I ran across this youtube.com video clip from Paul Washer and thought it was worth posting. Ever time I listen to Washer I feel like climbing under my desk and crying out to my Lord, “Thank you Father, thank you Father for allowing me a wicked criminal that has transgressed your Holy law, to be made part of your family. Please help me not think of anything else other than your Holy Glory, you’re Holy Truth and your Holy Righteousness!”
When will we stop being anything other than 100 percent totally committed to Christ?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Paul Washer
Friday, May 30, 2008
Depraved Indifference
To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant’s conduct, not the injuries actually resulting.
uslegal.com
Could Christians be guilty of Depraved Indifference? Why would I say something like this you might be asking yourself? Let me give an analogy I heard the other day.
Imagine a guy waxing his beautiful new car. He has just applied the last bit of wax on the front hood when he hears a cry, “Help, Help.” He glances up and sees a young boy who has fallen into an above ground pool. The young boy yells again, “Help I’m drowning, I cannot swim.” The guy waxing the car thinks, “I should go over and help this young boy because I know how to swim and the pool is only 4 feet deep, but what about my wax job? It will ruin all my hard work. Na I will stay and finish the job and if the kid still needs help in about 10 minutes, I’ll go and try and save him.”
I just painted you a picture of “Depraved Indifference.” The definition for depraved is morally bad or corrupt in conduct. Picture a person as morally low as they could go. This is what “Depraved” looks like. The Indifference can be defined as someone who really could care less about something.
The man who was more concerned about his car than the small boy drowning equals “Depraved.” The man who did nothing because he did not care about the boy drowning equals “Indifference.” This man should be held liable and would be in a court of law.
How does this fit into the Christian life? Well let’s first think about what we know as Christians. We know that there is one true God. We know He is holy. We know He has to punish sin. We know if people die in their sins they will be separated from Him forever in hell. We know how to fix the problem of sin. And finally we know about the future hope that lives within us.
Keeping all this information to ourselves can be considered “Depraved Indifference.” Not sharing with lost people all we know can be considered “Depraved Indifference.”
Not witnessing to people is like the man who was more concerned about waxing his car. If we (Christians) will not tell the lost souls of the danger they are in, who will?
Could Christians be guilty of Depraved Indifference? Why would I say something like this you might be asking yourself? Let me give an analogy I heard the other day.
Imagine a guy waxing his beautiful new car. He has just applied the last bit of wax on the front hood when he hears a cry, “Help, Help.” He glances up and sees a young boy who has fallen into an above ground pool. The young boy yells again, “Help I’m drowning, I cannot swim.” The guy waxing the car thinks, “I should go over and help this young boy because I know how to swim and the pool is only 4 feet deep, but what about my wax job? It will ruin all my hard work. Na I will stay and finish the job and if the kid still needs help in about 10 minutes, I’ll go and try and save him.”
I just painted you a picture of “Depraved Indifference.” The definition for depraved is morally bad or corrupt in conduct. Picture a person as morally low as they could go. This is what “Depraved” looks like. The Indifference can be defined as someone who really could care less about something.
The man who was more concerned about his car than the small boy drowning equals “Depraved.” The man who did nothing because he did not care about the boy drowning equals “Indifference.” This man should be held liable and would be in a court of law.
How does this fit into the Christian life? Well let’s first think about what we know as Christians. We know that there is one true God. We know He is holy. We know He has to punish sin. We know if people die in their sins they will be separated from Him forever in hell. We know how to fix the problem of sin. And finally we know about the future hope that lives within us.
Keeping all this information to ourselves can be considered “Depraved Indifference.” Not sharing with lost people all we know can be considered “Depraved Indifference.”
Not witnessing to people is like the man who was more concerned about waxing his car. If we (Christians) will not tell the lost souls of the danger they are in, who will?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Science and Atheists
I was reading another blog earlier and they were talking about science and the theory of evolution. It got me thinking, (I know, I know a shocker) so I wanted to post my thoughts up for anybody that might be interested. Tell me why I’m so off base here.
I think one of the main problems with main stream science and the theory of evolution is that atheism has high jacked them. Science and evolution are really not the main issue here. The main issue is that unbelievers are using Science and namely the theory of evolution to push their ideology or faith “Atheism”.
Teach the “theory of evolution” in schools I say, but remove all the text books that even hint that there is no God. I am all for science, but I have a problem when science starts telling me it has figured out there is no God. How can God the Creator who is not bound by the laws of the universe by proven not to exist. And to say that all we can see is all there is, in my opinion would be foolish. We cannot see our minds and we know they exist. Well at least for most people.
If you want to keep the science text books the same, then at least live up to what you believe in, helping people make informed decisions based on the facts. If you want to hint in the science text books there may not be a God, then you should hint there might be one. A close look at the history of science would be a great place to start and what these scienctists actually believed, did they believe there is a God or did they believe there is not a God?
I find it amazing that most atheist place there faith in people like Richard Dawkin's. This man hates the idea of God so much that he is willing to put his “faith” not evidence, that aliens planted life here on earth. This would be humorous except as a Christian I believe if he dies he will be eternally separated from God.
What will you say once you are dead and find out God is real? All your hope in science will fade away and your thoughts, deeds and actions will be laid bare before Christ. Repent and believe in Christ, for today is the day of salvation!
