Returning a Movie and Cottage Cheese



On Sunday, I preached on the Sovereignty of God as we remembered 9/11’s 10th anniversary. One of the things I pointed out was even if we don’t think He is God is always in control; He is over everything. This point came back to me later in the day when I was returning home from dropping off a movie Teresa had rented on Saturday.

We forgot to return the movie on our way home from church so I took it to the store; Ripley was so ready for her afternoon nap. After dropping off the movie, I took a shortcut through a neighborhood. I stopped at the stop sign at an intersection and looked up. As I looked up, I saw a blue Buick LaSabre turning left. In a split second I realized this person was going to hit me; they weren’t turning wide enough. As soon as I thought that, I felt the impact and heard the sound of metal on metal. It wasn’t a hard hit but it did some damage.

I got out of the truck to check on the driver of the other car and it was a little old lady; I found out later she is 70 years old. She was more surprised than me. She said that she didn’t see me and I was wondering if she could even see over the steering wheel. She kept saying that she all she wanted was cottage cheese for her salad so she was going to the grocery store. I felt so sorry for her because she was in shock. I called the police and they came very quickly and we got everything taken care of. The Buick hit me at its left front wheel so it was not drivable. I was able to drive my truck home. The police officer is a man that our church helped his daughter a few months back so it was nice to see him again.

I’m not sure why this happened but I know there is a purpose for it. Through the accident, insurance claim, and getting my truck in the repair shop, I’ve been able to talk with people about church and God. Maybe that could be the reason for the accident. No matter what we go through, we should always be ready to give an account to others about God.

Lord willing, I will have my truck back soon. Mrs. Green’s insurance has me in a car but I rather be driving my truck.

Fun for One Person Could be Weird to Another

In 2000, I discovered I weighted 220 pounds so I went on a diet; I lost 45 pounds. From 2000 to 2005, I gained about half of it back. In 2006, I put myself on a diet (again) and added going to the gym; I lost what I gained. My exercise routine at the time was walking on the treadmill for an hour. When I lost my weight, I kept going to the gym and added weight training and swimming. I went from walking on the treadmill to running outside. In 2007, Teresa told me that the route I would run was equal to a 5K so I started training to run in my first one in 2008. My first 5K was in April of 2008 and I never looked back. In that same year, I race an 8K mud race and the Va Beach Rock-n-Roll half marathon. The following year, I ran in another half marathon and my first extreme trail race (“Muddy Buddy”). I enjoy running in regular foot races but I’m starting to love these extreme trail races. In 2011, I’ve only done one street race and I’ve done two extreme trail races with another one planned for October.

After completing the Merrell Down and Dirty on August 28, I sent this note to some friends;

“After this weekend, I wanted to register for a race called “Tough Mudder” but I saw that it was all full. The race is Oct 22-23 and it was full by July 7. I may try to do it next year if they come back to VA. The good thing about it being full is that I won't be missing church because the race is in Wintergreen, VA. I was talking with one of the directors here at work about how I wanted to do one more extreme race and he told me about "Warrior Dash." I looked it up and I've told Teresa I want to do this one. It's just south of Richmond and it's being held on a Tuesday (Oct 1). If Teresa agrees, I'll take a few days off from work and we'll go up as a family. I look at it this way, I can do these things now and one day I won't be able to but I'll have the memories.

Remember, pain is weakness leaving the body. Sanity is over rated! PEACE!”

The Warrior Dash has obstacles that are little more intense than what was in the Down and Dirty but I think it will be fun. Below are some photos from my last race. Remember, what is fun to me might make others wonder if I’m crazy. The answer is yes but sanity is overrated.

First obstacle (low wall) done and 6 more to go.

Doing the cargo net.

Coming over the net.

Almost done.

I'm giving the announcer a thumbs up; he asked how I was doing.

Out of the mud pit and almost at the finish line.

Celebrating the completion of the race.

We Are Not Okay



I’ve been thinking about how we (humanity) have a strange way of comparing ourselves with others. I know we do this to make ourselves feel better about ourselves. We can always find someone fatter, dumber, poorer, and the list can go on. I think that’s why so many people like to compare their sinfulness with others. They think, “I’m not as bad as Joe Blow, so I’m okay.” That is so far from the truth.

There are no degrees of sin. Sin is sin. Homosexuality is not worse then gossiping; they are equally evil in the eyes of God. It goes back to where Jesus spoke regarding the person with the 2x4 coming out of their eye trying to tell the other person to get the speck out of theirs. God is the ultimate judge where sin comes in. He says in the book of Romans that everyone (all of humanity) has committed sins and because of our sinful acts, we are fallen short of His glory. God also says in the book of Romans that the wages or earnings of sin is death (both physical and spiritual).

The New Testament uses 5 main Greek words for sin, which together portray its various aspects, both passive and active. In each case either a standard is failed to be reached or a line deliberately crossed. It is assumed throughout scripture that the law was established by God. It is, in fact, His moral law, which expresses his righteous character. Sin is in itself self-centeredness.

