Some Campaign Fun

Now there is a disclaimer attached. This is done by a secular group and has some content not exactly "Christian." So...Oh, well! It made me laugh. Sorry if that offends and I guess you might need to just pray for me!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Mystery Musings

I remember as a boy reading the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of one of literature's most unique characters, Sherlock Holmes. I loved the discoveries and the plot's thickening, and all that went into foiling the plans of wicked men and revealing their deeds of evil. Things so obscured and hidden to dear Dr. Watson and the others in the cases were so readily seen and observed by our beloved Mr. Holmes.

We are now into our fourth month as citizens of Madison. The church is steady and the Lord is working, but there is always this desire to see God do it faster and with more obvious results.

My wife and I were discussing this late one evening. The reality of God's will is always great, but the revelation of God's plan is somewhat a struggle at times. The reality is we are here and God orchestrated everything. The revelation of God's plan is....well, it sometimes seems hazy, or a bit blurry. What do we have to hope in and to put our confidence in? How do we become certain without hesitation that this is what God wants or even wanted in the first place? How do we proceed from here? What is the next step and will it also afford any clearer answers?

Does God offer us any sort of a guide or platform to stand upon? Does the Bible offer us a grid to lay down and build within? Does the work of God revolve around just a vague path stretched out ahead of us with only the next step clear to the eyes?

Job asked, "Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?" (Job 3:23) Why do I even have this life if God is going to hide his way from me? For what purpose was I given life if God is going to do these things? "For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me. "I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes." (Job 3:25-26)

Maybe you have not felt this way. Perhaps you are in one of those situations of life where all is well with the world and the stars are just aligned perfectly. Choices have come easy, decisions have relatively few nuances, or the path is so clearly laid out there is nothing obscuring the the vision. In some ways I envy you and yet in some other ways, I do not.

I have found that in these times of searching God has truly become more real and relevant to me. I also find that His Word becomes more important; prayer becomes more earnest, and my hunger for His will becomes more pervasive.

David writes, "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant." (Psalms 25:14)

Recently I preached a message about the "fear of the Lord." Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 1:7 that it presents wisdom to those who hold to such an awe and wonder of this great and terrible, majestic, and magnificent God.

The paths of life are measured. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalms 37:23) Each step is identified by God for us. Each placement of our foot is weighed and found to be good by God. Good for us and glorious for Him.

So let the clouds roll in and the haze perplex the path. For God declares that I am there! David points out in Psalm 139, the darkness becomes light and the hidden becomes revealed. There is not found on earth or in the sky a place where God is not, and that gives me assurance to His perpetual presence and persistent planning.

As Job was reminded by God, "Then the LORD said to Job, 'Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.' Then Job answered the LORD and said, 'Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.' Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm and said, 'Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?'" (Job 40:1-8)

"Then Job answered the LORD and said, 'I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.'" (Job 42:1-6)

May we be humbled when we balk at God's measuring of our steps. May we be willing to "retract" our presumptions when we come to "see with our eyes" this great God who does hear us and knows our frame, and takes an invested interest in our lives. May it cause us to fall completely in all humility and declare, "I AM NOT GOD!" But, I know Him and He is real to me. May the next step be revealed and the path be lit, and the glory of His plan become our goal for life.

Having a Prayer

Recently I stopped by a local church in our area. Being new to this metropolitan area, I felt it good to meet some of the local ministers. We began with the usual greetings and searchings. In the midst of the conversation we found that we were pretty much on the same page in many respects. The churches we serve in are not of great size, but we are both concerned with reaching our perspective areas.

We shared some of the challenges we had faced in our respective ministries and how the Lord had used those times to refine and challenge our ministries for growth or to reveal areas of true need.

As we were closing our time, I heard one comment he made to me that sort of stopped me in my tracks. "I find that our people get turned off when I say we are going to have a 'prayer meeting.' They will not come if we say we are going to have a 'Prayer meeting.'" Christian people bored, scared, or unconcerned about prayer? Could it be possible? I am not sure if he realized the declaration of his statement. I know it seemed to be a moment of honesty and it did seem to bother him.

I took that thought to our people here. I shared that statement in a very similar generic way without names, but shared the concern it welled up within my heart. Here we are saying that we are concerned about reaching people and yet we grow stagnant in our prayers. We come to God with our "grocery list" style of prayer. "Lord I need to move quickly and get through this list today." "I don't have time to stay long, you know, got this list to accomplish and need to just get what I need from you."