I think one of the main problems with main stream science and the theory of evolution is that atheism has high jacked them. Science and evolution are really not the main issue here. The main issue is that unbelievers are using Science and namely the theory of evolution to push their ideology or faith “Atheism”.
Teach the “theory of evolution” in schools I say, but remove all the text books that even hint that there is no God. I am all for science, but I have a problem when science starts telling me it has figured out there is no God. How can God the Creator who is not bound by the laws of the universe by proven not to exist. And to say that all we can see is all there is, in my opinion would be foolish. We cannot see our minds and we know they exist. Well at least for most people.
If you want to keep the science text books the same, then at least live up to what you believe in, helping people make informed decisions based on the facts. If you want to hint in the science text books there may not be a God, then you should hint there might be one. A close look at the history of science would be a great place to start and what these scienctists actually believed, did they believe there is a God or did they believe there is not a God?
I find it amazing that most atheist place there faith in people like Richard Dawkin's. This man hates the idea of God so much that he is willing to put his “faith” not evidence, that aliens planted life here on earth. This would be humorous except as a Christian I believe if he dies he will be eternally separated from God.
What will you say once you are dead and find out God is real? All your hope in science will fade away and your thoughts, deeds and actions will be laid bare before Christ. Repent and believe in Christ, for today is the day of salvation!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial Day
We had a great day at the lake Monday afternoon. Everyone was there except Kelly, Rocky, Dallas and Zoe, and Chris, Christiana and Shelby. All the kids loved playing in the water and trying to catch little fish by the shoreline. Hamburgers and hot dogs were on the menu, your normal Memorial Day cookout food and was delicious. There was enough food there to feed 30 people, so needless to say, we did not run out of anything.
It was a great first Memorial Day at the Murray lake lot and we are looking forward to many, many more to come!
Click on the link to see some photos from Monday.
Photos from Memorial Day
It was a great first Memorial Day at the Murray lake lot and we are looking forward to many, many more to come!
Click on the link to see some photos from Monday.
Photos from Memorial Day
Doctor Visit
(Thanks to my awesome wife for writing this blog on the way to the lake yesterday. Tina you are truly a blessing from God and a wonderful gift to this world. Thanks for all you do!)
Yesterday was Memorial Day 2008. We had initially planned to head to Lake Murray first thing in the morning for a family BBQ, but ZB has been running a pretty high fever on & off for the last 5 days or so, so we thought we’d take him in to see the doctor before we headed to the lake. After calling the doctor’s office & securing an appointment we went ahead & packed the car up & got ready to go as soon as we finished with the appointment.
When we got to the doctor’s office they called us back to a room fairly quickly. That’s when the waiting began. It’s almost misleading when they call you back to a room – you think – “wow, that wasn’t long – I’m going to be able to get in & out of here”, but there is always more waiting! So anyway, all three of us are in the little examining room; Daddy, Mommy & Toddler. Let me say – occupying a toddler boy in a small examining room is a feat in itself. ZB was walking all around, touching everything he could get his hands on & then discovered he could climb up the examining table (with a little help from Daddy). So, up & down he climbed on the examining table & then he walked back & forth across the examining table, never realizing the he was walking “into the Lion’s Den”. I say this because even though to examine ZB only requires listening to his heart & looking at his ears ZB has a HUGE fear of the doctor so even though there are no shots involved he screams & cries & is just truly terrified. But, we were still waiting for the doctor so, it was all still a fun game to play climbing on the examining table.
Once the doctor arrived the tone in the examining room changed quickly. ZB started crying as we tried to explain to the doctor why we were there. During ZB’s examination he flailed & screamed & cried while we tried to comfort him & tell him that he was brave & that the doctor was there to help him. Once it was all done & the doctor left the room ZB calmed down & we hopped in the car to head down to the lake. One good thing that came from all the crying was that ZB wore himself out & Mommy & Daddy were able to have a quiet drive to Lake Murray.
Yesterday was Memorial Day 2008. We had initially planned to head to Lake Murray first thing in the morning for a family BBQ, but ZB has been running a pretty high fever on & off for the last 5 days or so, so we thought we’d take him in to see the doctor before we headed to the lake. After calling the doctor’s office & securing an appointment we went ahead & packed the car up & got ready to go as soon as we finished with the appointment.
When we got to the doctor’s office they called us back to a room fairly quickly. That’s when the waiting began. It’s almost misleading when they call you back to a room – you think – “wow, that wasn’t long – I’m going to be able to get in & out of here”, but there is always more waiting! So anyway, all three of us are in the little examining room; Daddy, Mommy & Toddler. Let me say – occupying a toddler boy in a small examining room is a feat in itself. ZB was walking all around, touching everything he could get his hands on & then discovered he could climb up the examining table (with a little help from Daddy). So, up & down he climbed on the examining table & then he walked back & forth across the examining table, never realizing the he was walking “into the Lion’s Den”. I say this because even though to examine ZB only requires listening to his heart & looking at his ears ZB has a HUGE fear of the doctor so even though there are no shots involved he screams & cries & is just truly terrified. But, we were still waiting for the doctor so, it was all still a fun game to play climbing on the examining table.
