What Do You Smell Like?

Yesterday, I read a passage of Scripture, Ecclesiastes 10:1, "Dead flied putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor."-- NKJV
The New Living Translation puts it like this, "As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor."

Our sense of smell is one of the strongest senses. Think about it... We taste with our nose more than we deo with our toungue (Don't believe me? Pinch your nose during dinner tonight and see if the food tastes as good as usual.). Another example of how strong smell is to us: My great uncle Philip died in 1989. I was four years old and can't remember his voice at all. But I have several precious things that belonged to him and they still have a faint hint of his cologne. My Grandmother Will died in 2000. I also can't remember what her voice sounded like, but when I go to what was her house, I can still smell the perfume she used.

Smell is such an important part of life. But smells can be bad as well.It used to be that whenever I'd drive into Parkersburg, WV, I could smell the city water treatment plant as soon as I crossed the bridge. If I didn't turn the AC on recirculate, the stench would be stuck in my car for several miles. Let me tell you, that smell is AWEFUL! Just one whiff and it ruined my trip.

It's the same with us, you know. We can work really hard and say all the right things and go through all the right motions. But if we mess up one time, our perfect record is broken. All it takes is one screw up, one mishap, to wreck our attempt at perfection. Just one bit of stench stinks up your life.

Part of the problem with this is that we are used to bad smells if we're near them enough. Spend time around a person with bad hygiene. They are going to smell bad. But they have probably gotten used to it. We get used to our sins and our stinky life. To us, it's not a big deal. But to God, it is a big deal.

God sent Jesus to cleanse us, literally. When we accept Jesus and are cleansed by His blood and obeying His Word, we smell different. The Bible talks of us being living sacrifices, a sweet smelling aroma to God.So what about you? Does your life smell like the city dump? Or has Jesus made you to smell like a bed of roses? If you smell bad, call on Jesus and He'll clean you up.

It's Hard To Admit Mistakes

Hi! My name is Adam and I have a problem. Sometimes I have this compulsive desire or need for people to like me. Lately this has gotten me into trouble.

I realize that not everyone likes me. I realize that I might even make people angry. But still, I can't stand it to know that people are upset with me. Sometimes this desire to please others pushes me towards spiritually unhealthy behaviors.

Lately I let someone down and I felt really bad about it. Its not that I did anything intentional, but rather, I forgot to take care of something for them. Whats worse is that when push came to shove, I was tempted and did lie about it. Yeah, that's right, I sinned and I feel like crap about it. I thought that telling the truth would cause problems so I figured if I stretched the truth a bit, it would be okay. After all, I got the job taken care of before any deadline, so no harm, no foul, right?

WRONG! What I did was wrong. I am supposed to be an example of a Christ follower, but here I showed my self to be just another example of fallen humanity. Yeah, I know we aren't perfect, but this really bothers me. Yes, I have confessed my sin to God and He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us, but I also think God is teaching me a lesson with all of this.

I understand that you cannot trust a liar. But truthfully, (ha... no pun intended) I can say that I am a pretty honest person. It just seems that when push comes to shove I feel this need to stretch the truth to keep on people's A-list. But when I do that, all that happens is that I get myself into trouble with others and I disappoint my God and Savior.

So to the person I wronged, I am sorry. I know that doesn't make it okay, but please forgive me.

The carnal nature in me just wants to cry out, "It's no big deal. It wasn't life or death. Why do people notice when I tell one little white lie and others lie all the time?" Actually that last part does sometimes get me. But we need to realize that when we sin, it's not against the other person. Our sin is always vertical against a holy God rather than horizontal against fellow sinful people.

So to everyone out there, I am sorry. Even if this instance doesn't include you, I am sorry if I have destroyed any trust. This has all been very humbling to me. Yeah, I know we all mess up and some more than others, but I need to constantly remember that I am only clean because of Jesus and not because of my position, heritage, or works I do.

Here I stand, opened up about something most bloggers and pastors would never admit to, but I need to. It's hard to admit mistakes, but I can't face Jesus or others unless I do. Again, it might have only been one white lie, but that was one too many.

Reflections from Sunday --Palm Sunday (4/5/2009)

Hey guys, I'm back to blogging about Sundays. So here goes:
Sunday was a good day. That was hard to say but yesterday was truly awesome. Let me unpack that a little for you:
Yesterday started out great. I got to Eden and everything was going wonderful... until... THE PROJECTOR MESSED UP! I am sure that it was user error, but I had a few other people take a look at it and we could not get it to work. Sure it worked, but the resolution was all outta whack! This has happened to me a few other times before, but I forgot how I fixed it. Anyway, it wouldn't have been a huge deal, but it really stressed me out because I was using a lot of different media in the message as well as during the singing portion of the worship time. So, we sang out of the hymnals instead. I am glad we still have them for times like this. Other than that stress, it was a good worship celebration. God is still on the throne and if we trust in Jesus, we can't let things get us too down.
On to the message. It was called Who Did Jesus Die For? The text was Matthew 21:4-11 (click the link for the passage). Jesus came in to Jerusalem on a young donkey. Same story every year, right? Wrong!

