Remembering The Past

This week I was reminded how quickly we can begin to forget things that happen in our past. There were a couple of instances when Tami and I had discussions and even serious debate over our conflicting memories.

Last Sunday, I shared a story from my childhood that I hadn’t thought about in years. It involved my older brother Steve and myself, and I don’t even know if he’d remember it because it wasn’t some life-changing event, but out of it came a memory that tied in perfectly with my message. On the way home that day Tami asked me why she had never heard that story before even though we’ve been together for over 35 years. I explained that the story had never crossed my mind until writing that sermon and being reminded, I believe by the Holy Spirit, of an event that could minister to somebody Sunday morning. If you want to know the story you’ll have to go to our church website and listen to the podcast.

Then, on Sunday evening, we were sitting in our home having a discussion about our dating years when another story came up. We had totally different stories about the same event and even called Tami’s mom to verify who was correct. Well, sorry to say, but my wonderful mother-in-law has a memory as good as her daughters: not good at all. I was telling them the story with specific facts and descriptions of the event and they still refused to believe me. We even asked some of our friends and I explained the whole event to them, and they assumed I was telling the truth because my story was so detailed. So, babe, I was right!

All of that to say this: our minds are amazing things. While we are going through events in life we can experience complete joy or peace, sorrow, pain, or whatever other feeling you can imagine, but as time goes on that event will begin to fade from memory. That is why we need to face each day as a new day and know that God has a plan for us each day we are here. Whatever you are going through today will change and even fade away at some point, but your faith in God should be that one constant that never changes. God will always love you, be there for you, and guide you through your life. As the years go by there will probably be more things that you forget about God’s faithfulness, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is you never forget that He is there for you!

No Short Cuts To Spiritual Growth

Today I was reminded how important the past is to each of us. We live in a day and time when everything is done in a new and better way, and I won’t lie—I like it that way. To be able to heat up food in a matter of moments compared to several minutes, to be able to set up a Christmas tree in four sections with lights and decorations already attached compared to the old-fashioned way of picking out a tree, cutting it to fit a stand, and then decorating it. Or even making biscuits…dinner tonight reminded me that the old-fashioned way took several minutes, but tonight I just have to pop open a container and eight biscuits are ready to go into the oven.

As much as I enjoy the easy, convenient way of life that I have today, I have to remind myself that today’s method of making life easier can never apply to my spiritual life. Even though salvation is instantaneous, my spiritual development can only happen with a slow, steady understanding of what I must do to create the optimal situation for growth. What things do you need to integrate into your life to create the perfect scenario to grow spiritually? Don’t let yourself be deceived into thinking that you can’t grow because every one of us can!

Comfort Food

The last few days have brought cold weather to Texas, and those who know me know that I don’t mix well with the cold. This evening, when driving home from the office, I was talking with Tami and we decided that we needed comfort food. She has been sick at home for a few days and we just wanted something warm and good.

We all have those foods that we turn to when we need comfort. That food may change based on the event that is leading to the desire. Like today—because I was cold I wanted something warm that would make me feel warm and comfy while I relaxed. When I am under a lot of stress, my comfort food is chocolate. It doesn’t matter the form; I just want that chocolate flavor. I have several comfort foods based on what is happening around me.

Just as I have comfort food to lift my spirits and help me relax, I have scriptures that are my comfort scriptures. These are the scriptures that I turn to when I find myself facing various aspects of life: scriptures promising that God will turn my mourning into gladness, that God will heal my heart when it’s broken, that God will comfort me just as a mom knows how to comfort her child. Other verses promise that God will take care of me, be a stronghold when I’m facing tough times, and guide me when I don’t know which way to go. Your Bible is full of scriptures that can be used on those days when you just need a special word of encouragement, support, and love.By the way, our comfort dinner was chicken and dumplings. This has become a favorite here in our house and especially when it’s cold outside. 

