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Friday, May 27, 2016

Strike My Words -

Long Time…. No blog.  Ever have a desperate urge to tell people how you feel and what you’re going through but life has thrown you a curve ball and you are in the midst of something that you have no control over and it has you questioning everything?   

Well I have.  The reason I haven’t written in so long is because I am on strike from my job as a lineman at a major telecommunications company.  I feel I can finally write about it because it has been announced that the company and the unions have come to a tentative deal and they expect the strike to be settled with us to return to work this week. 


First things first. Thank you God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit! I have been praying for a fair settlement and the reports are that is what we are getting.  Last night, I closed our recovery meeting in prayer and I included my requests for the strike to end. The very next day the report that a settlement is in the works has been released.  Thank you for answered prayer, Lord.  Also I would like to thank the Lord for the good men and women I work with who sacrificed and were faithful to each other as we all stood in solidarity for our dignity as workers.  


When you go on strike, the pressure starts. The regular routine is disrupted.  The company canceled my family’s health care on May 1st.  Savings had to be used to meet our needs that normally are covered by my pay check.  Your sense of purpose is called into question.  Supposed friends question the union’s motives and tactics.  You wonder if the company is going to try to break the union.  People I used to work with crossed the picket line a few weeks in.  A rumor was circulated that the company was going to send us a letter telling us to report to work in 5 days or be terminated. 

Our success was anything but guaranteed but I had faith from the very beginning that God would provide for me and I had nothing to fear. The way I saw it was that there was corporate greed on one side and working families asking for dignity on the other.  We were on the side of righteousness.  It was only a matter of time for things to follow God’s perfect will. 

These comments might cause some to scoff and say that I would have lost my faith if things had gone badly for the union; that my faith is only as good as my good fortune.  That’s not the case.

You see, I believe in God’s plan for my life, but the thing is, I don’t know specifically what that plan is.  So when the strike happened, although I honestly thought that it would be settled and we would go back to work, I also decided to be open to the possibility that God may have other plans and that I should look to be prepared for anything by remaining faithful and abiding in Christ. 

The strike made me question my future in general and whether or not God was calling me to do something else.  The first week I updated my resume.  Rethinking your career at soon to be 44 years old can be somewhat terrifying.  The number one consideration is my family.  I have a wife and kids to support and we are used to a certain lifestyle and although I might have vague dreams of working for the Lord, I didn’t find anything that would pay close to what I was making with the company.  I didn’t really feel pulled to anything either so I saved my resume but stopped the job searches.  

Go on strike can really mess with your head.  Your emotions are in constant flux.  You have anxiety about finances, anger at the company scabs, and listlessness caused by your normal routine being derailed.  So I had to find something to do that wouldn’t have me obsessing over the strike to the point where I would be contemplating sabotage or doing violence to scabs.  Nice Christian, right? 

 I also didn’t want to cause my wife and kids to worry about the strike or to disrupt their normal routines since I would be home a lot more. 


Three years ago had enrolled in Ray Comfort’s Way of the Master –Online School of Biblical Evangelism. The school entails witnessing requirements, audio teachings, and 101 online lessons.  Previously I had only managed to do about 40 of the online lessons so I decided that I would use my extra time because of the strike to get all 101 done. 


Much to my delight I also discovered the local library was nearby so I got a library card to feel legit and started frequenting the place to focus on my goal of completing the 101 lessons.  The library quickly became my beloved refuge, providing me with a place to go and my family with a sense of a normal routine restored. 


I’m happy to report that I have successfully completed all 101 lessons and only have a few audio teachings to listen to and I will have met all the requirements for “graduating”.  
All those lessons on evangelism really convicted me of the need to increase my evangelistic efforts to share the gospel.  So I have been distributing gospel tracts like crazy and went out last Monday with my mentor Bob Costello and his evangelism team to the streets of Hudson to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  I have to be intentional in sharing the gospel more going forward because it really is what the Lord would have us do. 

I often share Matthew 13:45-46, where Jesus said 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”, to point out that we should be willing to give everything to be a part of the kingdom of God and that it is our honor to serve the one who paid for all our sin and who gives us eternal life. 

If you are not sure of your salvation or have never given yourself to Christ, I urge you to do so now by saying a simple prayer to make Christ your Lord and Savior. 



