Big Changes

As the title of this blog has changed to reflect a change in direction, so one might surmise there are changes in our lives.

Through a series of events, the Lord has laid upon my heart a church congregation in Clinton, Arkansas.  This young church has seen in its short life, God working in amazing ways, but they have also faced some serious trials in the last few months.  The series of events and doors opening can only be described as a "God thing", as He has led me and my household to follow Him to serve in that community with a group of folks who really want to make a difference in God's Kingdom, and who desire to see lives changed.  

I thank Brother Paul White for being willing to discuss this ministry opportunity, for the good people of Park View Baptist Church in North Little Rock for their grace as I began my full-time ministry, and their loving prayers.  A particular thank-you to some who have been particularly encouraging and supportive in my time at Park View:

• Bro. Harrel Herring - who was willing from the beginning to visit, to listen, and to encourage me in many ways.  I pray for your health, for your ability to continue to witness of Christ to this lost world, and for your strength as  you confront the health issues before you.  (Also a particular prayer for Mrs. Kathy.)
• Bro. Charles Dodson - your words of wisdom from your own time in active ministry, your quips and songs, and your desire to see God work through me have been a great encouragement.  I know we have not always agreed on each and every fine detail, but our discussions and conversation have been edifying and a real benefit to me.
• Ed Waddell Sr. - The first Deacon I have ever met to take such a personal interest in the well-being of his pastor and the pastor's family.  Your advice, your strength, and your heart have been a great help.  
• Mrs. Hazel Waddell - There are no words to describe the heart that you pour out into those around you.  While some may not be able to grasp why you do what you do, or how much you take on, I know it comes from a heart for the Lord that is equalled by few.  I hope and pray that the Lord will send another for you to lead and disciple to have the love and dedication to the Lord (and family) that you have.  Thank you so much for your prayers and constant words of encouragement.
• Ed Waddell Jr. - My only disappointment in our relationship is that it took so long to really develop.  When I needed to talk, you were there.  Thank you for your efforts.
• Mrs. Leah - How can one person get into your heart so completely?  What a blessing you have been to my and my family.  You are an unforgettable character who will live forever in my heart!
• Bro. Charles Grisham - You shared a great deal of your life with me.  You are a treasure that this world will be sore missing when you depart from this life.  Your "regular stories of life" that reveal your faith in God, your love for Sue, and the testimony of Christ in life are worthy of preserving.  
• And the rest of our Park View family - who put up with me, with my "teaching", and the shortcomings of a young pastor.  I pray that I have done some good.  I pray that the Lord will bless you and lead you in great things for Him.  Please be attentive to God's call and direction - and say "Yes Lord, send me" when He does.

But most importantly, I would like to give thanks and praise to my Heavenly Father who provides the ways and means for His people to carry out His purpose and plans.  I thank God Almighty for giving me peace about this change in my life and that of my family's.  

I also covet the reader's prayers for us as we move forward - both for our changing ministry as well as the physical move, and for our friends at Park View Baptist Church (www.parkviewonline.org) as they too seek to move forward.  Many of us know all too well how stressful the search for a pastor can be, but if we will rely upon the Lord, He will move the right man to take the reigns of Park View and lead her to do great things in the community for the Kingdom.

And to the congregation at Clinton Missionary Baptist Church - I thank you for your prayers, and for your willingness to step out in faith.  It is my personal prayer that we remain motivated and encouraged to be about the Great Commission, equipped to do the work of ministry, and ever vigilant to protect the truth of God's Word in our hearts and in our community.

I hope to continue this blog, and maybe even have more to say in the coming weeks and months as the transition unfolds.  I pray that there will be great news to report, but most importantly - I pray that much is made of our Savior!

I would like to take a moment to give a review to the drivers of North Little Rock and beyond of a couple of apparently forgotten items drivers encounter:

The image on the Left is called a Stop Light (sometimes called a traffic light). It is called a STOP light when the light is red. Contrary to comedians and Hollywood, it does not mean "hit the gas". It does not mean go anyway because you are late for work, school, church, or to be first in line at the Golden Corral! It means stop. Period. Indeed - it is pretty evident that you have blatantly ignored said red light when the light for the other direction has already turned green and people begin to move.... It is only a matter of time before you cause an accident, injury, or even death if you continue to blow through those lights. Indeed - if one will go back to the Arkansas driving manual that you were suppose to actually study, learn, and follow as a driver when you received your license, even a YELLOW light does not mean "hit the gas"! It means prepare to stop.

