Letting Sin Abound

The other day I wrote a blog post that ended up going in a different direction than I planned. If you haven't read it yet, you can read it here so you can understand this post a little easier. As with the last post, this one is based off a book I read about dirt and the immune system. The basic premise of the book was that we need to be exposed to dirt and germs and the sickness brought on by viruses and bacteria in order to keep our immune system active and strong. I believed that was true before reading the book, but was only strengthened by it. When it comes to our physical health, dirt and all the things within it that we fear are needed for us to stay healthy. Sometimes this mindset becomes part of spiritual practice though, and in that situation there is no benefit.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" (Rom 6:1). What was Paul referring to? Up through chapter five of Romans Paul discussed how sin entered into society and all were sinful and in need of redemption. He reaches the climax of his argument by noting that it was for this reason that Christ came to Earth and through Him we can have redemption and forgiveness of sins by His grace. It seems the response by some was that if God's grace was the clear and beautiful answer to sin, then if we sin more, there will be more of God's grace to cover those sins, and who could argue that more grace is a bad thing? Paul give his inspired answer in verse two writing,"By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" While the human immune system is strengthened by introducing small bits of bacteria and viruses to fight off, to introduce small bits of sin into our life is a monstrosity and has no redeeming value.

Despite Paul's response and his inspired argument for why we cannot continue in sin found in the rest of chapter six, many in the religious world follow the mindset that Paul condemned, if not in verbal teaching, at least in practice. I've heard some in the past that they will do something they know is wrong now and repent of it later. One claimed to be joking, but surely there are others in the world who have this mindset? It often goes along with the teaching of Once Saved Always Saved. To believe in such a thing, you have to make some sort of reasoning for how one can be saved continuously, even if they keep sinning. Some might say that if one is living in sin, they weren't really saved to begin with. This is an unjust judgment though and claiming to know one's heart and mind through some special knowledge. This is impossible. The other justification is usually made by stating that, "Christ has already paid for all of my sins, so no matter what I do or what I might do, it's already been taken care of so I don't have to worry." Paul made it clear though that one could fall away, and even that those who were truly saints could later be "delivered to Satan" (I Timothy 1:19-20). John wrote that we must confess our sins in order to have them forgiven (I John 1:9). John did not write that to the lost, but to those who had already been saved.

Sin is never a good thing, nor is it anything to make light of. While Christ's sacrifice made it possible for sins to be forgiven, we must remember to do our part as well and actively seek forgiveness. The Christian has no room in his life for sin.

Dirt Don't (Usually) Hurt

I recently read a book written by an immunologist titled Why Dirt Is Good: 5 Ways to Make Germs Your Friends. It is a parenting book that basically says what I have believed for the last few years, and that is that many of our children get sick, and now many of our adults get sick, and have allergies due to being too clean. Our immune system does better if it has practice, so when we douse ourselves in hand sanitizer, pop antibiotics at the slightest hint of any sort of what might be an infection, and keep our children from playing in, wearing and yes, even eating dirt in the first years of their life, we're actually doing more harm than help. Even the vast amounts of allergies today, though not all by any means, seem to spring from a society that is overly clean.

Another result is what is often called the superbug. When you use hand sanitizer or take antibiotics improperly or too often, you end up with surviving bacteria that are the strongest of the bunch. These become resistant to the medicines we create. In fact, there are two types of bacteria out there now that are so strong that the pharmaceutical companies have all but given up hope in creating medicine for them. There just isn't anything we know of that can kill them except our bodies toughen up and make it through the infection.

This book only strengthened my resolve to be a more laid back parent. I'm not too worried if Ben is outside and eats a bit...or a lot of dirt. I'm not too concerned when he randomly licks stuff, even if it's the floor in the grocery store. That doesn't mean I'm not concerned in any way. I don't plan to let him eat food that is rotten or in the trash can, or other things that are just dangerously stupid to allow, but if you haven't noticed, kids have an unusual attraction to dirt, and when you understand the immune preparing system of a child, you understand why and that God has created the human body to help make its self more resistant to sickness and harm.

Everyone should own this book and learn about how God created us, despite the author's belief that we evolved to this stage. The more I study the human body, the more and more convinced I become that it could only have been designed by some grand creator. I had planned for this post to go in another direction, but it ended up here, so keep on the lookout for a second part to this article focusing more on a spiritual aspect.

