inintegrity

Again

2010-07-01T17:20:00.000-05:00

I know that I am in the habit of repeating myself. However, I just wanted to let everyone know that the new blog is up and running. I would like for you to come and visit, I miss hearing from some of you,

www.avalleyview.blogspot.com

See you there,

Jon

A New View from the Valley

2010-06-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

I just want to take a minute to thank all of you for reading this blog over the last several years. I don't know how active I am going to be with this blog yet, though I would like to keep it open. One of the main reasons is to allow dialogue with "yourbrother" when he comes back online!

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen.

I do want to let you know that I have started a new blog that should be posted on our church website soon. The church website is still being developed so you should see changes over the next month or so.
The church website address...
http://www.vvbc-online.com/

the new blog address (if you'd rather go straight there)...
http://www.avalleyview.blogspot.com/

I hope to see you there,

Jon

Too Elderly

2010-06-08T12:17:00.004-05:00

I know that there is a lot that has happened since the last time that I wrote. I would like to spend some time and catch everyone up to date, but I know that I won't have the time to do it this week.

1) Last month was my birthday

2) Last month we had the opportunity at church to affirm a second elder. Pastor Dan Herman and his family are joining our church. Pastor Herman will be a vocational elder which should allow him more time to focus on the needs and ministries of the church. Yesterday the girls and I spent the afternoon (along with other families from the church) helping them move in to the parsonage. We praised the Lord for good weather!

I'm sure that you'll all hear more about him, and his family, in the future but I am looking forward to ministry together with him. Thank you all for praying for our church over the last 4 years.

Mom knows best

2010-03-15T14:13:00.004-06:00

As usual, it was a frantic scramble to get everyone in the car in order to make it to music rehearsal for church on time yesterday morning. It had nothing to do with the time change, just the fact that we were loading up the car for a full day in town.
Music practice was at 8:30, church service at 9:15 (I was preaching out of II Cor 6), Adult Bible Fellowship at 10:45 (Exhortation vs. Edification), church pot-luck at 12:15 (my mother left her dish on the top of the car when she left for church. Conveniently it was still there when she got out of the car at church), and the ordination service at 2:00

As I shut the car off in the church parking lot at 8:34 Sunday morning (only 4 minutes late), we took the time to talk to the Lord about our upcoming day. Specifically we were asking that people would see Christ in us, and that they would see God working in the church. We didn't want the focus of the day to be about us, but about God.

I believe God answered that prayer.

We had a good turnout for the afternoon ordination service. We even had friends from out of town drive in to visit. There was much to be thankful for!

Last night, before we finally headed back home, I received an ordination gift from my mother. I won't share what it was, only that it brought us both to tears. I can't think of a more meaningful gift, or one I'll treasure more, than the gift I received from my mom.

Goodness

2010-03-11T16:04:00.004-06:00

Wow.

December was the last post?

My, has time flown.
I must confess, I have had opportunity to write, yet I have refrained.
If you have been a long time reader of this blog, you will know that I have shared circumstances that are going on in my life and even in the life of the church to which my family belongs. I don't know that I have shared anything wrong, but I have written things that were not intended for a local audience.

Many of you may know of my calling to be an Elder (pastor). I know that I have shared some of that over the years on this blog. I thought that I knew who the audience of this blog was. When I wrote, I wrote in a way (and to people) that I considered safe.

Last August, I applied for the 3rd time to be an elder at our church. We have been going through a pastor search for the last 3.8 years. The first two times that I had applied I was applying for a vocational position (Pastoral Intern, then Senior Pastor). I was turned down by the pulpit committee. I understand their reasoning. The Lord had (and has) a lot to teach me. I had no experience. I have not been to seminary.
However, last August, I asked to be affirmed as a non-vocational elder (this means no pay). After a couple of months of examining and questioning the deacons recommended me to the church as a non-vocational elder/pastor. The church then started the examining and questioning process as well. This put my family in the spotlight as well.

I don't ever want to lose my appreciation for the grace that the Lord has bestowed on my family. There are days that I just stare at my wife and my girls and wonder why the Lord has blessed me in such a marvelous way. Our teenage girls have a such a true heart for the Lord, the church, and the family, that sometimes it just causes me to sit in wonder at the goodness of our God.

Last Sunday my Captain at the Fire Department came and visited the church for the morning service. He has been searching for truth. Last night he had some questions about a verse that he was reading in his Bible. Oh the goodness of our God.

On January 17th, 2010 the church (through a vote) affirmed me as an elder. This coming Sunday, March 14th @ 2:00 p.m. the church is having an ordination service to set me apart for the ministry of the gospel. This is a direct result of the goodness of our God.

I have been thinking about either linking this blog to our church website, or starting a new blog on the website. I am leaning toward starting new. I don't have the time to proofread all of the posts that I currently have on this blog. Either way, I will keep you informed of what I decide. The advantage to keeping this blog unpublished is that it gives you the opportunity to respond to what I post without concern about the size of the audience. It may also keep "yourbrother" (who has been missing lately as well) comfortable enough to keep authoring posts.
The disadvantage would be in trying to maintain two blogs. I would guess that much of the material would be the same, though this may sometimes carry the inside scoop.

This latest absence from posting has been intentional. Yet I know that you all have continued to pray for me, my family, and the church. Oh the goodness of our God!

Paul, not Christ?

2009-12-14T17:53:00.011-06:00

My apologies to Jon for posting on top of his recent posts. But I kind of feel like I should work on finishing what I started earlier.
This is my second post detailing my thoughts on Lakeview Bible Church’s Statement of Doctrine. Instead of sharing my specific thoughts right here, I’m going to detail their beliefs the way I understand them. I will save my own thoughts for the comments section, should it come up. (Feel free to use the comments section to challenge or ask questions about what is posted -- now and always.)

K. Mission
The mission and commission of the Church, which is the Body of Christ,
is to follow the revelation of the truth which our Lord Jesus Christ in
glory revealed to the Apostle Paul for us. That gospel which Paul called “my gospel” in contrast to the gospel of the circumcision (Israel) is God’s message for today.
So, as Paul, we should strive to preach the gospel in the regions
beyond where Christ is not named.
(Romans 2:16, 11:13, 15:16, 15:20 and 16:25; 1 Corinthians 4:16 and 11:1;
2 Corinthians 10:16; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Galatians 1:6, 9, 11 and 2:2, 5:7;
Ephesians 3:1-2; Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:6;
1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11 and 2:2 &8)

There are 3 parts to this mission statement. I will break them down for you along with the applicable verses from those listed in their statement of faith. I am listing these verses out here to get your thoughts moving. My understanding of their points in green.

1. The mission and commission of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is to follow the revelation of the truth which our Lord Jesus Christ in glory revealed to the Apostle Paul for us.

(Paul was given special revelation to become God’s minister to the Gentiles. These are the teachings the church is to follow.)

Galatians 1:6-12 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:1 1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

2. That gospel which Paul called “my gospel” in contrast to the gospel of the circumcision (Israel) is God’s message for today.

(Paul was given a new gospel to preach among the Gentiles. This new gospel was the special revelation that God had given to him – previously a mystery (unknown, hidden by God). He refers to it as “my gospel” and the “Gospel of the Uncircumcision” in contrast to the gospel that was given by Jesus and was being preached by the disciples.)

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
2 Timothy 1:11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
1 Timothy 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

3. So, as Paul, we should strive to preach the gospel in the regions beyond where Christ is not named.

(Paul was given a new gospel and a new audience. Since we belong to the new audience, saved under the new gospel, our example is not the disciples’ following Jesus’s command to preach His gospel and baptize, but rather our example is Paul. Paul himself told us to be followers of him, and he believed his mission was to preach his gospel to everyone who had not heard it.)

Romans 15:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:
1 Corinthians 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

-- YourBrother

Well Come

2009-12-13T22:51:00.007-06:00

I feel the need to write a quick post to welcome all the new readers. I found out tonight, in a rather surprising way, that what I thought was written to a few, has now been read by many!
There should not be any secrets on this blog, though I will confess that some of the posts over the last 3 years were not intended for a larger audience. Many times postings were added as the Lord was working on me in specific areas. The long time reader of this blog has been able to hear and see those things in progress.

Karen and I had a question and answer time with the church tonight regarding my qualifications as an Elder candidate. It turns out that this blog was being read by people that I would have never guessed had access to it. This is not a bad thing, though I know some posts may not be understood in the context in which they were written. That being said, feel free to browse through the last few years of my private (or since it's on the net, not so private) life.

Let me recommend two of my favorite posts to the new readers to this blog:

Aug 2008 "Anything dad can do..."
Dec 15 2007 "Deer me"

If you use the links on the left of this post you can quickly jump to a previous year and then look for the month and title of the post you would like to read.

In addition, you can comment on any post you would like to weigh in on by clicking on the "__ comments" under each posting. Hope to hear from you soon,
Jon

He who now letteth

2009-12-11T18:22:00.003-06:00

Since it appears that controversial topics (Your Brother) are generating the comments this week, I have decided to add another subject. In my reading this week I came across the following viewpoint:

"Another argument for the pretribulation rapture is based on 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, “And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way” (ASV). The standard Dispensationalist understanding of this passage is that the restrainer spoken of is the Holy Spirit. Pretribulationists argue that since the Holy Sprit dwells and works to restrain evil by means of the church, a removal of the Spirit entails a removal of the church. Once the church is raptured the Antichrist will be revealed. Although this passage is a difficult one that has resulted in many different interpretations, the idea that this passage teaches the removal of the Holy Spirit is theologically impossible and totally contradicts the Dispensationalist’s own interpretation of the events that are supposed to take place during the tribulation. After the rapture a Jewish remnant of 144,000 is converted to Christ. These Jews will be the greatest evangelists the world has ever seen, who bring multitudes to Christ from every nation. What is wrong with this understanding of Scripture? It places the Dispensationalist in the position of either denying his own interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 or of denying the biblical teaching regarding the Holy Spirit’s role in converting sinners. The Bible teaches that no one can be converted without the regenerating and drawing power of the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:25-26; Jn 1:13; 3:5-8; Ac. 5:31; 11:18; 16:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:12-14; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:11; Tit. 3:5). Yet, Pretribulationists teach that the 144,000 Jews are converted after the departure of the Holy Spirit. They also teach that the preaching of these converted Jews will be a hundred times more fruitful without the Holy Spirit than the preaching of the church with the Holy Spirit throughout the so-called church age. Multitudes are said to be converted to Christ from every nation during the absence of the Holy Spirit in only 1260 days! The truth is that if the Holy Spirit is removed, there would be no converts during the tribulation—not even one."

