7 Tickets?… Are you crazy?

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Gal 6:7

In the summer of 1994, Sue and I took a 2-week vacation with her sister, Barbara, her husband Gerry and their 3 boys, Chris, Matt and Steven. We got in their van and drove the Interstate Highway System. We drove west to St. Louis, north to Green Bay and then back home. We made many stops in places like Canton, OH, Indianapolis, IN and Chicago, IL. The purpose of our trip was to enjoy the sights America has to offer and to visit as many sports venues as we could find.

Our first destination was Cleveland where we were hoping to see a Sunday afternoon game between the hometown Indians and the Chicago White Sox. We didn’t have any tickets but we planned on getting them at the game. We left Long Island on Saturday and went as far as Pittsburgh figuring we would stay over night and get an early start for Cleveland the next morning.

Unfortunately, the Pirates were on the road, but after settling down in a motel, we drove to Three Rivers Stadium in the hopes of maybe getting a stadium tour. When we got there, the parking lot was half  full. Although it was the middle of July, the parking was abuzz with hockey. We landed in the middle of a summertime roller hockey tournament. Hockey nets were set up from one end of the parking lot to another and kids in padded uniform on a hot day were skating up and down on the concrete.

We walked around the stadium and along the Ohio River and when we had enough, we went back to the parking lot and prepared to leave. It was at this time that a coach of one of the teams approached us with a frantic request for something to drink for his players. The tournament had run out of water and his team was dying of thirst. Since we had just left home that morning, our van was packed with plenty of drinks and food. As you know, you can never travel too far with kids (or Sue!) without having something for them to eat or drink.

This coach was waving a $20 bill and was willing to pay more just for anything to give his thirsty players. We had boxes of juice packs for our trip and gladly gave him whatever he needed. He insisted on giving us money for it, but we wouldn’t take. He was just so grateful for drinks and couldn’t thank us enough.

The next morning, we got to Cleveland and went to the game. But, we were about to disappointed. In 1994, Jacobs Field, where the Indians played their home games, was a new ballpark and the Indians were a good team playing another good team, the White Sox, for first place in the AL Central Division. The game was sold out. No tickets were available, even all of the standing room tickets were sold. There was nothing. Nada. No way we were getting in to see the game. That’s what everyone thought. But, God had other plans.

My sister-in-law, Barbara, went to the ticket window and pour her heart out with the story of coming all the way from Long Island to see the game. Was there anyway we could get in? The ticket agent told her the game was completely sold out. Barbara said she needed 7 tickets. “7 Tickets?…Are you crazy?”, exclaimed the ticket agent. Barbara asked her politely if she would just check one more time. The agent reluctantly checked and a look of amazement formed upon her face. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She said, “I don’t believe this. There are 7 tickets available in same row halfway up in the second level between home plate and first base.” She continued, “these are great seats.” And they were.

To this day, I stay convinced that God had his hand in providing those tickets for us. I believe He showed us His favor that day because we showed Him to thirsty hockey players the previous day. Matthew 25:40 states, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

We went on to have the best vacation we could ever remember. We still talk about all the things we saw and the places we visited. We saw one Minor League game in Columbus, OH and four Major League games including the Mets in St. Louis and the Yankees in Milwaukee. We visited the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame, took a lap around the Indy 500 Racetrack, went to the top of Gateway Arch and toured the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field (of course it was July so it wasn’t frozen when we were there).

But, on that Sunday in Cleveland, we were touched by the hand of God. 7 Tickets? … Are you crazy? No, we’re blessed. To God be the Glory. Amen.

7 Tickets… and that’s the Word of The Day.

The Next Step

Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. (Ps 28:2)

She met the White-Robed Man as a student in college and put her faith and trust in Him. The White-Robed Man would supply all her needs and all her wants which lined up with His will. He promised to be with her on her journey in this life.

She waited patiently for a helpmate, one who would also trust in Him. The two together with the White-Robed Man to lead and guide would be a fruitful and wonderful journey. Two is great but three is divine. The White-Robed Man provided and their life, the journey, began.

They walked along the shore with their footprints quietly leaving behind a trail of carefully planned steps. Each one ordered and blessed by the White-Robed Man. Along the way, they found a rock. The rock brought them great joy and they held the rock tightly in their held hands and continued on their way. The White-Robed Man walking lovingly beside them gently holding them up knowing that soon a storm would arise. It was a storm only He could get them through.

They continued on their journey and there in the sand were 2 more rocks – little pebbles actually. They went down on their knees and picked up the identical little pebbles. They were most beautiful. She took them in her hands and held them tightly and never wanted to let go of them. But, that’s when the storm hit. With all its raging trouble, the storm turned the bright day into night and the calm into a furious howling wind.