The Happiest Place on Earth

This past Tuesday, Kristen, Benjamin and I took a trip down to Orlando, Florida. With the gracious help of some brethren we were able to spend a day in the Magical Kingdom as a family. Most people call Disney “The Happiest Place on Earth.” I was so glad to see just how excited Kristen and Ben were throughout the whole day and thankful for all of the memories we gained by being able to go there. In thinking of it being called “The Happiest Place on Earth” I began to think upon the true happiest place that will be and the comparison between the two. While Disney World is truly a happy place with so much to enjoy, and all should try to go at least one day if possible, the happiest place one can strive to go is heaven.

While there was so much to see, we had to walk around everywhere on a very hot and humid day. We all ended up sweating a good bit and had to drink more water than ever before in order to stay hydrated. Our legs were killing us by the end of the day and we were so tired that we had to stop and get a motel room that night instead of going all the way back to the family we were staying with. Even writing this the day after, having had time to sleep and relax I still am feeling the exhaustion. We see a different picture in heaven though. Along with other things, John is told that in the new heaven there shall be “neither shall there be any more pain”(Rev 21:4). In heaven we won’t have to worry about exhaustion, painful legs or the sun beating down upon us any longer. Disney can make one feel like a kid again, but it cannot take away the pain, tiredness and the sweat of the brow.

Kristen and I were beyond happy that Ben managed to take a pretty good nap before it was time to eat dinner. His nap gave him enough energy to let us stay for the nighttime electric light parade that ran through the magic kingdom after dark. This is a parade to be remembered for sure. As the sun went down, the theme park lit up along the outline of buildings, and soon the parade began. Plenty of floats based off of Disney themes and characters flooded the streets and the floats were covered from start to end with bright lights. It was truly something that one cannot forget after seeing due to how amazing it was. Despite the great amount of lights, darkness still invaded the environment. We had left our bags in the car, but I knew that if we had brought them in I would still fear what could happen to them in the dark. Darkness usually brings thoughts of fear into man and is used as a cover for sin and unrighteousness. Again, it is revealed to John in Revelation that “there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 22:5). The fear that comes with night shall no longer ever be a concern for mankind in heaven, but Disney can never fully banish the darkness.

Another comparison can be find out how Kristen and I obtained our tickets in. By donating so much to a charity we were able to get two tickets and a coupon to a nice restaurant and it ended up being a great deal. You can also get a day ticket to Disney by volunteering 24 hours to an approved group. While you can “work” your way into Disney, the same cannot be said unto heaven. While there are things one must do in order to reach either destination (get on the ferry or monorail into Disney and obey God in love to get into heaven) one cannot do enough good works to simply earn their way into heaven. One must go through Christ who paid the price and be His servant if they wish to have entrance into heaven (John 14:6) and that is their only option.

Disney is a wonderful place that really does seem magical, but nothing man can create can ever compare to the heaven which God has in store for His people.

Bible Q&A: Why do some of the nastiest drivers on the road have the Christian fish (ithicus) on their car?

It is because even Christians aren’t perfect. I don’t think it is mainly those with the ithicus that are nasty driver. This past week in Memphis, five cars ran a stoplight right before my eyes and as far as I could tell, none had any connection to Christendom. I would think that people notice a Christian’s imperfections more readily because we claim to walk by a higher moral standard, and when one does that, it is noticed more if he fails to meet this standard. Christians are commanded to obey traffic laws (Romans 13:4), but just like everyone else on the road, they aren’t perfect, and they have temptations. It doesn’t excuse such behavior, but Christians are still humans. Just because Christians are trying to walk by God’s standard doesn’t mean they will be perfect in doing such, but this sort of question should be a reminder to all Christian’s that they are being watched in everything they do and ought to act accordingly.

Are bad things happening to me because I’ve sinned?

Sometimes when people encounter a trial or painful situation, they may wonder if it happened to them because they’ve sinned. This isn’t a new question though, Job asked the same thing when his life fell apart. We must understand that sometime bad things do happen to us because of sin. One who is a drunkard could easily lose his money and house, but also his family and friends and even his life. A liar is often hurt in the long run, and those who break traffic laws could end up with a fine or even jail time. Sinners will definitely reap what they sow (Gal 6:7-8) but not all bad things happen because of one’s sin as Christ teaches in Luke 13:1-5. Luke 13:1-3 teach that sometimes bad things happen to someone because of the sins of others. An innocent person may be mugged, but not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because the mugger is engaging in sin. Luke 13:4-5 teaches that one other reason bad things happen to people is because of nature. Sometimes someone is just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. People do not always experience bad things because they have sinned, though it is possible that that could be the reason. We ought to use these times to evaluate our life and make sure we are walking properly with God.

