Surviving As a Single Parent

The American Family Unit has changed drastically over the years. Where the typical family unit used to be a mother, father and children the majority of families today are single parent with the majority of single parents being mothers.

Surviving as a parent is difficult enough but making it as a single parent can be brutal. Here are a few things that all parents can do to survive parenthood and raise Godly children.


Be Fed
In I Kings 17:9-12 Elijah had fled from the wrath of King Ahab to Zarephath under the Lord’s direction. There he meets a woman who recognizes him as the prophet of God.

He asks her for a drink of water and a cake of bread. Her reply was interesting to say the least.

"As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."

Her intent was for her and her son to eat to die. Even though she recognized that she was in the presence of a man of God she didn’t recognize what God could do in the life of her and her son.

She made the same mistake that many parents are making today. She tried to rely on her own means for the survival of her son.

There are so many resources and helps for parents out there. The church is leading the way in this by providing ministries for children and their parents that are targeted at enhancing spiritual as well as physical growth.

It is the parent’s responsibility to equip themselves in a way that allows both themselves and their children to succeed in life.

Follow Godly leadership
In verses 13-16 the prophet Elijah instructs this single mother to go ahead and fix the bread for her and her son but to make him a small portion first. By doing that the jar of flour and bowl of oil would never be empty.

This was a simple test of faith. Did she really trust in the guidance and leadership of this man of God? Verse 15 says that there was enough food every day to feed her, her son and Elijah.

There is a reason why the divorce rate among couples that attend church is less than half of that of couples that do not. There is a reason that the graduation rate is higher and pregnancy rate is lower among teenagers who have grown up in church.

There is a right and wrong way to do everything including raising your children. Everyone follows a certain type of leadership but not all of it is Godly. Whose leadership are you following?

Place your children in God’s hands
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
Why did this happen? After all this widow had done for Elijah why would her son die?
It’s amazing how many things we fail to give over to God. We give our lives to Him and call Him Lord but we never let Him in our marriages or in our homes. We don’t trust him with our children or anything else important to us. Those things we want to manage ourselves so we can always keep a firm hold onto them. What we are really doing is not trusting God enough to place those things in His hands.

19 "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" 22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"

This mother had to experience total loss before she placed her child in the arms of God. What are you waiting for?

On February 19, 1979, a small plane crashed into Ontario Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, and a ten-hour story of death, courage, and survival began. The passengers of that Cessna 172 included the pilot, a young woman, an attorney, and his eleven-year-old son. The pilot and the attorney were killed in the crash. The boy said he knew his father was dead when he tried to rouse him and “he wouldn’t wake up.” The boy and the young woman huddled in the snow near the plane for seven hours, hoping to be rescued. Finally they decided they must attempt the treacherous descent of the mountain or freeze to death. Shortly after they began, the woman fell 350 feet to her death. The boy, all 75 pounds of him, was lost and all alone on a mountain in the freezing cold. Bloody and bruised, broken bones in both hands, his father lying dead a few feet away—what was he to do? He never gave up. He slid most of the way down the mountain on the seat of his pants, clutching a stick in his fractured hands. Whenever he began to slide too fast, he wedged the stick in the snow as a brake. About 5 p.m. he was found near a village at the foot of the mountain and rushed to a hospital. Wet, bloody, and exhausted, he was still very much alive.

Before his release from the hospital there was a news conference. The boy encountered a barrage of questions about his ordeal. How did he find the courage to go on? Didn’t he feel like quitting? He answered simply, “I’m alive today because my dad taught me never to give up.”

Your children are learning from you. They are learning to be people. They are learning to be husbands and wives and they are learning to be mothers and fathers. How are you teaching them?

Three Things Every Husband Wants to Hear His Wife Say

I’ve started a series on the family that will cover all the family unit
relationships. The purpose is to encourage families and marriages to be even better than what they currently are. Not saying that they are bad but understanding that every successful marriage takes work and for every “happy ever after” there was a husband and wife who were willing to continue to make their marriage better.

There are three things that every husband wants to hear his say. It’s not an issue of respect, or lack there of, nor is it an issue of one gender being better than another. It’s simply an issue of loving your husband enough to say one of these three things to improve your marriage. I promise it will change your marriage for the better. So, here we go…

1 "You’re the man."

Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said,"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

This is your curse ladies! You may not like it but you can’t leave it. Adam and Eve messed up and it changed the world. It was Eve who took the fruit and passed it on to her husband and it was Adam, who was equally at fault, who did not protect his family.

Both were at fault and both had to suffer the consequences of their actions. For the man it would be working to earn and provide for his family. That is his charge. That is his responsibility. The worst thing a father can be to his family his lazy. Not only is he not fulfilling his obligations to his family but he is also modeling to his children what not to be as a husband and father.

A husband should be hard working and dedicated to the support of his family. I’m not saying that women shouldn’t and couldn’t work. I believe if a woman wants to work outside the home then they should be commended for their additional support to the family but it should also be their choice.

If it’s the man’s responsibility to be the family workforce then it’s the women’s responsibility to be the encouraging and supporting force. If your husband is working to support your family then I promise he wants your encouragement. He wants to know that you support him and are proud of him for what he does.

When the bible says to wives that their husbands will rule over them it is a challenge to the husbands rather a knock against the wives. It’s interpreted as highly disrespectful to women and women often look at a husband trying to be the family leader as the man withholding his love and not appreciating her advice.