Life Without Smell

Tonight has generated a few stories that I’d like to share with you but to do that I’ll have to go back to the beginning. My blogs are about events that come across my path on a daily basis and I’ve had so many share how they are an encouragement to them. They are events that have actually happened in my life and relate to my life on a daily basis. I try to use these events to help you become stronger in your faith and your commitment to Christ.

While growing up I had the perfect childhood. Great parents, an amazing church that taught me about the love of Christ, I had a few years where I had perfect attendance at school and my grades were really good. My bumps along the way were an appendix that burst when I was young, a tooth knocked out while playing baseball and an infection that….well, let’s not go there.

It wasn’t until I was 18 that things began to change. My eyesight changed and I had to get glasses. Then in my late 20’s my physical health began changing. A guy who had never ever experienced an allergy had all of the sudden began developing allergies to everything that there was in life. For the next several years I was miserable because my eyes were constantly burning and my sinuses were always running or plugged up. I could sneeze for hours at a time and no relief was ever found. The older I got the worse my allergies got. Then it happened….the most divesting thing I’d experienced in all my days.

Tami and I lived in the country while pastoring a wonderful church in Wooster, Ohio. While we lived there a great friendship grew with a neighbor who lived just down the street. Not only did his family become faithful attendees of our church but also our friendship led to many great rounds of golf. Dennis was a good loser because I was a much better golfer but that is another story for later…I love you Dennis! LOL But the course we golfed at every week was an amazing course, Country Club quality but at cheap man pricing, which was located out in the middle of farm country. Every spring when they were getting the fields ready for planting they would fertilize them with liquid manure which was horrible to smell. Every year we would tolerate the smell just to golf this great golf course.

Then it happened, one year while we were in the middle of our round of golf Dennis began complaining about the smell. I looked at him amazed because it didn’t smell the stince. And as we began talking I quickly realized that I could no longer smell. Something that I had just accepted as a part of my normal everyday life was gone, I could no longer smell. And it wasn’t long before I discovered that I could no longer taste the various flavors of life.

That event occur over 15 years ago and I’ve come to accept it as just a part of my life. I can’t taste or smell so there are so many thing in life that I’m missing out of. Spiritually I wonder how many of us have lost our sense of taste and smell and we can no longer see the wonderful things that God has for us as His children. We just accept the norm knowing that nothing is different yet God has so much for us to taste and smell. The Bible says, taste and see how good the Lord is! Yet, if I can’t smell, I can’t taste. Don’t lose your taste of the Lord!

Don't Let How Things Look or How You Feel Stop You

Last Friday my ill health began, and as I’m sitting here today it’s been a rough few days. I started by not feeling very good. I wasn’t sick, but I knew I wasn’t feeling right. On Saturday I tried to take it easy and just rest, hoping to find myself feeling back to normal by Sunday morning. Sunday came and by the end of our morning service I didn’t feel good at all. My body ached all over, I couldn’t breathe, and I had a horrible sore throat. Sunday was amazing because Tailgate 2014 we saw 14 people commit their lives to Christ, the food at the Tailgate party was fantastic, and many who visited us on Sunday said that they’d be back again. So if I gave a spiritual grade to Sunday it would have to be an A+ because heaven was rejoicing with us for those who committed their lives to Christ.

If I were to give it a grade on the physical side of things it would not be an A+. The weather was cold and dreary, we couldn’t have our Tailgate Party outside for the first time in 7 years, I felt miserable, and we didn’t reach the goals that I had for the church. The worship service was great and the preaching was not horrible…lol…but at the end of my sermon a breaker on a set of houselights went out and we had to finish with part of our auditorium being in the dark. I can always find something to complain about, and I wonder how many of us live our lives that way?

