Author: E. DeWayne Swann

Friend

Friend, it’s a word that we throw around a lot, but the question is do you know what a friend is? My computer programs definition goes as follows:

 

Friend [frend] Noun plural noun: friends, plural noun: Friends

1. a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. “she’s a friend of mine”

synonyms companion, bosom friend, best friend, close friend, intimate, confidante, confidant, familiar, soul mate, alter ego, second self, shadow, playmate, playfellow, classmate, schoolmate, workmate, ally, comrade, associate, sister, brother, pal, bosom pal, buddy, bosom buddy, chum, spar, sidekick, crony, main man…  antonyms enemy

2. a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

Verb; third person present: friends, present participle: friending, past tense: friended, past participle: friended

1. add (someone) to a list of contacts associated with a social networking website.

“I am friended by 29 people who I have not friended back”

2. befriend (someone).

 

origin

Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by free.

 

In the late 1990s I had the pleasure of being our Church sound coordinator, this also meant that I was responsible for running the sound for our choir. Running the sound for the choir also came the responsibility of going with them on singing appointments. I really enjoyed and loved mixing the sound for the Church and the choir as long as we were at our Church, or close to home where I could drive. The Church choir had gotten a pretty good reputation at that time for being anointed. God really seemed to use us a lot at that time.

The problem was we were invited to do the Smoky Mountain Jubilee in Gatlinburg Tennessee, which wasn’t too bad because I would ride up with the drummer which is dear friend and help him set up his kit. Tennessee wasn’t too bad of a ride and the Evangelist that ran the Jubilee also was a Pastor of a Church in Virginia, and he invited us to go to his annual Church Jubilee. So, now, we are going to go to Virginia and minister there.

There is one of many reasons that I don’t want to go, the main reason is the same reason I don’t like to fly, the same reason I don’t like to be in an elevator, the same reason that I don’t like being in the back of a large crowd. I am, and have always been claustrophobic. I don’t like closed in places and I really don’t like being anywhere that I can’t control when and where I can stop and get out of the room or of the vehicle. With that known by our pastor Snyder, he came to me and asked me to go with them and that I could have any seat on the bus that they chartered. I asked any and he assured me any. So, I insisted that I drive, knowing that that wasn’t going to happen and knowing that I didn’t trust my little S 10 truck to make the trip, I thought that I would get out of going, I did not.

Now I am on a bus that I don’t want to be on and going somewhere that I didn’t want to go. As I have stated I love my Church and the choir and mixing the music and singers, I went not to please God but to please man, and that is never the reason to minister, but God had me where he wanted me for a reason.

I love good preaching and I truly love anointed preachers, such as Tony Evans, Ike Reighard, Dr. Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley, and on and on. A few weeks before we headed out on this outing, I had the chance to go to the Bailey Smith Real Evangelism Conference, in Marietta, Georgia at Roswell Street Baptist Church, Pastored by Nelson Price. After attending there for a week, I had an opportunity to purchase a number of cassette tapes. (I said that this was in the 90s didn’t I) There were some great sermons and testimonies on these tapes and some would just break your heart.  So, I decided that I would bring all my tapes and my little tape player, some headphones and enough batteries to make the trip and back, with batteries to spare. Now I was hoping that I could just submerge myself in preaching and never contemplate on being on a bus full of people and having little to no control over the situation.

Now as I am set, hoping and praying that no one would bother me and remind me of my surrounding’s. I was setting alone and I liked it that way, everyone else was talking and getting ready for a great time together, and as the bus was loading up to go. I made sure that I got a seat next to a window and not too far from the front so if I had a meltdown, I could be drugged off the bus rather easily. People already knew who they wanted to be with and where they wanted to sit. So, all was going just the way I wanted it to go, Until, (I have said in the past “until” is hardly ever a good word to hear in a story). She said may I sit with you? And everything inside me was screaming NO! But I tried to conjure up a smile and said sure.

I spent most of my time in that Church at that time either in the sound room or in the pulpit. I am sorry to say that I am not much of a social person, don’t get me wrong, I love people and I care deeply for their souls. But, because of certain circumstances I got to a point in my life where I was really careful who I let get close to me. Way too many people have come into my life and I have gotten really close to them and now they are gone. I was not on that bus but for one reason and one reason only and that was to get to our destination and do my responsibility. Not to socialize and definitely not to make any new friends. But I believe that God had other plans.

As I recall I told her she could sit with me if she left me alone, her name is Dianne, she seemed to be okay with that because she had a book she wanted to read and acted as if she didn’t want to be bothered either. Boy was I wrong about not wanting to talk with me. Her son is our drummer and a great friend of mine, so I thought she would be okay to be around because I always enjoy being around Mark.

As the trip progressed, she started asking me questions, and I thought why not talk maybe it will get my mind off the fact that I was still on a bus. It didn’t work, so to get her quite I offered for her to listen to some of my tapes, and she took me up on the offer. As she sat there listening, I saw her starting to tear up and then I remembered that I just gave her the tape of Ike Reighard testimony. It is a great sermon and testimony, and it broke her heart. After listening to it, she got yet another tape and then after completing it she said you sure listen to some tear jerkers. We then started talking about what she had been listening to. If you want a preacher to be your friend just ask him a spiritual question about the Word of God and sit back and enjoy the ride.

That happened over twenty years ago, and to this day I consider her as one of the few friends that I call close. She later came to work as my company office manager and was by far the best employee I ever had. She was encouraging when I need encouraging, and never worries about my feelings when it comes to setting me straight when I start to drift. We all need people like that in our life. She and her husband are now in the Journey Group that I have the honor of teaching, and is someone I love dearly. You just never know who God is going to put in your life and for what reason.

 

Oswald Chambers said, “Friendship is rare on earth. It means identity in Thought and Heart and Spirit.”

 

1. S. Lewis said friendships are discovered when you say, “What, you too?! I thought I was the only one” (Four Loves, 248).

 

Very few people have met that criteria in my life and I bet the same can be said for most of us. We claim hundreds or even thousands of friends on Facebook and other social media outlets, and having never met many of them, how can they be friends.

 

In the book of John, it says:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” … and then Jesus continues “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you”.  NKJV

 

As of the writing of this we as a nation just remembered the 75th anniversary of “D Day” and how these men of the greatest generation of Americans

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a Christian hymn originally written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, and only received full credit for it in the 1880s. The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868. William Bolcom composed a setting of the hymn.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior. Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear;

May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded. There will be no need for prayer—

Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.

 

As Christians, we should know that Jesus is our friend, but we need to make sure that we introduce the surrounding people to Him also. In one of the talks in a Christian weekend retreat that I work with on occasion, says “make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus”.

I have this penned in the back of my Bible

“If I just do my thing and you do yours, we stand in the danger of losing each other and ourselves, we are fully ourselves only in the relation to each other, the “I” detached from the “thou”, is disintegrating. I do not find you by chance, I find you by an active life of reaching out” by Walter Tubbs

Did Jesus not say in Mark 16:15 …” Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. NKJV

 

All the world and let everyone as you come in contact with them know about Jesus. As it’s been said “no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”.

 

I love the Randy Newman song for “Toy Story”:

 

“You’ve Got A Friend in Me”.

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me,

When the road looks rough ahead, And you’re miles and miles,

From your nice warm bed, You just remember what your old pal said,

Boy, you’ve got a friend in me, Yeah, you’ve got a friend in me.

 

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got troubles, I’ve got ’em too, There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you,

We stick together and we see it through, Cause you’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got a friend in me.

 

Some other folks might be A little bit smarter than I am,

Bigger and stronger too, Maybe,

But none of them will ever love you, The way I do,

It’s me and you, boy.

 

And as the years go by, Our friendship will never die,

You’re gonna see it’s our destiny, You’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me.

 

The word friend is found some 58 times in the NKJV, 22 of those are in the New Testament. Jesus used the word 14 of those 22 times.

 

Why does one need a friend, Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that two is better than one, and we need to make sure the one with our one is the one that God desires for us to have in our lives?

 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV)

9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.

