ON THE ANVIL (by Max Lucado)


UpWords from Max Lucado
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Week of April 25
Anvil Timeby Max Lucado
On God's anvil. Perhaps you've been there.

Melted down. Formless. Undone.
Placed on the anvil for...reshaping? (A few rough edges too many.)
Discipline? (A good father disciplines.)
Testing? (But why so hard?)

I know. I've been on it. It's rough. It's a spiritual slump, a famine.
The fire goes out.
Although the fire may flame for a moment, it soon disappears.

We drift downward. Downward into the foggy valley of question, the misty lowland of discouragement. Motivation wanes. Desire is distant. Responsibilities are depressing.

Passion? It slips out the door.
Enthusiasm? Are you kidding?

Anvil time.

It can be caused by a death, a breakup, going broke, going prayerless.
The light switch is flipped off and the room darkens.
"All the thoughtful words of help and hope have all been nicely said. But I'm still hurting, wondering....."

On the anvil.

Brought face to face with God out of the utter realization that we have nowhere else to go.
Jesus in the garden.
Peter with a tear-streaked face.
David after Bathsheba.
Elijah and the "still, small voice."
Paul, blind in Damascus.

Pound, pound, pound.

I hope you're not on the anvil. (Unless you need to be, and if so, I hope you are.)
Anvil time is not to be avoided; it's to be experienced.
Although the tunnel is dark, it does go through the mountain.
Anvil time reminds us of who we are and who God is.
We shouldn't try to escape it. To escape it could be to escape God.

God sees our life from beginning to end. He may lead us through a storm at age thirty so we can endure a hurricane at age sixty.
An instrument is useful only if it's in the right shape. A dull ax or bent screwdriver needs attention, and so do we.
A good blacksmith keeps his tools in shape. So does God.

Should God place you on his anvil, be thankful. It means he thinks you're still worth reshaping.

From On the Anvil:Stories On Being Shaped Into God's Image
This is a new edition of Max's first book. It contains an updated forward, written by him, as well as thoughtful questions for each chapter.

© (Tyndale House, 1985, 2008) Max Lucado.

I just read an article on Yahoo where President Bush, when asked what he saw in Pope Benedict's eyes (in reference to the President's statement that he saw Putin's soul in the Russian president's eyes), said he saw God.

If you look up the word "pope" in a thesaurus, one synonym it will throw out is "holy father."

Jesus said "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." (Matthew 23:9 NASB).

Brian

US MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD WILL BE WEAPON IN ANTICHRIST'S FUTURE EMPIRE

The headline says it plainly: the missile defense shield will be a weapon in the future. I am not saying that President Bush is the Antichrist or will be. I am no speculating who the Antichrist is. I have no idea, to be honest, nor do I worry about it. My future is secure because I have put my faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

There are those who are reading this, however, that do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you are one of those, then you can do something about it: put your faith in Christ!

The Bible says that we are all sinners, that we were born that way because of the curse that Adam's sin carried through to us all. The Bible also says that the wages of sin is death. This means that the cost of having unforgiven sin in your life when you die is eternal separation from God in the next life. You would be in hell.

But the Bible also says that those who place their trust in God's Son, Jesus, can be sure of their future. Jesus said to the criminal who asked Him to remember him in His kingdom, "today you will be with me in paradise."

Right now, pray to God for forgiveness for your sins. Ask Him to change your life, see things from His perspective, and start doing things His way.

Call 1-800-Need-Him to speak to someone waiting to pray with you. They're 24/7.

Brian.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD REPORTS INCREASES IN NUMBERS OF ABORTIONS, REVENUES

I just read this article on Crosswalk.com. Read it, please.

Brian

Have you ever asked yourself "how can I be an effective door-to-door minister?" Probably not. I know I didn't. My first experience with ministry was driving a van for a downtown shelter. Every other Sunday or so, I picked up whomever wanted to come to church from the shelter and drove them back afterwards. Then my wife and I went to L.A. and spent a week at the Dreamcenter. Being there opened my eyes in many ways. First, that God was working to reach everyone everywhere. Second, that there are so many needs in the world to limit yourself by tackling just a couple. Third and most important, all God wants from us is obedience and our best effort (He'll take care of the rest.)

