There Is None Righteous . . .

We’ve just experienced another senseless killing, this time in Charleston, South Carolina. Unfortunately, it’s not the first, and it won’t be the last. Some blame this shooting on race and others bemoan the ease of obtaining a gun in the United States. We’ll always have some tool available for the taking of a person’s life, so it’s not about the weapon of choice. I’m not even going to try to deal with that.

Racial issues are another story. At the root of racial issues is hatred. So it’s not simply about race. It’s about something deep within man. I would call it the evil that exists within all of us. One of the themes we keep hearing from parents of those who are committing these crimes is that he/she was a good boy/girl. They seem to refuse to believe that their child could commit such a crime.

Guess what? Every teacher or worker with children who also deals with parents has heard this same line many times over. When a child gets in trouble at school or on the bus, a parent may say, “My child just wouldn’t do that!” So, let’s face it. The Bible has it right. When the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one,” (Romans 3:10) it’s something to which we should pay attention. When Paul writes in Romans that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) we should learn that, at the core of all of us, there is an evil that drives us to anger and hatred. The tools are multitude: cars, baseball bats, knives, razor blades, bombs, and guns—to name a few.

How do we deal with such evil? On a grand scale, we go to war. Our nation has fought in a few, and we are currently engaged in a war with ISIS and terrorism. We can bomb until we run out of bombs, but that won’t end it. On a lesser scale, we pass laws, rules, and regulations, put people in jail, or execute them. But they just keep coming.

Many will have issues with what I am about to write. So be it. But for me, the only answer that I find acceptable is to embrace the teachings of Christ. We need a moral code that works and I believe the one Jesus teaches works. When asked what the two most important commandments were he chose to sum all of the commandments up in just two. Love God and love others. Can anyone deny that if we all did that, we’d solve this problem of hatred and killing?

There’s a problem, though. I can’t do that. I can’t keep them because there is already anger and hatred in my heart. I’m flawed. Big time! I sometimes get angry when someone cuts me off. My grown children can attest to the fact that I certainly expressed anger more than once when they were growing up. How in the world did Jesus expect us to keep those two commandments? By a changed heart. What I can’t do the Spirit of God can do in me.

Not everyone who says they are Christians behave as one. But those that truly follow Jesus’ teaching and lifestyle are most likely to demonstrate that by loving God and loving others. I’m praying that many will find their hope in Jesus and follow his commands to love God and love others. It’s the only hope for hatred and violence in our world. 

Are We There Yet? Not Quite.

I think I could write a book on the nuts and bolts of church planting, and I haven’t even planted a church yet. It’s not as simple as a lot of people think. For me, it began with mission trips that were used by the Holy Spirit as he poked tenderly at my heart. Then there was the burden for a couple of communities that God placed on my heart. Finally, the day came when I knew my Heavenly Father was calling me to be a church planter.

The process from that point forward seems to take a lot of time. First, there was the sharing of my call to church planting with state denominational people who have responsibility for coordinating church plants and planters in our state. Then there were the forms and surveys that I needed to take to gain denominational approval. Finally, there was the interview process to determine if my wife and I would be approved as church planters. From the time I originally answered God’s call on my life to that point I continued to serve as pastor of a great church and burned up about five months of time. At my age (I’m 63 years-old) time goes by quickly, but it seems like a long time when I look back at it.

Then there was the announcement to my church family, followed by my resignation a few weeks later. We used that time to try to prepare documents to use in enlisting supporting partners for our new church plant, and I developed a “plant plan.” We made several trips to East Alton, Illinois to expand on early vision tours, and also looked for a place to live. When we couldn’t find a place to rent God showed us a house and we were able to purchase it. In the meantime we were trying to locate free boxes to use for packing up our goods.

We closed on the house three weeks ago and began the process of moving. In all the moves I have made in ministry I have been fortunate to have churches who paid for professional movers or who sent people to help us pack. On the other end, the church to which we were called willingly labored to help us unpack.

Not so with this move. Because we are planting a church that, as of yet, doesn’t exist, we had help in loading the truck, but no church family on the other end to help us unload. Thankfully, family came to the rescue. They not only worked to clean and paint our new home, but they helped us unload.