In the book “Whatever Became of Sin,” Karl Menninger (a psychiatrist) shares his thoughts on how society has removed the word sin from our vocabulary. In describing the indefinite feeling of western society, its general mood of gloom and doom, Karl Menninger adds that “one misses any mention of ‘sin.’” Enquiring into the cases of sin’s disappearance, Menninger notes first that “many former sins have become crimes, “ so that responsibility for dealing with them has passed from church to state, from priest to policeman, while others have dissipated into sicknesses, or at least into symptoms of sickness, so that in their cases punishment has been replaced by treatment. A third convenient device called “collective irresponsibility” has enabled us to transfer the blame for some of our deviant behavior from ourselves as individuals to society as a whole or to one of its many groupings.”

You can see how our society has removed the seriousness of sin out of our thoughts. We think that what I do in my house or mind is nowhere near as bad as my co-worker, neighbor, family member, etc. I’m okay. It’s not until we are shown how bad we are in our sins that change can happen, but we cannot change ourselves.

Religion is man’s attempt to work on making ourselves better. Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that they were white washed tombs; looking pretty from the outside but were full of death and decay. It is God that can change us. God paid for the sins of humanity in the form of Jesus Christ; the gift of God is eternal life through the washing of our sin in Jesus’ blood. Once we accept this gift from God, we are forever changed.

Christianity is not a religion; true Christianity is a relationship with God through the gift of Jesus Christ, and the drawing of the Holy Spirit.

Extending Grace


I’ve learned much from Roger Allen (Senior Pastor of Common Ground) over the last 6 years. In leading people and working with a volunteer labor force, he is good in dealing with people and extending grace. He always says, “You never know what they maybe going through so give grace” when they fail to show up. There is accountability but it’s accountability with grace. I have to admit, with my personality, I’m an extremist with everything. In my commitment to God and His church, I am either all in or not in at all so it’s hard for me sometimes to understand when people say they will do something for God or the church and never do it or do it half hearted.

We had something that happened Sunday that broke my heart and again Roger encouraged me to give grace. I’ve been getting my arms around our little church’s children ministry and getting it to run smoothly. We have two very committed ladies who are taking turns leading the weekly children church. They are both very committed and I thank God for them every week. In the 6 years I’ve been with Common Ground, I’ve known a different lady who has committed twice to help with the children’s ministry but either doesn’t stick around or drops the ball completely. The lady knows her stuff with children’s ministry and has worked in this ministry at other churches but seems to never follow through when it comes to our little church. She is back with us and wants to help with this ministry. She’s filled in during the summer and I know she is ready to get connected in the rotation. I had scheduled a meeting after church this past Sunday to discuss the plan for the fall and I had a call from her helper before I left for church. The lady was on her way to a local amusement park with her grandchildren. Through text messages, I saw that she had forgotten about the meeting and didn’t see the reminder e-mail. What broke my heart is that she says she is committed but she doesn’t come to church on the weeks she’s not teaching. I will extend grace when I call her this week and let her know what the plan we discussed on Sunday for the fall.

In my Bible reading today, God allowed me to see 1 Thessalonians 2: 7 (But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.). With Ripley, my 21 month old daughter, I extend grace to her all the time because she is learning to obey Teresa and me when we are trying to teach her. I think that I should extend the same to the people that God has entrusted me to shepherd. I am so thankful to God for giving me eyes to see what He wanted me to see today in His love letter to me.

One Powerful Book



Back in December, Teresa, Ripley, and I attended our small group’s Christmas party. Part of the celebration was exchanging gifts, but we made it a game. You could either keep the gift you got or take the one from the person who choose before you. After the dust settled, I came out ahead with a $15 gift card for Lifeway Book Store. No one wanted to take the card from the pastor; score!

I tend to order my books through Amazon.com because there prices are better than any Christian Book Store, but I left my book at the house on Thursday and I wanted to read so I went by the local store to see what they had. I prayed that God would have me pick the book that I could use to further His ministry. After looking at several sections, I found Max Lucado’s newest book “Outlive Your Life.” I’ve read several of his books and have never been disappointed so I used the $15 gift and paid the difference; $3.50. After working out at the YMCA, I relaxed and opened up the book.

I started reading it and finished it in five and half hours. Granted, I’m a very slow reader but this book has so many gold nuggets that I couldn’t put it down. This book is a study of the first 12 chapters of Acts. The book shows how a few faithful people can change the world. It’s a story of simple ordinary people, fishermen, and tax collectors. Acts is a story of a movement that exploded like a just-opened fire hydrant out of Jerusalem and spilled into the ends of the earth.

The content of this book hit me between the eyes several times. God convicted me on how I should be doing more for Him. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to do a small group study out of it.

I highlighted two sections of this book that hit me the hardest. The first one is in the 2nd chapter. The sentence is “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” The second section is actually the last 4 sentences of the book. My eyes were so filled with tears; I had to wipe my eyes to read them clearly. It reads, “None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help someone. And when we help them, we serve Jesus. Who would want to miss a chance to do that?”