The End of America

I'll be honest. Last night I went to bed a bit perturbed. This morning I woke up a bit perturbed. Still to this moment I am a bit perturbed. You see, last night the health care bill passed and all that is left is for Obama to sign it. I am against this bill and in general, this brand of health care reform. Now notice that I did not say that I'm against health care reform, just this brand of it.

Before I get into the main purpose of this post, I want to make some things clear. I'm not against this health care bill because I don't care about the poor. I don't believe that not having health insurance is a result of not being willing to work, and the reason is because I do work and I cannot afford health insurance for my family. In fact, my wife and I have our son on government health care to make sure that he at least is taken care of. I am against this for mainly two reasons. First I do not believe that this fits within the realms of our constitution. I do believe that the states have the right to choose if they want to take this route, but my understanding of The Constitution does not give this type or amount of power to the federal government. The second reason is that they government has not proved that they can handle this amount of responsibility. This has been shown through their past handling of government programs. Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, The War on Drugs, Public Education and the Postal Service are only a start of failed government programs that continue to run but with barely any sort of efficiency. If the government cannot properly manage education or mail delivery, I do not think I'm ready for the to try and manage my health. Now I've gotten that out of the way.

Despite all of this, I'm trying to remain positive and focused on the eternal future instead of the temporal present. Yes, this will affect me in this life, but not in the next life. What will affect me in the next life is if I go on with an improper attitude about the things that happen in this life. I am, for the most part, writing this post as a means to force me to think of some lessons we can learn from this.

One thing we an learn from this is that we've pretty much brought this upon ourselves as a nation. It reminds me of I Samuel 8 where the Israelites begged for a king. They knew the dangers of such a path and were warned again before God gave them what they wanted. Despite knowing what would occur and what the results would be, they went ahead with their desires anyway. Over all, America has become very greedy. We can easily conclude what the results of greed are, yet we are willing to overlook what will come from our desires in order to have what we want. We talk about the government not being able to handle health care (and as mentioned above I don't believe they can) but we haven't done so well with handling it either. We waited until our system was almost in the gutter before thinking of doing anything about it instead of taking care of the problem when it first started. We waited to long to do anything and instead tried to do the same as putting a band-aid on a two week old wound that has become infected. It reminds me of the principle taught in Romans 13. In the realms of politics, God is going to give us exactly what we deserve. We've failed to handle the problem and thus have lost the opportunity to try and fix it ourselves.

Second, this should be a reminder to us about our health. America, for the most part, is very unhealthy. We complain about high food bills, but usually eat more in a week than many in other countries may eat in a month. We're lazy and I'm fine with admitting that. One brother made a very good point and I cannot improve on it so I'll just quote him when he said, "I had to have gallstones taken out because I didn't eat well in college. Insurance paid for most of that. If that money had been coming from my neighbors, I would feel more guilty. Now I'll watch out for my well-being more. I hope." This should be a great reminder for us to try and be healthier. Now that we more responsible for the health care of others, we also need to do our best to stay healthy and not dry up the funds that can be used for those that actually need health care. Our bodies are temporal, but they are from God and we need to be good stewards of them.

All morning I've heard about this being the beginning of the end of America. It might just be, but there is only one kingdom that was ever designed to last forever, and that is the kingdom of God, the church. I may face high taxes and may be the victim of an abuse of federal power, but I'm still a Christian and I still belong to the church that Christ died for and that is what is the most important thing in my life. In all honesty though, the beginning of the end of America did not start with government run health care or Obama becoming president. The end of America began with the nation forsaking the principles of godliness and taking on the serving of one's self.

Love you all,
Carl

I'm In A Club!

The Boys and Girls Club (B&GC) that is. I started volunteering there today. It was very reminiscent of my days as a day care worker. If you're not familiar with the B&GC, it's an afterschool program. It consists mainly of children that come from single parent homes or live with their grandparents. It has the opportunity to get to know their parents as well and could result in some Bible studies, but I really enjoy spending time with the children as well.

I got to help one boy with telling time. He did really well with it. Another boy had some problems reading, but with patience and work, he read the whole paragraph that was assigned to him, and it had some pretty hard words for him. These kids are in the first grade, I probably should have mentioned that. They kids had a snack and then we played Money Bingo. The BINGO cards have coins on them and the players have to figure out what amount of money is each square. A lot of the kids there have a good ways to go with counting money, but I know they'll get it by the end.