Only until recently did I realize it's not my responsibility to save the world. Jesus Christ did that already. He's provided the way through His work on the cross. By taking that responsibility for myself, I burned out very quickly and our ministry disbanded. We moved out of town. That was almost four years ago.

Now I know my biggest mistake was trying to do God's work for Him, to "help" Him (as if He needed it) by pushing for results. All along He just wanted me to show up, give Him my best, and leave the rest to Him.

Jesus said He came to give us abundant life. He wants us to live. I'm not saying to live for yourself. No, Paul said to live is Christ, to die is gain. In other words, our lives are His. We are His vessels. What I am saying is you have to love it. The ministry has to be part of you, or rather, a showing of the work of Christ in you.

Operating in ministry under anything else than God's love and power is just flesh and therefore sin.

I was reading some older posts for this blog and came upon the one I wrote about Trenton Duckett. There's a website, helpfindtrenton.com, that has updates and so forth. I pray something happens for this family. Not knowing is hard.

Brian

Just got home froom church and had to put my notes out there. The title of the sermon was "The Answer is in your gift, part 1."

(These are just the basic notes. I can get more to you if you want it. I can even get a CD to you. Just email me .)

Categories of Gifts:
1. Ministry gifts
2. Serving gifts
3. Helps gifts

Greek word for "gift" = charisma

Charisma - the favor one receives without merit of his/her own, it is divine grace.

The word "calling" is the divine invitation to use your gift.

3 levels of maturity (1 John 2:12,13)
1. Little children
2. Young men/women
3. Fathers/mothers

1. You do not decide who you are, you discover who you are.
2. You will only discover your gift with a faithful prayer life.
3. You will only discover your gift with a faithful study life.
4. There are some things that must die for you to see your gift. (In other words, you have to let go of some things that are blocking your way.)
5. The gift will be used on you first.
6. Your gift must be submitted to someone of higher rank and authority.
7. Your gift needs maintenance.
8. You must be mentoring someone else in your gift. (Reproduce yourself)
9. There are no shortcuts to this. You cannot know what God has for you (your gift) without first knowing God and who He is.

Read 1 Samuel 13:19-22 (Not everyone is armed for warfare)
Romans 11:29
2 Kings 6:1-7
1 John 2:12,13

I've started writing again. I'm working on a fiction piece and my overall goal is to publish it no matter how bad it is. So here's chapter one, tell me what you think...


