The following was posted by a good friend of my from college, Phil Swindall, and thought it was good enough to share.  Thanks for this "Sparkling" little "Diamond" of a blog Gre...er, i mean Phil!

With all the recent news about mismanagement of financial institutions (with enough blame to go around for just about everyone in New York's financial district and Washington DC), I have been thinking a lot about the words "full faith and trust."

It seems, as of late, that Bears and Stearns, FreddyMac and FannieMae, AIG, and the rest of the lot have forgotten about the fact that they are supposed to take care of our money with "full faith and trust." And similarly, so has the government regulators, the Federal Reserve, Congress, and Administration.

So far, 88 Billion dollars had to be printed, causing the value of the dollar to shrink - again - to rescue one business. I don't know about you, but I can't afford much more "trust."

Enough of the financial and political commentary, though... I want to get back to this phrase "full faith and trust." When I was a kid, there was a hymn that we sang a lot in church. It was based on scripture. It taught us to "trust in the Lord."

For some reason, for the past few days, I've been waking up with that song going on in my head. I'm not complaining. One of the things I love about hymns is the fact that they are so useful in teaching doctrine, and this is one piece of doctrine I think we all need to remember these days.

First, we need to know that the phrase "trust in the Lord" appears 22 times in the King James version of the Bible. It appears in both the Old and the New Testament. It shows up as both a statement of personal faith and corporate faith, and, it is written as an instruction.

I find this insertion of the word "in" quite odd, however. Why not just say "Trust the Lord." Isn't that the same thing, one might ask? As one sports commentator might say, "not so fast." I think there is a semantic difference between "trusting" and "trusting in."

I can trust something, or someone without trusting in them. I can believe that something is true, without believing in that thing or person. You might be able to convince me that it is true that the earth is round, but I won't believe in a round earth until I've been able to see the proof, the evidence... or experienced the roundness in some personal way.

That is the difference between simply trusting, and trusting in something or someone.

I can trust in God because I have experienced his trustworthiness. I can trust in God because I have proof that He exists, not just words to instruct me of his existence. I can trust in God because, as another hymn sings, "he walks with me, and talks with me, along life's narrow way." I can trust in God because He sent His one and only Son to die for me, in order to show His love for me, way back when I hated Him. I could go on and on with all the ways and reasons that I can trust in God... personal times when He has carried me through some of the darkest days of my past... quiet times when He has been there, guiding me through some of the most profound times of personal and corporate worship... exciting times when He has performed great miracles, or shown me some wonderful thing He is doing in my life. I know I can trust in God, because He has done it the old fashioned way.... He earned it.

Now, back to the financial mess in America. Take out a piece of US currency (well, all except that new dollar coin). Look across that paper or metal currency. On it somewhere, are four simple words, "In God We Trust." If we manipulate the order of the words to produce the same meaning, we have "We Trust In God." Not "We trust God," but We Trust in God. Even the governmental dudes who established the practice of putting those four words on our currency noticed the difference.

I don't know if I can trust Wachovia, or Region's Bank, or any other financial institution to protect my money. That's why the Federal Reserve established the FDIC... so I could put my money in a bank, where I could put my "full faith and trust" in the US Government's insuring of the bank's leadership not to mess with my cash.

The only problem is that there have been some untrustworthy people overseeing the financial system. And, there was a move over a half a century ago to remove the trustworthiness of our financial system, by moving away from the gold standard. The Feds simply printed $88 billion this week so they could bail out an insurance company. There's nothing there to support that money, except for the "full faith and trust" in the US Government and the Federal Reserve. Nothing of value, no collateral, no "earnest" or trust... just a piece of cotton fibers and paper with special inks and dyes and metal strips that glow different colors based on their denomination under a black light.

We have inflation and recession at the whim and fancy of the directors of the Fed, who expect us to have trust IN them... yet, it is demonstrably questionable if we can even trust them, as of late. We have higher prices at the gas pump, to some extent, because the Fed prints all the money they need, and sets interest rates based upon what they want the government to pay, which has diminished the value of the dollar so much that oil is now trading at such exorbitant rates never before imagined. And now that OPEC is getting such value for their oil, they're thinking about cutting back production to keep oil's price above $100 a barrel. Gee, thanks Chairman Bernenke! (tongue FIRMLY planted in cheek!)

