A plea for revival in America

II Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

This scripture has commonly and correctly been referenced to speak of the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit of God regarding the rapture of the church and subsequent departure of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I do not wish to diminish that thought today, but as I have read and heard of the tragedy in Connecticut and the horrible act of wickedness, the taking of so many lives, I could not help but see this scripture from a different perspective. 

The wicked one, the adversary of righteousness, is alive and well today and active on planet Earth. Many will ask why or how something like this could happen if there really were a God in heaven. The question that should be asked is, "How much more will we remove God from our lives and allow these things to take place more and more?" Without the authority of God and His word ever-present and at work in the world today, it would be far worse. The power of God lived out in His people acts as an influence in society. This influence was once a prevailing force in society, when the truth of the Bible was revered, the holiness of God was respected. Now we watch as that influence is diminished in society by the dilution of political correctness and globalism. The concentration of all that at one time was good and right in America has now been watered down to a cloudy scum pond fostering the growth of immorality and violence. As we have, for all intents and purposes, taken God out of the way, what is left to stem the tide of these actions in our land?

O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

The best view of the best shooting stars, ever

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays! Oh forget that...Merry Christmas! It is my favorite time of the year. It is for a lot of people, but for me, Christmas highlights why I love to be a "family" man. Many will say that Christmas is just for children. Sorry, I'm not going for that. Because Christmas is about a person, not all of the stuff and fluff, everyone can and should enjoy the blessedness of the season. Anyway, with all of our traditions and their corresponding memories, I find it so easy to love being a husband and father. I so enjoy time spent together and giving of gifts, etc. etc.

Well, last night I was reminded how totally awesome it is to be a daddy and it really had nothing to do with Christmas. After getting home from coaching my son's basketball team (great stuff all by itself), and seeing on Twitter that many friends were out watching the meteor shower, we headed out the back door. Now, I have always loved where we live because we have always had a great sky view, but last night was perfect. The sky was cloudless and because we live in the boondocks, we have little to no light pollution. Before long, there were four bodies side by side by side, me and my three kids, laying flat on our deck with nothing but wide open sky and the Geminids straight up. All of us were sharing one huge quilt, and there we lay for over a half hour. We "Ooohed" and "Aaahed", counted, compared, and shivered. The only thing that hindered our view of the night sky was the thick clouds of our own breath. We scooched as tightly together as we could to keep warm and laughed at how cold and crazy we were.

In spite of the 27 degrees, I forgot how cold I was for a while as I laid there listening to the wonder and excitement of three people that bring the same to me. I was reminded of the great privilege I have had to be a part of God's great plan for three people who, I am sure, will change the world; three individuals with the awareness of a great God, His awesome creative power, and His ability and desire to create something wonderful in them. I was reminded how great it is to spend time together without a TV, DVD, Wii, or anything else; just each other, a blanket, and a God who loves us. It could be said that last night was exceptionally special for one of my kids who said, "Don't you know? It is my lifelong dream to see a shooting star?" Well, there was her dream come true, but from my Perspective, my dreams came true 19, 17, and 12 years ago, and I am reminded that they keep coming true as I watch my children, like shooting stars, burn brightly across the sky of my life, unfortunately far too quickly.

Above and beyond the call of duty.

Merry Christmas everyone! It is truly my favorite time of the year. During this great season, I walk the razor's edge of emotions and it seems that everything touches my heart. I was doing some reading this morning and came across this great news piece about an NYPD officer who performed an incredible act of kindness. I quickly shared the article on Facebook, as I know several law enforcement officers and I knew the positive publicity would be encouraging. Unfortunately, in this day of cell phone videos and greedy lazy people looking for a way to make a name or get rich quick, the internet is full of stories about the "bad apples". One of my Facebook friends made the comment, "That is definitely an example of going above and beyond the call of duty." And I totally agree. I am so impressed by a law enforcement officer displaying such compassion for a citizen "down on his luck". I see it not as an act of professionalism, but as an act of humanity. 

Last Sunday I preached a sermon entitled, "A Heart for Humanity" and my mind is still filled with the spirit of that message. It was equally for me and my church. That being said, I could not help but be overwhelmed with this thought...That IS our call of duty. Sure, for this officer, it would definitely be an out-of-the-box approach to his job, that is, unless he has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Frances Chan, author of Crazy Love, asks this question; "How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ...?" He poses this question after referencing the scripture Matthew 25:45, "Inasmuch as ye did it not unto the least of these, ye did it not to me."

My call of duty as a born again believer is to give meat to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and last but not least, shoe the shoeless (my words, not scripture). My hat's off to officer Lawrence DePrimo, but for each of God's children this singular act of kindness should be an example of our lifestyle of compassion. 

The rite of passage

I have been silent for quite some time, blog-o-sphere wise. There has been so much to write about, but because it is all happening so fast, I haven't had a chance to sit down to type it out.

A month ago I embarked on one of the greatest journeys ever. I took my son away for several days on a camping trip and with a little help from Family Life Today, I walked him into the knowledge of manhood. My wife had taken the same journey with our two daughters, respectively, of course. My wife and I chose the age of eleven years old hoping to catch them before they had been exposed to a tainted message of maturity, but old enough for it all to be relevant.

Ricky crossing from tree to tree.

With our cabin booked at the KOA in Hagerstown, MD, we took off for three days and two nights of masculinity at its finest; fishing, cooking and eating a whole lot of meat, fire, and outdoor activity. Oh yeah, there was a pretty good bit of World Series baseball too. We didn't rough it too much. As I said, Family Life helped out greatly. All three of our children received "the talk" from Dennis and Barbara Rainey, and let me tell you, as uncomfortable as the whole situation can be, they made it significantly simpler. With their help, I was able to equip my son to navigate life's most difficult obstacles, even harder than this one at River Rider's aerial adventure park.

A couple things here. First of all, parents, you gotta do this. No matter how you found these things out, the best way for your young person to get this kind of information is straight from mom and/or dad. It IS awkward. It has the potential to be embarrassing. It is so much easier for them to just pick it up somewhere from a friend, or something. You gotta do this.  You've heard the adage, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Trust me. You want this done right. This is responsibility at its highest level.

Doing some serious reading and thinking.

Also, don't feel like there is only one uncomfortable way to handle this. This time away was one of the greatest times I have ever had as a father. I heartily endorse the Passport to Purity materials. I was never sat down and given the low-down on the facts of life. I had nothing to draw from (aside from my own life now) and I am sure many, if not most, of you are in the same boat. Using this gave me the platform to communicate to my son all that was on my heart. It helped us both to open up, to be transparent and talk about some tough stuff. But now...what can't we talk about? Nothing. There is nothing off limits. We can talk about anything, especially now that we've taken on the mechanics and the biology of the birds and the bees.



 God has blessed me with tremendous family relationships. I am excited to say that the bond between my son and I has been strengthened 100-fold through the time that was intentionally given to dealing with some of life's most complicating things, manhood, purity, sexuality, and relating to the opposite sex. Don't dodge it. Take it head on. Make it something to celebrate. You'll be so glad you did.

Build a bridge and get over it.

Sorry for the sarcasm of the title. It's catching, though, isn't it?

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always in all things unto God...

I have noticed an interesting contrast on Facebook this week. Nine days ago, many of my friends started expressing thankfulness for the manifold blessings in their life. It has been wonderful reading these and I appreciate the spirit of such an exercise. It is a great testimony of the grace of God at work in our life. 

At nearly the same time, a few days ago, many people, including some that are expressing thanks for some things in their life, are or have been engaged in murmuring, complaining, and even darkly prognosticating the future. This my friends is what James referred to as a fountain yielding fresh water and salt water. He goes on to say, "These things ought not so to be." 

