Friday, May 31, 2013

A Prayer Request for a Friend/Brother

Returning from vacation, I attempted to tackle the mounting emails in my "Inbox", when I came upon one from a young man, who I managed in Little League baseball when he was 12 years old. We developed a special bond that has lasted through the 20+ years since, to where we still get together a time or two each year to catch up on each other and our families over lunch or a Major League baseball game. It was good to see his name on the large list of Senders, as his career in Accounting and teaching was solid, wife and him recently bought a new house and they just had their first child. Their whole life was right in front of them. We were discussing meeting for lunch earlier, so I anticipated a routine response to that affect, but what I read dropped me to my knees. Here is the actual letter:

Hi,
I was so happy to share with you the great news of the birth of our first child, Audrey Cianna Marie, last Monday, May 13. Despite the emergency c-section and Lisa having some complications with post-partum eclampsia, both Lisa and Audrey are doing great at home now! It is such a wonderful and surreal experience to be a father for the first time! I've attached another beautiful picture of Audrey :)

On another more personal note, I wanted to let you know that on May 3, I went to an oral surgeon regarding a sore on the side of my tongue that had been irritating me. The doctor examined it and then did a biopsy. I received the results of the biopsy on May 9. Unfortunately, the doctor informed me that it was cancerous (squamous cell carcinoma). The doctor basically said that what I am experiencing is extremely rare (i.e., 1% - 2% chance) to see for someone of my age and simply due to bad luck given that I do not smoke, rarely drink alcohol, and do not have the HPV virus, the three primary causes of this type of oral cancer.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have underwent a CT scan, a PET scan, a chest x-ray, and blood work and met a number of doctors in Orange County and in Los Angeles to discuss prognosis and treatment plans. The cancer is currently considered to be in Stage II, but does not appear to have spread to the lymph nodes or lungs. At this point, the doctor is planning to surgically remove an area of my tongue on May 29, along with the possibility of removing some lymph nodes in my neck as a precautionary measure, followed by the possibility of radiation treatments in the coming months. According to the doctor, it will likely take me many weeks and possibly months to fully recover from the surgery and treatment, but I am staying positive and I know I will be able to treat this cancer and get past this unfortunate and unexpected situation.
It goes without saying that I truly appreciate your friendship, as well as your thoughts, prayers, and support during this challenging time. It means so much to me!
Kind regards,

Chris

All I am asking is the you, brothers and sisters in Christ, to pray for Christopher, Lisa and Audrey in this battle. Thank you for your prayers.
In Christ, Brian

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Missing Link


Isaiah 45:8-9  “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it. “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?

We just got back home on Sunday afternoon from a great mini-vacation, visiting family in Arizona and Nevada. A great trip because there was sight-seeing, recreation, celebration, laugher, family love and open discussion about Christianity. In the great debate between belief in God and unbelief (in any area), the ability to engage in honest conversation about the matters of faith and application in this world is uplifting and encouraging. There has been so much theoretical anti-Creation and anti-Creator statements and teaching presented as evolutionary fact that many have surrendered to the baseless allegations in ignorance of the whole truth, by half-truths and outright lies and deceptions to deceive. The one thing we need is truth, and that is exactly what God wants for each and every one of us.

Genesis 2:7-9 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

What part of this passage above is taught differently in public schools, challenged as “proven” false or out-rightly not believed today. I was asked this weekend the honest question of “With all the fossil evidence and every one in the scientific community agreeing, how can the evolution of man be disputed?” The answer is that the fossil record is deliberately mis-represented by fabricated presentations of facts and strategic omissions. “Peltdown man” was a verified hoax, “Java man” was a verified fraud, and “Neanderthal  Man” is just a normal old man suffering from arthritis and rickets. Some bones and skulls are even altered to deceive the public. “Nebraska Man” mistook a pig’s tooth for a man’s and was rejected when the fact came out. All fossil human bones have been classified as either “man” or “ape” now. If you get a chance, read “Bones of Contention” by Marvin L. Lubenow on the subject. Do we hear this truth or taught that the proposed evolution of man chart is still real? Science, by definition is knowledge by experimentation and observation. There is no “missing link” found. There isn't one. Why the deception and lies? Because, no Creator God means not accountability to God and His Sovereign laws. Sin all you want then, because the "old wrong" is the "new right". Remember that trees in the Garden of Eden?

Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

As far as the scientific community, the branches of Science were developed by Christians (I have a list) and there are Creation Scientists everywhere today. You just don’t hear about them because they do not get publicity in the world in love with the lie of macro-evolutionist unbelievers indoctrinating the masses. Another good read is Darwin’s Black Box by ,former atheist, now creation scientist, Michael J. Behe. Know and understand the lies of macro-evolution. Believing in evolution over a God-created universe puts us in bondage to sin and death, but know the TRUTH and the truth shall set you free. In God We Trust. Let’s discuss it and bring truth to light. 



In Christ, Brian

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Defending Freedom and Liberty



Psalm 140:1-2 “Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.”

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.

Jeremiah 50:34 “Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land.”

I have been out of state attending a nephew’s “Graduation” ceremony and visiting family for the last five day. Not only is it an honor to have family ties that run deep, but also a privilege to visit them and the beautiful areas of this great nation. Freedom does not come free, but how easily do we forget that the price of security is the defense of liberty.

Deuteronomy 23:14 “For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.”

With our American Armed Forces, “all give some” in the fight for “Freedom”, but “some give all”. The true heroes of “liberty” sacrificed their tomorrows, so that you and I in this country may have our tomorrows. On Memorial Day, we pause to gives thanks to those individuals that gave the ultimate sacrifice who fought for this “one nation under God” and what we stand for … “In God We Trust”.
Psalm 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in you be glad;  let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

I’ve heard it said:
“It is the soldier, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. 
It is the soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the soldier that serves under the flag and provides liberty where it waves.”

Psalm 25:21May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.”

This weekend, we salute the men and women of “the Service” that gave their last ounce of courage in the protection of the land that they loved and the freedom of the people, paying the ultimate price that we may live. Reminds me of our Savior. God bless them all! God bless America. “Happy Memorial Day”!

Philippians 1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

In Christ, Brian

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Indoctrination Warfare



Ephesians 6:12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

I was reading through one of my Creation Studies Institute newsletters that other day and read Tom DeRosa’s personal story on the warfare that is taking place in our secular education system. He writes. “There is a dangerous and unseen war taking place in our society. It is not being waged with guns, hand-grenades or bombs, but it proceeds unceasingly, daily, around us. This war is insidious, but you do not hear the sounds of battle nor see the bodies, because this war is different. It imprisons and kills the eternal souls of millions every year. The Big question is, do you see it?” DeRosa attended a small Christian High School and thought that he was grounded in his faith. But in his first year at a secular college, he found himself caught up in a whirlwind of ideas and information as new friends questioned his intelligence for believing in the Bible. He was told that he would have to believe in naturalistic evolution and put his thinking about Gog at rest. His charismatic biology professor with contagious enthusiasm for evolution mesmerized him and inspired new visions and aspirations in no time as took every chance to vigorously proclaim his belief in biological naturalism. He used the classroom as a very effective pulpit for the faith of evolution. It also caused a confused DeRosa to abandon the One who created him and gave Him breath. Like so many others, he was soon convinced that evolution was a settled fact that was accepted by virtually the entire scientific community. In just one month at college, he was denying and even mocking his Creator. He became another casualty in the battle between the truths of Scripture and the lies of evolution. Great teachers are change makers who have the ability to lead students down an exciting path of discovery and new knowledge. The paramount question to ask is: Is it the “right” path?

In John 3:18-20, Jesus said: “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