I pray that people see this blog and give themselves to Christ. 

In closing, I would say it is such a relief knowing that the strike is ending but I am so glad that I used the time I had to continue to prepare myself to serve the Lord more.
So even if I lost my job and had to struggle to find a way to live, I would continue to follow the one who saved me.  And even though I am going back to work soon, I will continue to prepare myself and to remain open to follow the plan that God has for me, as it is revealed to me from day to day. 





Friday, May 6, 2016

Walking with God

“I love the idea that the Christian life is a walk. Sometimes I take a couple of steps forward, and sadly by my own foolishness, sometimes a step backward, but by God’s grace I’m making progress in knowing and loving and obeying and serving my Savior.” – From “Wisdom for Your Walk” by James MacDonald


I share MacDonald’s quote today because I often think of my relationship with Jesus as a journey or a walk where the path isn’t always smooth or straight.  Often my old habits or thought patterns have led me astray. I found myself caught up in the same confusion and darkness which amounted to trying to find meaning, happiness, or purpose in something other than God.  Be it material success, collecting and acquiring things, extreme experiences (sex, alcohol, drugs, travel, sport), or human relationships, anything you try, other than communion with Christ, will ultimately fail to satisfy.

Thank God, I woke up to this fundamental life changing truth in 2010.  Coming to Christ wasn’t an easy path for me. 

I had to not only see that I was lost 
(Yeah?... Well,  all my friends will be in Hell too! It's going to be a big party!)

but I also had to see that God would actually forgive me for ALL The wrong I had done (Really?) 

and that, when I accept Christ as my Savior, I would be forgiven for the sin I hadn't even done yet 
(Say What?)

and when God considered me, He would see the righteousness of Jesus Himself!   
(The only way I could be made righteous).  

When the truth was finally revealed to me, I was overjoyed at the peace and assurance of my salvation. Unfortunately my understanding wasn't the best,  so I was content to keep walking in my wild ways knowing that Jesus had my back.  I was filled with a love for Him and His word.  I flew through the four Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in my dusty Bible,

 (which I had received when I was confirmed into the Episcopal Church back in June 2001, before 911 and the death of my son in the spring of 2002 sent me on a journey of despair that had me renounce faith in Christianity and embrace the doctrine of suffering of Buddhism which I was fully entrenched in on the day I heard the Gospel and was saved.   – Wow!)

 , highlighting all the words Christ spoke.  I found a Church home in Rock Solid Church in Hudson and started serving as an usher then doing the audio visual work for the worship team. I even joined the Bible College.

However, my faith and my sinful lifestyle didn’t COEXIST so well.  As I kept making progress in my Christian walk, in knowing, loving, and serving Him, I wasn’t exactly obeying Him and I seemed to fall deeper into my alcoholism and sin.  Knowing I was forgiven but frustrated at my personal failures I had moments of great success and great failure.  Last year I went into the church’s recovery program and have left my addictions and failures of the past behind.  Since then I have had incredible experiences and insights into my life that have confirmed, beyond any doubts, the existence of the triune God, the exclusivity of Jesus to save, and the reality of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life. 


SO I am making great progress! However, I still often get caught up in my own foolishness or the things of the world and take a step off the path that God would have me walk.  The good news is that as Christians no matter how we mess up or fall down,  We can always get back on track knowing “…that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it…“ (Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)).  

I encourage all who reads this to follow the path that leads to salvation, Jesus Christ. To those of you who know Christ, don't forget to keep walking and to invite others to join you.  


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The Bible says...? So?

Often I am challenged by others regarding my beliefs as a Christian. I do my best to explain that as a follower of Christ I am trying to do His will for my life rather than my own.  I have done things "My Way" for most of my life and discovered that the maker of all things, God, has a better way.  Knowing God's will can be difficult to figure out but one way He reveals His will for us is through the Bible.  

I have read and studied the Bible and know that it is not just an ordinary book. I also know it was not written by men to impose their evil will upon the powerless or ignorant.  The Bible is "is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV).  I know the Bible to be true but get tongue tied or have trouble expressing it to others.  

So below, I share an article by Brian Edwards, an apologist from answersinGeniesis.org that makes the case for believing the Bible to be true. I pray his work answers questions, clears doubts and inspires people to not only trust the Bible but to read it and to place their faith in Jesus Christ. 

