Be prepared.

Tropical Storm Fay has reminded us that living in the Southeast may be paradise, but sometimes paradise can be interrupted by annoying occurrences such as tropical storms and hurricanes.

Just as weather storms are sure to come, storms of life are sure to come. This is nothing new. Our enemy continues to roam the earth seeking someone to devour. Satan has devious plans to destroy Christians who are most threatening to his work. Not every Christian suffers at the hand of Satan or his demons. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." As a Christ follower, if you want to live in the world and be part of the world (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?), then chances are, nobody's going to bother you . . . unless you count out the Holy Spirit.

Just like an approaching hurricane, you have time to get prepared. The time to ready for the storm is not when the wind starts blowing, and the time to get ready for the storms of life are not when they arrive. We need to prepare for the storms of life now. We need to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy. We need to get into the Word of God, learn and its powerful truths. We need to put on the full armor of God and stand prepared for battle. Our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan defending freedom would never think of going into battle without their battle gear and we should be no different.

I believe the problem stems from who we think Satan is. A 2007 Barna poll found that 46% of born-again Christians deny the existence of Satan; he is only a symbol of evil. Did I miss something? Are they reading from the same book I am? No wonder we're in such a sorry state in the church. We're wrestling against our brothers and sisters in Christ and ignoring our arch enemy and the arch enemy of God. It's time to rethink our spiritual battle plan. Satan is real and he wants to destroy us. Be ready, dust off the armor that God has issued to you, and stand firm. It's what is needful and it's what God expects of us.

Are you ready?

Did I hear this right?

Perhaps some of you have heard of the story of the Florida man that won the lottery. It seems that Robert Powell won 6 million in the Florida lottery and wanted to contribute some cash to his church. I'm not sure how the church found out about Mr. Powell's intentions, but when the pastor did, the church refused to accept the $600,000 donation. The pastor offered no explanation as to why the church would not receive Mr. Powell's donation citing the confidentiality of member giving. Wow.

I want to be very clear on this. I am against playing the lottery. Although you won't find any verses in the Bible that say, "Don't play the lottery," the Bible teaches that Christians are to have a strong work ethic and should avoid get rich quick type schemes. We know the verses and even like to quote them using our spiritual voices; Matthew 6:21: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." And of course the ever popular 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil." There are many others, but the kicker is found in the second part of 1 Timothy 6:10: "and some by longing for it [money] have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Paul provides biblical guidance why we shouldn't long for money. He knows the dangers. That's the fallacy of the lottery that lottery officials don't want you to know. When you yearn or long for riches, you'll end of finding yourself with grief instead. The answer is not more money.

You don't have to believe me, you can do your own research. Many lottery winners are worse off than they were before they won the lottery. How can that be you might ask? Why do poor people stay poor while the rich keep getting richer? The following statement may sound harsh, but it is true. Poor people continue to do what they did to get poor and rich people continue to do what made them rich. You don't see many rich people playing the lottery. There's a reason for that.

All that being said, what would I do if someone came and wanted to offer a donation that resulted from something questionable? First, I don't interview people and ask them how they made their money. Second, you have to realize that money is amoral. It is not good or evil. Are we supposed to evaluate how every dollar that is given to the church was earned? Are we supposed to refuse the dollars that are earned if the giver works at a brewery? Or a distillery? Or a tobacco farm? Or what about the Christian that works as a server in a restaurant and is required to serve alcohol? It's an awful slippery slope to climb when you look at it like that. Of course there are professions I'm sure the Lord would just as soon see eliminated from the world, but let's face it, we still live in a world where sin reigns and as long as we're here, we're at war with an enemy that does not rest.

Would I, as a pastor, accept a donation from someone who won the lottery? Well yes I would. I heard someone once say something like, "The devil's used that money long enough, it's time for the Lord to use it."

You want our address?

Just Look Around You

Last week I had an opportunity to spend some time at my in-law's house in Maggie Valley, NC. I really needed to get away . . . a change of scenery.

Seth and I loaded our motorcycles on Monday morning and headed out. Kari and Amelia came the following day. The weather was absolutely perfect. Warm days and cool nights. Seth and I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway, from the Smokey Mountain National Park to Asheville, NC. This is some of the most glorious riding there is. Sweeping turns, magnificent views, wonderful mountain air, and a mix of the aromas of mountain flowers and freshly cut grass. I rode over to Deal's Gap on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee to ride on U.S. 129 known as the "Tail of the Dragon." It is a motorcycle rider's dream. It is an 11 mile stretch of road that has 318 turns.

Some of my best prayer time has been on my motorcycle, especially on the Parkway. The beautiful scenery certainly declares the handiwork of God's hand. I often wonder how anyone can look at the beauty of nature and not know that there is a Creator that carefully handcrafted every mountain, every rock formation, every tree, every flower, and every blade of grass. The physical beauty of the world as we see it could not have happened by chance. In Paul's fantastic treatise of our faith, he says that God wrote the truth on each of our hearts so that we'll know there is a Creator. (Romans 1:19-21) As authentic Christians, we need to stand against the deception of Satan. There is a God and we must acknowledge His greatness.