10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 

We have to be very careful as to not only to whom you call friend and to whom you let in your life as a friend.

 

I like what a young preacher in our church once said in one of his first sermons, and that is if you take a white glove and put it on your hand and then submerge that hand in mud, the glove gets muddy. It is never said that the mud got glovie. (I know that glovie is not a word, but do you get the point.)

 

So, we need to be very careful who we accept as a real friend, if the person brings you down, takes you away from the ones that once lifted you up. If that person takes you places that you once wouldn’t go because it would hurt your testimony. If that person uses language that brings dishonor to God and make you look cheap. So, if that person has more influence on you and you start emulating them instead of representing Christ. There should be warning horns going off big time in your heart and mind. You should step back and look and see if you are getting muddy or if they are getting glovie. My bet is the mud is winning, if you step back from real friends and start following this kind of people you are not doing them any good, and you are really not doing you any good either.

 

Well Jesus hung out with sinners and bad people. Yes, He did, and he showed them love and brought them around to His way, by the example that He led. Not by acting like them. I am not saying you can’t have bad people in your life as friends, I am saying don’t let them lead you away from the witness that took you years to build up. Satan would have nothing better than to tare you down.

Remember “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.” Not make a friend, be a friend, let that friend take you from Jesus.

So, here is the question, are you getting muddy or the ones you are hanging with getting glovie? If you are a Christian and you allow someone to take you down the wrong road, and you are allowing them to tear down the witness that God had in you then I say it’s time to do as Joshua said in the book that carry’s his name:

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)

15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

 

You have to make a choice whether to follow God or follow the world! Sometimes the one that is leading you down the wrong road may be waiting for you to make a stand and say NO, I’m going to follow God. Just so they can see if this Christianity stuff is real in your life and if, so then they may want to follow Christ themselves.

 

James 4:4 (NKJV)

4 … Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 

As I have said in the past and am sure I will say again and again. When God is talking about neighbors and friends, I don’t think he is talking about what kind of friend you have but what kind of friend does your friend have namely, YOU.  Are you loving that friend enough to say for me, I will serve the LORD! Do you love them enough to let them leave, because Jesus did? He gives us a choice, to love them and live for Him and lead them out of hell. Or watch them go on their way while destroying your testimony and your witness.

I beg you to love them enough to bring them to Christ. “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.” That is real love.  They are worth your love, but not at the expense of taking away the love you once had for God and his word.

Let them see the Love of the Lord in you and they may just want it to. It’s been my experience that most people living a Godless life are looking for something and I promise you that something is God himself.

I heard a preacher say once that he could tell the ones not as close to God as they once were. They were in the Church down front, then about half-way back then in the back, then in the overflow, then they were gone. It’s always gradual. One small step at a time away from Christ and for every step you make away its one more step closer to Satan and his way of life, which leads to destruction.

I once had a great quiet time and now my time is quiet. I once went to church religiously (did you see what I did there?) now my religion is anything except Christ. I once went to Sunday School or Small Group and now I am in places that I know that God is heartbroken over. Does He stop loving you? NEVER!!! But there will come a time that someone that once watched how much you loved God and how you wouldn’t compromise your belief in Him. They are seeing something different, and they may say if that is Christianity, I want no part of it. Is your moment of enjoyment worthy of their soul?

As I stated at the beginning, I have a number of people that I know, but I only have a few people that I call Friend. God calls everyone his friend. Are you in need of a friend let me tell you where to get a friend?

 

Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV)

24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

 

Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there. Blessed Savior. Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer.

 

Can we find a friend so faithful? Yes, His name is Jesus!!

 

I hope and pray that the ones that call me friend that I live up to their expectation. I hope that when my name is spoken that that people can say he is my friend.

I hope that I follow the example set before me in Christ Jesus.

I hope if you ever have called me friend that you still can.

But I know me, I know that I have let people down, I know that I probably have said or done something that I shouldn’t have said or done. And hope and pray that my friends can forgive me and that I can forgive my friends that have let me down.

 

The example that is set before us is Jesus himself. He forgave us even before we let him down and keeps loving us anyways. Let’s try to live that way and remember:

 

“Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.”

And know this “You’ve Got A Friend in Me”

From “Something to Ponder”

It’s not my Fault!

Or was it?

 

Being the youngest of five, I always had someone to blame for my wrong doings. (Not that I did that many things wrong.) I have one brother that rarely did anything bad.

If something went wrong and the question was asked “Who did this?”, the answer was always Ray. Knowing that he never did wrong and would be forgiven for the minor offense very quickly rather than me messing up again.

Even after we were grown and Ray was in basic training for the United States Air Force in Texas, a question by my Mother went like this, “who left that cup on the counter,” or “who left that plate on the end table” or and one of my favorites, my Dad’s shoes in the floor and the question was “who do these shoes belong to?” and the answer was always “Ray.” No matter the only people in the house all day was me and my Dad, the answer was “Ray”

It’s good to have a person to blame things on, that way it’s not my fault if I am wrong. As I have mentioned I was raised in a somewhat legalistic Church, the hair had to be long on a girl and short on a guy. Women had to wear dresses, and they had to be long, and all men had to wear suites, the clothes on their back was more important than Jesus in their heart.

I have taught Sunday School for almost 30 years, that includes at my home Church, small group, home studies, hospice home care class. I have preached in nursing homes, Alzheimer’s ward, youth detention centers, and a number of churches in west Georgia and east Alabama. In doing all this preaching and teaching, I would bring lessons at first the way I was taught.

 

If I said “you needed to dress in dresses and suits”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to be in church every time the door is opened”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to use a certain kind of Bible”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “your hair had to be a certain way”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to sing certain songs a certain way”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to pray a certain way”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

If I said “you have to give a certain amount if you have it or not”. It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.

Now what is important is the reason I was taught all this, the way I was is:

It’s not their fault, that’s what they were taught.

 

That reminds me of The Parable of the Ham

A child stood and watched her mother prepare the annual holiday ham. The mother carefully cut each end of the ham off before placing it in the pan. The child asked, “Mother, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The mother replied, “Well, that’s the way my mother always did it.”

So, the child called her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The grandmother replied, “because that’s the way my mother always did it.”

Finally, the child called her great-grandmother and asked, “Great-Grandma, why did you always cut the ends off the ham?”

The great-grandmother replied, “Because the ham was way too big to fit in my small baking pan!!”

 

So, the cycle has to stop. I have to stop blaming Ray, and even stop blaming the way I was raised. You see time and time again with young people that are committing crimes, the reason was “it’s how I was raised”.

Now after you get a certain age it’s all on you. You make the call and do wrong you are the one responsible.

As Dr. Michael L. Brown posted on Twitter:

“Regardless of my genetics, my upbringing, and my life experiences, I alone am ultimately responsible for my actions and choices.”

The same goes with my Teaching and Preaching, after a while I am the one responsible for leading people the wrong or misguided way.

Paul told Timothy his son in the faith in:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. KJV

 

The word study means:

NT:4704 spoudazo (spoo-dad’-zo); to use speed, i.e. to make effort, be prompt or earnest: KJV — do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  NKJV

2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. NIV

2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. NASU

2Tim 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. NLT

 

I love the way the Amplified Bible reads it:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.  Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

Now my job is to do my diligence, work hard, do my best, and Study the Word of God, rightly handling the word of truth, so I won’t be ashamed when I am presented to God. Dig into the scripture and find out what is being said and why its being said. Then and only then do I do my best to tell what is being said in the Holy Scripture.

I have read the Bible through a few times, and when I came across something, I didn’t understand I would jump over it and keep on reading.

But now I stop and dig, study, and do my best to see what God is telling me. I love looking at different translations and see what words are different and why. That is what gets me in the Bible even deeper.

After looking through the scripture I can’t find anywhere that it says to wear a tie, it’s just not in there.

I never saw Jesus when on a sea shore or along a mountain, or in a garden tell the smelly people to go get dressed before He would talk to them.

I never read one word, not one, saying before He healed them that they needed a haircut.

There are so many things we get so bent out of shape over that I believe God really doesn’t care about.

