How Precious the Word

I recently read in the August issue of Pulpit Helps, published by AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422, the following from John Meador, Senior Pastor of Woodland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN ...

"Believers cannot handle the serious stuff of life, because they aren't hearing the serious stuff of the Scripture." He further states, "His (God) Word does what only the Word can do. The Word builds faith, it increases one's knowledge of God, it builds endurance in times of temptation, it gives direction and guidance for everyday living. It convicts of sin and corrects into the right way of living. In a word, it transforms."

2 Timothy 2: 15 re-enforces the need to live by God's Word. How are we going to win our families and friends to Jesus if we live by worldly standards? It's God's Word that changes our lives and will give lasting change to others.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Who Do You Stand For?

Relationships are wonderful if they are the right kind. In my message today I preached about the friendship that Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego had. There relationship was tested different times but maybe none so much as the firery furnace incident. They, along with the rest of the city, were told to bow and worship the false god that the king had made. They refused and were thrown in the furnace.

If you and I were close friends and were faced with a similar situation, I wonder what our stance would be? Would we say as the Hebrew children did that they would not bow and worship the false god or would we maybe compromise a little bit and pretend to worship the false god just to keep from having problems? It's something to consider. Chances are that we will not be threatened by a fiery furnace but we will face some big tests that will force us to make a decision. Do we stand firm in our devotion to God or do we compromise (no one will ever know) and keep on worshiping God to the best of our ability?

That that held Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego's relationship as friends together was not fear of the king but their love for God. He was the twine that kept them strong. Let me ask you a question. Is there anything in this life worth breaking your devotion to God? Isn't it time we stood firm in our godly convictions? Isn't it time we let people know by how we live who is the Lord and Master of our life?

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Where Is Your Faith?

Everyone has a measure of faith. We have faith that we we sit down the chair will hold us, etc. That's one kind of faith. But where is your faith when it comes to God? Do you believe His Word? Do you believe He gave His Son to die on the cross for you? Do you believe that Jesus was raised from the dead?

You may believe that God is good but is He so good that He would give His Son to die for me? The answer is yes, and it's not that God is just good, it's that He loves you more than you can comprehend. Now comes the part of acting on your faith. You must believe more than that God loves you. You need to believe the rest (His Word, that He gave Jesus to die and that He raised Him from the dead). Impossible stuff? Yes, for mankind, but not for God.

Exercise your faith today if you have not already done so and believe what I have just shared with you. It's in the Bible (Romans 10: 1-10). Ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of all your sins (Romans 3: 23). Then, start reading the Bible (an easy to read version is the New Living Translation (NLT) and watch your faith take off.

With faith in God and His Word, you've got an eternal world to learn about.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

The Truth or Not the Truth

I recently read about a pastor who had a friend who was an actor. The actor was drawing large crowds while the pastor was preaching to just a few. The pastor asked his friend why his crowds were so much larger. His friend replied, "I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction."

Often we Christians give the impression that the truth is fiction by the way we live and by the lack of commitment to the teachings of our Lord.

Psalm 145: 12 "They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign."

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

What Do You Think Is Going On?

Hi everyone,

Years ago I heard someone say that the Middle East was a powder keg ready to blow. Well, it might be blowing as we speak. Israel is blasting away at a terriost group in Lebanon as the world watches. But someone out of this world is watching as well.

I don't know about you but it gets my heart jumping a little bit more when I think that Christ could be ready to come and get us. I've always wanted to leave this life in the rapture. Do you think we are close to the rapture of the church? Let me know what you think and I will share it with others.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

What A Week!

This is Monday, July 17 and what a week this past week was. Kathy and I were priviliged to have 12 ladies from Urban Harvest Ministries in the South Bronx in NYC in our home. They were here to minister in downtown Detroit and South Dearborn. Several souls were saved in Detroit and seed planted in South Dearborn in the Muslim community.

I admire these faithful ladies who took 8 days out of their lives and came to Detroit to show the love of Christ. While in our home I saw them pray, study the Word, and show Christ through their everyday lives. Kathy and I are proud to know them.

Please pray for UHM as they continue to work for the Lord in Urban areas of America. And, pray for those they won to the Lord and witnessed too this past week.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Going Home

A dear saint went home to be with the Lord this morning. She was looking forward to it for some time. I'm sure we will refer to it as a "Homegoing Celebration" (she would like that). This woman had such faith that she would praise the Lord through song while in the hospital even though she knew that she probably would be leaving this life soon. The grace of God will do that for a person.

Jesus had gone away to prepare a place for her and now it is finished. One of my most special memories of her is her shouting. She'd get happy in the Lord at church and would shout. Some would look at this strangely but I look at it as precious. You see, she had something to shout about.

It truly is a "Homegoing Celebration."

Way to go Sis. Stanley!

