Year Three

Year 3

Three years ago I left IT to be a stay at home dad. It simultaneously feels like it was just a few weeks ago and a life time ago. I did some independent IT consulting off and on for 2016. Come 2017 I had let it all drop to the side. Now at the end of 2018 I hardly have a clue what’s going on in IT trends in general. I still fix stuff for my parents, in-laws, and around the house but that’s it. I don’t miss it. It was time to move on. 

2018 – The Year of Change.

This year was full of changes for us. We switched the girls to LUOA thru Liberty University. I’m so proud of my girls they worked super hard and it was a huge adjustment for us. Yet, it’s been really good for all of us. We hope to enroll Sam into it when he starts second grade.

Madison is now in 5^th, AK in 3^rd, Sam is in 1^st and Lucas is doing pre-school. My day’s stay rather busy just on that alone. The girls are doing well with piano. Sam is a two sport man with soccer and baseball. Lucas knows his numbers, letters and colors pretty well.

We had a lot of health issues in our family this year. We personally had the flu for all of Feb. We had close relatives that experienced extended hospital stays. My mom’s dementia progress to the point that we had to move to a memory care facility. She is starting to forget me, my sister and my aunt. The first time it happened was the hardest. I’ve accepted it now (mostly) and I’m just trying to enjoy the time I have with her while I have it.

Cambridge took excellent care of my mom the three years she was there and I appreciate everything that they did for her. She is now at Commonwealth in South Boston. I am super happy with them as well.

God has been our rock through it all. We have felt the love and support of our friends, family and church family like never before. There have also been tremendous blessings along the way. Lindsey got promoted at work to CTL. She also got to go to Honduras on a mission trip.

I got to perform weddings for friends of mine. They were all a blast and I really enjoyed myself at them! I had the unique blessing of getting to baptize both AK and Sam. Sam wore his goggles. Easily one of the greatest days of my life. We are blessed beyond measure!

DDP-Y

I wrote a post earlier in the summer entitled “BANG” about how I started doing DDP-Y, Diamond Dallas Page’s Yoga. I have stuck with it consistently since march. I have completed both the Beginner and Intermediate tracks. I’m going to tackle the Advanced track next year. Right now I’m checking out the live works via the app. Look at the progress from mid March to this afternoon. BANG!

Mid-March

Today!

Home Alone Dad

*This following section is only going to make sense I’ve you’ve seen home alone multiple times*

It is Christmas Movie season going on here at the Newsome house. We watch a bunch of them, Elf, Miracle on 34^th, Rudolph, multiple versions of “A Christmas Carol”, Christmas Story, White Christmas and many more. Yet, in all these years we have never shown the kids Home Alone. We recently got the first two and tonight I watched the first one with the kids. 

$$$$

It’s one thing when I watched this as a 6^th grader in 1990. It’s another to watch as a 39 year old in 2018. I started noticing details, things that don’t add up. The fact the police never really got involved. The dad’s overall nonchalance at the thought of his 8 year old alone in another country. That hugely expensive house in Chicago, flights to Paris for the entire family including first class tickets for 4 adults. A house full of mannequins. It all begs the question.

Question: What exactly did Kevin’s Dad do for a living?

Answer: He was a high ranking mafia official, likely involved in smuggling.

The house they live is easily a 7 figure mansion. He has 5 kids all of which have their own room. Every room in the house is well furnished. He can afford for 15 people to fly to Paris with 4 adults going first class. He is upset by the presence of a cop asking “nosy” questions. He doesn’t even stay to talk to the guy walking off at the first excuse, pizza.

Who is Peter’s mysterious brother Rob that lives in Paris and in NY? Rob owns a place big enough to accommodate 15 extra guests for Christmas in the middle of Paris! Rob also owns that huge brownstone in NY. Rob is the boss, Peter is the face, Frank? Why do they put up with him? He’s the fall guy!

What about the mannequins? Kevin used multiple mannequins to fool the burglars the second night they tried to rob the house. Why were there so many mannequins in a house? They were all part of Peters cover. He likely owned/ operated a department store chain with international holdings. This would allow for money to be moved all over the places, hiring of “delivery men” and shipping smuggled goods (my guess cocaine since it’s 1990) all around the world!

Why doesn’t he appear even remotely concerned about his son being home alone when the mom is in sheer panic? Easy. The old shovel guy actually works for Peter McCallister. His job is to keep an eye on things whenever Peter isn’t home, which is frequent given his “work trips” to other countries.

Think of all the punishment they took in the movie. One hit from shovel guy puts them both out cold! This screams mob enforcer! 