Where is the error?

For They Shall Inherit the Earth

2009-12-11T12:55:00.006-06:00

The other day I was sitting with my girls in the family room while I was reading "The New-England Primer" (Boston 1777, Patriotic Textbook Series). Yes, I still have more to learn! Unfortunately it has no chapter on editing. However, as I was reading, I came across a page that gave me pause.

Really, there was only one statement on the page that made me wonder. I will include the page here to see if you can pick it out...

Who was the firft man?............................. Adam
Who was the firft woman?........................ Eve
Who was the firft Murderer?................... Cain
Who was the firft Tranflated?.................. Enoch
Who was the oldeft Man?......................... Methufelah
Who built the Ark?.................................... Noah
Who was the Patienteft Man?.................. Job
Who was the Meekeft Man?.................... Mofes
Who led Ifrael into Canaan? ....................Jofhua
Who was the ftrongest Man?................... Sampfon
Who killed Goliah?.................................... David
Who was the wifeft Man?......................... Solomon
Who was in the Whale's Belly?................. Jonah
Who faves loft Men?.................................. Jefus Chrift
Who is Jefus Chrift? ................................. .The Son of God
Who was the Mother of Chrift?.............. .Mary
Who betrayed his Mafter?........................ Judas
Who denied his Mafter?............................ Peter
Who was the firft Chriftian Martyr?....... Stephen
Who was chief Apoftle of the Gentiles?... Paul

Overwhelmed

2009-12-10T11:13:00.012-06:00

I suppose I should introduce myself. I am YourBrother. The reason I am YourBrother is because in response to this Blog's main author (Jon), I am informing him that I am his brother (by blood.) And in relation to you (the assumed reader) I am Your Brother (in Christ.)
I realize I am not creative, entertaining, or humorous. I enjoy reading this blog because Jon is all of those things. But since he asked me to post from time to time, you have to scroll over my posts to read what he has to say. Or, if you would like to get lost in the ramblings of my mind, or perhaps fancy the challenge of trying to unravel my tangled thoughts; you are welcome to read my posts also.

Okay... I thought it would be fairly easy to share my thoughts on the 3 excerpts I posted from the Lakeview Bible Church's Statement of Doctrine. Turns out it is rather overwhelming. There is so much background that goes into it, I’m not sure if this is the best format for expounding. I will try to share my thoughts in an abbreviated fashion. I will be happy to elaborate if anyone is interested. I will start with baptism.

F. One Baptism
We believe that the Holy Spirit places all believers today
into the Body of Christ by one spiritual baptism.
This divine baptism takes place at salvation and identifies every believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
Since this one baptism promotes the unity of the Spirit,
Lakeview Bible Church does not practice water baptism,
resting in the total sufficiency of the finish work of Jesus Christ
for a complete and blameless standing before God.
(Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 and 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:3-6; Colossians 2:9-12)

I think I understand why Lakeview Bible Church says they do not practice water baptism today. If you have not bothered to look up the verses listed, I will share them here. The baptism that Paul taught was not a water baptism, it was a spiritual one.

Romans 6
3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 12
12For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Ephesians 4
3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Colossians 2
9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

1 Corinthians 1
17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Now this last verse raises an interesting question. If Paul wasn’t sent to baptize, why did Jesus say:
Matthew 28
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

I’m sure we ignore the truth of what Paul is saying by minimizing it, since it doesn’t fit what we’ve been taught. (“He must have just meant that baptizing wasn’t his MAIN goal, since baptism doesn’t really SAVE you.”)

Except that Jesus really said:
Mark 16
15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

And Peter, remembering what Christ had taught him said:
Acts 2
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

For now, I suppose I can just say that Paul is preaching a different gospel than Jesus was commanding his disciples to preach at the end of the gospels. Paul was given a different message and a different audience.

Paul said:
Galatians 2
7But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

The verses above, and the verses below should give you an idea of what the gospel of the circumcision was about (gospel to the Jews).

Matthew 10
5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23But… …Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 4
23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,

Matthew 24
3But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

And this should tell you what Paul’s gospel was about:
1 Corinthians 15
1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Water baptism belongs to a different gospel than the one Paul taught (and the one through which I was saved.)

Since I’m trying to keep my post here fairly condensed, here’s a good read if you want a thorough breakdown according to a mid-Acts dispensational view: http://www.dispensationalberean.com/teaching/webb/water.html
It is 8 pages long, so you will have to click through the multiple pages for the whole idea.

Pull up your Breeches

2009-12-09T17:13:00.003-06:00

I bought a new version of the English Bible a couple of weeks ago. I have enjoyed reading it while relaxing in the evening. Those that know me well may be surprised that I have purchased a version other than the KJV.
The most interesting thing about this new version is that it is written in pretty modern English. There are a few verses however that don't use modern words. For instance, Genesis 3:7 (speaking of Adam and Eve) "Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig tree leaves together, and made themselves breeches."
This is why the Bible I bought, formally called "The Geneva Bible", is nicknamed "The Breeches Bible". I purchased a copy of the 1599 edition. The Geneva Bible was the English version used by our Founding Fathers. It is a very easy read though not as poetic as the King James. For those that think the Old English is beyond our ability to understand, this Bible version could change your thinking. I purchased mine (bonded leather) from: http://www.reformationbookstore.com/

(If the web address doesn't show up as a link, copy it and paste it in your browser)

If you like to compare Bible versions when you study the Word, purchase the Geneva Bible. I think you'll enjoy it.

Live and Learn

2009-12-09T16:46:00.002-06:00

I just want to start out by welcoming myself back. Many of you probably forgot who I was. I am not going to make excuses other than to say that my computer crashed (it would not boot up) and I finally purchased another one this morning.
My next project is to try and recover my files from the hard drive of my previous computer. I'll bet there are people out there who back up their files in another location so that they don't find themselves in the predicament that I am currently in. Apparently I am not that type of person. Maybe I'll learn something from this experience?

I have been thinking about how to catch everyone up on what has been going on. I have an antelope story to tell (by the way, Karen makes delicious antelope stew), I saw a black bear in Tennessee, I shot a decent buck during bow season, Emily shot her first deer last week, my car broke down and I haven't been able to drive it, Thanksgiving came and went, I have missed every Pheasant that I have shot at (I have managed to bag some Quail), and I have been working on some projects at church. I am hoping to share some of these things with you in the near future, but alas, shotgun season for deer starts on Saturday. In addition to that, we have a family coming in from out of town to visit the church this weekend, I have a deacon meeting next week, I have a union meeting next week, we need to have our 2010 church financial plan finished in the next couple of weeks, the church has a question and answer time on Sunday evening with a prospective elder and his wife (Karen and I), and I am trying to help start up a new small group ministry. Oh yeah, and Christmas is coming. With that comes the holiday schedule.

On an unrelated topic, we started our corn stove two days ago. What a blessing that has been as we now have 10" of snow on the ground and the temperature is supposed to be ten below the next couple of nights. We did have an unseasonably warm November so that was an unexpected blessing.

Saturday evening the girls are performing a puppet show for a neighboring church. This evening we are having "puppet practice" in our home (prayer meeting was canceled due to the weather). Who knew that puppets needed to practice?

While I wait for the girls to prepare, I am going to load my Bible software on this new computer. I don't want to leave without giving a plug for "YourBrother" who has recently posted on this blog. Encourage him to continue by commenting on his posts! It seems his latest post ought to draw some feedback (especially from the Baptists).

Look what I found...

2009-12-04T18:44:00.007-06:00

The following are two excerpts from the Statement of Doctrine from the Lakeview Bible Church in Carter Lake, IA. (Carter Lake, Iowa is kind of inside the city of Omaha.)
http://lakeviewreflections.org/index.php/About-Us/

The green text is my personal highlighting.

F. One Baptism
We believe that the Holy Spirit places all believers today
into the Body of Christ by one spiritual baptism.
This divine baptism takes place at salvation and identifies every believer
with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
Since this one baptism promotes the unity of the Spirit,
Lakeview Bible Church does not practice water baptism,
resting in the total sufficiency of the finish work of Jesus Christ
for a complete and blameless standing before God.
(Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 and 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:3-6; Colossians 2:9-12)

K. Mission
The mission and commission of the Church, which is the Body of Christ,
is to follow the revelation of the truth which our Lord Jesus Christ in
glory revealed to the Apostle Paul for us. That gospel which Paul called “my gospel” in contrast to the gospel of the circumcision (

Israel

) is God’s message for today.
So, as Paul, we should strive to preach the gospel in the regions
beyond where Christ is not named.
(Romans 2:16, 11:13, 15:16, 15:20 and 16:25; 1 Corinthians 4:16 and 11:1;
2 Corinthians 10:16; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Galatians 1:6, 9, 11 and 2:2, 5:7;
Ephesians 3:1-2; Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:6;
1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11 and 2:2 &8)

A church that identifies separate Israel gospel from Paul's gospel... AND doesn't believe in water baptism for today?
Now you're wondering about their take on communion?

F. The Lord’s Supper
The communion of the Lord’s Supper as revealed through
the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is
for members of the Body of Christ to be observed “till he comes.”

I have my own thoughts on all three parts. Anyone else?

Apparently there is an affiliation of like-minded Grace churches and organizations. Check out this link (look at all of the ones listed for Ohio.) How did I never hear of this before? Some of them have REALLY bold statements of faith. You might like to check some of them out.
http://www.gmaf.org/churches.html

-YourBrother

Hang on!

2009-11-16T18:26:00.003-06:00

Wow! Have I left you hanging!

What did Tuesday bring? Well it was almost three weeks ago now but our family packed up the car and headed to Tennessee! We had a surprise 85th birthday for my Grandmother. What a beautiful woman!

We all met in Pigeon Forge and spent a wonderful 3 days together. I was thrilled this time to finally see a bear! Karen was not as thrilled about that as I was. In fact, the second bear that she saw was only about five feet behind her as she walked along a hiking trail. There was no one else around at the time except for our Nephew who had whispered to Karen "Aunt Karen, there's a bear".

It was such a joy to see my cousin Mark after having not seen each other for 14 years. I was able to meet his wife and his three children. I also received a special hug from my cousin Jenny. I hadn't seen her family for around 7 years. In case you are wondering, she was more beautiful than ever! I wish I could explain the way it made me feel to see her wonderful smile on the face of her daughter. It was like going back in time and seeing her as I did when we were children.