As far as the image on the right - it is called a "Stop Sign". It's red color should be an indication that it means something pretty important. In this case - it means to STOP. PERIOD. It doesn't matter if you can see from a mile away that there is no-one coming from the other direction (that you can see) - you still are suppose to STOP! It is not a suggestion. It is not a subtle hint. The Red color plus the bold white word "STOP" should be a pretty clear indicator of the intent of the municipality or other authority who placed the sign. It isn't there to inconvenience you. It is there for safety and traffic control. I have been awfully thankful for good brakes lately - because many of you apparently believe that such a sign is only for everyone else - and that you are entitled to just cruise right on through. Again - you are a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm all about loving my neighbor and demonstrating brotherly love and understanding. I am really thankful for grace... But when the day comes that you cause property damage, injuries, or even death, because you chose to ignore the law (just because police don't dedicate a lot of resources to enforcement does not mean it isn't still the LAW!), don't EXPECT grace and mercy to be poured out for your careless and selfish decisions.

END OF RANT...

And I give permission to anyone reading this to call me out if you witness me violating either of the above!

Syria, Israel, and the Muslim Brotherhood

Some thoughts on the current situation in Syria...

Bashar Hafez al-Assad is an evil dictator who has oppressed his people for a long time, who in all his evil is little more than a puppet for the regime in Iran to be an antagonist to Israel. Assad has and still uses terror to try to keep his people under control. There is no "freedom of religion" in Syria - indeed, Christianity seriously oppressed.

Syria is dangerous. Syria is evil.

And then you have the ongoing "revolution" that is part of the so-called "Arab Spring" (along with the recent revolutions in Libya and Egypt). This revolution, though billed as an "uprising of the people", is actually an internationally-funded front by the Muslim Brotherhood. IF there is a group worse than Assad and his cronies, it would be the Muslim Brotherhood. And if we want a preview of what will come in Syria if the Muslim Brotherhood wins, just look to the Southwest... to Egypt.

Most Americans are relatively oblivious to what has come about in Egypt since the Muslim Brotherhood overthrew Hosni Mubarak (with US aid and lots of Taxpayer $$) You see, Mubarak was one of the more "friendly" Arab leaders towards Israel - a sort of "tolerance"-based relationship. Indeed, trade had picked up between the two nations.

Pre-overthrow Egypt saw Christians able to worship mostly openly with relatively isolated persecution, that coming from fringe radicals.

There was a degree of freedom in Egypt for the citizens (though nothing we here in the US would consider real "freedom"). Still, the country is more free than most of their heavily-Muslim controlled neighbors.

Along comes the US/Obama-backed Muslim Brotherhood.

Today in Egypt - women are brutalized int he streets. Christians are under very heavy persecution. Daily, Christian women and girls are kidnapped, raped, "married" to muslim men, then returned to their families where the family then must decide if they will allow that woman or girl back in the home. The radical version of Sharia Law now marks these women who are "marked" as now "Muslims", but rejects will bring with them into the home - a mark for death for the entire household. Conversion at the sword is "alive and well" in Egypt - thanks to the Muslim Brotherhood.

In addition, The Muslim Brotherhood-led Egyptian government is now openly supporting anti-Israeli groups/terrorists. They are moving up the Sinai Peninsula, carrying out terrorist attacks in what were peaceful Israeli tourist/resort towns.

So - what do we do? It is now looking like Assad has been using chemical weapons (WMDs) against the rebels and civilians. Our President drew a "red line" regarding Assad's actions - first was assaults in certain areas, then it was the use of chemical or biological weapons, now its.....????

Yet any support of the rebels - aka - the Muslim Brotherhood - only brings an even more Israel-hating, US-hating, women-hating, Sharia Law-using dictatorship that likely will pose an even bigger threat to us than the Assad regime.

It seems we are in a "no-win" situation, regardless of which side we might choose. So should we even get involved? I submit that we would be better off giving Israel the "green light" to handle it in the way that is most beneficial to their safety and security. After all, Syria is their neighbor. Who better knows what would be the "best course of action"? What I do know, the Muslim Brotherhood is NOT in their best interest as yet another neighbor.

