Guest Post

I love Christmas! It is always a joyful time of year, and all the once-a -year things we do make it especially fun. Most importantly, though, that is the time of year that we celebrate Jesus' birth. The world, however, seems to have come up with all sorts of ways to celebrate Christmas without actually saying anything about Jesus' birth, which is the real reason to celebrate. They might like it that way too (or think they do), but it's actually quite disappointing. It puts our focus on Santa, reindeer, big red hats, and how many gifts are under the Christmas tree. Or, if they want to make it seem like they do have an honest reason for Christmas, they say that "Christmas is about the giving, not the receiving." It sounds good, and it is a good principle, but they just happen to have skipped the HUGE part about Christ's birth. That's a major mistake when it comes to the fact that the Lord should receive glory in everything we do. (1 Corinthians 10:31) Therefore, it takes extra effort to put the emphasis on Christ each year, but it is much more enjoyable that way. Putting the emphasis on our Saviour is how we get the real love and peace throughout the holiday season that halmark talks about every year. That is the real reason to love Christmas, and it puts the real spark into the party. =)

Emily Selander

There are Drums in my church!

I just want to thank the Lord for the gift of music! Not that I have that gift, but it I really appreciate being around those that do!
Tonight we spent several hours with Karen and the girls practicing for a Christmas song that Kaylin and Audrey are going to be singing in church in a couple of weeks. I love hearing the piano and the voices of the girls as they sing. I am so grateful that Karen learned to play when she was younger and that she has maintained that ability. What a joyful noise!
In fact, I enjoyed it so much that we got out the drums and had a splendid family concert singing about the blood that Jesus gave, and the fact that it will never lose it's power!

For those of you that want to separate emotion from Christianity...

Psalm. 98

1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Thanksgiving

Well, again I have been caught up in the day to day activities and have not spent the time I need to keep this blog updated. I know that I wrote a couple of weeks ago and mentioned that we had a pastoral candidate coming in.
This turned out to be a good learning time for our church. It also reinforced the things that we were looking for in a Pastor. At the end of the weekend the recommendation from the deacons was that we not hire the candidate. The church took a vote and 60% of the church followed our recommendation. This means that we are still without a Pastor.
As I know that some of you have been praying, I just want to let you know how thankful I am. It would have been nice to have hired a man and been able to give the leadership responsibility over to him. The Lord has put us in this situation though, and he will take us through it.
I pray that I will continue to be thankful for the place that God has put me.
Jon

Pulled from the comments on last post.

I have a serious question for you. I will gladly accept advice from anyone on this topic. I hope it's okay that I ask here.The following is a statement someone made on a Christian board where I am a moderator:

"I also strongly believe the KJV should be respectfully retired. It uses archaic language from 1611 and is not as accurate as some modern translations. It places an unnecessary stumbling block for modern readers. Unfortunately many Christians have incorrectly made the translation an idol and a sacred tradition."

I have asked the other moderators what course of action I should take since I cannot in good conscience allow this statement to go unchallenged, but I don't want to start a detrimental war on this topic either.I have said that if they don't want to get involved, I will simply post something like this:
"I exclusively use the KJV and believe it is neither archaic, nor inaccurate -- nor a stumbling block; but it is the only completely accurate translation; the most masterful piece of literature of all time with timeless words and phrasing, masterful use of rhyme, rhythm, and poetic devices; containing a self-defining dictionary, written at a reading level where all readers can learn all of the nuances of biblical truth, containing insight into the English language that causes secular universities to study it for the sake of understanding all of the implications of letter, word, and phrase combinations, meter, and poetry that cause standard-written English to be the most inclusive, intuitive, descriptive, and profound languages on the planet."
Would that be okay? How should my statement be changed/edited?I welcome grammatical (or other) input from those with English degrees also. :P (hint, hint)

Like it or Not

I have been silent on the blog for a few days. For those of you who do not know, the last 10 days have been prime days for deer hunting. The deer have entered the rut and the bucks are looking for does. (In turn, the hunters are looking for bucks)

It is bow season in Iowa at this time and I have dedicated my extra hours to this honorable pursuit. In fact, I have dedicated so much time that it is becoming work rather than fun. What I mean is that it has gotten to the point that I feel that I have to go hunting even if I do not feel up to it. After all, these are the best two weeks of the year.

I feel guilty when I have the time to hunt but I am not in the stand. I feel guilty if I allow other things to take me from the woods. I feel like I have to be in the woods at every opportunity, and if I am not, it is because I am lazy and not dedicated to this sport. Maybe I am a wimp because it is too windy, or too cold, or too early; But I have not yet succumbed to this temptation to do other things.

I will stand fast. I will stand firm. I am dedicated to this sport. I will have fun whether I like it or not!

Oh, I just looked at the clock. I have time to go back out.

Obama, Biden 08

I was asked last night if I had written anything on this blog about the election results. As you know, I haven't. Let me take the time here.

I must confess that I was not surprised at the results. I was disappointed and maybe even a little hurt that our country has slipped so far. I was not able to watch the news on Tuesday night because the media was finding too much joy in watching Obama procure the electoral votes. I shut the T.V. off and went to bed early.

I think that much of the country had the wool pulled over their eyes. However, I think that they were willingly ignorant. They had the opportunity to look for themselves and see what Obama stood for. The had the chance to look up his voting history. If they had, they could have gotten a picture of his heart.

How does the state of California vote down a same sex marriage proposal, then turn around and vote Obama into office? Why does South Dakota vote down a same sex marriage ban and then vote in McCain? The only answer that I can come up with is that we were not made aware of the party platforms. People didn't care about what he stood for, they liked his persona.

What will the next four years bring? I would be a fool to try and answer that one. Instead, I will find comfort in the fact that I serve a sovereign God. I will find comfort in the fact that his timing is perfect and nothing is outside of the span of his control. Lastly, I will find joy in the fact that he still has a plan for me, whatever it may be.

By the way, my brother made a bumper sticker before the election that I had not seen until last night.


Osama
Binladen 08

He also added a footnote, *so the terrorists will like us

Pastoral qualifications?

The pulpit committee voted to bring a candidate in to our church on the 23rd of this month. This will be the first time that our church has seen a candidate since our pastor left two and a half years ago. I am excited to see how the church responds to this event. I pray that we will seek the Lord's will as we consider hiring for this position.

Tonight I am preaching from Malachi chapter 2:5-9
I say that, but I recognize that I will probable only get through verse 6 as there is so much included in those two verses. These verses give a list of the reasons that God made a covenant with Levi. This list is something that we should be seeking to live up to as well.


1.Levi gave God the respect that he deserved
2.The law of truth was in the mouth of Levi
3.Iniquity was not in his lips
4.He walked with God in peace and equity
5.He turned other people from the path of sin

Which of these things has God been working on in your life?

What is the difference between the law of truth being in your mouth and iniquity not being on your lips?

