Amazing Grace and Old Chevys

RAT RATTLE AND ROLL

2010-11-21T05:09:00.002-05:00

This is my new toy. It is a'31 Ford pickup with a 350 Chevy engine and turbo 350 automatic transmission. Built "Ford Tuff" using Chevy stuff!

This is a "Ratrod". Definition: A rat rod is a style of hot rod or custom car that, in most cases, imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s.The rat rod is the visualization of the idea of function over form. Rat rods are meant to be driven, not shown off. Sometimes the customization will include using spare parts, or parts from another car altogether.(Wikipedia)

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

2009-11-25T18:07:00.002-05:00

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our current leaders shared the same commitment to God and a like vision of what government should be?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2009-09-02T03:50:00.000-05:00

LOOK OUT!!!

2009-08-03T09:56:00.002-05:00

ALWAYS LOCK YOUR CAR WHEN IT IS UNATTENDED

2009-06-28T07:17:00.003-05:00

When we got back home from Tennessee last night, these two guys were in the back seat demanding food. I thought I had locked the doors when we left the car during the trip, but some how, somebody threw some kids in there. Let that be a lesson to you.

...AND IN AN IRONIC AND ALMOST COMEDIC TURN OF EVENTS...

2009-05-21T18:50:00.005-05:00

I just bought this truck. It has everything a guy could want in an old truck. It has power steering, power disc brakes, a built 350ci engine, a 700r4 overdrive automatic transmission, and a tilt steering wheel.It's even tubbed, so there is literally no limit to the size tires I can stuff under it. There is one thing that it doesn't have, though... It doesn't have turn signals.

ENTIRELY SATIRICAL, but read it anyhow.

2009-04-19T14:58:00.006-05:00

Normally,while speaking in a spiritual context, I try never to make statements that cannot be clearly proven by at least one Scriptural text. However, I am about to go against that rule of thumb, and set forth a carefully reasoned opinion that, while I can't readily point to a proof-text, I still hold to be a self-evident and logical conclusion.

Before I reveal my sincerely held conviction, I must set the context. Many times, over the years, I have heard it said that when the rapture of the Church takes place, there will be mass chaos. Airplanes will fall from the sky. People will disappear before the very eyes of their loved ones. Also there will be multiple car crashes when the saved drivers are caught away. Makes sense, I guess.

However, it is my most dogmatically held opinion that, if you are driving an automobile on any public roadway when the rapture occurs, and if at the moment of the rapture you happen to be making a turn that requires you to signal your intention to other motorists, and you do not signal, you will not be going in the rapture!

I'm sorry! Really, I am! However, after years of driving on Florida streets and highways, I have concluded that there is no place for you in heaven."Then, what shall be my fate?" You may ask. I'm not sure, but I suspect that you are probably gonna go to the same place where professing Christians who don't correctly use "there","their",and "they're in their writing go. To the place where those who confuse "two, "too",and "to" go, and "your" and "you're", and those so-called Christians who voted for Obama go. I don't have any Scripture on where that place is, but I'm sure it's gonna be horrible. I'll bet they all drive Fords there.(SHUDDER)

REJOICE!

2009-04-12T05:28:00.003-05:00

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY, everyone! I certainly hope you will all have a joyous celebration with your Church family today.

While multitudes around the world are struggling to achieve salvation through the rites and rituals of a false religion; and still others, in so-called Christian religions will have themselves whipped or even crucified, we will rejoice in a salvation already completed!

The whipping has already been done. The Crucifixion is over.My sins have been forever punished. The cross is bare. For the One who hung there has left it. He has passed into the grave and out again with complete life and victory for His people. He is "The Author and Finisher of our faith."

There are some in more 'mainstream' denominations believing that if they can "hold out and hang on and endure to the end..." then they might be able to make it through to eternal life. To them, I say: The only one who could hold out, hang on and endure to the end, has held out and hung on and has come through victorious in the end! REJOICE!

PRELIMINARY CONCIDERATIONS CONCERNING "TONGUES"

2009-03-28T05:19:00.003-05:00

I have been preaching through the book of 1st Corinthians in the Sunday morning services at the Church, and I am now in ch.12. As you know this chapter deals with the "gifts of the Spirit". Right now, I am concentrating on each of the gifts that are named in verses 8-10.

Ever since I began dealing with these gifts individually, I have had the "gift of Tongues" in the back of my mind. I realise that this is a very divisive issue, however, there are a couple of things that I believe need to be considered no matter what ones orientation is concerning tongues.

The first is this: Before you get too concerned about 'another tongue', learn first to control the one you have. As James said "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."(James 3:6) As a matter of fact, in verse #2 of the same chapter, he implies that if a man were able to control his speech, he could control his whole body. I mean, what does it profit me to be able to speak in 'other tongues' and at the same time, be enslaved to my fleshly appetites?

The second thing that I wish professing Christians would consider is that you should educate yourself sufficiently in Scripture so that what you say with your tongue will be doctrinally sound. I'm pretty sure that Paul is going to make the point in ch.14, that speaking truth in a way that is understood by the hearers trumps an 'unknown tongue' in every case.

Maybe if everyone who claims the Christian faith would start here, the issue of 'tongues' could be put in a proper perspective.

This ain't all I'm gonna say about it. I'm just thinkin'.

NO EXLANATION REQUIRED

2009-03-21T05:58:00.002-05:00

CAN YOU SPOT THE IMPOSTER?

2009-03-18T16:52:00.006-05:00

SCROLL DOWN

INDECISION

2009-02-01T17:16:00.003-05:00

I wanted to get that ugly post off the top of my bloggypoo, but I am undecided about what I should put on here. Sooo...anyhoo... see if ye c'n figger this 'un out.

SHUT THE "F" UP!!!

2009-01-20T09:55:00.003-05:00

I mean it! I'm tired of hearing it! Sick and tired! There is almost no refuge left, it seems, where one is not blasted by the "F" bomb. The word has become an adjective, adverb, noun, verb, and gerund in every day usage by multitudes.

Evidently, it has to embody all those parts of speech, because the empty headed people who use it so profusely, don't have a large enough vocabulary to express themselves adequately. I can understand a lack of language skills in those who are unlearned or mentally deficient. However, being ignorant does not give anyone a pass for uttering such vile rubbish.

The appalling thing, to me, is that so many otherwise articulate people who occupy leading roles in society (Teachers, Politicians, Business men, Entertainers, Parents) use it openly without hesitation or shame. They seem to give no thought to who might hear them, nor do they care who may be offended by it. I seem to remember a time when, even those who were even a little over the line in their use of "color" in their language, would, at the very least, take note of who was within ear-shot before they used questionable language. But not any more!

Evidently, it is no longer possible for a comedian to "make it" in the "business" unless he incorporates the most vile language and subject matter that the human mind is capable of conjuring, into his/her act.

I enjoy watching some of the motorcycle/auto reality shows in which they build cars or bikes, but even in those shows, I am constantly subjected to "that word". Oh, sure, they bleep it out, but it comes through almost as plainly as if they didn't bleep it. I know that much of what goes on in those shows is staged, but what kind of message are the viewers supposed to get from hearing an employer flinging the "F" word at his employees, or a father shouting it at his sons?

For the last couple of years, I have been driving a school bus. I had to pick up the side job in order to get the health insurance that it provides. Having been basically living a sheltered life for the last 30 years, I was totally caught off guard by both the conduct and the language that kids use. To hear young boys and girls throw that "word" around so carelessly, breaks my heart. After rebuking one grammar school girl for her shameful vulgarity, I asked her, "Does your mother know that you talk like that?" She replied, "Who do you think taught it to me?"

By the way, I would never, never, no never ever send my children to a public school. I mean, never! Not under any circumstances. Nope! Not a gonna do 'er. Unh, uh.

I believe that this coarseness is an indicator of where our society is, morally. The problem is more than just an ignorance problem. It is a serious spiritual problem. To a crowd of blasphemous people, Jesus said, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." (Matt.12:34) According to what Jesus said in this verse, the reason people say the things that they say, is because whatever is in the the heart comes out through the conversation. People speak evil because they are evil.

Some would love to be able to separate what they are from how they speak, but, alas! that is not possible. Not long ago, I was talking to a professing Christian who is known to be very loose in his language and down right nasty in his humor. He said, " You know, brother Garry, I like to have a good time. I like to tell jokes and see people laugh. Sometimes I'll tell one that might be a little off color, but I don't mean anything by it. God knows my heart. I'm His 100%." I opened my handy little New Testament and read him the preceding verse and said, " Jesus said what you talk about is what you are! " He didn't seem to get too mad at me, but either way, mad or not mad, it is the truth.

While I'm at it, I may as well hit those "sanitized" versions of the "F" word that are so widely used by many, such as: Flippin', frickin', friggin' and other similar words that are just close enough to let everyone know what you mean and just different enough that you can't be tied to a naughty word. Well, I'm tying you to it! You use those forms of the "F" word because you wish you could say the word for real. It is only a thinly disguised substitute for language that no child of God should be associated with.

I'm sorry to keep ranting on and on. And I'm sorry to even deal with such an issue that is bound to leave my readers feeling a little degraded. I know I feel that way, but I really am fed up! So,in conclusion, GET A VOCABULARY! And remember, when you use profanity, it reveals at least two very embarrassing things about you,: (1)That you have an empty head. And (2) You have a wicked heart. The first can be easily remedied by learning the use of a dictionary. The other can only be fixed by a living relationship with God.

IF I HAD $200,000 ...

2009-01-11T14:20:00.007-05:00

I'D BUY ME ONE OF THESE!!! according to a TIMES ON LINE article , the flying car will be ready for testing in about a month. I wonder how it would look with a set of Corvette rallye wheels!?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVELY WIFE, JAN, WHO IS _ _ YEARS OLD TODAY!

2009-01-11T09:13:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

2008-12-30T08:13:00.002-05:00

A hardy congratulations to Jan Weaver who is celebrating the 36th anniversary of her wedded bliss (To me).

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, YOU LUCKY GIRL, YOU!

THE TROUBLE WITH OUR POLITICAL LEADERS

2008-12-28T04:40:00.004-05:00

The main problem with our political leaders is, that we must choose them from among ourselves.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-14T17:25:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

THE LITTLE RED HEN REVISITED

2008-11-23T08:32:00.002-05:00

Do you remember this story? I first heard this adaptation of it in a message that Dr. Adrian Rogers preached many years ago. It has never been more relevant!

Once upon a time, on a small U.S. farm , there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat.
She called all of her neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow."Not I," said the duck."Not I," said the pig."Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.
And so she did; The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.
"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck."Out of my classification," said the pig."I'd lose my seniority," said the cow."I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.
At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the cow."I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck."I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig."If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see.
They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow."Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck."I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
Then a government agent came, and said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."
The liberals smiled for ‘Fairness’ had been established, but her neighbors were very disappointed in her, and wondered why she never baked bread again.

NO RESPECT!!!

2008-10-22T10:05:00.003-05:00

Have you ever noticed that if you are known to embrace the doctrines of grace, that you get no credit for evangelism from those who do not accept your views? It's true! No matter how much you preach about our responsibility to "...preach the gospel to every creature..." No matter how faithfully you personally "... do the work of an evangelist..." No matter how many years you spend on the foreign mission field... People who embrace a more arminian soteriology (Even those who never bring a single person to Church), will look you straight in the face and tell you that the doctrines you believe will hurt evangelism. I'm not Rodney Dangerfield, but I get no respect, I'm tellin' ya! No respect!

I HAVE NEW PARTS!

2008-10-12T07:18:00.004-05:00

In an attempt to keep you informed,( as well as a shameless attempt to grab some sympathy) I am writing this. For several months, now, I have not felt very well. Around the end of April, I had a slight episode with my heart that seemed to be not too serious. However, it seemed that I just couldn't recover from it. I was just forcing myself to do the things I had to do and then I would go straight back to bed(Maybe that's why I ain't been blogging much lately?). So, anyhoo, I went to a different cardiologist who quickly scheduled me for a heart catheterization. This past Wednesday, I went to Florida Hospital, in Orlando for the procedure. Turns out that one of my main coronary arteries was 80% blocked with bacon, pork chops, country ham, and not a small amount of fried shrimp. The good doctor opened up the artery and put in a shiny new stainless steel stent to help keep it open. According to him (the doctor), I will now feel like a new man. I'm excited about that prospect! Only, it hasn't kicked in just yet. I'll try to let you know when it does.

MORE IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT...ME

2008-09-29T04:43:00.003-05:00

The Lord willing, this coming Sunday, Oct. 5th, I will be preaching at the First Baptist Church of Lake Garfield, Florida. The Church is located just outside Bartow on Eighty Foot Road. Yep. That's right. Eighty Foot Rd. (Seems longer than that to me, 'cause the Church is about a mile down the road. How many foots is in a mile? More'n 80, right?)

I'm excited about the opportunity to fellowship with pastor Garnett Pitts and the folks at FBCLG. If any of you who read this blog are in the area and have the time, come by and say hi.

Services are at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. See you there!

FLYIN' OUT ON A JET PLANE

2008-09-01T04:52:00.004-05:00

In case you're interested, beginning this thursday, September 4th and continuing through Sunday September 7th, I will be preaching at the Liberty Baptist Church in Payneway Arkansas. I'm excited about being in meetings with Bro. Jimmy Strickland and his people. Payneway is about an hour from Memphis, so, if either of my faithful readers happen to be in the Memphis, Tn. area, come fellowship with us.

LIVING DANGEROUSLY: DR. AL MOHLER

2008-08-22T07:06:00.004-05:00

Steve posted a link on his blog to the sermon Dr. Mohler preached yesterday in the opening chapel service of the new academic year at Southern Seminary. Everyone should listen to this sermon, but especially those of us who are either in the ministry or are aspiring to the ministry. Ocassionally I hear a sermon that so convicts me and forces me to re-evaluate my service for Christ, that continuing in the status quo of my life becomes impossible. This is truely one of those sermons. Listen to it and then let me know if you agree.