The original link is: 


"Apologetics

Why Should We Believe in the Inerrancy of Scripture?

by Brian H. Edwards on July 5, 2011

*
Many people deny that Scripture teaches its own inerrancy, but Brian Edwards shows that, based on Scripture, Christians should absolutely hold to biblical inerrancy.

Introduction
“You don’t really believe the Bible is true, do you?”

The shock expressed by those who discover someone who actually believes the Bible to be without error is often quite amusing. Inevitably, their next question takes us right back to Genesis. But what does the Christian mean by “without error,” and why are we so sure?

Inspiring or Expiring?

Let’s start by understanding what we mean when we talk about the Bible as “inspired” because that word may mislead us. The term is an attempt to translate a word that occurs only once in the New Testament, and it’s not the best translation, even though William Tyndale introduced it back in 1526. The word is found in 2 Timothy 3:16, and the Greek is theopneustos. This term is made from two words, one being the word for God (theos, as in theology) and the other referring to breath or wind (pneustos, as in pneumonia and pneumatic). It is significant that the word is used in 2 Timothy 3:16 passively. In other words, God did not “breathe into” (inspire) all Scripture, but it was “breathed out” by God (expired). Thus, 2 Timothy 3:16 is not about how the Bible came to us but where it came from. 

The Scriptures are “God-breathed.” 

To know how the Bible came to us, we can turn to 2 Peter 1:21 where we discover that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word used here is pherō, which means “to bear” or “to carry.” It was a familiar word that Luke used of the sailing ship carried along by the wind (Acts 27:15, 17). The human writers of the Bible certainly used their minds, but the Holy Spirit carried them along in their thinking so that only His God-breathed words were recorded. The Apostle Paul set the matter plainly in 1 Corinthians 2:13: “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches.” 

The word “inspiration” is so embedded in our Christian language that we will continue to use it, though we now know what it really means. God breathed out His Word, and the Holy Spirit guided the writers. The Bible has one Author and many (around 40) writers.

With these two acts of God—breathing out His Word and carrying the writers along by the Spirit—we can come to a definition of inspiration:

The Holy Spirit moved men to write. He allowed them to use their own styles, cultures, gifts, and character. He allowed them to use the results of their own study and research, write of their own experiences, and express what was in their minds. At the same time, the Holy Spirit did not allow error to influence their writings. He overruled in the expression of thought and in the choice of words. Thus, they recorded accurately all God wanted them to say and exactly how He wanted them to say it in their own character, styles, and languages. 

The inspiration of Scripture is a harmony of the active mind of the writer and the sovereign direction of the Holy Spirit to produce God’s inerrant and infallible Word for the human race. Two errors are to be avoided here. First, some think inspiration is nothing more than a generally heightened sensitivity to wisdom on the part of the writer, just as we talk of an inspired idea or invention. Second, some believe the writer was merely a mechanical dictation machine, writing out the words he heard from God. Both errors fail to adequately account for the active role played by the Holy Spirit and the human writer.
How Much Is Inerrant?

If “inspired” really means “God-breathed,” then the claim of  2 Timothy 3:16 is that all Scripture, being God-breathed, is without error and therefore can be trusted completely. Since God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18), He would cease to be God if He breathed out errors and contradictions, even in the smallest part. So long as we give theopneustos its real meaning, we shall not find it hard to understand the full inerrancy of the Bible. 

PLENARY AND VERBAL INSPIRATION MEANS THE BIBLE IS GOD-GIVEN...IN EVERY PART...AND IN EVERY SINGLE WORD.

Two words are sometimes used to explain the extent of biblical inerrancy: plenary and verbal. “Plenary” comes from the Latin plenus, which means “full,” and refers to the fact that the whole of Scripture in every part is God-given. “Verbal” comes from the Latin verbum, which means “word,” and emphasizes that even the words of Scripture are God-given. Plenary and verbal inspiration means the Bible is God-given (and therefore without error) in every part (doctrine, history, geography, dates, names) and in every single word.

