What's really important?

Recently I was in a car wreck. I suffered 3 broken ribs and cracked sternum and torn cartilage in my chest area. When I finally got to go look at my car, I realized how bad the wreck could have been. I also began to think about what is really important in life.

This year has been very stressful due to some people who did not like the way I did my job. They were constantly complaining about something regarding what my duties were as a School Resource Officer. One went as far as complaining to the Sheriff in an attempt to get me fired.I felt angry, frustrated and bitter because I have always believed that if you do your best, no matter what people do or say right will always overcome wrong.

I found out that is not always the case. I know that I don't always have the support that I feel I need and that some will believe anything they hear without facts. I also found out something else; true friends stick by you no matter what. What does this have to do with my car wreck? I am going to explain to you.

During my time of recovery I had plenty of time to think about what is important. I realize that I can only control my conduct and actions. No matter how badly I would like for people to change the way they are, I can't do anything about it. I also found out that the people that mind the way I am don't matter and the people who matter don't mind how I am.  I also realized that no matter how hard I may try I can't please everyone, even those who mean so much to me in my life.

I've also learned that life is more than jobs, careers and everyday tasks. There are times we must do the things we enjoy for our health, happiness and overall peace of mind.
My philosophy is serve God to the best of my ability and live life in a much simplier manner.

Thoughts on the styar of Bethlehem.

I could not sleep for some reason so I started watching Christmas movies. In just about every movie I have watched the ending usually is showing the characters putting the star on the Christmas tree. I began to think about the star and why we put the star on the tree every year.What does the star mean?

The star reminds me that men can be led to a relationship with Christ through supernatural means. The wise men followed the star in the east to the birthplace of the Christ child. They would have hoplessly searched for the babe in the manger without the guidance of the heavenly Father. Many are searching today. They are seeking answers to cnfused, cluttered, chaotic lives. They are looking for peace in a viloent world. They can't find answers through self help books. They can't fiond answers through philosophy, and they can't find answers through joining different groups. They must look heavenward to seek the true answer to long lasting peace and security.

The star symbolizes the acceptance of Christ by the people. The wise men studied the stars. They knew that this star was unusal. They followed this star because they knew that something special awaited them. They had heard of the promise of a coming Messiah or Savior and they wanted to see this Savior. When they came upon the child they fell down and worshipped him. Even the most cynical of men or women can come to have faith in the one who was born in a lowly manger.

The star represents the shining hope of mankind. We need that hope. A hope that helps rise up each morning even in the midst of despair and uncertainity and proclaim in our hearts that God has blessed us with another day of joy and comfort.

The star reminds us  that Jesus was indeed born and through His birth, life, death, and ressurection those who accept Him as Lord and Savior have an assured promise of salvation. I find joy in the reminder that God can and does lead us in our lives if we but let Him.

Merry Christmas everyone.

What does a relationship with Jesus mean to you?

I saw an interesting post on facebook this morning. "I'm going to church to get me Jesus and then coming home and go to bed." I wandered what the individual who posted this meant. Did they mean that  Jesus is a temporary fix that they have to have every Sunday?   Is a relationship with Jesus like the Lortab that I am currently taking for pain? Does it only work for a few hours or days?  Is Jesus just an emotion to some people?

I listened to a sermon by John Piper this morning in which he talked about the true meaning of Christ's coming. In the sermon he pointed out some solid facts regarding a relationship with Christ. John Piper points out that Jesus came to earth that mankind might be saved through a relationship with Him and that through that relationship the sin that separated man from God would be blotted out.

Once man or woman has come into this relationship they turn from the sin that once controlled them to trust fully in Christ. This is not referring to a temporary fix but a lifetime commitment. Christ committing to fulfill the covenant that God established with His people and God's people committing to living within that covenant.