WHY DO THE SAINTS HAVE ENEMIES?

2008-08-16T05:35:00.004-05:00

In his commentary on Psalm 64, James Montgomery Boice said: "It is not very often that David finishes a psalm without mentioning his enemies." It doesn't take a very in-depth study of the psalms that David authored, to see the truth of that statement. David's enemies seem to have been a very persistent part of his every day life. It appears that his entire life was a series of conflicts with those who, through ceaseless verbal, political, and physical attacks, sought to either destroy or depose him.

Of course, we would expect a man in his position to acquire a few enemies along the way. He doubtless produced a few enemies through the wars he fought against rival nations who were the perpetual enemies of Israel. He had political enemies as every leader has, and he also garnered some hard feelings through his own personal failings.

All of these types of enemies we can easily understand. However, David had other enemies too. People who should not have been his enemies at all. They had no reason to hate or oppose him at all, but they did. Many who should have respected and admired him, despised him. I say they should have admired him because there was much about him to admire, regardless of his short-comings.

For the most part, he had been a careful man. He was called "a man after God's own heart", and most of his life, he lived in conscious awareness of God's presence. He was a brave man. He courageously, and selflessly, as mere youth, went against a lion and a bear to protect his father's sheep. Again as a teen, he fought and defeated the giant, Goliath, who had caused the whole Israeli army to cower. He did it single-handedly believing that the battle was the Lord's. When Saul became jealous of him and sought his life unjustly, David would not avenge himself nor take advantage of multiple opportunities to harm, capture, or kill him. He preferred to let God take care of Saul in His own time and in His own way. As king, rather than seeking the destruction of Saul's family, he sought to show them mercy. Also as king, he brought the Ark of God to Jerusalem and openly worshiped God.

These things should have sparked nothing but respect from all those who witnessed them. However, not everyone was impressed with David's spirituality. Some actually hated him even more because of it (Some of them from his own family 2Sam.6:14-23). How can that be? Here is where we can learn something about many of David's enemies as well as our own. They had no reason to hate him except for this fact: In their own hearts, they were at war with the God that David so passionately worshiped. Their problem was not with David at all. Their real problem was with David's God. So, they attacked David with all the pent-up resentment with which they would attack God, if they could just get at Him.

That's how it was then and that is how it is even now with modern-day saints. There are people who are in rebellion against God(Often they are of our own families Matt.10:34-36). They don't like His authority, His demands, or His ways. They would attack Him personally if they could, but they can't. So... they attack those who love and serve Him, and the closer to God you live, and the more fervently you serve Him, the more stubborn will be the opposition.

Jesus articulated this principle in Jn.15:18-25, then He lived it out before the very eyes of His followers just a few hours later. Neither Rome nor the Jews had any reason to hate Him, but by their unreasoning determination to brutalize, torture, and crucify Him, they put on display, for all the world to see, their deep, cruel, and abiding hatred for God. Someone has described what happened at Calvary by transposing the words in the title of Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" like this: God in the hands of angry sinners. That makes my point perfectly.

Christ on the cross was, on one hand, God's goodness, God's mercy, God's love in it's most magnificent display. On the other hand, it was man's depraved rebellion against God in it's fullest revelation. This explains, at least to my satisfaction, why even the sweetest of Christians have enemies. Our enemies are real, their attacks and abuses are painful, but we must remember that their issue is with God. Therefore our response should be to:
1: Love them
2: Do good to them
3: Pray for them (Matt.5:43-48)
If anything else is required, leave that up to God. After all, the battle is the Lord's.

IF EMERGENCE AND CHARISMATICA HAD A CHILD...

2008-07-08T09:30:00.002-05:00

THEY MIGHT NAME HIM TODD...

or Harry ( Short for Harry Tick).

MORE LOOSE LIVIN'

2008-07-02T17:10:00.004-05:00

Jeremy's coming to stay a few days! Whoopie! Can't wait! He is to arrive at 9:10 pm tonight. Oh, mister plane driver, please be keeeerful!

TRUTH-TELLING AND TOTAL DEPRAVITY

2008-05-31T06:02:00.003-05:00

In no area of human nature is our innate depravity and complete fallen-ness more apparent than in our inability to tell the truth. The legal oath to tell "The whole truth and nothing but the truth..." is a worthy goal, not only in court, but for the Christian, it is absolutely necessary in everyday life.

The problem, with me at least, is that it is not as easy as it sounds. Here's how it seems to work with me: When I hear something or when I witness some event; as the words, sounds and images enter into my mind through ears and eyes, I file them away, not necessarily as they were actually seen and heard, but I tend to color them with my own prejudices and preferences. Before they ever get into my memory banks, they are already tainted by my inherent fallen-ness. I have spun them before I even filed them.

Some people are willing to distort what they know to be the truth in the retelling. True Christians are not willing do that. However, for me (All of us?), the problem really is much deeper than that. Even if I am careful to try to tell things exactly as I heard or saw them, I am actually only telling what was put into my memory, not what really happened. I suppose this is why eye-witness testimonies often are very different, even when the witnesses saw or heard exactly the same thing.

Even at my very best, I am desperately in need of a merciful Savior. I am not sure if this "enemy" can be completely defeated in this life or not. However, I have identified him. Now I must guard against him.

ANSWERS TO ERRONEOUS ASSUMPTIONS AND FAQ'S

2008-05-25T07:54:00.004-05:00

Ain't dead. Ain't quit bloggin'. 'puter ain't broke. Had a physical. EKG not good. Sent me to a cardiologist. EKG not that bad. Stress test ordered. O.K. B.P. not O.K. New pills. Sleep constantly. Dr. says it's not the pillzzzzzzz....

TWO WEEKS OF LOOSE LIVING ...WHOOPEEE!

2008-04-07T04:34:00.005-05:00

It's 5:30 a.m. and I'm packing for a two week romp. This morning I have a sheriff's department chaplain's meeting at 10:00, then I'm off to Tennessee for a week of fun and frolic with the boys and their families. Then we are off to Louisville, Ky for another week of fun, frolic and fellership at the Together for the Gospel conference. I hope to get to meet, in person, some of my favorite bloggers. In case you don't recognize me, I'll be the old guy humbly creeping along in Steve and Jeremy's shadow.

THE LONG AWAITED CHURCH RENOVATION PICTURES

2008-03-19T10:13:00.007-05:00

This is how the auditorium looks now. Notice that the lighting has been changed, the ceiling reworked, the choir area has new tongue and groove cedar, all the interior doors have been replaced, new window treatment, new paint and new carpet. Whewwweeee! I worked hard!

Just kidding...I actually did very little. Maybe that's why it turned out so nice.

The following photos are the "before" pictures.

ANNUAL BIBLE CONFERENCE

2008-03-01T06:14:00.003-05:00

It's Bible Conference time again! Beginning Sunday, March 2nd, our annual Bible conference will begin here at the newly renovated Way of Life Baptist Church. Sunday services begin at 10:30 am with pastor, educator, author, perpetual student, father of most of my nine grandchildren, and all around good son, Steve Weaver.
(Others will be speaking in the other services through Wednesday night.)

If you find yourself within driving distance of Titusville, Fl., come on by.

Schedule of services:

Sunday AM: 10:30 with lunch afterward.

Sunday PM: 6:00 with 2 speakers

Monday through Wednesday: 7:00PM with 2 speakers each evening.

MILESTONES

2008-02-24T10:09:00.002-05:00

Currently, I am crossing several milestones in my swiftly passing earthly journey:

December 30th 2007, my wife Jan and I celebrated 35 years of wedded bliss.

February 3rd, I completed 10 years of semi-faithful ministry at Way of Life Baptist Church.

Right now, we are totally renovating the auditorium of the Church. We are desperately trying to get it completed in time for the Bible conference that begins this coming Sunday, March 2nd. (Watch for before-and-after pictures soon.) (I consider this a milestone, because the auditorium has had little done to it in decades.)

This coming Tuesday, Feb. 26th, is my 54th happy birthday. (Reminder: Counting today, there are only 2 more shopping days left.)

Also, this year I am in my 30th year of Gospel ministry. (Funny...I thought I would have been farther along, spiritually, by now...)

A Prayer: Father, keep me always mindful of how short my time is, so that I might live wisely, redeeming the time. Keep me hungry for your fellowship and your approval. Keep me focused on the prize of your presence and the awareness that I must soon give account of my stewardship.In Jesus' name, Amen.

TO THOSE WHO CLAIM POWER TO RAISE THE DEAD

2008-02-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

From several different sources, lately, I have been told of ministers(?) who are so anointed of the Spirit(?) that they have actually raised people from the dead. On one occasion, I saw a drama on a religious T.V. channel. The hero was the spirit-filled sheriff of a wild-west town. On more than one occasion, during the show, the bad guys killed someone that jist ort not to have been kilt. The sheriff would come and lay hands on the dead person, rebuking both death and the devil, and in the name of Jesus, raise that person from the dead.

Two other occasions where this claim was made was in conversation with acquaintances who are deeply involved in charismatic churches. One is more than an acquaintance; I consider him a friend. Neither of these people actually saw it happen, but were totally convinced that ministers that they had heard of, were literally raising people from the dead.

I want to be careful in how I approach this subject because I have no doubt whatsoever, that God is able to raise the dead. However, I want to be perfectly clear in stating that I do not believe that these people are actually raising the dead. In light of my skepticism, I think the best way to proceed would be to ask some questions of those who claim life-giving power.

Perhaps the most important question that needs to be considered is this: Do you consider death to be a tragedy for the saved? It seems to me as if the emphasis placed on physical health in many religious groups has blinded them to the possibility that God could actually get glory for Himself and at the same time, grant blessing to His people through their suffering. To people thus blinded, surely death must seem as though Satan has won a victory every time a Christian dies. My contention is, that what Paul said of himself in Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." could and should be said of all saints. If "...to die is gain..." how could we treat the passing of a child of God as anything other than gain? There is much more that could be said on this point, but I want to hurry on to some other questions.

Other questions I would ask those who claim the power over death are these: Of all the dead, which ones are candidates for being raised? Do you have the power to raise people whose bodies have already been embalmed? Are there verifiable cases in which the putrefaction process has been reversed? Or what is the longest period of time that one was certifiably dead before he/she was raised? I suspect in most cases, that if the whole story were told, it would not appear quite as miraculous as they would have us believe.

One last question: Don't you believe that it is better to be with Jesus than apart from Him?

As for me, if my Lord should call me home, even now at the tender age of 53 years old, please don't call the paramedics! I don't intend to be morbid nor am I trying to be super spiritual, but I want to see Jesus. Just one moment with Him face-to-face would be worth more than ten thousand life-times here.

MY DELL IS HERE!

2008-02-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hello, world. I'm back! I just made it home with my new 'puter. Dude! It's a Dell! I got a Dell Inspiron 1721. I'm being modest when I say that it has enough power to allow me to take over the world.

I expect to be wreaking havoc in the blog-o-sphere again very soon. In the mean time, I want to send out a heart-felt thank you to those of you who didn't de-link me...yet

HELLO?

2007-12-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

As you know, if you read my last post, I destroyed my computer with a cup of coffee. I'm devastated! Having been cyber-active for less than 3 years, I was surprised to discover that I can't live without a computer. Right now I am using my wife's ancient p.c. It jist ain't the same.

The thing that really hurts is that I know that there is a multitude of faithful readers out there who are literally starving to death, spiritually, because of my absence in the blogosphere (Just kidding. Sheesh! Lighten up!).

I sure hope you guys don't de-link me. I'll be back soon...I hope.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, YOU'UNS

2007-11-21T07:46:00.000-05:00

I hope every one of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. Steve and family, Jeremy and family, and Elizabeth and family are all going to be here for Thanksgiving. This is a rare blessing for Jan and me, to have the whole group here at once.

Now for excuses:
I have not been able to blog lately. Have you noticed? I thought not. Anyway, I was having problems connecting to the internet from my study. Enter SUPER STEVE! Evidently, he was born knowing about electrical gadgets, so he fixed the problem with a minimal amount of effort and large amount of cash. Thanks Steve. So, I'M BACK! At least for the moment. You see, I spilled my coffee onto my computer just a moment ago, and I might be gone again...soon. But you probably wouldn't notice anyway. Sigh.

Happy Thanksgiving!

'NUTHER OLD CAR

2007-10-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

For those who were wondering what ever happened to the '86 Monte Carlo, well... I traded it. I cleaned it up a bit, got it running, put new tires on the original wheels, and mounted them on the car...then I traded it for this 67 Impala 2 dr hard top.

When I first got this car, it had just been painted. It was originally blue, but the guy I got it from painted it a Cadillac pearl white (I would have preferred the original color, but the white looks good too.) The body of the car had been stripped of all chrome, both bumpers, and all the lights. Every thing was piled inside the car. I still don't have all the moldings put back in place, and the interior needs re-working, but it is a sweet driving car.

You will notice that I put a set of 15"x 8" Corvette rally wheels with 235/70 Uniroyal Tiger Paw radials on it. These are my favorite wheels, and I usually put them on every old Chevy I get. This car came from the factory with 14 inch wheels and tires, a 283 cubic inch v8 engine with a 2 barrel carb, and a 2 speed "Power Glide transmission. Under the hood, it's all original. It even has factory A/C (Which I hope to have working soon).

More pictures to come!

P.S. If you look closely, you can see a little bit of the Doodle-Bug that I got while blindly stumbling in automotive sin. You can also see that I could easily win Jeff Foxworthy's redneck yard award.

NEWS FLASH!!!

2007-09-21T09:28:00.000-05:00

For those who are interested, I am leaving this afternoon for Tennessee. The Lord willing, I will be preaching in Rutledge, Tennessee on Monday evening and again on Monday evening. Please pray for Jan and me as we travel and for me as I endeavor proclaim God's word.

