Read The Bible

Today, I finished the last pages of my Bible reading plan for 2009. That puts me far above most statistically. Most people in the US have a Bible, and very few have actually read the entire thing. One stat I saw said that only %10 of "christians" have read the entire Bible. Whoa!

A few thoughts, in no particular order.

- Some days were hard, some were easy. It wasn't always like reading a comic book, and shouldn't be. There were times that I felt like I was just reading to just be reading. I did it anyway. I figure that to read and not be completely into it is better than not reading at all. I pray that the Lord will forgive me for those times and help me to have fewer of them this year.

- I learned, a lot. This wasn't my first time to read through the Bible. I have done it many times. I learned a lot about scripture and, consequently, God. That is a blessing beyond measure.

- Did I stay on track with the plan? For the most part, yes. I was surprised at how the daily readings seemed so short. It took maybe 15 minutes, max. I did get behind a bit this summer. But, I used my vacation to do some catch up reading, and really enjoyed it. Staying on track is not as difficult as it seems.

- You can do it. Say it with me, "I can do it." You can read the Bible. If it is important enough to you, make it a priority and read the Word of God.

- Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for Your Word that leads me to You, that instructs, corrects, trains, reproves, encourages and so much more. Thank You for speaking to me through Your Word. I pray that you would continue to grow me in my knowledge and passion for You and Your Word.

Christmas Eve Worship

You are invited to our Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service

Dec. 24th 5:30 p.m.

Hannah's Kindness

Galatians 5:22 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is...kindness..." among the others.

I went to have lunch with my 5th grader, Hannah, at her school. Each class is supposed to sit at a certain table but then the kids can choose to sit by whomever they choose.

As the kids are coming in, I greeted Hannah and asked where she wanted me to sit while she went through the line to get her lunch. She showed me where she normally sits, gave me a seat to the right, because she saved the seat to the left for another kid in her class.

It turns out that she has chosen to sit by a boy in her class named Josh. Josh is just a friend, but he is a special friend. Hannah told me that Josh is pretty quiet with everyone but he normally talks to her a lot at lunch.

It took me a while to figure out what was going on. I asked Hannah and she said that she sits by him almost everyday.

I was really impressed by the kindness I saw in Hannah's life. I know that it is the Lord at work in her. Her kindness to this boy was not at my instruction, or because I told her to. It was all on her initiative.

What is so impressive is how special this boy is. Josh has downs syndrome. Hannah has gone out of her way to show kindness to someone whom others might shy away from. She doesn't condescend or patronize him, she is just his friend.

I hope she does this because she realizes that Jesus did the same kind of thing.

Christmas Worship Services

You are invited to our Christmas Worship Services at First Baptist of Southlake

Sunday December 20th

We have Sunday school at 9:30 a.m.
Service is at 10:45 a.m.

I will be preaching from Isaiah 9:6

Christmas Eve - Dec. 24th
Special Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service
Bring the whole family as we read from the gospel accounts of Christ's birth, worship with some great Christmas music and hear a message about the meaning of Christ's birth.

Aggie Christmas Tree

Entertained To Death

When the Titanic hit the iceberg and began to sink, there was a group of musicians that came on the deck to play some music. If you have seen the movie, that was a true depiction of actual events.

I am sure that those musicians were doing something noble, but allow me a little creative latitude with the story.

Those musicians were hired to entertain. They used their musical abilities to add to the enjoyment of the passengers. The ship is sinking, people are about to die but let's do some entertaining.

They should have put down their instruments and help save people. They could have gotten more people into the boats. They could have handed out life jackets. They could have tried to make alternative life rafts out of mattresses, or anything else that might float. Instead, they entertain the masses of people. At least the dying masses got to hear some good music before the drowned in the icy waters.

I think too many believers today are concerned with entertaining people. Church is a place to be enjoyed. The serious requirements of the gospel need to be toned down because it is not enjoyable to most. Our church needs to be more entertaining.

No! The church is not a comedy club. The gospel is not for your entertainment. It is to save you from perishing for all eternity because of your sin.

The job of Christ followers is to share the life saving message of Jesus Christ. The ship is going down for the lost world. They will die, and we don't know when. Christ followers have been commissioned not to entertain the dying masses but to show them where the seat in the lifeboat is.

Tiger Trouble

I have been a long time fan of Tiger Woods. He is an amazing competitor and arguably the best golfer ever.

He is also an adulterer. What started out as tabloid fodder has turned into a fact corroborated by Tiger's admission of "transgressions" today. Tabloids are just that, and not the banner for journalistic integrity, but Tiger's confession confirms the truth of his adultery.

Here are some stats about Tiger.

Forbes lists Tiger as the first Billion dollar athlete.
Last year he won over 10.5 million dollars on the PGA Tour alone.
He has won 71 PGA events and 14 Majors.
He is 33 years old.
He has been married for 5 years.
He has two children.
He is an adulterer.

"“You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14, ESV)

"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself." (Proverbs 6:32, ESV)

" “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28, ESV)

Tiger is not, as has never been, the paragon of virtue and morality. Why should he be? He has everything!

I know what Tiger needs. He doesn't need me to cast stones. Measured by God's standards I am a sinner too. So is everyone else. What I needed, is the same thing Tiger needs. A Savior.

What Tiger needs is to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is more valuable than billions of dollars and you can't win Him in a golf tournament. By repenting and trusting in Him as Lord, your sins can be forgiven and your soul spared. That is priceless!

I pray for Tiger's salvation.

Thanksgiving in Texas

I hope everyone had a blessed thanksgiving break.

This year the Berry clan did the Texas two-step. My family lives in Austin and Michelle's lives in Palestine. We went to both.

On Turkey day we were in Austin at my parents house. My brother, his wife, my niece and nephew came over. All the kids had a great time playing with one another and doing things with grammy.

We ate a lot, watched some football, and had a great time hanging out with family.

The Friday after, we packed up and drove from Austin to East Texas to be with Michelle's family. More turkey and more fun.

Uncle Chuck had set up Guitar Hero on papa's new big screen t.v. We all died laughing while playing that game. To see grandma singing a rock song, and papa playing guitar was worth the price of admission.