I am not sure how I am going to finish the book of Malachi before we hire a pastor, but I'm going to continue taking it one (or two) verse at a time.

Malachi 2:5-6 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 6The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

Time to get out!

I found out today how much it costs to keep our house in hot water. We have not turned our heat on yet this year and our fireplace is shut off. The only thing that we have requiring propane is our hot water heater. Over the summer and into this fall we have averaged over $100.00 per month in propane costs.

I was sure we had to have a leak somewhere. There was no way we were using that much propane in one hot water heater. Today I had our farm service company come out and pressurize our system. I wanted to determine where the leak was.

We checked the pipe that runs underground. We checked the piping in the house. We checked all of the fittings and the regulators. No leaks. Finally after 2 hours, the two farm service men came up with the solution. "How many girls live in your house?", they asked me. "Four", I said.

"A ha! We found the leak. You are losing most of your propane between the 6th and 25th minute of each girls shower. Give them a timer and more propane will be in your tank at the end of every month!"

Now I ask you, how long should a girl spend in the shower? I need to know what to set the timer for.

Prioritize

I'm sorry for getting caught up in the election argument here on the blog. I must say however, that it is very angering to this man that none of the issues seem to be on the table this year. It seems that all anyone cares about is the economy. Just about every commercial and sound bite refers to finances.
How have the Republicans allowed this race to get so sidetracked? I would think that if people were reminded of the party platforms, some that have been convinced to vote for Obama would not have done so.

What issues are on your heart?

What issues are on God's heart?

Which way should we vote? Our heart, or God's? One thing I can say with certainty, God does not much care about either candidate's financial plan!

The shedding of innocent blood (abortion), marriage and the family (rather than homosexual rights and homosexual education in school), education (the responsibility of the parents rather than the government) and the defense of Israel. These are the things that I believe are close to God's heart. These are the things that we should defend before we worry about gun control, socialism or the economy.

How's the View?

Here is a copy of the letter that was sent to the World Herald last week. Rather than put it in the comment section, I have decided to post it here. Enjoy!

One woman's view

I have noticed that recent anti-abortion letters have been written by men, who will never enter a pregnancy unwillingly or experience the trauma of giving birth. This grandmother thinks they need to button their lips. William C.Altman (Oct. 8 Pulse) speaks of a well-formed conscience. Fine, but that is his conscience, not mine. Nor is his conscience shared by other people whom he would malign. I am a Christian also and attend church regularly. But I know that the moral catechism he mentioned was conceived by a patriarchal society. Women were not consulted. What should concern us is that 30,000 children die every day of poverty, disease and hunger. That is the moral issue.
Jolene Ross, Omaha

(emphasis mine)
Jon

Pro-Life, antiquated logic.

I read an opinion piece in the Omaha World Herald today that just about made me physically sick. It was submitted in the "Public Pulse" section by someone that claimed to be a Christian. This woman was very upset about the Pro-Life, Pro-Choice debate. She felt that the proponents of the Pro-Life movement were making their decisions based on antiquated beliefs. She contends that the Pro-Life movement would not have come about if women had been consulted about whether or not they should have a say regarding their own bodies.
How does a professing Christian come to the conclusion that their own opinions supersede the Word of God?

I must admit that I read the article quickly as I was leaving work. I was not able to take it with me and I do not currently have a copy of it. If anyone has access to the article I would appreciate if they would share it in the comments section of this post. I know that this would require a fair amount of typing, but I would appreciate the accuracy of the article rather than my impression of what she was trying to say. My memory of the particulars is probably faulty.

Innocent Blood

I am going to post on one political issue today. For me there is one position that I see as more important than all others.

Deuteronomy 21:8-9 Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

Psalm 139:13-19 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

I am going to include the ratings that special interest groups have given the two candidates. You decide which candidate fits best with scripture.

Senator Obama:

2007 In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Senator Obama a grade of 100.
Name: NARAL Pro-Choice AmericaYear: 2007 Issue: Abortion IssuesWebsite: http://www.ProChoiceAmerica.orgEmail: CAN@ProChoiceAmerica.org
Address:1156 15th Street, NWSuite 700Washington, DC 20005
"For more than 30 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been the leading national advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose. NARAL Pro-Choice America's mission is to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice America works to educate Americans and officeholders about the broad range of issues encompassing a woman’s right to choose and elect pro-choice candidates at all levels of government."
2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 100 percent in 2006.
2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 100 percent in 2006.
2005-2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association 100 percent in 2005-2006.
2005-2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 0 percent in 2005-2006.
Name: National Right to Life CommitteeYear: 2005-2006 Issue: Abortion IssuesWebsite: http://www.nrlc.org/Email: Legfederal@aol.com
Address:512 10th Street, NorthwestWashington, DC 20004"The ultimate goal of the National Right to Life Committee is to restore legal protection to innocent human life. The primary interest of the National Right to Life Committee and its members has been the abortion controversy; however, it is also concerned with related matters of medical ethics which relate to the right to life issues of euthanasia and infanticide. The Committee does not have a position on issues such as contraception, sex education, capital punishment, and national defense."

On to John:


2007 In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Senator McCain a grade of 0.
2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 0 percent in 2006.
2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 0 percent in 2006.
2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association 0 percent in 2005-2006.
2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 75 percent in 2005-2006.
Name: National Right to Life CommitteeYear: 2005-2006 Issue: Abortion IssuesWebsite: http://www.nrlc.org/Email: Legfederal@aol.com
Address:512 10th Street, NorthwestWashington, DC 20004
"The ultimate goal of the National Right to Life Committee is to restore legal protection to innocent human life. The primary interest of the National Right to Life Committee and its members has been the abortion controversy; however, it is also concerned with related matters of medical ethics which relate to the right to life issues of euthanasia and infanticide. The Committee does not have a position on issues such as contraception, sex education, capital punishment, and national defense."
2005 Senator McCain supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 0 percent in 2005.
2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 0 percent in 2004.
2003-2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 82 percent in 2003-2004.

Not in favor

I am not one to forward emails that I receive. I will however post a letter here from an email that I received. The letter is signed, though I know nothing about the man that wrote it. I have also not researched his allegations. I will post it here, though I cannot speak to it's validity. I would encourage you to read it and if you have questions as to it's content, do your research. I will tell you, I will not vote for a man who does not believe in the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage (between one man and one woman), and does not think that America should be friends with Israel.
If you are a believer, I hope that you would take those criteria as more important than either taxes or the economy.


To Barack Hussein Obama,

The New York Times carried a story on Saturday, October 4, 2008, that proved you had a significantly closer relationship with Bill Ayers than what you previously admitted. While the issue of your relationship is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America about it.

