What Gnostic Writings teach about Jesus

In 1945 in Nag Hammadi Egypt a number of manuscripts were discovered that contained the writings of Gnosticism. This was an important archeological discovery. To that point in history we only had what the early church fathers said about Gnostic heresy. Now we not only have what the church fathers said, we also have some of the manuscripts they were referring to. I have read the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Phillip, and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Another one that was recently publish is the Gospel of Judas. I have only read sections of the Gospel of Judas. These manuscripts were not included in our New Testament for several reasons. First, they were not written by the apostles or any close associate of the apostles. We have no idea who wrote these Gospels. They used the names of some apostles and other famous people to make them look authentic. Second, the manuscripts were written late i.e.,150-200 years after Christ. Third, these Gnostic manuscripts contained heresies which denied the humanity and deity of Christ. The Gnostics didn’t even believe in the same God as Christians. The Gnostics worshiped a great invisible spirit. They didn’t know what his name was but they believed he ruled over a vast host of deities. They believed that there were 72 luminaries and each of them ruled over separate heavens. These 72 were higher deities than the God of the Old Testament. They believed that twelve angels were made to rule over Chaos which is our world. One of these angels was defiled with blood. This particular angel’s name is Nebro which means rebel. Others called him Yaldabaoth which probably means “Child of Chaos” and Yaldabaoth is the God of the Old Testament. That’s our God. He is Yaldabaoth, child of chaos. He’s a rebel. There was a second angel named Saklas which means fool. The Gnostics believed that our material world and that we ourselves were made by a rebel and a fool. Paul dealt with Gnostic heresy in the first century. Colossians 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. The Gnostics believed Jesus was not the son of the God of the Old Testament. They believed that Jesus was the son of the female counterpart of the highest Gnostic deity and that he was not really a man. He did not take on flesh. The Gnostics believed that Jesus was not really crucified. They believe that real Jesus was a spirit who hovered above the cross, laughing at the people below. John dealt with Gnostic heresy in the first century. 2 John 1:7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. The Gnostics did not observe baptism or the Lord’s Supper because they believed those rituals were instituted by the God of the Old Testament who was an evil being that should not have made this material world in the first place. According to Gnosticism, when you get all this secret knowledge you become aware that divinity is within you. You also become aware that this material world and all the works of the Creator of this material world are worthless. Even your body is of no value and you would be better off without it. The goal of the Gnostic was to free the soul of the body and everything material. Now, do I have to tell you any more bizarre beliefs that come from the Gnostic writings for you to understand why these books were not included in the canon of the New Testament. They are valuable because they teach us what the Gnostics believed, but they teach us nothing about Jesus.

VBS and the International Coffee House

Thanks to Dana Welty and all the fabulous volunteers she recruited, our VBS is going fantastic. The kids love it! While the kids are learning, their parents relax in our International Coffee House. We offer a variety of coffees, good music, and live entertainment. We are having a good time.

Dear anonymous, (regarding legalism)

I sympathize with your struggle. I also carried the heavy baggage of legalism for a long time but I dropped it because it wore me out. You also need to drop it and trust Christ alone. Today I try to focus on Jesus Christ and not the Church of Christ. The Church of Christ is no longer my Savior. It used to be. But no longer. I used to convert people to the COC (rather than to Jesus Christ). I used believe that I had to be saved by a moral code that I couldn't keep. I excluded people from other denominations because they didn’t do the ceremonies like us. I actually thought that the COC was the only true church. I no longer believe or teach this way. You shouldn’t believe this way either. Let go of all of that. I have a history. I am a reformed legalist. I’m a recovering alcoholic. I have been broken by my own sin. I know that the only reason I am saved is because God loves me. I’m saved by his grace and love. I’m not saved because I got the doctrine right. I didn’t have the doctrine right – I was wrong! I’m still wrong about many things. I still struggle with sin. But I’m so happy today because I know I don’t have to be good for God to love me. He loves me all the time just like I love my children all the time regardless of their behavior. God may discipline me but he will not disown me because he cannot disown himself. I am his and so are you. Believe it. Accept it. It will free you up to obey him. It will give you motivation to keep his commandments. I am saved because Jesus died on the cross for my sin and God raised him from the dead. God saved me by faith in Jesus Christ alone! My behavior and my understanding do not contribute to my salvation. God did it all. Everything I have is a free gift from God. Even my faith and repentance are gifts from God. God caused me to repent and gave me the faith to believe. He saved me completely So today I follow Jesus. Today I try to follow the Bible. And I know that there are Christians in all the denominations that follow Jesus and the Bible as they understand it. Who in the world I’m I to think any different. I have been forgiven of so much. I am saved by grace alone. I am so happy to get out from under the burden of thinking that my salvation depended on whether or not I played Amazing Grace with a guitar. I just focus on Jesus. If other’s see it different I love them and say “God bless you!” and move on. I try not to get side tracked by spliting hairs over minor issues. I am very grateful to every church that preaches Christ. I'm even grateful for churches that are legalistic because, I figure, at least they are talking about Jesus. I respect them. But I can never go back. I hope this helps. Grace and peace, Jeff

The Bible is Reliable

If the Bible is reliable it should be accurate in all of its historical references. If someone could prove that it is historically inaccurate it would cast doubt on the rest of its claims. Does the Bible align itself with facts, dates, and people who lived at the time it was written? Josephus was a first century historian. In his Jewish Antiquities he referred to Jesus and his half-brother James. “Annus convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ and certain others.” References like this, from 1st century historians outside the Bible, support its reliability. The Bible does not read like a myth. Myths are usually vague e.g., Once upon a time in a far away place … . That’s not the way the Bible reads. The Bible is rooted in history. It speaks of countries and nations and fortified cities and the kings that ruled over them. It chronicles the succession of rulers and often dates events (e.g., Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes … ). The Bible contains geological references about rivers and mountains and bodies of water and islands and roadways. It also describes palaces and houses and buildings and walls and the materials that were used to build them. Unlike mythical stories, it is possible to stick a shovel in the ground and dig up artifacts that verify the historical accuracy of the Bible. Archaeology continues to confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible and has never produced one contradiction. In the 19th century skeptics criticized the Bible because it described a nation called the Hittites. The skeptics called it the “Hittite Myth” because at that time no secular evidence existed for that nation. But in 1906 archeologists discovered the capital city of the Hittites and concluded that the Hittites did exist as a powerful nation. At one time skeptics said that Bible was historically inaccurate because of it’s statements concerning Belshazzzar. At that time there were no secular historical records that listed this ruler. But in 1853 archaeologists found an inscription in Ur which confirmed that Belshazzer reign with his father. U.S. News and World Report published an article that read “New finds cast fresh light on the Bible.” The sub-headline read “From Mount Sinai to the Dead Sea, examination of historical artifacts is producing some real surprises about the origins of religious beliefs.” The article reads “A wave of archeological discoveries is altering old ideas about the roots of Christianity and Judaism and affirming that the Bible is more historically accurate than many scholars thought. For example, until recently most scholars dismissed the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as legendary. Now, two highly regarded American archeologists believe that they may have found the remains of these cities plus three other settlements referred to in Genesis as the cities of the plain. The ruins were where the Bible indicated they would be within a few miles of the Dead Sea. Moreover, at least three of the cities appear to have been destroyed by fire, which the Bible says was reigned down by God in vengeance and the cities are estimated to be destroyed about the same time, in 2300-2400 B.C.” Do you remember when Jesus said to the Pharisees – “If my disciples don’t testify of me the rocks will cry out.”? Today people are trying to suppress the testimony about Jesus and the archeologists are discovering that the rocks are crying out to give testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Da Vinci Fad

Dan Brown’s novel is a fast-moving thriller that keeps you in suspense. It’s also a money making machine. I was amused to see all the Da Vinci Code merchandise being sold on the internet. Leonardo never dreamed he would inspire so many crazy ideas. If you need to exercise you can purchase "The Da Vinci Fitness Code" for $21. If you need to loose weight for $16 you can buy "The Diet Code" which contains revolutionary weight loss secrets from Da Vinci. If you want to gain creative advantage in your career or business, for $18 you can buy the book "Work like Da Vinci". If you want to play you can buy "The Da Vinci Code Video Game" for your Play Station 2 for $39.99. Entrepreneurs are capitalizing on it’s popularity by selling everything from T-Shirts to posters. My favorite is a poster of Forest Gump running from an albino, killer monk. The Da Vinci Code is just the latest fad sweeping the nation. Like all other fads it will soon pass. I agree with Rubel Shelly who wrote “In the end, we may owe a debt of gratitude to Dan Brown for creating an opportunity for authentic faith to shine.” Despite the outrageous claims the novel makes, I think at least two good things have come from it. It’s easy to start spiritual conversations and it has caused us to study deeper. It has actually strengthened our faith in Jesus and our trust in the Bible.