When we talk about inerrancy, we refer to the original writings of Scripture. We do not have any of the original “autographs,” as they are called, but only copies, including many copies of each book. There are small differences here and there, but in reality they are amazingly similar. One eighteenth century New Testament scholar claimed that not one thousandth part of the text was affected by these differences.
1 Now that we know what inerrancy means, let’s cover what it doesn’t mean.

*  Inerrancy doesn’t mean everything in the Bible is true. We have the record of men lying (e.g., Joshua 9) and even the words of the devil himself. But we can be sure these are accurate records of what took place.

*  Inerrancy doesn’t mean apparent contradictions are not in the text, but these can be resolved. At times different words may be used in recounting what appears to be the same incident. For example, Matthew 3:11 refers to John the Baptist carrying the sandals of the Messiah, whereas John 1:27 refers to him untying them. John preached over a period of time, and he would repeat himself; like any preacher he would use different ways of expressing the same thing.

*  Inerrancy doesn’t mean every extant copy is inerrant. It is important to understand that the doctrine of inerrancy only applies to the original manuscripts.

Inerrancy does mean it is incorrect to claim the Bible is only “reasonably accurate,” as some do.2That would leave us uncertain as to where we could trust God’s Word. 

What Does the Bible Claim?

Is it true, as John Goldingay stated, that this view of inerrancy “is not directly asserted by Christ or within Scripture itself”?3 Let’s look at what the Bible says about itself.

The View of the Old Testament Writers

The Old Testament writers saw their message as God-breathed and therefore utterly reliable. God promised Moses He would eventually send another prophet (Jesus Christ) who would also speak God’s words like Moses had done. “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). Jeremiah was told at the beginning of his ministry that he would speak for God. “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth’” (Jeremiah 1:9). 

The Hebrew word for prophet means “a spokesman,” and the prophet’s message was on God’s behalf: “This is what the Lord says.” As a result they frequently so identified themselves with God that they spoke as though God Himself were actually speaking. Isaiah 5 reveals this clearly. In verses 1–2 the prophet speaks of God in the third person (He), but in verses 3–6 Isaiah changes to speak in the first person (I). Isaiah was speaking the very words of God. No wonder King David could speak of the Word of the Lord as “flawless” (2 Samuel 22:31; see also Proverbs 30:5, NIV). 

The New Testament Agrees with the Old Testament

Peter and John saw the words of David in Psalm 2, not merely as the opinion of a king of Israel, but as the voice of God. They introduced a quotation from that psalm in a prayer to God by saying, “who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things?’” (Acts 4:25). 

Similarly, Paul accepted Isaiah’s words as God Himself speaking to men: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers” (Acts 28:25). 

So convinced were the writers of the New Testament that all the words of the Old Testament Scripture were the actual words of God that they even claimed, “Scripture says,” when the words quoted came directly from God. Two examples are Romans 9:17, which states, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh,” and Galatians 3:8, in which Paul wrote, “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand . . . .” In Hebrews 1many of the Old Testament passages quoted were actually addressed to God by the psalmist, yet the writer to the Hebrews refers to them as the words of God. 

Jesus Believed in Verbal Inspiration

In John 10:34 Jesus quoted from Psalm 82:6 and based His teaching upon a phrase: “I said, ‘You are gods.’” In other words, Jesus proclaimed that the words of this psalm were the words of God. Similarly, in Matthew 22:31–32 He claimed the words of Exodus 3:6 were given to them by God. In Matthew 22:43–44 our Lord quoted from Psalm 110:1 and pointed out that David wrote these words “in the Spirit,” meaning he was actually writing the words of God. 

Paul Believed in Verbal Inspiration

Paul based an argument upon the fact that a particular word in the Old Testament is singular and not plural. Writing to the Galatians, Paul claimed that in God’s promises to Abraham, “He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Paul quoted from Genesis 12:7; 13:15; and 24:7. In each of these verses, our translators used the word “descendants,” but the Hebrew word is singular. The same word is translated “seed” in Genesis 22:18. Paul’s argument here is that God was not primarily referring to Israel as the offspring of Abraham, but to Christ. 

What is significant is the way Paul drew attention to the fact that the Hebrew word in Genesis is singular. This demonstrates a belief in verbal inspiration because it mattered to Paul whether God used a singular or plural in these passages of the Old Testament. It is therefore not surprising Paul wrote that one of the advantages of being a Jew was the fact that “they have been entrusted with the very words of God” (Romans 3:2, NIV). Even many critics of the Bible agree that the Scriptures clearly teach a doctrine of verbal inerrancy. 