P.S. We'll get to see the 'boys' and 7 out of 9 grandchildren.

MY HUMILITY IS SHOWING...AGAIN

2007-09-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

I realize that I am not as witty as Bugblaster or as well read as David. I'm not as thoughtful as Kim. Nor am I as prolific as Jim. I am not as well educated as Steve, nor as naturally talented as Jeremy. I'm sure that I'm not as prayerful as Daniel, nor as deep as Marcia. I can't write like Dan or Tom...But I've been to the "well" where I have been satisfied and am being satisfied.

(How's that for blogspoting, saying "I" a whole buncha times, and revisiting a previous post all in one shot?)

HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE WELL?

2007-09-08T06:54:00.000-05:00

(Pro 27:20) Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

The term "Hell and destruction", in this verse, refers to the place where the departed souls of the lost go after death. A place of conscious suffering and acute awareness of eternal ruin as well as separation from God. You would think that every person who has heard of it, would try to avoid it. However this verse reveals an irresistible pull that hell and destruction have. This pull is explained by the comparison given in the second half of the verse "...so the eyes of man are never satisfied." An avalanche of blinded humanity daily slides off into the abyss of eternal want. One would think that after thousands of years of multitudes daily entering it would be full, but it isn't. There is still room for all who will go today and tomorrow and the next day. Room to be alone. Room to be abandoned. Room to be lost. They were never satisfied while on earth; they will never be satisfied in Hell.

The second half of the verse says"...the eyes of man are never satisfied." That sounds like hyperbole, but it isn't. When we consider how that we seek to be satisfied with the fleeting pleasures and temporary treasures of this world, we know that this statement is very true. We see things and we want them. We think that if we could just acquire that one thing, then we will be happy. However, once we get it, it doesn't satisfy. After a while, we want something else, and that doesn't satisfy us either.

Living in an area where there are many tourists, I often see older people who have worked and saved all their lives to be able to enjoy their retirement years. I see them going from one attraction, or event, or site to another, frantically trying to find something new to enjoy. Why are they looking for something new to enjoy? Because what they enjoyed before didn't satisfy. So...they keep searching. The problem is...they are searching in the wrong place. While they have sought with touching dedication for true joy, they have missed it completely. The "god of this world" has"... blinded their minds" and Hell and destruction drag at their souls. They have been and always will be LOST.

As I said, the Scriptural statement "...the eyes of man are never satisfied." is not hyperbole. However it isn't the whole story either. The fact is, there is a Place, a Person, a Possession in which one can be satisfied. Jesus said this to a thirsty, outcast woman:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
What was He saying to her? He was saying (Metaphorically) "You are thirsty and you are trying to satisfy your thirst the wrong way. You cannot be satisfied by religion or by immoral relationships. You can only be satisfied in Me."

Let's observe something at this point. This inability in humans to be satisfied is in many ways a gift from God.In a secular sense, just imagine what our world would be like if those who came before us, had been satisfied with the status quo. Politically, economically, and materially our lives are much easier than they would have been had there been no ambition in our fore-fathers.
From a spiritual perspective, that inability to be satisfied with the things of this world is one of the things that God often uses to draw us to Himself. Not only so, but having been drawn to Him, we are then possessed of a longing to know Him in a more and more intimate way.

Therefore, when the dissatisfactions of this world drive us to Christ; we find in Him a never ending source of continual fulfillment. He is to those who come to Him, an artesian well of satisfaction that not only fulfills the immediate need of the new birth, but also the continuing desire to know more about Him.

We, like the woman at the well come for a drink, but leave with the well.

MY HUMBLE OPINION ABOUT PIT BULL DOGS

2007-08-20T09:47:00.001-05:00

Just for the record, I think all Pit Bull dogs should be given to Micheal Vick. I'm just sayin'.

ANNOUNCING MY SON'S FIRST PUBLISHED WORK WHILE ATTEMPTING TO NOT BE EXCESSIVELY PROUD

2007-08-13T18:24:00.001-05:00

(And failing miserably in the attempt)

This is the book all sincere students of Church history and the spirituality of our Fore-Fathers in the faith have been waiting for. I expect it to set the evangelical world on fire...if they read it. One of the reasons that I am so confident in the value of this book is that it was co-edited by my son Steve and his understudy, Michael Haykin. Well...maybe it was the other way around, but anyway, Steve's name is on it. That makes it infinitely more valuable in my estimation. I ain't jist talkin' either. I bought 40 copies. You don't have to buy that many, but you should at least buy one. Right??

BARRY BONDS BEFORE STEROIDS

2007-08-06T06:34:00.000-05:00

Barry Bonds Rookie Card. I thought this was hilarious!

HT : Tim Ellsworth

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE

2007-08-05T03:43:00.001-05:00

Author, educator, pastor, conference speaker, blogger,Braves fan, student, and all around good son; Steve Weaver discovered America 33 years ago today. Happy birthday, son. I'm proud of you.

Who would like to hear some embarrassing stories from his youth?

2007-08-03T05:53:00.000-05:00

As a loyal devotee to Buggy, I will follow his time-tested example of reposting past offerings. I apologize for my lack of productivity in the blogworld, but I have excuses. Maybe soon I'll be able to come up with something worth sharing and the time to share it. For now, however, this was one of my favorite posts from a while back.

A NON-DRAMATIC STORY OF DEALING WITH DEMONS

While checking out some blogs that I like to read, I came upon this post by Scott Hill http://fide-o.blogspot.com. It reminded me of an incident that occurred a few years ago in Mexico while I was serving as a missionary there.

A Mexican Independent Baptist pastor, who was serving a church in VeraCruz, came to visit me one day. This was a bit unusual, considering that he had ridden a bus over 90 miles to get to my house. Since indigenous pastors are notoriously poor, I wondered why he had sacrificed his meager resources just to come for a visit.

The mystery was soon cleared up, though, as he began to tell me that he had a serious problem with a member of his church. He said "We have a brother in the church that is demon possessed. He is fine during the day time, but as it begins to get on toward evening, he begins to scream and cry and even curse. This goes on until morning. By then he is so tired that he has to sleep and can't work." He went on to say,"I am trying to get a group of faithful Christians together to come to VeraCruz and have an all-night prayer meeting with this brother in order to cast the demon out of him. Will you help?"

That kinda put me on the spot because I had never cast out a demon before. I had never advertised myself as a demon caster outer, nor did I have any desire to learn about casting out demons. However, I did and do believe that demons exist. I believe that they are against God and His purposes. I believe that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. I believe as Paul said in Eph.6:12 that we "Wrestle....against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." But here is what I don't believe: I don't believe that Satan or his minions have any inherent power. They have no power other than what is given to them.

With that in mind, my response to this sincere pastor's request was fourfold:

#1 Stop calling him brother, because, if it is true that he is possessed, he is not a brother in Christ.

#2 Neither Satan himself nor his demons have the ability nor the authority to possess anyone at their whim. Satan cannot take it upon himself to knock down a person's will and take over without permission from God and/or that person.(Isn't it strange that people are willing to grant that power to Satan, who is not sovereign, but not to God who is?) See the 1st two chapters of Job. Although Job in this text was not being "possessed", he was being attacked. However, the principle is clearly taught here that the Devil cannot do just anything without permission. He couldn't touch Job's possessions without permission and he couldn't touch Job' s person without permission, and even then, Satan's boundaries are clearly set.

#3 Without a doubt, this man has opened a door in his life to let those demonic influences in. Find out where the door is open, exhort him to repent of that sin thereby closing the door to satanic influences, exhort him to seek Christ for salvation, and the demon will be gone.(James4:7) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

#4No amount of praying, pleading the blood, or rebuking the devil, will do any good if he is unwilling to repent of sin, trust Christ, and resist the devil.

Well, the pastor left my house not a little offended. I dare say that he was hoping for a very dramatic and emotional experience that he would be able to tell about for years to come. A tale of spiritual warfare in which he and a few holy men of God prayed all night, confronted the demon, rebuked him in the name of Jesus and pitched him out on his ear. But, if he took my advice, there would be very little drama. No possibility of humbly shaking hands with the brethren while proudly saying "We did it! We cast out a demon!"

THE CONCLUSION OF THE STORY

I didn't hear from the pastor for a while, until we met at an area wide youth meeting. He came to me and said that he hadn't cared much for my advice at first, but as he thought about it, he began to think it was worth a try. He began to investigate and found that the family of the young man was deeply involved in the occult: fortune telling, astrology and such. After making a profession of faith, he had distanced himself from his family's satanic practices for a while, but soon the temptation was too great and he began to participate again. That's when the problem started. The pastor told me that when they confronted him about this, he confessed, repented, surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, moved out of the house where the temptation was and had no more trouble with demons. No drama. Just simple obedience to the Word of God.

DON'T GIVE UP ON ME YET!

2007-07-18T05:01:00.000-05:00

Just so you don't get worried...I'm okay. I am a very busy young man at the moment. I will post again soon. I promise. I haven't even had time to work on the Monte Carlo yet.

1986 MONTE CARLO SS PROJECT

2007-06-29T05:36:00.001-05:00

I found this little jewel sitting in the woods behind a body shop. The owner of the shop bought it from it's original owner several years ago with the intention of painting it for a keeper. As you can see, he never got around to painting the car. I talked to him about this car 3 years ago and he would not even consider selling it, but yesterday, he said "It don't look like I'm ever gonna do anything with it, so if you want it, I'll sell it to you." So I bought it.

As you can easily see, the paint has completely disappeared from the top, flat surfaces. It has also accumulated a nice collection of live oak branches, as well as a fine patina of surface rust. Other than that, the body is strait and solid. The interior is near perfect with the exception of dirt, mildew, and a cracked dash (But I know how to fix that).

From this view it clearly seems to be saying, "Garry! Pleeese take me home with you." What kind of Christian would I be, if I hardened my heart and ignored such a pitiful plea?
Can you tell that it has the wrong wheels on it? Those are Camaro IROC wheels. Don't get me wrong, they are okay wheels, but they don't belong on a Monte Carlo SS. Have no fear, though. The original Monte SS wheels are inside the car.2 in the trunk, 2 in the back seat.

Today, I hope to charge up the battery, pour in some gas, and bring it home so it can have the love and attention it deserves. From time to time I'll be posting pictures of this '86 Monte Carlo SS as it progresses toward restoration...or gets sold.

BTW, I also intend to continue offering the unmatched, award winning wit and wisdom that my readers have come to expect from this blog, so stay tuned. But for now, I'm headed for Tennessee to hang out with my boys and grand younguns.

DESIRING GOD BOOK SALE

2007-06-27T04:58:00.000-05:00

I ordered a bunch of books! You should too! They're cheap! You can give 'em for gifts and people will think you paid a lot of money for them, but you dint. Better hurry! The big sale ends tomorrow.

THE MANIPULATOR AND THE EASILY MANIPULATED

2007-06-24T04:23:00.000-05:00

Buggy said that he didn't want me to blogspot him under any circumstances, but I see through the ruse. His words are really a plea:"Pleeeese mention me on your blog." So, here you are Bugblaster. It's all about you.

BTW, He has been posting some amazing articles on the book of Leviticus that are seriously helpful.

RANULFO COTO (PART 5)

2007-06-13T08:36:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the length of this post. I hope you will read it anyway and give me your thoughts.

As I mentioned in the previous post, our building project was faced with much physical difficulty. However, there were other issues to be faced that were more on a philosophical and doctrinal plane. There was the issue of the Boca del Monte church's status as a church as defined by government regulations. Also, the identity of the Church doctrinally needed to be addressed.

For us who live in the U.S.A., where we still enjoy a great deal of religious freedom, the government regulations with which missionaries serving in foreign countries must wrestle are hard to imagine. As a missionary working legally in Mexico, I had a special permit known as the FM3. It gave me legal status as a missionary to preach the gospel anywhere and everywhere in the country. There was no restriction as to the content of my preaching. Under this permit, I was required to be in the country under the ministry of a church that was recognized (registered) by the government of Mexico. That church would be responsible for my actions and I would be accountable to them. According to the government, the registration of churches was not for the purpose of government control, but for the purpose of protecting the property rights of churches, and protecting the right to freedom of religion which is guaranteed by the constitution of Mexico. Therefore, any church that I started, had to be started as a mission of the church under whose ministry I was working. Also, it had to be registered.

When I began to try to explain this to Ranulfo, well... he didn't hit the ceiling, he went through it. (It was only tar-coated cardboard.) He said,"No, brother! We will never register with the government!" Bear in mind that this was a man who had no access to history. He knew nothing of John Bunyan, nor did he have any clue as to the debates that had taken place in the U.S. over government intervention in church affairs. He didn't even know about his own country's rules on the subject until I told him.

In true reformer fashion, he declared (referring to his little flock) "Jesus died for them, the Holy Spirit called them, I'm preaching to them and we are building the building. The government can't own it!" Also, he said things like,"The government didn't call me to preach, God did. Therefore all the registration I need is in the Lamb's Book of Life!" He said a lot of other stuff too, but I think you get the drift. I was again amazed at his clarity of thought and his understanding of issues that often take others years of study to evaluate. He understood that government oversight of a church equals government ownership of a church.

I was 100% in agreement with him. I didn't like the rules any more than he did. The thing is, that he was a citizen of that country and I was not. If he wanted to civilly disobey unjust laws of his country based on spiritual convictions he could do it, just as we do in our own country. The outcome of this discussion was that it would not be a registered church.

The next issue sprang from my mindset as an IFB'er (Independent Fundamental Baptist) . What would be the name of the church? Of course, I had an agenda. I was flexible on the name as long as it included the label "Independent Baptist", or at least "Baptist". I hadn't considered that Ranulfo knew nothing whatsoever about denominational divisions among Christian believers. So, when I said, "What will we call it?" he began to suggest a variety of possible names. For example, La Iglesia de Dios (The Church Of God), or Iglesia de Cristo (Church Of Christ). I patiently listened to his suggestions and smiled indulgently, realizing that I would have to explain to him why it had to be a Baptist church. (Do you sense my gringo pride?)