The Chicago Sun reported on May 8, 2008, that FBI records showed that you had a significantly closer relationship with To ny Rezko than what you previously admitted. In the interview, you said that you only saw Mr. Rezko a couple of times a year. The FBI files showed that you saw him weekly. While the issue of your relationship is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America about it.

Your speech in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008, about 'race' contradicted your statement to Anderson Cooper on March 14 when you said that you never heard Reverend Wright make his negative statements about white America. While your attendance at Trinity Church for 20 years is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America on March 14.

In your 1st debate with John McCain, you said that you never said that you would meet with the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea without 'preparations' at lower levels ... Joe Biden repeated your words in his debate with Sarah Palin ... while the video tape from your debate last February clearly shows that you answered 'I would' to the question of meeting with those leaders within 12 months without 'any' preconditions. While your judgement about meeting with enemies of the USA without pre-conditions is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America in the debate with McCain.

On July 14, 2008, you said that you always knew that the surge would work while the video tapes of you from more than a year ago show that you stated that the surge would not work. While your judgement about military strategy as a potential commander-in-chief is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America on July 14.

You now claim that your reason for voting against funding for the troops was because the bill did not include a time line for withdrawal, while the video tapes of you from more than a year ago show that you voted against additional funding because you wanted our troops to be removed immediately ... not in 16 months after the 2008 election as you now claim. While your judgement about removing our troops unilaterally in 2007 is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America about your previous position.

You claim to have a record of working with Republicans while the record shows that the only bill that you sponsored with a Republican was with Chuck Lugar ... and it failed. The record shows that you vote 97% in concert with the Democrat party and that you have the most liberal voting record in the Senate. You joined Republicans only 13% of the time in your votes and those 13% were only after agreement from the Democrat party. While it is of concern that you fail to include conservatives in your actions and that you are such a liberal, the greater concern is that you distorted the truth.

In the primary debates of last Febru ary, 2008, you claimed to have talked with a 'Captain' of a platoon in Afghanistan 'the other day' when in fact you had a discussion in 2003 with a Lieutenant who had just been deployed to Afghanistan. You lied in that debate.

In your debates last spring, you claimed to have been a 'professor of Constitutional law' when in fact you have never been a professor of Constitutional law. In this last debate, you were careful to say that you 'taught a law class' and never mentioned being a 'professor of Constitutional law.' You lied last spring.

You and Joe Biden both claimed that John McCain voted against additional funding for our troops when the actual records show the opposite. You distorted the truth.

You and Joe Biden claim that John McCain voted against funding for alternate energy sources 20 times when the record shows that John McCain specifically voted against funding for bio fuels, especially corn ... and he was right .... corn is too expensive at producing ethanol, and using corn to make ethanol increased the price of corn from $2 a bushel to $6 a bushel for food. You distorted the truth.

You and Joe Biden claim that John McCain voted like both of you for a tax increase on those making as little as $42,000 per year while the voting record clearly shows that John McCain did not vote as you and Joe Biden. You lied to America.

You and Joe Biden claim that John McCain voted with George W. Bush 90% of the time when you know that Democrats also vote 90% of the time with the President (including Joe Biden) because the vast majority of the votes are procedural. You are one of the few who has not voted 90% of the time with the president because you have been missing from the Senate since the day you got elected. ; While your absence from your job in the Senate is of concern, the greater concern is that you spin the facts.

You did not take an active role in the rescue plan. You claimed that the Senate did not need you while the real reason that you abstained was because of your close relationships with the executives of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Countrywide, and Acorn ... who all helped cause the financial problems of today ... and they all made major contributions to your campaign. While your relationship with these executives and your protection of them for your brief 3 years in the Senate (along with Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, Maxine Waters, and Chris Dodd) is of concern, the greater concern is that you are being deceitful.

You forgot to mention that you personally represented Tony Rezko and Acorn. Tony Rezko, an Arab and close friend to you, was convicted of fraud in Chicago real estate transactions that bilked millions of tax dollars from the Illinois government for renovation projects that you sponsored as a state senator ... and Acorn has been convicted of voter fraud, real estate sub prime loan intimidation, and illegal campaign contributions. Tony Rezko has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to your political campaigns. You personally used your political positions to steer money to both Tony Rezko and Acorn and you used Acorn to register thousands of phony voters for Democrats and you. While your relationships with Rezko and Acorn are of concern, the greater concern is that you omitted important facts about your relationships with them to America.

During your campaign, you said: 'typical white person.' 'They cling to their guns and religion.' 'They will say that I am black.' You played the race card. You tried to label any criticism about you as racist. You divide America.

You claim that you will reduce taxes for 95% of America, but you forgot to tell America that those reductions are after you remove the Bush tax reductions. You have requested close to $1 billion in earmarks and several mill ion for Acorn. Your social programs will cost America $1 trillion per year and you claim that a reduction in military spending ($100 billion for Iraq) can pay for it. While your economic plan of adding 30% to the size of our federal government is of concern, the greater concern is that you are deceiving America.

The drain to America's economy by foreign supplied oil is $700 billion per year (5% of GDP) while the war in Iraq is $100 billion (less than 1% of GDP). You voted against any increases to oil exploration for the last 3 years and any expansion of nuclear facilities. Yet today, you say that you have always been for more oil and more nuclear. You are lying to America.

Mr. Obama, you claimed that you 'changed' your mind about public financing for your campaign because of the money spent by Republican PACs in 2004. The truth is that the Democrat PACs in 2004, 2006, and 2008 spent twice as much as the Republican PACs (especially George Soros and MoveOn.org). You are lying to America.


Oh, Mr. Obama, Teddy Roosevelt said about a hundred years ago that we Americans should first look at the character of our leaders before anything else.
Your character looks horrible. While you make good speeches, motivating speeches, your character does not match your rhetoric. You talk the talk, but do not walk the walk.

1. You lied to America. You lied many times. You distorted facts. You parsed your answers like a lawyer.

2. You distorted the record of John McCain in your words and in your advertisements.

3. You had associations with some very bad people for your personal political gains and then lied about those associations.

4. You divide America about race and about class.

Now let me compare your record of lies, distortions, race baiting, and associations to John McCain: War hero. Annapolis graduate with 'Country first.' Operational leadership experience like all 43 previously elected presidents of the USA as a Navy officer for 22 years. 26 years in the Senate. Straight talk. Maverick. 54% of the time participated on bills with Democrats. Never asked for an earmark. The only blemish on his record is his part in the Keating 5 debacle about 25 years ago.

Mr. Obama, at Harvard Law School, you learned that the end does not justify the means. You learned that perjury, false witness, dishonesty, distortion of truth are never tolerated. Yet, your dishonesty is overwhelming. Your dishonesty is tremendously greater than the dishonesty that caused the impeachment and disbarment of Bill Clinton. Your dishonesty is tremendously greater than the dishonesty of Scooter Libby. You should be ashamed.