Please consider the scriptural mandate in the life of a child of God...always in all things. 

Two things. First, if things truly do get worse, it is Bible prophecy being fulfilled and the coming of my Savior is ever nearer. The Bible is clear that everyone will turn their back on Israel. Secondly, remember Nineveh. They were bad from the king all the way down. One half hearted man of God, who finally obeyed God saw God turn that place around. What could have happened if the half hearted servant had been enthusiastically obedient? Let's find out. Let's serve God and trust God. Let's enthusiastically obey the Lord and let's just see if these have to be the last vestiges of freedom as we have known it. My freedom comes from the Son so I am free indeed.

And then I want to say to men of God who may be reading this, ministers, preachers, missionaries, and others in authority as you handle the word of God. I believe God's men ought to set the example. Paul gladly took that challenge upon himself with the Lord Jesus Christ as his pattern. Listen, the election is over. Romans 13:1 tells us that the powers that be are ordained of God. God's will was accomplished. Stop defending Him like He is a poor bullied student on a playground. Lead, exemplify, pray, and lead a peaceable life.

An Appropriate Response

Okay, I have probably spent too much time reading the post-election comments. I have even formulated and deleted some of my own. We are certainly free to our opinions and even the expression of them. (Not sure for how long.) Sadly, the caustic banter that was engaged in before the election seems to have deepened. I have dozens of thoughts that I would want to share, starting at the most elementary; Don't be a sore loser. (BTW, I lost too.) Instead, I want to share the most non-partisan, unbiased perspective of all, the Bible. The worst part about that is that, well, it comes down hardest on those that say they believe the Bible.

• Don't complain...Philippians 2:14, 15  Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 
• Don't engage in "mud-slinging"...Romans 12:17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 
• Pray for the leadership of America...I Timothy 2:1, 2  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
• Trust God...Psalm 25:2  O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. I have to comment here because all to many times we are quick to trust Him when it seems to be easy. That's really not trust. That is taking for granted. 

Notice how in each of the passages, our response directly affects the people around us because of the testimony of our living. We are forgetting a great truth. We ought to be letting our light shine so that others will see the difference in us and thereby see and glorify God. As is usually the case, we are fretting over things we cannot change. God never changes. Trust Him. Trust Him for today. Trust Him for the next four years. Trust Him for eternity. I have much to work on with this one, but it is the appropriate Perspective. 

I wish to leave you today with a prayer that has circulated on my Facebook page:

Lord, please be with our President. Give him guidance, wisdom, & direction as he leads our nation for the next four years. May he turn his heart to you. 

Nothing is too hard for You, as You have proven over and over throughout history. Bring revival to our country. Stir up our churches.

Jesus, before I try wishing for Mr. Obama to be what I want him to be, please start with me, and make me who I ought to be and the man, American, & most importantly, the Christian You want me to be. Amen. ~Mike Thompson~

A call to clergy...and everybody else

I would like to take a moment to appeal to every Pastor, Preacher, Evangelist, and Missionary. If you are standing in a pulpit anywhere this coming Lord's day, please urge God's people to vote, and vote with a Biblical worldview and then stand strong upon the word of God and preach that same Biblical worldview. We have a platform, a platform of truth. I do realize that we can't legislate morality 

in a free country such as ours, but I also realize the scriptural and spiritual responsibility of God's people. You cannot in good conscience vote in favor of or vote to promote wicked and anti-biblical behavior such as abortion, homosexuality (including same-sex unions, there is no such thing as same-sex marriage), increased gambling in your state, or anything/anybody that would increase the debt of this nation or state. Proverbs 11:14 says, "He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it." Friends, you are surety for this national debt. The responsible party has defaulted and it rests on our shoulders and the shoulders of generations to come...and it smarts, meaning it hurts, and it hurts deeply.

Everybody, please vote. Don't let the polls or the media sway you from your freedom, right, and obligation to cast your ballot on or before Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

The pot at the end of the rainbow...

I guess I should apologize to those of you that may have been keeping up with my daily Proverbs. I just totally got behind planning and attending one of the greatest trips ever (coming soon to a blog near you) and then planning and attending a stupid hurricane.

Well this evening I am writing to you in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. She has pretty much blown out of town and left behind a lot of water, a lot of leaves on the ground, and a significant bunch of road debris. Thankfully, she didn't do what the predictions said she would and so much of the expected damage never occurred.

One thing did occur that was totally expected. I read on Facebook, Twitter, and text messages of how friends and family were "preparing" for the storm by cooking an abundance of food. I am pretty sure as I watched my wife I began to see the connection. First of all, cooking is a great past-time. It takes your mind off of what is going on outside. You seem to feel like you're getting one over on Sandy if you can still use electricity to prepare several great meals. "We are not going to give in to your threats. You're not gonna make us eat raw hot dogs and cold canned beans." And then when you look at what I saw being cooked, roast beef and mashed potatoes, beef stew, biscuits and gravy, chocolate chip cookies, homemade chicken noodle soup, you pick up on the theme of comfort foods. Cooking them is one comfort, but eating them is a whole different level of comfort.

Well, like I said, the storm blew out and I got to experience a wonderful illustration of how the Lord works so many times in our life. There wasn't really a rainbow that I saw, but figuratively at the end of a storm there is a rainbow and at the end of the rainbow there is a reported pot of gold. For me and my family that pot, instead, was full of Comforting Chicken Noodle soup at Nana's house, along with warm bread, salad she had made, and fresh homemade pumpkin bread. Truthfully, God does seem to bless abundantly after each storm we go through, but as I looked at this evening and considered the threat this super-storm posed on all of us and our homes, a pot of gold could not have held a candle to this meal made with love, with all of us safely gathered around the table. What a blessed Perspective.  

Wisdom Cries...Hold your peace

Proverbs 17:28  Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Mark Twain has been attributed with this quotable quote.

“It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”

That sounds pretty close to what we are reading here in the Bible. Some of you have made the pursuit of wisdom a true journey in your life and I thank you. Some of you won't even give it a shot. Well here is a tidbit to help those of you who believe wisdom is neither attainable or worth it. What's great is that if you can find it in yourself to just follow this one simple thought, you have taken a step in right direction and started this journey to a life of wisdom. 

It amazes me how folks think so much of themselves that, in their estimation, everyone else must think that much of them as well. We think that because it is our idea, it must be a good idea. Because it is my way, it must be the right way. Now as much as we both want to be treated that way, it just isn't true, nor is it practical. Maybe, just maybe, we should throttle back on the speaking and focus a bit more on listening. Most of you have probably never seen the telephone that I grew up with, but the end that you spoke into had 7 little holes to speak into and the listening end had something like 20. Let's learn from that and spend more time listening than speaking.

Wisdom Cries...Come and get me

Proverbs 16:16  How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

Something interesting happened as I was typing the verse in. Yeah, I know I could copy and paste it from somewhere, but it helps me to connect with the verse if I type it. Anyway, as I was typing I inserted question marks where there are now exclamation points. Whoops! God, through His word, Wisdom, is not trying to bargain with you or even convince you to try it. He knows how important it is for you to get wisdom. He's not asking. He is telling me and you an absolute truth. Nothing trumps wisdom. All the wealth and possessions of Trump can't trump wisdom.

We are half of the way through the book. Is it starting to sink in? Can you at least begin to see what God has given us in this great book of the Bible? I would be a fool (and a liar) to tell you that I do not want gold or silver. I would also be a fool to make the getting of that gold and silver the thrust or emphasis of my life. Think about the exponential returns of getting wisdom. Getting wisdom, you will gain influence with people. You will make new friends. You will be a great decision maker. Wisdom will make you more valuable in every setting. Wisdom can set you up for a great life with possibly all that you want. Or not. Wisdom may help you see that life is simpler without all of the stuff and people and influence. Either way wisdom will have made your life better here. But that's not really the best part. Sure wisdom will help secure a better life here, but the wisdom that God is offering in His word will help you secure a better life for eternity. Gold is great, but it only helps living people. What do have 30, 40, 50, or 60 years left? Real wisdom never runs out. It has eternal benefits. Chase wisdom.  

