Lay Your Burden Down

Posted on 2019/06/27 by JimR, Chaplain

I was just sitting down to my computer and I play Christian music 95% of the time and the song by Hillsong “Starts and Ends” began to play and the phrase “Lay your burden down” caught my attention.

God knows how I feel. At that moment it caught my ear. I was feeling somewhat burdened by life. I’ve always felt I had to be in control of everything around me to in order to have stability.

Lately, I’ve been changing my thought patterns to rely on God to take care of me and just do as I know is necessary. I hope I’m conveying this correctly. God has been building in me the tangible work of faith and hope. Faith is an important component of our knowledge of God.

Faith relieves us of the burdens because in it we lay down our cares for this world.

One thing that concerns me is that lately I’ve been dreaming of friends and relatives who are deceased. I take these dreams to have meaning.

The one I had last night was of a school friend with whom I went through all twelve grades with. She died several years ago, but I don’t know the circumstances. She was always vivacious and happy.

The last time I saw her was not long after we had graduated. She had married and had just had a child. I went over to see the baby and her and we talked about good times and her funny story about how the doctor said he wanted to talk to her about birth control. Her response was she didn’t just want to talk about it, but do something about it.

In the dream it was just before our class reunion and she came to visit me at my old home place. She came with one of my brothers. She looked okay, but as the dream progressed she started looking distressed. My brother told her they had to go and as she came past me on the way out I noticed her skin was growing ashen and a vein was standing out on her forehead. Her hair greyed. I told her as she left that I hoped to see her at the reunion, but somehow I knew that was not possible. Just a small side note. The brother that told her it was time to go is also deceased.

I started these type of dreams about a week ago and I’ve felt strangely different in my wake times.

I know for a fact I’m beginning to lean more on God. I am forever thankful for what He has been to me. He has been gracious and giving. He is truly my source. Bodies grow old, but the mind has not aged. It is forever learning and growing. My spirit is stronger now more than any time in the past. Who I used to be is forever fading into mere memories of who I once was. I have a strong sense of who I am transcending into.

He has told my wife and me that we have things to do still. We’re preparing to go on our first mission trip together. The people we will see are desperate, hungry and lack about every convenience we take for granted. And they live right here in our own country in the coal mining communities of Kentucky. The mines are closed and it has left them destitute. Drug lords have moved in, yet they can’t even afford to buy drugs, so they make Drano their drug of choice. Teenage girls sell their bodies to make money for food for their families.

I think in some way what I’m experiencing is preparing me to handle situations that we will encounter. I have to lay down my burden in order to see theirs more clearly and untainted by my own issues. I have to see them with God’s eyes. My heart is beginning to feel their burden. The tears of my spirit are beginning to flow for them.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, Christian Mission, church, Death, Dreams, God's Calling, Love, Memories, Old Age, Ponderings, Sadness, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

God’s Plan = Predestination

Posted on 2019/06/24 by JimR, Chaplain

Appointment now (beforehand) of your future. It’s a guaranteed action into the future of the believer if they follow after the knowledge of that calling or

God's Plan for You | United Church of God

appointment. It develops hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), This comes from Eph 1:18 Amp

Predestination is, most times, is looked at as a fated future that will happen regardless of what path we take. Well, that may have a ring of truth to it in a way. God’s path for an individual is charted by His calling on that life.

In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will Eph 1:11 Amp

Then there is “free will” involved. The individual has choices. So how does this play out?

“O if only you would actually pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river.” Isaiah 48:18

“All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power.” Ecc: 9:10

The Bible also says: “The plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage.” Prov. 21:5

Free will is a precious gift from God, for it lets us love him with our “whole heart”—because we want to.

He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ Matt 22:37

I love the description of “commandment” in verse 36. It says of it as an “authoritative prescription”. Just what the doctor ordered, I’d say. I’m going to leave that for you to go back and look at.

