by at least 4 years. That means He was born 4 years (before Christ) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

According to Web exhibits, The "Christian calendar" is the term traditionally used to designate the calendar commonly in use, although it originated in pre-Christian Rome. This calendar is used by the United States, and most countries in the world. This section presents historical information about the Christian calendar. For more current information about how our calendar works today, see the section on Our Year.

The Christian calendar has years of 365 or 366 days. It is divided into 12 months that have no relationship to the motion of the moon. In parallel with this system, the concept of weeks groups the days in sets of 7.

Two main versions of the Christian calendar have existed in recent times: The Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar. The difference between them lies in the way they approximate the length of the tropical year and their rules for calculating Easter.

Now, if Herod killed all the children 2 years old and younger; that means Jesus could have been born as early as 6 b.c. I really think the Lord was born in that 1st year or 4 b.c.

I wanted to get this thought to you while I had it on my heart! Merry Christmas,
chip

"It Must Be Christmas" part deux

2010-12-09T08:41:00.004-05:00

So we've determined the Magi visited the Christ Child in the house and not the cave. What's next?

Who were the Magi, and how did they know of the Christ Child?

We all remember that the Prophet Daniel and his friends were deported from Israel in 586 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon. We also know that Daniel and his friends were committed Jews (they refused the king's food and requested to obey the Law of God by eating vegetables - see Daniel 1).

Daniel was God's man! He loved the Lord with all his heart. He was a man who sought the Lord and knew His Word. There can be little doubt that Daniel clearly understood the words of Moses in Numbers 24. You'll remember the text. Israel was wandering in the wilderness and Balak wanted the prophet for profit, Balaam, to come and curse the people of God. Balaam attempted to do what Balak wanted (because he was persuaded by the large sums of money) and curse the people, but every time he opened his mouth blessings for the people of God poured out of him.

In Numbers 24:17, Balaam was on his third attempt to curse the people of God when he uttered these words:

"I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob.
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the
forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth."

Because Daniel was God's man in 586 and beyond, he no doubt clung to these verses; knowing the promises and prophecies of the Lord. Either Daniel carried a copy of Numbers with him in his hand or in his heart. Regardless, Daniel taught the Babylonians who came to know the Lord the prophecies and promises of God. They knew of the Messianic promise of God that one day a star would mark the coming of God's Messiah into this world!

Dr. John MacArthur shares this insight in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew:

"We can gain some fascinating insights about them from Old Testament books such as Daniel, where the Magi, or wise men, appear in several different texts, as well as from the writings of Herodotus and other historians. We basically have found the Magi to be members of an Eastern priestly group, descendants of a tribe of people originally associated with the Medes. Now, we know that the Medes existed at the time of the Babylonian Empire, making them a very ancient people. In fact, there are many people in history who trace the origin of the Medes all the way back to the time when Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees in the l2th chapter of Genesis. At any rate, we know that the Magi were people who were present in the Babylonian Empire because we see them in the book of Daniel. As an ancient and long-lived people, they continued on through the Medo-Persian and the Greek empires and were still in existence in the Roman Empire when Christ was born. Matthew 2:1 identifies them as "wise men": "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, there came wise men [Gk. magoi] from the east to Jerusalem." The word magi (NASB) is simply a transliteration of the Greek that was the name of a certain tribe of people, who were the priestly line from among the Medes."

They were very skilled in astronomy and had a great preoccupation with astrology. Their interest in these two areas was only part of their involvement in the occultic practices of divination and a kind of sorcery. Consequently, that's why the word magi was corrupted through history into the word magician which once was a synonym for sorcerer. Unfortunately, in those days they didn't make much of a separation between the superstition of astrology and the science of astronomy.

When I said they might have come from Iran, here's why. The Medes and Persians (Iranians) conquered the kingdom of Babylon and moved the capital city from Iraq to Iran. The Magi (as Dr. MacArthur points out in his commentary) were a priestly class of the Medes.

Skilled in astrology, divination and sorcery, the Lord used them to announce the coming of Messiah into Israel!

God can hit some good licks with some crooked sticks!

WOW! That's enough for today. More to come.
chip

It Must Be Christmas

2010-12-09T07:59:00.004-05:00

I can remember some years ago when Dr. Paige Patterson visited Bethel Baptist Church as the newly installed President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was to come and preach for me on that Sunday morning. I was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, so when the time came to introduce him to the people of Bethel, I attached the wrong name to his sweet wife, Dr. Dorothy Patterson. This has been a constant opportunity for teasing between the Pattersons and me ever since.

Dr. Patterson stood up on that Sunday morning (a morning in August or September) and said, "I've chosen as my topic this morning, 'Why Your Nativity Set Under Your Christmas Tree Is Wrong'".

I still remember thinking to myself, "This is the only person I know who could preach a Christmas sermon in August!"

Well, he did and it was, as one might expect, wonderful!

His premise was this, "Too often we see the wise men at the nativity set bowing at the manger of the Lord Jesus. The wise men did not visit the Lord Jesus in a manger. They visited Him in a house!"

I love Christmas! So many of us do just so enjoy this wonderful time of the year. I mean it's the time when the Gospel is sung in malls and across the land. People are generally sweeter and kinder to one another.

So I've asked my girls for thoughts on what I might write for this Christmas. This topic is one the girls suggested . . . delineate the time lines and the goings on around that incredible day 2000 years ago.

So, here I go! What is wrong with the Nativity sets around the world? When was the Lord Jesus born? How did the shepherds find the Lord Jesus that night?

Let's begin with the visit of the Magi! That text is found in Matthew 2:1ff.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ ”
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Please know that there is power in one place . . . the text of the Word of God!!!!! One must learn to read the Scripture carefully, yet completely! Let's look at the text carefully!

Let's look at these verses carefully! Where did the Magi visit the Child and His mother? Look at verse 11. It says, "After coming into the HOUSE".

The visit of the Magi was not to the cave or stable, but to the HOUSE! When them came to the Lord, they came to Him in the house. So the premise that they visited Him at His birth is clearly myth.

How old was the Lord when they made their visit? Scripture is silent on the precise age of the Lord at this point. One must take a look at the internal working of Scripture to surmise the issue.

We know that King Herod requested information from the Wise men about their visit. During the interview, they must have told him they had come from a great distance. One recognizes that in that interview Herod discovered they were from the East, maybe Iraq or Iran. Their travel would likely to have taken them a number of years to accomplish.

It is 644 miles from Baghdad to Jerusalem. According to WikiAnswers, a camel with rider can travel between 10 to 60km a day. That would be approximately 10 miles a day. The travel time from Baghdad to Jerusalem would take approximately 2 months.

The interview between Herod and the Magi revealed these men and their entourage had traveled approximately 2 or 3 months. Herod, determining to not miss the Child in his purging, had all children 2 years old and younger murdered.

The Lord had long sense been out of the manger, and He was now living in a house. He would be between 2 months and 2 years old at this time.

When the Magi came from the East, the Lord would no longer be in the manger, but He and His family would have moved into a house, and He would be approximately 2 months to 2 years old!

. . . more to come!
chip

"Heaven Knows, but Do We?"

2010-12-07T08:34:00.004-05:00

This morning I sit in the comfort of a warm home reading excellent books and following my favorite team's progress or (as the case may be this year) digress. I have the privilege of owning a bunch of Bibles and food galore . . . but as I sit in my relative comfort, my heart is stirred as I read from 1 John 3. May I urge you to take a moment and carefully re-read that incredible passage of Scripture.

John begins by reminding those of us who are blessed to be called the children of God that we are different from the world and that the world does not know us or the Father. He reminds us that we do not practice sin as a lifestyle, and that one day Jesus will appear and we will be just like Him! I like that, don't you?

In verse 11 he exhorts believers to love one another. In verse 14 he reminds us that we know that we have passed out of death into life because we love one another. "He who does not love abides in death"(1 John 3:14b).

Then John starts poking his proverbial nose in places where he just ought not to poke it! In verses 17 and 18 he writes, "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."

Then nosy Max Lucado pokes his proverbial nose into our Christmas lives by writing, "These are devastating times: 1.75 billion people are desperately poor, 1 billion are hungry, millions are trafficked in slavery, and pandemic diseases are gouging entire nations. Each year nearly 2 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade. And in the five minutes it took you to read these pages, almost ninety children died of preventable diseases. More than half of all Africans do not have access to modern health facilities. As a result, 10 million of them die each year from diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria, and measles. Many of those deaths could be prevented by one shot.

He continues, "Ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever. We are bright, educated, and experienced. We can travel around the world in twenty-four hours or send a message in a millisecond. We have the most sophisticated research and medicines at the tips of our fingers. We have ample resources. A mere 2 percent of the world's grain harvest would be enough, if shared, to erase the problem of hunger and malnutrition around the world. There is enough food on the planet to offer every person twenty-five hundred calories of sustenance a day. We have enough food to feed the hungry." (see Max Lucado's book, Outlive Your Lives, pp. 5-6).

What's happened in our world? Why do those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior and have been born again to a living hope do so little?

It is my honest opinion that most, if not all, of us would do everything in our power to help if only we knew what to do! To borrow a term from the farmer, "If we only knew where to put our hands on the plow," we'd help. But what can we do?

We are all familiar with the quote attributed to Edmund Burke that says, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Gosh, it sure seems that evil is triumphing!

Regardless of who said it, the substance is true. What's written above is my observation. May I propose my solution?

Pray! Ask the Father to open doors of opportunity where you can make a difference. He knows where every one of them lies. Be keenly aware that there is a lot of need all around you. You are the missionary in your world!

Get in the boat! Determine to develop eyes to see the needs right around you.

Give sacrificially! Put some extra money in your pocket this Christmas and when the Lord points out the person who needs it, give it! Great joy will come from that! "But, you say, I don't have ANY extra money." Then look for that one who does, they might be looking for you! And for crying out loud, give to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering in your church. Those of us who've gone out there on the front lines really do need our support this year!

Go! If you know someone who has a need, move to meet that need. The earth is experiencing a recession, but heaven is not! The Lord IS NOT BROKE! He will provide the necessary seed for sowing!!!!! (2 Corinthians 8). He provides so that you can enjoy the real reason for this season!!!

Communicate! Let's stop sweeping these matters under the rug. 'The time has come for all good men to come to the aid of their country!' I think I heard that somewhere before. Chat with your mate and children. If you have neither of those, try talking with those in your Sunday School class. For crying out loud, we've gotta stop acting like it's not going on. Chat . . . chat . . . and chat some more!

Finally, just remember that it's not all about you and me! The Lord has left us here to be salt and light! Shake, O' Shaker of the salt and get the salt into the world in which we live! Shine O' Light of the world and let us dispel the darkness while there's time!

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart!
c

The Dumbest Blog Ever Written

2010-12-01T09:06:00.004-05:00

This writing may turn out to be the dumbest writing anyone ever penned, but for some strange reason I feel compelled to write it.

I'm reading John 21:4-11 this morning. Peter, James, John, Nathaniel, Thomas and two other unnamed disciples decided to go fishing. You know the story so well. They fished all night and caught nothing. In the early morning, just as the sun began to poke its head above those Jordanian mountains, they looked on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw a Man standing on the shore. From about 100 yards away He spoke to them (for it would be incredibly silent on the Sea of Galilee that time of the morning) and said, "Children, you do not have any fish do you?" You know the rest of that portion of the story.

After Peter and the others made their way to the shore of the Sea, they walked up on terra firma and saw (with their own eyes) a charcoal fire (there's a bunch to say about that) with warm fish and bread ready to eat.

Where did the Lord get those fish? That's a great question. I just imagine Him calling a couple of His fish friends and telling them they have to come ashore and let Him cook them to communicate a message.

Even more exhilarating to me is this question: "Where did He get that bread?" Where is the oven to bake bread? Where is the stove to bake some loaves of bread? Where does a Man who appears and disappears to His disciples get the tools necessary to bake bread?????

This morning's headlines in the Atlanta Journal Constitution shouted:

Jobless benefits run out for 25,000 in Ga.
Another 84,000 Georgians could lose benefits by end of year.

That's straight from the front page of the Atlanta Journal this morning.

What will 110,000 people do when the government no longer sends them unemployment benefits? What would you do? WHAT WOULD I DO?

Back to our story. How did the sweet Savior convince those fish to get in His pan so He could cook them? Where did the Lord of the Universe come up with the bread to offer those 7 disciples?

The answer to those questions is not so important. There's a greater question here! WHO IS THIS JESUS WHO STANDS OFFERING FOOD TO THOSE SEVEN MEN?

He is THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE! He who sits on the throne of the Universe rules all of His great Kingdom with grace and truth.

He Who made bread from no bread and fish from no fish (and He made this seem like such an insignificant part of the story) can make bread and fish for His child who has lost His job . . . or lost his way!

His child must be about the same things these men were about; coming to Him. You see, while these men were fishing, He called them, and they knew it was Jesus. They instinctively came to Him!

Precious child, where are you in the Lord's Universe today? Are you following and trusting Him or are you off on your own tare doing your own thing?

Look yonder; that's Him standing on the shore of your vision. It's His voice calling out to you. Make your way to Him and you'll discover He has bread and fish ready to feed you.

Why? Because (as John 21 tells us) He loves you! More important to Him, He wants to know if you love Him!

I wrote this because I had it on my heart!
chip

With Whom Would He Run?

2010-11-09T06:36:00.002-05:00

Nearly everyday I work in the pharmacy I experience that person with the familiar gaunt look and the fake cough asking for the largest box of pseudoephedrine we have in the store. You may be reading this asking, "what's that and so what?" They use pseudophed to make Methamphetamine. It's crazy! The front page of the Atlanta Journal Constitution this morning speaks of Meth labs and their mobility. Those who aren't asking for psuedophed are asking for their legal prescriptions of Hydrocodone to be filled. We are an incredibly medicated society! Let me tell you:

"America is in real trouble!"

This morning as I was having my quiet time, I was thinking about these things, and it occurred to me that when the Lord Jesus was here, this is precisely the person He was accused of hanging out with and caring for.

O' my goodness.

He was so often accused by the "religious crowd" of running with the prostitutes and sinners. As I prayed for this group this morning, it was like the Lord was reminding me that these were the masses who followed Him and ate from the five loaves and three fishes. And what does this Baptist do? He finds a way to be critical of these! Do you ever think Peter felt funny as He found himself in the midst of this crowd? Even as a rough fisherman, I'll bet there were times when Peter looked at those following the Lord Jesus and wondered, "should I be here?"

So as I begin my morning preparing for another day facing the world, I do so with a keen sense of awareness that if I'm going to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, I've got to follow Him here as well! The sweet Lord Jesus loved me when I was absolutely unlovable. I've got to prayerfully find a way to love these as He does. For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHO-SO-EVER believes in Him WILL have everlasting life! For God sent His Son into the world NOT TO CONDEMN THE WORLD but that the world through Him might be saved!"

O' my goodness, what a Savior!

I wrote this to you because it was simply on my heart. I love each of you in a special way!
chip

The Battle Is The Lord's (1 Samuel 17:47b)

2010-09-17T09:03:00.004-04:00

We've all read those words many times; "The Battle is the Lord's". Those were the words David shouted at the giant Goliath just before he knocked him in the head with one of those smooth stones (1 Samuel 17:47b). That day David looked to be outnumbered and over matched. Honestly, I can easily see myself standing back on the banks of the small brook with the other Israeli soldiers shaking in my boots by this huge man who was enjoying the taunting of the people of God, can't you? Guess what! The enemy is a blowhard with no future. He continues to taunt the people of God; intimidating them with his threats.

Where was Israel's giant? He was up there in his tent praying for a miracle. You know who he was, don't you? Saul, the king. He was head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land! Little did he know his miracle was there. The miracle came packaged in the body of a teenage Bethlehemite who happened to know and love the Lord with all his being. The one who ought to be fighting Goliath was Saul who was head and shoulders above everyone else in Israel. He had so compromised himself that his nerve was gone. I'm very sure he was frantic as day-after-day the giant of Gath continued to taunt his army.

I know you know this, but think about it for a minute. What if the Israeli soldiers hadn't let the enemy set the terms of the fight? When the giant came strolling out there, what if a thousand men charged him all at one time? Don't we know that when we let the enemy of God set the terms of the battle, we always loose? This is precisely what Satan did when he tempted the sweet Lord Jesus there in the wilderness.

What do we do when we realize that the terms of conflict have been dictated by the enemy? We do exactly what David did. We do exactly what the Lord Jesus did. David believed the God of his experience. He'd seen the Lord deliver him in times past (those were warm-ups for this great encounter). He'd killed the lion and the bear and rescued the lambs from their mouths. He'd experienced victory and knew from where that victory had come.

When Satan comes at you, remember your testimony and all the things the Lord has done in your life. Remember those incredible times when the Lord has done extremely abundant, more than all you can ask or think! One way to do that is to write your prayer requests in your prayer journal . . . (you do journal, don't you)? When the Lord answers your prayers, you record just how He answered. It will come in handy in the days ahead.

Not only do you remember your testimony, but you remember the Scriptures. When Satan came at the Savior, He compared and contrasted what Satan said to what God said. We always get the chance to choose to whom we will listen. Most of us operate visually. So we tend to yield to what we see. As we mature spiritually, we must learn to operate biblically. As we do, we will find ourselves learning to listen to God rather than falling into the traps of the enemy.

We all know the end of the story. David destroys the enemy and his loud mouth, and he goes on to become the darling of God in Israel. Let me finish these thoughts this way:

Number 1 - God is for you! He always sends His miracles packaged in unusual packages. He did so with David and Israel. He did so with the precious Lord Jesus. The Bible says He (meaning Messiah or the Lord Jesus) had no stately form that we should be drawn to Him. The Lord is still working miracles.

Number 2 - The battle is still the Lord's. I sat on my porch with a great friend the other day who seemed to say a hundred times, "I intend to sit back and keep my mouth shut, because the Lord is in control!" Too often, I'm too dumb to remember that. As with David . . . so with you and me. The battle is still the Lord's. He is on the throne of the Universe. If He's your Lord, He's the Lord of what you face as well. Let the Lord be the Lord (Now, I've got to figure out how to remember that when the wheels run off of my life).

Number 3 - God is fulfilling His promises. He continues to come through. He is still the Lord. You can trust Him. Hallelujah! What a Savior.

I wrote this because I had it on my heart,
chip

The Influence of The Great I AM!

2010-09-01T11:48:00.005-04:00

I was interested as I watched CBN (The Christian Broadcasting Network)
this morning about Muslims in Paris, France. It seems they are
blocking the streets of Paris during their daily prayers. Everywhere
we look there seems to be an incredible coverage of Muslims. One dare
not speak out against them and entire governments are fearful of doing
anything with them. Incredibly, the world is fearful to intervene with
the Muslims. To counter them, secular Parisians are collecting in the
streets holding up bottles of liquor and sticks of pork meat.

What happens in Europe eventually jumps the Atlantic and washes up on
our shores!

Another story was about the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks. There's
so much to be said about this, but the story just told speaks of the demands
of the Palestinian people. They want Israel gone! Beware . . . Gabriel
is licking his lips to blow that trumpet!

I retreated to my "spot" where I was reading from John 8 where the
Lord Jesus is dealing with angry Jews who desired to get rid of Him.
In John 8:23f that "You are from below, I am from above; you are of
this world, I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that
you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you
will die in your sins."

The secret to life and death are found in these words. The Lord Jesus
was clearly announcing to the entire Jewish world that He was 'He'! In
the original text the wording goes like this:

"For if you do not believe that I Am, you will die in your sins."

Do you see that?

If you do not believe that I Am, you will die in your sins.

Unless you believe that I Am!?!?!?! Hummmmmmm?!?!?!?!

All of us who have seen the 10 Commandments (the movie) remember these
words as the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Well, every
Jew recognized the phrase "I Am" as one God used of Himself. Guess
what? These folks knew it as well.

The Lord Jesus was saying that unless one believes that He, Jesus, is the
Promised One (Messiah or the Christ), that person will remain in their sins.
The reason they could not follow Him when He went where He said He was
going was because one must believe that He is the Divine Savior of the
world Who spoke to Moses from that burning bush!

The Gospel is preached right there in those few verses. Believe that He
is the One, and your sins are forgiven!

To you and me that seems simple enough. But, per chance, do you
remember what it was like when you were lost? Do you remember how hard
it was crossing that great divide and truly believing in Jesus
Christ as the Savior of YOUR World, versus simply "believing"?

I remember it well. I'd heard of Jesus, and in my atheistic thinking,
I believed He was really a person. But, it was only when I turned to
Him with my entire person and being and confessed that I was lost and
completely undone that He changed my life. O' how difficult it was
coming to the end of myself, but I thank the sweet Savior of the World
that He IS the promised One!

Please be careful as you watch today's news. What happens in the public doesn't show all that's taking place in the Spirit world. Jesus is still the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except that he come through or by Him. Regardless of what the Muslims say or what the world does, like the Jews of Jesus day, UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE SENT ONE, YOU WILL PERISH IN YOUR SINS!!!!! So, don't become enamored with what happens in the world. Hold on to the very clear teaching of the Word of God. Remember that many will come in His name claiming to be the Christ. Don't fall for it.

Change!

Transformation!

New Life from within!

Hope!

Joy!

Contentment!

All those things we who know Christ own as our personal possessions. Neither the world nor other religions can possibly give these.

