It's the End of the World as We Know It?

I am sure by now you have heard of the religious group that claims that Judgment Day is coming on May 21, 2011. I am also fairly certain that you have also heard that the world as we know it will come to an end on December 21, 2012, according to ancient Mayan Prophecy. One thing I do know for certain is that the world as we know it will someday come to an end. When this will happen I do not know.

The Bible tells us that one day Jesus will return to claim those who believe and at that time the Earth as we know it will be destroyed and replaced with a New Earth. (Isaiah 65:17, Matthew 24:35, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1). When will this happen? God has kept that a mystery. When Jesus was in human form on Earth, even he said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36) If Jesus, who is God, was not allowed to know when God's Judgement Day will happen, what makes man think that they know when the end of the world will come?

Many people and religions have wrongly "predicted" when the end of the world would occur; Heaven's Gate, Jehovah's Witnesses, and many others have done do. Because of these predictions many people have reacted with fear and have done some very irrational things; including mass suicide. I believe that if you have a true relationship with the Lord God and his son Jesus, then you have nothing to fear from "Judgement Day." In fact you should celebrate it's coming.

As for me I have faith that God really will return one day to claim his own and he will destroy Earth and create a New Earth. God could come within the next 5 minutes for all I care, I am ready to meet God face to face. I wish many others could feel the same way.

The only thing about these groups and their "predictions" is that it just adds one more log onto the fire to be used by those who wish to persecute God's people, to prove that we are crazy and we have no clue what we are talking about. Christians have a hard enough time following the only two rules Jesus has ever asked us to follow; Love the Lord your God, and Love your Neighbors as Yourself. We don't need groups like Family Radio making things worse for those looking for the truth.

Update: 5-24-11, The Family Radio preacher, Harold Camping, has since changed his prediction to October 11, of 2001 as the day of Judgement. Obviously his second prediction of May 21, came and went with no Rapture in sight. He originally predicted the Rapture in 1994. Maybe the third time is a charm?

Kings and Chronicles & Newsboys

In my daily Bible reading I am plodding along through Kings and Chronicles. I just finished 2nd Kings and I am about to start 1st Chronicles, which is basically a recap of Kings.

I really shouldn't say plodding, it makes it sound like these books are boring. They are not boring at all. In fact several of my favorite Bible stories come from these books.

The story of Naaman the leaper general of Syria.; the chariots of fire taking Elisha to Heaven; the 2 bears killing the 42 kids because they called the Prophet of God a "bald head"; The Angel of Lord killing thousands of Sennacharib's soldiers during the night; Josiah finding the Word of the Lord while restoring the temple and rededicating his life to the God of Israel.

All these stories are great stories; however, I get very sad when I read about the kings of Israel and Judah turn, time and again, away from the Lord their God.

It is much like going to "church" every Sunday. We celebrate the victories God works in people's lives and we mourn or get angry when we hear of those who have turned away from our Lord, Jesus. Imagine that!





Tonight, my family and I are going to watch The Newsboys in concert! I can't wait!

Romans 13: 1-7 (Submission to the Authorities)

In a highly charged election year, many of us are wondering who the best choice for President of the United States really is. Many of us have wondered, how can we get away without paying our taxes to a government that is not wisely spending our tax dollars. Many of us wonder are we really heading down a "Socialist" path of government. Obama or McCain?

I have an idea...Give God Control! You vote your conscience and then let God take control and work his will in our lives. Despite who wins the upcoming election, God gives us very clear instructions on how to live, in regards to our government situation. It is found in Romans 13: 1-7

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment to the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

This is why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." -- NIV

It doesn't matter who gets elected...If Obama or McCain turns out to be a great president and America prospers, then God is rewarding us for doing what is right. If we suffer as a nation, then God is just using the winner of the election to carry out his "wrath" on us for not being obedient to His will. God will put the person HE wants into the White House, and if we are obedient to God's will, then we will have nothing to fear. So go vote and trust that God has His best interest for us at heart.

God, Beth Moore and My Wife

Guess I couldn't find enough to do. (See blog below!)