I've really been asking God how we can look at this story --familiar to many of us "church" folks-- in a new and refreshing light. Here are some of the points God showed me:

• Jesus Did It God's Way-- The Jewish crowd wanted a conquering king on a white stallion with a mighty army who came to destroy Rome. Instead, Jesus came as a humble servant-King on a weak animal (so weak that they had to lay clothes on the ground so not to hurt the humble beast) with a bunch of ordinary disciples who came to destroy sin and death. Sometimes we try to put God in a box and we insist He does things our way. But the truth is, He IS GOD and that is why He makes the decisions!
• The Same People Who Celebrate You on Sunday Will Crucify You on Friday-- I think I have experienced this to a much lesser degree. Something at a church service goes really great and everyone loves the direction that our church is taking. Then, later in the week they find out that it's not going to be done their way, but God's way. Man, religious people can get really ticked and when they do, they get really mean... After all, it was the "church" of Jesus' day that put Him to death! Let me unpack that a little more for you:

--The Pharisees were just like many "church" people today-- The Pharisees had the right doctrine (for the most part), the really believed in tithing (they competed to see who gave more), they loved to pray (especially in public), and they really hated sin (but mainly if it wasn't their own). Sounds like a lot of the "holier-than-thou" crowd that makes up a least a pew of every local church in this country. They loved Jesus when He came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday!
-- The Pharisees turned on Jesus because He made them uncomfortable!-- The Bible tells us that many rulers of the synagogues and leaders of the Pharisees believed in Jesus, but they loved the praise of men more than a walk with their God. In Luke 23, we read that when Pilate told the Jewish leaders he found nothing wrong with Jesus, they replied that His teaching was causing a huge uproar all through the country. That's the problem with too many "Christians" today. We like the blessings of Jesus, but not His teachings. We like the fact that He is our Forgiver, but we often times don't like it when He is our Leader. If Jesus is not your Leader (Lord), He is not you Forgiver (Savior).

• It was the Humble Thief who Really Accepted Jesus-- This guy was humble. He just asked that Jesus might, maybe, perhaps, think of him later when Jesus was exalted in heaven as King. Jesus said that even better than that, that man would go to Paradise with Him!
• You See, Jesus Died for Everyone, but Not Everyone Follows Him!-- Jesus died for the Pharisees but they didn't want any part of it because they were too proud and wanted their will to become God's will. It doesn't work like that. Jesus never came so that we could be comfortable! Jesus came so that we would become CONVICTED and CONVERTED. For far too long, the American church has had their middle finger pointed at God and said they didn't want His teachings. They did not want to follow His Word. Then they weep and moan and wonder why He has allowed us to go through such problems. Many think that the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (which Jesus predicted 40 years before) was punishment for the Jewish people not following Jesus. That makes me wonder if all the stuff going on isn't God removing His hand of blessing on us as a nation.
• Here's How to Apply All of This To Your Life in a Nutshell-- Jesus died so that we could live. Jesus came to give us life and to set us free from all the things that tie us down. Most importantly, He came to glorify the Father. Are we really accepting Jesus, or do we want a Jesus-Lite? If you have Jesus as your Lord & Savior, you need to live like it. I need to live like it. I challenge you (because God has challenged me) to live this week like we live for Jesus. After all, He Died for Us... For You!

By the Way!!!!
Eden's Easter Services are as Follows:

Son-Rise Service/Breakfast-- Sunday at 7 AM
Sunday School-- 10 AM
Worship Celebration-- 11 AM

This coming Sunday's (Easter) message is going to be a Holy Communion Service. The whole message is talking about that Communion, or the Lord's Supper, is and why you need to take part. If you can make it, you need to be there! You don't want to miss it! Bring a friend too. We have gifts for every guest/ visitor who comes.

Some Things That Are On My Mind & Why the FOCA Must be Defeated

Yeah, I know that I haven't blogged for a while and I haven't been posting my thoughts on Sundays. I assure you that I am still alive and that I am still preaching. I just didn't blog. Oh well. Enough small talk. Lately, some things have been either consuming my thoughts or just simply interrupting my normal ones. Here's a few:

• I am officially too stupid to work at Wal-mart! Huh? PEOPLE WHO WORK AT WAL-MART: THE FOLLOWING MAY SEEM INSULTING, BUT IT'S NOT: To work at Wal-mart you need to apply, right? Well on the online application you have to take an assessment. No problem, right? After all, I've never "officially" worked retail, but I have sold stuff and worked in constumer service before. Well, I failed the assessment. It was one of those self-evaluations with a scale of 1-5. I am terrible at those!! I never thought of myself as incapable of being a Wal-mart greeter, but evidently I am.
• My diet is really not working out. My goal is to loose 40 lbs. before my July 11, 2009 wedding. I was doing great for about the first two months. I lost 10 lbs. I might have gained it all back and then some. I really struggle with weight. I want to be fit for my wife and future family not to mention that I am being a really bad steward of the body God gave me.
• So this won't sound like a gripe list: I am really excited about Easter. Easter and Christmas are the two most anticipated dates for a minister (besides vacation, which could be more holy). Is Eden ready to receive a whole bunch of guests? I'm not sure that we're ready. But I do know that God often uses the weak to show His strength. I am really praying and believing that He is going to show up BIG this Sunday and on Easter. I know that when we expect God to show up, He never misses a chance to show Himself.
• Secret Sins Seem to Be the Worst Kind. Why? Because you feel as though you can't confide in anyone. I've talked lately to some people who have been dealing with secret sins and I've had to deal with some of my own before. I take that back. God has had to deal with them. He is the only one who can.
• I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH OBAMA. I didn't vote for the guy. I figured he'd drop the ball. But I want our president to succeed. He is the president of us all. But he either continually makes bad decisions or fails to make them at all. This wouldn't bother me so much if he didn't promise to do things in a more open and different way. The only difference so far is that Washington DC is more secret and corrupt than ever. Way to go, Mr. President! Not to mention his die-hard support for abortion and the FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT (FOCA).
• About the FOCA-- The Freedom of Choice Act of 2009 if pasted would put the final nail in the coffin that is America. This act is anything but freedom. It makes any law regarding limits to abortion criminal and void. Seriously, no state could legislate anything regarding abortion or "reproductive rights".
• Get this: I am a school board member and I know this for sure... If a 14 yr. old girl at Eastern Local wants an aspirin, she needs parental consent. Aspirin is generally very safe. But if the FOCA passes the same 14 yr. old girl could go to a clinic and get an abortion with out parental consent. Independent medical studies have shown that all forms of abortion are potentially life threatening to the mother. Many women have mild to severe side effects after having an abortion including: sterilization, hysterectomy, cancer of the uterus, cancer of the vagina, cancer of pelvis, genital trauma, major side effects from medication, etc. But we refuse to get the parents involved.
• As a minister, I am required by law and conscience to report any indications of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. But the FOCA allows abortion providers to get around this law. Girls may be getting raped by their fathers or someone else, and forced to have an abortion without anyone ever being investigated.
• My mother works for St. Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg, WV. They are owned in part by the Catholic Church and as such refuse to provide abortions or controversial medications that can cause abortions. They have that legal right. The FOCA would force all doctors and nurses, and hospitals to perform abortions on demand. If my mother was a Jehovah's Witness and had a moral objection to participating in a blood transfusion, the hospital would have to get another nurse. Under to FOCA, the hospital could not make that exception if my mother has an objection to performing an abortion.
• That said, most Catholic hospitals in the US would close rather than perform murder on demand (oops, I mean abortion). The Bishop who oversees St. Joseph's has already made it clear they would close rather than perform one abortion. In our area, at least half of our hospitals are owned in part at least by the Catholic Church. Typically, they are better ranked hospitals too. My mother tells me that already there is a shortage of capacity in the area hospital beds. So, Obama, the great health care reformer will cause a health care crisis in this country like we've never had.
• Even if you do think abortion is okay in some instances (like rape and incest and mother's health [which account for less than 1% of abortions]), this Freedom of Choice Act would spell disaster for this country.
• I really believe that America will be judged by God for this. In the Bible, God destroyed nations when "their sin had reached it's fullest capacity." God IS keeping score and we just keep pushing the line. I truly believe we can't have peace and prosperity while killing the unborn! Do you realize we, the USA, the great Beacon of Hope and Freedom, have killed 3 times as many babies that Hitler killed in the entire 2nd World War? Hitler was evil, but we think we're just giving people the freedom to choose. CHOOSE AMERICA! Choose Life & Choose to follow God, not self!

Reflections From Sunday (3/8/2009)

Sunday was another good day. My voice was still a little raspy, but as least I didn't loose my voice. The past several months have been very trying for me, emotionally and spiritually, so the message was as much for me as for anyone else. The message was called Renewing Your Faith. The Scripture passage was Hebrews 12: 12-17:12:
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Here are some thoughts about that text:

• We need to strengthen our weak points. You've heard it before, but a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. If you have a dynamic prayer life, but you refuse to read and apply the Bible, you don't have a strong walk with God. You might resist that, but its true. You know it. No excuses! I really encourage everyone at Eden to take a Spiritual Growth test. We provide these to people at Eden for them to self-test themselves to see where they are weak in their faith.
• The question that this message answers is this: If FAITH is absolute confidence, then how can we keep confidence when we go through life's rough spots?
• If there is something in your life that causes you to either sin or weakens your faith, GET RID OF IT! I am dead serious about this! If you're a recovering alcoholic, you'd be STUPID to live in an apartment over a bar. The same logic applies to our walk with God. If you are addicted to your iPod, get rid of it. If you can't read your Bible because your watching TV, cancel the Cable or Dish! Why would we be so stupid to give up an incredible walk with Jesus simply because we love to watch a certain TV show? Compared to Jesus, T.V. is nothing but worthless junk.
• We Need to pursue Peace with others. Sorry folks, but you can't love Jesus with every ounce of your being and hate ANYONE. It doesn't work that way. If you have any siblings, maybe you can relate to this: If I hate my brother, that hurts my mother and father because they gave life to him just like they did me. God made each and everyone of us with the capacity to know Him and follow Him. To hate anything that He made so special is to spit in the face of Jesus. I know it's not easy to love people, but they might find it just as hard to love you. Think about it...
• Without being Holy, we can NOT EVER see Jesus. A lot of people have issues with this. I take that back; we all probably have issues with this. a few points about this:
  -- Holiness is not based on external appearance. Women don't have to wear ankle long dresses to prove their love for Jesus. It's obvious they shouldn't dress like a porn star. Ladies, if it's not on the menu, don't show it off. If you love Jesus, you don't need the love of a man bad enough to show him what only your husband should see on your wedding night!
  --Holiness is not about following the rules because you have to.
  --We need to realize that TRUE holiness comes only from Jesus. Holiness means perfection and Jesus is the only person to ever live on earth who is perfect.
  --When we follow after Jesus, He changes our hearts and causes us to become more like Him.
• There are 3 or 4 things that are HUGE Obstacles to Renewing Your Faith:
  --Falling short of the Grace of God (v.15). We've all fallen short of God's mark. That's why we need Jesus. Failing to take a hold of the Grace God offers is foolish. It's arrogance and God's Word says that arrogance (pride) is one of the worst things. It destroys relationships, especially those with God.
  --Being Bitter (v. 15). I've met way too many "Christians" who are full of bitterness. Bitterness will destroy you. If I choose not to forgive someone who hurt me, that won't hurt them, it will only serve to destroy my life. Forgiveness doesn't mean that what they did was okay, it means that you won't hold it against them any more. Trust me, Jesus is much better at judgement or punishment than you could ever be. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you trust an unworthy person, it means you simply let it go.
  --Sexual Sin (v.16). Probably the biggest sin problem of this era. Just because you're married doesn't mean that this doesn't happen. If you look at someone with sexual desire besides your spouse, your sinning. Don't argue with me, take it up with Jesus. He's the one who said it in the book of Matthew. Disclaimer: Before I go farther, I need to disclose that I am virgin and the following comes from a close examination of God's Word. Sex is a wonderful gift from God to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage. Sex is not about an orgasm, but about one-ness with your spouse. Sex is sacred and it is Holy. It is as much a part of worship to God as is Holy Communion or Baptism. If you're not married, this is one way of worship you can't experience! The Bible calls sexual sin profane. Why? Because it is taking something Holy and wonderful and dragging it through the mud. Every person you have sexual contact with has become "one" with you. You have given part of your self away. This is why sex addicts suffer so much, because all they have become is a machine, they've literally given away their entire being and only God can restore that back.
  --One more thing--IRREVERENCE. If you don't deal with what is dragging you down spiritually, then you have no hope. If you don't cut up your 10 credit cards, you're never going to get out of debt. YOU HAVE TO BE SERIOUS WHEN IT COMES TO SERIOUS STUFF! THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR STANDING WITH GOD.
• One last point- Esau. Esau was Jacob's twin brother. Esau hunted and was his father's favorite. Jacob was a Mommy's boy and basically stayed at home. One day, Esau went hunting and came back to the tent. He was really hungry and Jacob was making a stew. Esau said he was starving (like us, if didn't eat for a few hours he started to complain). So Jacob (who's name means "deceiver") said that he'd feed Esau if Esau would give Jacob his birthright. Esau (who was born first) would have a double portion of the inheritance. So Esau sold his inheritance for a little bowl of soup! That is the way with sin. Sin is FUN! That's why we do it. But when we sin, we are trading eternal delight away for a little temporary fun. Folks, when we think about it, this is STUPID! Sorry, but it is. It's the equivalent of me paying you $10 dollars every day for the rest of my life if I can have only $70 dollars now. We end up with a huge debt at the end. That's why Jesus came to pay a debt that we never could. He bought us back.
• We need to RENEW our FAITH and get back on track with Jesus!

A Few other things about Sunday:

• Next week will be my 4th anniversary of being at Eden Church. Wow! Seems like yesterday at times and at other times if feels like 4 decades.
• I came upon a wreck right down the road from the church. I missed it by like 30 seconds. I got to pray for the guy and be there until he was life-flighted. He's going to be okay, by the way.
• I am so proud of our Reedsville Volunteer Firefighters! They do a lot for nothing. Why can't the Church be like that. We're supposed to!
• Christina and I are planning our wedding. Its more difficult being on this side of the wedding than performing one!

Notes From Sunday (3/1/2009)

This past Sunday was a GREAT day! I lost my voice right after preaching in the morning worship celebration, but it was still a great day! God really spoke to me through the message He wanted me to give. The message was called Confident in Christ. The Bible passage was Hebrews 11:1-6--
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken
him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Here are some thoughts that come to mind when we take a look at this passage:

