Pastors Blog

Christmas season seems to bring out the best in some people and the worst in others.  Our home is just an eyeshot away from Travis Air Force Base.  Each year, the base puts up a manger scene with a monorah, to honor the meaning of Christmas.  It is a large and beautiful display.  A few weeks away, a person who happens to work on the base and is not in the military, took objection to the manger scene.  He contacted an atheistic group to demand the manger scene be removed from a “government” installation claiming the separation of church and state.  Thankfully, the base commander refused to remove the display.  It is thrilling to see people stand on principle rather than political opinion or pressure.

First of all, where did we come up with the idea that we are to change an entire group for one or two people.  Has our democracy died?  Have we gone from a majority rule to a minority?  There are some that are so selfish, they believe everyone should cater to their objections.  The answer is simple, if you don’t believe in Christ and Christmas, then ignore it.  Muslims have Ramadan each year as a part of their religious tradition.  I don’t support or believe in it, yet, they have their right to follow its tradition.  It would be wrong for us to create a movement against it unless they are hurting other people in the process.  It is strange how political pressure has caused many leaders to bow to the minority because of a lawsuit threat.  I am glad the base commander is willing to stand on principle rather than the threat from a few people that hate Jesus Christ.

Secondly, those who hate God and the Bible, love to retreat to the separation of church and state card.  History bears out the fact that separation of church and state was to protect the church from the government not the government from the church.  Needless to say, this does not mean there should be a government sponsored religion, but a freedom to believe what we choose.  Atheists and Liberals want to sanitize anything to do with Christ in the public arena.  Our forefathers never intended to remove Christ out of the public domain but only to protect the freedom of worship as Americans would choose.

It is always encouraging to find people who stand on principle.  God wants us to stand for Him in a world that hates Christ.  During this Christmas season, may each of us be thankful for the manger.  Each manger scene is a reminder of Christ coming to earth.  Perhaps the issue is more spiritual than political at Travis Air Force Base.

Have you ever pondered something?  It seems the things you never understand are easy to ponder.  Maybe you have pondered creation and wondered how God made such a beautiful universe.  Doctors have pondered the human body and intricacies trying to figure how things work.  Scientist have pondered nature itself trying to understand why things work as they do.

One of the overlooked verses in the Christmas story is Luke 2:19 “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  What things?  Why did she keep them?  The magnitude of the Christmas story weighed heavily on Mary’s heart.  Consider the fact she was totally pure; yet, now she is bearing a child.  You try to explain that to a lost world.  This child was not any child either but the very Son of God.  To say the least, bearing God’s own Child was not only a privilege but a huge responsibility.  Her and Joseph was given a sacred trust to rear the Savior of the world.

How could Mary tell anyone these sacred things?  Would they believe her?  If they did believe her, would they accept her anyway?  There are times in our lives when God does amazing things that we don’t understand.  Many Christians are wanting the complete information before they do what God asks them.  Mary only moved on the knowledge God had given her.  She responded in faith to accept God’s calling for her life.  We learn from her life  that we are to accept God’s plan for our lives and trust Him for the future.  Some would like to make her goddess but she was a normal woman with human flesh just like any human being.  None would doubt her godliness and purity.

While her pondering is unclear in the Scripture, more than likely Mary considered the birth of the Messiah.   This was miraculous and God had privileged her to be a part of it.  His birth meant salvation for all of mankind.  Eternal life was wrapped up in the birth of this child.  As we have arrived at the Christmas holidays, let me encourage each of us to ponder these things.  When we have met Jesus Christ as our Savior, God has given us the greatest gift in all the world (Romans 6:23).  Christmas will always have a significance to the believer because of its recognition when God became man.  Jesus was born to die so that we can be saved.  Just as Mary pondered these events in the first century, we can ponder the true meaning of salvation in the 21st century.  Salvation’s work is that which is worth pondering this time of the year.

Merry Christmas!

Psalm 100: 4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:  be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”  For the Christian, thanksgiving is not just a one day a year holiday, but it is to be a continual attitude.  Without Christ our lives would be empty, our souls would be doomed, and our purpose for existence would be worthless.  It is such an honor and privilege to be a Christian!  There is so much in our Christian life to be thankful for.

This is the reason Paul wrote I Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks.”  As Christian we can certainly enjoy the holiday festivities of family, food, and football on Thanksgiving Day, but it is should be a daily attitude.  We are commanded to pray with thanksgiving, walk daily with gratitude, and go to sleep with a heart of thanksgiving.  This appears to be all the time.  It is not just thanksgiving, it is thanksliving.  After being a pastor and in the work of the Lord for over 30 years, I am still amazed and grateful for all God has done for me and other believers.

As we enter this Thanksgiving week, let me challenge you to meditate on all God has done for you.  Perhaps read through many of the thanksgiving Psalms and even journal your thoughts.  When life tries to get you down and there are many reasons for that today, reflect on the good things God has done for you.  Gratitude is God’s way of keeping our spirits high.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Hello world! This is my first time to write a blog and not knowing if anyone would be interested. Please be patient and understanding as I begin.

The end of August and the first of September has been some amazing weather. We had Hurricane Irene that threatened the Eastern Seaboard with a “huge” scare and then the tornadoes that have swept through the Gulf coast dumping huge amounts of rain. It is mind boggling to know how weak we are and how strong God is.

The weather is a daily reminder of our dependence on God. He controls, orchestrates, and directs the weather in line with His purposes and plans for this world. It is mystifying to know there are many people in our world who actually believe in evolution. Somehow, this creation just happened and all of life is just happening.

God makes it clear in the very first book of the Bible in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created. . .” Nothing could be more basic and simplistic than those five words. The problem mankind has is responding to the God that made heaven and earth. We would rather “think” there is not God to reckon with, no God to answer to, no God to be accountable to. However, the weather says otherwise. He is all powerful and we will answer to Him.

The great news is God wants us to come to Him in simple faith. We admit we are sinners and accept Him as our personal Savior. Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” What a mighty God we serve. He could not be any better than that.

Enjoy the weather no matter what the conditions are because it comes the hand of a Mighty God.