She looked at the White-Robed Man with tears in her eyes. She knew what was coming but did not want to let go. The White-Robed Man looked back at her and with calmness and everlasting peace in His voice He said, “I need to take them, now.” She wanted so much to see them turn into large rocks. She wanted to keep them on her journey. She always wanted them with her. Knowing this, the White-Robed Man with a deep love and compassion assured her. He said, “I will keep them forever in My hand. Since I have always been with you on this journey, I will continue to be with you. Them with Me and you with Me, together forever!” In faith, she let go and the White-Robed Man took the pebbles home.

Their burden was heavy. The next leg of the their journey would be long and difficult. They wanted to stay on their knees for awhile. The weight of the moment was unbearable. The White-Robed Man understood. He placed His loving arms around them and whispered quietly in their ears, “Come to Me, you who are heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The White-Robed Man took a step forward, turned and said to the couple as they held their one rock firmly in their hands, “Come, there is more for us to do.” The storm still raged but as they looked upon Him, they could see the clearing ahead. Still, they wanted to stay in this moment a little while longer. They rose but their legs would not move. But, they knew their journey needed to go on. Maybe there would be other rocks to find but they were anchored to the Rock and somehow all would be fine. Again, the White-Robed Man beckoned, “Come.” It was hard but suddenly they were surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and in faith, they took the next step. But, the only footprints left in the sand were those of the White-Robed Man.

The Next Step… and that’s the word of The Day.

Pro-Choice… Really?

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Gen 2:7)

The Declaration of Independence states, "they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It also states that these rights are "self evident" and that they constitute the "Laws of Nature." These principles are taken directly from the Bible.

The Law of Nature can be viewed in Romans 2:14-16. That our Creator is the Author of life is seen in Genesis 2:7. That God, not government, grants liberty is seen in Galatians 5:1. The "pursuit of happiness" is found in Ecclesiastes 3:13.

Notice that in The Declaration of Independence, the first unalienable right is not Liberty but Life.

During the Super Bowl between the Saints and the Colts on Feb 7, 2010, Focus on the Family has purchased a 30-second spot at a cost of $3M to present the story of Ann Tebow who gave birth to her son, Tim despite being advised to have an abortion. Tim was her 5th child and she was terribly sick during the pregnancy as she and her husband were in the Philippines on a missionary trip.

Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy and the National Championship as a quarterback with the Florida Gators in 2008. Tim wears scripture verses on the black patch beneath his eyes on gameday.

As of this writing, there is an amazing controversy surrounding this ad. People and organizations who call themselves Pro-Choice have been outraged that CBS would even air this ad during the Super Bowl.

Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, Bill had as a guest, Jehmu Greene of the Women’s Media Center. Their position on the Tebow ad is this: “The Women’s Media Center, along with a united front of organizations dedicated to reproductive rights, tolerance, and social justice, has launched a campaign calling CBS to immediately pull an anti-choice advertisement sponsored by Focus on the Family to air during Super Bowl XLIV.”

Anti-choice? Hmmm. Didn’t Ann Tebow have a choice? Didn’t she choose to have her son? Isn’t it ironic that supporters of Pro-Choice are all up in arms when someone makes a “choice” to have a baby instead of killing it. They are not Pro-Choice; they are Pro-Death.

On their website, Planned Parenthood advocates the following:

• removing restrictions on abortion access
• expanding the number of abortion providers
• ensuring access to confidential health care for young women

Removing restrictions and expanding the number of abortion providers sounds like the choice they want you to make is death not life. Life is first of our God-given unalienable right.

Personally, I don’t like the halftime shows at the Super Bowl. So, I don’t watch them. If you don’t like the ad, don’t watch it. But they will watch it and complain so more. According to Romans, they have already been turned over to their depraved mind. (Romans 1:28-32 NKJV)

Pro-Choice… Really? and that’s the word of The Day.

Life

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants (Deut 30:19)

About 40 years ago, my sister was 5 months pregnant when she started to spot and have bleeding problem. She went to the hospital where she went into labor and gave birth to baby girl. The baby struggled to live but died a few minutes later.

I will always remember my mother when she returned from the hospital. My mom held the baby in her hand and recalled how beautiful she was. She had all her fingers and toes. She even had a clef in her chin just like my sister. My mother kissed her before she put her down.

I was reminded of that story this weekend when a similar event happened to one of our church members. The circumstances was almost exactly the same only this time, in the 5th month, the tragedy was doubled because twin girls were born and died. I understand that the mother and maybe others held the babies for just a moment before giving them lovingly into the hands of God.

On the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, this past Friday, 100,000 people marched for life. Over 50 million babies have been killed over the last 37 years in the name of pro-choice. That’s 50 million babies who never saw the light of day, never were held by a loving parent or grandparent and never had a chance for life.