• Verse 1 is not a definition of faith. Rather, it is more of a description of what Faith does. This may not help you much, but the word translated as faith in Greek is the word pistis which means faithful but more than that, it means firm confidence or absolute conviction.
• The word substance means assurance of reality. Why do I bring these last two points out? Knowing NT Greek is not going to radically change your walk with God, but when we understand here what God is really talking about... Wow... We finally get it. Our world tosses around the word faith all the time. "Well I just gotta have faith." That is a common phrase. But the truth is that this faith is unshakable and unmovable. It is absolute conviction that CANNOT change.
• TOO MANY "Church People" don't have this Faith the Bible talks about. What am I talking about? Don't many "Christians" believe? Duh, they do! But the kinda faith that this passage describes is something that is not doubted. We can have confidence, absolute confidence in Jesus Christ. Too many times too many of us (including me) have a very wishy-washy faith. But the truth is, its not faith at all.
• We need to be Confident in Jesus, not in ourselves! I have a real hard time being around arrogant and cocky people. It really grates on my nerves. We all get stuck on our selves at times, but I for one hate when I see it in others. The Bible really speaks out against pride. God hates pride because pride prevents people from having a right relationship with God. On the other hand, having no confidence is wrong, too. I am a person that has more often fallen into this extreme. For much of my life I have had little to no self confidence and as a result, many of my relationships with others suffered. I put friends through some terrible stuff when I was in school. Here's the happy medium we need to strive for: We need to realize that we are all messed up people who are loved and pursued by a perfect and holy God. That confidence we have in Him enables us to live a new life and move mountains of obstacles.
• If We Really Have Confidence in Jesus, We Will Give Him & He Deserves Our BEST! Abel's sacrifice to God was acceptable when Cain's was not because Abel offered God his best. People have always debated and wondered why God chose Abel and not Cain? Was it due to the fact that Abel's sacrifice was a blood offering and Cain's was vegetables and other produce? Not necessarily. All sacrifices don't have to be blood and the Bible doesn't indicate that it had to be blood. No, the main reason, as I see it, is because all sacrifices to God had to be our best offering to Him. CHRISTIANS, DO NOT MISS THIS! Some times we as believers miss out on so many of God's blessings because we refuse to give God our best. Abel gave God his best lamb whereas Cain gave God "some" (not the first or the best) of his produce. When we get out paycheck or whatever, the first check we should write is to God for at least 10%. It's not giving God your best when you chip in $1 at the end of the month when you take home $1200. It's not giving God your best when if you teach in the Church that you look at your lesson late on Saturday Night. God always responds when we give Him our best. It's hard. Abel was killed for it. Yet, if we have absolute faith --confidence-- in Jesus, we can and should give God our best.
• Without Faith, You CAN'T PLEASE GOD! People, please don't miss this-- You can't get to Heaven without faith in Jesus Christ. You can't have your sins forgive if you don't have absolute conviction that Jesus died and rose again and lives forever.
• Churches that don't have Faith in the Mission God has given them REALLY UPSET ME! God made the whole universe and created each and every one of us differently; He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins and now Jesus lives forever. And we respond with INDIFFERENCE?!?!? God is calling us to have great, strong, unshakable, and confident faith in Jesus Christ.

A few other random thoughts going through my mind as I reflect about Sunday:

• I was loosing my voice throughout the message and my voice was basically gone by the time we left. But, if the early Christians faced lions, I can handle being a little horse.
• Sunday night I stayed home rather than lead the GROW IN HIS WORD Bible Study. My lay leader and my mother (she's a Sunday School Teacher) did a great job! The day the church can't survive without their pastor for a service or two is the day that church is in SERIOUS trouble.
• Even though I was sick most of this week, I enjoyed the down time. I didn't feel bad about missing Sunday night. Sometimes as pastors we feel guilty if we're not there all the time. God never called me to do everything. Sometimes, pastors just need break. And why not? Its not like everyone else is always there! Ha ha!
• God has been really speaking to me lately about giving Him my best. I know I talked about that above, but I am really passionate about that. I'll blog about that topic soon.
• I'm getting married in July. WOW! I can't wait, but at the same time I am overwhelmed by all that needs to get done before then.
• If you're in the area, you really need to come to Eden this Sunday! I am SUPER EXCITED to see what God is going to do in people's lives! See you this Sunday at 11 AM!
• REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS UP ONE HOUR THIS SATURDAY. We're "springing forward" so you need to go to sleep a little sooner.

Notes from Sunday (2/22/2009)

Wow. I can't believe that this weekend came and went so quickly! Even though the week went by quickley, it was definately a good week. Wait, let me clarify that. What started out as an okay was transformed into a great week because of yesterday. The message I gave on yesterday morning was called A Strong Faith and it is a continuation of the series of talks called Exploring Faith. The Bible portion we read was Hebrews 10: 23-25: 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

By the way, I don't preach from a written manuscript, so some of these are points I hit yesterday and some are points God has shown me since I preached yesterday. Here are some of the key things to take away from this passage:

• Times right now are really rough. It doesn't matter if we're talking about the economy or if we're talking about your personal life. We all have valleys that really stink and mountain top experiences where we're high on life. But all of those experiences come and go. We will all go trhough roiugh patches at some time or another. What has you grounded? What is your support system?


• We need to have a firm grasp of our faith in Jesus. The New King James Version says to "hold fast." We don't use that term often today, but it means to grip ahold of something and to not let go. Have you ever seen someone drive who had white knuckles because the grasped the steering wheel to tightly? We need to have that kind of hold on Jesus Christ. There is an old hymn that I always liked that said "We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast secure, while the billows roll..." An anchor has no value if it is not grasping at something to steady the boat. Our faith in Jesus is totally useless if we do not grap a hold of it firmly.