We are in our new house and you’d think we are ready to plant our new church. We are—and we aren’t. After we unloaded the truck we went back to load to vans and a utility trailer. This week we rented another truck to move the rest of our belongings. It took four vanloads, two utility trailer loads, and two truckloads to get all of our possessions moved.

Please don’t think I’m complaining. I’m not. God has provided miracles for us all along the church planting journey to date. I’m just saying: it takes a lot more time to get there than you might think. We originally thought we would be moving around the first of the year. Then the goal moved to April and the first interest group meeting May 1. Now it’s June and we’re still in the moving process. But I know that soon we will begin the actual process of planting a new church. I’m still just as excited as when God first called me to this new ministry.

Maybe the title of the book should be The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting Before You Even Get There.

Join us in prayer as we continue to make this journey.

We're Moving!

A lot has happened since my last post. Needless to say, it’s been hectic. But in all of this, we have seen our God work in our lives to confirm the call to plant a house church in East Alton, Illinois. And we pray that it is the first of many.

Since my last post my wife has been offered a job and plans are that she will begin in June. We’re excited about that, and we believe that God opened the door for that position. It means that we will have some income very soon after our move. We praise God for that.

Our next major step was to secure a place to live. We decided to look at places to rent. That proved to be a futile effort, so we started to look for a house to purchase. We first looked at a couple of online internet sites. After looking at many houses in the East Alton area I found one I thought would work. Later, we called a realtor and scheduled a couple of days to look at houses. She informed me that the one I had found on the internet had an offer on it and was not available at this time. So we drove up and looked at a half dozen houses one afternoon. My wife and I agreed that none of them “felt right.” I was impressed to ask our agent again about that house. God moves in mysterious ways. The other offer fell through and we looked at the house. We believed it was exactly what we needed and we made an offer. Through negotiations we were able to get the house at substantially less than the asking price.  Tomorrow we will close on the house and next week we will begin the actually moving process. We are thankful for the way God has provided for us.

Last Sunday was my last time in the pulpit as pastor of Ridgway FBC. I have to say it was a great experience. I love this church and they have been supportive of God’s call upon my life to plant house churches. They gave us a great love offering and I take that as a tangible expression of their love and support for my wife and me. It’s a God thing.

We are still looking for a church to serve as our “mother church.” We’ve talked to a couple of pastors and neither has worked out. Recently someone talked to a pastor at another church who expressed interest. Yesterday I called him and had a long phone conversation with him. He is definitely interested. Could this be the hand of our Lord and God at work again? I’m optimistic that it is.

Over the last few months I’ve watched God work in the lives of my wife and me as we’ve tried to be faithful to His call to plant house churches. He has moved in little things and in major ways. I’ve praised Him each and every time. So, today as I pack more boxes in preparation to move I’m going to be praising the Lord. If you live close enough to drive by, don’t be surprised if you hear praise coming from my house.

It's Official!

A week ago I submitted my resignation to First Baptist Church, Ridgway, Illinois. My last official day will be May 31. So, we will be moving to the Alton, Illinois area, where we will plant a church in East Alton. It’s a bittersweet experience. We are excited to begin a new phase of ministry as church planters, but I’m going to miss the Ridgway FBC family.

Twenty-two years ago I came to southern Illinois to serve as the Director of Missions for Saline Baptist Association. I spent nineteen years in that role. During that time I got to know the Ridgway FBC family and developed a closer relationship with them when I first served six months as their interim pastor. I made some real friends during that time and fell in love with the church family. When they called their next pastor I knew he would be serving a great church.

Several years later the pastor resigned to serve another church in Illinois and, again, the church asked me to serve as their interim. I served six months again and then became their pastor shortly after my interim with them was completed.

Two great interims were followed by a great pastorate. When I became their pastor I assumed I would spend ten years with them and then retire. God had a different plan. About a year and a half into my pastorate he began to speak to me about another change in my life. So, after three years as their pastor, I’m off to plant a church in East Alton.