A new beginning came the moment I bowed my sinner's knee in the
bathroom of Floyd Medical Center Pharmacy and prayed these simple
words, "Jesus, if there's anything You can do with what's left of my
life, I want you to take it and use it!"

Those are the words of a sin-broken man. Those are the words of a
surrendered life. Those are victorious words. Victory: when life
overtook sin and made a new man! Those are the most precious words in
my vocabulary, and they are the words that took me through the gateway
into life. I can never forget that moment nor those sweet words...the
moment that I began to believe that Jesus Christ was I AM!

WOW! That's been nearly 30 years ago, and those words are as fresh in
my heart and mind as they were then. I am ever-so-thankful that the
precious Savior of the World loved me so much that He sicked the
hounds of heaven on me. They pursued me until they hemmed me up in a
bathroom and caused me to choose. Today I am so thankful!

Why?

Because I do believe that He is The One!

My sins are forgiven!

Now . . . how about you?

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart. O' how I do love the
sweet Lord Jesus.
Chip

For The Life Of The World

2010-08-16T09:45:00.003-04:00

Holey Moley,
There's a thought! Read John 6:51 very carefully. The Lord Jesus says, "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I give for the life of the world is My flesh."

In the original text the word "world" is the word cosmos. From a biblical perspective the word "cosmos" literally means everything that has been created. Every star, every tree, every dog, every fish and every otherthing in the Universe.

Now think of this with me for a minute. If the Lord Jesus is the "Bread of life that came down out of heaven" and is available for anyone to eat, that means ANYONE who has access to Him is invited to partake.

If that's the case, why don't we begin the day today with the mindset of a baker? You know what the baker does, don't you? He prepares all that dough and simply puts it into the oven to bake. The wonderful fragrance from the baking bread draws people to his bakery.

What does he do when the people smell the baked bread and come to purchase some?

Is he ashamed of that bread so as hide it behind the counter so that no one can have any?

No! The very reason he baked the bread to begin with was so that he could share it with all those in his little 'mission field'.

If you and I will allow ourselves to be filled with the wonderful presence of the true and living Christ, just His presence in our lives (fragrance) will be enough to cause people to be drawn to Him. They don't have to be drawn to us . . . He's the Bread of life come down from heaven.

If we will allow ourselves to be consumed (pun intended) by the presence of the Bread of Life come down from heaven, we'll soon discover some hungry peasant (one in deep need of God's incredible love and grace) coming alongside us in order to get some of what we have.

When I was so desperately lost my life was a mess. I had everything life could give a lost man. I had an incredible wife whom I love (and we'll celebrate 33 years of love on the 27th of this month), a fancy car, a great job and lots of friends. Life looked good to me . . . from the outside.

The Lord sent a young man to me who had that wonderful fragrance. As a lost man, I saw (smelled) in him the fragrance of the true Bread of life. I was so attracted to the Christ in him that I hungered for that Bread!

Thank you, Lord, for providing Mike Weaver to me.

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart,
Chip

A Book For Your Consideration

2010-08-10T09:14:00.004-04:00

Over the years I have greatly appreciated the ministry of Dr. David Jeremiah. I've found him to be one who always 'deals with the text' when writing or when preaching. We have found it difficult (as we've perused churches) to find a preacher who will faithfully 'deal with the text'. Tragically, most preach what I have called diving board sermons. They come upon the diving board (read the Scripture text), take two bounces and dive into the water (never returning to the proposed text again).

The only authority any of us have is in The Word of God. No preacher or teacher has any authority in and of ourselves, because we are all only wretched sinners.

When one begins his message with Scripture then proceeds to wax eloquent for the next 30 minutes or so without coming to deal with the grammar and history of the text, he speaks in his own authority.

Dr. Jeremiah does none of that. He begins in the text of Scripture, continues in the text of scripture and concludes in the text of Scripture faithfully proclaiming to us a message not considered unusual to the audience to which the text was originally written.

He's written a new book entitled The Coming Economic Armageddon in which he proposes the current financial crisis is both biblical and necessary. It is biblical (prophetic) in that Holy Scripture has pointed us toward this reality, and it is necessary for the final 'czar' to come on the scene to capture the minds and lives of those remaining in this world.

It is right now in pre-publication, and for a donation to Turning Point Ministries you can receive a copy when it is published.

Class, we ARE living in the last days. Anyone can see these are the 'days of Noah' as prophesied by our Lord. Interestingly, when Noah entered the Ark days incredibly similar to ours were afoot.

I think I'll write about that next. At any rate, consider Dr. Jeremiah's book! It will be a blessing to us all!

Had it on my heart,
Chip

O', You Better Watch Out!

2010-08-09T11:22:00.003-04:00

We all know the story of Gideon (Judges 6-8), but have you ever taken the time to carefully read "the rest of the story"?

We all know of the lamps, the trumpets and the 300 valiant men. We know how Gideon sought support from some of the Israeli countrymen as they sought to complete the mission God had given them, but have you taken the time to carefully read the final account of of Judges 8:22-27?

In the midst of their great appreciation for Gideon and his being used by the Lord, the people of Israel practically begged Gideon to become their king. They asked that he "Rule over them (us) , both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian."

At this point, Gideon faced a tremendous challenge. Would he assume to become the king over his people? It was there for the taking, the opportunity of a lifetime to climb the ladder of success.

We know that Gideon was a humble man, but we will soon see that even great men have feet of clay.

He quickly nixed their request. When asked to become their king, Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you."

I consider that to be a great and balanced response. Gideon had been tested both by the Lord and by the people. He was offered the position of royalty by none other than his own people. His tribe could have become the leading tribe in the land, but he refused the offer. He said, "the Lord will rule over you."

One has to admire Gideon for his response.

But, there is the rest of the story!

Gideon said to the people, "I won't be your king, but just give me an earring from the spoil."

They placed a blanket on the ground and each man tossed an earring onto the blanket. The final tally was "1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels' necks."

Gideon walked away with a small fortune!

Now the real test.

What would Gideon do with his new found wealth? Would he honor the Lord with it? Well sort of!

He did make an ephod with it, and he placed the ephod in his city. The ephod was an article of clothing used in the worship of Jehovah. It was an important document spoken of often in the Old Testament.

He made an article to be used for the worship of God from the spoils given him. That seems like a good idea . . . does it not?

Let me read the rest of verse 27. "Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household."

The instrument intended to be used in worship became the object of worship!

Can you imagine one failing so miserably after having so wonderfully succeeded?

Gideon did!

A couple of days ago I wrote to you regarding the importance of being careful about your witness. I went right out into the world and failed. That evening I had the opportunity to be with a couple of friends who had invited a couple of their lost friends to their home. We had a great time of fellowship . . . but I got sidetracked.

I let myself get caught up in a discussion about politics and took my normal conservative position completely blowing away my newly introduced friends (who happened to be liberals). Like Gideon, I lost site of my real agenda and lost the opportunity to be an effective witness for the Lord Jesus. What a tragedy! What a lost opportunity!

I've always taught you that the Lord has His classroom lecture then He sends His children out into the laboratory of life. I passed the classroom lecture. I got all that, but then I forgot that the lab was next.

Gideon also passed the lecture, but when the lab was opened for the real experiment, he messed that up.

Be careful!

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart,
chip

Does It Matter What Others See In Me?

2010-07-23T11:29:00.004-04:00

I ran across an interesting statement as I was studying God's Word this morning. In Matthew 17:24-27 Simon Peter was approached by those who collected the taxes in the city of Capernaum, and he was asked if the Lord Jesus paid taxes. When Simon came into the house (where Jesus was) Jesus engaged him by asking, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" 26 Then Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."

Please re-read those words again paying careful attention to the Lord's reasoning behind His paying the tax. Verse 27 says, "so that we do not offend them," do thus and so.

The word "offend" actually can be translated, "cause them to stumble."

The Lord paid his taxes because He did not want LOST PEOPLE to stumble.

I'm not concerned with the issue of paying taxes. The Lord already spoke to that when He said, "render to Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's."

The issue I want to speak to is the Lord's concerns for the lost people and the believer's part in causing them to stumble.

If the precious Lord of Glory was so concerned with causing lost folk to stumble that He did what He didn't have to do, should we not be doing the same?

Historically, I've always spoken to these issues from the perspective of causing a brother to stumble. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 8:13, "If food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble."

In 90 different verses in Scripture the word stumble is used. Honestly, the implication in all these is warning the believer against his own stumbling, as well as the stumbling of those that he encounters.

You'll remember in the Sermon on the Mount the Lord warned "if your eye makes you stumble tear it out and throw it from you. It would be better if you entered heaven with one eye than enter hell with both."

In Matthew 18 the Lord is concerned with one causing a little one to stumble. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the sea."

In Luke 17 the Lord notes, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!"

In Romans 14 the Apostle Paul points out, "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way."

Again in Romans 14 Paul writes, "it is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles."

The Person of the Christ Whom we preach will in and of Himself be a cause of stumbling. This is pointed out by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:23 "We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness." None-the-less, we must preach Christ!

In 1 Corinthians 8:9 he writes, "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." The weak in this case is likely those who are believers, but he certainly could be speaking of unbelievers as well. And on and on I could go . . . but I won't. You certainly can read the text and run the same references for yourself.

I have a very specific reason for writing this note. Apparently, the church of the 21st Century has cast aside the concerns for the well-being of others. Those who claim to be believers often run roughshod over anyone who happens to get in their way. From the blatant use of profanity in life outside the church, sexual immorality and gossip, to the careless consumption of alcoholic beverages . . . etc., those who are supposed to be different and manifest that difference Christ has made in them so as to avoid the destruction of unbelievers and young believers alike, have apparently lost sight of the sensitive and tender spirit given by God's Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus was so concerned for the well-being of those lost tax gatherers and those to whom they would communicate that He did what He did not have to do in order to reach those yet unreached. After all, Matthew and Zaccheus were both tax gatherers, were they not? Maybe it was these two whose hearts and souls with which He was most concerned.

As you sit down at the restaurant and order that beer (because you have the RIGHT TO DO SO), or the next time you ignore the prompting of God's Holy Spirit to stop being part of the conversation about another individual (because you live UNDER THE GRACE OF GOD) why not act like the Lord Jesus ACTED? Why not err on the part of concern for the well-being of both the Lost and the Saved?

Let us do the best we can to realize that this is not all about what we want or what right we have, and let us begin to be more kingdom minded! Do you know why God has put you in the place where you currently live and work? If you're saved, its so you can be salt and light to a dark bland world. For crying out loud, WE MUST RETURN TO THE CONCERN FOR THE LOSTNESS BOTH IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD! I can assure you the Lord Jesus is!!!!!

I wrote this because I had it on my heart. I do love you all so,
chip

My Tribute To My Friend, Rick Page

2010-07-20T09:21:00.002-04:00

Over the years Teresa and I have been privileged to meet some wonderful people. Today I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a great man, a great friend and affirm my love for Rick Page. Because of all the Lord has done for me in my life, I've been privileged to travel the world. I've done a good bit of that with my friend Rick Page. We've laughed together, and we've cried together in places like China, Indonesia and other places far far away. We've seen people pray to receive Christ while hoping we wouldn't be arrested for sharing Jesus. We've stood at the harbor of Hong Kong just amazed the beauty of that place and at what man is able to do with his creative genius. We've laughed time after time as each one has told some fantastic story or a joke that would cause cars full of friends shout with laughter. With tears running down my cheeks I've listened time and time again to his incredible genius as he's sung some great old hymn of the faith. One thing I do know for sure, Rick Page was a great believer. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ with all his soul. On so many occasions I've heard Rick speak of his love for the sweet Lord Jesus, and his gratitude for all He has done for he and Elaine. I'll tell you something else he loved. He loved his bride and his boys. He loved their children who affectionately called him Poppy, and he loved the mothers of those children.

Yesterday, Rick sat in the place he most wanted to sit, and he experienced the one experience he most wanted to experience. He had been out in the oppressive Carolina heat cutting the grass around his home when he began to experience physical problems. Rick battled diabetes for so many long. He made his way into the house to find his sweet bride, Elaine. He called for Elaine to come and help him. You see, Rick was about to take the ride of a lifetime. Rick Page was going home . . . no not home to North Carolina or Virginia; Rick Page was going home to glory!

With the love of his life holding him and his sweet babies (grandchildren) surrounding him, Rick Page left the arms of his sweet bride and found himself in the arms of the Bridegroom; the King of all kings, the Christ of Glory. Rick Page left the arms he most cherished in this life and found himself in the arms of our sweet Lord Jesus.

You see, Rick Page didn't die . . . he's more alive today than he's ever been. The sweet Lord Jesus said, "He who believes in my will never die." Today he looks, not on the harbor of Hong Kong, or on the beaches of North Carolina, but on the Harbor of Heaven where all the ships destined for Glory put in. Rick Page left his home over here and immediately came into the home prepared for him from eternity past.

"I love Rick Page" are the words I've used so many times. He'll be missed by so many. His passing has shocked all of us who knew and loved him. I've kissed his old bald head and just told him how much I appreciate him. Today, He has kissed the cheek of God. You see, Rick Page was twice born, so he only has to die once.

I love you, Rick Page. I'll always thank the Lord for the joy and encouragement you brought to me and to my family. You, my friend, are a blessing!

I wrote this to you because it was on my heart! I love each one of you too.
c

What I Desire

2010-07-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

Matthew 12:6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

This is an awesome lesson to which the people of God must return. It seems that Israel had become so enamored with the keeping of the Law that they lost site of the intent behind the giving of that Law.

Ask yourself a telling question: “Why did God give Israel the Law? Was it to squelch their opportunity to have a good time or was it because God knew what was best for mankind?”

We must return to the reality that God is our Father! He’s a Daddy, and not some cosmic bully. Daddies do what Daddies do. They love their children. They have dreams and aspirations for their children. They pray for them and they carefully oversee them. It is the Daddy’s hope that the child will learn what’s good and what’s bad so that they can cling to that which is good and run from that which will ultimately become their demise. A Daddy has his child’s best interest on his heart and his mind when he tells his child what they should and should not do. Usually the Daddy has already run his life into the ditch into which the child has pointed his/her life. Dad knows the agony and the pain that comes when one cleans out the bottom of one of life’s ditches with his bottom lip. Dad knows what happens when one starts out to have, what they consider to be, a good time, and the dangers lurking in the shadows of that “good time.” So when Dad says his child cannot go and do something, Dad knows the price that is about to be paid getting one’s proverbial life out of that ditch!

“So, Chip” you say, “what is the purpose of your writing this meaningless piece?”

I’m really glad you asked that question. Let me see if I can’t bring all this to its logical conclusion.

The Lord Jesus said, “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Jews had their priorities completely confused. To them the Temple had become a great source of pride and a false sense of security when in fact the real object of their affection and worship was the One standing right there before them. The Temple and the Law had become synonymous. They were going to the Temple to get their ticket punched when in fact the real object of the Temple was a place where God was to put His name so the people of God could gather for worship.

In other words, they were so focused on doing the dos that they had forgotten the Who behind the do!

In the Temple they offered their sacrifices that were according to the Law, but they had grown cold to the reason behind the sacrifices . . . a heart of compassion. When they witnessed the priest taking the knife and slitting the throat of a lamb they had brought to sacrifice, the giving of that lamb’s life was to cause them to stop and contemplate the reason behind the lamb’s death, namely their sin.

The Lord Jesus saw their hypocrisy and called them out on it. Listen afresh to what He says: Matthew 12:6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

So there you have it. The very Lord Himself warns all of us to not forget the purpose behind what we do as believers. We need to remember that our Father gave us the Law in order to help us be pure and not as rules to just be kept. Rules loose empathy and tenderness, but He is gentle and compassionate and wants for us to be like Him.

Our Daddy gave us His commands because He really wanted us to have the best this life has to offer and the best heaven has as well. When we forget the Father and focus only on the rules, compassion gives way to rules and regulations, and the child of God looses his gentle tender spirit.

So today while you are busy doing what you do, why not give yourself time to pause to ask, “Why did the Father tell me to do this?” If the Father didn’t give you that rule, then for crying out loud, throw it in the ditch. If He gave it to you, why not consider it through the eyes of an understanding child listening to the voice of his/her compassionate loving Father, and grasp His reasoning behind what He is saying. Then you will move forward with a heart of compassion rather than a “rule keeping” offerer of a sacrifice!

I write this to you because I had it on my heart,
Chip

"Gates Large and Small"

2010-07-09T12:24:00.006-04:00

Here’s an instructive thought. Is the narrow gate only offered to the non-Christian who is being offered the gift of eternal life . . . or is it the secret to the life and joy of the Christian life?

Here’s my thought:

Clearly, the narrow gate is one offered to the non-believer. I have imagined the life of the unbeliever as he/she walks down the roads of life and finding himself wondering is this is all there is to life!

One day while he is standing on life’s street (so-to-speak) he contemplates the issues of life. He looks down the street of partying and says, I’ve tried all that and there’s no fulfillment to it.

Then he looks down the street of financial success and determines he’s tried that street too, but he found no lasting joy in that.

Then he looks down the street of intrigue or morality. He has concluded that while there’s great excitement in drinking stolen water, in finality, there’s nothing lasting about that.

Thus, while standing on that street perusing the landscape of life and contemplating what will be needed to finally discover life’s secret, the man notices a small hole in the wall down next to the ground. Often, he has seen the same, but he has never given it much thought. After all, there’s nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing, inviting or intriguing about that wee little hole, but the man has tried everything else. He’s walked the streets of life, only to discover nothing lasting.

Out of a great sense of hopelessness and gloomy desolation, he decides to at least stoop over and look into the hole.

“Well, let’s see. What’s in here.”

Then he moves farther into the hole.

He makes an interesting discovery. Instead of the hold getting smaller as most seem to do, the opening begins to enlarge. Instead of finding boring emptiness, he begins to sense this is getting better. Then he notices the color of the landscape changing and he finds himself able to stand up on his feet.

The colors!

The sounds!

The beauty!

WOW! This is an amazing place.

He asks himself why in the world did he wait so long about coming into this hole. After all, he’d seen the hold a bunch of times before this. Why did he wait so long.

Or

Why did someone not come from the inside of this wonderful place and shout to him to come in and look and live?

Deep within his soul, he knows he’s been invited into this place on many occasions but he would have none of it. He wanted to do things his way. Coming here he has no control over this place. He’s an invited guest in this incredible place. Gosh, why in the world did he not listen and heed sooner?

Folks, those of us who have been born again have experienced this. We’ve all gone through that narrow gate only to discover the truth of life.

But, is that the end?

When the Lord made this statement, did He intend for that to only apply to the non-believer?

I don’t think so. I’ve recently made a discovery I’d like to share with you.

When I first became a Christian, the above story was mine. I was the fellow about which I wrote.

I’ve also discovered the text is intended to be the way of life for all believers as well.

What in the world do you mean, Chip?

I’ve made this discovery just this very morning. When a person becomes a believer the statement above is true, but once that believer enters the narrow gate, that’s not the end of the small narrow gate scenario. That’s only the beginning. From the new birth to the grave, the Christian life is, by design, the Lord’s invitation to continue to enter the narrow gates as you walk down the Christian life’s pathway.

Have you discovered yourself following the proverbial crowd in the Christian life? In other words, do you find yourself doing the “church thing” rather than discovering an exciting, intriguing and meaningful Christian experience as you move progressively through your Christian life?

Do you do the do’s and don’t the don’ts so to speak? Do you seem to have lost your way while wondering “is this all there is to the Christian life?” Do you often find yourself “board” with church and church stuff, or do you find yourself living an incredibly exciting and challenging Christian life where God regularly works through you to His glory? Do you find yourself board while reading the Word of God and wondering where has the zip gone in your Christian life, or do you read the Word of God because your life’s been challenged and you desperately desire hearing a Word from the throne room of heaven because your very existence depends on that Word?

Maybe you need to take the time to look for that narrow gate found in the Christian life. Maybe you’ve developed a “herd mentality” while just going with the flow, and you’ve apparently lost your way while walking your Pilgrim’s pathway. Maybe you (and I) and the hundreds of believers right beside you are entering through the broad gate of the Christian life and find yourself at a loss for what the Christian life is all about!

What are you to do? I thought you’d never ask!

1. Stop in your proverbial tracks
2. Pray
3. Begin to record your journey in a prayer journal
4. Tell the Lord you’re ready for that “small gate” experience to once again reveal itself
5. When the Lord shows you that gate, for crying out loud, get down there where it is and get your proverbial head into the gate and get about getting through it
6. When you get inside and discover the incredible joys of your new discipleship, begin to look for that newest next gate the Lord has for you
7. Invite someone else to come on your journey

This was just a thought I had while I was sticking my head through another small gate. Bon Apatite!

Chip

Short and to the Point

2010-06-22T11:43:00.003-04:00

Deuteronomy 8:3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand (know) that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord."

Is there a more poignant verse of Scripture for the world today? People have so ignored the Person of the Lord for so long that we come to the conclusion that we live by bread alone. Moses clearly teaches the Lord has allowed difficulty to come into the life of Israel so they would come to the conclusion that the Word of the Lord is what gives true life.

Here we are in one of the most difficult days in my lifetime, and, for so many, the great temptation is to look to the government or to the corporation to provide bread. Should we wonder why we are in the midst of this great difficulty? As with His Old Testament children, God allowed Israel to struggle in order for them to turn to Him!

Guess what! Nothing has changed.

