Is Capital Punishment a Sin?

There has been some talk in the news recently about the death penalty and whether it is constitutional or not. As the nationwide halt on executions is expiring I have to admit that my initial thought was disgust. Not in the fact that death row inmates will soon be facing the consequences of their actions but rather in the fact that there is such a huge battle to protect convicted killers but not unborn children. I don’t want to turn this post into an abortion debate but I do want to say that this issue speaks volumes to how backwards our society has become.

There is a biblically ignorant argument out there where people will tell you that the bible says, “Thou shall not kill.” The reason I say this is ignorant is because the bible doesn’t say that at all. In Exodus chapter 20, where God is delivering the 10 Commandments, we find that it actually says not to commit “murder.” Now, simple logic tells us that there is a huge difference between the two. Is a soldier engaged in battle or a man who is protecting is family guilty of murder if their actions result in someone’s death? Well…no! However, a person who commits a crime which results in the death of another person is and those are the men and women who we find on death row.

God does value human life and He does love each and every human on the face of the earth but the bible over and again teaches accountability. We are responsible for our actions! Newton’s third law teaches that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We know that the consequence for murder could be the death penalty. If that isn’t enough to deter a person from committing the act then they should be prepared to deal with the reaction.

Since the beginning of civilization cultures have reserved the most severe penalties for the most severe crimes. Even among God’s chosen people, the Israelites, murder was dealt with swiftly and justly. Even living under God’s grace we must face the consequences of our actions. We can find forgiveness in Christ but the consequences for our actions against others remains.

Add to the discussion: Share your thoughts and views on Capital Punishment and vote on the opinion poll in the forum.

The Oprah Cult

This video should be a startling revelation to Christians all over the world regardless of denomination or location. Oprah is a world known figure and she is leading millions of people astray from the truth of the Gospel with a watered down humanistic view of God. Here are just a few of my responses to her contradictions of God.

Yes, there is only one way. Jesus made that very clear in John 14:6 when he declared, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Just because a person can’t fathom the reality of this statement doesn’t make it any less true. Jesus warned of false prophets and people who would attempt to lead others astray and that is exactly what Oprah is attempting to do. Regardless of how you feel about her show and the millions of dollars that she gives to charity the idea that there are other ways to get to heaven other than through a relationship with Jesus Christ is a lie that has severe eternal consequences.

Yes, God is a jealous God. He is everything that Oprah describes Him to be. He is all powerful, all present, all knowing and all loving but He’s also a jealous God. The Old Testament refers to God as being jealous 10 times. Here’s what many people don’t understand about God’s jealousy. It is motivated by love. You see we are all creations of a Holy God. He is an artist and we are His masterpieces. Of all his created beings we are the only ones that He loves enough to sacrifice himself on the cross for. Because of His amazing love for us He desires that we worship Him and Him alone. When we refuse to believe in Him or live a lifestyle that does not honor Him he becomes jealous of the attention that we are not giving to Him. This isn’t doctrinal its biblical.

10 Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Exodus 34:10-14

Rather than make an attempt to understand this concept Oprah is moving away from it because it is easier to serve and please ourselves than it is God. She is instead teaching that we can worship ourselves and find satisfaction it that. However, the worship of self is also what the Church of Satan teaches.

God wasn’t made in man’s image. Rather man was made in God’s image. Again what we are dealing with is a person’s inability to understand and live by biblical principles. To accept the biblical God a person has to accept the lifestyle that goes with it. Because people would rather create their own standard of holiness than the way the bible says we should live we try to “logically” say that is a religious law or doctrine made by man so in turn they actually do create their own man made religious laws and doctrines and follow them.

Yes, Christians are to be the light of the world and here is the full text of what Eckhart is trying to quote.

13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

What Jesus is saying is that Christians (people who actually believe in Him) should live a lifestyle that benefits those around them through sharing the love, joy and peace of Christ and ultimately bring glory to God. This passage in no way indicates that because we are the “conscious of the world” that we should create a new image of God where the standard of holiness is different from what is lined out in the bible.

How ironic is it though that two people who are trying to deny the biblical view of God will actually use a quote from Jesus to try lure people away from the Gospel. Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The other thing is that he (Eckhart) says that he doesn’t think about eternity (life after death) but will quote the teachings of Jesus. What kind of hope is there if this world is all we get? What kind of religion teaches that you have your human existence (75 years) and that is it? Here’s the truth, you can’t have Jesus without an afterlife. You can’t quote one passage from the teachings of Christ and then deny the biblical view of God. It is all or nothing and regardless of your view of God there will be an eternity for everyone. Refusing to believe that and attempting to explain to millions of people why it isn’t logical to you doesn’t make is any less true.