My Teachers for the Summer

I’ve signed up for my summer classes which focus on the Sermon on the Mount. My teachers for the summer include John Stott, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, James Montgomery Boice, John MacArthur, and Chuck Swindol. I’m so excited because I get to sit at the feet of these great expositors. O, I forgot to add Bill Hybels and Mike Cope. Yes, these are my teachers. They come from around the world – from the Westminister Chapel in London and the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and the Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California and the First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton California and the Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago – they come from different places and different traditions. I like it like that. They feed me well. They are brilliant, godly, and gifted expositors. My greatest teacher is Jesus. I love to imagine that I’m sitting on the mount listening to Jesus’ sermon. I pray, ““Lord, help me understand” and the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of my heart. Then, I see the others on the mount – my teachers. They are sitting closer to Jesus. Yes, Stott, Lloyd-Jones, Boice, Swindol and MacArthur are high on the mount in the front of the crowd near Jesus and his apostles. I can’t resist asking them questions about what Jesus said. They have more insight because they are closer to the Savior and they have been sitting on the mount longer than me. One by one they speak and I listen. They all have good things to say and they help me understand. Then I pray again “Lord, make it real to me too. Help me apply it to my life.” And he does. He helps me understand as I go about my daily routine. Jesus’ words resonate at strange times - when I’m playing with my children or talking to my wife or taking a walk or playing my guitar or visiting the sick. A scripture, a story, a thought, a memory, or an image will come to my mind and I will have an “Ah-Ha Experience” which I believe is the Holy Spirit’s work. This process goes on all week until I’m full. Then, when I’m full, I am ready to share what I’ve learned with others. The whole process is exciting, consuming and I love every part of it.

Tonsillectomy

Tori and Shayna had tonsillectomies today. They were so brave and good. The surgery went well. We are watching "Parent Trap" right now. They like eating Orange Sherbet as they recover.

Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount

This week I’ve been memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. I plan to quote it this Sunday. It only takes about 20 minutes to preach but it takes me a long time to memorize it. I’ve done it before. I think it was 1992. It’s been a long time. I could still quotes sections of it but now I’m “re-memorizing” it. I copied Matthew 5, 6, 7 from my Bible and I’ve worn it out. I read it over and over aloud. Then I did memory work on sections of the sermon. I use “memory beads”, sticks, rocks, and my fingers to count. I repeat each section ten times until I can say each section without many mistakes. I tape my self and then listen to the tape while reading the sermon. I highlight words, phrases and sentences that I missed and do the same memory exercises ten times over again. At this point I can quote chapters 5 and 6. I've still got a ways to go. I typically walk while I’m memorizing. When I finish a section or a chapter I drop a bead or break a stick or drop a rock until I’ve done it ten times. I quote it over and over until I get dizzy then I take a little break and do it over again. I wish I could find a short cut to memory work but this is the only way I know how to do it. I like to do this memory work in the cemetery across the street from the church. Jeanie has walked with me a couple of times. When I make a mistake she corrects me. I also quoted chapter 5 to mom this morning while we were waiting for folks to show up at the food pantry. It helps to have others listen and correct me when I make mistakes. Distractions are a problem. A dog can run across the cemetery or a person can walk by and I get distracted. I have to overcome this because there will be all kinds of movement in the assembly this Sunday. I hope I can do it without drawing a blank or experiencing some uncomfortable pause because I forget some part of it. There have been several wonderful moments of worship this week. At times, I remember all of chapter 5 and 6. And as I quote the sermon I feel so alive in the Spirit. I’m spellbound by Jesus’ words. Sometimes, before I quote it, I pray “Lord, live in me. Speak through me. Let me say it like you said it.” It’s the greatest sermon ever heard. I hope I do a good job this Sunday. I hope I can remember it and that the people will see and hear Jesus.

Softball with Tori

Tori and I passed softball this evening. We walked around the block playing catch. I walked backwards all the way around the block as we pass the ball. She would say “Dad, throw grounders” or “Throw pop-ups.” She catches them all and throws it right back at me with enough speed to make my glove pop. Tori is great and I love to play with her. She has a game tomorrow and I get to see her play.

Speaking in Pike County

Yesterday I did another training for counselors at the Pike County Recovery Council. I enjoyed it! I am teaching them how to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I signed a contract to provide four more CBT trainings, write two manuals (one for individual and another for group), and conduct an outcome study on the effectiveness of the treatment they provide. We will be using several measures like the MAST, the BDI, and the BAI. I thank God for this opportunity. I love working with the people there.

Attention

My light bulb has been on all evening. I love it when it happens. Especially when I really need it to happen because of time. This took place after an extended period of reading and preparing for two sermons on The Da Vinci Code. I got home at 9pm, helped Amber prepare for a science test which she has to take tomorrow, then I went to the office in my garage and started writing. It was weird. I started writing a blog post about the Da Vinci Code and it turned out to be too long. Then I thought, this is my sermon! It may not be weird to you but it felt weird to me. It was coming so fast my fingers could hardly keep up. I love that feeling - it just keeps flowing and I just keep writing. I did not get up and walk around. There were no mental pop-ups to distract me. I stead in one window and accomplished a lot during the past 7 hours. Now, at this point, I really don't know if I have anything because I'm tired. I may wake up, go to the office, read it and thing "This is terrible! I can't believe I wasted all that time" and start over. I will not know until four hours from now. But my hopes are high because I put it in text aloud and had the computer read it to me. I think it's what I want to say. I think.

Mom

Mom raised three children – Susan, Jeanie, and Jeff (that’s me). We grew up on Six Mile in Boone County WV. We’re proud she is our mother! She is a godly woman. She is full of Jesus. She has devoted her life to her children. She loved dad and was married to him for 52 years. Mom is strong. She possesses “quiet power” – which means dignity and strength and stability. She is beautiful inside and out. Her beauty comes from her inner self. It’s the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight and in ours. Her heart is full of love. She is kind and good. Mom is sensitive and considerate of others. She’s always interested in us. Mom is dignified. She has a wonderful personality and a great sense of humor. We love to see her smile and to hear her laugh. She likes funny stories, especially stories about her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We’ve laughed so hard (I’m smiling as I write) we could barely catch our breath. Jeanie, Susan and I have so many wonderful memories. All of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren love her. She is respected and esteemed by her friends. All of our friends looked up to our mom when we were growing up. The people in the Boone County Churches respected our parents and depended on their leadership. Mom was a rock for her parents and sisters and their families. She was a wonderful daughter to Granny and Paw. She was a wonderful sister to Jenny, Carol, Johnny and Nan. She was stable and strong. Nothing bad was tolerated in our home. Mom and dad were shinning examples for our entire family, for the community and for the churches in Boone County. I believe the Lord will have a special gift for mom’s service to Sue. She was so patient and good to Sue. After Dad died Mom moved to Barboursville. To say that she has adjusted to her new home doesn’t communicate how well she has done. I mean, she has established friendships and remained active – well, it’s like she’s lived here all her life. The people at her new church praise mom for her devotion to Christ, her knowledge of the Bible and her sweet spirit. Mom has written the Bible by hand. She studies hard-to-understand passages. If you ask her what she’s studying she may say Ezekiel or Daniel and she does this in her own personal devotion. She leads ministries and gives good counsel. She writes a monthly bulletin for the Sonshiners (the senior group at Norway Avenue). People asked her questions and she writes letters explaining God’s word to them. She’s always growing and stretching and learning. She challenges people to think differently. She influences people to change for the good. The elders of the church read her letter about instrumental music and even asked her permission to share it with others. That’s awesome! We are so proud of mom. Dad, who is now in heaven, would be so proud of her. Mom is smart. She edits all my papers. She tirelessly helped me with my dissertation. She read, re-read and edited my dissertation. I couldn’t have finished my dissertation without mom. She continues to proof manuscripts for me. She helps our girls with home work. Jeanie and Susan could tell you more stories than me because they’ve known mom longer than me. They could add to this post with stories of how she has served them and their children. Mom loves us! She is always available, always dependable, always on call to help in any way. She raised us right. She made us feel secure and loved. She taught us to follow Jesus and study the Bible. Her faith is inspiring and her love is wonderful. We thank God for our mother. She is the best!

Distraction

It’s easy for me to get distracted. There are so many things competing for my attention. Some distracters are important and urgent. Others are unimportant time wasters. When I finally sit down to study my mind is divided because I am distracted. It’s so frustrating. It’s like a virus on my computer that causes so many pop-ups I can’t do my work. Some of the pop-ups are interesting and I begin to work on them only to realize I've wasted 30 minutes and I've made no progress on what I needed to accomplish. Alarmed, I start closing every pop-up window. It seems like I'm so busy closing pop-ups I can’t get to the window I need to work in. Then time becomes short and frustration becomes high and I become emotionally reactive and creativity leaves me. Frustrated, I stop and walk a bit but even that can be distracting. I get a diet Pepsi, check the bills on the table and think about the bills. I see things I left undone like the invitations for my H.S. reunion that I need to mail. I remember a hospital visit I need to make. I write down things I need to do. I send myself an email. Leave myself a voicemail so I won’t forget. And on and on. The break is not helpful it’s just more distraction. It’s a constant fight for attention. I sometimes say aloud “Stop Jeff! Focus!” Do you identify? I’ll bet you do. Everybody has problems with attention. Some more than others but everybody struggles with it. Brain scans show more brain activity during periods of distraction. It’s like the brain lights up in many regions during periods of distraction and confusion. But it looks different when you are focused. Brain scans show less activity during periods of creativity. When you are focused and creative, it’s like one bulb lights up in your brain. That’s why I frequently pray “Lord, turn my light bulb on.” That means, “Shut down everything else and light up that one place in my brain so that I can focus.” That’s happening tonight. So I pray – "Lord, please turn my light bulb on now."

