Deputation

One of the great things about deputation is getting to meet people from sister churches that you probably wouldn't have met otherwise. Yesterday was such a blessing.

Jessica, Josh, Rachel and I visited Landmark Baptist Church of Floresville, Texas, pastored by Roddy Rodgers. Landmark was just amazing to us. They are a dynamic small group of believers, ranging from senior citizens to young parents. The church was nice enough to put us in a motel room Saturday night, where the Rodgers family took us to eat at the Maverick Grill. There, Bro. Rodgers and I strategically sat ourselves where we could watch the Aggies lose to the Nittany Lions on TV (A moment of silence, please).

The following morning, I was blessed with the fellowship of the church, a love offering, and the opportunity to share the work of Mission: Brownwood. I am impressed with what a strong church family they have, in spite of their small numbers. Please be in prayer for them. Their prayer needs are as dynamic as their congregation.

After morning services, I took the family into San Antonio for the pilgrimmage all Texans should make. We visited the Alamo, the birthplace of Texas Liberty. While we did not go into the shrine (too long of a line. The disenfranchised Aggie fans were there touring the grounds), we did see the rest of the Alamo site, plus enjoyed a stroll along the River Walk. San Antonio is a great place, and I look forward to future family retreats there. The kids said they really enjoyed it.

I'll post my December report and mail it out later this week.

Christian vs. Christ Follower

I like how the church who produced this video challenges people to move beyond the label of Christian to live the life of a disciple of Christ. The video was produced by the Community Christian Church (www.communitychristian.org) and is available for view at www.godtube.com.
(video url: http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=240ad5b9b413aa7346a1&page=1&viewtype=&category=mv )

Why were Herod and all of Jerusalem troubled?

When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem shortly after the birth of Jesus Christ (which, I believe happened while Jesus, Mary and Joseph were still in Bethlehem), they began asking, "Where is He that is born the King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2)

Matthew 2:3 says "When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why Herod the king was troubled. Herod was a vicious king who was paranoid. He suspected almost everyone around him of trying to take his throne. He was even known to kill his own children if he suspected they intended on usurping his authority. Herod was troubled because he saw that his position as king was in jeopardy.

Many times in our lives, we fail to recognize Jesus as Lord because it means that we are not in control of our lives, neither are we supposed to live to make ourselves happy. I could have a great career at print journalism... several in the industry have told me so. I probably would never get on staff at the Dallas Morning News, or even the Austin American-Stateman, but I could probably have a successful career at a mid-market paper. However, my life is not about advancing my career and satisfying my ego. It is about exalting Christ and following His plan for my life. God has given me the ability to work in newspapers so that I can use that to get into areas where He leads me to minister (much like Paul and tentmaking).

Why do you do what you do? Is it to realize your own goals and dreams, or is it to exalt Christ and follow His will for your life? Often, people are comfortable in expending small amounts of energy in church activities... but few actually dive into the Christian life with both feet.

Then, the Bible says all Jerusalem was troubled with Herod. Why? Why would the people of Jerusalem be troubled at the idea of the birth of Christ? Could it be the Old Testament prophecies about His executing judgment upon the earth? Or would it be because they knew Herod would not take too kindly to the idea of yielding his throne to the Messiah? (Perhaps they knew trouble was afoot.)

We know that before Jesus returns, perilous times will prevail. Those who believe in a post-tribulation rapture (or those who don't believe in a rapture at all) believe that Christians will have to endure the perils of Daniel's 70th week and the great tribulation. Those who believe in a mid or pre-tribulation rapture believe that Christians will not have to endure the great tribulation, but will still face tough, perilous times and persecution leading up to the rapture.

These facts should not stop us from praising and glorifying God, but rather should prompt us to "look to the sky, for our redemption draweth nigh." In discussing end times events in Matthew 24:6, Jesus said, "See that you are not troubled, for all these must come to pass, but the end is not yet." While He was referring to the wars and rumors of wars leading up to the end, Jesus did not want His disciples to live in fear of the end times. He wants us to face uncertain times with our heads up, depending on Him for strength, guidence and deliverance, and praising Him.