Wisdom Cries...Answer softly

Proverbs 15:1  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Okay, how many of you have stood at the base of a tree looking up into the limbs, watching a hornet nest buzz with activity? Now, how many of you have not just wondered what it would be like to hit it with a rock or a stick? So, how many of you have been stung by a bee as it flees a collapsing home and spots you at the scene of the crime? That, my friends, is stirring up wrath. We all know the danger I just described, whether you have participated in such a risky behavior or not. So why would we do it?

You know what your words can do to someone. You know what buttons to push with some people. You know how harsh or sarcastic you are. Some of you may be saying, "Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?" Well it's my blog so I can embarrass myself if I want to. I have spent too many years foolishly honing my sarcasm to a razor's edge. Let me be all of the proof you need. Think before you speak. Your words have incredible power to build up or tear down, bring hurt or bring healing. I pray that my journey toward wisdom has forever altered the way I communicate with people, but I still fall and suffer the consequences. I will leave you with this question. What has arguing, cussing, berating, and sarcasm truly gotten you? Wisdom says you can get better.  

Wisdom Cries...Die with hope

Proverbs 14:32  The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.


Death and taxes. Everyone knows, right off of the bat, what I am talking about. I am going to die. You are going to die. That sounds like a hopeless situation. Well, if you are trying to get out of it, it is. So since you can't avoid it, what if there were a way to make the most of it? There can still be hope. The Lord Jesus Christ rose from the tomb to provide hope for anyone willing to believe His gospel. I know it may be common to think that when you leave this life, you are just going back to dirt, or even coming back as something or someone else. Of course, there are many that believe in an afterlife or an eternity somewhere, but these all depend on some cosmic scale with good deeds on one side and bad deeds on the other and if the good outweighs the bad, then you get an eternity of bliss. My friend, that is no hope at all. How do you know? Even if you spend your entire life doing good things, your motives are all wrong. You are doing good things for others sure, but you're doing them for your own benefit. That is self-centered and selfish thinking. And so if your motives were able to be piled up on the scale also, where do you think they would go, which side?

Listen my friend, I have a hope in this life for the next. Yeah sure, I do good things, but not because I have to. My eternity isn't "riding" on my performance. My eternity is secure in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. That way, because I love Him, I get to serve Him and others without any backhanded motives. I can't earn God's love or acceptance. I don't have to. You don't either. Stop trying to tip the scales in your favor. Jesus has already done that. You just need to believe in Him and who He is, the perfect Son of God, and confess your sin to Him. Ask Him for forgiveness. Quit worrying about where you might go when you die. You can settle that once and for all. There is hope and it is found in Jesus.

Wisdom Cries...Walk with wise men

Proverbs 13:20  He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

One of the things that I am most grateful for, aside from my wife and children, is the presence of wise men in my life. I have truly been blessed by some great men. I guess I was fortunate enough to realize early on, that I was not going to just happen to be the man God would want me to be. I have always been open to direction and help. It seems that may be a dying trait. Especially among males, the thought today is, "I've got this." It is a sign of weakness to accept advice and the cool thing is to disallow any leadership in your life. Well, thankfully, my life is full of wise men that I have gleaned and grown from over the years. Let me challenge you fellas, get with an older wiser man or more than one, and allow them to rub off on you. Respect their wisdom and experience and learn from it. Appreciate it and apply it to your life. Get over yourself and your pride. Let someone in. One thing I am sure you will find out is that you are not the man you think you are. You very well may be the man society thinks you are, but if you will invest some time with a wise man or two, you will see that society has it all wrong.

I must also say that because of the blessing of other men in my life, I had a desire to be the same for someone else. To mentor and be mentored is a very special thing. To mentor is to disciple and you can not do any better work than building people. Your most effective outlet with the gospel will be that close relationship where you can challenge and be challenged. Listen to wisdom, figuratively from this scripture and literally in your life, from other men.

p.s. Ladies, the same goes for you.

Wisdom Cries...Crown him

Proverbs 12:4  A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Boy I love this thought. I make no qualms about it...I married up. Now, I ain't (pardon my English) ugly, but I am still amazed after twenty years, at how someone like me could have ended up with a beauty like her. Oh I hear how pretty my wife is and it makes me smile because I agree, but what really puts wind in my sails is when I am reminded by others of how nice or considerate or sweet she is. The Bible calls that virtuous. Ladies, can I encourage you, for all the primping you do to the outside, primp inside. How beautiful a lady would be if she spent as much time before the Lord in prayer as she does before the mirror. Interesting how the writer uses the word picture, a crown, for it is the crown where all of the beauty of a king's character, royalty, and greatness culminates. I have never seen an ugly crown.

Moms and dads, believe me. I know how easy it is to dote all over your little girls. I have two. I have too. And I have to. They are stunning. I am not quite sure I did it completely right, but my wife and I really tried to keep a proper perspective of real beauty. The returns are coming back slowly but surely and I believe we have raised a couple of virtuous women. We told them how attractive they are and you need to do that, especially you Dad. If you don't, she will find someone else that will. But be sure to challenge her to exude beauty from within. It really is prettier. And as much as boys just want to see pretty this and gorgeous that, be sure to instill in them a real appreciation for the inner beauty, the virtue, that will one day make him look like a king.  

Wisdom Cries...Win souls

Proverbs 11:30  The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Every movement, organization, or winning team has a strong recruiting policy. Without it, these entities would ultimately exhaust the resources and/or the people they depend upon. It is a principle that works. It has shown itself in every aspect of our living. The negative has also been made apparent. In the absence of recruiting, there is loss of efficiency, effectiveness, and energy. People's enthusiasm for the "cause" wanes. There is nothing like "young blood" to infuse new life into an established purpose.

In our post-modern day, the single greatest victory of the enemy seems to have taken place at the grass root level of recruitment. During lunch with a young man yesterday, listening to his defense of every other "way" to worship and serve God, I made the statement, "Political correctness has choked the gospel." While I know this to be true, we use a vast selection of other excuses to not be soul winners. To love God is to love His work. To love His work is to propagate it, or further it. If we truly desire to see Christ lifted up in our world today, then the only reasonable action to be taken isn't complain, retreat, or defer it to someone else. We promote everything we love in life, from grocery stores to doctors to web sites. Let's promote the Lord Jesus Christ. Tell someone about the great "experience" you had getting saved with the same enthusiasm you have when sharing the great experience at the newest restaurant in town. Invite someone to come with you to share in the blessings of great worship and fellowship with God's people. Distribute tracts with the same fervor as a volunteer handing out food to starving homeless people. It is that important for so many reasons, not to mention how wise it is.

Wisdom Cries...Walk uprightly

Proverbs 10:9  He that walketh uprightly walketh surely; but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

Did you know there is no good reason for you to walk around looking over your shoulder to see who may be looking? That is of course, unless you have something to be unsure about, like untruth, deception, or impropriety that you are hiding. The smart way to live, Solomon says, is to be truthful and righteous (live rightly) at all times and you can live a life of real freedom, a life of confidence. I have found that when one is in secret sin, there is a difference in their countenance and behavior. They lack confidence. The funny thing is you/they think the secret has remained a secret, but the Bible is clear that ultimately that "secret" will be revealed.