God does have a plan for your life. To me “plan” is another way of saying predestination, yet we have free will to make the choice to follow it . . .or not.

If it is unacceptable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Jos 24:15

I chose to follow God, because I know His plan will bring peace to my life and because I want to. So by my free will my life is predestined or as you could say, planned out.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, church, God's Calling, Love, Ponderings, Possibilities, Priorities, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

Grandmother

Posted on 2019/06/21 by JimR, Chaplain

Someone asked the question as to what one remembers about their grandmother. My dad’s mom and dad lived next to us when I grew up. My granddad died when I was seven and I loved him dearly. But grandmother was special as well.

My granddad, grandmother, my dad and his two sisters

She could do anything. Sew clothes, make butter from cow’s milk she squeezed out herself. She chopped off chicken’s heads and made fried chicken or chicken n dumplings, but my favorite thing was that gritty dry version of chocolate fudge with pecans. She had a toaster in which I would toast almost a half loaf of bread on Saturday mornings after spending the night and drank coffee.

When I was young houses didn’t have running water. We were fortunate to have electricity by the time I came along. Time moved right along back then. Grandmother cooked on a wood stove in my first remembrances until the wonder appliance in the form of a gas stove came into being. She had an old Fridgedaire refrigerator. We had the same one.

After granddad died she had a well put down and she had a pump put on it with a single spigot on the sink inside. Running water. Wow. Still no bathroom facilities. It was still an outhouse. In her case, she had a two-holer. We only had a one-holer. Grandmother was cutting edge. She was the first with a TV. It was an RCA that sat on a swivel pedestal. I loved going to her house to watch Romper Room, Captain Kangeroo and cartoons.

I would sit some nights after she’d skimmed the fat off the milk and sat with it in a gallon jug bouncing it on her knee till it turned to butter. She’d pour it into a wood mold that would create a flower in on the top of the butter after it had hardened and she took the top off.

That old house had a lot of memories. It’s not far from being a total memory now. My dad’s bedroom was a small enclosed part of what appeared to have once been part of the back porch. It was barely big enough for a bed and small dresser. I slept there many times.

The “Old House”

I’d stay with her on Saturday nights, too. She was a Sunday School teacher and I’d watch Saturday Night At The Movies on TV while she sat in her chair and studied her lesson until she fell asleep. I’d watch that old TV till the National Anthem finished playing and the station signed off for the night.

My grandmother eventually had a man. she later married, refurbish the old house we lived in and moved there after my dad built us a new house with running water, a bath tub and toilet. We’d made the big time then.

Jamie Lamm was a good man to my grandmother. They grew much older together. He passed away from Alzheimer’s and two weeks or so later she passed on from heart failure. She was near eighty years old.

My last time seeing her was at the hospital a few days before she passed, but I did see her the week Jamie died. I looked at her and asked her how she felt. She said she was tired. I think she was ready to go. There are not many women like her any more.

Posted in Christian, Days in Small, Death, Family, Memories, Old Age, Ponderings | 1 Comment

Giving It All To God

Posted on 2019/06/18 by JimR, Chaplain

Do you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Unfortunately, I have felt that more often than not. But I’m learning. . .still.

Daily Verse Reading – Heb 4:1-5,11 | Daily Bible Readings
Hebrews 12:2

I can remember times, places and reasons, when I reached the point I could not carry the weight any more and let it go. That’s when I sensed God picking up that very thing I carried and it dissolved into nothing. The worry of it was gone.

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:9-11

My previous post on the work ethic I gained from growing up is partly the reason I still find at times that it is hard to not try to do it on my own and do it to the fullest. God, my Father, has made a way that is much different.

If we listen to God as well as we like to talk to Him in prayer we’ll find He does speak and He will reveal the way that is less difficult. Sometimes the answer to what we should do isn’t what we want to do, but if we do it, I can assure you will lighten the load from you shoulders.