Once the doctor arrived the tone in the examining room changed quickly. ZB started crying as we tried to explain to the doctor why we were there. During ZB’s examination he flailed & screamed & cried while we tried to comfort him & tell him that he was brave & that the doctor was there to help him. Once it was all done & the doctor left the room ZB calmed down & we hopped in the car to head down to the lake. One good thing that came from all the crying was that ZB wore himself out & Mommy & Daddy were able to have a quiet drive to Lake Murray.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Lake Murray
The family and I headed down to Lake Murray late Saturday afternoon for dinner at my parent’s new lake lot. They have built the dock, walkway, and pavilion in about one month. The house will be coming in about year or two. Most of the work has been done by the family (really Dad) but they did hire out the work for the pavilion roof. The framers started the roof early Saturday morning in an attempt to have it covered before Monday (Memorial Day).
The construction crew was about finished for the day when we arrived around at 5:15PM. Now the framers are not your everyday Sunday school looking crowd. They had tattoos, were smoking heavily and just plain looked like they had lived a rough life. I noticed the owner of the construction company (Karl) had a tattoo on his right arm that said (Isaiah 54:17). Ah, it was an easy in for witnessing to them. Thank you Lord.
After dinner, I was just able to catch Karl and two of his workers (Blaine and John) before they left. I started up the conversation by bringing up the pavilion they had been working on. I went on to ask a little about their lives and then without warning, turned to the things of God.
Karl’s tattoo was a great lead into the things of God. I started as I normally do and quickly found out what they believed about God, heaven and hell. I took them through the Law briefly and asked what would happen if they died. Karl quickly said, “I am going to Hell.” I got the impression Blaine felt the same way. John I could not get a good read on. I asked Karl, “Does that concern you?” which he said, “Yeah I guess so.”
I started to talk about what Jesus did two thousands years ago. How He paid our sin debt and if we would just confess and repent, placing our faith in Him, He would save us. They listened to the Gospel without running me off or beating me up. Praise God!
As the conversation was coming to an end, Blaine made this comment, “Hey man, thanks so much for talking with us. Most people would not even take the time. It really means a lot that you did.” I made sure they all had a Living Waters Gospel tract before they left.
What a day Saturday was. The Lord allowed me the opportunity to speak with Charles at Dick’s Sporting Goods (you can read the post here and listen to the encounter on audio-audio player is in right column) and then I spoke with Karl, Blaine and John that evening. Please pray for all these men, that God would grow the seed of His Truth in their hearts.
This is a picture of Karl, Blaine and John. Karl is the one closest to me, John was in the passenger seat and Blaine had moved to the passenger window.
The construction crew was about finished for the day when we arrived around at 5:15PM. Now the framers are not your everyday Sunday school looking crowd. They had tattoos, were smoking heavily and just plain looked like they had lived a rough life. I noticed the owner of the construction company (Karl) had a tattoo on his right arm that said (Isaiah 54:17). Ah, it was an easy in for witnessing to them. Thank you Lord.
After dinner, I was just able to catch Karl and two of his workers (Blaine and John) before they left. I started up the conversation by bringing up the pavilion they had been working on. I went on to ask a little about their lives and then without warning, turned to the things of God.
Karl’s tattoo was a great lead into the things of God. I started as I normally do and quickly found out what they believed about God, heaven and hell. I took them through the Law briefly and asked what would happen if they died. Karl quickly said, “I am going to Hell.” I got the impression Blaine felt the same way. John I could not get a good read on. I asked Karl, “Does that concern you?” which he said, “Yeah I guess so.”
I started to talk about what Jesus did two thousands years ago. How He paid our sin debt and if we would just confess and repent, placing our faith in Him, He would save us. They listened to the Gospel without running me off or beating me up. Praise God!
As the conversation was coming to an end, Blaine made this comment, “Hey man, thanks so much for talking with us. Most people would not even take the time. It really means a lot that you did.” I made sure they all had a Living Waters Gospel tract before they left.
What a day Saturday was. The Lord allowed me the opportunity to speak with Charles at Dick’s Sporting Goods (you can read the post here and listen to the encounter on audio-audio player is in right column) and then I spoke with Karl, Blaine and John that evening. Please pray for all these men, that God would grow the seed of His Truth in their hearts.
This is a picture of Karl, Blaine and John. Karl is the one closest to me, John was in the passenger seat and Blaine had moved to the passenger window.
After they left, we stayed about another hour. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and dreaming about the summer to come. Granddaddy and MeeMaw thanks so much for buying a wonderful place to grow and make memories! The Bentley family is so much looking forward to many days and nights at the lake.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Fishing at the Dicks Sporting Goods
Well I got my new digital audio recorder yesterday, confirmed South Carolina is a 1 party consent State and decided to go fishing. There are two reasons why I want to record my witnessing encounters. First it will be easier for me to remember the conversation and critique it. The second reason is to help others be bold for Christ giving them some real life witnessing situations. If you have any suggestions please comment and let me know.
I decided to stop at Dicks Sporting Goods early this morning on the way home from work. Shorts were one thing I was looking for but the main thing was someone to witness to. I tried on cloths for about 20 minutes (wow I cannot stand shopping for cloths) and found nothing I liked. I then turned my attention to striking up a conversation with someone. Who to talk to? I needed to find someone to talk to about anything in the store and once we got talking turn it to the things God. This technique is called talking about the natural and then turning it to the spiritual. Jesus used this with the woman at the well asking her first for a drink of water (natural) then quickly turning it to the spiritual (living water) John 4:4-32.