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Youth Group

Hi everyone,

I am very sorry I haven't kept my blog up to date (no excuse). I want to invite you to check out our new youth website. Youth Pastor Roger Gurganus is doing a great job with our youth and if you don't have a church to go to we would love for you to bring your youth to be a part of our youth group (7th grade through 12th).

Have a blessed day.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Be The Man You Were Created To Be

Let me share with you a portion of an article from Kenny Luck, Men's Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. Kenny talks about our need as men for accountability. He says in New Man Magazine, May/June 2006 issue,: The more accountable we are as God's men, the healthier we are as individuals and, consequently, the healthier our body of believers becomes. That's why more of God's men need to have a Jonathan and David moment. One God's man simple commits the following to the other: "The Lord is witness between you and me" (1 Samuel 20: 42, NIV). In other words, we are each other's spiritual space invaders, and we won't let each other fail spiritually.

Not only are we accountable to God, in Christ we are accountable to each other.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Healing Broken Hearts

Many people experience broken hearts. I will confess that mine has been broken different times. And a broken heart hurts awfully bad.

Healing takes a long time and even after the healing, we still remember the hurt. God is an expert in healing broken hearts and other hurts. The secret is to give the hurt to Him. Sometimes it's hard to let go. In the movie "Father of the Bride," Steve Martin got it right when he said to the dogs that were chasing him, "Release." Release and let the hurt sail up to God.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Taking Time

One of the things I have recently changed is taking time for myself. That includes alone time, Kathy and me time, me and the family time. The point is, I am rejuvenated by spending time with my family and also being alone.

This is a type of "weekly" healing. Six days of work, one day of repair. If we don't apply some of the advice we give to others, they well be repaired and we will remain broken.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

This Too Shall Pass

Many times I have been in situations that I did not want to be in. Some were my own doing and some were not. Depending on my spiritual "condition" at the time, I learned some valuable things:

1. Bad things are going to happen.
2. It's frightening.
3. It hurts.
4. It tests me.
5. It grows me.
6. It strengthens me.
7. It helps me appreciate my life more.
8. It's "normal."

We all face trying times, but they shall pass, even if it means "passing" us into eternity. For the Christian, that is everlasting life with God. A place of joy, peace, perfect health, etc. But for the non-Christian, eternity means a very real place called hell. A place of torment, total sorrow, loneliness, separation from God.

Have you made your choice? (Romans 10: 9,10)

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Ten Guidelines From God

My son recently me a list of Ten Guidelines from God. I thought they were worth sharing...

1. Quit Worrying. I am here to take all our burdens and carry them for you.
2. Put It On the List. Tell me and I'll put it on my to-do list. I can handle it. After all, I'm God.
3. Trust Me. Once you've shared with me, trust me to get involved.
4. Leave It Alone. Don't wake up one moring and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think i can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple, kyou gave me your burdens and I'm taking care of them.
5. Talk to Me. You may forget about a lot of things, but don't forget to talk with Me. I want to hear from you every day, maybe even several times a day.
6. Have Faith. Have faith in me that I know what I am doing.
7. Share. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy, laughter, tears for those who have forgotten how to cry, your possessions, your faith.
8. Be Patient.
9. Be Kind.
10.Love others as you love yourself.

'Til the storm passes.

Pastor Gary

Do You Know What Slop Is?

When I was a boy on the farm in Alabama we used to feed the pigs left over scrapes, etc. We called it "slopping the hogs." It wasn't the most pleasant looking food but the hogs didn't seem to mind. But for me, slop was nasty. Can you imagine eating something like that?

In Luke 15: 11-24 we have the story of the prodigal son. This was a young man that left home to "find himself." He asked his dad for his inheritance and took off for new adventures. Well, his adventures led him to the pig pen. He spent all of his inheritance and got to the point that he had to take a job "slopping" the hogs. From riches to the pig pen. Things got so bad that he was thinking about eating some of the slop. This young man had sunk to the bottom.

Sometimes it is when we are at the bottom of our life that we come to our senses as the prodigal son did. He said I'll go back home and see if my dad will hire me as one of his servants. He was willing to now serve, instead of receive. When his dad saw him coming he ran to him and gave him a big hug, a robe to wear, and threw him a big party.

Have you ever been in the pig pen? Has your life sunk so low that you felt like there was no hope, that you had made such a mess of things that you might as well end it all? Well, I've got good news for you. God wants to give you a big hug, clean you up, put a new robe on you, and throw you a party. All you have to do is confess your pig pen ways, believe that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, and you shall be saved.

What are you willing to do? The Father is looking down the road for you to come home.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Peace At Last

In his book, Day by Day, Billy Graham shares this insight into peace...