And let us take a much more practical look.  Can the US really afford to sponsor yet another terrorist front, when we are supposedly in a "War on Terror"?  Further, can we afford the cost in tax dollars (borrowed from our unborn grandchildren)?

What is "Marriage Equality"?

What is "Marriage Equality"?

If we were to compare other "equality" movements, particularly in the US, we would see that a typical trait of such a movement is that a group (typically having been denied opportunities or rights based on factors that are beyond their control) seeks to be guaranteed the same rights and opportunities as others.

"Racial Equality" (which somehow has become equated - no pun intended - with the current debate on marriage) was/is primarily about Black Americans enjoying the same rights and opportunities as White Americans (with the logical inclusion of all "minorities"). Even with modern technology, we cannot choose the race we are born - and Racial Equality seeks to bring about a view that we all are of the same race - the Human Race.

Equal Rights for Women - which was primarily centered on voting rights, though expanded into the workplace as well - brought about the right for women to vote (and then opening the doors for women to have equal opportunities in the workplace, and now in the military). Again - one doesn't choose the gender one is born - it's genetic.

Then we get to "Marriage Equality" - a movement to recognize and even promote "marriage" between people of the same gender. First, while some in the medical and psychological fields disagree, ultimately, homosexuality is a choice (just as other sinful behaviors are a choice). Homosexuality goes against not only God's Word, but for those who choose to reject God - it also flies in the face of "natural law". The movement to thus legitimize relationships that go against both God's Law, and natural law are not a matter of "equality", it is a matter of granting new and invented rights that have never existed before. Some may accuse me of using hyperbole when I say that if such a "right" is invented and solidified by the courts - then it is only a matter of time before people then claim a right to marry their pet, a close family member, or even to marry multiple partners at the same time (polygamy). Yet history is filled with similar "give an inch, take a yard" examples.

Others would say that it is none of my business what someone does in the privacy of their own bedroom. I won't argue with that, but unfortunately, what happens in the bedroom, doesn't stay in the bedroom. When a group demands that they be granted some new right, that will result in my pocket being picked to pay for it and/or to promote it and implement it - then it is an infringement in my enumerated rights. With the legalization of "Gay Marriage" (such a sad fraud of a title), that opens the doors to entitlements and other benefits at taxpayer, premium payer, and employer expense.

But from my own position - the above fleshly opposition to this "movement" takes a back seat to what is right in God's Eyes.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24

"Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." Matthew 19:4-6

"'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:31-33

The gender terms above for man and woman, both in the Greek and Hebrew languages are definite. They are not "gender neutral". They are unambiguous.

Further, same-sex attraction and sexual activity is addressed quite strongly throughout scripture in both the Old and New Testament.

Our governments today have no right or responsibility to recognize and legitimize what is morally, ethically, wrong - even which violates the laws of nature.

And before anyone accuses me of being selective on the sins I speak, post, and preach "against", please note - I am an "equal-opportunity sin-addresser". How many blatant sins are pressing themselves in the limelight today as the homosexual agenda?

All sin - needs to be repented of - and indeed, there is hope for those who have found themselves having given in to the sins of the flesh, including homosexuality. Forcing the government and society to recognize or legitimize your sin will not take away the fact that it is still sin. Some kind of official identity for your choice in behavior will not help you feel better about it, or alleviate the guilt. Indeed, it can only serve to solidify your opposition. And in God's eyes, it will not cover your sin - only the Blood of Jesus Christ can do that.

The Evil of Abortion - So many Senseless Deaths

At a time when this nation is likely as divided as it has been since the US Civil War, one issue has remained in the spotlight - Abortion.  There is no easy way to address this heartbreaking issue, but to speak to it "head-on".  

The numbers speak very loudly - in the 40 years since the Roe v Wade decision, over 55 million (Lets put that in numerals to help it sink it - 55,000,000) pre-born babies were violently removed from their mother's wombs.  Some were ripped from the womb within just a few weeks of conception, while many others were put to death all the way through a "gestational age" beyond the age my first daughter was born at!