I met Charles over in the Fitness Department. He was looking for something to build his lats and chest muscles. Charles was a young man around his mid 20’s and was shopping alone. Would he be willing to talk to me? The only way to find out was give it a try. When Charles jumped up and did a pull up on one of the workout machines, I knew starting a conversation was going to be easy. I just bought a pull up bar and installed it in my home (the kind you install in door frames). Here is how the conversation started.
“Hey are you looking for something to do pull ups with.”
“Yeah I’m trying to build my lats”
“No kidding, I just bought this bar for $20.00 and installed it in my home. You can do overhand and underhand pull ups for cheap”
“Really – thanks.”
“No problem. My name is Brian. You from South Carolina”
The conversation just built from that point on. Fitness and lifting weights dominated the first 10 minutes of the conversation. I recommend trying to turn the conversation spiritual quicker than I did but sometimes you have to just go with the flow. You can pick up our discussion here. Please note the first few minutes we are talking fitness before I turned it to the things of God.
After our discussion in the Dicks fitness area Charles had to take off. We walked out side together and I was able to tell him my story. I made one huge mistake on this witnessing encounter, I did not get his phone number or email address for follow up. I recommend doing this when you have someone that seems remorseful. You can hear from the audio clip that Charles was seriously thinking about God.
Please pray for Charles. Ask God to stir in his heart so heavy that he cannot sleep until he comes to true confession and repentance. Pray that God would grow the seed planted. May God get the glory, honor and praise forever.
I decided to stop at Dicks Sporting Goods early this morning on the way home from work. Shorts were one thing I was looking for but the main thing was someone to witness to. I tried on cloths for about 20 minutes (wow I cannot stand shopping for cloths) and found nothing I liked. I then turned my attention to striking up a conversation with someone. Who to talk to? I needed to find someone to talk to about anything in the store and once we got talking turn it to the things God. This technique is called talking about the natural and then turning it to the spiritual. Jesus used this with the woman at the well asking her first for a drink of water (natural) then quickly turning it to the spiritual (living water) John 4:4-32.
I met Charles over in the Fitness Department. He was looking for something to build his lats and chest muscles. Charles was a young man around his mid 20’s and was shopping alone. Would he be willing to talk to me? The only way to find out was give it a try. When Charles jumped up and did a pull up on one of the workout machines, I knew starting a conversation was going to be easy. I just bought a pull up bar and installed it in my home (the kind you install in door frames). Here is how the conversation started.
“Hey are you looking for something to do pull ups with.”
“Yeah I’m trying to build my lats”
“No kidding, I just bought this bar for $20.00 and installed it in my home. You can do overhand and underhand pull ups for cheap”
“Really – thanks.”
“No problem. My name is Brian. You from South Carolina”
The conversation just built from that point on. Fitness and lifting weights dominated the first 10 minutes of the conversation. I recommend trying to turn the conversation spiritual quicker than I did but sometimes you have to just go with the flow. You can pick up our discussion here. Please note the first few minutes we are talking fitness before I turned it to the things of God.
After our discussion in the Dicks fitness area Charles had to take off. We walked out side together and I was able to tell him my story. I made one huge mistake on this witnessing encounter, I did not get his phone number or email address for follow up. I recommend doing this when you have someone that seems remorseful. You can hear from the audio clip that Charles was seriously thinking about God.
Please pray for Charles. Ask God to stir in his heart so heavy that he cannot sleep until he comes to true confession and repentance. Pray that God would grow the seed planted. May God get the glory, honor and praise forever.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Al and Snooky
This past Christmas my Dad built a new fireplace mantle for my wife and I. We installed it as one of the families Christmas presents complete with new gas logs. The only thing that did not get finished was the carpet stretched and tacked down around the hearth. So its been five months and I am finally getting around fixing the issue. I pull out the tack strips, carpet stretcher and… (Ok who am I kidding; I really picked up the phone and called the carpet guys).
Al and Snooky (thats his nickname) showed up to correct my carpet woes. After about 20 minutes, they finished up. Boy they know how to stretch carpet. I already knew I wanted to witness to them but how to get the conversation started?
Well little zb was sick the night before with a high fever. I was making small talk with Al and Snooky about how zb’s fever hit 103.8 (almost boiling). I went onto tell them how zb and I prayed for God to reduce his fever and it started dropping right away. They started saying, "amen, amen you got to get the prayers going." I knew I had an easy in about the things of God as these men obviously believed in god. The question was did they understand what they believed and why? I was bound and determined to discover that question before they left.
After they finished, I took zb to his mother and went out onto the front porch to pay them. I then asked if I could ask them a question about God which they both responded, “Sure.” After a few short questions and answers about God, heaven and hell I asked, “If you both find yourselves standing in front God today and He asked, why should I allow you into heaven, what would you say?” Al was quick to answer, “Well I believe and have obeyed his commands.” I humbly asked Al, “So you have keep God’s Laws? Al can I put you on the witness stand just for a moment and lets see how well you have done keeping God’s Laws?” I did tell Al that he did not have to get on the witness stand but he said sure lets do it. So I quickly took him through four of the Ten Commandments. How many lies has he told and what did that make him (Al said liar), had he ever taken something that did not belong to him (Al said thief), had he ever looked upon a woman with lust in his heart (adultery) and had he ever used God’s name in vain (blasmempy). Al was honest with me and you could see the conviction in his eyes. Snooky looked convicted also. The Law was doing its job and all I had to do was point it out.