Self-authentication

To say the Bible is the Word of God and is therefore without error because the Bible itself makes this claim is seen by many as circular reasoning. It is rather like saying, “That prisoner must be innocent because he says he is.” Are we justified in appealing to the Bible’s own claim in settling this matter of its authority and inerrancy?

SINCE THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD, WE MUST LISTEN TO ITS OWN CLAIMS ABOUT ITSELF.

Actually, we use “self-authentication” every day. Whenever we say, “I think” or “I believe” or “I dreamed,” we are making a statement no one can verify. If people were reliable, witness to oneself would always be enough. In John 5:31–32 Jesus said that self-witness is normally insufficient. Later, when Jesus claimed, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), the Pharisees attempted to correct Him by stating, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid” (John 8:13, NIV). In defense, the Lord showed that in His case, because He is the Son of God, self-witness is reliable: “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true . . .” (John 8:14). Self-witness is reliable where sin does not interfere. Because Jesus is God and therefore guiltless (a fact confirmed by His critics in John 8:46), His words can be trusted. In a similar manner, since the Bible is God’s Word, we must listen to its own claims about itself. 

Much of the Bible’s story is such that unless God had revealed it we could never have known it. Many scientific theories propose how the world came into being. Some of these theories differ only slightly from each other, but others are contradictory. This shows no one can really be sure about such matters because no scientist was there when it all happened. Unless the God who was there has revealed it, we could never know for certain. The same is true for all the great Bible doctrines. How can we be sure of God’s anger against sin, His love for sinners, or His plan to choose a people for Himself, unless God Himself has told us? Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth century theologian, once claimed, “Only God is a fit witness to himself”—and no one can improve upon that.

Who Believes This?

The belief the Bible is without error is not new. Clement of Rome in the first century wrote, “Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit. Observe that nothing of an unjust or counterfeit character is written in them.”4 A century later, Irenaeus concluded, “The Scriptures are indeed perfect, since they were spoken by the Word of God and his Spirit.”5

This was the view of the early church leaders, and it has been the consistent view of evangelicals from the ancient Vaudois people of the Piedmont Valley to the sixteenth century Protestant Reformers across Europe and up to the present day. Not all used the terms “infallibility” or “inerrancy,” but many expressed the concepts, and there is no doubt they believed it. It is liberalism that has taken a new approach. Professor Kirsopp Lake at Harvard University admitted, “It is we [the liberals] who have departed from the tradition.”6

Does It Matter?

Is the debate about whether or not the Bible can be trusted merely a theological quibble? Certainly not! The question of ultimate authority is of tremendous importance for the Christian.

Inerrancy Governs Our Confidence in the Truth of the Gospel

If the Scripture is unreliable, can we offer the world a reliable gospel? How can we be sure of truth on any issue if we are suspicious of errors anywhere in the Bible? A pilot will ground his aircraft even on suspicion of the most minor fault, because he is aware that one fault destroys confidence in the complete machine. If the history contained in the Bible is wrong, how can we be sure the doctrine or moral teaching is correct?

The heart of the Christian message is history. The Incarnation (God becoming a man) was demonstrated by the Virgin Birth of Christ. Redemption (the price paid for our rebellion) was obtained by the death of Christ on the Cross. Reconciliation (the privilege of the sinner becoming a friend of God) was gained through the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. If these recorded events are not true, how do we know the theology behind them is true?

Inerrancy Governs Our Faith in the Value of Christ

We cannot have a reliable Savior without a reliable Scripture. If, as many suggest, the stories in the Gospels are not historically true and the recorded words of Christ are only occasionally His, how do we know what we can trust about Christ? Must we rely upon the conflicting interpretations of a host of critical scholars before we know what Christ was like or what He taught? If the Gospel stories are merely the result of the wishful thinking of the church in the second or third centuries, or even the personal views of the Gospel writers, then our faith no longer rests upon Jesus but upon the opinions of men. Who would trust an unreliable Savior for their eternal salvation?