There are many "reasons" given for terminating a pre-born child's life - everything from "the health of the mother", to "it's just a bad time".  Laws that have been enacted in the last several years in an attempt to save as many of these infant's lives always include language that exempts the practice in cases of incest, rape, and "to protect the life of the mother".  While these exceptions are included in an attempt to skirt the courts, the reality is - even those are not "excuses" according to God's Word, or even in what some refer to as "natural law".  Is rape evil?  Yes.  Is incest horrible?  Yes.  Both have far-reaching impact on the victims and on the very moral fiber of society.  Yet these two "crimes" are the only ones that bring the penalty of death on an innocent 3rd party.  In the relatively rare instances of conception as the result of rape or incest, those babies had no choice.  They did not commit the act that caused their conception.  Those unborn babies are the closest thing to truly "innocent" mankind can ever be in the flesh.  "But I don't want to be punished with a baby out of rape" we hear - when the answer is so simple - adoption.  There are huge waiting lists of willing and qualified families seeking to adopt.  That unborn baby could be such a blessing to one of those loving families.

And if we really want to get down to it - regardless of what act brought that baby into existence ("For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13), that child deserves the chance, the opportunity to live.

The catch-all excuse for abortion has become "to protect the life and health of the mother".  This is likely the most misused "excuse" in the book.  Just read the medical release forms at your local OB/GYN's office.  The warnings and dangers of childbirth are clearly listed.  The travails of birth have always been "dangerous".  Further, how far is it to stretch the meaning of "protect the health of the mother" is it to include mental health, headaches, stress, backaches, and so many other parts of parenting?  Those all are connected to and influence health.  The statistics, where they have even been kept, are rather revealing - as the actual number of abortions that are "medically necessary" to save the life of a mother is so extremely small, that they become statistically insignificant.  Further, with reasonable medical care, even that very tiny number continues to shrink.  Even in these very few cases, every step should be taken to try to preserve the life of both mother and child.  If in the course of treating the mother, the baby does not survive - that is a far different path than the arbitrary destruction of a child.

And lest we forget the likes of Jennifer Morbelli or Christin Gilbert, both victims of the same notorious abortionist LeRoy Carhart.  Neither of these women went to him to "save their lives'.   Christin was a young lady with Downs Syndrome who was convinced to not only have an abortion, but to not seek emergency medical care when things went wrong.  Jennifer Morbelli, the latest high-profile victim of Carhart, was a conscious, "of normal capacity" adult who chose to have her 33 week old baby removed from her womb and killed (this is very personal, as this is the age of my first daughter when born).  I have no idea what could possibly possess someone to abort a child at all, but particularly at that late of a point - where the child is quite "viable" with minimal support.  What I do know is, decisions have consequences.  While I in no-way celebrate the death of Ms. Morbelli, when one plays with death...

But the most common cause of abortion is selfishness and pride.  Imagine that, the sin of abortion is caused by the same disobedient, rebellious, and prideful heart as every other sin under the sun!  Yet this makes abortion all the more saddening, as a child pays for a "mother's" selfishness with his or her life.

If you are still reading this post, then you will be relieved to know that all of the previous being said, there is still hope for those who have "chosen" abortion in the past.  There is healing.  There is grace.  And there is forgiveness.  While the practice of abortion is quite literally a pagan sacrifice to demons (Psalm 106:37-38), God's forgiveness is available.  But you must be willing to repent, to trust Christ implicitly, and to humble yourself before His throne of grace.

I and many others who hate abortion, are still more than willing to lend our hands and hearts to help you find the healing that Jesus Christ offers.  

If you are currently pregnant and desperate for answers - Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers are not the answer - they see you as a source of income.  There are many organizations, often called "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" that will help you with the alternatives to abortion.  For Central Arkansas, there is the Crisis Pregnancy Center.  

40 years of legalize murder of the unborn is 40 years too many.  But it must stop, one mother's heart at a time.  


A few other resources for those willing to stand up against the practice of abortion in this nation:

AHA

Defend Life

Abort73

Christian Answers

Abortion as part of Genocide

I'm not trying to start a fight or a "King James Bible Only" debate or fight. But I have been reading a bit on King James translations - and what I have found is that a LOT (read that likely 99.9+%) of people just think of one King James Bible - that came from the original 1611 Authorized Version, or the last of the major revisions - from 176

9 (where the "Standard Text came from). Yet little could be farther from the truth. There multiple significant "camps" of King James Bibles today- One is the "Cambridge" text, while another is the "Oxford" text, not to mention that "Standard Text" that a good percentage of contemporary printings use. All lay claim to being the "King James Version".