Just to let you know, I have noticed a big change in my wife, Jamie, recently. She has been "starving" for the Word of God. Recently, one of her largest suppliers has been Beth Moore who has written many books and Bible Study guides based on God's Words in the Bible. She is even has an organization and web-site called Living Proof Ministries, which has a really cool mission statement.

I love the fact that Jamie is striving for and enriching her spiritual relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is something I have always loved about her. She is even attending a weekly Bible study based on one of Beth Moore's lessons. The closer she gets to Jesus, the closer we become in our personal life. I could talk about God with her all day long. (unless of course baseball is on the television)

Another book she is currently reading is called Captured by Grace, which is a very powerful book comparing the life of the Apostle Paul and John Newton, the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace." I have started to read this book as well.

Just thought I would brag a little about my wonderful bride. God has truly blessed me with such a great woman. I love you Jamie!

Way to Go Buckeyes, Way to Go!

It's not often that I want to or get a chance to brag on my old high school Alma Mater! Today I get the chance to do just that.

My old high school is Gilmer High School, home of the mighty Buckeyes! Gilmer ISD is one of only two schools in the nation with Buckeyes as their mascot; the other being Ohio State University. I honor our old school colors of orange and black by assigning these colors to today's blog. I graduated from Gilmer High School in 1985. I even got a job as a teacher there from 1998-2007, teaching grades 6-8, in the fine academic arts of World Social Studies, Texas History, and U.S. History- from Colonization to Reconstruction.

Today my old school made me proud. The Gilmer ISD School Board passed a measure that allows Gilmer High School to teach an elective Bible course as part of its curriculum. Wow! The students would have to pay a tuition to take the course and the course would be taught at night. The curriculum will focus on the literary and historical aspects of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

What allowed Gilmer ISD to be able to add such a course to their curriculum? Apparently the Texas State Legislature deserves some credit... according to the linked article above..."The 80th Texas Legislature in 2007 passed House Bill 27, which allowed school districts to teach an elective class on the Old and New Testaments and their impact on history and literature. Another Wow!

Way to Go Buckeyes, Way to Go! -- Actually it should be, Way to God, Way to Go!

Where Will You Choose to Meet God?

This question was asked during the lesson our minister gave last Sunday at our church. The lesson focused on the lives of the three young men in Daniel who choose to go to the firery furnace rather than bow down to the golden statue. (For a similar blog click here)

Our minister put the question to us to see if we fully trusted in our God as being a God who is in control at all times, not just the good times. Many Christians want to and choose to meet God. The problem is we choose to meet God in a place of our choosing. We want to meet God in a place where we don't have to suffer, or a place that makes us feel uncomfortable, or a place in which we don't have to sacrifice anything to get there. In effect we want God to come to us!

Our problem lies in the fact that God chooses where we are suppossed to meet Him. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God wanted them to meet Him in the furnace. God could have rescued them from the furnace but He did not. He wanted them to meet Him in the furnace itself. These three young men, chose to have faith in their God and they choose to go into the furnace to meet their God. As a result God blessed their decision and he saved from the furnace after all.

God has the ability to save us from pain, suffering, death, disaster, disease, poverty, divorce, addictions, etc...but sometimes He chooses not to. Is it because He is mean and cruel? No, sometimes it is because of these painful times in our lives, that we learn the most valuable lessons of all. God sometimes uses the firery furnace to mold and shape us into what He wants us to be. He wants us to choose to meet Him in the fire. Only there will we then open to His power and will for us.

Many of the most powerful and faithful men and women in the Bible suffered because of circumstances allowed to happen to them by God. Moses learned of his true purpose while in exile in the desert. Joseph learned of his true purpose while as a prisoner in Egypt, after being sold by his own brothers. Abraham learned of his true purpose after being asked to move to a foreign land. Paul begged God to remove his "thorn in the flesh" but was told by God, "No" because only by suffering with his "thorn" could Paul truely appreciate his need for God in his life. Jesus himself begged God not to be crucified but instead He fullfilled His purpose by suffering and dying.

To be perfectly honest I have not yet chosen to meet God in the fire. I have "suffered" some because of choosing to follow God, but not to the point of putting it ALL on the line. As God continues to call me to meet with Him, where will I choose to meet Him? Will I again ask God to come to me, or will I become one of the "Furnace People" and choose to meet God in the furnace?