I’m an organizer to the point of what I consider as OCD. Everything has to be in a certain place and symmetrical. If it’s not it drives me crazy. If I let go to let God do it I have to have faith that it will be even more so in His way.

My first big remembrance of His way came when I had a fledgling business in the early 80’s. The owner of the building I rented sent men up on the roof while I was gone on a ministry trip. The removed the sealant and roofing. You guessed it. It rained for several days. I came back to a good quarter inch or more of water on the floor and all of my inventory was wet. I tried to hold my head up and work through it. I remember it still raining and the water dripping everywhere. My glasses were covering in droplets of water. The second day with it still raining I went to my phone and called my wife. With tears in my eyes I told her I give up. I was closing the store. I couldn’t do it any longer.

In a matter of an hour word had gotten out and the neighboring business offered to take some of my stock in the back storage area. Another business offered to take whatever they could hold into their storage area. Another man came by and offered me a new building to set up shop in out on the main highway (better location in fact). A friend of mine that owned a garden center called and said he was coming over to help me. Folks, when I gave up God stepped up. All of this was His doing. I reopened a couple of weeks later in a higher traffic area in a new building.

Another time I was told my family had to move from a mobile home lot we were renting, so we decided God wanted us to have a real home again. We found land and we searched and searched and found a modular home sales couple whose business was called Star Homes. They could do the entire package for home and land. I’m making this story short, so if you want more I have to save that for a later time. I had to sell my mobile home before I could close on and move into the new home. I knew how much God said ask. It was $8700. I tried my best to make this work to no avail. We had given up and found another mobile home and we’d even made a choice on a mobile home park to move into. Then I went home resigned to letting it all go.

I laid down to take a nap knowing my hopes had been dashed because I couldn’t make it work. In a bit, my wife woke me up to tell me someone was coming to look at our mobile home. Not just one, but two. The first came and looked at it and gave me $200 to hold it. If they were not back by the next day we were told to keep the money. The next couple came in right on their heels as they left. They looked and offered us $8500. I said I would give them and answer the next day. The first lookers never came back so I accepted the second offer. The mobile home was gone and I got what can only be described as God’s Hand at work, because it came to $8700. And so we moved.

I’ve got more stories similar to this. I’ve learned to give up. God always has a better plan. What I see in the natural is proof of God’s plan in the celestial. Let the weight of life go from your shoulders. He WILL take care of you.

One thing I’ve told my now wife. (Another story) Looking back God has never let me down. I’ll be 69 this year and I’ve never been without a roof over my head, food on my table, a job or a vehicle to get there. God does expect us to put an effort into our lives by doing, but doing it as He directs has made life so much more palatable. There are issues I’m dealing with at this time in my life that would have totally destroyed me in my younger years, but I know God has built into me the knowledge that He is indeed in control

So, it’s simple. Give up. Take that leap of faith and see God pick up where you left off trying. He is the Finisher of our Faith

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, church, Financial Investing, Home, Love, Patience, Ponderings, Possibilities, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual Investments | 3 Comments

Father’s Day

Posted on 2019/06/17 by JimR, Chaplain

This day of recognition was celebrated as far back as one can tell on March 19, starting around 1508. Many nations celebrate fathers at some time or other during the year. The US didn’t really come into full swing with it till the 20th century to compliment Mother’s Day. So. It’s a “one up” tradition. Moms get something why not dads?

Throughout history I have taken it into consideration that there are many fathers who are good, generous and loving men who nurtured children into adulthood. Same for mothers.

Bibilically, without fathers the family is like a body walking around without a head. I cheer on a woman who takes on the task of raising children in the absence of a man. It is a monumental task to fill both rolls. But the woman cannot dole out the influence of a man. Mothers mother. Fathers father.

Well, enough of that. If someone wants to think otherwise, it’s your prerogative. But you can’t change nature to suit the thought processes that seem to dominate the world today.

