Happy Birthday Ashley!

Below is a picture of Ashley and me at the Baylor University homecoming bonfire in November 1999, just a few months after we had been dating. I was just 23 years old at the time.

I would like to wish my wife a Happy Birthday. She is a wonderful wife, mother, and teacher. Our first date was August 7, 1999. We had dinner at the Marie Calendar's restaurant in the parking lot of the Richland Mall in Waco, TX. Ashley worked at The Buckle (a clothing store) inside the Richland Mall.


Will You Follow Christ....Anywhere?

Will I follow Christ anywhere? This is a question I ask myself on a regular basis to ensure I remain fully surrendered to Christ's rule over my life. If I am not fully yielded to His will how can accomplish His will and "live in the flesh by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). As a follower I must examine my expectations of following Christ versus what He commands of me. Any student of scripture knows that Jesus never promised earthly benefits like the world does. His Kingdom wasn't of this world. In Luke 9:57,  a disciple said to Jesus "I will follow You wherever You go." But in the very next verse Jesus doesn't say "that's great" or "you will be blessed" or "we are going to have a great time." No, Jesus tells this man and those who were within an earshot that He had no place to lay His head. Jesus didn't have a bed of His own, He had no place to call home. Now, if a person is not fully surrendered and under submission the power of the Holy Spirit, then there is no way a rationale person will follow a man who has no bed or home. But as Oswald Chambers wrote many years ago "Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God." To follow Christ means stepping out on faith and possessing a yielded spirit that is willing to "go" when called. This is not a normal mindset for the average person, even within Christian circles. To those living for themselves and for their own treasure and rewards, to follow Christ "anywhere" is "career suicide."  The cost is simply too great. But for the committed follower life is not about clinging to physical and emotional security or comfort. But life is not so much now, but in eternity.


 

Death and the Gospel

This week I had the honor of attending the memorial service for my neighbor who passed away at 50 years of age. This blog post is not about her salvation, but about what was missing during her service. The gospel was MIA. For the average person setting on the church pew during the service it probably never crossed their mind that the gospel was absent. But for hundreds of years pastors have believed there is no ministry that offers the open door of spiritual opportunity and receptive hearts than death. During this service (held at a Methodist Church), like every funeral or memorial service there are people who desperately need the Lord. There are individuals present who are spiritually lost, waiting to be saved. There are individuals who are without hope, who don't need empty words from a eulogy, but the life changing good news of Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that a pastor shouldn’t speak about the person’s life and minister to the family, because they absolutely should, but as I sat in the back of the church of what turned out to be a full house, I waited with anticipation for the gospel to be shared, but it never came. A funeral or a memorial service is not an event about desolation, but of hope. The gospel is that hope, there is hope for those who are still living and there is hope for those whose salvation hangs in the balance of eternity. Finally, a funeral is not about preaching a person in heaven. The deceased’s eternal destiny has been finalized and there is nothing anyone can do about it. But the opportunity has arrived for a pastor to prayerfully and sincerely speak about the brevity of life, the certainty of death, and the need of a Savior, Jesus Christ.

 Thus an appeal must be made to those attending the memorial service or funeral so they can clearly understand what the gospel is and why it’s good news. Unfortunately, the opportunity was missed at my neighbor’s service. But fortunately, it wasn’t during the service of Sandy Roper…45 souls were saved during her service.

 
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”

Romans 1:16
 

Answering Critics

In life there are plenty of critics. I have even been guilty myself, we all have. This morning I finished studying through Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians) and its amazing how critical the Corinthians were of Paul (they had been deceived by false teachers). But I love how Paul demonstrates the way Christians are to defend themselves and respond to criticism. I believe this can be useful inside Christian circles (the church) or even in secular settings. First, Paul checked his motives to ensure they were pure. Second, he demonstrated the importance of humility (2 Corinthians 3). Third, he taught the importance of full surrender to a mission despite the criticism (2 Corinthians 4). Fourth, he partnered with like minded individuals to accomplish his objectives (2 Corinthians 6). Finally, he answered his critics by attacking his attackers head on. When we are faced with criticism from others we are to learn from God's Word, especially Paul's experience with the Corinthians. We are to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) and be prepared to discern the criticism aimed at us with the wisdom and truth provided to us by the Holy Spirit. Most importantly as we discern criticism its important to remember that opposition keeps us humble, especially when its from Satan (Paul's thorn in his flesh - 2 Corinthians 12:7).

Even Jesus was criticized so we shouldn't feel bad when we face criticism for standing with God on controversial issues. Take your thoughts captive to Christ and ensure your motives remain pure. Our motives will eventually determine our direction, right or wrong. 

