raging river

It’s been a while since I got to blog. I have been wrapped up in writing all our material for VBS plus making the decorations! I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Well, I want to tell you about a tubing trip my 10 year old son and I went on last weekend at Townsend.
If you have ever been tubing before you know that just after a good rain the river is up and faster. We have been experiencing a lot of rain lately so when we arrived at River Rage they were saying that if the kids are under 10 they could not ride the upper section of the river. No problem. We are covered there. What was real strange about this trip is my son and I decided to wear a life jacket. We have been here before and NEVER even thought about putting on one of these things. Looking back, it was the best choice we made that day!
So we head off to the river and they drop us off. We put in and proceed down the river. There was some good spots where the rapids were fast. We found the spot where the rope swing was and we played there for a while. The first trip down the river was ok but kind of boring. We heard people talking about how strong and fast the rapids were up at the Y, which is where you turn off to go to Cades Cove from Townsend. Being the adventurous men we are, we decided to hike up there and check it out. It did not disappoint! There were some good, strong, fast rapids and it was a blast! Someone had lost a beach ball so we chased after it trying to save it. We hustled to the bank so we could go again. This is where the nightmare began.
We put in to start this adventure again. There were several people on the banks but very few in the water. There was an older gentleman getting on a tube with his grandson in his lap. The current took my son through the rapids first. He was screaming and having a blast. The older gentleman had gotten in front of me somehow so they were next. It happened right in front of my very eyes! The older gentlemen’s tube hit the very first rapid and flipped! The kid in his lap looked to be around 6 or 7 years old. Neither one of them was wearing a life jacket! I was trying to reach them but they were going too fast. All I could do is watch in horror as the older man was swept under by the rapids. I was trying to yell at my son to help the kid but he couldn’t hear me because the water was so loud. I don’t know how, but the kid made it through with only a few scratches. The older gentleman wasn’t so lucky.
By the time I reached him he was holding his head and dog paddling. I reached out, grabbed him, and pulled him on to my tube. I asked him if he was ok and he said that his head bounced off rock after rock and that everything was spinning. When we reached a point to where people were on the banks I got them to come and help me. I explained to them what had happened and some lady ran and got a park ranger. Lucky for that guy it just happened to be a special weekend at Cades Cove and the ranger was there watching traffic. So the ranger radioed for an ambulance. I didn’t realize it when we were in the water, but the older gentleman had a gash in his head that was bleeding pretty bad. So the ambulance arrived and we took off down the river again. We were very nervous about the rest of the trip down stream. And then it happened…my son flipped backwards at the bottom of a rapid! It was over after that. He said, “After seeing what happened to that guy and then flipping on that rapid, I’m never coming back!”
It was an adventurous day to say the least. I took it as an opportunity to explain to him how important it is to serve God every day and how important it is to have Christ in your life because we never know when our life will end. It could happen in a blink of an eye. One minute your having a great time, laughing, and by the time you take your next breath…it’s gone. I’ll leave with a couple of verses to think about but there are others to consider:
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Mark 13:33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! Be on your toes! Randy

one day at a time...

I was praying the other day and as I listened to the words of my prayer I thought about a certain song. You’re probably gonna think I’m a goof ball but the words to this song sums it all up. Even though the song was a hit in the late 70's to early 80’s, the words are still just as awesome. it's a classic no doubt! Although we look ahead and have all these goals to reach, we still live life one day at a time. Take advantage of today because tomorrow may never come. The Christie family is in my prayers. RIP Mike. Randy

I'm only human. I'm just a woman. Lord help me believe in all I can be And all that I am. Show me the stairway that I have to climb And Lord for my sake Teach me to take one day at a time.

One day at a time sweet Jesus, That's all that I'm asking from You. Lord give me the strength to do every day what I have to do. Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine. Lord help me today show me the way one day at a time.

Now do You remember when You walked among men? Well Jesus You know if You're looking below It's worse now than then. Pushing and shoving violence and crime And so for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.

One day at a time sweet Jesus That's all that I'm asking from You. Lord give me the strength to do every day what I have to do. Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine. Lord help me today and show me the way one day at a time. Lord help me today show me the way One day at a time.

Are you a chicken?

What are some things that you are afraid of? I did my Kids Spot this past Sunday at church on chickens and I asked the children this same question. I got all kinds of responses. Some even said they were not a chicken at all. I’m scared of needles, any kind of wasps or bees, spiders, and snakes. These are just some things that turn me into a chicken. I’ve never raised chickens but I have eaten a bunch of them! LOL… I read where, at the sign of danger, the mother hen sounds an alarm and the baby chicks run to her and she covers them to protect them. I’m thirty-six years old and I still run to my momma! My mom is special to me because my dad committed suicide when I was three years old. Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there! Anyway, I thought about what Jesus said in Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Jesus had come to save Israel, to gather them under His protection but they didn’t heed the warnings. They rejected Him and said, “No thanks.” What happens to something or someone if they are not protected from danger? I’ll answer this question with a response that one of the kids gave, “You are dead meat!” You see, there is a bad guy out there who wants to harm us, to do everything he can to keep us from God and going to heaven. He’ll trick us and oppress us, hoping we will fall. The devil is dangerous. You don’t stand a chance against him without Christ. Jesus shed His precious blood for us so that our sins can be washed away. He has sounded the alarm for us to run to Him for protection against the evil one. Don’t flirt with danger and take a chance! Run to Jesus and hide under His wings of protection. I think I’ll snuggle up to Him now and rest in peace…won’t you join me? randy