We, as God's people, must bank our hope on Christ's promises. We must stop following the world's example what a relationship with Christ means and turn and start following the commandments Christ put forward. We cannot live our lives through a "got milk' mentality. We must commit wholly and completely to following Christ in every area of our lives. Don't just go to church to "get me Jesus" Go to grow in your relationship with Him that He might truly be able to help you in your daily spiritual walk.

God's Covenant with Abraham

I have been thinking a lot lately about what is happening in America in regard to the Christmas season. Once Christmas was about remembering the birth of our Savior. It was a time to remember the glorious announcement to the shepherds from the heavenly host. It was about the birth of a tiny babe in a lowly manger built for animals. It was about a hope renewed for a people who had lost hope. It was about the birth of a tiny babe whose birth would affect the lives of people for many generations to come.

Sadly Christmas has become a material obsessed season. Its about shopping. Shopping for thins that you don't need and didn't want until you saw them. Its about stress and tension. Everyone is in a hurry. There is no stopping to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.

What we need is some deep, quiet, unshakable truth from God's Holy Word. The scripture comes from Genesis 17:1-8.  There are three things that we learn from the scripture found in Genesis.

First of all those who hope in Christ and follow Him in obedient faith are descendants of Abraham and heirs of His covenant promises. Verse 7 tells us that God established His covenant between Abraham and his seed and the seed of generations to come. It was an everlasting covenant.

These promises are sure and lasting unlike the presents that you will receive this Christmas season. A promise from God is a promise kept. A promise from God is a "take it to the bank" assurance that what He said, He will accomplish.

These promises are rooted in God's unchanging truthfulness andand confirmed by Christ's coming. The Christmas Spirit is not found in the wrapped packages under the tree but in the story of the birth of the tiny babe in the manger. This birth changes lives, perspectives about life and brings an assurance of salvation to those who hope and believe in Him.

I hope that everyone will have a blessed and wonderful Christmas, not that you get a lot of gifts but that you receive thae greatest gift, salvation through Jesus Christ.

Are we a Christian nation.?

Recently I watched YouTube video in which Barak Obama stated that America is no longer a Christian nation. Initially I was offended by what he said until I thought about the state of Christianity in America.

We, as a nation, are moving further and further away from God. We are becoming biblically illiterate, we are growing more and more indifferent toward God's Holy commands, and we are looking toward worldly worship on a regular basis.

An example of this was found during a recent Youth study at the church that I pastor. We were discussing the importance of being an effective witness for Christ. I talked with the youth about the fact that our actions often speak louder than our words.

They strongly agreed and began sharing with me their concerns about other young people who proclaimed to be ChristiansThey talked about the profane language these kids used and said that the kids explained it away by saying that the words were in the bible and okay to use in the context they used them.
They said that these kids openly talked about their sexual promiscuity and the fact that some of them went to parties and drank alcohol.

There is a growing trend among young people and adults alike that superficial Christianity is all that is needed. They also believe that God's Word is not absolute and depends on how each individual interprets it. This is the reason that more and more people are drawn to other, more convenient religions. We must get by to what John MacArthur refers to as "Old Time religion" rather than "Show time religion." Until we do we cannot argue with Barak Obama very much regarding his statement.

What was I thinking?

Several years ago I decided to look for another campground for our annual camping trip. I was tired of going to the same place every year. Without consulting my family, I went online to find the "perfect" camping experience. I found a "wonderful" place in North Carolina called Happy Family Campground. This should have been a clue. I didn't catch on.
I reserved a camping space for the week of vacation. The website described the campground in this manner. Large swimming pool, gameroom with many types of electronic games to enjoy, large shower area, large camping area, and a river running alongside of the camping area to fish in. This was a "little" exaggerated.
We arrived at Happy Family Campground in the afternoon. Imagine our surprise when we saw a swimming pool about the size of a large broom closet covered in pond scum. The game room consisted of a warped pool table with the cover ripped and a broken pinball machine. My son had to use the bathroom so he went to the "spacious" shower area. He came out with a shocked look on his face. "Dad these are Nazi death camp showers." We drove around to the camping area. It was big enough to pull our van into but not big enough for a tent. The river was a large stream with no fish. We left Happy Family Campground .My family has never let me live this error in judgment down.