This is how the old guy kept showing up from time to time. This is how he knew to be in the murphy’s house with that shovel to save Kevin just at the right moment. This is why neither shovel guy nor Kevin are there when the police do show up to arrest the burglars. This even explains why shovel guy can’t see his granddaughter and what the argument with his son was about! He didn’t like him working for the mob! The rumors about him being a serial killer? It’s probably not that far off as a hitman for the mob!

Take some time, think about it, re-watch the movie, and then try to tell me I’m wrong.

Boston Red Sox

WORLD SERIES CHAMPS! WOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Conclusion:

We’ve had a blessed year here in 2018. I pray you have as well. If we haven’t seen you in a while we miss you and we love you! Come visit us at church sometime soon.

Merry CHRISTmas!

Sola Scriptura

Pastor Glen

P.S. Also, I got a tatoo back in October. Google “Five Solae” to see what it means. 

Live like no one else

This is my sermon from earlier tonight. IT's also the newsletter article from this month. Financial Peace University has been life changing for me and my family. Classes at Antioch will start in January. Antioch is also hosting a free smart money live event on November 15th @7:30PM. You can register for that with the below link.

 https://fpu.com/1076462

Living like no one else 

Matthew 2:7-11 “7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Here’s the disclaimer. I’m about to get into this and some of you are going to think “Oh No, the Pastor is talking about money!” Let me assure. That is EXACTLY WHAT I AM DOING! It’s one of the benefits of being Associate Pastor. It’s up there with getting to wear sneakers all the time, and when I mess things up the general response is “Well just bless his little heart.”  Though in reality I’m not talking about money as much as I’m talking about worship, true worship. Just like Pastor Price preached so eloquently about at homecoming.

What is worship? How do we worship? What does it look like when we worship God? What puts you in the mood to worship? In the Greek worship is “proskuneo” a greek word used only of worship offered to a god.

How did they worship? Did they build a a big cathedral with stained glass windows? Break out a organ and sing some songs? No, they worshiped by giving. Did you know you can worship by giving? That’s why it is part of the service!

I know that the struggle to give, or even to have it at the end of the week to give is real. Usually there’s to much month at the end of the money. People are asking us for money all the time! Our kids, family members, random strangers, unexpected bills, people wanting you to donoate to this, that or the other. Your boss says there no room in the budget for raises but the CEO is in the news making millions. You can’t even walk to your car In the parking lot in some places without someone hitting you up for money. Then when the plate gets passed around midway through service and you’re like oh no. One more person who wants my money.

Have you ever wondered why it’s like that? In Matthew 4 Jesus is tempted by Satan. Satan desires worship, he desires to take God’s place.  Worship is rightfully God’s and God’s alone. Satan wants to be God so thus he desires worship. So, if he can’t obtain worship he can at least take away worship that is meant for God. Our offering is part of that worship. Everything from the guy in the parking lot, to the car breaking down, to the dangerous lullaby of the credit card is used by the enemy to rob God of His worship.

God doesn’t need/want our money. He wants our hearts. He wants us to learn to be givers, because He is a giver. What your Pastors want isn’t your checkbook. We want your hearts. We want you involved! We want you invested in the ministries here at Antioch Baptist Church! We want you to do more than come and sit on a pew once or twice a week! Because, when God has your heart, then you see real lasting change.

So what did they give? Gold! Gold right now is around $1300 an ounce. We have several pawn shops and cash for Gold places right down the road. Not to mention the sell your gold parties’ people have in their houses now. Most of us have at least one piece of Gold jewelry but I doubt any of us have solid Gold utensils that we eat with. It was no different here in Matthew 2. Gold was used only for the best most important things. You look at the construction of the temple in Kings and you see all the gold that was involved in doing so. You see people donating their gold jewelry to help build the tabernacle of God prior to the building of the temple. Gold is the gift of kings.

Have you ever wondered what they did with the gold? I Imagine they sold it. Why would they sell it? Right after this they had to run away from Herod and went and lived in Egypt for years. What exactly financed that journey? Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

For years I thought there was no way to teach this and not seem biased. After all my salary comes from the offering plate. Of course, I think everyone should give.

Here’s my challenge if that is what you, or someone you know is struggling with. I want you to give, but not to Antioch. Find something to give that you believe in. Find something to give to that helps build the body of Christ. There are so many places that could benefit from your donation. Especially in light of the devastation in the east coast right now as a result of Hurricane Florence.