Here we are with the Great I am (the immutable or unchanging God) who beckons His children (that would be you and me if you've been born again) to look to Him and live. Devour the Bread of life found in the Word of God, and He will feed your soul and your body! Hallelujah!!! What a Savior!!!

In the text Moses clearly points out that all Israel went through was for their spiritual growth and spiritual development. God loved Israel soo much that He refused to leave them as they were when they came out of Egypt; so He disciplined them to the point of focusing their eyes totally and completely on them.

He loves you and me the exact same way. He wants His children to get all the other gods and potential gods out of between Him and us. Heaven forbid we should serve and worship other gods . . . but we often do.

Do you ever think of the traditions you have in your church? What if someone asked you to give up your seat in the church so someone else could sit there . . . ? What if someone asked you to give up your quarterly in order for you to more clearly study the Bible? What would you do? What if someone asked you to be part of a mission trip in order to reach some soul with the Gospel? Would you take your vacation and go?

You see, we have our traditions too.

The Father wants us to focus totally on Him and not on the land in which we live.

Why not read the remainder of Deuteronomy 8. It'll bless your heart!

I just had it on my heart!
chip

Thoughts for a New Day

2010-05-28T08:47:00.004-04:00

In the world in which we live, I am totally amazed at how quickly things can unravel. The terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, porous southern border allowing hundreds of thousands of illegals into our country, the bankruptcy of Greece and the possibility of France and Portugal following them. There's record flooding in the central portion of our country. In the east one witnesses North Korea basically daring their southern brothers to "cross that line".

If that weren't enough, Dudley Brown, Executive Director of National Gun Rights Association claims a Republican and a Democratic Senator are introducing legislation to allow for the introduction of Biometric Identification. According to Brown, these two are introducing an amnesty bill that includes Biometric Identification. Have a read:

"The key provision in Senators Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) and Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) amnesty bill backed by President Obama is a new mandated Federal Biometric ID card that would be required for any person to hold a job in the United States legally. This card would include untold amounts of personal information (like gun ownership) and biometric tracking technology that would allow government bureaucrats to track our every move."

This note came to me in an e-mail from Dudley Brown. You might consult Mr. Brown at Dudley.Brown@nationalgunrights.org.

Let me see; oceans oily, earth quaking, nations fighting, nation spending, leaders not leading . . . We are living in an interesting time.

What will happen? Well, Scripture teaches that one day there will be a one world order. All currency will be the same and every one will be carefully identified by their allegiance to that order and that order's leader. Lock step will be demanded by those leading that order. Holey Moley, could we be witnessing the unfolding of that system today? Could we?

Believer, pay attention. If you're interested in further investigation, why not check out the following websites?

http://www.positiveidcorp.com/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165894.php
http://www.digitalangel.com/
http://www.verimedinfo.com/

And these are only a very few. The beauty and the wonder of technology seems to be accompanied by a dark underbelly. I suppose for every good side there's a dark side. Is that not the world in which we live?

The time for and the desperate need for a statesman to arise on the scene is clear. If there's ever been a time and a need for one to arise to lead the world in which we are living, it's now!

SOUND FAMILIAR?

Let me say that if you are not a Christian, why not? The sweet Lord Jesus has done everything necessary to secure your salvation. He died on the cross to pay the cost and penalty for your sins. His resurrection from the dead was proof positive that He was Who He said He was and He did what He said He would do. Why not turn to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Why not turn from those sins and walk with Him today? He loves you so. The evidence of that is the empty cross and the empty tomb! If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, why not bow your head and ask Him to come into your life today. Many years ago I prayed that prayer, and He changed my life in untold ways. I love Him more today than ever.

I just wanted to express my thoughts. Until next time,
chip

The Days In Which We Live

2010-05-27T09:14:00.005-04:00

I'd like to begin by apologizing for not having blogged in a while. No excuses! So I'M BACK!

Today I want to make an observation. The world in which we live seem to track pretty closely with the "Days of Daniel". You know, where he writes in Daniel 12 the signs of the Time of the End.

Daniel 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

Clearly, Daniel makes 3 statements worthy of our consideration:

1. He points out that the words of the prophecy would be concealed until the end of time. Did you know that the book of Daniel was virtually uninterpretable until the re-birth of the nation of Israel on May 25, 1948 (Happy Birthday Israel)? When Israel became a nation, suddenly, for the interpreter, the entire book became crystal clear. With the re-birth of Israel, all the prophecies of the book of Daniel opened and became understandable. Until Israel's re-birth there was no "land" over which to fight!

Notice the 2 signs the angel gives to point out how Daniel would know when these things become reality.

He says at the end of time "many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

The Space Shuttle landed just yesterday, and NASA is putting the Space Shuttle in Moth Balls. What seems to be so normal to all of us would appear incredible to the prophet. Space ships, airplanes, trains, buses and cars carrying people to and fro all would be hard to explain to a camel riding prophet! Try explaining a car for each member of the family to a prophet who owns one mule. I'd say things have changed, wouldn't you? Mankind really travels quickly . . . and alot. We really do go back and forth like never before. It would appear to me that the second sign is taking place right before our very eyes.

Sign number 3: "Knowledge will increase"

There's an interesting article found in Google under "Knowledge will increase". I'll reprint it later for your benefit but for now, think about this. How are we communicating? What is happening right under your very finger tips? You are sitting at your desk (or maybe in your easy chair) and reading information from an incredible source. Think about that for one simply moment. You can read millions of articles (which is one reason why I stopped blogging) without ever leaving the privacy of your easy chair. Every news story printed on the face of this earth can be accessed from your personal computer.

One might even consider the thought that in one's telephone one can be riding down the road and read this article. Gosh, both prophecies come together in the telephone.

One can be traveling back and forth between their jobs or their house and their friend's house and read this article. Holy Moley, some can do this while they drive down the road. Watch out!

My point being: we are living in the day when the book of Daniel is clearly interpretable, we are traveling back and forth and nearly all knowledge is available in exponential proportions. The angel claims this is the end of time. More to come!

By-the-way, why not take up the book of Daniel and begin your own personal study? Go to the bookstore and purchase a copy of Dr. John Phillips book, Exploring The Book of Daniel. It will be worth your investment. Happy exploring!

For those of you who are bibliophiles, you might consider looking at www.half.com. It is e-bay's book store. I promise you will save a boat load of money on your book purchases!

enjoy, and until next time,

Chip

Here's the article:

Overviews of the knowledge revolution were provided by Marilyn Ferguson (1980), who refers to the ascendance of an irreversible shift in the global state of mind; a fundamentally new world view that encompasses insights from ancient times through current breakthrough science. Sakaiya (1991) indicates that three major disrupters of the established order – population shifts, resource supply, and technological developments are producing phenomena never before encountered in the industrial society. Brown (1997) states that the revolution will not flow from the mobilization of new machines; rather it will require a fundamental revamp of the human context in which machines are used. Finally, Johnson (1997) observes that when such paradigm shifts occur only once every few centuries, one has to be a visionary to see beyond the limits of current forms.

From a perspective of understanding this global societal sea change, Savage (1990) states that the shift is one of attitudes, values, and norms. It will only come through a struggle of thought because many of the changes are counterintuitive from a traditional point of view and they are difficult to conceptualize with industrial era vocabulary. He also notes that it will not be a simple or cumulative process, in that new principles will have to be learned and some old principles will have to be unlearned. Brown (1999) indicates that creating new frameworks for the evolving world will require challenging the assumptions that support our traditional intellectual constructs.

In terms of what will shift, Gilder (1989) states that the basic tenet of the knowledge revolution will be the “overthrow of matter.” Wealth, in the form of physical assets will diminish, while wealth, in the form of knowledge assets will increase. The power of mind will usurp the brute force of things. Similarly, Jeremy Rifkin (2000) indicates that whereas the industrial age emphasized the exchange of goods and services, the coming age will emphasize the exchange of concepts.

From an organizational perspective, Amidon (1997) indicates that the knowledge movement is reshaping how organizations are created, evolve, mature, and evolve or die. It is reshaping how business is done, how economies develop, and how societies prosper. Ruggles and Holtshouse (1999) note that the movement is characterized by a dispersion of power and by managers who lead by empowering knowledge workers to contribute and make decisions.

From a societal perspective, John Seely Brown (1997) asks a number of key questions, including who will control the keys to the digital domain? Who will be the trusted intermediary in the marketplace? How transparent will their mediation be? What standards will be used for accountability? Thomas A. Stewart (1997) points out that just as the industrial revolution did not end agriculture because people have to eat, this revolution will not end industry because we still need physical products.

From The Heart of a Father

2010-01-04T11:01:00.003-05:00

This coming Wednesday, January 6, 2010, Teresa and I will place the greatest and sweetest person either of us know on an airplane to go to her dreams. Yes, our sweet Claire will leave this Wednesday to accomplish the culmination of her dreams. She will officially become a Missionary serving the Lord Jesus Christ in El Salvador. Just this morning I was journaling asking the Lord to take care of my sweet child, when it dawned on me my prayer that had to match the prayer of the Father. I was asking God to take care my child when in fact that is precisely what the Father had asked us to do for His Child, The Lord Jesus.

Can you imagine the Father's angst and concern when He looked over the boundary of heaven into our fallen world? He was sending His only Son into a world He knew would murder Him. Would He actually do it? Think about it for a minute. What would you do? What would I do?

When you read the story of Lot and the two angels coming into Sodom to bring Lot and his family out, do you sort of get the hebee jeebees when those folk come knocking at the door demanding the opportunity to have their way with them? Listen to the words of the event:

Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your
servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and
he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him,
“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.

Reading that passage makes my skin crawl . . . my heart hurt. I grieve over the depth of the sin in that place.

Yet, God sent His Son into our world knowing the depravity into which He would be living. Do you think there was a part of the Father that cried out for us to "Take care of" His Son? I think there was. I think the Father's heart hurt over the reality that He was sending the blessed Lord Jesus into a world so entrapped by sin. But is that not what His love did?

Why would the Father send His Son into our world knowing what He would face? John told us:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life."

I suspect that in the depth of the heart of our great God was the Father's prayer, "I'm sending the most precious Person I know to you; please take care of my son!"

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart.

Your Friend,

Chip, the Dad!

Just thinking on the blessed Christmas Morning

2010-01-02T16:57:00.002-05:00

It was into a world just like this that the Lord God determined to send His Son. Men were oblivious to the truth of the Gospel or the love of the true God. Men were busy about their own items of importance. But there in a far away stable, according to both the Word of God and the Providence of our God, a Child was born. His birth did not take place in the Palace fit for a king, nor did His birth occur in a place surrounded by the world's security; again fit for the king. He was born just like every one else so that no one could ever say, "He was not born for me." He was born beneath the poorest so the poorest would know that He was born for them. He was not born into privilege so those without privilege would know He was born for them. Yes, the birth of the Christ Child was, simply put, as oblique and as far fetched as it needed to be so that the least to the greatest could say, "His birth was just for me!"

No other day had been more anticipated than this day. Since the Garden of Eden the promise of "a man child" was made. From the time before sin entered into the Garden (the world) the promise of the Redeemer was made. Yes, in Genesis 1 through Genesis 2:3 the only name given God is the name Elohim. Historically and biblically, this is the name used to describe the God of great power. "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." This name Elohim describes the Person of God Who demonstrates His great power.

In Genesis 2:4 Moses adds a 2nd moniker to the Name. He says, "This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven." That word translated Lord is the transliterated word, Jehovah. Throughout Scripture the Name Jehovah is the name given to describe the redemptive nature of God.

Please observe the place where the name Jehovah (Lord) was inserted into the text. It is in Genesis 2:4. Pray tell where do we discover sin (disobedience) entering the picture? Not until Genesis 3. In other words, before the need for the Redeemer entered into the picture, God had already determined to be that Redeemer. Please notice that 2:4 tells us precisely Who that Redeemer would be! The same person who spoke and the worlds came into being. The Elohim would be the Redeemer. God would become man and dwell among us.

His name is Jesus.

It is on this very day that we celebrate the fulfillment of that marvelous promise. Happy Birthday my precious Lord Jehovah . . . Jesus! Happy Birthday!
chip

The Father's Presence

2009-12-20T22:01:00.003-05:00

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
Psalm 91:11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.”

Have you ever sensed the presence of the Father God? I know you have, but this time I mean in a real, tangible, supernatural way? Have you ever felt as if the Father Himself had moved in such a way that He was personally and carefully looking after your personal situation and you personally?

The Roberson's can honestly bear witness to the fact that the Father has taken personal interest in us.

By now all the world knows that this weekend (12/18-12/19/09) the Roanoke Valley has experienced the largest snowfall in more than a decade. We have enjoyed (tongue-in-my-cheek) as much as 17 inches of snow over a 15 hour period. There have been many, many automobile accidents - cars stranded in ditches, trucks jack knifing, and so much more. As I write this, nearly every house of worship has canceled their morning worship services with most canceling their entire day today. Snow blankets driveways and every roadway. It is truly a beautiful (but very cold) sight.

Now, you ask, what about the supernatural presence of the Father in your life, Chip?

Let me say it as simply as possible. I was stranded on a side road at 2 a.m. on Saturday morning in the blowing, falling snow. The car I was driving was literally captured by the snow. Claire was at our house praying for someone to come along and help while Teresa and I were prayerfully attempting to get the car out of the middle of the street. Suddenly . . . out of nowhere, a 4-wheel drive pickup truck with a snow scrapper on the front came driving down the street. Remember it's 2 a.m. No one is in that place at that time.

It was the Lord's blessing. He came in the person of a man named Travis. He cleared a path so we could get our car out and "close" to our home. I'm telling you, the Lord sent us a man as an answer to prayer. May The Sweet Savior Be Glorified

I wanted to share this with you because I had it on my heart.

Your friend,
chip

A Life-Changing Moment

2009-12-15T00:27:00.003-05:00

This morning as I was reading from the Gospel of Luke, I came across an awesome thought that I'd like to share with you. Let me set the stage for the text and we'll place the text in here. Then, we'll end with a couple of simple or may I say "simpleton" thoughts! Finally, I'll attempt to apply these thoughts to our collective lives!

The stage for the text is this - the Lord is beginning His earthly ministry. He's been into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil and He's returned to His hometown of Nazareth where He'll be rejected and nearly stoned by the elders and the people for telling them the truth. Now that's a way to begin a ministry, isn't it?

The power of the Father is set in Him as He has healed many, including Simon Peter's Mother-in-law. He is yet to call His twelve disciples to follow Him, but it is clear that He has moved the headquarters of His ministry to Simon Peter's home in Capernaum (Luke 4:38ff). After all, it would be impossible for Him to remain in Nazareth. They have clearly rejected His ministry.

It is also clear that the common people have heard of Him and they've come to Him for what He could do for them. In other words, they have come for what is in His hand. They don't seem to understand that His agenda has to do with their hearts.

On a particular morning He is walking along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. There's a huge crowd amassed to hear what He's saying. It's at that place that we'll ask Dr. Luke to pick up the story:

1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;

7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

May I simply make a couple of simple observations? Well, here I go, ready or not. Notice that in verse 1, Dr. Luke makes a telling point. He points out that "the crowds were pressing around Him and listening to the word of God." If you can forego the interpreters of the text, is Luke calling the Lord Jesus the Word of God? Is Luke calling the words Jesus spoke the Word of God? What's going on here?

May I simply point out that I think it's not 'either/or', but I believe it is 'both/and'! I believe that when he reflected on this event, Luke was describing the Lord Jesus as "The Word of God" as John did in John 1:1. What other words would the Word of God speak than the Words of God?

Now you can say, "Wait a minute, Chip! Aren't you being somewhat silly?" Well, let's see!

The Lord turns to Simon and gets into his boat. Luke points out that they had toiled all night and had caught nothing. They had fished all night long and caught absolutely nothing. There were no fish in those waters. We aren't sure where they were, but could it be that the Lord had run all the fish off so that they'd not catch anything, thus setting the stage for this day's miraculous events?

So the Lord speaks from the pulpit of Simon's boat, then He turns to Simon, perhaps to apply His message. He says, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Remember now, Simon is dawg tired. He wants to go home and get some rest. He's worked all night and has nothing to show for it, and his itinerant Carpenter has come along and interrupted his day.

Maybe it was embarrassment or maybe it was faith, but because of Simon's obedience (and selection), his life will be changed forever! He contends with The Word of God, but in a state of reluctance, he does what the Lord asks.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever been dawg tired and wanted to go home, and the Lord of Glory interrupt you along the way? Have you ever obeyed regardless of your condition and had your life changed in the process? Well, Simon is in for a surprise.

So the Lord told him put down the nets for a catch. Please understand that this wasn't a suggestion, but it was a promise. When the very Lord of Glory tells you to do something with a reward attached, He always comes through with His end of the bargain.

So Simon says, "I will do as you say and let down the nets." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Think about it for a minute. Simon had just cleaned those nets. If he puts them back in the water, he'll have to clean them again. O' the spirit of reluctance. Simon would have to climb over so many obstacles to get to obedience. None-the-less, he does it . . . and boy will he ever be glad he did!

As you know the fish jumped in the nets and the nets were filled to breaking capacity. Simon called his fishing friends and they got in on the blessing as well.

Suddenly, it dawned on Simon just Who this Man was in His boat. The Word of God, Who had become flesh and was dwelling among them, was the very One sitting in the boat with Simon! Who else, but God, could make no fish become much fish?

In fear and in trembling, Simon drops to his knees (and this puts him at the Lord's Jesus' knees) and confesses he's a sinful man!

Hey, what a great place to be - at the knees of the Lord Jesus. Do you realize that every time you drop to your knees, you find yourself at the knees of Jesus? Simon wastes no time. In his mighty awareness, he confesses his sin.

Is that not the way worship always takes place? The Glory of God reveals Himself, and we realize we are deeply flawed sinners in the presence of the Flawless, Sinless God-Man. His glory is so incredible that we can't stand being there. We beseech Him to depart from us. His beautiful holiness so contrasts with our awful sinfulness.

Rather than leave at the request of Simon, the Lord uses the event to call them to be His disciples. Aren't you glad the Lord doesn't always listen to us? Like Simon Peter, we often make silly requests. I'll bet Simon's glad the Lord didn't depart from Him. Instead, the Lord was about to change life's direction for these men. He was about to call them to Himself.

In finality, allow me to make one other point. When they all got to shore, they had this huge catch of fish. Hundreds of fresh fish were filling their nets. Yet, the Lord says to them, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him."

When the dawn of that morning had broken over the Sea of Galilee, after a long disappointing night, the most important item on Simon Peter's agenda was getting to shore and stowing his nets and his tools. God the Word interrupted him. In a matter of only a few minutes, Simon's life would be changed. He would move from looking for fish to looking for men. He was so impacted by the Lord that he left everything that was previously important to him and began to follow a new Lord. He left nets, boats, family and friends . . . and those fish. He left it all to go and follow an itinerant Preacher of the Gospel to who knows where. Like Abraham before him he chose to walk away from everything that was previously important and follow the Lord.

They left everything and followed Him.

Let me close with a simple application. The Word of God hasn't changed. He is still the same today as He was yesterday and He'll be the same tomorrow. His promises are all Yes!!! He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He is God and full of Glory. He's the Lord of Glory, He's the King of Kings, He's the Master of the Seas. He is God and He has no peers. No one will stand in His presence. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is the Lord. He rules and He reigns. One day very soon, he will come again. He's preparing a place for you and for me. He's preparing a people (that would be us) to occupy the place He's preparing! He's coming! Get ready! In the mean time, why not be use by Him to catch the people in your lives?

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart. Oh, how thankful I am for Him!

Chip

Prodigals and Their Children

2009-09-28T18:43:00.000-04:00

Luke 15

Through the years we’ve all heard and read the story of the Man and His prodigal sons. We’ve heard humpteen sermons preached explaining the 2 sons and the Man, who they represented and all they did. We’ve heard and we’ve preached the picture of the young man down there in the distant country at the pig pen when suddenly the truth of life dawns on him and he “comes to his senses”. Yes, Dr. Luke’s story is a familiar, and all too often, a sobering one.

Did you ever pause to think that the story of the Man and His prodigal was given, not for someone else but FOR YOU . . . And for me???

Did you ever take the time to read the story realizing the Lord gave that parable in order to capture the attention of those unsuspecting followers who listened thinking “Yeah, boy do they need to hear this! Gosh, I sure wish old So-and-so could be here to hear this!”

Well, it occurred to me that this is the case with that story and me. It hit me this morning that the Prodigal is me . . . Today! When the young man stands there at the cross roads of his life and literally comes to his senses, all of what he knows of life changes. He goes from being one who is away from God to one headed home to be with God. The transformation that occurs in his life is telling. From self-centeredness to humility.

When he walks up on the old home place property with the prepared speech in his mouth, his Daddy cries out to “kill the fatted calf, for the son who was dead is now alive and let’s celebrate." That reunion is wonderful. I pray the sweet Lord Jesus will draw you and your heart to Himself today. To hear the words of the Lord instructing the folk to get ready to celebrate is almost more than one can fathom.

Listen! Do you hear it? There! That music! Do you hear the sound of laughter and joy? Listen and you’ll hear it too. All the angels of glory are singing and praising the Lamb that was slain for you and for me. Why?

Because he/she who was dead (away from home) is now alive; we will sing and celebrate his/her homecoming! I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart,

Your Friend,

Pastor Chip

Forgiveness

2009-09-21T21:17:00.003-04:00

David is the king of Israel. He has known the blessings of God since he was but a wee child. He loved God with all his heart and was even described by the Lord as the apple of God’s eye. David was a great man, and he led a great nation under God.