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Little Johnny went shopping with his mother. He loved chocolate chip cookies. Before they went into the grocery store his mother told him “You are not getting any chocolate chip cookies in this store because it will spoil your dinner.” They went through the store and he was good. But when they got to the isle where the cookies were he said “Mommy, please let me have some chocolate chip cookies.” She said, “I don’t want you to even ask. I told you before. If you ask again you are going to get it when we get outside.” Then they went down another isle. And he said, “Mommy, please let me have some chocolate chip cookies.” She said, “I told you not to ask and you are in big trouble. When we get outside you are going to get it!” She went to the end of the isle looking for something on her shopping list. Johnny stood up in the cart and shouted “In the name of Jesus can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” I don’t know whether the people felt convicted or amused but when the mother got back there were 22 boxes of chocolate chip cookies in her shopping cart.

Lunch with Milton Jones

I went to church three times today at Northwest Church in Shoreline WA (a suburb of Seattle). Northwest Church is a Christian Church/Church of Christ. They blend a cappella and instrumental music. I was inspired by the worship and enjoyed eating lunch with Milton Jones, his wife Barbie, and their two sons Pat and Jeremy who play guitar in their praise band. His wife plays the keyboard. They lead an excellent worship service. Milt preached on Nehemiah in the morning and Romans in the evening. After church tonight I enjoyed eating pizza with Milt. He's a great leader and an excellent preacher. I've admired him for a long time. I'm thankful I had the privilege of spending time with him.

Seattle Pacific University

I spent the past two days at a Christian Writers Conference on the campus of Seattle Pacific University (which is associated with the Free Methodist Church, Asbury Theological Seminary is a sister school of SPU) . The theme of the conference was “The Master’s Call to Excellence.” Calvin Miller’s lecture was brilliant, humorous and inspiring. I pitched my proposals during group editorial appointments to Terry Glaspey (Director of Acquisitions, Harvest House Publishers) and Lonnie Hull DuPont (Director of Acquisitions, Revell/Baker). I participated in classes, round table discussions, and forums featuring panels of publishing experts. This was my first Christian Writers Conference. I enjoyed it and learned many things that will help me in sermon preparation, preaching and writing. I've talked to Kim and the girls every day. I miss them and will return Monday. Tomorrow (Sunday) I am going to attend the Northwest Church which is a Christian Church/Church of Christ. I'm having lunch with Milton Jones.

Taming the Tongue

Sometimes our mouth really gets us in trouble. A man working in the produce department was asked by a lady if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied, "Half a head? Are you kidding? God grows these in whole heads and that's how we sell them!" "You mean," she persisted, "that after all the years I've shopped here, you won't sell me half-a-head of lettuce?" "Look," he said, "If you like I'll ask the manager." She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young man marched to the front of the store. "You won't believe this, but there's a lame-braided idiot of a lady back there who wants to know if she can buy half-a-head of lettuce." He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having followed him to the front of the store." And this nice lady was wondering if she could buy the other half" he concluded. Later in the day the manager cornered the young man and said, "That was the finest example of thinking on your feet I've ever seen! Where did you learn that?" "I grew up in Grand Rapids, and if you know anything about Grand Rapids, you know that it's known for its great hockey teams and its ugly women." The manager's face flushed, and he interrupted, "My wife is from Grand Rapids!" "And which hockey team did she play for?" Our mouths get us into a lot of trouble. Maybe that’s why James talks so much about the tongue. 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. The word "perfect" literally means "mature" or "healthy". When you go to the doctor and say, I'm not feeling good. The first thing he says is "Stick out your tongue." Doctors can tell a lot about your physical health by having you stick out your tongue. And God can tell a lot about your spiritual health by looking at your tongue. So watch what you say. Use your tongue to encourage people and praise Jesus.

Sleepless in Seattle

I am sleepless in Seattle. Tomorrow I ill be attending a writer’s conference. Calvin Miller will be speaking. I read his “Singer Trilogy” and I look forward to hearing him speak.

Headed to Seattle

It’s been a long time since I’ve written. I’ve haven’t taken time to write because my schedule has been heavy. I’m sitting in an airport terminal in Lexington Kentucky waiting for a plane. I’m going to a conference at Seattle Pacific University. I will return Monday.

My ipod is great

My ipod is great. I download 36 podcast sermons a week from Chuck Swindol, Charles Stanley, John Piper, Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, Jack Hayford, Ravi Zacharias, and Adrian Rogers. I get to listen to my favorite teachers and they are contained in my tiny little ipod. It’s amazing.

Hollywood Came to the Norway Avenue Church

Last Thursday Hollywood film makers used our church building as they shot the funeral scene in the cemetery across the street for the movie “We are Marshall.” Jeanie and Allen Meadows opened the building at 3am and stayed till late night Thursday. There were over 300 people in the building. It takes a lot of people to make a movie. There were costumes and make-up artist, caterers, big trucks full of movie equipment. Allen is in two scenes of the movie. Jeanie, Eric, Angie, Todd, and Theresa will also be in the movie. It’s very exciting!

Jammin at the Java Joint

Tonight I played my guitar with 15 musicians at the Java Joint. The Java Joint is a Coffee House near Marshall University. There were three guitars, a base, drums, and about 10 harmonica players. The group of musicians meet every Tuesday night from 8-10pm and is called the Harmonica Club. I joined the group tonight. We played a variety of songs but my favorites were Last Dance with Mary Jane (Tom Petty), Sweet Home Chicago (Blues Brothers), and I’m Feeling Alright (Joe Cocker). It was fun!

Rubel Shelly on CNN Headline News

Rubel did a great job on CNN Headline News. Nancy Grace was rude and interupted him repeatedly but Rubel represented us well. God bless the three children of the Winkler family. It is a terrible tragedy.

Faith Works

Many years ago George Blondin walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Thousands of people showed up to see this unbelievable feat. Spectators lined both the Canadian and American sides. Blondin walked up to the edge of the tightrope and began to walk across -- inch by inch, step by step. He got out in the middle and everybody held their breath. They knew that if he made one mistake in balance he'd fall off the rope and into the falls and be killed. Blondin got to the other side and the crowd went wild, shouting and cheering. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again." He got to the other side and the crowds went crazy. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again but this time I'm going to bush a wheel barrow full of dirt." He pushed the wheel barrow across the tightrope and the crowds cheered. Blondin did this stunt with the wheel barrow many times. About the tenth trip across he pushed the wheel barrow in front of a tourist who said, "I believe you could do that all day." Blondin said, “Do you really believe that?” The man said, “Sure I believe it.” Blondin dumped out the dirt and said, "Get in." It’s one thing to say you believe. It’s another to demonstrate that your faith is real. Faith is invisible. In a sense, faith is like the wind – you can’t see it directly but you can see or feel it’s effect. You can say “I believe. I really believe.” But if your walk doesn’t match your talk your faith is not real. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. Faith without deeds is dead. Jesus wants us to “get in” and demonstrate that our faith is real. Faith in Christ is more than mental ascent. It’s more than simply “saying” that we believe the facts of the gospel. Faith works.

We Are Marshall (The Allen Meadow’s Story)

They’re making a movie about my brother-in-law, Allen “Iron-head” Meadows. Yes, it’s true. Warner Brother’s is in the process of making a movie called “We Are Marshall.” The cast includes big Hollywood stars like Matthew McConaughey. The movie is about events following the 1970 plane crash that killed members of the Marshall football team, along with most of its coaching staff, sports commentators and many of its local boosters. In 1970 the pride of Scott High School Football was Allen Meadows. He was our hometown hero. I knew him well because my sister Jeanie dated and married him. Allen was recruited by several universities but he chose to play for Marshall. Allen started for the 1971 team and played four years for Marshall. He was an outstanding athlete. Strong as an ox. A wild man on the field. Allen became the captain of the Thundering Herd. I hope the movie producers capture Allen’s character and show what an important role he played in leading the team. We are all very excited. No one is more excited than Jeanie and Allen and their two sons Eric and Todd (along with Angie and Theresa). I can’t wait! It’s going to be great.

