Mixed Emotions

Tonight is the close of our Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Monticello.  After the kids all go home, a swarm of dedicated volunteers will get everything back in place for Sunday's worship.  After a long week of singing, playing, and learning, it's all over. 

A lot of work goes into making VBS successful.  As a pastor, I am blessed to have willing volunteers who are dedicated workers.  They love the Lord and they love children, so doesn't surprise me that they work so hard.  I am truly grateful for all they do.

This year I'm not going to be at commencement. I'll be heading to Warrensburg, Missouri to help to build a church. I am excited to be going, but I'm also sad that I'm missing our VBS commencement.

I'm grateful for a wonderful VBS. I'm looking forward to a productive week. I'll be glad to get back home. I'll post when I can.

All I Have Is Christ

Sometimes, it's good to be reminded of this important reality.  May you be reminded, and blessed in the knowing. 


All I Have Is Christ from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Where Have All the Friendly People Gone?

I'm beginning to think that it's getting increasingly difficult to be friendly.  I remember when people would smile at you in a store or say, "Hi."  I can remember when old men with hula girl tattoos would ask if you wanted to see the girl dance, and then flex their muscles (okay I think that was in a cartoon).  But now people tattooed from head to toe, angrily ask, "What are you looking at?".  I don't know, is it a maze? a mural? a cry for help? I scared to look, but too mesmerized to turn away.  At times, it feels like our culture is becoming a more unfriendly environment.  Let me share some of my evidences with you.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a graduation ceremony.  As we were leaving the building, there were a couple of children holding out their hands as if they wanted to shake hands with the passing crowd.  Just as I was about to reach out and shake the hand of the little boy standing closest to me, I felt him trying to push me forward.  The kids weren't wanting to shake hands.  They trying to push the crowd along.  I found it a bit funny, in spite of the fact that it was rude and disrespectful.

Today, I had to kill some time in a store while the pharmacy filled my prescription.  As I am walking through the aisles, I realized that the blank expression on my face might be interpreted by others as unfriendly.  So I instructed my face muscles to form a smile.  By the looks on faces that I passed, my face muscles must have went for a demented "Joker" smile.  It felt like a normal smile, but it was neither warmly received nor reciprocated.  One older woman turned her cart and scurried away. 

It reminded me of the time I was publicly rebuked by a toddler at Wal-mart.  I got in line behind a lady with two small children.  I love children.  After all I was one and it was a pretty good time in my life.  Plus, they are always saying funny things or doing funny stuff.  Children are great.  Anyway, I'm in line and this little boy looks back at me, so to avoid being rude, I smiled at him.  He looks at me and says something along these lines, "What's wrong with you.  Don't you know your not supposed to look at strangers?".  I didn't know how to respond, so I just dropped my head.

So now I am afraid to smile, speak, or make eye contact, and shaking hands is out of the question.  I am introverted by nature and really shy, so social interaction was never a strong suit.  Actually, I still suffer from a bit of social awkwardness.  And it doesn't help that most of my attempts at improving my social skills, in a public setting, are not met favorably.  But I'll keep trying, maybe my friendliness will rub off on others.

It seems like the world is a harder place than it used to be.  Maybe I am just more engaged than I used to be, so I notice it more.  What about you? Do you find it's getting harder to be friendly?  Maybe it would be better to say, do you find that people aren't as receptive to your friendliness as they used to be?  What do you think?

FAQs Mondays: What Will Happen to Those Not in Christ?

"FAQs Mondays" is an ongoing series of posts based on an adaptation of The Baptist Catechism.  You can view the original documents from which it is drawn: here, here, and here.  The most recent posts include: "How Is Redemption Applied", "What Are the Benefits of Effectual Calling", and "What Other Benefits Come from Being in Christ?".  The previous post explored the benefits of being in Christ that extend beyond this life.  This post will explore the question, "What will happen to those not in Christ?"


What shall be done to the wicked at death?