An example of mothering in my own mom showed me she tried to fill in the gaps for the way my dad treated me. I am the first born of five boys. My granddad took a shine to me and I to him. We got along marvelously. Then he died when I was seven. By this time my second brother was three and had been a medical study at Duke University because of the newness of cleft palate repair. My dad was over-protective of him and naturally took to him as his favorite.

I’ve made the statement that I was the family farm hand. At the age of seven my dad put me on a small farm tractor and from there I was tending over thirteen acres of beans by my early teens. I plowed ground, fed hogs, chickens, chopped wood, pulled weeds. You name it that was my job. I shucked a lot of corn and then ran it through a hand-cranked sheller. When I was 13 I was driving errands locally in our car or pickup truck and eventually got caught by the local highway patrol for driving without a license and my mom cussed him out for stopping me.

Not only did I work the farm, I cleaned house, made beds, washed dishes and hung clothes out to dry on the line outside. Even took them in off the line in the dead of winter when the clothes were frozen on the line.

I worked hard from the time I was able. Even when my dad gave up farming I worked for some other farmer for money to buy my own school clothes. I was having Social Security taken out of my paycheck as early as 16 years old as a farm hand.

Did you notice? My dad never developed a relationship with me. What I learned I had to pick up from what I observed around me. He was in the home, but I was not talked to unless it was instructions of something he wanted me to do. Rare were the times he’d get out in the yard and hit a baseball to my brothers and me. I was just one of the three others at the time. The fifth brother was born after I graduated from high school.

The thing about my dad that made me who I am is that anything I ever did was about a fraction of an inch from what he wanted done. I worked harder than anyone else, but always came up just a fraction short. I was in my late 30’s when I got past that.

I knew I was called to the ministry at the young age of 13 and I knew I’d preach, but I’ve found my truest calling is writing. My mom was a writer. My English Lit teacher encouraged me to write. So I’ve been writing since I was in high school.

It was during my late 20’s when I answered the call of God to fulfill what I was called to do. During that time God spoke to me about my dad. He, too, had been called but failed to answer it. One day after I had ridden with my dad out into the fields we parked in the yard. He turned off the motor in the truck as I turned to him and asked the most important question I’ve ever asked of him. His Cherokee dark skin turned pale when I asked if he was called to the ministry. He looked at me and said he’d been, but he’d never even told my mom. I felt sorry for him from then on, because he had the audacity to tell me I’d be dead by 60. I wasn’t buying his story. Not answering God is a life-shortening decision. His dad and his granddad apparently ran the same course. All three died in their late 50’s, although I can say dad made it to 60, but died two months later.

I knew answering God’s call was the key to longevity. I’ll be 69 years old in October of this year and I still can pass a DOT physical for my CDL B and ride a motorcycle. I head up a ministry that mows lawns for free for people who have not the means to do so. My wife and I are going to Kentucky next month to distribute food, clothing and supplies to extremely poor folk in Kentucky. Then I’m flying out to California from here in NC see my eldest son who hasn’t spoken to me since his mom and I split ten years ago. All this I give God the credit and glory for being alive and having a wife now who loves and nurtures me, as I do the same for her.

As dads go, mine on a grading scale would get a D at best. All I got out of growing up was a work ethic that is second to none. That because I still feel I need to go beyond the call, but now because I want to. Not because I’m told I don’t quite make the grade.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, Family, Home, Memories, Old Age, Patience, Ponderings, Sadness, Salvation, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual | Leave a comment

An Aside

Posted on 2019/06/02 by JimR, Chaplain

I have not been regularly posting of late. For that I apologize. I should be more giving in what God gives me, but this post is totally off the side.

I have been a Corvette aficionado for some twelve years. This last one I had was with us for seven years. In the last couple of years it has sat in my garage, not being driven for weeks or months. The battery would die and I’d have to put the charger on it. In the seven years I owned it I drove it a mere 25k miles. That averages less than 3600 miles a year. It was a hoot to drive no matter what, though.