When we give, God uses it to further His Kingdom, When we submit our finances to the Lord we are then in a position to give and give generously in the worship of our King. Coming January of 2019 we will start another Financial Peace University class here at Antioch. It is 9 weeks long and it teaches how we might worship God and serve His kingdom with the finances and resources he has blessed us with. If you would like to know more about it please let me know! Have a great week!

2 Cor 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Sola Scriptura!

Pastor Glen                   

Bang!

"If you say you can or you say you can’t, you’re right." - Diamond  Dallas Page

I’ve been hesitant to write this particular post for a few months now. Once it’s out there it’s out there. It’s nothing super serious of ground breaking but it will bring another measure of accountability to me. I want to talk about two things and how God combined them into something new entirely.

1)     My love for Wrestling. More on that in a moment.

2)     My Chiari 1 Malformation.

In late 2000 I started losing the feeling in my pinky fingers and my big toes. I noticed my speech impediment getting worse and my lack of co-ordination was getting worse. I attributed this to having a cubicle job where I sat down for 8 hours a day and love of technology. I figured the lack of exercise and ergonomics were the root cause of my problems.

In January of 2001 the company I worked for switched insurance providers to a much better healthcare plan. I signed up for the best plan that they had at the time. I then proceeded to seek medical care about my tingling fingers. I was thinking Carpal Tunnel getting me early. I was wrong. I spent 3 months seeing different doctors with no real success. They even did a thing where they strapped my arms down to table and shocked them to watch the nerves. Finally, with no real success, my Doctor says “Let’s try and MRI might be a pinched nerve or something.” Late March 2001 I go and get my MRI results and I remember the conversation going like this.

Dr. “We know what’s wrong with you and it’s treatable.”

Glen: “Great!”

Dr: “Do you have a preferred Brain Surgeon?”

Glen: “I’m 21.”

Dr: “You have a Chiari 1 Malformation”

The rest is kind of a blur from that point until almost Rougemont on the ride home. You can read all about Chiari Malformations here:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chiari-malformation/symptoms-causes/syc-20354010

The too long didn’t read version is that my brain is to big for my skull and there’s some crowding in the back. I had to have a piece of my skull removed and two of my vertebrate shaved in half to make room. I have a cool scar you are welcome to look at next time you see me. I have to avoid anything that will cause an impact on my back/neck/spine. So no contact sports, no running, no jumping, no excessive heavy lifting, etc. That’s all kind of a bummer but on the plus side I get to wear tennis shoes all the time! I’m convinced dress shoes were created by someone who wanted to torture people,  possibly during the Spanish Inquisition!

To help improve my life expectancy and ease my symptoms (pain, migraines, nausea, other assorted GI issues, fatigue, speech, etc.) it would help if I exercise. However, the exercise has to be no impact and no heavy lifting. It really only left stationary bikes and swimming. I’m not a huge fan of either of those so I never consistently found any kind of workout that didn’t trigger/aggravate my symptoms and that I could consistently make myself do. File this away for a minute.

I grew up watching wrestling with my papa. I would sit in his recliner (which is in my living room) and watch the old GCW/NWA with Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel. I’ve watched wrestling on and off ever since. I’m presently in an on phase for the last year or so much to my wife’s chagrin.

Back in the 90’s one of the more popular superstars was Diamond Dallas Page aka DDP. I would always cheer for him to hit his trademark move “The Diamond Cutter” on a member of the nWo. He won 3 world championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. 

I read a wrestlers of the 90’s where are they now? Article on Buzzfeed at the beginning of the year. One of them mentioned that DDP was now running his own personal training business.

Page developed a yoga fitness program after recovering from ruptures to his L4/L5 discs. A few years ago you may have seen the viral video of Arthur Boorman a disabled veteran who was told he would never walk again. 15 years on crutches later he lost 140 lbs in 10 months using DDP’s Yoga program. Arthur is now one of the instructors and you see him in the workout videos.

I was curious but had wasted so much time and money on different apps /equipment  that I didn’t want to waste more than I already had. A few weeks later we went to Great Wolf Lodge and they had a kid yoga workout that morning before the park opened. I joined the kids for it and I really enjoyed it. It was only about 15 minutes. I looked around for Yoga classes but couldn’t find a whole lot that worked with my schedule. I thought I’ll check out DDP-Y again and see if I can find a free lesson or something. I did.

I did that workout a few times and enjoyed it. Tax return money came in and I ordered the DVD’s which also gave me 3 free months of the app. I am now 16 weeks into DDP-Y. I have completed the full 13 week beginners course and I am now working my way thru the Intermediate course. I over all feel better, stronger, and certainly more flexible than I was before. Best part is that almost none of it bothers my Chiari. The one thing that does (Cannonball Rolls) I do a simple modification for. 