Then Saturday, we visited the dentist office(papa is the dentist), had our teeth cleaned and headed back to Southlake.

Overall, it was a good time and now we can focus on the stretch run to Christmas!

Jesus, Thank You

A Song For Thanksgiving

I thought I would repost my blog about the song "Jesus, Thank You". I think it is an appropriate reminder for all that I should be thankful for.

I am very picky about worship music. I recently stumbled across a great song by Sovereign Grace Ministries and Bob Kauflin. It is a great worship song, about propitiation called "Jesus, Thank You." If I knew how to upload audio to this blog I would put it on here. I don't so here are the lyrics.



The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.

Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.

By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near,
Your enemy made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and your kindness know no end.

Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.

Dying To Preach

This is the question every pastor needs to ask as he prepares his sermons, "am I 'Dying to Preach'"?

That question is not about a desire, but a lifestyle.

That is also the title of Dr. Steven Smith's new book on preaching. I am blessed to have Dr. Smith as a professor and to have read an advanced manuscript of this book. It is not a fun book! I say that as a compliment. Being called of God to preach His Holy Word requires the death of the preacher. Not just once, but on a weekly basis.

The call to preach is a call to die. That is the theme of Dr. Smith's book and one that I highly recommend.

You can purchase the book online in many places, and here.

P.S. I did not write this to kiss up to my prof, but if it helps, all the better.

Archaeological Confirmation

A couple of months ago as I was preaching through the gospel of Mark, we came across this verse, “" And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”" (Mark 13:1-2, ESV)

A recent archaeological discovery in Israel uncovered some of the ruins of the temple. Some coins were found burned and charred by the destruction that happened in A.D. 66.

You can read the article here.

Here is a portion of my sermon about the historical event of the destruction of the temple.

After Christ’s resurrection and ascension things got too tense. In Galilee a Roman leader sacrificed some bird to his false Roman gods right near the local synagogue. This violated so many Jewish laws and customs that the local Jews could take no more. The proverbial straw landed on the camel’s back. They rioted, and rebelled against the local Roman magistrate.

News of this small revolt made its way up the Roman chain of leadership a short way. A small legion of soldiers was dispatched to take care of these unruly Jews. They marched arrogantly into Galilee to subdue these pests. Little did they know that the boiling point had been reached. The local Jewish rebels organized. They ambushed the Roman soldiers and soundly defeated them.

Romans hate defeat more than they hate anything else. News of this defeat made it back to Emperor Nero. He dispatched Vespasian and thousands of soldiers to defeat all of Israel.

Vespasian marched into Galilee and quickly subdue the entire land. There was some fighting but with a vastly larger army there was not much resistance. In fact, many of the cities surrendered without fighting at all.

That fact, did not sit well with certain groups of Jews. There was one group in particular that was infuriated that Jews surrendered to Romans. This group was so extreme in its views and so passionate about Israel, they were called the Zealots. The Zealots saw the defeat of the northern region of Galilee and they headed south for Judah and Jerusalem.

The Zealots marched right in and took over Jerusalem and even the Temple. This was a huge violation of their own laws. These Zealots encouraged revolt at all costs. They supported the outright murder of not only Romans, but even their Jewish brothers who favored surrender. A sort of small civil war broke out because of these zealots.
They invited these murders into the temple. That was a big no no. They allowed any who wanted, to roam freely in the Temple. There were murders even in the holy of holies. That would have been an abomination. They even committed murder in the temple courts. Instead of following the rules of the Law they anointed their own priest named Phanni. This Phanni was no more qualified to be priest than a Roman. Some consider this the “abomination of desolation”.

Meanwhile, the Romans were not sitting idly by. Vespasian began to march on Jerusalem. Eventually, Vespasian’s son Titus takes over the assault of Jerusalem. But, the city is well fortified. There are a series of several walls that the Romans are having a hard time penetrating.

What Titus does is he has his own wall built. His soldiers build up an earthen mound to surround the city, cutting it off from everything. Then when Titus catches a Jew he has them crucified and displayed on top of this mound for all to see.
Eventually, the soldiers breech the final Jewish wall. They rush in and devastate the city. Josephus says that 1.1 million Jews were killed, 97,000 were captured. The final siege lasted 5 months. It could have been much longer but not for the grace of God.

After the fighting stopped. Titus ransacked the Temple. He took the temple treasures. In fact, if you go to Rome today you can see the Arch of Titus that was built in honor of Titus victory over the Jews in Jerusalem. On that arch is a carving of the Romans carting of the treasures of the temple.

There were a few zealots remaining who escaped from Jerusalem, they made it to an outpost near the Dead Sea called Masada. The Romans pursued. In A.D. 73 the Romans breeched the defenses there and the complete victory over the Jews was secured.

This series of events were cataclysmic for the Jewish people. They had no land. In fact, the nation of Israel would not even exist from that moment until 1948. That land was the promised land. That Temple was where God’s presence was.

What sticks out is that the cause of these catastrophic events was not the imperialstic tendencies of the Romans, it was the punishment of God upon His rebellious, sinful people. It was also, the start of an entirely new era.

Veterans Day Tribute

Teach Me To Do Your Will

The word disciple means learner or student. What are you a student of?
I love to learn. I love to learn new things. I hope to be a student for the rest of my life. When it comes to following Christ, we are to be continually learning of Him.

Look at Psalm 143:10
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" (Psalm 143:10, ESV)

First of all it is a prayer for help. It is recognition of the fact that doing God’s will is not something we are ingrained to do. We need help. We need someone to teach us. Not just anyone, but the Lord.

There is a twofold trap that we can fall into:
1. That I can do it.
2. That it will just happen.

I am not so good at doing my own will, much less God’s. I need some serious help. And the amazing thing is that God provides it. He has the power to sufficiently manage my life, if I will surrender it to Him.

As for number 2: learning does not normally just happen. You don’t just learn by osmosis. We do have a responsibility as students to seek learning. If you just think that your faith is going to grow, without actually having to apply yourself, it’s not very likely.

What about the subject matter of this learning? It is God’s Will. There is no subject greater to learn than the subject of God and His Will. It is a pursuit that is worthy of the utmost attention, devotion, and dedication.