Ridgway FBC isn’t a perfect church. I don’t know of one that is. But they’ve been a perfect church for me. They have loved me and allowed me to share God’s word with them every Sunday for almost three years. I’ve ministered to them and been ministered to by them. We’ve been family, and that’s why I’m going to miss them.

I’m praying God will send them a great man to serve as their pastor. 

We’ve Been Approved!

A few days ago I received word from the North American Mission Board that we had been approved as church planters. That’s one step closer to becoming a church planter in East Alton, Illinois. But we are not there yet. There are still a few steps that must be taken before we can actually begin planting a church. We must find a supporting church, jobs, a place to live, pack, and move. It seems like a lot that needs to happen, but we’re trusting the Lord to open the doors, and He can make it happen “in a flash.”

A lot of church planters go to plant a church. We are actually going to East Alton to plant multiple churches. How many? Well, that’s in the Lord’s hands, too. We are planning to plant house churches, sometimes called organic or relational churches. This is not a new idea. You will find house churches in the New Testament.

Basically, a house church is made up of six to twenty people who regularly meet in someone’s home. Once a week they come together for a fellowship meal followed by worship and Bible study. These church meetings often last between one and a half and three hours. It is usually inter-generational and is usually not led by a full time pastor.

The desired outcome is that those attending will grow in their relationship to the Lord; grow in community with each other; share the love of Christ where they live, work, and play; and that they will reproduce other such communities of believers. We believe God has called us to raise up a network of these small churches. Our hope and prayer is that many people will come to know Christ and grow in a relationship with Him and with others.

We need help. Here’s how you can help right now.

1. Pray for a supporting church. We need a church in the area who will agree to support us by receiving our house church as members and by assisting us in our financial accounting needs. 
2. Pray that my wife and I can find jobs. We are too young to retire and most employers would consider us too old to hire. So, this is definitely going to need to be a “God thing.”
3. Pray for others to join us in this process. If two or three Christian couples join us we can multiply much more quickly and reach more people for Christ. 

We believe in the power of prayer. Thanks for praying for us.

We Passed Another Hurdle

Last week my wife and I sat down with Charles Campbell and Eddie Pullen, members of the Illinois Baptist State Association Church Planting Team, to discuss the results of our recent Invest assessment for church planters. When we went began the assessment process I spent a lot of time working through a book and preparing documents. Then we went through the actual assessment, which was a series of interviews with assessment teams. They asked a lot of questions, and either wrote notes on paper or entered notes in a computer. We had no idea what they wrote. But the process was good.

So when we sat down with Charles Campbell and Eddie Pullen we were looking forward to finding out if we had “passed.” The good news is that we have passed that stage. The results will be passed on to the North American Mission Board. We are trusting that God will lead us through this next stage.

We are still moving forward. While we wait to hear from NAMB we are in the process of seeking a church to serve as our sending church. I am looking for a job, and we are looking for a place to live. We are also praying that God will lead us to the “person of peace” that we need to discover in order to begin the planting process.

We will be planting a “house church” in East Alton, Illinois. House churches are small, with an attendance that usually is between ten and thirty people. East Alton is a town in the metro-east area of St. Louis. The population of East Alton is just a little over 10,000 people. The town mimics the U.S. average with a third of the population uninvolved in a faith experience, one-third somewhat involved, and one-third actively involved. The average age of the people is 41 years old.

Right now we are looking for prayer support. Here is a list of our prayer needs:

• Pray for our approval from the North American Mission Board.
•  Pray for a sending church to come alongside us.
•  Pray that God will provide employment for me.
•   Pray that God will provide a place for us to live.
•   Pray for a “person of peace” as we begin to plant a church in East Alton.

My Call To Church Planting

I had the joy of serving as Director of Missions for Saline Baptist Association for almost twenty years. During that time I have the privilege of promoting missions among thirty-four churches and participating in several mission trips. Our association was also involved in support church plants.

About ten years into my ministry there God began to speak to me about the need for new church plants and I took advantage of opportunities to encourage young pastors to consider church planting. At the same time God began to place a burden on my heart about a town in need of a new church plant.