My explanation didn't go as I expected. When I began to tell him that it had to be a Baptist church, he said, "Why?" I said, "It has to have the name of Baptist on it to identify it. To distinguish it from other denominations." He asked me to show him scripture for that." Well," I said, "it's not so much spelled out in scripture, but it just makes sense that you need to be identified by a statement of faith and a system of belief." He responded,"My statement of faith is the Bible." I could see that I wasn't going to get very far with that approach, so I said, "I am a Baptist missionary, sent by Baptist churches to establish Baptist churches. Any church that I establish will have to be a Baptist church." Brother", he said, "You didn't establish this church. Jesus did. So, let's just call it by His name." So, I tried yet another line of reasoning. I said," Well, Brother, in reality the earliest Baptists didn't call themselves by that name, it was a name given to them by their enemies and it stuck." "Then, let my enemies call me what they will, and if it sticks, let that be the name."

As you can see, I was not making much head way in my reasoning with Ranulfo. Being a hard-headed Independent Baptist, though, I couldn't loose the argument. After all, we have all the answers. Right? So at this point, I brought out the big gun. This would be the volley that would win the day for my point of view. I said, "Ranulfo, that is fine for right now. You are healthy and faithfully teaching your people, but there will come a day, if Jesus doesn't come very soon, that you will no longer be here to guide and to protect your people. When you are gone, if they are not identified with a sound, doctrinal name, a false teacher could easily come in and lead them away from the truth." He had a shocked look on his face. I assumed that meant that I had finally made him understand that I was right about this. I was mistaken. His response was, "Brother! Are you saying that after God chose these little sheep before the foundation of the world, sent His Son to die for them on the cross, called them by the gospel and is keeping them by His grace now; that, just because I am not here, He would allow some deceiver to come and lead His sheep away? No Brother! That cannot happen!"

The result? There is a small church in Boca del Monte. If it has a name, I don't know it. I do know this: God raised it up, and He has given them the wonderful gift of a wise and faithful pastor. O, for the simplicity of uncontaminated Christianity,

TAKE A LOOK AT THESE PICHURS

2007-06-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

I got these pictures off the internet. I presently don't have the proper equipment to scan my personal photos onto the computer. As you can see from these scenes, Santiago is a beautiful place. However, it is the people that are the real beauty of the place. Oh! For one more chance to gather that little group(I can see each face in my mind right now) into my living room and give them the glorious gospel of grace one more time.

Most towns in Mexico are built around a central park, which becomes a place of relaxation, entertainment and a thriving market-place every evening. This is one view of the park in Santiago Tuxtla, the town in which we lived while missionaries in Mexico.

This is the first view that you get of Santiago Tuxtla as you approach from the south on the Pan American highway. This is an interesting view because, when you first see it, it is on your left. As you continue on for about a half mile, you get the same view on your right.

This is a carved stone head from the Olmec era (1500B.C. -200B.C.) that was discovered nearby. It sits at the west end of the park. 3 houses down the street, which is directly behind the head, is the house where we first lived when we arrived in Santiago. To the right of the pink house that you see behind the head is a hospital where I spent some time. To the left, on the corner, (not visible in the photo) was a restaurant where two large ladies known as "the chicas" cooked up a variety of tasty treats. I spent some time there too.

RANULFO COTO (PART 4)

2007-06-06T05:33:00.000-05:00

As we began to make plans to build a more substantial building that would both provide Ranulfo a better house and provide the believers a place of worship, a number of problems needed to be considered. One problem was how to get the materials to the sight of the proposed building. I personally had doubts about a large delivery truck's ability to even get to Boca del Monte. Ranulfo reminded me that there were other concrete houses there, so it was possible. However, the materials could not be delivered to the construction sight, because there was no way to cross the river. That meant that everything would have to be dropped off on the other side of the river, and we would have to bring it across little-by-little.

It was cheaper to make the block ourselves than to buy them pre-fab, so, we bought the sand, gravel, and cement, which we had delivered to the edge of the river on the other side. We had to carry everything across. We carried the sand and gravel in buckets; the bags of cement by hand. We also had to carry water from the river. We mixed it all by hand with pick, hoe and shovel. We poured/packed the mixture into forms and laid the homemade blocks out to dry. Meanwhile, Ranulfo worked his field and dug the footer for the building. He had his older children looking for rocks and bringing the biggest ones they could carry to put in the footer along with the concrete.This was brutal, back-breaking work.

I usually worked with Ranulfo and his 17 year old son 2 or 3 days per week. We would work 4 or 5 hours in the mornings before it became unbearably hot. Ranulfo and his older children would work later in the afternoons when he returned from the fields. After awhile, the believers from the other village began to come over and help, so I kinda faded back and let them do it. I'm a pretty lazy guy, but I didn't back off because of my laziness. I believed that they needed to do it for themselves. Also, at that time, I was preaching and teaching 9 times per week.

Those were the physical issues that we faced as we began to build. However, there were several other philosophical and spiritual issues that had to be addressed. This is where I got some more education from a guy who had never been to school a day in his life. That will require another post (or three), so stay tuned.

BTW, mission work is not just translating, teaching and traveling. It also often involves strenuous physical labor. Pray for the missionaries that you know, and don't begrudge the small financial compensation they get. I promise you, if he is a faithful missionary, he earns his pay.

RANULFO COTO (PART 3)

2007-05-29T07:28:00.000-05:00

When I first met Ranulfo, he had been ministering to his small congregation for a number of years. I was impressed with his faithfulness and determination, but I needed to know more about the content of his teaching. While we certainly didn’t have time to examine and debate every facet of theology, I wanted to know 2 things, initially, in order to assess whether or not we had any common ground on which we could fellowship. First off, I wanted to know what he thought about Jesus. Ranulfo didn’t disappoint me with his answer. He had a remarkably well thought -out understanding of the Trinity. Secondly, I wanted to know about his view of salvation. Again, I was amazed at his clarity of understanding and ability to explain how he believed that God saves men by grace alone through faith and keeps them by His grace, on the basis of Christ‘s saving work alone.

From that day on, I was privileged to spend much time with Ranulfo, observing his Christ-like spirit and ministry. Since I had other missions where I preached on Sundays, I was never able to attend their Sunday services. However, we made arrangements to have special services once per month, so that I could worship with them. These times of worship and fellowship with these humble believers were a great encouragement to me in my ministry.

The very existence of this little group of faithful believers was testimony to the sovereign grace of God. The way in which they had come to faith, and the way in which God had raised up a pastor to lead them is an example of what God can and will do through His Word alone.

Eventually, I became convinced that God wanted me to help Ranulfo build a meeting house. Although services were only held in Boca del Monte on alternating Sundays, the congregation was having to meet in the very small “house” (hut would be more accurate) of Ranulfo and his family. Therefore, the new building would double as a more substantial dwelling for the family and also as a place of worship. When I spoke to Ranulfo about this, I was sure that he would be excited about my plans. He, however, was cautious. He said “Yes, brother, that sounds good, but we need to spend time in prayer to be sure that it is God’s will.” At first, I was a little hurt by his response. Didn’t he think that I knew God’s will? How could that not be the will of God?

My hurt feelings were quickly mended as I remembered the kind of man Ranulfo was. He was not only content with his place in life, he was convinced that much of the prosperity that his neighbors seemed to be continually seeking , was a danger to the soul. Don’t misunderstand. He would be happy to be able to provide adequately for his family, but he didn’t want them to ever come to the place where they did not sense their utter dependency on God. On the few occasions that Ranulfo visited my house, he was doubtful of me, that I could live in comfort and still depend totally on God and look forward to heaven. This was something new to me. I was used to looking on the poverty of the Mexican people and feeling pity for them, but here was one of the poorest of them having pity on me because of my abundance.

So, when Ranulfo didn’t leap for joy when I told him about my plans, it wasn’t because he did not want a better house for his family and a better building in which to worship; it was because he wanted to be sure that having that would not injure his soul. He eventually did come to the conclusion that it was okay for us to build, however that lead to more learning experiences for me. STAY TUNED!

A MEMORIAL DAY REMINDER

2007-05-27T06:15:00.000-05:00

This is a post I did last year. I'm too lazy to write another, so I'm re-posting this 'un. Meanwhile, I'm goin' to Tennessee to see the fambly. Ranulfo will be back soon. Happy Memorial Day!

I am thankful that I live in the U.S.A.,a land of prosperity and freedom. I am fully aware that the freedoms we enjoy here have come at an extremely high price. That price is the life-blood of many a soldier who, in various wars and conflicts, has carried the battle to the enemy in order to keep us safe here.

This is a day that we have set aside to remember with grateful hearts those who have given all to preserve and protect our freedom. We are also mindful of those whose lives are daily on the line as they track down the enemy there so he can't come here. The words 'thank you' seem terribly insufficient, but it's all I have so, THANK YOU!

However, there is another group of freedom fighters that is often overlooked. They are missionaries. The missionary is one who takes the great comission seriously and personally. He hears his Master's call and readily obeys. He immediately begins to downsize and make preparation to leave. He says goodbye to loved ones and friends. He packs his bags, and together with his wife and kids, leaves behind the comfortable familiarity of his homeland to go to an unfamiliar place where they have not asked for him and possibly may be hostile to him.

Many missionaries are working in hostile environments where their lives are constantly in jeopardy. Many of them have died in faraway lands where their bodies lie in unmarked graves. Some of them have been attacked and killed by the very ones to whom they were ministering. Others have succumbed to diseases or other dangers that are inherent to the harsh evironment in which they lived and worked. They are like those of whom the writer of Hebrews says "...the world was not worthy".

While the value and success of a soldier can be more or less easily assessed, the contribution of these unsung heroes cannot be calculated by human reasoning. Only in eternity will we be able to truely assess the value and fruit of the missionary's service. (Rev. 14:13 "...and their works do follow them.')

In the eternal state we shall hear the story of the potentially successful terrorist who, through the preaching of a missionary, surrendered to Christ. We shall rejoice with the one-time political rebel who was transformed by the faithful gospel witness of a missionary, and through the teaching of that missionary, began to preach the good news too. In eternity we will fellowship with many who would have been our enemies, but because of a missionary, they are our brothers in Christ .

As we remember the awsome contribution of those in the armed forces of the U.S.A., let's not forget the soldiers of the cross. When we get to Heaven, we might learn that they contributed more to the preservation of our freedom than the military, without firing a shot.

RANULFO COTO (PART 2)

2007-05-21T04:33:00.000-05:00

In the last post, Ramon and I had finally found Ranulfo Coto, who had just come in from the field for his mid-day meal and siesta. He graciously invited us into his house with a "bienvenido! Mi casa es su casa." He introduced us to his wife who was simultaneously nursing a baby, heating tortillas on a piece of metal laid over an open flame, and yelling at the kids to run that pig out of the house.

At that time, Ranulfo and his wife had 7 children, the oldest being a young man of about 17 years old.(I regret that I didn't write these things down as they happened. As a consequence, I have forgotten the names of the family members.) Ranulfo wasn't sure, but he judged himself to be about 35 years old.

Ranulfo, like his father before him, was a share-cropper. That means that he did not own the land that he worked. He was allowed to work the land for the owner, who allowed him to take a percentage of the harvest as payment. He planted, tended and harvested two crops per year of corn. He would sell a small portion of it to get a small amount of cash for the necessities that could only be bought. Some of it was traded for rice, beans and such. The rest of the corn was used for food for the family. Ranulfo had never been to school a day in his life. His father had taught him to read, and had taught him rudimentary arithmetic.

As we talked that day, I learned a lot about Ranulfo's faith that really impressed me. I also learned much about the reality of God's faithfulness to His Word. Ranulfo had been saved about 15 years earlier when a missionary came through that area preaching the gospel. I don't recall the missionary's name, but he evidently had a great impact on people as he came through the country preaching the Word of God (During my time in Mexico, I heard of him several times).The missionary stayed only a few weeks, but as a result of his preaching, a number of people in Boca del Monte professed faith in Christ. Ranulfo was one of them.

After providing Bibles to those who wanted them, the missionary left the area. Ranulfo obtained a Bible for himself, his wife and one for their young child. When I met him, he had personally worn out every one of them and the last one, that he was still using, was in pieces.

After the missionary left, Ranulfo studied the Word diligently. He had a hunger for it and a desire to encourage others to love it too. He spoke to all those that had professed Christ while the missionary was there and encouraged them to read their Bibles. He attempted to keep them coming together as believers to encourage one another in the Word. They said "Why should we come together with no one to teach us? The missionary has abandoned us." Ranulfo responded, "I don't know much, but I will try to teach you what I learn from the Bible."

For a while, some of them came together to hear him teach, but little-by-little, they drifted away. Some went back to the Catholic church. Others just quit religion all together. However, Ranulfo stayed faithful. He spent whole nights on his knees with his Bible open, begging God for understanding and praying for his neighbors. Though none of his neighbors would come to hear him preach, he didn't quit. He diligently taught his family. Each of his children could quote large portions of the Word from memory. Even a three year old toddler, whose baby talk I understood not a word, would quote whole Psalms.

Eventually, in the providence of God, a man from a village 7 kilometers farther back in the hills(Sorry. I forgot the name of it), came and found Ranulfo. He said they had also received the Gospel of Christ, and there was a small group of believers that wanted to be taught from the Scriptures. From then on, they would alternate Sunday services in each village. One Sunday Ranulfo and his family would make the 7 kilometer trek to their village, and the next Sunday, the believers in that village would walk to Boca del Monte.

More to come. I hope to get the next one up a little quicker.

RANULFO COTO (PART 1)

2007-05-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I love to write about my experiences as a missionary in Old Mexico. I have written several posts concerning my philosophy of mission work, but in this post, I would like to introduce you to one of the most amazing Christians I have ever met. If I didn't write about him, you probably would never hear of him. He is an impoverished, uneducated, and, as far as this world is concerned,an unknown child of God who is living in a remote village in the state of Vera Cruz, Mexico. His name is Ranulfo Coto.