I agree with David, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1)

Do we really care?

As a church we have been given one really important job. We are to reach the world with the life changing gospel of Christ. The real question we must ask ourselves is, "Do we really care about those around us?"

This is more than a yes or no answer. If you say you care and do nothing to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ, then the real answer is you don't care. I think the church has forgotten the God given mandate to make a difference in the world. Oh, we do things for ourselves and we generally take care for ourselves, but that's not the mission. When are we going to wake up and realize that our love for Christ should manifest itself in action? Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. A community that doesn't see the church involved in their lives is a church that has lost its effectiveness.

You may be asking, "How can I make a difference?" Here's the thing; you can't change the world unless you allow the Holy Spirit to change your life. Pray for a desire to reach out to people. There are many ways you can reach out. You don't have to have a "ministry" or be "in ministry" to reach out. Take a pie to a neighbor, do some yard work for an elderly person or a single mom. Help that person change a flat tire. Volunteer somewhere.

Every Christian is a minister and we are all called to make a difference. After all, we know the Way the Truth, and the Life.

Are you a hearer of the Word or a doer?

Think about it.

Last week our great nation celebrated it's 232nd birthday. As I thought about the years, I fondly remember the bicentennial. The U. S. Mint celebrated 200 years of independence by minting the bicentennial quarter. When visiting Philadelphia on Navy business in 2000, I had an opportunity to stand where our founding fathers of the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence. Thomas Jefferson penned the now infamous words in the preamble to our Constitution: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

George Washington said, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." Patrick Henry said, ""It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations. The battle is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, ALMIGHTY GOD! Give me liberty or give me death!"

I find it ironic that we live in a nation that so desperately wants to be independent, yet our early leaders were so dependent upon God. As we celebrate this great nation's independence, I encourage you to be completely dependent upon the God who loves you with an everlasting love.

What day is it?

My plan for the week was to provide a nice, new covering for a house in St. Marys. Brand new vinyl siding. The house is going to look great. About 1:00, that's 1300 for you military folks, the clouds rolled in, not the puffy white clouds that cause you to think of your third grade science class. These were angry black clouds that carry the promise of rain. They were red according to my radar picture. We have been in a drought for as long as I can remember, including the year we had several hurricanes. The skies opened up and the much needed rain came.

As I sat at my desk worked on Sunday's sermon (my new plan), a thought occurred to me: it's the last day of June. What happened to the first 29 days? I have been deficient in providing the inspiring words that are often, well sometimes, okay, occasionally found in my blog. Life happens even when we want to push the pause button, or even send life right to voice mail. Sometimes in our busyness, we lose sight of what's important. Family, friends, laundry, and most importantly, spending time with the Lord. If you want to be an authentic Christian, set aside a block of quality time to spend in fellowship with Christ. He is worth your time and you will be enriched just by being in His presence.

That's a Good Question

Tragedy strikes everyday. I learned today that Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter was killed in an accident. My prayers for comfort are being heard by the God that not only hears our prayers, but has the power to answer them.

When tragedy strikes, our first question is normally, "Why?" I don't think it is an unreasonable question, after all, Jesus asked His Father, "Why" (Matthew 27:46) This side of heaven we may never know the answer to the whys of life. In heaven, I don't think it will matter . . . for Christians, we'll worship our Savior face to face no longer walking by faith, but walking by sight. But we're not there yet and we must walk a walk of faith. It's a difficult walk, but God has not left us to walk alone. His Holy Spirit dwells within us comforting us in sorrow and strengthening us in weakness.

Tragedy struck my life on May 5, 2008 that left me asking, "Why?" Two dear friends were killed in their home. These were not your ordinary, everyday friends. These were real friends. These were the kind of friends that called just to talk. There was no let's get to the point of why you called, we just chatted. We talked about the Lord, about our children, our jobs, our goals. We talked.

The answer to the why question is difficult yet the answer is right in front of us. We live in a world where sin still reigns. As long as we live in this world, we will struggle with, and against sin. In Romans 7, Paul spoke of his struggle with doing as the Lord leads and the struggle to overcome the power of his flesh. It was a battle, a struggle. Paul provides good news in Romans 8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." We have been set free by Jesus Christ.

Even when we know the answer to all of our why questions, it doesn't change the outcome. The bottom line is that our trials serve to refine us. Just as a jeweler refines gold to make jewelry, our Lord refines us through the trials of life to make us pure. The Apostle Peter says it this way, "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1: 6-7)

I thank the Lord for the time I had with T.J. and Cindy. I knew them for 14 years . . . in my mind it was too short. Nothing ever takes God by surprise. Being an authentic Christian means trusting that God is the One that knows tomorrow as well as He knows yesterday. The walk of faith is hard, but it is a walk we must take, but don't be weary, God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit are walking right there with you.