As I prayed about it I also talked to other pastors and with leaders in our state office. There came a time when I finally scheduled a meeting with the state church planting strategist for that area. As we talked about the need and my desire to involve our association in supporting a church plant there he said, "Randy, it's obvious God has given you a passion for this. Maybe you should be the church planter."

I responded that it was a college town and needed a young man to serve as church planter. We prayed, I left, and they called a man to serve as church planter there. I left my position as Director of Missions and began as pastor of First Baptist Church, Ridgway, Illinois. I settled in and thought my interest in church planting was over. After all, I’m approaching retirement age! But God wasn't done with me yet.

I've served as the pastor for Ridgway FBC for almost three years, and I've had a blast. It's a loving church, and I love them. But God was using this time to speak to me about church planting. About a year ago God began to speak distinctly and consistently about church planting. I began to talk with my wife about what God was saying. Then I began to talk to a few close friends and family. Eventually I spoke to state personnel involved in church planting.

During the last few months God has clarified His call to church planting and opened doors I never expected to open. Six weeks ago I began the North American Mission Board and Illinois Baptist State Association assessment process. A week ago my wife and I went through two days of intense interviews. We are now waiting to find out the results of our recent interviews.

I am confident that we will be planting a church in the near future. We believe God has called us to plant in a specific town and a specific kind of church. In my next post I'll tell you more about it. In the meantime, pray that we will pass our next interview.

It's Been A Long Time Coming

A week ago I announced to my church family that God has called my wife and I to become church planters. In the near future we will sell some of our belongings and pack up the rest to move to the St. Louis, Missouri area to plant a new church. It's been a long time coming.

It's been awhile since my first day of school. Where we lived there was no kindergarten, so I started when I began first grade. One major event that year stands out in my life, and it was the beginning of my love for missions.

During that time the Southern Baptist Convention was in the midst of the 30,000 Movement, which was an attempt to start 30,000 new churches in America. My father was called by God to plant a new church on the west side of Rockford, Illinois. So, we loaded everything we owned into a cleaned out cattle truck and moved. I was six years old, but I remember the move and much of the next five and a half years that Dad served there.

We met in people's homes on Wednesdays and Sunday evenings. Sunday morning Sunday School and worship were held at the Odd Fellows Hall. I remember that because we always had to go early on Sundays to clean up after their Saturday night parties. I also have fond memories of the experience because a year later I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. The church moved from meeting in the Odd Fellows Hall. to a house the church built. Worship was in the basement and the main floor was used for class rooms. A couple of years later the church built a new, more traditional, church building and we moved into what became the parsonage. It was my first exposure to missions.

Through the years I have had other experiences that prepared me for my call to become a church planter. There were those trips to Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. There, as a child and young teenager I heard missionaries tell of their call to missions and of the places they served. There were summer missionaries who stayed in our home. Later, when I surrendered to the Gospel Ministry. I was involved in short term mission trips to New York, Bulgaria, Louisiana, and several other places. God was at work in my life, preparing me for His call to become a church planter,. but I didn't see it coming.

Watch for my next post: "My Call To Church Planting."

Wild Strawberries and 7-11 Songs

As you look back on your life it’s funny the things you remember. And it’s strange how your mind pairs them together. Recently, two things from my childhood came together at the same time—wild strawberries and a “7-11 song.”

I pretty much grew up attending church services and meetings. Dad was a pastor. The first church I can remember was the Mt. Zion Southern Baptist Church in Kilbourne, Illinois. Well, more precisely, Mt. Zion was out in the country near Kilbourne. It was the traditional country church building, I think. It even had a cemetery close by. As summer is just around the corner I was recently reminded of the wild strawberries behind the church. (I wonder if they still grow there?)

In the mid-50’s parents weren’t so concerned about the safety of their children. After the worship service I could run free outside the church building. And, when they were producing, my first stop would be the wild strawberry patch. I’m sure they were not as sweet as the home grown or store variety. But for a five year old boy the thing about those strawberries was that I could eat as many as I wanted. Since Dad was the pastor we were usually the last to leave, and that gave me a lot of time in the strawberry patch.

