My “Little Yankee”

To Rylie,

My heart broke today when you got hurt this morning!  To see you cry, took everything in me to not cry myself.  I have loved you since the day you mommy and daddy brought you home from the hospital.  I have always called you my “Little Yankee.”  Especially because your Mom and Dad don’t care for the Yankee’s.  They are Mariner fans (Boo Mariners, Yea Yankees)!  I have thought about you a lot today.  I just talked to your mom a little bit ago and she said that you were doing fine.  I am so very glad! 

I love you so very much, my “Little Yankee”

Eric

 

Election Voting

As the Democratic convention ended last evening, you may have come to the decision of who to vote for this November for President of the United States.  On the other hand, maybe you are going to wait until the end of next week for the Republican Convention before you make up your mind.  Either way, if you consider yourself a conservative Christian, no matter what you have been thinking of thus far, you should keep some core principals in mind. 

 

Just because your family is historically Republican or Democrat, certainly does not mean that you should or cannot vote for some one else of another party that you believe to be more qualified.  Unfortunately, you, nor I, nor anyone, will ever completely agree with everything that a particular candidate believes in.  However, you should never vote for someone just because you have always voted a particular party.  You should always vote for the best person for the job.  You may not always agree with everything that a candidate does or believes in, but you should always vote based on biblical principals.

 

As a Christian, we all need to be aware of the biblical moral issues that the newly elected president is going to have to deal with while he is in office.  In addition, remember, that any decision that a president acts on while he is in office usually will always have repercussions long after he has left the office.  The most important thing that we can do as Christians is to pray for our leaders.  Even if we do not agree with their politics, we should pray for our national leaders, as well as state, county, and even local leaders.  They all have tough jobs, with tough decisions that they need to make.  They need prayer!

 

I would like to invite you to read an article that I have published that was written by David Barton, founder and president of Wallbuilders.  He has some great insight on how Christians should biblically vote for a particular candidate.  At the top of this page is the article called, “Election 2008: Keeping First Things First.”  Please take the time to read it.  Especially if you are not sure who to vote for this November.

 

Saint John’s Bible

I had never heard of Saint John’s Bible until last week.  However, in the past few days, I have been reading a lot about it from the internet.  My niece heard that is was going to be at one of the local museums and asked if Jacki and I would like to go.  Therefore, we went that last Thursday evening.  We got there at about 5 o’clock, which was perfect.  We walked right in.  Within the next thirty minutes, there were so many people that the museum staff was only allowing so many people into the exhibit room at one time.  As one person left, they would allow one person in.

 

It was an amazing to see.  First, let me give you some background information.  The Abbey Church of Saint John the Baptist has commissioned this bible.  It is the place of worship for the monastic community of Saint John’s Abbey.  It is the home of Saint John the Baptist Parish and is the primary place of worship for the Saint John’s University community. 

 

Donald Jackson, who is the Queen’s Scribe, was the one who undertook this project.  Saint John’s is also know for there 1500-year monastic tradition and its long-standing commitment to manuscript preservation, which it why they got involved in commissioning this project.  The Saint John’s Board of Regents and the monastic community got together to seen if they wanted to do this, and they decide that, “Yes, we want to embark on this monumental project.  We want Donald Jackson to bring the Word of God to life on vellum for the next five hundred years.”

 

Let me state, before I go on, that I do not agree with this bible being written.  I will get more into that later.  I want to spend a little time describing how this bible is being written, which I do find fascinating.  Most of the information about Saint John’s Bible, I get from either their website, or employee’s at the museum. 

 

Abortionist Caught On Tape

This is a must read article that I came accross.  Please take the time to read this.

 

Students for Life of America Exposes Partial-Birth Abortionist Declaring Aborted Infants Born Alive “Just Sloppy Medicine” at Conference Held at the National Education Association

**Update: Click here to see the letter sent to the NEA by over 100 pro-life teachers!

Arlington,VA – Students for Life of America (SFLA) today released video exposing footage of abortionist Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, KS openly discussing children who “slip out” accidentally during an abortion and are “born alive” or with a “heartbeat” and condemned such medical mistakes during the Feminist Majority Foundation’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference, held at the National Education Association (NEA.) Dr. Tiller, who currently faces 19 criminal charges for illegal late-term abortions in the state of Kansas, stated “If the baby is born alive, that is sloppy medicine” after addressing the crowd of about 100 feminists during a plenary session titled “Standing with our Sisters” on March 9, 2008.

 

Ignorant, Self Confidence

This is from Grace Gems, a website that sends daily devotionals to your e-mail box.  I thought I would share this one.

 

The seeds of every wickedness

(J. C. Ryle, “The Gospel of Mark” 1857)

“But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I
have to die with You, I will never disown You!’
And all the others vowed the same.” Mark 14:31

See how much ignorant self confidence may
sometimes be found in the hearts of Christians.
The apostle Peter could not think it possible that
he could ever deny his Lord. And he did not stand
alone in his confidence. The other disciples were
of the same opinion. “And all the others vowed
the same.”