Keep your head up…

I have been working on a sermon to preach this Sunday. It’s entitled, “Where is God?” I don’t want to get into my sermon but I will touch on it some. I hope you never experience this in your spiritual walk because it is a miserable place to be but do you know anyone who has walked close to the Lord and for whatever reason, it seems as though that walk grew dim until it seemed God was nowhere to be found. It’s hard to cry out to God only to hear silence and it seems like He is not listening and is nowhere to be found. The reality of it all is, He is near, He does care, and He will come through, just hold on and try to keep your head up. I thought about Israel. WOW! Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Here you are, God’s chosen people. He has chosen you to establish His name. He has given you His law. He has blessed you beyond anything imaginable. Zechariah 2:8 says that you are the apple of God’s eye. He has given you an abundance of blessings that you did nothing to get! He established His dwelling place, the tabernacle (and temple) in your midst. He has visited you in the form of a cloud on several occasions. He has spoken to you through the fathers and the prophets. Life is good.
But one day it took a turn for the worse. It’s not God’s fault, it’s ours. Because of sin (2 Chronicles 36) God allowed the Babylonian army to come in and destroy Jerusalem, including the temple. They killed women, children, men, grandmaws and grandpaws…anybody and everybody. To get a glimpse of just how bad it was read Psalm 74 and 79. The ones who survived were carried away and led into captivity. For the next seventy years God would be silent. I think I would be asking, “Where are you at God?” or “What’s going on here?” and they did. Of course they blamed God and questioned Him, much like we do when we are going through hard times.
But now for the good part of this story. The book of Ezra, chapter one, tells that Cyrus allowed the captives to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and their city so they can worship again. Ezra, chapter three, tells us what happened. They started rebuilding the temple and they rebuilt the foundation. Ezra 3:11 says, “And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.” Most of them were so excited! Why? Because they are back home, rebuilding the place they love, and soon, worship would be restored. They, once again, would be able to make their sacrifices and enter into the presence of God. God has not forgotten them. He is blessing them once again. Let me encourage you by telling you that God has not forgotten you! He is there! He is with you, right by your side. Keep your head up and don’t give up! I will leave you with James 1:12 (NLT) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Don’t go there!

We were at Dollywood this weekend and my wife and two sons went on a water ride while dad stayed at bay with our daughter. She is 17 months old and very smart. We played around for a little while around the entrance/ exit waiting for the family to get off the ride. There were some ducks there and they provided some entertainment for a little while. My wife and kids decided they wanted to ride this ride several times and my daughter was getting bored with the ducks so she decides to run around the area. It was crowded that day, but thankfully no one ran over her. In fact, they got a lot of laughs out of the experience. There came a time when ole dad had to take a break, so I just sat and watched her from a short distance and ate some M and M’s. My daughter proceeded to go toward the entrance of the ride. I gently told her “no,” and she turned around and looked at me like, “Oh yea? We’ll see about that…” And she stood there looking at me, waiting me out to see what I would do. After a few seconds and thinking all is well, she took a step backward without taking her eyes off of me. It’s as if she was saying, “I wonder if I can get away with this much?” again, I said, “No,” but this time it had some umph to it. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and she did it again! But this time she turned and took off! I had to chase after her. She was making a break for it and thought it was funny. I caught her and pulled her up into my arms and gave her a big kiss and we just giggled together. Then she started asking for momma.
As a child of God I know I have a Father who loves me. He doesn’t have a leash on me like an animal and He allows me freedom. I am free to make my own choices, to do what I want, and go where I want. But sometimes I make bad choices that get me in trouble. Sure, I know they are wrong. I know it’s going to get me in deep trouble, but I test the waters. Like my daughter did, I take a step back and I hear the Holy Spirit saying, “Don’t go there! Don’t do it!” Sometimes I listen, but there are times when I ignore God and do it any way. Does God come after me with a whip ready to beat me down? No. He gently reaches down and grabs me, loves on me, and sets me back in a safe place. Are you “testing the waters”? Are you seeing just what God will let you get away with? He’s going to let you play the game but whenever you have had enough, remember, His grace is sufficient. He loves you and He is waiting to take you back. He wants to set you in a safe place. I want to encourage you to read the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. This story illustrates the heart of our heavenly Father. Quit playing games with God and let Him love on you for a while. Randy