By the way I don’t believe him that he doesn’t think of what happens after death simply because every person who has ever lived does. The difference is that this cult that they are trying to get people to buy into doesn’t answer the questions about eternity and therefore can’t be discussed because it leaves a big open hole in their belief system. That hole is called hope and discussing eternity would cause millions of people to realize that the Oprah Cult leaves you without any.
God is very much about a belief. Again we find humanistic logic that says we have to see (or in Oprah’s case feel) to believe. The requirement for a Christian lifestyle is that we believe in God and in Jesus Christ his son as our Lord and Savior.

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10

You are not a God and you never will be! You aren’t holy on your own account and you can’t be! Our natural inclination is to be rebellious towards the things of God putting each and every one of us in the need to be reconciled to God. Because of God’s love for us we can become reconciled to Him and made holy but make no mistake it will be totally because of God and not of ourselves. Submission to Christ doesn’t make you a God but it will make you a child of God.

26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26

You can see more videos on Operah's beliefs on the message board.

Panama Day Two – Tour of the City

Roger and I had the first part of the day off so we decided to do some touring of Panama City. We walked a few blocks before hailing a taxi and taking the twenty minute ride down to the old Panama City ruins. Standing on the ruins of structures that were built almost 500 years ago was pretty amazing.

After leaving the ruins we walked several more blocks (hailing a taxi in Panama City is a little more difficult than you would think) before catching another cab to the Hard Rock Café for lunch and then a little souvenir shopping before heading back to the hotel.

Later that afternoon we went with the missionary to meet with a potential pastor and then we visited a local house church.

10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:10-11

If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend a worship service that is not done in your native language it is an amazing experience. The above verse came to mind as I listened to the voices of just a handful of people worship without restriction or inhibition. We sit in our sanctuaries with instruments and multimedia devices surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds of people, and we watch rather than participate.

As long as we are prohibited from worshiping by pride, prejudice or down right unwillingness we are failing to confess Jesus Christ as Lord. If He was truly Lord of my life then there’s nothing that would prevent me from acknowledging that through worship.

Panama Trip Day One – Jumped by a Monkey

I arrived in the country of Panama last night to make arrangements for our mission team that is coming down in March. While yesterday was pretty uneventful with nothing more exciting happening than traveling down here today, our first full day in country, was a pretty busy.

We started out with breakfast at the hotel where Roger, my traveling partner, spotted a monkey running by on the fence. I gotta be honest I really didn’t believe that he saw a monkey. Not that Roger would lie I just suspected that whatever he saw appeared to be a monkey to him but was actually some other kind of animal.

We left our hotel and traveled to the community of La Chorrera to meet with leaders from the local church there that we will be working with in March. The meeting was very productive and we left with a complete list of ministry activities for the week that will only need to be fine tuned a little before we arrive for the main trip.

We also booked hotel rooms in the community and checked out food options. If you are one of our mission team members reading to check in on how the trip is going let me just warn you in advance that the upcoming trip to Panama will be like nothing experienced in the past.

The craziest thing that happened to me today is actually the craziest thing that has ever happened to me in Panama. As we were walking out of the hotel tonight to go to dinner we saw Roger’s monkey on the gate that goes out to the road. When the little guy saw us he climbed to the top of the gate and looked right into my eyes. Roger had just said, “Look out that thing is about to jump on you!” when suddenly he did. So there I was in Panama with a monkey on my back. We still have three days here but it is going to be very difficult to top that moment. The adventure is just beginning!

The Attributes of God Found in Jesus Christ

Christians believe that faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is the only way to eternity in heaven with God the Father. Obviously if a person could find a way to deny that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had the attributes of God then they would be able to totally debunk Christianity.

We believe, by faith, that Jesus is the Son of God but there isn’t a lack of physical evidence either. In response to Thomas’ doubt in his resurrection demanding to see physical before he would believe Jesus replied, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29

Jesus didn’t just believe that he was the Son of God with all the power of God he actually was. The bible records that Jesus had all of the biblical attributes of God. While pundits are going to claim that the bible is irrelevant and inaccurate it should be mentioned that way of thinking is inaccurate in itself. We’ll get to that at a later time but for right now we’ll stick to the bible as the ultimate authority on identifying Jesus as God incarnate.