I was a Carpenter and Craftsman by trade, and my Dads home was just around the corner from my house. (I had to pass his to get to mine) A lot of days on my way home, still having the residue of the day on me, a little sawdust, maybe some stain on my hands, a little paint on my pants, and sweat running down my face.

I would drop by to check on my Dad. I would knock on the door as I opened it and walked on in, see its “MY FATHERS HOUSE” I have a key and I have freedom to come in at any time. And I knew no matter how I looked or even smelled I was always welcome there.

My Dad would usually be on the sofa, and he would get up and a big smile would be on his face, because his boy came by to spend some time with him. I may be wrong but I think that’s the way God is, just happy to spend some time with me.

We get so caught up on the outside of a person the way they look and dress we miss out and never get to know the inside (the heart) of the person. Thank God He looks at the heart.

1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” NKJV

 

I have never not ever read in the red letters of Jesus to “turn your King James Bible” to a particular verse.

It’s not there!

So why for the life of me do we get so excited if someone is reading a different translation than we have, and how on earth does that make you more spiritual than someone else because you sing from a red hymnal instead of a large screen.

I have been a part of both worship services and felt His very presence in both.

I have sat and even preached in Church services that had a hand full of people and God moved in a mighty way. Then I have sat in Church services with 1500 to 2000 people and had the same God convict and move me to tears with His presence.

What difference does it make if you open a Bible Book, a phone app, a lap top, a Kendal reader, or a Nook Book with apps. (the Nook is what I use because I can carry five different Bibles a Strong’s Concordance, and a Matthew Henry Commentary and over two hundred sermons that I have already brought.)

A friend of mine Tim Croft said, “I bet someone got upset when they opened the first book Bible rather than unrolling a scroll.”

Any reason to try to look more spiritual than those that don’t do it your way.

We the Church keep on and on debating on which Bible is the best, which songs are the best, which type of music is the best, which way to dress is the best, and we need to stop.

Just because they are not doing it the way we are does not mean it’s wrong, it’s just different.

You never see Jesus heal the same way twice, He raised three different people from death, three different ways.

The little Girl he said in Mark 5:41 He gently speaks “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

For the widow son he stopped the funeral: Luke 7:14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

And His friend Lazarus he: John 11:43 He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  NKJV

 

One is in a bed one is in a coffin and the other is in the grave.

And Jesus handled them the different, but the message is the same Jesus SPOKE! One a whisper, one talk, and then He yells for Lazarus. Why then can’t we all let Jesus’ speak different today to different Churches. And yet be the same God.

 

Another example:

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus in Mark

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  NKJV

 

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida in Mark 8

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  NKJV

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight in John 9

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  NKJV

 

Three different blind men, one He just speaks, two He used spit, one He adds touching him, and one He made a mud pack and told him to go wash.

All three healed by Christ but each case a little different, and the reason is, we are all a little different.

I don’t know if you haven’t noticed but the world is going to hell, and we are arguing about what translation of the Bible is the right one.

It’s the one Paul carried; HE WAS WRITING IT AT THE TIME.

Along with other inspired men of God and it wasn’t in 1611 it was in the first century.

All we have are TRANSLATIONS of the original Word of God.

I believe that God loves us all the same. I also believe that He treats us all different because we are all different, so why do you think if everyone is not like us that they are wrong. Here is something to ponder, what if it is you… that is wrong?

So, after pondering on this for a while I have come to realize it was my fault,

I should have checked… what I was taught.

 

Its Over Now, … Or Is It?

Luke15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

 

The week of this writing is June 10, 2019, as I sat at the computer and began working on a thought that I had, it occurred to me that thirty years ago this week I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It’s raining now here in Georgia and thirty years ago it was raining here then too.

 

As I recall about a year or maybe two years earlier, I saw my friend and then Sunday School teacher Snyder Turner. I hadn’t been in Sunday School in a while, and he asked if I would come back that I was surly missed. That made me feel good that I was missed. And I told him I would try if he would be kind enough to make me a tape of him singing. I love to hear people sing that know and believe what they are singing, and it also helps that they can sing. I believe that he knew and believed about who he was singing about, and it also helped that he could sing too. He was kind enough to make me the tape, and he sent word to me that I had to come and get it. The place I had to pick it up was at the Church, and the place was in Sunday School.

 

I sent word back to him that I will see him Sunday and if there was no tape there would be no DeWayne because, I would leave. I was somewhat a smart-aleck back then, but I’m doing much better now. So sure, enough I was there at 10:00am Sunday morning and sitting in his class waiting on him. As he walked in, he threw me the tape. I sat and listened to him teach and then went on in the sanctuary and listened to his D ad, Reverend Ben Turner preach, and then I didn’t return until I felt as if I had to.

The next day as I was on my way to work, I put the tape in the tape player in my truck and began to listen. Song after song played, some were convicting, some were picked me up songs, and some were just old fashion Church Hymns.

 

As the tape played on, this song came on, and I had heard it before but not quite like this, it was “It’s Over Now” and this is what Snyder sang:

 

“It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home.

It’s over now it won’t be long

The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.

My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now.

When I look back to yesterday, and upon the many years I wasted.

And I think about the many nights of hunger that I spent out in the cold.

I remember warming by the fire, at Father’s house, the food and how it tasted.

And knowing that the life I’m leading, is needing love and love’s at home.

It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home.

It’s over now it won’t be long,

The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.

My Father I see His arms reaching for me.

It’s over now”.

 

And then with the music still playing he said this in the middle of the song:

“That reminds me of a young boy that I knew one time that, as a teenager he stayed up all nights lots of nights, building God’s house because he loved the building, he loved the people, I never before seen a boy that age that dedicated to God. Then I looked around one day and all of a sudden, he was gone, nobody knew where he was, but all of his friends that knew him, and stayed around with him up all night, were praying that one of these days, one of these days, he’ll look around, and he’ll say, you know, I believe it was worth it, it’s all over for me now, I’m going back home”.

 

Then back to the song he went without missing a beat.

 

“I can hear my father saying, go kill the fated calf and spread the table.

Then go and tell the singers to prepare to sing the welcome Song.

Then bring the finest ring of gold, and with it, bring the finest robe of sable.

To place upon the cold and weary shoulders of my child, that’s coming home.

It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home. It’s over now it can’t be long

The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.

My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now.

My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.

 

That young boy was me, and if you paid close attention, he never said that I Loved God but that “he loved the building, he loved the people”, because I did, and still do love the building and the people of that time in our Church, but at that particular time I did not love God or even know Him or His dear Son Jesus.

 

The song brought tears to my eyes, and brought back some great memories of when we were building the Church and the lifelong friendship that I received from the men that were there that took me under their wings and showed Godly love for a young man that could have ended up running with the wrong people. If it were not for spending most of my free time working on that Church I don’t know where I would have ended up. I never drank, I never did any drugs, I didn’t run around trying to get in any trouble, I was way too busy building a house of worship.

 

I was working my way to heaven, at least I thought I was. It’s really difficult to win good people to the Lord, what did I need saving from, I was a pretty good guy, at least in my eyes I was. Could I be wrong, was I sure because I repeated words that the pastor’s wife told me to say when I was 6 years old, that I was covered, I hope so? And if you are not sure, that is not the right answer.

 

So, a few more months went past, and I was out of church again. I thought I was good to go, and again, I was wrong.

 

As I have stated I was raised in church and I sat under the word of God my whole life, I didn’t know the author, but I knew the words that were written, and I could use them to my advantage when I needed to. I used the Word of God as a weapon to attack people, just when I thought that they needed it, for my own good. Not a weapon as a sword against Satan, but as a club to beat people over the head, and in most cases I could hold my own in a battle of the Word and I would whip out the Bible verse to put people to shame when I needed it.

And time went on.

Edger C. Whisenant released a book that was predicting that Jesus would return for the Rapture is September 11,12, or 13 of 1988 titled “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988” over 4.5 million copies were sold, and the Churches were filled on Sunday, September 11, 1988. It didn’t hurt that the day he predicted was on a Sunday.