The time came in 2 Samuel 11 when he crossed a line beyond which he could never return. You likely are very familiar with the entire story. If not, I will summarize it for you. David was walking on the roof of his palace when he saw a woman named Bathsheba bathing down below. He sent for her and had relations with her. Because of that experience Bathsheba suddenly discovered she was expecting a baby. David decided to deal with the entire matter in order to act like the child wasn’t his, so David sent for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah the Hittite. At the time he was involved a battle in behalf of King David. David had him come home in order to cover for his sin. Uriah was a more righteous man than David. He refused to go home to his wife. The end result was that David had Uriah killed.

God told David the sword would never depart from his house (again read 2 Samuel 11 for the entire story). Some years later Absalom (that would be David’s rebellious son) led a coup on the kingdom. He ran his Father from his city and into the wilderness. In the process a great man (who had been a friend and a counselor of King David) named Ahithophel decided he would switch sides. He became a counselor to the new king, Absalom. When one reads the events in Scripture, and they realize how close David and Ahithophel really were, one is shocked and wonders what has happened to Ahithophel and the reasons for the apparent betrayal.

There is an incredible secret lurking behind the story. Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s Grandfather!

Since the events from that day when David called the young and beautiful Bathsheba to his chambers to have illicit relations with her, Ahithophel, her Grandfather, experienced a growing and vitriolic hatred toward the king. He, Ahithophel, would find himself moving from the innermost circles in the king’s kingdom to the end of a rope where he would take his own life.

Why? What in this world caused the great counselor of the king of Israel to go through such a horrible transition?

One word . . . unforgiveness.

I recently was reading an article in which the author shared a story. Here it is. “I was listening on the radio to someone who speaks to numerous groups on the subject of forgiveness. She said when she is with a new group she asks people to raise their hand if they have an ongoing problem with forgiving someone who has hurt them deeply. I can't recall with certainty the percentage of people whom she said had a problem with bitterness, but I do remember that the largeness of the number surprised me. It is safe to assume that the majority of people in any audience are struggling with bitterness.”

One doesn’t need a theological treatise on the subject of forgiveness. In most cases, believers just need to do all they can to practice the same. As shown by the life and death of Ahithophel, the one who suffers the most from unforgiveness is the one who refuses to forgive.

What about the one who seeks to do what the Lord instructs us to do? What about them? Are there any in our day who practice the selfless act of forgiveness?

Desmond Tutu is a bishop in South Africa who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work against apartheid. In his book No Future Without Forgiveness, he shares stories and insights from his leadership role in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. South Africa had been plagued for generations by terrible violence between the white ruling minority and the black majority. Once the whites relinquished power and Nelson Mandela become president, the question in need of an answer was clear: How does a country with so much pain and violence and division in its past move forward? Tutu and others established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a way forward. The goal was for those who had committed atrocities in the past to come forward and tell the truth—both blacks and whites. But it didn't end there. After confessing the truth, the goal was to bring reconciliation and forgiveness—to break the cycle of hate so the entire country could move forward.

In one chapter of the book, Tutu recounts testimony after testimony of people, both black and white, who came before the commission to confess to torturing and murdering others. It was horrific—terrible stories in graphic detail. It's almost impossible to believe that human beings are capable of such evil. The horrors of the crimes makes one particular story especially moving.

Two people who came before the commission were Mrs. Calata and her daughter. Mrs. Calata's husband had been an advocate for black South Africans in rural communities. Because of his work, he'd been arrested, detained, and tortured by the police numerous times. But one day he disappeared. On the front page of the newspaper, Mrs. Calata saw a photograph of her husband's car on fire. She cried so loudly during the hearing, describing the autopsy's report about his torture, that the commission had to be adjourned.

When they reconvened, Mrs. Calata's daughter testified. Years had gone by, and she was now a young lady. She pleaded with the commission to discover who had killed her father. But she was not crying out because she wanted vengeance or justice. Instead she said to the commission, "We want to forgive, but we don't know whom to forgive."

Eventually members of the police confessed to the crime. Rather than continue the endless cycle of hatred, Mrs. Calata and her daughter forgave the men who tortured and killed their husband and father—because that's what Christ's people do.

Does forgiveness mean we don't care about justice? Does forgiveness mean there is no consequence for evil? No! What it means is that we leave justice and vengeance in God's hands. He alone can judge rightly. Our job, as agents of his kingdom on earth, is to break the cycles of hate—to move from a people of exclusion to a people of embrace, forgiving others just as God, in Christ, has forgiven us.

Let’s begin today, what do you say? Let’s begin to practice what our Lord told us to do in the model prayer. “Forgive us our debts even as we have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart. Your friend,

Chip

2009-09-11T14:56:00.004-04:00

15 Years Is A Long Time To Wait
2 Samuel 5:4

Maybe you’ve noticed ours is an impatient society. I know when I drive down the road on my way to work, I’m cautious about those pushing their cars really hard through the traffic (no I don’t mean the guys who can’t get their car to start). It doesn’t affect just the male gender. Gosh, I was diving to work yesterday and looked in my mirror and discovered my car had grown a huge black tumor. I managed to move myself over into the right hand lane to let said tumor pass. When I looked in the mirror I saw a woman pushing her way through the traffic. I just wanted to get out of her way! Yes, ours is an impatient society:

microwave ovens
instant grits
frozen biscuits (what heresy)
drive by surgery
drive through eateries (I didn’t say I didn’t like it)
sermonettes for Christianettes

You may have heard that Gladys and Rhonda walked along the sidewalk after church. They were on their way home, thinking about meals planned for later that afternoon and casually discussing the morning service.

"That was a great sermon on patience," remarked Rhonda.

Gladys replied, "Yeah, but he went five minutes long."

Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

Can you imagine waiting 15 years to get a promotion, or for your mate to return from war, or for that broken friendship to heal? Can you imagine what it would be like to wait for 15 years for something you’d been promised? Now many of you are thinking, “Absolutely, I’m waiting right now and have been waiting for 15 years already!”

It’s to you that I’m writing this piece this morning.

David was just a small teenaged shepherd when the call came that day. He had been minding his own business and tending to his sheep when someone came and called him to “hurry and get in the house! The man of God is calling for you!” He had asked for nothing, and he expected even less. You can hear the conversation if you’ll just listen.

“Hurry David!” came the cry from on the hill behind the house.
“What’s the matter?” asked the teenaged David.
“The man of God is here and he’s calling for you!” came the response.
“What does he want? Here Josh, you watch the sheep while I go see what he wants.” David would say.
“How long will you be gone, David? Mom asked me to be home for dinner.” Josh responds.
“I shouldn’t be long. I have no idea what the man of God wants, but I’ll be right back.” David would say.

In the house the young red haired blue eyed boy would go. He’s a stunningly handsome young man; in the house he goes and finds the unexpected. It was the surprise party of surprise parties. All eyes were on him as he walked in the door.

There he stood. Tall and with deep wrinkles in his face. His eyes . . . they flashed like lightening as he turned his gaze toward the young shepherd. He was standing there right in the middle of the room. He looked ancient. His hair receding and his white beard flowing. He held a small glass flask filled with fresh anointing oil.

“I wonder what he wants.” thinks the young shepherd boy.

“Young man, come here.” resonates the baritone voice of the prophet of God.

“Yes sir.” David sheepishly responds.

Now, with all eyes fixed on the young shepherd boy, the man of God takes the small flask and pours the oil over the young man’s head while saying, “I anoint you the king of Israel, saith the Lord.” Then with minimal fanfare, Samuel, the man of God, stepped back from young David and bows his head to the ground while saying, “Long live the king . . . Long live the king!”

Confusion must have abounded.

What in the world does this mean?

But David didn’t climb up on a throne that day. No, as a matter of fact, at least 15 years would pass before the elders of Israel would come to officially complete what the Lord, Samuel, the elders of Bethlehem and the family of David had already witnessed.

The anointing often comes long before the coronation!

A thought often occurs in the mind and heart of God long before it is actually fulfilled here on terra firma.

In the mean time, David would be attacked, rejected, despondent, alone, and very often accused of sedition and disloyalty.

I can imagine David musing by thinking “What is going on? I distinctly remember the day when Samuel anointed me the king of Israel,”

“What’s God doing?”

Have you ever thought like that? Have you ever wondered why the Lord’s not fulfilling some promise He’d made to you?

Why is my marriage so difficult?
Why are my kiddoes acting this way? We didn’t raise them to act this way!
This is just not the way I thought life was going to go!

What are you to do?

If you listen to your friends, more than likely they’ll tell you something wrong. Divorce, quit, baloney, fooey. “You’d better look after yourself!

You know, friends don’t let friends drive drunk. Friends ought not interfere with what God’s doing in the life of a brother or sister. Friends ought to let the Spirit of God work His ministry into the lives of His people.

Well, if you read 2 Samuel 4:5, you’ll find it written in black and white.

2 Samuel 5:4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.

Why did God wait so long to fulfill what he’d promised David so long ago in that room in Bethlehem?

Why does God wait so long about doing anything? The answer to that question stems from the very nature and character of God. Love is the answer. The very character and nature of God both proves and clarifies that. The fact that God is love at His very core and character is enough. Everything the Father does He does because He IS love.

Remember those sweet words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13! Interchange the name of the Lord for the word love in that discourse. Listen to how it could read:

4 God is patient, God is kind and He is not jealous; He does not brag, and He is not arrogant,

5 He does not act unbecomingly; He does not seek His own, and He is not provoked, He does not take into account a wrong suffered,

6 He does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but He rejoices with the truth;

7 He bears all things, and he believes all things, and he hopes all things, and He endures all things.

8 He never fails;

One of the great saints of Southern Baptist life was Dr. Vance Havner. Dr. Havner’s gone on to be with the Lord today, but before he did, he wrote:

“Simply wait on him.
So doing, we shall be directed,
supplied, protected, corrected, and rewarded.”

There’s great truth there. Let’s just follow the young man David’s lead. He waited patiently for 15 years. Both the wait and the reward were worth it. He waited on the Lord whether he was running from Saul or wiping slobber on the gate of his neighbor; David patiently waited on the Lord.

Let’s do the same. Whether we are selling our house or wiping slobber on the gate of our neighbor, let’s wait on the Lord. Listen carefully now! You can hear me praying, “Lord, I’m being patient, but can you just hurry this one up for me?” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I just had this one on my heart. May the sweet Lord Jesus bless you this day!

Your friend,

Chip

2009-09-03T22:32:00.002-04:00

The Fear of Death
1 Samuel 28:15; 20

The Pillsbury Dough Boy. Cute. Cuddly. And wanted for attempted murder.

Well, not exactly ...

A woman in Arkansas was sitting in her car in a parking lot last year when she heard a loud bang and then felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She was holding her hands behind her head when someone walked by and asked, "Are you OK?"

The woman answered, "I've been shot in the head, and I'm holding my brains in."

Well, it wasn't her brains.

It was dough. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded in the back seat, apparently from the heat, making a loud explosion and shooting the dough into the back of the woman's head.

So, this woman in Arkansas got bashed by a biscuit. What's next? Muffin muggers? Toast thieves? Cookie cons?

We laugh, but this poor woman thought for sure she was dying. Do you doubt she was afraid?

Do you realize how afraid people are to die? Woody Allen is reputed to have once said, “I’m not afraid to die; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Death does hold a certain shadow over us, does it not?

The Apostle Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 15 when he wrote 54 “When this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So if you read Paul’s wording carefully, he speaks of victory, sting, the power of sin and the like. His wording clearly communicates the fact that Paul recognizes the threat of death.

In our text for the day, Saul, the King of Israel has become desperate. He faces those dreaded Philistines and fears the worse. His paranoia has pushed him to a breaking point. His mentor and hero, Samuel, is dead and buried. God refuses to talk to him, so what is he to do? He is fearful beyond belief. He does the unthinkable. He searches for a medium or a witch to call up the dead Prophet of God Samuel. But wait a minute. He’s banned all mediums from Israel (don’t you find it interesting what false religious actions accomplish?). If they’ve all been banned, what’s he to do?

He asks his servants where to find one. They tell him of a witch in Endor. He disguises himself and goes to Endor. He convinces the woman (who did not recognize Saul as being Saul) to call or conjure up Samuel. She does so and when she sees the dead Samuel coming from Sheol, it surprises her nearly as much as it does us. When you read Samuel’s statement, it ought to bring us comfort. Let’s read it together.

15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

Read that statement once more.

15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

It would seem to me that whatever the state of the Prophet Samuel, he was enjoying it. He was so comfortable that he wants Saul to tell him why “have you disturbed me”? Consider that statement for a moment. 'Why have you disturbed me?' That’s a great statement. The state of the Prophet was such that he was bothered when he had to come back to this life. Thus he asks, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

One would think that would cause Saul to give consideration to the fact that this death thing is not so bad. Samuel is really enjoying his death!

Now read and contrast verses 19-20 with verse 15. Let’s read them together:

19 “Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!”

20 Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.

Now here’s the scene. Samuel tells Saul, “why have you bothered me? I’ve been in the most blessed life I’ve ever known. Why in the world are you disturbing me, Saul?”

Saul asks his question and Samuel reveals that Saul and his boys will all be dead by tomorrow. 'Guess what! We’ll all be together again. Right here in Sheol, we’ll all be together.' What did Saul do? He was scared to death. The very idea of dying scared him nearly to death.

Death is scary for a lot of reasons . . . Except for those who’ve conquered that fear. Did you know that under scrutiny by his apartheid government's Eloff Commission, South African bishop and Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu declared:

There is nothing the government can do to me that will stop me from being involved in what I believe God wants me to do. I do not do it because I like doing it. I do it because I am under what I believe to be the influence of God's hand. I cannot help it. When I see injustice, I cannot keep quiet, for, as Jeremiah says, when I try to keep quiet, God's Word burns like a fire in my breast.

But what is it that they can ultimately do? The most awful thing that they can do is to kill me, and death is not the worst thing that could happen to a Christian.

If you aren’t a Christian, death is by far the worst thing that can happen to you; but for the most part, those of you who read this blog are believers. Death need not threaten us . . . But I confess, it unnerves me a bit too.

I just had this on my heart!
Your friend,

Chip

Can God Be Trusted?

2009-09-02T23:14:00.004-04:00

1 Samuel 27:1

Can God be trusted? Seriously, can one take God at His Word? One might find that an absolute absurdity when sitting in the comfort of one’s living room with everything going as it should, but can one trust God when nothing in one’s life seems to be going as it should? Can one trust God when the Doctor tells the patient, “I think it’s serious”? Or can one continue to trust God when one’s employer says, “we’re cutting back, and I’m afraid you’re the last one to be hired”? In an economy such as the one in which we are living, can one truly trust God to fulfill his promise from the Psalmist that says,

Psalm 37:25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread.

Honestly, the promises of God are yes and no. Truly one never has to fear the day when they hear God say, “Well, because of circumstances, I’ve had to change my mind.” Are we grateful for that?

We all remember the day when God told the prophet Samuel to go over to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse and anoint one of his sons to become the next king of Israel. If you have your Bible why not look at that text now. It’s found in 1 Samuel 16. Samuel makes his way into the city and to the center of the city where he calls for a feast. Jesse’s boys are asked to pass in review before the man of God, but God rejects all the brothers so the Prophet asks,

11 “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” They hurry and send for David and when he enters the room here is what the Scripture says, 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”

Do you think the memory of those days ever left the great king of Israel? Do you think that in the midst of his becoming king David ever forgot that fateful day? Well, if you happen to look at the text for today, I think David must have let the difficulties of life overshadow the promises of God. 1 Samuel 27:1 says:

1 Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

No doubt David was tired of running from Saul and living in caves. He was responsible for 600 men and their families and there seemed to be trouble lurking at every turn. But why did David not reflect on that day when the great prophet of God, Samuel, came and anointed him to be the next king of Israel?

Life just has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? Just when you think it can’t get any worse . . . it does! You know, “the Doctor said” or “the employer said”.

Have you ever stopped to ask “why in the world does the Lord let these kinds of things happen?” or “why doesn’t the Lord step in and do something?” One can pause to ask hundreds of questions of this sort, but the bottom line is “why in the world does the Lord not step in and do something?”

The only answer I have to such a question is, “I don’t know, I suppose the Lord is trying to teach me a lesson in order to grow my life in His grace.”

When we take a bird’s eye view of David from the totality of Scripture we can make a couple of deductions.

1. David wasn’t ready to assume the throne when Samuel came to Bethlehem that day. He had some lessons to learn from the school of hard knocks.

2. Israel already had one king and God had to deal with him before there could be another. In other words, timing is everything. He had to work out what he was doing in the life of Saul and Jonathan and all the many other players in those days before He could just majestically make David king.

3. God had lessons for us to witness in order for us to learn the lessons of Grace we’d all need to learn. In other words, like David before us, we’d have some growing to do before the Lord could accomplish all He intended to accomplish in us.

Do we really think (in retrospect) that God intended for David to die at the hand of Saul? In reflection, “No!” The Father had lots left to do in the life of the future (but already anointed) king of Israel.

I suppose it fits the parameters of Romans 8:28 . . . what do you think?

I wrote this because I had it on my troubled and weary heart!

Your friend,

Chip

Which King Is King? Psalm 20:1-9

2009-08-30T20:33:00.001-04:00

David is clearly the king of Israel. He rules over the people during these days with great wisdom, but in the midst of his rule, there are those who would destroy him. I’ve discovered after 25 years of pastoral ministry that there are the ever-present “worthless men” [1] who carp and harp at the man of God. They despise the very gentle and subtle things the man of God does, and they set their sights on destroying all he puts his hands to. They were present in the life of Saul, Israel’s first king, and they were there in the life of David, Israel’s second king. They were present with the Lord Jesus and they were certainly there with the Apostle Paul. Hey, Paul started out as one of those “worthless men”.

David is king over the nation, but none-the-less he acknowledges his detractors. In the midst of his rule, the king of the land writes this great hymn of hope!

1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
And support you from Zion!
3 May He aremember all your meal offerings
And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah.
4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel!
5 We will sing for joy over your victory,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.
9 Save, O Lord;
May the King answer us in the day we call.

O, the beauty of the Psalm. It is packed with instruction, meaning and hope. But may I simply make a point that is so very subtle on the part of the Psalmist? The king is praying, ‘May the King answer us in the day we call.”

Who’s the King of Israel? David acknowledges there is a King Who rules over him. David clearly understands that his rule requires the rule of one greater than him.

As David writes this Psalm there are obviously certain “worthless men” who find their way into the picture presented on the preacher’s part. These “worthless men” make life miserable for one and all. Yet, they are there. David knows that horses and chariots will never suffice in dealing with these men. They are like weeds in a garden. When you pull one up, two grow in its place.

In every man’s life there are these characters. They are ever-present. Their faces change, but their character never does. They are motivated by and identified by the omnipresent “I”.

What does one do when these “worthless men” start to do what they do best? One can’t trust in horses nor can one trust in chariots. Boast in the name of the Lord our God. He’s the true King. Let Him handle these worthless men . . . after all, evidently they have been here from the beginning.

Trust in the Lord Who alone is King. Let Him, the real King, deal with them. After all, He is the one who has said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay!” Let Him handle them. If we’ll allow the real King to handle these, we can do what we do best; worship Him! He is so fascinating and so wonderful! O’ how I do love Him so. He’s my King! Is He yours?

I write this to you because I had it on my heart.

Your friend,

Chip

[1] If one reads 1 Samuel 10:27 one discovers the source of this saying “worthless men”. Samuel has just anointed Saul king of Israel. This is a huge day in the life of the nation. God has pointed out the man to lead His people, but in the midst of the great celebration, there are certain “worthless men (who) said, ‘How can this one deliver us?’ And they despised him and did not bring him any present.” It seems there are always “worthless men” who despise the man of God. They seem to be the tares sown among the wheat.

When A People Forget God . . . Then What?

2009-08-26T17:50:00.003-04:00

~~How in the world does one generation of people witness the incredible miraculous power of God, then 2 generations later God becomes a stranger?

~~How does it happen that the dad experiences the life changing power of God and the son chooses to not follow the same path?

~~Why is it that the eternal God of the Universe can overwhelmingly move in one person’s life and then his own offspring chooses to close the doors of his/her heart to that same wonder working power?

I have a working theory that I’d like to test on you:

Exodus 20:5-6 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to athousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Deuteronomy 5:9-10 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Numbers 14:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.”

Exodus 34:6 “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.’”

It is an interesting proposal, but may I suggest a possible explanation to these incredible truths? As you know, the Bible can’t scream or shout at its reader can it? So how does Holy Spirit emphasize His points? He repeats the same things over and over again. On four separate occasions, He makes the same statement - - leading one to conclude there is something to be considered in the iniquity of the fathers!

As I was walking recently, I struggled with an explanation of these things, and my conclusion is simply this: When a person sins, God doesn’t accrue the wages of that sin to his son, but the tendency toward that sin is visited to the generations that follow; maybe not to the son or daughter but somehow to the children or their children’s children. In other words, every person’s slate is clean when they enter the world of the flesh. Each one accrues his or her own catalogue of sin. If that is true, then why does it seem that a man’s son repeats his father’s sin-likeness? Why is it that the son seems to mimic his parent’s character and characteristics?