These are me before. 

These are me 16 weeks in. 

Back in May I went for my annual Chiari check up. I finally had an answer for “What are you doing for exercise?” and showed the PA one of my one legged yoga poses. She was impressed! My neurologics had improved from the previous year and were the best they had been in probably 10 years. It really has made a huge difference in my life and unlike most exercises I look forward doing my yoga. 

If any of that sounds interesting to you I suggest you check it out yourself. 

https://ddpyoga.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caydaItxbwY&t=3s

As a fun way to close this story last week I went to Supercon in Raleigh and guess who I got to meet?

BANG!

Sola Scriptura

Pastor Glen

Contracts with God

Several you asked about notes for this sermon today. Here you go!
Matthew 20:1-16

Contract with God.

Who here has ever signed a contract of some type before? What type of contract did you sign and why? Maybe it was to buy a house, take a job, or sell a car. What all did it involve? Lawyers, Notary Republic, witnesses. Cashier checks? I’ve had contracts as informal as a handshake and then there was the first house I bought where I signed papers for roughly an hour with a lawyer, a notary and 2 witnesses present.

Regardless of what kind of contract we agreed to they all function the same. They outline what we are going to do and what the other side is going to do. Otherwise you can be found in breach of contract and then more lawyers get involved. If you follow any kind of sports you’ll see this in the pre-season of every major sport where some overpaid athlete wants to even more overpaid so they aren’t going to play until they get a new contract. Contracts are a part of life. What I want you to ask yourself is do I have a contract with God? Do I want one?

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

When I worked in Greensboro one of the areas I supported was Downtown near the baseball stadium. This was close to the Potter's House Community Kitchen. They served a homeless shelter and provided free meals twice a day. Day laborers would gather in the parking lot early in the morning to get picked up for work for that day. You could see the guys drive up in vans/pick up trucks and people hop in having found work that day. You still see this in bigger cities and all over SE Asia as a pretty common thing.  So, in our parable this landowner shows up. Hires a group of guys for the day, negotiates a fair rate everyone agrees to. They follow him back to his vineyard.

 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing [a]idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, [b]and whatever is right you will receive.’

Now, a little bit about ancient Jewish time keeping. This is back before watches, and clocks as we know them. You based your time off of the position of the sun in the sky. At best you had a sun dial. So the early morning was dawn. Usually around 6AM. The third hours is 9AM. The 6th Hour is Noon. The 9th hour was 3PM. Then at 6PM you had sunset and the work day was over.

This landowner goes out and hires people at 9AM, Noon, and 3PM. Then he does something crazy. He goes back at 5PM. There’s only an hour left in the day. He hires whomever is left. Says c’mon at least you’ll have worked a little. The guys that were still there at 5PM had pretty much given hope on finding work that day. No doubt many who weren’t picked at 3 went on home.  Which also meant they weren’t going to eat that day.

What’s different from the guys that were hired first thing and the guys that were hired later? They worked different hours for sure. It’s likely the first guys hired were more skilled/capable than those hired last. Also, the first group, was the only group that negotiated a wage. They agreed upon a denarius. That was a standard days wage in that time. So they had a contract. Guaranteed money!
The other groups not so much. They just have the owner’s word. Each subsequent group he tells them, hey if you want to work go to my vineyard and I’ll pay you what’s right. They had no guarantee, just a promise.  They all trusted in the master’s goodness.

8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they [c]complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For[d] many are called, but few chosen.”

So the day is over. It’s time to get paid. He lines everyone up from the guys that just got started first to the guys that worked all day in the back. These 1 hour guys show up and they haven’t really done much of anything. Clothes are still fresh. They aren’t that tired. Hands still look clean. The master says. “I told you I would take care of you right?” Keep in mind at this point, literally anything he pays them is better than the nothing they were expecting up until an hour ago. He pulls out his big pouch of coins and plunks a denarius in the first guys hands. Imagine the surprise of that guy. Imagine the joy he skipped home from work with. The story he told his family. There I was, it was 5PM, I wasn’t even sure why I was still out there I just didn’t want to face you guys again with nothing. Yet, this guy shows up and hires me. Says He’ll pay me something. I show up, I work about an hour and then he gives me a whole days wage! I’ll work for that guy anytime!

The master goes down the line handing out denarii like Oprah! You get a denarius and you get a denarius and you get a denarius! Everyone gets a denarius!