You’ll see it when you believe it

Thomas said "I won't believe it until I see it." Then, some time later, Jesus appeared through a wall and said “Peace be with you!” Thomas touched his wounds, fell to his knees and said “My Lord and my God!” Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." I’ve never touched his wounds but I can see his wounds. I see him right now. I can see a man in heaven. A man. The God-Man. He is the only mediator between God and man, the Man, Jesus Christ. I can see him because I believe him. I approach him with fear. But I’m not afraid. I’m not like our Jewish ancestors who approached Sinai. They were terrified but I’m not. Because there are no volcanic blasts, no earthquakes, no earsplitting God-words, no loud trumpets that make me cover my ears. It’s not like that at all. It’s inviting. It’s beautiful. Yet, I am filled with awe and fear so I bow low. I say “My Lord and my God!” Then I look up and what do I see? Mount Zion. The city of God. The invisible Jerusalem. I see thousands and thousands of angels rejoicing and praising God. They say “Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the Lord Almighty.” They sing and shout, “Glory! Glory! Glory! To the Lamb that was slain!” It is loud as thunder. I worship. I see my sin. I repent. I beg forgiveness. I am cleansed by his blood. I feel his joy and power. I say, “Here am I. Send me. I’ll preach. I’ll serve. Use me.” I’m back. No angels. No throne. Just a desk. A laptop. A cell phone charging. A couple of books. My wife, children and dog are all asleep. I feel good. Have you ever taken a little trip like the one I just described? It doesn’t take long. It’s worth the journey. It’s one of the ways I worship. You say, “Jeff, you didn’t really see Jesus. You didn’t really see angels praising God.” Yes I did. I can see the unseen when I fix my mind on things above where Christ is seated. You can too. You’ll see it when you believe it.

Kids in Church

Lisa Williamson share these stories about children which I am posting below. These are good. They make me smile. _______________ A little child in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates. When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped up so that everyone could hear: "Don't pay for me Daddy, I'm under five." _______________ A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service! , his cousin asked him, "How many women can a man marry?" "Sixteen," the boy responded. His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly. "How do you know that?" "Easy," the little boy said. "All you have to do is add it up, like the Bishop said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer." _______________ After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided to become a minister when I grow up." "That's okay with us, but what made you decide that?" "Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell, than to sit and listen." _______________ A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon." How do you know what to say?" he asked. "Why, God tells me." "Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?" _______________ A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?" _______________ After the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!" _______________ Terri asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle's picture, which showed four people on an airplane, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent. "The flight to Egypt," said Kyle. "I see ... And that must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus," Ms. Terri said. "But who's the fourth person?" "Oh, that's Pontius - the Pilot. _______________ The Sunday School Teacher asks, "Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?" "No sir," little Johnny replies, "I don't have to. My Mom is a good cook." _______________ A college drama group presented a play in which one character would stand on a trap door and announce, "I descend into hell!" A stagehand below would then pull a rope, the trapd! oor would open, and the character would plunge through. The play was well received. When the actor playing the part became ill, another actor who was quite overweight took his place. When the new actor announced, "I descend into hell!" the stagehand pulled the rope, and the actor began his plunge, but became hopelessly stuck. No amount of tugging on the rope could make him descend. One student in the balcony jumped up and yelled: "Hallelujah! Hell is full!" _______________ Pastor Dave Charlton tells us, "After a worship service at First Baptist Church in Newcastle, Kentucky, a mother with a fidgety seven-year old boy told me how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet. About halfway through the sermon, she leaned over and whispered, 'If you don't be quiet, Pastor Charlton is going to lose his place and will have to start his sermon all over again!' It worked." _______________ A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?" "Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago." "Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?" "Yes, indeed, honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago." Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it, isn't he?"

CBT Training

Today I provided training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for counselors in Pike County. I thank God because things went very well. They invited me back. I will be providing another training in CBT for them this June. That will be my third seminar for these therapist. I thank God for these opportunities.

Preaching on my knees

I can't write a sermon without prayer. I work on my sermons all week. When I sit down to study the Bible I pray to God and ask him to open my eyes and teach me. I ask him to fill me with his Holy Spirit. Then I study and write. While I'm studying I talk to God about what I'm learning. As I write the sermon manuscript I talk to him. My prayers are typically short. The issues I pray about vary. It depends on the subject and situation. My prayers become longer and more earnest if I get stuck or find myself spinning my wheels. I say things to God like: "Forgive all my sins and don't allow anything to hinder my prayers as I study and prepare. I don't have time to be unproductive. I don't want to be distracted or stuck. I need your help now. Please give it to me. Help me. Show me. Give me insight. Open my mind. Insert thoughts, images, memories, or stories. Let me see it in your word. Let me read it or hear it in the material I use as resources. Help me understand. Help me prepare. These are your people. Don’t you want them to understand your word and be inspired to live like Jesus? Inspire me first. Light a fire in me and I will teach them. I sometimes feel like I'm wrestling in prayer as I study and write. It's different. Sort of strange. But that's my ritual every week. I put earplugs in my ears and cover my ears with earmuffs. The earmuffs I use are designed to protect your ears from noisy guns on a shooting range. I wear them to keep noise from distracting me because I have attention problems. When I put them on I often tell God "OK Lord, I'm putting my earplugs in and my earmuffs on because the only voice I want to hear is your voice." Yes, it's different and weird but it helps me feel connected to Jesus and it heightens my spiritual sensitivity. The setting is important. I study in my office and home and the office in my garage. I also like to study in the upper room behind the baptistery in our church. My posture is also important. As I rehearse I sometimes preach while sitting down, standing up, and walking. I also preach them on my knees. I pray over each of the five pages. If I get stuck I tell God about it. I say things like "I don't like this part. I need to find another way to say it. I need to find just the right words. Help me." I repeatedly remind God "These are your people and I'm working hard in preparation so that this message will be meaningful ..." I go on with these prayers until God gets me unstuck. Sometimes I can feel his Spirit move and my heart swells in worship and gratitude for Jesus and all that he has done. Preaching on my knees helps me feel close to God. One of my favorite passages to pondor while thinking along these lines comes from Solomon: Ecclesiastes 12.9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd.

Speaking in Pike County Ohio

I will be conducting another seminar on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Pike County Ohio this Friday. This is my second workshop at this agency and I enjoy providing the training to these counselors. I will be speaking six hours and I am excited about sharing the new material I have prepared. I pray I do a good job. I pray that the counselors will benefit from what I share. I love teaching in different settings. Thursday night I will finish up my lecture on Existential Therapy at Marshall and Friday I will be training counselors how to use CBT. Then Sunday I will preach on James 2.1-13. I thank God for these opportunities. I'm doing what I love to do.

Satan's Bait

When I was a kid I used to sell fish bait. I caught minnows, crawdads, lizards and worms and sold them for a $1.00 a dozen. I learned that fishermen use different bait for different fish. The same was true with trapping. When I was a kid I would run a trap line up the creek and baited my steel traps with different kinds of bait to catch muskrats and opossums. They would see and smell the bait which enticed them to step into my trap and WHAP! They were caught. Do you know what I did? I killed them, skinned them, and sold their hides. That’s what Satan does. Satan wants to sift you like wheat and he knows just how to bait the hook. He knows just how to set the trap. He uses different bait for different people. What does he use to bait you? Gossip, anger, lust, an illicit affair, pornography, bitterness, greed, revenge, food, possessions, or love of money? It’s sort of like what advertisers do. You sit at home watching a ball game and all the sudden a Pizza Hut commercial comes on your television. The commercial is in beautiful color. Steam is rolling off of the top of the pizza. You can see the pepperoni nestled down in the cheese and it looks so delicious. Without even thinking you say, “Let’s order a pizza!” That’s the way it works. Advertisers depend on it. So does Satan. Some things are very enticing and before you know it you’ve swallowed the bait only to find a hook. A man was riding on an airplane sitting next to an attractive woman. The man propositioned her for one million dollars. She thought about it and agreed to take him up on his offer. After she agreed he said, “I’m sorry, I don’t have a million dollars. How about $10?” She said, “What kind of woman do you think I am?” He said, “That has already been establish, we are just haggling over the price. You’ve heard the statement “Everybody’s got their price.” A lot of people throw away their integrity, their family and their relationship with Jesus for a lot less than a million dollars. James 1.14 ... each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Don't Blame God for Temptations

God may test you and he may allow you to go through trials to strengthen you but he will never tempt you to sin. So when you are tempted don’t blame God. An overweight preacher announced to his staff that he was going on a diet but the very next morning he showed up a church with a dozen donuts and two of them had already been eaten. His secretary said, “I thought you were going on a diet.” He said, “I was but it is not God’s will.” She said, “How do you know?” He said, “Well, I always drive by the bakery and I was so hungry this morning that I prayed ‘God, if its not your will for me to eat any donuts don’t let there be a parking space in front of the bakery.’” He said, “Sure enough, the eighth time around the block there was a place right there in front.” We sometimes blame God for our sins. God asked Adam, “Why did you eat the forbidden fruit?” Adam said, “The woman that you created gave it to me.” People say things like … “I met a woman and the chemistry was between us was so strong that we couldn’t resist it because that’s the way God made us.” “I can’t help being homosexual because that’s the way I was born.” “I can’t control my anger because God made me with a short fuse.” “It’s not my fault that I’m an alcoholic, it’s in my genes.” God didn’t buy that line of reasoning from Adam and he’s not impressed with it today. God is not directly, indirectly or even remotely associated with our sins. James 1.13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. It is important to accept full responsibility for our sins. Don't blame God or anybody else. When you sin say, "I am responsible. It was my fault. I repent." Then pray for forgiveness.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Temptation

"In our members there is a slumbering inclination toward desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power, desire seizes mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled. The flesh burns and is in flames... At this moment God is quite unreal to us... and only desire for the creature is real... Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God. The lust arises and envelops the mind and will of man and deep darkness and the powers of clear discrimination and decision are taken from us and everything within us rises up against the word of God.”

