Tools in the Toolbox



When Teresa and I were married, I had a few tools but Teresa had a whole toolbox full of tools. That was from being a single lady on her own and being taught how to care for herself by her father. After we were married, she let me know that the tools in the toolbox were mind now and I’ve added tools to it over the last 15 years. When I took on a project like building a podium for a Sunday School class I was teaching I bought an electric saw. When I needed to cut shapes and people out of wood for a youth lock-in theme, I bought a jigsaw. I have a good selection of tools but once and awhile I need to get another tool for a project but for the most part I have what I need.

I view college and especially Bible College as a time to get tools for a career and/or for the ministry God has called me. Each class taught me on a topic that gave me the tools to better study on my own. When college was over, I had tools in my ministry toolbox. Over the years, I’ve added to the toolbox by reading books and attending workshops. The last 12 years of my ministry, I have been working at Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. to pay the bills as the two churches I’ve worked with could either not pay me a fulltime salary or no salary at all. God has provided through this great company and doors have been opened to earn a good salary and allow me the time to minister to the people of God. Through a workshop this past week, I have a new tool I my ministry toolbox.

I was able to attend a “Leading Effective Meetings” workshop this past week. I’ve lead meeting for years but when I saw the topic, I had to see if I could learn anything new and I did. I have three Spiritual gifts that always seemed to be the same number on gift tests. They are Preacher/Teacher, Evangelism, and Leadership (or Administration; depending on the test and their naming of the gift.). With the Leadership giftedness, I feel very strongly that anything done for God should be done in an orderly fashion and I focus on getting the I’s dotted and T’s crossed for an event, meeting, or anything else being done at church for God. Through the workshop, I have a better understanding on how to set the tone and have the meeting run smoothly. I look forward to using this new skill in the next Elders’ Meeting in August.

My Little Girl
I try to spend as much time as I can with Ripley. She is just 20 months old (as of the 23rd of July). She is such a treat. We are on vacation so I get to spend all day with her. Whenever we are on vacation I notice things about her that I normally don’t. She is a little gift from God and I pray daily that I will be the Daddy she needs. I pray daily that the Holy Spirit will draw her to the Father at an early age and she will accept Jesus as her Savior. I know she is only 20 months but I tell her all the time about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. If I’m called to preach the word of God and pastor His people and do not share the Good News to my daughter, I will fail as God’s man. If I only lead a church of 50 people and Ripley grows to be a faithful Christ-follower then I will count my ministry as a success.

I love my little girl and I praise my God daily for the gift of her and her mother.

Thoughts for Men



I’m one of those people who tend to be an open book. What you see is what you get for the most part. Most of the time, the people who know me well know what I’m thinking by my expression on my face. As an Elder/Pastor/Bishop (whoever title people throw around), I feel it’s my job to be just me; not being fake but genuine. I try to be as transparent as I can be so I will share a secrete with you that only three people (Teresa, my pastor, and my accountability partner) have known about me. I share this only in the hopes that it will help others who have struggled with this sin. I’ve viewed internet porn and I’ve struggled with it for almost for 10 years. God is gracious in giving me a wife who has helped me get past it. I do not or will not say I am over it because I view this almost like an addition like drug addition is. I can easily jump back on the internet and let the figurers do the clicking.

A lot of men struggle with this and there are a number of pastors who have battled with this as well. It’s been a great while sinse I’ve viewed porn and Lord willing, I will never do it again. I’ve put up barriers to help me from doing it again. Because I know the danger of this sin and how it destroys lives, I wanted to know more the ins and outs of this issue. I’ve been reading “Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brian: by William M. Struthers. It has been eye opening as I read this book. William Struthers is an associate professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois where he teaches courses on behavioral neuroscience, men and addictions and the biological bases of behavior. So basically he knows his stuff.

In his book, William gives nine reasons why some men view porn. It makes sense so I wanted to share the list with you.

1. Entitlement: “I’ve earned this.” Some men feel that their lot in life requires that they receive some sort of special treatment. They may feel that they should be given special permission to have this one outlet as their reward because they feel they have been give the short end of the stick in life.
2. Omniscience: “I know what you are thinking.” Some men may feel that they know what people are thinking; that their wives/girlfriends are just trying to restrict their freedom.
3. Altruism: “I am keeping it quiet to protect others.” Some who have a problem with pornography may continue to hide it because they think it is best for their loved ones not to know.
4. Deception: “Hope, not me.” Whether through direct lies of commission, omission, or assent, deception is a skill that many men have honed as part of their descent into depravity.
5. Blaming/Victimization: “It’s her fault.” It’s because their wives will not do XYZ with him or they do not want to have sex as much as they do that men “take to” viewing porn and take matters in their own hands. By playing the victim, the user attempts to absolve himself of his guilt.
6. Pride: “I am right, you are wrong.” A prideful person cannot admit they are wrong in their actions. They refuse to be humble and acknowledge they have a problem.
7. Objectification: “They’re just models.” Part of the problem with pornography is that it causes men to look at women as body parts and not people.
8. Distraction: “I’ve been really stressed lately.” By shifting the focus away from the inappropriate behavior to something else, like difficulty at work, a man can become too focused on what he believes is a justified cause.
9. Revenge: “This’ll show her/him.” Some men will purposely view pornography as a way of wounding someone.

I’m sure there are other reasons men give for viewing pornography, but this is the list on pages 70 and 71 that I thought could be helpful to you if you are struggling with this sin. Remember, all sin is destructive. This sin will create a barrier between you and your loved ones and between you and your God. Don’t play with fire; you will get burned eventually.

Good Book



When I was a teenager, I read a quote from Charles Spurgeon regarding reading and being a pastor. The quote basically said if you want to pastor a church, you must read and if you don’t read, you shouldn’t pastor a church. The quote has stayed with me ever since so I do what I can to read on multiple topics.

The book I’m currently reading is called “Transforming Discipleship” by Greg Ogden and I would recommend it to not only pastors but any Christian to read. Many churchgoers complain that their churches lack a coherent plan for discipleship and spiritual growth. In turn, many church leaders lament their lack of resources to build and manage effective programs to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ. In this book, Greg Ogden introduces his vision for discipleship, emphasizing that solutions will not be found in large-scale, finely-tuned, resource-heavy programs. Instead, Ogden recovers Jesus' method of accomplishing life change by investing in just a few people at a time. And he shows how discipleship can become a self-replicating process with ongoing impact from generation to generation.

This book has affirmed what I’ve felt for many years about the failure of the church in developing true Disciples of Christ. In making disciples, smaller is better than bigger. Having 3 to 4 people in a group where there is accountability, safety, and guidance will produce not only disciples, but disciples able to equip others to grow in their own walks. When I’m finished reading this book, I’ll give it to Teresa (my wife) to read so she can use this to help her as she coaches others in her sphere of influence.

I would high recommend this book for anyone who confesses to be a Disciple of Christ. The book not only shows how Jesus and Paul developed disciples, but Greg Ogden shows how to develop a strategy to build up other’s walk in Christ.

Giving Back

A few weeks ago, Teresa and I took take in the local fun/run for the CHDK to give back how great they took care of Ripley when she was there for her surgery in 2009. A local reporter heard about our story and asked to interview us before the race. We didn't really want to, but we did it anyway in hopes it will help the hospital. Take a look.