"The sea was beating against the rocks in huge, dashing waves. The lightning was flashing, the thunder was roaring, the wind was blowing; but the little bird wsas asleep in the crevice of the rock, its head serenely under its wing, sound asleep. That is peace -- to be able to sleep in the storm! In Christ, we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusion, bewilderments, and perplexities of life. The storm rages, but our hearts are at rest. We have found peace -- at last!" (Romans 14: 19)

In Christ, there is peace. Not only peace, but lasting peace. Peace that is there when I hurt, am lonely, struggling. He is my hope and my peace.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Not My Strength

There is a verse in Zechariah 4 that offers encouragement to God's children. It says, "Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (v.6).

Sometimes we struggle with waiting. We live in a microwave society that wants things to happen right away. We want answers, solutions, resolutions, etc. now. I think we have been so accustomed to having so much readily available to us that when it's necessary to "wait upon the Lord" we have a hard time. One of the things we need to understand is that God does things in His time, not ours.

I like what Paul the apostle said. "When I am weak, then I am strong." Our strength is not in our capabilities, but in God's. If we can learn to wait on God, we will find that it was worth the wait.

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

What Can Be Done About Our Past?

The Bible Says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. It also means that His Word is the same as He is. This means that the Word you read today is able to heal your yesterday. One of the most difficult healings is our past. Our closets are full of past hurts, mistakes, unforgiveness, etc.

What can be done about our past? It depends on our past. ! John 1: 9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins." If you have bitterness towards someone, connect with them, forgive, confess your bitterness, and ask God for healing. If you've done something in your past that you are having a hard time forgiving yourself for, rest assured that God's forgiveness takes care of it. Accept that and move on. I know it's hard for us to forget but with God's forgiveness comes assurance that we can move on in our life.

God's Word today works for healing on yesterday's hurts. As the song says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."

'Til the storm passes,

Pastor Gary

Debt Free: Is It Only A Dream?

Is it possible to be out of debt? The answer is yes. I want to introduce you to a good book by Dave Ramsey called "The Total Money Makeover." It describes in seven plain and simple steps how to get out of debt and stay out. It's not a scheme or a quick fix. Depending on how far in debt you are depends on how long it will take to get out of debt. The idea is to take one baby step at a time. The very first thing you must do is set up a written budget each month. This is truly a must. All your income must be budgeted so you don't over spend. And, QUIT BORROWING! Your days of going in debt are over....... Now, here are the baby steps:

1. Save $1000 Cash as a Starter Emergency Fund

2. Start the Debt Snowball by paying off one debt at a time starting with the smallest and paying the minimum on the other debts.

3. Finish the emergency fund. Save enough in case your income stops for 6 months.

4. Invest 15% of Your Income in Retirement

5. Save for college (if you have kids at home). If not, skip this step.

6. Pay Off your Home Mortgage

7. Build Wealth

Now these are very simple directions. You need to read all the detail for each step plus debt myths in detail. Read the book and if you really want to get out of debt, get to work.

Hope this helps. Also check out Dave Ramsey's website: www.daveramsey.com.

Have a blessed day,

Pastor Gary

God's Way Is The Only Way

Jesus said, "I am the way," meaning to eternal life. There is only one way to heaven and it is God's way. Many people live "good" lives but have never accepted Christ as their Savior. They are trying to get to heaven their way, but it's not going to work.
Charles Stanley said, "We cannot begin to build a truth-based life until we accept God's way as the only way."

Have a blessed day.

Pastor Gary

Defeating Temptation

Hello everyone,

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Lazy I guess. I want to share a few points that we will be covering in this evening's Bible Study. Have you ever felt that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear? One thing you should understand. The one who causes the temptation is Satan and he is a liar. God has promised never to allow more on you than He puts within you to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome.

Rick Warren, from his book The Purpose Driven Life, shares four biblical principles to help defeat temptation:

1. Refocus your attention on something else. Since temptation begins with a thought, the quickest wayk to defeat it is to turn your attention to something else. The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you. Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." When a temptation enters your mind, do whatever it takes to refocus on something else.

2. Reveal your struggle to a Christian friend. Find at least one Christian friend you can share your struggles with. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 tells us that you are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because if you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.

3. Resist the Devil. James 4: 7b says, "Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." We are not to sit down and take his garbage he throws on us. How do we resist? First, accept Christ as your personal Savior is you are not already saved. You can't fight Satan alone and win. Second, use the Word of God as your weapon. Memorize Scripture so that when temptation comes you can use the Word to hit the Devil. He is not afraid of much but he is fearful of the Word.

4. Realize your vulnerability. Given the right circumstances, any of us are capable of any sin. Don't let down your guard and think you are beyond certain tempations. Don't get over confident. Jeremiah 17: 9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" That means we are good at fooling ourselves.

Don't carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.

Have a blessed day,

Pastor Gary