Me and my Guitar

Last year Brian Patterson took up a donation and bought be a nice Fender. They gave it to me on a Monday night UCF Worship at the Campus House. It was a total surprise. I had no idea. When I pulled the guitar out of the case I laughed and smiled. Cory Jackson made the picture above. I was singing a song I wrote called "Country Feeling." I am so grateful to Brian and all who gave money to buy the guitar. I play it every day.

Trophies and Crowns

Shayna is on the All-Star basketball team. She is agile and aggressive. She handles the ball well and is the fastest player on the team. I love to watch her play. After her last tournament she received a trophy. We were there to cheer for her just like we cheered for Amber and Tori when they received their trophies. One day Jesus is going to hand out trophies in the form of crowns. He will give the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4.8), the crown of life (James 1.12; Revelation 2.10), and the crown of glory (1 Peter 5.4). When our daughters get to heaven Kim and I want to be in the bleachers cheering as Jesus places crowns on their heads.

Fathers in the Waiting Room

A nurse came into a father’s waiting room. She told an expectant father “Your wife just gave birth to twins.” He said, “That’s wonderful but it’s kind of ironic because I play baseball for the Minnesota Twins.” A few minutes later the nurse came back and said to another father “Your wife just gave birth to triplets.” He said, “Isn’t that strange. I work for the 3M Company.” Another father immediately became pale and bolted out of the room. The nurse said, “Where are you going sir? Your wife is in labor right now.” He said, “I know, but I drive a truck for 7Up.”

I love my AA Meetings

I love my AA meetings. When I walk into the clubhouse its kind of like walking into Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Even though I’m early in recovery (I have 3 years, 4 months, and 14 days of sobriety), they call on me just like an old timer. Some of the “real” old timers have over 20 years and speak like statesmen. But I get something from everyone. I learn from the old timers and from the fellow who is there for the first time. They remind me that recovery must remain my highest priority. For me, everything depends on maintaining sobriety so I need to be reminded. I need to hear it over and over again. I need the steps and the traditions and the slogans and the catchy little statements like, “I’m here because I’m not all there,” and “10% is what happened and 90% was my reaction to it,” and “God can’t steer a parked car,” and “one drink is too many and a thousands not enough,” and “But for the grace of God.”

Murder in Church

Andrew Lofton was the pastor for the Christ Temple Apostolic Faith Church in Trotwood Ohio near Dayton. He was shot and killed in the church building by Kenneth Nance, a member of his congregation, during a Wednesday night service on September 16, 1998. Pastor Lofton was a stern-faced man who often preached against sin. On several occasions Nance stood from his seat to challenge the pastor. Nance disagreed with Lofton over various interpretations of Bible passages. One Wednesday night Nance went to church with a Bible in his hand and a pistol in his pocket. Joshua Manor, a neighbor of Nance, said he went to church whistling a gospel tune. He sat through the entire class with his Bible open in his lap, following along as Lofton taught a soul searching Bible lesson on Revelation. After Lofton finished teaching, Nance shot him four times. He stumbled from the pulpit to the floor bleeding. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where he died. Lofton’s wife witnessed the murder. Nance drove his car to the dealership where he purchased it, knowing that he would not be able to make the payments, left the keys in the ignition and walked one mile to the Moraine Police Department where he turned himself in. He was convicted of murder and sent to prison. Nance stated that he murdered pastor Lofton because he disagreed with his interpretation of the Bible. One year after the incident (July 13, 1999) I spoke with the secretary of the church. She said that the church was traumatized by the horrible tragedy but they were carrying on as best as they could. This sad story illustrates the harm that results from quarrels and fights over the Bible. Though we stop short of shooting each other, we murder with hatred. 1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. James 4:1-2 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t allow arguments to escalate. Let your heart be so full of God’s love that it crowds out every bitter root.

Spiritually United Regardless of Denomination

Our allegiance is not to our denomination but to Jesus. Yes, you assemble with the Baptist (or some other church) and I assemble with the Church of Christ. Yes, there are some differences between our groups but we have more in common than you think. We serve the same Lord. We are in the same body. We will live in the same heaven. What draws us together is the Lord Jesus Christ. His body is spiritually united. It's made up of all Christians, regardless of their denomination. A man dreamed that he was ushered to the gates of hell. He called out “Are there any Church of Christ in there?” Yes. “Are there any Baptist in there?” Yes. Any Catholic? Yes. Then suddenly he was ushered to the gates of heaven. He called out “Are there any Church of Christ in there?” "No." “Are there any Baptist in there?” "No." "Any Catholic?" "No." "Then tell me, who is inside these pearly gates?" And they answered, "Christians! Christians all!"

Changing the Invitation to a General Prayer Time

For years I ended every sermon with a 2-minute explanation of the five-step-plan-of-salvation. It was not very effective. It left the impression that the invitation was only for people who needed to be baptized or for backsliders. Few people came forward. Today we have a prayer time at the end of our Sunday morning services. Matt and the Praise Team sing as the shepherds minister and pray for the people who respond. Many people request prayer for various reasons. Prayer requests are kept confidential. When people come forward to ask for prayer it is an expression of their faith. It’s not a walk of shame. It’s not an admission that they are a backslider. It’s a sign that they are walking with Jesus faithfully and that they depend on him for help. It is a sign that we have a healthy church that cares for people. The shepherds stand at the front and the back and people come to them for prayer. The shepherds also go into the audience and pray for people who lift their hands requesting prayer. Other people join them in praying for people who respond. Little prayer groups of men and women form spontaneously all over the auditorium and the Praise Team keeps on singing over the congregation until everyone is cared for. Then I say "Are there any unspoken needs? Do any of you have something on your heart that you want to pray about?" Every Sunday dozens of people raise their hands and I pray for them and end with a pastoral prayer which covers the entire congregation. I end the service with a benediction. As the people open their hands to receive a blessing from God, I say a benediction like "The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace." Changing our invitation to a general prayer time has made a huge difference in our services. Every Sunday people request prayer and their brothers and sisters lay hands on them and pray. They cry, pray, hug, and wipe away tears. If you cannot find compassion at church where in world can you go? I love what Ken Medima wrote about “The Church”: If this is not a place where my tears are understood, where do I go to cry? If this is not a place where my spirit can take wings, where do I go to fly? If this is not a place where my questions can be asked, where do I go to seek? If this is not a place where my feelings can be heard, where do I go to speak? If this is not a place where you accept me as I am, where do I go to be free? If this is not a place where I can try and learn and grow, where do I go to just be me?” Perhaps you would like to try this approach and change your invitation into a general prayer time. I recommend it. Try it and you'll see that it is effective. On any given Sunday there is a broken heart on every pew. Offering a prayer time gives them an opportunity to express their needs.

Argument from silence

In the past I have used an argument from silence to prove that instruments were not to be used in worship i.e., since the New Testament is silent about instruments in worship they are forbidden. But today I know that silence on the subject of instrumental music in New Testament worship is not intentional, it is incidental. Incidental silence does not prohibit using instruments. The writers of the New Testament did not directly address the subject. Sometimes silence is intentional and can frequently be inferred in the “law sections” of the Bible such as the codified legislation in Leviticus which contains Levitical law and ritual precedents. Another example is where God gave specific instructions in the Law regarding the construction of the temple in Exodus. God told Moses in Exodus 25.9 "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." Then God gave Moses a detailed blue print for the temple. Silence in this section of scripture is intentionally prohibitive. Anything not mentioned in the Law was forbidden. But the Bible also contains poetry, history, parables, metaphors, allegories, sermons, apocalyptic and wisdom literature, letters of correspondence, as well as law. Silence in one genre of scripture may mean something very different than silence in another. This point was clear when I surveyed specific books of the New Testament. For example, the book of James is silent on baptism but this does not mean that James was against baptism. Jude makes no mention of communion but this does not mean that Jude prohibits communion. John said "I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face." (3 John 13-14). Incidental silence is not a prohibition it just means that certain issues were not addressed. Ephesians and Colossians are letters of correspondence and silence on the subject of instruments should not be taken as a prohibition against them. No such dogmatic conclusions against instrumental music should be made because instrumental music was not addressed. The Bible is silent on the subjects of church buildings, audio and visual equipment, worship leaders, located preachers, youth ministers, campus ministers, pitch pipes, tuning forks, Sunday school, and indoor pools for baptisms yet we feel free to use them because they accomplish a purpose. Any method that fulfills the purposes of God is permissible so long as it does not violate a clear principle of Scripture. I apply the same rule of interpretation to instrumental music.

KCU

I loved speaking at the chapel service at KCU. I enjoyed visiting with KCU’s president, Dr. Keith Keeran. We talked about the upcoming North American Christian Conference (NCAA) which will be this June. During the first part of my chapel talk I shared my excitement about this historic meeting between the a cappella Churches of Christ and the Christian Church. It will be the largest gathering of our movement since the 1801 Cain Ridge Rival. The division over the instrument will finally end in a happy reunion this summer. I cherish the relationships I am making with Christians in other churches. Amber, Tori and Shayna enjoyed the day. After speaking at the chapel service we went to the rec-center and played ping-pong, pool, racquetball, volley ball, foosball, and air hockey. I bought them t-shirts with the school’s name. It was a great day for the girls and me.