I was listening to Dennis Rainey of “New Life Live” on the radio this morning and he explained that during the ages of 12 and 19, kid naturally tend to pull away from their parents in the “growing up” process of becoming an adult, but this is the same time that the godless world make its biggest attacks on their young, impressionable minds. These years are no time for parents and family to back away from their children and open the gates for them to fend for themselves against the waiting wolves in the world. We cannot eliminate the god-rejecting world system of darkness. Though we cannot make the ungodly evil go away, we can train up our children, keep the communications lines open and be a united front that identifies, understands and confronts the lawless opposition and prayerfully walks in the Spirit together with God on the throne of their hearts forever. There are lies, there is deceit, there are hidden agendas, and there is peer pressure, but equipped with the “full armor of God”, we stand and prevail.
Ephesians 6:13-14 “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore.”
DeRosa states that our public institutions know how important the next generation is, and is busy waging spiritual war by propagating a godless worldview, which includes evolution, sex before marriage, the homosexual agenda, recreational drug use and worshipping man (humanism) and the environment. It is carried out by misguided teachers and through deceptive textbooks. Our colleges and universities have become especially dogmatic about teaching evolution, with any evidence that doesn’t support the theory edited out to textbooks or labeled as religious and non-scientific. American education was originally rooted in biblical training (look up the New England Primer). Our public schools education system has exchanged traditional biblical content for European humanistic philosophy that substituted God’s absolutes for man’s authority, and we are paying the price.

Proverbs 22:6Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
The biblical teachings and moral values based on God’s Word that made America great are so important for young people to learn. Aggressively, expose the deception, brainwashing and censorship used in school textbooks and classrooms to promote shaky evidence of evolution; its inaccuracies and lack of proof. It’s not time to retreat nor give up, but stand for the Kingdom of God. Bring the light of truth into the debate by speaking out against that which is evil in the eyes of the Lord. The enemy is on the offensive and we have lost ground by being silent far too long. It’s time to stand up and against the indoctrination and fight for what is “right”. There’s a war going on out there.

Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wonder what happened? Make things happen for God.
In Christ, Brian

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Evolutionary Mythology



Romans 1:21-22because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.”

Since the release of the new documentary about the intelligent design of birds titled “Flight”, I’m keeping with the Creation verses Evolution theme, writing you about the Creation Studies Institutes’ director Tom DeRosa’s newsletter article on the teaching of “absurdity” in our classrooms today in the area of evolution. DeRosa writes that the most perplexing question today for evolutionist is how life could originate from inert (lifeless) material. How life, which is marked by astonishing complexity and intricate mechanism all working together in an invisible harmony, began is a mystery for secular theorists.  The properties required for life (even what Darwin called “the simple single cell”) are so uniquely complex that no super machines made by man can compare. We now know that every living cell produces energy with amazing efficiency. They go through remarkable growth and development stages, repair themselves and have unique methods of reproduction to perpetuate their existence on planet earth. Also, each has its own amazing complex information system programmed into its DNA, which could only have resulted from a Super Intelligence. To attempt to explain that even the “simplest” of life forms arose by natural processes from dead material is the highest degree of absurdity, and yet this is what is taking place in most of our American classrooms today. It is arrogantly presented as a “scientific fact” that should be accepted without question. Does it matter to you that most young people in our educational institutions are taught incorrect information, or that the facts about the grave problems the theory of evolution faces with the origin of life are routinely censored? What facts?

Psalm 103:22Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

It is in the details, the intricacies of biological systems, where the weaknesses of evolutionary explanations fail completely. Millions of enormously intricate nanomachines have been discovered that need t be present in order for life to exist on earth. Attempting to explain these biochemical “machines” operating in a living system from evolutionary paradigm are so insurmountable that doing so requires either stubborn ignorance or willful closed mindedness to the scientific facts. The discovery of this invisible “micro-world”, wit the aid of the electron microscope, has revolutionized our understanding of how life began and has given us far more details on how these living systems work. Such new discoveries make it clear that life is an extraordinary masterpiece of intricate, overlapping mechanisms that function perfectly together. In other words, these miniature machines scream “design” and completely defy any naturalistic explanation. Only a Great Intelligence or Master Designer can account for them. Could an undirected, unintelligent process account for the famous ATP-ADP molecular motor, which ranks right after DNA in importance for life, or the other millions of nanomachines needed to bring them together in a perfect operating system that is required for the simplest life to exist?