Most people are too overconsumed with their own will. If we showed as much desire for God’s will, as we did for our own, I think our lives, churches, and the world would be different as a result.

Why Does The Church Exist?

I was recently reading a paper for the Evangelical Homiletical Society and ran across a quote about the nature of the church that was outstanding. The paper was written by Glen Watson entitled “The Preacher As Cultural Architect”.

The church is by nature, missionary. The church does not have a mission; God has a mission, and He sends the church into the world to complete it.
David Bosch says,

“The church is not the sender but the one sent. Its mission…is not secondary to its being; the church exists in being sent and in building itself up for the sake of its mission…Ecclesiology(nature of the church) therefore does not preceded missiology(nature of missions). Mission is not a ‘fringe activity of a strongly established church, a pious cause that maybe be attended to when the home fires are first brightly burning…Missionary activity is not so much the work of the church as simply the Church at work.’ It is a duty ‘which pertains to the whole church’. Since God is a missionary God…God’s people are a missionary people.

Big Gospel

I heard a very good and convicting message this afternoon at the Bible Conference of the SBTC by Nathan Lino.

Here is the smacker: The Gospel is bigger than me and it is bigger than my local church.
Too often we, I, internalize everything I learn from scripture to just me personally. If I relate to the gospel just on an individual level, that is a problem. How? Granted, it does relate to me personally and I must incorporate the gospel into my life on an individual level. The problem is when I stop right there.

Let me give an example. The gospel is that Jesus died for our sins. Too many of us take that truth and appropriate it on just an individual level. “Jesus died for me.” That is true, but it doesn’t stop there. Jesus also died for everyone else. Jesus died for the check out clerk at Wal Mart. Jesus died for the neighbor down the street. Jesus died for the liberal politician I heard on t.v. Jesus died for those who live in the North East. Jesus died for those who live in Saudi Arabia. Jesus died for more than just me. The gospel is bigger than just me. I must broaden my personal perspective to see the greater Kingdom of God.

This is a good thing. It is amazing that I am included in the grand Kingdom of God. That He wants me to participate in His Big Sized Gospel Plan is overwhelming.

This same “small gospel” disease also happens collectively in our local churches. We have this tendency to view the gospel only as it relates to our local church. It does relate to our local church, it is the basis of our church. But, it doesn’t stop there. The gospel of Christ is about more than just my particular church. It is about His Kingdom. The scope of His Plan is wider and bigger than any one local church.

In his sermon, Nathan gave proof of this tunnel vision. Jealousy! When a church down the street is doing something awesome, we don’t thank God for the Kingdom work that is going on, we question why that is not happening for our church. We are jealous that we aren’t seeing the same thing. That is evidence of a limited vision of the gospel.

Want more evidence? I am not sure we do. I may get some of these numbers wrong, but follow this. There are about 300 million people in the USA and 100,000 SBC ministers. There are 6.5 billion people in the world and only 5,500 sbc missionaries. That’s 1 minister for every 3000 people in the USA. For the rest of the world: there is one missionary for every 1.18 million people! That is way out of proportion. Why? American Christians don’t care about the lost world! They really don’t even care about their lost neighbor, so why would they care about someone lost half way around the world?!

Here’s more: There was 12 billion dollars collected in SBC churches in 2008. That’s great! Only 5% of that total made to overseas missions. That’s not great! Why is that? Could it be that we are more concerned about our own personal church world and our own personal gospel than we are with the big picture?

Let me reemphasize the point. It is not that the gospel does not have something to do with my personal world or my local church. It does, and I should be concerned with those things. But, IT CANNOT, IT MUST NOT STOP THERE!

Why am I so emphatic? Well, it’s not really me, it’s not really my words. It’s Jesus’ words, it’s God’s Word.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:18-20)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

That is a BIG GOSPEL!

The Bible Enemy

I read this quote by J.I. Packer in his forward of R.C. Sproul's book, Knowing Scripture.

"If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible. Knowing that it is the Word of God, teaching men to know and love and serve the God of the Word, I should do all I ccould to surround it with the spiritual equivalent of pits, thorn hedges and man traps, to frighten people off...
How? Well, I should try to distract all clergy from preaching and teaching the Bible, and spread the feeling that to study this ancient book directly is a burdensome extra which modern Christians can forgo without loss. I should broadcast doubts about the truth and relevance and good sense and straightforwardness of the Bible, and if any still insisted on reading it I should lure them into assuming that the benefit of the practice lies in the noble and tranquil feelings evoked by it ratheer than in noting what Scripture actually says. At all costs I should want to keep them from using their minds in a disciplined way to get the measure of its message."

Family Ministry

Your family is your ministry. That is true not just for pastors, but for anyone who claims to follow Christ and has a family.

Michelle and I attempt to be intentional in making family memories. Sometimes these are small things -- playing a board game every once and a while. Other times we do something big for the sake of our family -- a vacation to the beach.

The last week we were blessed to be able to go on a trip with all four of us to Cancun. We had an awesome time! It was the first time we all flew anywhere. The whole trip was great to watch the girls have so much fun. From the flights, airports, a different culture, swimming in pools and on beaches, eating new foods, all staying together in the same room, and everything else -- it was a great family time.

Life can be so busy, but I cannot allow that to interfere with my responsibility to minister in the context of my family. Vacations like this are not just a way to have fun. It is a way to foster relationships, encourage one another, and set an example in the faith. That is family ministry.

Not Yet, Please!

I had to go into Home Depot the other day and was instantly greeted by something that annoys me to no end. Christmas junk! It's barely October and at the Depot you have to walk through their giant ilses of Christmas junk.

I actually love Christmas time. I like the music, the lights, the stuff. But, I don't like too much of a good thing.

I have a personal Christmas embargo at my house. No Christmas until Thanksgiving. 3 months is too much. 6 weeks is just enough.

By the way, I know this is not going to change. I will have to continue to be annoyed.

God is not a "To-Do" List

A quote from A.W.Tozer (get ready for a kick in the stomach)

A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions, and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar. The tragic results of this spirit are all about us. Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit; these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.