Could it be that when a person is younger he/she finds herself/himself involved in sin, and could it be that that person will one day discover his/her son/daughter involved in similar sin? Maybe the sin skips one generation; then inexplicably the grandchild of that person finds themselves strangely drawn to the same type of sin.

This is what I’m talking about. Does not the Bible say, “Be sure your sins will find you out”? Again, does not the Scripture teach that if one “sows to the wind they will reap corruption?”

There just seems to be a literal promise stated in these verses. It is for this reason that one needs to live a pure life when they are young. If it is at all possible, believers need to teach their children the ways of the Lord. This will give them every possible opportunity to move their lives forward in Christ.

In the nation of Israel, the seeds of destruction were sown. Thus we have today’s meditation. The recorder of the Judges points out that, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

With all Israel had seen, heard and experienced, how in the world is it possible that a generation would arise that did not know the Lord? But is that not what the text says? Listen to the writer once more:

“and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

How did this happen?

Honestly, it’s pretty clear. Mommas and Daddies didn’t pay attention to what the Lord had told them. You will remember what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. ‘You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.’”

So what is to be done? Just what the text teaches us. Study and teach and be very careful to model what you teach.

Let’s do something that will make a difference in our world. Let’s tell our children and our children’s children about the Lord who has done so much for us. I wrote this to you because I had it on my heart.

Chip

Judges 11 and The Gospel Story

2009-08-23T13:52:00.003-04:00

There is an interesting story in Judges Chapter 11 that clearly demonstrates the human picture of our Heavenly Father and the Gospel Story.

The ninth judge Jephthah was courageous, a great leader of men, and a valiant warrior who had much to offer. But Jephthah had a problem with parentage. His brothers rejected him, believing he was not a legitimate heir. Does that sound familiar? Did not the Pharisees accuse the Lord Jesus of being of illegitimate parentage?

As was often the case in the days of the Judges when all men “did what was right in their own eyes,” the sons of Ammon wanted to raid Israel. Israel had no king to lead them, so in their time of desperation, they turned to their estranged brother Jephthah. They asked him to lead them and beat back the Ammonites. That sounds an awful lot like believers. The time we most want God to lead our lives is when we are under attack.

After negotiations between the brothers, Jephthah agreed to lead the people. He gathered his troops, made preparation, and prayed. He then asked the Lord to give the sons of Ammon into his hand, and the Lord told him He would. So Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He promised to give as a burnt offering the first thing that came out of his house when he returned home. All Jephthah asked God was to give him the victory in return. Wait until you get to the end of the story….it will break your heart.

As life would have it, the first thing to come out of Jephthah’s house was no one less than his one and only precious daughter. So when Jephthah returned to his home and his daughter ran out the door to celebrate her dad’s return, Jephthah wept and told her what he had vowed. His daughter agreed her dad must keep his vow to the Lord. She asked her daddy if she could go into the mountains for a brief season to weep for her virginity. He told her that would be fine; so that’s what she did. This reminds me of the Lord Jesus weeping in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was innocent, just like the virgin daughter of Jephthah.

When I read this story, I always grieve. Can we even imagine having to sacrifice our child? This morning as I was reading it for the umpteenth time though, I suddenly realized this is a picture of God, His people, and the sacrifice of His one and only Son.

In this story, if you substitute God the Father for Jephthah, the people for all of us, and Jephthah’s daughter as the Lord Jesus Christ, the entire story lines up with the gospel story.

People want to run God off. They don’t want to hear what He has to say so they ignore Him - - until they get into trouble that is. That is when people then ask Him to come and lead them back to freedom. Because He is gracious, He agrees to do so, but the price He must pay is very high. What is that cost, you ask? It is His first-born. You see, the Son rejoices at the victory of the Father, yet realizes that HE is the price that is to be paid for that victory. We people often fail to realize the huge price the Lord paid for His, and our, victory over sin.

I can never read the story of Jephthah and his daughter without grieving over the vision of his one and only daughter hearing that her dad was returning home from war - - only to realize that she was the price he’d promised if he won the war.

This is precisely what God the Father has done for us - - He has given us His first born, his beloved, precious Son to gain we, His people, victory in the war against sin.

I write this to you because I had it on my heart.

Your friend,

Chip

Magnets, Hose Pipes, & God's Goodness

2009-08-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

Last week, as I wrote in my journal, I enjoyed an amazing realization about the Christian life. Too often in our relationship with Christ, we miss what the Lord has for us. Sometimes we view God like the positive end of a magnet and ourselves as the negative end - - what God is putting out, we take. We are more about “taking” than anything else.

Our prayer lives tend to be more of what we need or what we want God to give to us. As the negative poll on that magnet attracts the positive pole of another magnet, we tend to constantly come to God with what we need - - expecting Him to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

As we mature in grace though, we may become intimately aware of the fact that babies are the negative side of a magnet, whereas the spiritually mature are intended to be more like hosepipes. You are likely asking, “What in the world is a hosepipe?”

Well, when I was just a boy in the small town of Cedartown, GA, the summer days were so very hot. It was not unusual for the temperatures to reach 95 to 100 degrees with the humidity to match. In the heat of the day, the heat was stifling. We would languish in the heat, until one day, I discovered a poor boy’s version of air conditioning. Not the central air conditioning that we’ve grown accustomed to, but a poor boy’s version of air conditioning.

You see, the one luxury this poor boy had was a concrete padded carport. One day, when it was entirely too hot to sit in the house, I went outside to play on the carport. I noticed the carport really needed to be washed off. Because there was no man in our house, the responsibility for the house and grounds fell to me! So I gathered the “hosepipe” (a.k.a. the Garden Hose) and proceeded to rinse off the dirty carport. In the process, I discovered an amazing truth. When I poured the fresh water through that hosepipe on the concrete pad of that carport, not only did the carport get cleaner, but the temperature of that end of the house remarkably dropped. The heat seemed to just dissipate so that the day became wonderfully bearable. Poor boy’s air conditioning!

I am discovering that the Christian life is intended to be more like that hosepipe and less like that magnet. Much like a garden hose that allows refreshing water to pass through it, I should be the vehicle through which the life giving grace of our wonderful God flows to bring refreshment to the broken and overheated lives of those around me.

I find it amazing how thirsty the broken lives of those who come into the Pharmacy are, and I find it just as amazing how the goodness and grace of our beautiful God is when it is poured onto those fractured lives. You should see the faces of these people when I ask them, “Do you mind if I pray with you?” They are flabbergasted!!!

So instead of being a magnet, always attracting for myself what God has for ME, I’m determined to become the hosepipe of God’s goodness and grace to a dry and parched world that is broken and in despair. May the Lord use these simple truths to help you grow in His grace.

I just had this on my heart.

chip

Defining Ministry

2009-08-16T16:51:00.000-04:00

Can you tell me the definition of ministry? Is it what I do when I go to the church-house such as teaching the class or the singing of the song? How do you really define “the ministry?” I find it interesting that Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines ministry this way:

Ministry is a noun.

Can you imagine that? Ministry is a noun. I’m being factious. We all know there is the official office of “The Ministry” where men and women serve official offices in a governmental capacity. The dictionary further describes the ministry as a person or thing through which something is accomplished. That being said, I suppose ministry can and must be defined as a noun. Is that all?

No! There is certainly more. Let me share with you another thought. Did you know (I know you do) that the English word “deacon” is one significant root word used to identify ministry. Let me show you that. The Greek word is the word διακονία, or when it is transliterated, it is the word diaconea. In other words, the word “deacon” comes from this word.

It literally means ‘to serve,’ or to have the role or position of serving—to perform a ‘ministry, task.’ Dr. Luke used the word in Acts 20:24 when he notes what the Apostle Paul says, “that I may complete my course of life and my ministry which I received from the Lord.” Acts 20:24.

Now, let’s get to where the rubber meets the road, so-to-speak. What is ministry in flesh and blood? In other words, when is ministry actually performed?

Well, I can tell you that for the most part, ministry occurs outside the church-house.

True ministry occurs from heart-to-heart and from broken life-to-broken life.

Have you ever stopped to think that life is broken? Even for those who think theirs is just right - - life is broken. It’s broken because we live in a world that’s broken. It’s broken because of sin. Sin destroys! Like a cancer-riddled body, ours is a sin-riddled world. In every place sin sinks its tentacles, death soon arrives. Gosh, life is teaching me more and more about itself. May I be candid?

These recent days have found my life and my family struggling. We’ve experienced the unfair, and we’ve been misunderstood. The sweet Lord Jesus has allowed us the great joy of learning the deepest meanings of Romans 8:28. We’ve found ourselves feebly clinging to that promise that “we know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and for those who are called according to His purposes.” May I share a couple of thoughts with you?

I’ve discovered that ministry takes place when God’s people live out God’s Word to those who hurt. Sometimes ministry causes one to get messy. To the one whose life is embroiled in pain, the minister climbs down into the place of pain with that hurting brother or sister and places their life alongside them. This is what Elijah did with the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 10. The widow’s son died, and Elijah stretched himself out on the child three times “and called to the Lord and said, My God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord did as the prophet prayed. He brought healing to the life of that young man. But the healing didn’t come until he placed his life literally on top of the young man.

There were several who did just exactly this for my family. They stretched themselves out on our lives and asked the Lord to “let this child’s life return to him.” God bless them for their ministry.

So, may I ask a simple question? Has the Lord given you the privilege of climbing down into the broken places with some of His children and place your life on theirs in order to have the Lord return their life to them? Just thought I’d ask. Thanks to all of you who have gone that mile with us. You truly are the ministers of God.

I write this to you because I had it on my heart.

I love you all,

Chip

Major in God, Not Goliath

2009-07-21T20:52:00.003-04:00

In his book entitled The Cast of Characters, author Max Lucado tenders an awesome observation about the Giant Killer, the future king of Israel, David. He observes that when David entered the Valley of Elah, all eyes were on the giant Goliath . . . except David’s.

Lucado says,
“No one else discusses God. David discusses no one else but God. A subplot appears in the story. More than ‘David versus Goliath,’ that is ‘God-focus versus giant-focus . . . ' David sees what others don’t and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David’s, are set on the polestar of the Philistine. All journals, but David’s, describe day after day in the land of the Neanderthal. The people know his taunts, demands, size and strut. They have majored in Goliath."

But David majors in God. He sees the giant, mind you; he just sees God more so. Look carefully at David’s battle cry: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.” 1 Samuel 17:45

If there’s ever been a more needed passage for my encouragement, I can’t recall it. How about you? For me, there have been days when all I saw were my Goliaths. My journal has contained so many references to the length of his spear and the weight of the head of that spear, instead of to the God of the Universe Who made all of this.

There have been too many thoughts on the enemy and not enough on the God who rules that enemy.

If there’s ever been a thought for this “former” pastor to ruminate on, it is this one. There’s such encouragement in the last portion of the chapter. Lucado points out that for most of us, we need to exult in the fact that the man considered by the Lord to be “a man after His own heart,” often failed. While he was incredibly courageous and successful in this encounter with the Giant of Gath, he was not so successful in his encounter with the future mom of the future king of Israel. When his eyes fell on the beautiful bathing Bathsheba, he acted more like the rest of humanity... he blew it!

Yet God never forsook him. He disciplined him, but he never bailed out on him. He treated David just like David was His child. That’s it! BELIEVERS ARE HIS CHILDREN!

Aren’t you glad the Lord loves us as His child? I know I am!

I wrote this because I had it on my heart. Love to you all!

chip

Joshua’s Farewell Address

2009-07-20T12:24:00.004-04:00

I’d like for you to take a few moments to think. Thinking is hard work. I believe that’s why we so seldom do it. Here are a few tools you’ll need to make this happen:

Pen
Paper (preferably a notebook)
A comfortable, quiet, place to sit alone
Your Bible

Before you begin, take a brief moment to pray and talk with the Lord. He’s right there and He wants you to talk with Him just like you want your children to talk with you.

Now, with nothing bothering you or distracting you, ask the Lord to allow you to think of all the things He has done for you in the past. You may discover that the Lord has been with you all along.

Remembering was Joshua’s action plan for his last message to the people of God. He was spending his last days with the people he’d grown up with and led for the past many years.

Now let us remember that Joshua was one of only two coming out of Egypt in the very beginning of this journey who remained alive. Do you “remember” who the other fellow was? Yes, that’s right. He is Caleb.

In Joshua 23, the great old leader has gathered all the people together to speak with them for the final time. By way of remembering, Joshua points out to them all the Lord has done in these past many years. He has empowered them to do the impossible.

If you have your Bibles, will you please turn with me to Joshua 23?

Read the text
1 Now it came about after many days, when the Lord had given a rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, 2 that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in years. 3 “And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you. 4 “See, I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun. 5 “The Lord your God, He will thrust them out from before you and drive them from before you; and you will possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 “Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them. 8 “But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 “For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. 10 “One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. 11 “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. 12 “For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to 1drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 14 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. 15 “It shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the threats, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 “When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”

The Lord’s Specific Expectation (Direction; Warning (Instructions) For His People

7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them. 8 “But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.

Do Not:

Associate with them
Don’t mention the name of their gods
Don’t make anyone swear by them
Don’t make anyone serve them
Don’t make anyone bow down to them

Do:

Cling to the Lord your God

In the original text, the word “Cling” is the Hebrew word debaq and it describes what a person does when they stand before God and people and declare their love for and commitment to one another. It describes the commitment one makes in their marriage ceremony.

In the mind of God, the believer is instructed to “Cling” or to Cleave to the Lord or to be joined to the Lord their God.

We first meet the word in Genesis 2:24 where God has made Adam and Eve. He looks at the man and says, “The man shall be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

From a little different vantage point, Joshua is telling the believer that he is to be joined to God. Treat God with the same great respect and love that you pay to your spouse . . . Oh, you do!

Application
Do you realize that the way you treat your spouse is modeled by the way you treat God the Father? If you truly want to know how you treat God, take a look at how you treat your spouse. By-the-way, if you don’t really care how you treat your spouse, it is very much reflected in the way you treat God the Father.

Illustration
Let me show you that: look with me to Ephesians 5.
Husbands love your wife like Christ loved the Church, He died for it. Wives submit to your husband as to the Lord.

There are two sides to this picture. Not only is the deepest need for each one the particular follow-up instructions the Lord gives, but the deepest discipline need for each one is there as well.

For instance: The instruction for the wife is to submit to her husband. Do you understand that’s the last thing a woman wants to do? That runs contrary to her very nature . . . her sinful nature.

Look at the instructions for the husband. What does Paul tell the husband to do for his wife? He tells him to love her like Christ loved the Church . . . He died for it. Do you understand why the Apostle Paul tells the husband to love his wife and not to submit to her?

The husband’s deepest need is to discipline himself to love his wife in a selfless way. Why? Men are basically big little boys. Little boys are selfish. They want someone to do something for them. They want their moms to love them and that means to wait on them and take care of them and to do for them.

What the little boy in all of us most needs to do is to learn to show that love to another. If you’re married, that means you are to learn to do for the wife of your youth what you wanted your mom to do for you. You need to love her selflessly!

The ladies who are married are no different. They need to learn to respect their husbands. From the beginning of time that seems to be a problem. By the way, that didn’t start with this generation. Take a look at Genesis 3 and you’ll discover the first example of disrespect. When the serpent came into the garden and tempted the woman to ignore her God given head and to be independent and do her own thing, she was playing right into his hand.

Application
So what are Joshua’s instructions here? What do they mean? He tells the people of Israel they are to act like God is their spouse, and they are to treat Him with the same respect as they would treat their spouse. They are to unreservedly love and respect Him.

There is The Promise To Those Who Obey
9 “For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. 10 “One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. 11 “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. 12 “For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

Please notice the promise of the Lord is two directional. What in the world do you mean? There’s the promise if you do what’s right and there’s the problem if you don’t do what’s right.

Please observe 3 things:

Notice Joshua’s Memories of the Past – vs. 9a recalls what the Lord has done. Observe the tense of the verb. “The Lord has driven out . . .” and “No man has stood before you . . . “
Do you recognize the tense is the past tense? This is Joshua’s memory of the past.
Notice Joshua’s Mentioning of the Present – (vs. 10) – One of your men puts to flight . . . for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.” This time the tense is the present tense.
Notice Joshua’s Message for the People – (vs. 11) – “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.”

The word heed is an incredible word. Literally the word means to keep guard over. Joshua tells Israel that they are to stand vigilant guard over their affections to insure they stay in love with the Lord.

Do you see what Joshua is doing here? He is reminding Israel of what God has done in the past.

Application
Do you recognize the working of God in your past? Do you see His mighty hand at work in your life as you’ve walked with Him? There is unquestionably the presence of God at work in our past.

How about today? Notice how Joshua Mentions the Present. Do you recognize the Lord’s hand at work in your life today? If not, let’s quickly take a look at Joshua’s Message for God’s People. Take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.”

Can I be so bold as to ask you a very leading question? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart? Have you “taken diligent heed” to post a guard over your heart in order that you might love the Lord? Do you know that you are either for God or you are against Him?

Do you agree that the optimum person to ask would be God the Father Himself?

So how can one “post a guard over his/her heart to make sure he/she loves the Lord? Well, that’s a good question . . . and I’m real glad you asked the question. The answer is:

Make Sure He Has Your Attention - Those you love get your attention. When one falls in love one redirects his/her attention to the one with whom he/she has fallen for.
Make Sure You Spend Quality Time With Him In His Word Every Day – Again, when one loves another, the passion of that person’s heart is to spend quality time together. One must continue to examine their heart in order to make sure their not taking Him for granted.
Make Sure When He speaks To You Through His Word, You Spend The Day Meditating On What He’s Said!
Make Sure That You Guard Your Heart – It is so easy for one to allow their eyes to stray. You wouldn’t want your lover to allow his/her eyes to stray to another lover, so you must make sure you keep your eyes where they belong . . . on Him!

Conclusion
When Joshua knew his time had come for him to leave, he caused Israel to re-live their experiences with the Lord. Why not take the time to do some of that right now? It will bear dividends in your for a long time. The Lord bless you as you do.

Pastor Chip

A Man & His Word

2009-07-18T16:29:00.001-04:00

Joshua 10 is one of those great stories of redemption in which The People of God make an honest and an innocent mistake - yet the Father does what Father’s do, they make the most of their children’s mistake.

We’ve all heard the story of the great Paderewski who had come to play a piano concert to the good people of New York City. Before the program began, a child somehow managed to get on the stage and proceeded to play his version of the popular song, Chop Sticks. As the story goes, the child began to play his song, and the people began to boo and jeer the child.

As you might imagine, the child’s parents were horrified. Dad began to scramble to get his son off the stage when suddenly the great performer / politician came out from behind the curtain. Realizing what was happening, he bent down and whispered into the child’s ear, “don’t stop playing,” and he began to play an incredible concerto duet along with the child. The Master took the child’s foolishness and transformed it into a great concerto.

In Joshua 10, one finds the same type of event taking place.

The Godly Man Recognizes His Word Is His Bond vs. 6-11
Joshua sticks to his commitment to the Gibeonites. When they came under attack, Joshua mustered the armies of Israel and moved to defend his commitment.

Often we find it difficult to stick with a commitment we’ve made. Maybe the struggle we face comes because of peer pressure, or because our wallets just don’t seem to be able to support what we’ve committed ourselves to. Regardless, do you see that Joshua’s actions demonstrate a lot about this man? He was fooled by the Gibeonites into making a covenant with them, but once he had made that commitment, he was, as they say, “all in.”

May I ask you a question? Do you occasionally renege on a commitment you’ve made?

Two thoughts:
1. Are you God’s Person?
2. Is Your Word Your Bond?

It would be very easy for Joshua to just blow off his commitment to the Gibeonites. He could have reasoned, “they deceived me so the covenant is not valid.”

Or he could have said, “these are not really my people so I’m outta here. They’re on their own.”

But what did Joshua do? He realized that his word was his bond, and that as a godly man, he had to act like His God acts. When God gives us His Word, does it not become His bond? Of course it does.

Not only does the godly man recognize that his word is his bond, but next let us see that:

God (The Father) Performs the Impossible to Come To the Aid of His Children
He stopped the sun and the moon from setting or moving for about a day. vs. 12-14

Illustration
We find an additional illustration of this truth in Matthew 17:24-27, when tax collectors came to Simon Peter asking him if in fact the Lord Jesus paid the two-drachma tax. Simon Peter, speaking quickly, answered “Yes.” Then he came into the house, and the Lord asked Simon the question about the tax. He asked him, " 'What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?' When Peter said, 'From strangers,' Jesus said to him, 'Then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.'"

Application
Simon had acted unwisely by answering the question before consulting the Lord Jesus. He was acting in what he thought to be the Lord’s best interest. The Lord then moves heaven and earth to help Simon. He orders a fisherman to have a 2-drachma coin fall from his pocket in the Sea of Galilee. Then he has to order a fish to come along and gobble it up. Then he has to swim into Simon’s nets so Simon can catch him and open his mouth and there it is . . . the two-drachma coin.

I’d say that’s pretty impressive, wouldn’t you? It’s just as impressive as God stopping the sun from setting and the moon from moving in Joshua 10. If you do what’s right before the Lord Jesus, don’t you think He will honor you and your efforts?

God (The Father) Honors His Child Who Recognizes His Word Is His Bond vs. 24-25
"When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, 'Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.' So they came near and put their feet on their necks. Joshua then said to them, 'Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.'"