Inerrancy Governs Our Response to the Conclusions of Science

If we believe the Bible contains errors, then we will be quick to accept scientific theories that appear to prove the Bible wrong. In other words, we will allow the conclusions of science to dictate the accuracy of the Word of God. When we doubt the Bible’s inerrancy, we have to invent new principles for interpreting Scripture that for convenience turn history into poetry and facts into myths. This means people must ask how reliable a given passage is when they turn to it. Only then will they be able to decide what to make of it. On the other hand, if we believe in inerrancy, we will test by Scripture the hasty theories that often come to us in the name of science.

Inerrancy Governs Our Attitude to the Preaching of Scripture

A denial of biblical inerrancy always leads to a loss of confidence in Scripture both in the pulpit and in the pew. It was not the growth of education and science that emptied churches, nor was it the result of two world wars. Instead, it was the cold deadness of theological liberalism. If the Bible’s history is doubtful and its words are open to dispute, then people understandably lose confidence in it. People want authority. They want to know what God has said.

Inerrancy Governs Our Belief in the Trustworthy Character of God

Almost all theologians agree Scripture is in some measure God’s revelation to the human race. But to allow that it contains error implies God has mishandled inspiration and has allowed His people to be deceived for centuries until modern scholars disentangled the confusion. In short, the Maker muddled the instructions.

Conclusion

A church without the authority of Scripture is like a crocodile without teeth; it can open its mouth as wide and as often as it likes—but who cares? Thankfully, God has given us His inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word. His people can speak with authority and boldness, and we can be confident we have His instructions for our lives.


Footnotes
1. Bishop Brook Foss Westcott, The New Testament in the Original Greek (London, MacMillan, 1881), 2.
2. John Goldingay, Models for Scripture (Toronto: Clements Publishing, 2004), 282.
3. Ibid.
4. Clement of Rome First letter to the Corinthians XLV.
5. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, XVII.2.
6. Kirsopp Lake, The Religion of Yesterday and Tomorrow, (Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1926), 62."




Saturday, April 2, 2016

Unhappy wife? Yup, your fault.

In my pursuit of loving my wife like Jesus loved the church, I started reading Dave Earley's 14 Secrets to a Better Marriage and thought I would share show of his words of wisdom.  

"Different Responses

"Because God assigned husbands a leadership role in marriage, He designed wives to subconsciously react to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of their husbands’ leadership. A wife tends to react to the signals her husband sends and the circumstances he creates. As I began to understand this, I realizedEncouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

 that if I was not happy with my wife’s responses, I should look in the mirror for the cause. Often she was simply reacting to my actions, or lack thereof." 



Early then shares lists of wife's and husband's  reactions, putting them side by side to demonstrate how they influence each other.  I have taken the contents of those lists and present them here as "If and Then statements". They are intended to give guys an idea of why your wife acts the way they do.  


If your wife Nags about things that need attention, then you are Unreliable—slow to act.  

If your wife is Impulsive in her spending, then you are Untrusting or domineering. 

If your wife is Permissive with kids, then you are Angry or over-demanding with kids. 

If your wife is Overly Emotional, then you are Insensitive. 

If your wife is Domineering in the home, then you are Inattentive.

If your wife is Critical, then you are Irresponsible.

If your wife is Insecure, then you are Highly critical.  

If your wife is Fearful, then you are Impulsive or careless.

If your wife is Cool and distant, then you are Harsh or hurtful.

Bad news guys; it's our fault after all.

The Good news is that if we take responsibility for the status of our marriages and lead like we are supposed to we can change what we do to get the responses we want.

I am walking this out right now and no I wasn't thrilled with the news either but I am "MAN" enough to accept the challenge to lead my marriage.  I might have to act sooner, listen, and do things differently but if  removes those unwanted reactions from my wife, it will be worth it.

After all, happy wife; happy life right? 



Friday, April 1, 2016

Freedom from Past Sins

During a recent discussion, a new believer in Christ was moved to tears contemplating the sins of their past and the fear of facing final judgment.  The recovery team presented the truth of God's forgiveness that is given to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ.  Our words were a great comfort to this young believer who now has a better understanding of what it means to be in Christ; but how often do we beat ourselves up over past failures, forgetting the promises of God?


I offer this prayer, of my own composition, as a way to remind ourselves of what we have in Christ and the freedom we are to walk in.