 The souls of the wicked shall at death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves until the resurrection and judgment of the great day.  Jesus related this story, "The poor man [Lazarus] died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side.  The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.  And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame" (Luke 16:22-24, ESV).  Elsewhere Jesus states, "Do not marvel at this, for all who are in the tombs will hear his [the Son of God] voice, and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28-29, ESV).  Daniel states, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2, ESV).  John shares this vision:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.  From his presence the earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.  And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, according to what the had done.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15, ESV).

What shall be done to the wicked on the day of judgment?

At the Day of Judgment, the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever.  Paul states, "They [the wicked] will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thes. 1:9, ESV).  Jesus warned, "Then he [the Son of Man] will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels'" (Matt. 25:41, ESV).

Conclusion

Those outside of Christ will be judged and condemned for their sin.  They will be cast into the lake of fire, away from the merciful presence of God.  The tortures and torments of hell are to penalty for sin.  But what exactly is sin?  Sin is the active or passive violation of God's will.  If sin is the violation of God's will, what exactly does God require of us?  Next week, we will seek to answer that question.

Sermon Recap 6-6-10

Morning: Vacation Bible School (VBS) is upon us once again.  The theme verse this year is James 1:5.  The sermon, "Need Answers? Ask God!," was preached from the theme verse.  In this passage, James informs his readers that they can ask God for wisdom if they need it, and he will give it to them without finding fault.  Wisdom is more than intelligence, philosophical ability, or skill.  Wisdom, in the biblical sense, is spiritual in nature.  It comes down from above, deeply rooted in a faith relationship with Christ.  Wisdom is the art of living a life that pleases God.  In order to do that we must believe in his Son.

If we need wisdom, then we must ask God to give it to us.  He does so generously.  I think Jesus' image of a measuring cup, heaped up, and running over captures the essence of generously.  God gives generously, and without finding fault.  He does not withhold his grace from us or become frustrated with us.  He is able to sympathize, and willing to provide.  So if we lack wisdom, we should ask him to give it to us, and he will.

Evening:  We had VBS kick-off tonight. We had an awesome crowd.  It looks like will have a lot of children at VBS today.  Please pray for our VBS.

Love Is a Good Thing

I thought I would repost this video in honor of my anniversary.  I hope you enjoy it.

Happy 11th Anniversary, Delia!

"Your are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you" (SOS. 4:7, ESV).

Shortly after I arrived in Pineville, Kentucky, to attend Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, I met a lovely young woman.  She was bright and beautiful, charming and funny.  She had a joyful spirit that radiated out of her.  Whenever she entered a room, the air crackled with energy.  Her passion for life and the Lord were contagious.  She was just fun to be around.

And then it happened.  It wasn't planned or intentional.  Looking back on it, I still can't pinpoint when the shift occurred.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let me back up. 

Most men (and probably women) have a standard by which they measure the opposite sex. For some it is their first crush, a high school sweetheart, or some celebrity.  They measure the attractiveness of their potential mate against an idealized version of that person.  It often sounds like this: they're too tall or too short, too skinny or too fat, too hairy or too bald, or they have the wrong colored hair or eyes, etc.

I, too, had an ideal mate in mind, the person I thought would make me happy.  But then it happened.  It occurred to me on the drive back to Pineville one weekend.  There had been a revolution in my heart, and woman who had at one time been my standard was dethroned.  I came to realize that I had begin measuring the opposite sex by a brand new standard.  The change happened so subtly that the realization shocked me.

In that instant, I realized that I had been looking for a woman with her character, beauty, passion, joy and dedication.  I wanted a woman who loved the Lord, and wanted to devote her life to serving him, just like her.  I wanted a woman that motivated me to be a better person, just like her.  I wanted a woman who studied and believed the Word of God, just like her. She had become the standard.

The problem with ideals is that we rarely believe we can obtain them.  I hoped I could meet a girl just like her, because I didn't think I stood a chance with her.  Losing her friendship was not a risk I was willing to take.  If I asked her out, and she said no, I doubted that our friendship would endure. 

But my feelings for her continued to grow in spite of my fear.  Finally, I sought advise from a pastor I trusted.  He told me, "Run it up the flagpole, and see who salutes!"  In other words, I needed to find out if she felt the same way.  So I took the plunge, I told her how I felt, and asked if she would like to go study (the Bible) with me.  Things grew from there.