My Libby and I went to a little spot in the middle of nowhere to a place called Yoder’s last weekend for breakfast at their restaurant and general store near Greenville, NC for her daughter’s birthday. I wanted to go to the Harbor Freight in Winterville for an impact wrench and sockets. Next door to that was a Harley Davidson dealer called Boneyard Harley Davidson. Used to be Hometown Harley. My wife asks me would I like to go over and possibly find a hat. I have loads of them, but a I never pass the chance at a new one. So, I agreed. The dealership was having a party with a live band and all kinds of specials going on.

Needless to say I got a hat, but I got captured by a bike on the floor that looked like me. It is a Harley Davidson Sportster 1200NS Iron. It’s a very powerful bike. They were also giving $250 gift certificates for new buyers. Folks, I traded my Corvette for the bike, a helmet, leather vest, hat, free t-shirt for me and my wife. They had me ring a good size bell with blaring music and every employee came by and shook my hand and welcomed me to the HD family. Never in my life have I been so taken aback. We did upgrade the seat to a buddy seat with sissy bar to accommodate my wife. It was delivered this past Tuesday and as of this writing I’ve already put a little over a hundred miles on it and ran out of gas. A passing biker stopped and asked did I need help and a yes got me a pint of gas to get me to a station. I’ve not rode a motorcycle in over 30 years and had forgotten how exhilarating it can be. Even for this old man.

Some younger folks have given me the wild eye, like I’m too old. I may be old, but not the “too” part. Most of my relatives have already gave me the safety speech about watching out for crazy drivers and such. Safe to say all things are possible, but I am ultra-aware of my surrounding as much as possible. I don’t plan on becoming a statistic. I wear my helmet, leather vest, gloves and boots with jeans. I’ve ridden three different size bikes, but this is my biggest. You can safely say, I will be careful.

Posted in Harley Davidson owner, Old Age, Ponderings, Retirement | Tagged | 2 Comments

Is the Devil to Blame for our Circumstances?

Posted on 2019/06/02 by JimR, Chaplain

Colossians 3:1-4 – If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

I Peter 5:8 – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

I’ve read different teachings on the above and the variables. Below in quotes is derived from Bible.org.

“From the title of this post I’ve heard this is a common question and one that is often mishandled. Satan is blamed for everything evil and while there is a certain sense in which that is true, it fails to take into consideration all the other issues like our own personal responsibilities for our own actions. It’s too easy for us to blame the devil and excuse ourselves, as the comic, Flip Wilson, used to say, “The devil made me do it.” People are inclined to blame the devil in order to remove their guilt, justify their actions, and ignore their responsibility and the things God wants to teach them through their suffering. This has been true from the very beginning as we see so clearly with Eve’s answer in blaming the serpent when faced with her sin in the garden. Adam too had his scapegoat in blaming Eve and even the Lord, i.e., “the woman made me do it, the one you gave me.” Certainly, as the deceiver and liar, Satan instigated the temptation, but Eve responded with negative volition, unbelief, and disobedience, and Adam failed to stay true to his responsibility as the leader in his family.

Today, regardless of the various external sources of temptation (Satan and the world), the final source is our own sinful nature or the lusts of self-centered desires of our own hearts (Jam. 1:14-15). In Christ, by virtue of the finished work and victory of the Savior, we are victors; He has provided everything we need to defeat sin and Satan (1 John 4:4; 5:4-5; Rev. 3:21; Rom. 6:1-14; Col. 2:6-15; 3:1f; Heb. 2:14-15; Eph. 6:10f).

However, having said all this, it is equally true that through the world system and the demonic hosts that Satan controls (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6:12) we are constantly faced with the power and activity of Satan in more ways than we can possibly imagine. As Paul warns, our battle is not only with the flesh and blood, but with supernatural powers that are constantly in operation in the sons of disobedience and against the body of Christ (Eph. 2:1-3; 6:10-13f; 1 Pet. 5:8; Jam. 4:7).