Mr. Obama, it is time for us Americans to put aside our differences on political issues and vote against you because of your dishonest character. It is time for all of us Americans to put aside our political issues and vote for America first. It is time for America to vote for honesty.
Any people who vote for you after understanding that you are dishonest should be ashamed of themselves for making their personal political issues more important than character. Would these same people vote for the anti-Christ if the anti-Christ promised them riches? Would they make a golden calf while Moses was up the mountain? Would they hire some one for a job if that someone lied in an interview? Of course not. So why do some of these people justify their votes for you even though they know you are dishonest? Why do they excuse your dishonesty? Because some of these people are frightened about the future, the economy, and their financial security .... and you are preying on their fears with empty promises ... and because some (especially our young people) are consumed by your wonderful style and promises for 'change' like the Germans who voted for Adolf Hitler in 1932. The greed/envy by Germans in 1932 kept them from recognizing Hitler for who he was. They loved his style. Greed and envy are keeping many Americans from recognizing you ... your style has camouflaged your dishonesty .... but many of us see you for who you really are ... and we will not stop exposing who you are every day, forever if it is necessary.

Mr. Obama, you are dishonest. Anyone who votes for you is enabling dishonesty.

Mr. Obama, America cannot trust that you will put America first in your decisions about the future.

Mr. Obama, you are not the 'change' that America deserves. We cannot trust you.

Mr. Obama, You are not ready and not fit to be commander-in-chief.

Mr. Obama, John McCain does not have as much money as your campaign to refute all of your false statements. And for whatever reasons, the mainstream media will not give adequate coverage or research about your lies, distortions, word parsing, bad associations, race baiting, lack of operational leadership experience, and generally dishonest character. The media is diverting our attention from your relationships and ignoring the fact that you lied about those relationships. The fact that you lied is much more important than the relationships themselves .... just like with Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon ... Monica Lewinski and Watergate were not nearly as bad as the fact that those men lied about the events ... false witness ... perjury ... your relationships and bad judgements are bad on their own .... but your lies are even worse.

Therefore, by copy of this memo, We need to do the job that the media will not do. We need to expose your dishonesty so that every person in America understands who you really are before election day.

Mr. Obama, in a democracy, we get what we deserve. And God help America if we deserve you.

Michael Master
McLean, Virginia

Lynx

I am not sure how the link on the word "teaching" got added to my last post. I am trying to find out how to remove it. If it shows up on your computer, please do not click on it as it is just an advertisement. (I recognize that by saying this, half of you will click on it out of curiosity)

It is nothing bad, it is just unwanted.

Hebrews 7:5-24

Tonight I am going to be teaching out of Malachi 2:1-5
In these verses God says that he is giving a commandment to the priests. He warns them that if they do not take the commandment to heart, and give him glory, that he will send a curse upon them. He will also corrupt their seed and spread dung on their faces. In verse 4 he says that he is doing this so that his covenant might be with Levi. In verse 5 he says that his covenant was with him of life and peace.

In Numbers 25 we find the story of God making the covenant with Levi. This is an interesting chapter because we find God instructing the Israelites to hang anyone that had intermarried with the Moabites (as an aside, this is after Balaam had turned them to committing this sin. Balaam is referred to again in Revelation 2 one verse before the Nicolaitans are mentioned). After the hangings, while people are in mourning, Phinehas (the grandson of Aaron) sees an Israelite man take a Midianitish woman into a tent. Phinehas followed them into the tent and thrust them both through with a javelin. Because he was "zealous" for the Lord, God made a covenant of peace with him. Numbers 25:12-13Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

How does this covenant of an everlasting priesthood fit with Malachi 2:4? And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

Is God saying that the fulfilment of the covenant is up to the obedience of the priests? He said in verse 2 that "if ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart...I will even send a curse upon you..."

Let me ask another question that may get you started on the right track. How is the everlasting priesthood going to be fulfilled?

Treed

Emily and I went deer hunting tonight! It was the first time I have been out this season. We hunted here at home in a double tree stand (Emily was a little concerned that the size of the tree was not enough to match the size of me) and were fortunate enough to see five deer. Unfortunately all of them were does and more than 50 yards away. Just a little too far for a bow.
The great thing about hunters though is that we are optimists. We always think that the next time out we will be successful! This is what keeps us in the trees even after the weather turns cold.

Let's see...
Tomorrow night-deacons meeting
Wednesday-prayer meeting
Thursday-fire station
Friday-ABF party
Saturday-fire station
Sunday-evening church service
Monday-fire station
Tuesday-hmmm, hunting session 2? (Optimistically speaking)

Welcome to the Wedding

My last post was getting too long. I will shorten this one.

What is Jesus talking about here?

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:2-14

Can I say this in Church?

Well, I had a response to my last post which has prompted me to write more. In the previous post I included an excerpt from a letter that Paul had written to the Romans. In this letter Paul states that "I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;" and then goes on to say that we have salvation for a time, but then "all Israel shall be saved".
I did not post some of the verses that appear earlier in the chapter. Look at Romans 11:11-12
"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?"
This is what I believe is critical to our "rightly dividing the word of truth". "yourbrother" commented on it in the last post. I won"t quote him because he started with a maybe and I want to be more emphatic. I know that this will hurt the pride of some people and it will fly against the "mainstream" religious teachers of today. However, until shown otherwise, I believe it to be vital to correctly determining our doctrine.
The Bible is intended for the Jews, we are temporarily reaping the benefit of their unbelief. Now maybe that doesn't sound like a big deal on the surface, but it is! You see, we cannot have proper doctrine if we do not know where we fit into God's eternal scheme. God revealed it in the Old Testament with the prophets. Because I said that I was going to share out of the book of Malachi in the next few posts, I will use some verses out of his book to demonstrate this.
In Malachi 1:5 God shares his intent. "And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel." He then reprimands the Jews for giving him poor offerings. He says in verse 10 that he has "no pleasure" in them and that he won't "accept an offering" at their hands. In verse 11 he says "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts."
The Lord then proceeds to "rip" the Jews for their behavior and for following other gods. This goes on for almost two whole chapters. He talks about sending them a "messenger" and he talks of sending them "the messenger of the covenant" (3:1) but he says " who may abide the day of his coming?" He tells them that he would like to bless them, but they are too busy robbing him of what he is due. At the end of chapter three though, we see these words: "16Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
I am tempted to add in here all of chapter 4 but I will save it for later. Instead, let's look ahead to the book of Romans again. "salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy."

Let me ask you, according to God, why have we been offered salvation, where do we fit in, and who is the Bible written for?
Before everyone gets upset at me, I want you to understand that I believe all of our doctrine for this age is to be found in the Bible. I believe that God loves us. I believe that we have salvation through Christ's death burial and resurrection. I believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for my sin. I believe that I will spend eternity with God. I also believe that my opportunity for salvation is not all about me, it is about God and a covenant that he made with Israel.

Is this meant for you?