Isaiah 43:7Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Former Harvard evolutionary paleontologist Steven Gould, an atheist, stated that, “We are glorious accidents of an unpredictable process with no drive to complexity, not the expected results of evolutionary principles that yearn to produce a creature capable if understanding the mode of its own necessary construction.” He believes that biological evolution is a mysterious, unpredictable process and that life was a one-time “fluke which is statistically impossible, even by a glorious accident. The irrational faith that this nonetheless happens ignores the DNA code, which has the specific purpose of programming life. All biological systems are defined and created through DNA. To accomplish this task, it uses “language” written in biological code. Where did this coded language come from, and who wrote it for every living creature? How did nature write the code, the program, to sustain life? One can only logically conclude that the “code of life” must have come from an outside source possessing infinite knowledge, power and love … a benevolent Creator.

Psalm 139:14-16I will praise You, for I am fearfully and  wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

 

With the fallacies in our school textbooks, are we teaching our biology students mythology rather than science?

In Christ, Brian

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Darwin’s Evolutionary Racism



Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

In 2006, I met Tom De Rosa, the Founder of Creation Studies Institute (www.creationstudies.org) – reaching the world with the truths of Creation. Supporting this godly Florida-based ministry, I receive their monthly newsletter on different facts and issues in the date between Creation and Evolution, with the true purposes and hidden agendas exposed. Being that we just watched the latest “Design of Life” Christian Science video on “Flight”, I took a look at an old publication from CSI dealing with one of these “ulterior motives” associated with the atheistic root intent to do away with the idea that man was a divinely created being with a God-given purpose. De Rosa writes that we need to realize that what we are seeing in Darwinian Evolution’s “natural selection” is a subtle form of racism being propagated in the name of “science” – falsely so-called. Charles Darwin’s book “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life” proposed that all living things are connected by common decent from a single, original organism. But who hears about his “favored races” position? Darwin’s identification of natural selection (aka survival of the fittest) as the mechanism of evolution defined a process that naturally selects individuals that have the best chance of survival due to evolved advantages. Evolutionary science is based upon inequality and promotes natural “elitism.” It states that the living world is interconnected and establishes a hierarchy with the more evolved at the top of the evolutionary ladder of death and struggle, and the less evolved at the bottom. When this principle is applied to mankind through "Social Darwinism" it results in not only a survival of the fittest mentality, but an elimination of the “least fit” – often those of another race.

Psalm 53:1The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity.

Webster’s Dictionary defines evolution as “the historic development of a biological group (as a race or species) and the distinguishable differences due to modifications in successive generations.” According to evolution, a race or species achieves dominance over time by developing natural traits (inherent) that are beneficial (superior) to the survival of the favored race/species. For evolution to exist, there has to be inequality in the groups. There are the weak and the strong, the more intelligent and the feeble-minded, the more deserving and the less deserving, the “haves”, the “have nots” and those who will live and those who will die. Darwin’s willful denial of a Creator led him to create a theory that reduces mankind to a highly evolved animal that descended from ape-like ancestors in a “dog eat dog" world. Evolution demands that one kind must be better that the other, so that the strongest or most adapted wins the race for survival. It is a natural form of elitism, which when applied to humanity results in racism.

Jude 1:4For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

When it comes to mankind, disciples of Darwin who live by his ideology cannot escape the brutal trap of his “tree of life,” and the question of which race resides on the lowest branch and which gets the top spot. In “The Descent of Man” (1871) Darwin wrote: (1) “Do the races or species of men, whichever term may be applied, encroach on and replace one another, so that some finally become extinct? We shall see that all these questions, as indeed is obvious in respect to most of them, must be answered in the affirmative, in the same manner as with the lower animals." (2) "The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilized state, as we may hope, than the Caucasian, and some ape as a baboon, instead as present between the negro or Australian aborigine and the gorilla." (3) "Man has ultimately become superior to woman and attains to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than woman can attain.” Darwin clearly indicates a racial and gender hierarchy. As much as evolutionists try to deny it or obscure it from view, it is evident in the plethora of Darwin’s literature that Darwin and his theory are racist. With such a racist mentality, how can so many well-respected scientists worship Darwin? And why is this the only theory of origins in our government public schools?

