I Will Miss Things Like This When I Retire This Blog

When I retire this blog I am going to miss things like this. I have called these type of posts "You got to be kidding, right?" This is so so sad. It is sad because it shows the level of mentality that has invaded the evangelical/fundamental world.

We have come to think of God mystically. We no longer ask God for certain things that we may need or want with the expectation and appreciation for God's will to be done. We now expect God to perform like a genie from a bottle or maybe like Samantha Stephens.

If God were to walk through my house and take away all my worries, illnesses, and to heal my family and friends, bring quiet where there is chaos, light in darkness, and oh yes, the cherry on top -put love in our hearts, where would He find means to grow us or stretch us? How would we enter into His sufferings? 

This is further evidence of how the dumbing down of the gospel has lead to an excellent crop of tares in the church. 

The Move

*The Move (to Austin, Texas)

By Gregg Metcalf

(A cheesy parody of Battle of New Orleans)

In 1966 we moved to the Golden State

North American Van lines loaded up our crates

We took a little trip in the family car out west

And we drove across the USA hoping for the best

 [Chorus:]

Lockheed told my dad that he was their man

They told him how he was a part of their plan

So we found a place where our family could stay

In Santa Clara County in a town called San Jose

We moved into a house on a street named Balsa

We all learned new things like how to eat salsa

Things were different than back in the Midwest

Everybody hung in there and tried to do their best

[Chorus]

Lockheed told my dad that he was their man

They told him how he was a part of their plan

So we found a place where our family could stay

In Santa Clara County in a town called San Jose

Mom and Dad watched each kid leave home one by one

And you all know how time flies when you’re having fun

Forty eight years later and now our folks are on the move

They’re leaving San Jose for Texas with nothing left to prove

[Chorus]

Lockheed told my dad that he was their man

They told him how he was a part of their plan

So we found a place where our family could stay

In Santa Clara County in a town called San Jose

Yeah, they pack up the house and they loaded up the truck

Family and friends heaped on them lots of prayers and luck

Thinking about them leaving is like being hit in the solar plexus

But they are leaving San Jose, they’re on their way to Texas 

So thank you Craig and Jill, Donna & Kelly and all of Austin

You may never tell anyone of us what this trip is costen

But your actions are appreciated by those of us not there

You have some special treasure now so please take care

[Chorus]

Lockheed told my dad that he was their man

They told him how he was a part of their plan

So we found a place where our family could stay

In Santa Clara County in a town called San Jose

We fired off prayers to the good Lord up above

Hope He fires back blessings on the wings of a dove

I wanted to use this last line in a real song -alright

The Lone Star just got a little brighter tonight

[Chorus]

Lockheed told my dad that he was their man

They told him how he was a part of their plan

So we found a place where our family could stay

In Santa Clara County in a town called San Jose

Bridge

The further the truck pulls out of sight

The Lone Star got a little brighter tonight

[Chorus]

Lockheed told my dad that he was their man

They told him how he was a part of their plan

So we found a place where our family could stay

In Santa Clara County in a town called San Jose

*We found out on Saturday that my parents were moving to Texas. They have been 48 years in San Jose, CA, but now have no children nor relatives around them. So my sister Donna and my brother Craig drove to Modesto and packed them up and they leave tomorrow for a new life in Austin.

Grace at Work

John Bunyan - from "Grace Abounding" written during his 12 yr imprisonment.

 "I FIND THIS DAY SEVEN ABOMINATIONS IN MY HEART:

1. AN INCLINING TO UNBELIEF,

2. SUDDENLY TO FORGET THE LOVE AND MERCY THAT CHRIST MANIFESTS,

3. A LEANING TOWARD THE WORKS OF THE LAW,

4. WANDERINGS AND COLDNESS IN PRAYER,

5. TO FORGET TO WATCH FOR WHAT I PRAY FOR,                                                                           

6. APTNESS TO MURMUR BECAUSE I HAVE NO MORE, AND YET READY TO ABUSE WHAT    I HAVE, AND

7. I CAN DO NONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE LORD HAS COMMANDED ME WITHOUT MY CORRUPTION THRUSTING THEMSELVES IN. “I FIND THEN A LAW, THAT EVIL IS PRESENT WITH ME, THE ONE WHO WILLS TO DO GOOD.” (Romans 7:21)

The Man and His Message (Part 2)

SERMON:             GM15-044

SERIES:              Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained &           Applied

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (Jan 25, 2015)

SUBTITLE:        The Man and His Message (Part 2)

SCRIPTURE:     Romans 1: 1b-6; Acts 9

SUBJECT:          the apostle Paul

SUMMARY:       The conversion of Paul was a direct result of being chosen by God

SCHEME:           that Christians understand the ingredients that God used in the making of this great man of God

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: the apostle Paul

This is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand the various ingredients that God used to make this man such a unique player in the eternal plans of God

 Proposition:  God uses various ingredients to make a believer useful to His plans

Interrogatory Sentence:  What were the ingredients that God used to make Paul into the man who played such an important role in the life of the church?