Of course, another reason Jerusalem was troubled could have been that the arrival of Messiah would have interrupted, if not halted, business as usual. What a shame it is when our personal day-to-day business drowns out the greater vision God has for our lives. Don't be so entangled in the affairs of this world that you tune out God's kingdom.

I have not been as good of a disciple of Christ as I could have been in 2007. My only New Year's resolution is to be a better disciple and impact as many people's lives as possible. It's time to get real!

That's my King!!!

Merry Christmas

The phone cable from my computer to the phone jack at home are broken... so I can't access the internet from home. This is a good thing, because as I go home from work this afternoon, I will not be tempted to log on, check blogs and neglect my precious family time.

So, with that in mind, I will blog no more until Dec. 26.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. May your family get togethers feature great fellowship and your choir cantatas come out right.

Merry Christmas!

Pondering

Luke 2:19 says "Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."

What things did Mary ponder in her heart?

The things which were told of them by the shepherds (Luke 2:18).

What things did the shepherds say? The saying which was told them concerning this Child (Jesus). (Luke 2:17).

What things were told them concerning the Child? The Child is the Savior, born in Bethlehem, Which is Christ the Lord. He could be found lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. (Luke 2:11-12).

So, Mary pondered the fact that her baby was Christ, the Lord, the Savior for all mankind (Shall be a blessing to ALL people, remember?) She PONDERED these things in her heart.

To ponder means to think about something carefully. Now, the fact that she gave birth to Messiah was not news to Mary. She was told this from the very outset. Now, she is carefully thinking about what was announced to the shepherds and the implications of this. To put it another way, it had now hit her. (This is Ackerian theology, but bear with me).

In Luke 2:19, we find Mary embracing Christ like never before. She had already embraced Christ and the idea of being His mother. But now she is making Him center of her life. The rest of her life would be dedicated to Christ.

How often do we ponder Christ? Do we center our lives around Him? Or would we do a better job if He got out of the way?

I have to confess that my frustration at the slowdown of Mission:Brownwood progress reveals a lack of faith on my part (that God will bring it all together in His time) and reveals the fact that I am still putting my agenda before His. I have failed to properly ponder Christ, and the mission that He has given me. Now, thankfully, I have a little bit of time to correct my wrong.

I want to embrace Christ. I want to make Him the center of my life to where He is involved in everything I do. I have a ways to go and grow.

Thank you for your prayers.

Generation: Lost

The thing that strikes me the most about the Jamie Spears pregnancy (at the age of 16), or the continued decadence on the part of her sister (Brittney) or the Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richey scandals is not so much the fact that these girls and women are influencing our younger generation, but that they are reflective of the culture of our younger generation.

Kids in our neighborhoods, cities, towns, and even in the shadows of the steeples of our ABA churches are actively engaged in the behavior that the afore mentioned divas are involved in. I know... I saw it in high school and college, heard the talk around the establishment I worked in during seminary, and have seen kids I tried to minister too fall by the wayside. This stuff has been going on, rampantly, since I was in school.

My question is, what can we do to curb the current trends? I know that parents should step up and be parents, but in many situations, this just is not going to happen. We need to step in and minister to the youth. This can be done by...

- going bivocational and becoming school teachers.
- Becoming substitute teachers/teachers' aides.
- coaching youth sports.
- ehhhh I'm out of ideas. Please help.

The main thing is that we need to quit relying on Wed. Night pizza to get the job done. It's more than "evangelical opportunities." This is a dire situation in our own front yards that needs to be attended to.

Please pray for the youth of our nation.

Ministry to parents

One of the ideas My wife and I are developing for Mission: Brownwood is building a support group for parents of young children. There is a program out there called MOPS, for Mothers Of PreSchoolers. However, it is limited to mothers, especially those who are stay-at-home mothers. Our idea is to offer a support group that would meet at night, include both mothers and fathers (single or married), feed them dinner and put together an entertaining yet encouraging program. Babysitting would be offered.

I throw this out there as an idea, should any who read this be brainstorming ways to reach young families. Young families will be a special target for Mission: Brownwood, as 31% of Brownwood households have children under 1 year of age.