I have gotten a little off track in the last couple of days because of the comments that have come in on my last post. I find this to be a great advantage because the original purpose of this blog was to challenge people in their biblical understanding.
I would ask that you read the comment section of my previous post before you finish reading this post.

Many times as believers in this "Age of Grace" (and I was guilty of this for years) we remember that the Old Testament was for the Jews (under the law) and we think of the New Testament (Matthew to Revelation) as intended for us. This has affected much of our church doctrine, and contributed to the plethora of denominational differences that are in existence today. Paul wrote a letter to the Romans almost two thousand years ago that I think we fail to heed. I am including an excerpt from that letter. I would encourage you to weigh in on what you think that Paul was trying to get across to those believers.

Romans 11:19 19Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 24For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

I know that many of you have heard messages on these verses over the years, but are they properly applied? What is Paul talking about here? Is he talking about one individual at a time, or is he talking about a group? How should these verses affect our study and application of the Bible? Let me put it this way, For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

When the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, will the Bible then be outdated? If not, what part of the Bible will Israel turn to for instruction and doctrine? What part of the Bible are you currently using for doctrine? Let me warn you, if you begin to get a glimpse of what Paul is saying, you will no longer be able to read and study the Bible in a casual manner.

I will tie some of the ideas in this passage to the prophecy in Malachi as I write additional posts over the next several weeks. If you don't want to get lost, write in with your comments and questions. If I do not hear from people, you may get left behind because I will not know what to clarify.

Looking for a Revelation

On Monday morning of this week, when I came home from work, Karen had two questions ready for me when I walked through the door. These were not the scary type of questions but rather the fun type as they related to a sermon that she had heard the day before. In aswering her questions, I decided to put it to paper in order to share my answer with another fellow from church.
I have now decided to post the questions (and my answers) here. I am hoping that I may receive a response that will challenge my understanding. Please feel free to weigh in with your opinion.

Revelation Questions

1) Who are the angels that are referred to when it says “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write:”?
In Revelation 1:20 it says that the seven stars “symbolize” the seven angels. The Greek word here is “angelos” meaning “messenger”. How many times in the Bible did God use his angels as messengers? There are three common opinions as to who these angels were:
They are Guardian Angels assigned to watch over the churches.
They were the Pastors of these seven churches.
They were messengers sent from the seven churches to John.

In looking at these three ideas, which seems to fit the best with the Scriptures as a whole? All may be plausible, yet why would Christ address his message to celestial beings as would be the case if the “angels” were guardian angels?
We also know that Pastors are messengers. They are to feed the flock by Bible preaching. However, the church at Ephesus had many pastors (Acts 20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.) so why wouldn’t Revelation 2:1 read “Unto the angels of the church of Ephesus” In addition, as near as we can tell, most of the New Testament Churches had a plurality of Pastors. In fact, the Jews had a plurality of Elders throughout their long history. It would seem then, that all of the letters would have been “to the angels”.
The Bible also gives us evidence that the New Testament Churches used messengers.
II Corinthians 8:23 Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.
These messengers may have been Pastors as well, with their primary role being that of messenger. As a matter of fact, Paul himself is called an angel of God when he is referring to himself as a messenger and Pastor in Galatians 4:14 - And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
It appears then that these “angels” that were sent to the local churches were messengers of the churches. They may have pastors as well, though there is little reason to believe that they were the only pastors in each church.

2) Who were the Nicolaitans in Revelation 2:6, 15?
It is interesting to note that in chapter 2 of Revelation, we see a progression among the churches. The message to the church at Ephesus was that they “hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” This comes after they are commended for “trying” those who claimed to be apostles, and were not. However, two churches later in chapter 2 we see a problem. The church at Pergamos “hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate”.
It is interesting to note that this is the only information we have regarding the Nicolaitans. How do we determine who, or what, they were?


If we break the word down we find two Greek words:
Nikao-“to conquer” Laos-“laity” or “the people”
A literal definition could be “to conquer the people” or “to conquer the laity”. This would fit with what he was commending the Ephesus Church for. They “tried them which say they are apostles, and are not,”(2:2). Why would someone come to the church at Ephesus and claim to be an apostle if they were not an apostle? The only reason is that they had a desire to “rule” the people.
Today this is most commonly found in the Roman Catholic Church. The laity is not allowed to read the Bible or interpret it for themselves. They have to get their understanding of the Word of God from the Priest or the Pope. We need to be careful not to fall into this trap ourselves. We can do the same thing with some of the requirements that we place on people.
Matthew 23:4-12 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Blind, lame, and sick; yet faster than you!

I am sitting in my office this morning trying to listen to CD sermons that have been sent to me by pastoral candidates. I know that this may never happen but I just keep hoping to hear a pastor that reminds me of my grandfather. I wouldn't expect his content to be the same (grandpa was one of a kind) but I would love to hear a similar level of excitement in the voice. Teaching the Word should be fun. That excitement should be evident to the listeners. Am I aiming too high?

In an unrelated matter, I have taught two lessons so far from the first chapter of Malachi. The first week I covered the first five verses. In those verses it appears that the Israelites thought God "owed" them love. After all, they were descendants of Abraham. God was very clear that Esau was a descendant as well. However, he loved Jacob, and hated Esau. God does not owe anything! God loves because that is his nature. This becomes very important as we get to the end of chapter 2 and into chapter 3. There will be more about this later.

The second week we covered verses 6-8
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 7Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. 8And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

The Lord has not let these verses out of my mind for almost two months now. I know that we are not "under the law" and that we are not sacrificing as in the Old Testament, but we still offer things to the Lord every day. Are we presenting our best to him? "offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person?" These words really hit home. If I gave my employer the time that I give to the Lord, would he be pleased? What does the Lord deserve, and what do we find reasonable?
You see, we are a reasonable people. It is not reasonable to think that we should give the Lord the time that we give to television. It is not reasonable to think that we should give the Lord the time that we give to our spouse or children. It is not reasonable to think that the Lord really requires the time that we are giving to our family, hobbies (hunting), relaxation, gossip, or sin. Surely the Lord understands that we are a busy people. Don't we have an excuse? Can't we be sold out on Sunday's? That's really all he wants, right? Oh, no, Sundays won't work; Sundays are family days!

Well, I'll tell you what...

No, before I share what I want to say, let me tell you a story first. This story may be new to you but the concept will be familiar.
I went backpacking with a group of men in the Wind River Range of Wyoming about 9 years ago. We were to be in the mountains for 6 days and had to carry in (and carry out) everything that we were going to need. Every man was supposed to be in good shape for the trip. The idea was that if we were all in good shape, we could cover more ground and easily make it to our chosen camping spot before dark each night. (We always tried to hike to a lake so that we could have fresh fish for dinner. I do not like fish but I figured that if I caught fish for everyone else, maybe they wouldn't finish the food that they brought to eat and I could help them with that.)