All of this brings me back to my point. I might can be convinced to trust the financial institutions of this nation (and world) again... but I doubt very seriously that I will ever trust in them. I know too much about how money really works to do that. But, I know that I can always trust in God. I know that He will never leave me, nor forsake me. I know that, as the wisest man in history said, "he who puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe." (Pr 29:25) I understand that, as the prophet of old said, "some put their trust in horses, and chariots, and in horsemen... but we trust in the Lord our God." (Is 31:1, 36:7), and that the reason we can trust in the Lord is because "the Lord will surely deliver us." (Is 36:15).

How do I know I can trust in the Lord God? Because two millenniums ago, God did send His one and only Son to give eternal and abundant life to anyone who responds to His call to love Him, and to put their complete faith and trust in Him. And, He paid the ultimate price... death on the cross, to provide healing for my wounds, and forgiveness for my sins. Who in the government has done that for me? No one! Only God. And only in God do I trust!

See, good things do come out of bad! What a great reminder from God of in whom shall I trust? As for me and my house, I will choose the Lord!

In recent weeks I have heard at least 3 people, which includes Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Former Algore campaign chair Donna Brazile, and pseudo actress/political agitator Susan Sarandon make the statement that "Jesus was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor." By this statement they are suggesting at least one of three things, if not all:
1. The role of Jesus being demeaned down to that of a local political activist,
2. Painting Gov. Sarah Palin as nothing more than an uncaring politician who would go as far as killing the Messiah, or…
3. Elevating Barack Obama to the level of the Savior

My first question is what is a community organizer. According to Wikipedia a community organizer is someone who does the work of bringing people who live in close proximity to each other "together to act in their common self-interest. Community organizers act as area-wide coordinators of programs for different agencies in an attempt to meet community needs for various services." While I can see that this is a valuable tool in inner cities, small towns, or where ever people feel like the government has forgotten about them…to suggest that Jesus was nothing more than a community organizer is nothing short of heresy. Even more so when you consider that modern community organizing is the brain child of Saul Alinsky, the author of the book Rules for Radicals that he dedicated to Lucifer, who he called the "very first radical"

When I look at Scripture and search out the reason Jesus came, I seem to overlook this new idea of Jesus being a community organizer.
• In Luke 19:10 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (NASB)
• In 1 Peter 2:24 the Apostle writes about Jesus, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
• And in 2 Corinthian 5:21 the Apostle Paul said of Jesus, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"

Did Jesus come to pay the price for the sins of sinful man, or did He come to organize a few members of society who political activists felt were overlooked? To lessen the mission of Christ to that of a political activist is not Biblical, wrong and teetering, if not crossing the line on heresy.

Let's consider a little more of what Scripture says about Jesus…
• He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the final Amen
• He is the Ancient of Days, the Author of Life and the Author of Salvation
• He is the Bread of Life
• He is the Chief Cornerstone, Christ our Creator, Our Deliverer
• Our Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace
• He is God
• He is the Good Shepherd and the Great Shepherd
• He is the Great High Priest
• He is the Holy One, the Hope of Glory
• He is the Image of the Invisible God, the Great I Am
• He is the Judge of the living and the dead
• He is King of kings and Lord of lords, Majestic and Mighty
• And NO ONE COMPARES TO HIM!
• The Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth
• He is the Power of God
• He is the Resurrection and the Life
• He is the Supreme Sacrifice
• He is the Way, the Truth and the Life
And He cannot be reduced to a political activist seeking a "revolution" at the local government level!

I realize when it is all said and done this is nothing more than a political stunt to glorify one candidate and to put down another…but I refuse to have it done in the name of my Lord and Savior. Jesus is the one who paid the price for my sins, as well as those who are demeaning His name and His mission.

Was Jesus a community organizer? The Scripture gives us a very clear and a very certain NO!
But Jesus is the one who came and lived the life we could never live (sinless) and died the death we deserved to die (for our sins) so that by grace through faith alone we can be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Today marks the 7th year since the horrific attack on our great country by Muslim extremists who are dead set on destroying us and our way of life. Driven by hate they flew 2 planes into the World Trade Center Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon and then a 4th plane was forced down into a field in PA, no doubt headed for another target of great importance. The heroism we saw on that day and in the following days was awe inspiring. I still get chills when i remember all of our congressional leaders, both parties, singing "God bless America" on the steps of the US Capital...united, as Americans. Never before, and i pray that never again, have we been suckered punched in such a way by our enemies. It brought out the best in our country, and sadly in some ways, 7 years later we are once again seeing the worst at times as conspiracy theorists try to blame our own country for this.
I am thankful that we have not been attacked and have remained safe in spite of additional threats of terrorism over the last 7 years. I'm also thankful that Sen. John McCain used better judgement and requested that both he and Sen. Barack Obama refrain from politicking today so that the focus can be where it needs to be...the victims and the heroes of 9/11.
The following is a prayer written by Pastor Max Lucado just days after the 9/11 attacks, i thought i would share it since it speaks as loudly today as it did 7 short years ago.