Yet what did all this confident boasting come to?

Twelve hours did not pass away before all the
disciples forsook our Lord and fled. Their loud
professions were all forgotten. The present
danger swept all their promises of fidelity clean
away. So little do we know how we shall act in
any particular position—until we are placed in it!

Let us learn to pray for humility. “Pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

There is far more wickedness in all our hearts,
than we know. We never can tell how far we might
fall—if once placed in temptation. There is no degree
of sin into which the greatest saint may not run—if he
is not held up by the grace of God, and if he does not
watch and pray.

The seeds of every wickedness lie hidden in
our hearts! They only need the convenient season
to spring forth into a mischievous vitality. “Let him
that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” “He
who trusts his own heart is a fool.” Let our daily
prayer be, “Hold me up—and I shall be safe!”

 

Admonish One Another

There are many reasons for why we do or don’t admonish someone when they need to be warned or corrected, or even counseled in some way.  But the major reason why most of us don’t admonish others is because we do not want to be rejected.  I’m here to share with you that as Christians, it is our biblical responsibility to correct or counsel other Christians when they need to be.  I’ll say again!  It is our biblical responsibility to admonish other Christians when they need to be.

 “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”     Rom 15:14 NASU

“But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.  We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thess. 5:12-14 NASU

 

Being Used of God

In Luke 1, Gabriel comes to Zechariah to announce that he will be a father.  However, in Luke 1:18, it says that “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this?  I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’”  Now Zechariah was a priest, so of course he would have known about their past.  He would have known about Abraham and how Abraham question God when God told him that he would have a son.  So why did he question Gabriel?  Even after everything he knows about who God is, and what he has done for his people.

If I were to put myself in his shoes, I probably would have said it as an excuse.  I’m old, and I really don’t want to be raising a child at my age.  It will be at least 20 years before he is out of here, my son is not going to want parents old enough to be his grandparents to be at his graduation, etc.  Plus, all the extra running around Zechariah will be doing for his son.  All the sports games he will have to go to, the prom, etc. 

Actually, I’m poking fun, but that could have be a legitimate excuse that he used.  Maybe he didn’t want to be a parent at that age, or maybe he felt he was too old to be a parent.  Whatever the reason was, God proved his point, by taking away Zechariah’s ability to speak until he would have a son.  God wanted to use Zechariah and his wife, weather they thought they were ready or not.

Just like people today.  God may want to use us for something in particular, and we may not feel that we are adequately suited for the job, and not want to do it.  But, if God wants to use us, then we should be willing to be used.  We should pray that we be open to God moving in our lives and directing us to do whatever his will is.  Even if it is something we want to do or not.

 

Dying to Self or Living for Self

Mark 13:36-37

36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'”

NIV

When is Jesus going to be coming?  That is the question.  It even says in verse 32 of that same chapter, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”  Jesus does not even know!  Which begs the question, why doesn’t Jesus know?  There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all three are separate in there own way, yet all three are one.  Why would Jesus not know what the Father knows?  Even though that is a question that I cannot answer at this time, one thing is for sure, Jesus is coming back someday for His bride.  Peter, John the Baptist, and many others went around saying to those around them to repent, because the end is near.  IF they were saying that almost 2000 years ago, how much closer to the end times are we now? 

 

How much are You willing to Pray?

Reading Matthew 26:36-46, I was struck about the importance of prayer.  Not that I don’t think prayer is important, I do!  I believe it is the basis of my walk with the Lord.  However, ‘western’ Christians, myself included, do not put a high enough of importance on prayer.  I cannot remember the last time that I ever gave up sleep in order to spend time in prayer.  Can you? 

Jesus took his three closest disciples with him to Gethsemane to Pray.  Peter, James and John.  He told them to “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  Jesus was praying very earnestly.  He, as the scriptures says, “began to be sorrowful and troubled.”  Jesus knew that his time was coming when he would be arrested, and eventually crucified.  He is God the Son, which makes him omniscient.  Yet, even though he knows what must take place, he is still human, and can still feel everything and anything we would feel.  Emotions, tiredness, and pain.  All of which he has experienced by this time, with the exception to pain.  But I’m sure he knew what that was going to feel like.

 

A Prayer for the Ephesians

This mornings sermon was great.  It was from Ephesians 3:14-21.

EPHESIANS 3:14-21 (New International Version)

A Prayer for the Ephesians

 14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This is a great prayer of Paul’s.  Paul doesn’t just pray something little, but prays big.  He prays that the saints would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,”  verse 18. 

If you would like to hear the sermon, or other Previous sermon;s on the book of Ephesians, please to the Valley Bible Church website under staying involved.