While all this is going on, the guys from the beginning they are looking at this and thinking man. This guy is crazy. I bet we get even more! Yet, when it comes time for them. They also get a denarius and they get mad about it. Hey, this isn’t fair! We did more than those other guys did! The master says sure it’s fair. You made exactly what we agreed upon. Your just Jealous of the same generosity you enjoyed earlier in the day. There’s a lot to unpack here.

It’s funny. I’ve actually lived this parable. In 2003 I still worked for the bank at the helpdesk. Regardless of the weather you were expected to make your shift (like most places) and if you could not you had to take Vacation time. Usually if it was going to snow/sleet in the forecast they would put several of us in a nearby hotel. They didn’t do that this particular time. So that night not only snow came but a decent amount of ice. Driving in snow is fine. Driving in Ice is how you end up in a ditch. So, with my road being a solid sheet of ice I called out. Once the sun got out good I spent some time clearing my drive way and vehicle of said Ice so I could get to work the next day. I contacted my boss around lunch time and told him I would be in the next day. He tells me if you come on in now and go to the hotel at 5. I’ll pay you for the whole day. I took that deal. I got ready drove in, made it to work around 1. I worked 4 hours and I got paid for 8. The guy in the cubicle next to me had come in right at 8 as he lived nearby. He was new to the department and had been brought in about mid-level. When I got there he was mad. It’s not fair! I’ve been here all day and me and you are getting paid the same amount of hours.

I responded “Oh! It’s just like the parable of the workers” This guy was a Buddhist and was pretty tired of my Bible talk at this point. He goes what? So then I told him this parable. He turned his back on me and didn’t talk to me the rest of the day. He had left for another job come spring time. 
 Had my co-worker not none I was getting a full days wage he wouldn’t have been upset. He would have been happy for the help. He had been told by my supervisor before I got there. The Master in the Parable could have avoided this argument by paying the angry guys first instead of last and they would have gone on their way.

So a couple of things of what this isn’t teaching. This is not to advocate a Marxist business philosophy of everyone makes the same regardless of how much they worked. This is not about rewards in heaven as we know from multiple scriptures rewards in heaven will be different based on faithfulness.

The key to this parable is the context. Why did Jesus tell this parable? Right before he told this parable the rich young rule approaches Jesus thinking tha this wealth and good works should earn him a spot in heaven. He tells this story to make a point. You don’t want to be in a contract relationship with God. You don’t want to receive what you deserve. You want to be like the 11th hour guy and simply trust in the master’s Goodness and go wherever he has work for you.
Listen, so many of our spiritual problems and so much of our spiritual unrest comes from having a “contract” mentality with God— believing that God owes something to us and we want him to give us what we deserve.

I want to go over 5 signs that you might be stuck in a contract mentality with God.

1)     Bitterness: Ask yourself, am I bitter towards God and His people because I believe God is withholding some blessing from me that I think I deserve?
Have you ever told God “You owe me this much?” That’s a contract mentality with God that has led to a root of bitterness in your heart. God owes nothing beloved. It’s a gift. Literally every single breathe you take is a mercy from God.

2)     Jealously: Are we Jealous of the good things other people have that we want?
I remember a friend of mine getting a new truck a few years ago. It was a Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab. It was shiny and new. Had that new car smell. Had all the bells and whistles. I was driving a 2004 pontiac sunfire. It had a car seat in the back of it (barely). It had soda stains on the passenger seat. It had scratches and dings all over it from where I slide off the road in an ice storm. The sunroof no longer worked and I looked at his truck and I looked at my car and I was jealous. Then I watched him fill it up at the tank, I wasn’t so jealous anymore.  A contract mentality with God has us constantly focusing on the things other people have that we don’t. It’s a miserable way to live your life.

3)     Anger: Do I get angry when God doesn’t answer my prayers the way I think He should?
I have a bad habit of telling God how things should pan out. How I see them happening. What would be best for me, my family and others. If He would only get with the program. I find myself frustrated when things I’ve prayed for turn out the exact opposite of what I asked. After all am I not a Pastor? Don’t I serve His people? Haven’t I’ve done this faithfully for 12 years? Then God reminds me that when I ask for stuff based on what I’ve done. I’m praying in my name not Jesus name.

4)     Insecurity: Do I feel insecure/uncertain about where I stand with God? Or what tomorrow holds for me?  When we live in a contract mentality with God we constantly are looking for the next work to accomplish. If bad things happen then we think God is punishing us. We can’t find rest for our weary souls because we are so terrified about what tomorrow might bring. Beloved, this should describe life WITHOUT Jesus, not WITH Jesus.  'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord!"