When Satan can attack us he will and only God knows how much of what we face is the direct result of the devil’s onslaughts. At the same time, much of our suffering is the direct result of our own self-induced misery, sometimes as a product of our ignorance, or unbelief, or indifference, or a combination of all of the above. So Scripture tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us, to put on the whole armor of God, to be controlled by means of the Spirit, to have Word-filled lives, to walk circumspectly and in wisdom, and to be on alert because of the activity of Satan who is constantly on the prowl.

But there are two things we should not assume:

(1) That everything evil that happens to us is the result of direct Satanic attack. Though he is indirectly involved, some of what happens is simply the result of life in a fallen world. For instance, take cancer and other degenerative diseases; probably more than anything else these are the result of Satan’s involvement through a world merchandising system that has promoted an unhealthy diet (highly-processed foods, foods that have lost much of their food value due to depleted soils, pesticides, preservatives, chemicals, high fat and sugar diets, etc.).

(2) We should not assume that all our suffering is the product of our own sin or indifference to the Lord. There are many reasons for suffering. (See the study “Why Christians Suffer” on our web site under the “Spiritual Life” category). Job was a righteous man who walked with God, yet for His own purposes and for Job’s spiritual growth (all testing is ultimately designed for our growth), God allowed Satan to attack him. Paul too was a godly, spirit-filled man, yet he experience a thorn in the flesh which he defined as a messenger of Satan. It was an affliction God used as a tool in Paul’s life to teach him some important spiritual lessons (2 Cor. 12). The Lord healed all kinds of illness, but a careful study of the NT shows us that only a small portion of these illnesses were actually attributed to Satan or demonic causes. The same can be said of the writings of the Apostle Paul. He spoke of Trophimus who was sick, but he never even suggested this was the product of direct Satanic attack. Timothy may have been experiencing some kind of stomach difficulty, but Paul’s advice was simply to take a little wine for his problem. No mention of Satan or demons.

A general reading of the epistles puts the emphasis not on the demonic, but on our own responsibility to appropriate our assets in Christ. So while we need to acknowledge Satan’s constant activity, nefarious ways, and be on alert, our primary focus needs to be, not on Satan, but on the Lord and our responsibility to grow in Christ. It is often a cop out, pure and simple, for us to blame the devil when what is needed is honest to God personal examination and confession that we might be restored to fellowship, learn the spiritual lessons need, and be made like Him as a part of the process of growth and maturity in Christ. What takes more faith and character? To live through the suffering or to simply be miraculously healed without having to truly think through and trust the Savior for spiritual change?” (End of excerpt from Bible.org)

I’m of the persuasion that as said in Col. 3:3 that the devil has no say or influence on us as long as we are hidden in Christ. The question is, how are we hidden. Going back and re-reading the verses 1-4 we see it explains it fairly simply. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

First and foremost I see that we have died. Verse three plainly states that. Having died we are then risen in new life with Him and will never again be seen by the enemy of our soul until we appear with Him in glory. The blood of His sacrifice granted us this new life.

An analogy such as all of our past written on a piece of paper being burned to ashes means we no longer have ought against ourselves that can be brought up by the enemy. You can’t reconstruct the past that was buried or burnt in this analogy shows. Therefore he is left to do as I Peter 5:8 states. He searches or looks for someone that he may devour. But you can’t be found.

But we do have to fight with principalities and powers of the air. That is where we cover ourselves with the whole armour of God. It’s a part of our being hidden from the enemy.

Eph 6:12 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We are to put on the whole armor of God and this chapter goes on to explain. There’s a lot to explain here, so I hope to rightly divide the “hidden” you from the “warrior” you at some point, but for the sake of brevity, the point here is that we are hid in Christ. As long as we are focused on growing in God and going on to maturity we will not be found by a toothless enemy roaring “like a lion”. Notice that he’s not a lion. So. There’s really nothing to fear of your enemy.