the storm

Last Friday we had to take my son to Vanderbilt for an EEG. It had been raining all morning and it was to get stormy as the day went on. After our appointment was over we went and checked out “the dragon”. “The dragon” was a play area my youngest son had noticed from the window of our doctor’s waiting room. “The dragon” turned out to be a little play area on the sixth floor, but it was outside. There was a little dragon, a castle, and some swings. We were out there for a few minutes and it started getting dark. Then it came…a big rumble of thunder in the background. Then I saw some lightening so we headed inside. I forgot to mention that the tornado sirens had been going off the whole time we were out there. After being raised in West Tennessee where it seems tornadoes come through every day I didn’t think a whole lot about it but my six year old was concerned. He kept saying, “Let’s get out of this town!” My wife and I tried to explain that he was in the best place he could be if a tornado hit! He was at a hospital with a bunch of doctors! But all he could see was that dark cloud and all he could hear was the tornado sirens (by the way, it was the cloud that the tornado in Murfreesboro came out of, that’s why the sirens were sounding so he had a right to be scared. It was just minutes away!). We could never convince him that he was safe while we were there. It wasn’t until we got in our vehicle and drove to Nanny’s that he felt safe.
How many times have we acted just like my child? Think about it. We are surrounded by storms every day. We are faced with struggles on every side, every which way we turn. The sirens are blaring in our ears telling us to take cover and all we can think is, “I’ve got to get out of this place!” But what we fail to see is that we are in the best place we could be! We are safe in the arms of Jesus. We are hidden beneath His wings of love, sheltered by His fortress. He is not up in a cloud somewhere or sitting up in heaven watching everything going on! No! He is right here beside us…in us…in the midst of His people. We, who call on His name, have a rock that cannot be moved! There is no use in going somewhere else to find safety or to get away from the storms. He will walk with us through it! Isaiah 43:1-5a says But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you…No. Don’t fear the storms, don’t run from the storms, don’t run away from God, walk with Him through the storm, He will help you through. If you are “in Christ (Colossians 2:6-12)” you are in the safest place you can be. Trust Him. It was hard for my son to trust what we were telling him but he did. The storm passed and he was safe. Your storm will soon pass. Keep the faith and trust Him. Randy

He's out of here!

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay (Matthew 28:6). It’s as simple as this: do you believe or not? Maybe you’re like Thomas who wasn’t there with the other disciples the first time Jesus came into the room and showed them His hands and side. They tried to tell Thomas that Jesus was not dead and that He really was alive but he would not listen. He said, “"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it (John 20:25)." And it’s like Jesus just toyed with Thomas for a little while because in the very next verse we see where Jesus waited eight days before showing up again with Thomas being present this time. He goes straight to Thomas, “Here you go! See My hands? Want to touch My side? Do not be unbelieving but believing.” This is the key. Be believing.
If you can take out the resurrection then you have killed Christianity. Without the resurrection Christianity is just a fluke and it’s just a religion. Which in turn, makes people like me weirdoes. Well, some people consider me a weirdo anyway, but the resurrection is absolute truth. It really happened. It is what gives us our hope. Jesus came out of the tomb in three days alive, ascended back to the Father in Heaven, and sent down the Holy Spirit to guide us as we walk with God. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 for further reading. Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus says to John, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Through Jesus we have victory over death! It is NOT over when we take our last breath. There is an eternity waiting on the other side! And through Jesus, we can have life with God everlasting. If we reject Him, we will spend it with Satan, in everlasting torment. Do you believe or not? It doesn’t really matter if you do or don’t! It doesn’t change things at all. If you choose not to believe, then God is still God, the resurrection has still happened, people are dying everyday, and eternity still waits on the other side. The reality of it all is YOU will soon find out that it is real and YOU will wish that YOU had believed! I’ll leave you with the words of Jesus to Thomas in John 20:29, “Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Randy

Peace to you...

Peace. Is that something you have or do you live in fear, worry, and dread? Can you imagine being one of the followers of Jesus, you just witnessed Him being crucified by the Romans, and now it could be your turn! They had a right be afraid. They had no idea if the soldiers would come to their house, knock on their door, and carry them away to be beaten or even put to death. We find them huddled together in a house, the door shut and locked…why? John 20:19 says they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus appears in the room and the first words out of His mouth is not “hello” or “it’s me, good to see ya”…no…His first words are “PEACE BE WITH YOU.” After showing them His hands and His side and allowing them to rejoice for a few minutes, Jesus repeats these words, “Peace to you…” After all He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). How relaxing this must have been. They have gone from hope to no hope and now back to hope!
There is no peace like God’s peace. Listen to what Paul says in Philippians 4:7 …and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. David understood this concept. If you read the book of Psalms it won’t be long until you read how David is surrounded by people who hate him and want him dead. But in the midst of his trials and tribulations he cries out to God to rescue him, to be his rock, and his hiding place. He asks that God will give him strength and deliver him from his enemies. He understands God’s peace. We will never understand God. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Our way of thinking is limited. God is not. For example, we don’t know what is going happen in the next few seconds. God knows what will happen 100 years down the road. But we can understand god’s peace. We can experience God’s peace and when we do, there is no other place you would want to be. This world is full of turmoil and strive, we need God’s peace. I don’t know how people make it without it. Again, listen to what Paul said, “God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. No matter how bad things get, we don’t have to worry or fret. We will be alright. Another example for you. The apostle James has just been beheaded in Acts 12:1-2. Peter was next. He has been arrested but he has to wait in jail a week because of Passover. I would be going absolutely crazy knowing that I can’t see my family and in a few days, they wouldn’t have their provider anymore. Who is going to take care of them? But not Peter. Acts 12:6 says that Peter was chained between two guards sleeping. That is the peace of God. What troubles are you facing today? As I am typing this I sit in a waiting room at Vanderbilt hospital waiting for my ten year old son to have an EEG for his epilepsy. As I walked the hallways going back and forth to the car and sit in this room I have seen several children with disabilities that is worse than what we face. God, give them peace. As we live our day to day lives in this troublesome world full of heartache, pain, and sorrow, give us Your PEACE. Randy

...mourning to dancing!

