Earthquake!!

Each time there is an earthquake someplace I always think about two things - how powerful they are and how powerless WE are. And I must confess that, when I see them happening in California, part of me says "And still they will not see."

God uses earthquakes and other phenomenon to deliver messages, or dole out punishment. Basically, God accomplishes HIS will by using events such as earthquakes, parting seas, stopping rivers, causing mighty storms and displaying heavenly signs using the stars and planets, all in an effort to get our attention or deliver a message.

Not ALL of these things are messages. But some of them have been in the past. So who's to say whether or not these things are signs or warnings of things to come? God. That's who.

God parted the Red Sea, God stopped the Jordan River from flowing, God made the shadow from the sun go backward, God created signs in the heavens and storms on the sea. Why? To remind us just how big God is and how small we are.

I've learned a few things by reading the Bible. First, it is ALWAYS a good idea to walk in God's will. Second, it is never a good idea to be disobedient with God. God is a great teacher of lessons. He will keep teaching the same lesson over and over again until we learn it. California has not learned much.

But the same can be said for us. Our government passes laws contrary to God's will. We are removing Him and His names from our governmental proceedings. Remember that phrase from our swearing in ceremonies, "so help me God?" Gone. At least in the United States House of Representatives. Watch the video below.

This nation and this world will pay the price one day when Jesus returns and sets up His throne. He will judge the living and the dead. All of us will come up lacking. Unless, of course, you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Have you seen signs of His return? I have. Many Have. The biggest question though is "Are you ready?" The House of Representative, at least its current majority leadership, are NOT.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

All Who Are Thirsty - Kutless
So Help Me God Omitted

Give Me Some Kind of Sign

Have you ever been unsure about whether or not to do something when all of a sudden something happens to help you answer that question? Is it some kind of sign? Has that ever happened to you? Because it happens quite frequently in MY life.

I'll be thinking about someone and reach for my phone to send them a text, but before I can pick it up, it lights up with an incoming text from that very same friend. Weird. But that happens often enough where In have noticed it.

Whenever I have made very important decisions in my life, after I have thought long and hard about something and finally acted on that decision, I have often seen a bald eagle flying overhead. Was that some kind of sign that I made the right decision? And if I made the wrong decision, would I see a vulture circling instead? LOL!

Recently I have been hesitating about acting on a project of mine - the building of some shelters for the homeless. All along through the planning stages I have thought, "God will provide" but now that it's time to spend some actual cash, I was getting cold feet. I was hesitating.

One morning as I was praying with my friend at work an idea popped into my head. It was a really strange idea about using a tow truck to move my tiny shelters from one place to the other. Could that actually work? Based on all of the previous "signs" I have encountered in my life, I gave it extra notice. I thought about it all through the day. looking at pictures of tow truck, trying to figure out how tall my shelter could be to legally go down the highway. My thoughts were consumed by the idea.

That night as we left work I was still thinking about it and talking about it with my friend. We got in our separate cars and left work. I pulled up to the stop sign and was surprised to see a tow truck slow and turn in front of me . . . so I could get a good look I guess. Was it a sign?

Does stuff like that happen to you? It happens often enough to me that I almost come to expect it. Are signs Biblical? Did they happen back in Jesus' day? The Bible is filled with them!

"Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." - Isaiah 7:11

"So Gideon said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me." - Judges 6:17

"As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah." - Luke 11:29

There are so many instances of signs in the Bible, it HAS to be some kind of sign!! LOL!

The biggest questions I have about signs are, "Are they really signs?" and, if they are, "Who am I, that God would send ME a sign?" And while I'm asking questions, "What will happen to me if I ignore a sign?"

So many questions about signs, so little faith on my part. If we were sure these "signs" in our lives were real and true, and we acted on them all, what would the world look like? The angels spoke about the future of the world with a sign . . .

^"10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." - Luke 2:10-12

Give me the kind of faith that acts and does not hesitate. Give me the strength to see things through. Lord, our very births are a sign that we are here to do something. Maybe it is to follow God's leading through His many and wondrous signs.

Keep your eyes open, my friends! It seems as if the world is filled with signs.

Give Me Some Kind Of Sign - Brenton Wood

Notification

Do you know what this image represents? In the words of Indigo Montoya, "I don't think it means what you think it means."

Most people would say, "Bob, that's a Facebook message notification." And they would be right . . . on the surface. In the life of this humble Christian however, this notification has come to mean something else all together.

Do you get excited when you get messages on Facebook? I do. Someone actually wants to talk to me, which is rare. LOL!

When I see a message notification on Facebook these days I see it as something other than the obvious. I see it an opportunity to serve. There are many things that appear to be one thing on the surface but can turn into something else underneath.

For example, have you ever seen an ice carver at work? These artists can take a block of ice and turn it into something amazingly beautiful! God works a lot like that.