I did not have the privilege of being the first to bring the Gospel to Ranulfo. He had been a Christian for about 15 years when I met him. I had come to an area of Mexico that I assumed to be totally un-evangelized. However, sometime in the fall of 1993, I began to hear of a man who was preaching the "evangelio" in a village called Boca del Monte. I determined to go find him and see for myself if he was really preaching the truth. I seriously doubted it. I convinced a friend, named Ramon, to go with me and help me locate this alleged preacher of the Good News.

I will spare the details of the dangers and adventures we experienced that day, but I will say this: To say that Boca del Monte is remote is no exaggeration. However, we were able to find the village without getting lost. Upon our arrival, we asked the first person we met if there was a man there who preached the "evavangelio"?" Without hesitation he said, "Yes, his name is Ranulfo Coto and he lives right across the river (the river was actually a shallow stream.) in a house of sticks."

We waded across the "river" and climbed the steep bank on the other side. Again we asked where Ranulfo's house was located, and were pointed to it. Just as we had been told, the walls of the house were made of the hard spines of palm branches tied together with wire. At each of the 4 corners of the house a rough-cut, semi-strait tree trunk was set in the ground to support the roof and to which the walls were attached. The roof was made of a corrugated, tar-coated cardboard. A burro was tied at the door. Chickens, a pig, a cat,and several children ran in and out of the structure, as if this humble shack was the center of the world.

As we approached, a slender man stepped out of the dwelling and moved toward us. Ramon told him that we were trying to find Ranulfo Coto. He replied, "I am Ranulfo Coto (and about a half dozen other names) at your service."

I began to explain to him that I was a missionary from the "Estados Unitos", come to preach the gospel of Christ. I told him that I had heard that he also preached the Word, and that I wanted to know more about him and his work for Christ. I guess I expected him to break into a chorus of praise because I had come from afar professing to preach the Gospel, but he remained politely reserved as he said,"Yes, I would like to know more about you too." That was my first clue that this was no emotionally-controlled, jump-on-the-bandwagon man who could be easily impressed or easily influenced by anything other than Bible truth.

Just like a "Gringo", I pridefully assumed that I was there to check out his doctrine and methods. I was quite surprised to learn, however, that he was not going get too chummy with me until he had checked out my doctrine and methods.

In the interest of writing short posts that you will have time to read, I will continue the story in several posts. Stay tuned!

BLOG BIRTHDAY

2007-05-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

May 10th is my blog's birthday. I was hoping to have made more of an impact on the world thru blogging by the time I had been at it a year, but alas and alack! Nothing earth-shattering has come from this blog...yet. Just wait. One of these days I'll write something that even I will be pleased with. It could happen in year #2. Therefore, you should read this blog every day lest you miss the life-changing event.

TAGGED YET AGAIN

2007-05-08T05:13:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Marcian to do this Meme which is to consist of 7 things about me that you should know. Wow! That's gonna be hard. There's just not that much to know about me. Anyway, here goes nuthin'.

1. I was born at Presbyterian hospital in Knoxville, Tn. I guess that's why I have always leaned toward Calvinism. That hospital is located very near the campus of the University of Tennessee, so that's probably why I'm so smart.

2. I have only one sibling, a younger brother, with whom, aside from the same parents, I have almost nothing in common.

3. There are a bunch of preachers in my family. My maternal Grandfather was a Methodist preacher, my Dad is a Baptist preacher, my Dad's sister's husband is a Baptist preacher, their oldest son is a Baptist preacher, and my two sons are also B.P.'s . It must be genetic or something.

4. My wife and I were married the 30th of December, 1972. I was 18 and she was 17. She has graciously endured the up's and down's of life with me for over 34 years.

5. We have 9 grandchildren, each of which, is the cutest, smartest, most tallented child I have ever seen.

6. I love pastoring. I love verse-by-verse preaching. I long for the mission field. I wish that I could pastor, be a foreign missionary and train young missionaries, all a the same time. My dream would be to pastor a church near the Mexico-U.S. border where I could work some in Mexico, and have a ministry in that church to help missionaries get prepared to work on the "field".

7. I love old Chevy trucks. I try to not be so interested in 'em, but I'm weak. Every time I think I've gotten victory, one of them seems to follow me home.

NEWS YOU CAN USE!

2007-05-02T05:17:00.000-05:00

J. D. Hatfield's book, THE VOICE OF VISION, is now available! Go to his blog and follow the links to order it. J.D. is one of my favorite bloggers and a very gifted writer. I highly recommend both his blog and his book. In my opinion, if you like Tozer and Ravenhill, you'll love Hatfield's writing.

Also I'm registered for the Together for the Gospel conference which will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky, April 15th-17th 2008. I went to the last one in 2006. It was probably the best conference that I have ever had the pleasure of attending. I encourage you to make every possible effort to go. If you want to go, you had better hurry and register! I'm thinking it will fill up fast. BTW If you go, they give you a bunch of free books!

I sure hope they have a blogger fellowship like the last one. I really enjoy getting to meet the people who really make a difference in the world thru their blogging. If you are going, let me know in the comments section.

IT'S BEEN REALLY DRY IN FLORIDA LATELY

2007-04-30T04:37:00.000-05:00

I will admit that I was a little nervous about answering the door, but, as it turns out, he only wanted a drink of water.

A LETTER FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH OF SMYRNA

2007-04-27T05:11:00.000-05:00

Please take the time to read this.

THE HUSBAND STORE

2007-04-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York city, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates. You may visit the store ONLY ONCE!

You may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the Building! So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband...

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.

The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking.

"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor.

This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

Ht:Free funny jokes blog

THE MEN WHO WOULD BE KING

2007-04-17T05:38:00.000-05:00

A mini-firestorm, it seems, has been ignited by a statement that Dr. Jerry Falwell made concerning limited atonement. As I understand it, Dr. Falwell called the doctrine of limited atonement heresy. In doing so, he implicates all those who believe and teach this doctrine as heretics.

I certainly do not begrudge Dr. Falwell nor Liberty U. the right to believe what they believe and to state it publicly. I agree with Tom Ascol's statement; "I simply regret that they believe it".

My problem with this way of thinking is, I fear that often times, men will allow their own personal motives to govern how they interpret Scripture rather than allowing Scripture to govern their motives. Some men in the world of Christianity are so set on their own self-importance, their own desire for greatness, and their unfaltering dedication to their own sovereignty that they just can't see the doctrines of grace no matter how much Biblical evidence they are shown.

This is the root of the problem, as I see it: Men, even dedicated religious men, will not only reject the doctrines of grace (5 point Calvinism), but will fight them tooth and nail, because these doctrines will remove them from the throne of their own private, self-proclaimed kingdom. They long for place and position. They struggle ceaselessly for notoriety. They want to be catered to by political leaders and feared for their political clout. They want to be thought of as leaders so badly that they find a way to blend their doctrine with their ambitions.

The doctrines of grace will allow no self-exaltation. They will tear the crown from puny man's head and cast it at the feet of the only One who was ever worthy to wear a crown in the first place. The doctrines of grace, rightly understood, will put God high on the throne and a weak and utterly helpless man face down in the dust before God's throne.

To the men who would be king, thinking seriously on the doctrines of grace would be dangerous to their personal sovereignty. Therefore they bitterly oppose Calvinism. They build straw men to misrepresent the beliefs of those who hold to these truths in order to fight the misconceptions rather than the real issues. To fight the real issues would require an honest evaluation of them, and that would be a threat to their private little kingdom.

Have these men ever read this verse? Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. If they have read it, they have not rightly understood it, nor have they applied it personally.

On the other hand, the men of whom I am aware, who hold to the doctrines of grace, are men who have never sought great things for themselves. They are men whose first priority has been to know and honor God. They have studied deeply and passionately to know more about Him so that they could honor Him as He deserves to be honored. This has caused them to have an exalted view of God and His sovereignty while exposing them to the utter depravity of man. They have sought not only to know truth, but to apply it, first in their own lives, then to teach it to others.

These men, by conviction, do not seek for name nor for notoriety. They seek for God and His glory, depending on God alone to give them their place and position in His kingdom. Many of them have come to places of note and are in the public eye, but not because they sought it. They were busy humbling themselves in the sight of God and He has lifted them up.(James4:10) Among these are John MacArthur, Al Mohler, John Piper, R.C Sproul and many others who are our contemporaries. Others from the past who believed, taught and ordered their ministries in light of the doctrines of grace were Spurgeon, Whitfield, Bunyan, and William Carey (who is known as the father of modern missions).

These are the men whose examples I would emulate. As for the men who would be king, we shall see in eternity where their theology and their example lead.

NEW BLOGGER AWARD!!!

2007-04-11T04:56:00.000-05:00

Daniel at Doulogos has created a new Blogger Award!

It is for bloggers who use their gifts to "build up" God's people through blogging.

I was, at the same time, surprised, honored and humbled to be included in Daniel's list of bloggers that edify (Thanks,Daniel.). If I understand correctly, this award also constitutes a "tag". I am to list some of the bloggers that consistently build me up in my faith by their thoughtful writing.

I would have to say, that Daniel himself, would be high on my list of edifying bloggers. Also both my sons, Steve and Jeremy are a blessing to me on many levels.

Here is a short list of bloggers that I consider to be most helpful to me, personally:

J.D. Hatfield

Pyromaniacs

Dan Phillips

Big Orange Truck

Ray Van Neste

David Kjos

Desiring God Blog

There are many others that I could have named. In fact, every single blog or website on my side bar is a blessing. Read them when you have time. I'm sure you'll agree.

NEWS FLASH!!! CHRISTIAN IS 5 YEARS OLD (ALMOST)

2007-04-07T18:12:00.000-05:00

It's Christian's birthday, but Conner needs a little attention too.

The Cake.

The birthday boy. His birthday really isn't till Monday, but he said:"Since it's my party today, I'm just gonna go ahead and be 5".

RECENT FAILURES AND SUCCESSES

2007-03-15T02:07:00.000-05:00

The last two weeks have been unusually busy for me. We had our annual Bible conference at the Church, which required much preparation and time. Of course I still had to keep up with all the mowing. Steve and his family were here for the conference and stayed on thru today. They are leaving this morning, and to be honest, I can't hardly stand to see them go. It looks like I'm gonna be a weepy, clingy old man. Anyway, I haven't accomplished some of the things I had hoped I would, but on the other hand there have been some small accomplishments. Here's how I see my failures and accomplishments. I'm sure I'm over-looking some of my most glaring failures, but I've had 53 years of practice at it.

FAILURES:

Started okay, but failed to post reviews of the messages preached in the Bible Conf.

Took some pictures of speakers at the Bible Conf., but failed to post them.

Took pictures of Gordon Cloud during a luncheon with Steve and me, but failed to post them.

Tried to upload a video from You Tube and failed... twice.

Failed to read the blogs that I normally read every day.

Failed...again to make my children and grandchildren know how important they are to me, and how much I love them.

SUCCESSES:

Posted a review of the first message of the Bible Conf.

Uploaded pictures of J.D. Hatfield.

Moderated the conference without preaching before and after each sermon.(Almost)

Convinced Pastor Jimmy Strickland, one of the conference speakers, to help me mow two mornings strait. I might have him come back and preach a whole week this summer.(grin)

Begged, borrowed, dickered, and traded to successfully acquire two Chevy trucks.

2007-03-07T05:23:00.000-05:00

Bro. Jim Hatfield and Bro. me

Bro. Jim Hatfield and Bro. Steve Weaver

No, Halloween didn't come early this year. No, these are not production photos of another "Scary Movie" sequel. These are pictures taken last night featuring world famous pastor/writer/blogger, J.D. Hatfield. Bro. Jim graciously consented to allow his picture to be taken with pastor Steve Weaver and yours truly (me). I can't speak for Steve, but I feel that my years of struggle to become successful in ministry has (have?) finally paid off. I am on the pinnacle. There is nowhere to go but down from here.

Seriously, though, it was a blessing to meet and fellowship with Bro. Hatfield. My impression of him, from far too short a time together, was:

He is passionate about God.
He is passionate about the Word of God.
He loves the People of God.

If you are not currently reading Voice of Vision you should start now.

Bible Conference Summaries

2007-03-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't had time to post the summaries of the services as I intended, therefore check out my son Steve's excellent summaries of the services thus far. You can access his posts by clicking here.

REVIEW OF 1ST MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE CONFERENCE

2007-03-05T05:58:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful day on Sunday as we began our annual Bible Conference at the Way of Life Baptist Church. We enjoyed some Good singing by the River Jordan Quartet. The singing was great, but the highlight of this gathering was and is the preaching of the Word of God. Our souls were both fed and made hungry for more of God's precious truth.

The first message was by Pastor Jimmy Strickland. He preached from 2Cor. 7:2-16, showing to us the tender, pastoral heart of the apostle Paul as he wrote about how he had commanded the Church at Corinth to exercise Church discipline.

Paul had written to the Corinthians a letter of rebuke (1Corinthians) to correct some serious errors of both doctrine and practice. One very serious moral failure with which Paul dealt was that described in 1Cor. chapter 5. It was an example of gross, open sin that needed to be addressed by the church. However the Corinthians had not dealt with this sin. On the contrary, they were "puffed up" (v.2) and even "glorying" (v.6) in it.

Bro. Strickland helped us to see into Paul's heart as he wrote again to the Corinthians about this matter, only this time, not to rebuke them but to rejoice in the fact that they had received his instruction, obeyed it, and had made this matter right.

Paul had been grieved in his own spirit because he had had to write such a harsh rebuke to them. He didn't want to do it, but he had to do it. Bro. Strickland made the application of this by telling us that very often it would be much easier on a pastor to not have to deal with sin. It would be much easier not to practice Church discipline. It is not something that the pastor just wants to do. He leads his flock to exercise discipline because it is necessary for the spiritual health of the Church.