Sometimes I Hate the History Channel

One of the few channels I watch on television anymore is The History Channel. I love watching the shows about past wars and current conflicts around the world. I love watching shows like Digging for the Truth, Cities of the Underworld, and Engineering an Empire. I even watch some of their "not so historical shows" like Monster Quest and the upcoming UFO Hunters. The History Channel is a great source of information about our past, however; when it comes to portraying Biblical History, they often make me angry.

Yesterday I was watching Ancient Mysteries, or maybe it was Decoding the Past, and they were discussing the Garden of Eden. One of the "experts" they used was talking about how the Bible is full of contradictions about the nature of God, making it hard to truly understand His nature. Another expert says all Christians blame Eve as the sole "sinner" who then tempted Adam to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When in actuality, both Eve and Adam were there when the serpent tempted them.

The History Channel loves to attempt to destroy the Bible as the the True Word of God. They do it at every opportunity. They teach that Adam has a wife before Eve. That the miracles of God are all explainable, and that the Bible is full of myths and legends, such as the Garden of Eden, that were stolen from other cultures and adapted to fit their religion. Ohhh, that makes me mad.

As a Christian I am offended by this blatant attack on God's Word. So I tend to pick and choose what shows I watch on this channel.

Yesterday is Gone So Say Goodbye

As mentioned in a previous blog...one of my favorite Christian music albums right now is Portable Sounds by Tobymac. One of the songs that I have been listening to a lot recently is called Suddenly. The song is about how when a person finally realizes that whatever has happened in the past no longer makes a difference once they truly accept the love, grace and forgiveness of our Savior, Jesus. Here are the lyrics I'm talking about...

"Sometimes in an instant, Sometimes we wait for years, But it comes down to the moment when faith eclipses fear, Your wondering is over the other side is real, You've broken through your mountain moved, And mercy is revealed....And suddenly all of its behind you, And I 'm here to remind you, That yesterday is gone so say goodbye, And finally the skies open above you, And love has truly found you, Now every thing's alive. Sometimes there's nothing left but to believe."

Cool Words huh? The fact is that once a person accepts Jesus as their Savior, all sins from you past are forgiven. Satan cannot use those sins against you to make you feel inferior or unworthy of God's ever present love for you.

In our battle with the Evil One (Satan), we should not focus on the past. We cannot change it. Only Christ can change the past...Hebrews 13:8 tells us that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever." We cannot fight battles in the past, but our God can. So let go of your past sins, God can and will forgive the sins of His children who come to Him. Sometimes we are so afraid that our past will come back to haunt us and that our sins will not be forgotten by God. It's a lie we are all prone to believe, but we must let our faith in God overcome that fear. We must act on our faith...not our fears. It is in that moment, that we truly become stronger warriors for God. We are no longer burdened by a load that no longer exists.

Keep your focus on the present. The Here and Now. Don't let Satan and his demons take your focus off what you have to do, "RIGHT NOW". If we take our eyes off our enemy to look back at our past, we are open to attacks from what is right in front of us.

So wave goodbye to yesterday, because it is gone...and stay focused on the present, knowing that we have a future in Heaven, as children of the KING!

Trying to Stay in the WORD

Once again I am facing the age old dilemma of how to stay active in my personal Bible study and reading. I am having trouble finding interrupted time in the mornings, reading seriously at work is almost impossible, afternoons after work would work on some days but not consistently, and nights...well, I'm really tired.

I used to get up about 15 minutes earlier in the mornings to spend a little prayer time and scripture reading, but I have slacked off on that. I should do that again. My days started better and I felt more connected to God, at least until lunch time. I have tried at night, but my selfishness tells me to catch up on the news/sports and the few television shows I choose to watch.

I need to once again, re-commit specific times to spend alone with my GOD. I need to make a priority. My Mission Statement tells what I really want to do with my life, but it's hard for a selfish person like me to "Just Do It, and Stick To It!"

A new men's Bible class is starting next Wednesday, maybe that will help me stay more focused!