Psalm 139:13-16 states

For You formed my inward parts;
         You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
         And in Your book they all were written,
         The days fashioned for me,
         When as yet there were none of them.

You can read the entire Psalm 139 here.

My sister was very sad for awhile but the following year, she gave birth to a son. A year later another son was born and today, she has a wonderful granddaughter. Life is a good thing.

In time, my friends will recover from this tragedy and may even try again to have more children. The hurt will remain for awhile but as the Word says Joy comes in the morning. With our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, life will go on. And for a brief moment frozen forever in time, life was held and loved and blessed.

Choose Life… and that’s the word of The Day

Why would God Die for Me?

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8 NKJV)

The normal answer to that question is that God loves me and that’s why He died for me. But, do I fully understand what that means? He loves me. That’s great. Does He love me like one loves ice cream? I love ice cream yet I don’t eat it everyday. No, He doesn’t love me like ice cream.

I’m not sure I understand how much God loves me. What was His purpose in loving me? He created me knowing that I would love myself much more that I would love Him. Yet, He clearly states that I am to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. But, I love me more. I guess by definition that makes me a sinner. I would need help in order to get me to love God more.

He died for me because in my present state of self-love, I would forever remain ungodly and there is no place in heaven for the ungodly. In my self-righteousness and smug satisfaction of the human goodness of my life, I would be doomed to hell forever. God didn’t want that for me. He wanted me to be with Him in heaven. But, the cost wouldn’t be mine but His. There was nothing good in me that would satisfy Him. Nothing I could do; nothing I sacrifice would suffice God. For I was ungodly and Jesus Christ still died for me. He gave everything just to have me; to have me with Him in His kingdom. He chose me, I didn’t choose Him. He drew me near to Him and revealed Himself to me and beckoned me to come. I understood that I could never be godly on my own.

So, I answered His call and surrendered my life to Him. I was still ungodly in my flesh, but now, I was alive and well in my spirit. As the day goes by, He brings me closer and closer to Him. He leads me to more and more of His grace and mercy. He now has a purpose for my life. A purpose that will bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. I do these things for Christ not out of my love for reward but out of my love for Christ.

Christ died for the ungodly so that one day the ungodly ones who are born-again, can be godly in the spirit despite still being ungodly in the flesh. The more one lives by the spirit, the more one puts to death the acts of the flesh.

One may never know just how much God loves them until they get to heaven and see Jesus face to face. What an amazing love there is in Jesus.

Christ died for all men and suffered the punishment for everyone knowing full well that most people would reject His sacrifice for redemption. But, He did it anyway! He did it for me. Billions will reject Him and yet He still died for them.

Why did He do it? He did it because He loved me more than I loved myself. I still can’t comprehend it.

Amazing grace… and that’s the word of The Day

Driftwood

We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting; (Eph 4:14)

Chapter 4 of the book of Ephesians, Paul says that we are to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Yet, there is so much teaching being proclaimed today which is not biblical. The body can easily be deceived into thinking that the “Prosperity” gospel is the right gospel. Or, that travelling to places like Toronto or Pensacola are the thing to do to see and hear the Spirit move.

In Verse 14, Paul tells us not to be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine (in this case, I think he means false doctrine) and wallow in a sea of confusion like a piece of driftwood.

There is a solution. Get into God’s word. Don’t just read or hear it on Sunday but, open it each day and ask God to reveal the great and mighty truth in His Word. When you know the truth, you can better determine when preaching does not line up with the Word. This allows you to stay away from false teaching, false doctrine and false preachers. Get yourself into a bible study. Download the spoken Word to your iPod. Put yourself on a firm foundation. Then when you hear nonsense spoken by men who preach a gospel other that the truth, you can know that you need to stay away from them.

Don’t be Driftwood… And that’s the word of The Day

Think you’re better than a dog?

And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (Matt 15:27)

It has been said that dog is man’s best friend. When you think about that statement, there is unfortunately some truth in that to the people of the world. Of course, I’m talking about a pet dog and not a wild dog which has a totally different makeup. Let’s take a closer look at the attributes of a loving pet dog, man’s best friend:

• Dogs love us even when nobody else does.
• Dogs forgive and forget much more quickly that man does.
• When we come home late or we do something wrong, they welcome us home without ever asking why.
• Dogs stay close to us even when we don’t feel good about ourselves.
• Dogs don’t care what we look like.

So, my question to you is, “are you better than a dog?” Do you love your neighbor when nobody else does? Do you forgive easily? Do you welcome people no what what they have done? Do you stay close to people even when they don’t feel good about themselves? Do you care what people look like?

Woof! Woof! and that’s the word of The Day