The first day brought along a bit of trouble though too. One of the kids had apparently been picked on on the bus ride to the the club. His reaction was to hit the bully in the face. Unfortunately, he seemed to be treated as the "bad kid." Now I understand that some kids tend to break the rules more often than others, but what I've come to find is that when you treat them like the bad kid, they act the part of the bad kid. They are just told they are bad, they are rarely encouraged to do what's right or told why they should do what's right. I was glad I had the opportunity to talk to about about what he did, why it was wrong and what he should have done. Maybe I'll have more time with him in the future.

Of course I tried to find a spiritual application to this as well. I already had a kid or two asking me if I would be back Wednesday. I don't know if I will or not as I do have priorities before B&GC like my family and the church here. It really surprised me that he asked that though. I also had one boy there who didn't know me at all come up and ask for help on his homework. I would think it had something to do with the fact that I was visibly forming a relationship with the kids from the start. They saw someone open, honest, and wanting to help. I think a lot of relationships within the church fail too because we as Christians fail to have this character. We show up, worship God or study the Bible and then go home. Almost every congregation seems to have someone that fits that build, even the smallest congregations. Throughout the New Testament we see the charge to aide and strengthen our brethren. This can only really be done when we show ourselves to be honest, open and wanting to help each other. Many times someone remains closed because no one has ever opened up to them, but as soon as someone opens up to them, the person that is usually as closed as a clam can't be stopped. Do you help people open up, or shut up?

Love you all,

Carl

You Have But Little Power

Okay, so it's 12:05 a.m. which technically makes this Monday, but I'm still new to the life of a blogger so I'm more entitled to mess up and get away with it.

I enjoy Sundays. Okay, I love Sundays. They're the most exhausting day of the week, but I love them. It isn't because I get to stand before a group of people and chastise them, mainly because I don't. Well, there is the occasional sermon that involves a rebuke, but that's a different blog post. I enjoy Sundays because I get to learn more. Yes, I am the one that stands before everyone and teaches the Bible Study class, but I am blessed to be working with a congregation that teaches me back...except they get to do it while sitting down. Fort Valley is great about discussing that which are studying, no matter what it might be.

We've been studying Revelation on Sunday mornings and are slowly making our way through the seven churches in chapter two and three. This morning we finished looking at Sardis and started into Philadelphia. Philadelphia was the congregation that I've really enjoyed studying because it reminds me a lot of the congregation where I preach, and that was what we discussed at the end of class this morning. The following is the segment we studied this morning:

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one,the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name' (Rev. 3:7-8)."

Fort Valley is a small congregation, though our numbers have been rising. We usually see between 40-50 for worship on Sunday morning. We also have a good number of older members who can't always be as physically active in the work of the church. It can be a discouragement. Not just to me, but to all of us here. We would love to have more youth at the moment to help. These two verses reminded me of something though. Christ said they had but little power. Maybe they were small in number, maybe they were from the lower class or maybe they didn't have all of the money to use as they would have liked. In the end, that didn't matter. Christ said He had set a open door before them. Sure, we might not be able to out number denominations or out spend them, but that's not important. The strength of the pure Gospel wasn't determined by number or money or social status, it was strong because Christ was behind it. Whatever the situation might have been, if those in Philadelphia were willing to do the work, Christ was going to be there to give them opportunities to do it.

It's easy for any Christian, preacher included, to get discouraged when he looks at the situation from the view of the world. In the world, number, power and money get you everywhere and everything. It's not the same for a life viewed from the Christian point of few.

Love you all,

Carl

Underpaid Preachers

I recently heard of a preacher or two for the Lord's church who made over $100,000 a year just as a preacher. That's impressive. I guess my first thought would have to be if that preacher and his family really need that much money a year, and I hope that the congregation puts even more towards making the Gospel available for all. Then I have to wonder if this preacher is underpaid?

Wait. A preacher makes at least $100,000 a year and I have the gall to suggest that he might be underpaid? I did indeed suggest that, but it doesn't mean what you probably think it means. At least in my mind, a preacher isn't truly paid in a check he receives every week, two weeks or month. Now don't get me wrong, congregations should support their preacher financially. It is an optional decision left up to the preacher and the congregation really, but the congregation should do what they can to financially support their preacher. I suppose we could have a full discussion about that, but I Corinthians 9 as a very good explanation of this.