In Christ, Brian

Thursday, May 16, 2013

FLIGHT



Genesis 1:20-22 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Many moons ago, I lead an evening group at our church that used Christian videos as the teaching material, rather than the traditional topical reading of Christian books and the Bible. We focused on a wide variety of subjects, themes and issues in life over the years and one of the best was the matter of “Creation verses Evolution”. The scientific facts presented caught the attention and peaked the interest of everyone as the holes in the theory of Darwinian Evolution and the origin of the Universe excluding a Creator were illuminated and exposed for the God-rejecting lie they were, and the evidence of “Intelligent Design” shown bright in the stark contrast of our Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth. It didn't take long to come upon a series of outstanding videos by Illustra Media that left us on awe of the created world that we live. (1) Where does the evidence lead? (2) Unlocking the mystery of life and (3) The privileged planet literally leaves “macro-evolution”, “natural selection” and a “universe by random chance” speechless.
 
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible  attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even  His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
 
A few years ago, I was invited by Illustra Media to their premier of their new film, “Metamorphosis: The beauty and design of Butterflies” and was astonished at a migration that defies explanation, other than God. It’s nothing short of miraculous. My wife and I have been financially supporting Illustra Media’s latest film production over the last year and “FLIGHT: The Genius of Birds” releases to the general public on May 17, 2013. Their web-site says: “FLIGHT” is a unique wildlife documentary, launching Illustra Media’s new series of documentaries that will investigate the wonders of animal biology and behavior for evidence of supernatural intelligence and mind. An exploration of the animal kingdom from the perspective ignored by television and the scientific establishment. For instead of presenting a worldview based upon the blind, undirected process of Darwinian evolution, Flight offers a compelling look at the design and purpose woven throughout the fabric of life on Earth.

In Matthew 6:26, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Illustra wanted their supporters to receive an advanced copy of “FLIGHT” before anyone else in the world because this film would never have been produced without our prayers and financial help. We live in a world desperately in need of light and truth. That is the reason that Illustra Media labors so long and hard on these documentaries for us. I am having my own “world premier” at my house as our Small Group Bible Study is enjoying a “movie night” this week.  I've added the movie trailer for “FLIGHT: the genius of birds” for your own sneak peek. May you always be amazed at the truths of God revealed in nature. May this new film highlighting “Intelligent Design” in the physical world in which we live, bring a greater understanding of our Creator God, His creation and His purposes for us in it for His glory.


In Christ, Brian    

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Love of Family



Ephesians 3:14-19For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

When asked: “What can you do to promote “World Peace?” Mother Teresa answered: “Go home and love your family.” You may have heard that “charity (kindness and the disposition to do good that leads to peace) begin a home.” To change a neighborhood, a community, a nation and the world, look at, love and invest in what is right under your roof. Pastor JJ continues his “Who owns you?” Sermon series with this challenge: “It starts with me. I need to be the change in the world that I want to see.” The basic and fundamental building block of society is the family and that was by God’s design. Peace comes from investing in our families and training them up in the ways of God. The Peacemaker doesn't want to make a spectacle, but goes out of their way to build and nurture the godly family. Do not miss the point that it’s not about us, but ultimately our loving God, the Father of the children of the kingdom of Heaven. Our Maker made families not to do whatever they want, but to follow the Lord by aligning our will with the will of God found in the Word of God and being an active part in His work today. Secular society places their trust in a government that increasingly chisels away at the building block of family. Don’t substitute an empowered government for family, but revolve around empowered parents to raise and produce balanced and godly families that reproduce balanced and godly families.

Romans 8:13-17 “If you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

The best gift you can give your kids is a good, solid godly marriage, because being mom and dad to a godly child is their greatest earthly joy. And don’t pour all the attention into the children, but cleave to our spouse. There was a line in the recent movie “Parental Guidance” where the mother told her daughter that “the kids grow up and leave, but your spouse stays.” Honor the marriage relationship and honor God’s structure of the family, passing on the values of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 12:48-50 He (Jesus) answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Our extended family is the family of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even greater is this “family of God” as the foundational building block of “the next life” – the building of the kingdom of Heaven. There is something beyond this life and God wants to do something deeper – to be a part of His family. This is the will of the Father, to become Christ’s mother, and brother, and sister. Are you a part of the family of God, where the love of family abounds?

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Blessed Mother's Day



Proverbs 31:28Her children rise up and call her blessed.”