On a day not unlike any other when all was as it usually is, the end of all things normal came to be. It came at a time when it was least expected…as it is expected to. How the unexpected came to be is unusual, however. This is the story of how the unexpected brought about a choice that one man would make. That choice would determine not only his eternal fate, but those of his family, friends, and neighbors as well as anyone else who was there on that final day.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Chapter 1
Little Rock, Arkansas
Central Area, North American Union
The alarm went off without a shred of regret. Slowly, fighting against the desire to stay in bed, Dave hit the snooze button. Fumbling over the nightstand, his hand did not locate what he was looking for.
“Honey,” Dave whispered to his wife, “where are my glasses?”
“Where you always leave them,” came the reply.
“They’re not here.”
“Because you put them somewhere else.”
“Do you know where they are?”
“No.”
Reluctantly, Dave crawled out of bed. At 33 years old, he felt pretty good. He could be in better shape, could use more hair up top, but all in all, he felt pretty good. A flip of a light-switch illuminated the bathroom. The mornings were so routine for Dave, it was as if he was on autopilot getting out of bed. To anyone else, Dave’s routines may be annoying, but, to Dave, the alternative would be annoying: chaos. Dave enjoyed his routines. They were almost a necessity for his existence. He did not like change.
Dave slipped out of his pajamas and turned the shower on. It had to be hot water. The water cascaded down his back between the shoulder blades. He could feel his muscles begin to unwind, the tension in his joints loosening. As he slowly turned to let the water drench his body, Dave’s mind drifted to recent events on the world stage.
A few years ago, Congress had passed a bill that was sent to the fifty then-United States for ratification. The bill was an amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America that allowed the nation to join a new organization. The idea was to combine the United States with Canada and Mexico to create a trade union to better compete with the European Union and China. The amendment was ratified unanimously.
Within a year, however, more and more powers were taken from the countries’ governments and ceded to the new union in order to be more efficient and streamline existing systems. Crossing into and out of Mexico from the United States was now a matter of stopping at a station resembling a toll booth and allowing a border officer to scan your DNA. Instantly, a person’s entire profile, their credit history, their recent purchases, any criminal activity, was cross-referenced with a database of known terrorists and suspected accomplices. This system made crossing into and out the three countries as smooth as quicksilver.
There had been some protesting at the beginning of the outlay of the new DNA identification system, almost entirely from religious circles. But eventually, reason won out… especially when the North American tribunal made anyone not allowing DNA samples to be taken and catalogued a felon.
The Presidents of the United States and Mexico along with the Prime Minister of Canada were demoted to regional governors in job if not in title two years after. All law-making authority along with chief command of all armed forces from the three nations were ceded as well to the North American Union, also known as the NAU. At that point, in essence, the United States of America, along with the sovereign nations of Canada and Mexico, ceased to exist.
On the world scene, in the Middle East, final preparations on a treaty that would unify Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, and the new nation-state of Palestine into a single trade union (prematurely called the United Arab Union by the Arab countries) was reportedly close to being finished. The Knesset in Israel was holding out for the name to be the Middle Eastern Union. Negotiations were deadlocked currently with Israel balking over land rights. It was only after the chief negotiator from the United Nations, former Italian lawmaker Peter Romani, became involved that stalled talks resumed. The document creating a trade union in the Middle East was signed by all members and the Middle Eastern Union was born.
“Are you almost done?” The voice was muffled through the door, but his wife’s tone was apparent: he had been too long and was now cutting into her shower time not to mention her hot water.
Dave shook his head quickly. How long had he been in the shower?
“Almost,” he yelled back. He quickly turned the water off, got out of the shower and toweled off. He met his wife’s angry eyes with a slight grin as he opened the shower door.
“Good morning, hon.” He tried a peck on her cheek, but Meg was in the bathroom and slamming the door while Dave was in motion.
“Good morning to you, too,” Dave muttered under his breath as he trudged back to the bedroom to get his clothes. Just another beautiful Monday.
------------------------------------------------------
Meg turned the shower on all the way to hot hoping her husband didn’t use all the hot water. As the water poured from the shower head, heat forced much of the water into steam.
“There are miracles today,” she thought as she turned the temperature back to warm feeling secure there was enough hot water to take a good shower. As she undressed and stepped in, Meg’s mind started walking through her day. Breakfast, get their son, Sam, off to school; finish the laundry started the night before, the list seemed to go on and on. It made her tired to just think about it all. She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, however, once the water became icy cold.
-----------------------------------------------------
“Mitchell!”, the voice wave barreled down the hallway and straight into and up Dave’s spine. Late again.
Dave quickly walked up to his boss’s office door. A light knock on the door succeeded the icy invitation to enter.
“About time you got here, Mitchell, “the man growled, “Most of us have to work for a living, you know.” The man, John Watson, was a man in his upper 50s, well-groomed, educated, and not very happy at the moment. “Sit down.”
Dave quickly sat in the chair in front of the desk. He found himself face to face with the man who was not only his supervisor but also his friend.
“Sorry I was late this morning, sir, “Dave said.
“Cut the crap, Dave, “John replied, “let’s just get to it.” Just like John, Dave thought, to cut right to the heart of the matter. “You’re a good reporter, Dave..”
“Which is why you love me…”
“But I have to let you go.”