If you have any thoughts on the logistics of a program like this, let me know. My wife and I want the idea to be very refined and perfected by the time we launch.

Strange evening

I got home last night at about 6:05 to find a strange noise filling the air. Yep. It was as bad as I thought. My wife, in her efforts to clean out our closets, found some audio cassette tapes I thought I had destroyed. The tape in the radio was from my days at KJ 103 in Nacogdoches. She said she also found some of my college radio tapes. I ordered her to destroy the tapes, an order she refused.

"Something might happen to you and I will want these tapes to remind me of how much God has changed you," she said. I, for one, am glad that I barely remember those days. I was just plain stupid in college. My KJ 103 days were marked by portraying quirky characters on the morning show, bad publicity stunts, and my personal life was marred by bad decisions. However, my on-air work was pretty decent. I must confess listening to that old tape brought out some good memories as well, such as when Jessica and I met, when we had our first dates, how she tuned every radio in the house to KJ 103 and blared them loudly because I was on the air, etc. My bad choices led me to resign the station at the end of July 1999. I went to work for a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Jacksonville before re-entering radio at KCKL in Malakoff, then on to KWRD-AM in Henderson, KYYK in Palestine and now KWRW-FM in Rusk, where I crossed over and went into print journalism at our sister newspaper, the Cherokeean Herald. I was saved while working at KYYK, and surrendered to the ministry while at KWRW-FM. Anyway... back to my evening.

The boys went to bed early, so Jessica stayed home and I took Rachel to church. Rachel got sick at church (probably from eating too many of Jessica's homemade french fries) and threw up all over the table in her classroom. That was fun to clean up.

I took Rachel home, she got cleaned up and we watched "Happy Feet." Jessica then chastised me for drinking all the milk (oops!) and sent me to town for some more plus a coke. She was working on her present for her granparents and mother.

I love my family... now, if only I could destroy those radio tapes.

Mission: Brownwood update

When I was 17, I drove my truck down a red muddy road one night on my way to a friend's house. While I didn't get stuck, and my 1983 F150 continued forward, we did get bogged down a little bit.

That's how I feel the progress toward getting on the field in Brownwood, TX, is going.

Bro. Swilling and I are continuing to develop a working agreement between me and Rocky Springs MBC. There is one sticking point. Bro. Swilling wants the mission to be developed in a traditional way. The people are evangelized, baptized, and become members of Rocky Springs until organization. My objection is that it is difficult (for me, at least) to teach landmarkism under this organizational structure. Furthermore, I want to teach the new church how to be a church and not let them have an opportunity to become dependent on the sponsoring church or any supporting churches. My plan would be to take the recently baptized believers and form them into their own church. I would still be accountable to Rocky Springs because I would still be their missionary. Of course, this situation has not been helped by the rash speech on church planting that has taken place at some of our associational meetings. While the concept may be correct, the attitude can create suspicion among our senior pastors. Bro. Swilling has the best intentions in his heart. He wants to see the work, missionary and sponsoring church protected and successful, and has seen great successes with mission work done the traditional way. I just can't do it that way.

The bad thing about this whole process is that it stresses Bro. Swilling out, and I did not want this to be a stressful time for him.

God is honoring our extended time of discussion by not allowing my prospective employer to hire me just yet. I don't know what the hold-up is, but I received an email from them apologizing for leaving me in limbo this long, and they still want to hire me. I was hoping to be able to join them at the end of football season. Then I was hoping to join them at the end of November. Now, I am hoping to be able to join them sometime in January, maybe.

Things are not totally frustrating. I was blessed with money from Heaven when a $200 love offering check appeared in the mail from Wyndrock MBC of Abilene, TX. Brethren, I greatly appreciate your support and encouragement. It is great to know that we will have a supportive (prayer and emotional if not financial) church nearby. We are also looking forward to a similar working relationship with Beacon Baptist Church of San Angelo.

The main thing is to get to Brownwood and get the work started. I will post my thoughts, plans and vision for the work at a later time. Thank you, please pray for me and Rocky Springs, and God bless you.

A-L-L, that's ALL!