Okay, enough of the sappy stuff. I had promised an account on an antelope hunt. Unfortunately that is old news. I mean, it was great to take a trip to Wyoming and shoot two antelope, but what was even better was my deer hunting attempt this past Saturday night! I probably should have been working on my Sunday morning sermon, but the weather was beautiful and the deer were calling my name.

Ha, I'm going to leave you hanging again. I wish I had time to write but Julianna is here for two days. We haven't seen her since she lived with us during the 2004/2005 school year (she was our foreign exchange student). The girls are having a blast catching up with her and reliving old stories. I (dad) want to be a part of it as well.

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of my beautiful Grandma...

A note on Antelope

2009-10-19T18:41:00.004-05:00

Every day since last Thursday I have been meaning to post on the blog regarding last week's antelope hunt in Wyoming. All I can tell you is that a note is coming but I'm not sure when. I was going to post today but it was such nice weather today and I had some things that I needed to get done outside. I also had to go to a friends house this afternoon and help him pour footings for his new garage (he accidentally burned his previous garage to the ground).

This past Friday evening we had Sherwood Church to our house for their fall party. We had a big bonfire (roasting hot dogs and marshmallows), ate antelope stew, and had a few hay rack rides. Saturday we had about 50 people (counting families) from our fire house here for a fall party. The party doubled as a retirement party for a battalion chief who was a good friend of Kurt and I.

Tomorrow I am at the fire station, Wednesday evening I will be teaching at prayer meeting, Thursday and Saturday I will be at the station; Sunday I am preaching, teaching ABF, leading a church business meeting, I have a pulpit committee meeting, and I have a deacon meeting. Monday I will be back at the fire station and Tuesday...
I'll tell you what happens on Tuesday in a couple of weeks.
All of that to say this, after I get the priorities handled, I'll tell you about my antelope hunt.
I'll talk with you soon,
Jon

1,830! But Who's Counting?

2009-10-15T15:59:00.007-05:00

Today is our second daughter's 13th birthday! Every day with our children is a gift from the Lord but it really hits home for me at this time every year. Many of you know that it was just a couple of days from her 8th birthday that she was involved in a near fatal accident with one of our horses.
As I rode in the squad with her on the way to the hospital and looked into her beautiful hazel eyes, I distinctly remember knowing in my heart that as much as I loved her, the Lord loved her more. I couldn't bring myself to beg for her life, I just asked God for enough time for Karen to make it to the hospital and say goodbye to her. I knew the Lord knows best.

As I write this post I can hear her playing her violin in the other room. I know that she will never understand how beautiful those hymns of praise sound to me right now.

Every day with our children is a gift from God. He answered my prayer exceeding abundantly above all that I could ask or think. Unto him be glory...throughout all ages, world without end. Amen!

Thank you Lord for the last 1,830 days.

Happy 13th birthday Kaylin,
I love you...
Papa

Half Way Done

2009-10-03T11:08:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute to wish "YourBrother" a Happy Birthday! October 4th (tomorrow) is the big day.
If the average life span of a man is really 70 years, he is half way there. I am excited to see how the Lord can use him in the next 35 years. Hopefully he can find the time to sharpen us by participating in posting on this blog :)
Happy B-Day Brother

Alone Together still

2009-09-28T19:02:00.002-05:00

The leadership of our church has decided to move toward a small group ministry. In doing so we recognized the need to teach through the reasons that we find small group ministries important. Yesterday I started a series in which I will preach on some of the responsibilities of the New Testament Church and how small groups can assist us in fulfilling those callings. The topic yesterday was fellowship. The point that I wanted to get across was that Biblical Fellowship can't take place if we are excluding the Lord.
I think that we label a lot of things as "fellowship". We get together for hobbies, sporting events, potlucks, and even movie events. Oftentimes, even at these church events, we enjoy our fellowship without it bringing us any closer to the Lord. I think that true Biblical Fellowship is experiencing God together.

I was reading in Hebrews chapter ten last week and I noticed that before we are called to "consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..." we are reminded that we have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated..."
As I went back to Exodus to look closer at the "holiest" (the Holy of Holies) I was reminded of all the times the High Priest went in (once a year) alone. Now however, because of the blood of Jesus, we are able to enter the "holiest" (anytime) together. This is how I picture Biblical Fellowship. Walking into the holy of holies, hand in hand. If there is anything preventing us from wanting to walk behind the veil (figurative) with our spouse, our children, our family or others in our church, we cannot experience true Biblical Fellowship with them.

Last night we also had a vote on calling a preaching pastor. The vote was close but we didn't have the percentage necessary to call him. This was difficult news for many in the church. I want to again ask those of you who have been so faithful in prayer to continue to pray for our church at this time. It is difficult to see so many hurting people. I pray that even through something as difficult as this, our church will experience God together.

Laced with Blazing tears

2009-09-21T12:31:00.005-05:00

I want to take a little time to thank those of you that have been praying for our family. I know that many of you have been faithful in prayer and we appreciate it immensely.

In regard to things at church, there was some very encouraging news this past Wednesday evening. I do not have the freedom to write about it yet, but I know that the Lord is continuing to lead in our lives.

Additionally, this morning our daughters said goodbye to two members of our family. This involved a few tears but I am so thankful for children that, though incredibly sad, are obedient and respectful even on the hardest days. Lacy and Blaze have been wonderful horses! In the above picture, they are the two horses on the outside. Our pony "Cocoa" is in the center. We hope their new owners love them as much as we have.

My Hidden Agenda

2009-09-21T12:11:00.002-05:00

I was asked last week if it was possible to update my blog with something that wasn't so discouraging.

Instead, I decided to go into hiding!

Saturday was the start of youth season here in Iowa. Emily and I have a date this afternoon because we weren't able to hunt on Saturday. In preparation for this (my favorite time of the year) I decided to try out some new camouflage.

Now if you don't see me for a while, you know why!

Which Weigh to Go?

2009-09-02T12:17:00.003-05:00

These next two weeks may be very difficult weeks for my family. I am asking that those of you who read this blog will pray for us over the next couple of weeks. We are at a crossroads right now in our lives as it relates to ministry and the church we have been ministering in. These decisions have been weighing on our minds. I am seeking the Lord's direction in these areas and I am praying for clear direction to the choices we must make.

At least six months ago Karen and I affectionately termed our ministry a "kamikaze" ministry. We decided that no matter what became of our "reputation" we were going to do what we knew to be Biblical. Shortly after we came to grips with that, the Lord started doing things in the life of the church that gave us hope as to our future there. However, in the last few weeks it has become evident that there is a distrust or fear (of me) that wasn't there before the kamikaze(ing) had to be done. We shall see where all this leads...

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

It's About Time

2009-08-26T11:51:00.003-05:00

My wife informed me the other day (as she was reading through her favorite blogs) that I hadn't written on mine for a month. I expected that.
I have an excuse. I have no time. Life is always busy. Our home is always busy. I continually say "If we can just make it through this week..." but then our very next week fills in so that one week hardly seems much different than the previous.

As I think on this fact, it strikes me that our children have no after-school activities. They don't play sports. They rarely watch television. They don't go to the mall and hang out with friends. They don't date (and they won't).
The fact is, it is not the social life of our children that keeps us busy. How is it that other families have the time to chauffeur their children to all of these things? Can it be that we are not as busy as we think? Do we have time to cram more things into our schedule? I doubt it.

I guess we could if we were willing to give some things up. What should we give up so that I have the time to blog more and my children have the time to play sports, go to the mall, watch television and date?

We could give up the rigid public school schedule. I say that tongue in cheek because we did that several years ago. What can we give up now?

We could give up schooling all together (It is tempting, but don't send the government my way, we won't do that). We could give up eating dinner at home as a family. We could give up our hobbies. We could give up maintaining our home. We could give up ministry. We could give up hospitality. We could give up Bible study and prayer.

Hobbies? Yes, I have hobbies. Good old red-blooded American hobbies. I hunt and fish. As a matter of fact, I have been fishing four times this summer. That is more fishing than I have done in any summer I can remember.
I am looking forward to hunting season. I hunt more than I fish. Fishing doesn't feed my family, but I am a more successful hunter. We eat venison all the time. We have been eating venison all year long. I could give that up this fall and get a job for a couple of months. That should provide enough money to buy a years worth of meat.
Oh, that wouldn't give me more time though. I would just be replacing one thing with another.

Now that I've taken the time to think about it, I don't think I'll give these things up. I've had the time to read 4 books, memorize a chapter of the Bible, mow the lawn, work 24 hours at the station, till the horse corral, eat with my family, work on Emily's computer, pay bills, sleep, spend some alone time with my wife, visit with my Father-in-law, spend time in prayer, wash the tractor, send out 12 emails and I am now sitting down for more Bible study (after I am done taking the time to write on this blog).
All of this since Monday morning. I suppose I have time.

Oh yes, blogging comes before sports, the mall, television and dating.

I guess it's time to teach the girls to blog.

Origin of Species

2009-07-28T14:48:00.001-05:00

Still Questioning Authority

2009-07-23T09:30:00.004-05:00

Over the last couple of years the issue of church governance has been on my mind quite a bit. I think this stems from not only what the Lord has been teaching me, but also because of what our church has been going through.
For those of you that read this blog regularly, you will know that this has been something that I touch on when we have struggled as a church. In fact, here is the third post that I wrote on Novermber 6th, 2007.

Church polity

It has been a long process since I authored that post. We presented a new form of government to the church. Instead of the deacons having the charge of the church and the pastors being subject to them, we presented a constitution that was "Elder (or Pastor) Led". However, the authority does not reside with the Elders. Here is the paragraph from our constitution on the issue of authority.

ARTICLE III AUTHORITY

The ultimate authority of the local church is Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Under God, the authority in the local church rests with the congregation. Matthew 18:17, Acts 15:1-2, Acts 6:3. The Elders will submit to God, to one another, and to the congregation.

I want to praise the Lord that after a two and a half year process, the church finally approved the Elder led model by voting in favor of the constitutional changes that we presented. This was done on the 19th of July, 2009. However, as you can see by the preceding paragraph, the Elders are not ruling in the church, they are submitting to the congregation. Again, I praise the Lord that we have included Elders, but do they have the position in the church that God intends for them?

Our governmental democracy has affected our church in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, I think it has negatively impacted the church as it relates to leadership. I know that there are verses included in the constitution that supposedly support congregational rule. Yet, none of these verses show that the congregation should vote on the spiritual matters of the church, instead, the congregation is expected to follow the direction given to them by the Apostles and Elders.

