To Vote or Not to Vote

Proverbs 11:3 Asks the question: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Very few can legitimately argue that the United States was not founded on religious principles and established by religious people. Though it is very much in vogue to find something evil about everything that made this country great, the fact is that you cannot go into our great national capitol and not find monuments throughout the entire city celebrating the fact that God was the One responsible for the establishment of this great country of ours. From the Lincoln memorial to small statues and plaques everywhere, the name of God and Jesus Christ, not to mention the Holy Spirit is reverently displayed and thanks goes to Him for all that has been accomplished.  Scripture is everywhere, speaking of God's greatness and goodness to us. It is amazing to see what has happened in my lifetime, how all of this has systematically been challenged and history has been re-written. Recently, Marie and I watched a short special on John Lennon and the Beatles, and we were reminded of how Lennon had stated "We are more popular than Jesus Christ". When he said that, (and I remember it well), Christians and millions of Americans in general, got outraged and Lennon was forced to apologize for such a slight. Can you imagine something like that happening today? Movies like Religulous would never have been made, South Park would never mock Jesus, God's name would not be allowed to be said on national TV while the "N" word is banned, and a host of plays, paintings, and movies would never be made. We have fallen so far from our Christian roots, and today we are paying for it. Take as an example Prop 8. Since when do we really have to define marriage as between a man and a woman? Doesn't nature itself tell you what works and doesn't work? Yet, homosexual activists have worked 24-7 to make sure that they are legitimized. This is not about equal rights, it is about legitimizing perversion, and the church is once again asleep at the wheel. One school "teacher" actually took her first grade class on a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding ceremony, because as she said, she didn't want to miss this "teachable moment". In other words, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to indoctrinate the children with confusion and perversion. Sadly, they went with the permission of their irresponsible parents, with only two parents having the common sense and backbone to keep their children home that day. Perhaps it is easier to have the kids go to a field trip than to actually stay home to care for them, or to provide someone (is anybody home) to watch them. Sad, sad, sad. This is the state of America. We have a Presidential candidate that believes in the re-distribution of wealth...you work, and I will live off of your earnings. After all, I don't want to work, won't work, am not willing to work, but still want a satellite dish and color TV. It's my right, so work hard so I can have it! This is pure socialism, yet people are not outraged by it. Hey, let's lower our medical standards so we can become a European or Canadian type country. We can then say that everybody gets health care, but not tell the people that to get health care like the British, we need to be willing to wait up to 40 weeks to get an operation, some dying before they can receive care. The Canadians who need operations come to the US by the thousands, and the Canadian government spends $1 billion a year to pay for medical operations that Canadians come here to get. But ignorant Americans want a president who will take our health care down, and he does it under the guise of being good to people. He says no new taxes on anybody but the wealthy. Then he defines wealthy for us, but fails to say that millions already don't pay taxes and small business owners will end up losing everything. Man, we had better wake up. We need to vote this coming election, and not vote on personality, but on experience. I don't care much for either candidate, but I know where one will take us and don't want to go there. God help us all...

What is truth

When I first became a Christian, it was very refreshing to finally have something that I felt I could hold fast to with complete trust. I knew that the philosophies of the world were vacuous and developed "me first" kinds of people, as I myself had been totally absorbed in the foolishness of the age myself and was a great example of such self-centered living, and so when I came to Christ, truth began to matter. Jesus made it clear that truth matters, and that truth exists. Obviously, He is truth incarnate, but He also speaks that which is true. His word is truth, and truth sets us free from the bondage that sin keeps us locked up in. This is the main reason that I try to teach: truth sets you free. When I look out at our church, I see so many who have come to understand this, people who have been set free from sin. I see former alcoholics, drug abusers, violent people, as well as former adulterers, homosexuals, and thieves. And this is my staff!!!! Actually, when you look at the church, it is made up of so many who at one time were blind, but now they see because of Jesus, and it makes my heart overflow with joy. It is all because Jesus set them free, and He did so and does so through His word, the Bible. When I first got saved, I was told that God's word was truth, and that I needed to read it, study it, and do it so that I might come to know how it does set free, and with this in mind we are going to have a series on Sunday nights with the hope that our people will take advantage of being better equipped to give away their faith. We live at a time that reminds me of the question asked of Jesus by Pilate, when he asked Him "What is truth"? His jaded mind could not grasp that, in the midst of a universe filled with lies, such a thing could exist. This spirit remains to our day, and I pray that the studies that will be given will help people understand that truth exists, it is incarnated in our blessed Savior, and has been given to us to hold fast to and to share. I pray people show up Sunday night, fully realizing how difficult it is for some to do so. But, it will be eternally worth it...