It's Greek To Me

Why is the New Testament written in Greek? Is it just by coincidence? I don’t think so.

I read something that was I thought was fascinating the other day. ( I know that many things I think are fascinating others think are boring or weird. That’s o.k. You can get your own blog:)) It was from a book by F.F. Bruce called “The Books and Parchments”.

Why was the NT written in Greek? During the era of Christ’s life on earth up and through the times of the apostles, most writing was done in Greek. There are many reasons for this that I find not only fascinating but evidence of the amazing, providential, hand of God.

Historically, this time period was dominated by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire ruled the world in that day and that rule extended all the way throughout Israel. The common language of the Roman empire was Greek. The military and some officials used Latin, but the language of the people was Greek. When the Romans ruled over another land, they brought to that area their language. The conquered people would be required to adopt the Romans language.

The conquered nations did not have to give up their language, and most nations spoke a variety of languages. They were multilingual. Much like a lot of Europe today. Most Europeans speak more than one language and can probably speak more than two. That is very similar to the case of the Israelite people in the times of the New Testament.

The common language for Jesus and the apostles was Aramaic. Aramaic is a cousin of ancient Hebrew. They still understood and occasionally spoke Hebrew as their scriptures were written in that language. But, the Israelites also spoke and new Greek. To conduct business, pay taxes, and not get in trouble with the Roman authorities required a knowledge of Greek.

As this was true for Israel, it was also true for the known world at that time. All the known world from the time of about 30 A.D. to 150 A.D. (which covers the life of Christ and the writing of the New Testament, give or take a few) knew the common Greek language.

Here is where it get’s providential. In Luke 24:45-47 Jesus says "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to ALL NATIONS, beginning from Jerusalem."

F.F. Bruce writes this, “The language most appropriate for the propagation of this message would naturally be one that was most widely known throughout all the nations, and this language lay ready to hand. It was the Greek language, which at that time when the Gospel began to be proclaimed among all nations, was a thoroughly international language, spoken not only around the Aegean shores but all over the Eastern Mediterranean and in other areas too.” (p. 57)

The message of Christ was intended to go to all nations, and God, in his His supreme wisdom, arranged for the situation to be such that the language for the spread of that wonderful message was thoroughly international. It is not a coincidence that the New Testament scriptures are written in Greek

How To Juggle Cats - Or Your Schedule

With the coming fall and the new school year, our schedule has become a great challenge. This always seems to be the case. Having plenty of time seems to be a rarity.

This fall we seem to be like most people, trying to figure out how to juggle our schedule. Our kids are at two different schools with two different start times, and pick up times. That's a challenge.

We also have activities. We try to find a balance between being involved in good activities and not being over committed to the point that other areas suffer. This year we have diving lessons, diving team, volleyball, our Wed. night church responsibilities and the general school calendar of activities. Michelle is a wonderful mother who has great stamina and discipline to make sure the girls are where they need to be.

There are other areas of our life that deserve some time and attention as well. We have to juggle in times for exercise, rest, family time, devotional time with God, and other things.

I'm sure you have the same struggles. It is not easy.

I can actually juggle. When you are juggling something it is always about making adjustments. One toss might be out of line, and you have to adjust the catch and figure out how to get the next toss where it needs to be.

We are not perfect in juggling schedules, but we know that we have to work hard to be disciplined in making adjustments.

The key to adjusting while juggling is priorities. Protect the most important priorities. Spending time in God's Word and in fellowship with Him is a priority. I have to be disciplined to make sure that this area of my life doesn't suffer because it gets dropped in our busy schedule.

The next key is sacrifice. Something is going to be sacrificed because of busyness. If your priorities are set straight, then you will only sacrifice those things on the bottom of the list.

To juggle well, takes priorities, sacrifice, and discipline. These are all things that I need constantly to work on in my own life, but I trust in God and seek His strength and wisdom to be disciplined.

1 Timothy 4:7 "Be disciplined for godliness."

Don't Just Be A Good Boy

Be a good person. Be a better person. Be a better man. Be a better husband. Be a better father.

For many, that is the goal in life and that is what they hear the church preaching. The message is one of morality. Jesus can make you a better person.

The problem with that type of moralism is that it is a false gospel. It is not what being a Christ follower is all about. Jesus did not die so you could be more moral and behave better.

I read a blog article by Dr. Al Mohler on this subject that is a must read. This moral gospel is what drives so many people, preachers, and churches. It is the reason why there are so many “how to sermons”. You’ve seen them. How to have a better marriage, family, career, sex life, etc., etc., ad naseum.

It is absolutely true that there are moral requirements to walking with Christ. And, there are plenty of passages of scripture that address those various issues that we face. But that is not the heart of the gospel. The heart of the gospel is that we have sinned against a holy God. That Jesus died as our substitute taking the punishment for our sins. If we repent and fully trust in Jesus then He bestows His grace and forgiveness. That doesn’t make us better people, it makes us new people. It doesn’t just clean up the rough edges, it is a whole new start. Jesus didn’t die so we could be better, He died so we could be saved.

Dr. Mohler writes, “The theological temptation of moralism is one many Christians and churches find it difficult to resist. The danger is that the church will communicate by both direct and indirect means that what God expects of fallen humanity is moral improvement. In so doing, the church subverts the Gospel and communicates a false gospel to a fallen world.”

Bible Translations Part 2

So which bible translations are best?

It depends on a couple of factors, but the best translation method/philosophy is the Essentially Literal method. The reason for this is important. I believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Holy Word of God in the originals. I believe that every word, not just every thought, was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That means that any translation that leaves out words is leaving out something that God intended to be in there. I have a problem with that.
So let me give you a ranking in reverse order.

Avoid all paraphrases as your bible translation for your normal reading and studying. A paraphrase is not the Bible. Now, it is o.k. to have and use paraphrases as a supplement in your studying of scripture, but it shouldn’t be what you read on a daily basis. That means avoid the Living Bible, Message, Good News Bible and other paraphrases.

Next, I would caution against using Dynamic Equivalent bibles like the NIV (New International Version). This type of translation is not quite a paraphrase but it does leave out some of God’s inspired words and that is problem. I do have a caveat for the NIV.