Luke 2:10-11 says, "And the angel said unto them, fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

The Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus in the books of Matthew and Luke have so much theology tied into them. We could study the birth of Christ for an entire year, possibly longer, and still not fully exegete the theology that is contained in those verses.

The phrase I would like to focus on is, "Which shall be to all people."

The good tidings of great joy were for ALL people. Those tidings were that Christ, the Savior, was born in Bethlehem (verse 11). The birth of Christ meant the forgiveness of sins, the redemption, the restoration of God's people, the keeping of God's Old Testament promises, the incarnation of God into a man who would walk with the people, and so on. These were great tidings of great joy. These tidings were for ALL people.

Isn't it amazing that the birth of Christ was announced to the shepherds before it was announced to the royalty and clergy of the day? This shows that that God includes ALL people in His plan of salvation, no matter how poor or humble. (The wise men announced His birth to the royalty and clergy, showing that God's salvation was available to ALL people, no matter how rich and pious).

But the main thing is that ALL means ALL. If there were one person in all of the world, past, present or future, that God would reject upon his repentance and faith, ALL would not mean ALL. Thus, Luke 2:10 would be illogical and thus a false verse.

No, God's salvation is available to ALL who will repent and trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. God did not pre-select those who are worthy, nor did He pre-reject those He didn't like. God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The Gospel, how Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures, is meant to be shared with ALL people.

Matthew 28:19-20 "Go ye therefore and teach ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe whatsoever things I have commanded you."

"Nations" in verse 19 means "tribes" or "ethnicities."

Brethren, there are churches who have agreed to end services the second someone of a different race walks in the door. There are schools that teach against integrated churches. They refuse to admit students of different ethnicities. There are churches that will not baptize or disciple people of different ethnicities that come forward. I have heard of pastors going door-knocking with insurance policies in their back pocket should a person of a different ethnicity open the door. (They would pretend to be insurance salesmen). All of this is done under the guise of "Godly seperation," but is actually in violation of the "good tidings of great joy to ALL people." It constitutes failure to "teach ALL nations." It is in contradiction to Galatians 3:28, and fails to follow the example of the church at Antioch.

Those who defend this practice claim they are avoiding strife and contention that comes with the mixing of the cultures. This argument is shallow at best and holds no scriptural backing.

Churches, seminaries, pastors and laymen who subscribe to the afore-descibed theology of "Godly seperation" are in open rebellion of what God has commanded us and taught us in the scriptures.

And I don't care how much $upport this post will cost me. The scriptures teach we are to make disciples, baptize and teach people of all colors, cultures, and backgrounds. That is what I aim to do. Those who wish to oppose me have no defense in the scriptures, and will reveal to me what kind of people they really are. Repentance here is the only choice.

Happenings

After a couple of more trips to Alto, I have found the town is not angry at me for my coverage of the city council fiasco. Then again, I have three more stories about the council coming out next Wednesday.

Things aren't totally gloomy in Alto. Their football team just won the state championship for the second year in a row. I covered the game from the sidelines with my office's handy Digital Cannon Rebel XT and a borrowed telefoto lense. I got some great action shots which will appear in the Cherokeean Herald this week. It was a blast... 8,000 screaming fans, 36 degree temperatures, 25-50 mph winds, and a victory to boot.

I cleaned our living room Saturday night and put up the Christmas tree. Jessica and the kids decorated it last night.

Bro. Marion Reed spoke to Rocky Springs concerning the responsibilities of a sponsoring church during evening services last night. He also familiarized the church with the missions policy of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas. It was an informational meeting.

Bro. Swilling and I have had a meeting, and will meet again concerning sponsorship of Mission: Brownwood. We are developing a working agreement for Rocky's sponsorship. Please be in prayer about this.

I have had a busy week. Of the six front page stories for the Dec. 19 issue of the Cherokeean, I wrote five. Plus, I have a story in section B on the topsy-turvy lives of the football coaches' wives. I have a school board meeting tonight, which will make seven stories total.

Conflicting emotions

One of my favorite things about working in newspaper journalism is the fact I get to meet many people, from all walks of life with a wide variety of backgrounds. Part of my job is to tell their stories to the readers. The other part of my job is to keep the readers informed on the day-to-day actions of their elected officials.