Have you ever saw something that just amazed you and you had to do a double take just to make sure what you saw was real? Mary Madalene did a double take on this morning. Peter and John decided to go home after discovering that Jesus’ body was really missing. After they confirmed Mary’s story it was hard…hard to lift up their heads. But not Mary, no, she had to take just one more look in the tomb. This time it was different. There was something their besides the linen clothes! Angels! Not one but two! One at the place where Jesus’ head was and one at the place where His feet had been. They ask her, “Woman, why are you crying?” What the English doesn’t show us here is that this was more than just a few tears, this was a wailing. A cry so hard and deep that Mary was in pain. The Greek word is klaiðw (pronounced klah'-yo) which means to wail as in pain. She was tore up. Think about it…she had seven demons that tormented her life cast out by this man Jesus and she has followed Him for quite some time now. They were very good friends and He brought her life joy, peace, and she felt as though she belonged but now He is gone! Listen to her reply from John 20:14 and you’ll understand what I mean , “She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Did you catch that? Mary said, “my Lord.” This implies that she was a slave (Greek-doulos) of Christ’s. Not in a bad sense but a good sense. A slave has lost all of their will to their master’s and the master now has control of the slave. Paul said he was a slave of Christ in Romans 1:1. Mary had given Christ her life. She was His follower, willing to obey His every command but now He is gone. She has no idea what to do next. So she turns as if to leave the tomb, evidently not realizing to whom she was talking to, and runs smack dab right into Jesus! But here’s the kicker: she didn’t realize it was Him! She thought He was the gardener. There could be several reasons for this like she was so distraught over Jesus being gone that she wasn’t thinking right. Maybe she never looked up at Him. I think it has more to do with Jesus’ appearance. I’ll explain. Isaiah 52:14 tells us that Jesus visage (appearance) was marred more than any mans. This would come from the beating He took before the cross and all the torture He suffered the soldiers, i.e. beard ripped off, crown of thorns, the flogging, etc. We know Jesus had the scars from the spear being thrust in His side and the nails being put into His hands but don’t you think that if He had those scars He would have had the others as well? And maybe that’s why Mary didn’t recognize Him! But when Jesus called her by her name she knew exactly who He was! “TEACHER!” she exclaimed! And she grabbed onto Him and wasn’t letting go! And Jesus tells her that she cannot cling to Him and that she needed to go and tell the others that He will be returning unto God the Father. And as a true disciple, she does what she is told, (John 20:18) “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.” No more tears. It’s back to joy and laughter and she races back to town and finds her comrades and tells them of this great news, “HE IS ALIVE!” Does Jesus have control of you? If not, let Him. It will be the greatest decision you ever made. He will turn your mourning into dancing! Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness…Randy

Jesus is now dead. He has been buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in a borrowed tomb. What do you do now? It’s the Sabbath Day and all you can do is sit around and think about what has just taken place! You can’t work to keep your mind off of it. So it is no wonder that John 20 starts off with Mary Magdalene being at the tomb before the sun even began to rise. This woman beat the roosters out of bed! And what does she see as she arrives to the tomb? The stone had been rolled away from the entrance! And not only that but she has discovered that Jesus’ body is missing! What’s her first thought? Somebody has taken Jesus! What’s next? How could this have happened? Crucifying Him wasn’t enough? Now they have done something with His body! So she does what any person would do…she runs to tell the other followers what has taken place. Now you have to understand something here before we go any further. Jewish culture in the days of Jesus did not favor women very well (with the exception of Christianity-there are many woman mentioned throughout the New Testament and they were more esteemed). It’s not much better even in our own today. So it would be really hard to believe a woman’s story, especially of this magnitude. Not only that but think about who this woman is…Mary Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her (Luke 8:2-3). Can you imagine what the disciples thought as she told this message to them? “This woman is nuts! She must have those demons again because she has lost her mind,” could possibly be what they thought. And the pursuit is on as John and Peter runs to the tomb to confirm her words. Sure enough…the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty. And to top it off, the burial clothes are laying there. John 20:8 says that Peter and John “saw and believed.” I don’t think they believed the resurrection had taken place, I think they believed Mary’s story now. They have saw it with their own eyes. Hence John 20:9 reads, “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” Aren’t we the same way? Some things are just hard to believe or understand unless we see it for ourselves. We must have hard evidence…proof or we just write it off and go on about our business. God had used a woman, who had seven demons cast out of her, to be the first person to proclaim, “HE IS RISEN!” We are faced with the same decision as Peter and John had…do we believe her story? If we say yes then we are held accountable with what we do with it. If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ then we must act on it. We must be clothed with Him and walk daily with Him so that we can go to heaven when our life is over here on earth. If we write her story off and say, “I don’t believe it really happened” then we will still be held accountable someday…Give your life to Christ and live for Him before it’s too late. Don’t take a chance on eternity. There is no turning back or second chances after you leave this world. Randy