We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy eye and think, "What a horrible dream."

But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn't.

And so we come to you. We don't ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories and now we plead, "Do it again, Lord. Do it again."

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.

Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed our morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.

And by dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.

But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Christians are praying with Jews. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity.

And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you've used her to heal a hurting world.

Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

Through Christ, Amen.

As the last of Gustav's rains finally move out of Southern AR, my family members that stayed with us over the weekend are heading back down to New Iberia, LA to see what clean up they have ahead of them.  It stressed the dog out a bit having all the extras in the house, including 2 extra dogs, and threw our schedules off a bit...but it was all good because we stayed safe. 

I've learned a lot about having a shelter in the storm over the last 3 years, especially while riding out Hurricanes Katrina and Rita while living in St. Amant, LA back in 2005.  I've seen what happens if you don't find the best place to go for protection, like in New Orleans, and how well things can be if you get out when instructed.  And this time around i'm also seeing that not all "shelters" are equal as many in Shreveport felt a free trip out of danger as well as a free place to stay was not enough.  Thank God, and i mean literally i thank God, that i have had a firm foundation to rest upon as well as a shelter from the storm as it blew in and out.

And most of all i thank God that He is my true shelter in the storm.  When problems arise, when difficulties develop and when the worst seems to be upon me i know that i am protected.  It won't be easy, it may not be simple, and i may still stumble and fall...but He is going to be my shelter in the storm! 

Psalm 23:6 reminds me, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (ESV).  King David wrote these verses after mentioning the "valley of the shadow of death" (23:4), an i do think it was intentional.  He had been through the ups and the downs, and had more than his fair share of downs.  The storms of life came and they came with hurricane force, but He was able to find his shelter time and time again. 

My prayers go out to family and friends who are cleaning up from Gustav and are watching out for Ike in the Atlantic.  Don't forget you have a place to stay with my family and i if you need it, a physical shelter from the storm...but most of all by faith in Christ you have a shelter in the storm that lasts. 

The following is a blog that was posted by one of the members of First Baptist Church of Lewisville on her blog site, www.chattythoughts.blogspot.com .  Thanks for letting me post it here Betty!

I wrote this several days after Mother's Day of this year with the intention of posting it:

I am sitting at my computer mulling over the events of yesterday. It was truly a great Mother's Day, only diminished by the realization that my own mother is no longer available to my touch and fellowship. I will have to put that pleasure on hold for a "time."

My three children and their wives came through for me beautifully. They made me feel loved, wanted, appreciated, and sentimental. I took the trip down memory lane that delights the soul, and I looked forward down that lane at the events that are waiting on the sidelines to further delight me. Ahead are countless joys!

I have never been big on national days of things, i.e. children's day, grandparent's day, mom's and dad's days, groundhog day, earth day, or fill-in-the-blank day. Everyday should be a day of Thanksgiving. And, please forgive me, even the heightened spiritual emphasis at Christmas and Easter elude me. I feel like everyday is a day to remember that a divine child was born over 2,000 yrs. ago that changed everything for mankind and our access to God the Father. And, everyday is a day to reflect on and celebrate "Christ is risen." I cannot seem to generate more awareness or appreciation of those events on two specific days of the year. And, in view of all of the frantic planning that goes with those two holidays, my focus on Christ Jesus seems to be at its lowest at that time of year. Since those two holidays bring families physically closer, I believe that Christ is honored at those times by our celebration of family, especially as we acknowledge Him as the "family planner" and the glue that holds us together. He protects our unity as we continue to rely on Him.

While mom was living, I felt like everyday was mom's day. I told her frequently, throughout the year, how blessed I was to have her as a mother, how much I loved and admired her, and how much I valued her love and friendship. How could I do more on Mother's Day? And, I miss her terribly.

Everyday is a day to value our parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, friends, fellow travelers on planet earth, and God's creations. If you don't have access to those warm, fuzzy feelings everyday about everything that is in or around your life, then how can you generate it for a holiday. You either have it or you don't. Certainly, there are times in our lives when certain events overshadow our joy, but it is there and serves as a cushion for those heavier burdens that drop on us from time to time.