My God shall supply

I was reading something interesting (to me!) the other day. A writer was pointing out that though  charitable giving in the United States has steadily increased over the last 30 years, in the '80's religion received nearly 55% of all charitable gifts, but in the '90's it went down to 40%, and now is at 33%! This is interesting, in that though giving to those in need has actually grown, giving to the Lord has actually gone down. Americans, in general, give away 2% of their income yearly (far less than a tithe), yet less give to their churches today than ever before.  While we Americans, as a people, are the most generous people on the planet, we no longer seem to trust the churches we attend, which obviously includes the church I pastor. What is interesting is that we believers apparently have forgotten (or perhaps never really believed) that eternity matters, and that our church fellowships that we attend are actually impacting the world, for eternity. Without the financial support of our members, our churches will simply cease performing the functions that have produced such blessings in so many lives. I never actually say this in church as I am aware most would misunderstand me, but I am concerned for the health of our fellowship. It has been said "Giving is the closest thing we have on a daily basis to getting a true pattern of a person's character", and I happen to agree with that statement. As I have said in the past, my wallet and my heart have an invisible string, tying them together. I have seen that, when times get financially tight, the first thing that people do is stop giving to the Lord. It is not that they stop giving (fast food restaurants still get plenty of business), but they do stop giving to Him. Interestingly, some say that they will return to their giving patterns once the financial crunch is over, and they borrow from the Lord. Still, in the Old Testament, if I decided to withhold my gifts to God for personal benefit, I would actually add 20% to what I held back when I next presented my gifts to the Lord (Lev 27:31). Can you imagine how much I would be obligated to the Lord were we still under the Law? I pray that we, the church, repent from our habit of robbing God and begin trusting Him to "supply all of our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". As a pastor, I actually am saddened as I see the church numerically growing, but now having to hold back on doing things that would benefit the kingdom of God and this church because people are withholding their gifts, or have simply never stepped out in faith to give to the Lord. If you are afraid financially, my encouragement to you is to evaluate your spending habits, eliminate non-essential spending, develop a budget that prioritizes your spiritual life, and be careful to eliminate credit card debt and unnecessary purchases. Learn to, as we used to say so long ago "put your money where your mouth is", in other words, learn to walk the walk as well as talking the talk. In doing so, God will reveal to you that He truly is the Jehovah Jireh, the God Who provides (Gen 22:14)! 

Call unto Me

We had our night of prayer last Friday, and it was wonderful in every way. It was a blessing joining with so many churches for prayer, and I rejoiced seeing the body of Christ uniting for prayer. Golden Springs, Chino Hills, Upland, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, and many other fellowships were represented, and I was so moved by the excitement and anticipation I sensed in the sanctuary. We gathered to pray for our state and our nation, but especially for our marriages. Ultimately, society rises or falls on the foundation of its families, and with the radical re-defining of family, it is really the church's responsibility to stand up and re-emphasize just what a family is. God tells us that marriage is His idea, and in Malachi 2:11 He goes so far as to refer to marriage as the holy institution which He loves. Marriage is defined in scripture as the union of a man and a woman, creating a composite unity: the two becoming one.  Because we believe in the traditional definition of marriage, we oppose changing it to accommodate willful sin and this is why we joined in prayer this last Friday. I would encourage you all to pray for our marriages, and to guard your own, as well as turning out to vote in November. We need to make our consciences known, and you can do it in many ways, including at the ballot box. Remember, all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.  