We had a great discussion and I was able to lay out God’s Law for them to see. Their hearts appeared to be convicted so I begin to tell them the Good News. I explained how Jesus paid the sin debt required by God on our behalf, how He so desperately wanted them to confess, repent and place their trust in Christ. They expressed gratitude to me for sharing but needed to go. I made sure they had a few Gospel tracks and left them with one last thing to think about. They need no pastor, no deacon, no teacher or man to help them get right with God. They only need to be honest with God about who they were (I stressed just like me – a Law Breaker). To humble themselves before the Master of the Universe, confess their sins, repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ. God has promised that once we do that with a sincere heart we will be born again passing from death to life.
The seed of Truth was planted. Please pray that God will grow the seed if it was truly needed and they would come into the Holy Light of Christ Jesus.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
BLOB
I know that blogging is a fairly new way to communicate. Some people are not familiar with the term blog, or blogging. Just to clarify for anyone reading this, this is a blog. I want to share a short story about my dear sweet mother in law.
I have been trying to get her to come read my blog and enjoy some of the pictures and stories I’m sharing here. But she has not had the opportunity to view it. Since she was at my house this evening, I thought I would pull up the blog and show her what she has been missing. So she was able to read through the blog and really enjoyed it. I asked her why she has not been reading any of my post. She said that she’s been very busy and has not had time to read any BLOBS.
We all got a big chuckle and hope she starts reading this BLOB.
I have been trying to get her to come read my blog and enjoy some of the pictures and stories I’m sharing here. But she has not had the opportunity to view it. Since she was at my house this evening, I thought I would pull up the blog and show her what she has been missing. So she was able to read through the blog and really enjoyed it. I asked her why she has not been reading any of my post. She said that she’s been very busy and has not had time to read any BLOBS.
We all got a big chuckle and hope she starts reading this BLOB.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Golf and Silverware
Tonight I was able to come home early and spend some time out in the back yard playing golf with little zb. He loves balls like I said in my other post and golf balls are no different. I think I need to pick him up a small set of clubs.
Once we were done outside little zb had some dinner. Right now its mashed potatoes and biscuits only due to some medicine he is taking. The medicine has been causing him to have an upset stomach. Check the video clip out. I know what you’re thinking; maybe it's time to start introducing silverware.
Once we were done outside little zb had some dinner. Right now its mashed potatoes and biscuits only due to some medicine he is taking. The medicine has been causing him to have an upset stomach. Check the video clip out. I know what you’re thinking; maybe it's time to start introducing silverware.
Accepting Jesus into Our Hearts
I been wrestling with the idea many people have of accepting Jesus into their hearts. Maybe it’s just the words some Christians use (I used to use this term) to tell people about whom they claim to serve or how they became a Christian. I don’t know which it is but my spirit says something is not right.
I had a great lunch today with someone I highly respect and we were talking about this issue. We had a great discussion which is leading to this post. I found an article here (warning: the article might make you a little uneasy) that explains better what I’m thinking. I would like to point out only God knows the heart and whether we have been saved or not. This is not for me or anyone else to decide. This post and the link provided is just an attempt to help others see their selves in the true light. The light I’m talking about is the Holy Light that burns threw all darkness.
I had a great lunch today with someone I highly respect and we were talking about this issue. We had a great discussion which is leading to this post. I found an article here (warning: the article might make you a little uneasy) that explains better what I’m thinking. I would like to point out only God knows the heart and whether we have been saved or not. This is not for me or anyone else to decide. This post and the link provided is just an attempt to help others see their selves in the true light. The light I’m talking about is the Holy Light that burns threw all darkness.
God's Timeframe
God has no timeframe. The great I AM who is the God that has always been (past), the God who is (present) and the God that will always be (future), dwells in what seems a continuous now. Now completely understanding this seems impossible but it’s not completely out of our reach. What would happen if you could travel at the speed of light? Time would stand still.
The problem humans have is we are trying to understand the Creator from a created point of view. We will never be able to fully grasp Him and only can start to know Him through Christ Jesus.
Whenever I bring up the last days or second coming of the Holy Lamb people always say, “People have been saying that since Jesus died on the cross and were still here.” Which I reply, yes but right now this very second we are closer to the realization of this undeniable Truth.
It could be today as none of us know the future. Life is swift, one moment we are here and next we are gone into an eternity of another reality. There are answers in Christ and hope of something better to come. Today is the day of salvation. Are you covered by the blood of the Lamb?
The problem humans have is we are trying to understand the Creator from a created point of view. We will never be able to fully grasp Him and only can start to know Him through Christ Jesus.
Whenever I bring up the last days or second coming of the Holy Lamb people always say, “People have been saying that since Jesus died on the cross and were still here.” Which I reply, yes but right now this very second we are closer to the realization of this undeniable Truth.
It could be today as none of us know the future. Life is swift, one moment we are here and next we are gone into an eternity of another reality. There are answers in Christ and hope of something better to come. Today is the day of salvation. Are you covered by the blood of the Lamb?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Are We Witnessing
First let me say that any of my post regarding witnessing encounters are not an attempt to be prideful but an attempt to help others be bold in Christ. We can do all things threw Christ if we are truly saved and have the Holy Spirit living within us.
I so eagerly wanted to have the opportunity to witness to someone today and at my first appointment this morning God provided it. The opportunity however was not dropped into my lap. I had to turn the conversation to the things of God. Let me try and explain what happened.