Joshua has committed himself to the covenant he had made to the Gibeonites. He had backed up that commitment with fighting men. He had taken the fight to the enemy. Now he stands victorious . . . but not because of his great prowess or the great power of the Israeli army.

He is honored because of his great God who honors His servant who kept His Word!

In our day, one’s word seems to be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. One’s yes must be yes and one’s no must be no . . . thus saith the Lord!

Just Checing In

2009-07-13T17:52:00.000-04:00

Hey to all you sweeeeet people who check in on the Robersons. Let me bring you up to speed about a couple of issues:

I know you were blessed by Doctors Jeff Ginn and Bob Reccord. These are two fine men with incredible character. Both of these men are at the very top of their game . . . so-to-speak! It is such an honor to have both these guys standing behind God's sacred desk at CSBC.
I have now officially moved to Rome, GA. Last night found me sleeping in the extra bed at my family's house. These sweet people have been gracious enough to allow me to stay there until our house sells in Roanoke. I'm truly grateful.
Tomorrow (7/14/09) will be my first official day to work in the real world. I'm both excited and anxious at the challenge I face. Some of you have asked if there was a refresher course provided that would let me get caught up. The only answer I can give to that question is . . . PRAAAAAY FOR ME!!! Seriously, I'll be entering a two week orientation season starting tomorrow.
Some wonder how it is to go to church and not preach. In the past 2 weeks, I've listened to a couple of great preachers preach the Gospel. My first Sunday out of the pulpit, our family traveled to Big Island, VA to worship with Sedalia Baptist Church. A wonderful preacher and an old friend, Mike Jones, did a masterful job connecting the dots between the prodigal son and the prodigal nation. What an awesome message. Then yesterday (7/12/09) we were privileged to attend Green Ridge Baptist Church where we were blessed by Dr. Michael Palmer's wonderful message on knowing Jesus. Both of these men did an awesome job.
Finally, let me say thanks to all of you who have prayed for the Robersons. These are interesting days as we seek to sell a house and then seek to purchase a new place. Please continue to pray for us as we move through this transition. Also, if you will, please pray for my "ramping up" in the Pharmacy.

Let me say I'm anxiously awaiting the opportunity to post new blogs. The sweet Lord Jesus has really impressed my heart with a couple of things such as:

being careful about making vows
The significance of your yes being yes and your no being no

I do look forward to those postings. Let me close this way. I find myself searching for a place to get online as my family's home has no such creature. It is something of a challenge to find the Panera Bread store or some other such place. Maybe I will find a Waffle House with WiFi capabilities.

Had it on my heart. Love to each of you!

Your friend,

Chip

part deux

2009-07-09T09:42:00.001-04:00

The tactics have not changed in thousands of years. It was there in the Garden of Eden where the enemy used the same methods on our Mother Eve. Check it out for yourself (Genesis 3:1ff).

He even had the unmitigated gall to try the same tactics on our Lord Jesus Himself (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).

The Apostle John himself said it when he wrote, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).

Placing those two thoughts together, here's what I see: Satan uses the instruments from the world to tempt the people of God to do things they would not normally do. He does so by pointing out the things they might not normally see in order to get them to do the things they might not normally do!

Now, let me ask you a question. If these tactics have worked successfully for so many thousands of years, why would one change what works? If it worked with so many others, Will it work with you?

Now think for a moment: I saw, I coveted, I took and I hid. This is the way Satan does what he does (cf., Genesis 3) He gets you to see, then he whispers how wonderful it would be for you to own it, then he gets you to take it and the . . . BAM!!! he gets you to deny it or hide it. Nothing has changed has it?

Those are The Tactics

Now let's see The Tragedy in Achan's Family - vs. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the sliver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.

Do you understand? Every sin we commit becomes a tragedy to those we love the most! Listen to the cries of Achan's little children crying for their Daddy to make those mean people stop throwing those rocks at us. "Tell them to stop, Daddy! Why are you doing this to us? Make them stop Daddy!"

But Daddy can't make them stop, can he? The tragedy his family is experiencing is because of his carnality and hard heartedness. When Joshua told the people not to take the things under the ban, Achan either didn't listen or didn't care. Regardless, here he and his family are; tragedy of tragedies!

This past weekend, NFL football great Steve McNair was found murdered in a rented Nashville, TN apartment. He'd been shot by his 20 year old estranged girlfriend Sahel Kazemi who then turned the gun on herself. Steve McNair is married with four precious sons. Now, tell these two families sin doesn't affect everyone. Tell McNair's widow that sin doesn't cost. Tell McNair's four sons that sin is irrelevant!!!

Listen carefully and you'll overhear the tragic cries of the families and the children as they mourn over the cost of these two young people's sin.

There are the Tactics and there is the Tragedy. Next, let us look at
The Troubled Nation in verses 25f. Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day." And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefor the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day.

There are 36 homes without husbands or brothers sitting in their rightful places at the table. Thirty-six!!! The entire nation of Israel has lost the presence of the Lord; His blessing and His presence was lost during this season of sin. Listen to the cries of the little children whose Daddy's won't be coming home tonight. Listen to the sobs of those sweet ladies whose men aren't on their way home tonight!

O' there's terrible trouble in the nation!

but there's one more thing!!!!!!

The Triumph In The Nation comes when we do our business according to God's standards. When we do our business as God would have us, we'll enjoy triumph in the nation. If there's ever been a time when we need to be doing business according to God's standards, it is now. In our families, in our churches, in our cities, in our states and in our country we need to get back to the standard of God.

We'll never enjoy the blessings of God on us until we do.

In closing let me add this last thought. This begins with you and with me!!!! This is not something for the politician or the policeman or the prostitute. This is the stuff we need to do. Let's get started, what do you say?

Leave What's Not Yours Alone

2009-07-09T08:03:00.000-04:00

It would seem the day was just like any other. The people of God have experienced the presence of God and on-and-on the world around them goes. Church was great. Folks greeted one another in the foyer and the pew. There was the muted laughter and there was the occasional breakthrough laughs of the loud mouthed interrupting the hum and fellowship of the crowd.

The Singers sang

The Preacher preached

The People heard

and now the time has come to go home

Nothing out of the ordinary, except . . . the message was pretty clear and strong. Again, you sensed the person's voice as he spoke. First, you sensed it during the preaching. Gosh, that Preacher. How'd he possibly know what I've been facing? It seems just like he saw me do the things I've done. It's almost like he's read my diary. Gosh, it's almost like he overheard my conversations. Is my cell phone tapped or what?

The Scanners . . . it must be those scanners that can listen in on a cell phone conversation.

Naw! If there was someone listening to me as I talked, they'd have come to me saying so.

So how did he know? That Preacher . . . how'd he know?

Gosh, I wish I'd responded at that invitation. I wish when the singing started I'd gone forward, but no one else did . . . and the people would wonder.

Is that your experience or is yours more like you've been to church and enjoyed the fellowship. the preacher preaches and the singer sings, but when the invitation is given (even though you wanted to respond) no one does.

Then you realize that it's not quite as hard to resist as the last time I was here. I still enjoy the music and the message is pretty interesting . . . but the Voice. I used to hear the Voice . . . but I just don't hear the still small Voice speaking like I used to. At one time there was an urgency to move during the invitation, but that's gone now. Wonder!?

The question remains, what's happened? Why do I no longer sense the troubling of God's Holy Spirit? Why is church not interesting like it once was?

This same experience takes place in the Bible, don't you know? It happened way back in the days of Joshua and Israel. the people have just experienced the miraculous. They've witnessed the working of God to stop the flow of the mighty Jordan River. What a miracle! How in the world could all that water suddenly stop flowing? How, indeed! It's the Spring of the year. this is the time when the Spring rains cause the wadis and the rivers to overflow their banks. Water is everywhere . . . at once. how did the Lord do that?

But Joshua seems to be duplicating Moses' miracle. Moses led the people of Israel across the Red Sea, a seemingly impossible task, and now here's Joshua (Moses' replacement) leading God's people across the flooded Jordan river basin.

The presence of God and the evidence of God's presence is real (just like in church). The people of God have lived in the presence of the miraculous all their lives. Ever since they were born in the wilderness, they've gotten up in the mornings and God delivered the manna right on their tent step. It's right there every day. They've worn and lived in the same clothing for these 40 years and they've never once worn out. That Rock that followed them in the wilderness just continues to gush forth fresh water.

Now that they've crossed the Jordan . . . They're in the promised land . . . and now the real work is beginning . . and THERE'S JERICHO!!! One of the oldest cities in the world. It's a walled city . . . a kingdom . . . with a King!

Let me see. What are those instructions again? What did Joshua say?

O' the ban! Don't take anything fromt he city when God knocks the walls down. Leaven everything alone. Everything is under the ban and belongs exclusively to God.

Then it happens! The walk around the wall is done (the seventh time today). Now the Priests blow their horns, and, holey campfires, the wall just crumbled; right before our very eyes. Like the proverbial house of cards hit by the gust of wind from a fan, the wall just tumbled down.

Listen to all those people crying. Look at that plume of dust. And they laughed at us and shouted obscenities at us while we walked aound the wall. Now their shouts have become cries for help.

Moving through the rubble, you hear the muffled cries of little children as they cry for their Mommy or their Daddy.

You continue to move through the rubble. Gosh the stench! The iron fragranced odor of splashed blood is everywhere. Broken bones . . . spilled blood . . . the horror!

What's this? It's just so hard to see. The dust flying . . . the smoke lingering . . . but what's this?

It's a bar of gold! What's this under this broken wall? It's a bag of money . . . gold! Gosh, there's enough here to do me for . . . awhile. I gotta get out of here.

The bar of gold . . . I'll put it under my coat. Hide that money behind my belt. Be careful now. You must not get caught. Wait! What's that? That mantle (sacred jacket). Gosh it's beautiful. My wife will love that. It's the finest I've ever seen! You know, no one will ever know!"

Then it happens; you have it in your mind, then in your hand, and now it's hidden in your clothing. All you can think about is getting back to your tent to hide our things.

You reason, "You earned these things! You deserve them!"

But in the back of your mind you hear Joshua's words "leave all the spoil to God! It's under the ban! It belongs to God! Keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it!"

"No one will ever know! No one saw me do it and it's none of anyone's business!"

Every beat of your heart brings to mind the "blessing" you've just stumbled across!

What happens to us when we think no one else is watching? Why do we do the things we know for sure we've been warned not to do? Why?

In the days of Joshua we see one such man who did what he thought no one in the world had seen. He'd thrown caution to the wind and just "helped himself to what was not his."

His name is Achan! In Joshua 7 comes the story of Israel's first recorded defeat since leaving Egypt! They'd whipped (Uh, I mean, God had whipped) the big city of Jericho.

Then came the little town. It was so small they only sent a small army up there. Thirty-six (36) great men were killed in the process. Thirty-six families now have no Daddy or brother coming home.

What's happened? Why in the world has this happened? Where's God? Has He abandoned Israel? What's going on?

Look at Joshua 7:16ff.

The tactis have not changed

I can't seem to get anything to post

2009-07-09T07:52:00.001-04:00

Uh Oh!

2009-07-07T08:39:00.001-04:00

Hey Guys,
I'm doing my best to post a new blog, but the program is preventing me from doing so. Hang in there; I'm working on it.
chip

Why Did He Speak In Parables

2009-07-03T09:09:00.000-04:00

Alright Laura, here we go:

If you have your Bible, will you take a look at Matthew 13:1-17? The text is the infamous "Parable of the Sower" passage. As I read through those verses yesterday something struck me as fascinating and for the first time in a long time, I had the time to ponder the passage. So here goes:

Why did the Lord speak to the masses of the lost (both religious lost and the secularly lost) people in parables?

If you have your Bible look at vs. 10-17. The Lord's disciples asked that same question and the Lord's answer is worth our pondering.

The Lord answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but to them it has not been granted."

Whoa! What in the world does that mean? Why in the world has the Father granted the disciples the privilege of "knowing the mysteries" and He has not granted the masses the same right to know?

Let's see what the text teaches. The Lord basically gives us 3 issues:

The Blessed, The Broken, and The Buoyant

First the Blessed is found in verses 11, 12 & 16.

Second The Broken is found in verses 13-15

Third The Buoyant is found in verse 17

Let's see The Blessed

In verse 11 & 12 the Lord points out, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," 12 "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

So what does all that mean? Well, I'm glad you asked the question. Remember Class, context . . . context . . . context! The context of the text is, "Why the Lord speaks to them in Parables!" The answer is "To you it has been granted" . . .

The Lord has set an intentional contrast between those who hear and understand and those who don't. Blessed are those who have the privilege of hearing and understanding and broken are those who missed that privilege.

The question we must ask and have the Lord answer is: "What's the difference between those who get it and those who don't?"

The answer to that question is in examining The Broken. The Lord quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10.

I quote: "You will keep on hearing, but will not understand. You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them."

Why do some hear and some do not? Why do some get it and some do not? Why is it that one can sit in a crowd of people and the Spirit of the living God move them to tears and deep conviction while those sitting right beside them are bored reading the bulletin and constantly looking at their watches?

The answer is in these verses. It was given 2700 years ago. Look at verse 15. "For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return,"

The answer is found in the heart.

In the life of The Broken their hearts have become dull. The heart is the focus of the Lord's attention. He's aiming at your heart. Please notice The Broken Individual's Responsibility - They don't want to hear . . . they don't want to see . . . they have become complacent in their state . . . and their hearts have become dull!

Dr. Archibald Thomas Robertson has commented on this word. He says, the word comes from the Greek word [pachus], which means to be thick, fat, or stout. To Make callous or dull — even fatty degeneration of the heart. Dull of hearing. “They heard (or hear) heavily with their ears.” The hard of hearing are usually sensitive. Their eyes they have closed. We say shut up of the mouth, but the eyes really shut down. The Hebrew verb in Isa. 6:10 means to smear over. The eyes can be smeared with wax or cataract and thus closed. “Sealing up the eyes was an oriental punishment” (Vincent). See Isa. 29:10;

In the lives of The Broken they have sealed over their eyes and plugged up their ears with the end result being their hearts have become dull.

Did you notice the Greek word pachus above? We get our English word pachyderm from this. A pachyderm is a thick-skinned animal like an elephant, a rhinocerous or a hippopotamus. The unique characteristic for all these is their thick skin.

In the text, the Lord says that the hearts of this people has become covered with "thick skin". His necessary implication is that this characteristic prevents them from hearing, seeing or receiving the blessings of God.

Let me ask you a simple question. Do you still hear like you once did? Is your heart as tender as it once was? When you hear the message preached (regardless of who it's by), does the Spirit of the living God touch your hear the way He once did or do you find yourself needing to be entertained and cajoled into hearing what Holy Spirit has to say?

In other words, "do you need an interpreter to unfold the Lord's Word or can He teach you in the intimate setting He sets up just for the two of you?"

Now let's see what we've done: We've interviewed The Blessed, The Broken, and now let's look at The Buoyant

Verse 17 says "For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

From the beginning of time and through the days of the Lord Jesus there have been that class of folks with tender hearts. The Lord described them as prophets and righteous men. There were those Prophets who walked with God and heard the voice of God. They saw the future and they saw the condition of those in the present. They walked with God and They constantly guarded their hearts do make sure their hearts were tendered to Him! But all were not prophets. Some where righteous men or women whatever the case may be. The link between the two . . . tendered hearts; and they deeply desired to see what you see, and to hear what you hear.

The reason they didn't get to though was because the Lord Jesus was Someone they saw from a distance and heard from the Father that one day He was coming, but He had not come.

"For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see."

The word desire is awesome. It is the word we get our English word "Lust" from. James uses the same word in James 1:14 where James writes, "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust (desire)."

The Lord says there was this hunger and passion of the men of old who were buoyant and bouncy as they passionately desired to see and hear what the disciples of the Lord Jesus got to see and hear.

So you ask, "What is the link between the men of old, the Lord's Disciples who were blessed and to whom it had been granted the rights to see and hear and us?"

The answer? A tendered buoyant expectant heart. When the believer's heart is truly where it's suppose to be, it is a tender heart.

When my Pastor, Dr. Bob Claytor, was just a boy working his way thorough school, he worked in a battery factory in Birmingham, AL. When he went to work there, he said the fellows how had been around for awhile did something odd. They didn't wear the heavy rubber gloves to protect their hands when they put their hands down into the Sulfuric Acid. They'd just stick their hands down into the acid and do the work they needed to do with the lead plates and just go on about their business. The acid had no bad effects on their skin. They just worked and worked without complaining about the burning of their skin by the Sulfuric Acid.

Dr. Claytor said, "When I started to work there I was surprised, because they could just put their hands down into that acid like it was water, but when I tried to do it, it burned. After a couple of weeks of constantly putting my hands into the acid and pulling the pealed skin from my hands, I finally got to the place that I could just dip my hands in there just like the other guys. The acid no longer burned. I didn't need gloves or any kind of protective covering. My hands had grown used to the acid."

That's the way our hearts become. We let our hearts go without peeling that exterior layer off and after awhile we no longer have to worry about it. Why? Our hearts have become dull!!!! May I ask you a simple question?

How's your hear? Do you still hear the sweet sound of the Savior's voice when He speaks ever so softly? Do you still experience the tender touch of the Master's hand as He reaches in to touch your heart over someone less fortunate than you . . . or has your heart become dead and dull?

Honestly, the Lord knows, but do you?

I love you and Him,

Pastor Chip

2009-06-16T08:21:00.000-04:00

"Gosh, the time has so rapidly come and gone. Just 5 years ago on June 14th my family and I celebrated our 1st Sunday at Cave Spring Baptist Church. Now the time has come for us to go. We rejoice in the years we've enjoyed and friends we've made. Truthfully, words are inadequate to describe what the sweet Lord Jesus has done in our hearts and lives during this time. Before I start to blubber, may I give you the reason for my column today? Regrets!

Yes, regrets are part of a person's life. It seems that when we are young we regret the things we did, and when we are old we regret the things we didn't do.

Someone has said "It is futile to talk too much about the past, it's a lot like trying to make birth control retroactive."

But life's just like that isn't it. Some live their lives in the tomorrows and very often others live their lives in the yesterdays. Churches do that. In our collective minds we remember 'what it was like when Reverend Dr. So-and-so was our Pastor'! We often talk of 'how it was' as we recall the wonderful things the Lord did for us back in the day.

Is your God only a yesterday God?

In some cases (rare as they may be) there are the visionaries who constantly expect what God is going to do. We live our lives in total anticipation of what's going to happen next. The next lost person to pray to receive Christ, the next Mission opportunity or the next project on our agenda. It seems to be the way we're wired.

Truthfully, the Lord is the Lord of TODAY!!!!!"

"Remember that the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.'
I suppose one could ask what that has to do with this column. My answer to that is too often we live our lives in the what has happened or in the hopes of what will happen all the time passing on the WHAT IS HAPPENING!

I recently conducted a wedding for friends back in Tidewater where I was privileged to pastor Bethel Baptist Church for 15 years. We had watched the couple to be married grow up in the church. They were the model couple in every way; but what I want to point out has little to do with the wedding.

At that wedding my friend Kim Curling came up and (while musing over the large crowd gathered there that day) said, 'Chip, we really didn't know what we had when we had it, did we?'"

"I looked into that big man's eyes and saw the sorrow of our having wasted the "right now". His point was crystal clear. We were so distracted during our years of ministry that we failed to savor the moment. What a loss. What a tragedy that we can allow ourselves to be so captivated by something we don't have that we fail to appreciate what we do have. The many years and many wonderful experiences we enjoyed during that awesome season were often overshadowed by the urgency of tomorrow or the memories of the past. When we allow our hearts and minds to be so preoccupied with where we aren't or where we wished we were and not on the journey today, we waste a lot of the wonderful blessing of today. We are guilty of this with our spouses and our children, and yes, I know this may sound crazy, but we all too often to this in our work. We are so blessed to have a job and enjoy the health in order to show up and perform the work and all too often we go through our lives with that glazed over look in our mind's eye.

So let me conclude my final column in this passage by saying, 'I am enjoying the moment; I do hope you are as well!' May the sweet Lord Jesus bless you as you find your way through your TODAY!

Your Pastor and friend,

Pastor Chip Roberson"

Updating Stuff

2009-06-11T17:09:00.000-04:00

Gosh, it's been nearly 2 months since I wrote anything. Time really flies when you're having fun. I'd like to take a minute and update what's happening in the Roberson home.

For some time now, Teresa and I have prayed and wrestled with the idea of retirement from Pastoral Ministry (please notice I didn't say retirement from ministry but from Pastoral Ministry!). There are so many reasons pushing us in this direction. Let me see if I can enumerate a couple of them for you:

The Pastor of the local Church requires a certain "fire in the belly" if he's to effectively lead a congregation. It is the nature of the pastorate to face contending with many things both large and small. That certainly takes its toll on the Pastor and his family. When the "fire" is gone, it's time for that man to make a career change. To put it simply, I just don't have the reserve tanks needed to contend with the endless parade of stuff that comes the Pastor's way.
When I first became a Christian some 30 years ago, the Lord immediately called Teresa and me to go to Upstate New York to plant a church in Clayton, NY. We had just built and moved into a new home (we did much of the work ourselves because we were much younger then) when this call came. We packed up all our earthly belongings into the back end of a Jartran (J.A. Ryder Transport) Truck on a cold January day and set out. There were a couple of adventurous friends who willingly helped us by traveling and working alongside us as we made this move. Once on the road, Mrs. Teresa shared with me something the Lord had told her. He promised my Bride that if she would move to Upstate New York as He instructed, He would bring her home. Well, we made the move and stayed in New York for 1 1/2 years when the Lord called us to go to Ft. Worth, TX where I would attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. That took 3 years. Then we moved to Elizabeth City, NC where we stayed another 5 years. Then we moved to Chesapeake, VA where we spent another 15 wonderful years. Then we moved to Roanoke, VA where we spent another 5 years. All told, we've been gone from home for approximately 30 years. In just a short while, we will pack all our belongings (we've since added 2 children who are grown and a couple of dogs) and get back on Interstate 81 and we'll travel south to our home in Rome, GA. No, not the same one we originally built, but we will return to our home.
It is crystal to one and all that Cave Spring Baptist Church needs a new vision and voice. These folk have been both patient and giving with me. We've enjoyed the blessings of the Lord on our lives, but, as I've said, the time has come for a new voice and vision.