God created men and women as equal partners but he also created your family with the man as the intended leader of the home. We believe in and trust the promises found in John 3:16, Eph. 2:8,9, Romans 10: 9-10, John 10:10....why do bug out when we read Eph. 5:22-23?

Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. [24] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

We read the word "Submission" and we go "Ugh!" We don’t like to hear it, especially when a man says it to a woman. Husbands and wives are equals and they are partners but the man is intended to be a leader among equals.

I can see why women who don’t believe in God, Jesus, resurrection and forgiveness of sin would have trouble with Eph. 5.

But for the woman who believes....Ephesians 5:22 is simply God’s instruction to the woman just like Eph. 5:25 is God’s instruction to the man.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

I’ve always said that a wife who is loved and cherished by her husband will have no problem submitting to his leadership as the leader of the home. It’s alright ladies. Tell your husband he’s the man.

2 "Yes we can."

Here’s a surprise. Men and women are different. A woman’s need is to be appreciated and listened to. Experts say that a woman needs 8-10 nonsexual touches a day. Things like having her hand help, a hug or just simply having her husband’s arm around her.

Men on the other hand need sexual touch. Ladies, it’s not just your husband. All men were created that way.

It takes two to tango but only one not to tango. According to the bible husbands and wives have the duty to fulfill each other.

I Corinthians 7:3-4
[3] The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. [4] The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.

Wives if you withhold your body because of revenge, punishment or manipulations you’re messing up biblically. The same thing goes for husbands.

3 Honey, I was wrong, will you forgive me?

Proverbs 27:15 A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; 16 restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.

Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

This post is not meant as a knock against wives but rather as an encouragement. Trust me a post for husbands is coming soon. Ladies, it’s important that you don’t criticize your husband to other people and when you do point out his faults, do it privately and out of love.

Be willing to acknowledge when you have done wrong yourself and don’t be afraid to say you are sorry. Apologizing puts the ball in his court so to speak and puts the responsibility of resolution on his shoulders.

"Let the wife make her husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave." - Martin Luther

The Big Easy

I had the opportunity to go to New Orleans last week as a part of a damage assessment team. My job was to lay the ground work for a team from our church that will be going in August to help with rebuilding.

I was amazed at how much devastation was still there. I was able to tour through some of the most devastated areas and was shocked at what I saw. There is no doubt in my mind that it will be years before the city is restored to a pre-Katrina state. Right now the city is still missing half of its population.

I encourage you to look at the photos below and find a way to get involved in the rebuilding of the city. Volunteer to go on a work trip or find a good reputable charity or ministry to make a donation to. After being there first hand I can honestly say that every little bit helps.

The bible speaks, in Ezekiel, of looking for someone to stand in the gap to rebuild the wall but no one was found. My fear is that many will have the attitude that New Orleans got what they deserved for building a coastal city under sea level. I pray that many will step up into the gap on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people who are still displaced and have lost everything.

Photos from New Orleans

Here are some of the photos I took of the flood area in New Orleans. These were taken in the Lower 9th Ward and in Saint Bernard Perish. Photos don't do it justice but it allows you to see how devastating this storm really was.



Sights like this are still very common. This is a church in Algiers. This area sustained mostly wind damage.













This pile of rubble is what is left of the home that were at "Ground Zero" when the levee broke in the Lower 9th. Every home within about six blocks of the levee was totally washed away.













This is the foundation slab that is left from a home washed away when the levee broke. This actually was a neighborhood in the Lower 9th this time a year ago. There were some homes where not even the foundation was left.













Smashed vehicles like this one, along with boats, are found littered throughout the Lower 9th Ward.













This is a home in the St. Bernard Perish. The water entered one side of the house and then blew out the wall on the other side. There are several homes just like this one.













All of the homes in the flood zone are marked like this. The upper numbers (9-30) are the date the home was searched. The letters and numbers to the left (SA-2) is the unit that searched the home and the number on the bottom (0) is the number of bodies recovered in the home. Unfortunately there were several homes where this bottom number was not 0.













These next two photos are what the inside of the flooded homes look like. Imagine a 30 foot wave of water hitting and flooding your home floating everything around for three weeks and then setting everything as it drains. This is what it looks like.













When our team goes in August our job will be to totally clean out homes like this. Everything has to come out to get rid of the black mold.













This was the way of escape for many people in St. Bernard. The water rose so quickly that people were forced to their attic and had to escape my making a hole in the roof before the attic flooded.















This shrimp boat was located in the middle of a neighborhood in St. Bernard. It gives you an idea of how deep and how much force the water had. This boat was 3/4 to one full mile away from any body of water.

Is the Old Testament Credible?

All people, believers and non-believers alike, need to know whether or not the Old Testament is what it claims to be. Where the books in the Old Testament really written by Moses and the prophets whose names are attached to the works are is it all just a hoax?


There are two types of evidence that can be used to establish the credibility of the Old Testament. Internal evidence is looking within the text itself and external evidence looks at things outside of the text.

Internal Evidence of Authorship
The Old Testament book of Numbers (33:2) tells us that Moses recorded the journeys of the Israelites and he did so by the commandment of God. We read in the book of Exodus, after the battle against Amalek (17:14) that God told Moses to write for a memorial in a book.

In one of his last acts Moses finished writing the book of the law and then commanded the people to put it inside the ark of the covenant so that it would be a continued reminder to the people (Deuteronomy 31:24-26).

The Law is referred to throughout the remainder of the Old Testament. Judges 3:4, II Kings 21:8 and Malachi 4:4 are just a few places in the Old Testament that mention Moses’ writings.