I had to meet a Pickens County sheriff at one of my bank foreclosed properties this morning. We were there to change the locks, well I was there to change the locks and the sheriff was my backup and to make sure everything went ok. After about 20 minutes of trying to get into the house the sheriff needed to leave to run some other calls. When he turned from me and started to his patrol car this thought went threw my mind, Brian do you care about this mans eternal salvation?
Well I did care and called to the sheriff right before getting into his car. The conversation went something like this: “Sheriff can I ask you something real quick?” “Sure.” “Do you believe in God?” “Yes I do.” “What do you think happens to people when they die?” “Well, I think they either go to heaven or ---------hell” (he seemed sure about heaven but less confident about hell, then I asked him the big question). “How do you think you’re doing, I mean, you’re a law enforcement officer and know better than anyone that today could be your last day. If you stood before God today and He asked you, ‘why should I allow you into heaven’, what would you say?” After some stumbling around he said that he accepted Jesus as a small child.
Now I’m having some issues right now with these words, “Accepting Jesus”. Jesus is not some weak, beaten, scared, finite savior. He does not need us to accept Him. He is the God of the universe, the Alpha and the Omega and the Holy King over all things. Jesus accepts us when we humble ourselves before Him, acknowledging our sin against Him by confessing, repenting and putting our faith in Him. I might write a post about this in more detail after some thought and prayer.
Anyway, the sheriff and I had a good short discussion about God. I really stressed to him how important it is for us, as believers to witness to the people around us. There is a great analogy that I read in WOTM which I shared with the sheriff. I will now share it with you:
Imagine pulling up to a home that’s on fire. Flames are coming out of the roof and smoke seems to be filling the entire house. There is a small child standing crying in the front lower window. In front of the home parked in the street a fireman sits all geared up ready to go. But instead of using his training to fight the fire and save the life of the child, he is just sitting in the cab of the fire truck reading the paper and having lunch. This firefighter has the knowledge and ability to save the little child but is choosing not to do so. How does that make you feel about the firefighter? You should be outraged and deeply troubled that he is not lifting a finger to do what he is trained to do. This is a mental picture of professing Christians who do not go out of their way to share about the eternal consequences of dying in your sins. We are trained and have the ability to bring this knowledge to the unsaved through the Holy Spirit. People are passing into eternity ever day and if we believe what the one that we claim to follow Jesus said in Matthew 13:49-50, “That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” we should be so ever concerned about the eternal consquences of our family, friends and even strangers.
Charles Spurgeon said, “If we are not concerned about other people's salvation, we would be wise to be concerned about our own.”
Remember we do nothing on our own but can do all things threw Him. We need only to plant the seed and let God handle the harvest. Are you ready? Tell someone about Him today.
Oh one quick note, if you are not sure you are saved click here.
I so eagerly wanted to have the opportunity to witness to someone today and at my first appointment this morning God provided it. The opportunity however was not dropped into my lap. I had to turn the conversation to the things of God. Let me try and explain what happened.
I had to meet a Pickens County sheriff at one of my bank foreclosed properties this morning. We were there to change the locks, well I was there to change the locks and the sheriff was my backup and to make sure everything went ok. After about 20 minutes of trying to get into the house the sheriff needed to leave to run some other calls. When he turned from me and started to his patrol car this thought went threw my mind, Brian do you care about this mans eternal salvation?
Well I did care and called to the sheriff right before getting into his car. The conversation went something like this: “Sheriff can I ask you something real quick?” “Sure.” “Do you believe in God?” “Yes I do.” “What do you think happens to people when they die?” “Well, I think they either go to heaven or ---------hell” (he seemed sure about heaven but less confident about hell, then I asked him the big question). “How do you think you’re doing, I mean, you’re a law enforcement officer and know better than anyone that today could be your last day. If you stood before God today and He asked you, ‘why should I allow you into heaven’, what would you say?” After some stumbling around he said that he accepted Jesus as a small child.
Now I’m having some issues right now with these words, “Accepting Jesus”. Jesus is not some weak, beaten, scared, finite savior. He does not need us to accept Him. He is the God of the universe, the Alpha and the Omega and the Holy King over all things. Jesus accepts us when we humble ourselves before Him, acknowledging our sin against Him by confessing, repenting and putting our faith in Him. I might write a post about this in more detail after some thought and prayer.
Anyway, the sheriff and I had a good short discussion about God. I really stressed to him how important it is for us, as believers to witness to the people around us. There is a great analogy that I read in WOTM which I shared with the sheriff. I will now share it with you:
Imagine pulling up to a home that’s on fire. Flames are coming out of the roof and smoke seems to be filling the entire house. There is a small child standing crying in the front lower window. In front of the home parked in the street a fireman sits all geared up ready to go. But instead of using his training to fight the fire and save the life of the child, he is just sitting in the cab of the fire truck reading the paper and having lunch. This firefighter has the knowledge and ability to save the little child but is choosing not to do so. How does that make you feel about the firefighter? You should be outraged and deeply troubled that he is not lifting a finger to do what he is trained to do. This is a mental picture of professing Christians who do not go out of their way to share about the eternal consequences of dying in your sins. We are trained and have the ability to bring this knowledge to the unsaved through the Holy Spirit. People are passing into eternity ever day and if we believe what the one that we claim to follow Jesus said in Matthew 13:49-50, “That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” we should be so ever concerned about the eternal consquences of our family, friends and even strangers.