I wonder if God just sits back and frowns. I wonder if HE just slumps HIS shoulders at our lack of enthusiasm to speak with HIM? I really imagine HE grows disappointed with our lack of dependence, our lack of urgency, our lack of humility.

I challenged our people, few though we may be, "Let us pray with all dependence!" We need God to do what only God can do. We need to know His heart and the only way we will know that is to be in His Word and communicating with Him in prayer. The only way we will reach this vast, liberal city is to see a working of God's Spirit.

I think it comes from an Ephesians 3:19 relationship, "filled up to all the fullness of God." As we come with that overflowing cup, then we find that HE is ABLE to DO! To do what? ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL that we could even begin to ask for or to even imagine HIM willing, nevertheless capable of doing.

Then the glory is HIS, the Person of our Glorious Christ, our wonderful Savior, is evident and seen. We no longer see us, but only HIM.



Get a handle on Prayer. We have a prayer. But do we come ready for the answer He has for us? Are we open to hear HIS plan, HIS Purpose? Throw out the "list mentality," get rid of your expectations and increase your faith to see what only faith can see, to hope in what God has already pre-determined.

Open the doors,CHURCH! Pray!

Fathers of Integrity

This Sunday is Father's Day and as I am one it sure makes me feel very inadequate. The importance of faithfulness and integrity come to mind as I think of Father' Day this year. My father is and has always been a true man. He taught me to be tough and to stand for myself. He showed me integrity of speech and that honesty is a precious commodity not to be squandered. Ken Love is a man of compassion and a big heart. He is not perfect and would readily admit that, but he always wanted me to know that I was loved, and he had no problem showing it and telling me as much.

My dad has served God for over 50 years now and is still very active in a ministry now outside the U.S. My mother and father are examples of faithfulness in marriage and in service to our great God. I pray that I will be able to say that and that my children will be able to express that about me when they are well gone and on their own. Integrity! A word that expresses my determination to do what I said I would. To keep my word and fulfill my promises.

I like how Tommy Nelson put it, "Reputation is who people think you are, but integrity is who you really are." As I preach, as I father our children, as I minister to my wife and those who come into my life, I pray it is accomplished through integrity. I pray that my heart will be able to stand in honesty before God and those around me and say, "I have done it to the best of my ability, done it according to God's Word, and done it to please and honor HIM and not necessarily you."

I want to live a life of integrity so that my life's legacy is God's glory. I hope my sons will grow up to become better fathers than I have ever been. I hope they will walk lives of honesty and deal with life as God would guide them. But where will they learn that if not through me? Who will teach them if I don't? Praise God for a dad who taught me to trust in our great God. Thank God for a father who demonstrated the ability I could have to trust in my Heavenly FATHER.

As a minister of the Gospel, I was challenged by a quote attributed to Clarence McCartney, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is quoted as saying, "The better the man, the better the preacher. When he kneels by the bed of the dying or when he mounts the pulpit stairs, every self denial he has made, every Christian forbearance he has shown, every resistance to sin and temptation will come back to strengthen his arm and give conviction to his voice. Likewise, every evasion of duty, indulgence of self, every compromise with evil, and every unworthy thought, work, or deed will be there at the head of the pulpit stairs to meet the minister on Sunday morning to take the light from his eyes and the power from his blow and the ring from his voice and the joy from his heart."


If sin has you in a stranglehold, you need to confess it and repent from it and then put your heart's attention back onto the mighty arm of God. Be in God's Word, spend time in prayer, and learn of Him. May we be fathers of integrity. May we be men of honesty and faithfulness to our sons and our daughters. May God fill our hearts with a hunger and a thirst that only His Spirit can fill and satisfy. May we then pass that on to the next generations!

Settling In

Well the boxes are fewer and the days are a bit more routine. Things seem to be settling down as we have made our move and are into the work here in our new ministry. The church is doing well and God has seen fit to bring visitors through our doors each week so far.

One or our prayers was that the Lord would begin to bring mature, Christian families to our church. considering our size I knew we would need people to help shoulder the load and also spread the enthusiasm we have about this great work. The Lord seems to have answered with at least one family so far.

Continue to pray that the Lord will help us reach this city. Over 200,000 souls need to hear the Gospel and we understand that we are just a piece in God's plan. However, we want to take back this city for Christ and truly make Him known.