Fast forward to 2011. I wanted to go visit my daughter in Illinois. The last time we went I drove. I did not want to drive 15 hours agian. "I know, I'll take a train." I reserved the tickets ahead of time. Comfortable seating, nice dining area, let us do the driving while you relax. Perfect. The day arrived. We board the train that is packed full. "I am sorry, we will have to put you in the bulk area." I have reserved seats but it does not matter. "To many walkups" is how it is explained. The seats that you were supposed to be able to lean back in and relax still leave you sitting up. Well at least the dining car will be nice. I stand in line for 30 minutes to get two frozen pizzas zapped in the microwave. What happened to the nice dining area with delicious food. "That is on the longerr runs." is how it is explained. 18 hours is not a long run?
Our "host is a psycho blonde who spends most of her time yelling at the customers, including kids, while making as much of a nusiance of herself as she can. We arrive at Chicago 45 minutes late. We are not given any instructions where we are to go as we leave the train. Thankfully we find the train station without getting mugged in one of the worst cities that has ever been created. I decide to drive back. Wonder if my family will let me live this one down?

Legacy of honor or shame.

Legacy is defined as something you leave behind or something that is passed down from one generation to another. A leagacy can be a material item or a reputation that influences others. I would like to talk about the latter. I have worked as a School Resource Officer for nearly 11 years.
In that time I have seen some remarkable students come through the school in which I work and I have seen some less than honorable students come through as well. This years graduating class is no different. There are some students who are going to be rememberd as hard working, honest, honorable individuals.
They will be remebered for their acts of kindness, respect, positive influences. Then there are those who be remembered for their acts of vandalism, disorderliness, disrespect and mediocre efforts in all they did. They will be remembered for their complete disregard for rules and authority.
When members of the faculty look back to these students they will only remember the failed potential. Many of these students will become well known by law enforcement and may eventually reside in a jail or a prison somewhere. The sad part about this whole situation is that most of the students would not have turned out the way they did if their parents simply would have stopped enabling them and made them accept consequences for their WRONG choices and actions.
When will today's parents understand that their child is not perfect,that every child has the potential to go down the wrong path if not given the proper guidance and discipline.
One particular parent is upset because her child has been labeled a trouble maker by other students. Her statement spoke volumes about her as a parent. My son may do stupid things but he is not a bad kid. My reply is simple; stupid decisons and actions often are criminally wrong. Take your blinders off, stop looking through rose colored glasses and start being a parent in the right sense of the word.

What path do you want your child to take?

Proverbs 22:6  gives good advice in teaching your child. The scripture gives this sound advice. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it." The scripture is revealing to the parents that it is their responsibility to train up their children. It is not the not the day care's responsibility. It is not the school's responsibility. It is THE PARENT'S responsibility. The scripture is encouraging parents to teach their children right from wrong.

This is and has been a foreign concept to many parents. They would look at Proverbs 22:6 and say that it is outdated, it doesn't fit in the society that exists today. They would take this verse and rephrase it to say something to this effect. Turn your child loose and let them choose their own path. The path that many children are taking is a path that leads to a self centered, self destructive life, a materalistic life and life that lacks respect for themselves, others, and any authority.

What is the solution? Parents need to become parents again and not their children's friends. Once a child is born into a family, the parents are to nuture them, discipline them, and TEACH them about the real life and not the make believe life they see on the television and in the movies. They need to teach their children that every choice they make affects their life in some way. The wrong choice can lead to serious consequences.

The sad part is that there even some churches that are letting their youth  choose the path they want to take. One youth teacher even told the youth that God gives teenagers breaks so they did not have to worry about the choices they made in their lives.