I've heard that the word “happy” is translated as the word “blessed” in the Bible, so I looked up the definition in my Strong’s Dictionary of Bible words and found this to be true. The Hebrew word is μακάριος – “makarios” and means “very happy!” in the physical, spiritual and emotional sense. Setting aside one special day a year to specifically recognize and celebrate the woman that carried us, that gave us birth and life, that nurtured and raised us with unconditional love and one-of-a-kind care is honorable and appropriate. But I feel that the love and respect produced goes beyond the word “happy” to the deeper definition of “blessed”. Are we not “blessed” by our mothers?

Psalm 139:13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I tragically lost my mother in the Fall of 2001 and the void left in my heart cannot be filled. I was truly blessed and knew it, so wouldn't want that void to be filled either. Nothing can replace the priceless time and memories that I have of her. We tend to take for granted the time and relationship that we have with our mothers, not realizing the blessed moments and memories that we have and continue to make every day that we have with them. How often we see and hear the emotional words of opportunity lost the day that they go to be with the Lord? Don’t miss a moment! And may this day that we stop to recognize our moms with our best, also be a day that we stop and think about everything she means to us and thank our Heavenly Father for giving her to us. May we know what we have and take advantage of the days that we have left to demonstrate our true love for her and Him for the countless blessings in our life directly from them. We are blessed with mothers. Blessed Mother’s Day to you and yours!
Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
In Christ, Brian

Thursday, May 9, 2013

When God Ran



Luke 15:12-13 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

My wife’s favorite story in the Bible has always been the parable of the prodigal son because the young man, who forsakes his father and faith to live a lavishly wasteful lifestyle, comes to his senses eventually, turns from his self-centered ways of pleasure and returns to his father. Everybody loves a story with a happy ending like that. With a culture that promotes self-indulgence and a secular society that entices, tempts, and lures children that have been loved, prayed for, nurtured, protected, educated and disciplined in the respect and admonition of the Lord, it is a reality that many leave everything to chase after the temporary and fleeting pleasures of the god-rejecting world system. I've read how this leaves parents and family greatly burdened for their souls, praying that they would come to the end of themselves, trust Christ and come home. I've heard of grandparents paying for decades for a grandchild to see the errors of their ways, repent and come to Christ.

Luke 15:17-20 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

In the parable (representing God toward the repenting child) the father ran to the formerly prodigal son with open arms and there was a celebration because (as the Father tells the other son in verse 31), “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” Many would just write these people off, but not our Creator God. Why? Ezekiel 18:23 tells us: “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?The heavenly hosts agree. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7 and10: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Prodigal children are wasting their lives by chasing after the temporal pleasures of the world and do not face the difficult reality that they face eternal condemnation. Silence is not golden when it comes to sin. Parents should never give up praying for, preaching to, and pleading with their children to trust Christ and come home, where true love is found and they will be overwhelmingly welcomed by their heavenly Father and their earthly family. Years ago, we heard a young man at our church sing a song about the joy of God when the prodigal son returned. It instantly became one of my favorite songs. I have added the song as an attachment for you to hear. May we never lose the image of God running to us also, and may we never give up on the prodigal sons and daughters in our lives today.    


In Christ, Brian

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

His Bigger Work & Purpose



Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are  over all His works.”

Pastor JJ, continuing his “Who owns you? Sermon series had this opening statement: We live a life that is only possible by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, in our place for our sins by the grace of God - the redeemed, reconciled, and restored Christian life. The Creator of heaven and earth loved us, even though we were sinners, that He sent His only Son (the Christ) to die as an atonement for us. Jesus' body broken us and His blood shed for us. And in doing so, God has called us into His work here, led by the Spirit to proclaim this gospel of salvation to the world, for His glory. As godlessness and lawlessness reveal a corrupt and dying culture, godliness and living by God’s laws in the Bible reveal the light of hope of the kingdom culture. A culture that doesn’t look to “an outside agent” for everything, but looks to “The Outside Agent” for everything.

Psalm 8:4 asks, “What is man that You Lord are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?”