Speaking at KCU

I will be speaking during the chapel service at Kentucky Christian University (KCU) tomorrow. The title of my talk is called The Dating Game. I'm taking my daughters with me. I pray I do a good job speaking.

Winterfest was Great

Winterfest was great! The worship was wonderful, Jeff Walling was fantastic, and our Saturday night worship with George and Matt was incredible. The kids loved it and so did we. Sloane Williamson and Charity Baker were baptized into Christ!

Family Trip to Gatlinburg for Winterfest

Kim, the girls and I will be headed for Gatlinburg for Winterfest in the morning. George has 65 people going this year - I think its a record for Norway. Amber and Tori are riding the bus while Kim, Shayna and I will drive down in mom's car - which is more dependable than any of ours. Two of my cars are broke down. Anyway, I hope to sing praises and worship with my family and friends. 10,000 people will be assembled in the name of Jesus. I should be a great time.

My Sermons Online

Audio recordings of my sermons are now avaliable online in two places: 1.The first is on our website www.norwayave.org/members - Go to the bottom of the page and follow the instructions to download them to your computer. 2. The second place is iTunes. For those who have iTunes, just search for 'Jeff Garrett' in the music store and subscribe to our Podcast. It will update everyweek with his new lesson. Below are the easy 1,2,3 instructions Rob designed for subscribing to podcast. If you would like more information on either of these options, please email Rob Durst at rob@norwayave.org. Both of these options are completely FREE.

xxx church

xxxchurch.com provides a free program called 3XWatch that runs on your computer and monitors all the internet sites that you visit. Sites deemed morally questionable are emailed to the accountability partners you choose. I have it on both of my computers. I have two accountability partners, my friend Phil Richardson and my wife Kim. If you want to try it you can visit xxxchurch.com and download the 3XWatch program.

The Divorced Woman

A divorced woman was told by her church that there was no hope for her because her marriage had ended. She continued to go to church but doubted that she could be saved and the church no longer allowed her to be involved in certain activities. Jesus did not treat the divorced this way. The woman at the well, in John 4, had been divorced five times and she was shacked up with a man who was not her husband. Yet, Jesus was more inviting to her than he was the religious leaders at the temple. In John 2 he drove the religious leaders out of the temple. Two chapters later he met this woman who had been through multiple divorces and he revealed himself as the Messiah. She went back to her hometown and brought the whole city out to meet him. Jesus not only saved her soul he used her to save an entire city. In this one episode the divorced woman was more fruitful in her evangelism than all 12 of the apostles.

The Spirit and the Word

The Spirit and the word go together. Both are needed. You should not emphasize one to the exclusion of the other. Some may say “We don’t need the word because we have the Spirit to guide us.” They rely on subjective experiences, mysticism, and intuition. It is unwise to rely on your feelings alone because you can feel that something is true and have it be partly or entirely untrue. Others may say, “We don’t need the Spirit because we have the word to guide us.” They rely on will power and self-determination. It is unwise to rely on the word without the Spirit because it is impossible to understand the mind of Christ without the Spirit of God. Don’t reduce your faith to a mechanical, orthodox, perfunctory performance of the word. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The Spirit interprets the word. He illuminates the word in your mind. You should never come to the Bible without asking God to open your eyes and teach you. How does God do this? He accomplishes this by his Spirit. So study the word and rely on the Spirit to help you understand and empower you to obey.

Comin' Home

This morning I’ve been playing an old Lynyrd Skynard song called “Comin’ Home.” No one is around so I sing and play it loud. I love that song. It makes me think of where I grew up – Boone County WV. I have so many wonderful memories of growing up there. Today is dad’s birthday. He died six years ago. I know he’s in heaven with Jesus and I will see him again but I miss him now. I would love to have one more conversation with him. I just got off the phone with mom and she is doing well in spite of her health problems. She lives two blocks from Jeanie and Jeanie sees her all the time. I get to work with Jeanie everyday. Dad would be happy that God saved my life and turned me around and that we are together. He would have never moved from Boone County but he would be happy that mom lives in Barboursville. Susan is doing well but she lives so far away. “Comin’ Home” makes me remember how good it was to grow up where I did. Some people make fun of WV but they don’t know the people who live here. If I could have chosen any place in the world to be born it would have been in that little white house on Six Mile. Godly parents. Wonderful sisters. Granny and Pa lived across the creek. I grew up with my cousins and friends in the mountains. When I got older I made new friends at Madison. I remember football, basketball, the Little Coal River Band, and Friday nights at the sands (up Lick Creek by the river). Great friends and a wonderful family. Things have changed but I can always visit. I can always take little mental trips and remember. That’s what I do when I sing Comin’ Home. I think I’ll play it again.

Alexander Campbell on “Who is a Christian?”

The piece below was written by Alexander Campbell and was published in the Millennial Harbinger in 1837. The title of the article is “Any Christians Among Protestant Parties”, or, “The Lunenburg Letter”.* It is my favorite piece of writing by Campbell because it shows where his heart was. I am not a fan of his debates or the debates that followed his own by people who were argumentative and divisive. But I love this piece. This is where my heart is and I love Campbell for writing it. He was not sectarian. Alexander Campbell writes … I observe, that if there be no Christians in the Protestant sects, there are certainly none among the Romanists, none among the Jews, Turks, Pagans; and therefore no Christians in the world except ourselves, or such of us as keep, or strive to keep, all the commandments of Jesus. Therefore, for many centuries there has been no church of Christ, no Christians in the world; and the promises concerning the everlasting kingdom of Messiah have failed, and the gates of hell have prevailed against his church! This cannot be; and therefore there are Christians among the sects. But who is a Christian? I answer, Every one that believes in his heart that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the son of God; repents of his sins, and obeys him in all things according to his measure of knowledge of his will. … Paul speaks of "carnal" Christians, of "weak" and "strong" Christians; and the Lord Jesus admits that some of the good and honest-hearted bring forth only thirty fold, while others bring forth sixty, and some a hundred fold increase of the fruits of righteousness. But every one is wont to condemn others in that in which he is more intelligent than they; while, on the other hand, he is condemned for his Pharisaism or his immodesty and rash judgment of others, by those that excel in the things in which he is deficient. I cannot, therefore, make any one duty the standard of Christian state or character, not even immersion into the name of the father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and in my heart regard all that have been sprinkled in infancy without their own knowledge and consent, as aliens from Christ and the well-grounded hope of heaven. "Salvation was of the Jews," acknowledged the Messiah; and yet he said of a foreigner, an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, a Syro-Phenician, "I have not found so great faith--no, not in Israel." Should I find a Pedobaptist more intelligent in the Christian Scriptures, more spiritually-minded and more devoted to the Lord than a Baptist, or one immersed on a profession of the ancient faith, I could not hesitate a moment in giving the preference of my heart to him that loveth most. Did I act otherwise, I would be a pure sectarian, a Pharisee among Christians. … And should I see a sectarian Baptist or a Pedobaptist more spiritually-minded, more generally conformed to the requisitions of the Messiah, than one who precisely acquiesces with me in the theory or practice of immersion as I teach, doubtless the former rather than the latter, would have my cordial approbation and love as a Christian. So I judge, and so I feel. It is the image of Christ the Christian looks for and loves; and this does not consist in being exact in a few items, but in general devotion to the whole truth as far as known." _______________________________________ The post above consists of five different sections that I have taken from Campbell’s letter but you can read the entire letter, as well as the correspondence at http://www.bible.acu.edu/stone-campbell/Etexts/lun16.html

Christ Esteem

Raymond Corsini tells a story about a counseling session he had with an inmate in a prison. He had one session with this man and did not see him again. Four years later, as this inmate was being released, he came to say goodbye. The inmate said “Dr. Corsini, I want to thank you for changing my life.” Corsini, who barely remembered him because he had only one session with him said, “How did I change your life?” The man said, “You told me that I was intelligent. All my life I’ve been told that I was stupid. That’s all I heard when I was growing up. But since you’ve told me the truth my life has change. I now have my GED, I’m being released from prison and I have hope for a bright future.”* Some psychologists teach that what people need is healthy self esteem. I believe self esteem is important but not sufficient. What we really need is Christ esteem.** When you have Christ esteem your search for self esteem ends because you know Jesus loves you and accepts you. His death on the cross proves that you are important to him. ____________________________ *Corsini, R., Wedding, D (2005). Current Psychotherapies 7th ed. Brooks/Cole ** Matzat, D (1991). Christ-Esteem. Harvest House Publishers. Eugene, OR

The First Marriage

A little girl went to Sunday school and heard the creation story. She couldn’t wait to get home to tell her Mom. She said “Mom, the teacher taught us about how God made the first man and the first woman. The man was lonely because he didn’t have anybody to talk to so God made him go to sleep and he pulled out his brain and made a woman. In Genesis 2 God put Adam under heavy aesthesia and performed the first surgery. He took a rib from Adam’s side. I think it’s worth noting that he did not take a bone from his foot or a bone from his head. He took a rib from his side (to me that represented her equality). God took Adam’s rib and he closed up the place with flesh and with the rib he made woman. Then he brought her to the Adam and he named her. He had already given names to all the animals and now he named her. Can you imagine what it was like for Adam to meet Eve for the first time? He had been alone for who knows how long. He had never seen a woman before. Never! He went to sleep and woke up and suddenly saw a beautiful woman. She was stunning and she didn’t have a stitch of clothes on! Genesis 2.23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,’ for she was taken out of man." Now when you read 2.23 you might get the impression that Adam calmly and clinically said “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh … .” No! That was not the way he said it. It was not calm or clinical. He was excited. The first 3 words of v.23 “This is now” is actually a Hebrew exclamation--it was a shout and none of our English translations captures the significance of that word. The Living Bible comes close. The LB says “This is it!!! What Adam said was not “now” but WOW! EUREKA!! YABA DABA DOO!! Adam was overwhelmed. God saved the best for last. 2.24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The first marriage was picture perfect. They were totally transparent. They had nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Honest, open, and innocent.