If you’ve been wondering what can the church do to reach the lost world; this books simply shows how the early church did it with examples of what is being done now. God is still at work.

Audience of the One

Over the years, I’ve learned what it truly means to worship God. Worshipping God is more than just singing praise and worship music over singing traditional hymns because I can worship God through both. When I was a Minister of Music I thought using praise music was leading the church to worship God and some of our folks did worship Him. Worshipping God is more than sing praise songs. We worship our God everyday, in the things we do, the words we say, and what we don’t say. We should live our lives for the audience of the One. I’m not saying we should live our lives like those with the philosophy of pleasing only themselves but living our lives in a way that will honor our God and Savior.

Remember, God is everywhere at one time. If you are a Christian, God indwells you in the form of the Holy Spirit. Whatever you do (good, bad, or indifferent) God is aware of it. If we truly understand the idea that God is with us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days in a year, then that really should affect how we live our lives. We should live in a way that our lives should be a sweet smelling fragrance offering to our God; well pleasing to Him.

We will never be prefect this side of heaven, but we should have a walk that should be pleasing to God. King David was called a man after God’s own heart but if you ever read the books of 1 and 2 Samuel and see some of the things he did. It’s amazing the bad things he did yet he’s called this. Even through he did bad things, he also did great things for God and when it was all said and done, David confessed his sins and asked forgiveness of God. That’s why he is called a man after God’s own heart; he confessed his sins and sought out forgiveness.

One of my favorite worship songs is “The Potter’s Hand” because I can relate so much to it. I’ve put the words to the songs below to close out this posting. I pray the song makes you think.

Beautiful Lord, Wonderful Saviour
I know for sure, all of my days are held in your hands,
Crafted into your perfect plan
You gently call me into your presence guiding me by Your Holy Spirit
Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life through Your eyes
I'm captured by Your holy calling
Set me apart, I know you're drawing me to yourself
Lead me Lord I pray

Chorus:
Take me, Mold me, use me, fill me
I give my life to the Potter's hand
Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me
I give my life to the Potter's hand

You gently call me into your presence guiding me by your Holy Spirit
Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life through your eyes
I'm captured by your Holy calling
set me apart, I know your drawing me to yourself
lead me Lord I pray

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.

What The . . . ?


I don’t consider myself easily offended; having been educated through the public school system of that 1980’s and been working in the secular world for most of my adult life. I do (however) have “What the . . .?” moments or I do a double take when I see or read something that is off in my mind. I had such a moment today.

I go to SyFy.com’s Blastr to read Sci-Fi related stories and updates. They have stories ranching from the upcoming science fiction related TV shows or movies, comic book related items, video games, and so on. I am not into video games; I had an Atari Gaming System way back in 1983 but never went beyond that. I read an article today about the release of a new video game called “Duke Nukem Forever.” The article talked about it being 14 years since the first game that featured the main character Duke Nukem. I went to watch the trailer for the game. The disclaimer came up and it stated that the game is labeled for mature (over 17 years old) audiences and it listed the reasons why. It stated the game had nudity in it. That’s right nudity. The trailer was 2 minutes long and I stopped after 20 seconds. The amount of violence and bleed shed in the first 20 seconds blew my mind and not in a good way.

I know parents who will not allow their children to watch a movie before they see it first. That can be expensive with the average movie ticket going for $10 but now I’m a parent I understand that philosophy behind it. God gives parents our children to love and teach and to give them back to Him. We are to protect them the best we can. I may be over protective being a first time father but I cannot imagine a Christian parent allowing their children to play this game.

Where He Leads Me I Will Follow


The last few months, I have been trading e-mails with a church in Missouri. After a phone interview, they want Teresa, Ripley, and I to come out for a visit. We are working out the logistics for us to go sometime in May. We are praying that if this is God’s plan for us, we want the door to open for us to move to Missouri. While sharing this news, some of our friends and church members have asked, “You willing to go all the way to Missouri to pastor a church?” I had others ask, “What’s out there that you would consider moving?” I understand these questions but they do make me wonder why ask them. The reason I wonder that is because I am God’s slave; He saved me and I belong to Him so whatever He says and wherever He leads I will do and go; period.

While fielding these sorts of questions, the old hymn song popped in my head. The song is “Where He Leads Me.” The words to the first verse and chorus are:

I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
“Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.”

Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow;
I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way.

I entered Bible College back in 1989 with the desire to be a missionary to Australia. Australia is on the other side of the world so Missouri is only a 20 hour drive or a few hours on a plane. I can not pray for God to open doors for me to pastor if I am not willing to go where He is directing me. I walk slowly making sure the direction He is leading is His desire for me and not mind. As I pray and the Holy Spirit leads me, Teresa is praying and the Holy Spirit is leading her. Since we have the same Spirit, what He is showing me He is showing Teresa.

Where He leads, my family and I will follow; no matter where it maybe. Where He puts us, He has a plan for us in that place. We will trust Him the all knowing and all powerful God.