Spiritual giants

I really like John’s account of what took place when Jesus was betrayed, crucified, buried, and the resurrection. The first thing I would like to point out is how ironic it is that the religious leaders in Jesus’ day were suppose to be pointing people to God and being an example yet they were face to face with God Himself and chose to KILL him! They were so obsessed with keeping laws and keeping clean hands yet they had Jesus’ blood all over them. On the day of the crucifixion the only thing they were concerned about was getting Jesus killed and buried before the Sabbath which started at 6pm that same day Jesus was hung on the cross. John 19:31 (NLT) says, “It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.”
You may say like me, “How stupid can you be?” But before we say anything let’s look at ourselves. As Christians we are commanded to “study” and “show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15). As we study God’s Word our faith increases (Romans 10:17) and our mind is renewed and we discover as well as know what the Will of God is (Romans 12:1-2). As we grow we become mature in our faith and we leave childish things behind (1 Corinthians 13:11). But with that maturity comes responsibility. We are told in scripture that if we see a brother stumble we are to help them. We are NEVER told in scripture to become the “spiritual police”. Throughout my years in ministry I have witnessed mature Christians acting like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Instead of pointing the way to God and showing the love of Christ they become a watch dog and they bash the one who is in sin. I have heard these “spiritual giants” tell people how they are going to hell and how they need to live their lives. Oh yea…that really works. Go blast a sinner who already can’t stand God and His ways…that’s the way to win them to the Lord! They live by a bunch of rules and regulations instead of the having the heart of Christ. Unlike Christ, if someone doesn’t “follow the rules” exactly like them, they are condemned. How sad! It’s just like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. Jesus went against their rules and they called Him “the devil.” Then they manipulated the people and the Romans to crucify Him. They didn’t have the heart of God. They just had a bunch of rules. They had no grace or mercy. What about you? Are you a mighty spiritual giant just waiting to condemn those who don’t dress like you, talk like you, look like you? Are you just waiting for someone to make a wrong move so you can slam them with the Bible? If so, go and get a heart transplant. Get a heart from God because the God I know and serve is nothing like that. He is full of grace and mercy. He is patient, loving, and kind. Although He hates sin, He loves the sinner and He reaches out to them with loving arms. We should do the same. This world has enough hate in it. It doesn’t need more from God’s people. I’ll leave you with Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

search me, O God...

If you knew that you would be dead by Friday at 3pm, would you change anything about your life or the way you live it? Jesus told His disciples that He would be betrayed and that He would be killed. And Jesus knew this day was drawing ever so close as He entered into Jerusalem on the donkey in Matthew 21. Some of those same people that cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” would soon be crying out, “Crucify Him!” No, Jesus didn’t have to change the way He lived. He was perfect and did no wrong unlike you and me. But He DID know that He was about to become our sin offering to God and that He was about to feel the horrible pain of being separated from the Father for the very first time! Not to mention the physical pain He was about to face. Jesus knew that in a few short days His time on earth was done. His work would be completed. Man would have an opportunity to be redeemed back to God through Hid sacrifice. That’s why Jesus cried out, “IT IS FININISHED!” right before He took His last breath. He could have called angels to rescue Him. He could have said, “No way. The pain is too much. I’m not going through this for a bunch of people who live their lives for themselves, who indulge in sin,” but He didn’t! Yes, when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane He did ask God the Father if there was another way but He knew it was the Father’s will and He followed through. Be thankful that He did! Jesus paid our debt. He went to the cross in our place. He allowed the soldiers to torture Him and to put Him out for public display of humiliation. And He did it with love. Even while hanging on the cross His attitude was love and grace as He said, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” No. We have no idea when our date with death will be here but yes, there are some things we need to change. Pray this prayer with David in Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Lord help us all to have a Christ-like attitude. Help us to be like Jesus in all our ways. Randy

Where You at?