NIV Caveat. People have different reading abilities. If I come across someone whose reading level is not that high, I might start them off with the NIV. The readability of the NIV makes it a good starting place for adults, and teens whose reading ability is not too strong. But, I would also have the goal of graduating them from the NIV to the NAS(New American Standard) or ESV (English Standard Version).

Best Category: Essentially Literal is the best choice of Bibles because they attempt to stick as closely to the originals in a word for word fashion. The versions I recommend the most are the New American Standard(NAS) and the English Standard Version (ESV). They are not perfect, but I think they are the best choices out there. I think overall, the ESV is slightly better.

What about the King James? This is a touchy subject. There are some people out there who think that it is the KJV or nothing at all. “If it was good enough for Paul, it is good enough for me?”(Paul did not speak King James English, by the way) Some people just prefer the KJV, that is fine. But, if you are a KJV only person, I will not post your comments.

I do not recommend the KJV, unless you have grown up with it and understand the language. There are several reasons why I do not recommend the KJV. One is simple. Most people do not speak, read, or understand the Shakespearean type language that the KJV is written in. There are also some translations issues that I won’t go into.

What do I use?
For my everyday Bible reading I generally use the ESV. I will occasionally use other translations and my Greek and Hebrew Bibles.
For preaching. I always start with the original languages. As I have been preaching through Mark I start with the Greek new testament. I take an ESV onto the stage with me, but as I read it I will modify it based upon my own study of the Greek original.

Conclusion:
Read your Bible. Study your Bible. Believe your Bible. Use a good translation and get into God’s Word!

Bible Translations Part 1

What’s The Deal With Bible Translations

I get asked about Bible translations frequently. People want to know which one I use, which one I preach from. People want to know which one they should use.

First of all, this is a big issue, but it’s not one to stress about. Read the Bible, whatever you’ve got. That is the starting place. Our society, and churches, are becoming more and more biblically illiterate. People don’t know the Bible. I want to encourage people to read the Bible. Start reading it, read it consistently, and then investigate translations.

Here is a primer on Biblical translations. It is not an exhaustive discussion, but a starting point.

Original Bible
The 66 books of the Bible were written in ancient Hebrew, koine Greek, and some Aramaic. So, unless you know those languages you need a translation. If you go to a bookstore in Mexico and buy a book that is written in Spanish, you will either need to learn Spanish or have a translation of that book.

The best option is to learn the original languages. I have studied Hebrew and Greek for the purpose of being able to study the scriptures in their original language. I am not as proficient in those languages as I would like to be, and need lots of help from good resources, but that is the place that I start all of my sermon preparation. I would encourage anyone to learn the original languages.

Until you ( and I) are fully proficient in the original languages we need a translation. There are a seeming plethora to choose from. So, how do you choose the right one?

Although there are so many, they can all be put in 3 basic categories. These categories are methods/philosophy of translation. The method or philosophy used to translate makes a big difference. And, there are no perfect translations. All of them have pros and cons. Some of them are better than others.
Here are the categories with a brief explanation and some examples.

Essentially Literal

This philosophy is to translate attempting to stick as close to the original wording as possible. It is a word for word translation. If there is a word in the original, then that word will be in the translation.

Examples: the most common types are King James, New King James, New American Standard, and the English Standard Version


Dynamic Equivalent

This philosophy translates in a thought for thought process. The translation might leave out a word or two in order to keep a more dynamic flow to the English. This translation is more concerned with making the English translation more readable based on common English grammar.

Examples: The New International Version


Paraphrase

This philosophy does not concern itself with the original wording. It is more interested in producing a bible that reflects the common vernacular. This translation is not a real Bible. It is purely someone’s interpretation of the Bible.

Examples: The Living Bible, The Message



Coming Up In The Next Blog: The answer to the question, “which is best?”

Atheistic Ads

I came across this statistc and thought I would share it.

In 1990 the national organations of American Atheists spent $200,000 on an advertising campaign to recruit new members. The results: 34 new names. That is $5,882 spent for each new name.

"The fool says in his heart, 'there is no god'." Psalm 14:1

Jesus, Son of David

Check this out!

I have been intensely studying the book of 2 Chronicles all summer. I have been doing this for my DMIN classes at Southwestern. I have learned some remarkable things, let me share one.

Have you ever read those genealogy passages? Few things are harder to find relevance in than those passages. There are even some genealogies in the New Testament, the Gospels. In our culture genealogies don’t really peak our interest that much. But, they are in scripture and a part of God’s inspired Holy Word, and therefore, we need to take them seriously.

Here was a light bulb moment for me?

In the Hebrew Bible the last book of the Old Testament is Chronicles. It is not in our English translation.(I won’t take the time to explain why here). But, in the original languages Chronicles is the last book of the OT and Matthew is the first of the new.

Stay with me.
Chronicles is all about the Davidic Covenant – the promise that an heir of David would reign on the throne forever. Chronicles is written to the people of Israel that had returned from exile. Remember that Jerusalem had been taken and the temple destroyed in 586 B.C. as a result of the infidelity of God’s people.

Chapter 36 of 2 Chronicles concludes with the exiles be allowed to return. Keep up, it’s about to get real good. Cyrus the king of Persia sent them back. They would return to their land (the promised land of the covenant). They were permitted and instructed to rebuild the temple. Everything is back in order. Land, Jerusalem, Temple, People – all part of God’s great covenant. But, at the end of Chronicles something striking is missing. The author of the book is writing a “chronicle” of the kings of Judah. He gives detailed information about these kings. But, when the exiles are returned the only thing that is not mentioned is a king. What about the Davidic covenant? What about the promise of God that an heir of David would reign on the throne forever? Nothing is mentioned about the king at the end of Chronicles. The people would have been filled with expectation and hope for the promised king.

That is where Chronicles ends.

That is where Matthew starts.

Matthew 1:1 " The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1, ESV)
Amazing! Marvelous!

Jesus is the long expected King who would reign forever!
Does He reign in your life?

Enjoy - The Word

I was reflecting recently on my career as a student of the Bible. My reflection reminded me how much I truly enjoy God’s Word. This does not mean that there have not been dry times. There have been many times when reading the scriptures was a chore. Have you ever been reading something and thinking about something else? There have been numerous times like that. But even those seemingly fruitless attempts have not been in vain.