My apologies to God for all of this...You really are the most important factor in my life. I just wish my true will would show more in my actions. Please help me, Father, to commit more time to your Words. Your son, a recovering sinner, ME

Dying to One's Self Is Not Easy

It seems the past few weeks or so I have been reading or hearing things that point to the need for Christians to "Die to their former selves and be reborn into their new life with Christ!" At first I was dismissing these "cues" as if to say, "I was baptized and I have repented of my sins. God loves me now and that is that!" I think God wanted me to hear more.

In my Sunday morning class at my church...we have been talking about how you must undergo a severe humbling process in order to turn your life fully over the the will of God. You must give up your own will, not only in mind, but in body, to the will of the Father. Even if the desires to continue in our sinful ways pull hard on our hearts, it's what the body does that shows the true desires of our hearts. We may confess all day long that we want to give up our sins, addictions, and selfish behaviors, but when we continue to choose to wallow in our hopelessness and choose not to act on our faith in God, we are showing that we are still giving in to the desire of our hearts to do what We want to do not what God wants us to do.

I have also been reading a book called "When Heaven Weeps" by Ted Dekker. In it the main character keeps referring to how Christians as a whole refuse to join Christ in His cruel and terrible death in order to show His love to others. He states we are perfectly fine to confess the love of Jesus, but we refuse to get our hands dirty to work to show that love. We say we love others, but if it means pain and suffering for ourselves, we will choose Self over Others every time.

God calls us to die our old self and join Christ in death. It is absolutely necessary to do this in order to fully understand, accept and act upon His Grace. There is a quote from the book that stands out..."Is the death of the will any less painful than the death of the body? Call it figurative if it makes you comfortable, but in reality the death of the will is far more traumatic than the death of the body." " In the death of the body the nerve endings soon stop feeling. In the death of the will the heart doesn't stop its bleeding so quickly."

Giving up our selfish will is hard to do. It's something I myself need to come face to face with. I am scared to death to do it. I have been a Christian for some time, but It's hard to show any tangible evidence of my faith as far as actively loving others is concerned. Recent events in my life have caused me to be much less judgemental when it comes to looking at the sins and actions of others, but I still have a hard time actively loving them.

My New Year's Resolution is to pray that God allows me to die to old self and be reborn a person who is fully capable of loving others the same way that He loves me. I am terrified of how God may choose to do this, but I know it will be the best thing for me. I am ready, I think. Pray for Me!

Who is a God like You?

I have been a Christian for the majority of my natural life. In all the years I have been a Christian I have to honestly say that I have read the Bible from cover to cover only twice (maybe three) time ever. I am just about to finish it for the third (maybe fourth) time. The hardest part of reading the Bible, to me, is reading through the major and minor prophets at the end of the Old Testament. The prophetic language is sometimes hard to understand and it seems very repetitive.

In my most recent attempt at reading through these books, I have tried to look at them with open eyes and with an open mind. What I discovered made me very sad, then angry and then extremely happy. The sad part was reading about the punishment that God was going to inflict on his people if they did not repent from their sinful ways and return to a life of righteousness and relationship with God. The angry part was that despite God's many warnings of what this punishment was, the Israelites and Judeans kept on sinning. I mean God warned them over and over again, that if they would just repent, He would save them. He wanted to show them mercy, but they ignored Him right on up to the point where they were carried away into captivity by their enemies. The happy part was knowing that God loved them enough to delay their punishment until everyone had heard the warnings and had a chance to repent. He loved them enough, that even when the punishment was carried out, He took care of the few who were faithful and blessed them anyway. Wow!

What a God! I think the prophet Micah sums it up best in his book. Micah 7:18-20 says, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our iniquities into the depth of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago."

God does not want to punish us! He does not want to send any of His children to captivity in Hell! God wanted to show His love for us so much, that He died for us in the form of His Son, Jesus, the Christ. He wants to show us His mercy and grace. He wants us to listen to the warnings. He wants those who have received Him to share the warnings and the good news of Grace to others. I pray that those who deny Jesus and continue to ignore the warnings wake up and accept His offers of mercy before it's to late.