One last thought and I’m done here. Temptation will come. What you do with it will depend on you being uncloaked to the enemy or not. Don’t “entertain” temptation. Dismiss it and move on and stay cloaked with the righteousness of God.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, church, Love, Patience, Ponderings, Prayer, Priorities, Salvation, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

Praise and Worship Services

Posted on 2019/05/11 by JimR, Chaplain

I recently saw a post about modern day praise and worship services among a lot of

churches from small to mega size. Most of what I read was somewhat harsh about the so called the night club style of them. I admit I am not too sure about the smoke and flashing lights. myself. The first time I was in a church similar to this description was Florida, in the Tampa area.

When I walked in the inside looked similar to a multi-use convention center with the ceiling much like Walmart or Sam’s Club. I don’t go to night clubs, but I’m sure there are such. It was dark except for the stage lights. The music was upbeat and the crowd was responsive, but it just didn’t seem right. It seemed like a “new cart” kind of worship service.

I Samuel 6:11 – And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.

For goodness sake folks, do you know what an emerod is? It’s translation is talking about tumors or more to the point, hemorrhoids. Golden mice? What? Why?

Cut the developing rabbit trail here and get back to the main subject. Yes, I agree that modern, progressive churches are turning to worldly methods to draw a crowd.

My problem is that certain of the praise and worship methods employed properly are meant to usher in the Presence of God, but are being thrown out like the baby with the bathwater.

In the Old Testament there was an approved method of worship.

2 Chronicles 29:25 – And [Hezekiah] stationed the Levites (has to be a Levite) in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king’s seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets”

If you will read the context of the above and below you will find David was authorized, but Amos, the shepherd turned prophet, was sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel to rebuke and admonish them. Israel, in order to keep people from traveling to Jerusalem in Judah, built their own temples in Israel. These temples were not authorized places of worship and their priests were not Levites. Their lives and their worship were extremely paganistic. And although they still attempted to worship Jehovah God, they did so in an unauthorized fashion.

Amos 5:22-23 – Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen

Amos 6:4-5 – Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music.

With that somewhat established let’s move into today. I know of churches who abhor the idea of instruments in the church. If that’s what they want it’s okay with me. I just won’t be in attendance there. Then there are churches that think old fashioned. I once played drums with a southern gospel group for a season. We went to an old fashion Pentecostal church to sing for the people and the preacher got up and lambasted any form of Christian music if it wasn’t southern gospel. That I cannot agree with either, even though they did have instruments. One side note, the idea of women not cutting there hair was in full force there. His daughter who played the piano had probably never cut her hair since it was literally down to her ankles. It reminded me of something I would see in a circus side-show.

Way back in 1979-80, I started playing drums in a praise and worship team, as we called it. I played for 25 years in what became something that was very interesting before I gave it up. I became more tuned to the Spirit and played to that end. If the Spirit moved a certain direction that’s where I went. That came from playing under a worship leader who knew that even with a predetermined song list for the morning that God’s moving can change the course of the service and that’s where we would go. It didn’t have to be exactly 1,2,3. Songs we played were not elaborate or accentuated by talent. It was played by what God directed. It has led me to know what is and what isn’t.

My wife and I have been to quite a few Christian concerts. Some of them were Rend Collective, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder, Mandisa, Danny Gokey to name a few. But to us the most in tune with the Spirit is Big Daddy Weave. We’ve been with the Big Daddy Weave group and just Mike Weaver alone acoustically in a local talent show.

My wife and I have gotten up and left one concert because the flashing lights gave me a headache and the sound was way too high. The talent was great, but lacked the leading of the Spirit. Christian music is about all I listen to anymore since there is not even any talent in secular music anymore. Oh there is some, but most music industry executives cobble together what they think the public will love to hear. The main stream music industry is just that. Industry. If Christian music doesn’t maintain a careful watch, it will end up the same way.

To make this short, yes there are churches who burn strange fire, so to speak in their music, but there are a few big churches I feel God is still there working in the services. Small churches probably carry the same percentages of such.