In addition several New Testament writers and Jesus himself support the authorship of Moses on the first five books of the bible – known as the Pentateuch. Matthew 19:7-8, Mark 12:19, Luke 20:28, Acts 3:22 and Romans 10:5 all support the authorship of Moses.

There is also internal evidence for the authenticity of the remainder of the Old Testament. In Matthew 24:15 Jesus validates the authorship of Daniel. He also gives validity of Jonah (Matthew 12:39-40) and Isaiah (Matthew 12:17-21).

External Evidence of Accuracy
Once the Old Testament had been complied it was translated into several various languages. As the years passed the original manuscripts of Moses, the various historians and prophets were used and copied so many times that they eventually disappeared.

Scribes would use ingenious means to guarantee the accuracy of the scroll they were copying. Each scroll contained a count of the number of letters, the number of words, the number of lines, even such significant facts as the middle word or letter. When a copy was made the letters, words, and lines would be counted and double checked against the original. If a difference existed, the entire copy would be checked until the error was located and immediately corrected. If a scroll contained more than the allowed minimum errors it would be destroyed.

In 1947, a revolutionary discovery was made. The Dead Sea scrolls, in the caves at Qumran, were discovered by a shepherd boy. This discovery would yield over 40,000 fragments representing hundreds of scrolls and included every book of the Old Testament except Esther. Some of the fragments represented scrolls that had been written 150 years before Christ, more than a thousand years older than any previously known manuscripts.

Careful examination and comparison of the Qumran scrolls with existing medieval manuscripts revealed a consistency in textual integrity which was unbelievable. There was little noticeable difference between the texts written in 150 B.C. and those written in A.D. 800-900. This evidence supports the accurate preservation of the text.

Amazing Grace

It could be the most popular song in all of Christianity. It has been sung by artist world wide, been in movies and recorded over and over. But do you know the story of the man who wrote the song?

In a corner of the churchyard of Olney Parish Church there is a large tombstone on which the inscription reads: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ preserved, restored and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”

John Newton was the son of a sea captain engaged in Mediterranean trade. His mother died when he was 6, and after several years at school, he joined his father’s ship at the age of 11. Immorality, debauchery and failure followed. Rejected by his father and finally jailed and degraded, he later served on slave ships where he incurred the hatred of his employer’s black wife.

He was eventually brought to his senses by reading “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis, the great German preacher of the 13 and 1400’s. He gave is life to Christ and at the age of 39 he became a minister of the Gospel and was the pastor of the Olney Church for 15 years. He wrote many hymns but the most familiar is:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

What we need more than anything in life is the grace of God. There are three aspects of God’s grace – saving grace, sustaining grace and sanctifying grace.

God’s greatest demonstration of grace is seen in Jesus Christ! Without Jesus there is no grace. He is the very personification of grace.

It is only through a personal relationship with Jesus that a person can find forgiveness and healing. That is saving grace!

God’s grace sustains us as well. Do you realize that people outside of Christ have no assurance of Salvation? People as searching for security, peace and some sort of assurance of eternity but are not finding it.

I am amazed that God sustains my salvation despite my faults and short comings. Even through my failures He sustains me.

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” Romans 4:4-7

That is sustaining grace!

The grace of God should sanctify us. Sanctification is the act of becoming holy and godly. This process should start when we come in contact with God’s grace and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. That’s sanctifying grace!

God Has a Plan

I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing. I was asked to come to the pastor’s office for a “brief” conversation and upon arriving I was told that I was no longer needed at the church and my job had been terminated. I was being fired!

Twelve months earlier I had moved my family from the south side of Oklahoma City to the northwest side to take a position as student pastor at a local church there. It had been an amazing year of student ministry full of trials and triumphs. We had seen the ministry grow to over 100 students and were making preparations for a great summer.

Then I was called to the pastor’s office. Thoughts raced through my mind trying to rationalize the situation, trying to discover what I could have done to deserve this and I was drawing an absolute blank. I even asked what I had done to cost me my job. The pastor’s reply was that I had done nothing wrong. He said that they were proud of me and my ministry but it was time to move in a different direction.

I stumbled out of the office trying to search for the words I would use to explain to my wife and children that I had lost my job. I was in a complete daze when I remembered the words that God had spoken to the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

What could possibly be God’s plan in all this? Fast forward five years from this “event” and I am now pastoring a church on the northwest side of Oklahoma City and God is blessing and growing it at an amazing pace. I became the pastor here in July of 2005 and since that time we have had 65 new members join the fellowship of our church.

Over the past five years God has shown me that not only did He have a plan for my life that it is perfect. After leaving the church in Northwest OKC I realized quickly how much I need God to be involved in my ministry. We like to put matters in our own hands because we can’t stand the feeling of not being in control.

The key to successful Christian living is not us being in control but God being in control and the same is true with ministry. After coming to that conclusion I was called to join the staff at a great church in Miami, OK located in the far northeastern corner of the state. I’m a city guy! I grew up in OKC and had always lived around the OKC metro area. Had I not been in the situation that I was in I never would have been open to moving that far (3 hours) away from “home”.

We lived in Miami for three years and it was there that I felt God calling me away from student ministry to become a pastor. I was fortunate enough to be working with a pastor who understood what I was going through and was willing to mentor me.

Now that I have been back in Oklahoma City for nine months I can look back on that time and see where God did have a plan for that day in June of 2001 and He continues to have a plan for my life now.