Since Sunday, I have been home sick, and even as I’m writing this I don’t feel good. I’ve been to the doctor and been given prescriptions to help me get better, but they haven’t helped yet. However, I don’t choose to live focused on the negative but instead reflect on the good things. We had an amazing service where lives were impacted by the gospel. I’ve heard that one family that came Sunday does not attend any church and were so blessed by their experience that they plan on attending again. Another family not only accepted Christ as their Savior but said that the service was exactly what they needed because they were going through difficult times. Yes, I had higher expectations, but God did exactly what had to be done in the lives of those who were at service that day.

Election Week - Did you vote?

This week is an exciting week if you are an American. It’s election week, the time we get to decide who will represent us in our state and national government. I really like the early voting option because I was able to vote over a week ago and don’t have to worry about crowds or the weather affecting me. I hope that we all can appreciate the privilege we have to vote because so many great men and women gave their lives to preserve that right for us as citizens of this great country.

The sad truth is that many citizens take this privilege for granted. I’m often amazed at the percentage of those able to vote who actually take the time to exercise their right. I was listening to the radio this morning and heard it projected that about 37% of eligible voters will actually vote. And most of the excuses offered for not voting are embarrassing: things like, “It won’t make a difference”, “I forgot”, or “I just didn’t feel like doing it.” And we wonder why our country has become so lackadaisical. The church is entering a time when we can no longer sit back and just accept whatever happens. We are being attacked, and the attacks are not going to stop. When churches are being subpoenaed to turn over the transcripts of sermons preached to see if they are preaching a message of hate it is scary. This is only the beginning unless we start voting in men and women who hold to the values that are important to us. One thing that I promise is that I will never compromise the truth of the Bible because an elected official tells me that I’m required to!

So that brings me to the important issue of where I’m going with this blog. I am a Christian, born again, saved, on-my-way-to-heaven follower of Jesus Christ. I’ve been bought with the price of Jesus giving his very life for mine. This act of forgiveness is not just for me but for every person who has ever been born, yet how many people never respond to that free gift? How many people don’t even know about that free gift because no one has ever shared it with them? Just as I, as an American, feel a right to cast a vote to determine the future of our country, I need to understand that as a Christian I need to make a choice on sharing what God has brought into my life.

I think we need to be diligent about protecting our country, but I feel we need to be even more diligent about sharing about our eternal destination. So many have been deceived and just don’t pay attention, and we need to change that perspective. Every day we come across people who have not heard the gospel message or have not really had someone ask them the important questions about their future. Let’s be the church that is not afraid to ask the questions that really matter: “Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins?” “Do you believe in heaven and if so how do you get there?” “Will you come visit my church this week?” There are so many directions we can go with this eternity-changing subject.

Are You Up To The Challenge?

The Challenge! Last Sunday morning I issued a challenge to the church. This is something that I started thinking about several weeks ago, and now it’s out there. When I shared the challenge with the church, I can assure you that Tami had no idea I was going to do it. I didn’t even look her direction while talking because I didn’t want to get the look…you know, the look that says, “Are you crazy?” After service, I’m happy to report that she understands my heart and is willing to support my crazy idea.

Here is the Challenge: 500 people in service on Tailgate Sunday. Over the past several months I have felt that Abundant Life needs to get busy bringing people to church. I’m not looking for those who already have a church home and are happy with where God has them; I’m looking for those people who are involved in our lives that do not know the Lord as their Savior, or those who are searching for a place they can call home and get involved in ministry. If we have over 500 in service on that Sunday morning, I will have my head shaved after my Tailgate dinner. I even said that the person who brings the most visitors will get the first swipe with the clippers.

When we get down to the nuts and bolts of what I’m doing, I want you to know that it’s about winning the lost. I’m believing for 75 people to find Christ as their Savior that day. That those visiting will see our love for Christ and our desire to make a difference in lives in our area. Hair will always grow back, but this may be that one opportunity for someone to hear the gospel message and respond, Yes Lord! The Bible tells us that all of heaven rejoices when one soul accepts the Lord, so let’s do whatever we need to do to get the message out there.