As a driver that has enjoyed an added measure of speed at times, I have developed a "sixth sense" to detect police officers. I would like to say that I no longer need that, but I haven't arrived. Don't judge. Anyway, how many of you have been driving along, minding your own business and look in your rear view mirror to see an officer of the law following? What is your first reaction? I am sure many of you immediately take your foot off of the gas pedal before you even look at the speedometer. Why? Because, in the past you have been known to speed (translated not walking uprightly) and you now can not drive with confidence (translated surely). Wouldn't it be great to be able to drive comfortably and even live comfortably? Just do right. It will make for a confident life and a great night's sleep. As the old saying goes, "There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience."

Wisdom Cries...Forsake the foolish and live

Proverbs 9:6  Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Pretty straight forward challenge from wisdom today...forsake the foolish. Let's see, how can I say this so it can be easily understood? How about, "Forsake the foolish and live." I know that sounds sarcastic, but this one is totally an obvious tidbit of advice. I am surrounded, and maybe you are to, by people that do not act their age. It's everything from teens whining like six year-olds to young adults more concerned with their high score than a job or education to supposed mature grown-ups leaving the home they have built, in search of a good time with someone else. I want to just shake some people and speak directly into their face, "Just stop it!" Stop seeking attention for yourself. Stop approaching life as a game to be won. Stop putting off responsibility. Stop assuming that everyone is here to take care of you.

I am encouraged as I meet with my college and career group at church, Connections. I am hopeful as I watch a generation known for its footloose and fancy-free life of care-free days, living it up because tomorrow they'll have to grow up. These guys get it, I believe, or at least they are trying. These will be the leaders. The verse says, the ones that live. They already live, live ahead of the pack. They are leaders, many times without followers. They are walking away from the foolishness while their friends and peers continue to waller.

Can I challenge you today? Forsake the foolishness of this world and society and go in the way of understanding. No matter your age, act it. Lead wherever you are, regardless of followers. That's what leaders do. They lead, even when no one is behind them. That's the way to live. Wisdom says so.

Wisdom Cries...Hear instruction and be wise.

Proverbs 8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

I think that people today believe that if they were to look up "wisdom" in the dictionary, this would be the definition. It's not. Wisdom is a journey, not a destination. The road there, to wisdom, is instruction. This is a problem. In a day of relativism such as ours, everyone already knows "everything". Each of us knows what is best for ourselves and, many times, even for others. This has led us to be people who talk more than listen and as we have traveled so far down that path, folks are no longer teachable.

Abraham Lincoln said, "I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." That tells me that everyone of us should be open to instruction, no matter how young or old. To be unteachable is a sure sign of arrogance and immaturity at any age. There is a certain character attached to that one who remains teachable, a humility that accepts the wisdom and experiences of others without feeling the need to get the last word or to one-up someone. This is something that should be intentional in our life. Be mindful of what others around you may have to offer in the way of instruction. Do not be so quick to discount another's thoughts, feelings, or point of view. Just as there is something to be learned in every situation in our life, there is certainly something to be learned from every individual in our life. It would be the height of ignorance to learn no more. How ironic. If you think you know it all already, you are the furthest from wisdom.

Wisdom Cries...Let not thine heart decline

Proverbs 7:25  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

Well, for this series I wasn't looking to go all lexicon on anyone, but I could not let this one go by. The word here for decline in the Hebrew is satah, pronounced saw-taw', and it means to deviate from duty. This verse is specifically in the context of a young man following after a "harlot", but the over-riding thought can not be ignored. Whether by a girl or anyone else or anything else, we can't let our heart be deviated from duty.

Okay, think soldier of the cross. This isn't applicable to everyone, but as a born again believer, you are a member of the army of God. We have a directive given to us through the word of God and really the only weapon the enemy has against you is distraction, most call it temptation. The devil desires to make you deviate from the work God has commissioned you to. So, of all the pleas from Wisdom, this one is paramount. Notice, to deviate from your duty is to go astray, AWOL, absent without leave. As a soldier of the cross, it ought to be your highest honor to be vigilant, alert, on ready, and always on task. Be aware of the breeches in your defenses. Shore up the weak areas. Walk the perimeter and see where the work is needed. Do you need to concentrate more on Bible study? If certain temptations are getting you, you need to get some scripture to combat the enemy head on. If self is getting the best of you, buckle down on your prayer life. Submit yourself before God. Has the enemy distracted you from the fellowship of your local church? We are in play-off mode, especially here in the Baltimore area. Are you putting an athletic event with absolutely no eternal significance ahead of communing with the Heavenly Father and His people? Are you greedy or selfish with your money? You need to honor God with your substance. These, and many more, are places of attack of the enemy to make your heart decline, or deviate from your duty. I hesitate to put it in these terms because I am no legalist, yet the truth of the matter is that we do have some duties, responsibilities to carry out. Our faith needs to be known and will be known by our works, otherwise it is dead. Listen to the cry of wisdom...don't deviate from the mission.

Wisdom Cries...Go to the ant, thou sluggard

Proverbs 6:6  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.

We are at day six of our month-long journey through the book of Proverbs, or as it has been called, the book of wisdom. There is much about the acquisition of wisdom and knowledge in this book. There are a ton of practical pieces of advice. This is why I love this book, because when you converge these two attributes you come to some great points which should never be ignored. This is certainly one. Long story short, don't be lazy.

I do not know of a single time that laziness has served someone well. About as far back as I can remember, I had chores. I learned early that it was in my best interest to not be lazy. That sounds like a no-brainer. You get things accomplished. You get paid. You get promoted. You get a lot of things when you are not lazy. You get respect. Some of the people I admire most are those with exemplary work ethic. Here's one...you get food. The Bible makes it clear that even an ant, without someone standing over his shoulder petting his self-esteem or feeding him a steady stream of Tony Robbins motivational blah-blah, knows the connection between working hard and having food. The ant seems to understand that if he doesn't feed himself, he won't get fed. John Smith, the man credited with literally saving the Jamestown settlement, was also credited for telling the men, "If you don't work, you don't eat." That is certainly a wonderful truth, but it wasn't his, at least not originally. The Bible, God's word, said it first. Without getting too terribly political and hung up on domestic policy, I think we would do well, yet again, to get back to some sound wisdom that worked "back in the day" and stop enabling and supporting laziness. Either the job is below them or they are above the job, but the bottom line is, if your next meal depended on it, I am sure you would do it. Hard work built this country. It's kinda funny how no work will tear it down.

Wisdom Cries...Rejoice with the wife of thy youth

Proverbs 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

Let me just say right there and right now that I am so happy to be married. And what's more, I am glad that I got married at 22 years old. I am convinced that there is no more enjoyable, fulfilling, exciting, and fun relationship in all the world than a scriptural marriage relationship between a husband and a wife, and that for a lifetime. The book of Proverbs is a, rather the, book of wisdom and the book was written from a father who was the wisest man to live, besides Christ himself, and also the richest. He had experienced all of the thrills and adventures that power and prominence could bring a guy. History and the Bible tell us that Solomon left the monogamous path and went after many women, culminating in a boatload of wives and concubines, 700 wives and 300 concubines. There wasn't anything to be had that wasn't had by Solomon and the words of wisdom he has been inspired to leave his son are these...rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

Notice...rejoice. Be happy. Be satisfied, actually mentioned in the next verse. Celebrate. Is your marriage still a celebration of the feelings and commitments made to one another? Sure, the shine may have worn off, but   that is no reason to throw it away. How about working to polishing it up? Solomon does his best to convince his son, it's worth the work. Put some time and effort into it. Make it shine.