As we hiked in on the first day, you could see the men looking around and sizing each other up. They were trying to see who was working harder and where they fit in with everyone else's level of fitness. I was amused at the banter that was going on and told two of the men that if they wanted a challenge they could walk on ahead and the rest of the group would catch up later. They considered it for a minute but decided against it. When I asked them why they were staying with the group, one of the men looked at me and said "I am not sure that I am faster than Al, but I know that I am faster than you. We just saw bear tracks a little while ago and the way I figure it, if I stay with the group and we run across a bear, I don't need to be faster than everybody, I only need to be faster than one-body."

Now, I'll tell you what I am thinking. We have let that same mentality creep into our spiritual lives. It is not reasonable that we give God all of our time, lets just give him more than the guy next to us is giving him.

I have to tell you, I have been struggling lately with why I am doing what I am doing. If I am not doing it with joy, I am doing it for the wrong reasons. Am I giving to God, or am I giving to man? My actions may be right, I may be in the Lord's will, and yet my heart may still be wrong.

I do not want to offer the blind, the lame, or the sick. Do you?

Let's not compare ourselves to others, let's compare ourselves to Christ!

Silver (forty) Dollar City

I just wanted to let everyone know that I had not dropped off the face of the earth. I have been meaning to write more often but life has gotten in the way. Our girls have started back to school (home school) and this has taken up some time. I have made an effort to be more involved, particularly in Emily's Bible class. I have really challenged her and she is doing well. I wish that I had the benefit of the knowledge she is gaining at her age. (The fact that I didn't was through no ones fault but my own) All of our girls are so faithful in their Bible reading that it puts my teenage years to shame.

I don't mean to get too personal but I know that the Lord is working in Kaylin's life as well. He has used several things over the last week to challenge her heart and her commitment. It is exciting to see how he uses her classes along with the messages at church to let her know that he has a plan for her life. She definitely has a heart for missions so we will see what develops as the years go by. When we hear the girls talk of their future, it is a good reminder to be in prayer for their future husbands. What lucky men!

We took the opportunity a week ago to attend the home school days at Silver Dollar City. In order to afford the trip, we sat through two separate "time-share" presentations. Most people do not have the patience to attend these presentations but they are well worth it (for the gifts). We were given three nights in a hotel, as well as dinner vouchers, and 4 two day passes to Silver Dollar City. This resulted in it only costing our family of five $40.00 total for our two day passes.
We had a good time as a family, though I can't believe people are willing to pay so much for tickets to a place where 80% of what they offer is shopping. You cannot leave a ride or an activity without passing through a store to get out. Apparently it is a wise marketing move, but after 2 days, I've had my fill. Maybe those future husbands I was talking about will be willing to take them again some day.

We are looking forward to this weekend as we have church activities going on at our house for two different churches this Friday and Saturday. Preparing for that has taken up much of our time the last few weeks as well. Karen wanted a new bonfire ring put in and it took me almost a month to complete it!

Wednesday evenings I have started a new series at church on the book of Malachi. In all honesty, as much as I love the Pauline epistles, I have thoroughly enjoyed preparing to teach through this book. What a great reminder it is to take an honest look at what we are giving to God. I may take the opportunity to write a condensed version of some of the messages here on the blog.

Thanks for taking the time to read this update, I will add more soon. (soon is relative)

Oh, deer season opened for the fall. Maybe I'll have another story to add before it's over!

Anything Dad can do...

Well, I looked at the title to my last post and it made me laugh out loud. It has been over a month since the last time I have written. I need to remember not to title a post like that unless I intend to stay caught up.
This has been an incredibly busy summer. Maybe busy isn't the right word because things are always busy around here. This has been an action packed summer! It seems we have spent more time away from home than any previous year. For the most part I would say that this has been a blessing. It has given us the opportunity to "de-stress" (Is that a word?) but not necessarily given us the time to relax.

Our latest adventure took us to the Rocky Mountains. My girls all say that it is their favorite place to go on vacation. In previous years we have gone with Karen's family but this year we agreed to go with mine. We rented a house with 7 bedrooms so that we could all be together. This allowed us to plan our activities easily and afforded us the chance to play games together in the evenings.

Let me give you a rundown of the players:
Mom and Dad (Mary and Joey)
Ben and Melissa (My brother and his wife)
Chad and Janna with 4 kids (My brother and his family)
Brian and Gina with 3 kids (My cousin and his family)
Karen and I (me? What's the rule mom?) with 3 young ladies (My daughters)

We were gone from August 2nd through the 9th. What a tremendous vacation! Everyone got along splendidly. We were active from sunup to long after sundown! The neighbors even wrote us a message in chalk on their siding. It said, "some of us sleep around here, quiet hours are from 10:00 pm to 10:00 am". If they really slept that long, their week was 42 hours shorter than mine! I can get a lot done in 42 hours. (6 hours a day times 7 days)

We took 5 ATVs, 2 dirt bikes, 4 mountain bikes, and our disc golf discs with us. We wore them all out. We spent two days riding above tree line and got some great pictures of mountain goats and bull elk. We drove up and down roads (trails) that forced my mom and dad to get off and walk. (After we went up or down the particular section, Emily would get off of her ATV and I would give her a ride back to where my mom and dad had left their ATV so that she could drive it up to a point that they were comfortable enough to continue.)

Turn about is fair play. By Thursday my dad had convinced me to join he and Ben on a mountain bike ride from Breckenridge to Frisco. This was supposedly much safer than 4 wheeling. My mom agreed to drive us to Breckenridge and drop us off.

When we got out of the car at Breckenridge, Ben proceeded to show me how to don the body armour that I had borrowed from Chad. Hint: If you need to wear body armour, it is probably not a "safe" sport. Yet, I am a gullible man and if my dad can do it, why can't I? Anything Dad can do...

After getting gussied up, I rode the bike around the car a few times just admiring how much I looked like a serious biker. Ben quickly put the damper on my exultation by saying, "even in all that gear, you will never look like a real biker". I glanced down thinking that maybe I had put the shin guards on backwards or something. As it turned out, he was just referencing the fact that I had piled all of my 260 lbs on two tires. (Actually, I do that quite often, the difference this time was that the two tires were propelled by two pedals)

We said our goodbyes and proceeded to the trail head. At the trail head we read the following information: Frisco, 10.5 miles.
Anybody that has done any mountain biking in Colorado recognizes useless information. They should have said... Frisco, uphill 9 miles (337' elevation gain); downhill .75 miles (1853' elevation loss); .75 miles (flat). You see, that information is useful! I would have gotten back in the car with my mom.

Anything Dad can do...