Attributes of God	Found in Christ
Omniscience (all-knowing)	John 16:30 the apostle John affirms of Jesus, “Now we can see that you know all things.
Omnipresence (all-present)	Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Omnipotence (all-powerful)	All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” Jesus said in Matthew 28:18
Eternality (no beginning or end)	John 1:1declares of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Immutability (unchanging)	Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

What this means to us is that the Christ we’ve invited into our lives is the most powerful being ever. Having the power to know all, see all, overcome all and exists through all there isn’t any area of our lives that he can’t have a significant impact on. The question is, are we able to accept his Lordship by faith or do we, like Thomas, require physical proof before we believe? Regardless there is a blessing for believing, just a greater one for not requiring proof first.

Putting Together the Pieces for Panama

2007 is just about to give way to 2008 which will bring plenty of new opportunities. Each spring members from our church travel to Panama for a mission trip. Honestly its one of the best weeks of the year that leads to establishing new relationships enhancing existing ones.

I’ll be traveling to Panama mid-January to make arrangements and to get things set up for the group trip in March. It’s around this time of the year that I receive the most traffic on the blog because people are checking in for information and details. I’ll do my absolute best to update from Panama everyday with photos and thoughts on my travels to Central America.

Meanwhile back at the church our mission team is forming and preparing themselves for the trip. It is definitely a busy time as passports have to be ordered, airline reservations need to be made and mission activities need to be planned. Definitely wont be a slow start to the new year for us.

God and Evil

An over used argument against the belief in God is the existence of evil. People want to make the statement that if God was all powerful, all loving and all good then the presence of evil in the world show that God either isn’t all of those things or that He just doesn’t exists.

I have actually lost count on the number of times this case has been presented to me in an attempt to disprove God. It’s a flawed argument that defies logic. I recently received an email that contained some facts that help defend against this argument.

Did you know that there are different types of heat? You have heat, even more heat, super-heat, Mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can reach temperatures of 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat.

You see cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat just the absence of it

Did you know that there is no such thing as darkness? Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and its called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

If you argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite o f life, just the absence of it.

Evil does not exist, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of good and our standard of good does come from God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.

God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.

Nehemiah’s Wall Discovery Should Affirm Our Faith in the Bible

An archeological discovery made last week in Jerusalem adds validity to the accuracy of the bible should encourage Christians in their faith in the book that is the foundation for their religious beliefs.

The discovery of the wall that Nehemiah built is turning heads in Jerusalem and around the world, especially among those who argued that the wall never existed. There’s no way to deny it now but its discovery is of no value if we fail to recognize the significance of it.

Nehemiah teaches us to follow God’s desire for us despite the sacrifice, resistance and how impossible it may seem. Nehemiah left a position in the Persian government in order to motivate the Jewish people to go back and reconstruct the Jerusalem wall. Along the way he encountered complaining from his own people and threats from enemies. In the end the wall was rebuilt not by Nehemiah’s greatness but his allowing God to be active and work through him and his people.

We accept the bible by faith but evidence like this discovery reaffirms not only the truth of the stories found in God’s word but also the truth of who God is through those stories. It gives us confidence to continue to trust in God while living in a world that tries to deny His existence.

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. – Nehemiah 6:15,16

We all get spiritually run down at some point and there are times when we feel that God is not active in our lives. Those are all feelings that result from us straying away from God and not Him backing away from us. Like God’s call for the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall He also calls us back to Himself to rebuild or reestablish our relationship with him. For that to happen we’ll have to sacrifice the things that have hindered our spiritual growth, overcome resistance from friends, family and even ourselves to continue walking in the light of Christ.

Sometimes people may feel that it is impossible to find their way back to a loving God because of the way they have lived their lives. Remember that Nehemiah faced a task that seemed impossible as well but it was God’s power that allowed him to complete the rebuilding of that wall. Now we have actual physical evidence of it but you yourself can be the evidence of God’s power if you would just let Him work through you as Nehemiah did.

The Lighthearted Side of Preaching

As a pastor I understand as well as anyone the occasional tongue twist and mispronounced word or twisted phrase. Two years ago a youth pastor in Colorado made a horrible mistake when he tried to say “pitched his tents.” The video floated around on YouTube resulting in a great practice joke.



I’m just glad that nothing like this has ever happened to me!

Should Christians Vote for Mitt Romney?