How about the following thought, with the wife? Do you see the singularity in the text? The Bible is explicitly clear regarding God's plan, one man with one woman for one life. Please do not raise questions of polygamy in the Bible...God never suggested or sanctioned those relationships and they proved to be hardships. Since your wedding day, have you re-affirmed the promise that you would never leave this marriage? You should be more committed today than the day you made the vow. You have matured and invested so much into one another's life.

You have heard me say that the game is best enjoyed by playing by the rules. Sociologists and scientists have come to the same conclusion time after time that a monogamous relationship is the best, healthiest, most rewarding way to raise a family and live out your days. Maybe God knew what He was talking about, huh?

Wisdom Cries...Keep your heart with all diligence

Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

I have to start out by saying that this verse is one of my favorites out of the entire Bible. I have preached from it, taught from it, and even counselled from it. I believe that this verse is God's answer to all of the drama that we see in our lives, whether in person or on social media. There are only a few people that deserve your heart or a place in it, but in a search for identity, significance, or meaningfulness, we let everyone that comes along into our heart. We share all of our secrets, all of our problems, and everything else. Facebook is just a snapshot of the public lives that we choose to live. We have grown accustomed to sharing all manner of personal information from what we are eating right now all the way to how we feel about other people in our lives, good or bad, it's out there. We relish the attention until it turns negative and then we demand, "Don't judge me" when it can't be helped. All of the evidence is exhibited for the world to see.

Believe me when I say that I am human (well that part isn't so hard to believe) and I enjoy the interest some have taken in my life. I mean, let's get real here. I am tickled pink that you are reading my blog, my personal thoughts. I am sure we all want acceptance in some form, whether it be a "Liked" status, a "Poke" or follow, or better yet, a comment or retweet. But it all comes at a certain cost. We have opened our hearts more than we would our front door. We reveal the truth about us to total strangers. That is the furthest thing from keeping your heart. Imagine what your foyer would look like if you just opened the door everyday and allowed anyone and everyone to just walk in and see the inside anytime they wanted. It would not take too long for the foyer floor to be dirty, muddy, and cluttered. Things would get broke and it would end up just a plain mess. Once we have allowed such social traffic through our own heart by on-line "Friends", hook-ups, and so many other kinds of relationships, is it any wonder that our hearts and even our lives become such a broken mess. Wisdom is pleading with you and me, keep your heart. In other words, guard your heart. It's valuable and so are you; so much so that it is worth the "diligence".

Wisdom Cries...Keep sound wisdom and discretion

Proverbs 3:21 "My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion."

Well, there's a word you don't hear everyday, discretion. I guess the truth of the matter is you don't hear much talk of wisdom either. To avoid certain redundancies, I will just remind you of what wisdom is and then move on. The encouragement here is to keep sound wisdom. We have all been imparted with some bit of wisdom, in small or large portions. Sound wisdom is not so much the information gathered from books, but more the understanding of it and how it applies to reality or life. To be perfectly plain about it, a large part of wisdom is the ability to approach a situation and determine the best course of action, and more importantly, the right course of action. So it is not a stretch at all to describe sound wisdom as the ability to know the difference between right and wrong.

According to Roget, a synonym for discretion is responsibility. To complete this thought...know the difference between right and wrong and then be responsible with that information. Boy, if wisdom were a real person, she would be smacking her forehead with her palm these days. I do not know what is more lacking, sound wisdom, actually knowing the difference between right and wrong, or discretion, the responsibility to carry out what is right. First of all, there seems to be a disconnect in the world today from an actual standard of right and wrong. Nowadays, it is totally situational so that sometimes it's alright to lie, steal, or kill the innocent. It just depends on the circumstances, the greater good, maybe. My, how we need men and women to remember what their grandparents lived by. It worked, ya know? It used to be black and white when it came to doing right. After all, they came up with the saying, "It's never right to do wrong, and it's never wrong to do right." As if the drought of sound wisdom were not enough, there is nearly a complete absence of responsibility these days. It's always someone else's fault or someone else's job. Our society is running headlong into a population-wide handing over of responsibility to the government. Everywhere I look, people, young and old, feel like they are owed something. They are entitled to a discount or an extra chance or a free ride.

Boy, wisdom is crying loud here. Please, remember what the difference is between right and wrong. If you never knew it, find out. Ask your grandparents, or better yet, read the Bible. And then take responsibility for yourself. Do good. Do right. Live right. You take over the care and keeping of you and yours. Stop standing around with your hand out, literally or figuratively, for someone to handle the mess you are in or make something of the life you're living. Hey, if it's help you need, by all means, ask for it and if I am nearby, I will do the best I can. But shouldn't you expect the same from yourself, to do the best you can? Let's begin to be a nation of folks that know to do right and then do it.

Wisdom Cries...Walk in the way of good men

Proverbs 2:20 "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous."

Where have all the good guys gone? There's a question that has been exhausted in books, songs, blogs, internet forums, and anywhere else people are feeling the loss of a rare breed...a good man. Don't you just miss the days of real men that you could look up to as masculine role models; strong, hard men with a good heart who would do whatever it took to stand for right? Remember who used to be the "heroes"? Cowboys and soldiers all the way to superheroes and athletes inspired young fellas to grow up and be something, and they did. These guys set the pace for us.

Now, where do we look for good men? It seems everyone in the spotlight isn't worth looking at. Everyone with a public voice isn't saying anything worth listening to. We still have soldiers, and for that I am thankful. There are still a couple athletes or prominent personalities, but they are the exception. What we really need is a generation of men to rise above the current perceptions of manhood. All that is good and right and smart is crying out for some real men, some good men to step up and step out; out of the crowd and walk to the front and lead. The wisdom of God's word has a specific goal or purpose. We ought to look into it. read it, and do what it says. That's where good men come from. That is the mold that true strength and leadership is cut from. Read the word of God and follow the examples of Moses (leadership), Joshua (courage), David (character), prophets who cared enough for their land to cry out against sin and stand in the middle of social wickedness and immorality, and of course, Jesus (servant-leadership). Why is there a drought of good men? Because the Bible is no longer esteemed as the word of God. It used to be read in school and in those days a guys handshake was better than any contract. His word was trustworthy. His integrity was his most valued possession. He treated other men, the elderly, children, and ladies with respect. He honored authority in his life and he tried to set a good example for those after him. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but you know what? I have never heard anyone ever say, "I sure am glad things aren't like they used to be." Let that sink in...like they used to be. How did it used to be? It wasn't hard to find good men. Hey, let's listen to wisdom. Let's walk in the way of good men.

Wisdom Cries...Fear the Lord

October is a month with thirty-one days and the book of Proverbs, one of my two favorites, has thirty-one chapters. For many, many months in my life I have read a chapter in Proverbs each day according to the corresponding date. I can attest to the difference it has made in my life. My wife can also. She has mentioned at different times that "reading Proverbs has really made you wise". I have encouraged my Sunday school classes, congregations, and counselees to do the same. For the month of October I will share a bit of wisdom from Proverbs from the corresponding chapter from that day and I pray that it will be a blessing and help to us all. We'll call it "Wisdom Cries" because, after all, that's what the Bible says (Proverbs 1:20).

Fear the Lord
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

There have been many interpretations, descriptions, and definitions given for the phrase "fear of the Lord". My favorite comes from Rand Hummel, Director of the Wilds, New England. During a meeting at our church he explained the phrase this way; to love what God loves, to hate what He hates, and to have a healthy dread of displeasing Him. How many times in a day does it cross your mind that the things you do and say are a direct reflection of how you consider God in your life. Even in the life of a Christian it can appear that there is no concern for the way ones conduct reflects upon the character or nature of God. That's not smart. The Bible says so. We live in an age of knowledge. Society has an insatiable appetite for it, yet we should understand that you don't really know anything without the fear of the Lord. That is the beginning. Are you even interested in what God thinks about the way that you live? And if so, does His opinion matter to you? It's no mystery...I mean what God loves and hates. It's all in the Bible. Let's take the next month and really place some emphasis on the fear of the Lord. Through His word, we can know how to do that. Blessings to you.