We are doing our children a great injustice when we turn them over to their own devices. I implore parents, to take a vested interest in their children's lives. Quit defending them  when they do wrong and let them experience the consequences for their actions. If you do not then we will continue to turn out genrations of angry, bitter, disrespctful children who will grow into angry, bitter, disrespectful adults.

The world may change but God does'nt

I heard someone say today "The world changes so we must change with it." This was in reference to the constant changing attitudes about life, morality and ethics. Many believe that they have to change in order to survive. Even those who claim kinship to Christ believe that they must change with the world or be left on the outside looking in. We must understand that we are to be on the outside looking in. We are told by God that we are to be a peculiar people., a royal priesthood, set apart for God's work and kingdom.

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and forever." Christ is the changeless one because He is God. In trials we want to hold to God's unchanging hand for comfort, strength and guidance. Problems arise when we decide that God's changless laws are outdated and do not fit in our "new world." We tell God thanks but no thanks. We raise our children as we see fit, often leaving God and His Holy laws out of the picture. This has led to generations of unchurched and unsaved people. Remember going to church DOES NOT make you a Christian.

We must be reminded that the changlessness of Christ means the system that He delivered is also changeless. The gospel is the same, the plan of redemption is the same and Christ's rules for the church, its government, doctrine and purpose is still the same.

It is unfortunate then when those who claim to be children of God determine in their hearts to ignore God and trust in the worldly wisdom to govern their lives. Many times those lives are filled with unecessary suffering, guilt, and trials. "Trust in God and lean not on your own understanding" In doing so you will find more often than not that you will be richly blessed and find a certain peace.

Keeping the Ressurection vital

Easter Sunday is finished. The special services are finished. Monday is here. Easter Sunday is a special day. The sunrise reminded us that the Son rose from the grave. The hymns were touching and the message was uplifitng. Now what?

Too many view Easter Sunday as they would a weekend retreat. They experience the "feel good" moments and then return to their routine lives. The ressurection story and the experience that comes with it are put away with the easter tree, the easter eggs, the easter movies and everything related to Easter.

This should not happen.The ressurection story and experience should not be a once a year "feel good" experience. The ressurection should be a life changing experience. The ressurection story should cause us to see and live life in a drastically different.  after the death of Christ, the disciples were hiding behind closed doors. They were in fear for their very lifes. All hope was gone. They believed that the best thing to do was go back to their routine lives and forget about what had taken place th elast three years. Fear and apathy will do that. 

Jesus appears to the disciples after His ressurection. His appearance causes a wonderful change. The disciples are renewed in strength and courage. thomas is not with the disciples the first time Jesus appears. he has is doubts regarding the story that his felloow disciples. Then he sees Jesus with His wounds and rejoices. "My Lord and My God.' Thomas is ready to live and breathe Christ for the rest of his days. Paul, in spite of everything he endured, stated that he counted everything loss except for the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This should be our view of the ressurection. We should rejoice everyday that Christ arose from the grave no matter the circumstances in our lives. My prayer is that you may see the ressurection in the same manner.

CHRIST CAME DOWN

Sunday April the 24th is Easter Sunday. Church goers will dress in their Sunday best. They will go to a sunrise service or a special service. Easter Sunday is one of the "special holidays" that people attend church. Many churches will have their highest attendance of the year. The offering plate will be filled to the brim. People will attend the service, sing the hymns, take communion and then go back to their regular lives. Some will get together with families, some will take their children to a special easter egg hunt, but how many will leave knowing what Easter Sunday really means to mankind?

I would like to share with you from the book of Romans chapter 5:8. The Apostle Paul writes: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us." I encourage you to meditate upon this verse of scripture. While we were still stumbling around in spiritual darkness, headed toward a certain death spiritually, God, the creator of the universe, the author of all things, thr ruler of all people, animals and everything sent His only begotten son to die for a fallen mankind that all who believed and confessed Christ as Lord and Savior might have eternal life.