Anniversaries

We all have some dates etched into our minds, and they are like bench marks, or sign posts that remind us of what we have done, or where we have been. Birthdays, graduations, marriages, births, deaths, our moment of salvation all have months, days, and years attached to them, and every time we reach one of these dates, our memories can be drawn back to that day and the things that happened. Today, Sept 19, is such a day for me. On this date last year, Marie and I flew to Miami, Florida so I could teach at CC Kendall's Wednesday night service, and then teach four times at their yearly marriage couple's retreat. I was on "vacation" (I usually take working vacations) and thought it would be nice to combine ministry with fellowship, and because we wanted to spend time with Pedro, Kendall's pastor, we decided to go. We left early that morning, getting up around 4 a.m., and took an early flight to Florida. While en route, I distinctly remember that I was reading, and could not focus on the words on the page. I prayed, "O God, I know that I am losing my memory. Please do not let it happen while I am teaching". I didn't tell Marie what I was experiencing, as I did not want to alarm her, but I knew something was going to happen. After arriving in Miami, we went to our room, and I quickly got ready for the evening service, and within an hour or two after arrival was sitting in Pedro's office, waiting for the service to start. Marie brought me two Cuban coffee's (very strong espresso) and I went out to teach. At the end of the study my memory faded and was almost completely erased. I gave an invitation, prayed with people at the foot of the platform, and then told Marie that I did not know where I was. Paramedics were called, and my blood pressure was something like 200 over 100 and they said that I was in danger of having a stroke, so they put me in an ambulance and I was hospitalized for three days. Quite an experience, I must say. This turned my world upside down, as I began going to specialists to get tests to determine what was wrong, and much of my life was changed from that day on. The initial prognosis was early stages of Alzheimer's, and the neuropsychologist I went to said that I might live a normal life for the next 7 years. Stress was to be avoided, weight was to be lost, exercise was to begin, and my life pretty much changed. Added to this was a diagnosis of stage 2 diabetes, early stages of melanoma, and the early stages of cataracts. This all took place between Sept 19th and November. When November arrived, we had a trip scheduled to go to Hawaii, and I felt that I needed to get away, to try to regroup and to think of what all of this was going to do to my family, and my ministry. We have a fairly large church, and the needs represented by such a group are huge and continuous. When the neuropsychologist told me I needed to reduce stress, I told her that that would be difficult to do, because I am a pastor: stress is part of the package. I was feeling bad because I couldn't concentrate on all the daily concerns of the church, and felt like I was failing as a pastor, as I could not be there like I used to be. I was having difficulty remembering names of people I had known for over 20 years, and as I read and studied my bible, I had to re-read the passage, as I would pretty much forget what I had just read. I began relying on my notes more extensively, as I could not remember where I wanted to go, even after teaching the passage in first and second service. I didn't want to tell the church, as I did not want to cause them concern, not to mention that I knew that some would leave the church because they could not handle being taught by a pastor in poor health. People can be interesting when it comes to things like this. I remembered how many people left the church shortly after my father died, because my emotions would get the best of me as I taught, and I would begin to cry when I mentioned him. Some just cannot handle this kind of thing, and I am aware of it and for this reason, kept these things pretty much to myself and told only a handful of people about what was going on. All of this was pretty much a bummer, I can tell you, but there are benefits. My good friend Mike MacIntosh recently wrote me and he said that these kinds of events reveal two things: our own mortality, and our need for humility, as we are put in the position of trusting the Lord much more, with a sense that we are not going to pastor the church forever! He is so right, and my life has been changed by the events of Sept 19th. I should add, that after the diagnosis of dementia (early Alzheimer's) the neurologist told me that he misdiagnosed me, and gave me a clean bill of health. The skin specialist provided treatment, and the early melanoma was dealt with, and I have lost weight and hope to avoid insulin with the stage 2 diabetes. All in all, good has resulted. I pastor a wonderful group of people, and those who have been with me for years have remained compassionate, understanding, and supportive as my family and I have walked this valley. I still don't know exactly what caused my memory loss, and perhaps may never know, but that is something I can live with. With this in mind, I think of how Paul had a divine gift, what he referred to as his "thorn in the flesh", so today is my anniversary of my own "thorn". Through this,  I have come to know in a deeper way that "when I am weak, then I am strong" because "God's strength is made perfect in weakness". To Him be the glory, great things He is doing, great things He has done! Even so, I will serve Him as faithfully as I can until I see His face and can tell Him how much I love Him. 