Christians should vote their convictions and not be convicted about their votes. When it comes to selecting America’s next president Christians should be more concerned about a person’s stance on critical issues than their religious affiliation.

Romney is a devout Mormon, a religion that Christians view to be a cult, but for a Christian to not vote for him based solely on his religious preference would give validity to a secular world’s view that Christians are judgmental and close minded.

Instead Christians need to evaluate their own stance of hot topics like abortion, tax cuts, the war in Iraq and gay marriage. Then find a presidential candidate who best matches those convictions. Keep in mind that as believers in God our standard of morality comes from the bible. We, unlike political candidates, don’t have the luxury of wavering on our own personal standards and morality. The bible is what it is and we either believe in it or not. We are either Christ like or we are not but the choice is ours.

We can’t expect every presidential candidate to have the exact same convictions as we do but there will be some out there who are close. By informing ourselves of where the candidates stand on issues that are important to us we can cast a vote without compromising our own moral convictions regardless of the candidates religious affiliation.

Leave Baby Jesus Alone!

Thinking through the major American Holidays and their subsequent decorations I can’t think of one more controversial than the nativity scene and I really don’t understand why. No one complains about Cupid’s arrows of love in February and he’s traced back to Roman mythology. In the spring no one complains about the Easter Bunny whose origin traces back to an ancient pagan goddess named Eostre. No one takes issue with Uncle Sam in July although he has been linked to wars involving America dating back as far as 1812. Every November pilgrims pop up all across our nation despite the fact that these men and women represented religious freedom and Christian values.

Regardless of the origin and folklore surrounding them each major holiday is represented by some form of a character and long before Christmas had Santa Clause it had baby Jesus. Jesus is what Christmas is all about and without him we wouldn’t have the winter holiday and yet people still ardently protest nativity scenes at city hall.

Sure we live in a world of religious intolerance but what did baby Jesus ever do to anyone? Again, no one complains about the pilgrims making appearances on City Hall windows and doors in November and they not only stood for Christian values but they also brought disease and death to the indigenous people. We’ll gladly celebrate them but let the Savior of the World lay in his manger on the front lawn and the law suites start filing in.

In my opinion the problem is cultural. We’ve developed a secular society that is so hatefully opposed to organized religion and the things of God that the church that lawsuits are becoming the newest trend among law firms. Unlike the Easter Bunny, Jesus is convicting. To truly believe in him means to turn from a sinful lifestyle and to embrace a biblical standard of morality. However, our society would much rather be offended than convicted! How dare anyone, including baby Jesus, tell us that our lifestyle is wrong. Therein lies the problem with baby Jesus lying in the manger.

Christians are viewed, unfairly, as narrow minded, judgmental and unacceptable by a society where 90% of the people claim to believe in God, 84% believe in the survival of the soul after death and 77% believe in the virgin birth. So why are Christians so grossly misrepresented? Because the people who oppose them are more vocal. Jesus spoke of this in John 15:19, If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Christians need to become more vocal but not in the hateful manner used by those who oppose us. Instead, respond in love and explain why you believe what you do and why something like a nativity scene is important to you. It represents not only the birth or the savior and the rebirth of sinful man. There’s no lawsuit that will ever take that away!

The Word

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

In Hebrew scripture the word was an agent of creation, (Psalm 33:6), the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets (Hosea 1:2), and God’s law.

In Greek philosophy the word was another expression for God.

John is clearly talking about Jesus Christ and is expressing the fact that he has been around since the beginning of time. He’s not a mythological creature and he didn’t just appear on the scene at the virgin birth. The “in the beginning” phrase used here is the exact same phrase we find in Genesis 1:1.

There isn’t a single thing in creation that was not made by God. Even man made things are made with the things of God. All around the world God’s creation cries out to His existence even though people go to extreme measures to deny Him.

The agents working against God is the darkness we find in verses 4 and 5. They are not necessarily evil and in some cases not even bad but the world’s standards. They are just simply absent from the presence of God.

God is often described as light and that is how you have light in Genesis 1 before the creation of the sun and moon. The light there is the presence of God and darkness is His absence. Some people just simply don’t understand God while others purposely don’t want to understand and yet still some are so ardently opposed to the concept of God that the hate Him and all things or religion.

Not everyone who hears the words of Jesus Christ is going to accept it but those who do will have all the rights of the Children of God including a Holy inheritance. The Word is so much more than just the bible. Jesus Christ makes the word come alive because he is the word became flesh.