 

And there, about ten rows back in the end seat against the wall I sat, as I have said I heard the word preached enough for anyone for a lifetime I thought. And I thought wrong, but there I was to prove the guy wrong. Because does the Bible not say:

Matt 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. NKJV

 

So, I just sat there and heard Reverend Ben Turner preach one of the best soul winning sermons that ever was preached, and then it was time for the invitation. As the song leader took the pulpit and the Church began to sing, I took a good hold of the pew in front of me and refused to let go. Ben told me latter that he could see my knuckles turning white from the grip I had on that pew. I think, no I know that was the day that I knew that I needed Jesus in my heart, and in my life and so did Brother Ben the pastor. But I was a good man.

 

At the age of six I had said what the preacher’s wife said to say, I was put in the baptistery and dunked under the Holy water. I had to be ready to go to heaven, I had done everything you are supposed to do right? And then again, I was wrong.

 

I never, not ever asked Jesus into my heart. I love what Andy Stanley says quite often,

“Following Jesus will make your life better and will make you better at life.”

 

I saw Snyder again in May 1989. He was being ordained and afterward he saw me, and said that he missed me and that he was praying for me. And then he said that one of these days God was going break me or do something to get my attention, and that when he did, he wanted to be there. He was somewhat a smart-aleck back then, but he too is doing much better now. And again, a little time went on.

That brings me back to the rainy week of June 12, 1989, my wife had gone to visit her mother in Spruce Pine Alabama. She left on the 7th and was going to return on the 14th. The night before she left, we had a big falling out, we didn’t have many but when we did, they were big. She started the falling out trying to justify her actions. She was setting me up to be the bad guy, and it worked, by saying what she was going to do.

 

Remember that I told you that I could beat up a person with the Bible, well that is what I did that night. I told her that she needed to submit to me and to do what I say and to do my will because that is what Paul taught. She said she didn’t know any woman that did that, and she was not going to do it either. She then told me that she didn’t love me anymore and if that wasn’t bad enough, she then added that she didn’t think she ever really loved me. Not only that, but she then said that she may not come back.

 

With that said, I picked up my Colt 357 magnum and was headed out the door. She asked where I was going, and I said boldly and proudly “To Hell” and kept walking, she asked and then pleaded with me not to go, she promised that we would work it all out when she got back next Wednesday.

 

I sometime later learned that “You cannot develop in your family what you do not possess yourself as in individual”. I couldn’t lead because I didn’t have what I needed to lead. What was missing was Jesus.

 

Next Wednesday arrived, and she didn’t. I took off early, grilled 2 T-bone steaks, just the way she liked them, fixed a salad and some baked beans and baked potatoes, and had an apple pie cooking in the oven and Breyers vanilla bean ice-cream in the freezer. I sat the table, and even put some candles on the table and waited. She should be home any moment I thought, and again, I was wrong.

 

I waited past the time she was going to arrive and then started making calls. I finally got a hold of her mother and was told that she came home that morning and got some more of her belongings and was coming back to Alabama. So, I put everything in the refrigerator, and made some calls and told my boss I would be late the next day and then made a call to my parents and told them that I was going to Alabama and was going to try to get my wife back.

 

My Dad tried to talk me out of going and said that there were tornado warnings in Alabama and headed to us here in Georgia, I didn’t care, I was going. As I pulled out of my road there stood my Dad in the road again trying to get me to stay home, I should have listened because when I got there, she made it clear that she was not coming home anytime soon she needed some time to think, it’s been over 30 years, I sometimes wonder how much more time she might need. I guess I still am a somewhat a smart-aleck, but I am doing some better now.

 

In 1989, I was one of the few people at that time that had a phone in their truck, so on my way back home the next morning I called my pastor and asked if I could see him later that evening, he said that he would be at the Church because they were having Vacation Bible School, and he would be there around 7:00.

 

As I arrived at the Church, I saw Snyder in the parking lot, and he yelled at me and said that this was Church, and ask what was I doing there? He was just joking with me. As he got closer, I said, remember when you said that one of these days God was going break me, or do something to get my attention, and that when He did, you wanted to be there? Well, here is that day, as a tear ran down my face. He said he was playing, and I said I know and told him what had happened and asked if he would come and pray with his Dad for her to come home. He said of course, and we went into the pastor’s study, and we meet up with Ben.

 

I needed someone to pray for her because I knew deep down that I couldn’t, but Ben could, but Ben wouldn’t. He wouldn’t pray for my wife that night, and I couldn’t understand why. The only reason that I was there was for his prayers. He said we were just treating the symptoms, and not getting a cure. The cure was for me to accept Christ that night and not to fix my marriage. I learned what it meant that night that “pain plants a flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel’s heart”.

 

He asked every way but coming out and saying bluntly are you saved for a while, he asked do you know Jesus as your savior? And then he finely asked if I were to die where would I spend eternity? I remembered the week before and how I stated I was going to hell. I just sat there, and then he finally said, ARE YOU SAVED?

 

My answer was I don’t want to be not saved. He said that was not the right answer, and then said that I knew what I needed to do, and he was right as Snyder opened his Bible and started the Roman Road, he paused then said that I knew these verses and I knew what I needed to do. And I did know what I needed to do. I personally have led people to the Lord before I had ever accepting Him as my Savior myself.

 

So, I asked Jesus to forgive me and that night I accept Him as my Lord and Savior. Just like that everything changed that moment. My wife didn’t come home but I did. Circumstances didn’t change, but I sure did, the pain was still there but now so was Christ. Everything was for the better I assure you.

 

After that night as I got back in Church for the right reason, as I ran across different people, and it seemed that most had the same reaction and said the same thing when I told them that I had accepted Christ and was saved. They would say I thought you were already. But the ones closest to me would say I’m glad, I have been praying for you for a long time.

 

The old saying goes you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. I had some of them fooled but not all, and the ones that knew better were praying for me and as we soon will see looking for me to come home.

 

I just had to make up my mind or come to myself, as it says. Sometimes the one you think that needed to come home don’t quite make it. What I have learned it was never about getting her my wife home, it was about getting Me Home!

 

If I had accepted the invitation the year earlier, she may never have left. But if she hadn’t left when she did, would I have ever got in the Word of God like I did, would I ever have stood in a pulpit and tried to bring a sermon, would I have ever got involved in the ministries that I got in, and saw the hundreds of souls saved as a result? Would I be writing this book right now?

 

Please don’t get me wrong, I do not under any circumstance believe that God made her leave, that goes against His Word. I do believe that he used the mess that I made to get my attention. Did you get that the mess that I made! And I do take full responsibility. But it did work for His good.

Does the book of Romans not say?

 

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. NKJV

and

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. NKJV

 

Understand that God is not a genie in a bottle, or a wishing well. He is God, and we sometimes act as if he is supposed to do what we say, instead of the other way around. We quickly forget and sometimes quickly walk away because He didn’t do what I wanted Him to do. I will just leave, and then we do, but the question is the same as Peter’s question and that is “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

 

John 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” NKJV

 

I promise you maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, or next month, or even next year. But the time is coming that you will end up neck deep in the pigsty. Then where will you go? All we have to do is the same as the lost son did. Understand it is far better in the Fathers house.

 

As I have stated it’s been over 30 years, and she never came home, sometimes the one we love and pray for, never comes to their selves. Sometimes they don’t listen to the Father, but that is no excuse for you not to. Every story in life doesn’t have a happy ending. Just remember for some it’s not over yet. But for me, I thank God I can say as the last verse of our song said:

 

The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.

My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now.

My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.

 

See, it was me the whole time that was dead, and now I am alive.

I was the very one lost, and now I am found.

It is definitely a time to be merry. It’s party time.

 

Luke15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

 

And they began to be merry.

As the old saying goes;

If not God’s way? What?

If not you? Who?

If not now? When?

Is it over now?

Only if you allow it to be.

Power Through Prayer

By E.M. Bounds

Men of Prayer Are Needed

 

WE are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John.” The dispensa­tion that heralded and prepared the way for Christ was bound up in that man John. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” The world’s salvation comes out of that cradled son…. This vital, urgent truth is one that this age of machinery is apt to for­get. The forgetting of it is as baneful on the work of God as would be the striking of the sun from his sphere. Darkness, confusion, and death would ensue.