Growing families have so many events to remember and plan around on both sides of the family: birthdays, wedding anniversaries, reunions, and so on. Life can get so busy and complicated if we let it. Remembering dates was never my strong suit, and, thus, is an ongoing challenge. If you are one of my beloveds, and if you have not already experienced this, you will probably one day find that I have forgotten some special date. Always attribute it to my being "date challenged:" not that the date is unimportant to me. The great coverup in the Landes Family for forgotten birthdays was the concept of elongated birthday celebrations, some lasting up to two weeks. Under that concept, you couldn't be guilty of forgetting a birthday if you could remember it within that time frame. It worked for me! Cards received late were marked with, "Oh, yes, we always celebrate for a week or so."

Having said all of this about dates and holidays, I will always celebrate these events with my family and friends and enjoy them to the max. There just aren't enough excuses to celebrate together, right! I find my real celebration and joy is being in your presence no matter what the occasion or holiday. If Christ is in us, then when we are together or apart, there is joy.

If you have followed this rambling, then you have had your mental exercise for the day. Happy Today and Tomorrow!

This morning when i went over to the school my kids attend and my wife teaches at i found an incredible moth sitting on one of the poles.

I wish the camera really did it justice, i only had my camera phone at the time.  This is a pandora sphinx moth, and it was about 3 inches wide and about 2 inches long...an incredible sight.  My kids, especially my son were amazed by this naturally camoflauged moth there in plain sight for us. 

I think one of thing that amazes me most about this type of creature is knowing where it came from, in this case a little red caterpillar with white spots.  And if you spent any amount of time awake in 7th grade life science you know about the process that takes place that changes a caterpillar into a moth.  In the case of this moth it burrows underground at the plant the caterpillar feeds upon where it pupates and goes through a metamorphosis into a this beautiful moth.

Sadly too many people within the church and who claim to be Christians forget about the metamorphosis that should take place in our lives as a result of our faith in Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (NASB) 

When the caterpillar pupates it goes through a total transformation and emerges completely different...and for born again believers it should be no different.  When we by faith and God's grace call upon the name of the Lord to save us (Romans 10:9-10) it should result in a total transformation as God's Spirit overtakes us and is reborn in us (John 3:3, 5-7).  The reason for this is our faith should lead us to repentance (Acts 3:19) which means we turn from who and what we are and allow God to begin a work of sanctification in us (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

Being a born again believer is not a matter of having some type of "fire insurance" that saves us from hell...although that is one of the great rewards of salvation; but it is about a life changed from the inside out by the power of God's Spirit working in us.  And proof of our salvation does not lie in our church attendance, our baptism or in praying a prayer at some point in our life either.  And yes, i did say proof of our salvation is not in that you may have prayed a prayer at some point in your life...real proof is in a changed life.

Proof of my salvation is not that i prayed on August 6, 1989 and asked God to save me...and that is what i did and that is what God did for me by His grace alone, but it is the fact that on that night i passed from death into life.  Evidence is in the fact that i was once lost and on that night i was found and as a result of God's Spirit over taking me by my faith i was lead to repentant of my sins which means turning from them and being made different.  Proof is that i'm not the same person i once was.  Can you say the same thing?

Evidence of salvation also comes in being different from the world around us.  Jesus prayed in John 17:16 that we would not be "of the world, even as I am not of the world"...which is where we get the statement "in but not of" from. Yes we are in this world, but our lives should stand as an extreme contrast when compared to the lives of those who still of the world.  In short, someone who claims to be a born again believer, or a Christian, should at least live out that claim day to day and not just on Sunday mornings at 11AM. 

Are you different?  Are you different from those around you who do not claim to be followers of Christ...and i mean different in a good way?  Has your life been changed since you "prayed that prayer"?  If not, have you really experienced the life changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 

On the way to Texarkana this morning i counted 4 road side memorials over the 20-something mile stretch down Hwy 82 leading me out of Lewisville.  The first was here in town, the next 3 were within a mile or so of each other just a little over halfway to Texarkana.  Each of these marking the spot where somebody's loved one died in an auto accident of some sort...the most recent being less than a month ago. 

I know this will not be a popular statement, but i will say it anyway...i really am not a fan of those roadside memorials.  Now, before you start screaming, "How can you be so cold-hearted and so mean? You must be a Republican!"...hear me out.  I'm not a fan of those road side memorials because of what they remind you of...where and how someone died.  If i were to lose my life in an accident of some sort, i would not want the memory of me to simply be where and how i died.  I would much rather be remembered for the life i lived, wouldn't you? 