There were other “sweet” things about my preschool experiences in church. Sunday School classes for the children were in the basement. We had wires stretched across the basement with curtains that slid along those wires to make the classrooms. If you didn’t like what was going on in your classroom you could always listen to what was happening in the one on the other side of the curtain.

So what do I remember about preschool Sunday School? Uh, not a lot. But I do remember feeling loved and I remember “Do Lord.” Oh how I loved to sing “Do Lord.” When I thought about it the other day I burst out in song. And it dawned on me. “Do Lord” was a “7-11 song.”

For you who don’t know what a “7-11 song” is, it refers to songs where you sing the same phrase over and over again—like seven words eleven times.” I’m not going to attach an audio file with me singing it. You don’t need that pain. But, when I was five years-old I loved singing that chorus and had no idea that Johnny Cash recorded it. I just liked the song and knew I wanted to go to “glory land” one day.

Wild strawberries and a “7-11 song.” Those were sweet days for a five year-old boy. You know what? It would be a pretty sweet day for this old guy today. Oh, and here are the lyrics for “Do Lord.”

"Do Lord"

Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Way beyond the blue.

I've got a home in glory land that out-shines the sun.
I've got a home in glory land that out-shines the sun.
I've got a home in glory land that out-shines the sun.
Way beyond the blue.

Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Way beyond the blue.

I took Jesus as my Savior, You take Him too.
I took Jesus as my Savior, You take Him too.
I took Jesus as my Savior, You take Him too.
Way beyond the blue.

Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O, Do Lord, O do remember me,
Way beyond the blue.

Christmas Grace

In just a few days we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Though we celebrate His birth in December, the evidence is clear that He was not born in December. We have nativity sets that include three wise men and we have no idea how many wise men came to visit Jesus, and it most certainly wasn't at His birth. Though He was placed in a manger, there is not even good evidence that He was born in a stable.

The first two chapters of Matthew and the second chapter of Luke give us what has come to be known as “The Christmas Story.” Those chapters are used for countless Bible studies, sermons, and church Christmas productions this time of year. It’s great to know that, in the midst of Santa Claus, reindeer, and snowmen, the real meaning of Christmas still rings out from churches across America and around the world.

As I've contemplated this Christmas season I must confess that the passages from Matthew and Luke are not my favorites this year. Rather, I like the first chapter of John, in particular John 1:1-18.

¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²  He was with God in the beginning.
³  All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.
⁴  Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.
⁵  That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.
⁶  There was a man named John who was sent from God.
⁷  He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.
⁸  He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
⁹  The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
¹⁰  He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him.
¹¹  He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
¹²  But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name,
¹³  who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
¹⁴  The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
¹⁵  (John testified concerning Him and exclaimed, “This was the One of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’”)
¹⁶  Indeed, we have all received grace after grace from His fullness,
¹⁷  for the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
¹⁸  No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son— the One who is at the Father’s side— He has revealed Him.
John 1:1-18 (HCSB)

Over 2000 years ago, when Jesus was born into the world, He was already older than time. The most amazing aspect is that He left His home in glory and took up residence among us. And now we receive “grace after grace” from His fullness.

This Christmas, as you exchange gifts with family and friends, and as you sit down to enjoy your Christmas dinner, take time to meditate upon the kind of love it took for Jesus to leave His home to dwell among us so that you and I can experience grace after grace.

It Doesn't Hurt

I grew up in a pastor’s home. For those of you who don’t know much about what that means, it first and foremost means I went to church before I was born. It became a lifelong habit. It didn’t hurt then and it doesn’t hurt now.

Admittedly, I don’t remember those first nine months of church when I was in the womb. Honestly, I don’t remember much about church the first three years of my life. What “memories” I have are those told to me by my parents. So, you won’t be surprised if I share with you one of those kinds of memories.

In the early days of my life it was customary for the pastor to sit on the platform during the music portion of worship. It was a small church and my mother was the piano player. We didn’t have children’s church in those days. My mother placed me on the second row and told me to sit there.