Jesus Makes Us One

There are many walls that can divide us from other Christians such as denominational affiliation, doctrinal disagreements, age, gender, ethnic background, political persuasion, and socio-economic status. The love of Jesus Christ is stifled when we allow these barriers to separate us. Jesus tore down all of these dividing walls of hostility when died on the cross. Ephesians 2.14 says “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” When, by faith, we stand together at the foot of his cross we are overwhelmed by his love. All arguments cease, all hostility ends, all we see is Jesus suffering for our sins. Together we stand amazed by his love and grace. Together we say “Jesus is Lord”.

Faithful to the End

We tend to focus on King David’s failures and sin but God said David was faithful all the days of his life – with one exception. 1 Kings 15.5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD's commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. I think we are going to have to apologize to David when we get to heaven because we focus on his failures. God didn't. Not many heroes of the Old Testament were faithful right up until the end of their life. Saul started out very humble but he ended up paranoid, jealous, and demon possessed. Solomon started out good but his womanizing lead him astray and the nation turned to idolatry. Hezekiah was a good king and the Lord extended his life 15 years but he didn’t use those years productively. Eli was a good prophet but he failed to discipline his sons and he died in disgrace. But David was faithful right up until the end. That’s what I want to do – I want to be faithful to the end. I don’t want to do anything else to humiliate Christ or to fail Kim and my girls or embarrass the church. I want to be faithful to the end. That’s what we all want so that when we come to the end of our life we can say with Paul – 2 Timothy 4.7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Brendan is doing well

Father, Thank you! Brendan is doing well. Thank you Lord! Help him to heal completely. Bless George and Dana. In Jesus name. Amen!

A Prayer for Brendan

Father, Please be with Brendan as he goes into surgery in the morning. Guide the doctors as they perform the heart catherization. Please give George and Dana comfort and strength. Heal him Father. Make him better. In Jesus name, Amen!

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Have you ever watched the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Spike TV? Strong fighters slug it out in a chain-linked octagon. There’s nothing fake about it. It’s a hard-hitting sport. There are four champions in UFC: Heavyweight - Andrei Arlovski; Light Heavyweight - Chuck Liddell; Middleweight - Rich Franklin; and Welterweight - Matt Hughes. These guys are courageous and strong. I watched Rich Franklin, a former school teacher from Cincinnati Ohio, win three fights last night - he’s tough! There are some Ultimate Fighting Champions in the Bible. They are called David’s mighty men of valor. As impressive as the fighters are in UFC, they do not compare the exploits of David’s motley crew. David and his men were warriors - the toughest men who ever lived. 2 Kings 23.8 These are the names of David's mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. 9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, 10 but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory. 13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" 16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. 17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men. 18 Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them. 20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Spit in Soup

During the Korean War some military officers rented a house while they were stationed over seas. A little Chinese boy stead in their rented house and served them. He cooked and cleaned and did a great job but they treated him terribly. The officers frequently pulled pranks e.g., they nailed his shoes to the floor, they put a bucket of water over the door and when he opened the door the water fell on him. The little Chinese seemed to take it all in stride and maintained a good attitude. The officers felt sorry for the little boy and apologized. They said “We’ve been playing terrible tricks on you and you have such a good attitude about it all, we want apologize and we are going to stop.” The little Chinese boy said “You mean, no more nail shoes to the floor?’ They said “No more nail shoes to the floor.” He said “No more water over the door?” They said, “No more water over the door.” He said “Okay, no more spit in soup.” Revenge can be so subtle. You can take revenge without anyone knowing about it. Are you spitting in someone’s soup? Romans 12.17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

My Wireless Connection to God

My wireless connection amazes me. No chords. No phone line. No cable. I am wirelessly connected to a network that reaches the world. The signal travels through the air. I can’t see the signal but I know I’m connected because I can search the World Wide Web with a click of the button. Although the signal is invisible I know it is all around me – music, communication, and thousands of pathways to all sorts of information. All I need is the right instrument i.e., the wireless chip in my laptop and be close enough to my wireless router. In a similar way, I have a wireless connection with God. There is spiritual activity all around me. I can’t see it but I can connect with God with the right instrument - my faith in Jesus Christ. There may even be angels watching me type my thoughts as God brings this truth home to my heart. I am constantly connected to the greatest power in the universe. The signal is always strong no matter where I am because my wireless router is the Holy Spirit who lives in me and he keeps me connected. His search engine is better than Google. He even searches the deep things of God and testifies with my Spirit that I am a son.

Open and Transparent

I feel good. When I got home from work tonight I took a nap and slept from 6:30 till now – I’m wide awake! I hope I can get back to sleep. Lots of stuff happened today – it’s all good stuff. But I’m just thinking about my sponsor – Tom J. He knows a lot about living a sober life. He’s just as open with me as I am with him. After our AA meeting, my sponsor and I had lunch at Wendy’s. The conversations we have are open and transparent. I talk about the most personal part of my life – my joys and my struggles, the good and the bad, my confidence and my insecurities. It’s good for me to talk about the things I once kept secret. It’s frees me up to live. Today, by the grace of God, I am 3 years, 3 months, and two days sober. Find someone you can trust and talk to them. You can't be open and transparent with just anyone, they have to be trustworthy. Allow trust to build gradually as you share your stuff. Be open. Be transparent. Talk about your good side and your bad side. Talk about your victories and defeats. Share you successes and failures. As you do this you'll live freer and your heart will be filled with hope for the future.

Church Changes with Time, Culture and Custom

Lynn Mitchell presented the following four church models at the Pepperdine Lectureship in 1988. It describes how church changes with time, culture, and custom. Church A - Following strict observance of the Sabbath day, this church, which called itself a synagogue, gathered on Saturday evening to break bread together. The service began with praise. This included a call to worship and chanting of psalms, with rhythmic body movements and lifted hands. Next came the prayers (again with lifted hands): Group one: 1.) The Yotzer, with Creation as its theme. 2.) The ‘Ahabah, with Love as the theme. Group two: 1.) The Shema or confessional statement. 2.) The 18 Benedictions, led by a member with face turned toward the Ark. Then came the Instruction: Scripture reading and Exposition. Breaking of the Bread: 1.) Bread is blessed and partaken of. 2.) Full fellowship meal. 3.) Cup of Blessing is passed. Church B - Much less formal than Church A. They gathered on the first day of the week for the Lord’s Supper which included a full meal (love feast), along with the blessing of the bread and the wine in memory of Christ. Worship included prayers, songs, prophetic speeches, instructions, glossolalia with accompanying interpretation - all contributed somewhat spontaneously by members of the congregation. Men and women participated by praying and prophesying. The women wore veils and the men wore no head covering. Worship tended to be somewhat unruly, a problem which they had to watch. Church C - The church met at or just before noon on Sunday for one Sunday service of 2 to 4 hours which included lunch. Worship was somewhat informal, but much less rambunctious than Church B. The style resembled a rural democratic gathering. The president called the congregation to worship in praise. He then repeated a song which he knew and the congregation rose and sang it. He then asked a reader to read “the evangelical history” (from the Gospels). Another brother was then called upon to pray in the name of the congregation. The Epistle was read by the president followed by a song. The Lord’s Supper was observed, after remarks concerning its meaning, using one loaf and one cup of wine. The president then called for prayer for the poor and lost (kneeling). The Fellowship (offering) was laid on the table by each worshipper. An invitation was extended was extended to any who had something to edify the congregation. Several read Scripture and spoke. After several more songs selected by the congregation, a motion was made to adjourn. The president pronounced the apostolic benediction and dismissed the congregation. Church D - The church met on Sunday morning at 9:30 for Sunday School (not found in Churches A, B, or C), and then at 10:30 for the general assembly. Their assembly included contemporary music and choruses of praise. Communion was served in silver trays as it was passed from pew to pew. The congregation listened to 30 minute sermon and an invitation was extended. After a closing prayer the congregation was dismissed. Church A is the Jerusalem church in the book of Acts - A.D. 30. Church B is the Corinthian church - A.D. 55. Church C is the church of Alexander Campbell - A.D. 1830. Church D is the typical Church of Christ in North America – 21st Century.