There are many more reasons we could add to these simple 3, but for now these will suffice. May I simply close this brief blog by saying I am so grateful to the Lord Jesus for His grace, patience and mercy. He has done so many different things in both the Robersons and the family who worships Him here at Cave Spring Baptist Church. I love Him. I love this Church. I pray He will continue to bless and keep these sweet families.

hesitant to begin this again but . . . here goes

2009-04-15T21:40:00.000-04:00

When I walked away from that office that morning I had no clue what had happened in the world of the spirit. I honestly believed I had dodged the proverbial bullet . . . at least I believed I had been released from the dreadful expectation to resign my Pharmacy license.

The way I rationalized this in my mind was that I had not read these instructions in Scripture so it could not possibly be God telling me to do such a thing. Little did I know that it WAS in fact God meeting with me.

The precious Father had met with me in the privacy of my study in order to test me. The encounter left me in a wrestling match over my willingness to obey or to not obey.

What was I to do?

At last (as I've already said), I felt as if I had been released. Having wrestled for a season, I felt like I had been released. I walked away from that experience relieved because I was free.

What I didn't realize until many years later was I had been released for sure. I had resisted and ultimately disobeyed the precious Lord Jesus as He invited me to trust Him and demonstrate my true love for Him by obeying Him in His call.

Two biblical examples come to mind in these matters. The first comes from Genesis 22 when God called Abraham to come to Mount Moriah and bring Isaac (the son of the promise) and offer him as a sacrifice. Without hesitating, Abraham did just as the Lord said. He demonstrated through his obedient action that he trusted that God was able to even raise the dead. He had taken God at His Word.

This was something I wasn't willing to do. I failed the very test Abraham had passed.

The second passage that comes to mind is the passage in Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with the Lord around that campfire. In the middle of his home going, Jacob encounters a stranger (it turns out to be the Lord Jesus in a pre-incarnate form) with Whom he wrestles and from Whom he demands a blessing. He got the blessing because he wrestled with determination. The blessing he received was a changed life.

I wrestled with God and my greed and selfish nature refused to trust the Lord to know what was best. In the end I lost the blessing the Lord intended to give me.

We shall continue this in the days ahead. Thanks for reading. There's much more to tell.

And Then . . .

2009-01-18T06:17:00.000-05:00

I walked away from the office that morning relieved that the Lord hadn't asked me to resign my license, but that it was some sort of spiritual hiccup. As a matter of fact, I went to a businessman, one of the finest men of God I know, and asked him what he thought. I said, "James, what do you think about me resigning my Pharmacy license?" He responded, "No way! You worked way too long for those things to do that. No way!" Let me hasten to add that James didn't hear the entire story. I'm confident that had he heard everything he'd have urged me to obey the Lord! Gosh, there's just so much to consider!

Well, that settles it. Praise the Lord I hadn't given to that encounter. Evidently, that was just an anomaly; a time of emotional struggle; an aftermath of the retreat that really wasn't what I originally thought it was (the drawing of the Lord). Gosh, I'm sure glad I didn't yield to that struggle.

Little did I know!

Because of time (it's Sunday morning), I'll continue later. Until then.
c

And The Story Continues

2009-01-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I told of the Lord's leading me to resign from my Pharmacy job. This post picks up on the heels of that one.

So I did as the Lord instructed me to do. I resigned my Pharmacy position and continued to pastor Bethel Baptist Church in Chesapeake. The Lord was truly blessing that effort so I knew I had heard and did what I was told to do.

One day I was at the Church in my study early in the morning as was my custom in those days. I was enjoying an incredible quiet time with the Lord when suddenly I sensed something new taking place. Deep in my heart I sensed I was suppose to resign my pharmacy license. Please know this means so much more than resigning my pharmacy position. Resignation of my license meant the end of any and all pharmacy opportunity. By resigning my license I was saying goodbye to the entire possibility of every practicing pharmacy again.

I sat there in my study in stone cold silence. I can only imagine that I had broken out in a cold sweat. Could it be possible the sweet Lord Jesus was instructing me to resign and walk away from what I had worked so long and so hard for? Could it be that I was wrong in my hearing? Maybe I was imagining all of this and it was not the Lord after all. I mean . . . goodness . . . .

Maybe it's not the Lord. So for what seemed like years, I sat there in my chair in my study in stone cold silence. My heart raced and my mouth dry as I wrestled with the instructions given me. What am I to do? Holey moley! What in this world am I to do?

I had a difficult time even contemplating such a thing (this would later be my downfall . . . contemplation).

Suddenly, as sure as the light was beginning to shine through the window in that study, the light began to shine in my mind. I held my Pharmacy licenses close to my heart. Pretty soon, my confusion cleared and my mind began to gather more information.

Yeah that's it. I had only imagined what the Lord had told me to do. I hadn't read it in the Scripture. I hadn't really heard the sweet Lord of glory ask me to do this incredible act. Rather, I had only imagined what I thought was the Lord. After all . . . doesn't the Lord speak through Scripture and I could find no place in the Word of God where He had told me to resign my Pharmacy license. Suddenly, deep in my soul I felt a sense of calm and relief. Whew! What in the world was I thinking? What was I about to do? That wasn't really God speaking to my heart telling me to resign my Pharmacy license. Whoa boy. I'm glad that's over.

There's so much more to this picture. The last several paragraphs were written in a sense of duress. Honestly, as we will see, more in the days ahead.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned. There's a lot more to this story. I love you and Him,

Pastor Chip

Back In The Saddle

2009-01-08T06:54:00.000-05:00

In recent days my sister has encouraged me to record the events of the Spirit in my life. She's said there's something here to help others who are coming along behind me. With that in mind, I'd like to write a series of short articles describing what the Lord Jesus is doing in my life. I hope you won't mind the subjective nature of these articles, but hopefully they will be an encouragement and a help to some other pilgrim brother or sister. I will attempt to tell each story accurately, but I will not divulge the identities of other people except to laud them or to put them in a good light. With that in mind, "here we go"!

For many years, I've wrestled with identity. I've often longed and even lamented over what the Lord wanted me to do. I've found myself to be impatient with the Lord and His placement for my ministry. I do believe my sense of dissatisfaction comes from my Mom who, while alive, gave much evidence of being dissatisfied with her position in life. That is a factoid I felt like needed to be put on the table.

A story:

About 15 to 20 years ago, my Pastor and his wife came to help us in a retreat for couples. I called and asked him to come and speak to the couples in my church about Prayer. At that time I felt like that was the very best topic I could think of, so we went with it.

We lived in the Tidewater, Virginia part of the United States and were privileged to have access to a wonderful "encampment" near our church. Arrangements and preparations were made for the retreat and we were off. As usual, my Pastor did an awesome job in presenting the truth about Prayer. I was both blessed and amazed. I can still recall some of those sessions. It was in one of those sessions that the Spirit specifically spoke to my heart.

Codicil: for those of you who don't know me, I am a Pharmacist by trade. I am a proud graduate of the University of Georgia School of Pharmacy. Of course, I graduated before Aspirin was too old but, never-the-less, I'm grateful for my wonderful time at UGA . . . GO DAWGS!

In one of those sessions the Spirit clearly spoke to me telling me to resign my current part time position with Bear Drugs which is located in Kill Devil Hills, NC. When the session was completed, I pulled my sweet wife aside to tell her what the Lord had said. Her immediate response was (as it has always been) "Well, if that's what the Lord has said, then that's what we will do!" What a Lady! I proceeded to tell my Pastor what the Lord had said. With that his response was, "Well, Amen . . . Praise the Lord!" He's an incredible man who loves and trusts the Lord, and he is one to be emulated.

My next step was to go home and tell my boss who was such a blessing to me. His name is Steve. I told him what the Lord had said and he said he certainly understood and supported my (the Lord's) decision. We worked on a respectable notice of employment termination and that was that.

The very next item on my agenda was to move on without my part time job in Pharmacy and to look forward to focusing my heart and my efforts on being the best Pastor I could possibly be. What happened next . . . well, let me say, is the heart of the story. I'll not complete this today, but I'll be back in a couple of days to complete this saga. Come back and read that, because this is where the rubber meets the road; so to speak.

love ya,
Pastor Chip

This is Incredible . . . READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

2008-12-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

This article came to me online. While I'm impressed by the reasoning of the author, I disagree with the Antichrist comment. Antichrist must come out of a nation in Europe (the former Roman Empire). I find the balance of the article to be of great interest!
hfr

-This is the second time someone of substance has commented about an upcoming food shortage. Very succinctly put. Read on.
ByJack KelleySince the election I've been asked a number of times to comment on the likelihood that Mr. Obama could be the anti-Christ. Let me begin by saying that having been elected President he’s Mr. Obama now, not just Obama. As for him being the anti-Christ I’ve discouraged that thought because I don’t believe it’s time for the anti-Christ to be revealed yet. But apart from that there’s no Biblical reason I can find that would absolutely disqualify him. And based on the things we know about the anti-Christ there’s a fit in several important places. The anti-Christ will have to burst on the scene quickly and powerfully to accomplish so much in the little time he has, so maybe he’ll need a head start. If that’s the case, maybe Mr. Obama is on his way to becoming the anti-Christ. Let’s find out.We know that the anti-Christ will be a descendant of the people who made up the Roman Empire in Biblical times (Daniel 9:26), and he’ll arrive on the world scene as a peace maker (Daniel 8:25). He won’t be part of the world’s powerful elite at the beginning of his career (Daniel 7:8) but will rise up among them to eventually surpass them and become the leader of the entire world. (Rev. 13:7-8)He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. (Daniel 8:25)This means that he’ll base his success on a lie, misrepresenting himself and his intentions, but people will want to believe him so badly that they’ll disregard his inconsistencies until it’s too late to stop him. Initially he’ll seem successful, but just when they’re saying “Peace and safety”, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains to a pregnant woman, and they won’t escape (1 Thes. 5:3). Deja Vu All Over Again?Some of us remember when Jimmy Carter was elected President of the US . The country was fed up with Washington and even though he had no national leadership experience, we elected him because he was an outsider who promised change. He said he would never lie to us, but after the election it turned out that he had. He had misrepresented his background and didn’t have the ability he needed when it came to governing. He said he was Christian and even orchestrated a land for peace deal between Israel and Egypt , but he proved to be anti-Israel. Soon we had a crisis in finance with interest rates at 20%, an energy crisis with our first gas shortages, and an administration that didn’t know how to work with Congress to fix things. The Iranians captured our embassy and held our citizens hostage. Thankfully he lasted only one term.Mr. Obama could easily turn out to be just another Jimmy Carter, and if so America will suffer through the next four years and then he’ll be gone. But if he continues to be successful in convincing people all around the world that he’s on the right track even though everything seems to be falling apart, it could be a different story.If my calculations are correct, American Christians have just voted in our last presidential elections and won’t be here to see if Mr. Obama turns out to be the anti-Christ or not. But someone with a lot more experience in accurately predicting the future has some interesting insight into the next few years. His name is Gerald Celente, CEO of Trends Research Institute, and he’s renowned the world over for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events. He accurately predicted the 1987 Stock market crash, the Fall of the Soviet Union, the 1997 Asian currency collapse, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, and one year before the fact predicted what he said would become known as the Panic of 2008, saying that giants would tumble to their deaths, which is what we’ve just seen in the fall of several of our oldest and biggest financial firms, and with the big three auto makers teetering on the brink. (You can check his track record for yourself at http://www.trendsresearch.com/ )Celente is now forecasting revolution in America , food riots and tax rebellions - all within four years, cautioning that putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying Christmas gifts by 2012.According to his recent Fox News interview, called “Predicting Obama’s Impact” (posted on YouTube on Nov. 10, 2008), by 2012 America will have become an undeveloped nation. There will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and holidays will be more about obtaining food than gifts.“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.“ America ’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” he said, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.All this comes from a man with an international reputation for being right and whose continued success depends on it. If he’s right now like he has been so often in the past, then the next four years will be worse than the Carter Administration ever was, rather than the launching platform for a coming world leader.(By the way, please take note that this is another independent expert pointing to the year 2012 as one of cataclysmic significance in bringing about the End of the Age.)There’s a wild card that I hesitate to throw in here because I don’t even want to think about it. But if it’s true it could easily cause the problems that Mr. Celente is predicting. For some time now certain people, Republican and Democrat alike, have been saying that Mr. Obama isn’t legally qualified to be President because he’s not a natural born citizen of the US . I won’t go into the details but the point is that he could make this all go away by producing a legitimate birth certificate, something he’s been unwilling to do. A Supreme Court Justice has apparently given him until Dec. 1, 2008 to do so, and if he does then the Electoral College vote will be certified and he’ll be the next President. But lawsuits in a dozen or so states have been or are being filed to prevent the certification until Mr. Obama proves he’s qualified. If the courts throw out the election who knows what could happen.What Time Is It?As many of you know, I’ve said that all of the End Times prophecies including the 2nd Coming could be fulfilled as early as 2018. I base this on the Lord’s promise that the generation being born at the time of the first End Times signs would still be alive when “all these things have happened” (Matt. 24:34) Most scholars view the re-birth of Israel in 1948 as the first of the end times signs. With an average lifespan being 70 years, according to Psalm 90:10, everything will have to come to pass by 2018. If the Rapture only just precedes the 70th Week of Daniel it could come 7 years earlier, in 2011, which is 2 ½ years from now, about half way through Mr. Obama’s first term, assuming the election stands.So here’s how to tell if he’ll become the anti-Christ or not. If it seems like he can do no wrong, if people feel safe and it’s beginning to look like there’ll be peace in our time, then there’s a good chance he’s the one. But if Gerald Celente’s predictions are coming to pass, and the world’s in worse shape than ever, then he’s just another Jimmy Carter, an inexperienced outsider who had no business running for president in the first place, let alone being elected.Time will tell, but either way we can look for some difficult days ahead for the Church. Because either way we are in the final phase of post Christian America and can expect the world around us to become more and more anti-Christian. And if the economy continues to self-destruct it will be just that much worse.But whether Mr. Obama turns out to be the anti-Christ or not is really irrelevant to the Church. Our job in the short time we have left is to get ready to move to our new home. That means breaking our ties with the old one. Anything that can’t be put to kingdom use is excess baggage to us now. We should be sending whatever treasure we have up ahead. We should stop worrying about our career, our retirement fund, our lifestyle, and all those other worldly distractions and put all our resources to work for the benefit of our next life. After all it’s the real one. And one way or the other, this one is already gone.Whether you believe in a pre-trib rapture or not you know my advice is sound. After all I’m not just making this up. Everything I've been saying is straight from the Lord’s own mouth. He’s the one who said to quit storing up treasure on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. He’s the one who said to store up treasure in Heaven instead. (Matt. 6:19-20) And He’s the one who said not to worry about our lives here but seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and he’ll provide all our needs. (Matt. 6:31-34) So whether you think we’re leaving here soon or not, it’s time to pay attention to what He’s been telling us. No matter how much time you think we have, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

WOW!!

2008-12-09T06:54:00.000-05:00

These are incredible days to be alive, are they not? With so much going on in our world, who would not want to be the eye witness to all this? It is very hard for me to keep my arms and my mind around all that's happening in the world today. For instance:

The world in which we live faces the financial crisis of a life time
The Prime Minister of England has called for a one world government
The U.S.A. has elected its first African-American President
The 3 auto makers (I grew up with) now beg for a financial bailout
The many other auto makers operating in our country are making money hand over fist
The 3 major news organizations have taken on policy as their policy. It seems these 3, CBS, NBC and ABC have ceased to report the news but now hold as their policy to make the news become what they want it to become.
The Dow-Jones Industrial averages look more like a roller-coaster at 6 Flags than a place in which to place your trust!
OJ finally got caught

And that's just for starters. Let me share a quote from today's papers:

And now for a world government
By Gideon Rachman
Published: December 8 2008 19:13 Last updated: December 8 2008 19:13

I have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible.
A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.
So could the European model go global?

WOW!!!!! Is that not a quote for your headline news?

Well, as we begin today, let's realize that the Lord Jesus could call for His Church at anytime. In a moment, in the twinkling of the eye . . . not "On Dancer, On Prancer, On Donner, On Blitzen" but "Son, go get my Children!"

If you aren't a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, why in the world not? Everything in this world points to Him. I write this to you because I had it on my heart!

Pastor Chip

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T08:38:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading an article by a brother-in-Christ who's gone on to be with the Lord. It was such a breath of fresh air. His name was E.M. Abbott. Reverend Abbott served in the Churches of God for a bunch of years. According to his sweet wife Kathryn, they literally served churches all over the U.S.A. They served a couple of years in the Dakotas and across the Midwest and finally they made it to the holy land . . . Virginia. Life wasn't always easy for this precious family. As a matter-of-fact, life was pretty tough. They served in small churches and as leaders in their denomination. But E.M. was always faithful. He's home now. His wife and children await the Lord's appointment to come be with him.

In reading brother Abbott's article I read this illustration from the venerable Chuck Swindoll. It came from a Public School Newsletter article published in Springfield, Oregon. It's about the animals organizing a school and requiring the same curriculum for all--running, climbing, swimming, and flying.

The DUCK was excellent in swimming--better than his instructor--but only fair in flying and poor in running.

The RABBIT was at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming. Incidentally, he failed in flying.

The SQUIRREL was excellent in climbing, but failed in flying because his teacher insisted he start from the ground up instead of from the treetops down,.

The EAGLE was a problem--and had to be disciplined. In climbing classes he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there.

The point of all this is quite clear. Discover who you are. Develop and use your God-given talents and skills for His glory. Be yourself. And don't try to force others into YOUR mold.

E.M. Bounds pastored many of the Churches of God. He was God's faithful servant. He often labored in anonymity; he labored faithfully.

What's this got to do with Thanksgiving? I'm so thankful for the credible saints who've given to those of my day the credibility and opportunity to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. What an awesome responsibility and privilege to serve in the shadow of those great men and women of God who've gone on before us. I am so thankful for men like my Pastor and yours. May the sweet Lord Jesus bless you this Thanksgiving season as you reflect on those who've paid the price to make the opportunities you've been given. I love you and Him,
chip

Believe The Lord

2008-11-04T09:22:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Everyone!!!!

Well, I've been to vote. We finished our efforts at just a minute before 8 AM. There's an unbelievable turnout today. I was number 207 in the Wasena voting district. We stood in line with neighbors and many others who we'd never seen while the rain gently dropped from the sky. There was a sense of uneasiness as folks seemed to be wondering "who will he/she vote for?". These are intriguing days.

What are we to do. Regardless of whether McCain/Palen or Obama/Biden wins, we must do our best to follow Titus 3 which says:

1 Remind (believers) them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. 9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. 12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14 Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

Now the question I want to ask and have some of you answer is:

What are "good deeds"? Please refer to vs. 8 that says "those who have believed God will be careful to engage in "good deeds."

So what are we to do? Please share with me what you think. I'm excitedly interested to hear what you have to say. Thanks guys,

love ya,
Chip

Desperate for Revival

2008-11-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

WOW! The time has really passed quickly. I want to say life runs by like water in a river. It's only here for a brief moment then it's gone. I've got so much I want to say to you today. Let me begin by simply saying, "I hope you go and vote tomorrow". As I said in yesterday's message (see www.csbc.us) - messages, our country is in the worse condition in my lifetime. Honestly, the only hope for the United States remains God's movement in grace and mercy. No Republican nor any Democrat can fix the mess in which we find ourselves. God have mercy on our country. I ran across the following prayer attributed to Dr. Billy Graham today. I'd like you to read it. It's insightful:

Billy Graham's Prayer for the Nation - I thought this was worth sharing.THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!
'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice.. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it eenlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. 'If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything.'

So here we are. One nation gazing at God. Remember 2 Chronicles 7:14 was spoken to Israel, but it's principles hold true for the Church as well. Will you please join me in:

humbling yourself
pray
seek His face (as opposed to His hand . . . out)
turn from our wicked ways

Maybe . . . just maybe, He will grant us the blessing of revival in our land.

Let me close with this. I once heard of a fellow who asked his pastor what it would take for true Holy Ghost revival to come. His pastor explained that he'd have to baptize him in order to show him. The man agreed so they proceeded to the baptistery.

The Pastor covered the nose of the man and proceeded to place the man into the baptismal waters, however, when the time came to pick him back up to demonstrate the resurrection to newness of life, the Pastor held the man under. In a moment the man (now being held underneath the water) opened his eyes to look through the water into his Pastor's eyes. The Pastor appeared to be determined to drown the man. The man began to struggle. The Pastor persisted and held the man beneath the waters. The man began to panic. He became extremely fearful and began to jerk and fight against the Pastor's grip. Finally, the Pastor pulled the man up.