Why People Don’t Believe in God

There is a whole world out there that doesn’t trust the church and believe that Christianity is nothing more than a bunch of phony rituals and traditions to a non-existent God. Why do they feel this way? Because there are people like holding ministry positions.

I’ll not use his/her name but there is a Methodist pastor in Baltimore who is not satisfied with the person that God created them to be so this person underwent a sex-change because God made a mistake.

“The gender I was assigned at birth has never matched my own true authentic God-given gender identity, how I know myself. Fortunately, God's gift of medical science is enabling me to bring my physical body in alignment with my true gender.”

People are entitled to opinions and they certainly have the right to pursue happiness but what this person has done goes against everything biblical. Again people certainly have the right to chose to deny a biblical lifestyle, its called free will, and they do but I don’t see how a minister can preach the infallibility of God and then say He made a mistake on creating them?

Christian’s are supposed to be different. We are supposed to be set aside, made holy. We are supposed to be examples of what a relationship with Christ looks like. When we read the bible, go to church, pray, and then go out and live a lifestyle that is no different from people who don’t do those things then we are telling the world that we follow a God who doesn’t work.

The Great God Debate

I finally got around to watching, “Does God Exist? The Nightline Face-Off” and I have to say that my fear of this being a bad idea even before the debate was proven true during it. I have a ton of respect for Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort and I think that they each did an outstanding job at voicing their beliefs and convictions but an event like this is a no win situation for either side because they are so ardently opposed to each other’s view points.

The problem for the Christians in a debate like this is that the rules aren’t the same for both sides. The atheist camp can respond and react with hatred and sarcasm, which they did, but if the Christians were to slip and respond in that manner then they would be ridiculed for it. To their credit Cameron and Comfort both kept a calm respectful tone while the atheist disrespectfully looked away and responded and attacked in hateful tones. There was a clear difference in the level of respect given between the two sides.

The other thing that is wrong with a debate like this is that the atheists don’t really care to hear what the Christians have to say. They view God (if He existed) as a heavenly tyrant, Christians as foolish and narrow minded, and are actually out for victory in this debate where the Christians just want to get their message out and let the audience make their own decisions and there lies the problem for the atheists in an event like this.

They attack the Christian’s stance so aggressively but defend their own with a weak effort. They gave no clear answer to the development of morality with the absence of God; they grossly misrepresented the scriptures, failed miserably to defend the gaping holes in evolution and refused to answer questions of proof regarding some of their “facts”.

While I’m certain that this event did not portray and adequate depiction of atheism it can be said that the atheistic views of Christianity aren’t adequate as well. They tend to focus on the corruption of the church and the deviations of Christianity rather than the true depiction of a believer in Christ.

In all I appreciated the efforts of both sides but also thought that they could have been represented better. I did like the format and thought that the program’s choice to leave the final decision up to the viewer was a good one.

Jerry Falwell (1933 – 2007)

Jerry Falwell was often outspoken and often controversial to which I didn’t agree with on several occasions but you cannot downplay the impact he had on American Christianity and politics.

His ministries have reached out to thousands of people over the past 50 years. His church has grown from 35 members at the first meeting in 1956 to over 24,000 members in 2007.

Liberty University, founded by Falwell, not only gave us DC Talk (My favorite music group of all time) but continues to grow into one of the leading institutions in America for Christian based education.

Most importantly Falwell got the Christian body involved in politics. Sure he spoke his mind and stirred up controversy on just about every political and social front but he also motivated the “Moral Majority” to be heard in the political world by providing a platform for Christian values to be voiced in politics.

Keep on Keeping on

The majority of the post is simple copy and paste which may be plagiarism but it’s an inspiring story of determination and surrender to following Christ. Many people follow God as long as it’s comfortable and convenient but true worshippers follow in good and bad as they stay the course no matter what.

Missionaries return to Tanzania after surviving brutal attack there
By Charlie Warren
Published May 8, 2007

MOSHI, Tanzania (ABP) -- Two Southern Baptist missionaries are on their way back to Tanzania, where they were attacked with machetes and shot during a vicious robbery in the E ast African country.

Carl and Kay Garvin, Southern Baptist missionaries who returned to Arkansas after the Feb. 23 attack in a remote village south of Moshi , Tanzania , have recovered remarkably well from the assault. They arrived in Nairobi , Kenya , April 24 for missionary meetings and a prayer retreat before a May 6 return to Tanzania .

The alleged robbers and would-be murderers have been apprehended by Tanzanian authorities, but the Garvins are still reeling from the harrowing evening when they were attacked in a rural inn.