Jesus never promised us an easy life. He never said that there wouldn’t be hard times and difficulties in life. In fact, in Matthew 10:16 Jesus says that Christians in the world are like sheep among wolves. All of us will face trouble in life but the difference is whether you have embraced God’s plan for your life and have the faith to live it.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Cracking the Code

A Look at the Da Vinci Code from a Christian persperctive.


On May 19 the world will be exposed to a new look at the formation of the church and the person of Jesus Christ. Many will be deceived into thinking that Jesus Christ was much less than a God figure and that the church is just one big conspiracy and cover-up.

Of course I’m talking about the release of the movie “The Da Vinci Code” based on the best selling novel by Dan Brown. His book has already sold over four million copies and has been translated into several languages and now the movie will bring his message to a whole new audience.

The Code
The Da Vinci Code is described as a complex tale of intrigue and conspiracy. I follows a Harvard professor of religious symbology and a cryptologist for the French version of the FBI as they investigate a mysterious murder and find themselves in the middle of the ancient quest for the Holy Grail. The story is fiction but Brown contends the book is historically accurate and therein lies the problem.

While being interviewed on NBC’s Today Show, Brown was asked, “How much of this is based on reality?” He replied, “Absolutely all of it. Obviously, Robert Langdon (the book’s main character) is fictional, but all the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies – all of that is historical fact.”

Keep in mind that Dan Brown is not a theologian or a church historian. He mixes more fiction than fact in his novel. His theories draw heavily on alternative views of the historic Jesus such as the Gnostic Gospels and the work of the Jesus Seminar. The bible warns against this in II Timothy.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. II Timothy 4:3-4

The Deception
Millions will be deceived when this movie releases because they will think they are watching something on historical fact and the reality is that the movie and the book are nothing but fiction.

The premise of The Da Vinci Code is simple: Jesus was not divine and the church is lying. As people walk away from the movie or when they put down the book they would have been told that Jesus was not divine, that he married Mary Magdalene and had a child with her. You will also discover that it was Jesus’ desire that Mary be the head of the church and that the church has been covering these secrets up, at all cost, for centuries.

This is again addressed in the bible in I Timothy.

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. I Timothy 4:7

You cannot learn theology from a novel and unfortunately that is what many people are doing with this book. The danger is for those people who are “seeking” the truth about God and Jesus Christ. They are under the assumption that what they are reading and watching are historically accurate and it helps them form their view of Jesus and the church.

For anyone who has knowledge of Christian history The Da Vinci Code will leave you scratching your head.

The Answers
There are too many errors in the Da Vinci Code for it to be accepted as historical fact. Here are a few of the errors that I came across.

* The pagan religion Wicca was invented during World War II and has no relics.

* Constantine never commissioned a new Bible.

* Brown claims that Paris was founded by the Merovignan royal family; the city was actually founded by Celtic Gauls called the Parisii in the third century BC.

* He claims that Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire but that didn’t happen until Theodosius in the late fourth century.

* Brown says that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the 1950’s (page 234. They were actually found in 1947. He also refers to these scrolls as among “the earliest Christian records” (page 245). These scrolls are Jewish, with nothing Christian in them.

*He says that “Jewish decorum” would have forbidden “a Jewish man to be unmarried” (page 245). This just isn’t true. The Essene community that stored the Dead Sea scrolls was made up of unmarried male celibates.

* Brown states that Jesus was not considered divine until the Council of Nicea (page 233). This is not true either. The Old Testament makes it abundantly clear that He was divine and the early church fathers attested to this fact as well, years before this council even met.

* He also states that the divinity of Jesus was established by a “relatively close vote” at Nicea (page 233). But only two of more than 300 church leaders voted against the creed, that is a long way away from a close vote.

* It also says on page 341 that, “Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith – acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove.” It should be noted that Christianity is a religion in and of history. Archeology has verified the bible’s accuracy and reliability over and over. To date, over 25,000 sites have been discovered which establish the accuracy of innumerable details in the bible.

* Brown actually gets the most important name in the book wrong. Leonardo Da Vinci was not, is not, called Da Vinci. Da Vinci means “from Vinci.” Art history books, dissertations, librarians, scholars – none of them refer to the artist as Da Vinci, but Leonardo. As Welborn notes, calling him Da Vinci is really like referring to Jesus as “Of Nazareth.” Getting the name of the central character wrong is enough to douse anyone’s inner spark.

If you are a person who is seeking the truth about Jesus Christ, God and the church then you need to know that the answers are found in the bible and Christian literature not in fiction.

The Reaction
Should Christians read The Da Vinci Code and see the movie? Yes, because this movie is an amazing opportunity for the church to step up and respond. As believers and defenders of our faith in Jesus Christ we should look for non-confraternal ways to reach out to people and show them the difference that a relationship with Jesus Christ can make in their lives. This book and movie will give Christians everywhere the opportunity to talk with people about the real Jesus. I just pray that they make the most of that opportunity.

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. I Peter 3:15

Crisis of Faith and Obedience

In the book of Numbers chapter 13 the Israelites have reached the borders of the land of Canaan. God instructed them to send spies into the land to see that it really was as good as He had promised (verse 19). They were also instructed to see how the people of the land lived, whether in the open, in tents, or in fortified cities.

The spies stayed in the land forty days and discovered that is was a prosperous land just as God had promised. They were able to cut such a large and heavy cluster of grapes that two men carried it on a pole between them.