Psalm 39:4-5 says, "Lord, make me know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient i am.  Behold, You have made my days as handbreaths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath." (NASB)  The life span of the average American is a little over 70 years...and in the scope of eternity this is just a blip on the radar screen.  Our lives are short and are best illustrated by the dash we find between two dates on a tomb stone; the one between the date of birth and the date of death.

Our time is short, but it is the time we have and while we cannot define how or when our time ends we do have a say so in how we live our lives.  We control the dash!  We can do something here and now so that when our lives are over we are not only remembered by the death we die. 

I recently preached a sermon on leaving a legacy, and i reminded everyone that we are all going to leave a legacy of some sort and it will be one of 4 possibilities.  It will be a:

1. Good legacy; When loved ones day, "Remember Bobby…yeah, those were some good times.", or a...
2. Bad legacy; when they say, "Yeah, Bobby…let's just change the subject.", or perhaps it can be a...
3. Forgetful legacy; when someone says "Bobby who?", or you can leave a...
4. Godly legacy; which is what i want for my life, "Did I ever tell you about my friend Bobby?  I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for his influence."

And you are in control of this, you can write your own legacy.

So, what do you need to do to leave a Godly legacy?  Well, you need to make sure that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior for starters, but beyond there, here are 3 keys:

I.                   Weave the Best Words

Listen to what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:20-24:

"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.  Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it {flow} the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you."

Don't just say the right words, but like Solomon you need to weave the best words.  This is a combination of what you say and how you say it.  Put your heart into it, not just your mouth.  Are you weaving words that you will be remembered for and will also honor and glorify God?

 

II.                   Do the Best Deeds

Acts 20:24 "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."

We need to make sure we don't leave anything undone.  Closure isn't just something that others seek after someone dies, it is something we need to seek for ourselves before we die.  What in your life do you need to finish to seal your Godly legacy?

 

III.                   Live the Best Life

Let me just say this, you may have seen a sweet talking preacher on Larry King promoting his book…that isn't what I'm talking about.  In fact, if you look at Scriptures, the "best life now" you see offered on TV is not the best life you find in the lives of those who we read about in the Word of God.  Just think about the Apostle Paul when he sat in a dungy Roman prison between a couple of soldiers just waiting for the word to take this guys head off…would you call that "the best life now"? 

No…just the opposite.  Consider what Paul said in 2 Tim. 4:6-8

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up 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 loved His appearing."

 

Living the best life isn't about getting all you can get now and "living it up"…it's about building a legacy while you are here that will impact future generations.  And then it is about preparing yourself for the eternity that comes after this short life ends.  It is giving your heart and your life to Christ who saves you by grace through faith alone and then becoming an agent of change because your life has been changed.  The best life is one that honors and glorifies God as you do your part in building His kingdom (Eph. 2:10). 

 

Death is batting .1000 in our generation, meaning unless Christ returns we are all certain to face an end to our lives.  We may not know when or where that day will come, but we know what we have here and now...and what are you doing with that? 

The following is a great devotional thought from Charles H. Spurgeon originally posted by my good friend Jeremy...it was way too good not to share.

"The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out." -- Leviticus 6:13

Keep the altar of private prayer burning.  This is the very life of all piety.  The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this burn well.  Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion.  Burn here the fat of your sacrifices.

Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed.  Effectual prayer availeth much.

Have you nothing to pray for?  Let us suggest the Church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbours, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world. Let us examine ourselves on this important matter.

Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion?  Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts?  Do the chariot wheels drag heavily?  If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay.

Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications.  Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer.  For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.

The text will also apply to the altar of the heart.  This is a golden altar indeed.  God loves to see the hearts of his people glowing towards himself.

Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek his grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning.  Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher.

Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart's fire, they are live coals; let us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.

This past Friday a group from First Baptist Lewisville returned to Life House Church in the College Hill community of Texarkana to help with their building.  It is a church plant in a very needy community that is nearing its official launch date, but has already begun meeting on a regular basis.  Our task on Friday was to clean out a few areas to prepare the floor for laying down carpet today (Monday), which seemed simple enough…except for the counter top and cabinets sitting in the lobby area. 

 

After getting things as spotless as possible we still had this huge L-shaped counter top that was previously used by the Salvation Army sitting in our way.  It was too big to simply move and would need to be cut in half before we even thought about getting it out of the doors.  It was very well built with 2x4's, 2x12's, drywall and other materials…but needed to be removed and was not going to be kept.  After looking at it for a bit I made sure ONE MORE TIME that it wasn't going to be kept, and when verified I took a hammer and began banging on some of the outer pieces.  Little by little things started coming loose and little by little we got more pieces off.