There was only one problem. His name was George. George was one of the men in the church who sat on the other side of the aisle. It seems that on most Sundays George would hold out one of those soft mints and I would scurry across the aisle for a mint. I stayed with George until my mother moved off of the piano bench.

Since those days I haven’t missed too many Sundays of worship. Today I serve as pastor of a village church. I’ve got to say, I love the church. All these years it’s been my family. I’ve been gone from my parents’ home a good many years, now. I have grown children. In fact, I have grandchildren. So I’ve been in church all my life.

Here’s my observation. I seem to have done okay without children’s church. I know it’s the fashion today. I’ve heard all the arguments for children’s church. But I don’t think it’s all that important. I grew up without it. My “church family” took care of me while my pastor father sat on the platform and my mother played the piano. Honestly, I think it was more important for me to be in the worship service with my parents than it was for me to be in children’s church.

I learned to value the worship experience because my parents valued it and thought it was important for me to be there, too. I learned how to first behave, and then to worship, because I sat in the “grown-up” service. I learned how to value the larger church family through the worship experience. And I learned that it wasn’t about me. It was about God.  I learned how to worship from my mother, father, and my church family.

Oh, by the way, my children didn’t make it to children’s church, either. And if I were raising my children again they’d still be in the worship service and not children’s church.

I Need A Vacation!

I need a vacation. I know because my wife told me so.

Now you may laugh about that, but she would know. You see, as of last Friday we celebrated our 39^th wedding anniversary. You don’t spend that many years with a person without getting to know them really well.

She has seen me at my worst and she has seen me at my best. She’s cared for me when I’ve been sick, mourned with me when my father died, and celebrated with me at the birth of our children. She’s been there through a lifetime of ministry, so she has seen me when I’ve come through the door after a contentious church committee meeting. She understands when I feel like I missed it completely in sharing God’s Word on Sunday morning.

She’s also been there to celebrate with me when the sermon went particularly well that morning and when someone has come to the front during the invitation to profess their faith in Christ. She is my soul-mate and helpmate.

As I think about this wonderful thing called marriage I am reminded that it’s also a reminder of a deeper spiritual truth. God has been there through it all. No matter what has gone on in my life, God has always been there for me. He’s seen be bent by discouragement and despair. He’s been there when my heart broke at the loss of my father. But He’s also been there at those joyous times of my life. And it began long before I even met the woman who became my wife.

On a January night fifty-four years ago I surrendered my heart to Jesus. I entered marriage not knowing that what I knew of love was just the starting point. I hadn’t arrived, but I had begun. When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior I didn’t understand the depth of His love or the full significance of that new life.

Life my relationship with my wife, my relationship with my Lord is a growing one. I haven’t arrived as a husband and I haven’t arrived as a follower of Jesus. But I’m committed to growing in both relationships. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years holds.

Oh, and by the way. Tomorrow morning I start my vacation she’s been telling me I need. You know, she’s right. I’m looking forward to it.

 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 1 John 4:15 (HCSB) 

A Culture of Violence

I haven't posted in quite some time, and have been considering "starting up" again. The recent event at Boston has been an impetus to write again.

There is no doubt that the bombing at the Boston Marathon is a tragedy. People killed. Others wounded. Lives changed forever. Such agony and despair.

What saddens me even more is that this will not be the last such event. The authorities may well catch the person(s) who did this. They may incarcerate them for the rest of their lives. But it won't stop something like this from happening again.

There is another tragedy that is not too far removed. All one has to do is say or write "Sandy Hook" and people all across our nation immediately know what you are talking about. Lives of young children, school administrators, and teachers, killed by a lone gunman who then took his own life.

As a result of the Sandy Hook shootings there was an outcry that has forced the issue of potential new gun laws that are being debated in our Senate. I have no idea if any of the laws will pass. I can't imagine what kind of laws, if any, might be suggested to try to prevent a tragedy like the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

I am sure of this, though. No amount of laws will prevent future similar tragedies. Why? Because you can't legislate morals. And the basic fact is that evil actions are the result of evil-thinking people. The old radio program, "The Shadow," began with the line, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" The answer was: The Shadow. Today, if there were a Shadow, I doubt even he would know.