Dave’s world just went into a tailspin. No way he just heard that he was fired. “What?”
“I have to let you go.”
“Why?”
“With this global NewsNet online now, the paper can’t afford to pay your salary.”
The global NewsNet, the combined resources of the recently merged CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, was the dreaded giant of the news industry. Printed news was soon to be all-but-dead in the wake of this internet monster, and now it was here. In Dave’s face. Taking his job.
“I’m sorry” was all John could manage. “I wish there was another way.”
-------------------------------------------------------
“All he said was the paper couldn’t afford my salary, “Dave said.
Dave had dialed his wife just as he left the building. He knew she’d have questions, but the next one threw him off a little: “What did you do wrong? Were you late again?”
Dave loathed questions. He was always afraid of saying something incriminating even though he is innocent and no one has accused him of anything. Still, he just knew one day he’d be before a judge, asked the wrong questions by a slick lawyer and be sentenced to life for any crime a prosecutor could imagine. Hey, Dave thought, many movies and stories had been written based on the innocent person going to jail or worse, being put to death. He felt his head was on the chopping block now.
“Yes, I was a little late again this morning, “Dave managed, “but I don’t think that had anything to do with it.”
“What are we going to do?” Meg was sounding frantic and Dave wished he hadn’t called her. “I don’t have a job and Sam’s tuition is due this week.”
The tuition. Dave had heard all he wanted to hear about this. His son, Sam, attended a private Christian school. The tuition was hefty, but Meg swore it was worth it. Neither she nor Dave were qualified to handle Sam’s education (in other words, home-school him), so a private school was the way to go. Public education seemed to be going down a one-way road, a slippery road headed downhill, since the NAU took control of all matters. The NAU favored a “level playing field” approach to education: the same for everyone. It seemed to be a takeoff of “The No Child Left Behind” approach of the beginning of the century. Dave felt it all boiled down to the socialist philosophies the world’s leaders were adopting.
“I’ll work it out.”
“How? We don’t have any money!” Yes, Meg was frantic now.
“End call.” The line went silent. Dave stuck the earpiece back in his pocket.“What am I going to do now?” Dave muttered under his breath.
The drive home seemed the last thing Dave wanted to take, so he opted for a drive through the city instead. For one reason, to scan for “help wanted” signs and, also, to clear his mind and try to analyze what had happened this morning. It just occurred to Dave that the word “analyze” began with the word “anal,” and he couldn’t help but smile. Out of work and still making jokes. What was wrong with him? This was a very serious problem facing him. In fact, it was the problem that all men feared facing: not being able to provide for their families.
Still, he felt like everything would be fine. It had to be, didn’t it? After all, if it wouldn’t be fine, then he and his family were all in very big trouble. A sharp pain of panic gripped him. How would they eat? Pay rent? All of a sudden, life was anything but good and Dave had nowhere to turn.
Heading out of town, Dave pulled off the road onto a shoulder. As his car came to a stop, Dave gripped the steering wheel so hard his fingers hurt.
“God,” he prayed aloud, “we’ve reached a dead end and I don’t know what to do. You’ve provided for us before and I know You will do it now. Help me through my fear, in Jesus’ Name, amen.” In his heart, Dave knew God heard him.
----------------------------------------------
Monday mornings on Capital Hill are anything but routine. And this morning is no exception. Senator Glenn Thomas felt like he had seen it all when the NAU was created some years back. Then the tribunal took control of more and more until it seemed Congress was little more than a puppet on the stage with no idea who was pulling the strings. Most of the congressmen and congresswomen felt the strings were being pulled by the tribunal, yet there were some who thought there might be something or someone behind the scenes, the real puppet master. But it was all conspiracy talk and Glenn had no time for such speculations.
Glenn became a congressman at the age of 40 when he was appointed by the governor of Arkansas to replace Melanie Olson, who abdicated her chair after charges of corruption were brought forward. As a rookie politician on the national stage, Glenn learned early to keep his head down and not ask questions. After Glenn was re-elected time and time again, however, he gained a boldness that caused him to speak out in hearings and question the motives of others. His straight talk and “no bull” campaigns earned him chairs in various committees and there had once been talk about a run for the White House, but that was 27 years ago. Today, Senator Glenn Thomas is 67 years old and seriously contemplating his retirement from politics.
“Mornin’, Mike,” Glenn offered as he entered his office using his Arkansas drawl. He was amazed that he felt pride in keeping his accent despite living with the Yankees in Washington.
“Good morning, Mr. Senator,” responded Michael.
Michael Turpin, Glenn Thomas’ assistant, rose from his desk to greet his boss. “Have you read the news this morning, sir?”
“I haven’t seen my paper yet.”
“I meant on the NewsNet, sir.” The Senator hated technology. Especially computers.
“Again, no. Why? What’s up?”
“New directives from the tribunal will be announced soon, sir. Rumor is that it’s major.”
Glenn reminisced to himself of a time when the people made the laws and Congress was their voice. Now, the tribunal made policy and Congress was little more than a daycare for old hat politicians waiting to retire.
“How soon?”
“Within the hour.”
----------------------------------------------
Meg just could not believe it. Her husband. Their provider. Unemployed. She wanted to be angry with Dave, but deep down she knew he was doing his best. Except for being late nearly every Monday. Couldn’t he have just left earlier on Monday mornings? She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She had her own agenda today and this crisis would not be going anywhere soon. She may as well do her duty today. What else would she do? Sit around all day and worry? What good would that do? Didn’t Jesus say that she should just worry for today? That tomorrow would have enough worries of its own?
“Sam,” she called out, “let’s go, honey, time for school.”
“I don’t want to go, “came the response.

