...too small a thing...

Just Give Me Another Chance.....

Today I am preaching about a "Second Chance." Should we give others a second chance? On most things absolutely. But some things NO. How do we know the difference? 

Has anyone ever given you a second chance? Do you need a second chance on something in your life right now? Are you someone who gives others a second chance?  The need for a second chances is defined by failure. If you do it right the first time then there is no need for a second chance. The perfection is hard to beat why try a second time if you got it perfect the first time right? 

The reality is we all need second and third, fourth and sometimes continual extra chances. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is amazing. How many times will He forgive us? How many times has He already forgiven you? I am so grateful that He has given me so many. But there are limits. There will be those who go past their limit on chances. To reject God's Holy Spirit convicting you of your sin is very, very dangerous. When you hear the truth of the Gospel and know that God loves you, God has a plan for you, and that repentance and faith are what is necessary in your life and you SAY NO. How many more chances will you have. 

This is a matter of life and death for eternity. If you hear and you say NO, when will you say yes? Will it be easier next time or harder? How many chances do you get? 

If you are reading this blog right now and you are struggling within about your own salvation, your own relationship with God, could this be your last chance? Could this be your last opportunity that you feel the tug on your heart to believe Jesus Christ? It is possible. You may have many more chances, but you might not. 

Jonah was given a second chance. Did he make the most of it. Not really he sort of blew his second chance to be one of the greatest of God's Prophets. Oh yes he did the work of God but bottom line, Jonah was a jerk. 

I want to give an invitation for a second chance this morning. You may need one. Join us at Piney Grove Baptist Church at 11:00 AM for A Second Chance.

A Week's Review

One month into 2015. Time flies by so fast it seems. I thought I would take a minute and kind of publicly review the week. I mainly did this because I felt I have returned to about as normal of a schedule as I ever get. I listed out the week's events day by day in blocks of time that took over an hour. Some of these took two hours or more. I ended up with 40 events listed. Most were pretty typical days for me. I am glad I had a very good week and have sort of returned to a normal schedule.

The key came to it becoming normal again by mom and dad being back under the same roof on Wednesday. The best part is that they are doing well. I did not list the several visits with mom and Dad on the list, but I did manage to visit several times. I did not put texts, emails or phone calls on the list, but of course there were many. I do a lot of those on the run between places. Note each day starts with Write Blog, and this time includes my devotional and prayer time.  Here was my week if you care to look over it. 

Sunday- Write Blog, Study, Teach Sunday School, Preach morning Service, Two Premarital Counseling Appointments, Preach evening service.  

Monday- Write Blog, Study, Hospital Visit, Reading Trust Documents, Study

Tuesday-  Write Blog, Men's Prayer group, Study, Lunch Appointment, Mission phone calls,  Meeting at Presbyterian Village, Joint committee Meeting at Piney Grove

Wednesday- Write Blog, Study, Pick up Dad at Presbyterian Village Take HOME to Aspen, Hospital Visit, Administration Team Meeting, Fraternal Order of Police Meeting, Prayer meeting. 

Thursday- Write Blog, Men's Meeting at the Barn, Study, 50+ Luncheon, Meeting with Attorney for Trust Fund, Meeting at Piney Grove

Friday- Write Blog, Counseling Appointment, Work on Davis Family Trust, Saw milling. Pay Bills.

Saturday- (planned) - Write blog, Study, Move Furniture from Mom's House, Sawmill, Study 

Well this was a pretty typical week. 

Some may look at this and say "man your busy." Well yes, but I was not looking to see how busy but to see if I am working in the areas that God wants me to work? What else would I be doing? Video games? TV? NOT! 

I have never done this before listing out the events of the week. But I found it interesting to recreate the days of this week in my mind and see where all my time went. 

I am thankful I am able to work and can work both my mind and my body. Here is a photo from yesterday afternoon's event of saw milling. So much of what I do I see no results physically, but when you cut wood is stacks up fast.  2 x 6's and 2 x 8's stack up nicely and you can see your work. 

Will the Violence Ever Stop?

This past week the world is once again up in arms about the tragic and inhumane death of the Jordanian pilot who was burned to death inside of a cage. It truly is tragic, inhumane, ungodly and yes as some are pointing out something that has been done before. The leader of the free world Barak Obama pointed out yesterday that it has been done in the past in the name of religion. I agree with him that it has and most decent people will agree humanity has done horrible things to itself and it seems it continues. We all must realize this and acknowledge it. But when an evil act is committed and there less than condemnation for it there seems to be an attempt at justification of the evil retribution for the past. When evil is on going it is not time to preach it is time to stop it.

Rhetoric about "who did what in the past" sounds to me a bit like two boys on the play ground when one is caught hitting the other and he says, "He hit me first."  But death and violence are far more than just a punch in the nose. War is very ugly. Death is never a decent site nor is it something that one man should do to another. The problems of the world today are complex and demand not rhetoric but action.

The Bible which I believe to be the Word of God condemns the spilling of any man's blood. But the Bible goes further and tells us plainly that if a man does spill the blood of another, his blood will be required of him. 