Second Chance Cards

A few years after watching an episode of VeggieTales my family decided to start using "Second Chance Cards". They were laminated index cards with the words "Second Chance Card" written on them along with whatever decorations my children, my wife and I wanted to put on them. Originally designed for the kids, they were also adopted by me and my wife. They were created so that if our children got in trouble and were getting grounded or about to receive other punishment, they could go and get their cards and bring them to us and ask for forgiveness and a second chance. This would immediately negate all punishment as a result of whatever it was they did wrong. A condition that went with the cards, however, was that they could only use them once during a calendar month. This was big hit with the kids and for my wife and me. I liked them because it kept my children from suffering undue punishment for little things and I got to practice apologizing when I got angry and may have said some things I shouldn't have. The cards also gave the family the chance to remember that God also has given us a "Second Chance Card".

Many people, even devout Christians, often feel that they have have committed a sin, or sins, that are so great that even God cannot forgive them. They fear that they will be eternally punished and never get to spend a blessed eternal life with their Father God. They could never be so wrong. God through His Son, Jesus the Christ, has given us the ultimate Second Chance Card. This card only has one condition attached to it. We can use this special "card" anytime we choose, as long as we have a sincere heart! This "card" is called Grace!! And what a wonderful gift it is, to all of God's children. Grace negates all punishments that we deserve; "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor his anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him." (Psalm 103: 8-13). Imagine a life where someone loves us, no matter what we have done and what ever punishment we deserve for it will be forgiven and forgotten forever. Wow!

The Bible is full of people, just like you and me, who have been given second chances by God. Moses (murder), David (adultery, bad parent, murder), Jacob (theft of birthright, liar), Lot (lived wickedly in Sodom), Jonah (fled from God's assigned task, hated others), Peter and the Apostles (selfish and always misunderstood what Jesus what trying to teach them) and Saul (murder) were all given second chances by God and they went on to become some of the greatest leaders and spokesmen for God and for Jesus. They only thing God asks of us in return is a sincere desire to follow Him and a heart that is willing to repent.
God does not ask for perfection from us. He gave us Grace, our "Second Chance Card", while we are still sinners; "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 8). How awesome is that? "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always." (Psalm 105: 1-4)

Thank you God for giving me a Second Chance, and a Third Chance, and etc... I know I don't deserve it. Thank you for your never ending love for me and your bountiful grace. In Jesus holy name, Amen.

Shouting All The More

Have you ever been in a situation where have called out for help? Did others around you listen to you, did they ignore you, or did they just tell you to "Shut up"? Bartimaeus was a man like this.

Bartimaeus was a blind man, who was a beggar on the roadside outside the city of Jericho. He was helpless and an outcast of society. He was reduced by his blindness to begging for a living. He needed help and needed it desperately. When help finally arrived Bartimaeus seized the moment and cried out for help from the only one who could help.

Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah was walking by the very roadside he was at. Knowing who Jesus was, Bartimaeus called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Bartimaeus was calling out for help.

Many people traveling with Jesus rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet. In other words they told him to "Shut up!" They were hoping he would just go away. They didn't care about him or want to hear about his problem.

But Bartimaeus would not be silenced...He cried out all the more "Son of David, have mercy on me!" He refused to ignored. He refused to let his only chance at help be taken away from him. And it worked! Jesus stopped said, "Call Him."

The determination of Bartimaeus was rewarded...Jesus not only stopped and called him, Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?" Wow! To have Jesus, God on Earth, personally grant your request is just incredible. Bartimaeus asked for his sight back and Jesus healed him immediately. As a result Bartimaeus became a follower of Jesus with not only cured vision, but a cured soul as well.

Many of us in the world today, need help. We need help with finding jobs, fighting addictions, help in marriages, help with parenting, or any number of problems. We call out for help every day to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately every day we get rejected, or rebuked by the very world we attempt to live in. They will try to silence our cries. DO NOT LET THEM! If the world tries to drown you out, then yell even louder. There is someone who will not only listen to our unselfish cries for help, but they will personally assist in granting our request. Call out to GOD/JESUS. He will listen and He will help!

The story of Bartimaeus can be found in the Bible in the book of Mark 10:46-52.