New Years Resolution

Tis the time to make a pact
Upon which most will never act.
A time when we set standards high
To only watch the year go by.
Never seeing them come to pass
Or making a change that seems to last.
This year I've said there’ll be no pact
Upon which I will never act.
Instead I’ve pledged to take each day
And live it in a Christ like way.

Chris Kuntz

What Kind Of Soil Are You?

In Luke chapter 8, we read about the parable of the farmer sowing seed. It tells us that as the seed was sown, some fell on the path, some fell on the rocks, some fell among the thorns, and some fell in good soil. As I studied this, I came to realize that the soil is you and I, and how we respond to the seed, which is the word of God. As I read on I had to ask myself the following question: As God, (the farmer) sows His seed, (the word) on me, (the soil) what kind of soil does that seed fall on?

I always thought of myself as good soil solely based on my faith in Christ and my service to further the Kingdom of Heaven. However, as I thought about how I don’t read the bible as I ought to, how I find myself being so busy with “church stuff” that I don’t have time to go to bible study, and how I don’t share that seed or word with my family as I ought to, I found that my soil isn’t good after all.

I can be pretty sure that I am not the path, which, are those who hear the word but reject it. I don’t believe that I am among the rocks, which, gets the seed and starts to grow, but dies because the rock prevents roots from growing and therefore has no means of getting moisture. I most likely fall into the thorn category. Thorns can be representative of anything that distracts me from the word of God. Often I find myself wanting to sit down and read the bible only to be distracted with something else I deem important i.e.: church stuff.

I go to church on Wednesday nights for practice and usually arrive around 5:30 and stay until 10:30. Now you would think that would be enough time to do whatever I have to do and still have time to attend the adult bible study from 6:30 – 7:30. But I always seem to find something to take up the time, thinking all along that I am doing well because I’m at church.

Sunday school is another opportunity for me to sit down and soak up the word, yet I find my mind wandering during class to the events of the morning. How things went, what we could have done differently, how and what we will do next week, yadda, yadda, yadda.

There are so many things that grow up next to the word (seed) that seem good, however in the end, they only strangle the word to death.

So my situation is that of thorns and dying seed. I must find a way to cultivate my soil so that the word that falls on me can grow and multiply a hundred fold as the scripture says. I must start to prioritize my life and ministry so that the word has good soil to land on. Life comes from the word and the word from the mouth of God.

I hope you stop to analyze your soil, test it and see if it is good. Don’t assume that it is because in the end you might be disappointed to find out differently. Cultivate your soil by preparing it, make time everyday to read God’s word, attend that bible study you have been putting off, go to Sunday school class, join a home study group that is really studying the bible and not just getting together and talking. Make very opportunity you can so that when the word falls on you, it will take root and grow and multiply.

Foreign Language

I have this attraction to electronics, especially palm pilots and computers. I just get amazed at what they can do, especially some of the new stuff. Since I have this interest in them, I tend to mess with them alot, therefore I have learned how to do quite a bit on them. At work when the computer goes down or is giving them fits, they call me in to take a look at it. At home when we have problems, I am usually the one to try to figure it out. Not that my wife cannot, she works in the IT department at her work, so she if very competent.



There are times however, that the problems start to sound like a foreign language and go beyond my knowledge and I have to call in someone more experienced to help guide me through a set up or repair, or even to understand something more clearly. Tonight was such a night.



We went to mom and dad's for our family Christmas tonight, and while there we lost the Internet connection on their computer. Everything was working up to the computer, the server, the router, the cat5 line. Everything it seemed except for the NIC card. So we ran over to the local electronics store and grabbed a new card, came back home and installed it sure that it would solve the problem, but no luck.



I started getting messages such as: acquiring network address failed: redirecting new IP address:

stuff about the TCPI and the DSN server and blah, blah, blah...........



So now is the time I call in the one smarter than myself.... I just get so frustrated when something that seems so simple ends up being so difficult.



Sometimes I feel this way about the bible and being a Christian. The bible has so much information in it that it can be so difficult to understand almost to the point of being a foreign language. At times I sit down to start reading and I feel as though I am sitting down to an unclimbable mountain, it can be so intimidating sometimes. But the only way to climb the mountain is to put one foot in front of the other and start. So on the days I feel as though I am looking in to the face of a giant, I do just that, I start.