I let the ball drop and I apologize. I would like to say i have been taking a break but that's not true. I'm looking for His direction with this blog. Even if readers are just added one at a time, His Word will go out from this site and the Bible says His Word will not return to Him void. Read this:
Passage Isaiah 55:11:
11So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Copied from Bible.com)
God is sending out His Word through this medium. I want it to flourish, to reach out and grab someone's heart. Maybe provoke them to pray, to read their Bible, maybe ask a friend about Jesus, maybe go to church, I don't know. I type this blog in faith and leave the rest to God. That being said, I do not honestly know what new course this site will take. As far as devotionals, I will type those up from time to time, but I really want to engage in discussion. I want to talk about Jesus and His truths. Teaching fuels my faith and I hope fuels yours as well.
I do not know if there is an audience out there, but as for me and this blog, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).
Brian

It's been about 3 months since Trenton Duckett disappeared.

If you don't know the story about this two-year-old's disappearance, read about it. It's on America's Most Wanted site. I went to Yahoo.com and searched "Trenton Duckett" to get current on the latest news.

It's not confirmed to be accurate yet, but a witness says they saw young Trenton with his mother at a Wendy's drive-thru together then saw just the mother alone not too much later at the same Wendy's. This is the only lead investigators have had in 3 months of searching.

Personally, I just want the boy found alive and well. I have a son myself and I know what I would be feeling.

The worst part is that the story seems to incriminate the mother (I can't recall her name - the father's name is Joshua). The mother committed suicide by shooting herself with a shotgun. She did this the day after being grilled by Nancy Grace of Court TV and CNN Headline News. Some blame Nancy Grace for the woman's death, but I imagine Ms. Grace wants what we all do: the boy returned to his father alive and well.

I'm afraid that I believe the mother killed her son.

I pray that I'm wrong.

- Brian

Despite President Bush's words that any pullout decisions concerning Iraq will be for future Presidents to decide, the President has decided to listen to "fresh ideas" from both sides concerning changes in Iraq policy.

Now that Mr. Rumsfeld is no longer Secretary of Defense and Democrats hold the majority in both Houses, Democrat leaders are saying a redeployment of troops must happen in the next few months.

Military officials believe, however, that the sectarian violence in Iraq combined with the inability of the Iraqi government to stabilize will lead to a civil war if the US presence were removed.

Still others say that it is the US presence that started the insurgency in the first place. That the United States are seen as invaders, not liberators.

What are your views? What should the United States do and why?

-Brian

I have a new blog at blog.myspace.com/arkansas_brian. Check it out and remember to email me with any questions.

B

Brian, thanks so much for this testimony and the words of encouragement.

Mark C.

-------------- Original message ----------------------

From: Brian Splittorff <brian_splittorff@yahoo.com

>> Dear Pastor Coppenger,> I just read your article "Tithing?! Gross!" on crosswalk.com. I must say that > I agree with you 100% on the tithing principle. My last paycheck, I tried an > experiment of sorts. I created an account on my computer called "Tithes > Payable." (yes, I'm an accountant) In it I would post the amount I would pay > for my tithe, 10% of my gross income. The account roughly said "ok, this is how > much I owe God on Sunday." I did it because my bank account was slim and needed > to pay bills. Not trusting God to supply all my needs, I basically said, "Look, > God, I know I owe you this tithe. See? I wrote it down. I'll pay it when I > can." Sunday morning came around and when it was time for the offering, I was > surprised to find that I had forgotten to write a check for any amount. I had > forgotten my promise to tithe because I felt admitting I owed the money was as > good as giving the money. I was wrong. You were right in saying that we are to > be "hilarious" givers. I have decided to> not "owe" God my tithe but give Him what is His every Sunday. I think I'll be > happier that way.> >

God Bless, Brian Splittorff

> Springdale, Arkansas> >

I was reading in my devotional today about Timothy, the Apostle Paul's protege. Timothy had a complex because of his age, his appearance, etc. He felt no one would take him seriously. Paul urged Timothy to live a godly, pure life in order to set the example of Christian living, in short, be a witness.