• Jesus IS a Crutch. So many people bash followers of Jesus becasue they say Jesus is a crutch for weak people. They are partially right. We are all weak, but some are too weak to admit their need. Jesus is much more than a crutch, He is our mighty King and should be the whole desire of our very being, not only a support system. When everything crashes down around you, you need a firm foundation to build your life on if you want to make it through the storm. There is no firmer foundation than Jesus Christ.
• We need to have strong FAITH! One of the things that really disturbs me is how churches and ministers tell people what to do but give no helps in doing it. They'll say things like, "You need to surrender to Jesus." but they don't tell you how that is done. Well, we need to have strong faith. Here's how than can happen:
  --Remember that God is faithful, even when we are not. God doesn't quit loving us and helping us just because we slip up. His faithfulness should encourage us grab hold of Him and never EVER let go.
  --Get to know Jesus better! The first time I drive a different vehicle, I am really slow and not very confident because I don't know how the car will drive and re-act. It takes a few minutes to adjust and gain confidence in this new vehicle. Same with our walk with Jesus. It's hard to stick with Him if we don't know Him! We need to spend time with God every single day. It's hard to be grounded in God when you're not sure about Him.
• Here's something else--- GET INVOLVED IN A LOCAL CHURCH OR AT LEAST WITH OTHER BELIEVERS! This is a biggy! Disclaimer: Going to "church" does not make you a Christ follower any more than going to a funeral home makes you a corpse. You don't become committed to Jesus simply because you walk through a set of doors and take a seat in a certain building at a certain time on a certain day. Jesus never said that God so loved that world that He told us to go to church.
  Notice that I didn't capitalize "church". Here's why. In SE Ohio... well, in America in general, we think of the building as "church". Not it at all! The "Church" is the universal, invisable, indestrucable body of Jesus Christ. We who are followers of Jesus are the Church! Sometimes I think that it would be better if all the 'church" meeting houses were destroyed so people who quit idolizing buildings and start living for Jesus rather than a steeple. Okay, sorry for that rant but I had to get it out of the way!
• But here is why we need to be involved in a congregation of followers of Jesus. It helps us be stronger followers of Jesus! You can be a Christian and not go to church, but a very strong one, and trust me, your faith will falter if you refuse to be with who Jesus commands us to be. But why? The word in the original Greek NT for stir up means to convulse. Ever had a full body shiver? If so, you know that it is so powerful, your body can't control it. It is an involuntary spasm. So is the Church of Jesus... Huh? When we challenge and encoruage fellow believers, love and good works automatically occur. We automatically become stronger in our walk with Jesus when we are around His people.
• We Christians need to stop judging people who don't come in the doors on Sunday. They need Jesus and they don't need bad looks or hypocrites praying for them to get "religion". They NEED JESUS! Jesus is the hope of the world! But we have been entrusted with that message. The Church of Jesus is unlike any other institution. God only created two institutions: 1. Marriage, and 2. The Church. People have to have a desire to be married and they have to have a desire to be in the Church. That takes God to work in their lives. We need to stop praying for people to feel guilty enough to come to a church meeting and start praying that God gives them a passion for following Him, which will include the Church.

Here are some other things of note:

• People accuse churches today of being centers of entertainment. SO? Some churches work really hard to make God seem boring. If you make God boring, you're sinning. If you are a minister and you bore people with the Word of God, you're sinning. God is AWESOME and NEVER boring. I'd rather my church keep people's attention than to put them asleep.
• It is awesome to see God working in the lives of people. Again, going to meetings doesn't mean your really committed to Jesus, but it can be a good indicator. We've had a young woman come to every ministry we've had this week. Awesome, considering bad weather.
• We had twenty at Eden yesterday morning. That's low, but considering we probably should have canceled due to bad rouads, twenty is great!
• I am really excited for this Sunday! I mean it! It's so cool to gather together and remeber how God has worked and how He will continue. By the way, We're going to have to schedule a baptism service soon! Praise God! That's amazing!
• God is really calling me to have great faith for what He wants to do in my life. What about you?
• I hope you guys can make it to Eden this Sunday. Worship starts at 11 AM and we have some great nursery workers for those of you who have kids.

Notes From Sunday- 2/15/2009

Sunday we continued in the series Exploring Faith. The message was called Our Faith & God's Word. We read Hebrews 4:11-13: 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.



Here are some of the things to take out of it:

• Spiritual Growth is NOT Automatic & it DOES NOT Stop! There is not a place in your walk with God where you can say, "Okay, I've made it!" We don't become Super Christian over night. It takes time to mature in Jesus. Sorry, but no one was ever born and immediately began to walk, talk, and was potty trained. It takes time! That's why the writer of Hebrews tells us to be diligent! We need to strive and be passionate about our Passionate God!


• We Cannot Mature as Followers of Jesus on our own. I know this seems to contradict my last point but it doesn't. The fact is that God is cooperating with us, or vice-verse. Jesus is the one who changes us, but He won't change us if we don't want Him to. Jesus will not force you to come to Him, but if we have hard hearts and refuse Him, we're being very foolish.