I always hope it will get easier, and maybe some day it will, but the important thing is that I keep trying. It's my hope that one day I will find a method that works for me, and that I will approach and ascend with a steady forward movement. I will trust in the one who is smarter than I am and ask Him to teach me how to move forward.

Red Letter Edition

Yesterday I started something new. I decided to read through the New Testament but only reading what Jesus had to say. I have a red letter edition bible and so it makes it easy to read only what Jesus said.

So far I have found it interesting, it's definitely different, and probably not the best way to read through it, but I am enjoying it so far. He said what he said and meant it, I like that.

I am hopeful to find a few morsels of information to pass on.

A Friendly Shoutout and Christmas Greetings

About a week ago, I was playing around on my blog site and clicked on the counter at the bottom. It opened another window and took me to the counter web site. I guessed at my login and password and was introduced to a fascinating world of blogger stats. I was amazed to find that I could get a rough idea as to who was visiting my site and how they got there. SOOOOO....... I just wanted to give a shout out to those of you, whom I don't know by the way, that have visited my blog site. I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! God bless you and may His light shine upon you.

Shout out list: Hey, and Christmas Greeting's to.....

Fort Wayne, Indiana
Tyler, Texas
Ranger Texas
Stockton, California
El Paso, Texas
Lansing, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
Pennsylvania
Ontario, Canada
Appleton, Wisconsin
Saginaw, Michigan
Altoona, Pennsylvania
New York, New York
Corunna, Michigan
Hamden, Connecticut
Kokomo, Indiana
Auburn, Indiana
Las Vegas, Nevada
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Monore, Louisiana
Huntington, Indiana
Abbotsford, Canada
Hessen, Gladenbach, Germany
San Luis Obispo, California
Southfield, Michigan
United Kingdom
Seattle, Washington
Bakersfield, California
Florida
Marietta, Georgia
Naples, Florida
Mayfield, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Kingsland, Georgia
St.George Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Little Rock, Arkansas
Moorestown, New Jersey
Lafayette, Indiana
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Atlanta, Georgia
Dublin, Ireland
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Darlington, South Carolina
Plymouth, Indiana
Phoenix, Arizona
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
Nairobi Area, Kenya
Brandon, Mississippi
Arlington, Virginia
Zuid-Holland, The Hague, Netherlands
Madisonville, Tennessee
Dallas, Texas
Ames, Iowa
Boston, Massachusetts
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Cincinnati, Ohio
Paducah, Kentucky
Lititz, Pennsylvania
United Kingdom
Denver, Colorado
Ketterling, Ohio
Republic of Korea
Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania
Winter Park, Florida
Riverside, California
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Antilles, Netherlands
Simi Valley, California
Danbury, Connecticut
Manitoba, Altona, Canada
Beyrouth, Beirut, Lebanon
Decatur, Georgia
Andhra Pradesh, Guntur, India
Kingston, New York
T'ai-pei, Taiwan
Bel Air, Maryland
Everett, Washington
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Newport, Ohio
Singapore
Manila, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Owosso, Michigan
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Reston, Virginia
Modesto, California
Beaumont, Texas
Los Angeles, California
District of Columbia, Washington
Baleares, Palma De Mallorca, Spain
Davis, California
Podlaskie, Bialystok, Poland
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Scotts Valley, California
Tucson, Arizona
South Africa
Miami, Florida
North Webster, Indiana
Maharashtra, Mumbai, India
Limburg, Venlo, Netherlands
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
West Bengal, Calcutta, India
Norwalk, Connecticut

Celebrating Cultures Around The World

Tonight my family went to watch my oldest son perform in what I thought was their annual Christmas program for his elementary school. I arrived with an anticipation of watching him sing, dance, and play an instrument, and I wasn't disappointed in his fantastic performance. He really worked hard on his songs and sang them around the house a lot, in a differant language mind you. The entire evening was really good, the kids showed how they could sing many different songs in different languages, and they displayed their ability to play an African song using a verity of drums and rhythmic instruments, and it was done well. I was very please right up till the end, when they ended the evening with all the kids shouting HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Now again maybe I am picking on something small to some, but for me this is a big pet peeve. I can't stand it when someone says Happy Holidays at Christmas time. There is a reason it is called Christmas and I would prefer to leave it that way.