Verses 27-29 record the report the spies gave to the congregation of Israel. Only Joshua and Caleb insisted that by obeying the Lord they could take the land. Unfortunately the people listened to the ten spies who said that it was an impossible task that God had asked them to do.

How many times have you failed to follow God’s plan or will for your life because you thought it was too difficult? History is dotted with the stories or ordinary people who did extraordinary things with their lives because they allowed God to do through them the things that were impossible for them to do on their own.

However history is full of ordinary men and women who remained ordinary because they did not have the faith to be obedient to God in the face of difficulty.

In the next chapter (14) we find the people of Israel are angry at Moses and at God because God is testing their faith and obedience. They became determined to appoint another leader and return to Egypt (verse 4). They were willing to go back and be slaves instead of show absolute faith in the God that had led them to this point without fail.

As idiotic as that sounds to you and I are often no different when we decided not to follow God for various reasons. We return to the slavery of ourselves and selfish desires every time we turn away from God.

God was ready to destroy the Israelites for their lack of faith and disobedience but Moses interceded for them. Because of Moses’ intercession God pardoned the people. You and I also have someone who intercedes on our behalf when we are disobedient. Jesus Christ becomes our advocate. His death on the cross made pardon for our sins which is all the more reason to be obedient.

Because of his love for us and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross we do have forgiveness and redemption for our spiritual failures but there will still be consequences to our disobedience.

Because of the people’s lack of faith none of those twenty years old and up, who had complained against the Lord, would not see the promised land (verses 29-32).

The numbered men were 600,000. Over the next thirty-eight years and a half, which is 14,508 days in the wilderness, the Israelites would see the death of forty-two or forty-three men a day, three to four men an hour. The next thirty-eight and a half years in the wilderness would be a constant funeral, a sad reminder of their lack of faith and obedience.

What is your crisis of faith? I pray that it leads you to strength and obedience instead of disobedience. Have the faith to cross the river and understand that God will not send you anywhere alone nor will he lead you to failure.

Learning How to Worship from Leviticus

The book of Leviticus contains no time span but it does give the means by which Israel could have access and fellowship with God. We can learn from the Israelites and the guidelines that God put before them in regards to the areas of worship and our personal relationship with God.

Chapters 1 through 7 details the way offerings and sacrifices are to be made. We can learn from that in the sense that many of us struggle to give to the church or to God if it involves sacrifice. Whether we are giving of our time or our money it is an act of worship and worship should involve sacrifice. In fact if it doesn’t then what is it worth to God? Have you truly made him Lord of your life if you only worship when it is convenient?

Chapter 8 contains the record of the preparation for Aaron and his sons to enter the office of high priest and the priestly offices. This was the final step in putting the worship system in place and the Lord affirms the new system in chapter 9.

24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

God is not random. He is organized and it is all for a purpose. There are specific ways we are supposed to do things. He has organized a way of life that allows us to make the most of everything from the way we relate to people to the way we relate to Him. That is why He gave the law to the Israelites so that they would learn how to live under His guidance.

God responded in fire because they were about to enter the land of Canaan and the inhabitants there believed that the pagan god Baal was the god of fire. By using this response the Israelites would know that it was their God, Jehovah, who was not only the God of fire but the God of all.

God even has a specific order for our worship. He doesn’t desire our worship for our glorification but for His. When we come to worship we should make the focus about Him and Him alone.

In Chapter 10 we find Aaron’s two sons bringing an “unauthorized” fire before the Lord in opposition to what He had commanded. It was not an offering to the Lord and it was not a sacrifice. Aaron’s sons brought the offering in order to bring attention on themselves and their new positions in the priestly office and thy paid the ultimate price for it.

1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

We cannot worship God on our own terms. God has put all things in order and worship is one of those things. When we try to customize our own way of worship we take the focus off of God and put in on ourselves. In essence we are making the same mistake the Nadab and Abihu made.

Resurrection – Fact or Fiction

The Resurrection is the supreme miracle of Christianity -- it’s at the very heart of the faith. If it never happened, Christianity collapses into mythology and billions of people have been deceived. If it did happen, it authenticates everything Jesus did and said -- and believers have the guarantee of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Jesus staked His entire reputation on the Resurrection -- if it didn’t happen, everything that Jesus said and did is open to question.

I would like to present you three pieces of evidence, that when taken together, will provide convincing proof that Jesus rose from the dead.

1. The Empty Tomb

The Bible teaches that after Jesus was crucified Jesus his body was wrapped in linen cloth and placed in a solid rock tomb. A very large stone, estimated to weigh about 2 tons, was then rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb.

After this boulder was in place, a contingent of up to 16 Roman soldiers was assigned to secure the tomb. Some pictures you may have seen show one or two men standing around in mini-skirts, holding a spear in their hands. That’s simply not the case. These were trained soldiers assigned to protect the area.

Matthew 27:66 tells us that in addition to the Roman guard, they put a tamper-proof official Roman seal on the stone. Anyone who made it past the Roman soldiers would then have to break this seal, thus incurring the wrath of the Roman law.

In spite of all these precautions – the stone, the soldiers, and the seal – the tomb was empty that first Easter morning!

Critics down through the years have not been able to refute the empty tomb -- instead they’ve come up with other possibilities. Maybe the disciples stole the body? But this seems far-fetched when you consider that this group of cowards would have had to overpower armed soldiers, roll away a two-ton boulder, dispose of the body, and then manufacture a myth about His resurrection -- a myth that they gave their lives for.