 

After finding a pry-bar it really got fun tearing this thing apart, and I found out how enjoyable destroying something can be.  In fact, it was almost therapeutic in a way swinging the hammer and yanking with the pry-bar knowing that my end result would be destroying what was before me.  If I'm not mistaken, I may have even found a new spiritual gift!

 

I guess on the flip side someone's hard work and building skills really weren't taken into account in my reign of destruction.  I also had no doubt that it took a lot more work for someone to build that piece than it took for me to tear it up.

 

In Ephesians 4:29 we read, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." (NASB)  How easy is it for those within the church to tear things or others down simply using our words?  That old adage of "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me" is a lie straight from the pits of hell because words can be destructive.  They may not physically harm, but they can mentally and spiritually destroy. 

 

God has called us to be part of building His kingdom, to be construction workers using skill and expertise imparted to us by a changed life through the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)…not to be demolition experts.  And that is just what we find too often in our local churches, demolition experts who tear down rather than build up. 

 

James reminds us the painful power of an unruly mouth in James 4:8 when he says the tongue is "restless evil and full of deadly poison."  When we are not totally submitted to the Lordship of Christ it is the flesh that controls our words rather than the Holy Spirit, and that is where the danger lies.  It would be a lot less painful to be hit with the sticks and stones than to hear what carnal mouth has to say to you. 

 

Paul summed it up in Galatians 5:16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."  Are you walking by the Spirit?  Is it evident in the words coming out of your mouth?  Is it time for you to put away the pry-bar and get to building up rather than tearing down?  It might a lot easier to tear down, but well worth the extra effort to build up so that God is honored, glorified and His kingdom is built.

I just finished reading through the Epistle to the Hebrews again, one of richest texts of Scripture in the New Testament...but then again, aren't they all?  Hebrews 12 always stops me in my tracks and makes me think, and it did so on Monday again.

In Hebrews 12:7-9 says, "It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?" (NASB)

At a previous place of service i had a deacon proudly tell me, "Well if God doesn't like what we are doing, why isn't He punishing us for that?"...in reference to the many years of dissension within that congregation as well as the many lives and souls that had become nothing more than collateral damage in the many splits and constant in fighting that was taking place along the way. (Obviously the splits, ruined reputation of the church in the community and the numerous broken homes belonging to church members was just an oversight).  This was honestly one of the few times i was left speechless, for a moment at least, in a deacon's meeting because of the audacity of such a statement. 

I had to remind him that Scripture clearly states in Hebrews 12 that God only disciplines those who belong to Him...and if God's discipline has not been experienced it is for one of 2 reasons: 1) You are not His, or 2) Your are disregarding His discipline and pretending it isn't there.  Either case is not a good place to be. 

I'm the proud father of 2 great kids, but if they get into trouble with another child from church, school or the neighborhood...which one will i discpline?  I'll discipline my own, and the severity of the discipline will obviously depend on the severity of the action.  I'm not doing it out of cruelty or because i think as a father i have a right to do so (although, as their father i do have that right); i do this because i love them and i want them to learn right from wrong.  I want them to learn how to live their lives according to the standards that God gives to us in His Word, and discipline is one way this can happen. 

And the other child?  What good is it for me to discipline them if they are not mine?  I can tell them "Go straight home, get into your room and think about this for about an hour, and then you are grounded from TV for the next 2 weeks!"...and they'll probably be laughing all the way home thinking, "Who does he think he is?"  My discipline means nothing to them, because they are not my children. 

If you have not experienced the discipline of God i wouldn't proudly assume that it's because you are doing things right and God is happy with you.  In fact in Proverbs 16:18 tells us, "Pride goes before destruction" and the destruction that goes along with not being God's child is eternal.  Ask yourself, are you God's child?  There is only one way according to John 1:12, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the Children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

Sorry folks, not going to be much spiritual here...just celebrating a great ball park.

Last night i watched LSU play their last baseball game in old Alex Box Stadium and end it on a high note by beating UC-Irvine in the rubber game of the best of 3 series by a score of 21-7.  What a great way to close down such a historic facility than sending the home team on to Omaha to play in the College World Series for the first time since 2004!

If you are not familiar with Alex Box Stadium, it was built in 1938 and named after a popular LSU student who played both baseball and football for the Tigers, but saw it all cut short when he died a heroes death in WWII.  It was the first, and as far as i know the only time a facility was named in honor of a student in the history of the school.  Since then it has been the home of 5 national championship teams, NCAA attendance records year after year and even hosted the old NY Giants baseball team for spring training a time or two. 