That's a hard way to develop character

This past Sunday evening, while preaching through the book of Genesis, I got to a point in Joseph's life that, though unusual, we could probably still identify with. He is in jail. Not a situation I can empathize with, but I do have an idea what he may be feeling in a situation that has him bound, suffering, maybe hurting, and to top it all off, a situation that he did did not deserve. While studying this passage, I stumbled upon a verse in Psalms 18:6,  "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears."

Distress, that summed up where I felt Joseph was in his life, reminded me of some places in my life, and brought a challenge to mind. What do I do in distress? How do I react? Remember, distress isn't just a sickness, trouble, or temptation. We could be talking about sorrow or anxiety. How do you handle it?

Well before I sum up how Joseph handled it as an example for us all, I want to share with you a story. Many years ago my wife and I needed bedroom furniture. The California king waterbed we had finished its course. It was already filled with a cheap regular mattress after the Christmas Eve elbow through the waterbed mattress fiasco, and it was not comfortable nor practical in our home. We shopped for a set and found one in each of the three major brand names, and they all looked the same. As we shopped I noticed that all of the floor models had a common damage to them and after a while I finally asked why the wood looked so rough with all of the marks. Of course, these marks were all about the same and evenly spaced apart but I was clueless on furniture. I was actually embarrassed to find out that the marks belonged there. They were mechanically put there on purpose. It was called "distressing" and here was the good part. The salesman said, "It adds character." WOW! Distressing adds character. I bet you don't think of it that way in the middle of it, but that is how God views difficulty in our life. The hard time are on purpose with a purpose.

Now, what can we learn from Joseph? Real quick...First, keep your priorities straight. Remember, God first, others second, and self last. That's what Joseph did in Genesis 40. Next, practice your patience. Joseph spent years in his distressing situation and we never read of complaints when he got there by an injustice, gripes when he was forgotten by those he helped, or whining when it seemed that his dreams were never going to be realized. Lastly, we find out in chapter 41, verse 38 that the Spirit of God was in Joseph. When in these difficult times, we ought to continue to pursue God. Don't let up. Don't quit. Continue following hard after God.

Hey, in case you didn't know, distress is coming and/or it's already here. How will you handle it? If you do it like Joseph, it will develop character. Oh, by the way, I failed to mention that there was an ultimate promotion in Joseph's life because of his character, and all of his dreams came true. That's an outcome worth waiting for, at least from my Perspective.

Audience participation time

Whoo-hoo! I crossed over the 1000 page view line this weekend. Big deal right? Probably not, but it seemed like a good time to get you involved a little bit. Although I am sure that most of the page views are repeat visitors, I can't help but wonder who you all are. I have viewers in 6 different countries and from all sort of traffic sources, so I am curious. Blogging is fairly fun, but I also want it to be useful, not just an entertainment outlet.

So here's the idea. If you are comfortable with it, leave a comment telling me where you are located and how you found me. If you have a blog, please use this as an opportunity to promote yourself, so long as the content is not contrary to my own stated position as a born again follower of Jesus Christ. While you're at it, maybe include your favorite post title. I haven't asked for any personal information pinpointing who you are, but if you are still uncomfortable with any of that, send me an email at pastorrickfbc@gmail.com. I certainly understand that if you are emailing me than you do not want your comments made public and I will respect that. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you and even connecting with your blog. It seems, as much as I  have to say sometimes, I still need inspiration to keep this up. Thank you in advance.


p.s. I will happily accept constructive criticism in the comments or by email, but I obviously reserve the right to remove them once I have read them. I am sure I could improve my blog skills.

Winning the game 3-1...

First of all, I want to take a second to welcome and thank the first two followers of Perspectives, aside from my wife and me. I am humbled that folks would be interested that much. That being said, I would love to see more. Followers fill a couple roles for me; cheerleaders encouraging me to come back and write again and accountability partners challenging me to fulfill my role as blogger.

I enjoy waking up each day to a random scripture reference on my phone, thanks to the Daily Bible app. This morning's verse, which you know already if you follow me on Twitter @fbcpastorrick or Facebook, RickandJenWilson, is Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." As I considered this verse during my morning three mile hike, my mind settled on the word teach. Here's a challenging self-examination. Are you teachable? I mean really teachable. I can promise you that successful people in every field or walk of life had to be and probably still are teachable. We can't know it all and so there is always someone who can help us by teaching. Of course, for the child of God that teacher is God, the Holy Spirit.

Although being teachable is a good quality in and of itself, I thought about about what it takes to be teachable or what it says about you as a teachable person, especially as it relates to relationship to the Lord.

1. To be teachable, you must trust the Teacher. Do believe God is who He says He is? Do you believe His word, the Holy Bible, is true from beginning to end? The description of God given to us in Psalm 139, reveals that He is omniscient (all-knowing in verses 1-6), omnipresent (everywhere present in verses 7-12), omnipotent (all powerful in verses 13-18), and fully righteous and just (verses 19-24). Do you believe that? Can you trust God with your problems? Can you trust Him with your life?
2. To be teachable, you must submit to the Teacher. This is tough. We already know it all, right? If not, we can easily Google it. Isaiah 55:9 reminds us "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." See, first you have to trust Him or you won't even believe this. If you joined a martial arts class, you would have no qualms referring to the teacher of that class as "sensei", or master. To be lead by God and truly succeed in this life and then eternity, we must recognize God as master. If you can't elevate Him to that place in your life then you really are not teachable.
3. To be teachable, you must humble yourself. Ouch. That's it. You've heard enough, right? We were doing okay until then. Unfortunately, in our culture of self-esteem, we are not very familiar with humility. Child of God, you are called to humility, but not without its blessing. James 4:10 assures us "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." Without humility we are a dried-up lump of play-doh left out overnight on the dining room table. We are unable to be formed or changed. On the other hand, a life of humility enables us to be that lump of clay in the Master Potter's hands. Remember it this way, "To be full of pride is to be fully dried." That's no good. Dried clay is a finished product. Do you really think that you are finished? Are you totally satisfied with who/what you are right now? I hope not, because if you check the score, you're losing. What score? Keep reading.

There is another side to that coin, unteachable. Simple enough. You are either teachable or unteachable. What does this "quality" say about you as a person?

1. To be unteachable, you only need one word...self. You must believe yourself to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-supporting, and completely self-absorbed. You are more concerned with self-esteem, self-image, self-worth, and anything else that promotes yourself above others. 

Don't go wacky on me here and think that these are not worthwhile attributes. Some of these certainly have their justifiable place in our character, but I think to sum it all up in good context I will quote a saying I first read at The Wilds. "Just two choices on the shelf, serving God or serving self." That's the wrap-up and the game. The winners take it 3-1. I want to be a winner. I desire to be teachable in the context of this scripture and there is no better Perspective than the one from the winning side.

Truly vast as the ocean

My Prayer Perch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

Unfortunately, I am back from a grand vacation at one of my favorite places on this earth, Topsail Island, NC. In spite of the clear and present danger of Hurricane Isaac, we drove down a week ago this past Sunday, and we were rewarded for our faith with a beautiful week of sunshine, warm air, and warm, calm water. Wednesday morning I awoke with a song in my head, really out of nowhere. I hadn't heard it in quite a long time, but it seemed to start my day perfectly as I sat out on the deck off of our bedroom. The picture is the view from my "Prayer Perch" and as I watched the tide rolling and the dolphins following the shrimp troller, some thoughts came to me, birthed out of the hymn I awoke with.