I included the verses on "ruling" in the previous post because I believe that God has placed an authority to "rule" in the church. I believe that it falls on the Elders. In the Elder qualifications it says he must rule his house well or how will he know how to rule the house of God? In Romans 12, ruling is listed as a spiritual gift. It says in I Timothy 5 that the Elders that rule well are worthy of double honor.

Would you agree that this ruling is to take place in the church?
Is the paragraph on authority in our constitution biblical?

Rule On This One

2009-07-16T10:49:00.003-05:00

I want to ask a two part question that might be unpopular in the church today. Why did the Lord include so many verses (for the church) in the Bible about "ruling" and how does this fit in with a view of the church being a democracy?

One that ruleth his own house, having his children is subjection with all gravity; For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church...

ruling their children and their own houses...

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of...

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God...

Obey them that have the rule over you,...they watch for your souls, as they that must give account...

Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints.

he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy...

Obviously these are all from the New Testament. If I were to include synonyms of "rule" the list would be longer.

Nick of Time

2009-07-14T18:02:00.003-05:00

Nothing special to write tonight, unfortunately I just don't have the time. I am heading to bible study in 3 minutes. I just wanted to check in so that you all knew that I was still alive and hadn't dropped off the face of the earth.
We had a great week of vacation and a good weekend when we got home. I was able to preach three times in Glenwood Iowa and I thank the Lord for that opportunity!
We have a busy week but I will try and post in the next few days. Keep checking in, Jon
Whew 23 seconds to go

Still Hunting

2009-07-01T13:44:00.005-05:00

I cannot believe that the post titled "hunting for intelligence" has not prompted any comments. Has the post been skipped over or do words fail you as well?

Just to give you a quick update, we are having the church out to our house tonight for a Fourth of July celebration. I will be giving a quick devotional and reading excerpts from our Declaration of Independence.
My question will be about our rights. The Declaration states that we have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."
I believe that these "rights" have negatively impacted many believers. You see, we may have these rights from a governmental standpoint but we don't have them in our personal lives. In other words...

Mark 8:35 ; Galatians 2:20 - life?
I Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 5:13-14 - liberty?
Romans 14:19 - pursuit of happiness?

As believers, if we could forget about our rights, we could be more righteous. Right?

On July 12th I will be filling the pulpit at another church. I will be teaching Sunday School on our right to life. During morning worship I will be preaching on our liberty, and for the evening service... You got it! The pursuit of happiness.

Happy 4th of July!

Schools Out!

2009-06-30T12:29:00.005-05:00

I am not going to say much. As a matter of fact, it is from a lack of time, not a lack of interest. Emily finished driver's ed this week. We were very happy that she passed this mandatory (and expensive) class.
Speaking of which...

"As many as eighty-five to ninety percent of professing Christians send their children to the government for their education. That is simply an astonishing figure considering the fact that the Christian community fought mandatory government education tooth-and-nail for it’s first fifty years of existence. Since then we have gone from fighting against government schools to fighting for them and implying that those who fight against them are fundamentalists, anti-intellectuals, and racists."

"No academic skepticism, no secularist authors, no blatant materialism can so undermine the spiritual life of the country like the completely secularized training of the child under the authority of the state"

The preceding statements were taken from the following post;

http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/6/25_Top_Five_REasons_Not_to_Send_Your_Kids_Back_to_Govt._School.html.

Compelling arguments?

Creative signatures

2009-06-23T16:14:00.010-05:00

Our youngest daughter has gone to camp this week. As is the tradition, my other daughters are sending her mail. I had so much fun reading their letters that I thought I'd share them here...

Click on the images if you would like to read them.
They also wrote to Audrey's best friend...

Please note the signatory of each letter.

The titles that were left out of this post:

"Your pig riding license has expired"

"Pleese join are spellitrite klub"

"Your membership to the lipstick lovers loop is expiring next month"

"Your tennis shoe burning license has expired"

Hunting for Intelligence

2009-06-22T18:42:00.001-05:00

Words fail me!

Catching up

2009-06-19T10:21:00.003-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I have given an update on what is going on in our lives! This has been such a busy couple of weeks that I have not dedicated any time to writing on the blog.
We have just finished up our Vacation Bible School for this summer. The week went well and attendance was good. The last three nights of VBS we had over 80 kids per night, with a total attendance over 150 with the workers and adults added to the count!

Wednesday morning our "Peru mission team" flew out of Omaha, NE. Our family was up at 4:00 a.m. in order to see them off. We were able to pray together in the airport after they had checked in their luggage but before they headed into the terminal. We received a report yesterday afternoon that they had made it safely and would be speaking in a church last night. The team includes Kurt O. (a firefighter that works with me in Omaha) and my brother Chad.

Rob (my business partner) is done teaching for the summer. He will be teaching building construction again in the fall at the local community college but since he has the summer off, we have fired up the cabinet shop again and are building custom cabinets for a house near Sioux City, IA.

Tonight we have a dinner and an interview with a man that has applied to be the Pastor at our church. The deacons will spend some more time getting to know him tomorrow while I am at the station. Sunday afternoon we will have them over to our house so that I can get to know him a little better. Please pray that we will be sensitive to the Lord's leading in this matter. This month makes it three full years without a Pastor.

On July first we will have an all church 4th of July celebration at our house. I hope that between now and then we will have some time to make our place presentable. We have not been able to do much maintenance as we have had so many other commitments that take us from our home. Well... commitments and a family camping trip!

Emily has been taking driver's education this spring. Her final driving test is this Thursday so we are praying that it goes well. She is doing a fine job driving but we are concerned about her nerves. If the pressure doesn't get her, she'll do great.

I know this has been a long update, thanks for hanging in there,
Jon

Outweighed

2009-06-08T10:31:00.008-05:00

As many of you know, our family went camping last week in south western Iowa. I think that we had a great time though there were some trying moments. It started raining on Monday afternoon and didn't quit until the middle of Tuesday afternoon. As you can imagine, this put a little stress on Karen. Sometime around the middle of the night, our tent fly succumbed to the constant barrage of water and started leaking. By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, Karen was on my cot (with me) and two of the three girls had abandoned their bags as well. The floor of the tent was soaked, all of our clothes were soaked (they weren't in water proof bags), and most of the sleeping bags were wet.
Well, if you are wet in the tent, you might as well be outside. If you are outside, you might as well be fishing. This was what Audrey, Emily and I decided anyway.
Karen and Kaylin figured that if it was raining, they might as well be at Wal-Mart. This meant a 70 mile drive so we didn't see them again until lunch time. They came back with a tarp (that we promptly put over the tent) and a screen pavilion that we put our food and our picnic table in.

Tuesday evening was very mild so we were enjoying a campfire and the girls were cooking smores when we had furry guest with a ring tail explore our screen pavilion. One minute I was calmly sitting in my camping chair next to Karen with the girls chatting around us, and the next second Karen was yelling at me from the top of a picnic table 20' away. This caused quite a clamour among the girls and quickly led to a flurry of directives being thrown my way. Apparently each was concerned for the safety of everyone but Papa.

Wednesday evening the same visitor(s) came by for another visit. This occurrence was quite different than the first. This time the visitors were bestowed names. Frank and Francine. It was amazing to hear the way that the raccoons were fawned upon the second evening that they came by.
"Oh, there soooo cute!"
"Let's feed them."
"Emily, give them a marshmallow"
"Don't scare them off. Let's name them."

It is funny how our perspective can change so quickly.

Speaking of perspectives, it is the same fish that Emily and I are holding. I caught him Wednesday morning. The size discrepancy is in the field of view.

Hebrews 12:1-3
¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

II Corinthians 4:17-18
¹⁷For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; ¹⁸While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Weigh In

2009-06-04T19:35:00.002-05:00

I was just wondering how many of you wanted to weigh in on who caught the bigger fish this week?

But we have the mind of Christ.

2009-05-26T11:32:00.006-05:00

Whew! What a long weekend. Out of the 72 hour long memorial day weekend, I was only able to spend 3 of those hours with my family. Most of this was due to the fact that I was at the Fire Station for a cumulative 48 hours.

Things went well on Sunday morning as I filled the pulpit in a neighboring church. I did learn a valuable lesson though. If I am ever asked to preach at another church again, I will ask if they are expecting me to teach Sunday School as well. Next time I won't be surprised when they turn Sunday School over to me.

I must say that it was pretty "freeing" to preach in another church. I didn't know anyone there so I had no worries about who might be offended by the message. It was also not a concern that anyone would wonder about my motives. These factors made it easy to just let the Bible flow!

I did teach on discernment. I was able to use an article from the Omaha newspaper for my illustration. Karen thought I lacked discernment in bringing the story up at church. To fill you in, there was a story about a little boy (8 yrs old) in Omaha that has decided he would rather be a girl. The Catholic school that he attends will not support him so his parents are enrolling him in the Omaha Public School System for next year. They have bought him new outfits (dresses, shoes, and pink clothes) and started calling him Katie rather than Ben.
The fact that Ben would rather be a girl than a boy was not really the issue that I was dealing with in my sermon. Instead I dealt with a couple of letters regarding the story that were published in the paper a few days later. In one letter, a man wrote that he hoped the Catholic Chancellor had misspoken when he stated that people are either male or female and cannot change.
This man went on to say the statement made by the Chancellor was "equal parts ignorance and arrogance". Ignorance because animals can change gender, and arrogance because the purpose of the church is to explain salvation, not to comment on subjects that they know nothing about.

I spent some time talking about the responsibility of believers to strive for holiness. It is also the responsibility of the Pastor to "feed the flock" not just introduce unbelievers to Christ. In our church, our purpose statement is "...to introduce people to Jesus Christ...to instruct them in Christlike maturity, and to inspire them to serve him."

We do have a plethora of churches that are only concerned with the gospel. The New Testament however, has many things to say regarding the growth of the believer after salvation. Our change has only just begun after coming to know Christ. There is still much to learn.
The man writing the letter lacked spiritual discernment.

The first thing required for spiritual discernment is a relationship with Christ. Hebrews 5:1-10

Secondly, in order to have discernment, we need to get past the basics of the gospel and delve into the meat of the Word. Hebrews 5:11 - 6:3

What was the third point? It can be found in I Corinthians 2:9-16

In order to "have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" I read a second letter.
This was written by a Christian woman. She said that she hoped the Christian community would show support to the family because of their courage in caring for their daughter. She reminded us that the first command is to treat everyone with love and the second is not to judge.

Which Two?