The rule of thumb here is this. There is no book on how to conduct a praise and worship service. Talent is surely helpful, but it isn’t the key to the service. Listening for God is the key. Music is meant to carry one into His presence. It’s not something to drum up emotion with lights, smoke and mirrors.

My learning from how to please God is this. When you enter the church before service it should be a time to talk to God first. In the prayerful state on an individual basis, we then come together in the praise and worship to pull everyone together as one. Listen for God to speak. Prayer, praise and worship is a two way street. As God moves He will direct and then when, and if it’s time, the messenger of God will speak on what is for the people that day. At that end, then the people should talk to each other to confirm as they leave to fulfill their week as God directs.

I don’t think I’m too far off of the point of a gathering according to Hebrew 10:25. We need to be assembled. Not just in one place, but assembled together as a body. Music is an important part of that assembly.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, Christian Music, church, Music, Ponderings, Prayer, Priorities, Spiritual, Spiritual Investment | 3 Comments

Paige

Posted on 2019/04/22 by JimR, Chaplain

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I’m sad this afternoon. My first Papillon, Paige passed on this afternoon in my arms. She had been failing for a bit, but last night it took a quick decline. By morning she couldn’t walk. I sat with her most of the afternoon until she died. She was about fourteen years old. I’m going to miss her agonizing barking, mental issues, but most of all those little dark eyes looking at me telling me she loved me.

I cried.

Posted in Fur Babies, Love, Sadness | 2 Comments

Salvation

Posted on 2019/04/18 by JimR, Chaplain

It’s a simple solution to the world. How it came about is a difficult thing. Jesus, the

Son of God, had to die. To die a most horrible death. The physical aspects are incomprehensible. Torn to shreds by a cat o’ nine tails of sorts. Nailed to a cross.

Yet I feel the worst part of being on the cross was when Jesus felt that separation from His Father. The physical pain is indeed unbearable, but to feel the Father turned His back is more than any physical pain that had been endured.

There are millions of people who feel the despair of living without something to fill that void in their heart. I believe all men have that little compartment in their heart that is empty till they come to realize it was meant for God to live there. If there was no horror in living without God, why do people constantly try to fill that compartment?

They fill it with at least one of the seven deadly sins. Drugs, men, women, money, power will never fill that compartment. It can be filled to overflowing, but never satisfying.

If you read this and feel empty, perhaps you need to consider from where your source of fulfillment comes from. I was saved at sixteen, yet it took till my latter twenties to make a solid commitment. Then being baptized in the Holy Spirit magnified the presence of His life in me.

Then came a test to see what I was truly wanting. One evening after fasting a week with such a rich presence, He withdrew from me as I drove to work. I sensed just a small fraction of what Jesus felt on the cross. There was a total absence of God. At that point I felt if I could not live with His presence in my life I no longer needed to live and for a split second I considered ended my life, but like a rush, He came back in. That was the evening I was baptized in His Spirit.

Since that time I have felt His love and his discipline. Like any good father, He has guided my path for the last forty one years. I’ve known God’s voice longer, but true dedication to Him came at this point. True, I did lose my way for a while, but He was always there and we always talked even though I was unchurched, so to speak.

By in large, I have given everything I have to Him for His service. God loves me. He can do that for you. Once you accept you are His, He will never leave you or forsake you. If you turn away, He will always be there when you turn around.

Dying on the cross was the turning point for mankind. Everyone for eternity was written in the Book of Life. The only way it’s blotted out is if you don’t respond to the gift of Life He so freely gave. Judgment is based on how you respond. God gave His all. All you have to do is give yours.

It’s a simple thing. Just ask Him to abide with you and surrender to your future in eternal life. Ask forgiveness of your past and the nature you were born under and your own sins. Turn about and walk towards Him.

Posted in Christian, church, Love, Ponderings, Possibilities, Prayer, Priorities, Salvation, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual | Leave a comment