They had just finished working in neighboring churches and were settling down after dinner when two men burst into the building, shouting for everyone to get on the floor. Baptist volunteers traveling with the Garvins ran to their rooms, but when the Garvins retreated to their room, the men tried to break the door.

Carl Garvin braced his back against a bed in the small room with his feet on the door to hold it closed. The door finally broke, collapsing onto Carl Garvin’s head and cutting him deeply. He was partially blinded by blood pouring into his eye. One of the men swung a machete at Garvin, who blocked the blow with his left arm.

“I felt the force of the blow, but I did not feel any pain,” he said. “The man was wild-eyed. He looked demon-possessed to me. He was very much out of control. He never stopped. He just kept constantly swinging. I counted six or seven hits on my body.”

At the same time, another “very calm” man stood in the hallway with a pistol. When the men demanded money, the Garvins gave them a purse and a wallet. But as the first intruder laid down the machete, Kay Garvin picked it up and took a swing at him.

That’s when she was shot by the man in the hall, whom she had not noticed.

“I told Carl, ‘He shot me!’” she said, “I was in disbelief that the man did that. I truly thought I was going to die.”

The bullet entered above her left breast, went through her lung and lodged in her back. It missed her aorta by an inch.

Carl Garvin feared the worst. “I thought I was going to get shot,” he said. “We had seen their faces. I was not afraid, but I was resigned to the fact that the next bullet would be mine.”

But the men took the money and a few possessions and left. Carl Garvin, a military nurse for 34 years and a Vietnam veteran, began treating his wife.

“I had seen gunshot wounds, and I knew that the chest was not a good place to get shot,” he said. “I thought I would lose her. I found it very difficult to say much more than a sentence prayer.”

Just then, volunteers Joe and Cindy Lennon, members of First Baptist Church of Harrison, Ark., and Rudy Dehrens, a member of Grandview First Baptist Church of Berryville, Ark., emerged from their rooms.

Dehrens, a nurse, began treating Kay Garvin. Carl Garvin, who had severely damaged bones in his arm and knee, organized locals to move his wife to a car to drive to the nearest medical facility, in Moshi -- a two-hour drive over rough roads.

“All I could do was pray short prayers,” Kay Garvin said. “‘Lord, I love you.’ ‘Lord, thank you for your protection.’”

She said she asked God not to let her die.

“I knew if I went to sleep I would never wake up,” she said. “I looked out the window. The sky was bright. The stars were beautiful, and I said, ‘Lord, I know you are all around, and I know you’re going to protect me.’ But I still had that fear. For two hours, I did not know if I would make it.”

As she looked at the stars, she said, she started to sing “God is so good,” and the others joined in.
Once on the road, Carl Garvin notified the International Mission Board, their employer, by calling the cell phone of the strategy associate in Nairobi , who happened to be in a meeting with IMB vice presidents. IMB personnel then called the Garvins’ children and started a prayer chain.

When the Garvins and the volunteers arrived at the Moshi medical facility, they immediately met with three missionary doctors and a Muslim doctor the Garvins had befriended.

Meanwhile, the IMB arranged for a medical evacuation plane, equipped with a doctor and a nurse, to fly to the nearby Kilimanjaro airport. Lanterns were placed on the airstrip so it could take off.

The Garvins had to get special permission to leave the country. Finally, 12 hours after the attack, they arrived at a hospital in Nairobi to receive the quality medical treatment they needed.

Today, Carl Garvin has a steel plate in his arm and can’t drive or lift anything for three months. He may face surgery on his knee in a few years.

Through it all, critics have asked the Garvins how God could let such an attack happen to people apparently serving him. But Carl Garvin calls that “shallow thinking.”

“God was in the room with us,” he said. “God allowed our bodies to be touched, but our lives were preserved. God’s purpose was they could only go so far.”

Plus, he added, God enabled everyone to remain calm throughout the ordeal. God provided a driver to the hospital, protection on the difficult journey to Moshi and comfort to the injured during the trip, he said. Moshi even had electricity that night -- an uncommon occurrence at times, he added.

“This is not our story. It is God’s story,” he said. “It is a story of his mercy, his grace, his power, his timing, [and] his miracles. It was miracle after miracle.”

Kay Garvin plans to attest to that power. After her surgery, she held the .38-caliber bullet once embedded in her back. She’d like to keep it for good.