Lord God,

Let me not forget that I have been forgiven of all my sins, My slate is clean. I need only confess current sins to reestablish my fellowship with You because my past sins have been forgiven and forgotten by You.  The Holy Spirit lives within me and when You consider me Lord, You see the righteousness of Jesus.  There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, so I will stop condemning myself for past failures but will instead look to the future and how I can glorify You.

Thank you God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for making me whole.

In Jesus' name, I pray.

Amen

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

GOT HOPE?

I've been cleaning up my study area which has been cluttered receipts, old mail, and miscellaneous garbage. However, I am glad I am going through it carefully because I keep finding bits of paper where I took notes at a Bible study, one of my classes, or at recovery.  
Today I found the following, which came from my sponsor & mentor, Bob.  I have cleaned it up with fancy fonts and reordered things a bit and added some additional translations of the scriptures quoted.   

This simple study is powerful for encouraging those who struggle (um... all of us) with life's difficulties. If you're looking to build yourself up, recitation of the scriptures and the text in red, is a powerful way to speak hope into your life.  




It’s Worth It
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NKJV)
17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
2 Corinthians 4:17 (BBE)
17  For our present trouble, which is only for a short time, is working out for us a much greater weight of glory;

2 Corinthians 4:17 (GW)
17  Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine.

Live with Eternity’s Values in View

My Crown outweighs My Cross
My Purpose outweighs My Pain
My Destiny outweighs My History
My Hope outweighs My Present Problems
My Favor outweighs My Failures
My Grace outweighs My Shame

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
16  Rejoice always,
17  pray without ceasing,
18  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (BBE)
16  Have joy at all times.
17  Keep on with your prayers.
18  In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (GW)
16  Always be joyful.
17  Never stop praying.
18  Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this.


Praise the LORD



One last note of interest, the original document had PTL inscribed at the bottom, and I was clueless as to what it stood for.  After a google search, I slapped myself mentally: PRAISE THE LORD, duh.  Apparently I am not completely sanctified yet.  Also avoid urban dictionary when looking up abbreviations; 100% sure Bob didn't mean any of those translations.  

May God Richly Bless You. 

Marc

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Do you believe in magic?


Want to change your life magically? I'm not  sure how to do that but my Sponsor Bob shared with me a D. James Kennedy devotion, that if the imperatives (highlighted in Red) are followed, can work wonders in your life.   I hope you find this simple lesson to be a profound help in your life. - Marc



  The Christian’s “Magic Wand”
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving” – Psalm 95:2

Have you ever wished for a magic wand that could change all the unpleasantness of life into something good? Wouldn’t you love a way to instantly sweep away all the trivial things that accumulate until they drag you down?

  I believe the Lord has offered us something similar to a magic wand. It can change our outlook on the circumstances surrounding us. What is it? Gratitude. When we feel grateful, our perspectives toward things change. We see our circumstances in a new, more positive light.  And when we have grateful hearts, we want to express our gratitude outwardly through thanksgiving. This can work in reverse, too. If we give thanks even when we don’t feel very grateful, we often feel our attitudes change in a more grateful direction, just as if we passed a magic wand over ourselves.


  Thanksgiving transforms the secular or commonplace into the sacred. When we give thanks to God, suddenly we see God everywhere! We find ourselves living in an enchanted land, a land in the presence of our great Creator and Redeemer. With our spiritual eyes open, we can see that it is God who gives us everything, from our daily bread to the money we need. Our faith grows stronger as we express gratitude. All things become suffused with the divine presence.


  And as we recognize God’s blessings, our thankfulness gives us victory over temptation and sin. How can we commit adultery when we are grateful for ours pouses? How can we steal when we are grateful for and content with what we have? How can we envy others’ talents and abilities when we feel thankful for the way God has made us? How can we grumble or complain when we’re thankful for God’s blessings?


  We should thank God, and we should also show gratitude for the ways others have blessed our lives. Everyone needs the kind of lift that gratitude brings.


  What are you grateful for today? Thank God for all the blessings He has given you, and see how it changes your perspective on life. And don’t forget to express thanks to someone who has enhanced your life. I hope that in your thanksgiving you’ll experience joy. 


“When you drink from the stream remember the spring.” – Chinese proverb