It didn't take me long to realize that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her so I asked her to marry me. First in the prayer chapel, and then during a revival service on campus.  And to my amazement she said yes (both times).  If you haven't figured it out by now ( then your pretty slow), that wonderful woman is my wife, Delia.

We entered into holy matrimony, in the presence of the Lord and several witnesses, on June 5, 1999.  When the doors opened, I remember thinking I was going to burst with excitement.  She began marching toward me, dressed in white, and more beautiful than anything I could imagine.  My heart pounded in my chest.  She was about to be mine, and I would be hers, for the rest of our lives.

Eleven years have passed since that afternoon when we pledged our lives and our love to each other.  There have been several changes in our lives.  We have moved a few times.  We found a place to serve the Lord.  We have been blessed with two daughters, one of which we lost.  We have cried some.  We have laughed a lot.  But one thing hasn't changed: she still my ideal woman.  She still makes me want to be a better man.  She still loves the Lord, and wants to serve him with her whole heart.  She is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. 

When you say, "eleven years," it sounds like a long time, but looking back they passed by like mere moments.  I have been richly blessed to have the opportunity to love and be loved by, Delia.  I pray that the Lord will give us many more years together.  And I pray that they will be even sweeter than the years we've had. 

Friday's Five

Tomorrow is a special day, so Saturday's Seven are becoming Friday's Five (just for this week).  Here are some articles I think you'll find helpful.

Ray Ortlund has two posts worth reading: "Truly Reformed," and "What Does It Mean to 'Accept Jesus'?".

Russell Moore has a thoughtful commentary about the oil spill in the Gulf called, "Ecological Catastrophe and the Uneasy Evangelical Conscience."

David Kraft offers us  seven ways to simplify our lives in, "7 Things I'm Doing to Simplify My Life."

Doug Wilson offers advise to would-be writers in, "Read Until Your Brain Creaks."

Some Thursday Humor

It may be my warped sense of humor, but I find this skit by Brian Regan to be hilarious.  I hope you enjoy it:

Thank God There Is No Rewind Button on Life

Have you ever wished there was a rewind button in life?  You might be thinking of a particular day at this very moment.  You might even be tempted to think that pressing the rewind button would give you a fresh start.  However, pressing the rewind button would only give you the opportunity to mess up again.

The better approach to life is to find the reset attitude button and to push it frequently.  We don't need to the opportunity to avoid mistakes.  We need the ability to learn from those mistakes.

This past weekend, I made a comment about being glad when the weekend would be over, to which a neighbor said, "You're wishing your life away."  Those words have played upon my mind for days.

This morning we had a couple of unforeseen, and somewhat unpleasant, events happen.  As the dust began to settle, I said, "I wish I could hit the rewind button."  I let the words fly from my lips like an arrow without much thought.  Yet, latter I found that these words also represent a "wishing away."

I was wishing away a providence I didn't deem wise or caring.  I was wishing away the opportunity to grow in mercy and compassion.  I was wishing away an opportunity to serve. 

Events that make us want to rewind the clock can teach us many things.  First, and foremost, plan wisely and stick to the plan.  It takes discipline, but it also eliminates many of the mistakes we wish we would not have made.  Secondly, give thought to your words, and password protect your mouth.  Don't give free reign to your tongue, it will only come back to bite you.  Thirdly, don't waste your life wallowing in regret, repent and move on.  Life is too short to waste it looking back on mistakes.  Christ is gracious and invites you to come to him and find cleansing.  Fourthly, God allows it to rain on the just and unjust.  Stuff happens, learn to praise him in the midst of it.  Finally, God is infinitely trustworthy, cling to him. 

If we keep these lessons in mind, we will find it gets easier to reset our attitudes.  When life comes at you, you have the choice in how you will respond.  You can let it beat you down or you can let it make you wiser, stronger, and more effective.  Stop reaching for the rewind button, and thank God he is in control.

A Worthy Thought

The fear of the LORD

is 

the beginning of knowledge; 

fools despise 

wisdom and instruction. 

Proverbs 1:7, ESV