“It was given to me personally, and I want it back,” she joked, adding that she plans to mount it on a necklace and use it as a conversation piece about God.

Indeed, the Garvins firmly believe their return to Africa is necessary as a way to reach more people in Tanzania and encourage other missionaries there. Kay Garvin, for all she’s been through, said she’s excited to go “home.”

“There will be many things we will have to face as we return, but God has seen us through so much already [that] I am sure he will see us through these things also,” she said. “We look forward to see his plan for our life and how he will use us to share the gospel. We want to share what he has done for us, and we want the African people to see what a wonderful God we serve.”

Blessing Others Through Your Prayers

I recently had someone share with me an acronym (B.L.E.S.S.) that can be used as a prayer guide to lead you in praying for others. It was simple and practical so I decided to turn it into a sermon outline preached it this last Sunday. Here it is.

Body – Pray for the person’s healing or continued health.

Matthew 15:29-31
29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Asking for healing and continued health is nothing new to Jesus. He has been asked countless times and history is filled with the testimonies of those whom he has blessed with health.

Labor – Pray that the person’s actions, whether at work or at home, would honor Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20
20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

As Christians we are the representatives of Christ. When we misrepresent Him through selfish actions we are showing the world a Jesus that doesn’t exist.

Emotional – Pray for the person’s emotional well being, that they would constantly feel the love and acceptance of God.

1 Corinthians 14:33
33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,

Emotional stress seems to be a natural part of life and many people live in a world of confusion because of it. They don’t have to! Pray that they would submit to God’s guidance on their lives as they experience his love for them.

Social – Pray that the person would become the major influence among their friends rather than their friends becoming the major influence over them.

Romans 15:20
20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.

The influences that a person allows in their life greatly affects the way that they live. There are far too many Christians out there who are influenced by the world instead of influencing the world. They are “building on someone else’s foundation” by letting other sources set their standards in ethics and morality.

Spiritual – Pray that the person would understand what it means to walk in the spirit and that they would develop a strong desire to do so.

Romans 8:8-9
8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

One of the major reasons that people refuse to believe in God is because there are a ton of Christians out there who are walking billboards advertising to the world that Christianity doesn’t work. The “pray, read their bibles, and go to church” but yet there is absolutely no difference between their lifestyles and the person who doesn’t do any of those things.

Christians are to be drastically different from unbelievers because they have the Spirit of God living in them which means a God first instead of a me first attitude should develop.

Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Pastor

I was invited to speak at the pastor's conference for our association on Monday. Being new to pastoral ministry and understanding that the majority of the pastors in our association have years more experience than I do I felt it best just to share with them a few of the things that I've learned since becoming a pastor.

Here's a brief transcript of what I shared with them.

I’ve been a pastor for almost two years now and I feel like at this point that I can tell you more things not to when it comes to leading a growing church than things to do. God has really blessed both my family and my church since July of 2005 and he has taught me a lot about myself and ministry. I would like to share with you a few of the things that I have learned.

I’ve learned not to force God into service. It’s easy to jump into any ministry situation and structure it around our dreams. The problem is that sometimes our dreams and God’s desires don’t match. When this happens we must always yield to God.

Paul experienced this in Romans chapter 1 in his desire to get to Rome.

11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

In his book “Experiencing God” Henry Blackaby reminds us that we need to find where God is working and join Him in it rather than work against Him.

I’ve learned that I can overcome circumstances. Wilma Rudolph was born the 16th of 18 children in a poor black family in middle Tennessee. She weighed just over 4 pounds. At the age of 4 she contracted polio and lost the use of her left leg. The battle with polio left her weakened and she developed chronic pneumonia and scarlet fever. She managed to survive, but spent most of her childhood as a cripple. It was only through years of therapy, and determination that Wilma was able to regain the use of her left leg. She played high school basketball setting a single season record averaging over 30 points a game. In 1960, Wilma represented the United States in the Olympics. She won gold medals in all three of the events in which she competed. She tied the world record in the 100-meters, set a new Olympic record in the 200 and in the 400-meter relay she brought her team from behind to win the gold. At the very least, we can say that Wilma Rudolph rose above her circumstances.

There always going to be things that we must overcome and being in ministry doesn’t make it any different.

I serve at a church that has tripled in size over the last two years. We have sent out mission teams twice internationally and once domestically. We have started several new ministries including one for Spanish speaking people. Even with that, last week I had a church member call me just to inform me of all the things that I’m doing wrong as a pastor.