• God's Word is Living and Powerful & It is Not a Fairytale! I know I'll get push back on this from non-believers, but I don't care. The honest to God truth is this: The Bible has never ever EVER been proven wrong! The only people who doubt it's truth are those who refuse to accept its message. You don't have to be a follower of Jesus to know that the Bible is true. The Word of God is self-proving! God's Word is very powerful.


• It Doesn't Bother Me Too Much When People Who Don't Follow Jesus Doubt the Bible... as much as...:


• Christians who supposedly make the Bible their rule of faith and supposedly live it out, but really neglect it's message. The Bible makes it clear that those who the Word of God but refuse to live it out will be subject to harsher judgement. It REALLY bothers me when "Christians" can sit in their seats all smug and think that they have it all together, when in reality, there is so little difference between them and the world. The greatest danger preventing people from coming into the Kingdom of God is, I believe, not Satan, but the Church of Jesus being stagnant and lazy.
• If God's Word is True, Then it MUST Affect Us! Here are some areas:
  - Attitudes towards ourselves and others.
  - Our Finances-- Put your money where your mouth is. People think the Church is all about money... We're not, at least not at Eden. God does not need your money. The Bible says He has the cattle on a thousand hills. Giving and prioritizing your finances is not about supporting the Church as much as it is about putting God first in your life. D.L. Moody said, "The wallet is the last thing to get saved and the first thing to go carnal."
  -Our Relationships-- Marriage, Family, Dating, Friends, etc. They need to be grounded in Christ. You need to be showing Jesus to these people in your everyday lives.
  -Our Passions & Purpose-- What do you get excited about? Football? Fishing? Movies? Spending time with Friends? How about Jesus? Is He our Foundation, or just a figurine on a shelf? Are you excited the the Son of God came and died and rose again for you to have a new life and eternity in Heaven? SERIOUSLY! THIS SHOULD PUMP YOU UP IF YOU'RE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS!
• God's Word Brings It All Out Into The Open! You can't hide from God. You can try, but it is pointless. People spend their entire lives running from God and it gets them nowhere fast. Don't be silly and waste your life. We need to admit who we are without Jesus: Lost in sin. God's Word is piercing... It is Convicting... It will cut you to the quick and you need that because we all need Jesus.
• By The Way: If You Realize You're Not Following God's Word or that You're not a Disciple of Jesus, The Bible Tells Us the Answer. In the next verses in Chapter 4 of Hebrews, we find that Jesus is our compassionate High Priest. That means that He is the middle man between us and God. But not only that, Jesus has total compassion-- meaning He knows we need Him and He loves us greatly.

Some other thoughts are running through my mind as I look back at Sunday:

• God is really AWESOME! He is working in the lives of people and that never EVER gets old.
• God is also working in me and that is also AWESOME because I need Him more and more.
• I am excited for the Worship Celebration this Sunday! SERIOUSLY, you need to be there!
• I'm looking forward to Easter and Spring! It's coming quick! This Spring you need to come and bring some people with you to Eden Church. Talk about a season of re-birth!!
• I realize that I probably won't be at Eden forever, but I want to give God my best while He has me here. Lately, God has really been impressing me with the issue of excellence in everything we do for Him.

My Thoughts on (and hopes for) Barack Hussein Obama-- Part I

First off, let me give a disclaimer: I haven't talked about Obama much here if at all. But he is going to make history no matter what your opinion of him and therefore, I feel the need to blog. I blog, therefore I am. By the way, this is my rant, and not a political endorsement or policy of Eden Church or any of my affiliations. Okay, here goes!

I did not vote for Barack Obama. I know people who did and I am sorry for them. Joking! Okay, sort of. I find Obama a fascinating figure. His rise to nation renown is a stuff of legend. The fact that a person of mixed race who admitted to always finding it hard to fit in with either whites or blacks has risen above a rough past to achieve is dreams is something to find admirable.

But here is my issue with him. I am a follower of Jesus, or what is commonly called, a Christian. I realize a lot of my friends aren't really on fire with God, and that is partly a result of all of the hypocrisy in the churches. So I am the real deal. I want to show people that my faith doesn't end on a certain day to only begin again on Sunday. If my faith is the real thing, then it should consume me. "For I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live, but it is not I that lives, but rather Christ that lives in me!"

If my faith really consumes me, it is not compartmentalized, but rather makes up my life. My purpose is to make Jesus famous and glorify God in all I do, not just some of it. Barack Obama is part of what is being called the "religious left." That's just it, their religious but not Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus. I think that to support abortion by claiming that the evangelicals only care about the baby in the womb is STUPID AND VILE. I realize we have to deal with poverty and the issues that sometimes lead to a woman choosing abortion. And I concede that the evangelicals have at times been lacking in that area and we REALLY need to step up. But COME ON! So the holocaust of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto was okay because they were going to have a miserable existence living in the ghetto during the Third Reich? Ridiculous!

On dealing with helping others, the Church of Jesus has really been loosing focus. We need to advance the ball down the field here. Jesus talked often about sharing your possessions because in reality, they don't belong to you, but rather to God. Obama needs to realize something here. Jesus was all about the re-distribution of wealth, but only on a voluntary basis. Another thing, all these possessions belong to God, not to the government. I am convinced if the U.S. Government were to use the Book of Proverbs (even taking out the God parts) we would not be in this recession. I am not talking about a theocracy but rather using common sense and wisdom, bot of which God literally wrote the book on.