In John 5:1-9, Jesus healed a man at the Pool of Bethesda. The pool had healing power when it was stirred up by an angel, but being in a condition for 38 years that didn’t allow him to enter the water needed help. Jesus doesn’t help the man into the water, nor takes some of the water and pours it on the man, because the man didn’t need an outside agent when “The Outside Agent” was standing in front of him. Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked (v.8&9). Jesus sets an example for us that is the bigger reality of what God is doing in the world. Don’t focus on the healing, but on the Law of God that makes us blind, because the physical points to the spiritual. We have “one hope”, which is “The Hope” – the Law-giver.

John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

This verse is talking about our work ethic, because it speaks to the connection to the Father. God didn’t take a vacation years ago and been gone for a while. God is always at work in the world and has been working until today, and will tomorrow also. Jesus rested, prayed and worked hard as unto God. This, too, Jesus sets an example for us. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.In our godly work ethic, we are sowing the “ground work” toward reaping a blessing.

Galatians 6:7-10Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We are not designed or created for the “good” life (by this world’s standards), but for the “God” life. Life is good when lived out by God’s standards and work is a “good gift” from God. The tempting “easy life” provided by relying on technology can and does fool us into a poor work ethic. But, know that laziness is a curse. How do we look at life and a work ethic for the Lord? He calls us all into “His work” for the advancement of the kingdom of Heaven as our purpose (Matthew 28:19-20). Society works better, families work better, and we work better when our work is done as unto God. Get busy and never tire of doing that which is “right” in the eyes of the Lord. Make the best out of your work as a good employee and a good servant of God.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-11For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.

Idle busybodies engage in activities that do not do anything productive, but provide something to fill up time. Some say, “Jesus is coming back soon, so why work?” None of that nonsense! If God has given us the breath of life, then we need to work hard to accomplish the works of God and His church in the world. Be encouraged not to give up and continue to do good. We are not busy for busy sake, but to accomplish what God wants in our life. This is His bigger work and purpose. Is it ours?

Matthew 5:16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Where True Riches Lie



Ecclesiastes 5:10He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”

What are true riches? Pastor JJ, continuing his “Who owns you? Sermon series told us that a clue is found in the fact that Jesus has whatever power he wanted at His disposal. How did He use them? To help others. What makes you truly rich in life? To most, the answer is money and lots of it. But there is an uneasiness that comes from the pursuit of money. How many would say, “Give me that problem.”?

1 Timothy 6:9-11 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Pastor gave us three questions about money to wrestle with.

(1) How did you obtain the money? Honestly or by cheating, justly or unjustly in the eyes of God? Because we all have to give an account of how we acquire our “Greenbacks” and ill-gotten gain and the exploitation of others are a curse; not a blessing. The Christian cannot ignore this question, or else we’ll lose our godly influence in society. Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

(2) What is the money doing to you?, including “how is it affecting your relationship with God?” In Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at the rich young Ruler, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. His heart was not in following the Lord, because his riches were more important than Jesus. The first conversion starts in our minds, and the second conversion is in our hearts. But the third conversion takes place in our money. God requires us to offer our life as a “living” sacrifice; not just giving words to the Lord. Jesus is not a decal on our car; the Lord wants to metaphorically “drive our car”, meaning “rule our life”.

(3) What are you doing with your finances? Rather than to be generous and compassionate, seeing the needs of the people and acting upon them as Jesus did and desires us to also, instead of having the ways of the world as our drive. Not justifying our niggardly heart by saying: “If I can get it, than they can too”, instead of driving God’s purposes. Jesus say in Matthew 25:44-46 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” So one’s who are truly saved are generous in heart and life, responding to the generosity of God’s grace towards them. What did salvation do to you? How has your relationship with Christ changed your view of living? The egocentric secular world around us advocates that life is about the collecting and accumulation of wealth. Did you know that if you live in America, you are within the top 10% in income in the world?  

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Do not be motivated by “Lord Dollar”, but be motivated by “Lord Jesus” and use your money to do the purposes of God. Luke 16:13 tells us: “No servant can serve two masters.” What’s more important to us? The heart’s answer is revealed by our thoughts, words and actions daily. As in Matthew 25:21 is the Lord going to say to you and I, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over (the handling of your money.)? Child of God, what is the level of generosity that you and I are being called to, in a world that accumulates riches? Know what true riches are and where they lie. This is our challenge: Christian, use money wisely; don’t let our money use us. Amen? Amen.

In Christ, Brian