I have known failure in my service to God and I have been letting it hold me down. But now I see that perhaps my "failure" was a test, a test that could have been a failure if I hadn't seen it for what it was.

I am getting back on the horse, so to speak, and I encourage any and all that may read this to take heart in your circumstances. All is not lost because Christ is eternal and it's all for Him. Our "failures" are for Him and, yes, He's worth the risk of failing. Knowing this, isn't not trying a sin?

Pray with me:

Father,
Thank you for setting my sights on things above and not on this earth. I only want to serve you in anyway and not on my terms, but yours. I love You and am wholly yours.

In Jesus's Name,Amen.

Thank you all and may God Bless.

I just read an article on crosswalk.com on tithing, one of the core teachings from the Bible. The article states that tithing (giving ten percent of your gross income) is on the decline in recent years. In fact, according to a survey in 2000 sited in the article, 80% of an average church's budget if financed by 20% of the attendees with the remaining 20% of the budget being financed by the next 30% of attendees. The remaining 50%, according to the 2000 survey give little to nothing at all.

The article says one of the reasons in the decline of "tithers" is because some cannot afford to give 10% of their income away, instead spending their money on other important expenses such as medical costs.

I come from Indiana. The church I attended before moving to Arkansas in 2005 had just built a new sanctuary. The church borrowed the money to build the sanctuary from a bank and used pledges from attendees as proof they could afford to make payments. I forget how much the building cost exactly, but it was in the neighborhood of $1.5 million.

In contrast, we attended a church here in Arkansas that had just completed a multi-use facility. The building was paid for in cash with the church accumulating no debt with building it.

Both churches have beautiful new buildings but only one is debt-free. Both churches tithe off of their offerings. The church in Indiana tithes to their missions programs where the church in Arkansas tithes to many different programs, some of them missionary.

I offer these two churches as examples of tithers today. The ones who supposedly cannot afford to tithe are those who are making bad choices thereby living above their means and getting into debt. This makes their budget get eaten alive by all those minimum payments credit card companies love. Plus interest expenses are big budget killers. This is what is happening to the church in Indiana and to givers who cannot afford to tithe today.

If you think you cannot afford to tithe, then your heart is not right with God and you need to repent. Take a step back and make a sacrifice for the kingdom. If the only thing standing between you and making an offering that includes the tithe is $5.00 a week, stop spending that $5.00!!!

I wonder where people get their ideas from. I knew Catholicism held the idea of a "purgatory," a middle-place between heaven and hell. But now I find out there's a spiritual concept of "limbo." In purgatory, according to Roman Catholics, a soul receives purification so as to enter heaven. In contrast, limbo has two functions: (1) to hold those who were righteous before Christ's death and resurrection and (2) to hold the souls of infants who died before receiving baptism.

To enter heaven, all one must do is receive Jesus the Christ as their Savior. He paid the price for all mankind's sins on the cross 2000 years ago. Their is no purification one's soul must go through in order to enter heaven. Being made clean through the blood of Christ is all that's required. That's why Paul calls salvation of our souls a gift in the book of Ephesians. The Apostle John tells us to continually test the spirits in order to ascertain the truth. This spirit that created "limbo" is a false one.

Brian

In times such as these, I know beyond any doubt that we are living in what the Bible calls "the end times," or "last days." However you call it, I'm talking about the second coming of Jesus the Christ to rapture His church out of the earth before the 7-year tribulation begins.

Now I am not one to speculate about times, dates, or persons, but I will give my views on what the Bible teaches. But that's for later. Now, I feel it's time to do first things first. If you are reading this, it's not because of chance. It's not because you sat down at a computer and typed this specific address. It's because you were led here for a reason: to read the plan of salvation for your soul.

First, we're sinners, all of us. You, me, everyone. The Bible says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." You must realize this. It is the most important thing for you to do right now. You must admit that you are not perfect. You've heard of the Ten Commandments? Find them in the Bible. If you have violated just one commandment one time in your life, you're a sinner. That's the truth. It gets worse.