I only had one opportunity to visit this old ball park, it was during the 2006 season, one of the worst on record for the Tiger baseball team, and they actually lost that day...badly to Vandy.  Yet the fans were still there, tail-gating like there was no tomorrow and sticking it out to the end of the game in 90+ degree temps to "root, root, root for the home team", like the old song says. 

70 years of history will soon become nothing more than a memory for many, but the name will carry on.  The new Alex Box Stadium will open up next spring just 200 yards away and hopefully will provide many more memories for baseball fans in the future.  Good luck to the Fighting Tigers in Omaha as they open up the tournament against UNC, and let's open up the new "Box" with a 6th national championship banner and a brand new "Intimidator" sign!

Geaux Tigers!

I held a black widow spider in my hand yesterday.  I saw the deep patent-leather color of its exoskeleton and was able to see the bright red hour glass shape on its bottom that this spider is known for.  It really was an amazing specimen…but it was also in a jar.  You don't think I'm going to hold one of those things in my hands, do you?  Obviously you don't realize just how much I HATE spiders!

 

One of our church members found the spider while cleaning some paddle boats out yesterday and she caught it and placed in the jar knowing my kids would enjoy seeing it.  And they did, and I did, seeing something that can be so deadly so close…but also knowing that it was harmless to me as long as it was in that jar.  Safe and secure, encased in a little class prison where it can be observed but not have any effect on anyone. 

 

Sadly, spiders are not the only thing that goes into jars sometimes.  Far too often born again believers and churches want to take the gospel and bottle it up, and leave it where it can be seen, but not have much effect on the society around us.  We keep it encased in between our church walls, between the hours of 11am and noon, but won't dare let it out in fear that it might cause problems for us. 

 

Cayman pastor Thabiti Anyabwile, writing about the 9 marks of a healthy church correctly says, "It sometimes appears as though some Christians believe the gospel was meant to be preached widely until it reached them, and then stored safely in the vault of their personal history away from everyone else."  The Gospel just gets put into a bottle or a jar, kept on a shelf for observing from time to time, but with the knowledge that it getting out it will affect someone somewhere.  But unlike the black widow that can cause death, the only death the gospel causes is the death to self that leads to forgiveness and eternal life that can only come through faith in Christ alone by God's grace. 

 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome and to us today says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.' For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." (Romans 1:16-18, ESV)  The Gospel does not belong in a jar, and it does not belong in the church because it is something that is to be proclaimed unashamedly where ever we are.  It is the power of God for salvation for all people and cannot and should not be hidden away. 

 

But also notice that it is called unrighteous when the truth gets suppressed according to Romans 1:18.  We need to understand that it is nothing short of sinful to bottle up the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of salvation, and keep it from a world that is dying in sin. 

 

Don't be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, don't keep it in a jar where it can be observed but not effect anyone…let it out and proclaim it!

Oh little coffee bean, so little and green

I will now roast you over high heat…does that seem mean?

I will turn the heat on and listen for the pop

Not until I see those natural oils I will stop.

 

All the way from Costa Rica you have come my way,

And soon you'll become a nice pot of coffee, maybe even today.

 

I will let you cool, and then into the burr grinder you will go

And then I will let the fresh cool water flow.

I've always said life is too short to drink bad coffee

So I will drink it black, no need to flavor with toffee.

 

Oh the caffeine, how I so enjoy the perk

Without it, let's be honest, most of us would not be able to work.

 

The little coffee bean is no longer the same,

It is a very deep brown and oily, and I am to blame.

But for a fresh cup of coffee I'm willing to chore,

And when I'm done I'll pour me some more. 

 

My little burlap bag is getting smaller with each batch

But for the fresh roasted taste, there is no match.

 

This is the end of my little poem of ode,

It may be the result of a lack of caffeine, truth be told.

Or maybe it is just the high price of gas,

My sanity may not for long last.

 

Thank you God, for the coffee bean that is so nice…

And thank You for letting me have this one little vice.

OK, I'm miffed big time!  I went to our local grocery store this morning to get gas and a few groceries to get us through the remainder of the school week and I'm still trying to recover from that.  After spending $30 on only half a tank of gas in our mini-van, I then had to shell out another $50 on a few lunch items that will get us through the last few days of school and some breakfast items.  I'm not talking about major shopping here…just the bare necessities!  $80 spent and I'm not even sure if we have anything in our fridge or pantry to cook for dinner, which means probably even MORE money being spent!

