An open letter to BSA Chief Executive. Please share.

Good morning Mr. Brock,

I have just finished reading several pieces of information regarding the conflict that now exists in the leadership ranks of BSA. I am writing to implore you, as well as the full leadership body of BSA to stand strong and resolute upon the moral conviction of this great institution. As a husband, father of a 12 year old contemplating membership, pastor of 60+ families, Life scout from troop 155 of the Parkway District of the Baltimore Area Council, and member of The Order of the Arrow, I am pleading for the consideration of all that should be held masculine and moral in our society. Without a doubt, the BSA had the greatest influence in my life and my Scout Master, Harry Mackey, remains one of the most influential men in my life, even after losing contact some 25 years ago. I am sure that this statement would be repeated across this country and even around the world. You are on the precipice of forever changing the healthy and proper view of the God of this universe, as boys will recite, “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country…” Is this acceptation of homosexuality really our best as we consider our duty to God? Is it really the best for our country to further emasculate the male gender from which our country has always drawn strength and leadership? And as I recall the words, especially the last, of the Scout Law, how reverent is it to look a Holy and Just God in the face with full knowledge of the Holy Bible and its words, and contradict what He has said is unnatural, Romans 1:24-27?

Mr. Brock, I urge you to look at the mountain of evidence and listen to the encouragement to remain stalwart to the heritage of scouting. We, the people, do not want this type of change. America is still overwhelmingly in support of your organization remaining “straight”. In closing, I am no prophet, nor the son of one, but I can assure you of this. Even though there is a large amount of support from VFW’s and other civic organizations, one of your largest proponents is the church, with BSA recognizing this with more than 75 emblems representing at least 35 religious groups. There will most certainly be a backlash. To change your stand now would change the complexion of Boy Scouts immediately, but worse yet, it will be the ultimate demise of BSA as churches across this country and around the world turn to alternate groups. These groups are already on the rise and they provide scouting-like experiences without the infringement of societal deviations. I am sure you are aware of several of these but I thought I might give a few examples: Royal Rangers, Royal Ambassadors, Pathfinders, Christian Service Brigade, Awana Club, Pioneer Club, ConQuest, Kids 4 Truth, and Master Club, among others. In fact, my church is already on the path to taking youngsters camping in our Master Club program where they will learn and earn badges for cooking, camping, first aid, etc. I am excited to be chaperoning that trip myself. This migration from BSA to other groups will only lessen the influence and promotion of BSA until you sadly fade away or even worse, become the antithesis of who you were thirty-two years ago, as I entered the Calvary Lutheran Church as an eleven year old boy, anxious to learn how to be a man.

Joyfully Serving,

Pastor Rick Wilson

Franklin Baptist Church

2106 Franklin Church Road

Darlington, MD 21034

To know Christ and to make Him known.

Down with excuses

As I started my devotional reading today, I was challenged by the scripture in Exodus 4:1-7.

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

We can give a great many excuses for neglecting our personal witness of Christ in our life, but right here there are three excuse busters. First, we have the call of God on lives. It doesn't matter what people say. It only matters what God has said. Second, he has put something in our hand, as the rod was in Moses'...a Bible. God has equipped us with all that we need to stand and proclaim Him. And third, just as Moses experienced, we have experienced a change in our life that only God could effect. For Moses, it was the healing of leprosy. For you and I, God has provided for the healing of our spiritual leprosy, sin. What else could we ever need? We have the call of God in our life, the word of God in our hand, and the gift of God upon our soul. We have no excuse.
We can give a great many excuses for neglecting our personal witness of Christ in our life, but right here there are three excuse busters. First, we have the call of God on lives. It doesn't matter what people say. It only matters what God has said. Second, he has put something in our hand, as the rod was in Moses'...a Bible. God has equipped us with all that we need to stand and proclaim Him. And third, just as Moses experienced, we have experienced a change in our life that only God could effect. For Moses, it was the healing of leprosy. For you and I, God has provided for the healing of our spiritual leprosy, sin. What else could we ever need? We have the call of God in our life, the word of God in our hand, and the gift of God upon our soul. We have no excuse.


What is keeping you from sharing your faith in Christ with another? In 2 Peter 1:3 we read, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:" We have been given everything that we need. I have heard several "misquotings" of the what we know as the Great Commission. Some have said it is the Great Omission and others have referenced it as the Great Suggestion. Both of these should be a prick in our soul. Has personal evangelism been omitted from your life. Do you see the command of Christ as just a good idea, but not necessarily for you? Let's stop making excuses and live from the Perspective of this great verse.

Matthew 28:19, 20  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

A New Year's Perspective

Happy New Year! Well, it's really not so new, but considering how long it has been since I have blogged, this is new. This year is our fifth year emphasizing a certain theme or focus for the calendar year at Franklin Baptist Church. With the help of my friend, Josh Berg, it is not just my favorite annual thought, but it is also my favorite annual visual. As I have meditated much upon this theme, I have realized a new perspective at work in my heart. That is, am I considering or acknowledging Christ in every aspect of my life? Does His word trump every notion, tradition, and influence in my life?

Today's chronological Bible reading schedule stop had me reading Genesis 12-15, and in the first couple verses of reading I could not help but stop and address a real issue in my life. We are all very familiar with the man Abraham. Many of us even know that he was called "the friend of God". God had many promises the He desired to fulfill in Abraham's life but it all started in Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee..." and God follows with the first promise of blessing in Abraham's life.

The word for the day is distraction. God knew that for Abraham to be free to obey Him, he needed to be free from distractions. These were God's very first recorded words to Abraham. That is significant. We long for the best God has in store for us. We say that we desire His will for our life. God may not expect you to move away from your home and family but I can assure you that there are some things that He would like to see you distance yourself from. Now, to put that back into context, what am I (or are you) allowing to take the priority in life away from the Lord Jesus Christ? I am painfully easy to distract. A standing "dig" that I hear regularly is "Look, something shiny!" I am finding that I must be intentional about placing Christ upon the throne of my life daily. Without the very distinct realization of distractions in front of me, I would allow tasks, other people, and amusement to usurp the throne of my heart, and anything or anyone other than Christ in that place would surely be a hindrance to God's plan for me. And without starting another whole post, I will say that that is exactly what the enemy wants. I don't have to list the distractions. You know them and more importantly, you know your's. Forsake it today. As you bow before that throne today, make sure it is Christ that wears the crown.

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.