I am reading the book of Psalms each morning before I start my day. David was someone I can relate to in so many ways. Despite his problem with women, David was a good leader. Even though he had all the power and prominence, he never forgot where it came from…God. He knew that he had been chosen by God to be Israel’s king and he knew that he had God’s favor. He worshipped God like no other. He played his instruments while he sang and danced in the streets. He didn’t care who was watching or what they thought of him. He loved God and he wanted God to know that. But a side we see of David when we read the Psalms is different. It seems that many times, over and over again, David cries out to God for help. Sometimes he talks as if God has no idea of what is going on, that God has turned away from him. It’s no secret David had enemies. Even his own son tried to deceive the people and overtake the throne. Many people wanted David dead. They feared him. And when they came against David he would cry out to God for help. But sometimes God wouldn’t answer right away. Sometimes He didn’t answer the way David wanted Him to. Like the time when David and Bathsheeba committed adultery and she became pregnant. David fasted for days for the baby to live but God allowed the child to die. We may not be people of power and great prestige, we may not be people of prominence that have enemies vowing to kill us physically, but I guarantee you that we are people that have felt like David. I feel like him right now. Besides going through my divorce, I feel like I am in the darkest part of my life. Over the years I have made some stupid decisions that at the time I thought were good ones and now I am paying the price. Like David, I have prayed for God to do something about it, to bail me out, and it seems like He is nowhere to be found. I feel like saying, “Don’t you see how we struggle? Can’t you fix this situation? I’ve been faithful, I say my prayers, I serve, and live a Christian life the best that I can…why won’t You do something about this?” in fact, I have said those things! I know the answer is “yes” that God can do something about the situation but what is really hard for me is to learn the lessons God is trying to teach me while I wait for Him to do His thing. Just like David said, “You are my rock, my fortress, my strong tower. You are my help in time of need.” David, in all of his struggles never took his eyes off God. He never, for one second, gave up on Him. And let me encourage you, friend, in all your struggles, trust God. Yes, it’s not the easiest thing to do, yes, we want to question Him and say “why?” but when it’s all said and done, and the fire has gone out, you will come out a stronger person, purified like gold and silver (Malachi 3:3) and your faith, after being tested, will be so much stronger and you will hear God whisper, “I was here all along and I with you all the way.” (Isaiah 43:1ff) I will leave you with Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Randy

P.S. Just a few hours after I wrote this blog today, my phone rang. It was my real estate agent with an offer on our house in West Tennessee. Please pray for us that this all works out. We have been making two house payments for a year now and it is draining , wait...has drained us financially. God is awesome!

slavery...

I want to say right off the bat that I do NOT agree with slavery, although sometimes I feel like one thanks to my wife (just kidding). I asked our youth group this question in class last night, “Are you a slave?” and I let them answer without explaining where I was going with the lesson. Some said, “No,” and some said “Yes…to my parents.” One even asked me if it was a trick question. After they answered I asked them to give me a definition of a slave and the best one I got was “Anybody bound by a master.” So with this answer in mind the answer to the question above is YES, we are slaves! I’ll explain why I say that. Romans 6:16 says, “ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” You see, we are either a slave to sin, or a slave to righteousness. And if we are a slave to sin, well, then Satan is our master. If we are a slave to righteousness, then God is our master. Get it? Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Yes, He is speaking about riches but the concept applies to our spiritual lives. We cannot live a life of sin and expect God to be our master. Light and darkness CANNOT dwell together! God is Light and in Him is no darkness (1 John 1:5)…Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12) and He shined in the darkness! Darkness is symbolic of sin in the Bible. Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). Read Romans 6:15-20 for more on this and also check out http://www.biblegateway.com/ or http://www.studylight.org/ to do some research.. Yes, there are times when we do sin, even as Christians, but we do not live our lives in sin. There is a difference. We strive to live according to the scriptures on a daily basis. When we fall short of what God wants from us we have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1) and we can ask for forgiveness. If we live our lives on a daily basis not caring what God wants and we deliberately go against His will and live according to the flesh, then we cannot please God (Romans 8:6-16). Like it or not, we all are slaves, either to sin or to righteousness. By the way, when you see the word slave or servant in the New Testament, many times the word in the Greek language is “doulos” which means “a literal slave”. It is used 127 times in the King James and 141 times as such in the New American Standard. Maybe the question I should ask is, “Who is your master?” A slave for Christ…Randy

Jump ship!

When your stuck at home laying in your recliner with strep throat you find that there is not much at all to watch on TV. No football, no baseball, not even a basketball game. I couldn’t even find a good cartoon to watch. But I did run across a show about the Titanic on the history channel. I thought I had heard everything about that ship but this was a good show. They had a different perspective about how the ship sank and how it broke in half. The show is called “Titanic’s Final Moments: Missing Pieces”. These men were on an expedition in 2005 to find some steel that was not a part of a debris field that someone had discovered, but did not take any pictures. They thought this steel might be a part of the bottom of the ship. They had an idea that the ship was not only cut by the iceberg on the side, but also the bottom of the hull. Long story short, they found the steel and sure enough it was the bottom of the ship. In fact, they found two pieces that were hardly corroded and in great shape! So they started their theories of what happened that night. One guy came up with a great one. He said that the ship probably didn’t sink like the movie suggested. He believes the ship didn’t raise up out of the water at a thirty three degree angle which is real steep, but only an eleven degree angle which is no where near as steep. This argument or theory coincides with some of the testimonies of the survivors. They said that they thought they had more time to get off the ship. They actually thought the ship would settle to a certain point and float until help arrived. It was a false sense of security which led to around fifteen hundred people losing their lives.
It’s a lot like the world full of lost people. They are floating around this world on a ship that is sinking fast but it’s such a slight tilt they don’t even recognize it. They have a false sense of security. That’s what makes Satan so dangerous. He is clever. He is good at his game. He eases you in until your trapped by sin and once you realize it, IT’s TOO LATE! You see, people think they have plenty of time to “get their life right” as people say. They think nothing bad is going to happen to them and someday they may give their life to Christ. It’s the greatest tool the devil has to use. False security. Everything’s fine. Help will soon arrive and we will be rescued. Help has arrived. His name is Jesus. His blood can save you. He has come to rescue you. You have to make the decision to get off this sinking ship and onto safety. To me, one of the saddest stories about the Titanic is that the lifeboats were half empty. There was room for a lot more people yet they found themselves drowning in the cold ocean waters and passing into eternity. Don’t be one of these people. Get off the sinking ship NOW! Get on board with Jesus Christ while you still have time! You never know, your next breath may be your last…Randy