Charles Spurgeon said, “If we are not concerned about other people's salvation, we would be wise to be concerned about our own.”
Remember we do nothing on our own but can do all things threw Him. We need only to plant the seed and let God handle the harvest. Are you ready? Tell someone about Him today.
Oh one quick note, if you are not sure you are saved click here.
ZB the Fish
This morning as I was taking a shower I felt a small tug on my foot. When I looked down I saw a small almost non apparent hand. This was my first born 14 month old son. I neve
r thought I would have someone so in to me that they would grapple at my feet while in the shower. I love being a dad!
Anyway, after I was out and trying to get ready ZB was determined to get into the shower and play. He loves the water. After several attempts to keep him out, he managed to pull a fast one by his old pop. He is a persistent little boy and I love him for it.
r thought I would have someone so in to me that they would grapple at my feet while in the shower. I love being a dad!Anyway, after I was out and trying to get ready ZB was determined to get into the shower and play. He loves the water. After several attempts to keep him out, he managed to pull a fast one by his old pop. He is a persistent little boy and I love him for it.
Monday, May 19, 2008
New Books from Amazon
My new books came in the mail the other day. Yeah! I am so looking forward into getting into these. I could not stand it and started A W Tozer’s “The Knowledge of the Holy”. The first chapter “Why We Must Think Rightly About God” blew me away. I can tell this book will be one I recommend highly to read. It’s a short 120 pages and appears so far to be an easy read. Tozer starts the first chapter with this sentence “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” and he goes on to say one of the main problems in the church is “The idolatrous heart assumes that God is other than He is – in itself a monstrous sin – and substitutes for the true God one made after it’s own likeness. Always this God will conform to the image of the one who created it and will be base or pure, cruel or kind, according to the moral state of the mind from which it emerges.” This book was copyrighted in 1961 but I believe it’s relevant for today. The image of God is formed in our minds so the big question is, where are we getting this image? If we are getting an image of God from what our pastor says, our teachers tell us, our family talks about, the world says without studying God’s word ourselves, we most likely have a distorted view of God.
Anyway, I will comment more about Tozer’s book once I finish it. The other books noted below should also be great and I am looking forward to digging into them. They are listed as the following.
The God Who Is There, by Francis Schaeffer
Escape From Reason, by Francis Schaeffer
True Spirituality, by Francis Schaeffer
Humility, by Andrew Murray
He Is There and He Is Not Silent, by Francis Schaeffer
God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists, by Ray Comfort
These should keep me busy for a few months at least.
Anyway, I will comment more about Tozer’s book once I finish it. The other books noted below should also be great and I am looking forward to digging into them. They are listed as the following.
The God Who Is There, by Francis Schaeffer
Escape From Reason, by Francis Schaeffer
True Spirituality, by Francis Schaeffer
Humility, by Andrew Murray
He Is There and He Is Not Silent, by Francis Schaeffer
God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists, by Ray Comfort
These should keep me busy for a few months at least.
Two New Updates on Blog
The first update is a skydiving link over to the right side. Just click the link and try to pick me out. It’s about a seven minute video which includes four skydives. The first skydive I had about 200 to 250 jumps. This jump is the only one I have on video with my best buddy from childhood Ben Butler. It was a great jump and we all survived! The next two skydives I had about 800 to 900 jumps. Monroe Georgia is the location of where the jumps took place and where I meet my wife Tina. These two jumps were me and friend Tammy going threw AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) training. I was learning how to work with first time students. The students in the video were the Monroe Skydive owner and Safety Training Advisor. They were the evaluators at the course. They acted like students and we had to make sure they didn’t die. It was really pretty simple. The last skydive I was creeping up to the 1000 jump mark and is a real time fist student doing AFF. It was I think the most intense skydive I’ve ever been on. For the first half of the jump the student did everything wrong but amazingly got on his belly and then had a prefect ending. I passed him to the next level because he pulled at the right altitude.
Watching this video makes me want to throw on chute and head up to about 13,000 feet. It brings back some great memories. I think everyone should try it at least once in their lifetime. We only live once right? Anyway, check it out if you have time.
The second update is a witnessing encounter I found from Tony the Lawmans Blog. It’s a Mormon being witnessed to. This is how God’s Holy Law convicts the sinner. One note about the video, the people that start chanting “Lets go Mormons Lets go” are not part of the open air preachers group. I believe so at least.
Hope you enjoy……
Watching this video makes me want to throw on chute and head up to about 13,000 feet. It brings back some great memories. I think everyone should try it at least once in their lifetime. We only live once right? Anyway, check it out if you have time.
The second update is a witnessing encounter I found from Tony the Lawmans Blog. It’s a Mormon being witnessed to. This is how God’s Holy Law convicts the sinner. One note about the video, the people that start chanting “Lets go Mormons Lets go” are not part of the open air preachers group. I believe so at least.
Hope you enjoy……
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Future Ball Player
This morning Zachary and I headed to the First Baptist Spartanburg baseball field to see his Papa or Pop-pop as Zachary says and his MeeMaw. Pop-pop was umpiring a little four and five year old game and making sure all the little boys and girls did not kill each other over who gets the ball. It’s funny watching those little kid’s running around all trying to get the ball when it gets put into play with a hit. MeeMaw had the day off today and was just relaxing in her chair watching all the free entertainment. Of course, I think I heard a couple of googles and gaagaas when she saw Zachary. Isn’t it funny how little babies bring out the silly side in adults? 