We all start out as blocks of ice, pretty much all the same. But then things happen in our lives that change us. Sometimes the changes hurt, sometimes the changes make us melt. But in the end we all end up where we are.

We often don't understand why some of the things that happen to us . . . happen to us. Sometimes life's events can cut pretty dip. Other times we just slowly melt away into nothingness.

Who is it that God wants you to be. Whether you believe in God or not doesn't change the fact that He exists. Who does He want you to be? Does it conflict with what YOU want you to be? If so, let the sculpting begin.

When I started out in college I had a plan. It was MY plan. That's why it failed. It was NOT God's plan.

What is God's plan for YOUR life? Are you living it? Are you still searching for it? Here's some advice from an old man who has found God's plan for HIS life and how you can find God's plan for yours.

1. Quit looking for "God's plan." It will find you. God has a way of turning you into who He wants you to be . . . unless you are unwilling.
2. Stop trying to find what "God's Will" is in your life. Surrender to His will and there you are!
3. Don't know what God's will is? Read the Bible. It's all in there. Think "Facebook notification" on the cover!
4. When God reveals something to you . . . PAY ATTENTION!!
5. Be obedient! Christians are followers, not soloists. Follow where God leads you in life.

When we see those Facebook notifications we should see an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. We should see an opportunity to love others as Christ first loved us.

Each opportunity, each struggle, must be looked at as being for God's glory. The sooner we forget about OUR desires and start thinking about God's desires, we are on our way to becoming something very important. A tool in the hands of a master carver. Let Him begin His work on you today.

Let the sculpting begin!

"38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:38-39

Ithaca Ice Wars

Heat

For the passed few days, the heating & ventilating unit in our office building has decided that 78 degrees is the perfect room temperature to work in. Most of the employees in our office disagree. Despite open windows and doors the indoor temperature has maintained its level of heat. It shouldn't be that way but it is. It's hot!

If you think it might be difficult working in a building with "too much heat" you should try being a pastor!

I feel kind of sorry for pastors. They have been called by God to feed His sheep and sometimes it seems like all they do is serve as objects of wrath from their congregations.

"The music is too loud."

"Why do we always have to have contemporary worship songs? What's wrong with hymns?"

I don't like the big screen. We've gotten along without it for 2000 years. Why change now?

"The pews are too hard."

"Your sermon ran two minutes long."

'Another sermon about tithing? Didn't you do one of those last year?"

It's one thing to pick on your pastor if he says something contrary to God's Word but he doesn't need to hear every little nit picking detail. We're not going to send him to jail over this stuff. Or are we?

Did you hear what happened in Canada last year?1 A pastor got arrested for calling homosexuality a sin. It's hate speech they said.

Well, that was just an isolated incident, right? Wrong. A pastor was arrested in Sweden for doing the very same thing - reading out of the Bible.2

So, where is all this going? In my opinion, in our current society of political correctness, where it is taboo to offend ANYONE, we will continue down our current path of censoring all those who speak out against ANY group of people, for fear of hurting them. Our pastors will face increasing persecution for their messages, should they not line up with what our government believes. We ourselves could be arrested for making statements of faith. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Do you think I am crazy?

Read the stories at the end of this blog post. The first one is about the mayor of Houston. She wants to review the messages delivered by area pastors. That's right. Proposed censorship by the government. And if you think it's just that one incident, remember when our current president wanted to censor conservative talk shows?3 The battle is here my friends. The battle has become real.

When you see your pastor this Sunday, give him a big hug and tell them how much you appreciate what he does. Then ask him this question. "If it was against the law to speak certain portions of God's Word on Sunday morning, would you continue to do so, regardless of the consequences?" If they answered yes, give them another hug and tell them you love them . . . before it is time for them to begin their prison ministry.

Jesus warns His followers during the Sermon on the Mount . . .

"11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." = Matthew 5:11

Jesus warns His disciples . . .

"16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." = Matthew 10:16-22


I believe we are in the last days, biblically speaking. These things that are happening today are all in God's Word. We have already been told these things will happen. And things are going to get worse. But there IS hope. There is a Light at the end of the tunnel. The Light's name is Jesus and He IS going to be making a visit. He is coming for His church.

Jesus talks about "The End of the Age" . . .

"9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:9-14

You know, we are all creatures of comfort. I complained when the temperature in our office reached the upper 70's. Yet, I have a job. I have the ability to earn money to feed my family. I have been given all these things by God. There should be no complaining. Only a desire to spread the Gospel to all people, in His name. So . . . how we doin' with that?

Houston Demands Oversight of Sermons

1 - Preacher Arrested for Calling Homosexuality A Sin
2 - Criminalizing Christianity: Sweden's Hate Speech Law
3 - Don't Censor Talk Radio