Church Hoppers

I have seen this event so much over the years known as 'Church Hopping".  It is not a sporting event but maybe to some it is.  Here's a scenario:  The change the paint in the church and you decide that you need a new church or you just have not gone to church today since your were in high school and grandma is hounding you that your family needs to be in church.

You go to one church and are giving the church and it's people the third degree review.  The people are nice so you go there until:

1. They ask for your time or money - you're off and hop to the next church
2. The pastor does not speak to you one Sunday - your're off and hop to the next church
3. The message steps on your toes - your're off and hop to the next church
4. They do not meet in a large church building or anything that looks like a church building - your're off and hop to the next church
5. You want a classroom painted your favorite color and give money for that project and they use the money for a mission project - your're off and hop to the next church
6. The music is too loud -  your're off and hop to the next church
7. The music is too soft - your're off and hop to the next church
8. They don't sing the old hymns - your're off and hop to the next church
9. Why are they sending money overseas as we need it locally - your're off and hop to the next church
10. The pastor himself does not make hospital calls - your're off and hop to the next church
11. The sermons are boring - your're off and hop to the next church

This list goes on and on but the point is that Church is Not about You!  Surprise!  We grow from teaching and reading and listening.  As one person said that is why God gave us two ears, two eyes, and one mouth.  We should listen and read twice as much as we talk. 

Each week we should grow more in our faith.  Find a body of believers you can "do Life" with listen and learn how to grow your faith in the Lord and in others without hopping to another church.

A Duck Out of Water

Last week I had business in Little Rock Arkansas and after work one day I was looking to find a Wal-Mart to get a couple of things.  It was pouring down rain (the week of their floods)  as I headed down Interstate 35. When I came to a large intersection I turned right and soon saw it was an industrial area so I kept driving.  Once again I came to a larger intersection and turned right again.

Then the scenery changed because I found myself in a run down area of Little Rock with windows broken out of many buildings and writing on many walls.  I found a store to get the things I needed and thought I'd head back to the Interstate and on to my hotel.  But the road I came from was now flooded and so I had to take a left and a new adventure.

Soon I came upon a shopping area and found a KFC so I thought, I'd get some dinner.  I never thought anything about it until I got out of the truck and walked into the KFC.  I was the only white person there and got stares from every direction. 

The clerk behind the counter greeted me with a smile, "I'll bet you stopped here for some good Kentucky Fried Chicken.  I did a little more than a nod in a guarded state.  He could tell I was a little nervous and said,  "We make the best chicken in Little Rock.  That's why you see all the other folks here." 

There was someone at the drive thru and he started talking back to them like he had known them all his life.  I said, "Is that a friend of yours?"  He comment was, "Never saw him in my life but  no one gets a civil break here".  That eased my mind a little and I placed my order.

When it came, he said, "Whittie, I know your lost but we are sure glad you are here."  Then laughed really big as I sat down for my meal.  He came over and asked me where I was headed and I said "Back to the Airport".  He gave me directions and once again laughed and said, "Glad you stopped in.  You gave some class to this place."

I thought, I was a duck out of water and he made me feel at ease.  I now know how a black person feels in an all white crowd.  I was totally out of my element, but this man helped me feel at ease.

I recall another time when I was at the Ohio Governor's mansion where I was attending a cocktail party and felt the same way.  The only difference was no one except the Governor and his daughter made me feel at ease.  Color has nothing to with it as much as being outside your comfortable environment.

As you go through your day is there someone who needs to be put at ease in the environment they find themselves in?  Be the catalyst to helping someone feel at ease.  You will make their day!

He Really Didn't

Well, as we come toward Easter I recall a Christian man in our church talking to me and saying,  "Jesus didn't really have the sins of the world on Him when He was crucified.  It was like so many other things in the Bible, just symbolism."

My response was to use logic the man could understand.  "Do you believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one?"  His response was, "Yes because that was perfectly clear in the Bible and spelled out in John 1:1". 

"Was God perfect and could not be a part of sin", was my next question.

"Yes as that was pointed our many times in the Old Testament", he replied.

"So why do you think Jesus cried out on the cross, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?", was my response. 

I continued, "Since God will never be a part of sin and can not have sin anywhere near him. 

Since Jesus was one third of the Trinity, God separated himself from Jesus at that moment just before Jesus cried out because he literally took on sin for the past, present, and the future. 