I'll skip over the long part of the story. It is pretty boring and just involves me walking uphill. The good part comes when we hit our first little downhill section. Ben was the leader, Dad followed a close second, and I brought up the rear. It felt so good to be moving without having to pedal that I forgot all about the fact that there was a reason I was wearing body armour. I cruised down the trail intently trying to mimic what my predecessors were doing. Ben rode across a narrow wooden bridge and the made a sharp turn to the right. Dad rode across the bridge and made a sharp turn to the right. As I rode across the bridge making a wobbly turn to the right, I heard Ben yell back but I could not make out the words. I completed the turn in time to see my dad ten yards ahead. His front tire was missing from view, but his back tire was coming off the ground at a terrific pace. The bike would have gone over his head if it weren't for the fact that my dad had left the bike and was flying through the air, perfectly horizontal, with his hands outstretched. This was the most spectacular face plant that I had ever seen. I was enthralled.

Anything Dad can do...

I snapped out of my enchantment with the realization that I needed to stop before I ran him over. This is where things got a little dicey. You see, going uphill, I never needed brakes. As a matter of fact, I never even asked for a lesson on riding this borrowed bike. I was too busy parading around in my fancy body armour. On a four wheeler, there is only one brake. It is on the left handlebar. It turns out, on the bike I had borrowed from Ben, that there are two brakes. One on the right handlebar and one on the left. The brake on the left handlebar only works on the front tire. It also turns out that Ben bought the best brakes he could. They were disc bakes. They have much more stopping power than the brakes that rub against the wheel rim.

As I am sure you have figured out by now, in my panic, I reached up and clamped down hard on the left brake. Only the left brake. My front tire came to a sudden and horrific stop. This was the moment that I proved, unequivocally; anything Dad can do, I can do better!

All caught up

Wow, have we had a busy month! I can't believe I haven't written anything since the day before Vacation Bible School. VBS went great. We had good participation and even had guests that didn't speak English. It was very encouraging to see people that had never worked in VBS before take on big roles this year.

After VBS ended, our family was going to travel up to Clear Lake, IA for family camp. The night before we were to leave, we had a severe storm come through. It damaged our house, shop, barn, trees, and the girls swing set. We were thankful that we were safe! Our girls left the next morning with my parents and Karen and I stayed home to put things in order. My business partner came over and we shingled the house, fixed the shop roof, hung a new barn door, fixed some horse fencing (the horses went through it in the storm), and hooked up a generator to the house (we had been without power since the storm). All in all we had a good day and were able to leave for family camp just 24 hours behind schedule.

Some of our close friends and neighbors had significantly more damage. Two families had their roofs come off and suffered severe water and wind damage. They are still in the process of hiring repair work to be done. The Lord was gracious though and no one was injured.

We had a great week at family camp. I played a lot of disc golf. I was even able to spend some time with our previous Pastor while there. He was the morning chapel speaker for the week. He and his son are also great disc golfers. They won a tournament in their town the day after family camp was over.

From Clear Lake we headed to Minnesota and visited with my cousin Brian and his family. We also went to a 40th anniversary party for my aunt and uncle. It was great to catch up with extended family before coming back home.

When we got back, I had to work 5 shifts at the fire station, Preach three times and teach ABF on Sunday the 13th, teach on Wed. evening, lead our deacons meeting on the 17th, interview a pastoral candidate the following Saturday, preach on Sunday evening the 20th, teach ABF and lead our 2nd quarter business meeting. My brother and his family are also in town this week so we have been trying to visit with them. In addition, yesterday began our week at fair. The girls have animals there so they need to go to the fairgrounds twice a day for chores as well as the chores they have to do at home for all of their animals here.

To catch you up to date, I have to work 120 hours at the fire station and teach on both Wed evenings between now and next Saturday because we are headed to Colorado for another vacation! I know, we don't deserve it, but thankfully the Lord doesn't give us what we deserve when we know him as Saviour.

Jon

Door 2 Door

Tomorrow is the first day of Vacation Bible School for our church. We have changed a lot of things this year and this has added pressure to two people preparing for the week. I am so thankful for the time they have given. I am also thankful for the volunteers that have worked on the decorations and the menu. We are going to be serving dinner every night this week and have classes for all ages, including the adults.

One of our missionary families arrived in town last Sunday. They have spent the week decorating their "missions" room to make it feel like Peru when the kids walk into the room. It is masterfully done, even boasting live animals.

The neatest thing for me however, was spending the last two days walking around town passing out VBS flyer's with the missionary (Samuel Rojas) and the one Hispanic man in our church; Freddie. (Freddie came to know the Lord last year and I had the opportunity to baptize him about six weeks ago). As a team we handed out the flyer's to over 600 households. Approximately40% of these families were Hispanic. I praise the Lord for the boldness that Freddie had in talking to people he didn't know. He was enjoying the time so much that he repeatedly asked when we could do it again. In fact, he asked why we were only doing it for VBS, why didn't we do it all the time?

In addition to the free meals, we are also offering transportation to and from church. Tomorrow night we are starting a week long bus route. I have never been involved in a bus route before but I am praying that it will be a tool to reach more people. Adults and children alike. If you think of it, offer a prayer for the visitors, people, and ministry of Valley View Baptist Church.

Father's Day

I had the opportunity to do a baby dedication yesterday for my nephew Cael. I always think that the best part of doing something special like that is the time I spend in preparation. It was good to be reminded of the serious responsibility that we have as parents to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

In thinking about that, I couldn't help but reflect on the work that my parents put into rearing 4 boys. As the years go by I am more and more thankful for the parents that the Lord gave me. My father does not cast a big physical presence, but as far as living a consistent Christian attitude and testimony, he compares with few others. I praise the Lord for the relationship that he still maintains with the four of his boys.

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you, Jon

A Second Piece?

Well, I haven't received any comments on "A Piece of Peace" so I guess I'll just follow it up with what I believe the Bible is teaching.

We know that the Bible does not contradict itself. Yet we see Luke saying that the angels said "peace on earth, good will toward men" when Christ was born. Later Jesus said "think not that I am come to send peace on the earth". How do I reconcile these?

Christ came to bring peace between God and man, not between man and man. If we wholeheartedly follow Christ we have peace with God. Unfortunately, this does not bring us peace with other men.

Who do you want to be at peace with today? I know whom I have chosen. Division may be coming.

Golden Calf

I was talking to a deacon in our church yesterday. He had the understanding that church leadership should be political. He said that I needed to find out what the church wanted and then find a way to give that to them. He said the answer was compromise.

Without giving out the details of the disagreement, his position was that I should give the church what they wanted, with the caveat (between the leadership) that it be in name only. In other words, the church really wants this extra biblical thing and as leadership it is not what we are proposing, but in order to get them on our side, let's give it to them. We know that there is no extra authority that comes along with it. We know that it will not change the way that we operate. We know that it wields no special power. Yet the church will accept our proposal because they will have this thing to look at that they think is what they want. How can that hurt? If we try and teach them that they are wrong we will cause division. We are called to be gatherers, and telling people that they are wrong is being a scatterer. Yes, there may be heart issues, but who doesn't have heart issues? We need to keep them happy.