2009-05-22T10:09:00.003-05:00

I received a call last night at 10:47. The purpose of the phone call was to ask me to fill the pulpit this Sunday in a neighboring town. Of course I said that I would.

During the course of our short conversation (I have never been to the church and don't believe that I know anyone there) I asked if there were specific topics or passages that they are asking their pulpit supply to stick to. I was told "No, but spiritual discernment might be good."

Does this mean that I should preach on spiritual discernment two days from now or does it mean that I need spiritual discernment over the next two days in order to know what to preach on?

Time is Short

2009-05-20T10:28:00.004-05:00

I was asked a few days ago to speak at a graduation next week. The graduation is for a young lady who has been home schooled so the family is putting on the graduation party. Both parents work at a retail store and have invited everyone at the store to come to the graduation. The family is expecting a large number to attend (possibly over 100) so they have rented a gym for the evening.
If the parents prediction of attendees is correct, then most of those that will be in attendance will not be believers.

I have been asked to give a charge to their daughter, give a summation as to why one would home school, and clearly present the gospel message for those that may not have heard what Christ has done for them. If anyone has input to share, I am receptive. I was asked to keep it around 15 minutes.

On a related note,

If I talk for 25 minutes but make it feel like 12, am I still okay?

PER U SE Philippians 1

2009-05-15T11:43:00.003-05:00

Karen and I took the girls on a canoe trip last Saturday with some other families from our home school group. What perfect weather we had for our trip! I must say that it has really gotten me into the camping mood. In fact, I would have liked to have gone camping this weekend but we have too many things going on to be able to get away.
Tonight the girls are going to a play at one of the Community Theaters in town while Karen and I are going out to dinner (we had pizza from the gas station last week on our anniversary). We also have a church league softball game to participate in at 9:30 p.m. Tomorrow we have two graduation parties to attend, a bike ride scheduled with Karen's dad, and a dinner to put on for her family (She is making Rueben's, one of my favorite meals!).
Right now we are toying with the possibility of going camping on Monday and Tuesday but Emily has driver's education classes every morning next week and we would rather she not miss them.

For those of you that don't know, our church is sending a group of people on a mission's trip to Peru this summer. I am excited that my brother Chad is going with the group. Unfortunately I have not had much time to talk with him about this, but the Lord has been bringing him to my mind frequently. I know from personal experience how much something like this can impact his life and I want to be faithful in praying to that end. I know that many of you are also praying for him too. I would ask that you not just pray for his safety, or for his family as he is away, but that you would commit to praying for his spiritual well being and growth.
On Wednesday nights at church we have been memorizing the book of Philippians together. The purpose of this is to learn to pray for spiritual things rather than temporal. I would like to share some of my thoughts from chapter one regarding Chad and his upcoming trip.

Paul says in verses 3-4 "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy... " and I want to ask that God remind me as well to remember Chad and to joyfully pray for him.

In verse 7 "...I have you in my heart...and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace." I know that Chad will have the opportunity to defend and confirm the gospel by his testimony and work ethic on this trip. I know that the Lord will provide him the grace to do everything required of him, and I pray that he will draw on it.

In verse 9 "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more..." I pray that Chad will not only have a love for the people of Peru but also for the members on his team. It can be difficult traveling and living for two weeks with people that you hardly know.

In verse 10 "That ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense..." I pray that Chad will be supportive of others and their ideas. I pray that the sincerity of his heart will be evident to those that he works with and those that he meets.

In verse 11 "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ..." I pray that his fruits will be sweet to others.

Verse 12 "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;" Most of all, I want to pray that regardless of what happens; whether the Lord chooses to keep him healthy or even whether the Lord chooses to keep him safe, that the things which happen unto him will be for the furtherance of the gospel!

Verse 21 "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Verse 25-26 "And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

What can you find in Philippians chapter 1 to pray for Chad with me?

No Longer Aloft

2009-05-07T14:46:00.006-05:00

Well, I promised some pictures by this week sometime. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to figure out how to format all of these pictures. In other words, the pictures are in reverse order so it will appear that the barn was built rather than torn down.

I have also not included pictures of the stack of lumber that is now located on my property. I will try to upload more pictures in the week ahead.

Enjoy browsing the photos, I know it doesn't look like much yet (especially because these were taken on my phone). Bear with me, I'll communicate more soon.

A picture's worth a thousand words!

2009-04-28T09:20:00.003-05:00

I must confess that I had been waiting to write another post until I had enough time to download some pictures from my phone. I wanted to be able to show you all how the barn project had gone. Unfortunately, I have not been able to accomplish this yet. It may be the beginning of next week before I have the time to get it done. I apologize for the lack of pictures in this update.
As I had shared with you, we had two weeks to tear down a barn that had been built in the 1800's. Karen was concerned that I was going to be fatally injured during this attempt. Praise the Lord, none of my injuries ended up being fatal. I am living proof!

The owner of the barn (I never found out his last name-I just call him Mike the barn guy) was so happy to see us start on the project right away, that he never mentioned the time frame again. I started the project on a Saturday by delivering scaffolding and ladders to the site, and 13 days later (seven working days), the barn was on the ground. Mike the barn guy (see?) has said however, that since the barn is on the ground, he is not worried about how long it may take us to haul it away. He has a new building going up the second week of May in the same spot that the barn stood so he just wanted to make sure that the spot was cleared.

I have paid more attention to old barns the last few weeks. After all, there is little else to do during the 120 mile drive. Some barns are in good condition and some look like they haven't been maintained for the last 80 years. I have found it a pity to see the number that are in disrepair. Every old barn has some history attached to it, and it is fun to look at the type of construction and speculate on the original use of the structure. As I have discovered, barns were built for practical purposes. They were not intended to just be decorative objects in the backyard. The style of barn can vary greatly depending on it's intended use.
The barn that we chose to tear down was mainly built for storing grain and hay. The ground floor had several built in grain bins but the entire loft was designed to store loose hay. There was also a milking station built into the north end on the bottom floor. As neat as all of this was, it was of no practical use to Mike the barn guy. He wanted a place to store his tractors, his boats, and his camper. He needs a free span metal building.

For those that haven't heard, the new use of the barn (after it is erected) will be as a home. I am not sure when construction will start, but I am looking forward to it! There are endless possibilities for layout. I can imagine the beauty of the great room with it's 30 foot ceilings and post and beam construction. I can imagine the old pulley and track system hanging from the ceiling which will allow furniture to be hoisted to the lofts. I can even imagine kids (and adults) in harnesses using the pulley as a zip line from loft to loft, soaring across the great room, kitchen, and dining room ceilings. I see decks suspended 16' off the ground projecting out the old hay mow door. I see a two story master bedroom with a balcony overlooking the main living area. I see the old wood floors refurbished as wall and ceiling wood. I can imagine the original sliding interior barn doors as bathroom pocket doors and bedroom or closet doors.
Can you picture it?

Wow, I'm excited just writing about it!

Lofty Ideas

2009-04-09T16:06:00.004-05:00

Well,

As if I don't have enough going on already.

I had a friend telephone me about 4 days ago to ask my opinion about the feasibility of tearing down an old barn, moving it to another property (120 miles away) and putting it back up. The old barn he was referring to was built circa 1880. I told him that it was possible, not probable, but I would have to see it before I would know for sure. This prompted an invite to ride along with him last Tuesday in order to see the barn.
I accepted the invitation knowing that I would never recommend the attempt to tear down and relocate a 130 yr old structure.

To tell you the truth, I went along on the trip because there were some things that I wanted to talk to this guy about that had nothing to do with moving barns. As we were driving south and the dialogue turned to barns, I would humor him for a couple of minutes before steering the talk back to realistic (and important) topics of conversation. In this manner I was successful at fully sharing my valuable opinion concerning every other area of his life (The issues that prompted me to travel with him in the first place).

When we arrived at the barn site I got my first glimpse of an impossible task. This barn was 39 feet wide, 53 feet long and 3 stories tall. As I viewed it from the outside, I knew my job of forcing him to contemplate reality would be an easy one. No one in their right mind would attempt a job of that magnitude.
I respectfully followed him across the yard as we met with the owner of the barn. I quietly trailed along as he walked into one end of the structure and inspected the posts and beams. I meekly followed as he crawled into the hayloft and peered at the roof suspended 26' over our heads.

To be totally honest, I wasn't exactly quiet the whole time. I shared my opinion about the difficulty in taking down a roof that was perched 44' in the air. I shared my thoughts concerning the removal of the 4-8"x8" 44' posts that supported said roof. I shared my ideas regarding the impossibility of removing the wooden pins that pierced the mortises and tenons. I opined on the difficulty of removing 5,000 square foot of lap siding, and over 10,000 square foot of ship lapped 1x8's covering each wall and the hay mow floor. I spoke of the weight of the 39' floor joists, and the beams that held up the hay loft. I reminded my friend that everything would have to be done by hand. I reminded him that we were 100 miles from home and we had no lift, we had no cranes, we had no tractors capable of a job that size.

I broke in to the conversation again when the owner said that he would like the barn to be removed within two weeks. He had to know that my friend has a job and wouldn't be able to work on weekdays. That is the only reason I bothered to interrupt.

After all, if I hadn't spoken up, we may not have gotten the barn. Someone had to tell the owner that I would take next week off and we could get it done within his time frame!

CAN IT!

2009-04-07T11:09:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday my two youngest daughters participated in the Awana Games. Karen and I drove in to Papillion Nebraska in order to watch the competition. We sat in the bleachers along with several hundred other spectators and watched the kids run races around the Awana circle. It was quite a large operation as they had four circles in full operation. Despite some mistakes during the contest, our girls took first place against their opposing teams.

I must say that I was a little disturbed though at the opening of the afternoon games. As the kids filed in and sat with their respective teams, a man walked to the center of the gym with a microphone. He took the opportunity to welcome the children and their parents and then proceeded to share the gospel. I know that doesn't sound like something that should disturb me, however, with the kids all keyed up for the competition and the parents and grandparents waiting to watch the show, it seemed out of place.
No, "out of place" isn't the right word. It seemed trivial. Flippant.
As I looked around, the kids were thinking of the games. They had been in Awana all year. They had heard the gospel during times that were much less distracting. They weren't being bad, but they didn't perceive the seriousness of the message. Why then was the gospel being shared at that time?

The man giving the presentation sounded as if he were talking to children but he stated that the gospel was for the parents as well and asked them to listen too. In fact, I was left with the distinct impression that it was almost a trick. He was pretending to talk with the kids who had been in Awana all year but his intended audience was the parents. It made the gospel seem cheap, a canned message.