Patriot's Day

In the above photo is the Color Guard from the local VFW and the man to my rear right is James Crump. Mr. Crump is a WWII veteran who was shot through the arm during the battle of Normandy. The snow and cold temperatures kept his arm cold and probably saved his life until a German medic patched him up. Best of all is that James gives all the credit to the Lord for sparing his life. Metrolina Christian Academy celebrated Patriot's Day in our church sanctuary today. It was a time of prayer and for honoring all first responders and veterans, including myself. I spent about an hour or so just talking with Mr. Crump about his combat experiences at Normandy. What a great man of God and a true war hero!
Thanks to all of the members of the VFW Color Guard and the staff at Metrolina for a great event.

No Place Like Home

I arrived at the High Point Armory by bus on Saturday morning around 0915. We left Friday night from Camp Atterbury, Indiana about 10:45 and drove all night and morning. I was able to sleep for most of the way.
But as I exited the bus, I made eye contact with Ashley and the kids and that is a moment I will never forget. My son Garrett was in shock and wasn't sure what to do at first.
We celebrated with lunch at Logan's Roadhouse in Monroe before returning home.
It was a special day and I am extremely thankful for God's providence and protection upon me and family during this deployment.
There is no place like home, at least until I enter my permanent home of heaven one day,
 

Divine Appointment

Being back in Camp Atterbury (demobilization) has created new opportunities to share the gospel message and love of Jesus Christ. I pray constantly for the Lord to place receptive people in my path and yesterday was one of those days as He provided me a divine appointment. Just about an hour before this divine appointment I had met another Army chaplain from FT Knox while doing laundry. We spent the next hour talking about ministry challenges we had experienced, but little did I know where this conversation would take me. We both decided to get haircuts so we walked to the Barber Shop and sat down to wait. During this time, there was only one barber working until a female barber walked in to start her day. Her name was Ashley (same as my wife). This encounter reminds me of just how impactful a conversation can be in a public setting. As my new chaplain friend and I continued our conversation, it turned to the topic of church and the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ, which everyone sitting nearby was overhearing, to include Ashley as she cut hair. When it was my turn to get a haircut, Ashley and I began the typical barber shop conversation of family and news. Ashley told me she was a single mom, serving as both father and mother and was considering enrolling her 6 year old son in Big Brother, Big Sisters. She mentioned that at some point her son would be asking where his dad was, since all of the other boys on his football team had dads who came to practice. I sensed my window of opportunity had arrived to ask her about church. She mentioned she was looking and that she grew up in a Southern Baptist church. I told her there was no better place to build quality relationships or find a Big Brother/ Mentor for her son than church. She told me that she had overheard my conversation about Jesus and church and it was making her think and reflect. Since I only had one dollar for a tip so I told her I would return with more after lunch. I picked her up a Subway gift card and wrote her a short note, to include the simple message of the gospel inside the gift card envelope. I also located a Southern Baptist church in Columbus, IN with a contemporary worship style, since that was the kind of worship she said she preferred. When I returned to the Barber Shop, she was overwhelmed with the gift card, but what she read on the back brought tears to her eyes. I wrote Terrace Lake Community Church. Ashley lives on the same road as the church. Only God could have provided this divine appointment and I am grateful He did. I shared the gospel with Ashley, showed her Christ like love, and pointed her to a church where she can find fellowship and the discipleship she and every Christian so desperately needs.

 
Nothing feels better than being used by the Lord!

 
Say a pray for Ashley and her son.

 

Wrong Moral Direction

I was reading a book written by Chuck Norris called "Black Belt Patriotism" on our way home from Egypt (yes we have arrived back in Indiana!!) and it might be the best book ever written besides the Bible, just kidding! However, it is really good and I highly recommend it. In a section of the book Chuck was writing about the moral direction of our country and identifying some of the factors that are causing our rapid moral decline and here is what he wrote about the absurdity of our choices.

"The bottom line is that if we teach our children they are nothing more than apes (Evolution), then we shouldn't be surprised if they behave like animals. If we place our value in things (Materialism), we shouldn't expect our children to value people. If we disrespect one another (Vulgar language, rumors, etc..), we can't expect our children to be respectful. If we terminate children in the womb (Abortion), we shouldn't be surprised that our own children think they can terminate others (school shootings). If we teach our children that there is no God and there are no moral absolutes, then we shouldn't be surprised if they turn to immoral lifestyles to find meaning, purpose, and identity in their lives."

This is America's new reality, but it doesn't have to be. Evil flourishes when good men do nothing, so make an intentional effort to do something and speak up.
I am grateful to be back in American and excited to be used by God as a instrument for righteousness and good.
Only in God will any of us ever find our direction, purpose, and mission in life. God has told us in the Bible! Otherwise we would all just wander aimlessly through life thinking we were created to work some job, deploy to some country, pay bills, and get as much out of life for ourselves before we die.

Choose to live life through Christ.