5)     Indifference: Am I moved to action by the suffering or others? Or I am to focused on my issues to care?  A contract mentality with God is all about us. We want God to behave like Aladdin’s Genie. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We don’t struggle with choosing between what is right and what is wrong. We struggle with choosing between what is right and what is easy. It’s easy to sit on the couch. It’s easy to focus on me. It’s easy to see all the injustice in the world and wring our hands. It’s easy to post grandiose comments on websites and social media. We put our personal opinion on facebook with a clever #hashtag and think we have accomplished something. We haven’t. It’s hard to love your neighbor as yourself.

You see, when we understand and accept that we DON’T deserve salvation and blessing, that Jesus did all the work and we got the blessing, it will produce in us a generous spirit towards others and redefine our concept of justice. We must get rid of our contract. In humility, we should all embrace the grace of God and trust in the goodness of the Master who has called us to follow him.

When we do this bitterness will be replaced with gratitude. Jealously with contentment, Anger with peace, insecurity with assurance, and indifference with compassion!

For some of you this could be a game changer. You came here today with a contract with God. You can leave here with trust in the hope and grace of Jesus!

Happy Dependence Day

Happy Dependence Day!

“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses."” – Matthew 8:16-17

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

America-the first nation to begin as "a Christian nation"-was colonized by people seeking to worship God freely, they established schools so everyone could read the Bible, founded universities to train ministers, and wrote laws reflecting biblical truth.


America declares "In God We Trust" on every dime and dollar-one nation under God, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created free and equal. America's first political document, the Mayflower Compact, said:  having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith,…, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body … for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid.


American shores afforded religious liberty just as missionary-minded Protestants were being harried out of Europe. Puritans, Presbyterians, Quakers, Moravians . . . all seeking freedom from persecution. Their ideals came from their Bibles. Every group brought the Scriptures in their own language-English Baptists, Swedish Lutherans, French Huguenots, Scotch Covenanters, and German Mennonites.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12).

Our nation started out as a nation whose purpose was the advancement of the Christian Faith. A nation, who at first consumed everything in its path for God, now does so with the same fervor and sense of entitlement for its new god, ourselves.


What does any of this have to do with what we read earlier in Matthew 8?

“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses."” – Matthew 8:16-17

A lot is going on in Matthew 8. Jesus has just finished the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is now among the multitude not only teaching and preacing the Word of God but moving along the people, loving on them and healing them. Matthew recognizes this as a fulfillment of Isiasah 53 which talked about how the Messiah would heal all those brought before him.

This section of Matthew's Gospel shows four different people being healed, each one different from the other.


i. Different people were healed.

- A Jew with no social or religious privileges.

- A Gentile officer of the army occupying and oppressing Israel.

- A woman related to one of Jesus' devoted followers.

- Unnamed multitudes.


ii. Their requests were made in different ways.

- A direct request from the sufferer, made in his own faith.

- A request from one man for another, made in faith on behalf of a suffering man.

- No request was made because Jesus came to the sufferer, so there was no evidence of faith from the healed.

- Sufferers that were brought to Jesus, with different kinds of faith.


iii. Jesus used different methods to heal.

- Jesus used a touch that was forbidden.

- Jesus used a word spoken from afar.

- Jesus used a tender touch.

- Jesus used a variety of unnamed methods.


Confession time. I struggle with my faith at times. I know what the Bible says, I know it pretty well, I have a Masters Degree specifically in Christian Studies. Yet, there are times where I just want to worry myself sick about a particular situation in my life or in yours. It can go on for weeks in some instances where I have trouble eating, sleeping or doing anything else. God just refuses to operate on my time table for some reason. I’ve argued with God that if He didn’t want to do it He could just give me the money so I could fix stuff. However, He still refuses to make me a billionaire even though I have assured him I would be gracious and benevolent from my private island in my gigantic mansion with my solid gold toilets. You see I just want to fix things, specifically I want the power to fix things the way I think they should be. Yet, God never once calls us to fix things. God calls on us to love one another. People aren’t projects to be fixed but souls to be loved.


We look at the world today and we realize that things are wrong but then we mistakenly think that we, or some other human agency can fix it! Racial tension, economic instability, moral collapses, wars and threats of war. We are in need of a movement of God! We have to stop talking politics and start getting broken over the hurt and pain of a world without God! A solution is not coming from Raleigh, or DC, or winning the lottery. It doesn’t matter our race, creed, or nationality. It doesn’t matter our age, gender or sexual orientation. It doesn’t matter where we fall on the political spectrum the answer and the hope is not legislation, policy, procedure or wealth redistribution! The answer and the hope is only in the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because when God moves people change from the inside out and it is real genuine lasting transformation.