Transitional Sentence: The passage before identifies four (4) ingredients that God used to make Paul such an important player in the life of the church;

1.     The Childhood of Paul

2.     The Conversion of Paul

3.     The Credentials of Paul

4.     The Commission of Paul

The Man and His Message (Part 1)

SERMON               GM15-043

SERIES:              Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained & Applied

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (Jan 11, 2015)

SUBTITLE:        The Man and His Message (Part 1)

SCRIPTURE:     Romans1:1a

SUBJECT:          The Man and His Message

SUMMARY:       The book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul

SCHEME:           that the Christian grasps the ingredients that went into the making of this great man of God

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: The Man and His Message

This is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand all the ingredients that God used to make this man such a valuable player in the eternal plans of God.

 Proposition:  The book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul.     

Interrogatory Sentence:  What were the ingredients that God used to make Paul into the man who played such an important role in the life of Christianity and the Church?

Transitional Sentence: This introduction and overview of the man and his message identifies four ingredients that help us see what God used to make Paul, Paul. 

Amen Bro. Edwards! Preach It!

Setting the Stage Conclusion

Last week, I began our study of the epistle to the Romans by way of an introduction. It was a simple 3 point outline that I thought I could work through.

As it would be, we were able to get through the 2nd subpoint of the second main point as overtime expired on the clock. Actually it was like double overtime.

As a result, today's message is the conclusion of the first message that was given last week. So, if your are looking for today's message from "Sunday's in the Study" scroll back down to last Lord's Day!

Jesus Christ - The Preexistent Creator and Savior

For centuries the Jewish nation had anticipated their Messiah. Even Gentiles anticipated a Savior or Deliverer due to the influence of Judaism in various parts of the world. Little did they know that the Messiah they were expecting had existed eternally.

The Scriptures are replete with examples of iron-clad proof that Christ Jesus was both the agent of creation and had been designated as Savior. The Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1.) All things were created by Him and nothing that was made was made apart from Him (Eph 1:3-5.)

Christ Jesus existed before the creation of this universe and He is exalted in rank and person above everything in this universe. We have the utmost privilege of not only worshipping this creator-savior, but we are called to know Him.

The Westminster Catechism captures in just one succinct sentence the essence of the greatest and most joyous of all privileges known to man when it asks,

“What is the chief end of man?” “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to know him forever.”

How are you doing? How are you glorifying God? How are you enjoying Him now? In what ways will you enjoy Him forever?

Missionaries Died in Ecuador Jungle

This happened on January 8th. I missed it but when I realized I wanted to post it anyways. We need to be reminded when God's people give their life in His service.

*The five men on "Palm Beach," a strip of sand on the Curaray River, Ecuador, knew that there was danger. But they took the risk for a chance to make friendly contact with the Huaorani (Auca) Indians. Missionaries Ed McCulley, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian, had landed on the makeshift airstrip in their "modern missionary mule" (a Piper Cruiser).

Back at Shell Mera,on this day January 8, 1956, Marj Saint waited for word. The short wave radio crackled. Marj listened as her husband, Nate, told her that "a commission of ten" was on its way from Terminal City. "Looks like they'll be here for the early afternoon service. Pray for us. This is the day! We'll contact you next at four-thirty."

Excitement was intense. Months of efforts were about to bear fruit! The "commission" was a group of Huaorani men. Terminal City was the code name the missionaries had given to a Huaorani village they had spotted from the air. If Nate spoke in code words, it was because he did not want Ecuadorians with guns pre-empting the mission's friendly overtures to the natives. The Huaorani were sturdy forest dwellers who had fiercely resisted all efforts to subdue them, killing many people who ventured into their territory.

Nate had first spotted one of their villages from the air on September 19, 1955.

 On October 1st, missionaries developed a plan for making contact, when bad weather kept Johnny Keenan from flying Ed back to his home station at Arunjo. Ed, Nate and others gathered at Shell Mera and talked into the wee hours of the morning, huddled over maps. How could they demonstrate that they came in peace and not in hostility?

What they decided to do was fly over the villages and lower gifts to the people. Using a public address system, they repeated friendly phrases that Jim had collected from an Huaorani woman on a nearby hacienda. "Biti miti punimupa: I like you; I want to be your friend." Soon large numbers of Aucas were converging for the gift drops. Finally the day came when the villagers tied a gift to the line in return--a feathered headdress.

Next, a landing spot had to be found. They chose a playa (sand bar) on the Curaray River. Nate ran simulated landings, touching his wheels to the sand to test its firmness. It seemed okay. Finally on January 3rd, Nate and Ed landed. The sand proved softer than hoped, but by letting air out of the tires, a safe landing and takeoff was possible. Nate ferried the other men and supplies to the camp. They erected a prefab tree house and shouted friendly words into the bush. Four days later a Huaorani man and two women appeared. Now, on this day, January 8th, 1956, several Auca were headed to "Palm Beach."