Genesis 9:6 NASB

  6“Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

Jesus told us that there would be violence and that to expect the things that are happening and have happened by the hand of one man toward another.

 

Matthew 24: 4-12 NLT

4Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 9“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.^b 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

Violence by one human against another is wrong and should always be condemned and stopped. The stopping of the violence is the hard part. The truth is to stop violence it usually takes more violence. It takes someone of courage and strength and wisdom. It takes a leader with the ability to stop the violence. 

I remember seeing a fight at school one time years ago. Two young men got into it over a girl and it was bloody and ugly. One of the elderly teachers was standing over near them. One was on top of the other literally beating his face. This well meaning elderly and frail teacher stood there saying, "Now you boys stop this right now.!" They did not listen to her for even a second. She was right they needed to stop. But it was not until the coaches with some real muscle violently grabbed both young men and restrained them physically that the fight was stopped. 

To somehow focus on pointing out that atrocities have been committed in the past when the violence is ongoing is foolish and uncaring. Yes, much has been done in the past, Much wrong, much evil and it should be condemned but the time for that is after we stop the present violence. We need leadership. 

 

A Fantastic Group of People

Today Piney Grove Baptist Church 50+ Club will have the Annual Valentine Luncheon. The entire community is invited to this wonderful time. This is one of the largest events of the year. We have a catered lunch from Zieglars BBQ. Even if you are not a regular part of Piney Grove you are invited.

I have to say how wonderful and loving these people of Piney Grove Senior Adult Ministry really are to everyone who will come and be a part. If you are a person 50+ and are looking for a friend or someone to talk to today is the day to be at the Family Life Center of Piney Grove. 

The Children of Promise is a singing group composed of Mom- Nikki Shaw and her three sons Jacob, Eli, and Issac. They are truly gifted singers and we are delighted to have them with us for this great event. 

I would not steer you wrong. You are invited and you need to come on today to Piney Grove Baptist Church at 11:30 AM TODAY. 

It Will Be a Sweet Moment

This was Jan 3rd when Mom and Dad entered their Aspen Village Apartment for the first time. Dad is going home there this morning.

I have an appointment this morning to pick up my father. I will put him in the truck and drive him to my mother to stay. It was one month ago yesterday that we took daddy to the hospital. That was a moment I hope fades from my memory, but the moment coming this morning when Mom and Dad are together again will be sweet. 

Dad is doing well, but he is still uncertain on some things. He is much stronger physically but still struggling with remembering things. So I ask simple questions to spark his memory. Yesterday he told me he was 79. But the day before he had it right. One question I have kept on asking him is, "Do you know the name of the place you are at right now?" Usually the answer is no. But I kept telling him where he is. The next time I would ask him, "Is it Baptist Village?" "No" he would answer. "Is is Presbyterian Village?" "Yeah" he would get it. So I ask him again a couple of days ago, and this time he almost got it. "Prostitution Village." He said with a bit of confidence. I replied "I hope not." 

Dad is well aware of the fact he is forgetting some things. He keeps telling me "I can't remember. " And ever since the stroke a few years ago he has a hard time saying some things. But his spirit is sweet. He is so loving and every nurse in the P. Village seems to love him. Dad was convinced one of them was a little too friendly. And then when the nurse came in we were talking about his shaving and this sweet lady reached up and touched daddy's face to check the growth, He looked and me and said, "See what I mean."

His eyesight is good enough that he can see me coming. He throws his hands in the air now every-time he sees me. He hugs me tighter than he ever did, and tells me how much he loves me every time I visit, and usually dad does this several times every visit. 

His memory loss does not seem to worry him too much. As a matter of fact, when I start telling him something to try to help him remember, he has said,"Don't worry about telling me that I won't remember it in a few minutes anyway." 

It is a very sweet man I am picking up to take home this morning. He and I were talking a couple of days ago and he told me he was not able to do anything and seemed a little down about it. I told him, "Dad you can love mom and keep her happy by just being back with her. Keep working hard so you can go home from rehab." And then I told him, "Dad the other thing you can do is pray for me and your family every day. God is still hearing your prayers." Immediately Dad raised his hand and broke into prayer. He thanked God for his family and asked for God's blessing on all of them. Short and sweet but a very real and heartfelt prayer. 

I am very thankful to Presbyterian Village for their care for Dad. I am thankful we have been able to get my folks into Aspen Village and Dad will join Mom there before lunch today. I think dad will feel like a sailor coming home from the sea, or a soldier returning from the war. He has done both of these things, but I know he is excited about this morning. I am too. 

Entertainment?

The Superbowl this past Sunday was the most watched Television event ever.   Over 100 Million viewers is a lot of people watching an event.  More joined the broadcast for the half time show.

The half-time show's big moment came with a, lady named Katy Perry who I knew nothing about until this event, came out riding on a huge mechanical lion. This is now all over the news so I printed a photo in case you missed it. I was curious about Ms Perry since I had not heard of her and suddenly she is the big focus of nearly 120 million people, so I did a minute or two of research on the internet and found out that she came from a Christian home. She grew up moving across the country with her parents who were in the pentecostal church as church planters. She started in gospel music and has made a crossover and is now big news. I just found out that she is really at the top of her popularity. I had not heard of her, but then I am not the most hip guy around. 