Our nation is sick, full of demons and every other wicked thing you can think of. We are not a nation who is dependent upon the Lord. Christ can take our infirmities and bear our sicknesses both as individuals and as a nation but they first have to be brought to Him. That’s what tonight’s message is about. We are bringing ourselves, our loved ones, our soldiers, our government, our nation to Christ that all might be Healed.

While we celebrate our independence this week let's us not forget The One on which we are eternally dependent!

Happy Dependence Day everyone!

Sola Scriptura!
Pastor Glen

Why is this baby crying?

Why is this baby crying?

Hello Everyone!

I’m right around the 2.5 year mark for being a Stay At Home Dad. We’ve had a blessed 2018 so far. January started off well. We finished up some repairs to the house we had been working on for a while. We made some curriculum changes with the kids that are still going strong today. I taught what I think is my 8^th Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University Class. The wife is doing well at work and has an exciting mission trip coming up this summer. Sam is playing baseball for the 3^rd year. The girls are coming along nicely in Piano and Lucas can tell you all his letters and sounds.

That’s not to say everything’s been perfect. As always with ups there are downs. After my first FPU class this year on January 21^st I got a text from Lindsey letting me know that The Boo was throwing up. Thus began a lovely month in which there was not a 24 hour period where one of us did not either A) Throw up or B) run a fever. By my, some what fuzzy, count we had The Flu, Two different stomach bugs, Bronchitis, Sinus & Ear infections along with all the fun those things bring. There was a ton of Lysol, Bleach & Clorox Wipes used in abundance. My kitchen counter looked like a pharmacy with all the assorted vitamins, medicines, and herbal remedies we had going. It was Feb 23^rd before we had a 24 hour sick/fever free period. Gracefully, since then things haven’t been quite as bad but still had the errant fever or stomach bug here and there.

I ruined right around 3 pair of cargo pants with disinfectant cleaners. So if you see me out in public with assorted bleach spots on my pants know you know why. Perhaps I will start a new fashion trend?

Why is this Baby crying?

Lucas is now almost 3 years old. We are in the process of potty training. You see I was fortunate in that 98% of potty training with the other kids was handled by Lindsey. Lucas is wearing pull ups and is now peeing in the potty consistently. That is progress. He's quite clever using various items around him as tools. 

He used this chair to get at the Doughnuts while I was out of the room. 

Doughnut in each hand!

Also, he’s in his “Terrible Two” phase and sometimes has huge meltdowns. This largely from him either A) Not getting what he wants or B) Not being able to explain himself properly. Below are a few of our favorites. 

He's mad I was cutting Anna's nails.

He's mad that I'm watching Sam at Bat. 

He's mad that the cake is gone. 

He's mad I don't have on a sock. 

 

These are all great but the next one is my favorite. 

That's right. He is mad that he can't shut his sister inside the fridge. He didn't want to close the fridge. He specifically wanted to close Madison inside of it. I'm sure those of us with siblings have been able to relate to this one at one point or another.

I hope this gave you a laugh or two. As always, we appreciate all your love, support and prayers.

Sola Scriptura!
Pastor Glen

The Offense of the Cross - Billy Graham

Happy Resurrection Sunday! 

I got a lot of positive response from Joint SS at Antioch today. I talked briefly about the life & ministry of Billy Graham. He had over 400 crusades, preached in 185+ countries, 6 continents, and live to over 215 million people. He did so with a simple message about the cross. Billy Graham believed that once could not come to the cross and not be changed.  

Below is a timely Easter message by Billy Graham concerning the Offense of the Cross. 

Thanks,
Pastor Glen

Below is a message entitled "Why is the Cross an Offense?" By Billy Graham

Many people wear crosses. It’s popular to wear them. But what the cross stands for is an offense, a stumbling block, a scandal. It’s a rugged cross, a place where blood was shed. It’s a place where Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. Eight hundred years before Christ was born Isaiah said, “There is no beauty [in him] that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2, KJV). There was no beauty on that cross. Jesus was bleeding, suffering, dying and crying out to God, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, KJV). The Apostle Paul found that the cross provoked antagonism. 

We hear the cry, “Back to Christ, back to Christ!” What kind of Christ?