Another possibility would be that the religious leaders disposed of the body. But, this has some serious flaws as well. If they had removed the body, all they would have had to do is parade the remains through the streets of Jerusalem and they would have derailed Christianity from the very start. But, they couldn’t produce the body because the body was no longer dead.

Christianity rises or falls on the empty tomb. It is the one silent and infallible witness. Critics cannot explain it away. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then where is the body? Leaders of every other religion died and stayed dead. That’s not the case with Jesus. He claimed that He would rise from the dead on the third day -- and that’s exactly what He did. The empty tomb validates His claim.

2. Multiple Witnesses

The most outstanding proof that Jesus rose from the dead is that more than 515 eyewitnesses saw him on 12 different occasions.

Acts 1:3
“After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Jesus gave unquestionable proof that He was alive! After His resurrection, He made an appearance to a woman in the cemetery. Later that same day, He walked through a closed door and talked with his frightened followers who were huddled in Jerusalem. In the evening, he walked side by side with two men as they made their way down a road. The bible tells us that he spoke with over 500 people after his resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:3-6
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”

3. Changed Lives

Those who met the Resurrected Jesus have had their lives totally transformed. The Resurrection is validated by the changed lives of His followers.

After Jesus was put to death his disciples hid behind locked doors out of fear but something changed them. These ordinary men were transformed from frightened wimps into one of the most effective missionary organizations the world has ever seen. What motivated them to go everywhere and proclaim the message of the risen Christ? Was it for money? Power? Fame? No!

Every one of them had come from doubt to determination, from confusion to conviction, from fear to faith. Look at how they died and determine if you think that they were making up the resurrection.
• Matthew was killed in Ethiopia
• Mark was dragged through the streets until he was dead
• Peter, Simeon, Andrew, and Philip were crucified
• James was beheaded
• Bartholomew was flayed alive
• Thomas was pierced with lances
• James, the less, was thrown from the temple and stoned to death
• Jude was shot to death with arrows
• Paul was boiled in hot oil and beheaded

The only thing that could have possibly changed their lives so dramatically was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Every one of these guys could have lived if they had said just one statement: “He is dead.” But they refused because they knew He was alive!

Not only did the resurrected Christ impact this group of individuals, His life-changing power has transformed people from the third decade of the first century down through today. The combined testimony of changed lives attributed to the risen Christ runs into the billions.

Jesus has changed my life. And I know that He has changed many of yours as well.

How do you explain away the empty tomb? Second, how do you argue against multiple witnesses? Finally, how do you get away from the fact that the Resurrected Christ changes lives?

My First Easter as a Pastor

I just experienced my first Easter Sunday as a pastor and what an amazing experience it was. Our church hosted an Easter breakfast for church members and the neighborhood. It was difficult to count how many people showed up for the breakfast because there were a lot of people moving around but there were well over 60 people there.

After the breakfast we had an Easter egg hunt on for children on the church lawn. It was pretty successful. We had enough children there that we had to break them into four different age groups and do separate hunts.

The hunt led into our worship service which was the largest service we have had a Mayfair since I became pastor. There were 151 people in attendance! I know it is Easter and everyone goes to church on Easter and Christmas but considering that we were in the 50’s and 60’s in attendance less than a year ago we have come a long way.

We had a family join the church at the end of the service as well. The Lord has really blessed our work at Mayfair and we are experiencing both spiritual and physical growth from it. Thank you for your prayers and support for our ministry.

The Gospels vs. the gospel of Judas

There has been a lot of noise regarding the gospel of Judas and its contradiction to the four Gospels in the bible. Before you rush to refute the bible based on this newly released ancient manuscript that portrays Judas as the best friend of Christ let me give you a few facts.

No one knows who wrote the gospel of Judas. It is linked to a sect of second century Gnostics. The biblical Gospels were written by four men who were with Jesus during his three years of public ministry, saw him betrayed, crucified and witnessed his resurrection first hand.


The gospel of Judas could be dated as late as A.D. 180 whereas the latest possible date for the biblical Gospels is A.D. 70. With over 100 years difference the possibility of the gospel of Judas being a fist hand account is next to nothing. So if you are truly seeking the truth about the accounts of Christ in the bible who would you listen to, someone who was an actual witness or someone who passed down second hand information a century later?

There are many alternate accounts of the life of Christ! There are many contradictions out there in but they haven’t passed the test of time. That is why they were not canonized and why they were not included in the biblical scriptures.

I believe that the biblical account of Judas is accurate and true. I also believe that every man/woman should make their own decisions regarding the validity of the bible but that they should all be fully informed as well.

Fellowship

I preached on fellowship yesterday. Unfortunately for most people when they think of fellowship in connection with the church the first thing that comes to mind is the image of food. However, that is a far cry from what the bible describes as fellowship.

In his book “The Body” Chuck Colson states the following:

Surveys show that the number one thing people look for in a church is fellowship. But what most modern westerners seek is a far cry from what the Bible describes and what the early church practiced. No term in the Christian lexicon is more abused than fellowship.

A biblical description of fellowship is found in the book of acts describing the early church. Acts 2:42-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

In the New Testament the word fellowship literally means “a communion”, a participation of people together in God’s grace. When we have fellowship it should be based on the fact that we live for and serve Jesus Christ.

Here are three of the benefits that we receive from fellowshipping with other believers.

1. Fellowship meets a basic human need, people to live with.
2. Fellowship provides us a family for living.
3. Fellowship gives us an emotional benefit, support.