Okay, so preachers should be supported financially if possible, but I know I've said that that wasn't what I was referring to earlier, so let's get to the heart of the matter. In my mind, the Gospel preacher doesn't find the true riches of his labor in a check from the treasurer, but from the growth of the congregation. Most preachers put in a lot more work than you think. The Bible classes they teach aren't just common knowledge to them, they have to study and compile the notes they use. Sermons take time to write, and are practiced and studied throughout the week. Most write a bulletin article every week and those don't just magically appear in the computer one day. No, it takes more study to produce those. That's every week too, unless someone fills in or the preacher is gone for some reason or another. On top of that, the preacher is expected to visit the sick and the shut-ins. They are expected to have families over and are expected to do the bulk of evangelism for the congregation. The thought that a preacher only works one day a week is far from the truth!

Now imagine that you've taken the time to put something together for a loved one. A husband, a wife, a child, a friend or just anyone you care about. You put time and effort into it and when it is presented to them, you just get a, "I appreciate that," and then the receiver just goes on unaffected by what you've put much effort into. I would guess that most preachers feel that way when members listen to sermons or classes or read articles that the preacher has invested his time into and walk away saying, "thanks" for it, but remaining largely unaffected or taking the time to consider the Word of God that has been taught. Not only does the preacher put time into what he does, but hopefully he puts love and concern for the souls of the world into it as well.

Where I preach, a young man will be filling in for me when my family travels to Memphis at the end of the month. When I arrived here, it was all he could do to get up and read the announcements. Now he'll be preaching the Gospel. That alone is a big "pay check" to me you might say. It lets me know that people are growing spiritually and wanting to work for the Lord. It reminds me why I chose the life I chose. No amount of money compares to being able to watch fellow Christians grow in wisdom and activity.

The next time you sit through a class or a sermon, or the next time you read and article in the church bulletin, please take time to consider how much time has been put into that. Take the time to thank him, to let him know how it helped you grow and what you've learned. Let him know just how much his work there means to you. Even if it just a few sincere words, it means a lot. Along with that, try to become more active. Get more involved with the work of the Lord in your area. Actions speak louder than words, especially to your preacher.

Please make sure that our preachers are not underpaid.

Love you all,

Carl

Introductions

Hi, I'm Carl, and I'm about to go meet my wife and son after being separated for almost a full week. It's been a bit rough, and a bit lonely, but that might be a good story for a different blog post.

I am a preacher, but before that I am a husband and a father, and before that I am a Christian. My goal in life is to be pleasing to God and follow His Word, and I whole heartedly believe that if do that, the whole husband/father/preacher will fall into place quite nicely.

I'm a bit blunt and a bit (understatement?) sarcastic, and I can thank my mom for that. I'm a nerd and I do enjoy computers and video games on almost any platform, and for that, I thank my dad. I enjoy reading and writing and being cliché, right? In all honesty though, I did plan on becoming an English teacher and/or a novelist before I took up the role of a preacher, so reading and writing come almost naturally with that.

I'm married to Kristen, and am beyond blessed to have found her. She blogs too, and does much better than I. You can find her scribblings here. She is a wonderful wife and more importantly a wonderful Christian. I wish I had more time to go on about her, but as I said, I need to get going very soon so I can pick her up from the in-laws. I have one son, Benjamin, who is almost 14 months old. My wife's blog is dedicated primarily to him, so if you want to know his life story through both words and pictures, her blog would be the place to do that.

This blog is not a means for me to just preach. I will post my weekly bulleting articles and the column I write for the newspaper, and I will more than likely post spiritual entries as well, but it isn't just about that. This blog is primarily about the life of a preacher. Too often people get the idea that the preacher or minister or whatever you want to call him is some spiritual superhero, that he knows all of the answers and is always strong in the face of trials and that he'll always act exactly as God wants him too. That just isn't true. I wanted to create this blog to help others explain exactly what it's like to be a preacher and what we do (and yes, we do work more than just one day a week) and the trials and emotions we have to deal with. It isn't an easy life, and honestly, as much as I love to preach the Gospel, I wouldn't wish this life upon anyone who did not honestly want it. Preaching isn't just a job, or isn't something I do just to make ends meet, it's a life.

I guess that's another reason I wanted to create this blog. Not only to help others realize what goes on in the life of a preacher, but to constantly remind myself of the decisions I've made and why I made them. To remind myself to do all that I can to help teach others about the God I love and serve.

I really do need to go now. I'm actually running a bit late as I need to get ink too so I can print out sermons, class notes and bulletins for this Sunday. I hope this blog is helpful to you and is able to spread throughout many lives, not so that I can be famous or well known by any means, but to help people be more thankful for those that do choose to spread the Gospel, and to help encourage others to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Love you all,
Carl