The TV Commercials were big dollar items. Many freely admit they watch only to see these high dollar advertisements. And  of course lot of people are talking about the Seattle Seahawks "goof up" by throwing a pass on the one yard line with seconds to go. Many feel they should have instead used their big running back for the final yard and victory. And then there was the "pooping" of the ball in the end zone.  Now let me ask you a simple question. Were you entertained by all of this?

I like to watch football, but there is so much build up for this event. The Superbowl it seems has become so much more than just a football game.

So I have thought about this a bit. The contest was between teams I do not really follow at all. The half time show was a singer i did not know and do not follow. The ads have been criticized as being over the top I have heard on the radio news, but I cannot say as I saw only a few of them.  As a causal observer and someone who has a busy schedule it is kind of silly it seems to me this hyped up event of the Superbowl. I know I am writing about it, but the news is so full of the talk about it and the truth is I do not feel like I missed much. 

The world seems to clamor for a big event. The top performer is sought out. The best of the best is what people seek, or maybe I should say what they crave. I am just not sure I was very entertained by what little bit I have seen and heard in the parts I did see.  Are there more like me? So often we are a bit curious about  things so we want to sort of see, and sort of want to know, and that is my point this morning. 

So many watched this event. Now do not misunderstand me I do not feel it was wrong or bad in some way, I just think the Superbowl has become a manufactured giant hoopla. This is a cash cow put together by the producers of the event, the TV network, and the NFL as a big money maker for them and whoever else will join in with them. And the people seem to buy into it. So I think the question is valid. Were you entertained? 

So much to do about this and the world is still facing its problems which are huge. This moment of entertainment I guess I want to call it seems to me a bit out of bounds. Inappropriate for the amount of attention given to it. I guess my priorities are different. 

This Caught my Eye

In a world where we seem to always hear the troubled stories it is good to hear when things work out for the best. A Wal-Mart Store in Blue Ridge GA could have become a hot spot of controversy but the corporate giant maybe has some heart left. I do not know all the details but the story is short and to the point you can read the article here.  Here is the gist of the story. 

The Wal-Mart greeter James Phillips was saying the words "Have a blessed day" to people I assume leaving the store. Someone seems to have taken offense and the management of the store told him to stop saying this phrase. The community found out and rose to the occasion and Wal-Mart reversed it's stand so now you can say "Have a blessed day." if you are a Wal-Mart employee. It seems common sense and common decency have won a small victory. 

Are we soon to the point we will argue with those who have no faith about the very words that can be spoken? Is this only a momentary reprieve? Will the force of evil  come back to try to remove the word blessed from a simple greeting at a this or any other store?

The word blessed is such a simple and easily understood word. To be blessed one has to has a blesser. Now we all know that people can bless each other with doing things for each other, but when we use the word blessed we also (at least most of us) know that our greatest blessings come from God. The words "God bless you." all go together so often. So the words, "Have a blessed day." do seem to imply a blessing from God. 

Are you bold enough to bless others by making this sort of reference when you greet others? Are you bold enough to say when asked "How are you? to say, "I am blessed." Do you believe you are blessed? Do you want to share this? Christian people are the most blessed in all the world and to remind and encourage each other is not just a courtesy but a biblical command. 

Ephesians 5:19

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 

1 Peter 5:14

14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.  Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

A Holy kiss at Wal-Mart might be a little too much, but allowing the greeter  to say "Have a blessed day." makes good sense to me. If you are greeting someone today you might give this some thought. Are you blessed? Then share it. 

Super Bowl XLIX

You did know it was Super Bowl Sunday I hope? The news is full of the event and there is always a hoopla about it. But this year two teams far from GA are playing and it seems none too special for anyone in this part of the world. Seattle and New England are  located on opposite sides of the country and far north of Georgia. Not to let our politics rule our sports but both of these state are very blue and GA is very red. I just do not hear a lot of people down here talking about this game.

Now there will be people watching this event just to see the commercials.  At 4.5 million dollars per 30 seconds the cost is outlandish and so the folks making the ads seem to out do themselves with something to impact you, amuse you, shock you, but ultimately to get your attention focused on their product or service. But this steep price is just money. 

Every Sunday there is a celebration that goes on locally. It is not a game it is REAL LIFE. There are no advertisements at this event to get you to purchase a product or service. There is no need because what is celebrated has already been paid for in full. The participants are close and people you know. But you can be and should be much more than a spectator at this local event. You can be a worshipper today. There is no cost to you to attend and be a spectator, but if you want to worship you really have to give 100%. This is the greatest event of life and it is all around you but are you involved in worship. Too many come to church looking for the ads to find out the products of what the church can do to entertain and provide products for them. 

1 Peter 1:18 NLT

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.

Every Sunday the event of Worship of Jesus Christ is far more important, far more essential to life and far more was spent on it than any other event in HIS Story. Does this generate excitement in you? Are you going to church today or are you going to Worship?