From my "perch" I thought of the shear vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. I realize the Pacific is larger, but I was sitting in front of this ocean that was rolling up on the shores of the United States of America and, at the same time, rolling up on the shores of Wales, where this song originated nearly 4000 miles away, and I thought about how the relentless love of God rolls up on the shores of humanity, no matter where they are. It is a well-known fact that water covers about 3/4 of the globe. How overwhelming is that? And on the edge of every land mass in every part of the world, the ocean is rolling up on the shore. Then, while the sight of the ocean reminded me of the relentless, ever-present love of God, I thought about the waves. Through the week at Topsail I saw times of high tide and I saw times of low tide. Interestingly, some high tides were higher than others and some low tides were lower than others. Yet, in every tide, high or low, the waves seemed to keep pushing toward the shore. I could not help but admit that even in the lowest times of my life, though I would try to deny His presence, I still knew the love of God. That love still rolled, as the waves, toward the deep and troubled shores of my heart. You know, in a week at the beach, not one time did the waves ever stop. What an incredible comfort to know that in every season of my life, the waves of God's love will never stop.

On Tuesday, we did have some rainy, stormy weather and if you have ever been to the shore and seen a storm come in, you know what happens to the ocean waves. They swell. I got excited as I thought about how at the most difficult times of life, the times of great storms, the waves of God's love grow greater, seeming to push harder to make their way to the shore of our soul to assure us of His presence, to comfort us and even bring peace. Even as the wind would blow against the tide, the waves still roll shoreward.

The Bible says in I John 3:1, " Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God". God has bestowed upon us a love that is measureless and relentless, not to mention deep, but it has a purpose. See the imperative in that verse. We should be called the sons of God. All of us aren't, but we should be. That's not just my Perspective. It's God's too.

Here is love, vast as the ocean,                            
Loving kindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

William Rees

The God of salvation is so much more

I am a preacher of the great gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a privilege to share the good news of the birth, sinless life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a message of hope for every soul lost in sin, despair, and even death. The Bible says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. This message is the very purpose of my life. There is nothing sweeter to see than to witness the life-transforming power of this timeless, ageless, and endless story of redemption. Every man born is doomed to an eternity of death and separation from God. Heaven and Hell are realities that I desire to help mankind believe. We have all been born in sin. We have all made choices that violate the nature and law of God and we are in desperate need of a Savior.  The gospel is the story of that Savior and His sacrifice to change the destiny of all who would call upon His name. Salvation is of the Lord. It is His purpose in reconciliation. It is the theme and focus of the Bible and the preaching of every God-called man of God. But this is not the end of the story.

I am afraid that fundamental preachers and pastors of our day have sold God short. In an effort to avoid preaching a feel-good, socially acceptable "false" gospel, the trend has been to swing the pendulum so far away from a message outside of salvation that there is little belief that God has other abilities and desires. We have given the impression that God is only interested in keeping you from going to Hell and that He is not interested in the stuff of life that we deal with every day. In Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes an Old Testament scripture prophesying of himself. He describes His ministry as one that preaches the gospel, but that is not all. Jesus also mentions that part of His ministry is to preach deliverance, recovery, and liberty. Every one of us has something that we need deliverance from, recovery from, and/or liberty with. This should make it perfectly clear that God cares about the individual struggling with the bondage of addiction, bitterness, or hatred, a person trying to come back from depression, an emotional or mental breakdown, or even loneliness, or that one wishing to live in the freedom of God's grace, without the shackles of legalism or organised religion. You see, there is a whole lot more that God wants to do for you and in you. It is surely of the utmost importance for you to ask the Lord to forgive you of your sin and invite Him to live in and direct your life, but it is also incredibly needful for us to realize the continuing work of God. He hasn't brought us into the "Promised Land" and left us to fight the giants on our own.

What's that mean to us? We need to let God into the dark or difficult places of our life and allow His light to penetrate and change us, but please don't stop there. We need to take that light to those who are still sitting in the depths of confusion, hurt, and bondage and bring to them this great message of hope. Many around us do not know that God is for them beyond conversion. You'll not ever be more saved than you are upon your acceptance of Christ but the Bible says that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. There is still more work to do in your life, in my life, and in their life. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life (that's salvation), and that they might have it more abundantly (that deliverance, recovery, and liberty)." What a refreshing Perspective!   

Your presence is requested before the King

I am having my oil changed right now so I figured I would practice my multi-tasking. I share a thought from my devotion by way of my phone. I read the book of Esther yesterday. You know, the book in the Old Testament that never mentions God, but it did not take long for me to stumble upon God in the book. In the first chapter, you read about a king who "enjoys a good time." He is hosting a grand feast with all the who's who of his kingdom and ultimately wants to show off his pretty wife. Quick lesson right there. Sir, your wife doesn't need the admiration of everyone else nearly as much as she needs yours, and parading her in public, showing all of her "attributes" is not complimenting her. It is making her an object for show and tell. Treat her the way she ought to be treated in private and she won't need to receive that attention from the public...and she probably doesn't want to, especially if it has to be in exchange for your attention. Anyway, the queen did not appreciate the opportunity to be made a public spectacle and so she refused. In so doing, she caused the king disappointment, as well as a bit of embarrassment in front of his buddies.  For her disobedience, Queen Vashti was given a punishment, "a royal commandment...that Vashti come no more before king Ahasueras." Now this is a powerful king, no doubt, ruling a kingdom from India to Ethiopia, and he has certainly flexed his muscle here. But I could not help looking at this from a different Perspective.

I serve a powerful King who reigns from Heaven to Hell. Of course, He does not require such things of me as this worldly king did. In fact, those things He desires from/for me are not just for His good pleasure, but for my benefit as well. Even so, I am sure I disobey my King. I fail Him in His desires for me. I fall incredibly short in my opportunities to bring attention and glory to Him in my life. But this is the good part. My King does not refuse entrance before Him. In fact, I have been invited to come into His presence to settle my failures. We read in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." How's that for flexing your muscle? Be encouraged today that the God of the universe is the God of salvation. He wants you to turn to Him, not in order to present Him with your assets, but to bring your liabilities. No matter where you are or what you find yourself in, God is for you. We have been encouraged by the word of God, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." That does not sound like a royal decree barring me from His presence unless I am fit or prepared. Actually, it is clear that I am to feel at ease, welcomed to go to God with my faults and imperfections to receive mercy and grace, and even forgiveness, I John 1:9. I have a royal invitation to appear before the King and in my place before His throne, I have a great Perspective.

A great investment tip, for real

  I have to say that maintaining a blog is a little harder than you may think. Try it and when you do, let me know so I can follow you. Anyway, the last two weeks have been crazy. I am an only child and my parents have moved yet again, so my family and I needed to provide packing and unpacking services. That was the week before this one. This week has been a totally different story. For the seventh consecutive year, I am at the Wilds, a Christian camp and conference center in North Carolina. No one does camp like they do and I have been blessed as a sponsor every year.