What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer.

 

Purpose in Prayer

By E.M. Bounds

Prayer Is a Keynote

 

THE more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere. Prayer, in one phase of its opera­tion, is a disinfectant and a preventive. It purifies the air; it destroys the con­tagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in the silence. It is a voice which goes into God’s ear, and it lives as long as God’s ear is open to holy pleas, as long as God’s heart is alive to holy things.

God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed in death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God’s heart is set on them and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, out­live an age, outlive a world.

That man is the most immortal who has done the most and the best pray­ing. They are God’s heroes, God’s saints, God’s servants, God’s deputies. A man can pray better because of the prayers of the past; a man can live holier because of the prayers of the past, the man of many and acceptable prayers has done the truest and greatest service to the incoming generation. The prayers of God’s saints strengthen the unborn generation against the desolat­ing waves of sin and evil. Woe to the generation of sons who find their censers empty of the rich incense of prayer; whose fathers have been too busy or too unbelieving to pray, and perils inexpressible and consequences untold are their unhappy heritage. Fortunate are they whose fathers and mothers have left them a wealthy storehouse of prayer.

 

HOW TO PRAY.
PRAY SERIOUS AND WATCHFUL. 1 PET 4:7
1. 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

What did the Disciples ask for? To learn how to pray. That’s where the power is!
Luke 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2. So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

ASK IN FAITH. JAM 1:6 _
“WHATEVER YOU ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING, YOU WILL RECEIVE”
(IF IT IS GOD’S WILL) – Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
Luke 11:5-13 (NKJV)
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Luke 11:9-10 (HCSB)
9 “So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Look at what we Get when we ask, Holy Spirit, not a new house, not a new job, new truck… But The Holy Spirit, do we get the other things, sometimes but He God promised The Holy Spirit.

(NOT IN WRONG MOTIVE)
James 4:2-3 (NKJV)
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

IF WE: HUMBLE AND TURN FROM WICKED WAYS
GOD PROMISES: TO HEAR, HEAL, AND FORGIVE.
2 Chron 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Again, WHO is He talking to. The Hebrews but it is an example for us.

IF WE: ARE RIGHTEOUS GOD PROMISES: TO HEAR.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

IF WE: PRAY ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL GOD PROMISES: TO HEAR US. 1 JOHN 5:14
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

IF WE: DRAW NEAR TO GOD. GOD PROMISES: TO DRAW NEAR TO US.
James 4:7-10 (NKJV)
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
3. But we have to pray and ask.
a. Ask for Renewing in your own heart.
b. Ask for healing in our lives
c. Ask for the Power of God to manifest itself in such a way that He can get the glory.

4. The power of prayer is not in who prays but in the one who hears our prayer. And that is GOD, that is who we are talking to.

Jer 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
Note: He does not say I will give you things He said I will show you things.

Realize – Jeremiah live in tough times:
1. Jeremiah was a prophet called by God living in the midst of a sinful nation. Sound familiar?
a. He preached to the Jewish nation and its people about their sin but they wouldn’¬t listen, to him.
2. He had prophesied that if the Nation of Judah wouldn’¬t turn from their sin and turn back to God, they would fall into the hands of the Babylonians. (Exactly what happened)
3. His message was rejected. People didn’¬t listen.
4. Today, people hear the message of the Gospel but turn a deaf ear and reject the Lord when the Lord has said;
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
He says He will show us “Great and Mighty Things which You don’t even knows about”

5. God says Matt 17:20 if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Conclusion: Moving Mountains,
What Mountain is in your life that needs moving???
6. There are no limits with God.
What did the sea see when the sea saw??
Psalm 114:1-8 (NKJV)
1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion.
3 The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.

Matt 17:20 if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Do you want to see Great and Mighty things???
Accept Good’s invitation today
1. Pray for your homes
2. Pray for our church
3. Pray for your own life
4. Pray for our renewal of God’s love
5. Pray for those who are lost without Christ.

If You don’t know Christ, pray for your own salvation: God will answer.
Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Pray

From my next book, “More to Ponder”;

 

Rum Pum Pum Pum

 

I recall many Christmas’; some were really great and some were racked with grief and disappointment. The disappointment didn’t come from not getting the particular gift or not getting my wish list filled, but it was at the loss of a dear friend on Christmas Eve, the problem is that those memories have a way of seeping into the great memories also. But I want to focus on the good times.

 

As I grew up in the sixties, we didn’t have the internet or Amazon, but we did have the Sears and Roebuck “Wish Book” that was packed full of everything that we saw advertised on TV during our Saturday morning cartoons. We were allowed to pick a few things that we just had to have, and my Mother would call Santa (Sears) and tell him what we wanted and give him the item number, and we would be set. And just like that it would be under the tree on Christmas morning.

 

A few weeks prior to Christmas day, my Dad would show up with the family Christmas tree. He and my older brothers, Charles and Glenn would help set it up in the living room right in front of the picture window. Daddy would let the tree sit a day, he said to let the limbs fall into place, I think he just wanted to make the experience last just a little longer.

 

The next night. In a house that smelled like a pine forest, which to this day when I smell that Christmas tree smell it takes me back to those nights when we all gathered in the living room and waited patiently for Daddy to put on the lights. Again, he and my Mother or oldest brother had that job. After he did that Mother would put on the garland sometimes with my Dads help and when she got older my sister Debrah would help. And when the lights and garland was in place Mother and Daddy would open the box of ornament’s, and then they would referee as all five of us would get to put them on the tree, anywhere we saw fit. And after we finished our job, Daddy would divvy up the icicle or tinsel if you prefer. Then we again could put it on the tree and again wherever we wanted, and sometimes under the direction of our parents setting back watching. So, then the final piece of the tree was put into place, The Angle was placed in her spot at the top of the tree. The whole time this was done under the blanket of Christmas music being played on the record player in the background.

 

After the tree was perfect at least we thought it was perfect, Mother would fix us some hot chocolate with marshmallows, Daddy would turn off the lights in the room, and the room would be lit from the tree and the reflecting off the hardwood floors. The Christmas albums would be playing softly, and we would just sit there for a while and absorb what we have accomplished. Not knowing or understanding how fortunate we were at that time. We would sit and listen to the songs, “O’ Come All Ye Faithful,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “Little Town in Bethlehem,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and on and on and then my favorite “The Little Drummer Boy”

 

 

After hearing that song can you guess what made it to my Christmas list? Think for a second and if you said a drum you would be correct. Now this was right up my Mother alley.

My Mother has a way of getting us not only what we wanted but also what we needed. She loved getting us toys that made a great symphony of noises. And my Dad was the one that helped Santa put everything together, and he made sure that if it needed batteries, it had an abundance of power to bring us a loud and wonderful Christmas. There was always the Christmas PJ’s, socks, underwear, shoes if we needed them. We didn’t need a new outfit that was coming a few months later at Easter.

 

As the weeks slowly went by, Christmas Eve, would finally make it and that was and is one of the best nights of the year. The smell of cakes, pies Chex mix and Christmas tree was one of the best memory makers that there could ever be. Mother let us watch as she cooked the cakes and pies, she even gave me and my brother Ray the beaters to lick clean, and the bowls and spoons to clean the same way. After we did the best we could scrape and licking icing and batter and wearing as much as we ate, Mother would then take them and wash them and start again on the next pie or cake. And the process started all over again. The kitchen would be full of laughter and fun. Just as it should be.

 

Then Christmas morning came. I think that my parents were as excited as we were, no I know they were. We would all go into the living room together and Mother never had to say what was who’s. We knew what we asked for and in a certain section under the tree would be exactly what we requested.