Should the presentation of the gospel be a gimmick? Am I being too hard on the people who put the program together? How serious should we take the presentation of the gospel message? Do people become callused to the message when it is something that we put them through when they are not willing participants? It was almost like dues that they had to pay in order to watch the game. Which reminds me, they had to pay a $3.00 entrance fee as it was.

I know that some of you are thinking that I am a little too judgmental. You are probably right. Yet there is more. I found out later that evening that the same thing had been done before the morning games. There was a difference however. The morning message was given by a woman. Her intended audience was everyone in the room as well. The children and adults alike.
Am I being too critical? It wasn't a church service. Women are allowed to share the gospel.

For you Calvinists, I know that in your mind no damage could be done. Or can it?

Invested in Education

2009-04-04T10:59:00.002-06:00

I looked up some information about Omaha Public Schools. Here is a link for a good place to start reading.
http://www.ops.org/district/CENTRALOFFICES/GeneralAdministrativeServices/BudgetPlanningandAnalysis/tabid/118/Default.aspx

I spent the last hour trying to copy some of the information that I found, but this blog would not support the format. I decided to retype it as a Word Document so that I could paste it. That format wasn't supported either. Now I have no time to retype it as a post because I have to take my girls to the Awana Games.

It is interesting reading though to see that the OPS budget is over $500,000,000 per year. It is also interesting to note that their cash on hand varies greatly depending on which investments they are in!

Money? What money?

2009-04-03T17:13:00.003-06:00

About a month ago, our principal (at my Omaha Public School) called us to a meeting where he informed us that because of the "financial crisis" there were budget cuts for the school, and this would affect all of us to some degree, but we would get through it. He is after all, a very gifted leader, well-skilled in managing limited budgets due to previous experience. (At least that's what he tried to convince us of over the next few minutes.)
My immediate thought, of course, was... what does the "economy" have to do with school budgets? My understanding has been that the money used for schools was from taxes; not investments. Surely we haven't taken a big hit to our property taxes in Omaha, have we? In fact, the economy in Omaha is pretty much the same as it has been for as long as I've been living here, with the obvious exception of retirement investments.

Since that announcement, we've been getting word about multiple positions in the building being cut. Many teachers will be forced out of the building or into different grade levels or positions. I have already been informed that my position is one of those being cut.
So... maybe someone else can explain the whole thing to me instead. As far as we've been told, we've somehow lost lots of funding instead of new money being passed out.

Appealing

2009-04-03T09:14:00.002-06:00

I have been hoping to have "Your Brother" post on this blog as well. I have asked him to help me keep this blog up to date. I love being able to write, yet sometimes I get so busy that it is difficult to get something posted on a regular basis. I know that for many of the readers if several days (or even weeks) go by with no updates, people get out of the habit of checking in. The purpose of this particular post is to encourage "Your Brother" to contribute.
This is a direct appeal.
Jon

Incidentally, I heard on the news yesterday that the bail-out money that is earmarked for education will not be evenly distributed among the schools in the state of Nebraska. I wonder what the teachers think of that?

Acting Comfortable

2009-03-27T19:15:00.003-06:00

I noticed today as I looked at my last post that there have been so many things going on in my life right now that I do not even know what day is what.
The storm I talked about came through on Monday night, I was at the fire station on Tuesday, and Wednesday morning is when my roof was repaired. I am sorry that I didn't take the time to proof that post better. I know that it bothers my brother (the school teacher) when I do a poor job editing my own posts!

This has been a busy week as I have been the acting secretary at church. I am looking at the bright side though, at least I don't have to be the acting worship leader this Sunday. That would really make me uncomfortable!

Our church is going through a time of transition. We have had all 3 of our employees resign this past week. Our secretary, our custodian, and our worship leader. Karen and I have talked about this for hours. I appreciate those intimate conversations with my help meet. As we talked, we realized that our sincere prayer for those that are leaving the church is that they will grow through this process. Sometimes it takes being removed from our comfort zones in order for growth to occur. I pray that this would be the result in our case as well.

Revealing

2009-03-25T10:23:00.004-06:00

I just want to take a minute to thank the Lord for good friends! Living in Iowa during the spring brings the possibility of severe weather. Last year as we were getting ready to leave for family camp we had a storm come through that caused a lot of damage to our home. We lost our porch ceiling fans, we lost a lot of shingles, we lost a barn door, we lost our girls swing set, we had some downed fencing, we lost some trees, and there was some other minor damage around the place.
I remember being so grateful that my business partner came out the following day and helped me repair everything that needed fixing in order for us to leave on vacation the day after.

The tricky part of the roof repair was that without the wind blowing it was difficult to find all of the shingles that had been loosened but had not blown off. We fixed what we could find and our house has remained watertight till this past Tuesday.

This past Tuesday we again had strong winds come through our neck of the woods. These winds revealed what we had missed last summer during our rushed repair. After the weather passed, we again had shingles laying in the yard. It was difficult leaving for work yesterday knowing that my house needed repaired again. I thought about it all day as I made plans for fixing it today.

This morning, almost as soon as I walked in the door, a friend of mine called to say that he was coming out to help me repair the damage. Cliff showed up about an hour later and by 11:00 a.m. we were done with the work. It is truly a blessing to have people in our lives who are willing to give their time in support of others. In spite of all the other things going on in our lives, even this small thing gives me cause to praise the Lord.

On line again

2009-03-20T13:52:00.002-06:00

Ha! It's back on!
As of 20 minutes ago, we have Internet service again. It took a total of seven hours on the phone over the last 4 days, but it is finished. This morning alone I was on the phone for sixty-two minutes before I was disconnected without getting anything resolved.
Yesterday I mailed a letter to the Qwest Customer Advocacy Group in order to express my frustration. I don't think that they have it yet.
Yesterday I was on the phone for seventy-five minutes.

Today, after I was disconnected while I was supposed to be on hold, I received a call from a Qwest customer service representative who just "happened" to call and see if I was satisfied with my service. Boy did I give her an earful.
To make 6 day story last just a couple of minutes, after one hour and sixteen minutes, she promised me that we would have High Speed Service within 3 hours. Needless to say, I did not believe her. That was 2 hours and 50 minutes ago.

I have no idea how she managed to fix a problem that no one else could solve. After all the people I called, the person who fixed the dilemma was the person who called me.

A Quest for no Qwest

2009-03-18T13:05:00.004-06:00

I haven't been trying to avoid writing. Unfortunately, our new high speed Internet is provided by Qwest (our home phone service provider). We have had nothing but problems with them since we made the switch to DSL. The high speed has has been much better than the dial-up but our bill has been a nightmare! Our phone bill has more than doubled, we have been charged for features that we haven't requested, and we can't get in touch with anyone that can speak proper English.
Our bill last month was $130.00 higher than it should have been. We dropped our 2nd phone line, we cancelled our long distance, and we dropped all of our extra features. We talked with a lady from Qwest for over an hour as she tried to make heads from tails on our bill. When it was all said and done, we were supposed to have a credit that would exceed our bill for this month.
The changes were supposed to take effect about 3 weeks ago. They didn't.

At the beginning of this week, our high speed was disconnected (a mistake by
Qwest) and our phone bill (which should have shown a credit) was $170.00. We have been trying for 2 days to get our Internet reinstated but have been unsuccessful thus far. Qwest has again (supposedly) made an adjustment to our bill but they haven't turned our Internet back on. When we talked to the person from the billing department, he was not willing to give us a phone number in order to talk to someone about turning our DSL back on.

Today I have driven to town with my laptop in order to check email. I had 32 messages that I was not able to receive at home.

I am not sure what to do when phones and computers that are intended to make our lives less complicated, actually increase the stress in our lives. I have wondered many times how we ever got by without these helpful items.

Fed up with lousy service and searching for an alternative ISP, Jon

All Wet!

2009-03-06T19:09:00.004-06:00

On the lighter side of things, we were fortunate enough to have some friends over for lunch last Friday. These friends of our sent their oldest daughter off to Pensecola Christian College last fall. As we were eating lunch, the conversation drifted to their daughter and how she was doing in her first year of college.

As parents do, they warmed up immediately to the idea of sharing all the things that were going on in the life of their daughter. They told us how she had been homesick for a little while, they told us about her job, and they told us about the boys that were interested in her. This caused my girls to perk up and pay close attention to our conversation. My daughters heard how the boys would walk her to class holding an umbrella over her head.

I didn't think much about this until last night as we were eating dinner. My family started talking about how that story had impacted the week. Apparently the story had really bothered Kaylin because she had discussed it with her sisters several times. Kaylin could just not get over the fact that the boys were following this girl to class with an umbrella. I learned a lot at our dinner conversation. One of the most telling things I learned was that our girls are reading too many "Victorian" books and watching too many "Christie" DVD's.

You see, at the dinner table, the girls shared with me how Kaylin had been so bothered by the story that she brought it up on the drive to play practice last weekend. She declared...

"I think it is so cheesy for the boys to be following a girl around with an umbrella!"

Emily replied, "Kaylin, not if it's raining"

"Oh, it was raining?" asked Kaylin.

For heaven's sake, it's audible!

2009-03-04T02:15:00.006-06:00

For those of you that have kept up with this blog, here is the audio version of Sunday's sermon. I will post more in a couple of days regarding how this was received and/or interpreted.

There were a few difficulties in loading this audio sermon. The sermon ends at 36:22
It is not the entire 56 minutes that it shows on the bar. After 36 minutes it skips back and repeats the last 20 minutes.

For heaven's sake too!

2009-02-27T09:36:00.003-06:00

In two days I will be delivering a sermon that I wrote about last week. I was supposing that someone would comment with at least a speculation as to what I meant, or what passage of scripture I would use.

I think that the passage I will use to demonstrate this heart issue is Luke chapter six. Let me present the first two verses:
Luke 6:1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

This is just a taste of what the passage is about. I would encourage you to read the previous chapter and at least the first eleven verses of chapter six.
Doing nothing for Jesus can be a compliment or an indictment. It is not what you aren't doing that determines which it is. It is what you are doing that has significance. The issue in Luke chapter six is a lack of understanding both of who Jesus was, and what the Sabbath was about.

Do you know the purpose of the Sabbath?

Exodus 16:21-29; Exodus 20:8-11;
Exodus 31:16-17 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Matthew 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

Mark 2:27 27And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Let me ask this, what were the Pharisees doing wrong?

Scared to pray?

2009-02-25T11:16:00.003-06:00

I don't want to take the time to share all of the details regarding our union meeting last week, but I do want to share what went on at home while I was gone.