Christ's death was not an ordinary death. His was a death filled with much suffering. Christ was slapped, punched kicked, beaten with a bamboo reed, had a thorn of crowns forced down onto his forehead and whipped with a whip that had glasss and sharp metal imbedded into it. The whip would wrap completely around his body and when pulled away, would literally tear his flesh from his body.
He then was forced to carry the cross beam that he would be nailed to through the streets of Jerusalem to the place known as Golgotha or the place of the Skull. Once there, Christ was nailed to the cross with six inch spikes that were driven through his wrist and feet to hold him to the cross. There he hung until he died.

Upon his death, we are told that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The significance of this event is very important. Before Christ came to earth the people had to go before the priest and offer a sacrificial lamb for their sins. The priest would then go into the Holy of Holies which was seaprated by the veil, and offer up prayers for the forgivenss of the people's sins. When Christ died, he became the one true sacrificial lamb. There was no more need of yearly sacrifices. Christ died for the sins of all mankind past, present and future.

I encourage you as you go to church, dressed in your finest, that you will reflect on what Christ's crucifixion, death and ressurection truly means.

My prayer is that you will be richly blessed in the knowledge of God's abundant mercy and grace.

Accountability is not just a word

A construction worker is killed by two drunk drivers when they drive recklessly and at speeds to great for a construction zone. They are charged and go on trial for the construction worker's death. Their excuse. The construction site was not clearly marked. Forget the fact that the blood alcohol content of the drivers was nearly double the legal limit. Another drunk driver is on trial for the death of someone due to their reckless and irresponsible behavior. Their defense. The third blood test  has not returned. It may prove my innocence. This in spite of the fact that the first two blood tests clearly showed he was extremely over the legal limit.
A little closer to home. Six middle school students consume alcohol on school property. A petition for charges is submitted. The parent of one of the students works at the school. She proceeds to go around the school and villify the officer who petitioned for the charges. Several of the staff members side with the mother, stating that the officer was wrong in filing for charges. The most startling individual who opposes the officer is the school guidance counselor. This in spite of the fact the counselor has seen the statistics that show the average age a young person starts to drink is eleven years old. The officer is given the silent treatment by some of the irresponsible staff members.
Why are things just described happening? I believe the reason is simple. No one believes in accountability anymore. No one wants to accept responsibllity for their wrong actions.
I have been a School Resource Officer for nearly eleven years. In that time I have seen an increase in the number of students and staff alike who have no regard for rules, authority or right living. If they disagree with the rules or laws set forth, they simply disregard them. Sadly many parents of these students strongly support their children's disrespectful attitudes toward people in authority, rules and laws.  Many of these parents are self proclaimed Christians.
When are we as a nation going to acknowledge the need for accountability in our individual lives and seek to change our behavior? God requires it of us. Until we do we will continue to see an erosion of morals, family values and ethical behavior.

What is happening to moral character and values

Erosion is defined in the dictionary as a process of deterioration as if by eating into or wearing away. The moral character and values of our society has deteriorated tremendously in the last forty years. I am a School Resource Officer. Everday I witness students disrespecting teachers and administrators. I see teachers disrespecting one another and administrators. I see parents disrespecting  teachers and adminstrators. I see children disrespecting their parents.
Children from grades 3 and up have a mentality that they deserve special treatment. They think that they should be given grades, passed without trying, and be allowed to do whatever they choose without consequences. Now before I go any further, let us look at the teachers. Many teachers work minimal hours, get several breaks throughout the school year including snow days that they are still paid for and yet complain if they have to cover classes due to one of their own being out. They demand raises every year in spite of the fact that their efforts do not reflect a raise. They have some of the worst attendance records seen and yet criticize students for their high rate of abscences.
They refuse to enforce school board policies that they do not agree with and yet complain if they feel that the principals do not punish a student to their satisfaction.