 

The house was always full of people on Christmas, which with three brothers and a sister, my Mother and Father, we were pretty much a crowd by ourselves. But there were always others to show up also. The main reason I think was just to eat my Mother’s Christmas dinner. There was always a huge turkey, a perfectly cooked ham, salad, two pans of turkey dressing, one with celery and one (mine) without celery, gravy, cranberry sauce, corn, green beans, candied yams, deviled eggs, potatoes salad, piping hot dinner rolls and for dessert she would have a pineapple upside-down cake, a coconut cake, and the best hard-boiled fudge chocolate cake in the world. (we called it the concrete cake, but it was what we all looked for and at times fought over.) an abundance of sweet potatoes pie and then there was also the best banana pudding ever there was that graced the earth.

 

This wasn’t just one Christmas like this, but it was this way year after year when we were young. We gave our wish list, we knew to ask for what was in the budget, some years a lot, some not so much. We were taught to accept and to be thankful for what we did received. Furthermore we knew that we were not rich, but we also knew that others had it far worse than we did even in the lean years.

 

In my section under the tree one Christmas was just a single little drum with my other gifts. As the years went on and as I grew, one year was a little drum set. A bass drum, one tom drum and a snare, with two cymbals. Then as I got older and in middle school, I even got a bag and hardware for a snare drum my Uncle Gene gave me. My Uncle Dee took it had new heads and snares put on it. And then I joined the Tapp Middle School Band. Made first chair, section leader and then honor band, all from that little drum I received that Christmas because of that song “The Little Drummer Boy.”

 

As the years went on, I didn’t play in high school and sort of lost the ability to play as well as I once did because of lack of practice, but I never lost the love for drums and to beat on them. I later on bought me a Pearl Drum Kit. It had a snare four toms a floor tom the kick drum with two crash cymbals a ride cymbal, and hi-hat. I added a set of roto toms which made my set a ten-piece kit. It sat in my living room for years and when people first came into my house they would usually say when seeing them “I can tell you are single because no woman would allow those drums in a living room.” The kit is now serving God in my home church as I have them on loan to them.

 

I never lost the love for drums, and I still love to hear a good drum corp. It all started with that little Christmas song “The Little Drummer Boy.” And now I want to look at that song a little and maybe give you something to ponder.

 

From the internet we get this:

The words and music to the Christmas song Little Drummer Boy was composed by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958.

The lyrics of Little Drummer Boy consist of no less than 21 rum pum pum pum’ — a major part of the song and therefore presenting an apparently easy task for the lyricist! However, Little Drummer Boy has been a huge hit for several artists.

 

I took out the rum pum pum pum’ to get you to look at the words;

 

Come they told me, we need to do that very thing, Go into ALL the word and present the Gospel (the Good News) what did the Bible tell us to tell…

 

A newborn King to see unto you a child is born, angels telling the shepherds…

 

Our finest gifts we bring, the best we can offer as far as earthly things are as filthy rags. God wants more He deserves more…

 

To lay before the King, King of Kings

So to honor Him, when we come…we honor by coming into His presence God wants to hear from us…

 

Little Baby, I am a poor boy too, He gave up heaven, came as a baby…

 

I have no gift to bring, that’s fit to give the King, we have nothing, we came into this world naked and naked we will return. You can’t take it with you when you go.

 

Shall I play for you, On my drum? And there it is.

 

Mary nodded, the ox and lamb kept time, that always bring a smile to me, and then I saw animals on Facebook keeping time with music…

 

I played my drum for Him, do whatever God has called you to do.

I played my best for Him,

 

Then He smiled at me, Me and my drum. Me and my drum.

 

 

I don’t want you to miss the best part of the song, and that is that the Little Drummer Boy could only offer what we all need to be offering Jesus. And that is our BEST! Snyder used to say if you are going to sleep in church then at least snore and do you best.

 

“He did it all for His Love for You.”

By: Richard Mullen

 

He can turn the tides and calm the angry sea. He alone decides Who writes a symphony. He lights ev’ry star That makes our darkness bright. He keeps watch all through Each long and lonely night. He still finds the time To hear a child’s first prayer. Saint or sinner call and always find Him there.

 

Though it makes him sad to see the way we live, He’ll always say, “I forgive.”

 

He can grant a wish or make a dream come true. He can paint the clouds

And turn the gray to blue. He alone knows where To find the rainbow’s end.

He alone can see What lies beyond the bend. He can touch a tree And turn the leaves to gold. He knows every lie That you and I have told.

 

He, did it all for me,

He = used to refer to a man, boy, or male previously mentioned or easily identified. “Jesus”

Did = achieve or complete. What? Calvary’s Cross.

It = used to refer to a thing previously mentioned or easily identified. Gave us the Gift of Salvation

All = the whole of one’s energy or interest. Forgave us from every sin past present and future

For = in support of or in favor of (a person or policy). on behalf of or to the benefit of (someone or something). Took someone’s place

Me = used by a speaker to refer to himself or herself as the object of a verb or preposition. Compare with I.

 

 

 

 

So, we have in this:

Jesus, achieve and completed on Calvary’s Cross paid for the Gift of Salvation. With His whole energy and interest to Forgive us from every sin past present and future in support of, in favor of, on behalf of, to the benefit of taking someone’s place and that someone was and is to refer to as ME!

 

He, did it all for me,

 

That’s the gift of Christmas

 

The Gift that had Worth, Jesus gave it all. Therefore, who did He do it all for?

 

You that is who!  I pray you have received His Present to you.

Merry Christmas!

 

THE CHAMP

How do you define greatness? What are the qualities of the men and women that do extraordinary things and achieve greatness? I can’t tell you! I have none of the qualities needed. However, by the grace of God I have had the privilege to know a very few people that I consider great. One of them is Lex Luger!

During the 1980s and 1990s professional wrestling was a craze. Its popularity was with a very large and diverse number of people. Many of the wrestling stars became celebrities that were famous worldwide. The most famous of those wrestlers was known as Lex Luger. I sincerely believe that Lex Luger was perhaps the most famous man in the whole world during his glory years.

Lex played collegiate football at The University of Miami and then professionally for the Green Bay Packers.  The Green Bay Packers were so proud of Lex’s great success and fame via in the professional wrestling rink that they enshrined him in their Hall of Fame.  Lex’s physical frame and physique was extraordinary.  Lex had an internal drive to excel and compete that propelled Lex into professional wrestling and demanded that he was great! Lex became a wrestling mega superstar. For years, he would dominate the sport and become a world champion on three different occasions. He competed against only the greatest of the other professional wrestlers.  Lex Luger’s appeal was so broad and expanse that Mattel made action figure toys of him for children. Millions of people cheered for him each and every time he stepped into the wrestling rink.

Lex would go on to chronicle his life and the battles he fought along with the storms he endured during his life in his book “Wrestling with the Devil”. Lex goes into great detail while describing the actions, deeds and the events which turned him from being the greatest physique and best body in the world into an C5-C6 quadriplegic hospitalized at The Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, Georgia in 2007.

In October 2007 Lex flew into San Francisco for a conference. While there he had a type of seizure or stroke that would paralyze him. After several weeks in a Bay Area hospital in the Bay Lex was transported to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta for treatment.  This was the best option and venue for Lex to find any type of recovery.  The Shepherd Center was also in Atlanta where Lex made his home. This was an act of God providing help and grace to Lex.

My pastor (Steve Baskin) was the person most instrumental in the conversion of Lex into becoming a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Steve had kept the church body appraised of Lex’s condition throughout his time in the Bay Area and continually sought the prayers of the members of the church on behalf of Lex.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving I asked Pastor Baskin if my wife and I could visit with Lex. I had no thoughts of being able to provide Lex with any great, profound or inspiring words. I simply felt like I needed to go see him and do what I could to encourage a man very young in The Lord. I have some very good memories of Lex and his early days as a Christian. I remember him once coming into church a little late and the sermon had already started. Lex had walked down to the pew I was sitting on. I was sitting on the end of the pew and was resting my arm on the end of the pew.  I felt a presence near the right side of my face and turned toward it. Frankly I was shocked to look 12 inches away into the face of a giant man staring at me. All he said was “move over!” At that moment I had instantly already made peace with God and made sure that all my sins had been forgiven! There was no need to finish the sermon or to give an invitation on my behalf. I was right with God at that moment for sure. Later I had the privilege of seeing Lex be baptized. I can also recall watching Lex in a televised wrestling match along with my sons and praying that Lex would someday become a believer and then a witness for Jesus Christ.