Also, Bro. Strickland spent a good deal of time dealing with the distinction between "godly sorrow" and "the sorrow of the world"(v.10). Another great theme of this message was the cause and effects of true repentance .

My review doesn't do this excellent message justice. Everyone seemed to agree that this was probably the best treatment of this passage that we had heard. My own personal reaction was:"Shoot! I wish I'da said that!"

I wish I had time to tell you about Bro. Steve Weaver's sermon on Nehemiah ch. 8 and Bro. Howard Estep's message on the Kingdom of God, but I gotta go mow. I'll try to write about the others later today if possible.

BIBLE CONFERENCE AT WAY OF LIFE BAPTIST CHURCH

2007-02-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

We have a Bible conference beginning this coming Sunday thru Wednesday. The guest speakers will be:

Pastor Steve Weaver from Lenoir City, Tn.

Pastor Jimmy Strickland from Clarksdale, Miss.

Bro. James Shutt from Savannah, Tn.

Bro. Howard Estep from Elizabethton, Tn.

Most of these men are not widely known, but they are faithful preachers of God's Word.

The only one who is widely known is Pastor Steve Weaver. I probably couldn't have gotten him to preach in such an insignificant place as this, but I know stuff on him. He'd better preach good, or I'll tell it. Wait a minute...He knows stuff on me too. Never mind.

IT'S MY PARTY

2007-02-26T08:33:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday and these guys threw me a surprise party early this morning. We had a delicious meal of grub worms.

I'M HURT

2007-02-22T05:29:00.000-05:00

I was pretty excited about the previous post. I thought it might resonate with some, surprise others, or at least generate a little bit of discussion. However, almost none of the above happened. As a matter of fact, according to my site meter, almost no one even read it. To be honest, that stings a little.

I offer my sincere thanks to the 4 or 5 of you who read it. I know it was long. I too am often guilty of either skimming or just plain not reading over-long posts. I guess I got what I deserved...

Do you feel sorry for me yet? Well, then READ THE STUPID THING!!!

ARE THE HEATHEN HUNGRY FOR THE GOSPEL?

2007-02-16T06:51:00.000-05:00

As an Independent Baptist intimately involved in missions, I have heard this assertion made on many occasions: "The people in (you supply the name of the country)are hungry for the Gospel." This claim is most often made in the hope of encouraging people to give financial support to a missionary or to a mission project. The missionary often backs up his claim by showing pictures of people eagerly accepting tracts, or he tells of the numbers of professions of faith he has had in evangelistic outreaches while on the field. Since independent missionaries are always in need of support, he seeks to put an image in the minds of his audience of multitudes of previously un-evangelized people clamoring for the Good News of salvation.

I don't mean to sound cynical here, but I think that the statement mentioned above, if examined by the Scriptures, will be seen to be false. Let me say right up front, that I DO believe:
A) That the Gospel is to be preached to everyone.
B) That Jesus has sheep in every people group and every language group. They are His sheep, and when they hear His voice, they WILL come to Him.
C)That there are times when the Spirit of God begins to work among people, through the faithful preaching of the missionary, so that numbers of people are swept into the Kingdom of God in a very short time.

However, I am compelled to say that both Scripture and my own experience disproves the assumption that unregenerate men are hungry for the Gospel. The Word of God is clear, at least to my understanding, that men in their natural condition are "...dead in trespasses and sins..."(Eph.2:1). The Bible says in Jn.6:44"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him..." Also in Romans 3:11, Paul quotes Psalm 14:1-3 and 51:1 when he gives this Divine assessment of man in his natural condition: "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Since the Word of God is our final authority, these passages make it abundantly clear that, even though many will be eager to accept a free Gospel tract, their attitude toward God and His Gospel may well be a different matter.

In my own personal experience, I have seen how this false assumption has been perpetuated. In January of 1984 I moved my family to Mexico to work with some veteran missionaries who had been on the field for a long time. They already had a large work going, so we were able to start to work immediately with them. They were good and sincere people. They loved the Mexican people and sacrificed much in order to bring the Gospel to them. I do not criticize them personally, however I am critical of their methods.

Being located in the northern part of Mexico, this work was easily accessible to church groups who wanted to visit a missionary and experience, first hand, what goes on on the mission field. When a group of visitors would come, the lead missionary would plan the time so that there would be very little time for rest. He would always make plans to take them to a village where we had never been before. This wasn't difficult because these remote villages abound in Mexico. He would always take a film, presumably to make it easier to get permission from the village chief, to have a service there. We would go around to all the houses witnessing and inviting the people to the evening service. The missionary would begin the service with a 'thank you' to the jefe for allowing us to have the meeting, and to the people for coming. Then he would start the movie(The Life of Christ or The Burning Hell or something similar). At the mid point of the movie he would stop the projector and tell the people that a pastor from the United States was going to speak to them about the Gospel. The Preacher would step forward and preach in English as the missionary interpreted in Spanish. This was strategic, in that the people wouldn't leave because they wanted to see the rest of the movie. When the preaching was concluded, the missionary would restate the Gospel, then ask:" How many of you want to go to heaven when you die?" Or, "How many of you want to be saved?" Usually a large number would raise their hands, sometimes the whole bunch would.(Even Catholics want to be saved and go to heaven when they die.) They would be divided into groups and be instructed to repeat a prayer after the missionary. To the missionary's credit, he did say,"If you meant that prayer you are saved."

While this is happening, the visitors are walking in the clouds. The pastor is thinking,"Man! I preached and a whole village got saved! That would never happen in the U.S. Just wait till I tell the folks back home about this." He, along with the rest of the group go away with the impression that this is the common, every day experience of missionaries. He goes back home and tells his Church and everyone he knows," In Mexico the people are hungry for the Gospel. We need to get all our resources channeled into this work because they are getting the job done!"

What this poor mistaken pastor doesn't know is, that a few days later, when a rookie missionary like yours truly, would go back to that same village(without films or gringos) to follow up on those professions of faith; it was almost impossible to get even one or two to come together for another preaching session. What happened? They seemed so eager at the first presentation of the Gospel. Why aren't they as enthusiastic now?

There are many minor reasons why they aren't willing to continue in their profession of faith. Some of them, no doubt, only came because of the novelty of the situation. They lived lonely, difficult lives, normally, and this was a welcome diversion from the daily grind. Others probably made a profession of faith simply because it seemed everyone was doing it. Still others, assumed that we were preaching the same thing that they had always heard. After all, we used the same terminology and names that their religion used. However, when they told their priest about what they had heard and done, and found out from him that it was not consistent with the teachings of Roman Catholicism, they abandoned their profession.

Those are minor reasons. The main reason, however, is that they had not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit as to who Jesus really is and what He demands. They had not been convicted of their wretched and hopelessly lost condition. They had not been irresistibly drawn to Him by the Spirit in repentance and surrender to His Lordship. There is no substitute for that. That only comes through faithfully praying for His power and anointing, and by the faithful proclamation of His Gospel, which is "...the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes..."

I don't like to say it like this, but I feel that I must. Both the villagers and the visitors became unwitting participants in the perpetuation of a false assumption. The assumption that it is much easier to "get people saved" in foreign lands. The reason many missionaries encourage this false-hood is financial.It speaks of quick results. That is what we want in our American Churches, and we will pay well for them. The truth is, that even on the foreign mission field, they need the same patient teaching, the same convicting work of the Holy Spirit, the same miracle of grace that so-called 'Gospel hardened' Americans need.

I know this has been a longer than normal post. There are still many things that I could say on this subject, but I guess I had better conclude for now. I want to close this post by sharing with you my reply when people would ask me how the people responded to my ministry on the mission field. I said:"They normally respond to my preaching exactly like Adam and Eve, after they had sinned, responded when they heard the Voice of God in the Garden of Eden: They try to hide in their own religion. Every once-in-a-while, though, He will follow them and call them to Himself."

SON OF GEARHEAD, CAN THESE PARTS CRUISE?

2007-02-14T15:10:00.000-05:00

...and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of Chevy parts... and lo, they were very rusty.('37 Chevy Service Manual)

WHY DO I DO LIKE I DO, DO, DO?

2007-02-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

I am sure that by now everyone has heard of the arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak on charges stemming from her cross country trip, allegedly for the purpose of harming a romantic rival.

I talked to a friend, this morning, who is closely involved in the shuttle program and has close contact with the astronauts. He, like everyone close to the case, expressed his shock and surprise at the actions of this young woman saying, " Something must have happened. She must have had a mental crash or something." He went on to tell of the remarkable work that she had done while on her earlier shuttle mission. This, I think, was meant as added evidence that some sort of break down must have occurred that caused her to act in the way she did.

I said,"My response, of course, is from a theological perspective. No matter how well educated and how well trained one is, or how much good one has done for humanity, according to the Bible, we are all sinners by nature." That includes all of us, not just the ones who have acted out publicly. We do bad things because we are bad.

Don't get me wrong. Miss Nowak might really need some psychological help. However, the fact that the possibility of committing unthinkable acts lies within the nature of everyone of us, should not be ignored. The cure for that is not psychological, but spiritual.

It seems that every time the media reports a moral failure in some celebrity or some spiritual or political leader, they report, almost in the same breath, that that person has entered counseling or rehab. This, very often, is nothing more than an attempt to shift the blame from one's moral character to either mental break down or chemical dependency. This is not only blame shifting, but it camouflages the real problem, which is sin.

You can counsel sin. You can suppress sin. You can try to control sin. You can even re-define sin as mental illness, or blame it on some dependency. But the only way to finally and forever deal with sin is to repent of it.

No one asked me for it, but I would give this advice to Miss Nowak or to anyone who has come face-to-face with the reality of their own depravity:
1) Seek Jesus through the the witness of those who know Him or through His Word.
2) Confess her actions as sin and herself a sinner.
3) Repent first of all privately before God, then publicly.
4)Surrender to the Lordship of Christ, trusting Him alone for salvation.
5) Identify herself with a body of faithful followers of Christ where she can be nurtured in the faith.

It is quite possible that, if she did that, she would find little or possibly no need for psychological help.

ON PRAYING FOR LOST LOVED ONES

2007-02-03T07:47:00.000-05:00

I said this in a previous post: "...we always practice what we really believe." The same can be said in this way: What we really believe governs our actions and attitudes. In no way is this truth more clearly and readily demonstrated than in our attitudes and actions concerning the lost.

As in-errantists we say that we believe all of the Bible is true. Even the unpopular parts like those that describe the sure and certain punishment of those who reject the Gospel of Jesus. However it seems that our actions and attitudes toward the ones who are sure to be the objects of the righteous wrath of God, don't match the horror that we profess to believe, that according to scripture, they are shortly to endure.

Jesus taught that hell (that's a word rarely heard from modern pulpits) is so horrible, that one would be better off to cut off his hand, or foot, or even pluck out his own eye, if through the sins relating to these, he would be cast into hell (Mk.9:43-48). What a terrifying prospect; to think of a place where there is no rest from the torture of eternal fire. Where the mercy of God will never again be experienced, and where the hope of a better tomorrow is always disappointed. It is a friendless and lonely place where their torments are the due reward of a wasted life and foolish rejection of the offer of grace.

This whole thought process became more clear to me last night and this morning as I thought on the wrath that abides on one who is near and dear to me. According to God's Word, the path that she is traveling is the "broad way...that leads to destruction" (Matt.7:13). As I prayed for her, I was rebuked in my spirit for how lightly I have taken the reality of her doom. Do I really believe that hell is a real place? Do I really believe what the Bible teaches about it? Am I really convinced that, at any moment, she could step into the abyss of eternal agony? If I really do believe it, where are my tears? Where are the hours of agonizing prayer for her soul?

Being a Bible believer, I know that there will not be a single soul in hell for whom Jesus died. However, I also know that God often uses the prayers of His people to melt the heart of the sinner. This is why I feel rebuked in my spirit; because, though I know these things, my heart is strangely lethargic, and lacking in the passion that should be the evidence of my knowledge.Especially when it concerns one that I love.

Here is the agonizing question that is tearing at my heart right now: How would I be able to go into my comfortable, climate-controlled house, lay on a soft bed with over-stuffed pillows and go to sleep, knowing that one that is dear to my heart is, at that very moment, screaming in torment?

The time will come when our loved ones will be forever beyond the help of our prayers and our tears for their souls. May God grant that we would have a passion for their souls now, while there is still hope, like we surely will have then, when there is no hope.

SHOOT ANOTHER MONKEY, I'VE BEEN TAGGED AGAIN

2007-02-02T05:20:00.000-05:00

It seems that, after experiencing the pith and power of your humble blogger(that's me), the world is curious as to how I keep the sharp edge on my wit and wisdom. Therefore, from time to time they tag me in a not-so-subtle attempt to discover my sources. Well, my friend, it won't work. My smarts are my own. I only read the writings of others to see if they got it right. Anyway, here 'tis.

HERE ARE THE RULES:

1. Grab the book closest to you.

2. Open to page 123; go down to the fourth sentence.

3. Post the text of the following three sentences.

4. Name the author and book title.

5. Tag three people to do the same.

HERE IS THE TEXT:

Instead of additional coal, according to L.P.Kirwan, each ship made room for a 1,200-volume library, "a hand organ, playing 50 tunes," china place settings for officers and men, cut-glass wine goblets, and sterling silver flatware. The officers' sterling silver knives were particularly interesting. The silver was of ornate Victorian design, very heavy at the handles and richly patterned.

THIS IS THE BOOK:

"LUKE VOLUME TWO: THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE TRUTH" by R.KENT HUGHES

I TAG:

R.C Sproul, Al Mohler, John Piper. Yes, they are all faithful readers of this blog. You didn't think they were just born smart, did you?

WHAT KIND OF CHEVY TRUCK WOULD I BE, IF I WERE A CHEVY TRUCK?