We talk about having the light, “Well, I used to do so-and-so but I saw the light and now I don’t do that anymore.” Paul talks in the book of Ephesians about having eyes of our heart enlightened or illuminated. Even the cartoonist describes a thought as a little light bulb. To say that God is light means there is nothing that God does not know either about us or about anything else.

Morally it speaks of the holiness of God. If you wanted to use one word to describe God it would be Holy. The bible says, “Be holy as I am holy.” God is absolutely holy! John said, “God is light.” That is a positive. Then he uses the negative, “In Him is no darkness at all.”

In the Greek it’s a double negative. There is no, not any, none, not a shed of darkness in God at all. The basis of fellowship is this light.

If we are to have fellowship with God, we must walk in the light, we must walk in the light because God is light.

As far as the service itself we had a ton of people out sick. There has been a stomach virus going around OKC, my family and I had it all week, and we only had 69 people in worship.

The big news of the day is that it seems as if our church has found a worship minister. When I came to Mayfair as pastor last July there were no staff members here. We have since call a youth minister, missions and outreach minister and a family minister but we have struggled in finding a worship minister.

After much prayer and consideration several committees got together and met with a man yesterday afternoon for the second time and decided to recommend that our church call him as our minister or worship. I am really happy and excited about this!

Changing Directions

I have decided to rethink my approach to this blog. My original attempt was to provide a place for people to find ministry helps, devotions and church/ministry links. While I believe it was a good idea I just didn’t have the time, or talent, to make that work. That is why it has set without any updates for over a month.

So I’ve decided to make Abundant Living my personal blog about the life of a small church pastor. I will be a place for me to rant, vent and share. It’s also a good way to help keep family and friends up on what God is doing at our church and in my life. If you think about it there really is no greater life than one lived in the will of God. That truly is the abundant life!

After serving as a youth minister for almost thirteen years I surrendered to pastor my first church in July of last year. It was a struggle for my family and I. We had lived in a small town in northeastern Oklahoma for the last three years and we loved it. We served at a great church and were in charge of a great ministry in a great community. Even though I had felt the Lord calling me and had surrendered to pastoral ministry almost two years earlier I never thought I would be a pastor this early in my life. I honestly planned to stay in student ministry until well into my forties but here I was at age 31 being called to pastor a church.

Saying yes would mean moving my family back to Oklahoma City and taking over a church that was smaller in attendance than what I currently had in my student ministry. The first Sunday I preached at Mayfair we had 43 people in our worship. I can remember questioning my decision to move here while I was preaching the message.

God has been faithful to our calling and to our church. He has blessed us with over 40 new members in the last eight months. Needless to say it has been a tremendous blessing the way God has blessed our church with growth especially for my family. When we first arrived at Mayfair there were no children the same ages as mine. Now there are enough children that we have the need to begin a children’s church program.

Last month members from Mayfair served on the mission field as five members from our church went to Panama for a week. Two members from other churches even tagged along with us.

To this point things have been good and I pray that they keep getting better. I am sure the struggles will come along the way but Jesus never promised us the easy life it was the abundant life that he promised and desires to freely give.

Panama Day Four

Monday January 30th
We went as far into the jungle as we could today. We walked (100 yards) until we found an opening in the foliage and there were homes on the other side of the opening.

We checked out of the Allbrook Inn first thing this morning then we went to pick up a few last minute souvenirs. The major thing that friends and family request for me to bring home is coffee, so we made a stop at a local grocery store.

We spent the majority of the day in La Rivera with Pastor Eduardo and we have everything planned out for our trip in March now. His church will be starting 40 Days of Purpose the week we are there and has asked our group to help with a Gospel distribution in the areas surrounding the church.

His church meets in his home which is placed in a growing suburb and the goal of the March trip will be to help start cell groups within that community. The church will also be holding a revival that week and the pastor invited me to preach the revival services. I was really honored and am looking forward to the opportunity.

After we had finished meeting and praying with Pastor Eduardo we went to eat and then checked into a new hotel. Tonight Eric and I are staying at the Riande Hotel which is a serious upgrade from where we have been this week. We met with the hotel manager and negotiated a rate for our group in March. I was pleased with the rate and we got breakfast included as well.

This evening we set around tonight in the hotel restaurant brain storming for Vacation Bible School and beyond.

In all this has been a very productive trip. Everything is set for the mission group in March and Eric and I are anxious to get home to our families. Our flight leaves at 10:25 in the morning and we land in Oklahoma City at 4:00 p.m.

Photos From Panama, Day Four

This is the view from the end of the jungle. Well, at least the end of the 100 yards or so that we walked.


This is me with Pastor Eduardo and one of our volunteers when our group arrives in March Aunna.

This is Pastor Eduardo's house which is also the church he pastors.

This is a photo of some of the ruins of old Panama City.

Ahhh, the ride home. It is just over four hours from Panama City to Houston, TX and then another hour to OKC.

Back at the Will Rogers World Airport in OKC.

My wife and oldest son waiting on me in baggage claim.

Panama, Day 3

Sunday January 29,

Today was a crazy long day! Eric and I left this morning to cross the isthmus from Panama City to Colon. Panama City is located on the Pacific Ocean side (West coast) and Colon is on the Caribbean side (East Coast). The trip across took about and hour and fifteen minutes. Before we left Eric and I took a brief stroll into the jungle… er… rain forest. I would like to go a little further tomorrow morning.