I can remember starting to read the Bible before I was even saved. At the age of 15 or 16 (I can’t remember exactly it was so long ago), I remember having this longing in my heart and turning to the Bible for answers. My first attempts at reading scripture weren’t that great. I tried to read straight through. Genesis wasn’t too difficult, but at 15/16 years old, I bogged down rather rapidly.

I know for a fact that my salvation was initiated and fostered by the Holy Spirit using the Word of God in my life. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

The moment the Lord redeemed me I poured myself into His Word. I desired God and the things of God, so I gave my life to Him and the study of His Word.

When I first went to college I was voracious in learning all I could about God’s Word. I went to many different Christian organizations that had Bible Studies. I went to Bible studies with the following; Bapist Student Union, Campus Crusade For Christ, Navigators, Central Baptist Church, Intervarsity, independent groups studying the bible, even my own bible study in my dorm room. In fact, I went to so many of these things, that I neglected my classes and class work and my grades suffered. That is not the way that I should have done it.

Now don’t think that I am puffing myself up in telling you all of this. In fact, it demonstrates a great failure in my life. It is to my shame that I have spent so much time in the scriptures and don’t know it better than I do. If anything, this recollection convicts me of my need to step up my dedication to the study of God’s Word.

Back to my title, in all of that time in the scriptures, I have greatly enjoyed the Word. I don’t just mean that it has been fun. There have been moments of fun and even hilarity that I can recall in the study of God’s Word. But, what I mean by enjoy is something deeper than just a “funny-ha-ha” moment. It has enriched my life beyond measure. It has filled me up in a way nothing else has or can. And do you know why? Because God uses His Word to fellowship with us. His Word has led me to encounters with Him. That is what you and I are created for. That is true enjoyment.

My prayer is that enjoyment will increase and that I will have an ever growing desire to study the Holy Scriptures that I may know Him more and more.

Parents, Kids, Alcohol

“It’s just a beer.” Is that the message that our kids receive. Look at these statistics.

* On an average day 8000 adolescents 12-17 drank alcohol for the first time.

* The primary source that supplies adolescents with alcohol is their parents. Whether they know it or not.

* Of those who took their first drink before age 14, half become dependent at some point.

* 18% of 8th graders admit to being drunk at least once.

* 34% of 9th graders report that they have consumed alcohol before they were 13 years old.

My commentary on the above statistics:
* Thinking that your kids are too young to know and learn about alcohol is a gamble not worth the risk.

* The primary influence in a child’s life is their parents. What they see you do weighs more heavily upon their perceptions than what you say. For example, if you tell your child not to drink alcohol, but they see you do it – the message they learn is that alcohol is o.k.

* 1 out of 6 people have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. For these people, one drink, just one drink, may be all that it takes to start them down the road of a lifetime of addiction. You cannot know if your children have that predisposition.

Don’t be a stumbling block.

Birthday Party Worship

Imagine This

You have a dear sainted grandmother who is having her 87th birthday party. The whole family is invited over to celebrate her special day.

But, something is different at this party. Instead of baking grandma’s favorite cake, that everyone can share in, a questionnaire goes out before the party. It asks what each individual persons favorite cake is. As all come to the party someone has baked hundreds of special order cupcakes to meet with everyone’s personal preferences.

Why stop at the cake? Instead of everyone bringing a present to honor grandma, everyone receives their own present. It is individually selected and wrapped so that every person gets exactly what they would want.

If I was ever invited to a birthday party like that, I would go. But, there is a big problem. This celebration is no longer about the honored guest. It has become self serving and more honoring to each individual.

This story is not a perfect analogy(God is not a grandmother) but allow some latitude for comparison. The scenario above is the way many people think about church and God. Church is about honoring the Lord, but for many people it becomes about honoring themselves. The cultural mindset is that church should fit my preferences and wants. Instead of going to church to give and serve, people go to church to get and receive. “I hope this church plays music that I like. I hope that preacher preaches something that I think is entertaining.”

We all know that a birthday party is to honor one person. They get their favorite cake. Everyone brings their presents for the one being honored. That is exactly how church should be. It is about God, not me. It is about honoring the Lord. It is about serving Christ. It is about giving to Him, of my time, songs, heart, life and worship. Every Sunday is about the guest of honor. The Guest of Honor is not the preacher. The Guest of Honor is not you. The Guest of Honor is the Lord God Almighty!

Where Have All The Blogs Gone

A friend texted me yesterday asking what happened to the blog? Nothing, obviously. I have several in the works coming out soon. Due to some technical difficulties(meaning I am not a computer genius), vacation time, and general sloth, I have been lax in getting blogs out.
They are coming and I am sure they will be earth shattering (my tongue is firmly in my cheek). So, standy by for more.

The Church: Love It, Don't Leave It

I came across this great article from the Washington Post and encourage you to read it.

Church: Love It, Don't Leave It
By Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

Here's what Bono, Oprah, and the guru speakers on PBS won't tell you: Jesus believed in organized religion and he founded an institution. Of course, Jesus had no patience for religious hacks and self-righteous wannabes, but he was still Jewish. And as Jew, he read the Holy Book, worshiped in the synagogue, and kept Torah. He did not start a movement of latte-drinking disciples who excelled in spiritual conversations. He founded the church (Matt. 16:18) and commissioned the apostles to proclaim the good news that Israel's Messiah had come and the sins of the world could be forgiven through his death on the cross (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:14-36).
For almost two millennia, it was axiomatic that Christians, like, actually went to church (or at least told other Christians they did). From Cyprian to Calvin it was believed that for those to whom God "is Father the church may also be Mother." But increasingly Christians are trying to get more spiritual by getting less church.
Take a spin through the religion section at your local bookstore. What you'll find there is revealing - there are "revolutionary" books for stay at home moms, teenagers, and Christian businessmen. There are lots of manifestos. And most of the books about church are about people leaving the church to "find God." There are lots of Kerouacian "journey" stories, and at least one book about the gospel according to Starbucks. It used to be you had to overthrow a country to be considered a revolutionary, and now, it seems, you just have to quit church and go pray in the woods.