The good news is that there is an answer. It's been the same answer for a couple of thousands years, now. The answer is Jesus Christ. Throughout history Jesus has changed the lives of men and women. He has turned hearts and minds bent on evil to hearts filled with love and minds dedicated to demonstrating Jesus' love to others.

We may have "In God we trust" on our currency, but the truth is our nation is a long way from trusting in God. Until our nation acknowledges that the only answer to evil hearts is a life-changing experience with a loving Lord we'll continue to see senseless killing.

 We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19 (HCSB) 

Was Paul the Worst Sinner?

I've been reading in 1 Timothy and every time I read 1 Timothy 1:15 I struggle with Paul's confession of being the worst of all sinners. I know he was hot after the believers and wanted to extinguish Christianity, but I still don't think he was the "chief" of sinners.

You see, I know myself inside and out. I know the sin in my life and I have to confess that maybe I'm the chief of sinners. Oh, I know I haven't tried to take the life of believers, but I have said some murderous things about some of them at times. There have been times when I was wounded by the actions and words of other believers and I would not have been disappointed if my Father would have called them home that day. Now here's the really hard part to admit. Paul committed his murderous acts before he became a follower. I've committed most of mine after I became a follower. And, as bad as I think that may be, my Father has reminded me over and over that all sins carry equal penalty. All sins lead to death.

So, I'm not sure that I would personally classify Paul as the worst sinner, and maybe Paul and I can talk about that one of these days. But I do know who the chief sacrifice is! Jesus died on the cross for Paul's sin and for mine. He paid the only price that would make things right with my Father. And Jesus has done the same for you.

You may think you are the worst sinner and that God can never forgive your sin. The truth is, we probably all feel that way at one time or another. The good news is that us "chief sinners" can have a restored relationship with the Father. Thanks be to God for His unfailing love!

1 Timothy 1:15 (HCSB)
¹⁵ This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.

And the Two Shall Become One

Today we celebrated my wife's birthday. I doubt she would mind me telling her age, but I will refrain from it anyway. She had the joy of sleeping in as long as she wanted. When she finally got out of bed,, I prepared waffles for her for breakfast. (I actually do that every Saturday.) For lunch I grilled some zucchini and yellow squash and then we tried out the new hot dog steamer for the evangelistic block party trailer.

After we enjoyed short naps I thought we should also try out the snow cone machine. After all, it would not be good if the first time out the equipment on the block party trailer didn't work. Finally, I treated her to grilled steak, corn on the cob, and a baked potato.

The rest of the day? Well, we just sat around the house and enjoyed doing nothing together. It's a day like this that reminds me that God knew what He was doing when He ordained that man needed a helpmate and created woman. And the concept that the two would become one? Well, to borrow from MasterCard--Priceless!

Father, thank you for a loving wife who has become such a part of me that the two of us have truly become one.

What's Real Beauty?

Every morning, as I drive to my office, I have the joy of looking out my car window at the hills of Shawnee National Forest and marvel at God's creation. Recently our daughter was married in Jamaica. I had not been to Jamaica, and I have to say I again found the beauty of God's creation, this time in the sea and sky from the coast of Jamaica. Back at home I found our roses in bloom and observed up close another beauty of God's creation.

In the past month, though, the greatest joy I found in God's creation was the creation of our daughter. On the day of her wedding ceremony I took her arm to walk her across the beach to the wedding arbor and I marveled at how beautiful God had created her. Back at home I looked at pictures of the ocean at sunset and at my daughter at her wedding and the most beautiful picture of God's creation was my daughter.

I realize that, as her father, I am biased toward my daughter. I love her and I admit to my bias. But how can anything in the world compare to the beauty of mankind, created in His own image?

My daughter, son, and wife were created in His image. You and your loved ones were created in His image. I'm looking for the beauty of God in each person of His creation. How about you?

Time To Get Serious About This

I've not been very diligent in posting to my blog. I suspect it has a lot to do with what is going on in my life. It's not that there is a lot of really important stuff or extraordinary things happening in my life. It just hasn't been a priority. (I guess I could blame it on too much Facebook and Twitter posting.) So, I am going to try to do a better job at this.