Colon reminds me a lot of the Bahamas. It is quite different from Panama City. There is still a lot of poverty there and the crime rate is high. However, there was a huge difference in our worship experience. We actually met in a church building! This was the first time I have worshipped in Panama in an actual building that was built as a church. All of my previous experiences have been in homes, apartments or abandoned buildings.

This is Eric’s first trip to Panama and my fourth so when we were asked which one of us was going to share in church it was his turn. Speaking through a translator is more difficult than you would think and it is an experience that every volunteer missionary needs to experience.

The service lasted just over two hours and afterwards we took the local pastor out to eat at McDonalds. It’s amazing how in America we even take McDonalds for granted. The pastor was humbled and very appreciative of us taking him out to eat there. I ordered fried chicken there. I have never seen fried chicken on a McDonalds menu in the United States but they have it here. I have a photo to prove it!

After lunch we took a drive around the city of Colon and to the shoreline. There were some massive waves there as well as several ships who were waiting to enter the Panama Canal or who had just come out of the Canal.

When we got back to the Pacific side of Panama we had almost an hour and a half to visit the Panama Canal. This was my fourth visit to the canal and Eric’s first. The Panama Canal is a once in a lifetime attraction. It is an amazing man made piece of work but you really only need to see it once in your life time. It was cool seeing the big ships pass through.

We took the missionaries out to eat dinner tonight to show them our appreciation of their work. They are retiring at the end of the year after serving the Lord for 20 years in the Republic of Panama. I really love the country of Panama and enjoy it every time I come down here but I can’t imagine living here for 20 years. That is a huge sacrifice.

We went out to eat dinner at an open air sea food restaurant on the Bay of Panama. It has an amazing view and some of the best sea food I have ever eaten.

Tomorrow is our last day of work before heading home on Tuesday. Stay tuned!

Today I am thankful for…
• My salvation
• My family
• My ministry
• Grace
• God’s creation

Photos From Panama, Day 3

Here is a photo from our walk in the jungle. It was located on the back side of the Albrook. We didn't go very far, just enough to get the photo.
This is the view from the back of the church in Colon. From here you can see the homes and landscape that surround the church. If you have ever visited the Bahamas this view will look familiar.
This is what the inside of the church in Colon looks like. It was the first time I had been in a church in Panama that was actually built to be a church.
Eric and the kids are all smiles as he passes out bubble gum after church.
Value meal number 8 at McDonalds. Fried chicken, medium fries and a drink.
The pastor of the Colon church and me.
These are the ships coming out of the Panama Canal on the Atlantic side.
This is the view if you turn around from looking at the ships in the bay. It's quite a different view when you turn around.
Here is a ship coming into the Panama Canal on the Pacific side. It takes about 48 hours for a ship to pass completely through the canal.
Here is the same ship from the same view. Notice how much lower it is. In this lock the ships are lowered 25 feet.
These gates open up and allow the ships to pass through to another lock to be lowered another 25 feet.
Even the ship's crew find going through the canal interesting. Notice how close the ship is to the side. There are only two feet of clearance on each side of the ship.

Panama, Day 2

Sorry that I skipped a day in posting but being gone for five days has left me way behind with office stuff. Here are my thoughts from our second day in Panama.

Saturday January 28

I have pretty much decided that this is not the hotel that our group will be staying in when we come in March. It’s not because for some strange reason the television came on at 4:00 in the morning or because the construction workers were busy just outside our door at 6:00 this morning. Actually this hotel isn’t that bad. It has comfortable beds and a hot shower. What more could you ask for?

The reason why we will not be staying here is because there is one that is closer to the area where we will be working when we come in March. I have stayed there before and I know first hand that it is a nice hotel. Eric and I will stay there Monday night because it is close to the airport as well.

We started the day by going to grab a cup of coffee (hot chocolate for me) with the missionary. Then we went and surveyed the area where we will be working in March. It is a middle class suburb by the airport called El Rivera. There are around 500 homes there and only one evangelical church. We met the pastor’s wife today and were able to pray with her and do some strategic planning for our trip. We will be walking the neighborhoods surrounding the church, that meet’s in the pastor’s home, distributing copies of the Gospel of John and searching for people who would be interested in starting a bible study group in their homes. Our goal is to go to 100 homes each day for 5 days.

This area is so much different than the areas of Panama City where I have worked before. This is my fourth trip to Panama and for the first three we worked in the El Chorrilo area of Panama City. El Chorillo is a very poor and run down part of the city. There are a lot of drugs there as well as gangs. There is a great need for ministry there but it is hard to keep established ministries going due to lack of funding and volunteers.

After meeting with the pastor’s wife (the pastor is away on a trip) we left El Rivera and headed to Chorillo where Eric and I were able to help with a woman’s ministry meeting that was promoting an Ann Graham (Billy’s sister) crusade in Panama City later on this spring.

After leaving there we went to the missionaries’ home to fill out the official request form for our trip in March. It took about an hour to complete. Now I have to go home and reply to the request I helped make.

Next, it was time for dinner. We went to the bus station/mall where there is a food court. We spent an hour eating and shopping before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

On a side note let me just say this. I’m a cold weather kind of person. I love the winter time. I love the snow and the bitter cold. IT’S STINKING HOT DOWN HERE! The heat and the humidity take a lot out of you. I’ve been here several times before, yet I’m always caught off guard by the tropical heat.

Things I’m thankful for today…
• My Salvation
• My family
• E-Mail (so I can keep in touch with my family)
• People who have so little and yet give so much
• Missonaries