Karen has been very purposeful (and faithful) over that last two years in praying with the girls during my meetings at church. I tell you that because when I left for the union meeting last week, Karen called our three girls together and said "We really need to pray for Papa and his meeting tonight."

Of course, this prompted some questions. The girls said that they didn't know I was at a deacon meeting and thought that it was something from work. Karen told them that it was a union meeting and it was about work; it had nothing to do with church. This was the point that Audrey chimed in...

"A Union Meeting! It's not even for church?! Mom, then why did you use your 'deacon meeting' voice? You scared me."

It's all in the name

2009-02-19T13:05:00.008-06:00

So we have good friends that were expecting their 4th child. We have been praying for a safe delivery and a healthy mom and baby. Praise the Lord, everything went well and mom and baby are doing fine!

The funny thing is that this family already has 3 boys. I think they may have been counting on another boy.

Karen and I have 3 girls. Were we to have another one, we would be expecting a girl.

If I remember correctly, picking out baby names is quite a chore. It takes weeks of throwing names around (sometimes months) before a couple settle on a name. Karen and I never got to use a boys name. Now that I think of it, after Emily was born, I don't know that we even talked about boys names again.

This week we found out how close our friends were when they named their baby.

For those of you that don't know, my girls are named:
Emily Elizabeth, Audrey Ahnna, and Kaylin Elise - Our friends girl:
L--ily ------------------------a---na---------------Elise

Lilyana Elise-8lbs 5 oz and 20" long. Praise the Lord!

What are we doing (?) for heaven's sake!

2009-02-18T12:57:00.003-06:00

Here is a sneak peek at my next sermon...

I have mentioned several times that I was going to do a message on a specific topic. Many of you have heard me talk about it either at ABF or on Wed. nights, or maybe I even mentioned it the last time I preached. What I am talking about is the Christian that spends his/her life doing nothing for Christ.
When you hear me say that there are Christians that have spent their life doing nothing for Christ, you immediately think that I am insulting that person. You think of it in negative terms. It would take a lot of boldness to go up to a believer and say that they were doing nothing for Christ. The irony here is that many of us are proud of being that very Christian.

I would like to show you today what I mean when I say that our church, and the world, is full of believers that are doing nothing for Christ, and are proud of it!
In order to show you what I mean, let’s look an example in the Bible where people were proud of the fact that they were doing nothing for God.

Okay, I'll stop there for now. I do not want to let the cat out of the bag too early. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to the passage I will use?

Ordered out

2009-02-17T17:19:00.003-06:00

It is ironic how the Lord puts things into our lives. Here I was a couple of weeks ago griping about Robert's Rules of Order, and the last week has found me studying them because of a Union meeting that we have tonight and tomorrow.
I do not want to go into all of the dirty details, but we have had some things happen in our union lately that have not been favorable to our image. In regard to that, I have been making a little wave for the last week or so in order to stimulate change. The acting President of our Union has already stated that the motion my Captain is going to make tonight will be ruled "out of order". That is where I come in with the "appeal from the decision of the chair".
Karen laughed when she caught me reading through Robert's Rules the other day. I will be leaving in just a few minutes to put what I have learned into practice. Hopefully this will be my last experience on all matters related to Roberts! (though I do like his milk)

Booked

2009-02-16T13:40:00.004-06:00

Well, what a long weekend we have had! We had a 5" snow on Friday (when I was at the station) so I had to go straight from the fire station on Saturday morning to plowing snow for several homes and for our church.
On Saturday afternoon, the girls and I set up for a movie event that we were having at church that night. Karen and the girls were in charge of all the child care because we thought the movie should be for couples and adults. After all, it was Valentine's Day!
When we completed set-up at church, we went to my brother's home for a quick birthday party. We combined the birthdays of 4 people, ate some cake, and headed back to church.
As it turned out, the movie (Fireproof) lasted longer than expected due to two power outages that occured. The power company was down the road changing transformers.

After the movie, we handled all of the clean-up and made it home by 11:00 p.m.

Sunday morning Emily and I left for church at 8:00 a.m., with Emily behind the wheel. Yes she has her instruction permit, and Sunday morning is a great time to drive because no-one is on the road! After the morning service and Sunday School we had an all church business meeting.
After the business meeting we had a membership team meeting because we had a lady in our church that wants to be baptized and join the church.
At 1:00 p.m. (10 minutes after the membership meeting) we began our deacon meeting. This lasted until 4:00 p.m. at which time I had to go fetch my car that another member of the church had borrowed for the afternoon. This found me back at church at 5:30 p.m. for our evening service which began at 6:00 p.m. and ended at 7:00 p.m.

We then drove to my Mom and Dad's for dinner and a visit with my grandmother who is in town for a few weeks. Obviously we stayed far too late because we didn't get home until 10:30 last night!

Today, I intend to read a book - I should get started on it just as soon as I pay the bills, finish my taxes, write next week's sermon, write Emily's Bible test, check Emily's Bible homework from the last 4 weeks, write up and distribute a motion for tomorrow's fire department union meeting, clean some corn for our corn stove and send all of the pertinent information from yesterday's meetings into the church office.

Now that I think of it, I wonder if our Library would just have the cliff notes?

Finding time...

2009-02-10T19:09:00.006-06:00

Ha! I'm still here!

I would have written sooner but there is more pressure on me now because someone commented on the titles to my posts. Now I can't write anything unless I can come up with a title first.

Actually, like always, things have been busy. There are lots of things going on in church, in my home, and at the fire station. We have been operating without a contract at work for over a year now and it doesn't look like we will have one any time soon. We ended up going to court over the difficulties with negotiations and we are still looking for some clarifications on the court's rulings. One of the things that has been finalized is that I will no longer receive personal leave days. I have also lost 95 hours of annual time per year. (for those of you that don't know, those are vacation days.)

I have been praying about going to Peru again this summer. We have a team that is supposed to go from church but they are looking for more men. I have been asked to lead the trip. One of the problems is that I am scheduled to work 5 days in that 2 week period. I wrote a letter to my chief asking to switch my furlough or use some of my "banked" annual leave hours but he turned me down. I emailed another driver on my shift who has the furlough period that I would need and asked him if he would be willing to trade furloughs. I haven't heard back from him yet.

As I told you all a few weeks ago, I incurred more damage to my little beater truck. I now has no radio, no A/C, no front right brakes, no passenger side mirror, the passenger window will not go down, the passenger side lock does not work, and it is just plain getting tired of all I have put it through over the years. Karen has also been making comments about how embarrassing it is in the parking lot of the church and wherever else I run errands. It is a very handy little truck though and we need it to last so that we can haul our pets to the vet and pick up chicken feed and things of that nature.
In order to extend the life of the truck, I have decided to cut down on the mileage I put on it every week. This led me to go car shopping. I was fortunate to find a 96 Chrysler LHS for $1,000.00
Unfortunately, the car had no brakes and no steering capabilities. I would go into detail but you wouldn't believe how bad it actually was. I installed new front brakes, new front rotors, a new driver's side caliper, and new inner tie rod ends. I also fabricated new rack and pinion bushings in order to stabilize the rack, installed two new carriage bushings, added 4 quarts of oil, changed the air filter, bought a new V-belt, and changed the spark plugs and wires.

Guess what, the car drives great! I now have a total investment of $1,393.00
Yep, I did all that for $393.00! (the shop I took it to wanted to charge me $2409.00 to do all that work. It pays to do it yourself)
I now have a car with leather seats, a great radio and CD player, a sunroof, power steering, all the mirrors that cars are supposed to have, power windows that operate, an auto transmission, digital climate controls, rear seat climate controls, instant and average fuel economy display, miles to empty (I never understood that one because it already has a gas gauge), outside air temperature, a digital compass, and some sort of traction control feature with an on and off switch. In fact, the car is so loaded with features that I haven't even discovered them all yet.

I know you're not that interested in old cars, but at least it gives you an idea of what I have been up too lately. Now I just have to see how long I can drive it before I get hit by another deer.

Well, this post is getting too long. There is still more that I would like to tell you. Maybe I'll have time to write more later. Till then...

Is this corny?

2009-01-28T09:34:00.006-06:00

Propane costs in our area have gotten so high that it is unaffordable for us to heat our home. When fall came this year we turned our heat on at 60 degrees. I had heard that this would save us 3% for every degree we had turned our thermostat down. (technically it is 1% for each 8 hr period per degree) However, in a 6 week period in 2008 we still used 360 gallons of propane @ $2.11 per gallon. This resulted in a $759.60 bill for less than two months of 60 degree heat.

When we moved in to our house we could contract propane for $.67 per gallon. We could have heated our house in the same period of time for $241.20

This has prompted me to search for alternative methods of heat. 18 days ago I bought a used corn stove. Since that time we have not had to use propane to heat our house even though the temperature has been below zero several days in the last couple of weeks. As a matter of fact, one morning it was -13 degrees.

On warmer days we use about a bushel of corn to warm the house. On colder days we burn about a bushel and a half. This has resulted in about one and a quarter bushels per day for the month of January (I imagine it will be less as the winter wears on).

At this point you are wondering what this is costing me to heat the house. We have averaged 67 degrees in the colder parts of the house, but in the kitchen and dining area it will easily keep the house considerably over 70 degrees.

I bought corn for $3.76 per bushel. This means that one and a quarter bushel costs $4.70 (this is what it has averaged per day to heat the house). For the last 18 days it has cost us $84.60

To heat our house for 2 months it will cost us about $282.00 or $141.00 per month.

This is a significant savings but the best part of it all is the family time that the stove has created. Every evening when I come home I can find my family sitting in the dining room reading their books or their Bibles next to the corn stove!

For those of you that are interested, it is a St. Croix corn stove. The model is the Auburn stove with a gold door. These stoves can be seen at http://www.stcroixheat.com/

What in the world?

2009-01-27T17:33:00.010-06:00

This may surprise my parents if they were reading this post, but I believe we have a problem with authority. I say that this would surprise my parents because they have been telling me for years that I have a problem with authority.

The authority that I am referring to though is not human authority (though sometimes it may disguise itself in that way), but biblical authority. We just cannot wrap our minds around the idea that God included all we need in one little book. In fact, I believe that we sometimes think that we are doing God a favor in the things we add.