We've been in the church our whole lives and are not blind to its failings. Churches can be boring, hypocritical, hurtful, and inept. The church is full of sinners. Which is kind of the point. Christians are worse than you think. Our Savior is better than you imagine.

But the church is not all about oppression and drudgery. Almost every church we know of visits old people, brings meals to new moms, supports disaster relief, and does something for the poor. We love the local church, in spite of its problems, because it's where we go to meet God. It's not a glorified social/country club you attend to be around people who talk and look just you do. It's a place to hear God's word spoken, taught and affirmed. It's a place to sing praises to God, and a place to serve others. It's a place to be challenged.

The church is more than plural for Christian. It is both organism and organization, a living thing comprised of a certain order, regular worship services, with doctrinal standards, institutional norms, and defined rituals. Without the institution of the church nurturing the flock and protecting the faith for two thousand years, there would be no Christianity. If Gen Xers (like us) and their friends want to be against something, start a revolution. If you want to conserve truth and grace for twenty centuries, plant a church.

We love the church because Christ loved the church. She is his bride--a harlot at times, but his bride nonetheless, being washed clean by the word of God (Eph. 5:25-26). If you are into Jesus, don't rail on his bride. Jesus died for the church, so don't be bothered by a little dying to self for the church's sake. If you keep in mind that everyone there is a sinner (including yourself) and that Jesus Christ is the point and not you, your dreams, or your kids, your church experience might not be as lame as you fear.

Perhaps Christians are leaving the church because it isn't tolerant and open-minded. But perhaps the church-leavers have their own intolerance too--intolerant of tradition, intolerant of authority, intolerant of imperfection except their own. Are you open-minded enough to give the church a chance--a chance for the church to be the church, not a coffee shop, not a mall, not a variety show, not Chuck E. Cheese, not a U2 concert, not a nature walk, but a wonderfully ordinary, blood-bought, Spirit-driven church with pastors, sermons, budgets, hymns, bad carpet and worse coffee?

The Church, because it is Christ's church, will outlive American Idol, the NFL, and all of our grandkids. We won't last, but the Church will. So when it comes to church, be like Jesus: love it, don't leave it. As Saint Calloway once prophesied to the Brothers of Blues, "Jake, you get wise, you get to church."

Kevin DeYoung is senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. He serves on the executive team of RCA Integrity, a renewal group within the Reformed Church of America. Ted Kluck's work has appeared in ESPN the Magazine, Sports Spectrum Magazine, ESPN.com Page2, and several small literary journals.
They are the authors of the new book Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion.

Back To School

My daughters think it is humorous that I have been going to school all this week and next and they don't have to.

I am currently enrolled in a DMIN program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth(the pic is of SWBTS). For 2 weeks I have class from about 8-5 every day.

Why am I in school? It is not just to get another degree. I do not care about titles. The answer is much more simple than that. I have been called to preach and to be faithful in handling God's Word. Every week I stand before God's people to proclaim His Word. I need to get that right. I have not "arrived" as a preacher/pastor/Bible student-and I never will. That means that I need to be a continual learner.

My simple goal in taking classes is to grow as a preacher/pastor.

The program I am enrolled in is specifically for the discipline of text-driven preaching. The emphasis is to allow God's Word to guide and dictate the preaching process and event.

This summer we are focusing on learning how to exegete and exposit an Old Testament narrative from 2 Chronicles. After one week of class, it has been extremely challenging, edifying, and beneficial. I have a lot to learn and implement in my own life.

Happy 4th of July

Despite what Benjamin Franklin said, I am so glad that this is not our national bird.


And, let me beat all you funny guys to the "punch". No, this is not a self portrait.

Feed The Kids 09

Feed The Kids Mission Project

This week we are doing a local mission project, it is one that I really enjoy. We will be going to a low income apartment complex and feeding lunch to the kids there. Most of these kids would probably be on the free lunch program at school during the school year, and of course during summer, don't have that option.

Today, we handed out about 130 lunch sacks, filled with sandwiches, food, a small toy, and a gospel tract. We also get to interact with the kids and some of their parents. It is a lot of fun and a great way to do great commission work.

Matthew 25:31-40
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'


Look for some videos coming up.

Cooperation Makes a Difference

First Baptist Church of Southlake is a Southern Baptist Church. That simply means that we have aligned in basic agreement with thousands of other like minded churches to pool our resources to advance the cause of Christ via the Great Commission.

As a part of that cooperation we are also aligned with the smaller Southern Baptist of Texas Convention. This is a cooperative of churches in Texas that have joined together to support the Southern Baptist Convention.

If you are new to this, here is how it looks. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the overarching international group. It is the large umbrella. The Southern Bapist of Texas (SBTC) is a smaller umbrella to support the SBC. BUT,(this is important), it is an inverted hierarchical structure. The power of the convention does not sit at the top, but the bottom. The convention exists at the behest and direction of each local church. That means, small, little FBC Southlake is part boss of the SBC and SBTC. They don't give us orders, we give them orders.

Each state has at least one, sometimes more, state conventions that cooperate with the SBC in many ways. In my biased (but accurate) opinion, the SBTC is the best state convention. We belong to this great organization. When the economic crisis hit last year one of the negative impact was on missions of the SBC. The board did not have to lay off any missionaries, but it did have to halt processing and sending out more. This week at the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention gave a check to the mission board for $100,000. This is to fund the sending out of new missionaries. That is an amazing act of faith and commitment to the Great Commission. My church was a part of that. Through our giving we helped fund missionaries who would not have been able to go to the mission field otherwise.

That's not all. The way the dollar moves from church to missionaries happens differently in each state. When someone gives money to our church, a portion of that is forward onto our state convention, the SBTC. The SBTC gathers our money, and every other church that chooses to participate. Then the SBTC forwards an amazing 54% of all that money to the international SBC. The SBC then allocates those funds mainly for missions at home and abroad. That 54% is what is remarkable. There is another state convention in Texas. The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) it only forwards about %20 (last I heard) to the SBC. The rest it keeps because it has to pay for its bloated, beaurocratic entities. That is pitiful! The SBTC has been committed to minimal beaurocratic expenses to keep missions at the forefront. I am thankful to be a part of the SBTC.