Too often it’s a romantic Jesus that we want, the One who walked in Galilee. But it's not the Christ of the cross whom we want.  Christ came to die. Jesus is the only One who was ever born for the  express purpose of dying. He came to die for the redemptive purpose of God, and he rose again in the will of God, by the plan of God, for the salvation of the human race. 

The Scripture says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3 KJV).  It was horrible in one sense and glorious in another. We remember how Judas betrayed him. We remember how the soldiers came to take him away. We remember how he was taken to the Temple and how they spit in his face and hit him. And we  remember how they took him to Pilate, who said, “Whom will ye  that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:17, KJV). The people who had a choice said, “Give us Barabbas. Crucify Jesus.” 

Then we remember how they took him and scourged him, put a crown of thorns on his head, stripped him and put a robe on him.  Then they took him out to Golgotha and put spikes in his hands and feet and lifted him up on a cross between two thieves.   

Agony  

But the agony of the cross wasn't just the physical suffering of the  Lord Jesus Christ; the deeper suffering of Christ on the cross was  spiritual: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). In that holy moment God laid upon him all the sins of the world. We cannot comprehend such love. 

Why is the cross an offense? The cross of Christ is an offense because it condemns the world. It says to us, “You are sinners.”We  don’t like to be told we are sinners. We love darkness because our  deeds are evil. We don’t like the Gospel spotlighting us. We don’t  like someone to point out our faults and our failures and our mistakes, and especially our sins.   

Not only is the cross an offense because it says that we are sinners,  but it is an offense because on the  cross blood was shed. God’s Word teaches that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. All the way through the Old Testament lambs and bullocks are sacrificial offerings, representing the time when Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, would come and die on the cross, shedding his blood as a sacrifice for us, taking our sins. 

Blood is repulsive. The Bible says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood."(Leviticus 17:11). When Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, his life was given for us. This is called the blood of propitiation. Jesus Christ is the One whom “God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his  righteousness for the [forgiveness]  of sins that are past.” (Romans 3:25, KJV). It means a covering: God covers our sin by the blood. 

The blood of Christ is the blood of redemption: “And they sung a  new song, saying, Thou art worthy  to take the book, and to open the  seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy  blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” (Revelation 5:9, KJV). We are redeemed by the blood.     

Forgiveness 

It is the blood of forgiveness:  “Without shedding of blood there is  no [forgiveness].” (Hebrews 9:22, KJV).

It is the blood of reconciliation: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who  sometimes were far off are made  nigh by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians2:13, KJV). It's the blood that reconciles us to God. If you are separated from God by sin, you can be restored to fellowship with God. You can have your sins forgiven; you can know you are going to heaven; you can have God's peace in your heart. But first there must be reconciliation with God made possible by the blood.

 

It is the blood of justification: “Much more then, being now  justifiied by his blood, we shall be  saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9). And the word “justified” means to be released from the guilt of sin and accepted as righteous. The Bible says God remembers your sins no more because of the cross. 

It is also the blood of peace. We have “peace through the blood of his cross.”(Colossians 1:20). Is there peace in your heart? Peace toward God; peace toward your fellow man; peace in your home; peace where you work?  That turbulence raging in your heart can be quieted by the Lord Jesus Christ if you will in simple faith say, “Yes, Lord Jesus, come into my heart." 

The cross is an offense because it demands a disciplined life. Jesus said, “lf any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take  up his cross daily, and follow  me.” (Luke :23). 

Many chafe at that kind of restraint. We refuse to give up what we know his cross condemns. And his cross condemns evil and         wrongdoing. It condemns lying and cheating and fraud. It condemns corruption and oppression and racial prejudice.

Peace 

The cross is also an offense because it points to a dramatic end to the world as we know it. The world likes to think that it will  somehow work out its problems  and that permanent peace will  come. Permanent peace will come when the Prince of Peace comes  back — not until then. We may have temporary peace — and the  Christian is to work for peace — but ultimately the prophecy of  Jesus will be fulfilled. There will be wars and rumors of wars until the end of time when Christ will intervene in human history. At that time Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, will be crowned King of  kings and Lord of lords. 

And the cross of Christ is an offense because it claims to be the  only way of salvation. If l proclaim ritualism, works, ordinances, the  offense of the cross will cease. The offense of the cross arises chiefly  from the fact that the cross is the  only way to God. 

If you want to go to heaven, if you want your sins forgiven, if you  want to know that you have eternal  life, you will have to come to the  cross. By faith, with all your heart, surrender to him. That’s the teaching of the New Testament; that’s the teaching of Jesus Christ. 

https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/

Source: Decision - August 1980