Walking with Jesus

We are politically conservative, Bible-believing Christians. We are a reflection of the hopes and aspirations of our Founding Fathers. We pay our bills and buy our groceries without foodstamps (when we can). We believe in the Constitution, in prayer, and in a strong defensive military. We like small government and the right to speak our minds freely and defend our homes. We believe murders should be executed because God says so. We believe in saving the baby humans and outlawing abortion on demand. We don't believe in a Welfare State. We don't trust career politicians from any party. We don't want the federal government to make us all equal or control education (indoctrination). We don't believe in taxpayer-funded sin. We don't believe minority views should control all of us. We don't want a President who appeals to liberals and 'moderates'. We are the majority. This is our country too.

A few days ago I had a conversation with a member of my family and God gave me a phrase that I've been reflecting on since Christmas: We need to try to live in a PG world. I'm not going to suggest that this is easy to do (the world is absolutely not PG rated). But, it is at least attemptable. If you are a Christian, I want to challenge you to consider the influences you allow to shape your heart and your soul. If you are not a follower of Jesus, I want you to consider that maybe the compromise you see so many "Christians" have with the world isn't what God intends for us. We aren't reflecting the reality we claim to believe, and it is largely because we want to be entertained by worldly things. So, Christians... I am providing an action list. It isn't in any particular order, and I really don't need to tell you how these things affect our hearts. However, if you feel something on this list is too extreme (is that possible in a faith where a perfec

Life is lived moment by moment, by moment; Don't miss yours. Yesterday and Tomorrow are about potential: one lacking and the other unending, but it is Today that matters. Today is as close to eternity as we will ever be as long as we live. Today is when we interact with life. Today is where God speaks to us. And, while all of our days are Today from God's eternal perspective, only the moment we have right now meets Eternity from ours. What are we doing? What are we thinking about? Why are we where we are, when we are, today ? Hebrews (chapter 3 and 4) talks about Today , as an opportunity, a moment to decide. Will we hear God's voice, no matter what other noise is going on? Will we enter His rest, no matter how easy it would be to harden our hearts? Will we know God's ways, even when our hearts want to stray? Will we "exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin"  (3:13) ? Wh

...Of course, these are a lot more impressive than ours!

Light ran ahead of me as I walked through the door. Why was it behind me and not a guide before? I turned around, repentant, and rewalked the road, Thinking I was now doing as I had been told. But, now I was light-blind, I could not see my step, And stumbling I stopped still, halted; stumbling I wept. I waited, and waited, until His voice I heard Like a whisper, a breathe, hardly even a word: "Walk. Follow with your ears, not your eyes," He began. So I followed His voice, not my sight, and I ran. Sometimes light, before me, guided me on my way. Sometimes light, from behind, pushed back darkness with day. He was a lover, a refuge drawing me in. Sometimes He was warrior, and I served as His friend. Light behind, we both fought; Light before, we had rest. His voice, not my sight, was the true guide to His best.

{{Notes from 11-20-2001}} Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. There he witnessed to who he was. Some opposed him openly; others believed in him. But, were they really his disciples? John 8:31-38: (NKJV) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”  Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with[a] your father.” This passage can be difficu

This was Olivia's birthday, but we were driving, and the road between Abilene and Albuquerque is a little short on internet reception. So, even though it is dated to her birthday, it was actually late. Sorry. I love you, Olivia! You're my favorite. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!(whew!!!!!!!!!!!(almost there)!!!!!!!!(just a little more)!!!!!!!

1,900 days later! I am so blessed!

I don't know when the last time I said this to you was, or even if I ever have: Thank you for reading my blog. Sometimes it feels like I've just got to speak out about something, or like I want to share something I am excited about, or perhaps even make someones day just a little bit better. Having this blog, and you as a reader, gives me a way to do that. So, thanks for listening to me as I seek the Lord Jesus, fight against Halloween, share a sermon, or simply ramble. I hope it blesses you as much to know how much I appreciate your checking in, and I hope something I say blesses you as well.