2007-01-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

The other day, I took a quiz to see what kind of Chevy truck I would be if I were a Chevy truck. They seemed to think that I would be a 2007 Silverado S/S. They don't know me like I know me. This is much closer to the truth. A 1935 Chevy pick up.
I don't want to leave the Ford lovers out. If I were a Ford truck, what would I be? Broken down! Hee, hee.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

2007-01-24T05:41:00.000-05:00

This week I am in Astatula, Florida. I am preaching each morning in a Bible conference at the Astatula Baptist Church. For that reason, I haven't had time to do a really for real post. I do, however, want to continue posting on some of my experiences and challenges as I served on the mission field. At some point, I intend to do a post on how to pray for a missionary. I realize that is nothing new, but I want to put in my two cents anyway.

Stay tuned and, if you have a moment, pray that our Lord will use me this week to glorify Him.

MISSIONS AND THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD'S WORD #2

2007-01-17T07:15:00.000-05:00

As promised in the previous post, I want to explain how difficult it can be to try to build a work for God on the mission field while being faithful to the conviction that His work can only be accomplished through prayer and the ministry of the Word.

My convictions on this matter were severely tested in many ways. One way in which they were tested was by my own selfish desire to hurry things along. This desire is particularly deceptive because it often masquerades as a desire to accomplish things for God's glory. However, by prayerful examination, it becomes clear that it is more akin to a desire for my own glory than for God's glory.I confess that in the pride of my heart, I longed for the gratification of a pat on the back for a job well done. Although I knew that if I would just be faithful to work in God's way, He would reward me; still, it's nice to be appreciated by men too. There is always that image in the back of the missionary's mind of being able to return to the states and tell of his accomplishments and his exploits to the amazement and the congratulations of his audience. This temptation must be resisted though, knowing that at the moment we win the approval of men, we loose the approval of God.

My convictions were also tested by the "apparent" success of those who didn't share my understanding of how missions should be carried out. There was an occasion when a group of Pentecostal missionaries came into the town in which we were living. They were there for about a week having "evangelistic" services each night. When they left at the end of the week, they had a church going with a pastor (who just one week before was an unsaved Roman Catholic) and a fairly large congregation.

Now that will make you examine your methods! I was not having that kind of instant success.That drove me back to the Word and prayer. In prayer, the Lord reminded me of the parable of the sower and the soils in Matt.13. He reminded me that plants in unprepared, rocky soil spring up quickly, and that weeds grow where there is no cultivation of the soil, but a fruitful and desirable crop requires hard work and careful cultivation. So, I survived to plant on for another day.

My resolves were tested by other missionaries also. Although we didn't live near other missionaries, there were others within a two or three hour drive. One who had been on the field for more than twenty years, sent word that he wanted to talk to me. When I went to his house, he began to show me the statistics he had been keeping on the responses to his ministry. He pointed out that the numbers clearly showed that the response was much greater when he showed films than when he preached. He said:"Based on these numbers I am changing over almost exclusively to movies in my evangelism." He went on to offer his services to me, to show his films in my works to help me get more results in my ministry.

That kinda put me on the spot. I didn't want to be critical of his ministry, but at the same time, I felt I had to refuse his offer. "Why not?" he said. "The numbers speak for themselves. Don't you want to have more people saved?" (My opinion on that question would require another post, so I won't go into detail here.) I said; "Of course I want to see more people saved, but I determined when I came to the field, that I wanted to see if God would still build a 'work' through prayer and the preaching of His Word alone like He did before movies were available." This is no exaggeration. He exploded! He verbally attacked me, my ministry, my motives and my methods. I tried to remain calm, as I said;"Brother, if you are convinced in your heart that this is the way God is directing your ministry, then I will not criticize you for it.(I guess I kinda lied on that one, because I have been critical of his methods.Sorry!) However that is not the way God has directed my ministry so thanks, but no,thanks."

Mission work is spiritual warfare, folks; and..." the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." (2Cor.10:4 )

MISSIONS AND THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD'S WORD

2007-01-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

I made this assertion in the post entitled"Why Would a Calvinist Go To The Mission Field?": "The Calvinist knows that the Word of God is sufficient and powerful enough in itself to effectively bring men to Christ. This I say by experience: He may be the only preacher on the field who has complete confidence in the power and sufficiency of the Bible he preaches to accomplish God's holy work."

I can say this by experience because I have been there and have personally witnessed the bag of tricks that many men use on the mission field in order to get results. Pragmatism is alive and well in modern missionary enterprise. Our supporters demand results. Quick results. And we had better produce them, or we will be in danger of loosing our financial backing. Men like Carey and Judson who labored long before seeing their first convert would not fit in well with modern missionary expectations.

I certainly don't intend to try to present myself as a model missionary. While on the field, I fell far short of my own expectations, not to mention God's standard. However, I can only speak of my own experiences and my own understanding of how missionary activity should be carried out according to the Scriptures. In this post, I want to give you a brief look at a few of the principles that guided my efforts on the mission field.

#1. Jesus said ..."I will build my Church..." Therefore, I will labor according to the principles of His Word knowing that He is faithful who promised.

#2.All through history, God's men have succeeded in ministry using the means of prayer and the preaching of the Word. Therefore I will use those means only, knowing that whatever is accomplished will be His work and not mine.

#3.Paul said in Rom 1:16 " For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." The Gospel of Christ is sufficient to bring men to saving faith. I will trust it's power and resist the temptation to try to "help it" by any artificial means.

#4.The results are His business, not mine. He has commanded me to go and preach, so I will go. If, through my preaching, people are saved, I will praise Him. However, if I obediently go and faithfully preach, and no one is saved, I will still praise Him because the results are His business. My responsibility is only to obey, not produce results. I can't save anyone anyway.

Please don't assume that it is easy to be faithful to these standards. they were severely and often tested. Tomorrow, the Lord willing, I will relate some of the ways in which these convictions were tested.

WHY WOULD A CALVINIST GO TO THE MISSION FIELD?

2007-01-09T07:19:00.000-05:00

The other day I had a conversation with a pastor who had invited me to preach in a Bible conference at the church where he is the pastor. Knowing something of his background and having heard him say a few disparaging things about Calvinism, I thought it to be only right that I should tell him up front that I am a Calvinist. (I don't necessarily like the term Calvinist, but I use it here because most people will be able to easily identify my doctrinal position.) He asked how long I had been a Calvinist and I said, "always" (Not always in the sense that I was born knowing and loving the doctrines of grace, but always in the sense that I have always been a Calvinist since he has known me.). He said something like, "You mean you were a Calvinist when you went to the mission field?" "Yes I was", I said.

It seemed that he could hardly believe that a Calvinist would be a missionary. That's because he had been led to believe ,as many others seem to believe, that Calvinism is inconsistent with evangelism. Nothing could be further from the truth! I am aware that there are some who have miss-applied the doctrines of grace and allowed their flawed thinking to make them hyper-Calvinists who do not see the need for evangelizing the lost. However a truth-loving honest Calvinist cannot help but obey the "great commission".

Here are some reasons why I believe that a Calvinist would go to the mission field. Hey! There are 5 of 'em! Ain't that a coinkydink?

1. The Calvinist views the "great commission" as a command, not as a suggestion.
Although he believes such doctrines as total depravity, unconditional election, and particular redemption; these truths, contrary to what many say, do not kill his willingness to evangelize. He hears his Master say:
Mar 16:15 ..."Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." So, he goes. He takes his Lord's words as an happy obligation and preaches the good news to every creature. He holds no doctrinal position that would release him from his obligation to obey a direct command of his Lord.

2. For every child of God and especially for the Calvinist, proclaiming the gospel is the natural result of having experienced saving grace. Having been regenerated from death to life, and having understood and experienced the saving grace of God through the effectual working of the Holy Spirit, one cannot help but tell it to others. Saul of Tarsus (later renamed Paul) began to preach Christ immediately after his conversion (Acts 9:20). Someone has said "Evangelizing is one beggar telling other beggars where he found bread."

3. The Calvinist knows that the doctrine of election guarantees that there are "other sheep" in whatever people group he is evangelizing.
Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Because of this he is encouraged knowing that his labor is not in vain. God will use his faithful preaching to bring His people to Himself.

4. The Calvinist knows:
A. That the preaching of the cross is God's appointed means for saving those who believe.
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
So he, with joy and passion, preaches it.

B. That the Word of God is sufficient and powerful enough in itself to effectively bring men to Christ. This I say by experience: He may be the only preacher on the field who has complete confidence in the power and sufficiency of the Bible he preaches to accomplish God's holy work.

5. The man who best knows the doctrines of grace is one who has glimpsed something of the glory and majesty of our high and holy God. He is so awed by God's glory that he wishes he had a thousand tongues with which to praise Him, but alas! he has but one. So he goes forth convinced that God is worthy of much more praise than he alone is able to give. He preaches the good news longing to reach others who will join their hearts and tongues with him and with all those who worship the God of glory. His daily consuming desire is for one more different voice in the choir sounding forth it's unique note as it sings God's praise. One more heart that is captivated and awed by His majesty, and one more witness to His truth so that still others may hear and join the chorus of praise.

In conclusion, it is my opinion that it is the Calvinist who has the right message, the right method, and the right motivation for scriptural missionary activity.

A COUPLE OF GOOFY LOOKIN' PICTURES

2007-01-07T16:03:00.000-05:00

These are the grandpuppies. This is the closest I was able to come to a good picture of them all together. As of today there are 8 of them, but Steve's wife, Greta could deliver #9 (a girl) at any moment.

This is a picture of the 3 stooges . I don't know what they are laughing at. They are usually more solemn and respectful.

OKAY I'M BACK!

2007-01-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

Actually I've been home for over a week, but I have had sermons to prepare and deliver as well as 2 weeks worth of grass to mow. The blessing of living in Florida is that you get to enjoy lawn care year round.

Also I'm preparing to preach a Bible conference in Astatula, Fla. later this month. All this is difficult for a lazy guy like me.

Hopefully I'll get a new post up by Monday. Thanks for being patient with me.

MAY I HAVE THIS FOR CHRISTMAS, PLEEEESE?

2006-12-25T11:47:00.000-05:00

Just asking.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM PARADISE

2006-12-24T05:55:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all my blogbuddies. Hope you all get to spend time with your families this week.

Jan and I are headed to Tennessee on Tuesday. Elizabeth and her two boys are going along with us so, the Lord willing, the whole family can be together one more time. That is such a rare thing these days.

Let's remember to pray for and give thanks for our troops who are fighting our enemies "over there" so we don't have to fight them over here.

FOR CHRISTMAS MY KIDS ARE GETTING A FEW GIFTS AND MOST OF THEIR INHERITANCE

2006-12-15T05:52:00.000-05:00

They didn't ask me for it. Unlike the prodigal son of Luke ch.15, my children haven't come to me asking that I go ahead and give them the portion of goods that will be theirs at my passing. It was my own decision. This year I am giving them most of their inheritance.

Before your imagination runs away with you as you wonder how much it will be and if I am so financially well off that I can give most of it away and live on what's left... I must tell you that it isn't money. It isn't property either seeing that I don't own even a square inch of land anywhere on this earth. As far as earthly possessions go, I have very little to give them that would have any monetary value.

What, one might ask, is the inheritance that you are giving to your kids ? I warn you, this isn't going to be very exciting: The inheritance I'm giving my three children is worn out Bibles.

I had 3 shadow boxes made large enough to hold a Bible. To Steve, the first born, I am giving my first "preaching Bible". To Jeremy, the second born, my second "preaching Bible. To Elizabeth, the baby and only girl, I'm giving the third "preaching Bible".

These Bibles have no monetary value to anyone. To me, however, they represent something far more valuable than money that I want to pass down to my children. When and/or if they remember me when I have gone from this earth, I want them to remember that, with all my failures, my life was dedicated to the preaching of God's Word.

I think all parents would agree that parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances. It comes with a built-in guilt trip. As I look back over the last 28 years of my life as a minister, my failures nag at me and remind me that I haven't always been the best dad. I could have been kinder and more understanding with them as they grew up. I wish I hadn't been so determined to get everything "right" that I took away some of their freedom to just be kids. There were thousands of down right stupid things that I'm trying hard to forget, am hoping that they won't hold them against me.

At times during their childhood, my children were forced to live in less than ideal conditions (while on the mission field and while preparing to go to the field). I hope that when they see these worn out Bibles, that they will be reminded that we were in those conditions because their mother and I were trying to serve God and His gospel as best we could.

My prayer is that my flickering, faltering passion for God and His Word has and will infect my children with a greater passion than I have ever shown, and that they will in turn infect their children with that same passion. Then, one day in a better land, if Jan and I can gather our children and grandchildren together at the feet of Jesus, and join them in singing "Thou art worthy"; I will know that this was the best inheritance I could have left them.

BELATED DOXO B.DAY

2006-12-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Jeremy's birthday, the big three- ooo! Sorry I'm a day late Jeremy.

You've crossed the hump and life goes by faster and faster as you go down hill from here. (Just a word of encouragement.) Happy belated birthday Jerms.

THE WAY WE LIVE GOVERNS THE WAY WE PRAY

2006-12-07T08:04:00.000-05:00

For a while now, on Wednesday evenings, I have been taking one of the Psalms each time and just touching on the highlights of the Psalm as an encouragement to prayer. The Psalms are filled with examples of prayer as well as instruction. The writers are real people with real problems, fears, and doubts. We are permitted to listen in as they bring their praise and their requests to God.

Last week, as I was meditating on Psalm 17, I was blown away by both the tone and the content of David's prayer, especially by the first four verses. Here read them for yourself.

Psa 17:1 Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Psa 17:2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
Psa 17:3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Psa 17:4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

See what I mean? David is asking God to hear his prayer based on his own personal integrity, rightness and innocence. Now we all know that David would never make any claim to sinless perfection, but in this instance, he claims to be clean.