Just checking in

I have been gone for the last several days, on what is a working vacation kind of thing. We went to Mt. Hermon (near Santa Cruz) on Sunday Sept 7, and taught at a pastor's/leadership conference twice. On Wednesday, the 10th, we left Mt. Hermon and stayed in Carmel for a couple of days, and then drove on to Pismo Beach for two more days, getting home on Sunday, the 14th. From that point on, we have been at home and have been kind of relaxing and taking care of a few things. We are getting ready for our Friday night of prayer, and that is what is on my mind at the moment. This nation is in need of prayer, and it will be a blessing for us to get together with other church bodies to lift up our marriages and families. At the moment, I am not overly concerned about this nation, as I see it as becoming ready for a new move of the Spirit. As I read the Old Testament book of Judges, I see how there are actually cycles that the nation traveled through, from God's presence to God's judgment, and then back to God's presence and I see similarities in this nation. It is obvious that we have not yet been forsaken by God; the fact is, we are the most blessed nation on planet earth, but what we need to do is return to the God of our fathers, plain and simple. I think our marriages and families, as Christians, need to once again take the center place of our faith as the strength of the nation is built on the strength of its families. We need to honor our promises to God, and to our spouses once again, and we need to preserve our homes so that our children will learn how to live for Jesus, and become decent people and good citizens. I sure pray that this is what is emphasized when we get together, and I for one am ready to call our churches back to fellowship with God, and a walk that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus. If you are able to join us, please make every effort to do so. If you cannot, please take time on Friday to pray for a revival in this nation, and a renewed hunger for our marriages and families to be built up in Jesus. The time is short, and it is high time to awaken to the things of the Lord. May God hear our prayers for this beautiful country we have been so blessed to live in! 

A wonderful day

Today I taught at the Calvary Chapel South Bay Men's Conference, and it was quite a blessing. Raul Ries was the first teacher, and his heartfelt cry to the men to yield to the Holy Spirit was timely, moving, and very important. The men responded with great emotion to the call, and I was blessed to see such a response, and to also feel a personal desire for more of the Lord in my life. The second speaker was a missionary to the Sudan. He came and spoke to us, and his message was very convicting and encouraging at the same time. He shared stories of the men he trains as chaplains, and how they have given up everything to follow the Lord. Some have been murdered, others have been tortured, and yet others have had their wives and children killed for the simple reason that they are Christians, living in a Muslim environment. It was sobering, and made me reconsider what I actually think are the "costs" of following Jesus. When I spoke, my message was simple: if I love Jesus, I will obey Him.  I am greatly concerned that my love for Him actually grows daily, and that I avoid the trap of getting busy doing ministry and forgetting why I do what I do. As I write this, I am getting ready to travel to the Santa Cruz, Ca area to teach at a Calvary Chapel Pastor's/leaders conference. I pray that the message God has placed on my heart, as well as the hearts of the other teachers,  is received and that we who lead churches will learn to walk in God's Spirit and to become people whose faith is real, and evident. God bless you all, and I pray the Lord continues working in all of our lives. Hope to see many of you in church service tomorrow, and may the Lord draw you closer to Himself!