 . Genesis 16:1-15 1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.   5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me.” 6 So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.   7 Now t

. It isn't those who don't know any better who frustrate me. It isn't the non-believers; they just make me sad. It isn't even believers who don't know any better; they just need to hear the truth. It's those who do know better and still refuse to abstain. It's those who know Halloween is wrong and still participate. They create alternatives . Why? If you really think Haloween is ok, why do you need to create an alternative option? What is the purpose of a Fall Festival, or a Trunk-or-Treat at church? (We don't have Spring Festivals, do we?) It is to provide an alternative for something we know is wrong . But, that is still participation. We want the pleassure without the guilt. Is it really so much to ask that we simply opt out? Of course, I'd love it if we all really took a stand for God and shared the truth about Halloween, but at the very least we could do nothing. But, we make up excuses for our self-gratification, a self-gratification on

. I think this is a good quesiton for us to ask ourselves, and one most Christians have never considered: Does Jesus celebrate Halloween? Does he see it as just a fun thing to do? Or, does he have reject it because of it's false religious roots ? Notice, this is not just a theorhetical exercise! According to the Bible and the Christian Faith, Jesus is alive today, and he has a real opinion about Halloween . The question is not " would he?" but " does he?". The reality of Halloween's origins are not hard to find . But, most of us simply do not bother. Why is this? Are we really convinced that it is an innocent celebration, or do we simply want to do things our way without feeling guilty if Halloween isn't something God would have us participate in. Even The History Channel recognizes that Halloween is a "blended" holiday, a compromise between the Catholic church and the pagan, Celtic world. Why won't so many Jesus followers see at lea

. See this film . Skip the previews. This movie was one of the best I have seen, from beginning to end. If we lived our lives like this movie challenges us to our world would be a much better place. I cannot give it high enough marks. In fact, the only thing I didn't like about it was the previews. We had to talk to the theater manager about them, because they were so inappropriate.  .

. We are being played. Read the headlines. Follow the news. Trail the "violence." Sex on the street, protestors in muppet costumes, people being paid $20+/hour to carry a picket sign... It's all a joke, an intentional re-staging of the 60's. The only thing missing (so far) are the assasinations. Why? Why the set up? Because the forces in power want to stay in power. They want us so scared that we are afraid to stand, afraid to vote for the best candidate (who btw is not a governor), afraid to actually think that the Tea Party folks may have a point; they may actually be right. Blame the Democrats. Blame the Rhino Republicans. Blame the Administration. Blame the Inside-the-Beltway Politicians. Blame CNN. Blame the Masons or MTV. Blame Hollywood, the Main Stream Media, the Illuminati, Radical Islam, or Dan Brown. OR... Or, stop blaming and start praying. Stop following the crowd and start seeking the Lord.  Does the world seem like it is going crazy? Are you

. Ephesians 6:11-13: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ok, let's get this straight. I believe in the inspiration of the Bible and this has certain necessary consequences. One of these consequences is belief in a certain story of history: God created the world (including humanity) as described. God destroyed the world in a global flood. God saved one family through that flood, Noah's. All of us, all over the world, come from Noah. So, if we all come from the same family, why are there so many religions? Well, obviously everyone on the boat knew who God was. Genesis 7:16 says   &quo

. Mark 3:22-27 : And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons .”  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man . And then he will plunder his house. . . Jesus was casting out demons. Do we truly realize how important it was that he did this? Or, do we simply look past it as something we believe because it is in the Bible, yet has no real application to our life today? Worse yet, do we write it off as a fiction, something that didn't really happen, just an expression of limited scientific understanding? I just saw it's importance 

. As we speak, Olivia is outside. It's a little cool, but Gracey really needed some groom. So, my sweet wife bundled up both her and Gracey and there they are, working it out. I cannot imagine our life without this little fury blessing. I certainly cannot imagine my life without her "Mama." . 

. What has been the most challenging and/or rewarding event in your ministry? I spent two years in Africa as a church planter and evangelist in the midst of my Master's work. I lived in a concrete house with a tin roof in the middle of a Maasai village. I learned to weld so I could install solar panels and have limited electricity during my second year there. I was alone most of the time, surrounded by people who didn't speak English, and when the drought ended if I had a shower it was cold. During that time I had occasion to eat rice with feces in it, drink after a man who spit a logy into my tea to cool it off, and bury a little boy beside whose doctor decided to take him off his IV because the doctor wanted to go home early and whose father didn’t want his body. Fully two-thirds of the days I spent in Africa were terribly hard. Yet, they were the most challenging and most rewarding days of ministry I have experienced to date and I wouldn’t trade a single one for any other