Covering these stories has allowed me to develop some friendships along the way. I am not a good journalist when it comes to being a fly on the wall. I usually wind up befriending those I work with and wishing them success as I report on their activities. This has caused some conflicting emotions for me in the past week.

The mayor of Alto resigned after a special meeting last Thursday, basically because the council did not back him up as he was trying to keep a city employee on task. There are a number of underlying issues which are surfacing, and I now have to interview some of these people I have befriended, asking them for information which will likely cause them stress. But, it's part of the job. The public in Alto deserves to know why they no longer have a mayor, why raw sewage was running into a local pond, if the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will levy a fine against the city, etc.

So, I am in a predicament where my concern for the parties involved must balance with my objectivity as a reporter. I just pray God gives me wisdom as I go through this.

I have seven stories to write before tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., so I should probably get back to work.

The Humility of Christ

Last December, I wrote in my column in the Cherokeean that the birth of Christ was a monumental occasion. Think about it. The Shepherds were called in from the fields to worship Him, the wise men came from the East, and Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. (I understand some will take issue with the timing of the arrival of the wise men, I will address my beliefs on that in a later blog.) So, I wrote that the agricultural industry came to a standstill, Eastern education had been temporarily suspended (the first Christmas break!!!!) and the Jerusalem political machine had been turned on its head. (I'm embellishing and paraphrasing what I wrote. I'd link the column, but we hadn't gone online yet.)

J. Oswald Sanders disagrees with me, as he wrote on pages 13-14 in the book, The Incomparable Christ

When we remember that it required four millenia for God to prepare the world for the advent of His Son, the stupendous importance He attached to that event emerges. The astounding fact is that with all its magnficent system of communications, "the great Roman world remained in absolute unconsciousness of the vicinity of God." The entrance of the Creator into the world seemed a matter so insignificant as to warrant no notice being taken of it.

True, the Roman Empire didn't even notice that Christ was born.

This is astounding. Even more astounding were the conditions Christ chose to be born in. Luke 2:7 says, "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."

How amazing it is that the Creator of the universe chose to be born in a stable. I watched a documentary which stated that the stable Christ was born in was likely located in a cave. This could not have been a sanitary environment. When I covered the Cherokee County Junior Livestock Show last March, I continually stepped in cow and horse patties despite my best efforts to watch where I stepped. The livestock show crew continually cleaned the area, but the volume of animals kept the expo center floor messy.

I have a hard time imagining the owners of the stable cleaning it out every hour on the hour. Can you imagine the smells, sounds and darkness of such an environment?

Christ, Who dwelt with the Father in Heaven, being adored by the angels and enjoying a close fellowship with God, left all of that to be born in the lowest of possible circumstances. Why? So that He could save us. If He was willing to stoop so low to reach us, is there any reason we should not humble ourselves in His service?

I Peter 2:21 says "For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps."

Christ left us an example. That example was self sacrifice, love, patience and humility. How well do we follow that example? Is there anything that is beneath us?

Furthermore, do we appreciate the humble steps Christ took as He gave up all to save us? Or have we begun to take it all for granted?

Santa-dolatry

I came home tonight after visiting with Bro. Swilling after church to have my wife inform me of the conversation that had taken place between my seven-year old daughter Rachel and my four-year old son Joshua.

It seems that Joshua told Rachel he believed in Santa Claus. Rachel, who accepted Jesus as her Savior earlier this year and was baptized in February, was deeply disturbed at Joshua's declaration. Rachel told Joshua that Santa wasn't real, that Jesus was, and Jesus was the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Her concern was that the belief in Santa and the practices associated thereof (placing cookies next to the tree, etc) hurt God. How amazing is it that a seven year old who has been saved less than a year is taking her faith so seriously. She is actually afraid of committing idolatry with Santa (She is part Jewish, you know).

My wife, Jessica, mediated the situation by explaning to Rachel that Santa is a fairy tale and it is okay to play Santa, but that Santa isn't real.

The position we have taken with Santa Claus is that we play Santa (We let them get their picture taken with Santa at the mall, etc,) but we have never presented Santa as a real being. We feel that if we teach the kids about Santa, presenting him as being real, then teach them about Jesus, Who is real, the kids will have faith issues once they find out Santa doesn't exist.