Those memories and thoughts were crowding my mind as I walked down the hall of the Shepherd Center toward Lex’s hospital room while holding my wife’s hand. As we walked, I prayed for help and direction on what to say to Lex. I was humbled just to be able to visit with this man that was in many ways so much bigger than life. I was stricken with the realization that I knew that there were absolutely no words available to me that would make his life better. I began to question the sanity of me saying anything at all to a man in the nightmarish situation that Lex was living in.

When Val and I knocked on the door we were acknowledged with a “come in”.  Lex was in a hospital bed on the far side of the room. Several people were there from a Christian magazine talking with Lex. They very graciously stepped aside and allowed Val and I to come to Lex’s bedside. Lex looked up and smiled. I was amazed at that smile. Here was a man that only had slight movement from the neck up, but he produced a smile. I noticed that the little finger on his left hand was twitching slightly. His left foot was sticking out of the covers and you could see the toes also twitching. Lex was already working on his rehab diligently even though it was one twitch at a time. Every journey begins with the first step regardless of how far the trip will take you. These were very slight movements but very difficult for anyone in the condition that Lex was in.

Lex was literally rehabbing himself one toe, one finger, one anything, at a time. He was not giving up and was already working with everything that he had within himself to regain any strength that he once had. I was in awe!

Lex was physically paralyzed. He had already gone through many great storms and dealt with numerous disasters in his life.  He had been wealthy but now financially dependent on others. He had probably been the most physically admired man in the world for nearly a decade and had been known worldwide as “The Total Package”. But at that moment Lex was a very frail man physically. He now required another person’s help in order to dress, feed and clean himself. His fame was now a memory and his future held no promise of a better tomorrow.

I struggled for the words that I had prayed so hard to know and find before getting to Lex’s hospital room.  I probably then asked the most stupid question anyone has ever asked someone in that condition. I said “Champ, how are you doing?” … Immediately I wanted to take all the air out of the room so that I could catch my ridiculous words before anyone heard them. How can anyone ask a paralyzed man lying prostrate in a hospital bed that question?  It was obvious to anyone that could see that Lex was not doing well physically. Everyone in that condition is being challenged mentally and spiritually to the absolute limits of endurance. Lex’s condition was far more serious than I can adequately describe.

Then the Lord took over. Lex looked up at me and gave an incredible smile and said, “Chuck, I am doing great!”. I was taken back. I thought for a moment. I deserved a rebuttal answer for my stupid, stupid question. But to my amazement Lex was being sincere. I clumsily apologized for my question. But Lex looked directly into my eyes and said, “Chuck, God put me here for a reason. This is a good thing that I am here and God is good. This is a blessing!”. I braced myself and tried to gain some sibilance of poise. I then responded with, “Champ, I need for you to please explain that to me. How is it a blessing for you to be paralyzed and in this hospital bed?”

Lex looked up and explained that the events and mistakes in his life had left him estranged from his children and ex-wife. He was divorced and his children had decided that they did not want him in their lives. Lex had been praying for a way to re-connect and possibly reconcile with his children. He then told me that because of his past the director of the Shepherd Center had initially resisted letting him come there for treatments. However, she relented and allowed Lex to come to the Shepherd Center. When Lex arrived, he was able to demonstrate to everyone that the person he had been, was no longer the man that he now was. Lex had become a new creation in Christ and was now a different man.  Lex then said something that rang all the chimes.  He told me that after he had been admitted into the hospital the director’s husband had been talking with him about various things. That man just happened to also be a coach on one of the teams that Lex’s son played on. That gentleman had expressed a desire to assist in some way to help Lex reconnect with his son. Lex then said this, “God is so good. God put me here to help me get back with my son! Isn’t that great?!?”

Lex had been humbled in every way that I think a man can be.  Yet he was still persevering through his enormous anguish with a competitive drive that cannot and will not quit, surrender or retreat.

I don’t know if Lex and his son ever reconciled. However, what I do know for a fact is that only a great, great champion can experience such pain, heartache and disappointment and then still realize and profess the mercy and love of God! That type of courage and resolve requires qualities far beyond what it took for Lex to become one of the most famous and admired celebrities in the world.

For most of his adult life Lex has been surrounded by groupies and other people that just hung on. They were people that would cling to him because of his success, fame and money. They never achieved much for themselves, but they would mooch off of Lex and his celebrity. Please understand that I do not claim to be a close friend to Lex. However, he taught me so much that evening. Lex Luger gave me a completely new perspective on what it takes to be special for God. So many want to do great things but only a few are willing to pay the price and endure the pain to achieve greatness. Everyone wants acclaim. Only a very few are willing to produce the sweat, shed the tears or exert the effort required to earn all the things necessary to attain it.

 

Lex taught me that victory is not always won with a clinched fist raised over and above an opponent. Sometimes a great victory is won in a hospital bed. I learned that a strong belief and dependence on God is far superior to any championship belt or ring. Faith in God is eternal and all material things are temporary. A man or woman with an indomitable spirit such as the one that Lex has cannot be conquered.

Before Christ came into Lex’s life, he was a world champion wrestler. Now Lex has a greater title — A Man of God! He now lives his life fervently serving his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus has never lost a battle. The Lord Jesus will remain undefeated all through eternity. Lex will forever be a member of the family of God which is comprised by the believers in Jesus Christ.  Lex now is winning souls for Christ. Those victories make an eternal difference with the souls of men and women. Those victories are not temporary. They will last forever!  The glory of any conquests Lex had on a football field or in a wrestling rink lasted only until the next game or next match. The victories that Lex has, are now for Christ, and they are going to last for all eternity. Lex competes now for the souls of men on behalf of Jesus Christ. Those wins will yield eternal consequences and blessings for each soul of those men and women.  Any soul won for Christ is trillions of times more valuable than any title, trophy, belt or money Lex has ever won playing football or competing in the rink!

Lex Luger is and will forever be a member of the only undefeated team in the universe. He is a first teamer on God’s team. Lex Luger is and will always be a Champion for The Lord Jesus Christ!

Selah

Charles J. (Chuck) Busby

GRANDMOTHER’s DOILY

 by Charles Busby

 

The best Christmas present that I have ever seen was presented to my mother by my brother (Glenn) and his wife (Donna).

The gift was a single doily that was handmade by our maternal grandmother (Ida Maude). A doily is an ornamental mat made from cloth strings. They are used on end tables and coffee tables or any flat top surface to decorate the room. This particular doily had been a wedding gift from my grandmother to Glenn and Donna. She was not able to afford to buy them a gift so she gave them the only gift that she could which was something that she had made years earlier.

Donna had the doily placed in a shadow box, wrapped it and gave it to my mother as a present the Christmas of the year that our grandmother passed away. Obviously anything that your mother makes is going to be very special and precious to anyone. Donna and Glenn knew this. The doily was special and treasured by Glenn and Donna. However, they knew that the doily would have a much greater and more significant importance to our mother. That shadow box with the doily inside currently hangs on a prominent wall in my mother’s house. I doubt that any soldier from any special forces unit could convince her to take it down.

Our grandmother was a very poor lady. Life had been very difficult, hard and extremely painful for Ida Maude. She was a divorced woman in her late twenties with six children. Her existence was compounded and made much more difficult because of her own very poor life decisions. Those decisions resulted in her living as a single mom and surviving as a share cropper in Northeast Alabama in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The requirements of her landlords were extremely demanding and physically exhausting. She and all of her children were expected to pick at least 100 lbs. of cotton by noon each day. The cotton boils would always cut their fingers. The summer heat and humidity was scorching. The only shade or relief each day would be an occasional passing cloud. My mother has told me on multiple occasions that during the winters there would not be enough money to even buy salt. Salt is the most inexpensive item that we can buy.  Yet they frequently only had popcorn for supper without salt. Sometimes they would eat boiled pumpkin just to have something to have in their stomachs. To this day my mother cannot stand to smell a pumpkin. Malnutrition caused all of the children to be slight of build and very lean.

