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.