I asked Rachel tonight why she had such strong feelings about Santa. She told me on her sixth birthday, she got to thinking that Santa is just a bunch of guys in costumes, but God is really real. (Her birthday occurs during summertime, by the way).

I thank God for teaching Rachel via the Holy Spirit. I stand in amazement at how quickly she is growing.

A just man, not just a man

Matthew 1:18-25 - Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." 22 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with Child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel," which being interpreted is God with us. 24 Then Joseph, being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife. 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her first born Son: and he called His name JESUS.

The first thing the Bible tells us about Joseph, after listing his geneology and introducing him as being engaged to Mary, is that Joseph was a just man. That word just is the same word used in Romans 1:17, where the Bible says, "The just shall live by faith." The Biblical definition of the just are people who are morally upright, who have been declared "not guilty" by God. The just become just because of their faith. (Romans 1:16-17, Hebrews 11:1-6, and more).

Joseph, being a just man, exhibited the qualities of a just man when he found out that Mary was expecting in Matthew 1. Three behaviors found in Joseph in Matthew 1 are, a concern for others, moderation and obedience.

Mary was found to be with child before she and Joseph came together. This means that there was no possible way the Child could have been Joseph's. Joseph, then, came to the most likely conclusion... Mary's been unfaithful. (I infer this because Joseph was minded to put her away, that decision was reversed when he found out Who the Child was).

Now, Joseph's reaction could have been to call Mary out publicly, call her bad names, and have her stoned. His reaction, though, was one that showed love and concern for Mary. He didn't want her killed or her reputation totally destroyed. So, he was minded to put her away privily. Joseph showed concern for Mary's well-being over the emotions he was probably feeling.

How often do we put our feelings aside in order to give priority to the well-being of those around us? How often do we respond with what's in the best interest of others over ourselves?

Leviticus 19:18 says "Thou shalt not avenge, or bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Which brings me to my next point. Joseph showed moderation. Upon learning that Mary was expecting, he was minded to put her away privily, but, "while he thought on these things (verse 20)..." He put some time and thought into the matter. Most men probably would have kicked their fiancees/wives to the curb the second infidelity was suspected. Not Joseph. He "thought on these things." He wanted to think things through and make a good decision. His deliberation process allowed him the opportunity to seek God's will in the matter. And if he wasn't seeking God's will, his thinking allowed God's will to find him.

Joseph didn't react rashly. He was determined to make a good decision that would please God. He showed moderation. Oh, how there would be more harmony in the Lord's churches if the "just" would just exhibit more moderation. All too often, we stand poised and ready to attack. I can personally testify that such actions have taken place against me. There have been those who sought to discredit my ministry based on an emotional whim. To some, I reacted in the same manner.

We see the effects of rash behavior in our association meetings. This is a shame. But the need for moderation extends beyond the church buildings and association meetings. The Bible teaches that the "just," the "saved" are ambassadors for Christ on earth. So, when McDonald's gets your order wrong, you can (a) eat it anyway, (b) politely tell them of the error and ask (nicely) to have it corrected (I even apologize for complaining, it helps smooth an uncomfortable situation), or (c) yell at them for their incompetence. I could care less whether you choose (a) or (b), but (c) will do great damage to your testimony and the testimony of all saved people, especially if you have that tirade during Sunday lunch hour.

Finally, Joseph showed obedience. When the angel of the Lord advised Joseph that the Child in Mary's womb was of the Holy Ghost, and she would give birth to Christ, the angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take her as his wife. So, Joseph complied. He married Mary, and "knew her not" until after Christ was born. He obeyed what God told him through the angel of the Lord.

To exhibit the qualities of a "just" person, we must obey what is taught in the Bible. We must obey God's word. We dont get special passes for special circumstances. It is disobedience to stir strife and contention among the brethren. It is disobedience to divorce your spouse because they no longer please you. It is disobedience to not spread the Gospel. It is disobedience to fail to hold fast the profession of our faith. It is disobedience to not love one another.

