Forget Spanish

I had been recommending young people learn Spanish in high school and college, because of our growing Spanish population and the areas we go nearby on mission trips have a significant Spanish-speaking population. However, it looks like the Chinese are about to own the good ole USA if we don't learn and adapt "Dave Ramsey"-type financial ethics real quick. We've been selling out. Imagine a Great Wall around P'cola Beach.

Impact or Compact?

Many Christians have amassed a great amount of Bible knowledge. A faithful follower of Christ needs to be dispensing of all that knowledge. We can either impact our culture for Jesus Christ by sharing Who we know, or we can compact all that we know and become spiritually constipated and of no use to God.

Proud Papa

It has been an incredible last few days! One month before the due date Jessica and Ricky had their first baby(August 10th): Landon James. For those that don't know, Jessica & Ricky were teenage sweethearts when Living Truth started meeting in a living room nine years ago. We are proud for them and the grandparents Pat&Robbie Ropella, as well as Robbie&Tara Turner. ---But I was a proud papa also this weekend as I watched my kids: Melanie, Joshua, Jordan on stage give testimony of how they had opportunity to minister alongside other young people this past month to kids at local apartments. They shared the love of Jesus with kids and some came to Christ. I know our heavenly Father beamed as many of you were out in the community lately sharing Jesus' love by helping people and just being Jesus to this community by showering love in many different ways. I was also proud to hear how Rey, Melanie, and Rikie shared testimonies with the youth this weekend that were powerful and effective. Some youth came to know the LORD as a result of caring youth workers and these testimonies. God is a proud Papa when we make His name famous by doing good for others. This is what His church is to be known for. Keep up the good work. God has prepared us in advance to do good works. Make Him proud.

One Thing

In the movie "City Slickers" Curly talked about the one thing. Here is one thing that could help our walk be simpler, if we would take heed.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
All who follow His precepts have good understanding,
To Him belongs eternal praise.---Ps.111:10The Bible truly flows as one book. The simple statement “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” gives man a simple understanding of how to live for the LORD. If we respected and revered God the way we should; knowing that He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent we would live obedient lives. ( For example, consider the things we do (defiant sin) as if an all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God didn’t know about it or see it; and He won’t do anything about it.) Although we today are saved by grace through faith, true love is shown to our Savior through our obedience. So the Psalmist says “All who follow His precepts have good understanding.” Those that obey the truth God has hidden in their hearts are on the right track. Finally, “to Him belongs eternal praise.” There is this reminder that God will receive praise from His people forever. Fear (respect, revere, live in awe) of the LORD for that is a good rule of thumb for life! Talk to Him throughout the day, because He is ever-present. Practice for forever.

Disenfranchised

I'm still really trying to grasp an understanding of the atheist. Sincerely, my heart goes out to one that has faith and belief in nothingness. I know they say that my belief is based on my need to believe in Something, but there is some logic, not to mentions the trails of evidence I believe our Creator has left behind. Without getting into things like First Cause and the Watchmaker theory, which are logical arguments for a Creator; I turn to the person that leans on the crutch of atheism. What happened to my fellow journyman in the world to lead them down this path of hopelessness? It is a path of nothingness if we believe this all leads to just a hole in the ground for us at the end. Nothing really matters. So what happened? I have much more studying and listening to do, but I followed the comments of an atheist's blog the other day, and then checked his bio. It was interesting to find that as a child he had been indoctrinated into Jehovah Witness' teachings. ---Honestly, that might have turned me into an atheist. I'm wondering, not judgmentally, I'm just wondering if many have been disenfranchised with faith, because they have run into counterfiets to true Christianity. One thing I do know, is this guy was truly bothered that alleged Christians didn't live out thier beliefs. ---This old guy was once a young guy that never saw truly what it means to follow Christ. Now he claims to be an atheist. They even have a club! So there are a whole bunch of disenfranchised people out there, and I don't think they are weirdos. What can we do to help? They are people, like you and me on the journey. I want to hear why they believe what they believe, because they do believe something. Everyone does. Disenfranchised means to not be a citizen any more, to not be able to vote. God created us to have a relationship with Him, and there are some good folks that we know outside that relationship or citizenship (if you will). The atheist is not the enemy. The atheist is a person...a person that has been disenfranchised for some reason or another. Don't be that reason. I'm on a mission. I want to listen. I want to understand. I want them to get franchised...become a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Love looks like the best route.

Big Honkin Deal

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written bythe prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."-Luke 18:31-33

Okay, so Jesus told them all that would happen before it happened, and it was everything that the prophets had already said long ago. Is it just me or is this more than a big, honkin deal? It goes back to God says and God does as He pleases. I'm sorry. I'm really trying to understand athiests, but I can't get past the evidence.

Prize Fighter

How often have you given in to temptation, and asked God to forgive you; and somewhere in that prayer appealed to God to forgive you because 'He knows your heart.'? Indeed, God knew King David as "a man after His own heart." Yet David flubbed up on several occasions. This does not give us an excuse and free right to sin. It is just an understanding of the process called sanctification. {Being made holy-simple definition}We are being made to look like the image of Christ daily. Daily challenges come that are meant to sharpen us. It is in our continual struggle with sin and obedience to God that sanctification does its work. ---Put up a fight! Don't yield so easily to temptation. Be set apart. Look like Jesus more and more every day. "...press on toward the goal to win the prize." Don't give up so easy. Don't say "that's just the way I am." Fight daily and fight to win! (suggested reading Phiippians 2&3)