stubborn ole mule!

How does the old saying go? “Stubborn as a mule” I believe is what people say. Are you stubborn? Before you answer, listen to these definitions: 1. a. Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bullheaded. b. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute. 2. Characterized by perseverance; persistent. 3. Difficult to treat or deal with; resistant to treatment or effort. I will admit that at times I can be stubborn…just ask Kim. But what if you had a sickness, or you were in some major predicament that just made your life miserable and someone came along with the solution. Do you think you would listen to them? If they said, “Do this and that and you will be rid of your situation,” would you do what they said? I’m sure you are nodding your head yes right now. Have you ever read the story of Naaman the leper in 2 Kings 5? Naaman was the captain of the Syrian army. He was a man of prominence. He was powerful and he could show no weakness. People obeyed his commands and they feared him. Yet this mighty warrior had a disease, leprosy. Even his accomplishments and medals couldn’t hide this disease. Namaan heard of a man of God named Elisha that could heal him if he would go and see him. He did yet Elisha didn’t even bother getting up from his seat. He sent a messenger to Naaman and told him what he needed to do. his directions were to Naaman was to dip seven times in the Jordan River. Simple enough wouldn’t you say? But not Naaman! He was furious. He was upset because Elisha didn’t come and meet him and he wanted to dip in one of the “cleaner” rivers in the area. In fact, Naaman was so mad he left in a rage! His servants found him and talked some since into his head and said, “look big fella’, if you want to be healed just do what the guy said and dip yourself in the Jordan seven times.” He finally wised up, obeyed, and was healed. Now, I ask you again, “Are you stubborn?” Why is it that we know what God wants but we refuse to do it? Whether it’s to obey his Word for salvation, do a particular task, live a certain way, or abstain from certain things, etc. Why do we act like Naaman? Think about it! There are so many people who have heard the Gospel message yet they continue to live with leprosy. They live with the pain and stench of sin and think nothing of it. Or what about us as Christians? We come to church, we know what God’s Will is for us yet we refuse to obey His directions! What are you NOT doing that you know you SHOULD do for God? My prayer is simply this, “Lord I believe…help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24) Don’t be stubborn as a mule… Randy

Paid in Full!

When I was a 15 year old skateboarder we talked this lady, who had a shoe shop, into selling skateboards. One huge mistake she made was letting teenagers charge stuff. There was no way we could pay for it! We didn’t have jobs. We were not responsible with money, or at least I wasn’t. the only time I got money was if my mom gave it to me. I was down at the shop one day and she said she needed her money. What was I to do? I was a skater kid…a broke skater kid. I scrounged up some money, probably begging my mom for it, and took it to her, hoping it would please her for a little while. Some time later I came up with a little more money and I went to pay on my bill. She said she didn’t my money, that my mom had come by and paid it off! Woo hoo! I was debt free. My debt was paid in full! My mom did this several times. She is the greatest! I love you mom!
This is exactly what Christ has done for us. He has paid our debt. We owe everything to God. We have run up a huge bill that we could never repay because of sin so God says, “No problem…I will pay it.” And he gives us a Passover Lamb, Jesus. He nailed our sins to the cross. He rose victorious from the grave, and He now sits at the Father’s right hand making intercession for us. You see, if we are Christian, that is, if we belong to Christ, God does not see our sin…He sees the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ washes our sins and cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness! Our debt is paid in full! Thank you Jesus! Let me leave you with these verses from Romans 3:21-27 (NLT) 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[a] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Trinity?

Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit… These three separate entities make up God yet they are one. To make something complicated easy let me say it like this: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one in the same yet they are different! Are you confused yet? Many people believe that God is God and there are no three separate entities. But this can’t be the case! For example, when Jesus was being baptized by John the baptizer in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a dove and landed on Jesus, and a voice from Heaven (which would be God the Father’s voice) said, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.” Get it? There is God the Father or God, God the Son in that came in the flesh, and God the Holy Spirit that dwells in us as Christians today (Acts 2:37-39).
Still confused? Let me try again. If you were to look at the book of Genesis and read chapter one, you would come across the word “God” several times. There were two words used for God throughout the Old Testament, Yahweh and Elohim. The word used in Genesis 1 is Elohim which is plural. Plural means that there are more than one. Verse 26 even says, “Let us make man in our own image.” Notice the plurality. If it was singular, God would have said, “Let Me make man in My own image.” So if Elohim is used which is the plural word for “God” then more than one entity must have been present at the creation. And they were! Obviously God the Father was there because He spoke all this great stuff into existence. What about Jesus? Take a look at John 1. This chapter is all about Jesus. Verse one and two say this, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” What about the Holy Spirit? Genesis 1:2 says “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. You see, it’s really simple. All three, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were present at creation and are still with us today! I don’t know why so many people want to complicate things. I know this is not a exhaustive study and there are numerous arguments, but I think you get the point. Thank you Lord for your creation, including us in your plan, saving us by Your grace, and leading us as we journey toward Heaven. Amen.