Joseph was called to marry a woman whose first Child would not be his. He was called to overcome the emotional turmoil this would bring. He was called to take on the responsibility of raising a Son, Who not only wasn't his biological Son, but also the Son of God. Joseph was a man, but his being "just" called him to be more than a man. If we are to exhibit the same qualities of Joseph, we must be more than mere men to. We can't just be comfortable having the normal reactions. We have to go above and beyond.... because a just man, is not just a man.

Magnify the Lord

There was a song we used to sing in our youth group when I was 12. It's lyrics were:

I will magnify the Lord
For He is worthy to be praised.
I will magnify the Lord
For He is worthy to be praised.

Hosanna,
Blessed be the Rock
and may the God of my salvation be exalted
Hosanna,
Blessed be the Rock
and may the God of my salvation be exalted.

Mary didn't know this song, but if she did, she probably would have sung it in Luke 1. However, she did praise God in a big way, when she said in Luke 1:46-47 "My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

It is interesting that when Mary praised God in front of her cousin, Elisabeth, she used the same words Hanna did in I Samuel 2. Hanna praised God after she (a) prayed for a son that she would give to the Lord, (b) received the son she prayed for and (c) followed through on her promise to dedicate the son to the Lord's service. As a result, Samuel was not only born, but had his entire life committed to serving the Lord. Samuel would go on to be a key figure in the history of Israel.

Hanna's affliction was that she could not have a child, but her husband's other wife could. This had a devastating effect on Hanna. Hanna wanted a son more than anything. But it was not until her focus shifted from what a child could do for her to what a child could do for God that her prayers for a child were answered. It wasn't until after God fulfilled His promise and Hannah fulfilled hers that she praised God. She magnified the Lord, because she made the sacrifice needed to advance the Kingdom of God.

In Mary's situation, Mary had not prayed (at least, not in scripture) to be the mother of Christ, but God chose her. When she went to visit Elisabeth, Elisabeth greeted her with "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb." Notice that Elisabeth praised Mary first, then the Fruit of the womb. Mary replied by saying that her soul magnified the Lord.

Basically, Mary was saying, "It's not about me, it's about God." Her life was going to be used to bring up the one who would "save His people from their sins." She was glad to make that sacrifice, and did so humbly.

That brings us to what we learn from these verses:

1. It's not about us. It's about God. The Bible was not written to teach us how to "Be the Best You," or how to have "the Best Life Now." The scriptures do not teach you how to manipulate God to get what you want. The Bible was written so that we could get to know God.

2. When we realize our place, our standing with God (that it is about Him and not us), then God can use us in big ways.

3. What we do needs to be for the honor and glory of God, not ourselves, our organizations or our businesses.

4. If we don't first trust the Lord, #1-3 will not happen anyway. Luke 1:45 says "And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Mary had to first trust God before He could use her as the mother of His Son. We have to trust God (a) for salvation, and (b) enough to follow Him beyond salvation to experience the blessings of being used in His Kingdom work on earth.

So, trust the Lord, and make Him the center of your life.

Weekend activities

Saturday, Jessica and I helped the Phi Theta Kappa (an honorary organization for honor students, of which she is vice president) at Jacksonville College decorate their Christmas float before heading out to Brownwood for the evening. It was a good time of fellowship.

We then went to Brownwood where we checked into a motel, before eating at the Prima Pasta Italian restaurant. The food was great! We enjoyed an evening of watching TV, and just catching up on what is happening in each other's lives.

Sunday, we toured Brownwood again before heading to Abilene to visit with Wyndrock MBC (Bro. Ernie Kight, Pastor). Bro. Kight is a first class man, who treated us to dinner after the services. He has a great family who was with him Sunday evening.

Wyndrock is church that is ALIVE. The worship was great. You could really feel the presence of the Lord. We heard a testimony from a soldier (Bro. Kight's grandson) heading to Iraq who had led his "battle buddy" to the Lord just two hours before he was killed accidentally during live fire exercises at basic training. I presented the work in Brownwood and Wyndrock came through with a generous love offering. We even received offers from some of the members and attendees there to help us get established in Brownwood.

It was truly an awesome day of fellowship, worship, and getting re-acquainted with my wife.