Second, there is a price for being a sinner. I'm not talking about being caught in doing something wrong and being punished. I'm talking about dying in your unforgiven sins and your soul being sent to hell to be punished forever. And there is no end to this punishment. It is called eternal, as in neverending. The Bible says "the wages (cost, price) of sin is death." What death means is what Jesus calls "the second death." It's eternal separation from God in hell. You would no longer be able to call to Him for help. No more chances. You'd be banished from His presence forever.

But we don't have to fear this "second death" nor the first death if our hearts are right with God. If your heart is right with God, you know that God's Son, Jesus of Nazareth, died on the cross 2,000 years ago. You know His death paid that "death price" that was on your head for your sins. If you don't know He did this for you, pray this prayer:

Dear Jesus,

I know I'm a sinner. I know you paid the price for my sins. I want to live the rest of my life for you. Show me by Your Holy Spirit what you would have me do. My heart belongs to you now. Thank you for saving me.

In Jesus's Name.
Amen.

Please email me with any questions you may have. An awesome resourse for all christians is 1-800-NEED-HIM. Please call that number. They have helped me in times past.

Stay strong and in the Word of God and remember our strength comes from the joy of the Lord.

Brian

To my unborn child:

This is a day
I wish I could say
everything turned out
a different way

I never knew you
nor called you friend
but my love for you
will never end

Son or daughter
someday I'll see
what manner of person
you grew up to be

But for the rest of my life
until I die
I'll always find myself
asking "why?"

And someday I'll know.

Baby Splittorff August 28, 2006

BIBLE STUDY ON 3 JOHN

SALUTATION The Elder (John, apostle, author of this letter),

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I (John) love in the truth.
Dear friend (Gaius), I (John) pray that you (Gaius) may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. (Some translations say “prosper” instead of “getting along well.”) It (having some brothers come and tell about Gaius’s faithfulness to the truth and how he continues to walk in the truth) gave me (John) great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth. I (John) have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

We know the author; he refers to himself as “the elder.”
We know the receiver of this letter; it is addressed to Gaius.
We know that the elder has heard good things about Gaius: that he is faithful to the truth and continues to walk in the truth.
The elder says doing so brings him no greater joy.

Other references to Gaius:

Acts 19:29 - “Soon the whole city (Ephesus) was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater.”

We know that Gaius was from Macedonia and traveled with Paul.

Acts 20:4 - “He (Paul) was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.”

We know that Gaius was specifically from Derbe.

Romans 16:23 - “Gaius, whose hospitality I (Paul) and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.”

1 Corinthians 1:14,15 - “I (Paul) am thankful I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say you were baptized into my (Paul) name.”

We know that Gaius was one of Paul’s converts.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

We know that Gaius is faithful in his service of providing hospitality to fellow Christians, even if they are strangers. The elder says that Christians should show one another hospitality “so that we may work together for the truth.” In other words, work together to build unity in the Body of Christ.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

The elder now mentions a second person, Diotrephes, who seems to be Gaius’s opposite in giving hospitality. So much so that Diotrephes puts those who do try to help out of the church. This may mean that Diotrephes was the leader of the church in this region or at least a leader.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does evil has not seen God.
Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone - and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends their by name.

Keywords: hospitality, faithful, faithfulness, truth, love

Main characters: The elder, Gaius, Diotrephes, Demetrius
Gaius was well-known for his hospitality.
Diotrephes not only wouldn’t show hospitality, but also stopped others from doing so.
Demetrius, while the exact reason of the elder’s commendation is not given, is said to be “well spoken of by everyone.” In other words, his reputation preceded him.

Lesson:
Show hospitality even to strangers and do so in a manner worthy of God. Be faithful in doing so and the truth will bear testimony to you.

Brian

MIDEAST CRISIS: IS IT OVER?

My opinion is that it's not. The rhetoric coming from Iran and Syria does not bode well for a lasting peace in the Middle Eastern region. Plus the nuclear thing with Iran has not been dealt with yet. Anyway, we'll need to wait and see what kind of effective police force this UN militia will be that will help hold Hezbollah at bay. Besides that, remember that there was a conflict with the Palestinians before the Lebanese thing exploded. I think it's all just beginning.

Brian