Once the game was over, I let Zachary runaround the infield. I think he is going to be a future All Star and may even have enough talent to make the big leagues. He loves balls and wow can he move fast. I have never seen a faster fourteen month-old child before. Zachary is possibly the fastest one-year-old this of the Mississippi. I am not proud or anything as you can tell. I believe in dreaming big and telling him that nothing is impossible if he can vision it.
After the ballpark, we made a straight line to the other Grandparents house. My mother (MeeMee) and dad (Granddad) were working around their duplexes today. Grandparents are a wonderful gift from God and I am grateful that Zachary has three complete sets of them. Anyway, we had a nice visit and then had some lunch. Meemee was able to feed Zachary which I’m sure was a great treat for her and him alike.
I think we had a great morning. I work so much I rarely get time to hang out with my son. He is at such a wonderful age right now. His personality is starting to blossom and I know words and sentences are coming soon. I believe if I stay focused on God, allowing him to be the King of my life, I might make a halfway decent father. If I am half the father my first dad was Zachary might have hope yet, who knows he might become a big-league baseball star…………
Once the game was over, I let Zachary runaround the infield. I think he is going to be a future All Star and may even have enough talent to make the big leagues. He loves balls and wow can he move fast. I have never seen a faster fourteen month-old child before. Zachary is possibly the fastest one-year-old this of the Mississippi. I am not proud or anything as you can tell. I believe in dreaming big and telling him that nothing is impossible if he can vision it.
After the ballpark, we made a straight line to the other Grandparents house. My mother (MeeMee) and dad (Granddad) were working around their duplexes today. Grandparents are a wonderful gift from God and I am grateful that Zachary has three complete sets of them. Anyway, we had a nice visit and then had some lunch. Meemee was able to feed Zachary which I’m sure was a great treat for her and him alike.
I think we had a great morning. I work so much I rarely get time to hang out with my son. He is at such a wonderful age right now. His personality is starting to blossom and I know words and sentences are coming soon. I believe if I stay focused on God, allowing him to be the King of my life, I might make a halfway decent father. If I am half the father my first dad was Zachary might have hope yet, who knows he might become a big-league baseball star…………
Friday, May 16, 2008
New Book
I just included one book I forgot last night. Sam Harris’s, “Letter to a Christian Nation”. This is a small book; well really it’s a long letter that is very hostile. Personally I don’t think it’s worth the read unless you are looking to get some insight into an atheist mindset. You can find reviews online but here is one that seems impartial to both Christians and atheists. http://www.kenanmalik.com/reviews/harris_letter.html .
New Blog up and Running
Well it’s about bed time. I’ve been playing with getting this blog up and running now for two hours and I figured I better post something before it gets to late. Since everyone seems to have a blog now days, I decided it was time to start throwing out some thoughts of my own. This post will just focus on the new blog and the books I have listed to the right.
First the car picture above is a 2007 Bentley which I thought fitting until I can create or find something better. Just for the record I don’t own a Bentley vehicle. There are two main reasons why, first who would want to pay 100,000 plus for a car. I mean you can get a small house for that kind of money. Second who wants to insure a 100,000 dollar car? My son needs to go to college so maybe I’ll get one when I turn 90.
Now let me address the books next door in the right column. First off they are in alphabetical order not in order of which ones I liked best. As you can see from the titles I can not seem to get enough from Christian authors. I will post more about this at a later time but I will say one thing regarding the overwhelming subject of the books listed. You think about what’s most important to you. Jesus Christ saved me from an eternity in Hell. Enough said.
The top three books from my list right now would be 1. The Way of the Master, 2. Good to Great in God’s Eyes and 3. What’s so Great about Christianity.
I have seven more books ordered from http://www.amazon.com/ so I will update my list soon. I will also be updating with some personal video clips, photos and linking some http://www.youtube.com/ clips that I think are worth showing.
Well tomorrow is Friday and I have three homes to inspect. Maybe the Lord will put someone in my path that I can share the most important question we all face. Where will we spend eternity?
First the car picture above is a 2007 Bentley which I thought fitting until I can create or find something better. Just for the record I don’t own a Bentley vehicle. There are two main reasons why, first who would want to pay 100,000 plus for a car. I mean you can get a small house for that kind of money. Second who wants to insure a 100,000 dollar car? My son needs to go to college so maybe I’ll get one when I turn 90.
Now let me address the books next door in the right column. First off they are in alphabetical order not in order of which ones I liked best. As you can see from the titles I can not seem to get enough from Christian authors. I will post more about this at a later time but I will say one thing regarding the overwhelming subject of the books listed. You think about what’s most important to you. Jesus Christ saved me from an eternity in Hell. Enough said.
The top three books from my list right now would be 1. The Way of the Master, 2. Good to Great in God’s Eyes and 3. What’s so Great about Christianity.
I have seven more books ordered from http://www.amazon.com/ so I will update my list soon. I will also be updating with some personal video clips, photos and linking some http://www.youtube.com/ clips that I think are worth showing.
Well tomorrow is Friday and I have three homes to inspect. Maybe the Lord will put someone in my path that I can share the most important question we all face. Where will we spend eternity?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