. Olivia and I have a few blogs we follow. One of them is by a man named Nathan. You can read more about his story , including the struggles his family has faced and the wonderful way God has provided for them and given them the grace they needed to trust in the Lord at Confessions of a CF Husband . But, today I want you to read his recent blog posting for a particular reason. I want you to read it because he is taking a stand (in his own small way) against the kind of teaching that " tickles the ears " of our worst impulses as fallen human beings. Then, I want to encourage you to join Nathan somehow, perhaps through your encouragement, perhaps in prayer, or perhaps by contacting Pat Robertson at CBN to let him know how disappointed you are at this public abandonment of marital commitment and the eternal holiness God desires for us in preference for the shallow and temporary happiness of man. Then, I want to encourage you to say a prayer for the man mentioned in the video

. 9-11 8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel. 9 All the people will know — Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria— Who say in pride and arrogance of heart: 10 “ The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars .” 11 Therefore the LORD shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on, 12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts. 14 Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day. 15 The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. 16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed. 17 Theref

I dreamt I was standing on an empty stage. There were no props. No scenery. No frame of reference. Just me. Very often in life when our faith is confronted we also have no frame of reference. All we bring with us is our internal compass. We have no props or scenery, no other actors on the stage, just the bare background of life itself. When life happens, when we are confronted, what will we say? I think people should be able to do what they want to do. That may surprise you, because you know that I am a follower of Jesus, but I think people should be free to make whatever choices they want to make. However, where I differ from the world is in this: I believe there should be consequences for those choices, and I believe our Creator has the privilege of determining those consequences. What would the world be like if we actually allowed God to be in charge (as He will be someday). What would it look like if the holiness code of the Bible was code for real life. What if kidnapping, r

. First, thank you for your prayers as Olivia and I travelled to California for my first week of school and as Olivia travelled back by herself after the weekend. (Brave Girl!) The week went well, and I think I'm getting back into the swing of graduate studies. These studies are, of course, beyond anything I have ever done, but I am excited about them. Now, I need a different kind of prayer. I want to learn. I want to soak up the material, engage it, and be able to speak cogent ly (isn't that a fun word?) as I engage the theological community in defense of the truth of the Word of God and the reality of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I want to engage the Bible and these studies thoughtfully as I follow the Lord down this path, but I don't want to loose the ability to communicate effectively with 'regular' people. I want to be a good student, a good academic; but I also need to be a good husband and leader for our family, and effective minister (more on that in t

A few days ago I had a dream. I was observing a church-based radio broadcast and call-in show with a guest speaker (not me). A young man named Chris was fielding phone calls on the air with questions about persecution and the end times, and how they relate (over against how many have been taught to think they relate). If you are a believer, I am sure you can sometimes feel the clock ticking as I can. He had an emotional moment in one call and suddenly handed the headset and mic to me. Praying even as I took it, I preached without notes from Matthew 24, Daniel, and Revelation for about 15 minutes. One phrase the Lord gave me as I preached summed it up as far as End Time Persecution: Before heaven comes down to earth, earth will be more like hell than it has ever been before. That isn't an overstatement, but it isn't meant to panic anyone either. It is just what it is going to be like. The world is dividing light and dark. Some of us (in spite of our own evil hearts) have been

. I am beginning a new chapter in life in two weeks: I am going back to school. Ok, so I guess I've already begun. (There is a lot of reading and writing to do before I get there.)   I am starting at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in the Master of Theology program, an advanced degree with a 90-hour-Masters as its pre-requisite! The goal is to matriculate to the PhD program next year, so I am taking a couple of doctoral level classes and trying to remember my Hebrew. I will be travelling to California for classes each month until I find a job on the West Coast. Olivia and I are excited (and nervous) about the change, but we need to make it. She will be going with me this trip, because we have an interview with a church on the Sunday before classes start. Once I do find employment, we will be finishing our home improvements here, selling our house, and hauling ourselves across the West. So, why would we do this, you ask? Well, because we believe God has spoken to us,

OT Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-8 NT Reading: Philippians 4:6-7 “So do not start worrying: Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes? (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things." (Matthew 6:31-33, The Pew Bibles at City Light are GNT.) The word ‘ so’ in our version is the same as the word ‘therefore’ in other translations, as in “Hmmm... What is this word THERE FOR?” To find out, we will look at the larger context of the passage. These verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount which begins in chapter 5, “Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them,” and ends at Matthew 7:28-29, “When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowd was amazed at the way he t