Let us examine our parents. Studentsd are given a student handbook every year. Parents are asked to look over the handbook with their children and sign a paper stating that theyu have done so. In signing the paper, the parent is saying I have read and understand the policies set forth. When their child gets in trouble at school they come down and berate the principals for "picking on their poor child." they believe rules should apply to every child but theirs. They threaten to go to the school board or threaten lawsuits if something does'nt go their way.

On to the students. Many students are lazy, disrespectful to everyone around them and have no regard for truth. They do not think that the rules should be followed and blatantly disregard many of them. They are arrogant, rude and completelky unappreciative of anything. They belive that they should be spoon fed in their classes. When they ultimately fail, they blame everyone but themselves.

Why is this happening?  I believe that much of the problems with children can be directly attributed to the lack of parenting. Many parents want to be their children's friends and not their parent. They want their children to have things without working for them. They do not want their children to have to take responsibility for their actions or their speech.
The church also holds a great deal of responsibility as well. Quite a few of the students who blatanly disregard rules go to a church somewhere in the county. While I do not know what they are being taught in their youth groups, I don not believe that it is biblical teaching. If it were we would not see the disrespect that we witness now.
Society also plays a role in that the entertainment world and the sports world  encourage rebellious and disrespectful behavior. They make fun of the traditional family and make derogatory remarks concerning the Christian faith and encourage a promiscuous lifestyle.

What needs to be done is that the church get back to teaching God's Holy Word and parents get back to raising children in the nuture and instruction of the Lord. Society as a whole needs to put out some positive roile models rather lifitng up the drug users, wife abusers and overall malcontents as examples.

A courageous stand

On Friday January 21, 20011, the Roanoke Times had an article regarding the Giles County School Board voting unanimously voting to return the prints of the Ten Commandments to the walls of their county schools. These 3x4 framed prints  hung on the walls of the county schools for more than ten years without any protest. One  parent notified the Freedom From Religion Foundation and an attorney contaceted the Superintendent of Giles County schools and He had the prints removed because of the usual legal misinterpretaion of the consitution regarding freedom of Religion.

The school to a courageous stand and voted to have the prints placed back in the schools. The attacks by the liberal newspaper  began almost immediately. They have been described as intolerant and prejudiced. Anne Laurie Gaylor, the co- president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, described the school board members as individuals with a "mob mentality."
The term "mob memtality" is used to descrbe a large group of  disorganized, aggressive, panicked group of people who resort to violence to attain their goals.
This description does not fit the members of the Giles County Schhool Board members who, in an organized, peaceful meeting, voted to take a staand against the irrational actions of an obvious liberal organization who are clearly trying to use a mob mentality to harass the school board members to remove the prints of the Ten Commandments.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation stated in the article that they were seeking parents of children who attended any of the schools to encourage them to act as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Schools system.By the way, more than two hundred parents in the small county of Giles showed up in support of the Ten Commandments being placed in the schools.
Why are atheist, agnostics and other individuals who claim no religious affliation so terrified of quotations from God's Holy Word. Are they afraid that their convictions are not strong enough to withstand logical, reasonable examination of an historical document without turning from their beliefs that there is no God. That is what this ridiculous threat of a lawsuit is all about.
Now let us examine what the constitution states concernig freedom form religion. The first Amendment reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. What this is saying to me is that posting a copy of the Ten Commandments on the wall of any public building is not forcing anyone to convert to any particular religion.
I work in a school. I have palced posters and flyers around the school, announcing upcoming events. There are many students who never read these announcements. The Giles County School Board is not telling the students that they have to read the Ten Commandments or any other historical document placed ont the walls of the schools. They are there for those who do want to read them.
I know that there will be those who read this blog who will violently argue with me concerning my logic but you need to understand YOU are violating the rights of those who do wish to view the Ten Commandments. YOU  are the intolerant, prejudiced. individuals.l