As I have sat in the services and seen the great responses to the preaching, I could not help but think of a conversation I had this week with another sponsor. Interestingly enough, I am nearly 600 miles from home and I was able to make a connection. Our conversation turned to a mutual "acquaintance", a church that we each had an attachment to. This church does not promote any type of youth ministry. That is odd in and of itself, but what astounded me is the fact that they run a Christian school from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. That would have to be labeled the extreme end of the discussion of youth ministry...none. Well, as many of you know, most of my years in ministry have been as a youth pastor, and even now I tell my folks, "I will always be a youth pastor to some extent." I love young people. I love being around them and working with them. I love their energy. I love their enthusiasm (if you can find it). I love their perspective. Why would you not want to have a ministry to and for young people? I am sure that the vast majority of parents have provided education, food, and clothing for their children at the child's learning/age level. I am also sure of the provision of specialized medical care for that age group in pediatricians and pediatric dentists. I surely hope that entertainment has been provided in an age-appropriate manner, as well. So why not ministry? There are so many options: Sunday school, children's church, youth group, Bible clubs, retreats, camps, fellowship meetings, seminars, and youth revivals. We have several families at Franklin that have joined our congregation by much prayer, but brought in by our emphasis on youth. Can I tell you that you can not go wrong investing your time, energy and resources, or your church's time, energy, and resources into the life of a young person. I am talking about the best of every world here. There is instant gratification as you look into the face of, not just a child, but a teenager too, and say, "I love you and I am so proud of you." There is a hope that you can not explain and a future that you'll never be able to predict, just from ministering to a young person. There is a dividend that only eternity will reveal as your effort is multiplied by its repetition in countless more lives.

If you attend a church without a vision for young people, you need to ask the Lord how you can change that. Churches are already drying and dying from lack of vision and attendance. If you are not infusing new life, young life, into your church, eventually it will go that way. I love being the Pastor of Franklin Baptist Church, but from my Perspective, I will always be part youth pastor, investing in their lives.

I thought it was ignorance...

I have learned something pretty profound I think, and so today I am sharing out of personal Perspective. I have been in pastoral leadership at Franklin Baptist Church for twelve years. I first moved to Franklin from my home church, Nottingham Missionary Baptist Church, to be the Youth Pastor in the year 2000. It's easy to remember because my wife was pregnant with my son. My first celebration of Graduates' Day at Franklin was in the summer of 2002. I had no graduates in 2001. However, in 2002, I had seven graduates from high school, and ever since then, I have carried a burden, a burden to see a ministry tailored to fit this new group of young people in Franklin. I carried on with my youth pastoring and even grew to ignore the burden, or push it away, which caused me to completely avoid interaction with this new group as some went to college and others went to work. Over the next several years, several more Graduates' Days came and went, as did several more graduates. I realized the trend, or rather the bleeding, of this important group. They were falling off of the church scene like flies and for a decent reason. They had no connection to the church. Youth group and Sunday school were things they did as "kids" because they were brought by their parents. Of course, upon graduating, you remember, all the kids stuff is put behind you and you move on to what has been important to you, but squelched by "church stuff". I began talking about it with my pastor and he would agree with the truth of the issue, but offer no real help or solution. "You're the Youth Pastor, handle it." So I tried to do the leadership thing and find (read delegate) someone to teach the college and career age young adults. Ever burdened by this need in our church, I would gladly engage anyone in conversation regarding how important it would be to get this started. I have lost count of how many times I have told someone, "I know. Our church is bleeding young people and we can't seem to stop it."

Fast forward to the here and now. I have since gone through one legitimate effort to get a class started with a willing vessel and it never got off of the ground and quickly dissolved. And recently, I tried again to coerce yet another unsuspecting vessel to pick up my burden and carry it, not with me, but for me. A week and a half ago, while in my study praying, actually about the next victim of my burden, my heart began to break. The tears started to flow as I realized that I had been going about this all wrong. Names and faces went through my mind as I realized how much time I had wasted trying to pawn this burden off to someone else who should have had the vision and decency to care for this wayward bunch. But then the tears that started as regret and sorrow began to turn into a deep relief in my heart. Problem solved. Prayer answered. There does need to be a college and career group and there is already someone with a burden for these young people. There is already someone with a vision to see them integrated back into the local church ministry and given a sense of home and belonging. It is me.

As soon as I opened my heart to what had been weighing on my mind for so long, the ideas came rushing in. I'll send out personal invitations. I'll serve breakfast and coffee. We'll call it "Connections" and we won't call it a Sunday school class because it will be so much more. I started a Facebook to connect them all. We'll have a social outing at least once a month. I'll enlist church families to host a movie night or game night. I found appropriate subject materials to use in our Sunday morning Bible study. It starts this coming Sunday and my materials came in this morning from Striving Together Publications and that prompted me to Tweet my excitement. That's when it came to me; the relief, the excitement, the vision. It's not ignorance that is bliss. It's obedience. Obedience is bliss. That unexplainable inner peace and joy that comes from being right in the center of God's will. I tell you, there is nothing like it. I can not imagine a more effective way to free yourself of discouragement and dissatisfaction, than to truly pray and seek God for His will and then obey it. Many of you already know His will and you are not doing it or not doing it yet. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Partial obedience is total disobedience. And you are missing out. I will tell you again, "Obedience is bliss." I am so thankful today for God's providential direction in my life. The center of God's will...what an awesome Perspective it gives.

America the Absurd

At this point, so many are saying so much that there may not be any room for someone else with some more, but here goes. Chick-Fil-A COO, Dan Cathy. granted an interview to the Baptist Press about a week and a half ago. In case there is a misunderstanding of what was taking place, I offer this. One Christian organization chose one successful Christian businessman to ask a few questions of and then report them. By what we have since been exposed to, one would think that Mr. Cathy hacked into network television satellites and piped his "hate" forcefully into the lives of every American. Then, two days ago, Mike Huckabee, in response to the media's pumped up outcry from the left, called for a public show of support for the social position that Mr. Curry, and thereby Chick-Fil-A, took.  In the last 18-36 hours, The Muppets ownership group, The Jim Henson Company pulled their promotional products from Chick-Fil-A kids' meals, Boston and Chicago have positioned themselves against Chick-Fil-A expansion, or even a presence in their city, and now there is a counter-promotion against the August 1, 2012, Chick-Fil-A support day called by Mike Huckabee. On August 3, 2012, a same-sex "kiss-in" has been called to make known the LGTB position, as if we didn't already know. What a ridiculous, or absurd, turn of events.For one thing, when did we as Americans lose our right to a personal position on issues? Without hype or fanfare, Mr. Cathy answered an interview question, simply answered a question. He took no pains to broadcast his "intolerant message of hate" to the rest of the world. It appears that we have the freedom to think or believe anything we wish, but not express it. I remember the debate over smoking in restaurants. The great equalizer in that discussion seemed to be "If you don't like cigarette smoke, don't go to a smoking-allowed establishment." Well here's an idea; if you don't like the way a restaurant is operated, don't go. The reaction to this stand for his own personal preference is total hypocrisy. While demanding "constitutional rights", the LGTB community is refusing Mr. Cathy's own expression. And why? Because they can. We stand for it. How can a group of people push around an entire nation when they only make up anywhere from 2-5% of our population, or maybe even less, depending on where you get your figures? As much as I would love to see Chick-Fil-A dining rooms packed out for the entire day on August 1, I would much rather see them filled to capacity and overflowing on August 3 with the same supporters, willing to stand and even push back against the tide of this undermining and sinful agenda. There is no justifiable reason for any retaliation against Mr. Cathy or Chick-Fil-A except the removal of one's patronage, and so I would love to see the restaurants so crowded that a same-sex kissing couple could not even get in the door and if they did, it would be great to see a bit of backbone from the male heads-of-household protecting their families from the sight and influence of such defiant behavior.

I guess the real point of all of this for me is not chicken, though theirs is good. It's not necessarily about supporting a Christian businessman, although I am glad to. I believe it is all about the preservation and propagation of the two most significant "documents" in the history of this great nation, the Holy Bible and the Constitution of the United States of America. How much longer will the silent majority stand by while these two icons of civilization and civility are not just neglected, but destroyed? I do not believe you have that much time to think of an answer, probably about three months. Who will stop standing by and decide to stand up? From my Perspective, I do not wish to live in the United States of Absurdity.

p.s. This is a late addition to the fray. It's very enlightening. Even the other side sees the problem here.