My grandmother’s circumstances in life required that she be very resourceful! Every item coming was precious. Everything had to be used with absolutely no waste.  Any empty can such as a coffee can became a storage vessel, empty glass jars became drinking glasses until they were used for canning purposes again the next summer.  Flour sacks had multiple purposes after the flour was used up.  But the greatest example of the resourcefulness of my grandmother was the way she would save the strings used to sew the flour sacks closed.

A flour sack always had a string sewn across the top of the sack. When a flour sack was to be opened for the first time it was necessary to pull the string through the bag. When the string was removed it would yield a 12 to 15 inch long piece of string. Ida Maude would save those strings until she had enough to make a doily.

It would take our grandmother untold hours to craft each doily. She would take each string and weave it into a handmade pattern that she crafted. She would do this with fading eyesight and little light. When the doily was finished it was a piece of art. Those doilies were extremely intricate and ornate with designs so beautiful that is hard to describe.

Our grandmother took worthless strings and turned them into works of art. Grandmother’s doilies were amazingly beautiful.

I am always amazed at how incredibly brilliant all of my grandparents were to live and survive in such dire circumstances. They did not complain or whine.  They would get up each day with little to eat and small expectations for any relief and then do what it took to make a living and survive the realities of their lives.

What is so, so incredible is that someone in those circumstances could see the potential of those tiny and seemingly worthless flour strings. How impressive is it that someone could devise a way to weave those strings into anything as ornate, clever and beautiful as those doilies!

I believe that God gave my grandmother her resourcefulness. He inspired her to make something beautiful out of essentially nothing – those worthless flour sack strings.

Isn’t that what The Lord does with people?  He is able to take a worthless and broken human life and with the Holy Spirit craft and transform them into persons with significant meaning and a great purpose. A life that is used to serve and glorify God is beautiful. God prefers to take nothing (a total void) and create a world out of it. The Lord used only dirt to make Adam.  You are exactly what God wants to work with when you feel worthless and of no value. That is when God redeem their souls thru the blood of Jesus Christ and turns a person into a masterpiece for his glory. I sincerely hope that The Lord views me as a flour sack string. I would be thrilled for God to use me to make one of his doilies.

 

 

The Church Has Left the Building

During this time of uncertainty, the number of questions out there are, how are we going to vote in person or by mail? Are we going to send our children back to school or home school? Can we go to the store and get the necessities of life without losing our life, not from a virus but from rioters? Do I wear a mask for their protection or am I wearing a mask for mine? Why can we go to the liquor store but not the Church. And on and on we go. But in the midst of all this stuff I saw a profound post that said;

 

The Church Has Left the Building

 

And my reply was and still is, it’s about time. I was raised being told how we measure our love for God is in how much time we spend in the local Church. You have to be there Sunday Morning Sunday School, Sunday Morning Worship, Sunday Night Training Union and Sunday Night Worship Service, and then Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting. And I’m sorry to say that’s not true. Before you get mad at me read on.

 

We were never commissioned to go to the church and fellowship, but we were told by Christ Himself in Red letters:

 

Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

 

The Promise Keepers put a post out recently that stated “With Church doors closing across the country, it’s time for us to show that the Church has never been about the building.”

 

There was a song that my home Church sang years ago called:

“We Are Still the Church”

“We are still the church

We will go forward

We will go on

Let’s forget about the things

which are behind us

We are still the church

keep pressing on

 

Now we started out for heaven’s shores

A long, long time ago

Jesus as the Captain of this boat

 

And the rock of ages holds us securely in his love

And though we’ve been through many storms,

praise God we are still afloat

 

We are still the church

We will go forward

We will go on

Let’s forget about the things

which are behind us

We are still the church

keep pressing on

 

Now this ship may bear some battle scars

We’ve been tossed from side to side

Still the waves of sin are raging high

 

But to God we serve His sovereign

He is still the King of kings

And he will hold us steady until we reach the other side.

 

We are still the church

We will go forward

We will go on

Let’s forget about the things

which are behind us

We are still the church

keep pressing on”

 

We were the Church, we are still the Church, and we will always be the Church!

 

It is not or has it ever been about the building, but it is most definitely about the Temple, Paul said it this way to the Assembly of people in Corinth.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV) Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

 

When the letters were written to the different Churches in the Bible they did not go to a particular building or address, but to an assembly of people that were believers in that area. And thus, to the Assembly of Corinth, or Ephesus, or Philippi. Not a building, but to “The Way” of believers in that area.

 

We ARE the CHURCH not the building. Nowhere in the Holy Scripture does it state for us to “Go to Church” but it does say for the “Church” to go to the world. And as a side note the word Church should have been translated according to Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. As assembly. A group of people of same mind.

 

ek-klay-see’-a from a compound of (ek) and a derivative of (kaleo); a calling out, i.e. {concretely (in a definitive or conclusive way)} a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):

Usage Notes: English Words used in KJV: church 115 assembly 3 [Total Count: 118]

 

But wait does the Bible not say;

 

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

And we have Tony Evans Bible Commentary saying:

 

“Tragically, some of this letter’s readers had started neglecting to gather together (10:25). They were avoiding the means God had provided to help them. Remember, when your “get-up-and-go” has gotten up and gone, you need someone who can lift you up. Furthermore, there’s someone ready to throw in the towel who needs you to walk alongside him or her. That’s why the writer of Hebrews says: Let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works (10:24). It can be hard to be a Christian. We need to be practicing the “one-another’s,” encouraging each other… As [we] see the day approaching (10:25).”

 

It’s not talking about going to a building but getting together and helping one another.

 

Please, PLEASE, don’t get me wrong, We NEED the Church as we have it now, but we have done it the same way we have done most things, and we let our way get in the way of God’s way. Over the years we let traditions get in the way of how the local Church is supposed to be. I know we need teaching and being ministered too regularly. I have to have that extra shot in the arm weekly myself. But nowhere and I mean nowhere does it say we have to go to a certain building, at a certain time, and a certain number of visits weekly, and dress a certain way, singing a certain song a certain way, and to do that proves that we love the Lord. It is not there.

 

In the television show The Big Bang Theory, the character Sheldon Cooper first met his future wife Amy Farrah Fowler, and their conversation went something like this, Amy said “I am only here because I have a deal with my mother to date one time each year”, and Sheldon’s response was “I have an agreement something like that with my mother, but it is to go to Church once a year”. And then Amy’s reply was and that’s what got me think about this the most and that was “I don’t have a problem with a deity, but I do have a problem with one that takes attendance”.

 

I have the same problem, God is with me everywhere I go, and I do not see him taking attendance. Again, don’t get me wrong, we need the local Church but more importantly the Church needs us. It needs us to get together to make sure we are doing what God wants the way God wants it. And we need to learning through God’s ministers how to reach the world, because face it without the local Church I would say a majority of people would not know what the Bible says or more importantly, what the Bible means.

 

We need to get together, so we can be with more people of like mind. And that mind should be the mind if Christ Jesus. So, we can reach more people with our combined resources for the cause of Christ Jesus. I myself am limited with what I can accomplish, but with my local Assembly we can put our money together and our knowledge of the Word of God, and reach more people by Going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every person that I can’t reach on my own.

 

Just a piece of another chapter from my next book:

“Something More to Ponder”

 

Psalm 23 “He anoints my head with oil”

“Sheep can get their head caught in briers and die trying to get untangled. There are horrid little flies that like to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which turn into worms and drive the sheep to beat their head against a rock, sometimes to death. Their ears and eyes are also susceptible to tormenting insects. So the shepherd anoints their whole head with oil. Then there is peace. That oil forms a barrier of protection against the evil that tries to destroy the sheep. Do you have times of mental torment? Do the worrisome thoughts invade your mind over and over? Do you beat your head against a wall trying to stop them? Have you ever asked God to anoint your head with oil? He has an endless supply! His oil protects and makes it possible for you to fix your heart, mind, and eyes on Him today and always! There is peace in the valley! May our good Father anoint your head with oil today so that your cup overflows with blessings! God is good and He is faithful!!”