How could anyone , even a pre-Bathsheba David be bold enough to pray this way? I think the reason that David could pray this way is that as far as his claim to personal integrity went, it was true. There are at least 3 very important things that had characterized David's life up to that point. (This Psalm was probably written during the time when he was fleeing from Saul.) Three things that he constantly practiced, that made it possible for him to pray this way.

First and most importantly, he worshiped God. God's own testimony of him was:"...I have found David... A man after mine own heart..."(Acts13:22) David spent much time in communion with God. He knew God's heart and sought to model it in his own life. He lived with a constant awareness of God. He lived his life before the Lord. Psalm 8 brings to my mind an image of young David, the shepherd, sitting on a Judean hill looking into a vast, starlit sky and worshiping the God who is great enough to make it all; yet is merciful enough to condescend to lowly man. When one lives like that, there are no impediments to prayer.

Also, David was careful. He tried always face every trial in a way that would most glorify God. He was careful not to seek his own advancement. He was careful not to act rashly, even when men would say he was justified in doing so. One of the greatest examples of this is his treatment of Saul while he was trying to kill David. On at least two occasions, it appeared that God had delivered Saul into David's hands. The occasion at En-gedi illustrates David's carefulness. David and his men are in a cave. Saul, not knowing that David and his men are in the cave, goes in to take a break(?). While he is there and very vulnerable, David is encouraged by his men to take advantage of the situation. "God has delivered your enemy into your hands" they say. David refuses to harm Saul, but he does cut off a part of Saul's robe. Then David's heart convicts him for even going that far in "Touching the Lord's anointed". When one is that careful with his actions and attitudes; when one is that sensitive in his heart, there will be no hindrance to prayer.

The third characteristic of David's young life, that enabled him to pray with such boldness, was his utter dependence on God. When David faced Goliath, he did not go with Saul's armour. He refused the armour not because it didn't fit, for surely there was armour available that would have fit his size. He refused the armour because it represented a dependence on human ingenuity. He wanted every one to know who the real Protector of Israel was. He went to battle the giant depending on God.

When David faced Saul at En-gedi after the robe trimming incident, he explained his refusal to harm Saul in this way:

1Sa 24:12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

David knew that God had anointed him to be king. He knew that one day he was destined to sit on the throne of Israel. Even so, he would not put forth his hand to take it for himself. He would wait for God to do it in His time and in His way. One whose life is characterized by utter dependence on God will be able to pray boldly.

The point of all this rambling is this: The way we live is vitally connected to the way we pray. We can't live sloppy, half-hearted, semi-worldly lives and expect to pray in holy boldness. Because of the way David lived, he was able to come before God with confidence. Or as someone has said: "As a son seeking approval rather than as a criminal seeking pardon."

"The whole life must pray"(Tozer), not just our lips.

IS BETA REALLY BETTER? HMMM?

2006-12-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

I changed the blog to Beta today. The reason I changed is that I noticed a few comments on other blogs that were complaining about having trouble commenting on blogs that had not switched yet. So I figured that's why I'm not getting hundreds of comments on my thought provoking and oft times controversial posts.

Another reason is that every time I go to my dashboard, it tries to convince me to change. I'm weak. I didn't wanna do it, but I doed it.

Reason number next is that, according to 'them', Blogger in Beta is better than Blogger in Blogger. Yeah, really! It says you can drag and drop stuff. Really! I'm not kiddin'.
Folks, to be honest with you, I don't have a clue about draggin' anything on the computer, but I'm sure if I do drag it, I'll prolly drop it.

And finally, I changed 'cause they said that within a couple of months everyone would be required to change. I would have refused, but it's just not the hill I want to die on.

Hope it doesn't cause you any trouble trying to access this blog or comment. O.K. Open the flood gates! Let the responses flow!

WAY TOO CLOSE TO HOME

2006-12-04T04:45:00.000-05:00

One Monday morning after having been especially blessed during the previous day's worship service at the church he attended, a barber discovered that his first customer of the day was a Presbyterian pastor. When he finished the pastor's haircut, the barber refused payment. The next morning when he opened his shop, he found a beautiful thank-you note from the pastor whose hair he had cut for free.

Later that day, he found that one of his patrons was a Southern Baptist pastor. He still had a warm glow in his heart from his experience with the pastor of the previous day, so when he finished with this pastor's hair, he again refused payment. The pastor was very appreciative, and the next morning when the barber arrived at his shop, he found on his door a thank-you note and a gift card for lunch at a local restaurant from the Southern Baptist pastor. His heart almost overflowed as he thought to himself "You can't out-give God".

Later that day an Independent Baptist pastor came into the shop and again, the barber refused payment saying "God has blessed me for not charging two other pastors so I won't charge you either". The next morning as he neared his shop he found..............Fifteen Independent Baptist preachers wanting a free haircut.

AN ALMOST UNIVERSAL HERESY EXPOSED AND EXPLODED

2006-12-01T07:18:00.000-05:00

I've had all I can stands andI can't stands no more (ht Popeye)! I have tried to keep silent about this, but it seems that no one else is going to confront this almost universally voiced theo-historical lie!

While so many in the blogosphere are battling insignificant things like Lordship salvation, antinomianism and such, a horrible heresy is being voiced all across the world, and no one seems to care. Well, I care! And by jimeny(Sorry. Didn't mean to swear.)I'm gonna thunder out the truth even if it costs me my head!

What is this grievious falsehood that is so widely taught and so universally ignored? I'm glad you asked. It seems that almost everywhere I hear or read some one refering to the humble birth of Jesus, they always say that He was born in a manger. Nuh-uhh! He was born in a stable and laid in a manger.

Whew! I said it!I guess I 'm feeling a little bit like Martin Luther must have felt as he put it all on the line to rescue truth from evil hands of heretics. Both at peace and at the same time a little bit scared. But we have to choose our battles, and folks, I am ready to go to the wall for this one. Besides, all the really good stuff to fight about has already been taken by guys like Centuri 0 n,
Dan Phillips, Phil Johnson, Jeremy, and Daniel at Doulogos.

THE NEWEST OLD THING: RAT RODS

2006-11-30T06:25:00.000-05:00

Last week (Wednesday-Saturday) I was in Daytona at the annual Turkey Run car show. This event is held inside the Daytona Speedway, and is one of the largest car shows in the country. This year there were 5,150 participants. That's a lot of cars! Which makes it almost heaven for a gear head like me.

I know I need to quit the car thing, but...but I like 'em. I think I know exactly how Eve must have felt in the Garden of Eden when she looked at the forbidden fruit. She knew she shouldn't. But it was soooo nice and beautiful and desirable. So... she took it. That was me at the car show. If I didn't look, I could resist the temptation to buy quite easily. But I looked. I looked until I could have looked my eyes away(ht Spurgeon).

I didn't buy anything, however, because my car didn't sell. Phooey! But I did see some really cool stuff. I had intended to take some pictures for the blog, but I forgot my camera every day. Phooooey!

The cars that caught my attention the most were "rat rods". Rat rods are a throw back to the days when most of us couldn't afford to have a really nice car, so instead of spending money on the appearance, the drive train (motor, tranie,rear end) received the attention. I think maybe nostalgia is the driving force behind the old car craze.

Anyhoo, these are some pictures of rat rods that I gleaned from other places. Take care as you look at these pictures. Your past is comin' to getcha.

By the way, I suppose that you have noticed that all the cars pictured above are dirty low down Fords. If you will look closely, however, you can see that they each have Chevy motors. They were built Ford tough using Chevy stuff!

REJOICE!!! YOU HAVE ARRIVED!

2006-11-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Hopefully you have noticed the changes on my sidebar. There are a number of new links and updated older links. Congrats to the new ones! You have hit the "Big Time"! Be sure and notify all those who said you'd never amount to much.

There is a down side to your new found celebrity, though. Your life has peaked. It's all down hill from here.

A NON-DRAMATIC STORY OF DEALING WITH DEMONS

2006-11-16T06:36:00.000-05:00

While checking out some blogs that I like to read, I came upon this post by Scott Hill http://fide-o.blogspot.com. It reminded me of an incident that occurred a few years ago in Mexico while I was serving as a missionary there.

A Mexican Independent Baptist pastor, who was serving a church in Veracruz, came to visit me one day. This was a bit unusual, considering that he had ridden a bus over 90 miles to get to my house. Since indigenous pastors are notoriously poor, I wondered why he had sacrificed his meager resources just to come for a visit.

The mystery was soon cleared up, though, as he began to tell me that he had a serious problem with a member of his church. He said "We have a brother in the church that is demon possessed. He is fine during the day time, but as it begins to get on toward evening, he begins to scream and cry and even curse. This goes on until morning. By then he is so tired that he has to sleep and can't work." He went on to say,"I am trying to get a group of faithful Christians together to come to Veracruz and have an all-night prayer meeting with this brother in order to cast the demon out of him. Will you help?"

That kinda put me on the spot because I had never cast out a demon before. I had never advertised myself as a demon caster outer, nor did I have any desire to learn about casting out demons. However, I did and do believe that demons exist. I believe that they are against God and His purposes. I believe that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. I believe as Paul said in Eph.6:12 that we "Wrestle....against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." But here is what I don't believe: I don't believe that Satan or his minions have any inherent power. They have no power other than what is given to them.

With that in mind, my response to this sincere pastor's request was fourfold:

#1 Stop calling him brother, because, if it is true that he is possessed, he is not a brother in Christ.

#2 Neither Satan himself nor his demons have the ability nor the authority to possess anyone at their whim. Satan cannot take it upon himself to knock down a person's will and take over without permission from God and/or that person.(Isn't it strange that people are willing to grant that power to Satan, who is not sovereign, but not to God who is?) See the 1st two chapters of Job. Although Job in this text was not being "possessed", he was being attacked. However, the principle is clearly taught here that the Devil cannot do just anything without permission. He couldn't touch Job's possessions without permission and he couldn't touch Job' s person without permission, and even then, Satan's boundaries are clearly set.

#3 Without a doubt, this man has opened a door in his life to let those demonic influences in. Find out where the door is open, exhort him to repent of that sin thereby closing the door to satanic influences, exhort him to seek Christ for salvation, and the demon will be gone.(James4:7) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

#4No amount of praying, pleading the blood, or rebuking the devil, will do any good if he is unwilling to repent of sin, trust Christ, and resist the devil.

Well, the pastor left my house not a little offended. I dare say that he was hoping for a very dramatic and emotional experience that he would be able to tell about for years to come. A tale of spiritual warfare in which he and a few holy men of God prayed all night, confronted the demon, rebuked him in the name of Jesus and pitched him out on his ear. But, if he took my advice, there would be very little drama. No possibility of humbly shaking hands with the brethren while proudly saying "We did it! We cast out a demon!"

THE CONCLUSION OF THE STORY

I didn't hear from the pastor for a while, until we met at an area wide youth meeting. He came to me and said that he hadn't cared much for my advice at first, but as he thought about it, he began to think it was worth a try. He began to investigate and found that the family of the young man was deeply involved in the occult: fortune telling, astrology and such. After making a profession of faith, he had distanced himself from his family's satanic practices for a while, but soon the temptation was too great and he began to participate again. That's when the problem started. The pastor told me that when they confronted him about this, he confessed, repented, surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, moved out of the house where the temptation was and had no more trouble with demons. No drama. Just simple obedience to the Word of God.

CHECK THIS OUT!

2006-11-15T06:06:00.000-05:00

Dan Philips has written a brilliant, and somewhat confrontational defence of Calvinistic dispensationalism. It is well written and articulate. Since I could never treat the subject nearly as well; please read this post.

Biblical Christianity: Twenty-five stupid reasons for dissing dispensationalism

NEWS FLASH!!! THE DOXOBLOGIST TO PREACH AT SMALL LOCAL CHURCH

2006-11-12T06:14:00.000-05:00

Although his booking agency normally doesn't allow him to appear in insignificant venues of congregations less than 1000, the Doxoblogist, aka Jeremy Weaver, has made an exception and agreed to preach at Way of Life Baptist Church.

"I guess I can make an exception just this once" said the Doxoblogist, " as long as you understand that if I say anything smart or quotable,the quote will be my property and cannot be used without giving me proper credit and financial consideration".

To this I hastily agreed saying,"Sure, Jeremy, if you say anything smart, we'll be glad to pay you for it."

I LOVE THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE

2006-11-10T10:53:00.000-05:00

I love the Doctrines of Grace. By Doctrines of Grace I am referring to the system of thought that is often known by the nickname Calvinism. They are as follows:

Total Depravity or total inability

Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption

Irresistible Call or Effectual call

Perseverance in Grace

Many people are terrified of these truths, I believe, simply because they dethrone man and his 'free will', and enthrone God and His sovereignty. But hey! That's the very reason I love them.

Left to myself, I would never have sought Him. Left to my free will, I would have sought only my own pleasure. But ,thanks be unto God, I was not left to myself. He, who set His love on me before the foundation of the world(Eph.1:4), not only paid for my sins in Christ; He orchestrated all the circumstances of my life to lead me to a saving surrender to His amazing grace (Rom.8:28-30).

The effect this truth has on me is to cause me to fall before Him, to take my place in the dust as a helpless, repentant sinner, and to acknowledge His right to sit upon the throne of His glory.

I love the Doctrines of Grace because they teach me to worship. This is the essence of true worship: To see Him as He is and myself as I am. When that happens I cannot help but worship.

WHAT I'M UP TO RIGHT NOW (IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED)

2006-11-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

This is my current project. It is a 1968 Nova. I am trying to get it ready to take to the Turkey Run at Daytona Thanksgiving week. Hopefully, it won,t be coming back home with me.

This is a'66 Nova that I sold recently unfinished.

This is a '55 Chevy that I sold a few months ago. Shoulda kept it.

This week, I am preaching Sunday morning, Monday night, and Tuesday night at Faith Baptist Church outside of Lakeland ,Fl.

Brethren, pray for me!