From the time we are little we begin to think of things as either being "secular" or "religious". We think of our everyday things as secular; eating, sleeping, working, playing, etc. We think of our church things as religious; devotions, Sunday services, prayer meeting, prayer before meals, and fellowships. Instead, we need to think of things as being "spirit filled" or else "worldly". (There were actually several other words I was originally going to use besides worldly but then I thought they may be too harsh)

God intends for us to be "spirit filled" all the time. In order for us to get a glimpse of what that could look like, we need to submit to the Word of God in all we do. In order to submit to the Word in all that we do, we must first believe that it is sufficient for all that we do.
II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
There are plenty of verses that I could use to show the authority in the church.

OR

We could just take the easy route and make our church worldly rather than our lives spirit filled.

I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

How much time do you spend seeking what man's wisdom teacheth, and how much time do you spend seeking spiritual things? The really unfortunate thing here is that many of us don't see how mutually exclusive these two things are. We don't see that there is much of a difference. I contend that these are "worlds" apart, and yet we spend most of our lives trying to bring the two together.

And yet, people submit to Robert's when they won't submit to the Bible. That is why we have Roberts in the church, because it works. Shame on the church!

Mark 8:33 (look it up)

2009-01-24T21:18:00.003-06:00

I was at a church business meeting a week ago. The man leading the meeting stood up and read a recommendation from the deacons. Before the reading of the recommendation was completed, a man in the congregation interrupted the recommendation and invoked Robert's Rules of Order. He made a motion to table the recommendation so that there could be no vote, or even discussion, on the matter that the deacons had brought before the church. This essentially brought an abrupt end to the meeting with most of the church unaware and without understanding of what the recommendation even was.

Do you see a problem with this? Is this the way a church is supposed to operate? I know that Robert's Rules of Order has been adopted by many corporations, business, and churches. Does it have any place in the church?

What does the Bible say about finding unity in the body of Christ? How should we handle disagreements and conflict?

I will share my view after some of you have weighed in with your comments.

(It should be noted that the aforementioned church is without a Pastor. Constitutionally, in the absence of a Pastor, the deacons are to fulfill the duties of a Pastor until a Pastor is called by the church.)

Oh deer, I'm finally done!

2009-01-22T18:47:00.003-06:00

I just want everyone to know that I am still alive and kicking. I know that there has been a long silence but it has not been due to my demise. This has been a very busy month! Business, church, the fire station, and hobbies have all conspired to keep me silent on this blog.

I have some things that I would like to write about as soon as things slow down. However, tonight I need to keep it short and simple.

Despite the fiasco of a few weeks ago, we have managed to fill our freezer with venison. We are hoping that the six deer we have processed will last us until next fall. I must give "kudos?" to my wife who has done a large portion of the processing in her kitchen!

This past week was an antlerless only rifle season. I went out with some friends and we managed to take 11 deer in 3 days. I know that this used to be a hobby for me, but with the rising cost of groceries, and the willingness of my wife to process the deer ourselves, the harvesting of deer has become increasingly more important. We now have a freezer filled with 200+#'s of steak, burger, breakfast sausage, and bratwurst. Last year we purchased half of a beef and had about the same amount of meat that we now have in venison. That half of a beef cost us about $740.00

I have to confess, I am glad deer season is over. I can now focus on some of the things that I have put on the back burner. One of which is to keep this blog updated.

On an unrelated matter, we have finished Malachi on Wed evenings at church. We are going to start the book of Philippians next Wednesday. As I teach through it, we are going to try and memorize the book. If anyone that reads this blog would like to join with us, I will try to keep you updated on which verses we are going to cover each week.

Waste not Want not

2009-01-07T11:11:00.006-06:00

As many of you already know, I have worked hard this year to stock our freezer with venison. Unfortunately I have not been as quick at this as I have in other years. This year it has just plain been hard work. We do have 3 deer in the freezer, and I do have another bow tag (good until the 10th) and 2 (doe only) rifle tags for next week (the 11th - 25th) but I haven't had time lately to be in the stand.
I have had time to work however, so this morning found me headed home from the fire station. As I was driving down a gravel road, about six miles from home, I suddenly saw a flash of brown on the passenger side of my truck and heard a terrific crash. I glanced quickly in my rear view mirror to see a doe thrashing in the middle of the road. I pulled over to the side of the road and continued to watch for about 45 seconds as she breathed her last and lay still.

A quick assessment of my truck showed that my passenger door was dented in (but still operable), my passenger mirror was missing, and the side of my truck was banged up in front and behind my rear tire.
If you read the title to this post, you can imagine what I did next. I backed my truck up the road until it was just in front of the deer. Then I got out and dropped my tailgate so that I could throw her in the bed. As I looked at her I was thinking through the things that I needed to do in order to salvage as much meat as possible. There didn't appear to be any hide missing so the meat should still be clean. Unfortunately I did not have a knife with me so I was going to have to load her without field dressing her first. I knew that this was going to make her very difficult to load.

As I looked at her lying there with her tongue hanging out and blood running into the gravel dust, I decided to call a friend of mine that had left work shortly after I had. I knew that he should be passing within just a few miles of my accident and I thought that he would be a great help in loading the limp carcass into my truck. I picked up my phone and gave him a call. It sounded something like this...

Hello!

Kurt, it's Jon. Where are you?

I just left Menards, I had to pick something up on my way home. Why?

Are you headed home now?

Yes, why?

Well, I just hit a deer after the road turns to gravel. I have my truck backed up to her but I don't have anything to gut her with. I was wondering if you could stop by and hel - Oh my! Uh-oh... oh ma...

(I should take a minute to explain that at this point I was standing behind the deer idly kicking my foot at her rump. This nudge was apparently all she needed. {CPR must work differently on deer than on people} She raised her head, looked at me wide-eyed and then scrambled to her feet)

Uh, Kurt, she just got up but she's a little wobbly. There is blood all over the ground but she's standing in the middle of the road looking at me. I don't have anything with me that will put her down, do you?

I've got my bow, I'll be righ - wha -oh man- oh... click

(I should take a minute to explain that at this point Kurt had just completed an illegal U-turn and found himself rear ended by a 16 year old boy that was headed to school)

Kurt... Kurt... Kurt?

Five minutes later he answered his phone. He told me of his misfortune and I told him that my dead deer had walked off and hidden in a CRP field.

Between you and I, deer are a nuisance. Deer have been involved in countless vehicle accidents over the years. Insurance companies spend millions due to these collisions. What will they think when they find out that one deer caused two accidents six miles apart?

Out of the Middle Ages

2009-01-05T00:41:00.003-06:00

This is just a quick note. I know that I haven't written in a while (it's just that time of year) but I thought I'd write something quick even though it is 12:43 a.m.

The reason that I am still up is that I am installing our High Speed Internet (DSL). Yep, up until now we have still been using dial-up. My kids say that dial-up is "old-fashioned". It's gonna be good to get out of the Middle Ages!

Guest Post

2008-12-10T16:25:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-12-01T20:59:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-30T12:30:00.003-06:00

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.

2008-11-18T10:39:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-17T10:36:00.004-06:00

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

2008-11-06T15:04:00.003-06:00

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?

2008-11-05T13:15:00.007-06:00

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!

2008-11-05T13:01:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-03T10:15:00.005-06:00

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?

2008-11-03T10:02:00.005-06:00

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.

2008-10-30T11:04:00.006-06:00

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

2008-10-28T10:27:00.002-06:00

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

2008-10-24T10:46:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-23T22:31:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-22T12:56:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-20T17:00:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-20T17:00:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-10-20T16:00:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-10-18T10:27:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-15T13:50:00.005-05:00

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!

2008-10-15T11:25:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-13T17:25:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-08-26T13:02:00.007-05:00

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

2008-07-23T13:01:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-21T21:15:00.004-05:00

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

2008-06-15T20:39:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-06-10T10:19:00.006-05:00

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

2008-06-09T09:34:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-06-06T14:10:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

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

2008-05-31T22:18:00.003-05:00

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.

2008-05-31T19:02:00.003-05:00

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

2008-05-31T18:54:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-05-27T10:22:00.004-05:00

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

Thank you

2008-05-12T15:10:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day is over! I pray it was a profitable day for all. I just want to write a quick note to thank all of you who responded to the Mother's Day post. I value the input that was given and I pray that I was able to put many of the things that I gleaned from you into practice.

From a personal standpoint, I just want to say that I feel like a weight has been lifted. If the Word is offensive when I preach, that is one thing, but when I had to take a "secular" holiday and try to marry it to a church service, I experienced much trepidation.

I you are interested, I was told after the service by one person that they felt the Lord had answered my prayer; "the right message, at the right time, for the right audience." Praise the Lord!

Married Up

2008-05-04T17:08:00.002-05:00

Karen and I have an anniversary this week. May 8th. It may not be one of the big ones, but it means a lot to me. We were married young (against the advice of some) and we have "grown up" together. I know that many of you are thinking that I have much to be thankful for. I do.

As I have been thinking for the last two days about how busy our week is going to be, (and how I need to fit in some time to show Karen how much I appreciate her) I have also been thinking about our time together. As I review our marriage, something very significant comes to my mind. In the 15 years we have been married, I have never had to listen to anyone make negative or disparaging remarks about my wife. I am not only grateful for the lady that she is, but for the lady that she is perceived to be. No doubt, I married up!

The flip side is that she is not able to say the same. She has had to listen to many negative remarks about the man that she married. All of them probably having some percentage of merit. This is not over for her either. I would imagine that over the next year she will hear many more. I pray that the Lord will help me be sensitive to how that makes her feel. I pray that the Lord will help me protect and love her as she needs. I pray that at this time next year, we are even more thankful that the Lord has brought us together, that He has made us who we are, that we are not fearful to serve, that we live by faith, and that we find ourselves looking forward with anticipation to the years ahead.

Right?

2008-05-04T16:51:00.006-05:00

I have been considering all the comments that have been submitted regarding the Mother's Day post. I have wondered for years about the gifts that have gone out to mothers and that is one of the reasons that I posted the questions that I did.
Mother's Day is next week. I have changed my message (and my plan) about three times. I was asked yesterday what the message was going to be about. This has been a difficult question for me to answer. With all of the things going on in our church at this time, I have been consumed with some very specific teachings. I have had to combat what I believe the Apostle Paul would term "doctrines of devils". These doctrines are being embraced by believers.

The reason that I write this on the blog is to ask you to pray that I will have discernment in the message that I deliver this coming Sunday. I want the message to be from the Lord, and I want it to be for the right audience. The "doctrines" that have been consuming my time for the last week need to be addressed in our church, but just because I have been given the "platform" doesn't mean that I need to deliver the message this week.

To put it plainly, I need the right message for the right audience at the right time.