It was that moment that God had to turn his back on His son and Jesus was truly alone for the first time in Eternity.  It was at that moment that Jesus really DID have the sins of the world on Him.  Then he carried those sins and our sins into his death. 

This is why Easter is so important.  He left those sins in the grave and was reunited with God and the Holy Spirit.  So it is through Jesus that we have forgiveness of our sins and can have a personal relationship with God.  Jesus never set up a religion through His sacrifice but built a one on one relationship with you through the Heavenly father."

"Knowing that Jesus literally took on the sins of the world will make me that more thankful for Easter", was my friend's reply, "because he DID leave my sins in the grave for eternity."

How about you?  Did you know that you need to have that relationship with Jesus and know that your wrong doings throughout your life are gone because they were on the physical being of Jesus over 1977 years ago.

It relationship time!

Strange Quotes

I have seen people quote scriptures to highlight their own desires, but today I saw one of the strangest quotes I've ever seen. 

Here's the scripture on the back of the T shirt on a man I saw today at a gas station.  “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off,  But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”  Psalms 75:10

The picture just above the quote was a bull with the two horns detached just below where the horns should be.  On the front was the word "AGGIES DE-HORN BEVO.

For those who are not football fans, and Aggie is the mascot  dog for Texas A&M.  Bevo is the mascot bull for Texas University.  So the excitement of the front is very spirited, but the back is using scripture to promote their thoughts of what they want to accomplish in a football game.

How many times do we quote scripture for our own benefit to prove a point or desire to direct God's word for our own satisfaction or gain.  Understand that we need to have scripture in our hearts to help us grow and to increase our relationship with the Lord.

But how many times have you thought of a scripture to justify a feeling or a direction you want the Lord to move in your favor?  When the scripture says to "Call on the Name of the Lord" it is for salvation and not to get even.  Acts 2:21.

As for me, I can think of better slogans to use on T shirts that are funnier and will get the point of my loyalty to my favorite team. 

How about you?

Thinking of Easter in 60 Seconds

JESUS DEATH - 60 SECONDS ~~~ For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever You're doing and take this opportunity! Let's see if Satan can stop this... THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS At the  age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.  At the  time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified. Yet it was Even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, rather than tied... Each  nail Was 6 to 8 inches long.  The  nails Were driven into His wrist.  Not Into His palms  as is commonly Portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that  Extends to the shoulder.  The Roman guards knew That when the nails were being hammered into the Wrist, that tendon would tear and Break, forcing Jesus to use His back Muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe.    Both of His feet Were nailed together. Thus He was forced to  Support Himself on the single nail that Impaled His feet to the cross.  Jesus could Not support himself with His legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His Back and using his legs just to continue to  Breath.  Imagine the struggle, the pain, the Suffering, the courage.  Jesus endured this Reality for over 3 hours.  Yes,  Over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of Suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water From his wounds.  From  common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side...  But do we remember the many wounds  Made to his body.  A hammer Driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped And a nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing  His side with a spear. And... Before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and Beaten.  The whipping was so severe that it tore the Flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The Crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp. Most men Would not have survived this torture.   "  He had no more blood To bleed out, only water poured from His Wounds. The  Human adult body contains about 5 liters (just over a  gallon) of blood.  Jesus  poured all 5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His Body; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond That, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His  Chest..  All  these without Mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd  spat in his Face and threw stones (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, to which His hands were nailed).  Jesus had to endure this experience, So that you may have free access to God.  So that your sins can be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception! Don't ignore this. JESUS  CHRIST DIED...FOR YOU! For you, who now read this e-mail. Do not believe that He only died for others (those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc).  He died for you! It is easy to e-mail jokes or silly photos, But when it comes to God, Sometimes we feel ashamed to forward a message about Him on To others. We are worried of what they “may think.”  Accept  the reality, the truth, that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.  God has special plans for YOU! Share this with all your friends... About what He went through to save you. Really think about it! May God bless you!  For the next 60 seconds, Set aside what you're doing and take This opportunity! Let's see if Satan can stop this.  All you  have to do Is: 1.. Pray for the person who sent this message to you.  2. Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, as you do what pleases Him. If you are not ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus' instructions.  He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge  before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me before  others,  I also will deny before My Father in  heaven".  Yes, I love God. He is my source of life and my Savior. He keeps me alive and safe, both day and night.  Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him "I can do all things through Christ  who strengthens me". Philippians 4:13.“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6, KJV.