But even within those camps, there are variances - for example, the Cambridge Press at this time has 5 distinct "King James Version" editions:

The Cambridge Standard Text Edition [also called the Emerald edition], the Concord edition, the Pitt Minion edition, the 2011 Transetto Text Edition, and the 2011 Cambridge edition edited by David Norton.

The Cambridge Standard Text Edition has a good number of differences from the Cambridge Concord and Pitt Minion editions. It may be supposed to be the edition that Cambridge took over from the King's printer in London. It has a number of spelling updates or differences. Some examples include "assuaged" (Gen. 8:1, "plucked" (Gen. 8:11), "mortar" (Gen. 11:3), "aught" (Gen. 39:5), "plaster" (Lev. 14:42), "rearward" (Josh. 6:9), etc.

The 2011 Cambridge edition edited by David Norton has some 4,000 differences (not to mention it removes most of the italics for inserted words). Around one thousand of them is where Norton whent back and followed 1611 edition renderings. This edition makes consistent the use of "thy" or "my" as possessive adjectives instead of "thine" and "mine" in front of nouns, which makes for another 1,000 differences. This edition attempts to make consistent the use of "a" and "an", which (about 300 differences). This edition updated the spelling of many words to standard English spelling of today such as "spoke" for "spake," "show" for "shew," etc. which is over 1,700 differences.

One example difference between Norton's 2011 Cambridge edition and Norton's 2005 Cambridge edition is the 2011's use of "awoke" instead of "awaked" (Jud. 16:14. Ps. 3:5, Ps. 78:65]. The 2011 Cambridge has "Lord" at Acts 2:34 while the 2005 Cambridge has "LORD." The 2005 Cambridge had a misprint "fellow-disciple" at John 11:16 instead of "fellow-disciples." There are a few differences between their use of "thy" and "thine".

So which is THE King James Authorize Version?

To Judge, or Not to Judge?

Matthew 7:1-5 is likely one of the most mis-used and abused passages in all of the New Testament. How often do we hear, both from not only those who have rejected Christ's gift of Eternal Life, but even from those who have professed Christ as their Lord and Savior just the first verse "Judge not, that ye be not judged"... or even more selectively out of context "Judge Not!". Further, how often do we hear this put forward as some kind of "proof" that Christians are not suppose to pass any form of judgment on anyone else, under any circumstances?

One cannot take verse 1 alone - but instead must take it in context of at least the next 4 verses - and also look at WHO Jesus was addressing - The Pharisees, who were judging everyone by their own standards (that had grown to be completely outside of God's commands in His Word). Instead, they had substituted some adulterated and completely unscriptural "Code of Conduct" for God's otherwise relatively simple Law. They were fond of pointing fingers.

The beam in their own eyes was their blindness to God's Word. It was their own man-created codes. Even worse, they often didn't live up to the very standard they held everyone else up to.

What is clear here is that Jesus was addressing hypocrites who wanted the world to live by their misguided standards. What the Pharisees needed was to remove these "beams" that were blinding them to reality.

When we come to Christ, we too remove the "beam" from our eyes - making us better equipped to help others see the "mete" - aka - splinter or sin in their own lives.

This is one of the many purposes of assembling together in a local New Testament church - to hold each other up, to help each other resist temptation, to preserve our testimony, and to live lives that are, as Paul put it, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)

Judgment by man-invented standards, would thus be wrong. Judgement by God's standards is NOT wrong. But the spirit of such "judgment" should be a spirit of love and restoration.

Jesus told those hearing him (Luke 12:54-59) to judge what He said - according to the scriptures. We are not to judge according to personal preferences, but according to the Word of God.

Christ specifically endorsed judgment by men - but not based on appearance, but on what a person does and/or continues to do as compared to "righteousness" - moral issues for which the standard is clearly set in God's Word.

Hand-in-hand with this (indeed, probably best exercised before) would be the admonition to examine ourselves regularly (2 Corinthians 13:5-7)