Obama is like a messiah to many people and this REALLY TICKS ME OFF! Even if he is a great guy, and I am sure he is and I would even like to just hang out with him, he is just another fallen guy trying to fix a fallen world with fallen methods. I know of people who have honestly stopped paying their bills simply because the think Barack is going to solve all their problems. In Obama's defense, lately he has been distancing himself from the extreme "Obama = Jesus" fanatics, but during the campaign he seemed to encourage this cult of personality. Democrat, Republican, Independent, or what ever, this is not a healthy thing. Nancy Pelosie said Obama was a gift from God. Huh? This statement about God's Will coming from a secular Catholic? Oh boy, let me pin that on my wall! Seriously, these people need to calm down and let the dude do his job.

I do wish Obama well and I will pray for him just as much as I did for George W. Bush, and maybe even more. I will follow up with more on this after the swearing-in later today.

My Goals for 2009

2009 is already here and before you know it, it will be half over. So many times I've broken my resolutions for the new year. But this year, I thought that I needed to make some. Not just some random goals, but goals that I think God has for me. So without further ado, here they are:

• Loose 40 Pounds by July.
• Get married July 11th.
• Learn to be a better fiance and future husband to Christina.
• Get back to focusing on my education.
• Disciple 4 men at Eden Church
• Find new supplemental employment.
• Make personal time with God a priority.
• Finish the 40 or so books I have started in the last year and not finished (everything from history, to cooking, to church leadership, to mysteries, to humor, to Max Lucado and John Ortberg).

So there they are. And that is probably not all of them. Back in August, my bishop gave me a homework assignment to complete. I needed to name 1 or 2 short-term goals (6-12 months) in 9 different areas of my life. Well, I haven't really worked on them thus far, but now is the perfect opportunity.

Yes, I have already broken some of them. I did eat that Peanut-Butter Ice Cream I swore off. But in my defense, it wasn't as much as I used to eat! Ha!

I really want to be all that God wants me to be because I find myself desiring a deeper intimacy with Him. Notice I said desire. I am not always as close to God as I should be. I fall at times. But I am so thankful that God's Holy Spirit is stirring in me and is causing me to have a deeper desire for a closer walk with God.

What are some of your resolutions?

My Goals For "Out of Eden"

I know that this is something that I probably should have done when I first started this blog, but I didn't so here it is.

I have come to the place in my life where I realize if something has no purpose, then I have no use for that thing. Therefore, I need to set some goals for this blog and describe what the purpose of my typing away is

My Goals for "Out of Eden" are

• A Record. By writing this blog I can keep a record of my thoughts and things that happen without trying to look for that composition notebook I try to journal in. The net is here and here to stay. Also, I can look back over time and see what God has done and how I have grown and (hopefully) matured.
• A Communication Device. Now I realize probably only 5 people at Eden have even been to a blog before, but hey, that is nearly 15% of the congregation! I hope that as Eden grows and has more tech and web savvy people that this blog will be a method of keeping in touch and keeping people informed. Just because we have blogging people at Eden doesn't mean they will read my blog. One can hope, right?
• An Outreach. I know, I know. You're thinking, "Outreach?!" I realize Reedsville is not exactly silicon valley and that the percentage of homes with reliable web access is relatively small. Yet I think that this gives people an inside look at our congregation at Eden, as well as a chance for Christians to be encouraged and hopefully inspired. I'm not talking a full-fledged on-line ministry, but whatever works.
• A Kingdom Thing. I know I don't show it enough, but more that anything I want my life to give glory to God. If this grows the Kingdom or encourages my spiritual brothers and sisters, great. I think that we should do everything as unto the Lord and He gets glory in it all... Including blogging!

It's Been Awhile

So I haven’t “blogged” in a month… wow… I was hoping that this would be a regular thing and a way for me to expand Eden and stay in touch. Kinda dropped the ball on that one! Anyway, I do seem to have a problem writing down my thoughts. Christina gave me a journal for Christmas and I was doing really well; writing every day until around Jan 25! Having said that let me list some of the things that have happened over the last month:

• Eden went to a new music system on Feb 24. We are now singing to CD’s. This makes it so much simpler, in that I don’t have to practice the piano/organ for hours and we can learn some newer songs. We also are now projecting the words to the songs on the wall. People were a little uneasy at first, but now it seems that the congregation rather enjoys it. People are using the hymnals less and the singing is much better. Singing along with people helps too.

• Christina and I celebrated Valentines Day. What a weekend! Her birthday is the day right after valentines, so I naturally spent way too much money in just a few days time. But we had a good time together. Each day I am amazed that God has brought us together. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.

• We had Wednesday night Bible Study maybe two times 5 weeks. The snow didn’t fall on the weekends, just on Tuesdays. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

We started our first men’s group at Eden! Praise the Lord! I really believe that the more men there are who are living out God’s plan for their lives, the more people will come into the Kingdom of God.

I plan to write about all of these things in the next several posts, so bear with me.