The great news is that I don’t have to overcome anything under my own strength or power but I can rely on the one who has already overcome the world.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I’ve learned the desert can be a place of blessing. When I graduated high school I received as a gift a two week vacation up the West Coast with some family friends. I was really excited because up to that point in my life I had only been east and I had never seen the desert before. When we reached the desert of Arizona and Nevada I immediately noticed two things.

First, the desert is very dry (duh). As the wind would pick up it would send huge dust clouds racing across the landscape. Second, the desert is lonely. There weren’t quite as many places to stop for gas or to sightsee in the desert.

However the desert can be an amazing place of refreshment with the right provision. Moses spent time in the desert leading the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. David spent time in the desert during the rebellion of his son Absalom. Even Jesus had some time in the desert. When you read all three accounts you find that God provided for their needs. For Moses it was manna and quail. For David it was supplies through friends and unexpected sources. For Jesus it was immediate nourishment after forcing the Devil to flee.

When our spiritual walk dries up and gets lonely there are several books to read, places to go, or people to talk to but the true blessing of the desert is found in God’s provision.

Easter Gladness to Funeral Sadness

It really is amazing how much difference a week makes. We spent this day last week celebrating having 165 people involved in our Easter weekend services. We spent today laying to rest one of our most beloved church members.

I don’t really know that people understand the highs and lows that come with being a minister nor the emotional strain it puts on a person.

Why Pray?

We had another amazing Sunday here at Mayfair. We had 110 in attendance for our worship service and had a family join the church with the husband coming forward to give his life to Christ.

Mayfair continues to move in the right direction under the guidance of Jesus Christ. We have some wise and Godly men and women in our church, in leadership positions, who seek God’s will in everything church related.

As we continue to grow it’s vital that our congregation collectively seeks God’s will for their lives and we as a church grow in our prayer lives. Because of that I am focusing on prayer this month with my sermons. I started the series this Sunday with a look at the reasons why we should pray.

Building a Community of Prayer
Ephesians 6:18

In a small Kentucky town there were 2 churches and 1 whiskey distillery which was owned by the town atheist.

Church members complained that the distillery gave the community a bad image so they unsuccessfully tried to shut it down.

One Saturday night they held a joint prayer meeting during which a terrible storm raged for hours. Lightning struck the distillery and it burned to the ground.

The next morning both pastors preached on the ‘POWER OF PRAYER’. The insurance company decided to not pay for the damages due to the ‘act of God’ clause in the policy so the distillery owner sued both churches for conspiring with God to destroy his building.

In court both churches denied any involvement in causing the fire.

A confused judge said, ‘I find one thing about this case very perplexing: The plaintiff (an atheist) is professing belief in the power of prayer and the defendants (church members) are denying that same power.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

Prayer is the true backbone of the church. The church only functions as it’s members pray. Growing churches have active praying members and dying churches don’t. Sure there are other differences between the two but the primary difference is the act of prayer amongst the congregation.

10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, Colossians 1:10

Prayer is what allows a church to not only stand firmly but to also function properly. We live in a society where the church is attacked from every direction and sometimes backs down when it shouldn’t.

Abortion is a great example of what I’m talking about. No matter where you stand on the issue the fact remains that abortion stops life. Abortion plain and simple is murder and the church collectively didn’t stand when it should have to try to make a difference in this issue when the opportunity presented itself.

Instead of attempting to be more involved in the legislation of the laws regarding abortion the church backed down to the protesters when they said that the institution was infringing on the rights of the individuals. These are many of the same protestors who speak out against putting a convicted killer to death but are completely content to watch and allow an unborn child to die.

The church needs to pray for strength to stand in the midst of opposition and be a voice for Holiness and righteousness. I feel strongly that we have lost that voice and will not get it back until we find our way back into an active prayer life.

Prayer is also the key to success in ministry. When was the last time that you prayed for an opportunity to minister to someone? Churches grow because they are active in ministry and sometimes the words of Jesus haunt churches in regards to their ability to minister. “You have not because you ask not.”

3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Colossians 4:3

Prayer is the key to accountability. On a personal level we often don’t view ourselves as being accountable to God because we aren’t connected to Him. A greater understanding of God leads to a greater since of accountability to Him.

When we view God as being righteous and holy then have a better understanding of what we should desire to be like as followers of Christ. Sin runs rampant in our lives because we aren’t actively seeking God’s direction.

12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:12

The only way Christ can be glorified in you is if you are actively communicating with Him and allowing Him to shape you through your prayer life.