Do you know what it's like to be in a vehicle and you are going fast and you want to slow down but when you apply the breaks you just keep going? That's the way my I feel lately. I have been terribly busy with getting my youth calendar ready for 2009, lining up activities for this year, planning future events, and getting lessons prepared. I just looked up yesterday and realized January is already over and February is upon us! In fact, I mentioned in my monthly caller article that it feels like this year is blowing by so fast. I keep saying I'm going to slow down and take some time off but I just can't seem to find any! If you have some to spare, I'll take it.
I got an opportunity to preach a couple of weeks ago and it went well. I preached on "Life Is Fragile". I came up with the idea after seeing the plane down in Hudson River. It amazes me that all those people came out of that situation alive. Thank God for that. I didn't use this in my sermon but I did think about this thought later...James (4:14) says that our lives are a vapor and that we are only here for a little while and we are gone. Have you ever noticed how fast a vapor disappears? Even if we live 100 years, that's still not very long compared to eternity. So the question I ask is, "What am I doing in my life that makes a difference?", "Who have I made an impact on?" and even "What impact have I made-positive or negative?"
I hope you ponder these questions. Maybe you have made a great impact on someone. Maybe you have directed their lives in a positive manner, maybe even shared the Lord with them and they gave their life to Christ...AWESOME! Or maybe you have made a negative impact on someone and you know it. Is there someone who you need to forgive? Life is short...TOO SHORT! Let go of it. Go make it right if it's wrong. Go out today and be a blessing. Randy

love

Love. What is love?

When I was a teenager, at the age of 17 I thought I knew what love was. I met a girl in high school that I just couldn’t wait to see. By the time seven o’clock rolled around and it was time to get off of work, I bebopped to her home town to see her. My heart would race! My truck couldn’t go fast enough! And when I saw her I felt all that gooey stuff. You know what I mean? She was “my first love”. I reckon everybody has one…some even marries theirs. And that was our plan until…
Well, like I said, I thought I knew what love is. Twenty years later, I’m still learning what love is, but I guarantee I had no idea what love really was when I was seventeen. When I was so “in love” another girl caught my eye and I had to pursue her. So I broke off a great relationship with my first love for someone who I didn’t know, and by the time I got to know her, although she was a hottie on the outside, she wasn’t very lovable on the inside. Our relationship didn’t last very long because, well let’s just say that I didn’t like sharing my girl with other guys. Get it? You see I thought I was in love with my “first love” but I had no idea of what love is.

Love.
Let’s talk about what love is not.
Love is not: getting flowers, writing the words on a card, giving boxes of chocolate, heart-shaped balloons, text messaging or talking on the phone all night long, groping all over each other, hugs, kisses, no matter how long they last, etc. No. These things are not love! They may be things you do when you are in love, but they are not love. And I can go on and with this thought.

What is love?
In my opinion, this is love:
Tolerance-there are some things you will just have to tolerate that you may absolutely hate.
Balance-have you ever watched a balancing act? If they go too much to one side they fall! Love is all about give and take. You can’t have it your way all the time. Your loved one needs your time and understanding.
Giving-We as people are geared to “get all we can”. We are constantly taking and hardly ever giving. One of the greatest things we can give is an ear and keep our mouths shut!. (Boy, I really suck at this part)
Accepting-Everybody makes dumb choices. However, nobody likes to be rejected. We all want to be accepted and feel like we have a place to fit in.
Compromising-This goes back to the give and take concept. You can’t always have it your way. There has to be a compromise. Not on moral things. I love sports. I was athletic all of my life and played all kinds of sports. Now I coach my kids. But if something comes up with the wife and it’s important to her, that game on tv will have to be recorded and watched later.
Learning-never think you have it all figured out. If you stop learning things about each other, you are in trouble. Find time to spend with each other and learn something new.
Sacrifice-I know it hurts, but take one for the team. Let go of your selfish wants and desires and give some time to your mate’s dreams. Get your ego out of the way.
Forgiving-this is what love is all about. You will fail. Your mate will fail. However, love picks up the broken pieces and mends them back together again. If it can’t, it takes what is left, and puts them to good use. If you hold on to those things that hurt you, it will destroy your love and your life.
I’m out of time but these are some thoughts I had today at Piggly Wiggly. Maybe someday, I’ll make a sermon out of this. In the next few days, I will have some more thoughts and examples. peace. Randy