                 

This is WAY past ridiculous and it is time for those idiots in Washington to do something.  I just heard that execs from 5 of the major oil companies are being drug up to DC to get grilled by the idiots on the Senate Judiciary Committee about the rising oil prices…on the tax payer dime no doubt, and the end result will be SQUAT!  Just like last week when these same idiots had the opportunity to do something constructive about this and they caved in and only cut off putting more oil in the strategic oil reserves.  How does that help us?  Have you checked the gas prices lately?  Of course it doesn't help us…but it helped them sleep better that night!

 

So what can we do?  Sending out emails telling people which oil company supposedly buys Saudi oil or suggesting a gas buying boycott won't cut it, so please stop sending them.  You can contact your elected officials in Washington.  Now I realize some of you might be like me and feel like you understand "taxation without representation" because our 2 Senators and our US Representative only care about towing the party line and getting past the next election…so let them know ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!  And encourage anyone and every one you know to do the same.  Call them both in the DC office and their local offices, write them, email them; FIND THEM WHEN THEY ARE BACK IN THE DISTRICT, just let them know that their tax funded gravy train is going to be coming to an end if they don't actually start working on behalf of the people who they have been elected to represent. 

 

Also remind them that there is a WHOLE lot more they can do.  Do you realize that there is technology that can convert coal to oil?  And did you know that the US probably has more coal deposits than we know what to do with?  I can guarantee your elected officials in Washington know this…and they are SITTING ON IT!  Not only that, but there are oil shale deposits in places like the Rocky Mountains that can be taken without causing irreparable damage to the ecology of the region.  All they have to do is give the OK.

 

Then there is the whole oil issue.  I remember growing up in New Iberia, LA in a growing and booming economy…until they started capping oil wells.  BUT after oil production peaked in the 70's and 80's with 8,000-9,000 barrels a day, the quick decline came in the 90's and we are now at oil production levels in the US equal to that in the 1950's!  And, as if this wasn't bad enough, China is now in a partnership with Cuba (ah, those Commies just love each other!) and is drilling in the Gulf of Mexico near our own shores that we are not allowed to drill on!  We need a Ronald Reagan moment with someone saying, "Mr. President, un-tap these wells!" 

 

But don't forget about ANWR.  Yes, the Artic National Wildlife Refuge that is a haven of untapped oil on US soil.  Why aren't we drilling there?  We can't disrupt the mating habits of those innocent animals that need our protection…yeah, whatever.  I love polar bears, penguins and those other cute little artic animals, but you know what, my pocket book says drill a hole through the first caribou you come across in ANWR if necessary to get the oil flowing.  I promise that if you do that once, you may not have to worry about to many others coming back around. 

 

This has got to stop. I can't afford too many more $80 trips to the grocery store to get just a couple of day's worth of food.  And stupid investigations by Congress followed more tax funded "relief" packages will cost us, the US tax payers, more in the end.  All I'm asking for is that our elected officials use just a little bit of common sense, that is if they have any, and do what they were elected to do.  They want to be leaders, then LEAD!

 

Obviously there is a lot more that can be done too, like putting a halt on ethenol production which requires even more fossil fuels to make a gallon of this stuff, and feel free to point fingers at Bill Clinton who vetoed a bill that would allow for more oil production in 1996 because he said it wouldn't help for another 10 years; yeah, well...it's been over 10 years, thanks Bubba!

 

I do need to apologize for something though, I called our elected officials in DC "idiots" earlier, and I just looked up a definition of this word on Webster's website and found, "a person affected with extreme mental retardation"…calling our elected officials idiots is obviously an insult to those who are effected with extreme mental retardation, and they don't deserve to be put into the classification together, so I apologize to them. 

 

I realize some people read my blogs expecting something more "devotional", and i will do more of that ASAP...but i really needed to get this off my chest, so thanks for reading!

(Regards to Louis Giglio for his teaching on this that introduced me to this great illustration and to Denise for sending me the video to see it also)

For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalms 139:13-14)

Laminin is a protein molecule in the human body, numbering anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 or more...molecular biologists aren't real certain about the exact number.  Laminin is said to be to the human body like rebar is to concrete...it reinforces it, makes it stronger and holds it all together.  It is part of God's handiwork and a closer look shows that it is also evidence of God's handiwork also.  Here is an illustration of this protien:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Think about it, within each and every person, who is created in the image of God is a reminder of who the Savior is and where salvation lies.  He who is above all things is the same who holds all things together and within each of us is proof of that.  God's handiwork and God's salvation, and all it takes is our faith!

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!