God has blessed me tremendously. Not long ago I posted on Twitter that I set out to count my blessings and got stuck on the first one because it was so great: God sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin. But today I'm focused on other blessings.

Several years ago our son married a wonderful Christian lady and they have given us two granddaughters. We have another grandchild on the way. They are currently enjoying time at Disney World.

God also blessed us with a delightful and beautiful daughter. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Jamaica to attend her wedding ceremony. She is marrying a young man who has demonstrated to me that he loves her deeply. Here's the really cool thing. Not only do I get to give her away in marriage, I even get to perform the wedding ceremony!

God blessed us with two wonderful children who made professions of faith at a young age. As I enjoy the Facebook postings of my son's family time in Florida, and as I prepare to fly to Jamaica for my daughter's wedding, I cannot stop praising the Lord for the blessing of loving Christian children.

Worthless Shepherds

I've been reading a chapter a day from the book of Zechariah. I just finished chapter eleven. It came at an opportune time. In preparation for 2010 I had been contemplating my ministry. I've been in the same place of service over fifteen years. What will I be doing in 2010?

As I thought about the direction I will be pursuing God reminded me that I need to be sure it is his direction. It's easy to get sidetracked. It's easy to desert God's call on one's life to pursue other goals. When I pick up a book by a well-known pastor and read how God has blessed his ministry and how I can follow his plan for success it's easy to adopt that plan.

When I forsake God's will for someone's plan I know he's not happy with me. When that becomes a pattern for my leadership of his people I suspect that he is angry. That's the word I get from Zechariah. Now, here's the verse.

Zechariah 11:17 (HCSB)
Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his right eye go completely blind!

Leaving Loved Ones

Last weekend I had to make a quick trip to visit family. First I visited with my son and his family. Then I had the opportunity to visit with my brother and my mother. I had a quick visit with my daughter and ended the weekend visiting with my in-laws. As I drove home I realized I was already missing them.

Tomorrow afternoon I'll leave home to drive to St. Louis so I can fly out early Monday morning to go to Austin, Texas. While I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn how to better study God's Word I am already thinking about the days I'll spend away from my loving wife. I'll be surrounded by people, but I'll be lonely. It's just not fun when I'm away from my wife.

As I thought about that I wondered why it is that we can wander away from God and not think much about it. We manage to miss our quiet time with Father and get through the day okay. We can even go two or three days without serious times of prayer and Bible study and not seem to miss it.

I know God longs to spend time with us, so the problem has to be us. Maybe we don't miss Him because we don't love Him deeply enough. How deeply should one love Him? Well, maybe we need to take a serious look at the Great Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5 (HCSB)

Love is born out of relationships. As I spend time with my family I love them more and more. As I spend time with the Lord I learn to love Him more and more. I learn to love Him with all my heart, with all my sould, and with all my strength. And then it happens: there comes that day when a day without spending time with Him is a day of loneliness.

Willfull Disobedience

Recently my son and his family came for a visit My oldest granddaughter is going to be four in December. She is a sweet girl. However, she pushes the boundaries, and at times during the visit she exhibited willful disobedience. On a couple of occasions she was told to do something and disobeyed.

That wasn't enough. After her father or her mother patiently explained why she must do it she still refused. Then they spelled out the consequences of her disobedience, giving her one last chance to do the right things. Still, knowing that there would be consequences that would be unpleasant, she was determined to have her own way.

I couldn't help thinking about our spiritual disobedience. God often asks us to do something and in willful disobedience we tell Him no. He patiently asks again, reinforcing the fact that we need to be obedient to Him. Finally, we are reminded of the consequences: obedience brings God's blessing while disobedience brings His discipline. Still, we choose to be disobedient.

It's not fun to watch my three year-old granddaughter willfully disobey her parents. It's painful for me to watch when she continues to disobey, knowing the outcome. And, I know it's painful for her parents to have to discipline her.

I don't think our Father enjoys it any more when we disobey. I think He is just as patient, encouraging us to do the right thing. But when we willfully disobey, He lovingly disciplines us.