It got me to thinking about all the stuff that the public school system will be teaching my kids over the next several years, and it worried me. I must hope and pray that I am teaching them what they NEED to know here at home about God and His son Jesus Christ, and the truth about creation. To help them lay a strong foundation for their beliefs and convictions.

I know it seems like the last few posts have been me picking on people or things said and if I have bored you, I apologize. I just have a few things that just really rattle my cage and I have a hard time not saying anything about them.

On a lighter and more positive note, the other night I was preparing dinner for the family and my two oldest were arguing, and had been all afternoon. This too was getting on my nerves and so I began to explain to them that sometimes even though people are not being nice to us, we still need to show them love and be nice to them. I explained that people were not always nice to Jesus and yet he showed them love and kindness. At that, my oldest said, "Dad, that just made me think of something, even though my brother may be mean to me, I will still be nice to him. Like when you tell me to clean my room, I will clean mine and his too. I think that is what Jesus would do."


I can't begin to tell you just how good that made me feel, I felt like he actually heard me and that it struck a chord with him. The rest of the evening was blissful peace as they got along and treated each other with respect and kindness. Mind you that it only lasted for the night, they were back to normal the next day. However, it is my hope that they heard me that night and they will remember it.

Necessity or Just Nice?

Today at church, we had several things planned. With an impending ice storm heading our way I wondered how things might go. There were fewer than normal there, but still more than I expected. Just about the time Pastor Gary started in with announcements the power went out, and stayed out. Needless to say the power point, band, and lighting cease to exist. Not to mention that after the service we had planned a church Christmas dinner/carry-in.

Well with music, we improvised and cut all band members loose to sit back and enjoy the service, I grabbed my acoustic and we sang with almost a campfire feeling. The message was given with a hushed crowd so they could hear, and candles came out of the wood work so we could see in the basement for lunch. Just about the time the message was coming to an end, the power came back on, and stayed on. We thought the candles were doing such a great job of providing atmosphere, we just kept it that way, no lights for lunch.

Over all, the morning went well. I was pleased to see how people took things in stride and how some sprang into action to make the day continue as planned. While standing in line to get my plate of ham, turkey and mashed potatoes, I had a few people tell me that we should shut the power off more often, I agree.

Amps, electric and bass guitars, drums, power point slides for the message, stage lighting, it's all nice but not necessary for God to move. God was front and center in church this morning, and He never missed a beat. It's good to know that God doesn't rely on such things the way we do sometimes. Thanks God!!

Religious Beliefs, Politics and Blurring the Lines

Last night Mitt Romney gave a speech in front of a crowd of several hundred and a television audience of millions. I was not able to hear the speech in it's entirety, however I did hear excerpts of it this morning during my workout.

As I was exercising, I heard him say that he believed Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and the Savior of man kind. That got my attention, and so I started listening. I thought he was doing pretty good until I heard a statement toward the end that threw up a flag for me. He said, and I quote, "Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the almighty, has a friend and ally in me," he said. "And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion -- rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."

Sounds good doesn't it? Something doesn't sit well with me about this statement, and it's this line, "we do not insist on a single strain of religion -- rather, we welcome our nations symphony of faith." Are we back in the 70's again?? Peace, Love..........

Some would have thought Jesus to be narrow minded when He said "I am the way the truth and the life, and NO MAN comes unto the Father but through me." Symphony of faith?? Mitt, you disappoint me. We can't have it both ways my friends. Either we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that salvation is found in no other, as Acts 4:12 states, or we believe that as long as you have "religion" and live a moral life, we are all brothers and sisters destined for eternity in heaven.

I sat at work this afternoon and listened to AM talk show hosts gush and applaud and praise Mitt and his comments, and the whole time I just shook my head. I will be the first to admit that I am not the smartest when it comes to politics and I'm a novice when it comes to scriptural interpretation, however I believe that there is One God, One Christ Jesus, One Holy Spirit, and One way to heaven, and that we can all too often make a horrible horrible mess out of the truth.

I pray that as a "nation under God", we will build firm foundations of biblical understanding. And upon those firm foundations on which we stand, we will stand with unwavering faith and hope that the truth of God's word will always prevail.