Click to go to the Southern Baptist of Texas website.

Click to go to the Southern Baptist website.

Southern Baptist Convention 2009

This week is the annual convention of the Southern Baptist Convention. There always seems to be a lot of negative press about us Baptists (sometimes deservedly so). I would like to highlight a couple of positives.

The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest elective gathering in the world.
In the aftermath of hurricanes Gustav and Ike Southern Baptists provided 3.7 million meals in the first 30 days.

In the days, months, and years after the tsunami in the Pacific Rim Southern Baptists have help construct dozens of orphanages.

Before the convention starts every year the Southern Baptist’s organize a coordinated effort to do ministry and evangelism in the city that is hosting the convention. This year 107 churches, 3000 people joined together in Louisville, Kentucky. 1012 people placed their faith in Christ as a result.

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry is the third largest in the USA, only behind Red Cross and United Way.

The great thing for First Baptist Southlake is that we were a part of all that. The money that is used to fund all of those fantastic ministries, and even more that weren’t mentioned yet, comes from churches like ours all across the world. A portion of the money that people give to our church is sent to the Southern Baptist Convention. This is called the “Cooperative Program”. This is a great, God directed strategy for mutual participation in the Great Commission.

VBS Rocks

What a great week we had at vacation bible school! I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to minister and share the gospel with those kids. The most important message that anyone will ever hear or learn is the gospel. Everyone who was at VBS heard that message more than once.

On top of that, we had a blast!From the games, songs, and of course, The Big Kahuna Waterslide -- what a fun time! I heard some kids ask if we were doing it all again next week. For the sake of all the adults who did such an awesome job, we are not doing it again next week. We need the break. But, we need to be ever mindful of opportunities to share Christ with those around us. We are never on break from that.

VBS Preview #2

VBS June 15-19th
6-8 p.m. at First Baptist of Southlake

For more info go to VBS FIRST BAPTIST

VBS Preview #1

Vacation Bible School -- June 15-19th
6-8 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Southlake

go here for more info. VBS FIRST BAPTIST

Wrap Up

The Sexually Exploited

You would think that in our sex saturated society here in the US that I would not be so naive to that in Estonia. But, I was.
One of the foci of the week was for the sexually exploited in Estonia. AIDS is rampant. Prostitution is legal. Human trafficking is real.
We prayed for those caught in these sins. While most people could care less about the lives of these women, Jesus cares greatly. We should too. Jesus was a noted friend of prostitutes. He can redeem them from the awful situation they are trapped in.
Please pray for those ravaged by these sexual sins. Pray for the ministry that the Thompsons have to that community.

Seeds Sown

The seed of the gospel was sown last week. I pray that those seeds might land on fertile soil and that the Lord will harvest those souls for His glory.

I pray for the Finnish lady who heard the gospel on the plane.
I pray for the hundreds of tracts that were passed out by the team.
I pray for the teenage boys that heard the good news of Jesus.
I pray for the Australian tourist who heard how to find forgiveness in Christ.
I pray for those trapped in situations and sins, like prostitution, to be set free in Christ.
I pray for the thousands that heard the gospel at the Franklin Graham event.
I pray for the hundreds that responded to the call of repentance and faith.
I pray for the drunk college student who heard the gospel.

Lord, continue your work in their lives.

Life Change Estonia

My prayer for the people of Estonia is that they might have the life changing privelege of knowing Jesus as Lord. As I was there last week working and praying to that end, my life was changed.

As I have mentioned before, one of the reasons I love missions is because of how the Lord uses it in my own life. I was challenged to rely upon the Lord, to seek Him diligently, and to pray fervently. The end result was that I felt like the Lord did a great work in my own life. I hope that lives were changed in Estonia. I know that mine was.

Taking steps of faith are never easy. It isn't easy to put yourself out there and share Christ with a friend or stranger. It is not easy to be devoted to intense times of prayer. It isn't easy to leave your home for a week and go somewhere half way across the globe. But, I have never regretted take a step that forces me to rely even more upon the Lord. You should give it a try. It will do wonders for your faith and walk with Christ.

God Bless The USA

I'm back! Made it safely to the US with no problems. Thanks to all who prayed. Let me ask one other favor of you. If you would continue your prayers for me this next week. After a good, hard mission trip there is always the tendency for spiritual let down, temptation, and distraction. I would appreciate your prayer support.

Also, I will be doing some follow up blogs. So, stay tuned.

Pray Pray Pray

Please pray. Between 9:30 and 12:30 Central Time. At this time the first Franklin Graham Gospel Crusade will start in Tallinn, Estonia. Over the next three days there is the potential for 30,000 people to hear the gospel of Christ. For most, this will be their first exposure to the good news of Jesus. Pray that God will do His work in a mighty way.

If you miss the time window, pray anyway. There are more to come.

Off Day

Off Day

We are about to embark on our off day. We get to do a little sightseeing and shopping. But we still have our eyes open for opportunities to share the Lord.

Tartu Vangla

We didn't get much video today because you are not allowed to in a prison. But, it was a good time of ministry and we did get to share the gospel.

Outakes

Going To Prison

Tomorrow the guys are taking a train to Tartu, Estonia to do some prison ministry. We will be taking a train to and from the prison that will take about 2 hours one way. Pray for safe travel and that the Lord will use us in the lives of these inmates.

Noxious Weed

Goulash For Lunch

Top Of Oleviste

Hijinx

It's probably not the smartest idea to sneak up on a former SWAT Trooper!

Shine Jesus Shine

Chocolate Heaven

Is American Influence A Good Thing?

Pray For The Children

What Time Is It

Georgian Food

Lunch

Kopli

My Bathroom

Swans

International Church

The Necessity of Prayer

Getting Around

Derek At McD's

Worship The Creator

View From The Top

"Old Town" That is what the central historical district of Tallinn is called. It is where merchants, restaurants, government buildings, embassies, and much more are located. It is the place where we spend a lot of time because a lot of people go through Old Town.

Are You Ready For Some Football