Four thirty rolled around, time for the planned radio contact. Eagerly Marj switched on her radio back at base. Nothing! Had the men been invited to the Huaorani houses? She waited. There was no sound. The minutes passed, and lengthened into hours. Silence.

Johnny Keenan flew over Palm Beach on Monday morning. He reported to Marj that he had spotted Nate's plane, stripped of its fabric. On Wednesday he saw the first of the bodies from the air. Then another. Soon it was evident all five men were dead. A ground force moved in to bury the men. Ed's body had washed away.

A shipwrecked sailor recalled Jim Elliot's words: "When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do is die." The five men on the beach had been ready to die and their deaths were not in vain. Through the efforts of the widows, the Huaorani discovered Christian forgiveness. The day came when they explained that they had killed the five out of fear, thinking they were cannibals. The same Huaorani who killed the men became believers in Christ.

Bibliography:

Ellliot, Elisabeth. Through Gates of Splendor. New York: Harper and Row, 1958.

Hitt, Russell T. Jungle Pilot. Discovery House, 1997.

Various internet articles.

*Copied from Christianity.com

Grace is Grace!

"...if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). (Council of Orange: Canon 6)

Today's Quote

To the believing heart, no explanation is necessary; to the unbelieving heart, no explanation is adequate. 

(Franz Werfel)

Adam Refused to Come Clean

It was made clear to me this morning (January 2, 2015) in my devotion that an honest, in-depth, and perceptive study of the fall of man and the subsequent actions and attitude of Adam would put to death forever the Arminian and Semi-Pelagian ideas that man is seeking after God in order to obtain reconciliation after confession.

 God sought Adam while Adam ran, not to God but away from God. God gave Adam an opportunity to confess and take responsibility for his sin, Adam refused and passed the blame to Eve.

Paul made it clear that in Romans 3 that men do not seek God and John made it clear in his letter that men hate the light, preferring the darkness.

Setting the Stage

SERMON               GM15-042

SERIES:              Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained &                                        Applied

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (Jan 4, 2015)

SUBTITLE:        Setting the Stage

SCRIPTURE:     Romans; Selected Scriptures

SUBJECT:          setting the stage

SUMMARY:       The book of Romans is a carefully constructed master piece of                                         Christian theology for the spiritual wellbeing of genuine believers.

SCHEME:           that the Christian grasps the theological truth for which this book is known

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: setting the stage

This is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand the argument of Romans in order to be able think through the epistle and to see the absolute importance of this letter for the complete spiritual wellbeing of the genuine believer.

 Proposition:  The book of Romans is a carefully constructed master piece of Christian theology for the spiritual wellbeing of genuine believers.       

Interrogatory Sentence:  What will this introduction and overview reveal?

Transitional Sentence: The introduction and overview reveals three features that help us set the stage:

1.     The Arrangement          

2.     The Accolades              

3.     The Advantages

How Do I "Do" My Devotions?

Here is a recent conversation I had on Face Book with a great friend in Michigan. Mike is a dedicated cop with a great testimony! I truly appreciate him.

Mike Lee How do you like to study individual books? I’m always looking for new ideas. Currently I read a passage/section/chapter (have been in Psalms) and then reflect on, think about, and study a phrase or thought that pops out of the text at me. What do you do?

8 mins · Edited · Like

Gregory D Metcalf Do mean "study" devotionally or "study" for preaching? If you mean for my devotions, I started using the program One Note in Windows 8. I created a "notebook " called Gregg's Quiet Time.

I then take a new page for each day of my devotion. I label with the reading for the day, which is usually a complete unit of thought or a paragraph.

I then start with a heading - Reading To Understand.

Under this heading I begin to type everything I observe, questions I have about the text, in a sort of outline form. I answer questions such as who is speaking who is being spoken to, what is being said, why it is being said.

 I then make an additional heading, "Meditation on Reading" I then meditate or think through the unit of thought I just observed, drawing out the principles and truths in the paragraph.

After I draw out the truths and principles, I make another heading called "Prayer on Reading and Meditation"

Here I list the things I need to pray about as a result of reading the passage. Things I need to do, not do, don't understand, appreciate, praises come at this time, etc.

Then I make a final heading called “Contemplation on Reading, Mediation, and Praying.”

Here I look for the application for my life - what do I need to do or not do. I use something I made up called SPEECH.

Is there a:

Sin to Confess,

Promise to Claim,

Example to Copy, and

Error to Consider,

Command to Complete,

Hypothesis to Construe?

2 mins · Like

Gregory D Metcalf After all that I take one devotional commentary and I read it on the section I just finished for any additional insight or correction to my thinking. Does that help?

Mike Lee Love it!

4 mins · Unlike · 1

10 Questions to Ask for 2015

From The Center for Biblical Spirituality comes this New Years exhortation. Instead of New Year's resolutions, how about answering these 10 questions?

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

A Year of Time

…Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea—especially at the beginning of a new year.

As we look into 2015 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.

The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day.

Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.

And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.

Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God.

The New Year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?