Meditation

When some people hear the word “meditate” they think of Buddhism or Hinduism or New Age mysticism – you know, where you gaze at your navel, empty your mind or achieve an altered state by focusing on a single object and chanting Om. Other people say "I can't meditate. It's too complicated for me." No it isn't. Do you worry? If you know how to worry you know how to meditate. Worry is negative meditation. You take a thought and roll it around and around until it consumes you. That's what meditation is. It's simple! You take God's word and roll it around and around in your head until it consumes you. For me, meditation means to think or reflect on God in a calm and deliberate manner. Like Paul instructed Timothy, Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this (2 Timothy 2.7). When we reflect or meditate on the word of God the Holy Spirit will give us insight. Here’s one simple way to meditate. Take a phrase from the Bible and accent each word as you repeat the sentence over and over. Below are a couple of examples: Phil 4.13 I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. Psalm 23.1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want Say the same scripture aloud repeatedly accenting one word each time you say the sentence through. With each accented word you will get a little nuance of truth that you have never seen before. Reflect on it and the Lord will give you insight.

Self-Talk

2 Corinthians 10.5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ You can speak about 150 words a minute but you think about 10 times as fast as you talk. According to David Stoop, everyone thinks a minimum of 1500 words a minute. There is an inner dialogue going on in your mind all the time. You are doing it right now. You are talking to yourself. That’s the way you process information, through words and images. The thoughts and images you entertain influence the way you feel and behave. The things you say to yourself are sometimes more powerful than the things you say aloud because you tend edit your thoughts before you speak your mind. If you think depressing thoughts you will feel and act depressed. If you worry and fret you will feel and act anxious. The next time you upset yourself pay attention to your thought-life. Become aware of the mental images you are entertaining. Ask yourself “Is this thought true? Is this image healthy? Is it in harmony with the character of Christ? Is it realistic or exaggerated?” Remember your beliefs are your choice. If you want to think self-defeating, impure, angry, anxious, or depressing thoughts you can. If you want to think true, godly, wholesome, or healthy thoughts you can. Pray over you thought-life and ask God to transform your mind so that your feelings and behavior are in sync with him. Tell God you want to think his thoughts i.e., to think like Jesus right now. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. He will introject thoughts and images that are excellent and praiseworthy and this will give you peace. You can change the way you feel and behave by changing the way you think. The Holy Spirit transforms you by renewing of your mind but you have to be willing to cooperate with him.

Busy

I haven't written in a while. I have been busy with work, school, and fathering. Things are going well. I just wanted to say hi to my fellow bloggers.

For All You've Done (Darlene Zschech)

The Wonderful Names of Jesus

Jesus (Mt. 1:23) Wonderful Counselor (Is. 9:6) Mighty God (Is. 9:6) Everlasting Father (Is. 9:6) Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6) Holy One (Mk1:24) Son of the Highest (Lk 1:32) Immanuel (Mt 1:23) Lamb of God (John 1:29) Prince of Life (Acts 3:15) Lord God Almighty (Rev5:5) God over all (Rom 9:5) Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 22:16) I AM (Jn 8:48) The Word (Jn 1:1) Lord of Lords (Rev 19:16) Advocate (1 Jn 2:1) The Way, The Truth, The Life (Jn 14:6) Lord of All (2 Pet 2:20) Messiah (John 1:41) Son of God (John 1:34) Son of Man (Matthew 9:6) Savior (2 Peter 2:20) Bishop of your souls (1 Peter 2:25) Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2) Chief Cornerstone (Eph 2:20) Righteous Judge (2 Timothy 4:8) Light of the world (John 8:12) Morning Star (Rev 22:16) Head of the Church (Eph 1:22) Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4 Resurrection and Life (John 11:25) Alpha and Omega (Rev 21:6)

The Names of God

God has many names. The name Jehovah is combined with other names for God in the Old Testament. Each of these names reveal different qualities of God's character and his relationship to us. Eight names from the Old Testament are listed below. Jehovah – Shammah – “God is present with me.” (Ezekial 48:35 35) Jehovah – Rohi(ee) – “God is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1) Jehovah – Jireh - “God is my Provider.” (Genesis 22:14) Jehovah – Rophe – “God is my Healer” (Exodus 15:26) Jehovah – Tsidkenu – “God is my Righteousness” (Jer 23:6) Jehovah – (Mac) M’Kaddish – “God is my Sanctification” (Lev 20:8) Jehovah – Shalom – “God is my Peace” (Judges 6:24) Jehovah – Nissi (ee) – “God is my Banner” (Exodus 17:15) The name of God is like a strong tower that you can run to for protection (Proverbs 18.10). His name is powerful and strong. When you call on his name demons scatter and you walk with confidence. Say “You are here. You are my provider. You are my healer. You are my righteousness. You are my holiness. You are my peace. You are my banner!”

Christians Everywhere

This past year I have spoken in a variety of settings (e.g., hospitals, Greenbrier Hotel, schools, performing arts center, Marshall University, recovery counsel mental health agencies) and I have found Christians in all of these settings. Included in my presentation on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a section where I talk about the importance of prayer and people always seem glad that I include it. When you work in your community don't hesitate to talk about Jesus. Most people are not turned off - it turns them on. Yes, you will run into a few people who are hostile toward Christians but most people will recieve you. You will find many Christians in the crowd. Last Friday I spoke at the Recovery Counsel in Pike County Ohio and last night I spoke for the Marshall Universtiy Diabetes Center at Cabell Huntington Hospital. When I asked "How many of you pray?" nearly everyone raised their hand. During breaks many people talked about their involvement in church. Many of them will talk freely about Jesus. It's amazing - there are Christians everywhere. I am very encouraged by this.

My Statement of Faith

1. I believe that God is completely sovereign, all knowing, perfect in holiness, infinite in power, and abounding in love. He has revealed himself to us in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Our triune God is one and there is no other god besides him. 2. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe in his miraculous birth, his perfect life, his all-sufficient atoning death and glorious resurrection.Jesus ascended the highest place. Jesus is the King and kings and Lord of lords. His Kingdom will last forever. One day every living creature will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 3. I believe the Holy Spirit lives in all Christians. The Spirit’s purpose is to glorify Christ in us. The Spirit convicts us of sin and draws us to Jesus. He comforts, guides, and empowers Christians to understand the mind of Christ and obey the will of God. The Spirit distributes spiritual gifts and helps us bear good fruit. 4. I believe the church belongs to Christ. The church is spiritually united as one body with Christ as the head. There are no denominational, geographical, ethic/racial, or gender barriers in the body of Christ. We are all one in Christ and we must make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 5. I believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. Salvation is a free gift from God to man. It cannot be obtained or maintained by good works. I believe that justification is the saving action of God where he declares sinners righteous by our faith in Jesus Christ. 6. I believe that everyone who confesses the name of the Lord should turn away from sin. Since we have a sinful nature that cannot change and must die, we should repent of sin and obey the Lord. Repenting of sin and obeying the Lord are evidences of our faith, not the basis of our salvation. Our obedience is an expression of our love and gratitude and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. 7. I believe that the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper should be observed faithfully as God intended. Baptism represents identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is open to all believers and is a time to commune with the living Christ and his church. The bread represents his body and the wine represents his blood. 8. I believe the Bible is the infallible, authoritative word of God. The Bible is our only standard of truth for all Christian beliefs and practices. 9. I believe that Jesus will return - Since the return of Christ is imminent we should teach the gospel to the lost with urgency. 10. I believe that love for God and people should be our motivation for everything we do. People will know that we are Christians when we love God and people like Jesus Christ loved us. Without love we cannot benefit from any of the beliefs above.

Speaking at the Marshall Diabetes Center

Tomorrow I will be speaking for the Marshall Diabetes Center. My presentation, which will be a Cabell Huntington Hospital, will focus on using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to cope with depression. The audience will be made up of people who are suffering from diabetes. I pray I do well and the people who attend will benefit.

Speaking in Pike County Ohio

This Friday I will be speaking at a mental health agency in Pike County Ohio. I will be speaking/leading a 6 hour workshop on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I pray that I will do a good job and the participants at the agency will benefit.

Duplicity Spoils Everything

A man took his girlfriend on a picnic. He stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken and ordered two chicken dinners. When they arrived at the park and opened the bag they found $800 dollars in cash. The cashier had accidentally given them the wrong bag. Instead of getting chicken they got a bag full of money that was suppose to go to the manager to be deposited into the bank. So they drove back to the store and found the KFC manager in tears. When they returned the bag of cash the manager was so relieved. He said, “You are the most honest people I’ve ever met. I’m going to call the newspaper and asked them to take a picture of you and your girlfriend and report this story in the newspaper because you are so honest.” But they said, “No, don’t do that!” The manager asked “Why?” The man explained “The woman I’m with is not my wife.” Duplicity spoils everything. We can be honest in one area of life and, at the same time, be living a lie. Let’s make integrity our goal. Proverbs 11.3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.