Exodus 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Was the calf that Israel fashioned a real god? Did the calf have any real power, or was it just perceived? Did the calf have the ability to do anything on it's own?

What would God think?

Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. (Mark 8:33)

I couldn't say it any better than that.

What if?

I have been asked to speak during a commissioning service on June 15th. We are sending a couple from our church into the ministry. They have been accepted to Baptist Mid Missions as short term missionaries. They are not sure where they will be going after this summer but they are sure the Lord is calling them to missions.

This has not come as a surprise to the people of our church. We have witnessed their heart for missions over the last several years. We have seen the way the God has gifted them. I am thankful that the church has a desire to send them into ministry.

What if our church wasn't? What if our church saw the qualifications and the heart of this couple and the gifts that God has given them, yet we weren't willing to put them into the ministry? What if?

Looking for a Piece of Peace

The last few posts that I have written may mean something different to each reader. Some of you may have some inside information to what I have been referring to, although I hope that you can get something out of my ramblings even if you don't know the details of my circumstance.

In continuing this line of thought, the Lord showed me something this morning that brought me a clearer perspective than I thought I would receive. Again, instead of spelling it out, I would like to share some verses that the Lord put together for me. I am opening it up for your feedback and opinions before I give my thoughts. I am sure that to some of you this is not something new though I believe it is difficult to perceive until needed.

Isaiah 9:6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 12:51Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Matthew 10:34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mad Master or pocket pansy

Please do not take offense at the title without looking for a little perspective.

II Kings 22:13 "Go ye, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us."

Josiah blamed it on the fathers. Could it be that we are the fathers?

The fact of the matter is that some day my kids are going to look back over the things that I have taught them and find fault. I can spend my whole life studying the book and still not have it "mastered". [(Though I could go to seminary and get a certificate that says I am a master.) Matthew 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ."] Yet I think there is a heart attitude that we need to have. A heart attitude that shows our children that we still have a desire to learn, even a desire to be instructed when we have something wrong. A sincere desire to serve the Lord, especially when others are putting on the pressure!

Josiah had a fear (not just respect) of God because the nation of Israel had added idols, false gods, to their beliefs. Have we done the same thing? What are the idols that we put in place? What is there in our life that supersedes the scriptures? What do we worship? Do you have a fear of not following the book?
I Corinthians 15:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong!

Let me ask one more question. Is God still a God of wrath? Think carefully before answering this question!

To tie this into my last post, I needn't be discouraged because the timing and the results are not what I expected. I need to hunt until the season is over and just be thankful for the opportunity God has given me. Yet I recognize that God can still deliver the deer, skinned and all, if He chooses.

Don't overdive your headlights.

I have been thinking recently about the idea of discouragement. What causes it, and what corrects it? I recognize that it is a "normal" human emotion, yet I believe, more often than not, it is a symptom of something else. In my life anyway, discouragement comes when things do not occur in the way which I anticipate.

For the sake of illustration, let's say that I am planning a deer hunt. I spend two days finding all of my hunting gear, sighting in my shotgun, buying ammunition (because all of you know how many shots it takes me to kill a deer), and purchasing a license. Last minute of course.

After all my preparations, I head out on opening morning confident that I will take a deer. On the drive to my hunting spot I see deer crossing the road. It is still too dark to shoot, but I glimpse them in the headlights so I know there are still some that are available for the taking. As I struggle to climb into my tree stand I am racing the rising sun. I sit perfectly still for four hours and (against all odds) I never get the opportunity to take a shot.

Now hunters are optimists, we sit in the stand day after day because we know a deer is coming. We just need to be there when it happens.
A week later, hunting season ends. I spent the entire week waiting to harvest a deer. I did not struggle with discouragement because I was certain I would get a deer before the season ended. Even the last few minutes of light on the last day found me ready with anticipation. Nothing. Well, I tell myself, I had a good time anyway. Deer or no deer, hunting is fun.

I pack up all my stuff (I've been living in my truck for a week) and head home. Once again, as I drive in the dark, I see a flash of deer in the headlights. Only this time it is accompanied with the sound of an impact and a lurch of the truck. I see a deer sliding down the road ahead of me, naked as a jaybird. (by the way, this is a true story) As I get out of my truck, I see the hide of the deer under my front tire. Her body lay in the road 30 yards away. Huh.

You want to know what the funniest thing is? I was not discouraged about my week hunting until that very moment. Why?

Sometimes we get what we want, it just isn't in the way that we pictured, or the timing that we planned. Should we be discouraged because things don't proceed as we envision, or shall we move forward in faith to see what God has planned?
I have some ideas about this, I hope to have the time to share them over the next week or two. Stay tuned. Jon

Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Bible reading

Praise the Lord, Kaylin finished reading the Bible (cover to cover) today. It took her a little less than ten weeks from start to finish! I hadn't read through the entire Bible by the time I was eleven. I am still trying to motivate her sisters to accomplish the same task. I hope that they will be done by the time that school starts up again this fall. Any ideas on encouraging this?

What's in your pocket?

Not wanting to bore people with overlong posts, I'll try and keep this one short. The girls and I read through II Kings last week. When we had finished we sat down and talked at length about the things that we had read. The girls thought that many things were disgusting! We sat and talked about most of the kings and the things that they had done. (good and bad) We also spent a fair amount of time discussing the miracles that were done through Elisha.

One of the questions that I asked the girls was "which king finally tore down the high places?" It was neat to hear Kaylin talk about reading all the instances where the Bible said that a king "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord...howbeit he did not remove the high places". She said "UH, it was getting so frustrating that no one would tear the high places down, then I read about Hezekiah and that he removed the high places, and brake the images and I was like YES!" (When she told me this, she gave a fist pump into the air)

As a father, I think these are memorable moments. Times when our children read the Word of God, and not only understand it, but are feeling it as well. Kaylin then talked about how neat it was that Josiah heard the book of the Lord (II Kings 22) and he rent his clothes...
1And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 12And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying, 13Go ye, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
What really stood out to her was that Josiah, upon hearing it, knew right away that God would be mad. She said that Josiah did not have a godly father ( II Kings 21:9 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. 21And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: 22And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD. 23And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. 24And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.) (and had been raised worshipping other gods) but that he recognized right away what was right when confronted with the Bible.

This leads me to my questions. Due to the fact that a copy of the Bible is so readily available to us, have we begun to take it for granted? Do we no longer look at the Word with a fresh perspective? Are we willing to read and study; even if it means that we may find out the way that we have always done things may not be Biblical? Do we ever think of God as someone that could be angry with us, or is God always our cheerleader?

I hope that you see what I am getting at. God is not a trinket that you put in your pocket as you merrily go about your own way. God is bigger than your...

Respectfully, Jon