The man was visibly shaken. "What in the world do you mean?" The man shouted at his Pastor.

Calmly, the Pastor declared, "When you are as desperate for revival as you were just now for that next breath, then the Lord will send revival."

Folks, we are in dire straights. Please pray and fast before the Lord in order to ask Him to give us what we need most . . . not a Republican or a Democrat . . . REVIVAL! I write this to you because I have it on my heart.

Love ya,

Pastor Chip

I copied this and wanted to paste it directly to you

2008-09-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

My sweet wife and I just returned from Paradise. In my absence, I've had so many thoughts run through my head and I've got so many things I want to write for your perusal. Until I can get my head back on straight, I'm just going to drop you this simple note. Please let me give you a couple of hints of what I have had on my mind:

What's happened to the culture?

Where in the world is this world headed?

Is God still on His throne?

I hope to meet you here again in the next couple of days. Until then, I saw this and thought of you.
pc

Subject: REMARKS FROM CBS SUNDAY MORNING The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.My confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.Are you laughing yet?Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

Saw It, Liked It & Thought of You

2008-09-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

Patrick Buchanan often makes profound analysis of today's political events. I read this article and thought of you. I thought you might enjoy reading what Mr. Buchanan had to say. If you like, you can read his article, and I shall speak to these matters at the end. See ya there:

One wonders: What did Sarah Palin ever do to inspire the rage and bile that exploded on her selection by John McCain? What is there either in this woman's record or resume to elicit such feline ferocity?
What did we know of her when she was introduced?
That she was a mother of five who had brought into this world a baby boy with Down syndrome, thus living her Christian beliefs. That she was a small-town conservative who had risen from mayor of Wasilla (Pop. 9,700) to be governor of a state twice the size of Texas.
That she was a reformer who had dethroned an Old Boys' Network by dumping a sitting Republican governor. That she had taken on Big Oil, taxed the companies and returned the money in $1,200 checks to every citizen of Alaska. And that she had cut a deal with Canada to build a pipeline to bring natural gas to her fellow Americans.
And, oh, yes. She was "Sarah Barracuda" -- a fierce high school athlete, a runner-up in the Miss Alaska pageant, a Feminist for Life and lifetime member of the NRA. Introduced by McCain, she praised Hillary Clinton and pledged to finish her work by smashing through the glass ceiling in which Hillary had made 18 million cracks.
What, in any or all of this, is there to justify the feral attacks within minutes of her introduction? What had she done to cause this outburst? Answer: absolutely nothing.
No. Sarah Palin is not resented for what she has done, but for who she is: a Christian conservative who believes unborn children are gifts of God, even those with birth defects, and have a God-given right to life.
Normally, the press is reluctant to rummage into the private lives of public servants, unless their conduct affects their duties or they preach virtues they hypocritically do not practice.
Yet, no sooner was Palin introduced, than the media went berserk over the news that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. As one in three births in America is out-of-wedlock and Hollywood celebrates this lifestyle, why did The New York Times and The Washington Post splash this "news" on page one above the fold?
How does Bristol Palin's pregnancy disqualify Sarah Palin to be vice president? Why is it even relevant?
They did it because they thought it would damage Sarah Palin in the eyes of a Christian community they do not comprehend.
So out of bounds was the media that Obama, in an act of decency, declared Palin's family off limits and reminded the media that he was himself born to a teenage single mom.
If one would wish to see the famous liberal double standard on naked display, consider.
Palin's daughter was fair game for a media that refused to look into reports that John Edwards, a Democratic candidate for president, was conducting an illicit affair with a woman said to be carrying his child and cheating on his faithful wife Elizabeth, who has incurable cancer. That was not a legitimate story, but Bristol Palin's pregnancy is?
Why did the selection of Sarah Palin cause a suspension of all standards and a near riot among a media that has been so in the tank for Barack even "Saturday Night Live" has satirized the infatuation?
Because she is one of us -- and he is one of them.
Barack and Michelle are affirmative action, Princeton, Columbia, Harvard Law. She is public schools and Idaho State. Barack was a Saul Alinsky social worker who rustled up food stamps. Sarah Palin kills her own food.
Michelle has a $300,000-a-year sinecure doing PR for a Chicago hospital. Todd Palin is a union steelworker who augments his income working vacations on the North Slope. Sarah has always been proud to be an American. Michelle was never proud of America -- until Barack started winning.
Barack has zero experience as an executive. Sarah ran her own fishing fleet, was mayor for six years and runs the largest state in the union. She belongs to a mainstream Christian church. Barack was, for 15 years, a parishioner at Trinity United and had his daughters baptized by Pastor Jeremiah Wright, whose sermons are saturated in black-power, anti-white racism and anti-Americanism.
Sarah is a rebel. Obama has been a go-along, get-along cog in the Daley Machine. She is Middle America. Barack, behind closed doors in San Francisco, mocked Middle Americans as folks left behind by the global economy who cling bitterly to their Bibles, bigotries and guns.
Barack has zero foreign policy experience. Palin runs a state that is home to anti-missile, missile and air defense bases facing the Far East, commands the Alaska National Guard and has a soldier-son heading for Iraq.
Barack, says the National Journal, has the most left-wing voting record in the Senate, besting Socialist Bernie Sanders. Palin's stances read as though they were lifted from Reagan's 1980 "no pale pastels" platform. And this is what this media firestorm is all about.

This is by Chip: As a Christian, I am wondering if we're not witnessing a new spiritual movement. I am speaking of a fresh blowing of the wind of God across our dry dusty plains. One must ask the question, "Could this be the work of God's Holy Spirit?" as we witness the emboldening of Bible-believing Christians across the U.S.A. Is the Lord at work in us to urge the saved to stand up and reverse the slippery slope trends we've witnessed for the past 35 years? Maybe we are seeing ourselves in a new face known as Sarah Palin.

I am certainly hearing and seeing hope afresh in the eyes and faces of Bible believing Christians. Interestingly she is not a Baptist (although I think all Bible believers really are deep down in their hearts Baptist), but she is a conservative Christian that just curls the hair on the heads of liberals. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Thank you sweet Lord Jesus for the hope I am experiencing in our land.

I had this on my heart and wanted to share it with you! I do love Him and you,

Pastor Chip

"It's A New Day"

2008-09-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

One of my personal heroes in this world is a man by the name of Ronald Wilson Reagan. We all know, appreciate and love The President. He was great, courageous and simply visionary by any and all standards. His principles were simple and clear. He said Government should get out of the lives and off the backs of the People of the United States. He believed in the goodness of the people of our great country and saw what the Democrats could not see. Here are a couple of quotes from The President that I can't help but share with you. By-the-way, I didn't intend to write so much about The President, but please scroll to the end and catch the gist of what's on my heart. Here are the quotes:

"Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose."
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
"Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong."
"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."
"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."
"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."
"I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting."
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book."
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

Now here's why I wrote:

"The President once said, "When a woman is ready for being President or Vice President, she'll be a Republican". Sounds prophetic does it not?

I just had this on my heart! See ya Sunday,

"To The Point"

2008-08-30T09:35:00.000-04:00

Yes, this will be short and to the point. I am absolutely thrilled to death to witness one of the gutsiest moves in the history of American Politics, Senator John McCain's choosing for his Vice Presidential running mate. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the Senator's choice to be his running mate.

Holey Moley!

To quote another writer: "She’s got it all. She’s a strong fiscal conservative, a champion of transparency and accountability in government, a leader capable of leading the charge on a sane and practical energy policy that involves drilling where experts believe there’s oil. She is, too, a strong pro-life believer who is unquestionably true to her convictions. She and her husband knew that their child would be born with Down syndrome — and they did not choose to end his life by abortion. This is a gutsy call on John McCain’s part. She has no more credibility on national security and foreign policy issues than does Barack Obama. But we are talking here about the under-card. As vice president, she’ll have an opportunity for seasoning. The prospect that the first woman in the White House will be a conservative is a hallelujah moment. Yes!"

Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich said, "I got tears in my eyes" when I heard she was the choice.

I hate to confess this, but I have felt an unseen constrictive band break as the reality of this nomination sinks in. Congratulations women. Congratulations Republicans and Congratulations Senator John McCain. Truly, you are a great American and a great and gutsy leader!!!

Holey Moley!!!

MY MAMA WOULD BE PROUD & for the first time since the Reagan Presidency, she would sneak and vote Republican . . . but she can't!

Congratulations women of America!
pc

The Bear and The Bait

2008-08-28T17:50:00.000-04:00

Tonight Barak Hussein Obama will speak, in person, to 76,000 people who have gone way out of their way to hear him. He will speak to literally hundreds of millions via satellite. Folks we are witnessing a phenomenon not unlike the spectacle to be witnessed when the Antichrist arises. Obama is not the Antichrist, but the fact that so many people eagerly, willingly and easily throw aside every shred of character and spirituality so as to follow charisma is amazing.
The last blog I submitted was about the Bear being on the move. Well, guess what . . . not much has changed. He withdrew then recognized the Ossetia, Georgia which is becoming a rogue state as having a right to exist as a nation. The next item on their agenda was to threaten to invade Poland if she allows the U.S.A. to put in the missile shield system. Don’t you dare be fooled; the Bear Remains On The Move!

The following information came to me in an e-mail. It is reportedly written by a fellow named Bill Brown. Mr. Brown is evidently a highly respected retired member of the Billy Graham team so, his assessment of Barak Hussein Obama is likely to be accurate. One should very seriously take him seriously. I confess that I too share his concern about the ‘rock star’ image Obama has and watch with growing concern at the celebrity status the media has foisted upon him. Tonight will have him one of the most watched spectacles in American History.

Here is hope that this writing informs you in a wise way.

The Obama Tidal Wave

We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude. His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of 'Change' or that he says he will be a 'Uniter'. The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma. Both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions. On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler, too, inspired millions and the results were catastrophic.
Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans riding on the Obama Tidal Wave it is just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, but the reality of the ride is what happens when it hits shore.

The following are Some of What Defines Barack Obama:

He voted for partial birth abortion.
He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
He supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government which amounts to quotas.
In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing as being too severe.
Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as minimum wage affair.
Admitted his use of marijuana and cocaine in high school and in college.
His religious convictions are very murky.
He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations. Why?
He opposed the Patriot Ac
The first bill he signed that was ever passed was campaign finance reform.
He voted to allow law suits against gun manufacturers.
He supports universal health-care.
He voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
He supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
He supports extending welfare to illegal immigrant
He voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
He voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
He wants to make the minimum wage a 'living wage'.
Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid into Soc. Sec. Tax Increase.
He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax which now hits middle income brackets. Tax Increase.
He voted No on repealing the 'Death' Tax. Tax Increase.
He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax. Tax Increase . . .
He has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded...which is not true.
He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.
His running mate, Joseph Biden was the 3rd most liberal Senator in the Senate!

If your political choices are consistent with Barack Obama's and you think that his positions will bring America together or make it a better place, then you will probably enjoy the ride. If you are like most Americans that after examining what he stands for and are truly not in line with his record, it would be prudent to get off the wave or better yet, never get on, before it comes on shore and undermines the very foundations of this great Country. We have limited time to save America or the Supreme Court as we know it.

Please, Please Please realize that NO ACTION IS STILL ACTION!

If you agree this is important, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, pass it on. The mainstream media will not do it for you!

2008-08-24T06:37:00.000-04:00

Don't you love this time of year. The air is crisp, the wind has cooled and life is sweet. I love the sight of the beauty of the mountains with the thought that soon-and-very-soon, there will be the change of color. Those beautiful green mountains gradually change their verdant color to orange and red or yellow or lime. It truly becomes a spectacle of beauty. In other words, there's so much anticipation with the normal change of seasons.

That's an interesting thought . . . normal change . . . regular change . . . constant change . . . I believe that means in the midst of change, ultimately everything stays the same.

We at Cave Spring Baptist Church are experiencing something very similar. We are experiencing the very familiar presence of the Lord's Holy Spirit as He brings about wonderful change in our hearts and lives. He is in the process of doing the predictable by taking that which was lost in trespasses and sins, convicting that person of their sin, granting the blessing of repentance then saving the soul. A person's life forever changed, but like the beauty of these mountains, that's not the end. The Lord begins that wonderful process of change. It really is somewhat predictable to watch and even expect. Sinner . . . conviction by Holy Spirit . . . repentance by sinner . . . submission . . . Christ enters the person's heart . . . new birth has come . . . growth and spiritual development ensues . . . fruit of the Holy Spirit becomes the norm of life!

Goodness! What a blessing.

While CSBC enjoys such a process of life, the Lord has led us to develop a process that will enable us to make sure none get lost in the process of life. It begins with CSBC knowing why the Lord has placed us here on this hill as a lighthouse to the Valley. We exist to love people making disciples of Jesus Christ.

As you might expect, we have developed a process to illustrate that purpose. Gosh, this is good!

We want to Introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church

Next we desire to connect them otherwise they'll never stay involved with the Church

We next want them to be educated in the faith

Once they are maturing, we mobile them to serve in ministry

What an awesome privilege. It is the Lord Christ Who's given this to us. May His name be praised forever.

I wrote this to you because it's on my heart. I love you all,
pc

Holey Moley or WOW!!!!

2008-08-15T10:30:00.000-04:00

I know you're going to say, "Chip, you should have understood that years ago", but please let me show you what the sweet Lord Jesus just showed me.

Before you go on, please take the time to carefully read Romans 4 as follows. Then we'll continue.

Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.8 "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account."9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness."10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,17 (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be."19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him,24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

In Romans 5, Paul addresses Abraham, Sarah and the Lord's work toward making children. Paul points out that Abraham believed God and it was reckoned (credited) unto him as righteousness. The parallelism here is between God's ability to raise the dead and Abraham's faith. The dead stuff was their dead reproductive organs; Paul likens that to the death of the Lord Jesus. When Paul points out that Abraham believed God was able to raise even the dead and do that which is impossible, the parallelism is between Abraham & Sarah's dead reproductive organs and God's ability to make them function once again. If God can do that, then He can raise the Lord Jesus live again.

That's all seminal to my point. Standing on the holy ground where Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, I find an incredibly clear point.

It was Abraham's faith and God's Grace!!!! The significance being, Abraham could have walked away from God without believing God could raise the dead . . . but Abraham took God at His (God's) Word (Abraham's Part) and GOD DID HIS PART THROUGH GRACE.

The point being, MAN HAS A PART OR A RESPONSIBILITY TO BELIEVE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!; God does His part through Grace. If Abraham walks away saying, "Nah, God either can't or won't do that", then Romans 5 is mute and here we are. But, it seems to me that a subordinate principle in Romans 5 is "Abraham believed" and that faith saved him. If he had not believed . . . O' well.

I know you're probably thinking, "what a juvenile", but this is huge for me, because there is an argument going on in theological circles that say God will save a man regardless, and that man has no responsibility in the salvation experience. To this I would simply ask for an interpretation of Romans 5. Goodness gracious, what a great thought!

Thank you sweet Lord Jesus for your GRACE and YOUR MERCY!

Thanks for hanging in there with me,
Chip

The Bear Is On The Move

2008-08-12T08:06:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you happened to hear of the following report from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, but the following report was filed in it's online reports at www.ajc.com. Read the article and I'll pick up after you've finished.

Father, son injured in Tenn. bear attack

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park say a black bear mauled an 8-year-old Florida boy and the boy's father was injured while defending him. Park rangers later killed a bear matching the description of the one in the attack. Park spokesman Bob Miller says the incident began around 7:30 p.m. Monday when the bear approached Evan Pala of Boca Raton, Florida, while he was playing in a creek. Miller says the bear attacked the boy, was driven off and came back a second time. Miller says the father was able to drive the bear off with rocks and sticks. The boy suffered some puncture wounds that were serious but not believed to be life-threatening. The father, John Pala, suffered several cuts during the attack.

There's another bear on the move. This is a biblical bear a.k.a. Russia. Just this past week, the old Bear of the North began to awake from it's slumber when it attacked the independent state of Georgia. It used a skirmish within Georgia's sovereign borders as an excuse to go in and attack the country.

It has since (as of this morning) halted it's attack. Be ye well assured that the Old Bear's not through by any stretch of our collective imaginations. Listen to the words of the Prophet Ezekiel in chapter 38 of his text:

Ezekiel 38:14-23 "Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God, "On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it?15 "You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army;16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog."17 ‘Thus says the Lord God, "Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them?18 "It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord God, "that My fury will mount up in My anger.19 "In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.20 "The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.21 "I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord God. "Every man’s sword will be against his brother.22 "With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.23 "I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord." ’

Two things are important here:

The Lord's not through with Israel. In the last day, He will glorify Himself through His chosen people.
The Lord remains on His throne of the Universe. Regardless of what Russia or Iran or any of the others do, the Lord remains on His throne.

We need not worry, but we do need to be vigilant about living our lives in purity and sharing the Gospel with as many people as we possibly can. Those are two things the Lord will truly honor.

I had these things on my heart. see ya Sunday,

Prayer and the Hope of Heaven

2008-07-29T08:15:00.000-04:00

It was that prophesied and long awaited day of Messiah. For thousands of years, Jerusalem had awaited the advent of the promised Savior. He was promised by the Lord in the Garden of Eden, by David in the Psalms, by Isaiah and so many more. The day of His arrival had finally come, and the city of Jerusalem might as well have been asleep. I would imagine that heaven was on high alert, but the city of Kings was desensitized by religiosity and hard heartedness.

Then from the East came a processional. A simple Man sitting on a donkey led by a group of nobodies waving palm branches and shouting over the drone of citylife and activity. The most significant day of Israel's history had arrived and those for whom the King had come simply went their way.

The Lord is hungry. He sees a fig tree and determines the time is ripe for ripe figs so He approaches the tree.

Goodness, let's let the Scripture speak for itself.

Mark 11:11-26 Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late. 12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening. . . . 19 When evening came, they would go out of the city. 20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, "Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered." 22 And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. 23 "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 ["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."]

Our Lord was asked about the miracle of the fig tree. Let me say at the outset the fig tree is prophetic. The Lord's statement addresses the fact that one of the symbols of Israel is the fig tree. Israel had had enough time to mature and bear fruit (like the fig tree), but there was no fruit in Israel. It was fleshly and carnal. Israel was not interested in the things of God, but it only wanted a "god in a box" religion. The Lord wanted an intimate relationship. The Lord's encounter with the fig tree was purely prophetic.

But what I'd like to focus our attention on is the Lord's emphasis on the miraculous. When the Disciples of the Lord Jesus asked about the miracle the Lord's response was quick and clear. "Have faith in God" Believe in the wonder working power of God. PLEASE see the simple conditions the Lord places on answered prayer. He says, 24 "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone,"

Believe and forgive!

It would seem the first would come relatively easy for the believer. After all look at what our title is: Believer!

I believe (no pun intended) the next item might be where the bottleneck comes and a great many struggle.

Forgive!

The Lord's instructions are clear, Believe and Forgive. Not one without the other. Both!

Let me offer this as a thought. When you pray (my exhortation is for you to do that), then believe. How? Well, when you ask the Father for something, you change the verb tenses from future to present and immediately begin to thank the Lord for what He is doing, and what He has done.

The Lord's instructions are clear:

"believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."

Ask, and begin to live your life "believing that you have received them" then just watch what the sweet Lord Jesus will do.

But do not miss the next part. You gotta forgive.

I have a couple of suggestions that might open your prayer life and provide for you the hope of heaven.

Begin to realize the importance of forgiveness to you personally
When you begin to pray, the Lord will often place a thought into your mind of a person who's hurt or offended you. [You have to recognize that you're the one in prison & not the other person].
Immediately place that person before the Lord Jesus and see that person in light of His forgiving you.
Realize the Lord loves that person just as much as He does you.
In the depth of your spirit, forgive the person standing before you.
Release them from your grip of hurt & unforgiveness. Allow them to walk away from the binding in which you've placed them.
Once they are free . . . how do you feel?

Guess what; you too are free. Congratulations! You are free.

Enjoy what the Lord has for you . . . freedom and blessings. So you see, when you pray you become the hope of heaven!
I had this on my heart!
pc

A Letter From One Angry American Citizen

2008-07-28T17:11:00.000-04:00

Please know that you won't often see me post items like this, but this so expresses the sentiment and convictions of my heart that I did not dare fail to say it. I suppose this blog spot is mine, so I can do what I please on it. I hope you find this to be encouraging, but honestly, I've heard so much mumbo jumbo in today's world that, like many of you, I'm about fed up. Read the woman's letter if you like. I hope it helps.

Letter from one 'Angry Woman'

I don't know who wrote it but they should have signed it. Some powerful words. This woman should run for president. This is supposedly written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.

'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was 'desecrated' when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?

Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran (Chip says he won't care regardless of when this happens) when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for chopping off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide .

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care !!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country!

And may I add: 'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem' --
Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND . . . I hope you forward all this.

'If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' Also by . . . Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: 'A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.'

The last thing, by the way, that we should do is to elect as President of the United States, someone who claims to love America yet, WILL NOT salute the flag, WILL NOT pledge allegiance to our flag, and sat in a church listening to a 'pastor' that HATES America! Are you Freakin' kidding me?

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,

AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.

AMEN!